MacRumors

Over the last few months, an increasing number of references to AMD processors have been uncovered in macOS Catalina code, starting with the 10.15.2 beta in November and now continuing in the 10.15.4 beta.

Given that Macs currently use Intel processors, the references are naturally prompting speculation that perhaps Apple plans to release Macs with AMD processors, but this is unconfirmed as of yet. Apple does rely on AMD for graphics in select MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, and Mac Pro models.

Many of the references contain codenames of AMD APUs such as Picasso, Raven, Renoir, and Van Gogh. APU or Accelerated Processing Unit is AMD's marketing term for a CPU and GPU on a single chip.

A few months ago, an unsubstantiated report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News claimed that Apple plans to announce a high-end gaming Mac at WWDC 2020. If there is any truth to the rumor, then it is certainly possible that the Mac could be powered by an AMD APU, but many gamers are skeptical.

It's worth noting that we haven't heard any rumors about AMD-based Macs specifically, and it is also possible the references are for internal testing only, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

Apple has been fined 25 million euros by a French consumer fraud group for intentionally slowing down some iPhone models with a software update.

The Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Suppression of Fraud (DGCCRF), which is part of the country's economy ministry, concluded that Apple had failed to inform users that iOS updates to older iPhones could slow down their devices.

The DGCCRF revealed its findings in a Friday press release:

"Following an investigation by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and the Suppression of Fraud (DGCCRF) and after the agreement of the Public Prosecutor of Paris, the Apple group agreed to pay a fine of 25 M € in the context of a criminal transaction.

"Seized on January 5, 2018 by the Paris Prosecutor's Office to investigate the complaint of an association against Apple, the DGCCRF has shown that iPhone owners were not informed that the updates of the iOS operating system (10.2.1 and 11.2) they installed were likely to slow down the operation of their device.

"These updates, released during 2017, included a dynamic power management device which, under certain conditions and especially when the batteries were old, could slow down the functioning of the iPhone 6, SE models. and 7."

The investigation followed Apple's admission in 2017 that it slows down some older iPhones with degraded batteries during times of peak power usage in order to prevent unexpected shutdowns.

When the ‌iPhone‌ slowdown controversy was at its height, Apple apologized for its lack of communication and offered affected customers cut-price iPhone battery replacements. The company has always maintained that the features are designed to preserve the life of the ‌iPhone‌ for as long as possible, and were not implemented to force upgrades.

That being said, Apple has accepted an agreement with France's public prosecutor to pay the fine of 25 million euros and to publish a press release on its website for one month.

Apple's main iPhone assembler Foxconn has told employees not to return to work at its Shenzhen facility in China when the extended Lunar New Year break ends on February 10, according to a memo obtained by Bloomberg.

"To safeguard everyone's health and safety and comply with government virus prevention measures, we urge you not to return to Shenzhen," Foxconn wrote in a text message sent to employees. "We'll update you on the situation in the city. The company will protect everyone's work-related rights and interests in the duration. As for the happy reunion date in Shenzhen, please wait for further notice."

Foxconn has reportedly halted almost all of its production in China as the government and businesses attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the country, where more than 31,000 cases have been reported so far.

It's unclear whether the Shenzhen policy extends to all employees or to Foxconn's other facilities. Earlier this week, the ‌iPhone‌ manufacturer said it planned to resume full-scale production by February 10. Other Apple suppliers such as Quanta Computer, Inventec and LG Display also said they would go back to work next week in China, but sticking to that plan seems less certain by the day.

"As a matter of policy and for reasons of commercial sensitivity, we do not comment on our specific production facilities," Foxconn told Bloomberg. "We have been closely monitoring the current public health challenge linked to the coronavirus and we are applying all recommended health and hygiene practices to all aspects of our operations in the affected markets."

Foxconn has slashed its 2020 revenue outlook after strict quarantines at its main base in China to guard against the coronavirus outbreak. The company has adopted a quarantine policy so that workers returning from outside Henan province will be sequestered for 14 days, while staff who reside within the province will be isolated for one week.

The timing of the coronavirus outbreak could impact supply of the new lower-cost iPhone that Apple is expected to announce in March. Bloomberg recently reported that production of the device was slated to begin in February, but the coronavirus outbreak could delay that timeframe.

