Tag: Apple

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In China, Apple Compromises on Censorship and Surveillance

In China, Apple Compromises on Censorship and Surveillance

On Chinese iPhones, Apple bans apps through the Dalai Lama, while hosting apps by the Chinese paramilitary group accused of arresting and abusing Uyghurs, an ethnic minority in China.

The company has also helped China spread its view of the world. Chinese iPhones censor the Taiwanese flag emoji, and their maps suggest that Taiwan is part of China. According to Patrick Wardle, a former National Security Agency hacker, simply typing the word “Taiwan” could cause the iPhone to crash for a while.

Sometimes, Mr. Schuhmacher said, he would be woken up in the middle of the night with requests from the Chinese government to remove an app. If the app seemed to mention the prohibited topics, it would remove it, but it would send more complicated cases to senior executives, including Mr Cue and Mr Schiller.

Apple defied an order from the Chinese government in 2012 to remove the Times’ apps. But five years later it ended up being that way. Mr Cook agreed to the decision, according to two knowledgeable people who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Apple recently announced the number of times governments require apps to be removed. In the two years ending June 2020, the latest data available, Apple approved 91 percent of the Chinese government’s app deactivation requests and removed 1,217 apps.

In every other country during that period, Apple approved 40 percent of requests and removed 253 apps. Apple said most of the apps that were removed for the Chinese government were related to gambling, pornography, or operated without a state license, such as: B. Rental services and live streaming apps.

However, a Times analysis of the Chinese app data suggests that this information represents a fraction of the apps that Apple has blocked in China. Since 2017, around 55,000 active apps have disappeared from Apple’s app store in China, according to a Times analysis of data compiled by Sensor Tower, an app data company. Most of these apps are available in other countries.

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World News

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s new startup Nothing takes intention at Apple

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei's new startup Nothing takes aim at Apple

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei speaks on stage during TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019.

Steve Jennings | Getty Images for TechCrunch

LONDON – Carl Pei, co-founder of the Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus, is restarting.

The Chinese-born Swedish entrepreneur founded a new consumer tech company called Nothing late last year. The company is expected to launch its first product in June, a pair of wireless earbuds called the Ear 1.

While the specs for Nothing’s headphones are not yet known, Pei suggests that they will be minimalist in terms of features. Instead of “20 different levels” of noise cancellation, Pei says, people only need a maximum of two or three settings. Nothing’s products will also have a “retro-futuristic” design, Pei said, adding that the company has spent a lot of time perfecting its design philosophy.

“We want to bring this element of human warmth back into our products,” Pei told CNBC in an interview.

“Products aren’t just cold electronics,” he added. “They are designed by people and used intelligently by people. It seems like product companies (today) are run by big companies.”

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s new start-up, Nothing, announced the name of its upcoming wireless earbuds on Tuesday: Ear 1.

Nothing

Pei and his former colleague Pete Lau founded OnePlus in 2013. OnePlus, majority-owned by China’s Oppo, a subsidiary of Guangzhou-based BBK Electronics, has become known for making cheap Android phones with decent specifications. Pei left the company in October to start his new hardware company.

Pei hopes his new London-based company, Nothing, will shape the consumer tech industry in the same way that Apple’s iMac G3 rocked the PC market in the late 1990s and early 2000s. “Today is like the personal computer industry in the 80s and 90s where everyone was making gray boxes,” he said.

The 31-year-old tech entrepreneur said he was once Apple’s “biggest fan,” but “overall innovation has only slowed down a lot” in recent years.

Apple’s iPhone was a game changer that ushered in a move to touchscreen-based cell phones and apps that have grown into multi-billion dollar companies. However, some believe that the modern smartphone industry is stagnating, introducing minor updates every year, albeit at higher prices. Large companies are trying to freshen up smartphones with super-fast 5G WiFi and even collapsible displays.

“There is a general feeling, ‘Why should I update my technology?’ because each new generation is similar to the previous one, “added Pei. “In the past people were so optimistic about technology. But now people are indifferent. And there has to be a way to break the cycle.”

Apple declined to comment when contacted by CNBC. Apple has made a number of improvements to the iPhone over the years, including 5G and its powerful new A14 Bionic chip. Other recent product launches include new high-end iPads, colorful iMacs, and lost item trackers called AirTags.

Pei’s second act

Pei was born in Beijing and grew up in Sweden. He recalls that his uncle, who worked for Nokia, gave him old cell phones to play around with. Pei dropped out of college in 2011 to work in the Chinese smartphone industry. Now the entrepreneur is starting from scratch and targeting consumer tech giants like Apple and Samsung.

Pei’s new venture has been puzzling over the past few months, but he tried to generate a hype on Twitter with cryptic posts and raised $ 1.24 million from loyal crowdfunding investors in March.

Pei says he’s frustrated having to download different apps for each of his smart devices. Instead, he wants to build a technological ecosystem, all supported by the same software, and take a sheet out of Apple’s playbook.

“We see a future where technology is everywhere and nowhere,” said Pei. “The first step for us is to create an ecosystem of smart devices that seamlessly connect to each other.”

Uphill battle

However, it won’t be easy. Hardware is a notoriously tricky market.

“The first rule of hardware is that it’s known to be difficult – it’s complex and capital-intensive,” Tom Hulme, general partner at Alphabet’s Venture Capital Arm GV, an investor in nothing, told CNBC.

“If you make a mistake, it can have a devastating impact on the company,” Pei said. “A lot of investors shy away from it and there could therefore be less competition.”

Total sales of true wireless headphones – buds without wires – were 233 million units in 2020, with Apple’s AirPods accounting for nearly a third of the market, according to Counterpoint Research. Counterpoint predicts the market will grow 33% to 310 million units this year and expects Apple’s market share to decrease in competition with new entrants.

Nothing has attracted an impressive number of investors, including Alphabet’s GV, iPod inventor Tony Fadell, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, and YouTube star Casey Neistat. The company is aiming to raise funds again later this year or early 2022.

