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Tag: Apple

  • A first-generation iPhone is expected to go for $50,000 at auction

    A first-generation iPhone is expected to go for $50,000 at auction

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    A first-generation iPhone is up for auction and is expected to sell for a whopping $50,000. The 2007 phone, which is still sealed in its box, is being sold on LCG Auctions.

    The owner of the phone, Karen Green, had it appraised on the talk show “The Doctor & The Diva” in 2019. Because it is an 8GB — not 4GB — and is still in its original packaging, the appraiser said it was worth $5,000. 

    “In 2007, I got a new job and my friends bought me the latest, newest first generation iPhone,” Green said. “It had all these neat things on there to do a new job, like a calendar.”

    She said she didn’t open the box because she had just gotten a new phone. “I didn’t want to get rid of my phone, and I figured, ‘It’s an iPhone, so it will never go out of date.’” 

    Little did she know, several new iterations of the iPhone would be released year after year. Now, Apple is selling the iPhone 14.

    Her friends likely bought the phone for $499 to $599. LCG Auctions set the starting bid price for the unopened phone at $2,500. It has received two bids so far and the auction will be open until Feb. 19. LCG Auctions expects it will reach $50,000.

    Apple founder Steve Jobs introduced the first of its kind phone on Jan. 9, 2007 at MacWorld, a trade show in San Francisco. It was available for purchase about five months later and quickly became Apple’s most successful product, according to LCG. It has a touch screen — innovative for phones that time — a 2-megapixel camera and web browsing.

    First-release iPhones have been auctioned off before. 

    One sold for $35,414 in August and another for $39,339 in October through LCG. 

    “There’s little doubt that interest in culturally relevant collectibles is rapidly increasing, and despite the impressive sales numbers, many believe the space is still in its infancy,” LCG says. 

    Apple has a strong following of loyal fans — some of whom want to own a piece of Apple history. Last year, an Apple-1 Computer prototype from the mid-1970s sold at auction for more than $677,000. And it’s not just electronics Apple devotees are after — Steve Jobs’ worn Birkenstock sandals sold at auction for $218,750 in December. 

    The evolution of Apple products


    The evolution of Apple products

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    Caitlin O’Kane


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    Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.

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  • Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Ford, Nordstrom, and More Stock Market Movers

    Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Ford, Nordstrom, and More Stock Market Movers

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    This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com.

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  • China’s COVID chaos is showing up in corporate earnings

    China’s COVID chaos is showing up in corporate earnings

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    Any company doing business in China has had a rough quarter.

    Throughout September and November, Chinese authorities imposed strict lockdowns and other COVID control measures in a futile effort to suppress outbreaks across the country. 

    Then, in December, Chinese authorities rapidly rolled back lockdowns and other social distancing measures. Those policy changes were then followed by a record-breaking COVID outbreak as the disease ran rampant through Chinese cities, with some officials estimating daily case counts in the tens of millions.

    Now, the economic damage of that COVID chaos is coming through in earnings reports, whether due to disrupted production from locked-down factories, or lowered sales as consumers stayed home to recover or protect themselves. Yet companies are hopeful that China’s reopening means the worst is over for their revenues.

    China’s COVID outbreak may be receding, though health officials are still waiting to see whether cases may surge again following the Lunar New Year holiday. The Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday that the number of severe COVID cases among hospitalized patients is down 89% from its peak in early January.

    Official Chinese data put the total COVID death toll at just over 84,000, but that is likely to be an undercount. A model from U.K.-based research firm Airfinity estimates the total COVID death toll since Dec. 1 at 1.19 million.

    Apple

    On Thursday, Apple reported its first decline in quarterly revenue since 2019. The U.S.-based tech giant reported quarterly revenue of $117.2 billion for the most recent quarter, a year-on-year decline of 5%. 

    On an earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook blamed COVID for its slumping sales, which came in below analyst expectations. Cook said “COVID-19-related challenges” disrupted the supply of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max through most of December, leading to extended ship times. 

