Apple

The Financial Times claims that its sources have told it that the EU will indeed probe Apple's potential anti-competition business practices. The decision follows 'surveys' of interested parties such as Spotify, who claim that the Cupertino company rigs music consumption on the iOS platform in its own favor.

Spotify has reportedly rolled out a new kind of ad to grab user attention in the United States. The messages involved apparently encourage the user to give a voice command in order to navigate to relevant sponsored content. These ads are scarce at present, but could conceivably become more common should Spotify find them successful.

It has been reported that an AirPod has managed to survive passing through the entire digestive system of an adult male human being. Fortunately, this is not some new horrifying development test by Apple nor is it an extreme benchmark created by a voracious tech blogger. It’s simply the result of a case of accidental swallowing while sleeping.

Up-to-date rumors point to successors for the Huawei Mate 20 line this year. The latest leak on one variant of this series states that it will have the perfectly square rear camera pioneered last year in this series. It will also have a bigger screen, as well as a time-of-flight (TOF) module.

Counterpoint Research's latest data on the smartwatch market indicates that 48% more of these products were shipped in 2019's first quarter (1Q2019) compared to that of 2018. Apple still has a considerable majority in these terms. This may have something to do with the ECG functionality of its fourth-gen Watch.

Vade Secure is an email-security company that produces a series of reports called "Phisher's Favorites". The 2019 first-quarter (1Q2019) issue shows that the targeting of social media by this kind of hacker has increased by 74.7% compared to 1Q2018. Facebook and Instagram are prominent example of the sites in question.

As part of its quarterly earnings report, Qualcomm has revealed that will book US$4.5 to $4.7 billion dollars as a result of its legal settlement with Apple. The sizeable figure, previously unrevealed, leaves in no doubt that Qualcomm emerged from its legal wrangle with Apple the undisputed winner.

With the 1.5 update, World of Tanks brings a few new Swedish medium tanks that feature hydropneumatic suspension, the ability to choose which map to avoid in standard battles, changes — mainly nerfs — to Japanese heavy tanks, the infamous FV 4005, and the artillery branch. A special deal for Twitch Prime members is also available.

While the overall smartphone market may be down, Huawei is bucking the industry trend by confirming its position as the number 2 smartphone maker in the world ahead of Apple. While both Apple and Samsung lost ground, Huawei enjoyed incredible year-over-year growth with a 50.3 percent increase in smartphone sales.

Apple has reported its Q2 results for 2019 which showed that its iPhone sales have continued the downward trend first recorded in Q1. However, Apple stock was up seemingly in response to its services business which crested US$11 billion for the first time along with news of a further US$75 billion in share buybacks.

HiSilicon will include 5G modems in all Kirin 985 SoCs, company representatives in Taiwan have confirmed. Manufacturing will begin in Q3 ready for Huawei's probable announcement of the Mate 30 series in October.

Foxconn's reported directions as regards display technology production have sparked speculation that the iPhones of the future may have microLED displays. This next-gen form of screen is starting to manifest in TVs at this point. However, Foxconn may think it is also the future of smartphone panels.

According to reports from China, Apple will start mass-producing its next iPad Pros between the end of this year and the start of 2020. The upcoming tablets will be manufactured in Taiwan before a spring or summer 2020 release.

iPhone leaks are like buses. You wait for one and two turn up at once. The iPhone XI Max is the supersized version of its little brother; both have the same gargantuan notch and square rear-facing camera bump. Undoubtedly, both will be ludicrously expensive too.

A reliable Apple analyst has reported that the Cupertino-based company plans to bring 5G iPad Pros to market in 2021. The prediction comes just a week after Apple and Qualcomm made headlines for signing a deal to supply 5G modems for the 2020 generation of iPhones.

Triple rear-facing cameras? Check. Huge camera bump? Check. Gargantuan notch? Check. No USB Type-C? Check. This is the iPhone XI.
Updated: YouTube video fixed & additional photos added

Did you buy a Mac, iOS device or the Apple World Travel Adapter Kit between 2003 and 2010? If you did, chances are that you received a wall plug too. Turns out that the three-prong adapters sold in certain countries during that period can break and cause an electric shock if touched.

