While Sprint made waves in becoming the third U.S. carrier to offer the iPhone with the launch of the iPhone 4S, it appears that Apple will be broadening distribution even further to include smaller carriers as well. Regional carrier C Spire Wireless, formerly known as Cellular South, today announced that it will begin offering the iPhone 4S in the coming weeks.
C Spire Wireless announced today that it will launch iPhone 4S, the most amazing iPhone yet, in the U.S. in the coming weeks.
For further information or to register interest, please visit www.cspire.com/iphone. For more information on iPhone 4S, please visit www.apple.com/iphone.
C Spire, which operates a CDMA cellular network like Verizon and Sprint, is the largest private wireless telecommunications provider in the United States with approximately 875,000 customers. While C Spire's subscriber base pales in comparison to those of AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, the carrier's offering of the iPhone 4S signals a distinct shift by Apple to open up the iPhone to even more customers by reaching agreements with smaller carriers.
C Spire Wireless is based in Ridgeland, Mississippi and focuses its service on Mississippi, parts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, and the Memphis, Tennessee and Rome, Georgia areas.
Amid an ever-increasing intellectual property dispute involving Apple's mobile devices and Samsung's Android-based hardware products, rumors have claimed that Apple has been seeking to reduce its reliance on Samsung as the major component supplier for iOS devices. But even if Apple does switch to new suppliers for some components, such as TSMC for future A-series chips, Samsung will almost certainly continue to play a role in Apple's mobile hardware designs.
As reported by Yonhap News, Apple and Samsung are indeed exploring long-term component supply relationships, plans advanced in part by discussions earlier this week between Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung Chief Operating Officer Lee Jae-yong.
Lee Jae-yong, chief operating officer (COO) of Samsung Electronics said Wednesday he had discussed long-term parts cooperation arrangements with Apple Inc.'s chief Tim Cook.
The meeting took place Monday after Lee attended a memorial service for Steve Jobs, Apple's late co-founder, and as Samsung and Apple remain locked in fierce legal disputes to control the global smartphone and tablet computer markets.
Lee noted that Samsung and Apple are locked into supply agreements for 2012 and are exploring how to push technology forward through the 2013–2014 timeframe.
Upon arriving at a Seoul airport, Lee, the only son of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee and heir apparent to South Korea's largest family-owned business group, told reporters his company will continue to sell parts to Apple until 2012. Apple is one of Samsung's most important buyers and single largest semiconductor customer.
"For the 2013-2014 period, we discussed how best to supply even better parts," he said, adding that during the more than two-hour meeting, the businessmen touched on past challenges and how to promote good relations in the future.
Apple has been keen to lock in long-term supply commitments with component suppliers, sometimes prepaying billions of dollars in advance to secure massive supplies looking over several years. Apple's strategy gives it leverage in supply negotiations, helps fend off competitors seeking to source components for their own devices, and results in partnerships to push technology forward.
Lee declined to specifically discuss whether any progress was made Monday on patching up the relationship between the two companies, which are both in the tenuous position of relying on the other in component contracts even as they wage fierce battles in courts around the world. Samsung noted last month that it had been relatively "passive" in the legal dispute out of respect for the company's supply relationship with Apple, but that it would be stepping up its attacks on Apple for "free riding" on Samsung's intellectual property.
Apple has updated their Steve Jobs page on their site to reflect many memories, thoughts and feelings that people have submitted about Steve Jobs since his passing.
Over a million people from all over the world have shared their memories, thoughts, and feelings about Steve. One thing they all have in common — from personal friends to colleagues to owners of Apple products — is how they’ve been touched by his passion and creativity. You can view some of these messages below.
Apple reports that over a million people have already shared their thoughts. The company is still soliciting thoughts by email.
Steve Jobs has seen an outpouring of support and tributes since his passing on October 5th. Apple Stores around the world have turned into makeshift memorials as fans have left flowers and notes in his memory.
Jobs was 56 years old, and had been struggling with complications related to pancreatic cancer over the past several years. Apple will be holding a privatecompany wide celebration of Steve Jobs' life on Wednesday, October 19th. The event will take place on Apple's campus in Cupertino. Apple Retail stores will be closed for several hours during the event so that employees may view a live webcast of the service.
It's a frequent parlor game amongst Apple analysts and watchers to guess and suggest and hypothesize what Apple should do with its huge and growing cash reserves. As of September 24, 2011, Apple is sitting on $81.57 billion in cash. Apple added $5.4 billion to its cash reserves in the last 3 months, and that would have been significantly higher if, as Horace Dediu points out, not for the more than 6,000 Nortel patents Apple purchased the rights to.