    Last November, Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, imposed mobility controls in its iPhone factory in Zhengzhou to suppress a budding outbreak. The factory’s workers, who could number as high as 300,000, were barred from leaving the site and eating in common areas. Many workers fled back to their hometowns, while those who remained were frustrated by COVID measures and feared getting infected. At the time, Apple warned that factory disruptions could affect holiday shipments of the latest iPhone models. 

    Today, Apple thinks these disruptions are over. “Production is now back where we want it to be,” Cook said on Thursday.

    The company also said that Beijing’s COVID controls hurt sales in China, one of the company’s most important consumer markets. Yet the company is optimistic that demand will recover due to the country’s reopening. Cook told analysts that Apple stores reported an increase in traffic in early December, after China lifted its COVID controls. “That followed through to demand as well,” Cook told analysts.

    Apple shares are down 3.7% in after-market trading. 

    Starbucks

    Starbucks reported $8.7 billion in quarterly revenue on Thursday, a record for the coffee company and an 8% year-on-year increase. But the company’s results were dragged down by crashing demand in China, Starbucks’ second-largest market.

    The coffee company reported a 5% increase in global store sales overall. But sales in China fell by 29% as consumers stayed home. The decline was even more steep in December—the start of China’s record COVID surge—with sales falling by 42% compared to December 2021. 

    China’s decline was so large that it offset strong growth elsewhere in the world. On the company’s earnings call, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz noted that the company saw strong sales growth in all of its international market “except for China,” and that the company would have reported double-digit growth in international sales if China were excluded.  

    Yet the coffee company also believes the worst is behind it. The country’s reopening “positions the country to resume pre-COVID levels of consumer, social and economic growth,” said Schultz. “Huge consumer demand in China is waiting to be unleashed,” he said.

    Starbucks shares are down 1.8% in after-market trading.

    Estée Lauder

    The Estée Lauder Companies reported $4.62 billion in sales for the most recent quarter, a year-on-year decline of 17%. The company blamed both COVID lockdowns and surging cases in China for dragging down its retail sales, particularly in the Chinese tourism hotspot of Hainan.

    The company said these COVID disruptions “led to prolonged store closures” and “caused the tightening of inventory by certain retailers who had previously placed orders in anticipation of the return of travel that was since delayed.” 

    Yet the cosmetics company is hopeful that the return of Chinese travelers will support the company’s recovery. “Where there is obviously high traffic, our brands respond enormously,” Fabrizio Freda, the company’s CEO, said on the company’s earnings call. 

    Learn how to navigate and strengthen trust in your business with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter examining what leaders need to succeed. Sign up here.

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    Nicholas Gordon

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  • A First Generation Apple iPhone Is Set to Sell for $50,000

    A First Generation Apple iPhone Is Set to Sell for $50,000

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    Apple enthusiasts have the chance to own an original 2007 first-generation iPhone – if they are willing to pay the price.

    One of the first iPhones to ever be created hit the auction floor today with the bidding starting at $2,500.

    RELATED: ‘What a Shame’: A Generation Mourns as Apple Announces It Will Discontinue Beloved Device

    The original 2007 factory iPhone, which is sealed and unopened in its original packaging, is expected to go for an impressive $50,000 or more, according to LCG Auctions where the item is listed for sale.

    At the time it was first produced, the iPhone featured 4 or 8 GB of storage, with a 3.5-inch screen and a 2-megapixel camera. The original phone didn’t first include an app store and was only available exclusively with AT&T on a 2G network, per CNN. It was named 2007’s Invention of the Year by Time Magazine.

    The particular iPhone up for grabs is being consigned by its owner, Karen Green, who was gifted the Apple product when it was first released. In a 2019 appearance on “The Doctor & The Diva,” the proud owner said she was gifted the phone but never opened the package as she was happy with her current device. She said she held onto it hoping it would come in handy one day. On the air, her 8 GB phone was appraised at $5,000 by Ph.D. Antiques Appraiser Dr. Lori.

