Apple says it supports 2.4M US jobs

San Francisco - App-related jobs total 1.9M up by 325,000 from previous estimate

Apple said it was either directly or indirectly responsible for 2.4 million US jobs, up 20 per cent from the two million the technology company estimated in 2017.
The iPhone maker said its direct workforce grew from 80,000 to 90,000 in the 2-1/2 years since its last US job estimate. But most of the estimated growth came from companies such as Broadcom Inc which make parts in the United States for Apple products and from third-party software developers making apps for Apple devices.
App-related jobs totalled 1.9 million, up by 325,000 from its previous estimate, the Cupertino, California-based company said in a news post on its website.
Apple did not say how it arrived at its estimates or how the research was funded. Estimates of indirect job creation can vary widely depending on how the analysis is carried out.
Art on streets to augment reality
Meanwhile, Apple is taking art out of the gallery and splashing it on the real world, creating playful, digital skylines with technology that critics fear could become invasive.
Fans said the Apple augmented reality (AR) tool - active in Paris, New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong and San Francisco - improves real life, superimposing digital words and images on old landmarks. But privacy watchers fear AR could become a tool that makes urban spaces playgrounds for corporations and financial gain.