Dirhams & Dollars

Dubai: Apple's latest financial statement, released on Tuesday night, outlined a tough environment for the tech giant: Last year saw sales slow across global markets, even while the Americas grew. The slowdown was largely caused by emerging market currency devaluations, according to CEO Tim Cook, making the company's already-expensive phones that much more pricey. In response to this, Apple says it will absorb that margin, keeping the prices of its devices at a more affordable level in places like China and Japan. But Apple's strategy to continue growing goes beyond price control: The company recently unveiled a new public programme of free classes that will be held at every Apple store around the world. The move will solidify the firm's spot as one of the most successful retailers in the world, while Apple hopes it'll introduce a whole new generation of users to its products. On today's episode, we discuss the merits of this strategy, what we can glean from Apple's financial results this week, and what