Creative has finally joined the true wireless earphone market with the new Outlier Air buds. They boast IP5X ingress protection, 10 hours of playback on a single charge and graphene in their driver-diaphragms. These Bluetooth 5.0 buds retail for US$79.99 on the OEM's own website.

The latest figures on the global premium smartphone market reportedly show that OPPO increased its share of it by a stunning 863% in 2018. This stripped out comparable performances on the part of competitors such as Xiaomi and even Huawei. On the other hand, it did not threaten Apple's place at the top of this market.

In an internal memo to Apple Store employees, Apple has instructed its repair technicians to begin repairing MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards on-site rather than shipping the devices to a repair facility. It appears that Apple is trying to mitigate the lengthy turnaround time for the repair, an aftershock of the keyboard's failure that has become a major sticking point for several customers.

The tech leaker Stephen Troughton-Smith has supported a rumor that an iPad will gain the ability to pair properly with a mouse with the next iOS update. This new feature will allegedly be a new accessibility option in the new upgrade. However, it is not clear if the rumor applies to wireless, wired or both in terms of these peripherals yet.

WhatsApp is reportedly working on animated stickers in its latest betas. This enables a user to superimpose a a moving piece of art (e.g. a drawing or character) on a message. A blog has also apparently found that the app is going to replace its existing emoji design with a new one.

A trio of IT researchers affiliated with Facebook have created a new method to turn a video of an individual performing a series of actions (e.g. a dance) into a 3D 'game character'. This character - and its associated movements - can then be transposed onto a new background. The researchers assert that this background could interact with said character.

Huawei may be having troubles with a few governments but sales are stronger than ever. The company shipped 59 million smartphone units in the first quarter of the year, a hefty 50% year-on-year growth. This all but ensures that Huawei takes back its position as the second-largest smartphone manufacturer, ahead of Apple. It's even more impressive that the company has done this without being able to sell its devices officially in the US.

By now, it is likely that you have read at least one rumor that the typical lozenge shape of the main iPhone camera module will mutate into a perfect square this year. The latest possible leak on the subject seems to confirm this design decision. It involves images of a case-mould for what may be 2 new iPhones.

A new report by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners has thrown light on the state of the US smartphone market in Q1. Apple had a tenuous dominance over the market, with the company's devices accounting for 36% of device activations in the first quarter of the year. Samsung is second with 34%.

Apple is not ready to make the jump to foldable designs for the time being, but luxury modification company Caviar from Russia might be able to inspire the Californian giant with its impressive iPhone Z concept. The Z-shaped folding pattern allows for quite a few interesting uses, including a laptop mode, a selfie mode, and a screen mode.

The C-Force CF015C weighs just 700 g and is 6 mm thick, yet packs a 4K, 15.6-inch display that boasts 100% sRGB coverage. The CF015C is currently available for US$199 on Kickstarter and ships in June.

A new report from Counterpoint Research has found that, of all Apple smartphones, the iPhone XR did the best in the US market in the month of February 2019. Of those who bought this device, 20% of those already using iOS upgraded from the 7, whereas 32% more exchanged models older than this for the XR. Counterpoint also found that the XR was responsible for the greatest conversion from Android to this platform in February.

Want a new phone? Fine, but clicking 'Pay Now' on the first listing you see for it could cost you. The analyst firm Minderest has found that there is a margin of as much as 41.3% between the worst and best prices for the same device online. According to this report, WirelessBoss gives the best deals on average.

The prolific Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's latest prediction concerning the 2019 iPhones indicate that at least one of them will have triple rear cameras, augmented by an improved wide-angle lens in one module. In addition, the new devices' selfie cameras may be upgraded. On the other hand, they are likely to retain a notch and glass rear panels.

The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has ordered Google and Apple to remove the app TikTok from their respective stores. This ban has followed allegations that the service increases the risk of child abuse. TikTok can now appeal this ruling on dates set for about a week from today (April 17, 2019).

