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Epic Games vs Apple

Fortnite Developers Epic Games Drags Apple into Court; Calls Apple a Monopoly “Walled Garden”

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Apple and Epic Games attended the US court for the trial over App Store practices and regulations on Monday. Epic Games is the developer company of the famous Fortnite game, which accused Apple mainly for its high fees on App Store and Apple trying to establish its monopoly in the industry. The two companies clashed at the California federal court, and the revelations in the court have made people’s jaw drop.

Epic Games

Epic Games is a North Carolina-based video game and software developer and publisher company, best known for the development of Fornite and Unreal Engine. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney in 1991, who is also the current CEO of the company. Apart from Fortnite and Unreal Engine, Epic Games Store, Unreal series, and Gears of War series are Epic’s main products.

Why the Court Case?

Epic Games create games for both iOS and Android platforms. But recently, the company accused Apple of abuse of the power it holds over the software developers at the California federal court. According to Epic Games, Apple has an audience base of over 1 billion, and it charges up to 30% on in-app purchases and conducting App Store reviews, which is too much. Also, the company has got all the control over the apps on App Store, which gives Apple the power to deny access to apps whenever it wants.

The Epic lawyer, Katherine Forrest, stated in her first statement that Apple is trying to have its monopoly in the market and has turned into a monopoly “walled garden”, luring in developers and users to get more and more money out of them. Forrest also claimed that the tech giant currently is earning a profit of up to 78 percent from the apps. “The evidence will show unambiguously that Apple is a monopoly,” said Forrest while representing the case in the court.

Epic Games Vs Apple
Image Source: techstory.in

Karen Dunn is defending Apple in the case, and she refused to accept that Apple is trying to have a monopoly. Despite she claimed that Apple has no problems if Epic Games run its games on rival companies’ devices. Apple is just trying to sell a broad array of services and making ways in different fields. She also said that Apple has created a safe and open environment for the developers and the users for easy access to apps, and it not at all charging a high fee for providing privacy, reliability, and quality to the developers and its consumers.

Fortnite Brought in Over $9 Billion in 2019, Shows Documents

The court case has made the two companies public their important financial records of the past few years. These documents have given a glimpse of the gaming company Epic Games’ annual reports. According to these financial documents, Fortnite made more than $5 billion in its first year for Epic Games, and by 2019, it had brought in over $9 billion in total for the company in the two years. Though the number is quite high, Epic Games revealed that it only gained around $5.5 billion in profit from the two years.

These documents also showed a prediction for the year 2020. It revealed that the predicted revenue for 2020 was $3.6 billion, but according to CEO Tim Sweeney’s recent testimony, the company made around $5.1 billion from Fortnite alone. The documents also show that the company gained around $8 million in 2018 and $100 million in the next year through its other games.

Is Apple Being Monopolistic?

For many years, Apple has been charging developers a heavy fee for letting users download their app from the App Store. The company has banned downloading of apps from other sources to be used on Apple devices. So the developers are forced to pay the ‘fee’ so that they can access the huge Apple user base.

According to Tim Sweeney, Apple forces its unfavorable rules on the developers or they can’t have the access to the one billion iPhone users. Many other app developers are on Epic Games’ side and have criticized Apple for its monopolistic behavior. The debate in the court is on whether Apple should have the power to set all the rules and control the payment system or not. 

iOS 14.5

iOS 14.5: Apple Brings New iOS Update Along with Enhancements to its Major Features.

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After Apple launched its new iPad Pro models, the AirTag and colorful iMacs, recently at its first event of 2021, the company has now brought a new update to its iOS, i.e., iOS 14.5, on Monday. Reportedly, the company has claimed that there are many exciting features added along with the new update. Though the update is not a very big one, the features that it has brought are the ones that may attract many iOS users. The update has been done for both iPhone and iPad users in terms of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5.

What the iOS 14.5 has got for the Apple Users?

Apple has made small enhancements to almost all its major features. Starting with unlocking the Apple phone and the iPad, Apple has now added new capabilities to the Apple Watch, such that the users can use it to unlock the smartphone or the iPad. The feature has been added as the face lock won’t work with a mask. So, now the users can use their watch to unlock their devices securely.

