Apple Bans Two Chemicals From Production Line

Apple will remove benzene and n-hexande from its final production lines following a campaign from labour activists in China.

Apple is banning two potentially hazardous chemicals from its final assembly process for iPhone and iPad.

It is removing benzene and n-hexande from its production lines following a five-month campaign from labour activists in China.

Benzene is a carcinogen linked to leukaemia when not handled correctly, and n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage.

Apple carried out a four-month investigation at 22 factories and did not find any evidence that the chemicals had endangered any of the factories' 500,000 workers.

No trace of the chemicals was found at 18 of the factories; however four found traces of them at "acceptable safety levels".

Despite the findings, Apple has asked its suppliers to stop using the chemicals for the final assembly process for iPhones, iPads, iPods, Macs and other accessories.

However, the company will still allow suppliers to use the chemicals in the early production phase of its devices - which takes place at different types of factories - but at a lower level.

Lisa Jackson, Apple vice-president in charge of environmental initiatives, said: "This is doing everything we can think of to do to crack down on chemical exposures and to be responsive to concerns.

"We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries."

Apple is not alone in using the chemicals – they are key to a number of electronic production processes.

Low levels of benzene are also found in petrol, paint, cigarettes and some detergents.

iPhone 6 to Launch on September 25, 5.5-Inch Model Named iPhone Air: Report

Another day and another iPhone 6 rumour. This time a report out of China details an astonishing new launch date for the next iPhone from Apple, ahead of most dates in previous leaks. The report is accompanied with purported pricing details, as well as the name of the anticipated larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variant - iPhone Air.
The report citing industry sources claims Apple will unveil the iPhone 6 on September 15, which falls on a Monday, while retail availability will begin on September 25, which falls on a Thursday.
Apple traditionally starts sales of new iPhone models on a Friday to capture the weekend crowd, so the dates seem a little fishy. Previous leaks (including a purported internal communication from a German telecom carrier) had indicated a more credible launch date of September 19, which happens to be Friday.
According to the China.com report (via GforGames), China will also be amongst the first countries to receive the iPhone. The report also details the pricing, which matches previous leaks, claiming the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 (32GB) will cost CNY 5,288 (roughly Rs. 50,800), while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 (16GB) will be priced at CNY 5,998 (roughly Rs. 57,600). This would also imply the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 (32GB) is cheaper than the current 4-inch iPhone 5s (16GB), which costs CNY 5,300.
The same report claims the much-rumoured 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variant will be called the iPhone Air, following the naming scheme of the latest, largest iPad. The report adds that China Mobile and China Unicom, Apple's carriers in the country, have begun field testing the iPhone 6 on their networks.

Recently, Japanese daily Nikkei had posted two alleged images of the rumoured 4.7-inch iPhone 6 dummy model, side by side with an iPhone 5s. The leaked images corroborate what's has been widely expected based on earlier leaks, that the next iPhone will house the power button on the right panel of the device, instead on the top panel seen on current iPhone models. It also seen to feature the Touch ID sensor.

Previously, another Chinese report indicated the alleged 5.5-inch iPhone 6 variant will feature a 128GB storage variant. The report further claims that the 128GB storage variant will be limited to the bigger variant of the rumoured iPhone 6, and the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will offer the conventional 64GB as its maximum storage variant, while the 16GB variant will be dumped for both models.

An earlier report citing a research note from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also suggested that the alleged 5.5-inch iPhone 6 would sport OIS (optical image stabilisation) for the rear camera. The report further claimed that the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will not come with OIS.

The Cupertino-based company has also been rumoured to be testing a higher screen resolution of 960x1704 pixels on at least one of the two iPhone models likely to debut this year.

‘Moment’ app CUREs your iPhone addiction

Moment’ app CUREs your iPhone addiction. This is going to measure and cure your digital addiction.

If you can’t stay away from your iPhone even if you try, then this new app is for you. The new iOS app, Moment, claims that it can keep people away from their iPhone by allowing then to use it less.

The app lets you limit your iPhone uses and will allow you to spend more time doing some other stuff than hanging around with your smartphone.

