News on the sidelines week 20-27 August

Korea is investigating Apple, leaks of the 120hz screen for Pro Max, difficulties in launching it, Apple threatening WordPress and then backing down and launching the best competitor for Apple Watch from Fitbit and other news in news on the sidelines ...

Apple demands WordPress to pay and then retracts

A few days ago, the CEO and founder of WordPress - the world's most famous blogging platform - published a statement saying that the reason for the lack of updates to their application on iOS is that Apple refused any update until after WordPress pays 30% of the company's sales to it even though it does not sell anything. With the application, "Matt Mulling" said that Apple asked them to support in-app purchases and he does not understand what purchases! He said there was nothing to buy in the app from scratch.

For its part, Apple said that the application had placed an advertisement that it offered paid services, but that it did not provide it for purchase through the store, and this is the reason why Apple refused updates They said the developer has removed the ad, so in future they will approve the updates. WordPress provides free hosting for the contents but provides some paid services for those who want; The company "according to Apple" made an advertisement only; Apple did not mention that the application sells anything because it is basically an application that enables users to control and access their WordPress sites and all that the company does is put something like a propaganda "banner" informing users that there are paid services, so Apple thought that by this it is selling services and accordingly it prevented updates.

Facebook: iOS 14 will cut advertisers' revenue by 50%

Facebook said in an official statement yesterday that iOS 14 requires developers that if they want to collect IDFA data, they must ask the customer to do so in a clear message. IDFA is the last practical method available for companies to be able to monitor and use a specific device that can be targeted by advertising; For example, if you open a specific site, Facebook can know that the device “so-and-so” visited such-and-such site and then searched for such-and-such. Consequently, when the sites request to make claims, Facebook can know exactly from the right person. But iOS 14 prevents this data from being collected without customer consent. Facebook said it will stop collecting IDFA data with iOS 14 and will not even provide it with Apple's "customer question." The company said that the targeting of iOS 14 will be severely affected and expects it to lead to a 50% drop in advertiser revenues after the release of the system.

TSMC reveals the benefits of 5nm and 3nm technologies

At the annual technology symposium, TSMC reviewed the upcoming processors manufacturing technologies with 5nm and 3nm accuracy and talked about the benefits as it stated that 5nm technology will reduce defects to a quarter compared to 7nm as well as a 30% reduction in energy use or a 15% increase in speed without the need for additional energy consumption. Or increase the size of the processor. Mostly, companies will choose to reduce energy consumption. It is reported that the upcoming Apple A14 processor will come with 5nm technology and is expected to see 3nm resolution in 2022, which will again mean a 25-30% reduction in power consumption or a 10-15% increase in speed compared to 5nm.

AirPods sales are increasing, but their market share is declining

A recent Counterpoint Research data study indicated that Apple's market share in AirPods decreased from 50% in 2019 to 35% empty. The decline was not due to a decline in headphones sales, but on the contrary, the report said that Apple sold 61 million headphones last year compared to 82 million headphones this year, but the reason for the decrease is the increase in global demand, especially with the emergence of cheap headphones in the $ 30-50 categories from famous companies such as Xiaomi. For example, which acquired a 10% stake, followed by Samsung with a 6% stake.

Bloomberg: Apple plans to launch AR content in its TV service

A Bloomberg report said that Apple is currently shooting AR content for display on its Apple TV + streaming service. The report said that there are special elements in the content such as characters or specific things that you will see on the iPhone and iPad with AR technology. For example, you can simulate walking on the moon in Apple's For All Mankind series, or things like that. The report said that Apple may offer propaganda for the programs by technology, with the aim of preparing large AR content before launching its own device, whether it is a headset or glasses, which is expected to be released in 2022.

Fitbit Sense launches the best sports watch

Fitbit announced the launch of the Fitbit Sense watch, which was considered by many to be the best sports watch available on the market, as it includes a large number of sensors, including an ECG pulse sensor such as the Apple Watch, an Electrodermal Sensor, a body temperature sensor, a Stress sensor, and a SPO2 oxygen sensor in addition to other things. Traditional sleep sensor, heart rate monitor, etc. The watch also includes GPS and works with a battery up to 6 days. The watch is available for pre-booking for a starting price of $ 330.

