MacRumors

Apple is "battling to free stuck shipments" at the Indian port of Chennai after the country ramped up scrutiny of imports from China following rising tensions between the two nations.

Reuters reports that customs officers at the Southern Indian port have held back more than 150 shipments of smartphones and electronic parts from China, which has disrupted operations at plants owned by Apple supplier Foxconn.

While several companies such as Apple and Dell have been battling to free stuck shipments, hundreds of employees at Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn's two plants in the south had no major work to do this week as shipments were delayed, sources said.

Some of the shipments are being slowly cleared, according to Reuters' sources, but the hold-up has reportedly left Foxconn in a "very bad state," resulting in many workers staying at their dormitories because of a lack of work.

The additional checks, which were apparently imposed without any formal order, follow deadly clashes between Chinese and Indian soldiers at the disputed Himalayan border last month, which has led to boycotts and demonstrations.

With concern mounting that the shipping delays are impacting businesses that have already been disrupted by the global health crisis, prominent U.S.-India lobby groups and local industry bodies have urged the Indian government to intervene. Indian government officials said the additional clearance measures for shipments from China would be temporary.

China's Commerce Ministry said on Thursday that it hoped India would "correct its discriminatory actions against Chinese companies immediately," after India banned some Chinese mobile apps amid the border crisis.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple is rumored to be releasing a mini LED-backlit iPad Pro and a new mini-LED MacBook Pro series over the next 18 months, and the devices have just picked up two new suppliers, according to industry sources.

DigiTimes today reports that two former Apple suppliers, Taiwan's Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect, have entered the supply chain to make the flexible printed circuit boards for the mini-LED devices.

The two PCB makers will reportedly compete with their South Korean peer Young Poong Electronics for the higher shipment ratio of flexible boards required, and are well placed to gain a larger portion of shipment orders because they boast better flexible board manufacturing technology capability.

Both firms are expected to start small-volume shipments of mini LED-backlit modules in the fourth quarter of 2020 to support the launch of new iPad Pro in the first quarter of 2021, the sources said. As such modules are likely to become standard specs for diverse new iPads and MacBooks, Zhen Ding and Flexium can secure a new profitable outlet for their flexible boards, the sources noted.

Apple is rumored to be planning to release a high-end 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display and 5G in 2021. Apple was originally planning to launch the device in the fall of 2020, but is reportedly unable to meet that deadline with the global health crisis, and now multiple sources suggest a 2021 launch. DigiTimes claims we could see the device as early as the first quarter of next year, while leaker L0vetodream has claimed they won't arrive until the second quarter.

Apple is also working on a 14.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ and an updated 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a mini-LED display, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, although the roadmap for these machines is far from clear.

While Kuo has said the mini-LED version of the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is slated for the fall of 2020, he hasn't provided launch information for the 14.1-inch model that Apple is working on, beyond suggesting that there are several mini-LED devices in the works for 2020 and 2021. Meanwhile, L0vetodream has claimed the 14.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ won't be launching until 2021.

‌DigiTimes‌ has previously claimed that Apple will launch multiple Mac notebook models with mini-LED backlit displays by the end of 2020, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in April that Apple plans to introduce a 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ in October or November, but it's not clear if this refresh features a mini-LED display.

Ultimately, work on all the mini-LED devices may have been pushed back to 2021. This includes the 16-inch mini-LED ‌MacBook Pro‌, and multiple sources now suggest a 2021 launch for the machine.

The future mini-LED displays will use approximately 10,000 LEDs, with each one below 200 microns in size. Mini-LED will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, offering many of the same benefits as OLED like better wide color gamut, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks. Kuo believes the mini-LED technology will "significantly improve productivity and the entertainment experience."

WhatsApp has announced it is rolling out a number of new features across its app, web, and desktop variants, including a QR code scanning option for contacts and a new Dark mode theme that extends to computers.

WhatsApp has been extensively testing the use of QR codes on mobile to let users add contacts to the messaging app instead of typing in digits one by one, and it sounds like it's almost ready to go live.