The company has also introduced a new feature to control the apps that the users want to share their information with. This way, the users are now capable of changing their preferences on sharing their information with the apps, at any point of time just through the settings.

After the iOS 14.5 update, Siri has also got some enhancements done to it. The updated Siri now has more options of voice, and it has adopted the Neural Text to Speech technology to make the voice sound more human-like. The English language users have got even more options in terms of voice selection.

iOS 14.5
Image Source: macrumors.com

Apple has also worked on making the chats more interesting by adding new emojis to its library. These emojis include couple kissing emoji, couple with heart emoji, face exhaling, face with spiral eyes, face in clouds, hearts on fire, mending heart, etc. The users have the option for selecting different face colors of the emojis. This way, the new update will bring over 200 new emojis for its users.

Apple has also improved its map specifically for its US and Chinese users, as now they can report any incident like an accident, hazard, or speed check on the map. The users can report these incidents to Siri on iPhone or CarPlay, or can directly go to “Report an Issue” in Maps, and the other users going through the same route get notified about the same. The new update also allows the users to share their ETA with their family or friends.

The Apple Podcasts have also got a new look and feel to provide the users with quicker access. They now can easily download the podcasts that directly go to their library. The new update has also got the support for the newly launched AirTag that has been developed to make the users easily track and find their important items of daily use.

Apple has also redesigned its News+ tab for easy access and management of the magazine and newspaper issues for the users. The company has also improved its search experience for the users so that to better the topic search for the users.

Other Added Features

Other than these major enhancements, the Apple update has also brought improvements to the Reminders, Apple Fitness+, and Accessibility. The users now can sort the reminders on a priority basis and also can print them. For Fitness+, the company has made the AirPlay2 enabled to stream the audio and video through the TV and other devices. On the other hand, the Accessibility feature now can work through the users’ voice. Apple has launched English language support for Australian and Canadian users and support for Spanish in Mexico, Spain, and the United States.

With the support for the dual sim in the iPhone 12 models, the company, with its new update, has added the support for 5G connectivity and added Smart Data Mode enhancements for its users.

Apple

Six biggest announcements by Apple revealing a bunch of new hardware products.

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On 21st April 2021, Apple held an event at its campus in Cupertino, California, and announced six new hardware products. The biggest highlights of this event were the new iPad Pro which is coming with a mini-LED display, a redesigned new iMac, Apple’s new podcast subscription service, a brand new Apple TV streaming box, a stunning purple color option for iPhone 12, and finally the long-awaited AirTag. These six new products by Apple are way too exciting for both its existing users and potential audience. So, let’s have a glimpse at all the specifications of this new hardware.

New iPad Pro with M1 Chip

The new iPad Pro is coming with the revolutionary M1 chip which will lead to a huge leap in performance. This new product features a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with high-speed storage of up to 2TB along with Thunderbolt expansion. The new iPad Pro is featuring an 8-core CPU design which will deliver 50 percent faster CPU performance than A12Z Bionic. It will also deliver 40 percent faster GPU performance which will make iPad Pro the fastest device of its kind. The product is having a next-generation 16-core Apple Neural Engine, an advanced image signal processor (ISP), and high bandwidth memory architecture. The new iPad Pro has a true depth camera system featuring a 12MP Ultra Wide front camera. You can order the new iPad Pro from 30th April on the official website of Apple.

Apple
Image Source: apple.com

Apple’s All-new iMac

The All-new iMac by Apple is featuring a much more compact and thin design enabled by the M1 chip. The new 24-inch iMac is designed for very powerful performance. It has a 4.5K Retina display with 11.3 million pixels and a peak brightness of 500 nits. It also has a 1080p FaceTime HD camera for a better experience attending those Zoom meetings along with studio-quality mics and a six-speaker sound system. It is for the first time ever that Mac brings Touch ID ensuring better security. The device will be powered by macOS Big Sur which will get your everyday tasks done at a very high speed and enable smooth multitasking as well. It will be available from the second half of May in several different colors, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.

