Apple Expected to Report Record-Breaking Second Quarter Today With Clues About iPhone X Sales

Apple is set to report its earnings results for the second quarter of its 2018 fiscal year at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time today.

The quarter began December 31, 2017 and ended March 31, 2018, according to Apple’s fiscal year accounting calendar.

Apple provided the following guidance for the quarter back on February 1:

• revenue between $60 billion and $62 billion
• gross margin between 38 and 38.5 percent
• operating expenses between $7.6 billion and $7.7 billion
• other income/expense of $300 million
• tax rate of approximately 15 percent

Apple’s guidance suggests the company will report its best second quarter results ever, topping its previous record of $58 billion:

• 2014: $45.6 billion
• 2015: $58.0 billion
• 2016: $50.6 billion
• 2017: $52.9 billion
• 2018: $60+ billion

Wall Street analysts forecast that Apple will report $60.9 billion revenue, meeting roughly the midpoint of its guidance, and earnings per share of $2.69, according to over 30 estimates averaged by Yahoo Finance.

MacRumors has compiled second quarter revenue and EPS estimates from a handful of Apple-focused analysts:

Key Takeaways and What to Look For

• Apple is expected to report iPhone unit sales of 51.9 million, a roughly two percent increase over 50.8 million in the year-ago quarter, according to average analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
• Apple doesn’t break out iPhone sales on a model-by-model basis, but the iPhone’s average selling price should reveal whether there’s any truth to reports that iPhone X sales have slowed significantly. iPhone ASP was $796 last quarter, up from $695 a year earlier.
• Of increasing importance is continued growth of Apple’s services category, including the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, iTunes, Apple Pay, and AppleCare. The average analyst estimate is around $8.3 billion, according to Gene Munster, up from $7.04 billion in the year-ago quarter.
• With increasing competition from Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo, Apple’s performance in Greater China will be a focus. Apple reported revenue of $10.4 billion in the region in the year-ago quarter.
• Apple said it would provide an update on its capital return program during today’s conference call, and many analysts expect significant increases, given the company’s plans to repatriate an estimated $250+ billion in overseas cash under new tax laws in the United States.
• Apple’s third quarter guidance will set expectations for April-June, which has historically been the slowest period of the company’s fiscal year. The average revenue estimate is currently $52.04 billion, according to Yahoo Finance, which would top $45.4 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will discuss the company’s earnings results on a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today. MacRumors will loosely transcribe the one-hour call as it happens.

Tags: earnings, AAPL
Discuss this article in our forums

Qualcomm Hopes to Defuse Tensions With Apple Through Broadened Use of Lower-Cost Licensing Model

Following a legal battle that’s been ongoing between Apple and LTE chipmaker Qualcomm since early 2017, the latter company today announced an initiative aimed at defusing tensions with Apple. Specifically, Qualcomm says it will “broaden” its use of a lower-cost licensing model moving forward (via Reuters).

The move is a response to the FTC’s original complaint that Qualcomm was engaging in anticompetitive patent licensing practices in order to remain the dominant supplier of LTE chips for smartphones. Soon after the FTC targeted Qualcomm, Apple sued the supplier, stating that Qualcomm “reinforces its dominance” through exclusionary tactics and high patent licensing fees.

Now, Qualcomm will receive a lower licensing rate when it does business with customers like Apple, Samsung, and Huawei. Qualcomm licensing division head Alex Rogers hopes that this move will eventually resolve its disputes with Apple and one other unnamed company, thought to be Huawei.

“It’s a good context for dealing with the two licensee issues we have now,” Alex Rogers, the head of Qualcomm’s licensing division, told Reuters in an interview, naming Apple but leaving Huawei unnamed as is the company’s policy when a dispute hasn’t become public through a court proceeding.

Rogers did not comment directly on the likelihood of resolving either customer dispute.

Rogers explains that Qualcomm is doing this by “including more technology” in its licensable patents without raising prices. Before, smartphone makers had the chance to buy two sets of Qualcomm patents, representing a “full suite” or a “standard essential” set. While most customers license both bundles to avoid lawsuits, Qualcomm is aiming to ease tensions by both making it easier for companies to license only the low-cost patent set, and by adding 5G wireless network patents to the sets at no additional cost.