To be more precise, Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer oversees $9.815 billion in cash and cash equivalents, $16.137 billion in short-term marketable securities, and $55.618 billion in long-term marketable securities. In the earnings call with analysts this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the cash wasn't "burning a hole in our pocket" and that the company invested very conservatively and didn't want to do "silly things" with the money.
Cook noted that in recent months Apple had acquired several companies, acquired intellectual property, invested in the supply chain, and invested in new stores. In his first comments as CEO about the cash pile Cook said he wasn't "religious about holding or not holding cash," but Apple would continually ask ourselves what is in Apple's best interest and act accordingly.
"It's a topic for the board on an ongoing basis and we will continue to discuss it," Cook said in response to an analyst question. Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer jumped in after Cook was finished answering the question, to point out that more than two-thirds of Apple's $81 billion cash pile was sitting offshore.
The U.S. government taxes U.S. businesses on income earned worldwide, but allows them to defer taxes on the money until it is brought back to the United States. As a result, American corporations like to keep the money abroad, particularly as they increase investment overseas.
A number of companies, led by Apple, Google and Cisco have been pushing for a tax holiday on overseas cash holdings to allow the companies to repatriate the money to the United States tax-free.
One of the high points of Apple's earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011 was Mac sales, which came in well above expectations at a record 4.89 million units. On the earnings conference call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that the strong sales were "almost unbelievable" considering continued growth in the iPad market.
Cook noted that some customers are undoubtedly electing to purchase iPads instead of Macs, eating somewhat into potential Mac sales. But as Apple has noted several times since the introduction of the iPad, Apple still holds only a small part of the PC market and that cannibalization of Windows PCs by the iPad opens up a tremendous opportunity for the company.
Apple's previous record for quarterly Mac sales came in the first fiscal quarter of this year with 4.13 million units shipped, making this quarter's performance 18% higher than that record. Given the Apple's Mac sales typically increase sequentially for the holiday quarter each year, Apple should also be well-positioned for another strong performance on the Mac side to close out the calendar year.
While Apple's iPhone sales for the fourth fiscal quarter fell short of expectations at 17.07 million units, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted during the company's conference call that it expects to hit all-time record iPhone sales in the current quarter on the strength of the iPhone 4S.
Cook noted that iPhone sales declined somewhat sequentially as rumors regarding a new model circulated. iPhone sales dropped by 2.4 million sequentially on a sell-through basis, which was actually less than the company had anticipated. Unsurprisingly, the reduction was most significant in the second half of the quarter as speculation surrounding the iPhone 4S "hit extreme highs". That pent-up demand led to a strong launch for the iPhone 4S, with Apple selling over four million units in the opening weekend.
iPhone rumors had been at a fever pitch for many months as Apple missed its usual June introduction of new hardware. Compounding the effect were persistent rumors of a dramatically redesigned "iPhone 5" offering a larger but thinner design than the current iPhone. Whether those iPhone 5 design rumors were incorrect or based on a design still in the works for a future model remains unknown, but the iPhone 5 was ultimately not released during this product cycle as Apple elected to remain with the iPhone 4 design as it launched the iPhone 4S.
Cook also expressed confidence in Apple's rollout plans for the iPhone 4S, with the device already available in seven countries and an additional 22 countries coming online by the end of this month. Record iPhone sales for the current quarter would come in above the 20.34 million units set in the third fiscal quarter (second calendar quarter) of this year. Apple has already issued strong guidance of $37 billion in total revenue for the current quarter, and with the iPhone making up the largest chunk of Apple's revenue, the company is clearly expecting strong sales at least through the end of the year.
Apple today announced financial results for the third calendar quarter and fourth fiscal quarter of 2011 -- plus the full fiscal year. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $28.27 billion and net quarterly profit of $6.62 billion, or $7.05 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $20.34 billion and net quarterly profit of $4.31 billion, or $4.64 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.3 percent, compared to 36.9 percent in the year-ago quarter, and international sales accounted for 63 percent of the quarter's revenue. Apple now has $81.57 billion in cash and marketable securities.
For the 2011 fiscal year, Apple reported revenue of $108.25 billion and net profit of $25.92 billion, or $27.68 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $65.23 billion and a net profit of $14.01 billion, or $15.15 per diluted share, in fiscal 2010. Gross margin for the year was 40.5 percent, compared to 39.4 percent a year ago. Apple's yearly profit and revenue were company records with Apple reporting more than $100 billion in yearly revenue for the first time ever.
