Major virus infection shuts down factories of iPhone chip-maker TSMC
A major virus infection forced the closure of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) factories just before the weekend; some remain closed or only partly-operational. TMSC is the largest semiconductor manufacturer in the world and is responsible for producing iPhone processors for Apple.
The company issued a statement indicating that it was not carried out by a hacker. The impact on Apple's iPhone production schedule is also not known, although TSMC expects the incident "to cause shipment delays and additional costs".
Apple kills off its app affiliate program
Apple has announced that it is removing apps from its affiliate program. The change means that people will no longer receive commission for iOS and Mac apps.
Having once enabled sites to earn 7 percent commission for app sales, Apple then dropped this to just 2.5 percent. As of October 1, no commission will be paid at all as Apple says the App Store does a good enough job of increasing app discovery.
Apple pulls away from Microsoft and Facebook on the way to becoming a trillion-dollar company
Apple reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for Q3 yesterday, taking the iPhone-maker closer to becoming the first every trillion-dollar company. Sales increased by 17 percent to a record $53.3 billion, and profit jumped a massive 32 percent to $11.5 billion.
While the value of Facebook plummets following numerous scandals, Apple now has a market cap of $935 billion -- the closest competitors in the world of technology are Amazon at around $870 billion, Alphabet at $845 billion, and Microsoft at $815 billion.
YEVO Air Bluetooth earbuds are an alternative to Apple's terrible AirPods
Apple knows how to make great products -- just look at the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Unfortunately, the company has produced several duds recently too, such as Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods. While Apple's wireless earbuds are popular and function decently, they can be very uncomfortable. People have different sized ear canals, so it is foolish to adopt a one-size-fits-all design using hard plastic. Sadly, Apple chose minimalism and convenience over comfort.
Thankfully, there are plenty of Bluetooth earbuds on the market that use replaceable silicone tips. The various sizes allow the user to find the best fit, which in theory, should reduce pain. Today, a company called YEVO Labs launches an intriguing alternative to Apple's uncomfortable AirPods. Called "YEVO Air," they are small and leverage a charging case like AirPods. Thankfully, however, they use the superior silicone tips. YEVO Air earbuds are more attractive than AirPods too.
How to stop your iPhone brightness changing on sunny days
Much of the world is experiencing a prolonged heatwave at the moment. These sunny days are great for topping up a tan, and enjoying the beach, but not so great for using a mobile phone -- and not only because of the risk of it overheating.
If you have an iPhone, you will likely have encountered the issue of the screen brightness suddenly changing. One moment you’ll be able to see things just fine, and the next it will be too dark to view properly in the sunshine. Adjusting the brightness won’t make any difference either, but don’t worry, there is a secret setting you can use to stop this behavior.
Apple confirms MacBook Pro Core i9 throttling bug and fixes it with a software update
Apple has released a patch which addresses a serious performance issues with its latest MacBook Pros -- and it could double the speed of your new laptop.
Called "macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update for MacBook Pro (2018) ", the patch fixes a throttling issue that was brought to light recently that saw massive performance reduction when running power-intensive tasks. Apple says that a software bug was to blame, causing thermal management software to perform too aggressively.
Apple Pay support is coming to eBay Marketplace, along with loans for sellers
Later this year you'll be able to use Apple Pay to pay for goods bought on eBay. Starting in the fall, Apple Pay will be a payment option on eBay's Marketplace platform as the company continues to move away from PayPal.
eBay has also announced that it is teaming up with Square Capital so that it can offer business financing to sellers in the US. Aimed at targeting small businesses looking to grow, the new partnership will provide access to finance from options between $500 and $100,000.
Newest Apple Store is in Milan, Italy
Apple knows how to make products consumers love (for the most part), but that is only part of the equation. When you charge such a high premium for your products, you have to offer a superior shopping experience too. For software, its App Store -- which just celebrated a 10th birthday -- revolutionized how consumers buy and install software. It inspired many copycats too, such as the Google Play Store and the Microsoft Store.
