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☆ A 13-year-old boy was groomed publicly on Twitter and kidnapped, despite numerous chances to stop it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Ben Goggin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

On the Hunter Fox Twitter account, the adult interacted directly with the boy's account, where he posted selfies of himself on a school bus and in other locations. Their teen son had plenty of friends, his parents said, and liked to play golf and build Legos. Heather McConney's teen son communicated with the man accused of grooming him through an Apple iPhone. The suspect's primary Twitter account appears to have been @HunterFloofyFox. After the worst day of their lives, the McConneys' son was recovered early on the morning of Dec. 28 in Nebraska.

☆ Why India is so important to Apple
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Cook said in February that Apple had its best sales quarter ever for iPhones in India in the quarter ending in December. Most phones sold in India are priced below even the least-expensive new Apple iPhone. India could end up being a big winner as Apple looks for non-Chinese manufacturing options. Tim Cook, Apple's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) reacts as a man shows him Apple's Macintosh outside the Apple store at Jio World Drive mall, Mumbai, India on April 18, 2023. Apple was bullish on India back then, too: "India will be the most populous country in the world in 2022," Cook told CNBC's Jim Cramer at the time, saying it had "huge market potential."

☆ China smartphone sales rise to more than 70% of Russian market
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A girl uses her smartphone on the street in Moscow, Russia August 1, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia NovozheninaApril 17 (Reuters) - Chinese smartphones made up more than 70% of the Russian market in the first quarter of 2023, consumer electronics retailer M.Video-Eldorado (MVID.MM) said, up from around 50% last year. "Demand for brands from China in quantity terms increased by 42% relative to last year, and their total share was over 70%," M.Video added in a statement on Monday. The Kremlin has also moved to allow Russian companies to ship in some products, including smartphones, without the license holder's permission in so-called parallel imports. Last year, M.Video and mobile operator MTS (MTSS.MM) began selling discounted and used smartphones, offering Russian consumers cheaper alternatives as Western sanctions contributed to economic contraction and falling wages.

Deal Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (256GB) Amazon’s $200 deal on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is an all-time low price for Samsung’s most powerful smartphone to date. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Performance and battery lifeBoth the Galaxy S23 Plus (left) and Galaxy S23 Ultra (right) have the same performance, but the Galaxy S23 Plus surprisingly has better battery life. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: CamerasOne of the Galaxy S23 Ultra's main differentiating factors is its camera system. Galaxy S23 Plus Galaxy S23 Ultra 256GB $999.99 $1,199.99 512GB $1,119.99 $1,379.99 1TB N/A $1,619.99To be sure, Samsung and carriers (especially carriers) offer tempting trade-in deals for your old phone to offset the cost of a new Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus vs. Galaxy S23 Ultra: Which should you buy?

☆ Apple reportedly nixes iPhone 15 button upgrade, sending supplier stock down 12%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Apple iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max on sale at the company's Fifth Avenue store in New York, US, on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesApple supplier Cirrus Logic's shares fell about 12% early afternoon Wednesday after a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro won't use Cirrus' haptic touch technology as heavily as initially expected. Cirrus' technology and parts help power Apple's haptic touch systems, which have been used to replace physical buttons, like the home button on some iPhones, with touch-sensitive buttons that mimic the way a button push feels. Cirrus' relationship with its "largest customer," widely acknowledged as Apple, provided around 88% of its revenue for the most recent quarter. Kuo had previously said that Apple would expand its use of Cirrus' technology beyond haptic touch and replace the physical volume buttons with solid-state technology.

☆ A $200 Russian smartphone aiming to replace the iPhone isn't getting much love — fewer than 1,000 units have been sold since its debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's AYYA T1 smartphone has sold just 905 units since its October 2021 launch, per Vedomosti. Russia's smartphone market is dominated by Chinese brands, with Xiaomi in the lead, per Statista. The AYYA T1 smartphone — touted as a homegrown alternative to the iPhone — hasn't been very popular. That's about 18% of the 5,000 AYYA T1 smartphones produced for the Russian market so far, per Vedomosti. Russian officials touted the AYYA T1 as a potential alternative to Apple's iPhone, the Moscow Times reported on March 23.

☆ Investor Jenny Harrington says this financial stock is a 'safer trade' than Big Tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Investor Jenny Harington said she sees a clearer earnings story in Charles Schwab than big technology names that others have rushed back to this year. Meta shares have gained more than 70% so far this year but, after slumping 64% in 2022, is still more than $100 below where they ended 2021. Meanwhile, Palo Alto shares now trade above where they ended 2021 after climbing almost 38% this year to make up for 2022's 25% decline. "It's really, really, really hard to see where growth is coming," Harrington said. "For me, when you're saying, 'What's the safety trade?,' and I'm saying I don't like the mega-caps because I don't even know what their earnings really should be."

Both are owned by Beijing-based parent company ByteDance, but Douyin launched before TikTok and became a viral sensation in China. Like TikTok, it’s a short-form video app. Then in 2017, the privately-owned tech company bought a US-based video startup and released TikTok as the overseas version of Douyin. The download page for the TikTok app displayed on an Apple iPhone. Besides TikTok, there’s also shopping app Temu, fast fashion retailer Shein and video editing app CapCut, which is also owned by ByteDance.

