Apple Inc. Must Pay 750 Million for Slowing Down iPhones

Apple has agreed to pay $750 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged the tech giant was secretly slowing down old iPhones to force users to buy newer models.

Owners of the eligible iPhone models in the US will now be able to claim about $US25 ($38) each as part of the class action.

Unfortunately, Australian iPhone users will not be eligible to receive any money as part of the class action lawsuit win.

A similar lawsuit would have to be successfully conducted in Australia for this to happen.

Earlier this week Apple settled the case, agreeing to pay between $US310 million and $US500 million for its practice of “throttling” older iPhones without telling the users.

The case dates back to 2016 when owners of iPhone 6 devices began noticing that their phones were turned off despite appearing to have lots of battery life left.

Apple quickly offered to provide free batteries to the impacted users, but it was soon revealed that more devices and models were experiencing similar issues.

By the end of 2017, Apple had admitted that a software update for these iPhones had aimed to level out the degradation that batteries experience over time by “throttling” the phones’ performance.

Apple offered to replace the phones’ batteries for the lower price of $29, but this did little to placate angry users.

 

Apple’s: Apple Park

 

Apple Park is Apple’s second campus in Cupertino, California. It is often referred to as the “spaceship” campus due to its unique ring-shaped design. Encompassing 2.8 million square feet and spanning 176 acres, construction on the campus started in 2013 and work was largely completed by the end of 2017.

 

Oregon Engineering Students Con Apple Out Of Hundreds of Thousand Dollars iPhones

Two engineering students from Oregon State University allegedly ripped off Apple out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in iPhone replacements and are now facing criminal charges in federal court, as first reported by The Oregonian. Authorities allege the students pulled off a convoluted scheme in order to wring Apple of the cash by using counterfeit devices and exploiting Apple’s return policy.

Beginning in 2017, the two men allegedly smuggled thousands of counterfeit iPhones into the US from China and then sent them in for Apple to repair or replace, claiming the fakes wouldn’t power on. In many cases, Apple did replace the counterfeit goods with real iPhones, which cost the company an estimated $895,800.

Qualcomm Accuses Apple of Stealing

Apple and Qualcomm are engaged in what will probaly be a long legal battle. Apple disputed Qualcomm’s legal right to charge heightened royalties for use of its tech, and Qualcomm requirement that Apple pay a percentage of the iPhone’s revenue in return for the use of Qualcomm patents, and Apple has sued the company in three countries.

In the United States, Apple is suing Qualcomm for $1 billion — but it has also filed a lawsuit in China against the company for $145 million, and it has another suit pending in the United Kingdom. Qualcomm has followed with its own countersuit.

Qualcomm is asking the court to join this claim to a similar case it brought against Apple, in which Qualcomm accused the iPhone giant of not allowing pre-agreed audits on the use of Qualcomm’s source code. However, Qualcomm asserts that these charges are serious enough to stand on their own should the court not allow the two cases to be merged at a planned April hearing. Qualcomm has supplied no evidence yet, but has pointed to discussions between Intel and Apple engineers discovered in the course of an investigation.

 

Battling Smart Phone Addiction

 

A recent survey, developed by Motorola and an expert from Harvard University, found more than half of Generation Z respondents described their phone as a best friend, and 35 percent of respondents agreed they spend too much on their smartphone.

Apple and Google  have launched different devices to help consumers better manage the time we spend on our digital devices. Apple recently launched the Screen Time tool for the iPhone — and Google released Digital Wellbeing, a similar tool for Android devices and other Google products.

For those who tend to check their phone often, Screen Time has a section dedicated to letting you know how many times you’ve picked up your phone. You can see the total number of pickups and the average amount of times you pick up your phone per hour. It’ll also tell you between what times you picked up your phone the most. For example, our most pickups at one point was 33 times between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Digital Well Being

Sixteen Year Old Teen Hacks Into Apple

 

• A 16 year old Australian teenager pleaded guilty to hacking Apple, stealing 90 gigabytes of secure files, and accessing customer accounts.
• The 16-year-old broke into Apple’s mainframe several times over the course of a year, according to The Age, and stored hacking instructions on his laptop under a folder named “hacky hack hack.”
• Apple identified and reported the hack to the FBI. It said “at no point during this incident” was personal user data compromised.
• The teen will return to the court for sentencing in September.

Silicon Vallye’s Number One Enemy’s Next Target –Apple

Silicon Valley’s enemy number one, Margrethe Vestager, has revealed her next target — and it’s bad news for Apple.

The European Union’s competition commissioner is a genuine thorn in the side of US tech giants, patrolling and enforcing antitrust laws with a vigour that last month saw her slap Google with a record $5 billion fine .

Now the dust is settling on the EU’s action against Google for exploiting the dominance of Android, Vestager is casting around for her next tech project. And we got a big clue about what it is this week.

Vestager said her team is about to launch a review of smartphone chargers, as a result of concerns that tech firms have not acted on a promise to standardize charging points.

Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Nokia were among 14 companies to sign a voluntary deal in 2009, agreeing to harmonize chargers for new models of smartphones coming into the market in 2011.

Margrethe Vestager.

Reuters

Vestager said progress against this aim had not been good enough. “Given the unsatisfactory progress with this voluntary approach, the Commission will shortly launch an impact assessment study to evaluate costs and benefits of different other options,” she said.

This could spell all sorts of trouble for Apple. Android phones use either USB-C and micro-USB connectors into the handset, and Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector is something of an outlier. This may make it an obvious target for Vestager’s investigation.

Oprah Has A Deal With Apple

 

Apple has signed Oprah Winfrey to a multiyear deal for new original programs.

 Apple is now going head to head with the likes of Netflix and Amazon in a war for consumers’ attention.

 

“Together, Winfrey and Apple will create original programs that embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world,” the company said in a statement Friday. “Winfrey’s projects will be released as part of a lineup of original content from Apple.”

Apple did not specify whether Winfrey would appear in any of the shows, but she is expected to have an on-screen role as a host and interviewer. The company also declined to discuss financial aspects of the deal.

Apple said the deal will not affect Winfrey’s contract with OWN, the television network she launched in 2011. Winfrey recently extended her contract there through 2025.

Apple, Amazon and Netflix have been competing to lock-in producers, show runners and performers, and paying unprecedented sums to do so. Apple has made deals for more than a dozen shows with big names like Reese Witherspoon, Steven Spielberg, Octavia Spencer and Kevin Durant. 

Netflix recently signed former President Barack and former First Lady Michelle Obama in a multiyear deal that will see them producing and starring in original shows. Netflix also has a show hosted by David Letterman that features interviews with the world’s biggest celebrities.

Apple Warns Its Employers About Leaking

 

Apple sent a lengthy memo to its employees warning them about leaking and the consequences. There have been numerous arrests for the leaks. The memo stated that there were 29 leakers and 12 arrests. Addressed were situations outlined in which information was leaked to the media, including a meeting earlier this year where Apple’s software engineering head Craig Federighi told employees that some planned iPhone software features would be delayed. Apple also cited a yet-to-be-released software package that revealed details about the unreleased iPhone X and new Apple Watch.

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The Obama s Striking Deal With Netflix

 

Netflix is in talks with former President Barack Obama for a new series.

 The New York Times reports that the deal would have Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, provide content that would only be available on Netflix. Sources close to the deal indicate that the series might focus on inspirational stories or feature moderated discussions of the topics that were highlights of the Obamas’ time in the White House.

The report indicates that some episodes could feature conversations on health care or voting rights moderated by Barack Obama, while Michelle Obama might moderate a show focusing on nutrition, for example. Other potential show ideas rumored for the deal include documentaries or other projects endorsed by and possibly introduced by the Obamas.

Executives from Apple and Amazon have also reportedly been in talks with the former president and first lady.

Terms of the Netflix deal are unknown at this point.

Toddler In China ‘Disables/Locks iPhone For 47 Years

 A mother in China is furious after her toddler managed to lock her iPhone for 47 years. The two-year-old boy in Shanghai disabled his mother’s iPhone for the equivalent of 47 years after playing with it and repeatedly entering the wrong passcode, according to a Chinese media report. The phone was given to the child to watch educational videos online. The mother returned home one day and when she checked the phone found it had been disabled for 25 million minutes, equivalent to 47 years. 

Apple store technician in Shanghai was quoted as saying that the woman could either wait years to try to input her passcode again or wipe the contents of the handset clean and then reinstall files. The woman decided to erase all the phone data and do a factory reset. The woman has been waiting for two months and the problem has not been rectified.

The report sparked a debate online in China. Some parents said the mother should never have allowed her child to play with the phone alone. Others said she should have backed up the data stored on her phone elsewhere so that if something went wrong she could easily retrieve it.

 

Higher Priced Smartphones Mean Lower Purchases

This year and last, Samsung, Apple, and, recently, Google set the bar higher for smartphones pushing their price bar higher than ever before. It was somewhat necessary to recoup the costs of R&D, production, marketing, and the like. It also helped inflate the smartphones’ status as premium products to die for. It appears that they may be digging their own graves in the long run.

High-end components, of course, are more expensive than more common ones, but the rate of price increase doesn’t seem proportional to the build costs. The gap seems to grow even more for each new generation of smartphones.

Business considerations aside, this rise in prices has a double-edged effect on consumers. On the one hand, they paint the picture of a product that only a few can afford, which has the ironic effect of making it even more desirable. Apple has been doing it for years.

On the other hand, it is actually and factually something very few people can afford. That ultimately meant that fewer people actually bought the new phones, which may have contributed to last month’s decline in smartphone shipments last quarter, when the most expensive non-luxury phones shipped for the first time. 

The lower sales numbers become an even bigger problem in the context of the current practice of releasing flagship smartphones every year. Some, like Samsung, even release twice a year. Others release multiple ones at the same time or spread them over the months. Long story short, there are dozens of new phones every year.

