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Luke Dormehl - page 172

Samsung faces even more challengers for iPhone OLED orders

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iphone x
LG, Japan Display, and Sharp all went to get their own OLED orders from Apple.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Samsung may currently be the only company to build OLED displays for the iPhone, but it faces a growing number of challengers going forward, a new report claims.

Not only is LG Display widely expected to become Apple’s second OLED producer in 2018, but other companies including Foxconn subsidiary Sharp and Japan Display are also keen to get a piece of the pie by becoming Apple’s third and fourth OLED suppliers.

370,000 people in South Korea are suing Apple

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iphone 8
Customers aren't happy about Apple's iPhone speed throttling.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first ever class action lawsuit filed against Apple in South Korea involves 370,000 individuals — or the equivalent of one out of every 138 people who live in the country.

As with many of the recent lawsuits filed against Apple, this particular class action suit accuses Apple of purposely slowing down the speed of older iPhones with a software update. The group filed its suit with the Seoul Central District Court on Thursday, demanding 2.2 million won ($2,000) per person affected by the iPhone speed throttling.

Apple starts showcasing subscription-based iOS apps

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Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
Apple's picks all offer a free trial.
Photo: Apple

As part of its efforts to highlight human curation-led discovery in the App Store, Apple is shining a light on different app-based business models and content types.

In the latest illustration of this, it is directing users to subscription-based apps offering free trials. The new section can be found in the “Apps” section of the App Store, and is titled “Try It For Free.”

Apple Health data used as evidence in murder trial

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Health
Apple's Health app was used to recreate a murder suspect's movements.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Data from the Apple Health app is being used as evidence in a trial concerning the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in Germany. The individual accused of the crime is Hussein K., an Afghan refugee, who has been on trial since September.

The trial has been complicated by the fact that aspects of Hussein’s life are not clear, including his real age and a period of time — when the crime was committed — during which his whereabouts are unknown.

Targus’ Thunderbolt 3 dock supports two ultra-HD monitors

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Targus
Targus' Thunderbolt 3 dock promises to be one of the best yet.
Photo: Targus

CES 2018 bug Mobile computing accessories company Targus has used CES to debut its new Thunderbolt 3 dock, a model that is aimed at multi-platform users.

Letting you plug in two ultra high-definition computer monitors, the DOCK220USZ dock boasts a whole lot of ports. These include a pair of USB-C outlets, along with a full-sized DisplayPort, twin USB 3.0 type A ports, audio in and out, and one Gigabit Ethernet port.

iCloud switch in China could impact international users too

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Apple is migrating Chinese iCloud accounts to a locally-owned server in February.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

There appears to be a bit of confusion regarding who is and isn’t going to be affected by Apple’s migration of China-based iCloud accounts to a server operated by a Chinese company next month.

According to a new report, the migration of iCloud accounts is also affecting a number of accounts that were opened in the U.S., are paid for with U.S. dollars, and are connected with U.S.-based App Store accounts.

U.S. loophole could shave billions off Apple’s next tax bill

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple could save $4.1 billion due to the date-related quirk.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A possible quirk of the recent U.S. tax law change could net Apple an extra $4.1 billion, claims a new report.

A timing loophole in the tax overhaul that enables repatriation of companies’ overseas cash piles, means businesses whose fiscal years don’t follow the calendar year will get an extra one-off tax break. This includes Apple, whose tax year starts in October, but excludes Alphabet, whose fiscal year begins January 1.

Tim Cook joins 100 other CEOs in protesting end of DACA program

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
CEOs aren't happy about the possibility of DACA coming to an end.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Tim Cook joined more than 100 prominent CEOs who signed an open letter urging Congress to pass legislation to protect young immigrants threatened by the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Branding the situation a “crisis,” the letter asks lawmakers to pass a bill supporting “Dreamers

Hue lights’ new iOS and Mac app will customize lighting for any occasion

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Hue 3.0
New Mac and iOS app will debut in the first half of 2018.
Photo: Philips

CES 2018 bug At CES, Philips has announced that it will debut a brand new Hue 3.0 app for iOS, along with a Hue Sync app for Mac.

