MacRumors

Universal Pictures is set to make new movies on global theatrical release concurrently available for rental via iTunes, Amazon, and other digital platforms, NBCUniversal has announced (via Deadline).

New releases including The Invisible Man, The Hunt, and Emma will be available to watch online as soon as this Friday, March 20, with each movie offered as a 48-hour on-demand rental for the suggested price of $19.99 in the U.S., and equivalent prices in international markets.

In addition, DreamWorks Animation's Trolls World Tour, which is scheduled for cinematic release on April 10 in the U.S., is set to become available domestically in theaters and on demand on the same day.

The announcement followed a historically poor weekend at the box office, as measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic saw theaters close and consumers prepare for a collective shut-in at home.

"Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable," said Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal, in a statement. "We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the move doesn't apply to the studio's entire 2020 calendar, and decisions regarding other titles and the duration of the policy have yet to be made.

Several films, including the next James Bond installment No Time to Die and the ninth Fast & Furious movie, have already been delayed because of the virus. Apple has also suspended all active filming on Apple TV+ projects from outside studios, temporarily pausing work on "The Morning Show," "Foundation," "See," "Lisey's Story," "Servant," and "For All Mankind."

The United States International Trade Commission today announced an investigation into possible patent violations involving capacitive touch-controlled devices, computers, and components created by Apple, Amazon, Samsung, and others, reports Reuters.

According to a document announcing the investigation [PDF], it stems from a February complaint filed by Irish company Neodron claiming Apple and other companies are infringing on Neodron-owned patents related to touch-based devices.

The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Neodron, Ltd., of Dublin, Ireland, on February 14, 2020. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain capacitive touch-controlled mobile devices, computers, and components thereof that infringe patents asserted by the complainant. The complainant requests that the USITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.

The ITC will investigate the complaint, which involves Amazon, Apple, ASUSTek, ASUS computer International, LG Electronics, LG Electronics USA, Microsoft, Motorola, Samsung, Sony, and Sony Mobile Communications to determine if there have been patent violations under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Neodron is ultimately seeking a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders against the companies involved in the investigation. The ITC says that the launch of the investigation does not mean that a decision has been made on the merits of the case.

The case will be assigned to an administrative law judge who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing to make an initial determination as to whether there is indeed a patent infringement issue.

The U.S. ITC previously announced a similar investigation into touch-controlled devices, computers, and components in June, but Apple was not part of that particular investigation, which has now been expanded.

Six San Francisco Bay Area counties this afternoon issued a shelter-in-place mandate that affects close to seven million people along with businesses in the area, including Apple Stores, reports The San Francisco Chronicle.

In the counties of San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, and Contra Costa, along with the city of Berkeley, residents must stay inside and venture out only for necessities. Santa Clara county includes Apple's headquarters and many additional offices, while there are multiple Apple Stores across the six affected counties.

People must work from home unless they provide essential services like public safety, sanitation, and medical services. Pharmacies, banks, and grocery stores will remain open, as will restaurants, but only for take out. Veterinary services, gas stations, hardware stores, and other essential shops are permitted to remain open, but other non-essential stores will close.

Non-essential gatherings of any size are banned, along with non-essential travel "on foot, bicycle, scooter, automobile, or public transit."

Given the shelter-in-place order, Apple Stores in the Bay Area are not likely to be able to reopen on March 27 as planned, as the order is set to last for three weeks at this time, ending on April 7 at the earliest.

Apple on Friday closed all of its retail stores across the United States for a two week period.

The shelter-in-place order in the Bay Area is the most restrictive in the United States at this time, and have been put in place to halt the spread of the virus. The Bay Area has 251 reported cases of coronavirus at this time, but infectious disease experts believe there could be hundreds and possibly thousands of cases in the area that are undiagnosed due to testing issues.

Fortune today published a list of the 100 "greatest designs of modern times," featuring products that have made people's lives simpler, better, and more stylish.

Apple's iPhone, which first came out in 2007 and has since been updated every year, made the number one spot on the list for the way that it has "transformed human communication" and impacted almost every aspect of our lives.

