Apple's (AAPL) stock reached an all-time intraday high mid-last week, following Wall Street’s renewed confidence in its growth. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives raised his price target for Apple shares to $325, anticipating a “golden era of growth” for the tech giant in 2025, as quoted on Yahoo Finance.AI-Driven Growth and the Future of AppleIves believes Apple is entering a multi-year iPhone upgrade cycle, largely driven by artificial intelligence. “The seeds of Apple Intelligence are now forming, and will transfo ...

Core Summary - Apple has agreed to a $95 million settlement over allegations that Siri recorded users' private conversations without consent, spanning over a decade [1] - The settlement could compensate U S-based Apple product owners up to $20 per device for up to five Siri-enabled devices, including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, HomePods, iPod touches, and Apple TVs owned or purchased between September 17, 2014, and December 31, 2024 [3] - The $95 million payout equates to only 9 hours of profit for Apple, based on its income for the last year [3] Background of the Siri Allegations - The controversy began in July 2019 when a whistleblower revealed that Siri was frequently activated unintentionally, leading to the recording of private conversations [2] - These recordings were reviewed by Apple contractors for quality control purposes and captured sensitive information, including confidential medical discussions, private business dealings, and intimate personal moments [2] - Accidental triggers were common, with sounds as innocuous as a zipper being misinterpreted as the "Hey Siri" wake phrase [2] Details of Apple's Settlement - The class-action lawsuit culminated in Apple agreeing to a $95 million settlement, pending judicial approval [3] - Users must attest under oath that they accidentally activated Siri during a conversation intended to be confidential or private to qualify for compensation [3] - Lawyers representing the plaintiffs could take almost a third of the total settlement amount in fees and expenses, leaving a smaller payout for claimants [3] Apple's Response and Siri Policy Changes - In August 2019, Apple issued an apology and temporarily suspended its Siri grading program [4] - The company implemented changes, including no longer retaining audio recordings and allowing users to opt in to sharing their recordings for quality control purposes [4] - With the release of iOS 13 2 in October 2019, Apple introduced settings enabling users to delete their Siri history and opt out of sharing audio recordings [4] Implications Beyond Siri for User Privacy - The case highlights the broader implications of voice-activated technologies on user privacy, particularly when inadvertent activations lead to the recording and potential dissemination of private conversations [5] - The accessibility of such recordings to human contractors exacerbates concerns about unauthorized access to personal information [5] Challenges in Controlling Personal Data - Despite the introduction of opt-in features and the ability to delete recordings, many users remain unaware of these settings or the extent of data collection by their devices [6] - This situation underscores the need for greater transparency and user education regarding data privacy practices [6] Broader Industry Context - Apple is not alone in facing scrutiny over voice assistant privacy issues, with Google and Amazon encountering similar allegations concerning their voice-activated services [7] - A similar lawsuit is pending against Google's Voice Assistant in the San Jose, California federal court, indicating that concerns about inadvertent recordings and data privacy are industry-wide challenges [7] Conclusion - The $95 million settlement serves as a reminder of the delicate balance between technological advancement and the imperative to protect user privacy [8] - As voice-activated assistants become increasingly integrated into daily lives, technology companies must prioritize transparent data practices and empower users with control over their personal information [8]

Settlement Details - Apple agreed to a $95 million cash settlement in response to a class action lawsuit alleging privacy violations related to unintended Siri recordings [1] - The settlement covers a 10-year period from Sept 17, 2014 to Dec 31, 2024 [2][7] - Payments are capped at $20 per Siri-enabled device, with individuals limited to claiming up to 5 devices [9] Eligibility and Scope - The settlement is open to owners of Siri-enabled Apple devices including iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, MacBooks, iMacs, Apple TV streaming boxes, HomePod speakers and iPod Touches [7][8] - As of 2024, there are approximately 155 million active iPhones in the US, with Apple TV streaming boxes reaching over 32 million active units in 2023 [3] Lawsuit Background - The class action lawsuit, Lopez et al v Apple Inc, was filed in 2019 alleging routine recording of users after unintentional Siri activations [5] - Plaintiffs claimed recordings were sold to advertisers and used for targeted ads, citing specific incidents involving Air Jordan and Olive Garden ads [6] - Apple has not admitted any wrongdoing while agreeing to the settlement [6]

Apple has agreed to pay $95m in cash to settle a proposed class-action lawsuit claiming that its voice-activated assistant Siri violated users’ privacy, listening to them without their consent.iPhone owners complained that Apple routinely recorded their private conversations after they activated Siri unintentionally, and disclosed these conversations to third parties such as advertisers. A preliminary settlement was filed on Tuesday night in the Oakland, California, federal court, and requires approval by U ...

Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi has raised his price target for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) from $240 to $260, citing the company’s strong fundamentals and continued growth trajectory. In his comments, Sacconaghi emphasized Apple’s status as a “quality compounder” driven by mid-single-digit revenue growth, improving profit margins, disciplined capital returns, and double-digit EPS growth. He further highlighted Apple’s growing position as a platform company, with over 2.3 billion devices and nearly one bill ...

Sales of foreign phone brands in China plunged in November, according to official data released Friday, underscoring further pressure on Apple, the biggest international handset vendor in the country.In November, foreign mobile phone shipments in China stood at 3.04 million units, according to CNBC calculations based on data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).That's a fall of 47.4% from November 2023, and a 51% drop from October last year.CAICT does not break down fi ...

Apple is battling to keep the iPhone relevant in China.New figures show foreign smartphone shipments to China almost halved in November.Apple's struggles come in the face of stiff competition from local smartphone makers like Huawei.Apple's battle to keep the iPhone popular in China appears to be getting tougher as foreign smartphone sales in the country dipped by almost half in just one month, according to new data.Advertisement Signs of fresh struggles for Apple came on Friday as new figures from the gov ...

The S&P 500 (^GSPC -0.22%) is home to 500 companies from 11 different sectors of the economy, making it the most diversified of the major U.S. stock market indexes.But the S&P is weighted by market capitalization, so the largest companies have a greater influence over its performance than the smallest. As of this writing, the following five companies have a combined market cap of $14.9 trillion, representing 28.8% of the entire value of the index:Apple (AAPL -2.62%), $3.8 trillion.Nvidia (NVDA 2.99%), $3.3 ...

Nvidia (NVDA 2.99%) and Apple (AAPL -2.62%) are very popular stocks among individual and institutional investors, but two highly successful hedge fund managers aggressively bought one and sold the other in the third quarter:Ken Griffin of Citadel Advisors purchased 4.7 million shares of Nvidia, nearly tripling his stake. It is now his third-largest position excluding options. He also sold 4.9 million shares of Apple, reducing his stake by 90%. It had been his fourth-largest position excluding options.Steven ...

证券时报网讯，苹果公司同意以9500万美元和解Siri录音隐私诉讼案。 该诉讼指控苹果未经用户同意，通过Siri收集并分享私人对话内容给第三方。 苹果公司需在六个月内永久删除2019年10月前收集的Siri个人音频记录。 校对：刘星莹 ...