Tag: apple gadgets

Apple (AAPL) Announces $50 Billion in Buybacks and Dividend Increase After Earnings Slipped

  • Apple has announced $50 billion in buybacks and a boost in quarterly dividends after announcing a slip in earnings.
  • Company has declined to provide a financial forecast, citing uncertainty in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Apple (AAPL) earnings have dipped in response to the coronavirus pandemic, but the company has promised $50 billion in buybacks and a dividend increase.

According to a report by Marketwatch, Apple has declined to provide investors with a financial forecast in response to COVID-19 and said profits slipped slightly despite a bump in sales.

Apple’s earnings and revenue report topped analyst expectations for the March quarter. However, the company has decided against providing a forecast for the current quarter, citing uncertainties brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Apple announced it would be boosting its buyback program by an additional $50 billion, down from an increase of $75 billion and $100 billion in 2019 and 2018, respectively. The company also announced it would increase its quarterly dividend by 6 percent to 82 cents a share, up from 5 percent the year before.

The report cites Apple’s supply and demand issues which emerged in China during February, before becoming a global issue in March. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said the company’s production was “back at typical levels toward the end of March,” but claimed foot traffic to stores in China had not yet risen to pre-lockdown levels.

Featured Image Credit: Photo via Pixabay.com

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Source: Apple (AAPL) Announces $50 Billion in Buybacks and Dividend Increase After Earnings Slipped

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April 23 (Bloomberg) — Apple reported its first profit decline since 2003 and forecast revenue that missed analysts’ estimates amid slowing iPhone sales growth and accelerating competition from Samsung. Bloomberg’s Cory Johnson and Jon Erlichman speak with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television’s “Street Smart.” (Source: Bloomberg) — For more “Street Smart” videos: http://bloom.bg/WoangQ — Subscribe to Bloomberg on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Bloomberg

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Apple Issues New Blow To Google With This Bold Security Move

Apple has already been very vocal about the security and privacy built into its iOS 13 operating system update, which hits out at firms such as Google and Facebook by limiting the data they can collect. After making a bold privacy move a month ago, Apple is now doubling down on security, by launching a new Platform Security Guide detailing how its iPhones, iPads and Macs are more secure than Google’s Android devices, because the firm owns the whole ecosystem.

Apple’s devices have always been regarded as more secure, because Apple owns the hardware, software and apps. In contrast, although its biggest smartphone rival Google does make some of its own Android phones and has a level of control over its app store, the often separated hardware, software and platforms can make things very fragmented and pose security risks.

Apple’s security guide for Fall 2019 doubles down on how Apple keeps your devices and data secure across iOS and MacOS. It covers hardware security and biometrics such as Face ID and Touch ID–which is thought to be returning with the iPhone 12 next year–among other areas.

The Platform Security Guide reads: “Every Apple device combines hardware, software, and services designed to work together for maximum security and a transparent user experience in service of the ultimate goal of keeping personal information safe.

“Custom security hardware powers critical security features. Software protections work to keep the operating system and third-party apps safe. Services provide a mechanism for secure and timely software updates, power a safer app ecosystem, secure communications and payments, and provide a safer experience on the Internet.

Apple’s iPhone, iPad and Mac security guide: A “commitment” to security? 

As part of the guide, Apple emphasises its “commitment” to security–which could be seen as a direct swipe at Google and Facebook as companies that have seen their own share of data and security scandals. Apple points to its bug bounty program, which is now open to all ethical hackers, and dedicated security team as reasons it is more secure.

But at the same time, it’s important to note that Apple isn’t perfect: it came under fire from lawmakers recently after it emerged that the firm wasn’t applying the same controls to its own apps that it applies to others. With this in mind I created a useful guide to securing your apps in iOS 13, including Apple’s.

Another cool new feature in iOS 13.3 is the ability to use security keys with your iPhone in Apple’s Safari browser. I wrote an article including more information and a video demo on how to use it.

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Kate O’Flaherty

I’m a freelance cybersecurity journalist with over a decade’s experience reporting on the issues impacting users, businesses and the public sector. My interests within cybersecurity include critical national infrastructure, cyber warfare, application security and data misuse. I’m a keen advocate for women in security and strive to raise awareness of the gender imbalance through my writing.

Source: Apple Issues New Blow To Google With This Bold Security Move

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In an interview with Charlie Rose, Apple CEO Tim Cook has hit out against accusations that his company is a liability to users, saying that unlike other companies, Apple has no interest in collecting customers’ data. Watch the interview in the video. Comment below and share your thoughts on this story! Subscribe to The Rubin Report: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c… Follow Dave on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RubinReport Like Dave on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daverubin More Dave Rubin: http://daverubin.tv/ Host: Dave Rubin @RubinReport Guests: Dylan Brody @dylanbrody Rick Overton @rickoverton The Rubin Report is a comedy and current events panel show on The Young Turks Network hosted by Dave Rubin. Comedians, celebrities and media personalities join Dave each week to discuss hot topics in the worlds of news, politics, pop culture and more.

As Apple Improves Its Maps App, Google Responds By Adding A Popular Waze Feature To Google Maps On iOS

Google is expanding a feature within the Google Maps app on iOS that allows users to report driving incidents on the app.