"An iPod, a phone, an Internet communicator" was how the late Steve Jobs announced the iPhone to the world in 2007. At the time it was an impressive claim. Now it seems like a massive understatement for a device that changed how we live. Analysts were initially skeptical that Apple could succeed selling a premium phone for $499 in a market in which most devices were subsidized or given away by carriers. But by relentlessly pushing the envelope of hardware and software design, adding a professional-grade camera, and creating an ecosystem of apps and services, Apple has sold more than 2 billion iPhones--and in the process has become the most valuable company in the world.

Another Apple product, the 1984 Macintosh, made the second spot on the list for defining the personal computer revolution.

Six other Apple products were also included on the list in various spots. The 2001 iPod came in 10th, the 2006 MacBook Pro took the 14th spot, the App Store was 22nd, iOS is in the 29th spot, the Apple Watch made the list at spot number 46, and Apple Pay was also included as the 64th product on the list.

For its list, Fortune teamed up with the IIT Institute of Design and polled educators, influencers, freelance designers, and corporate design teams on the designs they consider "truly great," using that information to compile a top 100 list.

The complete list, which also includes products and services like Google Search, the Sony Walkman, Uber, Netflix, Google Maps, the Tesla Model S, and more, can be found on Fortune's website.

Apple is widely rumored to be working on a 4.7-inch low-cost iPhone that resembles the iPhone 8, but code found in a leaked version of iOS 14 suggests that Apple could also release a larger 5.5-inch version of the new low-cost iPhone.

In a report that refers to the new 4.7-inch iPhone as the "iPhone 9," 9to5Mac suggests that Apple is also working on a 5.5-inch "iPhone 9 Plus" that would be sold alongside it. There is no word yet on what these iPhones will be called, and other rumors have referred to this low-cost device as the "iPhone SE 2."

These new 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones will replace the current 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and will be similar to the existing devices with an LCD display, thick bezels, and Touch ID Home button.

Multiple past rumors have indicated that though the new low-cost iPhone will have a design similar to the iPhone 8, it will feature the same A13 processor used in Apple's current iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. We can expect the rumored 5.5-inch version to have the same upgraded processor.

We've also heard that Apple is planning to sell the 4.7-inch low-cost iPhone for $399, and if that's the case, the 5.5-inch version could be priced accordingly at $499. Apple was said to be planning to release the new low-cost iPhone option in the first half of 2020, perhaps as early as March, but it is not clear how the coronavirus outbreak has affected the company's plans.

It's worth noting that there has been no prior mention of a 5.5-inch low-cost iPhone to be sold alongside the 4.7-inch iPhone that we've seen rumored time and time again, so Apple's plans here are not entirely clear.

We have, however, heard a rumor from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who suggests Apple is working on an "iPhone SE 2 Plus" with a full-screen design and no Face ID, meaning Touch ID is built into the power button on the side. Kuo says that this model will be 5.5 or 6.1 inches and will be released in the first half of 2021.

9to5Mac's report suggests the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones referenced in iOS 14 code have Touch ID Home buttons and therefore, neither one is the higher-end "plus"-sized iPhone referenced by Kuo, but there is still some confusion around these two reports.

An Apple employee who works at Apple's Culver City campus, where its Apple TV+ and Apple Music efforts are headquartered, has tested positive for coronavirus, reports Billboard.

Employees at the Culver City office were notified about the infection on Saturday, but as of today, the campus remains open.

Apple has asked all of its employees with positions that allow them to work from home to do so in an effort to cut down on the spread of the coronavirus, but there are some employees who are not able to work remotely.

A recent report suggested that Apple's guidelines around product secrecy have made it difficult for some software developers working on sensitive products to bring their work home, as they are prevented from accessing important internal systems outside of Apple's campus.

This has led to many engineers continuing their work at Apple's campuses, and there are likely other employees in similar situations at other Apple campuses and offices worldwide, such as the Culver City location.

Culver City is known as a headquarters for movie and television production, and many major studios are located in the area. Apple's video content team works out of its Culver City offices, as does its ‌Apple Music‌ team.

