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Luke Dormehl - page 103

Apple wants another shot at overturning $439 million patent lawsuit

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Anti-robocall bill is one step closer to being passed into law
Apple is frequently targeted in patent cases.
Photo: Pexels

Apple wants another shot at beating so called patent troll VirnetX in court.

The Cupertino company was previously ordered to pay $439 million for infringing on two of VirnetX’s patents with its FaceTime technology. However, an appeals court has since found many of VirnetX’s patents to be unpatentable.

Apple increases its number of self-driving car test drivers

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Project Titan
Apple has the third-largest self-driving car fleet in California.
Photo: Idiggapple/Twitter

Apple has slightly increased the number of test drivers for its self-driving car project, although the total number of vehicles remains the same.

According to new figures from the California Department of Motor Vehicles, Apple is currently testing 69 cars on public roads in California. That’s the same number it had in late April. However, Apple has increased its test drivers from 110 to 143 since then.

Samsung deletes ad mocking Apple after copying Apple

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Samsung ad
"Apple sure was lame getting rid of the headphone jack. And -- wait, we're copying them?"
Photo: Samsung

Samsung attempted to quietly delete one of its old ads mocking Apple for ditching the headphone jack in the iPhone 7.

Why? Because, as it turns out, Apple might have been right with its controversial move. Samsung followed Apple’s lead by leaving the 3.5mm jack out of its new Galaxy Note 10. Oh, Samsung, will you never learn?

88% of iOS devices are running iOS 12

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iOS 12
This is probably the last time Apple will release iOS 12 adoption figures.
Photo: Apple

Weeks before the official public debut of iOS 13, Apple says that 88% of users are currently running iOS 12.

Those figures are impressive in their own right. They get even more impressive when considering only devices released in the past four years — of which 90% are upgraded to iOS 12.

Apple faces unfair competition investigation in Russia

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Apple in Russia
Investigators will look at whether Apple abused its position as controller of the App Store.
Photo: Caviar

Apple is being investigated for suspected unfair competition in Russia, following a complaint from a Moscow cybersecurity company.

Kaspersky Lab says that Apple declined one of its parental control apps, prior to releasing its own Screen Time service. Russia’s anti-monopoly watchdog has now announced that it will look into Apple’s behavior.

Apple wants iPhone users to shun third-party battery replacements

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iPhone XR battery life is the best of any iPhone on the market.
You'll need to get your iPhone battery replacement carried out by one of Apple's chosen repairers.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

Apple has long been trying to push users to shun third-party repairers and go through Apple for device repairs. Now it’s activated a previously dormant software lock on iPhone to try and crack down on battery replacements by third-party repairers.

That’s even the case if they’re replacing your battery with an official Apple battery.

Apple fans seem receptive to the concept of a foldable iPhone

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Folding iPhone 2
UBS thinks a foldable Apple device could launch in 2021.
Photo: Foldable News

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold ran into a bunch of problems, but it seems many iPhone owners remain interested in seeing what Apple could do with the foldable form factor.

According to a new UBS survey of customers, iPhone owners show a “generally higher” level of interest in foldable handsets than other groups.

An afterlife Steve Jobs appears in new driving awareness ad

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Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs as he appears in the new ad.
Photo: Transport Accident Commission

Whether it’s as the subject of a rap t-shirt or a manga comic book, the likeness of Steve Jobs pops up in some pretty unusual places.

The latest? As a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it “cameo” in an Australian ad aimed at reducing car accidents as a result of texting behind the wheel. The ad depicts Jobs, alongside the likes of John Lennon and Shakespeare, in a discussion set in the afterlife. Seriously.

Apple Watch continues to run roughshod over the competition

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Apple-Watch-4
Almost 1 out of every 2 smartwatches shipped last quarter was an Apple Watch.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch continues to dominate the fast-growing global smartwatch market, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics.

The firm notes that smartwatch shipments grew 44% in the second quarter of 2019. In total, 12 million smartwatches shipped — with Apple Watch making up almost one out of every two smartwatches sold.

Apple boot camp teaches Swift coding to educators

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Swift Crypto will help more developers than ever to build secure applications
Apple wants to teach the world to code. Well, so long as they code in Swift.
Photo: Apple

Part of getting Apple devices into classrooms involves educating teachers, as well as students. For that reason, Apple recently staged a week-long Teacher Coding Academy for educators in the Southwestern City Schools and Columbus City Schools district.

The boot camp set out to teach Apple’s coding language Swift to teachers. This is so that they can go on and pass on the knowledge to kids.