Apple typically sources components from multiple suppliers, and Foxconn has factories outside of China, so it's likely that Apple will still release the lower-cost ‌iPhone‌ in March, even if supply is limited at launch.

The first Moto 360 watch came out in 2014, featuring an Android operating system (now wear OS) and a circular display, a design choice some Apple Watch owners have lusted over.

Motorola discontinued its version of the Moto 360, but a third-generation version came out recently because the name has been licensed to a company called eBuyNow. The new Moto 360 still has the same look and feel as older models, it runs Wear OS, and it can connect to an iPhone, so we thought we'd check it out and compare it to the Apple Watch.

Priced at $350, the third-generation 42mm Moto 360 continues to use the same circular design introduced with the original Moto 360, and it's equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB of storage. It features a heart rate monitor along with GPS and NFC capabilities.

It has a 360 x 360 OLED panel that's always on, like the new Apple Watch Series 5 models, plus fast charging, water resistance, and a charging puck. In a nutshell, it's pretty similar to many of the Android-based Wear OS watches on the market.

You can pair watches that run Wear OS with the ‌iPhone‌, so the Moto 360 can be used in lieu of an Apple Watch, but given the lack of native integration, it's just not worth it. Functionality is limited to reading text messages, notifying you about text messages, and tracking fitness through Google Fit.

There's no option for answering phone calls, interacting with text messages, or interacting with other devices like the Mac. At $350, there is no reason why an ‌iPhone‌ owner should buy a Wear OS watch like this over an Apple Watch, even if the circular design is appealing.

For Android users, though, it's a solid choice. The OLED display looks great for a smartwatch, there are two buttons for navigation, and it can run Google apps downloaded directly from the wrist. Wear OS can be customized so quick actions like tracking workouts, paying for purchases, and sending texts are right at your fingertips, and combined with apps, functionality is not far off from what the Apple Watch can do.

On the downside, it's a little bit sluggish and sometimes just fails to respond to input for a few seconds, plus it's sometimes prone to random disconnects. Google still needs to make improvements to Wear OS to put it on par with competing platforms like watchOS, but for Android users looking for a smart watch option, the new Moto 360 is worth considering even if it's not made by Motorola.

What do you think about the Moto 360? Is the circular design something you'd like to see in a future Apple Watch? Let us know in the comments.

Apple last summer announced a new Independent Repair Provider Program that provides independent repair businesses with the genuine Apple parts, tools, repair manuals, and training provided to Apple Authorized Service Providers.

The change came amid Right to Repair laws being proposed in multiple states, which Apple has lobbied hard against. Right to Repair laws would require Apple to provide parts, manuals, and more to allow repairs to be done by any repair shop, so Apple decided to get ahead of those laws with its own program.

As it turns out, to participate in the Independent Repair Provider Program, repair shops need to sign a contract that's highly invasive and has been described as "crazy" by lawyers and repair advocates.

Motherboard shared details on the contract, which stipulates that repair shops have to agree to unannounced audits and inspections by Apple to determine if they're using "prohibited" repair components, which can result in fines.

Even if a shop leaves the program, Apple can continue to inspect it for up to five years. Repair shops are required to share information about their customers with Apple, including names, phone numbers, and home addresses.

Customers who receive service from an independent repair shop have to sign an acknowledgement that they understand they're not receiving repairs from an Apple Authorized shop and that Apple won't warranty the repair, which as right to repair advocate Nathan Proctor told Motherboard, is essentially requiring them to advertise against themselves.

Shops that partner with Apple for supplies must avoid all "prohibited products," which includes both counterfeit parts and "products or service parts that infringe on Apple's intellectual property," which legal experts believe is ambiguous wording. Apple is also able to seize any prohibited products, which is a potential problem because many repair shops also repair non-Apple devices.

"That is an ambiguous, subjective, and potentially very broad definition," said Aaron Perzanowski, a law professor at Case Western Reserve University. "As a result, it gives Apple a lot of leverage over the companies that sign this agreement."

Repair businesses that violate Apple's rules can be forced to pay Apple $1,000 for every transaction during an audit period if more than two percent of business transactions involve "prohibited products."

