British chip maker Imagination Technologies, which lost 70 percent of its value following a dispute with Apple, has put itself up for sale, it was reported on Thursday (via Reuters).
Apple informed Imagination in April that it plans to stop using the company's PowerVR graphics technology over the next two years as it begins using its own in-house chips for products like the iPhone and iPad. The news came as a blow to the firm whose contract with Apple accounts for half its revenue.
"Imagination Technologies announces that over the last few weeks it has received interest from a number of parties for a potential acquisition of the whole group," it said.
"The board of Imagination has therefore decided to initiate a formal sale process for the group and is engaged in preliminary discussions with potential bidders."
When Apple announced it was ending its supply deal with Imagination the British firm's shares plunged 70 percent. Imagination said at the time that it doubted Apple could go it alone without violating patents, intellectual property, and confidential information.
In May the group said it had started a "dispute resolution procedure" with the American tech giant. The company said it was also selling MIPS and Ensigma – two of its three major businesses – in an attempt to shore up cash, allowing for a renewed focus on its PowerVR graphics technology. Imagination said on Thursday that it had received proposals for both businesses.
Apple has been a licensee and stakeholder in the company since at least 2008, and became a key investor in mid-2009 after raising its stake in the firm to 10 percent. Apple was reportedly in "advanced talks" to acquire Imagination Tech late last year after the British chip maker announced job cuts.
Despite confirming the talks, Apple later decided not to make a buyout offer, and instead recruited several Imagination employees as part of its efforts to build an in-house graphics team.
Since May, Apple has been sharing a series of iPhone 7 photography tutorial videos both on a dedicated photography how-to website and its YouTube channel, and today, there are two new tutorial videos, this time featuring the Memories function in Photos.
The two new videos walk users through customizing Memories in the Photos app and then sharing Memories on social networks. Each video is 40 seconds in length and includes quick step-by-step visual instructions.
Apple first started highlighting the Memories feature in both a full-length iPhone 7 ad and its first Memories tutorial video, both of which were released yesterday.
Many of Apple's photography tutorials are simple and are aimed at users who are not familiar with the photo taking capabilities of their iPhones. Topics covered include how to shoot a close-up, how to shoot a vertical panorama, how to shoot a selfie with a timer, and how to shoot without a flash. Some also include general photography tips and cover topics like portraits, unique angles, street light, action, and more.
Apple's first retail store in Taiwan will open on Saturday, July 1 at 11:00 a.m., according to Apple's Taiwanese website, which the company has been updating with new details on the store since it was announced.
To celebrate the store's opening, paper-cutting artist Yang Shih-yi will showcase a huge and intricate tree cutout designed to welcome people into the store and highlight a tree as a gathering place theme. The same design currently decorates the boarding protecting the store from sight as construction finishes.
Apple's Taiwan store is located on the ground floor of the Taipei 101 shopping mall in the Xinyi district, notable because Taipei 101 is the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world. The new store will use the updated design that was first introduced at Apple's flagship San Francisco location, with simple product displays, a repair area, gathering spots, and dedicated areas for "Today at Apple" classes.
Customers can begin signing up for Genius Bar repair appointments and Today at Apple classes starting today.
Apple has opened a total of 495 retail stores across 17 countries, including 270 in the United States since May of 2001. The Taiwan location will mark Apple's 496th retail location.
Apple this afternoon seeded the second beta of iOS 11 to developers, with the update coming as something of a surprise because betas normally come on Monday or Tuesday mornings.
iOS 11 beta 2 introduces a very long list of bug fixes to address issues that were discovered in the first beta of iOS 11, and registered developers should read over the extensive release notes to get an idea of what's been fixed.
The update also introduces many new bugs and highlights many known issues, such as an unexpected pop when restarting an iPhone 7/7 Plus or an SOS notification that goes out even when an alert is cancelled, so this is still not a stable beta and it should only be installed on secondary devices.
Along with fixing bugs and introducing new ones, there are some small feature tweaks and changes that are included in iOS 11, which we've outlined in the video below.
