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  • COVID Lockdowns in China Impacting iPhone 14 Shipments

    COVID Lockdowns in China Impacting iPhone 14 Shipments

    Apple is warning that new COVID restrictions and lockdowns in China will have a negative impact on iPhone 14 shipments.

    News broke last week that the area around Foxconn’s primary iPhone plant in China was locked down for seven days as a result of a surge in COVID cases. The Zhengzhou plant is nicknamed “iPhone City” as a result of its size and importance, accounting for 80% of all iPhone 14 capacity, and as much as 85% of the iPhone 14 Pro.

    Apple has released a statement acknowledging that shipments will be delayed as a result of the restrictions:

    COVID-19 restrictions have temporarily impacted the primary iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max assembly facility located in Zhengzhou, China. The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity. As we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are prioritizing the health and safety of the workers in our supply chain.

    We continue to see strong demand for iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models. However, we now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated and customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.

    We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker.

  • Pegatron Assembling the iPhone 14 in India

    Pegatron Assembling the iPhone 14 in India

    Apple is ramping up its iPhone manufacturing in India, with Taiwanese firm Pegatron now assembling the devices in-country.

    Apple has been looking to increase India’s roll in iPhone production in an effort to decrease its reliance on China. China’s ongoing COVID lockdowns have threatened iPhone production, as has the ongoing trade dispute with the US. Reports have indicated that Apple plans to move as much as one-quarter of iPhone production to India.

    According to Reuters, those plans are well underway. Apple has added Pegatron as an iPhone supplier operating in India. The Taiwanese firm has already begun assembly operations.

    Apple is not the only company expanding its presence in India, with Google also looking to have its Pixel smartphones manufactured in-country.

  • Qualcomm Warns of Weaker Profits on Smartphone Headwinds

    Qualcomm Warns of Weaker Profits on Smartphone Headwinds

    Qualcomm has warned of weaker profits as a result of major headwinds in the broader smartphone industry.

    According to TheStreet, Qualcomm is warning that a slump in smartphone demand, along with COVID lockdowns in China, is impacting its profits. As a result, the company will not deliver the profits analysts were expecting, instead coming in somewhere between $9.2 and $10 billion.

    “What we have seen in the smartphone markets is a combination of the weakness of demand, which is related to basically the macroeconomic headwinds, and the prolonged Covid in China,” CEO Cristiano Amon said in a late-Wednesday investor call.

    Interestingly, Amon said the previous supply chain issues were finally resolved, but “with the macroeconomic uncertainty, you have a drawdown to bring inventory to a different level than it was during the situation of demand constraint. That’s the big issue, really.”

  • Foxconn’s ‘iPhone City’ Area Locked Down Over COVID

    Foxconn’s ‘iPhone City’ Area Locked Down Over COVID

    The area around Foxconn’s “iPhone City” plant has been locked down as a result of an increase in COVID cases.

    Foxconn is Apple’s primary iPhone manufacturer and its plant in Zhengzhou is its main one, leading to the nickname “iPhone City.” China has a well-established reputation for aggressively locking down areas hit with COVID, and the country’s authorities are doing so with the Zhengzhou region, according to Bloomberg.

    The lockdown is scheduled to last seven days, until November 9…provided the outbreak doesn’t get worse.

    With Zhengzhou accounting for 80% of iPhone 14 capacity and 85% of the iPhone 14 Pro’s capacity, the lockdown is sure to impact iPhone 14 availability, although only time will tell how much.

  • Leaker: Apple May Bring macOS to the iPad Pro

    Leaker: Apple May Bring macOS to the iPad Pro

    Apple is rumored to be taking a step fans have clamored for — bringing a version of macOS to the iPad Pro.

    The iPad Pro is an incredibly powerful piece of hardware, one that outperforms all but the most powerful computers on the market. The device’s Achilles heel, however, has always been the software.

    According to a leaker, Apple is currently testing a trimmed-down version of macOS on the M2 iPad Pro.

    According with my source Apple would be testing a smaller version of macOS exclusively for the new iPad Pro M2! “Mendocino” should be the codename for macOS 14. A simplified version should be planned for the M2.

    — Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial), October 20, 2022

    It should be noted that Majin Bu doesn’t have the same track record as some of the more well-known Apple leakers. Nonetheless, the rumor is sure to raise the hopes of iPad fans.

  • Microsoft to Challenge Apple and Google With Xbox Mobile Gaming Store

    Microsoft to Challenge Apple and Google With Xbox Mobile Gaming Store

    Microsoft is getting into the app store game with an Xbox mobile gaming store that will challenge Apple and Google.