Moment continuously runs in the background of the iPhone and keeps tracking your daily usage and lets you know the amount of time you spent on your iPhone. It also allows you to set a usage limit and notifies you when you reach the limit. Users can also set their phone to instantly switch off if they cross their limit set in the app, compelling them to keep their iPhone away and enjoy their life.
“I built Moment to help nudge me in the right direction by automatically tracking my daily iPhone use and giving me a warning when I’m on it for too long,” app designer Kevin Holesh stated on his blog post.

“My goal was to find a balance of connected and disconnected that was right for me. Moment has helped me gain another 35 minutes every day to take my dogs for a hike or do a quick workout instead of mindlessly scrolling through Twitter,” he said. “Moment is helping me find that balance,” Holesh added.

Apple sells 47.8M iPhones in Q1

Apple closed out 2012 on a high note with its iPhone sales, but many fear its momentum is already beginning to peter out.
The Cupertino, Calif., company said today that it sold 47.8 million iPhones in the fiscal first quarter (or the last quarter of the calendar year). The results were above analysts' average projected sales of 46 million to 47 million units, although many analysts had higher estimates, and were left disappointed. It sold 37 million units a year ago.
What remains to be seen is whether the iPhone 5 can keep up with the pace of sales amid increasing competition from the likes of Samsung Electronics and its Galaxy S line. The iPhone franchise has long been the driver of revenue and earnings growth for Apple and is among the most crucial parts of its business.

Apple executives didn't directly address the issue, but noted that supplies were constrained. In addition to a shortage of iPhone 5 units in the early part of the corner, supplies of iPhone 4 were also constrained, CEO Tim Cook said during a conference call with analysts. He did say that he expects iPhone sales to grow over a year ago.
Cook also seemingly dashed any hopes of a larger display for the iPhone by touting the iPhone 5's larger 4-inch Retina Display screen. He reiterated the screen's ability to work with one hand.
"We put a lot of thinking into screen size," he said.
Apple had cut the component orders for iPhone displays, suggesting a letdown in demand, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Cook addressed that rumor directly, saying he would question the accuracy of any rumor, and noting that the single data point couldn't accurately reflect the larger picture of Apple's business.
"It would be impossible to accurately interpret what it meant for the entire business," Cook said.
The past few weeks have seen a back-and-forth on Wall Street on whether the iPhone really is starting to see eroding sales, all while the company's shares slumped. At least one analyst said the company would lose share in the March quarter, while Kantar Worldcom ComTech said the iPhone still took the crown in the U.S. during the final quarter of the year.
Verizon, meanwhile, posted its fourth-quarter results yesterday, reporting sales of 6.2 million iPhones. The bad news: Half of those sales were made up of the older iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models, indicating that consumers are starting to pause when considering the latest and greatest from Apple, instead settling for a lower-cost alternative.
"Clearly, Apple likely experienced strong sales of cheaper iPhones which helped offset supply constrained related to the iPhone 5," said Julien Blin, an analyst at Infonetics.
Apple doesn't break out sales of each iPhone model, but Cook said the mix between iPhone 5 sales and older models was similar to the mix of iPhone 4S and its prior models a year ago. He noted that the average selling price for the iPhone business was roughly equal.
Apple likely benefited from a large number of iPhone users that were coming up for renewal, Blin said.
Cook, however, said a lot of new customers were buying the phone. But he didn't directly address a question about whether a majority of sales were coming from upgrades.
Cook also announced 36 more carriers would get LTE support for the iPhone 5, including carriers in Italy, Denmark, Finland, the Philippines, and several Middle Eastern countries.

Apple won't blindly pursue market share, Chinese paper reports

SAN FRANCISCO/BEIJING: In a revised version of an interview published Thursday in a Chinese newspaper, Apple Inc marketing chief Phil Schiller said the company would focus on making "the best products" for customers and "never blindly pursue market share".

On Thursday, the Shanghai Evening News had originally cited Schiller as saying that Apple would not develop a cheaper smartphone for the sake of expanding its market share.

That appeared to undermine other recent media reports indicating that Apple was working on a low-end smartphone, which would represent a significant shift in strategy for a company that has always focused on premium products.