The smartphone market is changing and so is user habits. Smartphone vendors aren’t, although some, like LG and HTC, may have noticed, even though they already had lower prices. Samsung may have seen clues, but it isn’t one to change directions so quickly. Apple is one that’s unlikely to change at all. High-end smartphones are becoming luxury items that very few can afford. And whatever few can afford, very few will buy. And that may spell trouble for the companies that rely on them to survive.

Gang On Mopheads Raid Apple Store

A gang of thieves robbed an Apple Store in central London during the early hours of Monday morning, November 13. The gang helped themselves to the company’s latest smartphones, as well as anything else they could lay their hands on.

A security guard was reportedly threatened with a hammer as 10 thieves on five mopeds smashed their way into the store on Regent Street just after midnight.

An eyewitness told the BBC the suspects appeared to have difficulties smashing the store’s locked glass doors but then took just three minutes to grab the goods before fleeing on the mopeds, though one was abandoned at the scene.

Cops said mostly iPhones, iPads, and smartwatches were stolen in the heist, though it’s not yet clear how much the haul was worth. No arrests have been made.

 Just a few weeks ago we heard about how hundreds of brand new iPhone X handsets were grabbed from a UPS truck in San Francisco, while in 2016, again in San Francisco, thieves hid under hoodies and strolled into an Apple Store during opening hours to grab handsets straight off the display tables. The New York Apple Store was robbed with thieves making off with more than 60 iPhones.

 

Apple’s 1990 Sneakers Going For $30,000. Do You Own A Pair?

 

When Apple launched its first color desktop computer, in 1990, the tech giant also created a prototype pair of sneakers with its signature rainbow logo.

They were first sold to a lucky Apple employee some time in the mid-’90s, according to BitRebels.  They later sold for only $79 on eBay  back in 2007.

In the years that followed, the whereabouts of the shoes were unknown — until a friend of Leon Benrimon, director of modern and contemporary art at Heritage Auctions, found them at a garage sale in San Francisco.

Now, Heritage Auctions is auctioning off the pair at its Beverly Hills location. Bidding will begin at 11 am on June 11, and the sneakers are expected to go for at least $30,000. The starting bid will be $15,000. The Adidas sneakers, size 9 and a half, are made from the typical white leather material of the times. They feature Apple’s logo on the tongue and on the side. The soles are made from rubber that supposedly doesn’t leave skid marks.

They Say Tm Cook’s 1 Billion Investment Will Bring Robot Jobs Not Factory Jobs

Apple just promised $1 billion boost to US manufacturing  Wednesday, 3 May 2017 | 6:57 PM ET | 01:07

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that his company will start a $1 billion fund to promote advanced manufacturing jobs in the United States.

Apple hasn’t released much in the way of details about its plans for the investment, saying only that the first beneficiary will be announced later this month. Advanced manufacturing is a large umbrella term that includes everything from 3-D printing aerospace components to installing robots on assembly lines.

The fund comes as President Donald Trump has made bringing back manufacturing jobs a big part of his agenda. As advanced manufacturing jobs are in high demand in the U.S., the sector was already high on Apple’s list of priorities, and Cook hopes the investment will spur even more job creation.

Apple’s Holistic View Of Diversity

Apple released updated diversity figures indicating it has made slight but steady progress in hiring more women and underrepresented minorities — and ensuring those employees are paid the same as their white male counterparts. While Apple’s progress has been slow with regard to hiring, it is making more substantial changes to how it compensates individuals. According to the report, the company has remedied pay gaps between white and nonwhite employees and men and women in the US.

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Florida Man Sues Apple

Florida resident Thomas S. Ross filed a lawsuit against Apple this week, claiming that the iPhone, iPad, and iPod infringe upon his 1992 invention of a hand-drawn “Electronic Reading Device” (ERD). The court filing claims the plaintiff was “first to file a device so designed and aggregated,” nearly 15 years before the first iPhone.

Ross designed three hand-drawn technical drawings of the device, between May 23, 1992 and September 10, 1992, primarily consisting of flat rectangular panels with rounded corners that “embodied a fusion of design and function in a way that never existed prior to 1992.”

What Ross contemplated, was a device that could allow one to read stories, novels, news articles, as well as look at pictures, watch video presentations, or even movies, on a flat touch-screen that was back-lit. He further imagined that it could include communication functions, such as a phone and a modem, input/output capability, so as to allow the user to write notes, and be capable of storing reading and writing material utilizing internal and external storage media. He also imagined that the device would have batteries and even be equipped with solar panels.

Ross applied for a utility patent to protect his invention in November 1992, however, the application was declared abandoned in April 1995 by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office after he failed to pay the required application fees. He also filed to copyright his technical drawings with the U.S. Copyright Office in 2014.