    The value of first-edition packaged iPhones has increased over the years as collectors view them as blue-chip assets. Notably, the last original iPhone of such nature to go up for sale sold for $39,339.60 in October 2022.

    Bidders have until February 19 to claim the coveted collectible.

    RELATED: How Much Do Engineers, Software Developers, and Analysts Make at Apple? See Salary List

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    Sam Silverman

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  • White House takes aim at Apple and Google for their app stores

    White House takes aim at Apple and Google for their app stores

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    The Biden administration is taking aim at Apple and Google for operating mobile app stores that it says stifle competition.

    The finding is contained in a Commerce Department report released on Wednesday as President Joe Biden was set to convene his competition council for an update on efforts to promote competition and lower prices.

    The report from the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration says the current app store model — dominated by Apple and Google — is “harmful to consumers and developers” by inflating prices and reducing innovation. The firms have a stranglehold on the market that squelches competition, it adds.

    “The policies that Apple and Google have in place in their own mobile app stores have created unnecessary barriers and costs for app developers, ranging from fees for access to functional restrictions that favor some apps over others” the report said.

    In an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in January, Biden called on Democrats and Republicans to rein in large tech firms without mentioning Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. and Mountain View, California-based Google LLC by name.


    Google faces antitrust suit, accused of “monopolizing” digital ad market

    04:42

    Biden calls for “level playing field”

    “When tech platforms get big enough, many find ways to promote their own products while excluding or disadvantaging competitors — or charge competitors a fortune to sell on their platform,” Biden said. “My vision for our economy is one in which everyone — small and midsized businesses, mom-and-pop shops, entrepreneurs — can compete on a level playing field with the biggest companies.”

    A representative from Apple told The Associated Press that “we respectfully disagree with a number of conclusions reached in the report, which ignore the investments we make in innovation, privacy and security — all of which contribute to why users love iPhone and create a level playing field for small developers to compete on a safe and trusted platform.”

    And a Google spokesperson said the firm also disagrees with the report, namely “how this report characterizes Android, which enables more choice and competition than any other mobile operating system.”

    A legal battle over app store dominance is already playing out in the courts.


    Apple expands data encryption, causing concerns in law enforcement

    04:17

    Apple defends “walled garden”

    Apple has defended the area surrounding its iPhone app store, known as the “walled garden,” as an indispensable feature prized by consumers who want the best protection available for their personal information. It has said it faces significant competition from various alternatives to video games on its iPhones. And Google has long defended itself against claims of monopoly.

    The so-called walled garden includes a payment system that funnels Apple commission revenue ranging from 15% to 30% on the purchases of some subscriptions and other digital services through its storefront. The setup generates an estimated $15 billion to $20 billion for Apple every year, which has helped lift its market value to nearly $2.4 trillion.

    The Commerce Department report said “new legislation and additional antitrust enforcement actions are likely necessary” to boost competition in the app ecosystem.

    Alan Davidson, the NTIA administrator, said the report “identifies where legislation would be needed to address some of these issues.”

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  • Apple Violated Labor Laws, NLRB Says

    Apple Violated Labor Laws, NLRB Says

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    National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officials said Monday that a complaint Apple violated laws related to employee rights has merit, according to Bloomberg.


    Alexi Rosenfeld / Contributor I Getty Images

    Apple store in New York in June 2020.

    The NLRB oversees labor disputes and complaints in the U.S. After a complaint over unfair labor practices is filed, it is investigated by area attorneys and examiners. If they find “probable merit,” then the company can either settle the issue, or it will receive a formal complaint from an NLRB regional director.

    Now that NLRB officials have found merit, Apple will receive a complaint, an NLRB spokesperson told Bloomberg.

    It’s not the company’s first tussle with the board of late: The NLRB found merit in complaints related to the company’s anti-unionization efforts in Atlanta in December, per Quartz.

    This particular case originates with Ashley Gjøvik and another former employee and their right to speak out publicly about workplace issues.

