Although GlobalFoundries has licensed 14nm FinFET manufacturing technology from Samsung Electronics back in May, 2014, it looks like the company may have to delay mass production using the fabrication process. According to a media report, the company has stopped installation of equipment required to make chips using 14nm FinFET technology. …
Read More »iTunes now offers refunds in Europe
Apple has changed the iTunes refund policy making it so that Europeans can return almost any digital item bought from the store within two weeks of purchase. However, as you would expect, there are some caveats in place to avoid abuse of the system. If you open an app, or …
Read More »Apple Pay to arrive in the UK next year following tricky negotiations
Apple Pay is due to arrive in the UK next year but according to new reports Apple's negotiations are being held up as some banking executives fear that the mobile payment service could serve as a “beachhead for Apple's invasion of the banking industry”. Additionally, at least one of the …
Read More »Apple’s new MacBook Air 12-inch to sport Core M chip, USB 3.1, retina display
One of the key selling points of Apple’s next-generation MacBook Air laptop is expected to be very slim form-factor, fanless cooling and long battery life. However, it turns out that the new system from Apple will also sport a number of technological breakthroughs that will hit the market for the …
Read More »U.S. ITC to investigate Samsung’s complaints against Nvidia, others
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) on Tuesday said it will investigate Samsung’s accusations against patent infringements by Nvidia Corp. and its partners. If the ITC finds Nvidia and its allies guilty of patent infringements, it may stop sales of their products in the United States. The products at issue …
Read More »Apple may double down on RAM for the iPhone 6s
We already know that work has begun on the next iPhone and iPad as Samsung has already started manufacturing the A9 chip but rumors surrounding other key specifications are popping up. According to reports straight from Taiwan, Apple is preparing to double the amount of RAM in next year's devices. …
Read More »GlobalFoundries: Customized and SOI process technologies gain importance
While non-standard fabrication processes are sometimes challenging and make it harder to re-use intellectual property across different product lineups, they are just what the doctor ordered when one needs to achieve certain goals. According to GlobalFoundries, the No. 2 contract maker of chips, many customized process technologies are gaining importance …
Read More »Tim Cook ‘deeply offended’ over labor abuse accusations
Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, has gone on record to say that he is “deeply offended” by the BBC's accusations of poor working conditions at Chinese supply factories. The companies Apple uses for manufacturing have been criticized in the past but despite the firm taking a more proactive approach, the BBC's …
Read More »New Apple Patent shows Touch ID upgrade
Patent applications often reveal future or potential company plans some time before announcement. Today, a new Apple patent is showing off a rather big Touch ID sensor upgrade, which likely won't be officially announced until next September alongside the new iPhones. Originally found by AppleInsider, patent application 13/918221 shows off …
Read More »Apple still not protecting rights of Chinese labourers
Apple has been slammed for its poor treatment of Chinese workers in the past, with claims of slave like labour practices and legitimate abuse from management stretching back years. Today though it seems conditions aren't much better, with a report coming out from BBC's Panorama investigation that found workers falling asleep at …
Read More »GlobalFoundries to produce 14nm chips in the first half of 2015
GlobalFoundries, the world’s second largest contract maker of semiconductors, plans to start volume production of chips using 14nm fabrication process in the first half of 2015, a little later than Samsung Electronics, but, possibly, earlier than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. The company does not reveal who will be the first …
Read More »Apple closes russian online store as the Ruble plummets
Being an Apple fan in Russia has never been quite as easy as other parts of the world and now it's just gotten a little harder. As of today, Apple has closed it's Russian online store and is no longer selling hardware to anyone using the Ruble as their currency, following its …
Read More »TAG Heuer mulls smartwatch-related acquisitions and partnerships
TAG Heuer, a leading timepiece brand, understands all the potential challenges that emerging smartwatches bring to it. As a result, the company is serious about not only releasing their own smartwatches, but competing against consumer electronics companies head to head. While this means serious approach that will lead to a …
Read More »Jury rules in Apple’s favor during iPod DRM anti-trust case
An eight person jury has let Apple off the hook in the iPod DRM class action lawsuit trial. The lawsuit aimed to force Apple to compensate those who bought specific iPods between 2006 and March 2009 after it was found that Apple was anti-competitively blocking and removing songs that were paid …
Read More »Ex-iTunes engineer admits Apple tried to block rivals on iPods
Apple is facing a pretty massive class action lawsuit at the moment over accusations that the company removed songs from customer iPods if they weren't bought from iTunes. Now an ex-iTunes engineer has testified, admitting that Apple did attempt to block music bought from competing services. Former iTunes engineer, Rod …
