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Check this out to put the coronavirus impact into perspective

This is one perspective, there will be others.

  • When the SARS epidemic hit in 2003 China had an economy size aroiund USD 1.7 tln
  • Today it is nearly an order of magnitude larger, around USD 13.7 tln
  • & China’s economy accounts for around a third of global GDP growth

ps.  this from Apple’s Tim Cook on what is happening with his business in China this week:

  • “We have closed one of our retail stores and a number of channel partners have also closed their store fronts. Our sales within the Wuhan areas are small, but retail traffic has also been impacted cross the country (China) in the last few days.”

Bolding mine.

Multiply the impact on traffic to Apple stores across the economy.

china coronavirus

Trump weighs exempting Apple from China tariffs

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday after touring a plant that assembles Apple computers that he was considering whether to exempt the U.S. company from tariffs on imports from China.

“We’re looking at that,” Trump said in answer to a reporter’s question about the tariffs, after touring a plant in Austin, Texas, with Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook that assembles the company’s Mac Pro desktop computers.

Cook, who has a strong relationship with Trump, has sought relief for Apple from the U.S. tariffs, which are part of a months-long tit-for-tat trade war between the world’s largest economies.

“The problem we have is you have Samsung. It’s a great company but it’s a competitor of Apple, and it’s not fair if, because we have a trade deal with Korea — we made a great trade deal with South Korea — but we have to treat Apple on a somewhat similar basis as we treat Samsung,” Trump said.

Apple announced in September it would make its new Mac Pro computers in Austin. The announcement came days after U.S. trade regulators approved 10 out of 15 requests for tariff exemptions filed by Apple amid a broader reprieve on levies on computer parts.

Earlier this month, Apple also asked the Trump administration to waive tariffs on Chinese-made Apple Watches, iPhone components and other consumer products.

Trump has made boosting the U.S. manufacturing sector one of the goals of his presidency, taking to Twitter to pressure U.S. companies into keeping jobs at home.

Earlier on Wednesday, Apple said it had started construction of a new campus in Austin that will employ 5,000 workers, with the capacity to grow to 15,000. It is expected to open in 2022.

Apple increases production of iPhone 11: sources

Apple has told suppliers to increase their production of its latest iPhone 11 range by up to 10%, or 8 million units, the Nikkei Asian Review has learned, following better-than-expected demand worldwide for its new cut-price handset.

The increase in orders appears to validate Apple CEO Tim Cook’s new strategy of enticing budget-conscious consumers with cheaper models amid the weakening world economy. The order boost of between 7 million and 8 million units is equivalent to total annual phone shipments this year by Google, a rising iPhone rival in Apple’s home U.S. market.

“This autumn is so far much busier than we expected,” one source with direct knowledge of the situation said. “Previously, Apple was quite conservative about placing orders,” which were less than for last year’s new iPhone. “After the increase, prepared production volume for the iPhone 11 series will be higher compared to last year,” the source said.

Shares of Apple component manufacturers rose in Japan after publication of the Nikkei report, outperforming the broader market. Japan’s Minebea Mitsumi closed up 3%, troubled iPhone screen maker Japan Display rose by almost 2%, while Murata Manufacturing and Alps Alpine also gained.

Apple launched its three new iPhone models — the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max — in early September, and for the first time in its history reduced the starting price of the model upgrade, despite better cameras, to $699, compared to $749 for last year’s iPhone XR. (more…)

The secrets Apple keeps

FORTUNE — Among the many amazing things about Apple is how scrutinized it is. Rarely have a company, its products, and its top executive — the late Steve Jobs — been so thoroughly examined. And yet, for a corporation so frequently discussed, Apple is poorly understood. Its products are ubiquitous, but information about the institution is scarce — which is exactly how Apple wants it. Apple steers the conversation to its gadgets — for sale at an Apple store near you! — not its modus operandi. InInside Apple: How America’s Most Admired — and Secretive — Company Really Works, I hope to shine a light on how this company labors to keep the world from knowing what’s going on inside its walls, with secrecy, both external and internal, being one of Apple’s key tools. It’s ironic, really. The business world keeps nattering on about the importance of corporate transparency, yet the most successful company in the world is beyond opaque. Born from a feature I wrote for Fortune last yearInside Apple dissects Apple’s covert ways and provides a road map for less-buttoned-up companies to follow. –Adam Lashinsky

Apple employees know something big is afoot when the carpenters appear in their office building. New walls are quickly erected. Doors are added and new security protocols put into place. Windows that once were transparent are now frosted. Other rooms have no windows at all. They are called lockdown rooms: No information goes in or out without a reason.

READ MORE HERE…………………………..http://bit.ly/xo7ecZ

In 1983, Steve Jobs Hosted Apple's Version Of 'The Dating Game' And Bill Gates Was A Contestant

The year was 1983, and 28-year-old Steve Jobs was hosting an Apple event for his employees.

Jobs invited three software guys: Frank Gibbons of Software Publishing Co., Mitch Kapor of Lotus, and none other than Bill Gates of Microsoft.

All of the men are in their geek-chic uniform of khakis and polo shirts (the hoodies of yesteryear), to answer questions about their company’s relationship with Apple, all in the style of “The Dating Game”.

In the video below, you’ll hear only Gates’ answers, but those, of course, are the most interesting. The two seem almost chummy, and the crowd is completely entertained.

Jobs and Gates didn’t meet onstage again for almost 25 years after this event.

You’ll see that Bill Gates is really trying win that “date” in this game, but who does Jobs pick in the end? Watch and find out.

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