Apple sales surge in China, claims Tim Cook

Apple, the consumer electronics giant, continues to enjoy rapid sales growth in China which now delivers 15% of its global revenues, and offers considerable room for further expansion.

Speaking on a conference call with analysts, Tim Cook, Apple's chief executive, reported that total returns from China hit $23.8bn during the last 12 months.

This constituted an annual increase of 78%, or an additional $10bn, a performance Cook suggested was "really phenomenal when you think about it".

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"We continue to see it as a extremely exciting market with more and more people wanting Apple products," he said.

As a result, the country today contributes 15% of worldwide revenues, which reached $156bn in the last financial year. "We're extremely happy with how we've done in China," said Cook.

Read more about Apple sale surge in China at Warc

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Crude slips in Asia on US energy demand concerns

Oil fell in Asia on Thursday on demand concerns after US data showed a sharper-than-expected rise in crude inventories in the past week, analysts said.

New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November shed 10 cents to $92.02 a barrel and Brent North Sea crude for December delivery retreated two cents to $113.20.

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A larger-than-expected gain in US crude stockpiles raised demand concerns among traders, said Sanjeev Gupta, who heads the Asia-Pacific oil and gas practice at Ernst & Young.

Read more: Business Recorder

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Samsung announces Galaxy S III Mini

Samsung has announced the Samsung S-III MINI, for the love of those with smaller palms.

The features of the new Samsung Galaxy SIII Mini are as under:

• Network: HSPA 14.4/5.76 900/1900/2100, EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
• Display: 4.0 WVGA Super AMOLED
• Chipset: Dual Core 1GHz OS: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Camera: 5MP AF + LED Flash / VGA Front
• Video: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VC-1, SorensonSpark, WMV7, WMV8, Recording/
• Playback : 720p Audio: MP3, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, OGG(Vorbis), FLAC
• Additional Features: Game/Video/ Readers/Music Hub, Kies, KiesAir, FM Radio (RDS), TouchWiz, Google Mobile Services, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk,Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads,
• Connectivity WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi HT40 GPS/GLONASS NFC Bluetooth® 4.0(LE)
• Sensor: Accelerometer, Digital compass, Proximity, Gyro
• Memory: 8/16GB ROM+ 8Gb RAM, microSD
• Dimensions: 121.55 x 63 x 9.85 mm, 111.5 g
• Battery: 1,500 mAh

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Read more about it at: ZDNet

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Apple sells 2 million iPhones in 24 hours

The euphoria of iPhone 5 has smashed all previous sale records for Apple as people are vying to get a set no matter how.

And that is not just a statement as Apple today announced that it had sold more than 2 million of the new iPhone 5 in 24 hours. That’s more than twice Apple’s previous record, set last October, when 1 million iPhone 4S units were sold in one day.

Technology research firm IDC has estimated that Apple will sell 51 million iPhone 5 units in the Christmas quarter, 35% more than the previous corresponding period. That number could be at serious risk of being beaten, if sales continue at the current clip.

Read more: 9 News

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Uneaten Toast by Prince Charles on Diana Wedding day up for sale

The uneaten toast by Prince Charles on his wedding day with Princess Diana is being billed as the ‘world’s most upper-crust slice of toast’, despite being well past its eat-by date.

The piece of white bread is said to have been left uneaten by Prince Charles on the morning of his 1981 wedding to Lady Diana Spencer before being taken from his breakfast tray by the mother of a maid who was visiting her daughter at Buckingham Palace.

Thanks to its royal connections, the toast could fetch up to £500 when it goes under the hammer at Charles Hanson Auctioneers, in Etwall, Derbyshire, on July 19.

Read more: Daily  Mail

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