Tag Archives: request

Apple Has Reportedly Started Production On iPhone 7

Apple ( AAPL ) may have started production of its next-generation smartphone, according to media reports. The 10th-generation handset, due out in September, is expected to come in three variants: the 4.7-inch iPhone 7, the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 7 Plus Premium (also called the iPhone 7 Pro), gadget news website MobiPicker reported Monday . The first two versions will be similar to the current iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, but the new premium model will have a dual-lens rear camera, tech news website BGR said Monday . As usual, contract manufacturers Foxconn and Pegatron are building the devices, BGR said. The iPhone 7 is rumored to be thinner than its predecessors and have an upgraded antenna design, speedier processor and no audio jack for plugging in headphones. Apple wants users to move to Bluetooth wireless headsets or wired headsets that use its multifunction Lightning port. Apple stock fell a fraction, to 93.49, on the stock market today . Consumers Delaying iPhone Purchases Consumers are postponing iPhone purchases ahead of the iPhone 7 launch, Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley said in a research report Monday. “While we anticipate a decreasing replacement rate through September as consumers delay upgrading their iPhones ahead of the anticipated iPhone 7 launch, we do anticipate recovering sales with the iPhone 7,” Walkley said. Walkley reiterated his buy rating on Apple stock, with a price target of 130. “Consistent with late-stage cycles of iPhones ahead of a new number launch, we also anticipate weaker iPhone average selling prices during the June and September quarters,” he said. The lower-cost iPhone SE, which launched on March 31, also is likely to pressure average selling prices, he said. RELATED: As Growth Investors Flee Apple, Warren Buffett Sees Value Soros, Greenlight Join Berkshire With Apple Buys; Facebook Slashed .

Amazon Fire TV Gets Its Voice On Through Alexa

Amazon.com ( AMZN ) is adding voice-control features to its Fire TV system through Alexa, Amazon’s personal assistant app and rival to Apple’s Siri. The new Alexa features coming to Fire TV include the ability to control playback of Amazon Video, launch apps, access local movie showtimes, and search local businesses and restaurants, Amazon said. Users can also find local movie showtimes and where they are playing. The new Alexa features will be automatically delivered via free, over-the-air software updates in the coming weeks, Amazon said. Many of the new features are similar to what’s available on the Apple ( AAPL ) TV system through its Siri technology. Amazon’s Fire TV has a library of about 4,000 channels, apps and games, and supports 4K Ultra HD playback. Amazon stock fell 2.2% in the stock market today , to 695.27, where 700 had been a point of resistance.

AbbVie’s Biggest Drug Gets Patent Setback; Stock Tumbles

Shares of big pharma AbbVie ( ABBV ) nosedived Monday after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office agreed to review a challenge to a patent on its best-selling drug. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board accepted a request for inter partes review (IPR) by generic-drug startup Coherus Biosciences ( CHRS ) on patent 8,889,135, or the “methods” patent, for rheumatoid-arthritis treatment Humira. The patent is due to expire in 2025, but if Coherus is successful, it could launch its biosimilar version of Humira earlier. That might not happen too soon, though, since the review normally takes a year and is then open to appeal. AbbVie stock, which had opened flat on the stock market today , abruptly dropped 4% after the news came out mid-morning, to near 60, and ended Tuesday’s session at 60.23, down 3.6%. Coherus’ more lightly traded stock jumped 16%, to 18.85. AbbVie is No. 1 in its Industry Group — find out more at IBD Stock Checkup . Humira is currently the top-selling drug in the world, with $14 billion in sales last year. Coherus is one of several companies developing biosimilars of Humira — others include privately held Boehringer Ingelheim, which has some outstanding IPR requests on several different patents, and Amgen ( AMGN ), whose IPR request on a different Humira patent was denied back in January. Coherus has also filed IPR requests on two other patents. “Keep in mind AbbVie also has methods patents which cover other approved Humira indications, such as Crohn’s (disease), and we would expect additional IPRs/litigation to commence prior to potential biosimilar approvals (Amgen’s Humira biosimilar could be approved later this year),” wrote Evercore ISI analyst Mark Schoenebaum in an email. “Thus, these IPRs will likely be the first of many legal actions against AbbVie’s methods patent estate.”