Apple cuts iPhone 13 output forecast on chip shortage: report

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Apple is unlikely to meet production goals for its new iPhone before the holidays because of a global electronic chip shortage, a report said Tuesday. 

The firm had planned to produce 90 million iPhone 13s before the end of the year, but will have to settle with 80 million as suppliers Broadcom and Texas Instruments cannot meet demand, the Bloomberg News said, citing sources familiar with the matter who asked to remain anonymous.

Apple presented a new line of iPhones last month, with four new models, including the iPhone 13 Mini, which sells from $700, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which costs $1,100.

"We estimate that overall demand has been robust globally," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said, highlighting strong demand in China and the United States especially. 

"Apple will be running into a 5 million-plus iPhone 13 unit shortage for the holiday season if consumer demand keeps up at this pace," he added.

Chief executive Tim Cook warned during quarterly earnings reports in late July that supply chain constraints would have an even bigger impact on the current quarter than it had in the previous three months. 

He pointed out that electronic chip shortages were affecting all parts of the industry, not just Apple, and stemmed from significantly higher-than-expected demand.

Agence France-Presse

Apple to pay bonuses of up to $1,000 to store employees: Bloomberg News

Apple Inc will pay one-time bonuses of as much as $1,000 to store employees next month, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

The company will give out $1,000 to retail staff hired before Mar. 31, while those who joined later will get $500, the report said.

New employees for the holiday shopping season will receive $200 and bonuses will also be handed out to AppleCare and online sales staff, the report added.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The company's retail chief told Reuters in June that Apple was expanding its retail operations, betting that a combination of strategies developed before and during COVID-19 will make its stores more popular than ever.

-reuters

Amid array of challenges, Apple unveils new products

Apple CEO Tim Cook strode through a slickly produced video Tuesday to launch a new iPhone, with few hints of the exceptional string of troubles facing his company including policy reversals, a spyware attack and legal fights.

Cook, from an empty, darkened auditorium, raved over upgraded cameras, brighter screens and new features for some of the Silicon Valley giant's other devices such as the iPad.

"These are the best iPhones we've ever created," Cook said, noting Apple's work to design the "very best products and services to enrich people's lives."

Yet a head-spinning series of problems have occupied the recent public discussion of one the world's most valuable companies. 

Due to a long and loud fight over its online app marketplace, a judge ordered Apple last week to allow developers to sidestep its hefty commission on purchases.

It delayed a plan to scan its customers' devices as part of a child abuse prevention move, after privacy advocates howled over the risk of opening a backdoor for government surveillance.

And then Monday it was forced to roll out an urgent fix after cybersecurity researchers found a weakness that allowed Pegasus spyware to infect Apple devices without users so much as clicking a malicious message.

That said, Apple still possesses massive reach in the digital world and beyond, and manages to be worth over $2 trillion.

Its fans cheered the release of the updated products Tuesday, including analyst Daniel Ives who noted "the supercycle for Cupertino," referring to the California city that is home to Apple's headquarters.

"Apple remains in the midst of its strongest overall product cycle in roughly a decade," he added.

- Array of challenges - 

It is true the company has racked up massive profits driven by the demand for its devices as much of the world hunkered down at home due to the pandemic. 

At the same time legal battles, new laws and the scrutiny of regulators around the world has added up to a series of challenges against the company. 

As Cook expounded on iPhone developments, a group fighting to loosen Apple's control over its App Store tweeted its verdict on the new handset.

"Today's rollout of the iPhone 13 only tells us one thing: new iPhone, same bad App Store," wrote Coalition for App Fairness. 

"It's time for @Apple to #OpenTheAppStore and level the playing field for app developers and innovators."

Apple has started to cede ground on its App Store dominance, including in an agreement with Japanese regulators.

It also faces the legislation adopted by South Korean lawmakers, which banned Apple and Google from forcing app developers to use the tech giants' payment systems. 

Yet when the verdict came in a California court Friday, Apple barely complained about the ruling ordering it to ease control over its App Store.

Instead it heaved a public sigh of relief the judge had not found it to be an illegal monopoly, which could have opened doors for regulators and prosecutors to go after the tech giant. 

"We consider this a huge win for Apple," it told reporters. 

Agence France-Presse

Apple issues fix for flaw linked to Pegasus spyware

Apple released a fix Monday for a weakness that can let the spyware at the heart of the Pegasus scandal infect devices without users even clicking on a malicious message or link.

The Pegasus software from Israeli firm NSO Group has been under intense scrutiny since an international media investigation claimed it was used to spy on the phones of human rights activists, journalists and even heads of state.

Researchers at Citizen Lab, a cybersecurity watchdog organization in Canada, found the problem while analyzing a Saudi activist's phone that had been compromised with the code.

"We determined that the mercenary spyware company NSO Group used the vulnerability to remotely exploit and infect the latest Apple devices with the Pegasus spyware," Citizen Lab wrote in a post.

In March Citizen Lab examined the activist's phone and determined it was hacked with Pegasus spyware introduced via iMessage texting and that it didn't even require the phone's user to so much as click.