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission investigates Apple again

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Apple Japan required carriers to subsidize iPhone
Apple is accused of abusing its power with suppliers.
Photo: Apple

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission is investigating Apple’s tactics for selling iPhones in the country.

The Japanese FTC thinks Apple might have abused its power by pressuring Japanese suppliers into unfavorable deals. Questionable methods allegedly include providing free technology and expertise to Apple affiliates, stopping them from selling to other companies, and making them shoulder costs for unforeseen problems.

Apple might give hackers special iPhones to plug security problems

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The CIA has a team of more than 5,000 hackers.
This is what a real hacker looks like. Dry ice is not optional.
Photo: Brian Klug/Flickr CC

Apple has historically not been a company in favor of people jailbreaking its devices. So why would Cupertino give hackers special iPhones to help them find weaknesses in iOS? To patch those problems, of course!

According to a new report, Apple will announce plans this week at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas to hand out such devices to security researchers. Apple also will introduce a new Mac bug bounty program to reward anyone who finds security problems in macOS.

We probably know when Apple will introduce the iPhone 11

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iPhone 11R and 11 Max on wooden railing
You haven't got too much longer to wait!
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 11 could be in your hands in just 45 days, the president of Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank may have accidentally revealed.

Speaking at an investor event over the weekend, SoftBank President Ken Miyauchi suggested that the new iPhone will be available September 20.

Tim Cook calls for politicians to come together to address gun violence

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Apple revenues
Tim Cook wants politicians to put aside their differences.
Photo: Apple

After mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, Apple CEO Tim Cook called for lawmakers to come together to resolve the problem of gun violence.

“I’m heartbroken about what’s happening in my country,” Cook wrote on Twitter. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. It’s time for good people with different views to stop finger pointing and come together to address this violence for the good of our country.”

Apple ramps up R&D spending like there’s no tomorrow

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R&D
One of Apple's shiny R&D investment centers where it invents the future.
Photo: Apple

Apple spent more money on research and development in the past quarter than it spent in any three-month period in the company’s history. Q3 2019 R&D spending also accounted for the largest proportion of Apple revenue since 2003, back when the iPod ruled as Apple’s biggest seller.

At a time when the iPhone no longer accounts for most of Apple’s revenue, this level of investment suggests that there are some big things in the works in Cupertino.

2021 iPhones could boast both Face ID and in-display Touch ID

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iPhone
Touch ID could make a return.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple could release an iPhone with both Face ID and under-display Touch ID in 2021, a new report by renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims.

Before the iPhone X introduced Face ID, rumors abounded that Apple was trying to develop Touch ID that would work as part of the iPhone’s display. However, it supposedly ran into technical challenges.

Apple Card isn’t for jailbreakers or cryptocurrency buyers

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Antana/Flickr CC
Not the card for Bitcoin lovers.
Photo: Antana/Flickr CC

Apple eagerly anticipated Apple Card could be the most consumer-friendly credit card on the market. However, there are a few rules that could put off a small number of users.

In Goldman Sachs’ customer agreement for the card, it notes that Apple Card is not for people who jailbreak their iPhones. And it can’t be used for buying Bitcoin, lottery tickets, and a few other things, either.

China tariffs may not make iPhones more expensive for customers

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iPhone XS Max
Ming-Chi Kuo thinks Apple will absorb the cost of increased import duties.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Don’t panic: the introduction of new import tariffs by President Trump isn’t going to make the next iPhone even more expensive!

That’s the message from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In his latest note to client, Kuo says that he thinks Apple will absorb the cost of any tariffs, rather than pass them on to customers.

Siri eavesdropping controversy underlines why Apple must be more transparent [Opinion]

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Siri
Apple backed down after a privacy backlash this week.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple wants you to know that, at least for now, it has stopped listening to Siri queries made by users. It’s the right move to make. But it’s the unnecessary result of a backlash Apple brought upon itself.

The Siri eavesdropping controversy perfectly illustrates why Apple needs to be more transparent with users — even if that means sacrificing some ease of use.

Apple could introduce cellular 5G MacBooks in 2020

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
Would you be excited about a possible cellular MacBook?
Photo: Apple

iPhones may not be the only 5G-enabled product Apple introduces next year. According to a new report, Apple is planning its first ever cellular MacBooks for launch during the second half of 2020.

The cellular laptops will use the super speedy new mobile connectivity standard. They will supposedly use a ceramic, rather than metal, antenna component to improve reception and transmission performance.