    Microsoft is in the process of purchasing Activision Blizzard, although the deal is undergoing intensive scrutiny by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). According to The Verge, Microsoft has filed documents with the CMA outlining its plans to launch an Xbox mobile game store.

    The filing outlines the company’s goals and vision:

    The transaction will improve Microsoft’s ability to create a next generation game store which operates across a range of devices, including mobile as a result of the addition of Activision Blizzard’s content. Building on Activision Blizzard’s existing communities of gamers, Xbox will seek to scale the Xbox Store to mobile, attracting gamers to a new Xbox Mobile Platform. Shifting consumers away from the Google Play Store and App Store on mobile devices will, however, require a major shift in consumer behavior. Microsoft hopes that by offering well-known and popular content, gamers will be more inclined to try something new.

    Microsoft clearly sees the opportunity as a major potential money-maker:

    The transaction gives Microsoft a meaningful presence in mobile gaming. Mobile gaming revenues from the King division and titles such as Call of Duty: Mobile, as well as ancillary revenue, represented more than half of Activision Blizzard’s … revenues in the first half of 2022. Mobile customers account for around three-quarters of its MAU. Microsoft currently has no meaningful presence in mobile gaming and the Transaction will bring much needed expertise in mobile game development, marketing and advertising. Activision Blizzard will be able to contribute its learnings from developing and publishing mobile games to Xbox gaming studios.

    Microsoft faces significant challenges to its Activision deal, with the CMA looking closely at the acquisition. Should the deal go through, however, it looks like Apple and Google may have some major competition on their hands.

  • Apple Will Reportedly Launch a Foldable iPad in 2024

    Apple Will Reportedly Launch a Foldable iPad in 2024

    After years of rumors and hopes, it appears Apple may be planning to release a foldable device in 2024.

    Foldable phones are widely considered to be the next big thing in mobile design. Samsung has been the market leader, although many have been waiting for Apple to release its own foldable. According to CNBC, CCS Insight published a report predicting that Apple’s first foldable will be an iPad, not an iPhone.

    “Right now it doesn’t make sense for Apple to make a foldable iPhone. We think they will shun that trend and probably dip a toe in the water with a foldable iPad,” Ben Wood, CCS Insight Chief of Research, told CNBC in an interview.

    “A folding iPhone will be super high risk for Apple. Firstly, it would have to be incredibly expensive in order to not cannibalize the existing iPhones,” Wood added.

    In many ways, a foldable iPad makes more sense for Apple. The company has been working to build up the iPad as a computer replacement for users that don’t need the full power of a traditional computer. A foldable iPad could help spur wider adoption, giving the iPad even more flexibility (pun intended) than it already provides.

  • Apple’s iOS 16 Bypasses VPNs and Communicates With Apple

    Apple’s iOS 16 Bypasses VPNs and Communicates With Apple

    On the heels of news that Android bypasses VPNs and leaks data, developers have discovered that iOS 16 does even worse.

    Developers at Mysk have discovered that iOS 16 contacts Apple’s servers outside of a VPN tunnel, even leaking DNS requests. A number of different services trigger the behavior, including Health, Maps, and Wallet.

    The issue is similar to one Mullvad discovered with Android devices, where Google’s operating system routes some traffic outside a VPN connection. Android even does this when the Block connections without VPN option is enabled.

    Both issues are extremely concerning. When a VPN is in use, ALL traffic should be routed through the VPN. The issue is even more concerning with iOS 16 since it is leaking DNS information. Apple has worked hard to cultivate a reputation for privacy and security, making this latest news especially embarrassing for the company.

    While VPNs are not the security silver bullet some make them out to be, they are nonetheless an important element in the battle to remain private online. For the two major mobile operating systems to circumvent VPNs and contact their respective companies’ servers is an egregious security and privacy violation.

  • Mulvad VPN: Android Circumvents VPNs and Leaks Data

    Mulvad VPN: Android Circumvents VPNs and Leaks Data

    Famed VPN company Mullvad has found that Android circumvents VPNs and leaks data, raising privacy implications.

    Mullvad is one of the leading VPN providers and consistently wins praise for being one of the most secure and private options on the market. Unlike many companies in the space, Mullvad has traceable ownership, anonymous payments, and has been audited by a third party.

    In one of its latest security audits, Mullvad discovered an issue with Android. According to the company’s blog, the mobile operating system bypasses VPNs and leaks data, even when the option to Block connections without VPN is enabled:

    We researched the reported leak, and concluded that Android sends connectivity checks outside the VPN tunnel. It does this every time the device connects to a WiFi network, even when the Block connections without VPN setting is enabled.