Hours after releasing the fix, Apple said it had "rapidly" developed the update following Citizen Lab's discovery of the problem.

"Attacks like the ones described are highly sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop, often have a short shelf life, and are used to target specific individuals," the company said.

NSO did not dispute Pegasus had prompted the urgent software upgrade, and said in a statement that it would "continue to provide intelligence and law enforcement agencies around the world with life saving technologies to fight terror and crime."

- No click needed -

Pegasus has evolved to become more effective since it was uncovered by Citizen Lab and cyber security firm Lookout five years ago.

Pegasus can be deployed as a "zero-click exploit," meaning that the spyware can install itself without the victim even clicking a booby-trapped link or file, according to Lookout senior manager Hank Schless.

"Many apps will automatically create a preview or cache of links in order to improve the user experience," Schless said.

"Pegasus takes advantage of this functionality to silently infect the device."

UN experts recently called for an international moratorium on the sale of surveillance technology until regulations are implemented to protect human rights following an Israeli spyware scandal.

An international media investigation reported in July that several governments used the Pegasus malware, created by NSO Group, to spy on activists, journalists and politicians. 

Pegasus can switch on a phone's camera or microphone and harvest its data.

"It is highly dangerous and irresponsible to allow the surveillance technology and trade sector to operate as a human rights-free zone," the United Nations human rights experts said in a statement at the time.

The statement was signed by three special rapporteurs on rights and a working group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other businesses.

Israel's defense establishment has set up a committee to review NSO's business, including the process through which export licences are granted.

NSO insists its software is intended for use only in fighting terrorism and other crimes, and says it exports to 45 countries.

 Agence France-Presse

Apple touts App Store economy as its clout challenged

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Apple said Wednesday its App Store "ecosystem" surged in 2020, fueled by pandemic-hit consumers seeking to stay connected for work, school and play.

Apple spotlighted an independent study by Analysis Group indicating billings and sales of digital and physical goods as well as advertising "facilitated" by the App Store worldwide last year was up 24 percent from 2019 to $643 billion.

"The apps we’ve relied on through the pandemic have been life-changing in so many ways - from groceries delivered to our homes, to teaching tools for parents and educators, to an imaginative and ever-expanding universe of games and entertainment," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a release.

"The result isn’t just incredible apps for users: it’s jobs, it’s opportunity, and it's untold innovation that will power global economies for many years to come."

The Global Perspective on the Apple App Store Ecosystem study focused on small developers with fewer than a million downloads and less than $1 million in earnings last year.

About 90 percent of total billings and sales facilitated by the App Store ecosystem in 2020 occurred outside of the App Store, meaning that Apple collected no commission on those sales, according to the study.

The release of the study comes as US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers mulls evidence presented during a trial in which Epic Games is trying to break Apple's tight grip on its App Store, and potentially disrupt the entire mobile ecosystem.

Epic, maker of the popular Fortnite video game, is seeking to force Apple to open up the App Store to third parties seeking to circumvent Apple's procedures payment systems and its commission as high as 30 percent in the process.

Agence France-Presse

Apple packs iPad Pros with faster chips, slims iMacs and jumps into tracking tags

Apple Inc announced on Tuesday a range of new computers, a paid podcasting service and devices for finding lost items, signaling the continued expansion of its once-simple product line into more and more corners of customers' lives.

The new $30 AirTags, tiny devices that can be attached to items such as keys and wallets to locate them when they are lost, were applauded by analysts as a likely hot-seller that would also keep the company's more than 1 billion customers locked into its products.

A new iPad Pro tablet, featuring the same Apple-designed processor that powers the company's more recent Mac computers, has keyboard and trackpad options that help make it a full-blown alternative to traditional laptops and desktops.

And a refresh of the Mac desktop line boasts seven color options, harkening back to the famous candy-colored Macs that helped Steve Jobs revive the company in the 1990s.

The announcements show how the iPhone maker is accelerating the expansion of its product portfolio and working to keep customers committed to its family of devices even as government scrutiny of the power and reach of major technology firms intensifies.

Most of the product introductions had been telegraphed before the presentation, which had no major surprises. Shares of Apple were down 1.3 percent, slightly more than the 1 percent drop in the Nasdaq index.

The new iMacs, which start at $1,299, feature a higher quality front-facing camera and microphone, responding to complaints from consumers during the pandemic that the computer's cameras had not kept pace with iPhones and iPads during an era of pervasive video calls.

"Apple cameras in their computers have been terrible, frankly. They finally have a reasonable camera in the iMac," said Bob O'Donnell, head of TECHnalysis Research, who added that the new colors were likely to stand out in a market dominated by black, white and silver machines. "For right now, it feels fresh and new."

The new iPad Pros, starting at $799, use the same M1 chip as Apple's other computers, rather than the beefed-up version of iPhone chips found in previous models. The tablets also have additional ports for connecting monitors and 5G connectivity, while featuring a higher-quality display than the company's laptops. 

Analysts said that when combined with Apple's keyboard and trackpad accessories, the new iPad Pro models could be a compelling replacement for a laptop, especially for content creators or business travelers. But those accessories also push the price to nearly $1,100 - more than Apple's cheapest laptop, the $1,000 MacBook Air.