The reporting feature has been available for Android users since earlier this year. Google Maps iOS users are now also able to report crashes, speed traps and traffic slowdowns directly through the app, in hopes of creating more accurate, real-time data for traffic estimations. Google said the reporting features have been popular with Android users. Google-owned Waze has offered similar features for years.

Drivers will also be able to report objects on road, disabled vehicle, lane closures or construction. Interested users can report these road hazards by tapping the “+” sign on the app, and then selecting “Add a Report.”

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Facebook And Google Chase Waze Inc. Map Software

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Google Maps, once the default maps and navigation app for iOS users, continues to be challenged by consistent improvements to Apple’s own Maps offering.

In a recent update, Apple Maps users can now share their estimated time of arrival with contacts, a feature that is also offered by Waze. Apple has also added a new “Look Around” feature, a direct challenge to Google Maps’ “Street View” offering.

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Johan Moreno

I’m a Los Angeles-based contributing writer for Forbes covering Google and Alphabet. I’m also a writer and curator for Inside.com, where I have covered a variety ot topics, ranging from automotive to Google. Send tips, pitches or notes via email (johanmore@gmail.com), on Twitter (@dudejohan) or on Signal (714-331-5730).

Source: As Apple Improves Its Maps App, Google Responds By Adding A Popular Waze Feature To Google Maps On iOS

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Apple introduced updates to many of the built-in iOS apps in iOS 13, and Maps is no exception. The updated version of Maps has a long list of new features that are designed to make the Apple Maps app better able to compete with mapping apps from other companies. There’s a new Look Around street view level feature, a Collections feature for aggregating lists of your favorite places, a Favorites option for getting to your most frequently traveled places quickly, and some other smaller updates that are worth knowing about. read more – https://www.macrumors.com/guide/maps/

Apple Just Did Something Remarkable And It’s Very Good News For Its Customers

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No one likes to admit when they’re wrong. That’s true for you and me, and it’s especially true for big companies like Apple. The thing is, when you’re willing to admit when you made a mistake, it goes a long way towards building trust. And trust is, by far, your brand’s most valuable asset.

Today, Apple apologized for how it had handled recorded snippets of users’ voice interactions with Siri, the company’s digital assistant. In a statement, the company said that  “we realize we haven’t been fully living up to our high ideals, and for that we apologize.”

You might remember that Apple, like pretty much every other tech company, recently admitted that it used contractors to listen to, and transcribe these recordings in an effort to improve the artificial intellience-powered service. Making matters worse is that fact that the company hadn’t disclosed this practice, and contractors often heard false-activations that revealed personal information and other private conversations.

Earlier this month, Apple paused its review program and ended its relationship with the contractors involved. Now, it appears to be taking the next step, which started with an apology.

That’s actually pretty remarkable. It’s not often that companies say, “I’m sorry. We messed up.” Sure, they sometimes say a lot of words that vaguely sound like “I’m sorry,” but rarely are they this direct. Apple basically called itself out, saying that it wasn’t living up to its own standards, and that it owed customers an apology for a problem it caused.

Along with the apology, maybe the even bigger news here is that Apple announced a series of steps it plans to take moving forward, including:

  • The company will no longer retain recorded Siri interactions, but will use computer-generated transcripts instead.
  • Apple will allow users to opt in to having their audio samples included in the company’s efforts to improve the product. Users will also be able to opt out at any time after that.
  • Apple will only allow its employees (not contractors) to listen to audio samples, and will delete any “inadvertent trigger,” of Siri.

This is a big deal for a lot of reasons, but mostly because Apple will now allow users to ‘opt in.’ This is exactly how it should work.

There are perfectly legitimate reasons why Apple would want to listen to recorded snippets of Siri interactions. That’s one of the only ways it can really know how accurate the AI is at understanding user requests and providing the right information for a human to review and correction. I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t agree that that’s reasonable.

But Apple is changing the default assumption of an unspoken ‘opt in’ to one where people are given the choice to participate, instead of simply offering some opaque way of opting out. Companies offer opt out because they know most people won’t go through the trouble of changing whatever the default setting is, meaning people stay in whether they really want to or not.

Every tech company handling sensitive data should do exactly this. Don’t just let people opt out, or delete their history, or make a request to no longer be recorded. Make the default position the thing that’s best for the user, even if it makes your job a little harder.

Then, make your case for why your practice is worth it to the customer, and let them decide to participate or not.

By: Jason Aten

 

Source: https://www.inc.com/

At its 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple showed off iOS 13, which will be coming to iPhones this fall. Some of the new features include a dark mode, an overhaul for Maps, and the ability to swipe to type. Here are the best features Apple showed off. The event took place at the San Jose Convention Center, not Cupertino as mentioned in the video. Tech Insider regrets the error. MORE IPHONE CONTENT: 23 iPhone Tricks To Make Your Life Easier https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U52mI… $479 Pixel 3a XL VS. $1,099 iPhone XS Max https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ddAY… Lifelong iPhone User Switches To The Galaxy S10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1r3wb… —————————————————— #Apple #iPhone #TechInsider Tech Insider tells you all you need to know about tech: gadgets, how-to’s, gaming, science, digital culture, and more. Visit us at: https://www.businessinsider.com TI on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/techinsider TI on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tech_insider/ TI on Twitter: https://twitter.com/techinsider TI on Amazon Prime: http://read.bi/PrimeVideo INSIDER on Snapchat: https://insder.co/2KJLtVo The Best Features Apple Just Announced Coming To The iPhone
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