“We have enough runway for a couple of years,” he told CNBC. “But I think we want to increase, maybe by the end of the year or the beginning of next year, when our first products are on the market or when our future products gradually become more definitive.”

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Business

Epic trial reveals Apple negotiations with Netflix, Fb, Microsoft

Epic trial reveals Apple negotiations with Netflix, Facebook, Microsoft

Apple und Epic Games stehen sich seit Jahren in einem der am genauesten beobachteten Kartellverfahren in der Technologiebranche gegenüber.

Epic Games hat diese Woche seinen Fall vorgestellt, und Apple wird seinen Fall in den kommenden Wochen vorstellen. Schließlich wird Richterin Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers eine Entscheidung treffen, ob Apple Epic erlauben muss, einen eigenen App Store auf iPhones zu installieren und die 30% App Store-Gebühr von Apple zu umgehen.

Als Teil von Epics Argument, dass Apples App Store wettbewerbswidrig ist, hat die Studie viele interne Apple-Überlegungen zu Verhandlungen ergeben – Gerichtsausstellungen, einschließlich E-Mail-Threads füllen Dokumente im Wert von 60 Ordnern – mit einigen seiner wichtigsten Partner.

Die Dokumente zeichnen ein Porträt eines Unternehmens, das sich seiner umsatzstärksten und wichtigsten Apps sehr bewusst ist und regelmäßig Verhandlungen mit Unternehmen wie Netflix, Microsoft, Facebook und sogar Epic Games selbst führt, deren Fortnite-Spiel eine der Top-Apps bei Apple war Appstore.

Während die E-Mails nicht zeigen, dass das App Store-Team Kompromisse bei den Apple-Regeln bezüglich der zulässigen Inhalte im Store eingeht, haben sie andere Zugeständnisse gemacht, darunter die Platzierung auf der Titelseite im App Store, Koordination und Werbung durch Apple-Produkteinführungen sowie Zugriff auf exklusive Programme Funktionen und Versuche, leitende Angestellte einzuschleifen, um Kompromisse zu finden.

Apple hat Netflix Kompromisse angeboten

Im Februar 2018 traf sich ein Apple-Manager mit Mitarbeitern von Netflix und schrieb anschließend eine E-Mail an seine Kollegen, in der er das Meeting zusammenfasste.

Er schrieb, dass der Video-Streamer besorgt über die “freiwillige Abwanderung” oder die Anzahl der Netflix-Abonnenten war, die über Apple zahlten und beschlossen, das Abonnement einzustellen. Infolgedessen wollte Netflix in einigen kleinen Märkten einen Test durchführen, um zu sehen, was passieren würde, wenn keine In-App-Käufe mehr akzeptiert würden, von denen Apple eine Kürzung um 15% bis 30% vornimmt.

Der Apple-Manager schrieb, dass der geplante Test von Netflix Fragen für Apple aufwirft, einschließlich der Frage, ob “Strafmaßnahmen” ergriffen werden sollen, z. B. die Einstellung der Werbung für Netflix im App Store oder die Eskalation von Bedenken gegenüber Netflix-Führungskräften.

Die E-Mail löste bei Apple-Managern ein Durcheinander aus. Zu dieser Zeit gehörte Netflix zu den erfolgreichsten Apps im App Store von Apple.

Pete Distad, ein Apple-Vizepräsident, der sich auf das Streaming-Geschäft von Apple konzentrierte, entsandte Mitarbeiter, um mit seinem früheren Arbeitgeber Hulu über ähnliche Themen zu sprechen. Ein Apple-Mitarbeiter sagte, dass Eddy Cue, Apples Chef für Onlinedienste, mit Reed Hastings, CEO von Netflix, sprechen wollte.

In den nächsten zwei Monaten trafen sich Apple-Mitarbeiter mit Netflix, um über den Test zu sprechen, und aktualisierten ihre Vorgesetzten über die Pläne von Netflix, als Apple laut E-Mails versuchte, ein Executive Meeting zu planen.

Bis Juli 2018 hatten Apple-Mitarbeiter eine Präsentation zum Netflix-Problem erstellt. Das Dia-Deck enthielt “Pie in the Sky-Ideen”, die nicht genehmigt worden waren, warnte ein Apple-Mitarbeiter.

Auf dem Dia-Deck stand, dass Apple Netflix bereits “benutzerdefinierte APIs” oder nicht öffentliche Software angeboten hatte, mit denen es Systeme erstellen konnte, mit denen Apple-Abonnements geändert, kostenlose Testversionen durchgeführt oder Daten für die automatische Verlängerung verlängert werden konnten. Es würde auch Funktionen erstellen, die direkt auf Netflix-Anforderungen basieren.

Es wurde auch auf die Leistungsfähigkeit von Apples App Store-Inhalten hingewiesen, die Downloads fördern können. Es führte seine eigenen Tests durch und stellte fest, dass die Download-Conversions bei der Werbung für Netflix in seiner App Store-App um 6% bis 7% zunahmen. Netflix erhielt mehr App Store-Placements als jeder andere Partner und erzielte 330.000 Downloads oder eine Conversion von 2% Bewertung. Apple berechnet keine Gebühren für “redaktionelle” Platzierungen von App Store-Inhalten.

Schließlich schlug das Dia-Deck vor, dass Apple seine Partnerschaft mit Netflix vertiefen könnte, einschließlich der Verwendung der von Apple gesammelten Netflix-Provision, um App Store-Suchanzeigen zu kaufen, um Downloads zu fördern oder Netflix zusammen mit Apple-Diensten zu bündeln. Eine andere Möglichkeit bestand darin, Netflix “Vorteile für Videopartnerprogramme” anzubieten, was einem Vertrag ähnelt, den Apple mit Amazon Prime Video abgeschlossen hat, mit dem Kunden direkt belastet werden können.