- Dock - Show Recents - There's a new option under General --> Multitasking that allows you to change the Dock settings on the iPad to disable the "Show Recents" option that displays your most recently used apps on the dock. With this disabled, only apps that you have added to the dock will show up.
- Do Not Disturb While Driving - There are now new Do Not Disturb While Driving options available in the Settings app and Do Not Disturb While Driving is enabled in this beta.
- Dictation - Support for Hindi Dictation has been added in beta 2 according to Apple's beta release notes.
- Control Center - There's a new option to disable Control Center within apps, preventing it from coming up when you swipe upwards. This option leaves Control center accessible from the Home screen. Bluetooth in Control Center works like the Wi-Fi option, disconnecting from whatever's connected rather than toggling it off.
- Safari - In the Settings app in the Safari section under Advanced, there's a new option to turn on experimental features like Constant Properties, CSS Spring Animations, WebGPU, Web Animations, and more.
- Files app - There's a new "Save to Files" Share Sheet option for saving photos, documents, and other files to the Files app. When using "Save to Files" a menu pops up that allows you to choose a location. Save to Files replaces Add to iCloud Drive.
Legacy document providers like OneDrive, Box, PDF Expert, and other apps are also now showing up as Locations in the Files app, but aren't using the new iOS 11 file extensions yet.
- Lock Screen - There's a new blur animation when pulling down from the top of the device to bring up the Lock Screen/Notification Center or when pulling up to access the Home screen again.
iOS 11 is currently only available to developers, but Apple has said it will make a version of the update available to public beta testers at the end of June, which is next week. We're expecting several more betas, and will likely see additional feature tweaks and changes ahead of the software's public release in the fall.
Apple is said to be aiming to reduce the share of revenue record labels get from streaming music as it works to establish new deals for Apple Music and iTunes, reports Bloomberg.
Apple is reportedly pursuing lower rates as part of an effort to revise its "overall relationship" with the music industry. Apple's current deals with record labels expire at the end of June, but Bloomberg's sources say they will be extended if a new agreement can't be reached.
Apple currently pays out some of the highest royalty rates with record labels receiving 58 percent of revenue from Apple Music subscribers, but it wants a deal closer to what Spotify recently negotiated. Spotify pays 52 percent of revenue from subscribers, down from an earlier rate of 55 percent.
Spotify's new rate is contingent on subscriber growth, and music labels are said to be open to negotiating a similar deal with Apple. Record labels also want assurances from Apple that iTunes will be promoted in countries like Germany and Japan, where most music is still purchased rather than streamed.
The growth of Apple Music hasn't been as detrimental to iTunes as labels had feared. But record labels are still asking for precautions. Labels have asked Apple to commit to promoting iTunes, and music in general, in countries where streaming isn't as prevalent.
Since its 2015 introduction, Apple Music has seen steady growth, which may give Apple an upper hand when negotiating new deals with labels. As of June 2017, Apple Music has 27 million paying subscribers, up from 20 million in December of 2016.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 4 update to developers, a little over two weeks after its introduction at the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the watchOS 4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.
To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.
watchOS 4 introduces three new watch faces, including a dedicated Siri watch face that displays dynamic information unique to each individual. There are complications for Now Playing and Apple News, and an enhanced Workout app that supports High Intensity Interval Training.
Gymkit, a new technology platform, will let the Apple Watch interface with gym equipment for workout data sharing purposes, and the Activity app will offer up intelligent coaching and tailored workout encouragement along with new monthly activity challenges.
watchOS 4 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers, so non-developers will need to wait until the software is officially released in the fall to try it out.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update for the fourth-generation Apple TV, a little over two weeks after seeding the first beta following the keynote of the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Registered developers can download tvOS 11 by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.
tvOS 11 received little attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference, but according to the release notes, it introduces a few new features to the operating system.
tvOS 11 brings automatic switching between light/dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing options that keep multiple Apple TVs in a household in sync, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, and improvements to Mobile Device Management.
