Newstead Jennifer sold $816K of AAPL

Samsung Electronics led the global smartphone market in Q3 2023 with 57.8 million units shipped, a 5% year-over-year decline, according to Omdia. Samsung's market share was 22.7%, supported by Galaxy A series sales and the new Galaxy Z Fold 8. Global shipments fell 20%. Apple ranked second with 56.5 million units shipped, unchanged from the prior year.

Intel's weak guidance caused its shares to drop 29% on Friday, impacting U.S. and Asian markets. Taiwan's TAIEX index fell 812 points at open, with TSMC shares dropping below NT$2,310. Other tech stocks also declined, including AMD, Qualcomm, and Nvidia. Analysts attribute the sell-off to concerns over AI-related capital spending and U.S. economic data.

Apple reduced its App Store commission in Taiwan from 30% to 26% starting October 31, 2026, following discussions with the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission. The regulator suspended its investigation into Apple's fees and developer restrictions after accepting the cut as a commitment. The change applies to standard in-app purchases and paid app sales, with smaller developers and long-running subscriptions unaffected.

Alibaba's Qwen AI will be integrated into Apple Intelligence, available for testing in the iOS developer beta starting Nov. 4 and rolling out to Chinese users in December. The partnership enables Qwen's AI capabilities for text and image understanding and content generation through Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence. Users can opt in and control data sharing. The feature is for iOS users in China with Apple Intelligence-capable iPhones.

Apple plans to launch AI services in China in December via a partnership with Alibaba, offering features like writing assistance and translation. The services, part of iOS 27.3, will be limited, excluding some Siri capabilities. This move follows regulatory approval and aims to compete in China's AI market.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reviewed Apple's new touchscreen MacBook Pro, noting the touch feature as an additional input method. The device retains the traditional macOS interface and keyboard. Key apps like Microsoft Office and Adobe Lightroom support touch. The MacBook Pro also features a new OLED display, Dynamic Island, M5 chips, and a redesigned chassis. Prices start at $2,899 for the 14-inch model, with availability from November 6.