Ben Bajarin, principal analyst for consumer market intelligence at Creative Strategies, said the devices are not likely to be volume sellers but will target the niche of consumers who value versatility.

"If you want to go the gamut from mobile production, content consumption and or creativity, that’s the device that does it,” he said.

Apple also announced podcast subscription services that will compete with rival Spotify Technology SA, a move to regain ground in a market it popularized years ago but never made money from.

Apple shares have risen nearly 95 percent over the past year, faster than the 63 percent rise in the Nasdaq Composite Index, thanks to a record $274.5 billion in sales for fiscal 2020 as consumers stocked up on electronics during the pandemic.

The AirTags announcement could result in a new round of complaints to lawmakers that Apple is hurting smaller rivals. Tile, a private company that has sold a competing tracker for nearly a decade, last year testified before the U.S. House of Representatives that Apple's App Store rules had made it harder to use Tile's products and will be called before the U.S. Senate to testify on Wednesday.

Apple has said it subjects all apps, including its own, to the same App Store review rules, and recently allowed third-party developers to access the same systems as its AirTags.

In a research note, Raymond James analysts Chris Caso and Melissa Fairbanks said AirTags "could grow to become a $10 billion opportunity, similar to AirPods."

But Bajarin of Creative Strategies said that iPhone owners who come to rely the tags to help them keep track of everyday items are likely to stick with Apple's brand over a longer time.

"The more you buy into just one hardware product, the less likely it is you’ll ever leave," Bajarin said.

-reuters

Apple Music to launch its 1st radio show in Africa

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Music is launching its first radio show in Africa.

The streaming platform announced Thursday that “Africa Now Radio with Cuppy” will debut Sunday and will feature a mix of contemporary and traditional popular African sounds, including genres like Afrobeat, rap, house, kuduro and more.

Cuppy, the Nigerian-born DJ and music producer, will host the weekly one-hour show, which will be available at 9 a.m. EDT.

“The show represents a journey from West to East and North to South, but importantly a narrative of Africa then to Africa now,” Cuppy in a statement.

African music and artists have found success outside of the continent and onto the pop charts in both the U.S. and U.K. in recent years. Acts like Drake and Beyoncé have borrowed the sound for their own songs, while performers like South African DJ Black Coffee as well as Davido, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, Wizkid and Mr Eazi — all with roots in Nigeria — continue to gain attention and have become household names.

Apple Music’s announcement comes the same week Universal Music Group said it was launching Def Jam Africa, a new division of the label focused on representing hip-hop, Afrobeat and trap talent in Africa. The label said it will be based in Johannesburg and Lagos but plans to sign talent from all over the continent.

Associated Press

US urges countries to suspend digital taxes

Washington – US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is urging countries like France to suspend taxes on global computing giants such as Google and Amazon and wait for a negotiated agreement on international taxation, according to a letter released Wednesday.

As the United States is poised to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French products over that country’s digital services tax, Mnuchin said talks in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development are key to resolving the issue.

“We believe that it is very important that these talks reach agreement in order to prevent the proliferation of unilateral measures, like digital services taxes, which threaten the longstanding multilateral consensus on international taxation,” Mnuchin said in a letter to OECD chief Jose Angel Gurria.


“We urge all countries to suspend digital services tax initiatives in order to allow the OECD to successfully reach a multilateral agreement,” he said in the letter, which was dated Tuesday.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday released a report slamming France’s tax as discriminatory and designed to target American tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.


He said Washington would proceed quickly with plans to impose tariffs on French products, including champagne, cosmetics, yogurt and Roquefort cheese.

The decision “sends a clear signal that the United States will take action against digital tax regimes that discriminate or otherwise impose undue burdens on US companies,” Lighthizer said in a statement on Monday.

The French tax imposes a three percent levy on the revenues earned by technology firms in France, which often come from online advertising and other digital services.


It targets revenue instead of profits, which are often reported by tech giants in low-tax jurisdictions like Ireland or Luxembourg in a practice that has enraged governments.

Lighthizer’s office said it is considering widening the investigation to look into similar taxes in Austria, Italy and Turkey.

Mnuchin said there is “broad support” for providing greater certainty on taxation.

“We look forward to working with the OECD along these lines, building on the work already done.”

A top EU official expressed concern this week that President Donald Trump’s administration was planning to pull out of the multilateral talks, so Mnuchin’s support for the talks come as a relief.

Cedric O, France’s secretary of state for the digital economy, also told AFP in Washington on Tuesday that France believed there was still time to stave off the threatened of tariffs.

“The first and foremost objective that we have is to strike a deal at the OECD,” he said, insisting that the current row was “not the end of the story.”

source: philstar.com

Developers sue Apple over app store fees

SAN FRANCISCO, United States — A lawsuit filed Tuesday by developers alleges Apple is abusing its monopoly position in its online marketplace to extract excessive fees from those creating iPhone applications.

The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in California, claims Apple cornered the market with its iOS App Store, collecting a 30 percent commission on all app sales and in-app purchases.