Apple shipped 4.89 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, a unit increase of 26 percent over the year-ago quarter. Quarterly iPhone unit sales reached 17.07 million, up 21 percent from the year-ago quarter, and the company also sold 6.62 million iPods during the quarter, representing 27 percent unit decline over the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 11.12 million iPads during the quarter, up 166 percent over the year-ago quarter.
“We are thrilled with the very strong finish of an outstanding fiscal 2011, growing annual revenue to $108 billion and growing earnings to $26 billion,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Customer response to iPhone 4S has been fantastic, we have strong momentum going into the holiday season, and we remain really enthusiastic about our product pipeline.”
Apple's guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2012 (the holiday quarter) includes expected revenue of $37 billion and earnings per diluted share of $9.30.
Apple will provide live streaming of its Q4 2011 financial results conference call at 2:00 PM Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.
Mac sales, at 4.89 million units in the back-to-school quarter were well higher than even the highest analyst expectations, while iPads met expectations. iPods were slightly worse than expected. However, the biggest miss was on the iPhone with 17.07 million units moved, well below the consensus analyst estimate of 19.75 million. Only two analysts underestimated Apple's iPhone sales, with Charlie Wolf at Needham and Chris Whitmore at Deutsche Bank both expecting 17 million iPhone units on the quarter.
Apple missed estimates on earnings for the first time since 2004.
Last month, we noted that Apple was aware of and working on the issue of users having multiple Apple IDs and seeking to merge them into a single account. MobileMe users in particular have been affected by the issue, as many of them had one ID for their MobileMe account and a separate account for iTunes Store purchases.
With the transition to iCloud for cross-device syncing and deeper integration, more users are interested in merging their accounts together so that a single Apple ID can be used for iCloud and past and future iTunes Store purchases. At the time, we reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook had emailed a customer to inform them that Apple was indeed working on the issue, but with the release of iCloud no solution has yet been deployed. Apple is instead offering guidelines for managing multiple Apple IDs.
But those still hoping for a merging solution may be able to continue holding out hope, as Tim Cook appears to have reached out again, this time in a phone call to a customer in Luxembourg, once again noting that Apple is working on the issue. The report from wort.lu describes Cook's response to the customer's email sent two days prior.
Henrique [Xavier] pointed out that with the recent launch of iCloud and iOS 5 upgrade software on 12 October, everyone has at least 2 Apple ID’s, one before Apple’s “MobileMe” was launched, and one after. “Now, people have a library that has been split in half and we can't take advantage of the new features of iOS 5” he stated.
Tim Cook’s response was swift, and telephoning Henrique in Luxembourg direct from Apple HQ in Cupertino explained, “Thank you very much for your email, and I just want you to know we are aware of this issue and are working on it”.
Interestingly, the report notes that Xavier received a follow-up call from Apple's European offices in Ireland offering him a "direct line" for future feedback on the company's products.
Philip Elmer-Dewitt has put together his list of analyst expectations ahead of Apple's quarterly earnings report this afternoon. The list includes estimates from 16 "independent" analysts and 42 "affiliated" analysts who work for large investment houses or research organizations.
As usual, the independent analysts are much more bullish than the affiliated analysts. The independent consensus expects earnings per share (EPS) of $9.07 on revenue of $33.47 billion. The institutional consensus is EPS of $7.31 on $29.45 billion in revenue.
Click through to Elmer-DeWitt's post at Fortune to see the full-size chart.
Apple will announce its earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011 (third calendar quarter) and host a conference call regarding the release this afternoon at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific. The earnings release itself typically comes in around 4:30 PM Eastern.
Last quarter the company announced record-breaking results in a number of areas, including $7.31 billion in profit on revenue of $28.57 billion. For the fourth fiscal quarter, Apple has issued guidance of $25 billion in revenue with profits of $5.50 per share.
CNET UK put together this terrific look at the history of the iPhone and the people and technology that contributed to making the iPhone what it is today.
The video compares, among other things, famous designer Dieter Rams to Jony Ive and traces Steve's founding of NeXT in 1985 to the world's 1.8 billion+ Internet users.
Algoriddim's surprisingly powerful DJ software has been updated with extensive iCloud support for iOS 5. Djay, which is available for iPad or iPhone, "transforms your iPad into a full–fledged DJ system and seamlessly integrates with your iPod library." Djay includes a wide variety of professional DJ features, audio effects and even supports pre-cuing with a cable from Griffin.