The plaintiff claims that he continues to experience “great and irreparable injury that cannot fully be compensated or measured in money,” he has demanded a jury trial and is seeking restitution no less than $10 billion and a royalty of up to 1.5% on Apple’s worldwide sales of infringing devices.

 

Apple To Begin Paying Out $400M To Customers

 

Three years ago, Apple was found guilty of anticompetitive ebook pricing and price-fixing. The case was in limbo for years as Apple appealed and tried to fight the ruling, but earlier this year the Supreme Court declined to hear the company’s appeal, putting Apple on the hook for $450 million. 

According to the firm, $400 million will be handed out to customers who purchased books from Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and Apple. 

Customers will receive $6.93 for every e-book that was a New York Times bestseller and $1.57 for every other ebook. Qualifying ebooks must have been purchased between April 1, 2010 and May 21, 2012 and be from one of the following publishers: Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan (Holtzbrinck Publishers), Penguin Group and Simon & Schuster.

Spotting a Fake

These faux iPhones come at a much cheaper price than normal iPhones, counterfeiting Apple products is a huge business in China. In 2015, a factory mass-producing counterfeit iPhones was busted, and it contained over 41,000 smartphones with a total haul equalling over $19 million. More

 

 

Users Advised To Uninstall Quicktime

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security cyber readiness team has advised Windows users to uninstall Apple’s QuickTime media player from their PCs.

“Computers running QuickTime for Windows will continue to work after support ends,” US-CERT wrote in an advisory published Thursday. “However, using unsupported software may increase the risks from viruses and other security threats. Potential negative consequences include loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data, as well as damage to system resources or business assets. The only mitigation available is to uninstall QuickTime for Windows.”

US-CERT (U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team) based its alert on news Thursday from Trend Micro’s Tipping Point group, which said it had been told by Apple that QuickTime on Windows had been deprecated, or dropped from support, meaning no future security updates will be issued.

Hackers Targeting Apple Devices On The Rise 2016

Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting Apple devices and you can expect more of the activity in 2016.  Expect to see a rise in attacks on its operating systems, security experts suggest. According to security firm Symantec, the amount of malware aimed at Apple’s mobile operating system (iOS) has more than doubled this year, while threats to Mac computers also rose. Security firm FireEye also expects 2016 to be a bumper year for Apple malware.
Systems such as Apple Pay could be targeted, it predicts. Apple is an obvious target for cybercriminals because its products are so popular. While the total number of threats targeting Apple devices remains low compared with Windows and Android, Symantec is seeing the range of threats multiply. Users can no longer be complacent about security, as the number of infections and new threats rise.

Hackers are also increasingly targeting corporations, where Mac use is now more prevalent. A corporate espionage group known as Butterfly which attacked multi-billion dollar companies in 2015 developed malware tools that attacked both Windows and Apple computers.

A New Trend: Matchmaking With A Watch

T3 , a design agency says they have a match making app that responds to your biorhythms. You swipe then look at photo to see if your heart rate changes? T3 claims the app is coming soon to Google Play and the App Store, but it’s still pretty hazy as to whether it’s real.  it raises a lot of questions about how wearables will change the way our technology can use our bodies to streamline processes or make decisions for us.

Tech Companies Taking Down Certain Games Featuring Confederate Flags

Apple, following other retailers, has eliminated some apps that feature the Confederate flag from its online store. Amazon, Wal-Mart and eBay are among companies that took out the flag after nine black worshippers were shot to death in a South Carolina, church last week. Apple seemed to be removing games such as “Ultimate General: Gettysburg” and “Hunted Cow” from the App Store. Read More

Apple’s DNA Apps Coming Soon

 

Apple is working with U.S. researchers to launch apps that would offer some iPhone owners the chance to get their DNA tested, many of them for the first time, according to people familiar with the plans.

The apps are based on ResearchKit, a software platform Apple introduced in March that helps hospitals or scientists run medical studies on iPhones by collecting data from the devices’ sensors or through surveys. ResearchKit launched with apps aimed at studying asthma, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, but now scientists can develop programs that gather information about other medical conditions. Tens of thousands of users have already submitted data to ResearchKit, including 11,000 to a Stanford University cardiovascular trial in the app’s first day. The raw data and interest is there, though the quality of the information sent via ResearchKit is still up in the air, for now.

In two initial studies planned, Apple will not directly collect or test DNA itself. That will be done by academic partners. The data would be maintained by scientists in a computing cloud, but certain findings could appear directly on consumers’ iPhones as well. Eventually, it’s even possible consumers might swipe to share “my genes” as easily as they do their location. Apple is closely involved in shaping initial studies that will collect DNA. One, planned by the University of California, San Francisco, would study causes of premature birth by combining gene tests with other data collected on the phones of expectant mothers. A different study would be led by Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Apple is concerned whether consumers are even interested in their DNA. So far, most people still have no real use for genetic data, and common systems for interpreting it are lacking as well.

