Apple enters 5G race with new iPhone 12s from ‘Mini’ to ‘Pro Max’

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New York, Oct.13, 2020 (Reuters/Naija247news) Apple Inc on Tuesday launched four versions of the iPhone 12 with faster 5G connectivity, starting at $699, which the Cupertino, California company hopes will spur a wave of upgrades and keep its sales booming through the end of the year.
The iPhone 12, with a 6.1-inch display, will sell for $799. The phone has flat sides with a flush display, similar to the company’s iPhone 5 and a departure from rounded edges in recent years.

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Apple also introduced a “Mini” version, which has the same features but a smaller 5.4-inch screen and will sell for $699, as well as a “Pro” version with three cameras starting at $999 and a “Pro Max” starting at $1,099 and going up to $1,399.

The new products will test whether Apple can ride a wave of consumer excitement around 5G wireless data networks, whose speediest variants outstrip their predecessors’ data rates multiple times over.

Apple said all iPhone 12 models in the U.S. will support millimeter wave 5G, the fastest variant of the technology, as well as lower-frequency bands.

Some rival Android devices support only the lower-frequency versions of 5G.

Verizon Communications Inc CEO Hans Vestberg said the phones would work with the carrier’s ‘ultrawideband’ 5G network, designed to alleviate bottlenecks in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, as well as in crowded areas like NFL stadiums.

Apple said it had tested 5G on more than 800 carriers in 30 regions globally.

Shares of Apple fell over 3 per cent during the event, erasing $77 billion worth of stock market value.

Apple may face a lukewarm holiday season due to the coronavirus pandemic, said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive officer of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

“As the convergence of flu season with COVID and colder weather forces everyone indoors, I think it’s going to be harder to sell iPhones this Christmas.

As much as Apple is a technology company, it’s not known for its online sales, it’s known for its in-store experience,” Dollarhide said.

In China, the biggest online video platforms, including Tencent Holdings and Bilibili Inc, canceled Apple’s livestream event without explanation, Bloomberg News reported.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro in the U.S. and some other regions begin Oct. 16 and go on sale Oct. 23.

The iPhone Mini and Pro Max will be available for pre-order Nov. 6 and in stores Nov. 13.

Apple also announced a HomePod Mini smart speaker that will cost $99 and be shipped from Nov. 16. Many of the features serve as a catch-up to similar offerings from Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google.

The annual launch event is nearly one month later than normal and comes as the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted Apple’s well-oiled machine for designing and churning out its biggest-selling product.

The company is in a delicate position of needing to excite consumers with 5G without setting them up for a disappointment: For many of its fans, it will be their first experience with 5G networks, which in the U.S. remain years away from delivering dramatic speed boosts for most consumers.

Some analysts worry Apple will be selling a high-powered sports car while its customers remain confined to sleepy village roadways.

But in spite of waves of retail store closures and travel bans that delayed the development of the iPhone, Apple’s financial results have largely bucked the pandemic.

In July at its most recent earnings, the company posted year-on-year revenue gains across every category and in every geography as consumers working and learning from home during the COVID-19 pandemic turned to its products and services.

Apple last month launched new watch models with blood oxygen sensors and updated its iPad models.

The company has also committed to introducing new Mac computers before year’s end based on processors of its own design.

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Experts advocate free healthcare, enhanced benefits for pensioners Pensioners By Ginika Okoye Abuja, Oct. 13, 2020 (NAN) Some pension experts have advocated the provision of free medical healthcare services and payment of enhanced benefits to eligible pensioners in the country. Dr Musa Ibrahim, the Founder, Abuja Pensions School (APS) and Retirement Planning, joined other experts to make the call during a webinar programme in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja. The programme was organised by Retirement Benefits Advisory (RBA) in collaboration with APS. Ibrahim said that the webinar, which was the second editing was aimed at safeguarding pensioners from economic shocks occasioned by the effect of COVID-19 pandemic. He appealed to the government to provide a robust health and housing system for retirees. Ibrahim commended the National Pension Commission (PenCom) on their efforts toward making the lives of pensioners better. He called on governments at all levels to review the pensions of retirees to determine if they deserved additional lump sums. Prof. Mike Ikupolati, the former Director-General, West African Insurance Institute (WAII), called for a review of the provisions of the Pension Reform Act (PFA) 2014 on withdrawals and setting of new guidelines. He emphasised the need for constant pre-retirement trainings for citizens and encouraged pensioners to have multiple streams of income. He advocated free healthcare for pensioners in the country. Prof. Nasiru Maiturare, the Professor of Actuarial Science and visiting professor at APS, observed that the corona virus pandemic had brought myriad of challenges to Nigerian pensioners. He reiterated that an efficient and effective pension system was necessary to attain economic growth, boost productivity in workplaces and ensure employee’s well-being. “Governments at all levels must strive to balance the twin goals of delivering financial security for retirees that is both adequate for the individual and sustainable for the economy’’ Maiturare said. Mr Ivor Takor, the Executive Director, Centre for Pension Rights Advocacy commended PenCom for their role in easing the process of accessing benefits by retiring employees. He also appealed for the payment of additional lump-sum to eligible retirees based on their Retirement Savings Account (RSA) balance and remaining life expectancy. He also suggested that the RSA be linked to the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) so that when senior citizens retire, they could still access proper healthcare. Mr Joseph Adeniyi, the Deputy Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP), listed the various challenges faced by pensioners to include their inability to see doctors on their ailments and non-payment of pension arrears. He also decried the non-inclusion of pensioners in palliatives intervention and non-implementation of the 1999 constitution provisions of sections 173 (3) and 210 (3), especially by various states government.
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