    Gjøvik started at Apple in software engineering in 2015, according to her website. She is now outspoken about issues she had with the company and has filed complaints with the NLRB and other government agencies.

    As part of this complaint, she gave the NLRB company files, per TechCrunch. These included an email from CEO Tim Cook that issued a harsh warning about speaking to the media after a reporter tweeted a detailed summary of an Apple meeting.

    “I want to reassure you that we are doing everything in our power to identify those who leaked. As you know, we do not tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it’s product IP or the details of a confidential meeting,” Cook wrote in the memo, per the outlet.

    “We know that the leakers constitute a small number of people. We also know that people who leak confidential information do not belong here,” Cook wrote.

    Workers have a protected right to share information about job conditions on social media, but the rules are slightly murkier when it comes to their right to speak to journalists.

    Another former employee, Cher Scarlett, said the company had rules that “prohibit employees from discussing wages, hours or other terms or conditions of employment,” which was also included in this investigation, per Bloomberg.

    Apple’s policies around these issues “tend to interfere with, restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of their right to protected concerted activity,” the NLRB spokesperson said, per TechCrunch.

    The NLRB has not released a decision on Gjøvik’s complaint that she was unlawfully terminated in retaliation for speaking out about the company, according to TechCrunch.

    Gjøvik discussed her feelings about the decision Monday, per Bloomberg.

    “My hope is that for the first time Apple is told by the government that this culture of secrecy is not okay… I also hope that this sends shockwaves through other corporations that even Apple can be held accountable,” she said.

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    Gabrielle Bienasz

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  • Tim Cook Takes 40% Pay Cut

    Tim Cook Takes 40% Pay Cut

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    Apple CEO Tim Cook will take a more than 40% pay cut this year after criticism from shareholders, a decision that will reduce his annual pay package from last year’s $99.4 million to $49 million. What do you think?

    “Hopefully, some of those savings get passed down to the company’s slaves.”

    Ben Robins • Unemployed

    “Was 90% not available?”

    Nydia Gurbush • Admissions Scout

    “Just $49 million? That’s less than I make in 600 years!”

    Orville Woods • Tandem Surgeon

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  • US Bank eyes embedded car payments | Bank Automation News

    US Bank eyes embedded car payments | Bank Automation News

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    U.S. Bank is eyeing embedded payments in vehicles as more technology providers blur the lines between products, services and industries. Sony and Honda, for example, are partnering to launch the Afeela electric car that serves both as a transportation vehicle and an entertainment hub, the companies announced at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show in Las […]

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    Whitney McDonald and Joey Pizzolato

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  • Apple hikes price to replace iPhone batteries by $20

    Apple hikes price to replace iPhone batteries by $20

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    Apple will charge customers an extra $20 to replace the battery on iPhones if the device is older than an iPhone 14, the technology giant said Wednesday.

    Starting in March, anyone with an iPhone 13, 12, 11 or X will have to pay $89 for a new battery, while replacements for iPhone 8, 7, 6, 5 and SE devices will cost $69. Apple is also hiking the battery replacement price for the iPad by $20, the MacBook Air by $30 and the MacBook Pro by $50. 

    These prices are for customers who don’t have AppleCare+, the insurance program the company offers for a price depending on the device and model year. 

    The batteries on iPhone 14 models, which were released in 2022, are currently still under Apple’s default one-year warranty. The company said it will charge $99 to replace the battery on those devices after the warranty expires. 


    Apple CEO Tim Cook on newest Apple features, the economy and what’s next

    06:24

    Here’s what customers will soon have to pay for battery replacements for their Apple devices.

    • iPad Air, Mini and Pro ($119)
    • MacBook Air ($159)
    • MacBook Pro ($249)

    The prices cover a visit to an Apple store to have the battery replaced on site, or using Apple’s mail-in service. Customers can also buy and replace a battery themselves using Apple’s self-service repair program.

    Apple’s batteries became the center of controversy five years ago when the company admitted it had purposely slowed down older iPhone models using a software update to offset problems with its aging lithium-ion battery. After the practice drew scrutiny from lawmakers, Apple apologized and then struck a $113 million settlement with more than a dozen states.

