Apple unveils affordable iPad: 9.7-inch display, 8MP camera with Pencil

Apple executives said the company will release a iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7

Apple Inc on Tuesday kicked off an event in Chicago where it announced a new Apple iPad that would work with its Apple Pencil accessory aimed at helping it grab more of the U.S. education market.

The tablet will have a starting price of $299 for students and $329 for consumers. Tech companies are battling for dominance in US schools with inexpensive devices and laptops that are geared towards classroom use and seen as a way to hook young consumers.

Education-geared laptops running operating systems by Alphabet Inc's Google or Microsoft Corp can be had for less than $200.

Apple hit hard on the education theme on Tuesday, with school bells and announcements over a public address system directing press and teachers into an auditorium at Lane Tech College Prep High School. Apple board member and former US Vice President Al Gore mingled with the crowd.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook opened the keynote with a nod to politics, saying "we are deeply inspired by the courage of the students who walked out" and marched on Washington, advocating for stricter gun control laws following a school shooting in Florida. The line elicited loud cheers from students seated at the rear of the auditorium.

The Chicago event comes during a spring buying season when many schools are making purchasing decisions for the upcoming school year.

Apple executives said the company will release a iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7. The company also released a new version of its word processing apps for the iPad designed to work with the pencil and allow students to take handwritten notes more easily.

Apple made up just 17 percent of the K-12 U.S. educational market in the third quarter, according to data from Futuresource Consulting. Meanwhile 60 percent of mobile computing shipments to schools ran Google's Chrome operating system, and 22 percent had Windows.

Chromebooks sold by Dell Technologies Inc can be had for as little as $189. Microsoft last year introduced an education-focused laptop from partner Lenovo Group Ltd running Window 10 S.

Apple in recent years made changes to its operating system so that more than one student can log into an iPad, and to its software to let teachers better manage groups of students. (more)

Apple reportedly planning to release cheaper MacBook Air this year

MacBook Air, launched with the aid of then Apple CEO Steve Jobs at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco in 2008, has now not been updated on the grounds that 2015

Apple is reportedly making plans to release a greater affordable version of the thirteen-inch MacBook Air within the 2nd quarter of 2018, the media suggested.

Apple is likely to launch a new MacBook Air "with a lower charge tag" at some point of the second quarter of 2018, that means we have to see it faster in preference to later, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities was quoted as saying to 9to5mac on Saturday.

The analyst expects the more affordable MacBook Air will assist push MacBook shipments up via 10-15 in line with cent this year.

MacBook Air, launched with the aid of then Apple CEO Steve Jobs on the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco in 2008, has not been up to date considering that 2015 as Apple has shifted attention in the direction of the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook pro.

The thirteen-inch MacBook Air, a popular choice for university college students, is presently offered starting at $999 for 128GB of PCIe-based totally storage, a 1.8GHz twin-core i5 processor, and 8GB of LPDDR3 RAM.

The device remaining saw a minor update at the global builders conference (WWDC) in June 2017, with a barely faster processor, and 8GB of RAM as a default.

Kuo says that KGI is "advantageous" on shipments of AirPods and predicts the refreshed version will come in the second

half of of the yr, using strong 12 months over yr boom.

similarly, Kuo predicts on the entry-level 6.1-inch model of iPhones this 12 months.

Kuo additionally notes that call for for HomePod has been "mediocre" to date.

basic, demand for the clever speaker primarily based on "transport time" is "impartial", the record stated.

Tim Cook explains why India could be the next China for Apple

Apple's game plan is to turn India into the next China, not only in terms of sales but also manufacturing and exports

As sales of Apple’s flagship iPhone slow globally, the company’s bullishness that India will emerge as a major driver of volumes is causing an acceleration in its investments here.

In the last quarter alone, Apple’s iOS app accelerator, as well as its manufacturing unit run by contract manufacturer Wistron in Bengaluru, went online. These investments are in addition to the company’s overall investment in growing its sales channel and marketing more to consumers in India.

“We began to produce the iPhone SE there during the quzjbzarter, and we're really happy with how that's going. And so we're bringing all of our energies to bear there. I see a lot of similarities to where China was several years ago,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, in a call with investors on Tuesday.

Apple’s game plan is to turn India into the next China, not only in terms of sales but also manufacturing and exports. The company has been engaged with the Indian government to receive sops for setting up full fledged manufacturing and not just iPhone assembly for over a year now.

The going is a bit slow due to India’s unwillingness to grant subsidies specific to Apple and the former is looking at a policy that can attract all smartphone makers to manufacture

their devices here.

Company News : While sales of the iPhone have been growing at a blistering pace in India, analysts said the growth Apple is seeing is nothing out of the ordinary. With a base of just 2-3 per cent of India’s overall smartphone market, Apple still has a long way to go, especially in convincing Indians to buy its latest iPhone each year.

