Twitter has officially appointed a new VP of Diversity & Inclusion, Jeffrey Siminoff, hiring him away from an identical role he held at Apple.

Source:: Apple Insider

While smartphone sales growth is slowing in many mature markets, annual shipments in the Middle East & Africa grew by 31 percent in Q3, nearly 3x faster than the global rate. Apple’s premium iPhone sales grew by 133 percent in the region to enter the top five vendors by volume.

Source:: Apple Insider

Tesla Motors is reportedly planning to hire another 4,500 workers in California alone in the next four years, in the face of impending competition from companies like Apple and Google — particularly in the realm of self-driving cars.

Source:: Apple Insider

CNN has launched a microsite advertising its upcoming broadcast of “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine,” the controversial Alex Gibney documentary about Apple’s iconic co-founder.

Source:: Apple Insider

Though Apple’s new 4-inch iPhone will sport the same screen size as the iPhone 5s, it will feature a number of internal improvements, including more RAM, a faster A9 processor, and a larger battery, according to a new report.

Source:: Apple Insider

Catcher Technologies will help supply chassis components for upcoming iPhones said to be both waterproof and use “new compound materials” to conceal their antennas, according to a new rumor.

Source:: Apple Insider

As hype continues to build around upcoming virtual reality and augmented reality products, one Wall Street analyst doesn’t think Apple will sit on the sidelines, potentially acquiring companies and working behind the scenes on its own offerings throughout 2016.

Source:: Apple Insider

In 2015, Apple dramatically enhanced its ability to make money, and at the same time incrementally dismantled the profit engines of its competitors, leaving them even weaker for their next match in 2016. But Apple has several weaknesses related to the core strength of its existing ecosystems that it needs to address over the coming year if it wants to retain and enhance its brand of excellence that drives sales of its premium, profitable hardware.

Source:: Apple Insider

In his first U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing as Apple’s SVP of Hardware Technologies, Johny Srouji revealed the recent receipt of a restricted stock unit award currently worth $9.6 million, as well as substantial common stock holdings valued at $10.9 million.

Source:: Apple Insider

The results of AppleInsider’s holiday survey are in, and the hottest Apple gifts for the 2015 holiday season, as selected by you the reader, were Apple TV, Apple Watch and Apple accessories.

Source:: Apple Insider