Items tagged with (NASDAQ:APPL)
The United States Congress is currently looking to break “Big Tech” monopolies. However, the companies that they are targeting are unwilling to go down without a fight. Apple recently released a report that defends their current App Store practices. Many people have contended that Apple should allow developers to “sideload” or distribute their particular apps through individual websites or alternative app stores. This system is not allowed under Apple’s current model and users are only able to download apps through the Apple’s App Store. Apple’s main argument in support of their App Store is that “sideloading” could be dangerous to consumers...
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For years, Apple has featured solid marketing about its devices and App Store, leading people to believe it was the safest software ecosystem around. However, we are continuing to learn that the marketing does not always match the truth, and the App Store may not be as safe as people tend to think. In fact, one developer believes that fraudulent activity on the App Store could be measured in the billions, not millions. Kosta Eleftheriou is an app developer and self-proclaimed professional App Store critic going after the fraud and issues allegedly ignored by Apple. He recently found hidden casinos inside kid’s games, inappropriate games rated for ages four and up, as well as abundant fleeceware....
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Apple has long been accused of being anti-competitive, but these accusations may soon be further placed under a microscope. The European Union (EU) is expected to charge Apple over supposed antitrust practices sometime over the next week. The case will likely be based off of the allegations of companies such as Spotify. Spotify argued in 2019 that Apple’s app store policies “[tilted] the playing field to disadvantage competitors.” These practices have included frequently changing app store policies and initially demanding a 30 percent royalty for using Apple’s payment system for subscriptions. Spotify claims that Apple’s practices have forced it to artificially inflate...
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There have reportedly been some major leadership changes at Apple recently. Sources from Apple have stated that Dan Riccio is now focusing on the company's augmented reality and virtual reality projects. His new leadership role will hopefully help Apple to overcome the delays its AR and VR devices have experienced. Riccio originally joined Apple in 1998. He previously served as the senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, but stepped down from the position last month. He was replaced by John Ternus who initially joined Apple in 2001 and has been a vice president of Hardware Engineering since 2013. It was announced that Riccio would be “focusing on a new project and reporting to CEO...
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The relationship between Facebook and Apple has become quite tense over the last couple of years. The two companies have battled over their various policies and typically rely on the internet to criticize each other. However, Facebook has recently taken a rather old school approach to air their grievances. Facebook has placed ads in newspapers that lambast Apple’s upcoming data gathering policy. The ads have appeared in newspapers such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post and are targeted at Apple’s policy changes. According to Apple, “Apps will be required to receive user permission to track users across apps or websites owned by other companies,...
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Today, Apple got “into the holiday spirit” by dropping its royalty rate from 30% to 15% for developers who earned less than $1 million in the last year. Epic Games and Spotify, who both reside in the Coalition for App Fairness, were quick to call out this move. They essentially claimed it as a way for Apple to divide the developer community so Apple can come out on top of the issues they face. Epic Games has not been a fan of Apple, especially since the Fortnite ordeal began in August. With the move to give indie developers a Apple tax break of 15%, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney claimed in a statement reported by CNBC that “This would be something to celebrate were it not a calculated...
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Apple has been investigated and accused of anti-competitive practices over the last year, and in September, Epic Games formed a coalition against Apple for battling monopolistic store practices. The U.S Department of Justice has also been increasing antitrust investigations and inquiries into big tech companies over the last year. Apple is likely not a fan of this scrutiny and wants to avoid any potential lawsuits, especially from the government, like the plague. Thus, Apple is apparently trying to appease regulators with a new feature in the newly-released iOS 14.3 beta, which will show third-party apps to new users during device setup. Yesterday, 9to5Mac found code within the iOS...
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Apple has been on somewhat of a rampage with their App Store late this year, between the Fortnite debacle and new obtuse rules. In a seemingly reversed stance, Apple went up against Linux and Unix shell-app developers, claiming that they violated App Store Review Guidelines. Linux and Unix shells are essentially command-line interfaces, and in this case, are installed on devices that typically do not have command line functionality. Apps such as iSH and Blink Shell offer these tools to provide more features to the power users or IT wizards. They can eliminate the need for different devices on the go, especially if you can pair up a keyboard and get work done. The command-line functionality,...
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Samsung and Apple are two of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, and it makes sense that they go back and forth in a competitive business tango. Recently, rumors circulated that the Samsung Galaxy S21 has been tapped for launch in January of next year. This early launch may have been selected so Samsung could attempted to steal some thunder from Apple’s late-arriving iPhone 12 series. Samsung could also have something else in store, though, with a rumored Samsung Galaxy Note20 Fan Edition, which could also launch next year. In September, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE launched at $699. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was a trimmed down S20 which kept premium flagship features, making...
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At an interesting time for Apple with the Fortnite issues, Apple is now implementing guideline disputes into the App Store. With apps starting to challenge App Store rules, the score is 1-0 for the developers so far. At WWDC20, Apple’s developer conference, it was announced that there would be changes to the app review process. These changes are finally being implemented and Apple now has a news blurb about it. In it, they state that you can address guideline violations when you submit an app or app update. Alongside this, you can also appeal decisions and submit suggestions for App Store rules. Also, in the blurb is this interesting quote that says, “For apps that are already on...
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It has now been a little over a week since Epic Games filed a lawsuit against Apple and Google, and the former has since responded with its own legal filing this past week. Is this legal battle merely a dog fight between two large corporations? The dispute between Epic Games, Apple and Google could potentially permanently impact the nature of app stores. These consequences will hopefully overall benefit the consumer. Epic Games introduced its Epic Direct Payment system for mobile users last week. Epic Games allowed users to purchase V-Bucks and other items through Epic Direct Payment instead of the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. This system would help consumers benefit from Epic Games’...