Apple
Image Source: apple.com

Podcasts Subscription

Apple introduces Apple Podcasts subscriptions which will help listeners around the globe discover premium subscriptions that are offered by many creators along with free shows on Apple Podcasts. This product will also roll out in May in more than 170 countries. Users will be able to sign up for premium subscriptions for content by their favorite creators, add free music, exclusive access to new series, etc. Users will be able to get premium subscriptions from channels and brands like Tenderfoot TV, Pushkin Industries, QCODE, NPR, Sony Music Entertainment, etc. Apart from the listeners, the Apple Podcasts for Creators website will immensely help them to stay updated and they can access a dashboard that will help them visualize user engagement and track performance using various tools.

Next-Generation Apple TV 4K

Apple reveals the next-generation Apple TV 4K which will deliver high frame rate HDR with Dolby Vision enabling fast-moving action at 60 fps (frames per second). It will help customers connect with their favorite content in the best ever quality. The new Apple TV 4K is featuring the A12 Bionic chip that will provide a significant boost not only in graphics performance but also video decoding and audio processing. The Siri Remote as usual will make work several folds easier with intuitive navigation controls. Users will have access to many award-winning shows and movies like Greyhound, The Morning Show, Lasso, etc on the Apple TV+ app. The Apple Fitness app is always placed on the new TV providing both workout mantra and entertainment at once.

iPhone 12 in a Stunning Purple Color

Apple has introduced a stunning purple color for Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini. The new color is enhancing the look of the product to several folds accentuating the flat aluminum edges and equally complimenting the precision-milled back glass. Both phones have expansive edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays with OLED and a super-advanced dual-camera system. The durability of the phones has been increased with a ceramic shield front cover. The new purple iPhone 12 is powered by A14 Bionic which is the fastest chip in a smartphone.

Apple Introduces AirTag

Apple
Image Source: apple.com

Apple has introduced AirTag which is a small accessory that will help the customers keep track of items and also find them using Apple’s Find My App. You can attach them to anything from keys to your handbag and it will help you find the location of that object. AirTags are offered in a single or four-pack priced at Rs 3190 and Rs 10900 respectively.

Foxconn

Foxconn expects ‘Limited Impact’ on Apple due to global chip shortage.

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The pandemic has taken a toll on every possible industry one can think of in the last year. There was a shortage of supply, hindrance in production, unavailable transportation, and several more obstacles in any business. One latest concern in the tech industry is regarding the shortage of chips that is creating a major disturbance in the semiconductor industry. The chip shortage has affected both the automotive and semiconductor industry on a global scale.

But, in response to the chip crisis situation, Foxconn mentioned last weekend that there will be “limited impact” on the company and its clients. Speaking of clients, Apple is one of the major clients of Foxconn, and since the clients are massive tech giants they always have a Plan B. With the advent of 2021, the pandemic though prevailing is easing, and Liu Young-way, chairman of the manufacturing conglomerate formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd said that they expected the company to do better in the first half of 2021 (Gadgets 360).

Foxconn Global chip shortage

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 created havoc across the globe. Though many small businesses were forced to shut down, the market for electronics boomed. During the lockdown, demand for laptops and gaming consoles increased unexpectedly as people were getting more inclined towards enjoying and working from the confinement of home. In the beginning, we didn’t have any choice but now people are adapting to this lifestyle. So, demand for good electronics, especially laptops, smartphones, and good connectivity are not going down anytime soon.

Foxconn
Image Source: scmp.com

Due to this sudden escalation in demand for electronics, chip-making companies faced some difficulties in manufacturing and constant supply. So, the chip manufacturers have to reallocate their supply for the tech industry and away from the automotive sector. A sudden shift in supply from one sector to another was going to create a shortage in the automobile industry. But, it was not possible for the chip manufacturers to meet the demand in both sectors simultaneously amidst the pandemic.

Chip shortage in many sectors

The chip shortage caused many big automobile brands like Volkswagen AG, General Motors Co, and Ford Motors Co to cut their output capacity. Because without the chips, the final model won’t be ready for sale. The chip shortage affected the automotive industry with a huge jolt but eventually, the crisis had its impact on the smartphone sector. In the smartphone industry, the companies faced a shortage in application processors, display driver chips, power management chips, etc. But, the common people didn’t face the impact of this smartphone sector crisis in a great amount.