For buying hardware, the Apple Store also offers a unique and elegant retail experience. Not only can you walk in and try the products before you buy them, but if you have a problem later on, you have a physical location that you can go to for help. Not to mention, the Apple Store offers classes to help consumers learn how to use the new device that they purchased. Today, the iPhone maker announces that its newest such store -- called Apple Piazza Liberty -- will be opening in Milan.
iOS 6 -- 2018 Edition brings 3D Touch and more to Apple's old OS
iOS 6 made its debut six years ago, in 2012. It wasn’t the most ground-breaking version of Apple’s mobile operating system, focusing mostly on refining elements, although it did introduce a number of new features, including Apple Maps, Do Not Disturb, and Passbook (now called Wallet).
With iOS 12 due this fall, most people have long forgotten about iOS 6, but the 2018 Edition shows why it was good, and how adding 3D Touch can improve things significantly.
Apple announces 70 new emojis coming to iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 Mojave
Tomorrow is “World Emoji Day,” apparently. Who knew ??♂️?! Yes, tomorrow is the day we officially celebrate the little emoji characters. Quite frankly, as far as I’m concerned, every day is World Emoji Day — I just love ❤ using them when texting ??with my friends and family. Emojis can be polarizing, however; some people hate them. Those that dislike emojis must have cold hearts!
To celebrate this very important holiday, today, Apple announces that 70 new emojis are coming to two of its upcoming operating systems — both iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 Mojave. Included are new hair styles, animals, food items, and more. For some added fun, check out the Apple ? leadership team page here.
Apple's big 2018 MacBook Pro keyboard cover-up
Just a few days ago Apple launched the latest additions to its MacBook Pro range, and the company talked about the fact that the keyboard is quieter. A teardown of the latest devices reveals not only why the keyboards are quieter, but also that the method used seems to serve a secondary purpose -- or maybe that the quietening is itself a secondary purpose.
The keyboards of previous MacBook Pros have suffered issues that led to a free repair program being set up. The latest laptop teardown by iFixit shows that Apple has added a silicone membrane beneath each key, apparently serving the dual task of quietening typing and offering protection and dust and other unwanted contaminants.
Adobe is working on Photoshop for iPad
Apple has long been keen to push the iPad and iPad Pro as a viable laptop alternative, and with a decent selection of apps to choose from it's something that works for many people. There are, however, a number of apps missing that stop some people making the jump from laptop to iPad -- Photoshop being one of them.
Sure, at the moment there is Photoshop Express for iOS, but this is a massively cutdown product that simply does not meet the needs of professionals. Answering the prayers of many, Adobe is now said to be working on bringing a full version of Photoshop to iPad next year.
Apple offers free Beats and big discounts in its Back to School promotion
From now until September 25, Apple is running a Back to School promotion, and there are some great offers for students.
If you qualify, you can bag yourself a free pair of Beats headphones or earphones when you buy a Mac or iPad Pro -- including the Powerbeats3 Wireless in new Beats Pop Collection colors. There are also special deals on accessories and AppleCare.
Apple releases elegant and pricey Leather Sleeve for MacBook Pro
Apple is making huge news today with the refresh of its wildly popular MacBook Pro laptops. The portable computers are more powerful than ever and feature a quieter keyboard. In addition, the company will be selling an optional eGPU made by Blackmagic that will transform the notebooks into graphical powerhouses.
MacBook Pro computers are very well-made, but they are quite expensive too. Even if you buy the Apple Care protection plan, it is a wise idea to invest in a case or bag for it too. Today, the iPhone-maker releases new leather sleeves that should protect both the 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops from scratches and dents. As you can imagine, since it is an official Apple product, it is rather pricey.
Apple starts selling exclusive Blackmagic eGPU to boost MacBook Pro performance
As well as refreshing its MacBook Pro line-up, Apple today started to sell the $699 Blackmagic eGPU. This 8GB external GPU features a Radeon Pro 580 to bring more graphic horsepower to laptop users.
The aim is to bring desktop-level power to laptop users when they are working on graphic-intensive projects. At a shade under $700, it's not a cheap piece of hardware, but it also doubles up as something of a docking station.
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