Both apps will arrive in Q2 2018. The redesigned Hue 3.0 app will offer owners of Hue lights the ability to alter the color of their smart lights with a color picker. They will also be able to instantly access their last used scenes, and to group lights and more easily select their desired color temperature or color.

Apple coughs up millions for extra U.K. taxes

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple is handing over an extra $186 million in U.K. taxes.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Europe has agreed to pay an additional $186 million, including interest on unpaid tax, after an “extensive audit” by HM Revenue and Customs, the U.K. government department responsible for the collection of taxes.

The “corporate income tax adjustment” in the United Kingdom covers the years through September 2015, and reflects Apple’s “increased activity” during that period. The adjustment will be factored into future tax bills paid by Apple.

Chinese company will take control of local iCloud accounts next month

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
The changeover affects only iCloud customers in China.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iCloud services in mainland China will switch over to a server operated by a Chinese company starting next month.

Apple sent out a message to customers in China, revealing terms and conditions of the changeover. This includes the fact that both Apple and the Chinese firm, Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry (GCBD), will now have access to all customer data stored on iCloud.

Jimmy Iovine denies he’s on his way out of Apple

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Iovine
Jimmy Iovine talking about Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Jimmy Iovine has vehemently denied reports that he is leaving Apple later this year.

In an interview with Variety, the 64-year-old Iovine said that he is, “committed to doing whatever Eddy [Cue], Tim [Cook] and Apple need me to do, to help wherever and however I can, to take this all the way. I am in the band.” He described the recent report about his possible departure as “fake news.”

Pricey earbuds made from melted guns pack serious firepower

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earphones1
These earbuds are made from melted-down illegal firearms.
Photo: Yevo

CES 2018 bug In a possible bid for the most unusual CES innovation so far, Swedish-based innovation lab YEVO Labs today announced the launch of YEVO x Humanium headphones: the world’s first wireless headphones made out of melted-down illegal firearms.

The concept may sound strange, but the intention is good — to provide new sources of funding to help people in conflict-torn parts of the world affected by illegal weapon violence.

New smart lock tech means you’ll never miss another package

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August
It's a neat solution to the last mile delivery problem.
Photo: August

CES 2018 bugSmart lock company August Home has partnered with Deliv to offer a same-day delivery service, even when you’re not home, that operates in upwards of 1,400 cities.

The service means that users of the August smart locks — as well as those made by Emtek and Yale — can now take advantage of a service that lets users give temporary virtual “keys” to people such as couriers. You can even monitor the whole delivery on your iPhone!

Smart toothbrush will use ResearchKit to give you a better clean

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smart brush
This iPhone-connected toothbrush will offer the ultimate clean.
Photo: Colgate

CES 2018 bug Do you want a toothbrush that knows what it’s like to have brushed the teeth of thousands of other people? That’s kind of what Colgate’s new app-enabled electronic toothbrush promises — only way less gross than that makes it sound.

Debuted at CES, the Colgate Smart Electronic Toothbrush E1 with Artificial Intelligence uses AI to provide real-time feedback to users as they clean their pearly whites. It also uses Apple’s ResearchKit platform integration to crowdsource toothbrushing data from other users. The more people clean, the smarter the brush gets!

Phyn Plus lets you monitor your water system from your iPhone or iPad

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Phyn
The smart way to monitor your water system.
Photo: Phyn

CES 2018 bug Thanks to a collaboration between Belkin and plumbing supplier Uponor, you’ll soon be able to monitor your home water system for leaks and pressure issues via your iOS device.

Debuting at CES 2018, the Phyn Plus is an accessory which repeatedly measures the pressure of your water supply (to the tune of 240 times every single second) and then uses smart algorithms to determine when you may have a problem, such as a pinhole leak or frozen pipes.