“We have not lowered the rate. What we’re doing is including more technology, more (intellectual property) in the offering without increasing the price,” Rogers added

While Qualcomm has made its move at finally ending the long legal dispute with Apple, the Cupertino company has not yet responded to the announcement. Rogers says that both the Apple dispute and reportedly Huawei “are essentially now being handled within the framework of the current programme.”

Given the legal dispute between the two companies, a rumor in late 2017 suggested Apple is considering eliminating Qualcomm chips from its future devices, instead relying on Intel and MediaTek. More recently, unnamed sources speaking with Fast Company stated that while Intel will supply Apple with a 70 percent majority of LTE chips for the 2018 iPhones, Qualcomm will still be sourced for the remaining supply.

Tags: Qualcomm, Patent lawsuits
Discuss this article in our forums

DNC launches a marketplace for digital election tools

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) wants to reposition the Democrats as politics’ most pioneering party. Today, it announces I Will Run, a marketplace for software, services and training designed to make Democratic campaigns more engaging and effective in a world that’s come to rely on the internet for everything, including politics.

According to the DNC’s tech program manager, Sally Marx, candidates and campaign staff feel overwhelmed by the number of tools that have emerged in recent times, while software innovators aren’t reaching campaigns effectively. The I Will Run platform aims to address these issues, helping to connect campaigns with the best-in-class tools that are already being used with demonstrable results.

The platform is broken down into six categories — digital, finance, research, security, training and voter outreach — and is currently bring piloted in states such as Nevada, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts and Iowa. It’s not the ‘campaign in a box’ proposal the DNC touted back in November, but it’s a significant step in getting Democrats into a more tech-savvy mindset — this is important given the role digital and social media played in the 2016 election. Plus the DNC has got some significant names onside now, including ex-Twitter VP Raffi Krikorian and former Yahoo security chief Bob Lord, which should help the DNC — and the I Will Run platform — avoid the kind of embarrassing tech whoopsies that besieged the Democrats’ 2016 efforts.

Via: Medium

Source: I Will Run

Apple faces camera patent lawsuit over iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X

Back in November, the Israel-based startup Corephotonics filed a lawsuit against Apple for infringing on its patents. Their case stated that the company approached Apple about joining forces on dual lens technology, which Apple rebuffed. Corephotonics alleges that Apple then infringed on its patents with the dual-camera system on the iPhone 7 Plus. Now, Corephotonics has filed a second patent infringement claim to cover the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

The basis of Corephotonics’ claim is that the company actually met with Apple to discuss their technology. Apple refused to enter into an agreement with the company, instead using the technology described at the meeting without entering into any sort of licensing arrangement. Corephotonics even claims that Apple’s negotiator boasted that they could infringe on any patent without fear of reprisal.

This new lawsuit also adds a second patent that it claims Apple infringed upon. Patently Apple notes, though, that this claim is a bit confusing because the patent was just granted in January of this year. The question is how Apple could have infringed on a patent that was granted after the phones were already released with the technology in question.

It will certainly be interesting to see where this case goes. Apple does have its own patents for a dual-lens system. The key for Corephotonics will be to demonstrate that Apple could not have developed this technology independently and utilized the tech that the startup presented in its meeting with Apple with no licensing arrangement in place.

Via: 9to5 Mac

Source: Patently Apple

Olloclip Launches New Mobile Lens System Designed for iPhone X

Olloclip today announced an all-new mobile lens system that is designed exclusively for Apple’s iPhone X. With the lens, iPhone X owners can enhance their field-of-view and shoot “wider and closer” than the iPhone’s built-in camera.

The company said that the new iPhone X lens system maintains many of the features of previous Olloclip accessories, coming equipped with Connect X interchangeable lenses to help users adapt to every environment. In total, there are six lenses available for the iPhone X system:

Super-Wide: Four-element lens with more than 120° visibility.
Ultra-Wide: A 155° action camera field-of-view.
Fisheye + Macro 15x: Unique 180° wide-angle spherical effect + 15x increased magnification.
Telephoto: 2x optical zoom to get twice as close to the action.
Macro 14x + 7x: Get detail oriented and see beyond the naked eye.
Macro 21x: Go in for the ultimate close-up.