Trotz der offensichtlichen Bemühungen von Apple hat Netflix im Dezember 2018 neue Abonnements über Apple eingestellt, um die Kürzung von In-App-Käufen durch Apple zu umgehen. Die Netflix iPhone-App öffnet derzeit die Meldung: “Sie können sich in der App nicht für Netflix anmelden. Wir wissen, dass dies problematisch ist.”

Facebook und Apple hatten eine Geschichte von Konflikten

Facebook hatte einen langen Konflikt mit Apple wegen seines Wunsches, soziale Spiele in seine Apps aufzunehmen, was im Widerspruch zu den Apple-Regeln für das Vorhandensein von Sammlungen von Apps oder Software in Apps steht. Im vergangenen Jahr hat Facebook seine Kritik verstärkt und erklärt, dass Apple seine Kontrolle über seine Plattform nutzt, um Entwicklern und Verbrauchern Schaden zuzufügen.

In einem E-Mail-Austausch von 2011, der im Rahmen der Testversion in einem Dokumenten-Repository veröffentlicht und anschließend entfernt wurde, diskutierten Apple-Führungskräfte, darunter der frühere CEO Steve Jobs, einen Kompromiss in Bezug auf Spiele in der Facebook-iPad-App, nachdem der frühere Software-Chef Scott Forstall mit dem Facebook-CEO Mark Zuckerberg gesprochen hatte.

Die Dokumente enthalten nicht die Bedingungen des Kompromisses. Als die Facebook iPad-App im Jahr 2011 herauskam, enthielt sie webbasierte Spiele wie Farmville, mit denen Apples Regel gegen App Stores im App Store verstoßen wurde. IPhone- und iPad-Nutzer konnten jedoch nicht mit der Spielewährung Credits von Facebook bezahlen.

Interne Facebook-Beratungen, die im Rahmen der Epic Games-Studie veröffentlicht wurden, zeigen, wie sich diese Verhandlungen in den Jahren seitdem auf die Unternehmensbeziehungen ausgewirkt haben.

In einer E-Mail aus dem Jahr 2017, die als Teil von Gerichtsdokumenten eingereicht wurde, fügte ein Facebook-Mitarbeiter vor dem Treffen eines Facebook-Geschäftsführers mit Apple auf der jährlichen Geschäftskonferenz von Allen and Company in Sun Valley eine kurze Analyse hinzu.

Bis dahin wollte Facebook Klarheit oder Anleitung zur Entwicklung von “Sofortspielen” in seiner Facebook Messenger-App, die durch den Überprüfungsprozess von Apple verlangsamt wurde. Der Kompromiss von 2011 war jedoch immer noch groß.

“Ende 2016 genehmigte Apple Facebook, die Einführung von ‘Instant Games’ in Messenger und der FB Blue App voranzutreiben”, schrieb der Facebook-Mitarbeiter. “”[Former Apple marketing chief] Phil Schiller zog eine E-Mail aus dem Jahr 2011 heraus, in der an eine Vereinbarung erinnert wurde, die wir getroffen haben, damit FB HMTL5-Spiele streamen kann, solange wir keinen App Store erstellen oder In-App-Zahlungen tätigen. “

Das Ergebnis des Sun Valley-Treffens ist aus Gerichtsdokumenten nicht ersichtlich, aber bis 2020 kämpfte Facebook erneut mit dem Überprüfungsprozess von Apple um eine eigenständige Gaming-App. Nach einer Ablehnung von Apple im März 2020 beschrieb ein Facebook-Mitarbeiter in E-Mails Frustration über den Prozess und sagte, dass es “eine Überraschung ist, da FB Gaming keine eindeutige Funktionalität enthält, die noch nicht auf der Registerkarte” Spiele “in der Facebook-App genehmigt wurde . “

Laut den E-Mails musste Facebook den gleichen Berufungsprozess wie jeder andere Entwickler durchlaufen, einschließlich der Berufung an eine Apple-Stelle namens App Review Board. Der Social-Media-Riese konnte jedoch Anrufe mit Trystan Kosmynka und Bill Havlicek, den Leitern der Apple-Überprüfungsgruppe, und später mit Ron Okamoto, dem für die Gruppe zuständigen Vizepräsidenten, planen, bevor er dieses Jahr in den Ruhestand ging.

Als Facebook Gaming Ende 2020 veröffentlicht wurde, war klar, dass Facebook und Apple keinen Kompromiss finden konnten.

“Leider mussten wir die Gameplay-Funktionen vollständig entfernen, um die Genehmigung von Apple für die eigenständige Facebook-Gaming-App zu erhalten. Dies bedeutet, dass iOS-Benutzer eine schlechtere Erfahrung als Android-Benutzer haben”, sagte Sheryl Sandberg, COO von Facebook, in einer damaligen Erklärung.

Microsoft verhandelte 2012 über Office für iPad

Ein E-Mail-Thread aus dem Jahr 2012 zeigt, dass Top-Führungskräfte von Apple, darunter Schiller und Cue, über den bevorstehenden Start von Microsoft Office für iPhones und iPads durch Microsoft informiert wurden.

Okamoto, der zu dieser Zeit Apple VP war und sich auf Entwicklerbeziehungen konzentrierte, traf sich mit Microsoft. In seiner E-Mail an seine Chefs heißt es, Apple wolle wissen, ob Microsoft an der jährlichen Entwicklerkonferenz WWDC teilnehmen könne. (Microsoft lehnte ab und sagte, es sei noch nicht bereit, über seine Pläne zu sprechen.)

Microsoft hatte zwei Anfragen. Zunächst wollte Apple, dass Benutzer für In-App-Käufe auf die Microsoft-Website umgeleitet werden. Microsoft würde die Zahlung abwickeln und die 30% ige Gebühr von Apple für In-App-Käufe umgehen.

Zweitens wollten sie, dass Schiller und Cue sich mit Microsoft-Kollegen treffen, insbesondere mit Kirk Koenigsbauer, der derzeit Senior Vice President von Microsoft ist.