It is worth noting that Google bought Fitbit last year and will activate the deal by the end of this year.

IPIC launches a free Fortnite tournament and Microsoft supports it

◉ Epic launched this week a free tournament that allows all users around the world to participate in it, as compensation for its users around the world, especially iOS, who will not be able to continue progressing in the new stages in the game, where they will stop at the second part of the third season and everyone will move to the fourth season. The new tournament has a bad apple logo and the company has revealed its biggest prize in any competition that has taken place before.

◉ Last week, Apple announced that it would delete the Epic account from the store, which was revoked By a court ruling. Before the issuance of this ruling, several companies announced solidarity with IPIC against Apple's actions, and among the companies Microsoft published a letter by the head of its games department in which it said that Apple's endeavor to destroy the UnReal engine will harm the technical community as dozens of companies depend on it, including Microsoft. He explained that the quality of this engine is high and there are few alternative options.

Apple may use simpler batteries to reduce cost in the iPhone 12

A report by the famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is currently pressuring suppliers to provide less expensive components in order to reduce the price of the iPhone 12. The analyst said that Apple decided to change the quality of the batteries used to rely on other types of less complexity, which will contribute to reducing the cost of these parts. 40-50% compared to the one used in the iPhone 11. The analyst said that reducing the cost of parts of the battery will not clearly contribute to combating the price increase, as it is expected that 5G support costs Apple 75-85 $ and if Apple supports mWave technology, the cost will increase to 125- $ 135 and Apple seeks to reduce and change the quality of materials used in the rest of the iPhone in order to reduce this price increase, and among the most famous steps is to remove the headphone and charger, as was previously reported.

Apple launches iOS 13.7 for developers to update the corona monitoring system

Apple sent a trial version of iOS 13.7 to developers, the most prominent of which was the ability to log in and subscribe to the system of contact notifications with Corona patients, which we talked about in Previous article. Apple and Google had previously activated the service; In Apple, with the iOS 13.6 update, you can now register on the condition that you download the official country application, after which your device will start tracking who you have met during the past 14 days. IOS 13.7 update will enable you to activate tracking immediately without downloading government applications, so that if you later download the government application, your device will already have data 14 days earlier. In the end, it remains that you must download official applications, and this does not exist in most of the world, especially our Arab countries.

Apple: Indian iPhone SE for the Indian market

Apple confirmed press reports and said that it is already assembling the iPhone SE, which was launched this year, at its factories in India. And Apple explained that the Indian factory production will be dedicated to the Indian market with the aim of reducing cost and customs, as Apple said that it has now provided it at 42500 rupees, equivalent to $ 570, which is the lowest price for a phone in this category, and this is due to local assembly. It is reported that Apple provides old phones to the Indian market, such as the iPhone 7, at a price of approximately $ 400 and is being assembled in India as well.

It is noteworthy that Bloomberg has mentioned in a previous report that Apple intends to launch an online store soon in India and expects it to be during the month of September.

IOS 14 reveals a 120Hz display for iPhone 12 Pro Max and a LiDAR camera

One of the accounts, famous for leaks, revealed images that he said were for iOS 14 settings for iPhone 12 Pro Max at Apple's factories, and the images show an option to turn off the 120Hz regeneration feature and return to the traditional 60Hz system. The images also showed special settings for the LiDAR camera that Apple added this year to the iPad Pro, and it appears to be coming for the iPhone 12 Pro as well. Good news, especially that Apple will lag behind others after Samsung introduced its Note 20 Ultra phone with a 120Hz screen

Apple is having difficulties with definitions of ICs for the 120Hz display

Industrial analyst Ross Young said that he had received information that Apple was able to provide 120Hz screens to the iPhone 12 Pro, but that they are facing other technical problems which are the iCs definitions of the screens and their pixel control; The report said that Apple has not yet been able to solve the problem and is not close either, and this means that it will either delay the launch of the phone or present it at 60Hz, and according to what it has connected, it will be put at 60Hz. The bad news is that Apple is late in providing an important feature like this that was available to others and it also had in the iPad Pro years ago, but it was LCD screens and not OLED, meaning you will not face the same problem with this definitions.

