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Wednesday, 2 September 2020

Apple Says iOS App Economy Created Nearly 300K New U.S. Jobs Since April 2019

Apple today announced that the iOS app economy has created nearly 300,000 new jobs in the United States since April 2019, citing research shared by Dr. Michael Mandel, chief economic strategist at the non-profit Progressive Policy Institute.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Apple said the App Store continues to provide economic opportunities, with apps supporting essential needs like remote learning, telehealth, and food ordering. According to Apple, the App Store ecosystem now supports more than 2.1 million U.S. jobs across all 50 states, an increase of 15 percent since last year.

Apple's press release provides some examples of companies of various sizes that have seen success on the App Store in the past year.

"We've had incredible growth in the last year, and we've massively expanded our team to meet demand," said Maxeme Tuchman, co-founder of kid-friendly video calling app Caribu. "It means so much to us to not only be able to help connect families and friends at this difficult time, but to be able to provide stable, well-paying jobs to our growing number of employees as well. The App Store has given us a platform on which we can do both."

Apple also noted that it employs over 90,000 employees across all 50 states, and supports 450,000 manufacturing and supply chain jobs. The company is on track to fulfill its commitment to contribute $350 billion in the U.S. over a five-year period.

Tag: App Store

This article, "Apple Says iOS App Economy Created Nearly 300K New U.S. Jobs Since April 2019" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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AirPods Pro Shipments Likely to Equal AirPods 2 Shipments By End of 2020

Shipments of Apple's higher-end AirPods Pro wireless earbuds are expected to equal those of its second-generation AirPods by the end of the year, according to industry sources (via DigiTimes).

Pictured: ‌AirPods‌ 2 (left) and ‌AirPods Pro‌

Apple's shipments for ‌AirPods Pro‌ have been growing steadily since its launch in October 2019, likely to equal those of ‌AirPods‌ 2 by the end of 2020, an encouraging development for SiP substrate suppliers including Taiwan's Nan Ya PCB and Korean makers, the sources said. SiP is likely to become the mainstream technology for ‌AirPods‌, the sources continued.

Seven months after launching updated ‌AirPods‌, Apple unveiled ‌AirPods Pro‌, featuring an all-new in-ear design and several improvements over the regular ‌AirPods‌, including active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and water and sweat resistance.

AirPods vs. AirPods Pro: Features Compared

Those new features inevitably came with an additional cost, with ‌AirPods Pro‌ priced at $249, compared to second-generation ‌AirPods‌ starting at $159. That hasn't put off consumers, however. Indeed, Apple accounted for nearly half of all sales of true wireless earbuds in 2019, and those sales are expected to grow to 82 million units this year, according to Counterpoint Research.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often reliably predicts Apple's product plans, Apple is working on a second-generation version of the ‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌ that will go into mass production into the fourth quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022, suggesting no ‌‌AirPods Pro‌‌ refresh in 2020 or early 2021.

Kuo has also said that Apple is working on a third-generation version of its lower-end ‌‌AirPods‌‌, for a planned rollout in the first half of 2021. The new ‌AirPods‌ are expected to feature a form factor design similar to ‌AirPods Pro‌, thanks to a more compact system-in-package (SiP) that allows the audio features to be integrated into a more compact casing.

In the meantime, existing ‌AirPods‌ 2 and ‌AirPods Pro‌ owners have more to look forward to with the official release of iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur, when ‌AirPods‌ 2 and ‌AirPods Pro‌ will gain an automatic switching function between Apple devices. For example, if you finish a phone call on your iPhone and pick up your iPad to watch a movie, the ‌AirPods‌ will automatically switch over.

When Will iOS 14 Be Released?

‌AirPods Pro‌ are also getting a new "spatial audio" feature that promises to deliver a theater-like surround sound experience wherever you are. Apple says spatial audio with dynamic head tracking puts surround sound channels in exactly the right place, even as you turn your head or move your device. This feature will require an ‌iPhone‌ 7 or newer.

Related Roundups: AirPods 2, AirPods Pro

Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Neutral), AirPods Pro (Buy Now)

This article, "AirPods Pro Shipments Likely to Equal AirPods 2 Shipments By End of 2020" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2EUegsq