Surprisingly enough, Apple not only decided to drop all charges regarding Qualcomm's unfair patent licensing practices, but the Cupertino company agreed to pay Qualcomm an undisclosed sum, as well. The unexpected settlement comes with additional agreements that make Qualcomm the only 5G modem supplier for the 2020 iPhone models, which immediately prompted Intel to announce its exit from the mobile 5G modem business.

Casio has unveiled a new addition to the MT-G line of G-SHOCKs. It has Bluetooth connectivity so as to maintain accurate time via a dedicated phone app. This new 'bright red' MT-G is rated for 200M water- and shock- resistance, as well as its maker's 'tough' solar technology to stay charged.

Parrot has unveiled its latest drone. The new ANAFI not only allows for 4K video in both live and recorded formats, but also has a high-end FLIR mode for thermal imaging. It can fly over potential dangerous hot-spots for up to 26 minutes on a single battery's charge for professional-grade safety and thermal gradient monitoring.

Samsung has announced that it is finally in a position to send samples of its new, ground-breaking 5nm processor technology to its customers. The OEM claims that this new architecture brings 25% improvements in logic-area efficiency compared to 7nm, with up to 10% potential performance enhancements.

A new report released by Parks Associates has found that 36% of US households with broadband-level internet connections also owned at least 1 voice-controlled smart speaker in early 2019. This data suggests that these connected devices are becoming more popular, and that their use as automatic home controls may be getting more and more familiar.

Apple is throwing US $500 million behind its upcoming Arcade gaming subscription service, according to a report by Financial Times. The service could be a big payoff for Apple; devs that release games via Arcade will be bound to a period of exclusivity before they can release their game on other non-mobile platforms. That means Arcade may be the only place gamers can access certain Indie titles, some of which may provide unique and fun experiences.

Huawei recently held its own in-house Analyst Summit for 2019. During a Q&A at this event, its representatives reportedly confirmed that Apple has not responded to its proposal to sell it the 5G modems it needs for its iPhones. This offer had recently been made publicly, possibly to highlight the fact that one OEM can use next-gen radio bands and the other cannot.

Google and Apple provide and maintain 2 of the largest app markets in the world. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets has decided to investigate them with regard to how third-party developers are treated on these platforms compared to their respective first-party counterparts.

A new report indicates that iOS 12's successor may gain a system-wide dark mode. In addition, this OS upgrade will lose the requirement for a profile in order to manage fonts. iPads may also get a version of Safari that defaults to desktop mode in iOS 13.

Apple and Huawei are some of a handful of smartphone OEMs that develop in-house chipsets. Their upcoming 2019 generations - the A13 Bionic and Kirin 985 CPUs respectively - are now said to be nearly ready for production in earnest soon. They are both 7nm and are being fabricated by the same chipmaker: TSMC.

A new series by the New York Times investigating privacy has uncovered a Google database known internally as SensorVault. Police have been able to access the database to help identify suspects based on their movements recorded in SensorVault.

A user-friendly jailbreak for the Apple Watch could soon be available thanks to efforts of developer @ethanpepro. The jailbreak is currently being developed for watchOS 5.1.2 and is not available for public download yet. The new jailbreak is in contrast to the previous one that was available last year, which was more targeted at developers than end users.

The iPhone SE has made another unexpected appearance on Apple’s online store. Several different-colored variants are listed and there is even a 128 GB version available. Prices for the diminutive iPhone SE start at US$249 and they are all categorized as “certified refurbished” as part of the clearance section of the website.

Skype for Mobile now offers the user an option to share their screen with a caller. This could enable people on a Skype call to share things such as slideshows, webpages, a homescreen and so on. The new function is found in the '...' menu on the mobile version of this app.

Samsung sold 16% more units of its early 2019 flagships compared to those of their predecessors in the first week of sales in the United States. These are the results of a new report conducted by Counterpoint Research. This group also now concludes that the Galaxy S10s are Samsung's best chance of regaining the majority of this market yet.

Apple has convinced its main manufacturing partners, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Foxconn, to makes its parts and/or devices using green energy by 2020. This achievement is a big part of the OEM's current drive towards making its business as sustainable as possible.