Later this year, Apple will partner with Amazon to bring an Amazon Prime Video app to the Apple TV for the first time, and in tvOS 11, AirPods are able to pair automatically with an Apple TV.
The new tvOS 11 update is only available for registered developers at the current point in time, but Apple plans to release a public tvOS 11 beta in the future.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra update to developers for testing purposes, a little over two weeks after introducing the new software and releasing the first beta at its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.
The new beta can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, subsequent betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
macOS High Sierra introduces new core storage, video, and graphics technology. The update supports the new Apple File System (APFS) and High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), plus it introduces an updated version of Metal with support for VR and external GPUs.
Photos is being updated with a new sidebar that makes it easier to access editing tools and albums, and there are new editing options like Curves and Selective Color. It also supports external editing apps like Photoshop and Pixelmator, saving changes made in those apps.
Improvements to Safari are coming, including speed enhancements and a new feature that puts a stop to data tracking. Siri in macOS High Sierra has expanded music capabilities and a new, more natural voice, and Spotlight supports flight status information. There are also improvements to iCloud, FaceTime, Messages, and Notes.
macOS High Sierra is available only for registered developers, but Apple plans to make a public macOS High Sierra beta available later this summer, giving public beta testers a chance to try out the software before it sees a public release in the fall.
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 11 to developers for testing purposes, a little over two weeks after releasing the first beta following the operating system's debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Registered developers can download the iOS 11 beta from Apple's Developer Center, or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed.
According to Apple's release notes, iOS 11 beta 2 includes a long list of bug fixes for both first and third-party apps. The Bluetooth button in Control Center, now works, for example, and there are new options for Do Not Disturb While Driving. 3D Touch with data detectors (phone numbers, addresses, and so on) is now working properly, Phone will no longer crash when deleting a voicemail, and apps over 100MB will no longer download over a cellular connection.
The release notes also outline several new known issues, such as an unexpected pop or sound when restarting an iPhone 7, or an SOS notification that goes out even if the SOS alert is cancelled. Developers downloading the beta should carefully read the notes and make sure to install it on secondary devices only.
iOS 11 is Apple's biggest software release ever for the iPad, with a new Dock that introduces much improved multitasking, a Files app for better managing files, improved Apple Pencil support, a revamped App Switcher, and system-wide drag and drop.
The update also includes many features for both the iPhone and the iPad, including a redesigned and customizable Control Center, and a new Lock screen that's merged with the Notification Center.
Peer-to-peer Apple Pay payments are being introduced in the Messages app, which is also gaining a new App Drawer, and there's a new Do Not Disturb feature that is designed to help drivers stay focused on the road. Siri, Photos, the Camera app, and more are also gaining significant improvements in iOS 11.
ARKit for developers will result in a wide range of new augmented reality apps, while a Core ML SDK will allow apps to become a whole lot smarter.
The iOS 11 beta is only available for registered developers at this time. As it has done in the past, Apple will provide a public beta for public beta testers in late June and the software will see an official release in the fall alongside new iPhones.
Snapchat for iOS was today updated with a new "Snap Map" feature that's designed to let Snapchat users share their current location with their friends, facilitating real-life meet ups.
With the new Snap Map, all of your friends with location sharing enabled will show up on an in-app map with either photos or "Actionmoji" avatars marking each friend location. For those who do not want to share their location, Snapchat is including a "Ghost Mode." Location is only updated when Snapchat is open, so it's not tracking in the background.
We've built a whole new way to explore the world! See what's happening, find your friends, and get inspired to go on an adventure!
It's easy to get started -- just pinch to zoom out and view the Map! You decide if you want to share your location with friends, or simply keep it to yourself with Ghost Mode.
If your friends are sharing their location with you, their Actionmoji will appear on the Map. Actionmojis only update when you open Snapchat.