There are numerous new features unique to the iPhone X system, including an expanding lens mount that allows for Olloclip to be screen protector compatible, as well as align with both the iPhone X’s front and rear cameras. The system has a pendant stand designed to carry the set, also doubling as a pocket-sized tripod.

In addition to the iPhone X lens system announcement, Olloclip is updating its single lens system for the iPhone 7/8 and 7/8 Plus. The new products have a lower price point, interchangeable lenses, multi-element optics, and the ability for users to reach the front and rear cameras by quickly flipping the lens system. Six lenses are individually available: Super-Wide, Fisheye + Macro 15x, Telephoto 2x, Ultra-Wide, Macro 14x + 7x, and Macro 21x.

Both the iPhone X and iPhone 7/8/Plus accessories are available to purchase now on Olloclip.com, ranging in price from $59.99 to $79.99. There’s also a bundle called the Mobile Photography Box Set for iPhone X with Super-Wide, Fisheye, and Macro 15x lenses priced at $99.99. Apple retail locations worldwide will begin selling the bundle in June.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: olloclipBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Neutral)
Discuss this article in our forums

2018 MacRumors Blood Drive

MacRumors is pleased to announce the Ninth Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2018. Our goal is to save lives by increasing the number of life-saving blood and platelet donations. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide. MacRumors routinely reports on Apple’s support for charity, as summarized in our Help Center. The MacRumors Blood Drive is our own community effort.

Over the past eight years, the MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 470 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, and celebrated new signups for organ donor and bone marrow registries. We’ve heard from many forum members whose lives were affected by blood, platelet, or bone marrow donations, including those whose lives were saved by strangers.

How to participate

1. If you are eligible, schedule a blood or platelet donation (see FAQ), in May if possible, at any donation center near you. Then post in the MacRumors 2018 Blood Drive! thread to tell us about it and to accept our thanks. We’d also like to hear from you if you register as an organ donor and/or register for the bone marrow registry (see FAQ).

2. If you aren’t eligible to donate blood for reasons of age, health, height/weight, a recent donation, or because you are deferred as a donor, please encourage someone else to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you both belong on our Honor Roll! See our Blood donor eligibility thread for news about a change to the deferral policy for gay men in the U.K.

3. Share our message and help this cause by convincing friends and relatives to participate as well. The Honor Roll lists this year’s donors. Please congratulate them for their generous acts on behalf of strangers.

Tag: MacRumors blood drive
Discuss this article in our forums

FedEx adds a hydrogen fuel cell van to its fleet

Cars are bad for us in pretty much every respect, especially since fossil fuel use contributes around 65 percent of all climate-changing emissions. Since delivery companies zoom around our neighborhoods with diesel-belching vans every day, package vans need to get clean, and fast. It’s why FedEx is making a big deal that it’s just taken delivery of its first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle.

The van has been built in partnership between Workhorse Group and Plug Power, and uses a hydrogen engine. The ride is in service at FedEx’s facility in Menands NY, and runs a standard delivery route for the logistics outfit. According to the companies involved, the whip can cover 160 miles per “delivery cycle,” after which it heads back to a hydrogen charging station in Latham.

FedEx’s new super-green van has already racked up more than 3,000 test-miles, and the company is hoping it’ll clock 27,000 miles in its first six months. It’s another component of the green vehicle puzzle that companies like FedEx are trying to solve, with the company also investing in electric semi trucks. FedEx has ordered 20 Tesla Semis, which will be distributed around its freight department when they arrive.

‘Fortnite’ update delivers destruction, new areas and meme emotes

Fortnite Season Four is here, and Epic Games has delivered in a big way. After teasing a spectacular comet crash at the end of the previous season, today’s update sees much-loved areas of the map destroyed, new ones added and players bestowed with tonnes of new skins, emotes and in-game items.