I wonder how far will they go. Right now you have scientists editing human embryos using CRISPR to correct DNA of the BRCA1 gene. Whats next, the so called perfect baby with high intelligence and hair color.. There are three centers in the United States currently working on human germ-line engineering., as are scientists in China, in the U.K., and at a biotechnology company called OvaScience, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that boasts some of the world’s leading fertility doctors on its advisory board. Some have dropped out of the research. Some say people might pick and choose eye color and eventually intelligence causing a public uproar. A dozen countries have banned Germ-line engineering

Apple Confirms-their Watch & Tattoos don’t Mix

After a number of Apple Watch buyers with tattooed wrists reported that their ink appeared to be interfering with the Watch’s ability to read their heart rates. last Friday, 9 to 5 Mac spotted an update to the company’s support page for the watch that confirms the problem.Apple measures blood flow in part by shining green light — which your red blood absorbs — into your wrist. It then calculates your pulse by tracking how much of that light gets absorbed. But, it seems, the light can have problems getting through tattoo ink to get an accurate reading.

The document says”The ink, pattern and saturation of some tattoos can block light from the sensor, making it difficult to get reliable readings,” . There is no indication from Apple that variations in natural skin tone cause similar problems; the ink seems to be main problem here.

 Being able to measure fitness statistics is one of the main selling points for the Apple Watch, and is the focus of one of its latest ads for the device. The success of companies such as Jawbone and Fitbit have shown that there is a wearables market out there for fitness buffs, and it’s probably one of the easiest markets for Apple to tap into in the early days of its Watch launch. However, Apple does caution instances in which the Apple Watch may have trouble reading your heart rate.

The obvious example is when the watch is too loose and its sensors aren’t in contact with your skin. But Apple said the device can also have problems when it’s being jostled at irregular intervals — such as when you’re playing tennis or boxing — or when it’s cold outside and your blood may be shunted away from the surface of your skin as part of your body’s natural response to lower

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Apple Watch Falls Short On Tattooed Arm

Everything fine on his un-inked left wrist, but when he switches to the right, the wrist detection is playing up, as the watch keeps asking for the passcode.The watch would lock up every time the screen went dark and prompted for a password. There were no notifications. Apple explains that the Watch uses LEDs to detect how much blood is flowing through your veins, but that various factors can mean the device won’t get a reading. Speculation suggests the pigments in the two tattoos might be preventing the Watch from being able to see inside their veins, leading the device to assume it’s not being worn and therefore not issuing notifications. Natural pigments appear not to have any effect on the Watch. Other issues include receiving calls on the watch but can’t make them,

Apple is addressing these issues.

HBO Now

HBO CEO Richard Plepler has announced that its new cable-free streaming service will be available only on Apple devices and PCs when it launches in April. The price for HBO Now has also been confirmed at $14.99 per month.  To get HBO Now you need is a broadband connection and an Apple device to sign up. As it stands today, even though viewing is supported on PC or Mac via a web browser pointed at HBONOW.com, the only way to actually set up an account will be through Apple’s HBO Now app.

Microsoft Working To Rid Passwords

 

 

Microsoft has confirmed that it is working to rid the passwords in Windows 10. Which means you could be logging on with your face, voice, iris or fingerprint (or your dongle) depending on which method your organization chooses. And it’s not just on the desktop: similarly on the consumer side, Apple’s Touch ID for the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, and iPad Air 2 and Mini 3, replaces a passcode with a fingerprint. Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 also has a fingerprint reader. Although no technology is entirely secure, fingerprint readers have improved dramatically in recent years: Apple claims you would have to try 50,000 fingers to find a random match — which it argues is much more secure than the one-in-10,000 chance of guessing a four-digit passcode. This week two UK banks announced that they will use Touch ID to allow customers to access their bank accounts.

Rare Working Apple Computer Fetches $365,000.00

A rare, vintage, fully functional Apple-1 computer fetched $365,000 at an auction at Christie’s in New York City on Dec. 11. The PC is the only one out of the 60 Apple-1 computers to have documentation that it was sold straight from Steve Jobs.
The henry Ford museum paid $905,000.00 in Dearborn, Michigan earlier this year at a Bonhams auction for a similar Apple-1 computer. The Ricketts Apple-1, named after its original owner, was first purchased by Charles Ricketts in 1976 straight out of Steve Jobs’ garage in Los Altos, California. Included with the computer are the cancelled checks for his purchase from his neighbor’s budding business, including one dated July 27, 1976 for $600 with the label “Purchased July 1976 from Steve Jobs’ in his parents’ garage in Los Altos.” Another cancelled check for $193 with the label “Software NA Programed by Steve Jobs in 1976” is dated August 5, 1976.

 

Apple and Google are rolling out capabilities that enable millions of smartphone users to protect information on their devices so that no one, aside from someone in possession of a password, can access the data. Even the OS makers and phone companies won’t have access.  A senior U.S. government official has warned that widespread use of encryption could harm investigations

Microsoft Plan To Open New Store Near Apple

Microsoft is opening a retail store in the heart of New York City on Fifth Avenue. The software maker’s store will be a few blocks from Apple. Microsoft’s new retail location will replace an existing Fendi store and serve as the company’s first full retail store in Manhattan.