The complaint comes as Apple holds its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California and just weeks after the US Supreme Court allowed a consumer lawsuit against Apple on similar grounds to proceed.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs, who are seeking class-action status for the suit, said Apple requires developers selling products through the App Store to pay an annual fee of $99, which hurts small and new developers.

They also said that by keeping all iOS apps into one marketplace -- some two million were available last year -- consumers never see most apps.

"Between Apple's 30 percent cut of all App Store sales, the annual fee of $99 and pricing mandates, Apple blatantly abuses its market power to the detriment of developers, who are forced to use the only platform available to them to sell their iOS app," said Steve Berman of the law firm Hagens Berman, which is representing the plaintiffs.

"In a competitive landscape, this simply would not happen."

The lawsuit seeks to force Apple to end its monopoly and allow competition in the distribution of iOS apps.

It also seeks to end Apple's pricing requirement including the minimum price mandate of 99 cents for paid apps.

Apple did not immediately respond to a query on the lawsuit.

In the past, Apple has defended its control of the App Store, saying it enables the iPhone maker to protect against malicious software and maintain quality standards.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that consumers could proceed with a separate lawsuit on app pricing, rejecting Apple's argument that consumers lacked standing because the tech giant was merely an intermediary with app developers.

The class-action lawsuit from 2011 maintains that Apple abuses its monopoly position, resulting in higher prices.

source: philstar.com

Spotify readies to launch video

NEW YORK — Spotify said Monday it will imminently launch video content as the music streaming leader seeks ways to build an audience in the increasingly competitive sector.

The Swedish company will begin webcasting videos by the end of next week on both Android and Apple system smartphones, a Spotify spokesman said.

The videos will initially be available in four markets — Britain, Germany, Sweden and the United States.

Spotify’s chief executive Daniel Ek had announced the expansion into video in May during an event in New York on the company’s future plans, although he did not give a timeframe and the company has been testing its offerings.

  
Spotify at the time said that it would offer exclusive content from media partners as well as existing production and podcasts.

Media companies involved in Spotify’s video plans include major US networks, the BBC, sports leader ESPN, documentary news site Vice and comedy channel Adult Swim.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Spotify’s vice president of product, Shiva Rajaraman, as saying the primary audience would still be music fans.

The company, the report said, will air original music-themed series but most video will consist of short snippets.

Spotify is the leader of the fast-growing sector of streaming. The company says it has more than 75 million regular users, of whom 20 million pay subscriptions for advertisement-free access.

The company, which is privately held, does not release its earnings but is widely believed to be gambling that it can invest heavily initially and turn a profit later.

Smaller rivals have invested heavily in video as a way to win over customers.

Apple Music, which launched in June, recently offered an exclusive tour movie by pop superstar Taylor Swift.

Tidal, led by rap mogul Jay Z, has gone a step further by exclusively webcasting series without a direct music link including the drug-dealing drama “Money and Violence.”

Online content giant YouTube also recently launched a music streaming site, which lets users toggle between videos and audio-only tracks.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple digital wallet heads to China

SAN FRANCSICO, California — Apple announced a major partnership with China UnionPay on Thursday to put is digital wallet to work in the world’s most populous country.

China UnionPay customers will be able to add their bank cards to Apple Pay on iPhones, iPads, or Apple Watch wearables, the companies said in a joint statement.

“China is an extremely important market for Apple and with China UnionPay and support from 15 of China’s leading banks, users will soon have a convenient, private and secure payment experience,” said Apple senior vice president of software and services Eddy Cue.


The service could be available early next year, pending approval of Chinese regulators.

Apple touts its digital wallet as letting people make purchases easily and securely, encrypting and hiding away personal data to thwart thieves.

UnionPay operates China’s national inter-bank clearing and settlement system and reported having issued more than five billion cards to date.

Apple launched its digital wallet last year in a move capitalizing on the popularity of its mobile devices and taking on rivals such as Google and PayPal, which are also competing in the market.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple unveils ApplePay mobile wallet

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple unveiled a new mobile wallet on Tuesday aimed at allowing consumers to use iPhones linked to credit cards for more secure, convenient payments.

Apple chief Tim Cook said the ApplePay system would replace an “antiquated payment process” with “an entirely new payment system” that allows consumers to touch their phones to retail terminals.

The new payment system will be built into the new iPhones and Apple’s operating system which were also unveiled Thursday.

Cook said that each day in the United States alone “that’s 200 million times that we scramble through our credit cards and go through what is a fairly antiquated payment process.”

He said other efforts have failed because the companies introducing mobile wallets were working on the basis of “their self-interest” instead of the user experience.

Cook showed a video of a consumer tapping a phone on a payment terminal, commenting, “it’s so cool.”

source: interaksyon.com

Apple eyes future course with new devices

SAN FRANCISCO — Tech trend-setter Apple charts its future course Tuesday amid expectations for new big-screen iPhones and possibly an “iWatch” which could shake up the world of wearable computing.

Apple has maintained its customary arch silence, but a frenzy of speculation suggests a push into a new segment as it seeks to broaden the appeal of its iconic iPhone.

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said a widely predicted iWatch launch would “be one of its most important and brand-reinforcing launches in years.”

