business-economics-and-finance

iPhone X and 8: What we know about Apple's new phone

Apple gets international headlines for whatever its latest new (or removed) feature is.

They were among the first to scrap CD drives and they forced everyone to buy new cables and accessories when they suddenly changed the charging port on their iPods, iPhones and iPads.

Their latest MacBook Pros are nicknamed 'donglebooks' because Apple scrapped all of its conventional USB-A ports for more modern USB-C ports.

The problem is you need a stack of dongles to connect all but the most modern devices.

Is freelancing as glamorous as it seems?

The word alone inspires visions of co-working spaces with white-washed brick walls, spartan surfaces, and rows of Monstera deliciosa plants.

But as long-term job security decreases and the gig economy takes hold, for some it is more about necessity than a glamorous lifestyle.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics says there are more than a million independent contractors in Australia — though a 2014 study by research firm Edelman Berland put the number as high as 3.7 million.

Sick of fast fashion? Here are five ways to make your wardrobe more sustainable

Clare Press, fashion writer and editor, described this as her "canary in the coalmine moment" — the point at which she decided to become a passionate advocate of slow fashion.

She cites a study from 2006 that found British women were consuming four times as many clothes as their 1980 counterparts, and sending 30kg of textiles and clothing to landfill annually.

Why no symphony orchestra in the world makes money

But no symphony orchestra in the world would be financially viable on its own.

That's the startling truth uncovered by Robert Flanagan, a professor of economics at Stanford University and the author of The Perilous Life of Symphony Orchestras.

"They all run an operating deficit, in the sense that the money they earn from concerts, records and so forth does not cover their expenses," he told The Money.

There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is that the expense of running an orchestra is enormous and virtually impossible to bring down.

Doctors call for sweet drink levy to tackle obesity in Australia

The Committee of Presidents of Medical Colleges, representing bodies including the Royal Australian College of GPs, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, has developed a six-point obesity action plan to tackle what it calls the most pressing public health issue.

Professor Nick Talley, head of the Committee of the Presidents of Medical Colleges, said urgent definitive action was needed.

"We need leadership, not just telling people to lose weight," he said.