Apple stock takes a 9% dive due to earnings notice

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

We're quickly seeing the market react to Apple's bombshell announcement of a lower stock earnings guidance. Yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a letter to Apple investors revising the company's earnings guidance, a move that hasn't happened since 2002.

Cook implied various macroeconomic factors, including less spending in China, a major market for Apple, for the lower earnings in Q1, usually Apple's strongest quarter. As Cook mentioned in a TV interview, there are various reasons for this lower earnings expectation, many of which were out of Apple's control.

The brewing US trade-war with China and less spending from that country, the staggered iPhone release schedule in 2018 (which saw a month's apart launch for iPhone XS and iPhone XR) slower ramping up of product for iPad Pro. Mac mini and MacBook Air, as well as the $29 battery replacement service that took a bite out of potential earnings.

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Apple partners with the Malala Fund to support girls’ education

Here’s one piece of good news. Apple becomes the Malala Fund’s first Laureate partner to help boost the organization’s efforts to support girls’ education and advocacy for equal opportunity. The partnership will hopefully double the organizations ability to award grants by its Gulmakai Network, which supports programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Nigeria, as well as extend funding programs to India and Latin America. The initial goal is to extend the secondary education opportunities to over 100,000 girls. On Apple’s part, they will assist by providing technology as well as helping with curriculum and research to make sure policy changes are being implemented everywhere so that girls can attend school and complete their education. Apple CEO Tim Cook will be part of the Malala Fund’s leadership council.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who started the organization, says, “My dream is for every girl to choose her own future. Through both their innovations and philanthropy, Apple has helped educate and empower people around the world. I am grateful that Apple knows the value of investing in girls and is joining Malala Fund in the fight to ensure all girls can learn and lead without fear.”

Apple's Tim Cook makes first visit to Canada, surprises students in Apple Store

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple CEO Tim Cook made his first visit to Toronto, Canada. Cook surprised students at the popular Apple Store in the Eaton Centre, one of the country's busiest malls. The unnanounced visit took staff, customers and students by surprise. Cook also thanked app developers, who were running a coding clinic for their contributions to the Apple ecosystem.

The students in question were a class of Grade 7 Students in Toronto's east end who were programming robots dancing on tables using Apple's Swift Playgrounds app on the iPad. Apple opened its Everyone Can Code initiative late last year and this focuses on making technology accessible so virtually anyone can create apps and solutions.

Canada is an extremely important market for us. We have a great team in Canada," Cook said in an interview with The National Post.

There are 120,000 Canadian jobs directly related to Apple's iOS and App Store ecosystem, the company said.

Upcoming iOS update will allow users to disable intentional battery throttlling

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed that the latest update to iOS 11 will allow users to disable the intentional battery slowdown on their devices. This is the latest update to the news from last month that Apple's iOS purposely slow's down performance on older iPhones in order to counteract battery degradation (an issue that causes some older iPhones to shut off when the battery is at 40%).

Apple has taken flak for reducing performance on older devices and has since given users a discount on battery replacement services for older iPhones. In an interview with ABC News, Cook announced how Apple plans to roll out an update next month, first to devs and the to all users by March. “We’re going to give people the visibility of the health of their battery so it’s very, very transparent,” he says. “This hasn’t been done before.”

Source: The Verge