According to new Forrester data, 25 percent of US adults online anticipate purchasing a wearable device in the next year, and 42 percent are specifically interested in a wrist device.

“Apple will show again how computing platforms are won or lost on the one-two punch of eager consumers and hungry ecosystem partners,” McQuivey said.

Regaining its old magic

Apple is seeking to show that it hasn’t lost its magic and to shift attention from a recent celebrity photo theft scandal.

Tuesday’s event is at a performing arts center where late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer 30 years ago, fueling talk that a new “big thing” is on the way.

“I’m expecting a few surprises, despite all the pre-event reports,” said Yankee Group analyst Carl Howe in a tweet.

Work on a wrist-worn computing device with a heath theme is believed to have begun years ago at Apple, inspired by Jobs and his battle with an illness that took his life in 2011.

Apple is fine-tuning a new mobile operating system that could allow for mobile payments and includes a health platform, which could mesh nicely with an “iWatch” for tracking activity, sleep, pulse and more and connecting to an iPhone or iPad.

Observers say the timing is right for Apple to introduce a generation of iPhone 6 models with screen sizes stretched to tap into love for “phablets” combining the features of smartphones and tablets.

An Adobe Digital Index report found that people prefer screens larger than five inches when browsing the Internet on mobile devices.

Browsing the Internet on smartphones with four-inch screens, like those on iPhones, dropped 11 percent during the past year, according to the report.

Apple has seen sales growth for iPhones, but slower than its rivals like Samsung, which sells an array of big-screen smartphones.

Dave Hoch at the research firm Localytics predicts a wave of upgrades because roughly one-fourth of the Apple devices in use are the iPhone 5 — which was released two years ago preceding the 5S and 5C — and are likely to be replaced.

“This is likely because most iPhones come with a cheaper price if the consumer locks into a two-year contract, putting the average consumer on a two-year upgrade cycle,” Hoch said in a blog post.

‘Blockbuster’ demand

Greg Sterling at Opus Research said this data suggests potential sales of 50 million units of the iPhone 6 for the US alone.

“These numbers argue it has the potential to be a blockbuster for Apple,” he said in a post on the Marketing Land blog.

The iPhone has a leading share in the US market of some 40 percent, but its worldwide share of the smartphone market is less than 12 percent, according to surveys.

Gartner analyst Van Baker predicts Apple will unveil an iPhone 6 with a screen increased to 4.7 inches, and that odds are strong for a 5.5-inch version.

“There is gigantic pent-up demand for a larger iPhone,” Creative Strategies president Tim Bajarin told AFP.

“Apple will likely have a monster fourth quarter.”

New iPhones are expected to feature near-field communication chips that will let them be used as mobile wallets, challenging services such as Square or Google Wallet.

Apple would be asking people to trust it with health and financial data after taking a bruising over the release of nude photos of celebrities including Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence from its cloud.

Apple says there was no breach of its iCloud and that the celebrities had their accounts hacked by using easy-to-guess passwords, or by giving up their personal data to cybercriminals posing as Apple.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple developing technology allowing your face to unlock your phone

MANILA, Philippines — From fingerprint lock, Apple has now filed a patent allowing users to access their phones through facial recognition.

The company bared the technology through its application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) titled “Personal computing device control using face detection and recognition.”

The patent request was filed way back in January 2008 but was made public by the USPTO this month.

“(T)here are numerous advantageous applications of this technology that enable more efficient control and interaction between a user and a personal computing system,” the application said.

The technology aims to do away with the current system of using passwords to access a device or a restricted computer application.

“(T)here is a need for a more efficient and reliable user access control mechanism for personal computing devices,” the company said.

Apple said that another problem with current computing devices is the inability to detect an active user. This happens when a PC automatically activates a screen saver even if a user is viewing the display screen.

Incoming calls, text, and email will also be displayed if the device recognizes the intended receiver as the one currently using the device.

Patent applications does not, however, provide guarantee that a supposed research product will be released commercially. In some instances, companies file patents to box out other competitors from developing their envisioned technology.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple acquires Israel’s PrimeSense in a $350 million deal: report

Apple Inc agreed to buy Israel-based PrimeSense Ltd, a developer of chips that enable three-dimensional machine vision, for about $350 million, Bloomberg reported on Sunday citing a source.

PrimeSense’s sensing technology, which gives digital devices the ability to observe a scene in three dimensions, was used to help power Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect.

Apple’s interest in PrimeSense was first reported in July by the Israel-based Calacist news website.

Technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” a company spokeswoman Kristin Huguet told Reuters via email.

PrimeSense could not be immediately reached for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.

The PrimeSense deal makes it Apple’s second purchase of an Israeli company. It bought flash storage chip maker Anobit in January 2012.

PrimeSense’s investors include Canaan Partners, Silver Lake, Gemini Israel Funds and Genesis Partners, Bloomberg reported.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple expected to rev up iPad line as tablet market heats

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple is expected to rev up its iPad line Tuesday as the tablet market heats up with competition from devices powered by software from Google and Microsoft.