Apple iPhone design Leaked From Russia

Moscow-based tech review site, Rozetked, released the video on Monday and it has already gone viral with more than 1.8 million views.

 

Samsung In the Lead

Mobile technology market in the United States still led by Samsung and Apple is in Second place with smartphones. Samsung was able to take 36.1 percent of smartphone shipments in the United States. Apple,  held onto 29.7 percent of the cell phone shipments during that same period of time. When compared to 2013, the figure for Samsung was 33.9 percent and for Apple was 25.9 percent. You can expect that both companies will be announcing new smartphones in September, which will be released well before 2014 comes to an end. LG took the third place spot, with a share of 11 percent.

Apple Secures Patent For SmartWatch

Apple  has   secured a patent for a smartwatch from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (No. 8,787,006)

The Giant Techs Fight Against Global Search Warrants

 

Microsoft, Google, Apple and other tech companies in the US have been fighting a battle against internet surveillance. Earlier this year, Microsoft was forced to comply with a search warrant for a user’s email account stored in Ireland. The Manhattan magistrate judge ruled that the government could obtain data stored in the cloud in servers outside the US. In that case, This despite the fact that the US courts have no jurisdiction over data stored in Ireland or indeed any other country. The government maintains that in Microsoft’s case the warrant served as a way for the company to search within its database and reveal the relevant results. This could allow US law enforcement  access to all cloud data stored anywhere in the world.

Tech companies, especially those banking heavily on cloud-based infrastructure have seen cause for alarm. Sharing of user data to the US law enforcement may not be in line with the local law where the server is located. So companies are wary of having to break the law, to help maintain the law. This puts them in a precarious position, in terms of the public opinion and in the eyes of the law too. The United States is  setting a precedent for other nations. They could legitimately obtain user data stored in US cloud servers by forcing companies to do the same for them. And that would be in conflicting to US law. Google has rolled out End-to-End an encryption tool that would act as a Chrome add-on to make sure your browsing session within G0ogle’s servers is not even accessible by the company, and outside eyes.

Book Selling World Thats Rapid Changing

Nearly three years ago, Liberty Media wanted to acquire Barnes & Noble. Now it appears that the media conglomerate has had enough and will sell most of its shares  in Barnes & Noble. In the meantime ,the number of businesses trying to muscle in on Barnes & Noble’s traditional territory, trying to reshape the relationship between book publishers, retailers and readers, is growing constantly.

Today a new breed of start-ups wants to turn book buyers into book consumers. Once, the two were analogous — unless,  trekked back and forth to your local public library to borrow books. Unlike movies, where rentals of VHS tapes and, later, of DVDs, had become standard by the 1980s, “renting” books never caught on as a business model. So while consumers have long gravitated to, say, Netflex as an alternative to a bricks and mortar Blockbuster store, the ability to send digitizedbooks to an e-book reader hasn’t been followed as rapidly by a “rental book” model.

Three companies are battling for readers and market share: Entitle Books, Scribd, and Oyster. you pay a flat fee and you can then download books from their library.

 

“It’s all about bringing in a new audience of readers, by bringing content to them on the devices they use,” he explains. Putting an array of 100,000 or so books at the fingertips of Oyster users on their Apple  iPads or iPhones and enabling them to sample at will — as many books as they choose at a flat fee of $9.95 a month — means that in aggregate these Oyster subscribers end up paying more than they would have otherwise to read books, and funneling more than they would have otherwise to the bottom lines of publishing companies. There are reasons to doubt that we’ll ever really have a “Netflix for books.” First, for most casual readers, the value of a monthly e-book subscription for $8.95 or $9.95 is less obvious than Netflix’s $7.99 rate for unlimited streaming. Also, we consume books differently than we do music or television or movies. That doesn’t mean that we don’t consume them digitally — simply that as readers, we seem to value retaining all kinds of different options.

Sales of e-books topped those in print” for the first time two years ago. They are still buying books, not just viewing them as downloads. And some of us are still mixing and matching: buying some from bookstores as hardcovers or paperbacks, selectively borrowing from libraries, choosing which books to add to e-readers and scrutinizing these new services to decide which might best fit our needs. It’s not a one-size-fits-all world — yet.

 

 

The Apple In Car System

In addition to mapping and directional features, the iOS in the Car system will also allow users to send hands-free text messages via iMessage, access Siri, play music from iTunes and make phone calls on the iPhone. Mercedes Benz, Volvo and Ferrari will debut the system in March.

Tech Conglomerates Lobby Washington

Ten of the largest technology companies in the US spent more than $61 million lobbying Washington in 2013, according to an analysis of records filed by Consumer Watchdog. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, used the money in attempts to guide the government’s hand on issues such as privacy, data security, and advertising.