    Khristopher J. Brooks

    Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.

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  • Unbelievable facts

    Unbelievable facts

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  • Stalkers use Apple AirTags to track victims, lawsuit claims

    Stalkers use Apple AirTags to track victims, lawsuit claims

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    Stalkers use Apple AirTags to track victims, lawsuit claims – CBS News


    Watch CBS News



    At least two women have filed a class-action lawsuit against Apple, claiming their ex-partners used AirTags to track and stalk them. Lilia Luciano has more details.

    Be the first to know

    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.


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  • Apple Lets Developers Charge Up to $10,000 For Apps

    Apple Lets Developers Charge Up to $10,000 For Apps

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Apple announced Tuesday that it would be adding 700 new pricing tiers for apps on its App Store, with prices starting at $0.29 and going up to $10,000. High-end pricing tiers will be available “upon request” by developers.


    NurPhoto | Getty Images

    This change comes as Apple faces renewed criticism for its restrictions and fees on developers, including its 30% commission from some app sales. In 2021, the company made it easier for some companies to sidestep fees — but it continues to face criticism from prominent figures such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

    Apple also said Tuesday that it would make new tools available that will give devs more granular price controls:

    Under the updated App Store pricing system, all developers will have the ability to select from 900 price points, which is nearly 10 times the number of price points previously available for most apps. This includes 600 new price points to choose from, with an additional 100 higher price points available upon request. To provide developers around the world with even more flexibility, price points — which will start as low as $0.29 and, upon request, go up to $10,000 — will offer an enhanced selection of price points, increasing incrementally across price ranges (for example, every $0.10 up to $10; every $0.50 between $10 and $50; etc.).

    The new prices were available as of Tuesday on apps that automatically renew subscriptions, but in-app purchases and other apps won’t use the changed pricing until the spring of 2023.

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    Steve Huff

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  • Apple, Alibaba, NIO, and More Stock Market Movers Monday

    Apple, Alibaba, NIO, and More Stock Market Movers Monday

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    Stock futures traded lower Monday as investors remained keyed on interest rate policy from the Federal Reserve and as a surge in China stocks over a loosening of Covid-19 restrictions in the country failed to boost U.S. equities.

    Here are some stocks that could make moves Monday:

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  • Apple Makes Plans to Move Production Out of China

    Apple Makes Plans to Move Production Out of China

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    In recent weeks, Apple Inc. has accelerated plans to shift some of its production outside China, long the dominant country in the supply chain that built the world’s most valuable company, say people involved in the discussions. It is telling suppliers to plan more actively for assembling Apple products elsewhere in Asia, particularly India and Vietnam, they say, and looking to reduce dependence on Taiwanese assemblers led by Foxconn Technology Group. 

    Turmoil at a place called iPhone City helped propel Apple’s shift. At the giant city-within-a-city in Zhengzhou, China, as many as 300,000 workers work at a factory run by Foxconn to make iPhones and other Apple products. At one point, it alone made about 85% of the Pro lineup of iPhones, according to market-research firm Counterpoint Research. 

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  • Rescuers find stranded Alaska man after he used iPhone satellite feature

    Rescuers find stranded Alaska man after he used iPhone satellite feature

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    One of Apple’s newest iPhone features came in handy for a man who got stranded in Northwest Alaska in the early morning hours Thursday with no cell service.

    The man was traveling on a snow machine from Noorvik to Kotzebue, according to the Alaska Department of Public Safety (ADPS), when he got stranded. The two cities are about 42 miles apart. 

    He then activated his iPhone Emergency SOS via satellite feature, which alerted local authorities. 

    Local volunteer search and rescue personnel, working in coordination with the Apple Emergency Response Center, were deployed to the man’s location using the GPS coordinates provided by Apple, ADPS reported.

    The search and rescue team found the man and helped transport him to Kotzebue, ADPS said. He was unhurt. 