Schiller stimmte dem Treffen zu, goss aber in einer E-Mail kaltes Wasser auf den Zahlungsvorschlag von Microsoft. “Wir führen den Laden, wir sammeln die Einnahmen.”

Microsoft veröffentlichte Office erst 2014 für das iPad, nachdem Satya Nadella Steve Ballmer als CEO des Unternehmens übernommen hatte.

Epische Spiele und Marshmello

Bevor Apple Epics Shooter-Spiel Fortnite aus dem App Store entfernte, war es eine der erfolgreichsten Apps im Store, und Mitarbeiter beider Unternehmen arbeiteten daran, Cross-Promotion-Deals zu besiegeln, wie Gerichtsakten belegen.

Epic lieferte Demos bei Apple-Startveranstaltungen, in denen neue Technologien, Zitate zu Apple-Spielefunktionen und Heads-up zu den großen Veranstaltungen und Werbeaktionen in Fortnite vorgestellt wurden.

Im Gegenzug wurde Epic Games über den Apple App Store sowie über andere Apple Media-Eigenschaften wie Apple Music für Fortnite beworben. Es nutzte auch seine Beziehung zu Apple-Mitarbeitern, um eine Fortnite-Abzocke aus dem App Store zu starten.

Eine E-Mail von Epic Games 2019 enthält Mitarbeiter, die über ein Konzert 2019 im Fortnite-Spiel mit Marshmello, einem DJ, sprechen.

Apple wollte eine Partnerschaft eingehen – aber erst nachdem sichergestellt wurde, dass Marshmellos Mix keine Schimpfwörter enthält -, heißt es in den E-Mails und enthielt einen Vorschlag für eine Cross-Promotion mit Apples Marke Apple Music, einschließlich Werbetafeln in New York und Los Angeles, digitaler Werbung und Posts von Apples Social-Media-Konten.

Apple benötigte die Erlaubnis, den Namen Fortnite in seinen Apple Music-Wiedergabelisten und -Anzeigen zu verwenden, aber die Mitarbeiter von Epic waffelten. Man befürchtete, Apple würde nach Epic “kooptieren und zeichnen”.

Ein anderer Mitarbeiter wies auf die Vorteile von Epic Games hin, darunter, dass das Unternehmen wollte, dass Apple künftige Fortnite-Events sponsert, und dass sie eine große Chance für das Wachstum des Spiels bei den iPhone-Spielern sahen.

“Apple-Werbespots sind immer geschmackvoll und cool”, schrieb ein Mitarbeiter von Epic. “Sie würden damit nichts anfangen.”

Apple schien besonders daran interessiert zu sein, dass Epic Games ARKit unterstützt, eine Software für iPhones, die ihre 3D-Sensorhardware verwendet, um die reale Welt und Computergrafiken zu integrieren.

In epischen E-Mails aus dem Jahr 2017 wurde ein Treffen mit Apple besprochen, um die Gesichtsverfolgung des iPhones zu integrieren und animierte Charaktere zu erstellen.

Die Partnerschaft zwischen den beiden Unternehmen wurde bis 2020 verlängert. Kurz nachdem Apple ein High-End-iPad-Modell mit einem neuen 3D-Scanner herausgebracht hatte, bot ein Apple-Mitarbeiter Epic Games ein Treffen mit dem ARKit-Team von Apple an, das die Software dafür herstellte, und ließ später die Möglichkeit aufkommen Förderung auf seiner jährlichen Entwicklerkonferenz.

Im Jahr 2018, nachdem Fortnite veröffentlicht worden war und an Dynamik gewonnen hatte, antwortete Epic Games-Mitbegründer Mark Rein auf eine E-Mail und fragte: “[I]Können wir irgendetwas tun, damit Apple in erheblichem Maße hinter uns bleibt? “

Rein sagte, er habe bereits ein Treffen mit Apple im Februar geplant und Apple sei “SEHR” daran interessiert, die Smartphone-Version von Fortnite zu sehen.

Apple hatte Fortnite seit 2015 beworben, als auf der WWDC-Konferenz von Apple eine frühe Version des Spiels auf der Bühne auf einem Mac demonstriert wurde.

Die Beziehung zwischen den beiden Unternehmen bedeutete jedoch nicht, dass die Verhandlungen jemals das Niveau von Apple-CEO Tim Cook erreichten. Im Jahr 2015, Wochen nach der Präsentation von Epic Games auf einer Apple-Veranstaltung, schickte Tim Sweeney, CEO von Epic Games, eine E-Mail an Cook, in der er sich über die Regeln des App Store beschwerte.

Cook fragte seine Leutnants: “Ist das der Typ, der bei einer unserer Proben war?”

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Business

Apple and Epic Head to Court docket Over Their Slices of the App Pie

Apple and Epic Head to Court Over Their Slices of the App Pie

On a Friday last August, Tim Sweeney, a billionaire game developer, emailed a contact at Microsoft: “You’re going to enjoy the upcoming fireworks show.”

A week later, Mr. Sweeney’s game Fortnite delivered good news to players on iPhones: They’d get a discount on in-game items for making purchases outside of Apple’s payment systems.

The change violated Apple’s rules and prevented the iPhone maker from receiving a commission for one of the world’s most popular games. Hours later, Apple kicked Fortnite from the App Store.

Mr. Sweeney’s firm, Epic Games, immediately sued Apple in federal court. It also started a PR broadside that was months in the making, including a trending #FreeFortnite hashtag and a parody of Apple’s iconic “1984” ad portraying Apple CEO Tim Cook as the evil corporate overlord with an apple for a head .

The Epic attack was the most direct challenge to Apple’s power in years, and nine months later the battle is pending in federal court in Oakland, California. A lawsuit is due to open on Monday with statements from Mr. Sweeney about why he believes Apple is a monopoly that abuses its power.

The study, which is expected to last three weeks, is having a significant impact. If Epic wins, it will improve the economics of the $ 100 billion app market and create a path for millions of businesses and developers to avoid sending up to 30 percent of their app sales to Apple.

