Three Apple Stories Making Headlines Monday

As of 9:30 a.m. Monday morning, Apple AAPL is already making headlines. Here are three of the most talked about.

Apple Aiding in Investigation of iPhone Electrocution

The company has said that it will aid in the investigation of a Chinese woman who was killed by electrocution after answering a call on here iPhone5 while it was charging.

23-year old flight attendant, Ma Ailun reportedly had her phone plugged in and charging. After answering a call, she collapsed and died according to a tweet from her sister.

In an e-mail, Apple said, "We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family. We will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter,"

Apple to use Samsung to Produce its Next-Generation iOS Processors?

Appleinsider is reporting that Apple will return to Samsung to produce its in-house-designed “A9” system on a chip, which will power its “iPhone 7.”

This rumor conflicts with a Wall Street Journal report that claimed Apple would use Taiwan Semiconductor for production of future chips.

The latter would make more sense as Samsung has turned into Apple’s fiercest competitor. The company has tried to distance itself from Samsung but has found it difficult, according to the WSJ report.

Related: Five Tech Stocks to Watch this Earnings Season

Taiwan Semiconductor, Monday, announced that major suppliers like Qualcomm QCOM have cut orders, according to Digitimes, citing lower demand of high-end phones. However, insiders say that Samsung has taken market share from the company.

Apple is locked in a series of patent suits with Samsung—another reason to try and sever ties with the company.

Apple Hiring Engineers to Fix iWatch Design Issues

According to the Financial Times, Apple is aggressively hiring fresh talent to help fix various design issues with its iWatch. Sources told the FT that development of the iWatch has gone from an exploratory phase to a full-fledged product development initiative but the timing of this new hiring spree indicates that Apple’s first new product since the death of Steve Jobs may not be ready until the latter part of 2014. There is still the possibility that CEO Tim Cook could scrap the idea completely.

Critics fear that Apple’s iWatch could end up being too late to make the type of impact that the iPod and iPhone made on the market. With numerous major tech companies reportedly working on wearable computing initiatives, the iWatch may be too late unless it turns out to be a blowout product—something increasingly difficult to achieve in the tech space today.

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

Posted In: NewsRumorsContractsRetail SalesLegalManagementGlobalTechMediaAppleAppleInsiderDigitimesFinancial TimesiPhoneipodiWatchQualcommTaiwan Semiconductor
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