    The new SOS feature is available on the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, according to Apple. It is free for two years after activation of a new device, the company said.

    The feature can be found in the device’s settings. Once activated, a user simply follows the onscreen instructions to connect to a satellite.

    This isn’t the only feature on Apple’s latest iPhone which has been making headlines. The iPhone 14 also comes with a crash detection feature which will alert first responders if the phone detects a severe car crash.

    In October, a passenger’s iPhone alerted first responders when a car crashed into a tree in Lincoln, Nebraska. Six people were killed in the wreck. 

    Tre’Vaughn Howard


    trevaughn-howard.jpg

    Tre’Vaughn Howard is a producer and journalist for CBS News, focusing on international and culture stories.

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  • Twitter’s ‘War’ With Apple Ends after Elon Musk Meets With Tim Cook

    Twitter’s ‘War’ With Apple Ends after Elon Musk Meets With Tim Cook

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Twitter and Apple aren’t going to war after all.


    Images by Raphael Silva | Pixabay

    Elon Musk fired the first shots Monday, tweeting that Apple threatened to remove the Twitter app from the App Store and criticizing the Cupertino tech giant’s grip on the store. But Musk’s tone changed Wednesday. The Tesla billionaire tweeted that he met with Apple CEO Tim Cook at the company’s HQ and had a “good conversation.” Cook, according to Musk, “made it clear that Apple never considered” removing Twitter for iOS from its store.

    Musk went on to say the whole thing was a “misunderstanding.” However, the BBC noted that he made no mention of Apple’s advertising on Twitter — the subject of another aggrieved tweet in which Musk said, “Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America?”

    It’s possible Musk neglected to mention it, given he was also prepping for Neuralink-related news. That, or it could be that he learned of the Gizmodo report indicating Apple spent nearly $85,000 on ads the day he first complained about the company.

    Then again, Musk previously hinted that Apple’s 30% take from in-app purchases was the thing that might prompt him to go to war. In that case, he would have some backing from no less than Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Spotify CEO Daniel Ek.

    If Elon Musk isn’t facing a conflict with one of the most powerful electronic companies in the world, he still faces a challenge from the European Union (EU).

    EU commissioner Thierry Breton told Musk on Wednesday that Twitter will have to comply with EU statutes regarding disinformation and content moderation issues. Otherwise, European access to Twitter could be completely cut off.

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    Steve Huff

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  • Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg Both Take Issue With Apple’s ‘Problematic’ App Store Control

    Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg Both Take Issue With Apple’s ‘Problematic’ App Store Control

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has taken a stand against Apple’s control of its App Store — echoing complaints made by newly-minted Twitter owner Elon Musk.


    L: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds I Getty Images || R: Win McNamee | Getty Images

    During an interview at the New York Times‘ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Zuckerberg took issue with Apple’s control over its App Store. “I do think Apple has sort of singled themselves out as the only company that is trying to control like unilaterally what what apps get on a device,” he said, “and I don’t think that’s a sustainable or good place to be.”

    Zuckerberg continued, “I do think it is problematic for one company to be able to control what kind of app experiences get on the device.”

    His comments come in the wake of similar criticisms from Elon Musk. In a series of tweets that also addressed what he claimed was Apple’s reduced Twitter ad buys, Musk called Apple’s control over the App Store “a serious problem.” The billionaire also said Twitter could be kicked out of the App Store without giving a reason.

    Zuckerberg didn’t address Musk’s words about Apple, but his criticisms of the company’s policies aren’t new. Two years ago, he accused Apple of blocking competitors and charging “monopoly rents” in the App Store. Musk also blasted Apple’s App Store fee—the company takes 15% to 30% of all iOS in-app purchases.

    In 2021, Apple changed its privacy policy, preventing social apps like Meta’s Facebook from targeting users with ads. As a result, companies relying on digital advertising profits have seen revenues fall, with Meta’s profits plummeting by 50 percent.