    We understand why the Android system wants to send this traffic by default. If for instance there is a captive portal on the network, the connection will be unusable until the user has logged in to it. So most users will want the captive portal check to happen and allow them to display and use the portal. However, this can be a privacy concern for some users with certain threat models. As there seems to be no way to stop Android from leaking this traffic, we have reported it on the Android issue tracker.

    Mullvad’s report outlines the potential privacy implications:

    The connection check traffic can be observed and analyzed by the party controlling the connectivity check server and any entity observing the network traffic. Even if the content of the message does not reveal anything more than “some Android device connected”, the metadata (which includes the source IP) can be used to derive further information, especially if combined with data such as WiFi access point locations. However, as such an de-anonymization attempt would require a quite sophisticated actor, most of our users are probably unlikely consider it a significant risk.

    There are third-party versions of Android that are designed to be more privacy and security-oriented. CalyxOS and GrapheneOS are two such examples, taking the open-source version of Android before Google loads it up with their software and releasing it.

    GrapheneOS is already immune to this particular issue, and the CalyxOS devs are working on the issue.

  • Apple Will Reportedly Release iPadOS 16.1 in October

    Apple Will Reportedly Release iPadOS 16.1 in October

    Apple is preparing the next update to iPadOS and is reportedly releasing it the week of October 24.

    Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is one of the leading experts on what Apple is planning next. According to one of his recent tweets, his sources are pinpointing late October as the iPadOS 16.1 release window.

    iPadOS 16 introduced new ways to multitask and promised a slew of new features. Unfortunately, betas of the release have also seen quite a few bugs and issues, enough to cause Apple to push back the release until October. Hopefully 16.1, the first public release of iPadOS 16, addresses them and smooth out the experience.

  • Report: 1 in 2 Android Apps Share User Data With Third Parties

    Report: 1 in 2 Android Apps Share User Data With Third Parties

    Android apps continue to be a privacy nightmare, with 1 in 2 apps on the Google Play Store sharing user data with third parties.

    Google has been under increasing pressure to improve Android apps’ privacy, primarily in response to Apple’s App Track Transparency. Google introduced its own “Data safety” feature in October 2021, requiring developers to use it as of late July 2022. Data safety lets people know how developers use the data they collect.

    Now that developers are required to disclose their data practices, Incogni looked at 1,000 apps on the Play Store to see how data was being used. The findings were disturbing, with 55.2% sharing user data with third parties. Some of the big-name apps were the biggest perpetrators, despite claiming to collect the least amount of data.

    See also: App Permissions Info Is Coming Back to the Google Play Store

    Incogni also found a major disparity between free and paid apps, with free apps sharing seven times as much data as their paid counterparts. The same was true for popular apps, which shared 6.15 times more data than less popular ones.

    To absolutely no one’s surprise, social media apps collected the most data or 19.18 data points. Shopping apps were the worst for data sharing, coming in at 5.72 data points.

    Perhaps most concerning is the fact that 13.4% of apps share user location data, easily one of the most sensitive data points, with third parties.

    Incogni also pointed out a major flaw in Google’s system, namely that it runs on the “honor system.” In other words, developers are trusted to be honest and transparent about what their apps are and are not collecting and sharing.

    Incogni highlighted some of the biggest dangers related to their findings:

    Many apps share and even sell your data to third parties such as marketing agencies, data brokers, and other businesses. Worse yet is that more than half of these apps might not be encrypting your data in transit, making the data highly susceptible to attackers if communications are intercepted.

    Even transferring anonymous data – which is not considered “sharing” – can be ultimately harmful as it can be easily re-identified.

    The risks involved in the proliferation of your personal information can be quite serious. Data sharing exposes users to dangers such as data breaches, identity theft, stalking, and online harassment. Many internet users can also find themselves victims of digital redlining, a phenomenon that is similar to profiling and discrimination in the real world.

  • EU Formally Adopts USB-C for Phones, Tablets, and Other Devices

    EU Formally Adopts USB-C for Phones, Tablets, and Other Devices

    The European Parliament has finalized the adoption of USB-C for charging small and mid-sized devices, including Apple’s iPhone.

    Much of the phone industry already relies on USB-C for charging and data transfer. Apple is the main outlier, relying on its Lightning port instead. The EU has been moving toward forcing all manufacturers to adopt USB-C, both for the benefit of consumers and for the sake of the environment.

    The EU has now formally adopted the proposal, with plans to enforce it by the end of 2024.

    By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port.

    The rules will also apply to laptops, although not until a later date.

    From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choices.