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Epic Games and Apple are about to legally duke it out. Epic Games just filed a lawsuit against Apple that claims that Apple’s App Store is anti-competitive. The lawsuit was quickly filed after Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store earlier today. Epic Games overall argues that Apple’s policies prevent innovation and directly harm consumers and developers. They state that Apple “...has become what it once railed against: the behemoth seeking to control markets, block competition, and stifle innovation.” Epic Games today introduced “Epic Direct Payment.” Mobile users who purchase V-Bucks or other items through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store would...
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Updated 8/13/2020 @ 3:40pm Well, that escalated quickly. Apple has gone nuclear, kicking Fortnite out of the App Store after Epic Games decided to circumvent fees with its own payment system. We can't say that we didn't see this coming, but Apple is putting its foot own in a commanding way given that Fortnite is one of the biggest games on the planet. Here's Apple's statement in full on its decision: Today, Epic Games took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines that are applied equally to every developer and designed to keep the store safe for our users. As a result their Fortnite app has been removed from the store. Epic enabled a feature in its app which was not reviewed...
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Should you purchase a new Intel-based Macbook Pro or MacBook Air? The answer is, probably not. Some tech journalists and analysts believe that Apple has doomed its current line of Intel-based MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs and experts in the know are encouraging consumers to hold off on purchasing these kinds of Apple products. Apple recently announced that its products would eventually not be powered by Intel processors. Future devices instead will feature a custom ARM chip based on a future Apple processor architecture. Apple offers that consumers will experience better performance and battery life, and that there will be greater compatibility between Apple’s various lines of...
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Apple drew a lot of scrutiny and backlash when it was discovered that the company was secretly throttling performance of select iPhones models in order to preserve battery life. While the practice was understandable given that lithium-ion batteries degrade over time, the fact that Apple was so secretive about the practice -- and did not notify customers at all about the performance throttling -- is what caused many customers to become upset, Apple faced a number of class-action lawsuits -- 66 to be exact -- for its CPU throttling, and it now looks as though a settlement has been reached. According to the proposed settlement, Apple will pay up at a minimum $310 million, and up to...
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Do you have any fitness-related New Year resolutions? Apple’s latest series of partnerships may be what you need to get moving. Apple recently introduced its “Apple Watch Connected” program which will help users earn rewards for working out at select gyms. The Apple Watch Connected program is an expansion of its GymKit technology. GymKit technology was originally introduced in 2017 and allowed Apple Watch wearers to sync their devices with gym equipment. Apple hoped that this technology would allow users to better track their gym workouts. Fitness trackers tend to do well when the user is moving across distances, but struggle when the user is working out on a stationary...
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Have you ever wondered what Windows 10 would look like if Apple had designed it? One concept artist has reimagined Windows 10 as an Apple product. The concept includes a few interesting features, but overall we find ourselves personally favoring the existing Windows 10. Kamer Kaan Avdan published a video that asked “How would it look like, if Apple created Windows 10?” His version of Windows 10 features Apple’s iconic playful and colorful aesthetic. Several Windows 10 features also have naturally been replaced with Apple items. For example, users would browse with Safari instead of Edge and Cortana has been replaced with Siri. There are also a handful of characteristics that...
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Many argue that Apple has their finger on the pulse of technology trends. This claim may be more literal than originally anticipated. A cardiologist is currently suing Apple for stealing his Atrial fibrillation (AFib) detection technology and using it in Apple Watches. Dr. Joseph Wiesel is a cardiologist and clinical assistant professor at New York University’s School of Medicine. In 2006, Dr. Wiesel filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a method and apparatus for detecting atrial fibrillation or irregular heartbeats. The patent states that the heartbeat is detected either through an inflatable cuff or “light transmitted through a body appendage, such...
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As we approach the new decade, it feels as if every major tech company is working on their own satellites. Everyone from SpaceX to Amazon is interested in broadband satellites. It was recently revealed that Apple has also thrown its hat into the ring. Apple has been secretly working on its own satellites over the last few years. According to a Bloomberg article, Apple has been hiring hardware and software engineers for the satellite project over the last few months. There are currently about a dozen engineers working on the satellites. The team is led by aerospace engineers Michael Trela and John Fenwick, who worked for the company Skybox Imaging until 2015. Apple hopes to finish the satellites...
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iPhone 11 Apple was under fire this past week for tracking iPhone 11 users’ locations even when that setting was disabled. They have now promised that an update is on its way. iOS 13.3 will likely be released next week and contain a fix for unwanted location tracking. Security researcher Brian Krebs or “KrebsOnSecurity” recently discovered that Apple’s range of iPhone 11 devices will occasionally report a user’s location. These intermittent pings occur even if a user has diabled location tracking. A video captured the odd behavior. Apple originally responded that this was “expected behavior” and refused to offer any further details. Apple then “came...
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The right to repair movement is about to get a much needed boost. The Massachusetts state legislature plans to host a public hearing regarding their “Digital Right to Repair” bills. Many anticipate that this will be the largest hearing in support of this kind of legislation. Many have argued that the policies of large tech companies have hurt consumers and small businesses. The proposed legislation would “establish fair and reasonable terms for providing diagnostic, service or repair information and services for digital electronic products.” Manufacturers would also be prohibited from installing software on a device that would prevent it from being repaired by a third-party....
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Many companies are working hard to improve their artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. AI could impact everything from medicine to silly Instagram overlays and everything in between. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are all toiling to gain an edge in the AI field by leveraging their massive treasure troves of data, but what are their existing privacy policies and user data security track records? Which of these companies cares the most about protecting your privacy? Should you even trust Amazon, Apple, Facebook, or Google with your data? We examined the kind of data that is collected by the above companies and how it is shared, their virtual assistants, and privacy controls. We also reviewed...
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