Analysts agree that iPads will star at an invitation-only event being held in San Francisco on the cusp of the prime year-end holiday shopping season.

“Job One for Apple is to get something out there on the large-size iPad that gets people excited, then obviously from a specification focus, the Mini needs to catch up with what everybody else has done,” NPD analyst Stephen Baker told AFP.


“There are a lot of other things happening in that large-size tablet space and there is a huge amount of choices in smaller devices.”

Tablets face mounting competition from touch-screen notebook computers powered by Microsoft Windows software and priced between $350 and $500, according to the analyst.

“Apple will… be number one in large-size tablets probably for a long time, but the definition of competition will change,” Baker said.

Apple is also under pressure to adapt to the popularity of premium tablets with high-quality screens in the seven- to eight-inch (18- to 20-centimeter) range where the Mini competes.

Online retail titan Amazon.com on Friday began shipping new seven-inch Kindle Fire HDX tablets with boosted display quality and computing power at the starting price of $229.

“We can’t wait to get this tablet into our customers’ hands,” said Amazon Kindle vice president Peter Larsen.

Google’s latest Nexus 7 tablet powered by its Android software has been a hot seller at a similarly tempting price.

Emailed invitations to the Apple event revealed little other than the time and place, and bore the message: “We still have a lot to cover.”

A graphic in the shape of an iPad showed Apple’s iconic logo under a shower of colorful leaves.

Unconfirmed reports are that Apple will show off a new version of its full-size iPad that will be thinner than its predecessor and boast improved camera capabilities.

Scrutiny of Apple’s supply chain has industry trackers thinking the new iPad will get “narrower, thinner, and lighter” and possibly be built with processors at least as powerful as those used in the freshly-launched iPhone 5S, according to Gartner analyst Van Baker.

An upgraded version of the iPad mini with an improved screen is also expected.

Gartner’s Baker will be watching whether new iPad models have 64-bit processors as engines in a significant boost that would enable tablets to handle more heavy weight programs and games.

“It has the potential to make tablets much more compelling devices in terms of content creation; making devices more sophisticated with more horsepower-hungry applications,” the analyst said.

“It will increase the likelihood that tablets will displace PCs (personal computers).”

Analysts agreed that top-end, full-size iPads may get a fingerprint recognition security feature that has been a hit in the iPhone 5S.

Such upgrades would promise to entice buyers to pay a bit more for full-size tablets from Apple instead of choosing lower-priced Mini models, boding well for the company’s bottom line.

The iPad remains the largest-selling tablet, according to surveys, but its market share is being eroded by rivals using the Google Android operating system.

“Mobile connectivity continues to grow and its impact is much broader than business stories about which computer makers are selling the most units,” said Kristen Purcell, associate director for research at the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.

“We see mobile connectivity affecting everything from the way people get news and learn to the way they take care of their health and the way they share their lives through social media.”

Apple was also expected to discuss its computer operating system and its MacBook laptop line at the event.

The company is coming off a wildly successful launch of two new iPhone models last month. It estimates selling a record nine million iPhones in the three days after launching two new versions of the smartphone.

source: interaksyon.com

Burberry chief in surprise switch to Apple

LONDON—Burberry's widely-acclaimed chief executive Angela Ahrendts is quitting her role at the British luxury fashion group to become head of retail at Apple, the pair said on Tuesday.

Burberry's chief creative officer Christopher Bailey will take over from the 53-year-old US national, adding chief executive to his title.

The group's share price slumped 6.0 percent at the open in reaction to the surprise announcement. It later stood down 4.86 percent at 1,508 pence on London's FTSE 100 index, which was 0.86-percent higher in midday trading.

US technology giant Apple said in a statement that Ahrendts would oversee the "strategic direction, expansion and operation" of its retail and online stores.

"I am thrilled that Angela will be joining our team," said Apple chief executive Tim Cook.

"She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record."

Ahrendts will have been chief executive of Burberry for about eight years by the time of her departure in 2014.

The London-listed firm, famous for its trademark red, camel and black check design on clothes and handbags, has undergone huge expansion into emerging markets with Ahrendts at the helm.

Ahrendts said she was "profoundly honoured to join Apple" and was leaving Burberry "in brilliant shape".

British national Bailey, who has been at Burberry since 2001 and chief creative officer for the past six years, said he was "profoundly moved and humbled to be asked to take on the CEO role".

Burberry chairman John Peace described the appointment of Bailey, 42, as "a natural progression".

Separately on Tuesday, Burberry reported sales of £1.03 billion ($1.65 billion, 1.21 billion euros) in the group's first half, up 14 percent compared with the six months through to the end of September 2012.

"The impressive update has been overshadowed by the news that the chief executive will be leaving," Richard Hunter, head of equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, said in a note to clients.

"The shares have had a rocky ride yet have still managed to outperform the market strongly. Over the last year Burberry has added 41 percent to its price, as compared to a 12-percent hike for the wider FTSE 100," he noted.

Burberry opened 14 stores and closed eight during its first half.

"Store openings included a net two in China and one additional store in each of Brazil, Mexico and India as the group continued to invest in high potential markets," it said on Tuesday.