The $61 million used for lobbying between the ten companies is an increase of 16 percent since 2012, in which they spent a collective $52.78 million. 2013’s biggest spender remained Google, but the $14.06 million the search giant put towards Washington was actually a decrease in outlay of 14.7 percent from the previous year, when it was the target of an antitrust investigation. The firm’s lobbying costs looked to be trending upwards at the end of 2013: after a decrease in relative third quarter spending, Google’s fourth quarter expenses rose from $3.35 million to $3.98 million.  In November, the Facebook CEO took his political advocacy to ABC’s This Week, discussing NSA surveillance and directly criticizing the government’s Healthcare.gov.

Google & Apple The Battle Is On

 

Google says it will beat Apple in the race to turn the smartphone and other devices into intelligent, voice-controlled personal assistants.

The rival technology giants are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in their competing services, Google Now and Siri, and the field is expected to be a major battleground for their mobile operating systems, Android and iOS.

Both Conglomerates have teams of engineers working to crack the problems of making machines understand complex spoken questions and answer them in natural sentences. Google’s goal is to create a service comparable to the computer of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek. 

Google Now aims to anticipate what people will want from their smartphone by reading their calendar and emails, and analysing their location. On an overseas trip it will serve up flight information based on booking confirmation emails.

Google Glass, the company’s wearable device, is among the first of a new generation of mobile technology it hopes will get people to talk to its services. Google Now will also target smart watches, cars and the living room, allowing people to ask the television questions.

Apple has apparently recognised Google’s advantage. This month it paid a huge sum to acquire Topsy, a start-up focused on finding patterns in the 500m tweets posted on Twitter every day.

 

 

Tech Projects That Were Flops

 

The Google Barge

Google was working on a mysterious barge in the San Francisco Bay. Some Speculated that  it was going to be a floating data center or a storefront for Google Glass. It seems that Google failed to get the proper permits for the barge. The multi-million dollar project is currently under investigation

The iPhone 5C

Sales of the iPhone 5C appear to be weaker than expected. There have been multiple reports of Apple cutting 5C production in favor of the iPhone 5S.

 The television industry and  Aereo

Aereo is a new way to watch TV. It transmits broadcast channels to your tablet and phone. Big TV companies are upset  about it, so they’ve been trying to sue the company into oblivion. So far, their lawsuits have done nothing but bring attention to the company.

HTC One

The HTC One is a great phone. It might be the best Android phone on the market. And yet, no one is buying it. HTC, which was at one time the biggest Android phone company, is in a tailspin. The One was supposed to save it. It did’nt

 

BlackBerry 10

BlackBerry 10 finally launched this year. It was a total failure. No one wanted it. As a result, the company spent the year trying to sell itself, then changing its mind about selling itself. The CEO is gone

The Moto X

Motorola’s Moto X is a good phone, but it’s been a flop in the market. It’s barely selling despite a massive marketing push from Google/Motorola.

 Samsung’s Galaxy Gear

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, a smart watch that was supposed to work with its smartphones. The Gear was a big flop, and Samsung is already working on a second version.

 

 

Biometric Smartphones Expected To Be Mainstream In 2014

Swedish network provider Ericsson says smartphones featuring biometric technology for secure access will become mainstream in 2014. Apple has begun the trend with the September release of the iPhone 5s, which included a fingerprint reader intended to increase security and improve usability.A poll by Ericsson Consumer Lab of 100,000 people in more than 40 countries, found 74 percent of respondents saying they believe biometric smartphones “will become mainstream” during 2014. Over half said they would prefer to use their fingerprints rather than a complex alphanumeric combination of letters, numbers, and characters, while almost half said they would be interested in eye-recognition technology to unlock their phones, an Ericsson release said Wednesday. More smart phone makers are expected to offer one or another form of biometric security embedded in their devices to unlock them and secure their data, Ericsson said.

 

iPad Explodes-Vodaphone Store Evacuted

 

 

An ipad exploded with a burst of flames  from the charging port of an iPad demo mode in Canberra Australia. A The firebrigade was called in after the store filled with smoke and sparks continued to appear from the charging port. Vodafone confirmed that no staff members or customers were injured during the incident .

Tech Enterprises Urge The United States To Curtail Their Surveillance

A letter was written by Facebook and Google urging lawmakers in the United States  for reforms to transparency around US surveillance activity. The letter was signed by AOL, Apple, Facebook, Google Microsoft and Yahoo!.The tech giants are asking lawmakers to increase transparency to include data on the number and type of requests tech companies receive, to improve privacy protections around surveillance activity and provide oversight and accountability for surveillance programs.

180596438-USA-Freedom-Act-Letter-10-31-13-pdf

 

Apple Wants Patent For Digital Book-Signing Technology

One of the advantages of print books is that they can be hand autographed. Well, Apple is currently seeking a patent to that would allow authors to digitally autograph ebooks. Some users still prefer paper media products for the physical attributes of paper media products, which include the ability to have a copy of a book personalized. According to a recent patent application, allows for “embedding an autograph in an electronic book.” You can appear at an author signing with your iPad, have it signed and walk away with an authentic keepsake.

