The Next Apple’s High-Performance Mac Mini M1X Will Be Without Intel Processor
Apple Stock News: According to The Verge, Apple is exploring a new Mac Mini to replace the Intel-based model as planned. Apple is likely to release a high-performance Mac Mini M1X in the next few months with a new design and more ports than the current model. A portable desktop computer that can turn any screen into a smart Mac-powered computer will play a key role in driving the company’s profitability as Apple continues to leverage its growing consumer gadget sales following the pandemic.
The holiday season will be an additional factor to increase profits. Apple’s 2020 Mac Mini, with an M1 processor comparable to entry-level machines, had fewer ports than Intel’s higher-end version. Apple’s move away from Intel across all its products will be complete in 2022. Thus far, Apple has released only four Macs with the first iteration of its chips, codenamed M1.
iPhone 13 Needs 200,000 Workers to Produce Ahead of Launch
Apple supplier Foxconn is rushing to hire 200,000 more workers by the end of September to manufacture the iPhone 13 models, according to the South China Morning Post. The world’s largest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, China, needs 200,000 additional workers ahead of the expected launch of the iPhone 13 line next month. Earlier this month, it was reported that Foxconn is struggling to hire enough workers to manufacture the iPhone 13. The staffing target is reportedly supported by local governments, which have provided 100 buses to “pick up job seekers from their communities and drop them off at the factory gates”.
Foxconn estimates it will be able to recruit 200,000 new employees by the end of September “at the current rate of recruitment.” Once hired, new employees will quickly take over their positions. The Zhengzhou plant can house up to 350,000 assembly line workers and produce up to 500,000 new iPhones every day.
Apple Raises iPhone 13 Prices to Offset Rising Chip Manufacturing Costs
According to a DigiTimes report, Apple is likely planning to raise prices for the new iPhone 13 models. This is done to offset increased chip manufacturing costs from its leading supplier TSMC. TSMC plans to increase its chip manufacturing costs by 20%, which will affect Apple as a result. The new changes are expected to take effect in January. Price adjustments will also affect orders scheduled for completion in December. Sources indicate that TSMC’s advanced technological processes exceeding 7 nm will increase quotes by 3-10%. Sources said Apple, TSMC’s largest customer, with orders accounting for more than 20% of the wafer plant’s total revenue, will experience a 3-5% rise in prices. To offset rising costs, Apple is reportedly considering increasing costs for the upcoming iPhone 13 series to “mitigate the impact of cost increases on their profitability.”
Observers believe that faced with rising production costs, brand sellers may ultimately pass them on to end consumers. According to market sources, Apple is likely to set higher prices for its upcoming iPhone and other series. Many laptop manufacturers, who have raised prices by 5-10% this year, continue to look for ways to mitigate the impact of rising costs on their profitability.
Apple is preparing a number of significant improvements for the iPhone 13 this year, including features specifically designed for professional photographers and videographers. It is rumored that Apple will add ProRes support for video and portrait mode to the more expensive models in the upcoming lineup. Apple may view both of these features as an excuse to raise prices for its most expensive iPhones.
Apple Stock News: South Korea to Limit Google and Apple Dominance in Commissions
A South Korean parliamentary committee voted on Wednesday to recommend the amendment to the law, a key step towards barring Google and Apple from enforcing software developer fees on in-app purchases. This is the first such restriction from the large economy. Apple Inc and Google Alphabet Inc. faced global criticism because they require software developers to use their app stores to use proprietary payment systems that charge fees up to 30%.
In a statement on Tuesday, Apple said the bill “would expose users who buy digital goods from other sources to the risk of fraud, undermine their privacy protections,” undermine user confidence in App Store purchases, and reduce opportunities for South Korean developers. Experts say app store operators can secure payment systems other than their own by partnering with developers and other companies. “Google and Apple are not the only ones who can create a secure payment system,” said Lee Hwan, a professor of competition law at Korea University.
Others noted that South Korea has some of the most robust online transaction legal protections in the world, and said that app store operators must provide advanced services to increase profits. According to reports from the South Korean parliament, the amendment prohibits market-dominant app store operators from imposing payment systems on content providers and “improperly” postponing consideration or removal of mobile content from app markets.