☆ The Kremlin has reportedly told Russian officials to throw away their iPhones by the end of the month
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Grace Mayer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some Russian officials were advised to ditch their iPhones, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported. Officials close to the presidential administration were reportedly told to get new phones by April. Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of Russia's presidential administration, reportedly told the officials they had to replace their iPhones by April 1. The reported instruction comes amid undergoing campaign preparations for the upcoming 2024 Russian presidential election. Although those within the Russian presidential administration were reportedly told to get rid of their Apple iPhones, it's unclear whether all Russian government officials were advised to do so.

Available for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, the new color is available for preorder today and goes on sale on March 14. Apple iPhone 14 (Yellow) Yellow is a new color option for the standard iPhone 14. Apple iPhone 14 Plus (Yellow) The iPhone 14 Plus now comes in yellow. Along with the yellow iPhone 14, Apple also added a new canary yellow silicone case for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. The safety features are included in the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus for two years.

☆ New bipartisan Senate TikTok bill will be unveiled Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Pictured here is the TikTok download page on an Apple iPhone on August 7, 2020. WASHINGTON — A highly anticipated bipartisan Senate bill to give the president the authority to respond to threats posed by TikTok and companies like it will be unveiled Tuesday afternoon by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, a committee spokeswoman told CNBC. "TikTok is one of the potentials," that could be targeted by the bill, Warner said. Warner's bill comes nearly a week after the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a Republican-sponsored bill that aims to do much of the same thing. The House legislation passed the GOP-controlled committee 24-16 along party lines, with unanimous GOP support and no Democratic votes.

☆ Apple iPhones to be assembled at new plant in India's Karnataka state
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BENGALURU, March 3 (Reuters) - Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPhones will soon be assembled at another site in the southern Indian state of Karnataka and 300 acres have been aside to set up a factory, the state government said on Friday. Bloomberg News had earlier reported that Apple partner Foxconn Technology Group planned to invest about $700 million in the Karnataka site to ramp up local production. The state's investment promotion division said in a tweet that the move would generate 100,000 employment in the next 10 years. Currently, iPhones are assembled in India by at least three of Apple's global suppliers - Foxconn and Pegatron (4938.TW) in Tamil Nadu, and Wistron (3231.TW) in Karnataka. read moreReporting by Ashish Chandra in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'SilvaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ British chip giant Arm chooses New York listing in a blow to London
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

City workers in Paternoster Square, where the headquarters of the London Stock Exchange is based, in the City of London, UK, on Thursday, March 2, 2023. British chip designer Arm, owned by Japan's SoftBank, and building materials group CRH intend to shun London and pursue stock market listings in the U.S., dealing a blow to the U.K.'s post-Brexit vision. Arm said in a statement Friday that it was seeking to pursue a U.S.-only listing this year. It comes shortly after CRH, one of the FTSE 100 's biggest companies, said it plans to move its primary stock market listing to New York. The news is likely to bolster fears that the U.K. stock market is losing out to international rivals.

☆ Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi takes aim at Samsung and Apple with latest $1,000 device
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Xiaomi is trying to push into the high end of the smartphone market with the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Xiaomi launched its flagship smartphone globally on Sunday as the Chinese electronics giant attempts to take a slice of the high-end market and challenge Apple and Samsung . The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro were originally launched in China in December, but now the Beijing, China-headquartered company is bringing the devices to markets overseas. The Xiaomi 13 Pro device sports a 6.73-inch display and the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset from U.S. firm Qualcomm . The Xiaomi 13 starts at 999 euros ($1,053) while the 13 Pro starts at 1,299 euros.

☆ A first-generation iPhone from 2007 sold for $63,356 at auction — more than 100 times its original price
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Apple iPhone from 2007 sold for more than $63,000 at an auction on Sunday. It sold for more than 100 times higher than its original sale price of $599. It's the highest price an original iPhone has been sold for. LCG Auctions, which handled the auction, said on its website the device went for $63,356.40, which was more than 100 times its original price. More than 15 years ago, Apple sold the original iPhone for $599.

☆ Retailers in China enact rare price cuts for Apple's high-end iPhone 14 line
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Retailers in China including JD.com and Suning have cut the price of Apple's iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Major retailers in China slashed the price of Apple's high-end iPhone 14 models amid a slump in smartphone demand in the world's second-largest economy. The basic iPhone 14 Pro Max is listed for 8,199 yuan after an 800 yuan reduction. Suning, another major retailer, is selling the basic model of the iPhone 14 Pro for 7,199 after discounts and the iPhone 14 Pro Ma for 8,199. The iPhone 14 Pro starts at 7,999 yuan and the Pro Max starts at 8,999.