 

Upcoming Trends

 

Microsoft software company is acquiring Nokia’s Devices & Services business and the right to license Nokia’s patents to other entities. Assuming the deal is approved by Nokia’s shareholders and regulatory agencies, Microsoft will spend approximately $7.2 billion on the acquisition.

 21-year-old electronics and communication engineer revealed this week that Facebook paid him $12,500 for spotting a software vulnerability that could allow a hacker to delete any image stored on the social networking site. While the company is known to pay out for discoveries like this, such a large amount is thought to be rare, meaning Facebook’s security team considered it to be potentially very damaging. The engineer found a way for a hacker to generate a photo removal link and have it sent to their own inbox, thereby allowing them to delete the image without the uploader knowing.

Sony plans to support virtual reality on the PlayStation 4 using proprietary headsets 

Macworld US editor Jason Snell has confirmed that he has received the invite to the Apple event on 10 September. The event is scheduled for 10 September at 10am at the Town Hall on Apple campus.Earlier today news broke that Apple has issued invites to the rumoured 10 September iPhone launch event.

The upcoming Xbox One will allow eight controllers to connect at once, according to Microsoft. Four controllers has been the norm for consoles of late, so the question is: what can you do with eight controllers at once?That question will be answered sometime this November when the Xbox One is released.

 

Up Coming Wearable Tech

 

Samsung is launching its Galaxy Gear on 4 September in Berlin. it’s actually a smartwatch. 

 

Apple iWatch

Apple Smart Shoe

Apple is also reportedly working on computerised shoes. Thanks to a patent applied for in January of this year, they are looking into ‘smart shoe’ systems which feature sensors that tell you when you need to replace the shoes

Google Glass

Social networking clothes

 Ping, is a social media ‘garment’ which connects the wearer to their social media accounts. You activate the clothing by moving it, lifting the hood, zipping, tying a bow etc. All of these movements allow you to respond to social media interactions.

 

Justice Dept Wants To Prevent Apple From Entering Contracts With Ebook Sellers

A federal judge ruled last month that Apple had conspired with the publishers to raise e-book prices. The book publishers previously settled the price-fixing charges. They are Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Holtzbrinck Publishers, doing business as Macmillan, and The Penguin Publishing Co. Ltd., doing business as Penguin Group. The settlements were designed to encourage price competition and discounting, but that hasn’t happened and Apple has denied any wrongdoing. 

The government alleged that the publishers conspired with Apple to move the e-book industry away from the wholesale model employed by Amazon.com Inc., which had unnerved publishers by selling e-book versions of popular hardcover titles for as little as $9.99 before the April 2010 release of Apple’s iPad. Under its contracts with publishers, Amazon was free to sell books at any price it wanted. Apple alternatively adopted the “agency” model, under which publishers set the retail price and the store takes a cut. Under that model, the store can’t discount a book. The government alleged that Amazon was thereby pressured into accepting the agency model, 

The government wants Apple to agree to sign new contracts with the publishers will not raise the prices. On Friday, Apple responded by saying “the government’s proposed remedy is unnecessary, since the publishers are already signing new wholesale contracts”. the judge said the conspiracy harmed consumers in numerous ways. Some had to pay more for e-books, she said. Back in July the judge said, “some had to pay more for ebooks. Others bought cheaper e-books rather than the ones they preferred to purchase and others deferred purchases altogether rather than pay higher prices”.

 

The Smart Lightbulb

Kelly Coffey, founder and chief executive of Smartbotics hopes to see the smart bulb in stores by the holiday.
The Robosmart lightbulb works with an app on Apple’s iOS platform for iPhones, iPads and other devices. It allows you to turn the lights on or off, even if you aren’t in your house. Android devices are expected to be compatible with the Robosmart bulbs in the next month. The bulb has a Bluetooth sensor that communicates with the smartphone, and it has a built-in timer that lets you switch on the device from afar. The light bulb has a 10-year life expectancy if used for three hours a day, and it sells for $40. 

 

 

Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Apple and Time Warner Cable are about to close a deal that would bring new channels to the computer maker’s set-top box, Apple TV, for subscribers of the cable television service. A deal would bring the set-top box a significant influx of channels, and its first flood of live ones. Apple has been expanding its offerings on the device, which connects Web videos and other media to the traditional television but lacks the the broad array of channels that its chief competitor Roku offers.  Roku already has Time Warner Cable content streaming 300 channels through it where you can view TV through your iPhone iPad or computer.

Apple’s Campus 2

In a report by Keyser Marston Associates for the City of Cupertino finds that Apple would add over 7,000 new high-quality jobs as a result of its expanded corporate headquarters. As a result, it’s projected that Apple’s efforts would increase the revenue of local businesses, and also enhance tax revenues for the City of Cupertino, and other surrounding municipalities. The circular four-story main facility will be one of the largest buildings in the world at 2.8 million square feet.