Snap Map in Snapchat is available on iOS and Android devices starting today. Snapchat for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
All of Apple's AppleCare+ plans for Macs, iPads, and iPhones, must be bought alongside a new device or within 60 days of purchase, according to AppleCare+ support staff that MacRumors spoke to this morning.
Following its Worldwide Developers Conference in June that saw the debut of new iMacs, MacBooks, and MacBook Pro models, Apple introduced an updated AppleCare+ for Mac warranty plan that provides standard AppleCare coverage along with accidental damage coverage.
Apple's AppleCare+ for Mac plan was introduced on June 5
The original AppleCare plans for the Mac could be purchased while the Mac was still under its standard warranty, so customers had a year to buy it, but with the new AppleCare+ plan for Mac, a purchase must be made within 60 days.
Apple in March changed its AppleCare+ policy for the iPhone and iPad and temporarily allowed customers to purchase the plan for up to one year after the device's purchase, while it too was still under standard warranty, but that policy appears to have been reverted back to 60 days.
In March of 2017, an iPhone 7 Plus purchased in September was temporarily eligible for AppleCare+. That is no longer the case due to policy reversion
AppleCare+ plans for the iPhone and the iPad must once again be purchased within 60 days of a device purchase. Attempting to make an AppleCare+ purchase on an iOS device purchased more than 60 days ago now brings up no AppleCare+ purchase options when logging into the AppleCare+ website.
AppleCare+ is no longer available for an iPhone 7 Plus purchased less than a year ago
As for the Mac, customers who have had their Macs for longer than 60 days but less than a year are not eligible for AppleCare+ but are still able to purchase a standard AppleCare Protection Plan, MacRumors has learned. Apple is only offering AppleCare+ for Mac on its website, so customers will need to call in to Apple Support to make the standard AppleCare purchase. Standard Mac AppleCare is priced at $149 to $349, depending on the machine.
A MacBook Pro purchased in October 2016 isn't eligible for AppleCare+, but standard AppleCare can still be purchased via Apple Support
AppleCare+ for Mac is available for the MacBook, 13-inch MacBook Pro, 15-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Pro, and Mac mini, with prices ranging from $99 to $379. The plan extends the warranty of the Mac to three years and includes coverage for two incidents of accidental damage, but a service fee of $99 will be charged for screen damage or external damage while a service fee of $299 will be charged for any other damage.
AppleCare+ for iPhone is available for $129 for the iPhone 6s and later, $99 for the iPhone SE, and $99 for iPad models. It extends warranty coverage to two years and covers two incidents of accidental damage, with a service fee of $29 required for screen repairs or $99 for other damage.
Purchasing AppleCare+ for Mac, iPhone, or iPad after the device has already been purchased requires customers to run a remote diagnostic to ensure the device is working properly or have it inspected at an Apple retail location.
Earlier this month, Apple launched new iMac models with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors and improved AMD Radeon Pro discrete graphics options at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference.
Early benchmark results for the new 27-inch iMac have already surfaced on Geekbench that suggest the 2017 models are up to 15% faster in multi-core CPU performance compared to last-generation models.
Apple's new high-end 27-inch iMac stock configuration with a 3.8GHz quad-core Core i5 processor has an average multi-core score of 14,886, for example, compared to 12,953 for the equivalent 2015 model.
John Poole of Primate Labs, the creators of Geekbench, said the new 27-inch iMac also has up to 80% improved graphics performance compared to the equivalent 2015 models at compute tasks such as image processing.
Geekbench's new GPU Compute Benchmark measures the performance of GPUs at performing compute tasks such as image processing, computer vision, and physics simulations, rather than rendering tasks.
Poole said compute performance is becoming more important as more applications, such as Photoshop, take advantage of GPU compute.
The built-to-order 27-inch iMac with a 4.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor is Apple's fastest Mac ever in single-core CPU performance, according to the Geekbench results, continuing a trend set with the late 2014 model. The 2013 Mac Pro remains Apple's fastest Mac in multi-core CPU performance on Geekbench.