    The move should make customers’ lives easier and significantly reduce electronic waste. While the EU’s rules will only apply to Europe, it’s a safe bet Apple will make all phones in compliance with the new regulation since manufacturing two completely different models — one for the EU market and one for outside it — would be cost prohibitive.

    “The common charger will finally become a reality in Europe,” said Parliament’s rapporteur Alex Agius Saliba (S&D, MT). “We have waited more than ten years for these rules, but we can finally leave the current plethora of chargers in the past. This future-proof law allows for the development of innovative charging solutions in the future, and it will benefit everyone – from frustrated consumers to our vulnerable environment. These are difficult times for politics, but we have shown that the EU has not run out of ideas or solutions to improve the lives of millions in Europe and inspire other parts of the world to follow suit”

  • Microsoft Is Killing Off SwiftKey for iOS

    Microsoft Is Killing Off SwiftKey for iOS

    Microsoft is killing off its SwiftKey predictive keyboard for iOS, with plans to remove it from the App Store as of October 5.

    SwiftKey is a predictive keyboard that gained popularity on Android and iOS before being bought by Microsoft. In recent years Apple’s own iOS keyboard has included many of the features SwiftKey became famous for, such as predictive text and swipe gestures.

    It appears Microsoft is now ending support for the iOS version of SwiftKey, according to ZDNet, removing it from the App Store as of October 5. Chris Wolfe, Director Product Management at SwiftKey, gave the following statement to the outlet:

    “As of October 5, support for SwiftKey iOS will end and it will be delisted from the Apple App Store. Microsoft will continue support for SwiftKey Android as well as the underlying technology that powers the Windows touch keyboard. For those customers who have SwiftKey installed on iOS, it will continue to work until it is manually uninstalled or a user gets a new device. Please visit Support.SwiftKey.com for more information.”

    Microsoft refused to provide any comment as to the reason for the change of plans, but ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley theorizes the decision may be in response to Apple’s walled garden policies. In the name of privacy Apple restricts access to core elements of iOS, making it difficult for a product like SwiftKey to integrate as fully as the built-in keyboard.

    Microsoft may have simply decided it could no longer deliver the product and experience that it can on Android.

  • Intel Wants Apple Back As a Customer

    Intel Wants Apple Back As a Customer

    Intel has made it clear that it wants Apple back as a customer, despite Apple moving full speed ahead with its own chips.

    Apple was one of Intel’s best customers for years but abandoned the platform in favor of its own M-series chips. Based on the same designs that have powered the iPhone and iPad for years, the M-series has proven to be a powerful combination of performance and industry-leading efficiency.

    It seems that Intel hasn’t given up hope of regaining Apple as a customer if comments by Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Intel’s EVP of the Client Computing Group, are any indication. The comments were reported on Twitter by Dr. Ian Cutress.

    While it’s highly unlikely Apple would ever return to traditional x86 architecture, like Intel or AMD’s chips, there is always the possibility it could use Intel’s foundry services to manufacture its own chips.

  • More Android Apps Were Abandoned Than Updated in the Last Six Months

    More Android Apps Were Abandoned Than Updated in the Last Six Months

    The Google Plays Store has a problem, with more Android apps abandoned in the last six months than those updated.

    New research by Pixalate paints a grim picture for the Play Store, with a whopping 32% of Android apps abandoned by their developers, while only 30% were updated in Q2 2022. While Apple’s App Store also has a problem with abandoned apps, it’s not nearly as big a problem.

    In fact, the App store had 200,000 fewer abandoned apps compared to Q1 2022, while the Play Store had 150,000 more over Q1. What’s more, while the App Store has 500,000 abandoned apps, the Play Store has more than double that number, coming in at 1.1 million.

    The same trend holds true for “Super-Abandoned” apps, the term Pixalate uses for apps that have received no updates for at least five years. The App Store has 141,000 such apps, but the Plays store has more than 166,000.

    Beyond potential disappointment for users whose favorite app is abandoned, there are also serious security and privacy considerations. Pixalate found that 23% of abandoned apps have no known privacy policy. Abandoned apps can also pose risks because they use older and outdated libraries and don’t have the latest security patches.

    The research is a mixed bag for Android, its users, and developers. On the one hand, mainstream Android apps are more likely to be maintained long-term. On the other hand, users may be less likely to give new independent apps a chance for fear the developer(s) may eventually abandon them.

  • Cloudflare Launches Zero Trust Mobile eSIM

    Cloudflare Launches Zero Trust Mobile eSIM

    Cloudflare has scored an industry first, launching the first zero trust eSIM for mobile devices in the BYOD era.

    Bring your own device (BYOD) refers to the common practice of using a personal device for work, a practice that has become far more common as a result of the transition to remote and hybrid work. Unfortunately, BYOD introduces a number of security risks, which Cloudflare is trying to address.

