MacRumors

Amid a continuing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple's Mac sales are up slightly, according to new PC shipping estimates shared today by Gartner.

During the first quarter of 2017, Apple shipped an estimated 4.2 million Macs worldwide, up from 4 million in the year-ago quarter for an estimated growth of 4.5 percent. During the quarter, Apple held 6.8 percent of the market, up from 6.3 percent during the first quarter of 2016, allowing the company to hold on to its position as the number five PC vendor in the world.

Lenovo, HP, and Dell, the top three worldwide PC vendors, saw shipment growth during the quarter. Lenovo shipped an estimated 12.4 million PCs for 20 percent of the market (1.2 percent growth), HP shipped an estimated 12.1 million PCs for 19.5 percent of the market (6.5 percent growth), and Dell shipped 9.4 million PCs for an estimated 15 percent of the market (3.4 percent growth).

gartner 1Q17 global

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q17 (Thousands of Units)

Asus, the number four PC vendor in the world, saw a sharp decline in growth, shipping only an estimated 4.5 million PCs compared to 5.3 million during the first quarter of 2016. Acer and the "Other" group composed of smaller manufacturers also saw declines.

According to Gartner, overall worldwide PC shipments totaled 62.2 million units, a 2.4 decline compared to the first quarter of 2016.

"While the consumer market will continue to shrink, maintaining a strong position in the business market will be critical to keep sustainable growth in the PC market. Winners in the business segment will ultimately be the survivors in this shrinking market," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "Vendors who do not have a strong presence in the business market will encounter major problems, and they will be forced to exit the PC market in the next five years. However, there will also be specialized niche players with purpose-built PCs, such as gaming PCs and ruggedized laptops."

"The top three vendors -- Lenovo, HP and Dell -- will battle for the large-enterprise segment. The market has extremely limited opportunities for vendors below the top three, with the exception of Apple, which has a solid customer base in specific verticals."

In the United States, PC shipments totaled 12.3 million units in 1Q 2017, also a 2.4 percent decline compared to 1Q 2016. Apple is the number four PC vendor in the United States, shipping an estimated 1.47 million Macs (for 12 percent market share), a slight decline from the 1.48 million Macs shipped in the first quarter of 2016.

gartner 1Q17 us

Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q17 (Thousands of Units)

While HP saw 16 percent growth in the United States with an estimated 3.6 million shipments, shipments were down for Dell (3.2M), Lenovo (1.7M), and Asus (503,000).

gartner 1Q17 us trend

Apple's U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-1Q17 (Gartner)

IDC also released its PC market shipment estimates today, and as per usual, its numbers tell a different story, in part because of the difference in the way tablets are counted by each firm.

According to IDC, the PC market saw its first growth in five years, with worldwide shipments totaling 60.3 million in the first quarter of 2017 for year-over-year growth of 0.6 percent. IDC's estimates for Apple are similar to Gartner's, with IDC suggesting worldwide Mac shipments of 4.2 million units, up from 4 million in the year-ago quarter for 4.1 percent growth.

It's important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and that the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less so. Last year, for example, Gartner estimated Mac shipments of 4.6 million in the first quarter of 2016, but the actual number was just over 4 million.

Tags: Gartner, IDC

As promised, Nvidia last night introduced beta macOS drivers for its latest GeForce 10-series graphics cards, enabling macOS support for cards ranging from the GeForce GTX 1050 to the newly announced Nvidia Titan Xp.

macOS drivers for Nvidia's Pascal 10-series graphics cards will be of interest to those who build Hackintosh machines, use external GPUs, and those who own older Mac Pro machines that can be updated with newer GPUs. Apple has not used Nvidia GPUs in its Macs for several years now, favoring AMD instead.

nvidiatitanxp
Nvidia first said it would release macOS drivers for its latest line of graphics cards when it announced the launch of the Nvidia Titan Xp, which Nvidia says is the world's most powerful graphics card with 12GB of GDDR5X memory running at 11.4 Gb/s, 3,840 CUDA cores running at 1.6GHz, and 12 TFLOPS of processing power.

Prior to the release of the drivers, Mac users were only able to use previous-generation Maxwell-based 9-series GPUs.

The new macOS Pascal drivers can be downloaded directly from Nvidia.

Tag: Nvidia

New York University graduate student Dejian Zeng spent last summer working in a Pegatron factory manufacturing the iPhone 6s and 7 as part of a summer project, where he got a first hand look at what factory life is like for a worker in China.

Zeng did a extensive, detailed interview with Business Insider, where he shared his experience and offered up an inside glimpse at how factories like Pegatron work.


When he first arrived at the factory, Zeng's job was in final assembly. His sole task was to put a sticker on the back of the iPhone 6s and add a screw, over and over again, a process that he said was "very boring."

Employees at Pegatron are not allowed to bring in electronic devices, so there's no entertainment like music. Strict security measures are in place, including metal detectors, preventing outside devices from entering the factory.

While Zeng started out assembling the iPhone 6s, the factory switched over to the iPhone 7 in August ahead of its September launch, providing an interesting look at how security ramps up when an unreleased device is being manufactured.

