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Luke Dormehl - page 153

Foxconn scores generous benefits package for first U.S. factory

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iPhone sales drive Apple’s biggest supplier to big profits
Wisconsin is offering a super generous package to attract Foxconn.
Photo: CBS

Wisconsin will be the site of a new display factory built by Apple manufacturer Foxconn — but local residents will be paying for it.

According to a new report, Wisconsin residents will be coughing up an extra $1 billion on top of the existing $3 billion package of subsidies to attract Foxconn to the area. This “sweetener” will come out of public funds, and will leave the state “on the hook” for 40 percent of the public bonds which finance local expenses should the project flop.

Popular YouTuber helps Apple develop in-car VR entertainment

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Mark Rober
Apple has some fascinating (if dangerous) research projects underway.
Photo: Mark Rober

Apple has recruited popular science YouTuber Mark Rober to work as part of its top secret special projects group, developing a VR on-board entertainment system for self-driving cars.

Rober has been working with Apple for the past several years, although he has kept news of Apple’s identity secret. In a Reddit AmA, he described it as a “large tech company in the Bay Area.” His name was revealed as part of several patent applications Apple has recently filed.

Original content could rake in billions for Apple

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money
Original content could turn out to be a big money spinner for Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In three years’ time, Apple could bring in an extra $10 to $12 billion in annual revenue through its original video content and Apple Music, analyst Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets argued in a note to clients this week.

In terms of Apple’s share price, that would add up to 75 cents to the company’s earnings per share.

A second iPhone model is now being made in India

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iphone 6
The iPhone 6s is making a comeback in India.
Photo: Apple

Apple supplier Wistron has started production of the iPhone 6s at its factory in Bengaluru, India.

This marks the second iPhone to be produced in India. Last year, Wistron began producing the iPhone SE in India. The iPhone 6s, which launched in 2015, is a logical choice as a follow-up due to the popularity of the handset in India, thanks to its cheaper price.

Apple meets with U.S. intelligence to talk fake news

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Apple News
Apple has already taken steps to fight fake news.
Photo: Apple

Apple is among the tech companies which recently met with members of the U.S. intelligence community to discuss the upcoming midterm elections.

Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Oath, Snap and Twitter were approached because of continued concerns about the way that tech platforms were allegedly used for spreading fake news during the 2016 Presidential elections.

Samsung wants to win back Apple’s A-series chip orders

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Samsung
Samsung wants to pick up some extra Apple orders.
Photo: Jim Merithew / Cult of Mac

Samsung has long been a crucial part of Apple’s supply chain, but it wants to muscle in on the company’s A-series processor orders as well.

According to a new report, Samsung is looking to regain the A-series orders that it received from Apple until TSMC took over several years ago. Previously Samsung held the exclusive order contract for these mobile A-series chips, which are used to power the iPhone and iPad.

iPads can be a major pain the neck, researchers claim

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iPad neck
Yes, there’s a such a thing as ‘iPad neck.’ Here’s how you avoid it.
Photo: R. Marsh Starks/UNLV Creative Services

Have you ever noticed a neck ache after using your iPad for a long period of time? If so, you’re not alone — and it’s become such a common complaint that it’s even led to the naming of an affliction, “iPad neck.”

In a newly published research paper on iPad neck, researchers from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas lay out some facts about the condition, including who it is most likely to affect.

Apple News now offering Midterm Elections coverage

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Apple News
Apple wants to be your one-stop-shop for political news.
Photo: Apple

Are you a political junkie with an iPhone? If so, you are the target audience for a new Apple News feature, offering an easy way to follow the 2018 Midterm Elections for readers in the United States.

With tech platforms often being blamed for the spread of fake news online, Apple News’ feature proudly claims that it is a “trustworthy” place to get up-to-date information; boasting curated stories from a diverse range of “reliable sources.”

Apple considered ditching the charging port for iPhone X

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Ex-student sentenced to 3 years in prison for massive iPhone scam
Yep, this would have caused some big headlines last fall!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In its quest to create the ultimate streamlined products, Apple sure loves getting rid of ports. When it came to the development of the iPhone X, however, it temporarily toyed with an idea that would have made ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack pale into insignificance.

At least, that’s according to a new report which claims Apple considered getting rid of wired charging completely for its 2017 iPhone, in favor of embracing its vision of a wireless future.

Apple’s mapping minivans will make their way to Japan this summer

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Apple's Car
Apple has been mapping its way around the world.
Photo: diggapple/Twitter

Apple is set to begin using its Apple Maps minivans to collect mapping data in Japan later this year, the company has revealed.

