Majority of Irish voters back Apple and Irish government in opposing EU tax ruling – poll
A poll for the Irish Times found that the majority of Irish voters believe that the government is right to join Apple in appealing against the EU ruling that the Cupertino company must pay €13B ($14.5B) in back taxes.
Filed under: Apple
iOS 10 now installed on two thirds of devices, faster adoption than any previous iOS update
iOS 10 is now installed on more than two thirds of the active iOS device install base, recording 66.7% twenty-seven days after iOS 10 was released according to Fiksu. Mixpanel is also recording iOS 10 adoption topping 66% since Sunday.
As shown by the graph, iOS 10 has the fastest adoption rate than any previous update, a month after release. Interestingly, iOS 10 initially lagged behind iOS 6, 7 and 9 until about two weeks in. The upgrade rate then rockets upwards to take the top spot at the end of September.
Filed under: Apple
LittleBits competitor SBrick Plus aims to bring sensors and Swift Playgrounds apps to Lego
We’re great fans of anything that inspires kids to get to grips with technology from an early age, noting recently the smarthome and Bluetooth LE kits added by LittleBits. Now a British company is aiming to bring even smarter technology to Lego, claiming that it’s the first physical product that can be programmed with Swift Playgrounds.
SBrick Plus is a brick that you can place into your LEGO® models so you can control them remotely using a smart device like a phone, tablet, gamepad or even Chromebook or PC. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though; SBrick Plus can use sensors from the WeDo 1.0™ family can be programmed in several languages, so it’s a perfect way to start your journey into programming and robotics!
On the Apple side, you can control SBrick creations with the iPhone 4s and up, any iPad from the iPad 3, modern Macs and even the Apple Watch …
Filed under: Apple
Comment: Samsung’s literal meltdown will mostly benefit Google & LG, but should help Apple too
You might have thought things couldn’t get any worse for Samsung after a series of fires and explosions forced it to recall its flagship Galaxy Note 7. It had already been forced to recall almost 2.5 million devices at an estimated cost of a billion dollars, with all U.S. major carriers offering customers the option to return replacement devices also.
But things have now gotten worse. Much worse. The Verge has found that no fewer than five replacement devices have caught fire in the U.S. alone.
When it was just one case, I cautioned against jumping to conclusions, but with five separate fires in such a short time, we’re well beyond the point of being able to ascribe this to the simple statistics of lithium battery failures. All four major U.S. carriers have now pulled the Note 7 altogether, and Samsung has ‘temporarily’ halted production of replacement Note 7s …
Filed under: Apple
British Prime Minister bans Apple Watches from cabinet meetings over hacking fears
The Telegraph reports that British government ministers have been banned from wearing Apple Watches during cabinet meetings, over fears that they could be hacked by the Russians.
Under David Cameron, several cabinet ministers wore the smart watches, including Michael Gove, the former Justice Secretary. However, under Theresa May ministers have been barred from wearing them amid concerns that they could be used by hackers as listening devices
The previous Prime Minister, David Cameron, allowed the Watches to be worn in the high-level meetings, and the change of policy is attributed to recently-installed PM Theresa May …
Filed under: Apple
Class action lawsuit against Apple over iPhone 6 ‘Touch Disease’ hardware flaw gains momentum
A few months back, we reported on a hardware flaw plaguing a growing number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users, which garnered the name of “Touch Disease.” Shortly after the flaw was initially reported on, a trio of iPhone users filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, claiming that Apple refuses to repair devices affected by Touch Disease for free. Over a month later, Apple has yet to publicly acknowledge the issue.
Now, Motherboard reports that the push to get Apple to respond to the issue is growing thanks to more backing behind the original class action lawsuit in California and a separate, new lawsuit in Utah…
Filed under: Apple
Apple to expand Italy developer program, will partner w/ five universities for new iOS Foundation Program
Apple’s first iOS Developer Academy opened in Naples, Italy this week, but the company doesn’t plan to make that its only presence in the company. At an event celebrating the opening of the Naples location, Apple’s VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives Lisa Jackson announced that Apple plans to expand its program further (via Macitynet).
Filed under: Apple
This week’s top stories: New iPads incoming, iOS 10.1 beta 2, MacBook Pro refresh expectations & more
In this week’s top stories: Reports of new iPads in the works, Apple releases iOS 10.1 beta 2 w/ Portrait mode, we discuss expectations for the much anticipated upcoming MacBook Pro refresh, and much more. more…
Filed under: Apple
Review: Amber Watchcase Power Bank is hands down one of the best Apple Watch accessories [Video]
With the recent release of new hardware, I’ve been in search of a better Apple Watch charging and storage solution. There’s no shortage of watch-compatible docks, but the Amber Watchcase Power Bank by ClearGrass is far and away one of my favorites. Have a look at our hands-on video walkthrough to see why this might be the best Apple Watch charging and storage solution yet. more…
Filed under: Apple
Sharp unveils 27-inch IGZO 8K display sporting the same pixel density as the iPhone 7
Foxconn-owned Sharp has unveiled a new monster of an IPS display panel at CEATEC Japan 2016. The display, which comes in at 27-inches, boasts 8K resolution, and insane 7,680-by-4,320 pixel ratio with pixel density that rivals modern smartphones.
Filed under: Apple