    The company is introducing the Cloudflare Zero Trust SIM designed to help organizations secure their employees’ various devices.

    “When I speak to CISOs I hear, again and again, that effectively securing mobile devices at scale is one of their biggest headaches, it’s the flaw in everyone’s Zero Trust deployment,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO of Cloudflare. “Effectively securing mobile devices is hard, and we have been working on this problem since we launched our WARP mobile app in 2019, now we plan on going even further. With Cloudflare Zero Trust SIM we will offer the only complete solution to secure all of a device’s traffic, helping our customers plug this hole in their Zero Trust security posture.”

    By using eSIMs, companies will be able to deploy SIMs to mobile devices without a physical SIM chip since eSIMs use programmable hardware within the device. This eliminates the risk of SIM-swapping attacks or SIM cloning.

    Cloudflare’s solution is an innovative one and should help provide a significant layer of security for organizations that have a remote or BYOD-based workforce.

  • Apple’s Remaining 2022 Launches Will Likely Be via Press Release

    Apple’s Remaining 2022 Launches Will Likely Be via Press Release

    Don’t expect any more major Apple events for the rest of the year, with a new report saying Apple will turn to press releases.

    Apple’s events are cornerstones of the tech industry, with the company putting on some of the most professional presentations and product releases in the world. With the company’s most recent event centered around the iPhone 14, many were expecting another event in October to unveil new iPads and Macs.

    According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, via MacRumors, whatever products Apple intends to release during the remainder of 2022 will not be released via one of its normal events. Instead, the company is “likely to release its remaining 2022 products via press releases, updates to its website and briefings with select members of the press.”

    The most likely candidates for release are an updated iPad Pro with an M2 chip, a new Mac mini, and new MacBook Pros.

  • Apple Poised to Move a Quarter of iPhone Production to India

    Apple Poised to Move a Quarter of iPhone Production to India

    Apple is preparing to move a significant portion of its iPhone manufacturing to India as it tries to lessen its reliance on China.

    The global pandemic shone a light on the challenges associated with relying on a single country for manufacturing. As lockdowns and quarantines impacted production, Apple and other companies were left scrambling to keep up with demand. The ongoing trade war between the US and China has exacerbated the situation, leading many companies to diversify their production.

    Apple is looking to India for iPhone manufacturing, with plans to move as much as 25% of its production to that country, according to TechCrunch. The news comes via a JP Morgan research note predicting that 5% of global iPhone production will be based in India by late 2022. By 2025, that number will grow to 25%.

    The same report also held good news for Vietnam, with Apple moving 20% of iPad and Apple Watch production there by 2025. In addition, the country will also make up 5% of MacBook and 65% of AirPod production.

    JP Morgan’s note correlates to news that Foxconn, Apple’s primary manufacturing partner, is investing $300 million in Vietnam manufacturing.

  • Pixel 7 To Be the First Google Flagship to Arrive in India in Years

    Pixel 7 To Be the First Google Flagship to Arrive in India in Years

    Google is planning on releasing the Pixel 7 in India, marking the first time the company has released a flagship phone there in several years.

    The Pixel 7 is Google’s upcoming line of smartphones and will build on the success it has enjoyed with the Pixel 6 and 6a series. Unfortunately for Indian fans, however, the last flagship Pixel to be released in-country was the Pixel 3 and 3XL.

    According to Android Central, Google is finally changing course. There’s not been a specific release date announced, but at least Indian Pixel users shouldn’t have long to wait.

    The move also marks a greater investment in the country by Google. News broke earlier this month that the company was looking to expand Pixel manufacturing in India in an effort to reduce its reliance on China.

  • Samsung Users May Finally Get Seamless Android Updates

    Samsung Users May Finally Get Seamless Android Updates

    Samsung users may finally get seamless Android updates, easing a major pain point with some of the world’s most popular smartphones.

    Android, especially on Google’s own line of Pixel phones, has had the ability to download and install system updates in the background, without interfering with what the user is doing. Once the OS has updated to the latest version, the user is notified that a restart will be required to finish the update, which the user can perform when they’re ready.

    Unfortunately, Samsung has never adopted the feature. As a result, Samsung’s phones have a much more obnoxious updating process that gets in the user’s way until it’s completed.

    According to Android Central, Google may mandate that all OEM’s shipping Android 13 adopt A/B Seamless Updates. The report is based on a tweet by Mishaal Rahman, senior technical editor at Esper.

    The news is likely to be a welcome improvement for Samsung users, although it will only apply to phones that ship with Android 13.