That will undoubtedly change in December when Apple launches the iMac Pro with workstation-class tech specs, including up to an 18-core Intel Xeon processor, top-of-the-line Radeon Pro Vega graphics, up to 4TB of SSD storage, and up to 128GB of ECC RAM. iMac Pro will start at $4,999 in the United States.
Called the "Inner Circle," the unlimited plan is available until July 31, and only to customers who purchase a new iPhone and transfer their phone number to an Inner Circle plan. After their first year on the plan, users will switch over to the normal $50/month price tag.
There’s iPhone. And then there’s everything else. At Virgin Mobile, we’re teaming with Apple to offer you nothing but the world’s most popular phone. Because life in the Inner Circle is about living big, expanding your horizons and pursuing your passions. And it starts with an iPhone you’ll adore. Pre-order your iPhone now, or head to an Apple Retail Store on June 27th to be one of the first members of the Virgin Mobile Inner Circle!
Currently, Virgin Mobile offers a variety of iPhones in all storage capacities, including the iPhone SE (32GB for $279.00), iPhone 7 (64GB for $749.99), iPhone 7 Plus (256GB for $969.99), and others. The iPhones are up for pre-order on the Inner Circle plan today, and will ship on June 27, with the plan going into effect upon the iPhone's activation.
The unlimited Inner Circle plan does have restrictions related to data throttling, becoming "deprioritized" in some areas after exceeding a certain data cap, and even risking service termination after specific amounts of off-network roaming are reached. Per the fine print on Virgin Mobile's website:
- Plans are domestic only and include unlimited data, talk, text, 800 domestic voice roaming minutes and 100MB domestic data roaming.
- Customers who use more than 23GB of data during billing cycle will be deprioritized during times and places where the network is constrained.
- To improve data experience for the majority of users, throughput may be limited, varied or reduced on the network. Virgin Mobile may terminate service if off-network roaming use in a month exceeds: (1) 800 mins or a majority of mins.; or (2) 100MB or a majority of KB.
For an additional $5/month users can gain unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada, and unlimited worldwide texting. A $10/month bundle includes everything in the $5/month tier with unlimited calls to landlines in 70+ countries, 200 minutes to "select mobiles" in 200+ countries, and reduced per-minute rates to over 200 locations. A full list of countries and details on the international plans can be found here.
Sega today announced a new mobile gaming initiative that will see a vast collection of the company's classic games launch monthly on iOS and Android devices for free, although in-app purchases will be available so users can get rid of ads. Called "Sega Forever," the program will let iOS gamers play "nearly every Sega game ever," from all of Sega's previous console generations, including Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Gear, Dreamcast, and Saturn (via GamesIndustry.biz).
The games will be available as individual apps, with the first five appearing at launch including Sonic The Hedgehog [Direct Link], Comix Zone [Direct Link], Phantasy Star II [Direct Link], Kid Chameleon [Direct Link], and Altered Beast [Direct Link]. At the time of writing, none of the apps had yet to appear on the iOS App Store, but their launch should be imminent. After that, Sega plans to debut between two and three games from its classic library every month under the Sega Forever initiative.
All of the games will be supported by advertisements with an optional $1.99 in-app purchase to remove them. But Sega Network chief marketing officer Mike Evans promised that the integration of ads has been executed so as to not interrupt gameplay.
With the back catalogue Sega has available, the publisher is confident it will be able to continue bringing more classics to mobile for years to come. There are 15 classic Sega titles already available through the App Store that will also be brought into the Forever fold.
"It's a very easy conversion to take those games to free," Sega Network's chief marketing officer Mike Evans tells GamesIndustry.biz. "We're just bolting in the advertising support model and a single in-app purchase that can disable those ads."
"The games were never designed for ads or in-app purchases, which is why we've maintained this faithful emulation experience," he says. "We've spent a lot of time looking at the analytics from the soft launch in the Philippines to understand how we can get this model to be the best for the game experience itself whilst balancing the commercial needs we have."
