iPad Mini Sales Top The Roof

Since Apple released the new generation of the iPad on Friday, sales topped 3 million during the weekend. This high figure equaled the number of the 3rd generation iPads sold in three days; when they were released in March this year. Apple's CEO stated "We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We're working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand." Part of that statement either tells us that Apple didn't make that many devices, or the demand is really that high.

The iPad Mini is available in over 34 countries around the world, including the UK, US, Japan, Canada, Australia and France. Even though hurricane Sandy devastated New York, people there still lined up to get their hands on this revolutionary tablet. However, days before the launch was due, Apple doubted that it would sell a large amount of iPad Minis. The queues were fairly short on Friday morning, but that wasn't necessarily a sign that sales would be low, as Apple found out over the weekend. Customers are clearly interested in every move that Apple make, and literally nothing can stop them in getting their hands on a device.

Apple Avoiding High Tax Rates

Last year Apple paid a respectable 2.5% corporation tax outside of the United States, on it's profits. Since then, that figure has dropped to just 2% this year.Some people may say that this can be classed as tax avoidance, as the tech giants only paid £445m on foreign pre-tax profits of £23bn; this is a rate of 1.9%. However, nothing suggests that this scheme is illegal.

Apple is now one of the companies which pay low tax rates overseas, Facebook, Google and Starbucks have been part of this for a while now. This 'tax avoidance' is leveled out by the UK, no surprise there. Every firm pays large amounts of tax and raise big amounts of VAT, in the United Kingdom. Seeing as Apple leads most of it's business through Europe they end up paying a lot of that. The Caribbean Islands provide some sort of tax haven for many multinational companies, who manage to pay way under the corporation tax rates by using these tax havens. Nobody expected Apple to be avoiding tax rates in some way; to get loads of profit each year so there's nothing to worry about. In your interest, their total profits for the year went up by an astonishing 24%.