|
As
concerns mount that growth in sales of iPhones may have peaked,
major U.S. growth mutual funds have been among the largest
sellers of Apple shares over the past six months or so, fueling
speculation that the company’s days of supercharged growth have
come to an end.
In January, Apple forecast its first revenue drop in 13 years
and reported the slowest-ever increase in iPhone shipments as
the critical Chinese market showed signs of weakening.
Its shares were flat in afternoon trading on Friday. They are
down about 25 percent from highs 10 months ago.
Apple reintroduced a regular cash dividend in 2012 after not
paying one since 1995. Last year it paid out $1.98 per share in
cash dividends, or $11.4 billion overall.
Speaking at the company's annual meeting in Cupertino,
California, Cook also said Apple was "a staunch advocate for our
customers' privacy and personal safety," as it fights a public
battle with the U.S. government over access to the iPhone of one
of the San Bernardino shooters.
Apple filed a legal brief on Thursday asking a federal court in
California to throw out an order it issued last week that the
company unlock an encrypted iPhone used by Rizwan Farook,
arguing such a move would violate its free speech rights,
override the will of Congress and jeopardize the security of
other Apple devices.
"These are the right things to do," said Cook. "Being hard
doesn’t scare us."
Shareholders asked no questions about the company's stance.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