Dusty Depot, which you may remember as a camper’s paradise in the middle of the map, has taken the full force of the impact. So much so that it’s now an enormous crater known as Dusty Divot. Inside lies what looks like a forensic investigation, with tents and structures set up around a mysterious glowing piece of asteroid. Dotted around the perimeter of the area are small purple crystals called Hop Rocks, which when consumed grant the player a small period of zero-gravity movement.

Fortnite’s v4.0 patch also adds new areas to the map. In the rolling hills between Anarchy Acres and Wailing Woods lies Risky Reels, a drive-in movie theater that has been partially destroyed by an asteroid. In fact, the large majority of map locations have suffered some form of impact damage, including a sizeable crater in the center of Tilted Towers.

Lmao I’m so cringe.But here.#BoogieDown pic.twitter.com/HlxnchVOy7

— Orange Shirt Kid (@Kid_Fortnite12) March 30, 2018

No big update would be complete without new skins and emotes, and today is no different. After numerous threads on Reddit and posts across social media, Epic has added the “Orange Shirt Kid” to the game via the Orange Justice emote. The four superhero skins teased prior to today’s update are also live, allowing players to equip DC-themed outfits either via the shop or by unlocking via experience points.

Other smaller tweaks include being able to damage structures on the starting island and the removal of the crossbow (RIP). The update is now live across PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS and you can read the full patch notes via the link below.

Source: Epic Games

Microsoft Announces New Features for Outlook on Mobile, Desktop, and Web

Microsoft is rolling out several new features for Outlook users this week and in the next couple of months. The announcement comes hot on the heels of Google’s recently launched Gmail redesign, and promises changes to the company’s Outlook desktop and mobile apps, as well as its webmail service.

First up is new support for synced draft folders, which will allow Outlook users to draft a message on their mobile device and finish it on their desktop computer, or vice versa. Another addition is a new chat-like Quick Reply box at the bottom of the screen, for quickly responding to messages while keeping their content in view.

Microsoft is also introducing a “Favorite people” feature to go with its existing support for identifying groups and email folders in Outlook. It’s a lot like the way VIPs work in Apple Mail, but uses tags rather than stars.

Elsewhere, the company is adding the ability to view Office 365 Group events in Outlook, as well as access to a group’s OneNote Notebook. Events will be trackable in the group’s contact card, while the Notebook access relies on the OneNote app being installed.

Other business-focused features coming to the mobile app include the ability to add organization directories to your Outlook contact information, and proxy support for companies who choose to block direct access to the internet from mobile devices.

Improvements to Outlook Calendar have also been announced, including bill pay reminders for Outlook.com that appear as calendar items if a bill is identified in a received email (similar to how travel reservations are recognized by the webmail service), as well as location support and meeting room booking options for iOS. Lastly, Outlook for Mac is getting time zone support for calendar entries that involve travel across different time zones.

The updates start this week and are part of a phased rollout for iOS, webmail, and Mac over May and June, with more features planned for Outlook in the near future, as detailed in Microsoft’s Office 365 roadmap.

Tags: Microsoft, Microsoft Outlook, Office 365
Discuss this article in our forums

$199 Oculus Go VR headset is ready for pre-order on Amazon

We’re just hours away from the first keynote speech of Facebook’s F8 event where we’re expecting to hear about all kinds of things, including its mass-market standalone VR headset. Facebook first showed off the Oculus Go as “Project Santa Cruz” two years ago, and then last year revealed its look and $199 price. We got some hands-on time with its comfy wireless experience at GDC recently, but now Amazon watchers Wario64 and the Tracker App note that Monday night it became ready for pre-ordering.

If you’re already sure you want one of the headsets that will bring a VR experience without requiring any help from a PC or phone then you can go ahead and get in line now. The only issue remaining (other than any idea about details or software support) is the release date, which Amazon has filled in with a likely placeholder of December 31st.

Oculus Go is up for preorder at Amazon ($199) https://t.co/NCNVgO7h6w pic.twitter.com/nUdVpaiYhH

— Wario64 (@Wario64) May 1, 2018

Oculus Go is in stock at Amazon https://t.co/IIF2nRxUcf for $199.00 | Get The Tracker App @TheTrackerApp

— The Tracker App (@TheTrackerApp) May 1, 2018

Source: Amazon