Currently WhatsApp users must first add a contact via the Contacts tab in Apple's Phone app. Only after that can they open WhatsApp and send them a message. Using a QR code instead would skip this step and make the process a lot more convenient.

Meanwhile, following the recent added ability to video chat with up to eight people, WhatsApp is bringing new improvements to group video calls. It's now easier to focus on someone in a call by pressing and holding to maximize their video to full screen. There's also a new video icon for group chats of 8 or less, making it easier to start a group video call with a single tap.

WhatsApp says animated stickers are one of the fastest growing ways people communicate on the platform, so it's also rolling out "more fun and expressive" animated sticker packs. In addition, KaiOS users can now enjoy the popular feature that lets them share updates that disappear after 24 hours.

Finally, while Dark Mode on WhatsApp for iPhone arrived earlier this year, the same feature is now coming to the web version of the chat platform as well as WhatsApp for Mac.

WhatsApp says these features are rolling out to users over the next few weeks. WhatsApp is a free download for ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and Mac available on the iOS ‌App Store [Direct Link] and Mac App Store [Direct Link], respectively‌.

Apple in March purchased weather app Dark Sky, and at that time, Dark Sky's developers said that the Dark Sky for Android app would be discontinued on July 1, 2020.

Now that it's July, Dark Sky's developers today announced that the discontinuation of the Android app will be delayed, and it will be available until August 1, 2020.

The Android app will be shuttered on August 1, and Android users will no longer be able to use it. Subscribers who are active at that time will be provided with a full refund.

Dark Sky also plans to shut down the weather forecasts, maps, and embeds available on its website on August 1. Dark Sky previously said that its API will continue to function through the end of 2021, but no new API signups are being accepted.

Apple is offering new Apple Card holders a $50 Daily Cash bonus when they use the card for an Apple service, which includes renting a movie in the Apple TV app, subscribing to Apple Arcade or Apple Music, or making an App Store purchase.

Apple says that the $50 will be provided as a Daily Cash transfer to the new Apple Card after a qualifying purchase has been made.

The promotion is being highlighted on the Apple Card website, as 9to5Mac points out. The deal is valid for new ‌Apple Card‌ holders who open an account between July 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020 and make any purchase from Apple Services in the United States within 30 days of opening an ‌Apple Card‌ account.

Daily Cash is transferred to the Apple Cash card after a qualifying purchase, but for those who do not have an Apple Cash card, it can be applied as a credit on a statement balance.

Apple's iCloud.com website is down for some users, according to a report on Apple's System Status page. The issue began at 3:25 p.m. Pacific Time, and is ongoing.

Affected users who visit iCloud.com run into a message that says the iCloud website can't be found. "‌iCloud‌ can't find that page," it reads.

Apple is working on fixing the issue, though it is not clear when the website will be back up and running.

Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to testify in an upcoming antitrust hearing with the U.S. House judiciary antitrust subcommittee, chairman David Cicilline said today in an interview with Kara Swisher.

According to Cicilline, Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will all appear at the antitrust hearing set to take place in late July.

The antitrust subcommittee has embarked on a probe of competition in digital markets that involves all four companies, and in June, letters were sent out to CEOs asking them to testify.

Apple's App Store policies have been under scrutiny from the U.S. government since last year, and Apple has been questioned about the removal of parental control apps from the ‌‌App Store‌ in 2019‌, how search result rankings are determined, how Apple's in-app purchase mechanism works, whether apps are permitted to include in-app links to non-Apple payment systems, policies surrounding setting non-Apple apps as default, and more.

Cicilline, who is the chairman of the antitrust subcommittee looking into Apple's ‌App Store‌ agreements with developers, said in June that Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees are "exorbitant" and akin to "highway robbery."

The antitrust subcommittee has been soliciting opinions from developers who create apps for Apple's ‌App Store‌ since November 2019, and recently, those discussions have centered on the 30 percent cut that Apple takes from in-app subscriptions.