Amidst the crisis, chip manufacturers are likely to prioritize the biggest customers. Hence, it can be predicted that Apple is going to suffer the minimal impact of the chip crisis scenario. Foxconn’s biggest customer is Apple and it also has another advantage due to its large size hence a global presence. Though big companies have also faced crises during the beginning of the pandemic, they absorbed the shock much more efficiently than the smaller businesses.

Other interest of Foxconn

Though Apple is Foxconn’s biggest priority currently, the company is still looking out for growth opportunities in other sectors. Foxconn is showing its current interest in electric vehicles (EV) and Liu has further mentioned that their EV platform (MIH EV Open Platform) currently has around 736 partner companies participating from around the globe. The company is extensively working on this area and Liu believes that two or three models for presentation will be ready by the end of the fourth quarter. But, he has also mentioned that EV’s contribution to the company won’t be significant before the next couple of years.

For contributing significantly in the area of EV, last month Foxconn and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group came into a joint partnership which will provide contract manufacturing for automakers. This new venture is shared equally between the two companies who will also provide consultancy service for EV technologies. Apple is also planning to launch self-driving cars by 2024.

Every company is trying to evolve and keep up with the evolution in technology. But. among all these giant businesses, Tesla is the one that is way ahead of all its rivals.

Apple Platform Security Guide

Apple Platform Security Guide updated highlighting changes that came up with the M1 chip

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On 19th February 2021, Apple updated the company’s Platform Security Guide highlighting all the new changes that have been implemented to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple has updated the Platform Security Guide in a detailed fashion mentioning every detail about all the features used by Apple to protect user data. Apple has tried to increase the transparency between the company and the users so that they have an idea about how their devices and data are kept protected across any platform.

The new Platform Security Guide is the lengthiest guide of the company ever consisting of a 200-page detailed guide and information. But, the most highlighted information in the guide is about the M1 chip and all the new updates regarding security changes due to the same. Apple released the M1 chip last year and has also changed some security features accordingly.

Apple Platform Security Guide

After Apple released the last update of Platform Security Guide, it took the company ten long months to release the recent version. The main gadgets that have been focused on in this updated guide are iOS 14.3, iPad 14.3, macOS Big Sur 11.1, tvOS 14.3, and watchOS 7.2 (Gadgets 360). In the new Platform Security Guide, Apple has mainly focused on the security changes of Mac users through the new Apple M1 chip. There are eleven new topics regarding security changes and features that have introduced in the new guide.

Apple Platform Security Guide
Image Source: macrumors.com

According to the updated guide, there are security elements that will be able to provide the new Mac machines with a secure boot process. The Apple computers that are based on the new M1 silicon chip can enable kernel extensions in the devices. And, the authorization requirements for enabling this extension are also mentioned in the security guide.

In spite of the 200-page security guide mostly concerning the new M1 chip-enabled devices, Patrick Wardle, a security researcher has mentioned that M1-enabled Apple devices are still not fully secured. But, with software updates, the issues will be fixed in near future.

Security changes in iPhone and iPad

Apart from the changes that are followed by Apple’s M1 chip, the security guide also mentions the security changes for iPad and iPhone through the iOS14 updates. One of the most important iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 updates includes the iBoot implementation which is exclusively for the iPhones that are based on Apple A13 Bionic and above. In the case of iPads, the update is for the iPads fueled by Apple A14 Bionic chips. Apple has also updated the overall user experience by updating the silicon in iPad, iPhone, and Mac to T2 chip and AES hardware engine. This was incorporated to implement line-speed encryption.

Biometric Security System

Along with these updates, Apple has also included a set of changes for both its hardware and software division for the not-so-knew devices to uplift their security. One of the biggest changes that Apple has brought in its devices is face recognition and touch recognition adding an extra layer of security. Biometric security is becoming very popular recently and almost implemented in every smart device for the protection of data and devices. The conventional password protection is present along with that biometrics are added for a better user experience.