Last week, an Apple employee who worked at a Santa Monica Apple Store contracted coronavirus, and Apple has since shut down all of its retail locations for the next two weeks.

News today also suggests that Apple CEO Tim Cook and iTunes chief Eddy Cue may have been exposed to coronavirus as Universal Music Group CEO Lucian Grainge has been hospitalized after falling ill with the infection. Cook and Cue attended a birthday party for Grainge on February 29, but it's not clear if Grainge had the coronavirus at that time.

Since the virus takes two to 14 days on average to infect after exposure, Cook and Cue are likely safe if no symptoms have appeared at this point, though there are reports of a few outlying incubation times that exceed two weeks.

Apple on Friday shut down all of its retail stores outside of greater China for a two week period in an effort to cut down on the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the United States and other countries.

Following the store closures, Apple has published an FAQ that answers key questions customers might have about repairs and returns.

When it comes to returns, Apple says that it will accept returns for up to 14 days after its stores reopen, giving customers who need to return a product or an accessory a grace period while the stores are shut down.

Q: I want to return a product I recently purchased but the 14-day return period will end before March 28--what should I do?

A: Don't worry. We'll accept your return up to 14 days after we reopen.

The return policy excludes contracted iPhones in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia and carrier-financed devices in the United States.

As for repairs, Apple says that it is working to complete all repairs and that if a device is awaiting parts or is ready for pickup, an Apple employee will be in touch. Apple Stores have kept some staff available for customers to pick up devices on March 15 or 16 between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Devices ordered for in-store pickup prior to when stores closed can also be picked up between March 15 and 16.

For repairs that are not already in progress, Apple directs customers to its online support staff who will be able to assist customers with mail-in repairs while Apple retail stores are closed.

Apple says that Genius Bar appointments will not be accepted until Apple Stores are reopened on March 28, which is when Apple plans to open stores once again. At this time, it is not clear if that date will be pushed back.

More info can be found in the full FAQ on Apple's website.

Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes continues to report that new AirPods are forthcoming.

A paywalled preview of the report claims that suppliers of "Apple's upcoming AirPods series" are more worried about the COVID-19 pandemic affecting demand of the earphones than the virus impacting the supply chain. AirPods sales could be affected by factors such as closed Apple Stores and increasing calls for people to stay home if possible amid the pandemic.

Apple released higher-end AirPods Pro in October 2019 with several improvements over regular AirPods, including active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and water and sweat resistance, along with a new in-ear design. AirPods Pro are priced at $249 in the United States, while regular AirPods with a wireless charging case are $199.

Earlier this month, it was rumored that a new entry-level version of AirPods Pro will enter production by the second quarter of 2020, but no further details have been shared. It has been speculated that the earphones could end up being third-generation regular AirPods with the same design and sound quality as AirPods Pro, but without active noise cancelation. Apple released its second-generation AirPods on Wednesday, March 20 last year.

Launch timing of various rumored Apple products is uncertain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple today filed an unreleased iPad model A2229 in the Eurasian Economic Commission database, as confirmed by MacRumors. The tablet is listed as running iPadOS 13, but it is unclear if it is an iPad, iPad Pro, or iPad mini.

In January, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo forecasted that Apple will launch refreshed iPad Pro models with a triple-lens rear camera system and 3D sensing for augmented reality in the first half of 2020, although it is unclear if the COVID-19 pandemic has changed that plan. Earlier this month, Kuo said new iPad Pro, iPad mini, and 10.2-inch iPad models with Mini-LED backlit displays will be released by the end of 2021.

Eurasian Economic Commission filings like these have foreshadowed the release of new Apple products on numerous occasions over the years, including multiple Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, and AirPods models. The filings are legally required for any encrypted devices sold in Russia and select other countries.

The time between these Eurasian filings and Apple announcing new products can vary from days to months. March is a common month for Apple to launch new products, including new Powerbeats this morning, so it is possible that at least one new iPad model could be announced with a press release at some point this month. MacRumors learned that a new MacBook Air is also possible as early as this week.

Apple's stock opened at $241.31 today, down over 25 percent from a closing price of $327.20 on February 12. After the opening bell, stock market trading was automatically suspended for 15 minutes due to an over seven percent decline in the S&P 500.