Founded in 1856 by dressmaker Thomas Burberry, the company invented the gabardine waterproof raincoat and provided kit to officers in the British armed forces during World War I.

Since mid-2006, when Ahrendts became Burberry chief, the group has doubled revenues and more than trebled its share price.

Ahrendts was last year by far the highest-paid chief executive among the FTSE's 100 top companies with a package totalling £16.9 million, according to a survey by pay consultancy MM&K.

She is currently one of only three women to head FTSE 100 index companies along with Carolyn McCall at budget airline EasyJet and Imperial Tobacco's Alison Cooper.

The number could increase should newly part-privatised Royal Mail, headed by Moya Greene, join as expected the leading index in a reshuffle due in December.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple looking at bigger iPhone screens, multiple colors — sources

Apple Inc is exploring launching iPhones with bigger screens, as well as cheaper models in a range of colors, over the next year, said four people with knowledge of the matter, as it takes a cue from rival Samsung Electronics.

The moves, which are still under discussion, underscore how the California-based firm that once ruled the smartphone market is increasingly under threat from its aggressive South Korean competitor. Samsung has overtaken Apple in market share through the popularity of its bigger-screen Galaxy “phablets” and by flooding the market with a range of products at different prices.

Apple is looking at introducing at least two bigger iPhones next year — one with a 4.7-inch screen and one with a 5.7-inch screen — said the sources, including those in the supply chain in Asia. They said suppliers have been approached with plans for the larger screens, but noted it is still unclear whether Apple will actually launch its flagship product in the larger sizes.

“They constantly change product specifications almost to the final moment, so you’re not really sure whether this is the final prototype,” said one person with direct knowledge of the matter.

Apple declined to comment.

Under pressure

Apple’s possible shift to offer what is often referred to as “phablets” – chunkier smartphones not quite big enough to qualify as tablets – comes as the long-time consumer and investor darling faces pressure to deliver more than one new handset model a year. Critics say its pace of innovation has slowed since the death of legendary co-founder Steve Jobs.

The iPhone 5 launched last September was the first to veer away from the Apple phone’s 3.5-inch screen, which Jobs famously deemed “the perfect size for consumers” and had been used in every iPhone since the iconic device was unveiled in 2007.

The current iPhone 5 has one of the smaller screens among the best-selling smartphones in the mobile market, where consumers spend more time browsing the web and streaming content. Samsung’s Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2 have 5-inch and 5.5-inch screens, respectively.

For this year, Apple is expected to launch two new models, widely referred to as the iPhone 5S, with new fingerprint technology, and a cheaper version in plastic casing, supply chain sources have said. Apple plans to dress up the cheaper phone in a range of 5-6 colors to differentiate it from the more expensive model that has traditionally come only in black and white.

The U.S. firm has discussed a price of $99 for the cheaper phone, the timing of which could slip to next year, one of the people said. It’s not yet clear what the final price would be.

Apple – whose revenue growth has decelerated from the heady days of 2010 when it introduced the iPad and when the iPhone was the world’s top selling smartphone – has sought ways to re-energize its flagship line.

Broader product range

Analysts say the company needs a cheaper gadget to push on in growth markets in China and India, and to counter Samsung’s edge in having phones priced up and down the spectrum. China, the world’s biggest smartphone market, is set to grow 48 percent this year, outpacing the global increase of 31 percent, according to industry forecasts.

While Apple only offers a single phone model across all markets, it has successfully marketed the iPod music player and its iPad in different sizes and at varying prices. Asked at last month’s AllThingsD industry conference why Apple hasn’t launched different sized iPhones, CEO Tim Cook said: “We haven’t so far. That doesn’t shut off the future.”

He explained that the range of iPods serve different audiences and needs. “On the phone, that’s the question. Are we now at a point to serve enough people that we need to do that?”

Cook noted a larger screen comes with trade-offs on features such as battery life, resolution and brightness.

Test production for both the standard and cheaper iPhone models aims to start next month, with mass production ramping up in August to meet a September launch target, two people said.

“Trial production was originally planned to start in June, but the mixing of colors is taking longer than expected as Apple has very high and idealistic standards,” said one source in Asia, adding 20 million plastic iPhones are expected to ship in the October-December quarter.

Japan’s Sharp Corp and Japan Display and South Korea’s LG Display will supply the panels for the aluminum iPhone 5S and the plastic iPhone, while Hon Hai Precision Industry will assemble the higher-end phone and Pegatron will put together the cheaper model.

source: interaksyon.com

Apple iOS 7 – “Most Significant Update Since The Original iPhone”

When the internal strife over Apple‘s pre-mature launch of its Maps app finally boiled over late last year, many analysts discounted the Cupertino-base electronic giant to bounce back from such a publicized failure any time soon. Yet today, less than a year later, they’re all singing the company’s praise once again. For the most part, it is due to the unveiling of iOS 7 today at WWDC 2013, Apple’s latest mobile operating system. Hailed as “…the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone…” by Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, the iOS 7 is “a pure representation of simplicity” yet “takes full advantage of technologies.”

