1 Record revenues for Apple (Dominic Rushe & Sam
Thielman in The Guardian) Apple sold 61.2m iPhones in first three months of
2015, reporting revenues of $58bn as strong sales from China propelled the tech
company to another record quarter.
Analysts had expected Apple to sell 58.1m iPhones
and for the company to report revenues of $56bn. The number far exceeded the
43.7m iPhones that Apple sold in the same period a year ago. Revenue from China
rose 71% to $16.82bn. That compares with $21.3bn in the Americas region, which
was up 19%. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, has previously predicted that
China will become Apple’s largest market.
Cook said the company had an “incredible quarter” in
China driven in large part by iPhone sales. Sales of Macs rose 31% in China.
Cook said the company had benefitted from an expansion its physical retail and online
presence in the country. With a net operating profit of $13.6bn, a 33%
increase, the only fly in the ointment is the continued decline of iPad sales,
off year-over-year for the second quarter running.
The company ended the quarter with $193.5bn in cash.
Apple announced an 11% increase in its dividend and the addition of another
$50bn to its share buyback program. The company will now return $200bn to
shareholders by March 2017.
2 Baltimore protests spread (BBC) A curfew has been
declared in the US city of Baltimore amid violent protests over the death of a
black man fatally injured in police custody. After dark, live video from
helicopters showed several buildings in central Baltimore on fire. Earlier,
dozens of people were seen confronting police, and 15 officers were injured.
The governor of Maryland declared a state of emergency,
calling in the national guard as clashes intensified. African American Freddie
Gray, 25, died on 19 April after a week in a coma. Where and when his injuries
were sustained is being investigated by the justice department. Officials have
suspended six police officers who were involved in the case.
Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order to
"protect the lives and property of citizens being impacted by this public
emergency". Capt Eric Kowalczyk of Baltimore Police said the 15 injured
officers were wounded by thrown objects including bricks and bottles. Two
remain in hospital.
3 Robo-cop on the beat (Khaleej Times) Dubai is no
Detroit from Hollywood, but their futures will intersect when robo-cops patrol
the streets of this city. If you’ve watched the original Robocop starring Peter
Weller, it won’t be hard to imagine a day when policing passes to a posse of
robots who walk the streets and malls in Dubai and follow a set of commands to
keep the peace, watch the surroundings and help catch the bad guys.
This revolution in law enforcement is expected to
happen before Dubai hosts the Expo in 2020 when the city expects an influx of
people. People will have fun dealing with the robots of the police force,
officials said. The machines will interact directly with people and tourists.
An interactive screen for a face and a microphone will transmit and receive
commands from the Dubai Police call centres.
The robots will be further developed to take
decisions on their own without help from human controllers, according to police
officials. Dubai Police hope to replace more men and women on the force with
these robots, and bring down the costs of policing. Knightscope, a Silicon
Valley company, has already developed a version of the robo-cop, which can
detect and track criminal activity. But a weaponised robo-cop has raked up
controversy, with many experts warning they could turn rogue if not used
wisely.
Dubai’s own robo-cops could be equipped with sensors
for thermal imaging, they could read your vehicle’s licence plate and scan your
facial features. How far authorities would go with a robot police force without
intruding into your personal space is an issue open to debate. But if you’re
not averse to trading your privacy for the security and safety of the
community, robo-cops could well be the future of modern policing.
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