The newly-passed Republican tax overhaul will allow Apple to repatriate its giant $252.3 billion overseas cash pile without paying as much tax as it would have previously.
Under the new rules, it would be able to take advantage of a one-off 15.5 percent tax rate, meaning it would owe around $39.1 billion — much of which Apple has already set aside for the purpose.
Apple fans and enthusiastic gadget reviewers will ultimately remember 2017 as the year of a reinvented iPhone. But as the year draws to an end, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller has a few other things on his mind, such as delays in releasing the company’s first smart speaker and a “bad week” of software bugs and security holes.
Apple is exploring new ways to make Siri smarter — and one of them involves letting Siri know when you want to keep the noise level low by whispering.
According to a patent application published this week, Apple is interested in, “a digital assistant that is capable of detecting a whispered speech input and providing a whispered speech response.” That could be useful in scenarios such as protecting your privacy, while still letting you use its speech capabilities, or settings where high volume levels are prohibited.
If you’re plagued by dropped calls and slow data, say hello to Firefly for iPhone. Thanks to “super antenna technology,” this case can boost cellular, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity while protecting your iPhone from scuffs and bumps.
It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have smart screen protectors, levitating home security cameras, and more!
One of the iOS 11 features you may not know about is that Apple now offers indoor mapping support for a growing number of international airports and malls.
While the number of airports and malls covered is still relatively small — with 34 airports, mostly based in the U.S., and a handful of shopping malls — Apple has published a list of where these are located.
American tech companies are a some of the most effectively managed businesses in the world, according to a new landmark system that ranked the top 250 companies.
Even though Apple is the world’s most profitable company, the rankings found that Amazon is actually the most efficiently run business. But Apple follows at a close second.
Apple has acquired Pop Up Archive, an online platform that builds tools for transcribing audio files and making them searchable.
One of the startup’s most significant tools is a podcast search engine called Audiosear.ch, which closed its doors November 28. The service issued “Buzz Scores” for podcasts, based on their charting on iTunes and reviews.
The battle between Apple and Qualcomm and Apple is turning downright nasty.
Hot on the heels of Apple’s counter-lawsuit, Qualcomm has filed three new patent infringement claims against the iPhone-maker. It is also seeking a ban on the import of all AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone X and iPhone 8 units in the US which could cause major headaches for Apple.
Hot on the heels of Apple suing Qualcomm over its Snapdragon processors, Qualcomm has fired back by filing a patent lawsuit (a counter-countersuit?) against Apple for technology in the iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
Qualcomm filed its grievance with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. It singles out five patents that Apple is allegedly infringing on — including tech related to radio frequency transceivers, power management in mobile CPUs, image enhancement using depth-based data, and more.
Apple has filed a countersuit against Qualcomm in the latest twist in the battle between the two companies, which has run throughout 2017.
What Apple is alleging is that Qualcomm’s Snapdragon mobile phone chips, which power a range of Samsung and other Android handsets, run into conflict with Apple’s own earlier patents.