☆ What Elon Musk has said publicly — and in private texts — on his ideas for Twitter and X, an 'everything app'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Elon Musk has discussed his plans for X, an "everything app," on Twitter and in private texts. AP Photo/Jacquelyn MartinPrivate texts about a blockchain-based platformMusk has also discussed creating a social media platform built on a blockchain. In April, the billionaire privately outlined his idea for a "Doge" social media platform in texts to his younger brother, Kimbal Musk. "I have an idea for a blockchain social media system that does both payments and short text messages/links like Twitter," Musk texted. Shortly after buying Twitter, Musk began charging Twitter users for the app's blue check mark.

☆ Chewy's push into pet telehealth runs into regulatory hurdles, skeptical veterinarians
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Longtime veterinarians told CNBC the service can have some benefit for minor situations, or for people who don't have easy access to vet care. Because when you research pet health, you'll find that there's a specific term called VCPR," Singh said. Banfield Pet Hospital is owned by Mars Veterinary Health, a subsidiary of pet food and candy conglomerate Mars. "If you notice, there has been little to no innovation in pet health over the last decade, and yet in the last three years, there's been more innovation in pet health than in the last decade or 20 years," Singh said. Michael Nagle | Getty ImagesChewy said the program was created to make vet care more affordable and accessible to everyone.

☆ No sign of British actor Julian Sands after 6 days missing in California mountains
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"We had an air crew up today and there were no signs of Mr. Sands," Rodriguez told Reuters by email. The Baldy Bowl, a large sloping area below the crest of the Mount Baldy ski area, is a popular destination for skiers, climbers and backpackers. Cellphone signals detected on Sunday, Jan. 15, showed Sands was then heading to the Mount Baldy area, apparently the latest indication he was still on the move. The Sheriff's Department has warned that severe winter weather, following weeks of storms that dumped heavy snow in California mountains, has made the Baldy area dangerous for outdoor recreation. Sands' Los Angeles-based representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

☆ Idea of de-globalization is a 'mirage,' says historian Niall Ferguson
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Historian Niall Ferguson gives a speech at a gala dinner in Hong Kong. Ferguson argued at the 2023 World Economic Forum in Davos that the world is not experiencing major de-globalization. The idea that a major trend of de-globalization has begun is a "mirage" that is not borne out by data, according to the historian Niall Ferguson. This is "just history happening," he said on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. It would be surprising if that series of events hadn't produced structural changes in the way the world economy worked, Ferguson said.

☆ Apple iPhone revenues expected to deflate further in 2023, says Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailApple iPhone revenues expected to deflate further in 2023, says Bernstein's Toni SacconaghiToni Sacconaghi, senior research analyst at Bernstein, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss trends in the tech sector going in to 2023, changes in Apple's fundamentals and profitability and the precarious nature of services revenue.

☆ Apple supplier Luxshare rises after reportedly winning contract to produce luxury iPhones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jihye Lee | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

The Apple iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max on sale at the company's Fifth Avenue store in New York, US, on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesShares of Luxshare Precision Industry , one of Apple's Chinese contract manufacturers, rose more than 3% in Asia's trade after the Financial Times reported the supplier is set to sign a contract to produce premium iPhones. The move comes after rival Foxconn halted production lines in Zhengzhou following protests over China's stringent Covid measures over a month ago. The Financial Times reported Luxshare has already produced "small amounts" of the iPhone 14 Pro Max since November to make up for Foxconn's lost production. Apple and Luxshare did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

☆ Apple to sign Luxshare for iPhone production in China - FT
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Luxshare, which was founded in 2004, became an Apple supplier in 2011 and has steadily moved up the hardware giant's value chain, from making connector cables for the iPhone and Macbook to manufacturing Airpods. Analysts expected Apple to diversify its supplier base amid production disruptions in China due to employee unrest at a factory operated by Foxconn and COVID-19 induced lockdowns. Apple in November warned of lower shipments of its premium iPhone 14 models following significant production cuts. Industry research firm TrendForce said on Saturday that Apple decided to employ Luxshare as one of the assemblers for the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max. TrendForce added that Luxshare's only iPhone assembly plant is located in China and it doesn't plan on setting up an iPhone production line at its Vietnam plant where it assembles Apple accessories.

☆ China risks loom over U.S. tech giants Tesla and Apple as share prices plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But in October, the world's biggest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, China, was hit with a Covid outbreak. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory is almost back to full production. In early November, after Foxconn imposed Covid restrictions at the factory, Apple said the plant was operating at a "significantly reduced capacity." The world's biggest iPhone factory, located in China and run by Foxconn, faced disruptions in 2022. Apple could report a 1% annual decline in revenue in the December quarter, according to Refinitiv consensus estimates.

☆ Apple iPhone Output in China Begins to Catch Up Despite Covid-19 Issues
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Yang Jie | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Covid-19 issues in China are still hampering manufacturing of Apple Inc.’s iPhone, but production is beginning to catch up to demand for the more-expensive Pro models, according to analysts and people involved in the supply chain. Models such as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which starts at about $1,100, are integral to Apple’s strategy of increasing revenue when growth in the overall global smartphone market is slowing. That strategy took a hit in October when Covid-19 outbreaks hit the main manufacturing base for iPhone Pro models, operated by Foxconn Technology Group in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou.

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