The previous reports have shown that around 51 percent of the total Apple users don’t prefer setting a password for their devices, because it takes too much effort to set a passcode and type it every time you unlock the device. So, even when there is a choice to provide security, many people choose not to set a passcode only because they have to give extra effort. But, after Apple introduced the Touch ID and Face ID, around 92 percent of Apple users switched to biometric authentication.

Every company strives to strengthen its security to the topmost level but glitches are found sooner or later. Many researchers often find bugs in the Apple security system and the company has even faced lawsuits due to this. Apple has also faced lawsuits due to copyright infringements in the anime of enhancing security systems. But, with the new updates, maybe the bugs will reduce and the overall user experience will improve.

Apple Powerbeats Pro

Apple Releases Special Edition Powerbeats Pro With ‘Black-on-Black’ Aesthetics

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Earlier this week, Apple’s audio brand Beats in collaboration with Fragment Design has launched a new and special edition of Powerbeats Pro. The company call this design “black-on-black” as these new wireless earbuds have a pure black finish featuring Fragment Design’s FRGMT branding and the lightning logo on the earbuds. Even the charging case of this Apple’s special edition Powerbeats Pro comes in a pure black monochromatic design. This new gadget is giving an enticing look but specifications are almost the same as the regular Powerbeats Pro. 

Special Edition Powerbeats Pro Specifications

Apart from the pure black aesthetic look of the new special edition totally wireless earbuds, it comes with an Apple H1 chip. This chip allows the independent function of the two wireless earbuds like changing the volume, sharing wireless audio, etc. The new Powerbeats Pro claims to have better battery life. These earbuds come with a built-in battery which will provide 9 hours playback time after a single charge. An additional 24 hours of playback time is provided by the bundled case. It will be better for the customers to understand the performance one they use it themselves.

The most catchy feature of this special edition Powerbeats Pro is the “black-on-black” design giving an extremely exquisite outlook to this gadget. Both the wireless earbuds and the bundled case have the branding of Fragment Design to make the look very exclusive and set it apart from the Powerbeats Pro already available in the market. There are four different sizes of earplugs so that the users don’t face any difficulty fitting them inside the ear. It also comes with an adjustable ear hook so that the earbuds don’t fall off. Each of the earbuds also has a built-in sensor that will stop the music if you put it out of your ear.

Image Source: apple.com

You can also use the phrase “Hey Siri” for an audio-based control of the earbuds. Since the device has the option of audio-based control it comes with dual beamforming microphones, motion and speech accelerometers. This helps in recognizing speech and background noise cancelation. The earbuds have USB A type charging port. Though Apple’s special edition Powerbeats Pro will be available from 29th January 2021, the number of units up for sale has not been mentioned by the company.

Price and availability

The special edition Powerbeats Pro is priced at $249.99 which is approximately Rs 18,200. You can order these earbuds directly from the Apple website starting tomorrow. Since the number of units to be sold is unknown, you can have a look at the regular Powerbeats Pro, in case you are planning to buy either of them.

The regular Powerbeats Pro

If you check out the Apple website, the company is currently selling the Powerbeats Pro at $199.95, $50 less from the original price. These are totally wireless high-performance earphones that also provides 9 hours of playback time with a single charge. Along with the charging case, you can listen to the audio for more than 24 hours. You can use the earbuds during workouts as these are purely sweat and water-resistant. It also comes with adjustable ear hooks which are lightweight and provides stability so they won’t fall off. The regular Powerbeats Pro also has a hands-free working system and has the Apple H1 chip for better independent performance. Apart from the exclusive design in partnership with Fragment Design, the performance of both the earbuds are almost the same.

More about Fragment Design

Fragment Design is a brand from the multidisciplinary Japanese artist and designer, Hiroshi Fujiwara. Fujiwara’s designs are famous in the fashion and lifestyle domain of the modern fashion world. He collaborates with some of the leading famous brands and magazines around the world like Vogue, Converse, Supreme, Levi’s, etc. His main designs and contributions are spotted in sneakers and menswear. Fragment Design has also collaborated with Starbucks before. It is very different and unique to bring such a brilliant designer onboard to the realms of tech thus blending it with fashion.