Read More »Transition to flat user interfaces is inevitable, but will take time – former Apple engineer
If you do not like modern graphics user interfaces of the latest operating, you will have to get over it because this is exactly how GUIs will look like going forward, according to a former Apple engineer. Flat is the new black. Millions of users have criticized Apple and Microsoft …
Read More »Samsung has already begun producing Apple’s next iPhone processor
Reports are coming in suggesting that Apple has once again partnered up with Samsung for its next iPhone chip, the A9, which will power next year's iPhones and iPads. Additionally, the A9 processors are already in production at Samsung's plant. Korea's Electronic Times reported today that the new A9 SoCs …
Read More »Samsung begins mass production of chips using 14nm FinFET process tech
Samsung Electronics has begun volume production of semiconductors using 14nm FinFET fabrication process in accordance with its plans outlined earlier this year. The company does not disclose which chips it produces using its 14LPE (low-power early) manufacturing technology and for which companies. Kim Ki-nam, president of Samsung's semiconductor business and …
Read More »Papers Please launches on iPad, without nudity
Papers Please is one of the more thought provoking titles to be released in recent years, giving the player a chance to not only feel the power behind even a minor position of importance, but also the moral quandaries placed at the feet of someone in such a role. All …
Read More »Apple and IBM deliver first MobileFirst for iOS applications
Apple and IBM have unveiled the first breed of MobileFirst made-for-business apps and supporting cloud services for iPhone and iPad. The new programs bring IBM’s big data and analytics capabilities to Apple users in the enterprise. The applications are designed for customers in banking, retail, insurance, financial services, telecommunications and …
Read More »Battery technology – the tech’s biggest obstacle, says former Apple engineer
Bill Fernandez, the first official employee of Apple, has worked on multiple devices and technologies, but now he is a well-known expert in user interfaces. In a recent interview the man, who introduced Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, said that battery technology is the biggest obstacle for developing of mobile …
Read More »Former Apple executive jailed for selling company secrets
Former Apple executive, Paul S. Devine, who sold company secrets to suppliers has been hit with a $4.5 million fine and if that wasn't bad enough, he will also have to serve a 1 year prison sentence for his crimes. The sentence was passed down in the San Jose federal …
Read More »TAG Heuer’s smartwatch to feature Intel chip inside – report
TAG Heuer, a leading Swiss watchmaker, plans to announce its first smartwatch as early as next month and intends to use an Intel system-on-chip inside the device, according to a media report. The fact that the manufacturer of fine timepieces decided to integrate an Intel processor into its first smart …
Read More »Apple iPod DRM lawsuit is falling apart
The class action lawsuit launched against Apple over iPod DRM is falling apart as new evidence has come to light, showing that the two named plaintiffs did not actually buy the affected iPod models covered by the lawsuit during the relevant time frame. This case pertains to anti-trust issues, claiming …
Read More »Apple forced to pull Safari OS X update
Apple seems to be making a habit of releasing buggy software this year, first the company ran in to many issues getting iOS 8 off the ground and now it has had to pull a Safari update after users reported that it forced them to re-install the OS X operating …
Read More »Apple plans to launch new iPhone with 4-inch display next year
Apple responded to market trends towards larger smartphone screens with the launch of its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus earlier this year. Nonetheless, the company has not discontinued iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, which are intended for those, who want to use their phones with one hand. Moreover, the …
Read More »Chinese manufacturer claims Apple stole iPhone 6 design
Another day, another potential Apple lawsuit, this time a Chinese manufacturer is claiming that it owns the patent for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handset design in China. Digione tried to contact Apple via letter earlier this year but the company failed to respond, as a result, the company …
Read More »Firefox browser may finally come to iOS
iPhone and iPad users may finally be able to download the Firefox browser on their devices soon as Mozilla's Vice President for the browser is keen to get on to the App Store. This is a step away from Mozilla's previous stance as the company has stated in the past …
Read More »Microsoft expected to release a ‘spate of wearable devices’
The market of wearable computing devices is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years and many observers believe that a lot of consumers will wear more than one of such gadgets. Therefore, it is logical to expect hardware makers to unveil wide families of wearables. For example, a supplier of …
Read More »HP’s EliteBook 1020 is thinner, more powerful than Apple MacBook Air
Hewlett Packard on Tuesday introduced its new family of laptops that includes notebooks, which are thinner and more powerful than Apple’s MacBook Air, a laptop that is considered as a de-facto standard for ultra-thin laptops. At present it is unknown how much will the new laptops cost, but since the …
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