We begin today’s update with new data/estimates regarding circulation data for magazines that are part of Apple News+. The discussion then turns to Apple’s contract manufacturers. There was one follow-up from yesterday’s update worth pursuing regarding Foxconn. We look at Goertek running into trouble assembling AirPods Pro and how the news points to a broader truth found in doing business with Foxconn.

Hello everyone. It looks like we have some Project Titan news to discuss. Given the timing, we will do that tomorrow.

In today’s update, there was one follow-up worth pursuing regarding Foxconn. We will begin though with Apple News+.

Apple News+ Circulation Data

It’s been a while since we last talked about Apple News. The service launched in September 2015 with Apple News+ launching in March 2019. Audio was introduced in mid-2020.

Back in April 2020, Apple disclosed that Apple News had 125M monthly active users. The figure likely reflected a usage boost due to the pandemic. Clicking on an Apple News story in Today View, which continues to be a value-add proposition, brings you to the Apple News app. This is likely where many of the 125M Apple News users originate. With no subsequent updates to that user figure, we can assume it hasn’t change by much. It is a very high number given that Apple News availability is still limited to a handful of countries.

An Above Avalon membership is required to continue reading this update. Members can read the full update here . An audio version of this update is available to members who have the podcast add-on attached to their membership. More information about the podcast add-on is found here.

(Members: Daily Updates are always accessible by logging into Slack. If you haven’t logged into Slack before, fill out this form to receive an invite.)

Above Avalon Membership

Subscribe $20/month

Subscribe $200/year

Payment is processed and secured by Stripe. Apple Pay and other mobile payment options are accepted. Special Inside Orchard bundle pricing is available for Above Avalon members.

More information about Above Avalon membership, including the full list of benefits and privileges, is available here.