An epic victory would also enliven the cartel war against Apple. The federal and state supervisory authorities are reviewing Apple’s control over the App Store. On Friday, the European Union accused Apple of violating antitrust laws regarding app rules and fees. Apple is facing two other federal lawsuits over its App Store fees – one from developers and one from iPhone owners – that are seeking class action lawsuit status.

Beating Apple would also bode well for Epic’s upcoming test against Google for the same issues in the App Store for Android devices. This case is expected to go to trial this year and will be ruled by the same federal judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of the Northern District of California.

However, if Apple wins, it will strengthen its hold on mobile apps and stifle its growing criticism, further strengthening a company that is already the World’s Most Valuable Company, with over $ 200 billion in revenue for the past six months Has.

The process will focus on a legal debate on whether Apple is a monopoly. Epic’s lawyers have argued that businesses need iPhones to reach customers and that Apple is wrongly forcing app makers to use its payment system and pay their fees.

Apple lawyers have responded that iPhones are just one way of reaching consumers and that Apple’s fees are industry standards.

Apple likely has the upper hand, legal experts said. Courts are often more sympathetic to defendants in antitrust proceedings, as companies have the right to choose who to do business with.

But Epic argues that Apple is using its position of power to stifle competition, a legal theory “that works and has overcome this disadvantage,” said William Kovacic, a law professor at George Washington University. The Justice Department made a similar argument against Microsoft in its antitrust case two decades ago.

The case could be due to a narrow technical question: what market are these two fighting over? Epic argues that these are iPhones and that Apple has a clear monopoly on them. Apple’s lawyers insist that the market in question spans all gaming platforms – from smartphones to video game consoles to desktop computers – and that Apple has little monopoly there.

The answer lies with Judge Gonzalez Rogers. And after she settles that case, she’ll hear the next two App Store lawsuits that are about class action status.

An Apple spokeswoman said in a statement that Apple’s top executives would show how good the App Store has been for the world. “We are confident that the case will prove that Epic intentionally violated its agreement just to increase its revenue,” she said.

Epic declined to comment.

Fortnite, a battle royale video game, is the biggest hit in Epic’s 30 years of business. This happened in part because Mr Sweeney pushed the companies behind the big game consoles – Microsoft, Sony Group, and Nintendo – to pit gamers on different devices against each other, which means that a Microsoft Xbox owner is a Sony PlayStation owner for the could play first time.

In 2018, Epic released Fortnite in an iPhone app. In about two years, Epic made around $ 1 billion from Fortnite and its other iPhone apps. But it had to pay Apple about 30 percent of that. Epic paid similar commissions to game console manufacturers.

Mr Sweeney has said in interviews and on Twitter that he realized that the commissions on the App Store mean that sometimes Apple and Google can get more out of a game than the developers who made it. He saw an opportunity to challenge the tech giants.

Mr Sweeney also said he was okay with paying commissions to companies like Microsoft and Nintendo for selling their game consoles at or below cost and depending on the commissions, while Apple makes big margins in all areas of its business.

Other app makers started complaining about the app stores as well, but Epic was one of the few with the money, willingness, and independence to argue in court. While the Chinese internet giant Tencent bought a large part of Epic in 2012, Mr Sweeney remains the majority shareholder. Investors recently valued Epic at $ 29 billion.

But Epic is still tiny compared to Apple. In the last quarter, Apple had average revenue of $ 30 billion per month.

“If we let Apple and Google get away with it, in a few years’ time they will expand this monopoly to wield a level of power over people and companies that is completely new in human history,” Sweeney said in an interview last year.

In 2019, Mr. Sweeney decided to confront Apple. Epic hired the law firm Cravath Swaine & Moore, hired a PR consultant, hired 100 to 200 people on the project, and formed an alliance with other app makers “to make sure we weren’t the only voice,” according to an Apple Court filing. Epic named the effort Project Liberty.

Last June, Mr Sweeney emailed Mr Cook and some of his deputies asking for a rival marketplace for games on the iPhone to be unlocked and to use Epic’s own payment system instead of Apple to get the 30 percent cut from Bypass Apple.

Apple’s lawyers responded, writing that the company would not “turn the App Store into a public utility”.

Mr. Sweeney dropped courtesy in his reply. “It is a sad state of affairs that Apple executives are passing Epic’s sincere plea to Apple’s legal team to respond with such a self-righteous and self-serving screed,” he wrote to Mr. Cook. “We will continue to pursue this, as we have in the past, to address other injustices in our industry.”

Three weeks later, Mr Sweeney sent out his forecast for fireworks, according to an Apple lawsuit.

Since then, lawyers from Epic and Apple have told different stories in court files and reporters.

Apple has announced that it will develop a globally modified product for the iPhone that has led to an “economic miracle” in mobile apps. Apple spent billions of dollars developing the iPhone and another $ 100 million on its app store, the company said, and charging a commission on app sales is partly why that investment pays off and keeps apps safe .

Epic countered that Apple’s commissions do very little for security. Epic is expected to call witnesses from other companies to share their experience with the App Store, including a senior executive at Match Group, who makes the Tinder dating app. A Facebook executive involved in their own feud with Apple was due to testify, but dropped out.

Apple has accused Epic of looking for a free ride. The game maker has not tracked other companies that distribute Fortnite. According to an Apple-funded study, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, and Nintendo all charge the same commissions for games. In this study, it was not found that Apple posted the 30 percent quota in the App Store in 2008.

In response, Epic pointed out the commission it charges on its own market for game developers: 12 percent.

After Epic sued, Apple halved its commission for developers making their apps less than $ 1 million to 15 percent. That new rate applies to about 98 percent of developers who paid Apple’s commission, according to estimates by Sensor Tower, an app data firm.

However, Apple’s bottom line was hardly affected. According to Sensor Tower, more than 95 percent of Apple’s app revenue comes from companies that pay the full 30 percent.

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World News

S&P, Nasdaq 100 futures are larger after Apple & Fb beat estimates

S&P, Nasdaq 100 futures are higher after Apple & Facebook beat estimates

US stock index futures were higher early Thursday morning after major averages posted losses the previous day.