In the latest 1.4 update, Djay adds iCloud integration (backup and sync your song settings such as cue points, edited BPM, etc. over the air, across all of your iOS devices running djay), AirPlay integration, lock screen integration (displays currently playing song info including artwork), sort library by BPM, and a number of different audio FX.
Since the iPhone 4S debuted on Sprint on Friday, a number of the carrier's customers have been complaining of slow data speeds. While the issues are not universal for iPhone users on Sprint, they do seem to be affecting a substantial number of customers.
PCMag.com now reports that Sprint has issued a statement on the issue, characterizing the complaints as a "small number of reports" that the carrier is looking into.
"As always, Sprint is carefully monitoring the performance of the 3G network. We are looking into a small number of reports of slow data speeds when using the iPhone 4S, however there are also reports showing that Sprint’s network is the fastest, such as the Gizmodo report that came out earlier today. Speed tests represent a moment in time and are subject to many variables including weather, time of day, device, and proximity to a tower. Sprint will continue to monitor the feedback we are getting from our customers and will investigate and resolve any issues that may arise," the company said in a statement.
As the report notes, it is unclear exactly what Gizmodo report Sprint is referring to as supporting its case, as the site's informal speed test survey is indeed showing dramatically slower average data speeds for Sprint compared to AT&T and Verizon.
PCMag.com also notes that Sprint has already been measured to have the slowest real-world 3G network speeds of the three iPhone carriers in the United States, and thus the iPhone itself may not be having a significant effect on the carrier's network. And with some customers perhaps being new to Sprint with the iPhone, they may have been unaware of the carrier's network speeds.
Taiwan's United Daily Newsreports [Google translation] that Apple has received samples of 7.85-inch screens carrying the same 1024x768 resolution of the current iPad. The report (via Unwired View) claims that AU Optronics and LG Display have sent samples of the display to Apple, which is reportedly targeting a launch for the "iPad mini" early next year.
It is unclear how Apple and its developers would handle a considerably smaller screen for this iPad mini at the same resolution as the current iPad. While maintaining the current resolution would mean that iPad apps would display natively on the iPad mini, the interface elements would be somewhat smaller than on the iPad, a reduction that could introduce usability issues in some cases.
Steve Jobs had also famously panned 7-inch tablets from competitors, claiming that roughly 10 inches was the minimum screen size needed for a useful tablet.
Apple has been said to be interesting in fending of Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet, which is launching next month at a $199 price point. Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White had noted just last week that his research among Asian suppliers is indeed pointing toward Apple releasing an "iPad mini" early next year to take on the Kindle Fire. White cautioned, however, that the "mini" moniker was in reference to the device's price rather than necessarily meaning a smaller device.
Regarding Apple, our research is pointing to the unveiling of a lower priced iPad in the first few months of 2012 that is aimed at expanding the company’s market potential by tapping into a more price sensitive consumer segment. Essentially, this “iPad mini” will also fend off the recently announced Amazon Kindle Fire that addresses the low-end tablet market with a $199 price tag but could lead to bigger tablet ambitions from the online retailer in the future. The "mini" refers to a reduced price point of this iPad and not necessarily the size of the device. We believe this lower priced iPad could be priced in the mid-to-high-$200 range.
Apple is widely rumored to be preparing to introduce the iPad 3 early next year, a device which is said to carry a Retina display with 2048x1536 resolution. A smaller iPad at the lower resolution of the current iPad could enable Apple to lower entry-level price points for its tablet products if it does indeed view Amazon as a significant threat.
Last month, word surfaced that popular file storage and sharing service Dropbox may have declined an $800 million acquisition offer from Apple, instead deciding to remain independent and raise its own financing.
A new profile of Dropbox appearing as the cover story for a forthcoming issue of Forbes reveals that Apple did indeed pursue Dropbox, with Steve Jobs personally meeting with Dropbox founders Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi amid the possibility of a "nine-digit" deal.
“I mean, Steve friggin’ Jobs,” remembers Houston, now 28. “How do you even prepare for that?” When Houston whipped out his laptop for a demo, Jobs, in his signature jeans and black turtleneck, coolly waved him away: “I know what you do.”
As Jobs made his pitch for Dropbox, Houston cut things short, telling Jobs that Dropbox was not interested in being acquired.
Jobs smiled warmly as he told them he was going after their market. “He said we were a feature, not a product,” says Houston. Courteously, Jobs spent the next half hour waxing on over tea about his return to Apple, and why not to trust investors, as the duo—or more accurately, Houston, who plays Penn to Ferdowsi’s mute Teller—peppered him with questions.
