–FILE–Pedestrians walk past the Apple Store on the Nanjing Road shopping street in Shanghai, China, 29 December 2013.
Apple Inc. is hardly the first Western company to seek its fortune in China, though investors are putting the onus on it to produce a pot of gold. China will figure much more prominently in Apples results this year, starting with its first fiscal-quarter report Monday. China was included in the launch of the iPhone 5S and 5C in the fall, and Apple finally signed a deal with China Mobile Ltd. The latters impact should surface in the companys outlook for the current period. Prospects for growth in China¡ªalong with buzz about future products¡ªhave helped push Apples stock up more than 38% from a late-June trough. To justify this, Apple will need to return to year-over-year growth in earnings per share after four consecutive quarters of decline. Apple is depending on a warm reception for the new iPhones in China, where the device remains priced for the wealthy.
Russia fines Apple. The Cupertino house, in fact, refused the Russian authorities’ request to keep the iCloud data of citizens within national borders. This refusal was followed by an initial minor fine. Here are the details:
Apple was fined by Russia
Apple has to deal with one fine of 2 million rubles (equal to about 34 thousand euros, a figure largely within the reach of the Cupertino house) established by Russia for the failure to comply with local regulations linked to data management.
According to the provisions of RussiaApple would be required to keep Russian iCloud user data within national borders. The negative response from the Cupertino house triggered the sanction. It should be noted, however, that Apple has shown itself willing to collaborate with China for a similar measure.
Apple user data is stored (encrypted) in various data centers around the world (in the USA, in Denmark and precisely in China). For iCloud data, Apple also uses third party cloud services like Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure. For China, on the other hand, the Chinese data centers of GCBD and the cloud service of China Telecom are used.
Apple has not yet commented on the penalty. Further updates on the matter could arrive in the coming days.