Apple's stock price has seen wild fluctuations due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, with shares now rebounding above $250 on the intraday market.

In an internal memo to Apple Authorized Service Providers, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has indicated that its network of authorized repair shops will receive maximum payouts for qualifying product repairs for the months of March and April, regardless of their monthly performance metrics. Apple is making this move to ensure that its authorized technicians are financially supported amid the challenging COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple also told its technicians that it supports their decisions and encourages them to be thoughtful regarding the safety of its employees and the operations of their businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple has taken several measures in response to the novel coronavirus. Last week, the company announced that it would be temporarily closing all of its retail stores outside of China until at least March 27, has committed $15 million to date for COVID-19 relief efforts, and has encouraged corporate employees to work remotely if their job allows. Apple also announced that WWDC 2020 will be an online event and that Apple Card customers are able to enroll in a program that allows them to skip their March payment without interest.

Apple's Beats subsidiary today announced an updated version of its Powerbeats 3 headphones, with the new version simply called "Powerbeats" with no number. Version wise, though, these are the rumored Powerbeats 4 headphones that we've been seeing in iOS 13 for the last few months, and they'll be officially available to purchase this Wednesday, March 18.

Design wise, the Powerbeats look similar to the Powerbeats 3, but have an angled earpiece that's closer in design to the Powerbeats Pro and a cord that trails down from the earhook rather than the opposite side. Apple says this makes for a natural, ergonomic contour around the neck.

Like the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, the new Powerbeats have an angled in-ear fit and wraparound earhooks, but there is a wire between the Powerbeats that connects the two earbuds to one another. Apple ships the Powerbeats with eartips in four sizes for optimal sound and comfort for each user.

Physical playback controls are included on each earbud for doing things like adjusting the volume, skipping songs, declining or accepting incoming calls, and playing and pausing music.

Apple has included an H1 chip in the Powerbeats for faster pairing with iOS devices, quick switching between devices that are signed into the same iCloud account, and hands-free "Hey Siri" support. Powerbeats work with Apple's audio sharing feature that lets two sets of Apple-designed headphones connect to one iPhone or iPad.

When it comes to sound, Powerbeats deliver the same rich audio as the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ with pistonic drivers that offer clean sound reproduction with low distortion across the frequency curve and enhanced clarity and dynamic range.

The Powerbeats have an IPX4 water resistance rating, which is the same water resistance rating as the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌. IPX4 means the new Powerbeats will be able to hold up to sweat and splashes of water, though keeping them as dry as possible is always preferable.

There are dual beamforming microphones inside of the Powerbeats for enhanced call quality along with Class 1 Bluetooth for extended range and fewer dropouts. Powerbeats will last for 15 hours on a single charge (3 hours longer than Powerbeats 3), plus there's a 5-minute Fast Fuel feature that provides an hour of listening time after a five-minute charge.

Unlike the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ and the AirPods, the standard Powerbeats do not have a charging case and will need to be charged using a Lightning cable.

Powerbeats are a significant upgrade over the existing Powerbeats 3, but Apple is also dropping the price. While the Powerbeats 3 were priced at $199.95, Apple is charging $149.95 for the new Powerbeats.

The Powerbeats will be available in Black, White, or Red and can be purchased from Apple's online store starting this Wednesday, March 18.

France's competition watchdog on Monday fined Apple 1.1 billion euros ($1.23 billion) for anti-competitive behavior in its distribution network and an abuse of economic dependence on its resellers, reports Reuters.

At the same time, France's Competition Authority also levied fines of $84.7 million and $69 million against Apple wholesalers Tech Data and Ingram Micro for their roles in the anti-competitive practices.

In announcing its largest ever fine, the Competition Authority's president, Isabelle de Silva, gave a statement summarizing the findings of its investigation that led to the decision, an English machine language translation of which follows:

"During this case, the Authority deciphered the very specific practices that had been implemented by Apple for the distribution of its products in France (excluding iPhones), such as the iPad. First, Apple and its two wholesalers agreed not to compete and prevent distributors from competing with each other, thereby sterilizing the wholesale market for Apple products. Secondly, so-called Premium distributors could not risk promoting or lowering prices without risk, which led to an alignment of retail prices between Apple's integrated distributors and independent Premium distributors.