Jobs reportedly attempted to follow up with Dropbox after the initial meeting, suggesting a second meeting at Dropbox's headquarters. But when Houston said that he preferred to meet elsewhere, so as to not give Jobs personal insight into Dropbox's operations, Jobs went silent. Apple of course introduced iCloud, its own syncing solution, earlier this year and went live with the service just last week.
Less than a week after releasing a significant 4.4 software update for the second-generation Apple TV, Apple has now released a 4.4.1 bug fix update for the device.
According to Apple's release notes, the update addresses an issue affecting a "small number" of units to have to connect to iTunes.
Software update: Addresses an issue that required a small number of Apple TV units to be connected to iTunes in order to complete the update.
The previous 4.4 software update had added a number of new features, including AirPlay video mirroring, Photo Stream support, movie trailers, and video content from the National Hockey League and The Wall Street Journal.
Update: Some users in our forums and elsewhere are reporting that the update has "bricked" their Apple TV units, requiring that they be connected to iTunes and restored. The update appears to have temporarily been pulled, but users should be careful in applying it when it is available.
(Thanks, Seth!)
Update 2: Apple has re-released the Apple TV 4.4.1 update, presumably addressing the issue users were experiencing with the initial version.
Computerworld reports that the shutdown of a Chinese manufacturer may affect inventories of Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air notebooks.
Taiwanese company Catcher Technology has had to temporarily close down a factory in eastern China due to complaints of a "strange odor" coming from the building. Catcher is said to be responsible for 60% of Apple's uni-body aluminum casings for Apple's notebook line. In a statement, Catcher admitted that customer supplies would be affected.
"Shipments to our customers will inevitably be affected. We already asked them to make adjustments to their (casings) procurement," Catcher President Allen Horng told a news conference.
It's not clear when the plant will resume full operations. Apple obtains the other 40% of its case supply from Foxconn.
The timing is unfortunate as we've been hearing rumors that Apple was planning on a small MacBook Pro refresh as early as this week. Rumors had suggested a processor bump was due late this year, and new part numbers have suggested an imminent launch.
Memorial services for Steve Jobs continued over the weekend, with one arranged for family and friends at Stanford University's Memorial Church drawing a number of high-profile personalities to celebrate Jobs' life. According to The Wall Street Journal, the service included remarks from a number of Jobs' family members, as well as close friend and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Apple design guru Jony Ive.
Steve Jobs’s widow Laurene Powell Jobs, sister Mona Simpson and three of his children spoke at the memorial service held for the Apple co-founder on Sunday, according to two people who attended.
...
Both people who attended described the service as incredibly moving and a fitting tribute to Mr. Jobs, who was known as a tech visionary, demanding boss and a fanatic for design. One person mentioned that many speakers cracked jokes about Mr. Jobs, who died on Oct. 5 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
The report notes that music for the service was provided by cellist Yo Yo Ma, folk singer Joan Baez, and U2 singer Bono, who read lyrics from an iPad.
Jobs' private funeral was held two days after his death earlier this month and an event for Apple employees will be held this Wednesday. That event will reportedly include a temporary closure of Apple's retail stores to allow employees to view a live webcast of the service.
Apple has updated its "how to buy" page for the iPhone 4S to note that Apple retail stores in the United States and Canada are now selling the device on a reservation-only basis. Customers will need to visit Apple's site after 9:00 PM each evening to reserve a phone for the following day.
iPhone 4S is available in store by reservation only. Reserve yours after 9:00 p.m. tonight for pickup tomorrow. When you come in, you’ll choose a carrier and plan, and we’ll get your iPhone up and running before you leave the store.
MacRumors spoke to a representative at one Apple retail store who noted that that location continues to sell the iPhone 4S to walk-in customers but that supplies are "evaporating". But as supplies tighten Apple seems to be pushing customers toward the reservation channel in order to minimize lines and disappointed customers.
It seems unlikely that Apple retail stores would refuse to sell unreserved iPhone 4S stocks to walk-in customers, so the company may simply be taking reservations and then distributing any remaining stock each day on a walk-in basis.
Apple is placing some restrictions on iPhone 4S walk-in sales in other countries as well, noting that it will take reservations for both on-contract and SIM-free iPhone 4S models after 9:00 PM, but only on-contract phones will be offered on a walk-in basis in those countries. Limiting walk-in sales of SIM-free handsets is likely designed to discourage mass sales into the grey market, such as in China where the devices are selling for as much as $2000.
Last month, we 
Less than a week after releasing a significant 