According to Zeng, once the iPhone 7 was in trial production, the sensitivity of the metal detectors was ramped up, with no metal, including the metal of underwire bras, allowed through. Two security checks were also required, and new assembly line infrastructure had to be built. Apple employees were also on hand to keep an eye out for issues.

When we were producing the iPhone 7, they have Apple staff there every single day to monitor the process because it's a new product they want to see if there are new problems.

The management of the factory becomes very, very careful. It needs to be very, very clean. All the case holders need to be in the exact position of where they should be. The process changed a lot because it used to be just an assembly line. They made it a clean room, like they want to keep the dust out.

Zeng earned the equivalent of $450 for a month of work, including overtime pay, for working up to 12 hours per day. Because of unpaid breaks, he was only paid for 10.5 hours. He was also provided with housing in a dorm with multiple other employees, but he had to pay for meals. At $450 per month, Zeng did not earn anywhere near enough to purchase one of the devices he was assembling, and he said most of his coworkers used Chinese smartphones from Oppo or similar brands rather than an iPhone.

Still, he said some factory workers considered producing the unreleased iPhone "as a very cool thing," and everyone knew they were working on an upcoming device. Factory jobs, he said, weren't hated, but weren't liked, and turnover rates were "very high." "It's very normal for workers to leave after two weeks or a month," he said.

We just consider it a job that can give us money. Nobody enjoys the process because the purpose of getting to work is waiting to get out.

The only thing that we're thinking about is really money, money, money. I need to get some money from my family, I need to support my life, support my kids.

On the subject of safety training, Zeng said Pegatron was "very careful" and the training was thorough. Workers only get two days of training, though, with most of the focus on safety, and they're also required to download a special app designed by Apple that includes additional training documents and information on overtime. Pegatron, he said, did seem to keep an eye out for safety issues and other problems like underage workers.

According to an Apple spokesperson that spoke to Business Insider, Apple has employees on the ground at the Pegatron facility every day and performs regular audits to make sure employees aren't working more than 60 hours. Apple also pointed out that wages at Pegatron have increased 50 percent over the last five years and are higher than the Shanghai minimum wage.

Zeng, who originally visited the factory in anticipation of a worker strike due to reduced wages and the elimination of bonuses, says his experience at the factory has affirmed that his plan for a career in human rights advocacy is the right choice.

Zeng's full interview with Business Insider, which goes into much more detail on working conditions, employee routines, living quarters, food, overtime pay, safety procedures, and more, is well worth checking out.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues 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.

Misfit today introduced its newest wearable device, the Misfit Flare, which is a new entry-level sleep and fitness tracker that's available at an affordable $60 price point.

The Flare, like all Misfit wearables, is designed to track steps, distance, and calories burned, along with sleep quality. It can track different activities, like walking, running, yoga, soccer, basketball, and swimming. Tracking laps while swimming will require a $9.99 in-app purchase.

misfitflare
Simple and stylish, the Flare features an aluminum outer case mounted on a matching black band. There's a capacitive touch sensor and a single LED located underneath the face of the fitness device, which is used to track activity progress throughout the day.

A double tap on the Flare causes an LED indicator to flash. A single flash means a user is 25 percent of the way towards an activity goal, a double flash is 50 percent, and a triple flash is 75 percent. A light animation indicates the activity goal for the day has been reached.

Flare uses a replaceable watch battery that lasts up to four months, so it does not need to be charged. It is also water resistant to 50 meters, so it can be worn while swimming, bathing, and showering.

With Link compatibility, available in most Misfit wearables, the Flare can be used as a smart button to take a selfie with an iPhone, and it can control music, advance slides in a presentation, control household devices, and more.

Flare can be purchased from the Misfit website for $59.99 starting today.

Apple today provided public beta testers with the second beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.5, an update that comes two weeks after the first 10.12.5 public beta was seeded and one day after developers received the second beta. macOS Sierra 10.12.5 follows the macOS Sierra 10.12.4 update, which introduced Night Shift for the Mac.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the 10.12.5 macOS Sierra beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

macOS 10
Those who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and macOS Sierra betas. Betas should not be installed on a primary machine due to the potential for instability.

According to the release notes accompanying the first developer beta, macOS Sierra 10.12.5 "improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac." No other information was provided.

With little information available from Apple's release notes, it is not clear what minor feature tweaks or bug fixes might be included in the update. Nothing notable has been discovered in the first two developer betas.

Related Forum: macOS Sierra

Apple today provided its public beta testing group with the second beta of iOS 10.3.2, nearly two weeks after seeding the first iOS 10.3.2 beta and a day after releasing the second beta to developers. iOS 10.3.2 comes shortly after the release of iOS 10.3, a major update that brought features like a new Find My AirPods feature and Apple File System, and iOS 10.3.1, a minor security update.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the iOS 10.3.2 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on their iOS device.

ios 10
Those who want to be a part of Apple’s beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and macOS Sierra betas. Betas are not stable and include many bugs, so they should be installed on a secondary device.

According to Apple’s release notes, the iOS 10.3.2 update fixes SiriKit car commands, which should now be working as expected. Aside from the SiriKit fix, we don’t know what other bug fixes and improvements are included, as nothing notable has been discovered in the betas we’ve received so far.

