Apple dropping four smelters from supply chain after they refused conflict-free audit

Apple has revealed in its annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report that it has informed four smelters–who provide metals used in the production of the company’s devices–that they will be dropped from the supply chain after refusing to submit to “conflict mineral” audits … 

The audits are designed to ensure that the extraction of the minerals used does not finance armed groups associated with human rights violations:

“Tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold are called conflict minerals because, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and adjoining regions, their extraction may finance or benefit armed groups associated with human rights violations. Apple is dedicated to using only conflict-free minerals in our products […]

Unfortunately, even after extensive encouragement, there were four smelters that were unwilling to commit to be audited by a third party, so Apple put these smelters on notice that they will be removed from our supply chain.”

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Apple becomes 1st company ever to close at market cap of over $700B (AAPL)

Update 2/11: After passing $700 billion in market capitalization yesterday, Apple has been trading up as high as $124.43 a share raising market cap over $720 billion.

Apple’s stock price closed up 2.3 points today [...]

Apple announces $850m, 1600-acre solar farm in Monterey to offset all its CA operations incl. Campus 2

During Tim Cook’s talk at the Goldman Sachs Tech Conference 2015 today, the Apple CEO announced a new initiative that will see the company build a solar farm in Monterey County, California that Cook called Apple’s “biggest, boldest and most ambitious” energy project yet. 

“We know at Apple that climate change is real… our view is the time for talk is past and the time for action is now… we’re now running all of our data centres… off renewable energy.. Just today we’re announcing our biggest, boldest and most ambitious project ever…building a solar farm in Monterey County…”

Apple says the new solar farm will offset all of its California operations including 55 retail stores, its entire under construction Campus 2, its other offices in California, and at least one of its data centers. Apple’s new Campus 2 alone is scheduled to house approximately 16,000 of its employees in 2.8m square feet once complete. 

Activation Lock has reduced iPhone theft by 25% in NY, 40% in SF, 50% in London

Officials in three major cities have reported dramatic reductions in iPhone thefts since Apple introduced Activation Lock as part of iOS 7, preventing devices being re-activated without the original owner’s iCloud login. Reuters reports that the number of reported iPhone thefts has fallen year-on-year by 25% in New York, 40% in San Francisco and 50% in London … 

Activation Lock was originally announced in June 2013 as part of iOS 7, resulting in theft reductionsin the three cities of 19%, 24% and 38% respectively. Switching on Activation Lock by default in iOS 8 has further boosted these numbers as thieves are discovering that stolen iPhones are little more than pretty-looking bricks.