However, everyone seems to agree with Cook’s reading that the India market will provide a significant opportunity for Apple to sell millions of its high-end devices.

Apple has for long maintained that as network infrastructure in India gets better, more customers will begin to see the benefits of owning an iPhone. This combined with a young population that is aspirational by nature is what could turn India into Apple’s next China.

Apple helped UK investigate terrorist attacks, says Tim Cook

'We have been cooperating with UK govt on some attacks besides law enforcement matters', he added

Company News : Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said the company has helped UK officials investigate terror attacks, while reiterating his dismay over US plans to quit the Paris agreement on climate change.

"We have been cooperating with the UK government not only in law enforcement kind of matters but on some of the attacks," Cook said during a Bloomberg Television interview on Monday. "I cannot speak on detail on that. But in cases when we have information and they have gone through the lawful process we don’t just give it but we do it very promptly."

A third attack in the UK in less than three months has put more pressure on technology companies to prevent their products and services from being used by violent extremists. Tim Cook didn’t specify which attacks led to the company’s cooperation. Apple’s high privacy standards and tough encryption have been criticised by law enforcement officials and the company clashed last year in court with the FBI over the issue.

Cook said on Monday that Apple’s encryption is misunderstood. "It doesn’t mean no information. Metadata exists and that’s very important for building a profile," he added. "The reality is that cyberattacks on people and governments, these affect your safety and security." Cook also said he didn’t join any of US President Donald Trump’s business advisory councils because he thinks those groups aren’t "terribly productive." “It wasn’t about not wanting to advise on something that we thought should be heard,” he added. Cook said he will continue to advise the president on matters that are important to him and the US, such as the Paris climate accord. Trump decided last week to pull the US out of the pact.

“He didn’t decide what I wanted him to decide,” Cook said of the president. “He decided wrong. It’s not in the best interest of the United States what he decided.” Cook spoke after Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California, where the company unveiled a new internet-connected speaker called HomePod and updated its Siri digital assistant to wed users more tightly to its growing slate of products and services. (more)

India the only bright spot for Apple as global iPhone sales fall

India has become the last bastion of growth for technology giant Apple which for the first time witnessed a drop in sales of its flagship iPhone for the quarter that ended March 31. While global iPhone sales fell by 16 per cent in the quarter, iPhone sales in India were up by 56 per cent during the period.

On Wednesday, Apple reported its first drop in quarterly sales in over a decade, with revenues dropping by 13 per cent to $50.6 billion while profits slid by 22 per cent to $10.5 billion for the three months that ended March 31. Growth ofiPhone sales in US and China (the company’s two largest markets) has begun to fall as the markets have hit saturation, forcing the company to turn its attention to India.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said that with a global smartphone penetration of 42 per cent, there was still room for growth, especially in emerging markets. “For example, in India our iPhone sales were up 56% from a year ago,” he said in a call with investors to review Apple’s financial results.

India has begun showing consistent high double digit growth for iPhone sales, with the Cupertino company registering a 76 per cent increase during the October to December quarter. This demand from the emerging markets (especially India) drove Apple to release its most affordable smartphone yet, the 4-inch iPhone SE that’s now being aimed at people switching over from Android to the iPhone.

While sales of the SE was not reflected in the Jan-Mar quarter since the device launched only on March 31, “so far this quarter we're seeing terrific customer response,” said Cook. “The addition of the iPhone SE in the iPhone lineup places us in a better strategic position to attract even more customers into our ecosystem.”Read More.

India the only bright spot for Apple as global iPhone sales fall

India has become the last bastion of growth for technology giant Apple which for the first time witnessed a drop in sales of its flagship iPhone for the quarter that ended March 31. While global iPhone sales fell by 16 per cent in the quarter, iPhone sales in India were up by 56 per cent during the period.

On Wednesday, 

business-standard.com

Apple reported its first drop in quarterly sales in over a decade, with revenues dropping by 13 per cent to $50.6 billion while profits slid by 22 per cent to $10.5 billion for the three months that ended March 31. Growth ofiPhone sales in US and China (the company’s two largest markets) has begun to fall as the markets have hit saturation, forcing the company to turn its attention to India.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said that with a global smartphone penetration of 42 per cent, there was still room for growth, especially in emerging markets. “For example, in India our iPhone sales were up 56% from a year ago,” he said in a call with investors to review Apple’s financial results.

India has begun showing consistent high double digit growth for iPhone sales, with the Cupertino company registering a 76 per cent increase during the October to December quarter. This demand from the emerging markets (especially India) drove Apple to release its most affordable smartphone yet, the 4-inch iPhone SE that’s now being aimed at people switching over from Android to the iPhone.

While sales of the SE was not reflected in the Jan-Mar quarter since the device launched only on March 31, “so far this quarter we're seeing terrific customer response,” said Cook. “The addition of the iPhone SE in the iPhone lineup places us in a better strategic position to attract even more customers into our ecosystem.”Read More.