Cook is likely to be questioned on Apple's various ‌App Store‌ policies and the responses and concerns that the subcommittee has heard from ‌App Store‌ developers.

The investigation into Apple's ‌App Store‌ practices is said to be in the early stages, but the committee's goal is to generate a report with recommendations on legislative action.

Apple's Mac Pro can now be configured with a Radeon Pro W5550X with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, a graphics card option that's a step above the entry-level Radeon Pro 580X but not as expensive as the W5700X graphics card that Apple introduced as an option in April.

Upgrading a ‌Mac Pro‌ with the Radeon Pro W5550X costs an additional $200 over the base price of the machine.

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500X with 8GB of GDDR6 memory is based on AMD's RDNA architecture, featuring up to 5.6 teraflops of single-precision performance or 11.2 teraflops of half-precision computing. It supports up to four 4K displays, one 5K display, or one Pro Display XDR.

The Radeon Pro W5500X can also be purchased as a standalone half-height MPX Module for $600.

Google pays Apple to be the default search engine on Apple's Safari web browser on iPhones and Macs, which causes a "significant barrier to entry and expansion" for rivals in the search engine market, said the UK Competition and Markets Authority in a report released today (via Reuters).

The relationship between Apple and Google impacts Microsoft's Bing, Verizon's Yahoo, and independent search engine DuckDuckGo. Apple allows users to set these search engines as their default in the Safari settings, a privilege the search engines pay for, but Google Search remains the default on a new device.

Apple received the "substantial majority" of the $1.5 billion (1.2 billion pounds) that Google paid to be the default search engine on various devices in the United Kingdom in 2019, according to the report.

"Given the impact of preinstallations and defaults on mobile devices and Apple's significant market share, it is our view that Apple's existing arrangements with Google create a significant barrier to entry and expansion for rivals affecting competition between search engines on mobiles," the regulators wrote in the report.

UK regulators believe that enforcement authorities should be provided with a range of options to address the arrangement between Apple and Google to provide a more level playing field for other search engines.

Apple could be required to provide "choice screens" that would let users decide which search engine to set as default during device setup, or could be restricted from monetizing default search engine positions, a move that Apple said would be "very costly."

Apple and Google have never confirmed exactly how much Google pays to be the default search engine on Apple devices in the UK, the United States, and other countries, but it's rumored to be in the billions.

As COVID-19 cases in the United States continue to climb, Apple is closing more of its retail stores in multiple states. This week, Apple is shuttering additional stores in California, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Utah, Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

The coronavirus has been spreading rapidly in Florida, Southern California, Texas, and other states where Apple is shutting down access to its retail locations, and as of this week, 77 stores that had reopened have been closed once again.

9to5Mac has been keeping up with all of the stores that are closing this week and has published a full list of the stores that will be closed today and tomorrow.

California

• Glendale Galleria
• Northridge
• Pasadena
• The Grove
• Third St. Promenade
• Century City
• Manhattan Village
• Beverly Center
• Sherman Oaks
• Topanga
• Los Cerritos
• The Americana at Brand
• Valencia Town Center
• Victoria Gardens
• The Oaks

Alabama

• The Summit

Georgia

• Cumberland Mall
• Perimeter
• Lenox Square
• Avalon
• Mall of Georgia

Idaho

• Boise Towne Square

Louisiana

• Baton Rouge
• Lakeside Shopping Center

Nevada

• Fashion Show
• The Forum Shops
• Town Square
• Summerlin

Oklahoma

• Penn Square
• Woodland Hills

Florida

• St. Johns Town Center
• University Town Center

Mississippi

• Renaissance at Colony Park

Texas

• Barton Creek
• Domain Northside
• La Cantera
• North Star
• Knox Street
• Northpark Center
• Galleria Dallas
• Ciello Vista Mall
• Southlake Town Square
• University Park Village

Utah

• Station Park
• Fashion Place
• City Creek Center

For stores that are closing this week, Apple is allowing customers to pick up existing online orders and repaired devices through Friday, July 3. There is no word on when stores will reopen.