Futures contracts linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 88 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures also traded in positive territory.

The strong quarterly results from Apple and Facebook have fueled the future. Sales rose 54% for the quarter, with each product category posting double-digit growth, according to Apple. The company also announced it would increase its dividend by 7% and approved share buybacks of $ 90 billion. Facebook revenue increased 48% due to more expensive ads. Apple shares rose more than 2% in after-hours trading, while Facebook rose 6.15%.

The main averages closed in the red during normal trading. The Dow lost 165 points and lost 0.48%. The S&P 500 hit a record high but failed to sustain those gains and closed 0.08% lower. The Nasdaq Composite was down 0.28%.

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that it would keep interest rates near zero. The S&P slid from its high after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said during a press conference following the Federal Open Market Committee’s decision that there was some signs of froth in the market.

“Interest rates are unchanged for now, and despite the improvement in economic data, the cone talk was off the table at today’s Federal Reserve meeting,” said Bethany Payne, portfolio manager at Janus Henderson.

“As vaccination rates accelerate, employment boosts and expansive fiscal policies continue to support household and corporate incomes, investors are now looking for signs of whether the central bank’s safety net may be pulled out sooner than expected,” she added.

Thursday is the busiest day of the winning season. Around 11% of the S&P 500 is to be updated quarterly. Caterpillar, McDonald’s, Comcast, and Merck are among the names on deck before the market opens. Amazon, Gilead Sciences, Twitter, US Steel and Western Digital will publish quarterly results after the market closes.

According to Refinitiv, as of Wednesday morning, 86% of the S&P 500 components reported were above earnings estimates, with earnings 22.7% above expectations. In terms of sales, 77% of companies exceeded expectations.

The economic data released on Thursday will give investors a glimpse of the progress of the economic recovery. The first jobless claim numbers are released, with economists polled by Dow Jones expecting a pressure of 528,000. Pending home sales are also posted.

“The primary market trend remains positive,” said Keith Lerner, chief marketing strategist at Truist. “We expect a more troubled environment, however, as tensions between better economic growth and better earnings prospects versus the potential for higher taxes and rising interest rates as the economy normalizes,” he added.

Thursday marks the 100th day of President Joe Biden’s tenure. On Wednesday evening, he gave his first address to a joint congressional session where he unveiled his previously popular agenda, which included a $ 2 trillion infrastructure plan and a freshly unveiled $ 1.8 trillion plan for families, Includes children and students.

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Business

Apple doubles its earnings on hovering iPhone gross sales.

Apple doubles its profits on soaring iPhone sales.

Apple said Wednesday that its earnings more than doubled to $ 23.6 billion in its most recent quarter as people adopted its latest iPhones and bought more of its other products. This is an impressive result for what is already the world’s most valuable company.

According to Apple, sales rose 54 percent to $ 89.6 billion. That was a record for the March quarter, with Apple selling an average of more than $ 1 billion a day. The rapid growth is partly due to slower sales in the same three-month period last year when the pandemic first started. However, the quarter on its own was still strong and far exceeded analysts’ expectations. Apple’s sales grew sharply in each of its product categories and in each of its regions around the world.

As always, the main driver of Apple’s success was the iPhone. According to Apple, iPhone sales rose 66 percent to $ 47.9 billion. This is the biggest increase in years. The company’s flagship accounted for more than half of its total sales for years. More recently, however, Apple has been trying to expand into other businesses, causing the share of iPhone sales to drop to 41 percent for the quarter ending September 30th, Apple unveiled the iPhone 12 in October, and sales have increased . In the last quarter, iPhones made up 54 percent of Apple’s sales.

IPad sales increased 79 percent and Mac sales increased 70 percent, according to Apple. Part of its success was due to more people working on computers and learning from home. Sales of Apple wearable devices, including the Apple Watch and AirPods, rose 25 percent, and the Services division, which includes app sales and subscriptions to iCloud and other Apple services, rose 26 percent.

Apple said Wednesday that it would buy back an additional $ 90 billion of its own shares as part of its ongoing program to return much of its profits to shareholders.

The huge profits are further evidence of the growing dominance of the largest tech companies. Also announced this week: Microsoft’s profit rose 44 percent to $ 15.5 billion. Facebook’s bottom line nearly doubled to $ 9.5 billion. and profits at Alphabet, the parent company of Google, more than doubled to nearly $ 18 billion. Amazon reports its profits on Thursday.

Apple’s continued growth is based on an increasing scrutiny of its power. The company is facing antitrust investigations from regulators around the world. On Monday, Apple will stand trial against Epic Games, one of the world’s largest game manufacturers, to gain control of the App Store.

Apple shares, valued at roughly $ 2.25 trillion, rose nearly 2 percent in after-hours trading.

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Business

To Be Tracked or Not? Apple Is Now Giving Us the Selection.

To Be Tracked or Not? Apple Is Now Giving Us the Choice.

Given a choice, would any of us want to be followed online to see more relevant digital ads?

We’ll find out in a moment.

On Monday, Apple plans to release iOS 14.5, one of the most anticipated software updates for iPhones and iPads in years. It includes a new privacy tool called App Tracking Transparency that gives us more control over how our data is shared.

Here’s how it works: when an app wants to track our activities in order to share information with third parties such as advertisers, a window will appear on our Apple device asking for our permission. If we say no, the app will have to stop monitoring and sharing our data.

A pop-up window might sound like a little design tweak, but it has caused an uproar in the online advertising industry. Above all, Facebook has gone on the warpath. Last year the social network launched a website and ran full-page ads in newspapers denouncing Apple’s privacy policy as harmful to small businesses.

A big motivator, of course, was that the privacy settings could affect Facebook’s own business. If we don’t let Facebook follow us, it will be more difficult for the company to see what we are shopping for or what we are doing in other apps, making it more difficult for brands to target us with ads (Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook) Executive, has denied his company’s business is being affected by Apple’s policies.)