Enhancements to Sega's old games include Messages sticker packs, leaderboards, achievements, cloud saves, touch screen controls, Bluetooth controller support, and an offline play option. Looking toward the future, Evans said that the company will hold user polls to gauge which classic games that its fans want to see most come to mobile.
The first five Sega Forever titles should begin populating on the iOS App Store soon. Users can go to Sega's website to sign up for email alerts that will notify them when new games are announced for the collection. For even more information about the new mobile initiative from Sega, check out Mike Evans' interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
Apple this week expanded its lawsuit against Qualcomm, accusing the wireless chipmaker of "double-dipping" by allegedly refusing to sell chips to manufacturers unless they also pay separate royalties and enter licensing agreements at unreasonable rates, according to court documents filed electronically.
Qualcomm has since responded to the amended complaint, claiming that Apple is "trying to distract" from the fact that it has made alleged "misleading statements" about the comparative performance of its Snapdragon X12 modem, used in select iPhone 7 models to enable Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity.
Apple dual sources wireless chips from Qualcomm and Intel for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X12 modem is used in CDMA models, such as those sold by Verizon and Sprint, while Intel's XMM7360 modem is used in GSM models, such as those sold by AT&T and T-Mobile.
New York-based Cellular Insights last year found Qualcomm's modem to significantly outperform Intel's modem in the iPhone 7 Plus, based on simulated testing of LTE performance at different distances from a cellular tower.
Apple, however, publicly stated there is "no discernible difference" in performance between the Qualcomm and Intel modems in any of the models. Apple also threatened Qualcomm not to disclose the truth, according to Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm.
Rosenberg said Apple's bigger misconception is that Qualcomm's innovations are limited to technology implemented in the cellular modem, when in fact its patented inventions are supposedly "at the heart of every iPhone" and "enable the most important uses and features" of those devices.
An excerpt from Qualcomm's statement obtained by MacRumors:
Apple says Qualcomm's innovations are limited to technology implemented in the cellular modem, when Apple knows well that Qualcomm has been the de facto R&D arm of the industry.
Qualcomm's patented inventions make possible not only connectivity and high-speed data transmission across mobile networks, but also high-precision GPS navigation, app store operations, power management and battery efficiency, mobile video including advanced compression, graphics, camera imaging and facial-recognition technology, audio quality and audio file compression, and much, much more.
Qualcomm's innovations are at the heart of every iPhone and enable the most important uses and features of those devices. It simply is untrue that Qualcomm is seeking to collect royalties for Apple innovations that have nothing to do with Qualcomm's technology.
Rosenberg added that Apple is "rarely first to market with any new technology, which shows it is relying heavily on the R&D investments in the most revolutionary technologies by companies like Qualcomm."
Apple argued that Qualcomm has been unfairly "levying its own tax" on the iPhone's innovations by charging royalties on a percentage of the entire smartphone's value, despite supplying just a single component of the device.
An excerpt from Apple's amended complaint:
As Apple innovates, Qualcomm demands more. Qualcomm had nothing to do with creating the revolutionary Touch ID, the world’s most popular camera, or the Retina display Apple’s customers love, yet Qualcomm wants to be paid as if these (and future) breakthroughs belong to it.
Qualcomm said the per-device royalty that it charges Apple's contract manufacturers for the right to use its licensed technologies in the iPhone is "less than what Apple charges for a single wall plug." The only first-party wall plug that Apple sells is a 5W USB Power Adapter for $19 in the United States.
Apple sued Qualcomm in January for $1 billion in alleged unpaid royalty rebates. Qualcomm countersued Apple for breach of contract, encouraging regulatory attacks on its business, and failing to engage in "good faith negotiations" for a license to its wireless patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms.
Qualcomm was the exclusive supplier of 3G and LTE modems for iPhones until last year, when Apple began dual sourcing from Intel.
A new report by The Wall Street Journal this week has taken a look into entrepreneurial teenagers and the lucrative business of summertime iPhone repairs. One 16-year-old in Nantucket, Massachusetts interviewed for the article, Grayson Shaw, cited a nearly $24,000 income for iPhone repairs made in the summer of 2016, when he fixed as many as nine iPhones every day.
