Four Apple Stories from Monday

The Apple AAPL news cycle, normally full of activity, has been largely quiet in 2014 but some smaller, yet significant stories, are still worth noting. Here are four from Monday that you might have missed.

Foxconn Ships 1.5 Million iPhone 5s units to China

The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is preparing for the China Mobile launch by sending 1.5 million phones to the country. Citing a rumor, the Journal reported that shipping that many phones is substantial and may indicate healthy demand but its source had no further information like hard numbers indicating early demand.

Analysts believe that Apple’s deal with China Mobile will help the company sell between 10 and 30 additional iPhones this year.

Apple Has to Keep Court-Appointed Monitor

Apple’s motion to remove a court-appointed monitor was denied Monday by Judge Denise Cote saying that there was nothing improper about the monitor’s latest declaration filed with the court, according to Reuters.

Apple argued that the monitor was going beyond his appointed duties by requesting to interview upper management. Additionally, Apple argued that his $1,100 per hour fee gave him incentive to file reports that would keep him on the job for a longer period of time.

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The monitor was put in place as a result of an antitrust ruling barring Apple from making further illegal deals.

Apple to Bring Back iPhone 4?

According to The Economic Times, Apple may bring back the iPhone 4 as a way of reaching the value-priced India market. The phone would reportedly cost about $243--$187 more than the unit’s original price three years ago.

Apple is no longer manufacturing the phone but may be looking to source the units from unsold inventory around the world.

There is no official word from Apple but sources say that Indian distributors may start selling the phone as early as next week.

Apple Products Among the Most Stolen Items in New York

According to a NYPD report, of the 47,000 grand larcenies reported in New York City last year, 8,465, or 18 percent involved Apple products. Of the filed cases, only 20 percent resulted in an arrest and police said that solving the cases is harder because many victims only want to make a report and not view mugbooks looking for the thief.

According to an NYPD spokesman, “The NYPD encourages Apple users to activate Find my iPhone and created a YouTube video with directions. The department also has a program where people can register their electronic devices at the local precinct, making it easier for police to return it if it is recovered.”

Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Tim Parker was long Apple.