"Finally, Apple has abused the economic dependence of these Premium distributors on it, by subjecting them to unfair and unfavorable commercial conditions compared to its network of integrated distributors. In view of the strong impact of these practices on competition in the distribution of Apple products via Apple premium resellers, the Authority has imposed the highest penalty ever pronounced in a case (1.24 billion euros). It is also the heaviest sanction pronounced against an economic player, in this case Apple (1.1 billion euros), whose extraordinary dimension has been duly taken into account. Finally, the Authority considered that, in the present case, Apple had committed an abuse of economic dependence on its premium retailers, a practice which the Authority considers to be particularly serious.

"Apple and its two wholesalers have agreed not to compete with each other and to prevent distributors from competing with each other, thereby sterilizing the wholesale market for Apple products," it said.

According to the French anti-trust agency, the case originally opened after a dispute between Apple and one of its leading French wholesalers, eBizcuss. The premium reseller accused Apple of abusing its position and in 2012 it shut down in France as a result of what it claimed was unfair competition.

A spokesperson for Apple told CNBC:

"The French Competition Authority's decision is disheartening. It relates to practices from over a decade ago and discards thirty years of legal precedent that all companies in France rely on with an order that will cause chaos for companies across all industries. We strongly disagree with them and plan to appeal."

Apple in its October earnings call said that France's competition authority had alleged that some aspects of its sales and distribution practices were in violation of French law, but did not provide details on which aspects of its business were under investigation.

Apple earlier this year was fined 25 million euros by French consumer fraud group DGCCRF for intentionally slowing down iPhone 6, ‌‌iPhone‌‌ SE, and ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 7 models with the power management software that was meant to prevent older iPhones with degraded batteries from shutting down during times of peak power usage.

Apple's unreleased A14 chip is rumored to be the first Arm-based mobile processor to officially exceed 3GHz, according to a new report by Research Snipers.

Apple's A14 processor, the successor to the A13 chip in both the iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, is expected to debut this fall in Apple's "‌iPhone‌ 12" models. The report highlights the suspected Geekbench 4 score of the A14 chip, with a frequency reaching 3.1GHz. This would be 400MHz higher than Apple's current A13 Bionic chip with a frequency of 2.7GHz.

At such a frequency, the chip's Geekbench 5 running points have surged. The report mentions that the A14's single-core performance shows a score of 1658 (up 25% from the A13), and a multi-core score of 4612 points (up 33% from the A13). The extra processing power will be helpful in running simultaneous workflows, navigating through apps, and more.

Apple chipmaker TSMC is expected to ramp up production of Apple's 5nm-based A14 chipsets in as early as April of this year.

In addition to the A14 chip, rumors recently have mentioned both Arm processors with Mac Pro level performance and a Mac with an Apple-designed Arm processor are in the works.

According to new research by Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk, dozens of popular iOS apps are reading the contents of the pasteboard without user consent, which could include sensitive information.

The investigation discovered that many popular apps, such as TikTok, 8 Ball Pool™, and Hotels.com, quietly read any text found in the pasteboard every time the app is opened.

iOS and iPadOS apps have unrestricted access to the system-wide pasteboard, also known as the clipboard, as of iOS 13.3.

Text left in the pasteboard may be inconsequential, but it could also be highly sensitive data such as passwords or financial information. The potential security risks of this vulnerability have previously been investigated by Bakry and Mysk, where they found that precise location information was leaking through the system pasteboard.

A diverse range of apps, from popular games and social networking apps, to news apps of major news organizations such as Fox News or The Wall Street Journal, were examined using standard Apple development tools. Many of these apps do not provide any UI that manages text, yet they read the text content of the pasteboard every time they are opened.

It is also of note that if Universal Clipboard is enabled, an app may also access whatever has been copied on a Mac.

What exactly these apps do with the contents of the pasteboard once they have read it is unknown.