This is the fifth wave of store reclosures, which started two weeks ago in states that include Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

When Apple first began reopening stores in the United States in May, the company warned that it could end up closing some locations again depending on local conditions. "These are not decisions we rush into - and a store opening in no way means that we won't take the preventative step of closing it again should local conditions warrant," said Apple's retail store chief Deirdre O'Brien.

Apple's decisions to close or reopen stores are based on data evaluation, such as local cases, near and long-term trends, and guidance from national and local health officials. In a statement to CNBC Apple said that it is closing stores out of an abundance of caution.

Due to current COVID-19 conditions in some of the communities we serve, we are temporarily closing stores in these areas. We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible.

In store locations that have reopened, Apple has implemented safety measures that include mandatory masks, social distancing, frequent cleaning, temperature checks, and more. In some locations, stores are open only for repairs and curb-side pickup, while others are open but with a limited number of people allowed in at one time.

Apple's iPhone 12 models will not feature an upgraded 120Hz ProMotion display, according to display analyst Ross Young. Young previously said that Apple would not implement ProMotion technology until it adopted low-power LTPO display technology, a move Apple is not expected to make until 2021.

In a tweet shared this morning, Young said that the none of his contacts have been able to corroborate rumors that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models will feature 120Hz displays, with his sources instead indicating 120Hz technology will be coming in the 2021 ‌iPhone‌ refresh.

There's been a lot of back and forth on the ProMotion display rumors, with some leakers suggesting 120Hz support is in the works. These rumors kicked off in 2019 when leaker "Ice Universe" said that Apple was considering a switchable 60Hz/120Hz refresh rate for at least one ‌iPhone‌ in 2020.

Taiwanese site DigiTimes has also said that Apple is planning to release an ‌iPhone‌ with a 120Hz display, as have leakers Max Weinbach and Jon Prosser.

Young, who has display expertise, has maintained that Apple will implement ProMotion in 2021 alongside the adoption of low-power LTPO displays which will allow for a variable refresh rate that preserves battery life. Adding a ProMotion display to the ‌iPhone‌ without the technology could result in undesirable battery drain, though it's worth noting the iPad Pro uses ProMotion without LTPO.

Last week, Ice Universe again claimed that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models will offer displays capable of refresh rates up to 120Hz. "A reliable source, if there is no accident, ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ Pro and ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ Pro Max have basically determined the maximum 120Hz refresh rate," he said.

There's also an accessibility setting in iOS 14 that appears to limit the frame rate of the ‌iPhone‌ to 60 frames per second, which could be indicative that future iPhones will support higher frame rates. The setting does not show up for all beta users, however, and could be a bug.

ProMotion technology on the ‌iPad Pro‌ is able to dynamically adjust the display to the movement of content, resulting in more fluid scrolling, smoother motion, and improved responsiveness. The frame rate changes based on the content on the screen, preserving battery life.

Given the mixed rumors about ProMotion display technology, we may not know for sure if the new iPhones will have the feature until their debut this fall. Current rumors suggest Apple will unveil the new iPhones in September, but a launch for some or all models could be delayed until October or November.

Benchmarks for an unreleased iMac equipped with a 10th-generation Core i9 Intel Comet Lake-S chip and an AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card have surfaced, giving us an idea of what we can expect from a refreshed 2020 ‌iMac‌.

The Geekbench benchmarks, which appear to be legit, were found on Twitter and shared this morning by Tom's Hardware. The ‌iMac‌ in the benchmarks would be a successor to the 27-inch ‌iMac‌.

The machine features Intel's 3.6GHz Core i9-10910 chip with 10 CPU cores, 20 threads, a 20MB L3 cache, and 4.7GHz Turbo Boost, a successor to the Core i9 chip found in the current high-end 27-inch ‌iMac‌. As Tom's Hardware points out, the chip appears to be a higher clocked 95W Core i9-10900 that's unique to the ‌iMac‌.

