My brothers and I put our heads together. The only solution was an iPad. The bigger problem was going to be teaching an 87-year-old with deteriorating muscle co-ordination to use it. I prayed a stylus would help.
Soon, with an assist from some friendly staff, my father was finally able to see my mother via FaceTime.
"He was in good spirits," she reported after their first conversation. "He said, 'I'm so excited! I found my book, I can watch the news, and I can see you!'"
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said that the company plans to reopen its retail stores in Austria and Australia beginning in the next one to two weeks.
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Cook made the announcement in an interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang alongside the release of Apple’s fiscal second-quarter earnings. He also said that he believes that “just a few, not a large number” of stores in the U.S. will re-open in the first half of May.
Despite disruptions to both supply and demand caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, Apple posted $58.3 billion in revenue in its second quarter, eking out 1 percent growth over last year's second quarter.
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CEO Tim Cook spoke optimistically about the company's long-term prospects on a call with investors today, but in a break with common practice, Apple did not provide guidance for the next quarter, citing the inability to predict the pandemic's future impact. "We have great confidence in the long-term of our business," Cook said. "In the short-term, it's hard to see out the windshield to know what the next 60 days look like, and so we're not giving guidance because of that lack of visibility and uncertainty."
"At this time of social distance of shuttered schools and gathering places of delayed plans and new ways of socializing," said Tim Cook, "we have seen significant evidence that our products have taken a renewed importance for our customers. Teachers and students around the world are relying on our technology to teach, learn, and stay connected with each other."
More broadly, Maestri said that the company feels it’s got a strategic advantage to continue to invest in innovation, products, and the development of its services portfolio. “We will continue to invest in our pipeline,” he said. “We will try to balance the need to continue to invest during difficult circumstances, and the fact that we like to manage the business wisely.”
Apple invested through the 2007 recession and ended up more powerful than ever before at the end of it. Having $83 billion saved away for a rainy day certainly does wonders for one’s confidence during trying times, doesn’t it? I’d imagine Apple will emerge into a post-COVID-19 world as an even bigger player on the scene.
Every quarter, Apple releases its financial results and then executives spent about an hour on a conference call with analysts, making scripted statements and then answering a few handpicked questions. This is a complete transcript of that call.
The ads show clips of Apple’s popular shows and movies, highlighting the celebrity talent and high-budget stories Apple has assembled.
I, too, have no guidance on what my life will be like in the next few months.
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Thanks for reading.