France is investigating Apple over throttling iPhone speeds

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iphone 8
Apple is accused of purposely slowing older iPhones to push customers to upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

French consumer watchdog DGCCRF, part of the country’s economy ministry, is investigating Apple over its alleged deception concerning the “throttling” of older iPhone models.

French law makes it a crime to purposely shorten the lifespan of a product in order to force customers to replace it. In the event that a company is found guilty of this, it can face fines of up to five percent of its annual sales.

Apple Watch will soon control Whirlpool appliances

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apple watch 1
Control everything from your oven to your dryer from your wrist.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

CES 2018 bug Nothing says “we’re living in the future” quite like the ability to control household appliances using your smartwatch. Fortunately, that’s what you’ll be able to do with manufacturer Whirlpool’s Wi-Fi-connected ovens, washing machines and dryers from later this year.

Announced at CES 2018, the company’s Whirlpool app will work with Apple Watch from later in 2018, giving you the ability to control upwards of 20 smart Whirlpool appliances from your wrist.

This smoke detector can also run Siri and be an AirPlay 2 speaker

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smoke detector
That's one versatile alarm.
Photo: First Alert

CES 2018 bug Want a smoke detector that can double as a premium HomeKit-enabled smart speaker? Of course you do, and smoke detector company First Alert is here to help.

Debuting at CES 2018, First Alert’s Onelink Safe & Sound smoke and carbon monoxide alarm is an in-ceiling device that could save your life. But it also can be utilized as an entertainment system, with support for Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Google Assistant AI voice assistants.

We could be waiting another 4-6 weeks for HomePod

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HomePod
Apple's smart speaker was originally scheduled for the holidays.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s eagerly anticipated HomePod smart speaker will launch in the next four to six weeks, claim tech analysts at the research firm GBH Insights.

The artificial intelligence-infused smart speaker, powered by Siri, was originally supposed to launch in December 2017. However, with just weeks to go, Apple wound up delaying the launch until an unspecified time in early 2018, saying that “we need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers.”

This smart shower can be controlled by Siri

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moen shower
"Hey Siri, run me my morning shower!"
Photo: Moen

CES 2018 bug Even in the days of water-resistant iPhones, taking a shower with Siri sounds risky. But bathroom fixtures company Moen wants to make it possible, useful and, well, less dangerous with its new smart shower system.

Unveiled at CES 2018 in Las Vegas, the new U by Moen shower system allows users to control the water temperature and other features with voice control, either using Apple’s AI assistant or Amazon’s Alexa via an in-shower control panel.

Latest Foxconn suicide raises concerns about working conditions

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Foxconn Wisconsin
Foxconn is one of Apple's leading manufacturers.
Photo: Foxconn

Another Foxconn worker committed suicide over the weekend at the firm’s phone assembly plant  in Zhengzhou, China, according to U.S.-based Chinese workers’ rights organization China Labor Watch (CLW).

The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday, January 6, when 31-year-old Li Min jumped to his death from the factory. CLW posted video showing the aftermath of the suicide. No explanation for why Li Min took his own life have been made public, although he had only been working and living at Foxconn for a little over two months.

Apple shareholders demand study on smartphone addiction among kids

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Summer camp is coming to an Apple Store near you.
Kids drawing on an iPad at an Apple Store.
Photo: Apple

An activist investor and pension fund with shares in Apple is asking the company to respond to a “growing public-health crisis” concerning smartphone addiction among young people.

Jana Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, or Calstrs, sent a letter to Apple over the weekend, asking it to develop software to let parents limit phone use. They also want Apple to carry out a study investigating the impact of smartphone overuse on mental health. The two groups control a total of around $2 billion worth of AAPL shares.

Death Road to Canada, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A well-timed January update of one of my favorite games of the last year — combining road trip action and zombie invasion — is just of one of the picks for this week’s “Awesome Apps of the Week.”

In addition, we’ve got a great arcade-style space blaster, a superb data-heavy weather app given an iPhone X polish, and an excellent task manager. Check out our picks below.