To salvage any creditability after the Maps app debacle last year, Apple looked to its famed design team and Jony Ives, the company’s senior vice president of Design. With a clean slate, the team went on to re-design every aspect of the operating system, right down to its typography and color palette. One of the first thing you’ll notice is the new home screen and translucent features. Though flatter since Ives did away with the original skeumorphic design, the layering arrangement actually allows a “parallax effect” in conjunction to the device’s movement.




Other improvements include:

• Control Center – With just one swipe from the bottom of your screen, you have access to controls for Airplane Mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or Do Not Disturb, and the ability to adjust screen brightness, pause or play a song, jump to the next track and stream your music with AirPlay. Control Center also gives you instant access to apps such as Clock, Camera, Calculator and the Flashlight.
• Notification Center – now available from the Lock screen so you can see all your notifications with a simple swipe, and the new Today feature in Notification Center gives you an at-a-glance view of your day with a summary of the important details such as weather, traffic, meetings and events.
• Multitasking – Users have the ability to switch between their apps in a more visual and intuitive way, and iOS 7 pays attention to which apps you use most and automatically keeps your content up to date in the background.
• AirDrop – When you’ve got something you want to share, AirDrop shows you your contacts close by. Just select who you want to share with and AirDrop does the rest. AirDrop transfers are peer-to-peer so you can use it anywhere, without any network or set up required, and transfers are fully encrypted so your content is protected and private.
• Camera – Features filters so you can add real-time photo effects. The Camera app now also includes a square camera option, and you can quickly and easily switch between your four cameras—video, photo, square and panorama—with just a swipe.
• Moments – A new way to automatically organize your photos and videos based on time and location.
• iCloud Keychain – Passwords and credit card information are securely stored and available on all your devices, so navigating password protected sites or autofilling during transactions is simple and secure.
• Siri – With new male and female voices and includes Twitter search integration. Also has Wikipedia integration, providing access to the world’s most popular Internet reference site. Siri offers Bing web search within the app and the ability to change device settings and play back voicemail.
• iTunes Radio – Have access to stations inspired by the music you already listen to, Featured Stations curated by Apple and genre-focused stations that are personalized just for you. iTunes Radio evolves based on the music you play and download. The more you use iTunes Radio and iTunes, the more it knows what you like to listen to and the more personalized your experience becomes. iTunes Radio also gives you access to exclusive “first listen” premieres from top selling artists, Siri integration plus the ability to buy anything you hear with just one tap. The free Internet radio service features over 200 stations and accessible on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC or Apple TV.

The iOS 7 beta software and SDK are both available to software developers now. The rest of us will have to wait till this fall for its complete version.

source: freshnessmag.com

Apple, Beats discuss new music service

SAN FRANCISCO/LOS ANGELES — Apple Inc has held talks with Beats Electronics LLC, the audio technology firm co-founded by influential hip-hop producer Dr Dre and music mogul Jimmy Iovine, on a potential partnership involving Beats’ planned music-streaming service, three people familiar with the situation told Reuters.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook met with Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine during a visit to Los Angeles in late February to find out more about Beats’ “Project Daisy”, a music subscription service the company announced in January but with scant detail, the sources said.

Apple’s Internet products chief Eddy Cue, a key player in setting up its iTunes Music Store, also joined the meeting, at which Cook expressed interest in Daisy’s business model and its rollout plans, although the two did not discuss specifics of a deal, the sources said.

The meeting between Cook and Iovine, who is also chairman of music company Interscope-Geffen-A&M, was “informational” and covered a broad range of music-related topics, the sources said.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr and Beats declined to comment.

The iPhone maker has been widely reported to be considering a music-streaming service to complement iTunes, the largest repository of music for sale. Beats, known for its stylistic, distinctive headphones, has a partnership with Taiwanese handset maker HTC Corp, an Apple rival.

Beats reportedly named the project “Daisy” in honor of what it called the first digital, computerized song. At the time, it said in a press release that the service would “bring an emotional connection back to the act of music discovery,” referring to the process through which users find, buy and consume music.

Hungry for growth

The music recording industry has languished through more than a decade of declining revenues and sputtering growth. Industry sources say many of the largest companies are beginning to warm to the idea of collecting fees on music streamed over the Internet, as the use of smartphones and tablets explodes around the world.

But it remains a nascent market, dwarfed by music sales via outlets such as iTunes.

The meeting between Apple and Iovine was set up in January, immediately after Beats announced Daisy without explaining the upcoming project’s business model or how it plans to differentiate itself from existing services such as Spotify and Pandora, one of the sources said.

Other players reportedly looking at expanding into music-streaming — whether fee-based or by paid subscription — include Google Inc and Amazon.com Inc.

Iovine, a music producer and “mentor” to contestants on Fox’s “American Idol” show, has a long association with Apple and was one of the first music industry executives to sign onto what was then Apple’s nascent iTunes initiative, announced in 2001.

In a January interview with technology website AllThingsD, Iovine said he subsequently pitched a subscription service to Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs in 2003, but the mercurial Silicon Valley icon was not keen on it right away.

Iovine said Jobs didn’t want to pay the record companies enough, and thought the price would come down eventually.

source: interaksyon.com