“This is a big step in the right direction, if only because it makes Facebook work up a sweat,” said Gennie Gebhart, director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights nonprofit.

But she added, “A big question is, will it work?”

Ms. Gebhart and other privacy professionals said Apple’s new feature may not be enough to end dodgy tracking on iPhones. It could just make developers and ad tech firms find loopholes so they can keep tracking people in different ways, she and others said.

I’ve been testing early versions of iOS 14.5 for about two months to get used to the new privacy controls and other new features. Few developers have tested the pop-up with the public, so my understanding of how well the privacy feature works has been limited.

However, I’ve found that iOS 14.5 has other important new features as well. One of them is the ability to use Siri to work with a music player other than Apple Music like Spotify. That’s a big deal: in the past, you could only ask Siri to play songs through Apple Music, so the voice assistant wasn’t that useful for those who preferred other music services.

Here’s what you need to know about Apple’s new software:

It’s important to understand how tracking works in apps.

For example, let’s say you’re using a shopping app looking for a blender. You look at a Brand X mixer and close the app. Later on, ads for this mixer will be shown on other mobile apps like Facebook and Instagram.

Here’s what happened: The shopping app hired an ad tech company to embed trackers into the app. These trackers checked information on your device to identify you. If you’ve opened other apps that work with the same ad tech company, those apps were able to identify you and serve you ads for Brand X’s mixer.

With Apple’s new data protection feature, you can decide if this should happen. Now when you open some apps, a pop-up window will appear: “Allow [App Name] to track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites? “You can choose between ‘Don’t track the app’ or ‘Allow’.

Let us help you protect your digital life

If we select “Don’t Track App”, two things happen. The first is that Apple is preventing the app from using an Apple device identifier, a random sequence of letters and numbers assigned to our iPhones that is used to track our activity across apps and websites. The second is that we are telling the app developer that, by and large, we do not want our information to be tracked and in any way shared with anyone.

That seems easy. But # 2 is where things get a little complicated too.

Ad tech companies already have many ways to follow us beyond Apple’s device identifier. For example, advertisers can use a method called fingerprinting. This involves looking at seemingly innocuous features of your device – like screen resolution, operating system version and model – and combining them to determine your identity and track you across different apps.

According to data protection researchers, it is difficult for Apple to block all tracking and fingerprints taking place on iPhones. This would require knowing or predicting any new tracking method that an ad tech company is developing.

“From a tech point of view, there’s not much you can do” to stop such tracking, said Mike Audi, founder of Tiki, an app that lets you see what other apps are doing with your data.

However, the change in data protection is still significant, as we are expressly asked for consent. If we tell apps that we don’t want to be tracked and continue to do so, Apple can ban the perpetrators from the App Store.

The pop-up window also makes it easier for people to discover privacy controls, said Stephanie Nguyen, a researcher who has studied user experience design and privacy. In the past, iPhone owners could prevent advertisers from tracking them, but the tools to do that were buried in settings that most people didn’t look at.

“The option was available before, but really, wasn’t it?” Ms. Nguyen said. “It’s a big change – making it visible.”

Starting this week, all apps with tracking behavior must include the App Tracking Transparency pop-up in their next software updates. That means we’ll likely see a small number of apps asking for permission to track us initially, with the number increasing over time as more apps are updated.

Apple’s new software also includes two other interesting new features: the ability to play audio with Siri using a third-party app like Spotify, and the option to quickly unlock an iPhone while wearing a mask.

For many, these will feel long overdue. Siri has generally only worked with Apple Music for music playback since 2015. This is annoying and inconvenient for those who want to use the voice assistant to play songs with other music apps. The change comes because the antitrust investigation decides whether Apple suppresses competition by giving preference to its own apps.

You don’t need to change any settings for Siri to work with other audio services. If you usually listen to music using a third-party app like Spotify, over time Siri will simply find that you prefer that app and act accordingly. (Audio app developers need to program their apps to support Siri. If they haven’t already, this won’t work.) So if you always use Spotify to play music, you can say, “Hey Siri, play the Beatles ”to play a Beatles playlist on Spotify.

The other new feature helps in solving a pandemic problem. For more than a year now, wearing a mask has been especially annoying for owners of newer iPhones with face scanners to unlock the device. That’s because the iPhone camera couldn’t see our covered cups. Apple’s iOS 14.5 finally offers a mechanism to unlock the phone while in a masked state, although it does require wearing an Apple Watch.

Here’s how it works: when you scan your face and the phone finds that it can’t recognize you because your mouth and nose are blocked, it will check that your Apple Watch is unlocked and nearby. The Apple Watch practically acts as proof that you are the one trying to unlock your phone.

For this to work, update the software on your iPhone and Apple Watch and open the Settings app on your iPhone. Scroll down to “Face ID & Passcode”. Go to “Unlock with Apple Watch” in this menu and enable the option to unlock with your Apple Watch if the image scanner detects your face with a mask.

The next time you’re at the grocery store and look at your phone, your watch will vibrate once and unlock your phone. Sweet relief.

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Business

Apple exhibits off new gadgets and units launch date for disputed iPhone software program.

Apple shows off new devices and sets release date for disputed iPhone software.

Apple on Tuesday unveiled a number of new products that show how the marketing pitch continues to focus on consumer privacy at other companies’ potential costs, while also entering new markets developed by much smaller competitors.

Apple showed off a new high-end iPad and iMac desktop computer based on new computer processors that Apple is now making itself. Apple announced it was redesigning its podcast app to allow podcast creators to bill for their shows. It also released a new device called AirTags, a $ 29 disc that attaches to a key ring or wallet to make it easier to find.

Apple also released some other news on Tuesday that wasn’t mentioned in its dazzling, hour-long advertisement. The company announced in a subsequent press release that it plans to release its much-anticipated iPhone software next week, which will come with a privacy feature that worries many digital advertising companies, especially Facebook.

