May 2, 2017

Apple sees improvement in China this quarter, but won't return to growth

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks at the Economic Summit during the China Development Forum in Beijing / Chinatopix via AP

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that he expects Apple's business in China, which has been slumping for the past year, to improve in the current quarter. However, he said the company is unlikely to return to year-over-year growth this quarter.

"We continue to believe there (are) enormous opportunities there," Cook said. Cook noted that 7 of the top 10 most visited Apple stores are in Greater China.

Last quarter's results in China were helped by strong Mac and iPhone 7 Plus sales, but hurt by weaker sales of older iPhones and particular weakness in Hong Kong. In addition, China's currency was devalued by 5 percent, Cook said, adding: "that's not an insignificant headwind."

Why it matters: China remains one of the biggest areas for Apple to grow, but steep competition and an uncertain economy make results there more subject to fluctuations.

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Orion Rummler

Mass shooting in Milwaukee: What we know

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in 2012. Photo: John Gress/Corbis via Getty Images

Six people died in a shooting at the Molson Coors Brewing Company in Milwaukee on Wednesday, including the gunman, Mayor Tom Barrett told reporters at a Wednesday evening press conference with local police.

Details: All of the victims worked at the brewery complex, as did the shooter who died of "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound," police confirmed in a statement late Wednesday.

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Axios

Coronavirus updates: South Korea case count tops 2,000

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens.

33 people in California have tested positive for the coronavirus, and health officials are monitoring 8,400 people who have recently returned from "points of concern," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has killed more than 2,850 people and infected over 83,000 others in some 50 countries and territories. The novel coronavirus is now affecting every continent but Antarctica, and the WHO said Wednesday the number of new cases reported outside China has exceeded those inside the country for the first time.

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Dave Lawler

Syria's darkest chapter

Family room without a family, in Idlib. Photo: Muhammed Said/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The worst humanitarian crisis of Syria’s brutal civil war is colliding today with what could be the war’s most dangerous geopolitical showdown, after at least 29 Turkish troops were killed in an airstrike.

The big picture: The fighting is taking place in Idlib in northwest Syria, where a ferocious Syrian and Russian offensive has displaced 1 million civilians and infuriated Turkey, which borders the region.

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