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    Steve Huff

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  • Wait times for the iPhone 14 Pro stretch past 5 weeks

    Wait times for the iPhone 14 Pro stretch past 5 weeks

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    Holiday shoppers buying an iPhone 14 Pro today should be prepared to wait, and wait some more, to get their hands on the premium device.

    According to Counterpoint Research, wait times for the iPhone 14 Pro averaged 37 days in late November — the longest time since the new model was released. The research outfit said it was seeing wait times increase “significantly” across all markets it monitors.

    That five-week wait means someone buying the new phone today likely won’t have it in their hands until mid-January. By comparison, the wait for an iPhone 13 Pro averages just 15 days, according to the tracker.

    Apple has been struggling with delays as COVID-19 cases surge in China, along with the attendant lockdowns. Bloomberg this week reported that tumult at Zhengzhou, a key manufacturing hub for the company, would lead to a shortfall of 6 million iPhone Pros this season, confirming previous estimates from Morgan Stanley and Wedbush that the iPhone maker was falling short in its production.

    “Production is cramped significantly—this could be 5%, potentially 10% of iPhone units in its most important period, in terms of Christmas,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told CBS News.

    Ives noted that some Apple stores are seeing iPhone 14 Pro shortages of up to 40% of typical inventory.

    Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

    With COVID-19 on the rise in China, it’s slowing work at FoxConn, the electronics manufacturer that assembles iPhones for Apple. Meanwhile, residents are protesting the residential and business shutdowns under the nation’s “zero-COVID” policy, with protests spreading to major cities and even leading to calls for President Xi Jinping to step down.

    “With the ‘head scratching’ zero-COVID policy in China now reaching a tipping point and protests across the country, Apple is essentially caught in the cross-fire heading into the all-important Christmas time period,” Wedbush analysts said. 

    The nationwide demonstrations come after weeks of worker unrest at FoxConn. Last week, a dispute over pay at the company’s factory in Zhengzou in central China sparked employee protests that led to a police showdown in which some demonstrators were beaten. Workers have also chafed against quarantine practices due to strict COVID policies, Bloomberg noted.

    The Taiwanese company was forced to apologize on Thursday, blaming the pay dispute on a “technical error” in adding new employees after an October exodus of thousands of employees over what they said were unsafe working conditions.

    Apple could still increase production in the coming weeks to try to make up some of the shortfall, Wedbush noted.

    “Now it’s the painful waiting game to see what ramped production looks like over the next week for Apple to ease some iPhone shortages that are building globally,” Ives wrote.

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  • Elon Musk Is Ready to Fight Apple Over Carrying Twitter’s Official App in App Store

    Elon Musk Is Ready to Fight Apple Over Carrying Twitter’s Official App in App Store

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Elon Musk fired a shot in what could grow into a war with Apple Monday. The new owner of Twitter claimed the tech giant had essentially stopped buying ad space on the social media site and that company CEO Tim Cook hates “free speech.”

    Musk also tweeted that Apple “threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why.” He extended his critique to the 30% fee that Apple takes from app store purchases, using a meme featuring an interstate sign and off-ramp. The sign was photoshopped with two choices: “pay 30%” or “go to war,” with the car in the image veering toward going to war.

    The meme was a callback to Musk’s previous criticisms of Apple’s app store fee, which he said is “literally 10 times higher” than necessary.

    Citing data from the ad trackers at MediaRadar, the Wall Street Journal reported that “Apple is one of the biggest advertisers on Twitter, spending an estimated $39 million to advertise on Twitter during the first 10 months” of 2022. Any loss of the Cupertino-based company’s business could significantly impact Twitter’s bottom line.

    Other major companies that have withdrawn ads from Twitter since Musk took over include General Motors (GM), General Mills, and Pfizer. For all of them, there are concerns about brand safety, as Musk has declared himself a “free speech absolutist” and reactivated many controversial accounts previously kicked off the site.

    Apple has yet to respond publicly to Musk’s comments, but in what could be a telling move, App Store head Phil Schiller left Twitter after Musk said he would reactivate former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account.

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    Steve Huff

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