Apple is due to begin carrying out surveys of Tokyo and Urayasu between June and October, marking the eleventh country that Apple has used its vehicles to collect data in. Previously, Apple’s map vehicles have collected data in Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the U.K., and, of course, the United States.

Supreme Court ruling means online shopping could get pricier

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iMac Pro
Buying products online may not remain significantly cheaper for long.
Photo: Apple/Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you buy your products online, you could soon find that they get a bit more expensive — due to a Supreme Court ruling that states can now require internet retailers to collect sales taxes. This decision ends 50 years of legal battles banning states from imposing sales taxes on purchases sold by out-of-state retailers.

“Our state is losing millions for education, health care and infrastructure, and our citizens are harmed by an uneven playing field,” said Marty Jackley, South Dakota’s attorney general, summing up the argument in favor of the decision.

Apple chip supplier invests $25 billion to help develop next-gen processors

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chips
TSMC is likely to produce Apple's A-series chips for at least a while longer.
Photo: Intel

Apple supplier TSMC will reportedly invest a massive $25 billion in 5 nanometer node technology in its quest to fabricate next-generation chips which could help power iOS devices.

No timeframe was announced for the investment. Since the company is supposedly currently fabricating 7nm chips for the 2018 iPhone, this will hopefully help TSMC hold onto its status as Apple’s A-series chipmaker for at least a while longer.

New sneakers? Apple Pay can save you money on Adidas products

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Apple Pay
You can save money on products bought through the Adidas app.
Photo: Apple

For its latest Apple Pay weekly promotion, Apple is giving customers 15 percent off purchases made in the Adidas iOS app — provided it’s bought using Apple’s mobile payment service, of course!

The promotion runs from today through June 28. The Adidas app can be downloaded, free of charge, from the App Store.

Governments start crackdown on smartphone use in schools

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iPhone X standing
There's growing concern about the effects of mobile devices on young people.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The government of southeastern Australian state, New South Wales, has said that it plans to carry out a comprehensive review of smartphone use in schools. This will look at the effects of smartphones on kids in school, both in and out classrooms.

Why is that significant? Because, building on the growing concern about smartphone addiction, it represents a developing trend focused on cracking down on the use of phones. And New South Wales isn’t the only place doing this.

How retail boss Angela Ahrendts took a risk joining Apple

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Angela Ahrendts.
Angela Ahrendts at last year's iPhone X keynote.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s leaders have a history of recruiting the folks they want by convincing them to think different with their career choices. Steve Jobs recruited former Apple CEO John Sculley by asking if he wanted to sell sugar water (a.k.a Pepsi) his whole life or come and change the world. Jobs later convinced Tim Cook to join Apple through his unorthodox approach to business.

Now, at Cannes Lions’ International Festival of Creativity in France, Apple’s retail boss Angela Ahrendts reveals how Cook convinced her to join Apple in 2013 — even though this meant turning her back on her previous job at Burberry.

Revenue royale! Fortnite rakes in $100 million on iOS

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Fortnite iOS 14
A veritable money-printing machine!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Love it for its easy point of entry, addictive gameplay, and constant stream of in-app purchase upgrades or hate it for… well, exactly the same reasons, there’s no denying Fortnite is pretty darn big right now.

How big? Big enough that, after just three months on iOS, it has already taken in $100 million in worldwide player spending on Apple’s mobile platform alone. No matter how you slice it, that’s very impressive.

Companies scrabbling to create Apple’s abandoned in-screen Touch ID

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iPhone
Coming soon to an iPhone near you? Probably not.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

How much influence does Apple have when it comes to which technologies get popular? Apparently enough that even those technologies Apple doesn’t use get a boost of credibility, courtesy of their association with the Cupertino tech giant.

At least, that’s our take-home message from a new report suggesting that a number of manufacturers are ramping up their development of in-display fingerprint sensors, the technology that Apple considered before settling on Face ID facial recognition instead for the iPhone X.

Apple has a whole lot to lose in possible U.S.-China trade war

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China
Tim Cook meeting with China's vice premier.
Photo: Tim Cook

Apple has more to lose than just about anyone from a U.S. trade war with China.

The country — which Tim Cook has made clear is Apple’s future biggest market — currently represents nearly 20 percent of Apple’s revenues. Last year, it shipped more than 41 million iPhones into China, as well as having 40 stores in the country, and a reliance on Asian manufacturers. In other words, the escalating trade war is pretty darn worrying!