This functionality requires apps to be given explicit permissions from users before they can be tracked across other apps. When you open a lot of apps next week, iPhone owners will be greeted with pop-up windows asking if the app can track them. Organizations are expected to collect less data on users as users decline this tracking.

Apple and Facebook were embroiled in a war of words over the change. Facebook argued that doing so would hurt the digital advertising industry, which helps fund free internet services. Apple has stated that it only gives consumers the right to choose whether to be tracked.

Separately on Tuesday, Apple’s AirTags were immediately criticized by Tile, a company that has been making similar lost item finding devices for years. “We welcome competition as long as it is fair competition. Unfortunately, given Apple’s well-documented history of using its platform advantage to unfairly restrict competition for its products, we are skeptical, “said CJ Prober, CEO of Tile.

Tile’s General Counsel, along with executives from Apple, Google, Spotify and Match Group, will testify before Congress Wednesday at a hearing on Apple and Google’s market power and control over mobile apps. “We think it is entirely appropriate that Congress takes a closer look at Apple’s business practices,” said Prober.

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Business

Daimler expects intense competitors if Apple, Alibaba enter automobile market

Daimler expects intense competition if Apple, Alibaba enter car market

LONDON – The CEO of Daimler in Germany believes the automaker will face stiff resistance from tech giants like Google, Apple and Alibaba if it decides to launch its own electric vehicles.

While the tech giants haven’t started selling their own cars just yet, reports suggest they could soon launch products that combine hardware and software if the electric vehicle race gets hot.

“There will be intense competition,” Daimler boss Ola Kallenius told CNBC’s Annette Weisbach on Thursday when he was asked if he was concerned about the entry of digital companies into the electric vehicle market.

“When an industry changes, I think it is natural for new players to look at the industry,” he said.

Kallenius said Daimler will “look at what the brand stands for and carry that into the next technological age,” adding that the company will be able to build on its position if it does well.

His comments come when Mercedes Benz, owned by Daimler, launches an electric version of its flagship S-class luxury sedan.

“It’s kind of the beginning of a new era,” said Kallenius, before adding that the new vehicle was very “curious”.

Prices for the luxury sedan will be announced this summer, but Kallenius said Daimler expects to make money on the vehicle from the time it is sold.

He added that the variable cost of vehicles with a large electric battery is higher than that of vehicles with a traditional internal combustion engine.

“Our task in this decade of transformation is on the one hand to reduce variable costs and restore margin parity in all of our segments,” said Kallenius.

Electric vehicle technology is “still in its infancy” and there is “a lot to be done,” he continued. “It will be scaled and we will have technological developments. I am optimistic that we can restore the margins to which we are accustomed.”

Daimler versus Tesla

Daimler’s shares have risen by more than 173% year-on-year in the past 12 months and were quoted on Thursday at 75 euros per share.

“We have positive momentum in our stock,” said Kallenius, adding that this was due to improved financial performance and the company’s “technology strategy for the future.”

However, Daimler’s market capitalization has fallen from around 185 billion euros today in 1998 to just 80 billion euros. Meanwhile, Tesla’s market capitalization has risen to $ 694 billion.

“Now if we look at the total market capitalization of every single auto player in the world, you get an impressive number,” said Kallenius.

He added, “We need to make sure that the distribution of that total market cap is moving more in our favor. We are working on that.”

Like other automobile manufacturers, Daimler’s business was negatively impacted by the global shortage of chips.

“We can currently sell more than we produce,” said Kallenius

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World News

Peter Thiel criticizes Google and Apple for being too near China

Peter Thiel criticizes Google and Apple for being too close to China

Peter Thiel, Co-Founder and Chairman of Palantir Technologies Inc., speaks during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan on Monday, November 18, 2019.

Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Tech investor Peter Thiel criticized major US tech companies for being too close to China when they appeared at a virtual Richard Nixon Foundation event on Tuesday.

Co-founder of PayPal and after an early investment on the Facebook board of directors, Thiel is an outspoken voice in the technology investment world known for opposing opinions and conservative leanings. He has supported defense companies like Palantir and publicly endorsed former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.

On Wednesday, the Nixon session focused on China, and he was accompanied by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien.

Thiel criticized Google for its work on artificial intelligence with Chinese universities, in part based on conversations it allegedly had with insiders of the company, according to a transcript of the CNBC-reviewed event.

“Since everything in China is a civil-military merger, Google has worked effectively with the Chinese military, not the American military,” said Thiel. He’s also sad that Google “insiders” told him they worked with the Chinese because “they thought they might as well hand the technology off on their doorstep because if they didn’t give it, it would be stolen anyway . “

A Google spokesman told CNBC, “These allegations are baseless. We do not partner with the Chinese military. We are proud to continue our long history of working with the US government, including the Department of Defense, in many areas, including cybersecurity , Recruitment and health care. “

Thiel had already criticized Google in 2019 and said that the FBI and the CIA should investigate Google and ask whether it had been compromised by Chinese spies.

Thiel also said Apple is unlikely to confront China due to its massive supply chain for making iPhones and other products in the country. He noted that other big tech companies like Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft don’t have as extensive business interests in the country, in some cases because the Chinese government has curtailed their options there.

He called on the US to put “a lot of pressure” and control on Apple because there is a labor supply chain in the country.

“Apple is probably the one that is structurally a real problem, since the entire iPhone supply chain consists of China,” said Thiel. “Apple has real synergies with China.”

During the conversation, he also appeared to change his position on Bitcoin. Thiel has invested in Bitcoin companies and previously said he was “Long Bitcoin” and considered it the “digital equivalent of gold”.

On Tuesday, Thiel said that Bitcoin is threatening the US dollar.

“Although I’m a kind of pro-crypto-pro-Bitcoin maximalist, I wonder if Bitcoin should also be partially thought of as a Chinese financial weapon against the US, where it threatens fiat money, but it threatens the US in particular Dollars, and China wants to do things to weaken it, so China’s long Bitcoin, “said Thiel.