Apple updates its upcoming beta systems

Apple launched the sixth trial version of its upcoming systems at the end of this year, and it came as follows:

◉ iOS / iPadOS 14, the sixth beta for developers, and it brought improvements, as well as the location assessment system in the Maps application.

Mac OS 11.0 and has yet to show new features other than performance improvements and bug fixes.

◉ WatchOS 7 system has not yet appeared what is new in this sixth trial version.

◉ The tvOS 14.0 TV system did not show any new features, but rather general performance improvements.

Korea opens an investigation with Apple and Google over monopoly, extortion, and $ 84 million settlement proposal

The Korean Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced that it has accepted the lawsuit filed by Korean companies to investigate Apple and Google regarding the charge of monopoly in the sale of applications, as well as the use of influence and forcing companies to pay a 30% commission and preventing them from finding and developing alternatives. The companies said Korean law prohibits service operators from forcing customers and leaving them with options. The ministry said that it would study the imposed commission and whether fewer alternatives could be found or not, and said that it would initially seek to mediate between Apple, Google and Korean companies in order to protect users' rights.

According to press reports, the ministry is currently studying with Apple that the American company provides support to Korean companies through a program worth 100 billion Korean won (84 million dollars) to establish centers to support research and small developers and to establish an academy to provide training and other assistance to them. That is, instead of Apple offering discounts or alternatives, it will provide training to help the developer increase his skills and thus get a greater return than he would have obtained in terms of fee reductions or a parallel payment system.

Miscellaneous news

◉ Apple announced that it will participate in the celebration of the 104th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service and will donate 10 dollars from every payment made by Apple Pay from the Apple website (that is, you buy from Apple with the Apple Pay service, and Apple will donate 10 dollars) throughout the week of 24 August to August 30, the amount is expected to be 1 million dollars.

◉ A Chinese account has posted pictures of what it said was the dismantling of a leaked copy of the upcoming Apple AirPower wireless charger.

◉ Accounts have published what appears to be an explanation book for the iPad Air 4, which is expected to be released early next year. The images showed a full-screen design, a Touch ID fingerprint power button, and a USB C port.

◉ Security researchers have discovered a vulnerability in the Safari application that enables websites to access your previous browsing list. The researchers said that the vulnerability was closed in the beta versions of iOS 14, meaning that Apple was already aware of it and addressed it.

◉ The Gartner Statistical Center published its forecast for the second quarter sales and said that Samsung was the first and that Apple was the only one that did not experience a sales decline in the last quarter.

◉ Billionaire Tim Cook, President of Apple, received a reward of 560 shares in the company as part of a previous bonus program announced by Apple, where Tim Cook's bonuses were linked to the improvement of Apple's stock performance. Indeed, Apple's value has now reached unprecedented numbers of $ 2.13 trillion. Reports have said that Tim has decided to donate $ 5 million for the occasion.

◉ It is reported that Apple has acquired a startup called Spaces that specializes in the field of VR content.

◉ Reports revealed that Apple is currently cooperating with Foxconn to build a new iPhone factory based in Mexico, as part of Apple's policy to get as much of the iPhone industry out of China as possible.

◉ Press reports indicated that Apple had received reassurance from the Trump administration that it would continue to accept WeChat payments in China so that Chinese citizens could continue to buy iPhones and Apple products without problems.

TikTok announced that it will sue the Trump administration over his decision to block the app.

◉ Reports revealed that Apple will soon open an exceptional store in Singapore in the new developed port, which will be the first floating store on the surface of the water.

◉ Reports said that the head of the antitrust agency is studying the issuance of several recommendations in order to combat the bullying and exploitation of large companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon for their influence over small companies. Among the expected proposals is to prevent companies from competing with small companies on their platforms, that is, Apple and Google cannot launch a music service, and Amazon cannot sell the same goods that others sell, and so on.

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