Shaw has been repairing iPhones since he was 12, and this summer plans to set up his small business at a table outside of a local ice cream parlor. His repairs include fixing broken screens, microphones, and various other parts of both iPhones and iPads. Shaw's rates include a $189.99 repair cost to fix a broken screen on an iPhone 7 Plus.
Image of Joseph Kokenge taken by Sarah Desforges via WSJ
On Nantucket, Mr. Shaw is the “go-to guy,” says Peter Bordes, executive chairman of a software company, oneQube, who got his phone fixed by Mr. Shaw last summer after a tip from a friend’s teenage daughter.
“She said go to this place, and you’ll find him in this store,” Mr. Bordes says. “It’s like a mafia; they know who to go to.” The repair, he says, was “flawless.”
In Lafayette, Louisiana 18-year-old Joseph Kokenge quit his job at a local bowling alley, which his father manages, after discovering how much money he could make fixing broken iPhones. He began learning how to repair Apple's smartphones watching his father repair a cracked iPhone 3GS, and then browsed YouTube how-to videos for more information.
On average, Kokenge has charged $50 to fix the screens of iPhone 5 devices, and $200 for an iPhone 7 Plus, and he works on his repairs at a local coffee shop.
When a friend asked if his father could fix an iPhone 5, the teen watched YouTube how-to videos and repaired it himself. He soon earned a reputation at school, he says: “If a phone was broken, they knew to go to me.”
Word spread and parents, too, approached him. By senior year, he had quit his job at the bowling alley his father manages. “I told him that my time was worth more than $7.50 an hour,” he says. “He was proud that I was making more money on my own.”
Although AppleCare+ significantly reduces the cost of repairs, out-of-warranty repairs for screen damage made directly from Apple currently cost between $129 (iPhone 5 family) and $149 (iPhone 7 Plus). If any other damage is made to the device, the price jumps to between $269 and $349 for the same devices.
Apple's ramping up of "iPhone 8" component production is causing some electronics manufacturers to scramble for parts, particularly DRAM chips and NAND memory chips, ahead of the expected September launch of the three 2017 iPhones. The companies are said to be "paying a premium" to sign longer-term contracts as well as placing component orders ahead of time to prevent low inventories from disappearing completely amid Apple's supply chain dominance.
One of the manufacturers looking to make sure it doesn't run out of parts is LG Electronics, which said it has decided on an earlier procurement strategy for gathering components "to ensure a stable supply." NAND chip maker SK Hynix also told Reuters that its supply conditions were "tight" and that its inventory levels "were at an all-time low," with no clear indication in sight when they would rise to normal again.
Analysts believe that the NAND memory chip market will be particularly affected, given Apple's move in recent years to bump up storage on the smartphone. The current shortage is said to have been making waves through various smartphone device suppliers beginning in the first half of 2017.
Some analysts say device makers could be forced to cut down on the amount of DRAM chips, which help devices perform multiple tasks at once, or NAND chips that are used for long-term data storage, on new products if the cannot get enough chips.
"The problem will be more acute for the NAND market, where the iPhone remains a critical source of demand given the huge sales volumes and recent moves to increase storage capacity on the device," said the source, who declined to be identified as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
"Heavyweight" NAND suppliers, like Samsung, are said to be in the clear in regards to the predicted component shortage, but in the worst case scenario it has already hit smartphone maker Huawei in China. Customers in the country have raised criticisms at the company after it used a collection of "less advanced and powerful chips" in its flagship smartphone, the P10, resulting in drastic performance variations among users.
In total, Apple is said to purchase 18 percent of the world's supply of NAND memory chips and that number will only increase if Apple decides to ship more iPhones than usual, or further bump up the storage tiers on the 2017 iPhone models. A rumored premium price tag on the iPhone 8 suggests that Apple might be planning to introduce a storage capacity above the iPhone 7's top-tier option of 256GB, but reports still vary, with TrendForce believing the device will come in 64GB and 256GB only.