But in a new version of the story published after the original, the Shanghai Evening News removed all references to cheaper smartphones, except for a mention of rumours of a "cheaper, low-end product".

It also amended its original headline from "Apple will not push a cheaper smartphone for the sake of market share", to "Apple wants to provide the best products, will not blindly pursue market share".

Apple confirmed the interview had taken place and that it had contacted the Chinese newspaper about amending its original article, but had no further comment and declined to provide a transcript of the interview.
A reporter at the Shanghai Evening News who identified himself as Huang Yinlong, whose byline appeared on the stories, said the paper had made some changes, as Schiller's remarks may not have been presented as clearly as possible.

As well as deleting references to cheap smartphones, paraphrased statements attributed to Schiller in the original version were replaced with direct quotations.

Asked if the paper had made the changes at Apple's request, Huang said that the paper had made the decision on its own.

"We deliberated about it, and wanted to reflect (Schiller's) meaning in the interview more accurately, so we made some adjustments", said Huang, adding the interview was conducted in Beijing on Tuesday.

The original story had quoted Schiller as saying that developing a cheaper smartphone to try and replace feature phones was not a direction in which the company wanted to head.

That comment was amended in the new version of the story, which now cites Schiller as saying that while some manufacturers are moving toward such cheaper smartphones, "Apple has always focused on providing the best products for its consumers, we've never blindly chased market share."

An operator at the Shanghai Evening News said the paper did not have a spokesperson. Queries for comment were referred to Editor-in-Chief Niu Yefang, whose phone went unanswered.

A spokeswoman for Apple in China could not be reached immediately.

Apple rarely addresses rumors about upcoming products, which often spur intense speculation. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal cited anonymous sources as saying Apple could release a cheaper iPhone as early as this year. 

Apple's Schiller: A cheaper iPhone? Um, no

LAS VEGAS--I had always fancied that when CES comes along, Apple's devious PR people sit around and wonder which little rumor to toss out, just to turn the heads of those who gawp here.
Of course, there's no proof that this week's hearty rumor -- that Apple will produce a cheaper iPhone -- came from Cupertino, but the leak seemed timed with a stroke of mischief regardless.
So as CES reaches its later stages, news emerges that Apple's SVP of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, has declared himself on the subject -- a declaration that can be roughly summarized as "Hah."
The Next Web reports that Schiller gave an interview to the Shanghai Evening News yesterday in which he said: "Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple's products. In fact, although Apple's market share of smartphones is just about 20 percent, we own 75 percent of the profit."

Some might interpret this as: "Do you really think we're going to go grubbing around in the basement, looking for a few coins?"
Wise and regular analysts estimated that a cheaper iPhone could reach half a billion customers.
But where would the cachet be if everyone was walking around with an iPhone? Some might say it's bad enough already when everyone and her ex already has an iPad.
In Apple's world, if something is cheaper, it has to have some palpably positive -- and, hopefully, novel -- value.
It's hard to believe Apple would create something that is simply cheap for cheap's sake.
And anyway, if this thing were to be a smaller iPhone, that would be an iPhone 4, right?

Apple Samsung lawsuit: six more products under scrutiny

Apple has added six more Samsung products, including the Galaxy Note II, to its patent lawsuit against the company.

Documents filed to the San Jose federal court in California on November 23 list six Samsung products running the "Jelly Bean" and "Ice Cream Sandwich" operating systems, which Apple claims infringe its patents.

The six phones and tablets affected are the Galaxy S III, running the new Jelly Bean system, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wifi tablet, the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Galaxy Rugby Pro and Galaxy S III mini.

Apple stated it had “acted quickly and diligently" in order to "determine that these newly released products do infringe many of the same claims already asserted by Apple."

In August, Samsung lost a US patent case to Apple and was ordered to pay its rival $1.05bn (£0.66bn) in damages for copying features of the iPad and iPhone in its Galaxy range of devices. Samsung, which is the world's top mobile phone maker, is appealing the ruling.

A similar case in the UK found in Samsung's favour and ordered Apple to publish an apology making clear that the South Korean firm had not copied its iPad when designing its own devices.