According to the Geekbench submission, the Core i9-10910 runs with a 3.6 GHz base clock and 4.7 GHz boost clock. The clock speeds suggest that the Core i9-10910 is fundamentally a higher clocked Core i9-10900. Doing the math, the Core i9-10910 reportedly boasts a 28.6% higher base clock than the Core i9-10900.

Given the shared specifications, the Core i9-10910 should slot right in between the Core i9-10900K and Core i9-10910. The first is a 125W part, while the latter is a 65W chip. This means that the Core i9-10910 is likely a 95W processor.

The unreleased ‌iMac‌ is also equipped with an as of yet unannounced AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card, which seems to be a desktop version of the Radeon Pro 5300M released last year with Navi 14 silicon.

There's no word on when Apple might release an updated ‌iMac‌, but there were rumors suggesting a new machine could come at WWDC. Rumors have suggested an updated 2020 ‌iMac‌ might feature the first redesign we've seen in years with "iPad Pro design language" and thin bezels similar to the bezels on the Pro Display XDR.

The updated machine is expected to feature a T2 chip for security and controller functions along with an AMD Navi GPU and an all-flash storage setup. It's not clear what size it will be, but there have been multiple rumors suggesting Apple is working on a 23 or 24-inch ‌iMac‌ with an all new form factor.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ would be one of the first Macs to get an Apple Silicon chip in late 2020 or 2021, but said that Apple plans to refresh the existing Intel ‌iMac‌ in the third quarter of 2020, which appears to be the machine we're seeing in the benchmarks.

Whether the new machine features a new look remains to be seen, as the redesign could be something Apple is holding back for when the company is ready to debut its ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips. Apple said the first Mac with an Apple-designed chip would come in late 2020, but did not provide details on which Mac that would be.

It's possible that this Intel refresh will see Apple reusing the same 27-inch ‌iMac‌ design that hasn't been updated since 2012.

This weekend is the Fourth of July holiday in the United States, and as the celebration approaches many of the most popular Apple-related product and accessory sites have introduced notable discounts. You'll find all of the best Fourth of July Apple deals in the lists below, and note that many of the sales will last through Saturday, July 4, unless otherwise stated.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Anker

Anker's newest Amazon sale includes discounts on wall chargers, wireless chargers, and accessories including eufy's robotic vacuums and the Nebula Apollo Mini Projector. Each of these discounts will expire on Sunday, July 5.

Wall Chargers

• PowerPort Atom PD 2 - $33.99, down from $54.99
• PowerPort II Duo - $20.99, down from $27.99

Wireless Charger

• PowerWave 7.5W Stand 2-Pack - $25.99, down from $34.99

Miscellaneous

• eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 30 - $179.00, down from $249.00
• Nebula Apollo Mini Projector - $299.99, down from $359.99

Best Buy

Best Buy has returned with its $199.99 HomePod offer this week, available in both Space Gray and White. This sale marks $100 off the price of the HomePod, and is among the best seen online right now for a new HomePod.

The HomePod discount is part of Best Buy's overall Fourth of July sale, including markdowns on MacBook Pros, iPad Pros, iPhones, 4K TV sets, and more.

eBay

eBay has a 20 percent off coupon code for its shoppers this Fourth of July. By entering the code PLUS20 you can save on select home and garden, tech, pool, sporting goods, and more through July 6. This discount is capped at a max of $100 taken off your order.

eBay's tech and home section includes a wide arrange of products, including JBL speakers, Dyson fans and vacuums, iPhones, MacBooks, 4K TV sets, and much more. Be sure to head to eBay's tech section to browse before the coupon expires. Shoppers should note that it can be used twice.

Adorama

Adorama's Fourth of July sale is mainly focusing on discounts on cameras and photography equipment. You can save on the Canon Ivy Cliq Instant Camera Printer ($59.00), the GoPro HERO8 ($299.00), and the Canon VIXIA Waterproof Camcorder ($249.00). Visit Adorama's website for the full list, and note that this sale will expire on Sunday, July 5.

