iPhone X sales push Apple shares to record high

[Rewind]

In 2018, a replacement battery for an iPhone 6 (or later model) that is no longer under warranty will cost $29 instead of $79 and a software update will allow iPhone users to see if the condition of the battery is affecting the phone's performance. And Apple didn't mean any harm by deliberating slowing older-model phones -- honest! They said so.

Apple apologizes for slowed-down iPhones and offers cheaper battery replacement

http://www.latimes.com/business/tech...228-story.html

[Rewind]

This article is by Business Insider writer Dave Smith -- and the first reason, as anyone could easily guess, is because the iPhone X is so much more expensive:

9 reasons you should buy an iPhone 8 instead of an iPhone X

http://www.businessinsider.com/apple...phone-x-2017-9

[Rewind]

Zut alors! Sacre bleu!

Apple's iPhone slowdown controversy is now being investigated by France's consumer fraud watchdog

http://www.businessinsider.com/franc...iphones-2018-1

[Rewind]

iPhone X pushes Apple shares to record high. That was the headline November 3, 2017. What a difference three months has made. Apple closed today at $160.50, a drop of $7.28 (4.34%).

Apple stock loses some sheen on disappointing iPhone sales
Reuters, Feb 2 2018

Apple's hint of returning a ton of cash to shareholders was not enough to move investors who worried more about the iPhone maker's weak outlook amid reports of production cuts for its flagship iPhone X. The iPhone X was the first phone to get a major design overhaul since the launch of the iPhone 6 in 2015 and many expected it to lead to blockbuster sales. On Thursday, the Cupertino-based tech giant said it sold fewer iPhones over the holiday quarter than Wall Street expected and sees revenue of $60 billion to $62 billion and gross margins of between 38% and 38.5% for its fiscal second quarter ending in March. Analysts were expecting $65.7 billion in sales and a gross margin of 38.9 percent for the March quarter.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...-idUSKBN1FM1VI

[Rewind]

We have smartphones, smart watches, smart cars, smart refrigerators, smart locks, smart thermostats, smart security systems, smart digital assistants.......what we really need to have is a greater number of smart people.

Apple shipped a record 18 million smartwatches in 2017, 54% more than in 2016

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/02/...s-in-2017.html

[Rewind]

Apple is surging after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway ups its stake
Business Insider, Feb 15 2018 2:11 PM

Shares of Apple are up more than 2% today after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed it upped its stake by 23% in the fourth quarter of 2017. Berkshire added 31.2 million shares, bringing its total stake in Apple to 165.3 million shares, or 3.34% of the company. The entire stake worth is worth $28.2 billion at today's prices. Apple is up 25% in the past year, 10 percentage points more than the benchmark S&P 500 index.

https://www.aol.com/article/finance/...take/23362813/

[Rewind]

The old saying can now be updated: People who work in glass buildings shouldn't walk with phones.

Distracted Apple employees keep smacking into the glass walls at their new headquarters

http://www.time.com/5162419/apple-ne...uarters-glass/

[Rewind]

(Insert "rotten Apple" joke here.)

Getting a new iPhone battery is often a frustrating, weeks-long process
Los Angeles Times, Feb 20 2018

Some people across the country are reporting that they're having a tough time getting their iPhone batteries replaced through Apple's battery replacement program that launched after the company admitted that it slows down phones with older batteries to preserve the phones' performance. From Silicon Valley to Washington, from Detroit to Atlanta, people are sharing stories of long waits, dropped customer service calls and hard-to-get appointments. Apple warned customers that supplies would be limited. Different models can have different wait times. Some of the phones covered by Apple's replacement program — the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus — no longer are being manufactured, which means battery supply is limited.

http://www.latimes.com/business/tech...220-story.html

[Rewind]

This report tells me that millions of people are finally realizing they don't need to buy a new smartphone every time a new model comes out.

Smartphone sales post first-ever year-over-year decline
24/7 Wall St., Feb 22 2018 10:35 AM

Analysts at Gartner have been tracking the global smartphone industry since 2004. Today the firm reported that global smartphone sales to end users declined by 5.6% year over year in the fourth quarter of 2017, the first decline the analysts have ever recorded. Samsung, the world’s leading maker of smartphones, sold 3.6% fewer smartphones last quarter, and Apple, the world’s second-largest seller of smartphones, saw unit sales drop 5% in the quarter.

https://247wallst.com/consumer-elect...-year-decline/

[Rewind]

This story proves that smartphones and smart watches aren't as smart as Apple would like us to believe.

Apple repair center has accidentally called 911 about 1,600 times
CBS News, Feb 24 2018 3:24 PM

Emergency dispatchers have been flooded with false 911 calls from an Apple repair center in Elk Grove, California. Dispatchers said the calls started in October 2017 and there's usually no one on the other line. "We've been seeing these calls for the last four months from Apple," said police dispatcher Jamie Hudson. "We're able to see quickly where the call is coming from, so when we get one from Apple, the address will come up with their location."

Elk Grove Police said they've received an average of 20 accidental 911 calls a day from Apple, roughly 1,600 since October. Hudson said the calls take valuable seconds away from calls that could be real life-and-death emergencies. "The times when it's greatly impacting us is when we have other emergencies happening and we may have a dispatcher on another 911 call that may have to put that call on hold to triage the incoming call," Hudson said.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department Communication Center is also receiving the calls -- 47 since January 1. Dispatchers there said they sometimes hear technicians working in the background. Apple hasn't confirmed which of their devices is causing the calls -- the iPhone or Apple watch -- but both devices can be triggered easily. With just a touch of a button, SOS comes on and 911 is called. An Apple spokesperson said, "We take this seriously and we are working closely with local law enforcement to investigate the cause and ensure this doesn't continue."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apple-e...ut-1600-times/