In separate supply chain reports this week made by DigiTimes, smaller Apple component suppliers have begun ramping up manufacturing for parts believed to be coming to iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus. Metal-alloy chassis maker Catcher Technology is gearing up production for the 2017 iPhone 7s' aluminum metal casing -- stainless steel is reportedly coming only to iPhone 8 -- as well as its glass back covers.
Similarly, Lite-On Semiconductor is said to have entered the supply chain for the three new 2017 iPhones by becoming a provider of glass passivated package bridge rectifiers "for the support of fast wireless charging."
Analysts believe Apple could ship as many as 100 million iPhone 8 devices this year, and that "meaningful new supply" for NAND and DRAM chips won't arrive in the supply chain until 2018.
Former iOS chief Scott Forstall gave a rare interview last night at an event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, where he discussed the birth of the iPhone and his relationship with Steve Jobs.
Speaking to journalist John Markoff after an opening hour with original iPhone engineers Nitin Ganatra, Hugo Fiennes, and Scott Herz, Forstall's appearance was the first time he had spoken publicly since he was ousted from Apple in October 2012, following the botched launch of Apple Maps.
Scott Forstall (right) speaking to John Markoff
Forstall proved a charismatic storyteller on the night as he discussed his school education and his early career at Steve Jobs' NeXT, before moving on to his work on the first iPhone at Apple. The former iOS chief spoke with genuine warmth about his time with the company, but stopped short of offering any huge revelations, although the audience was treated to a few more details as well as some humorous episodes along the way.
For example, Forstall claimed that before the iPhone was conceived, Jobs had initially wanted a tablet with capacitative touch and multitouch in order to get one over on someone he "hated" who worked at Microsoft.
"It began because Steve hated this guy at Microsoft. That is the actual origin," Forstall said, before adding that it wasn't Bill Gates. After hearing the person boast about Microsoft's tablet and stylus development, said Forstall, "Steve came in on a Monday, there was a set of expletives and then he said, 'Let's show them how it's really done'."
Regarding the iPhone, Forstall said the idea for the device was initially born when he and Jobs were eating lunch and they noticed everyone was using their phones. "We hated them," he said. "No one seemed like it was a pleasurable thing to use a phone, but it's a nice thing for communication." The episode prompted Jobs to ask the tablet design team to redouble their efforts to perfect multitouch but to miniaturize it for a device that you could put in your pocket.
Forstall also touched upon the concept of skeuomorphic design, claiming he had "never heard of skeuomorphism" when he was working on iOS and that it sounded "unnatural".
"When I look at design - when I look at good design - it's approachable, friendly, you can use it without a manual. It's fun. We talked a lot about photo-illustrative design. It was infused into the design sense of Apple by Steve Jobs since the original Mac. We used these design philosophies. It doesn't mean we loved it, or loved every single part of it. We know it worked. How do we know it worked? You just have to watch people use it."
Elsewhere, Forstall chose to highlight the many emails he received from customers explaining how the iPhone and iPad had changed and even saved lives. One email was from a 100-year-old woman who had been an avid reader and writer all her life, before age had made these pastimes impossible. The iPad bought for her by her family had allowed her to take up reading and writing again, long after she had all but given up hope.
Forstall also spoke touchingly about his friendship with Jobs, including the time when Forstall contracted a rare and potentially lethal vomiting virus which left him in hospital for months, before the late Apple CEO arranged for an acupuncturist to treat him. After two sessions, Forstall was discharged from hospital and went on to make a complete recovery.
Forstall shared a particularly funny anecdote about how Jobs insisted on paying for both their lunches at the Apple cafeteria, despite the fact that the $8 meals were charged against staff paychecks with each scan of their badges, and as CEO, Jobs only got paid a dollar a year.
Lastly, Forstall said he is not currently developing technology himself, and will continue his work in an advisory capacity. You can watch all of the interviews on Facebook.