Kit Walsh, an attorney with the EFF, told Motherboard that Apple has the power to "impose potentially business-destroying costs and penalties on the repair shop," and that shops who sign Apple's repair notice and then do repairs on non-Apple devices do so at their own peril.

Some repair shops contacted by Motherboard said they would not agree to join Apple's program due to the "onerous" terms of the contract, but others "valued the opportunity" to get parts from Apple.

Apple declined to answer specific questions from Motherboard about the contract that it provides to repair shops, but did not dispute the accuracy of the contract terms the site shared. Apple in a statement said that it is working with interested parties and plans to update the language in its materials based on feedback.

"We are committed to giving our customers more options and locations for safe and reliable repairs," Apple told Motherboard in a statement. "Our new independent repair provider program is designed to give repair businesses of all sizes access to genuine parts, training and tools needed to perform the most common iPhone repairs. We are excited by the initial response and high level of interest. We are working closely with interested parties and we will update language in our materials to address their feedback."

Though Apple has launched the Independent Repair Program, it continues to fight against Right to Repair legislation through trade groups that represent it, and the IRP is used as evidence that consumers have a wide range of choice when it comes to repair options.

For more on the terms of the contract, thoughts from Right to Repair advocates, and Apple's efforts to lobby against Right to Repair laws, check out Motherboard's full article.

Apple has been working to ramp up production of the ever-popular AirPods and AirPods Pro, and its efforts to meet supply/demand balance could be in jeopardy due to the coronavirus outbreak in China.

According to Nikkei, Apple's major AirPods suppliers Luxshare-ICT, Goertek, and Inventec have been shut down since the beginning of the Lunar New Year and even when work on AirPods resumes next Monday, components could be in short supply because factories all across China have been shuttered due to virus fears.

The AirPods manufacturers have "at most" two weeks worth of materials and components needed for AirPods assembly, and for fresh supplies, they will need to wait for component makers in China to restart operations. Given current conditions, product utilization rates could reach just 50 percent when work on the AirPods resumes.

A person who spoke to Nikkei says that it's unclear if parts suppliers in China will be able to "smoothly resume work" to create enough parts for assembly. "We really have to wait and see how things play out next week. If the assemblers could not get enough supply of parts in two weeks, it will be a big problem," said the source.

Travel restrictions from certain regions in China are likely to create labor shortages at factories, and companies are balancing restarting production while also dealing with fears an employee could bring the virus back to the factory. Foxconn, for example, has already said that workers returning from the Henan province will be sequestered for two weeks, while other staff will be isolated for a week.

Apple was aiming to produce up to 45 million AirPods units in the first half of 2020, but the current AirPods stock is running low and is reserved for Apple's stores. Right now, the regular AirPods remain in stock, but the ‌AirPods Pro‌ are still backordered, as they have been since launch.

Dolby Atmos support for the newly released Apple TV app and AirPlay 2 on select LG smart TVs is coming in a software update "later this year," an LG spokesperson has confirmed to FlatpanelsHD.com.

Earlier this week, LG announced that the Apple TV app and accompanying ‌Apple TV‌+ streaming service are now available on select 2019 LG smart TVs in the United States and more than 80 other countries. This follows the CES debut of LG's new 2020 models that come with the ‌Apple TV‌ app preinstalled out of the box.

Dolby Atmos was developed to give sound from movies and TV shows a more three-dimensional effect. Rather than being constrained to channels, sounds can be precisely placed and moved in three-dimensional space.

Dolby Atmos is also supported on the Apple TV 4K running tvOS 12 or later.

A refreshed Apple TV with an A12 Bionic chip or newer appears to be in development, according to 9to5Mac, which uncovered an unreleased model with the codename "T1125" in the tvOS 13.4 beta seeded yesterday.

Details about the new ‌Apple TV‌ are slim beyond the faster chip and its maximum supported resolution remaining 4K with HDR.

Rumors of a new ‌Apple TV‌ with an A12 chip began swirling last fall, but with a different codename of "J305." The device has typically been updated once every two years, with the first tvOS-based ‌model launching in September 2015 and the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ 4K arriving in September 2017.

A faster ‌Apple TV‌ would certainly benefit Apple Arcade gaming and overall performance.