B&H Photo

B&H Photo has a wide variety of discounts going on this Fourth of July. You can save on a previous-generation iPad Pro, Western Digital external hard drive, AirPods Pro, various computer monitors, and more. We've collected a few of these sales below.

• 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2018, 64GB Wi-Fi) - $799.00, down from $999.00
• AirPods Pro - $234.99, down from $249.00
• WD 4TB My Book Desktop External Hard Drive - $99.99, down from $109.99
• Samsung 350 Series 23.5-inch LCD Monitor - $119.99, down from $149.99

Hyper

Accessory brand Hyper has a few discounts on its USB-C hubs for the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and iPad Pro. These devices start at $39.99 and include savings of up to $20 off. Hyper's sales also include savings on wireless chargers, Lightning cables, and more. You can see all of the discounts on the company's website.

Bose

Bose is offering a few special offers on its wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers this week. You can also get free standard shipping on orders of $50 or more, with free return shipping.

• SoundSport Wireless Headphones - $99.95, down from $149.95
• Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 - $379.95, down from $399.95
• SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II - $89.95, down from $129.95
• Home Speaker 300 - $199.95, down from $259.95
• Home Speaker 500 - $299.95, down from $399.95

JBL

JBL's Independence Day sale includes between 10 and 50 percent off Bluetooth speakers and wireless headphones. You can get the popular JBL Pulse 4 for $149.95, down from $249.95 [also available at Amazon], or the JBL Tune 120TWS headphones for $79.95, down from $99.95.

The rest of the sale includes savings on loudspeakers and other portable Bluetooth speakers, so be sure to visit JBL's website before the deals expire.

Speck

At Speck you can get 20 percent off sitewide through July 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Free shipping is available on orders placed in the United States. There are some exclusions, including cases for the 2020 iPhone SE, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, Presidio Perfect Clear Series cases, and any products already on sale.

Miscellaneous

• Belkin - Save on iPhone docks, smart plugs, wireless chargers, and more.
• Incipio - Save on cases for the iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, and more.
• Newegg - Save up to 40 percent on computer accessories.
• Pad & Quill - Shop the new Summer Clearance event with discounts on iPhone, MacBook, and iPad cases.
• Scosche - Save on car mounts for iPhone and more.

Apple has acquired the rights to "Emancipation," an action thriller film about a slave on the run from the Confederacy in the midst of the Civil War, journeying north to join the Union Army (via Deadline). The film is set to star Will Smith and will be directed by Antoine Fuqua, who previously helmed "Training Day" and "The Equalizer."

Apple's purchase of "Emancipation" is described as the largest festival acquisition deal in film history. Several bidders were interested in the film when it was introduced at the Cannes Virtual Film Market, which was held late in June as a replacement to the physical Cannes Film Festival.

Apple allegedly paid north of $120 million for the film package, and "Emancipation" is set to premiere in theaters first and then around the world on Apple TV+. Production is expected to begin in early 2021.

Apple has frozen updates for thousands of iOS mobile games on the App Store in China, due to these apps lacking an official license from Chinese regulators (via Financial Times). Previously in February, Apple gave app developers a June 30 deadline to prove they had a license for their games.

Now that it's July, Apple said that developers would not be able to update their games without a license. The move is said to come from "increasing government pressure" on Apple to comply with local regulations, which have been in place since 2016.

“No one is entirely clear how Apple managed to avoid enforcing the 2016 licensing rule for so long. But considering the US-China trade war began heating up earlier this year, the timing is suspicious,” said Todd Kuhns, marketing manager for the consultancy group App in China, which estimated that the move could cost Apple up to $879m in lost sales.

In total, Apple is estimated to host around 60,000 gaming apps in China that are paid downloads or include in-app purchases. Among that amount, China's regulators have issues just over 43,000 licenses since 2010, while in 2019 about 1,570 licenses were granted to developers.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.