As a minor 10.x.x update, iOS 10.3.2 likely focuses on bug fixes, performance improvements, and security enhancements rather than outward-facing features.

Related Forum: iOS 10

LG's new 32UD99 display is now available to order for $999 from retailers such as Amazon and B&H Photo Video, as noted by AnandTech.

lg 32ud99
The 31.5-inch IPS LED display features Ultra HD resolution of 3,840×2,160 pixels, which is often marketed as 4K, support for 95% of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut, and a USB-C input for single-cable connectivity with a 12-inch MacBook or 2016 MacBook Pro. It also supports HDR10 and AMD FreeSync.

A complete rundown of the LG 32UD99 display's tech specs:

  • 31.5-inch

  • 4K Ultra HD resolution (3,840×2,160 pixels)

  • 140 PPI

  • IPS LED

  • 16:9 aspect ratio

  • 60Hz refresh rate

  • 5ms response time

  • DCI-P3 wide color gamut (95%)

  • 550 nits peak brightness

  • Ports: USB-C input, DisplayPort 1.2, two HDMI 2.0a ports, and two USB 3.0 ports

  • Up to ~60W power delivery to MacBook Pro

  • Other features: HDR10, AMD FreeSync, dual 10W speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack, narrow bezel design with pivoting and height adjustable stand

Here's how LG's UltraFine 5K Display, now $1,299.95, stacks up:

  • 27-inch

  • 5K resolution (5,120×2,880 pixels)

  • 217 PPI

  • IPS LED

  • 16:9 aspect ratio

  • 60Hz refresh rate

  • 12-14ms response time

  • DCI-P3 wide color gamut (99%)

  • 500 nits peak brightness

  • Ports: Thunderbolt 3 input and three USB-C 3.1 ports

  • Up to 85W power delivery to MacBook Pro

  • Other features: Built-in 1080p camera, dual 5W speakers, microphone, Thunderbolt 3 cable included, adjustable and VESA compatible stand

LG's 32UD99 arguably looks nicer than the UltraFine 5K, while its larger screen, HDR10, and AMD FreeSync support are attractive features for gamers. But, for $300 less, you are getting Ultra HD resolution instead of 5K, USB-C instead of Thunderbolt 3, no webcam, lower power delivery, and slightly less coverage of the P3 color gamut.

Read our Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C Display Buyer's Guide for other options.

Facebook Messenger has allowed users to send money to one another since 2015, but as of today, the chat platform is being updated with a new group payments feature.

With Facebook Messenger for the web and Android devices, users can now send and receive money between groups of people, useful for splitting a restaurant bill or pooling money for a group gift.

facebookgrouppayments
Group payments can be sent in any group conversation by tapping the plus sign to access chat features and then choosing the ($) payments icon. From there users can pick who to send money to or request money from, and a message within the group chat will keep track of who has paid.

Enter the amount you want to request per person or the total sum to divide evenly, either including yourself in the calculation or not. Finally, you can specify what the money is for - maybe a "Pizza Party," teacher gift, or more. Once you're ready, tap Request.

The Messenger group payments feature is limited to users in the United States and at the current time, it's not available on Messenger for iOS devices. Facebook does not mention if and when the feature will come to its iOS app, but features first introduced on the web do often expand to the iPhone and the iPad.

Note-taking app Evernote today announced that users on the 2016 MacBook Pro will now be able to use Touch Bar commands to browse, edit, and customize their notes within the app. Notably, the company said that the addition of Touch Bar support will give users quick access to key navigation features and note editing commands found within Evernote.

evernote touch bar
To announce the update, Evernote has given users a list of five ways they can use the Touch Bar in the note-taking app, including a new one-tap feature that lets users create new notes faster. Also found on the Touch Bar will be a search button, a customized list of tags, a color slider, and a collection of markup tools to add annotations into notes. The update should begin appearing throughout the day.

Late last year Evernote faced user backlash when it announced a new privacy policy that would let staff members read personal notes taken in the app "to improve the service." Many users threatened to stop using Evernote, and in response the company quickly backpedaled and announced that it would not implement the controversial policy.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Fitbit is gearing up to launch a "proper" smartwatch as a competitor to the Apple Watch, which will include mobile payments features, a full app store, and more, in addition to Fitbit's usual health and fitness features. While that product is predicted to launch sometime this fall -- likely going head-to-head with Apple Watch Series 3 -- a new report from Yahoo Finance today has depicted a troubled road to launch for Fitbit's smartwatch, as well as revealing the company's potential emergence in the Bluetooth earphone market.

Yahoo Finance's report states that Fitbit intends to launch its own pair of fitness-focused Bluetooth earphones, which is believed to help the company expand beyond the wrist and diversify its product lineup. Fitbit's device is said to be "similar in design" to the BeatsX Earphones that Apple launched earlier this year. The Fitbit earphones "will hang around your neck" and launch alongside the new smartwatch in two colors called "Nightfall Blue" and "Lunar Gray."

beatsx new colors

Apple's BeatsX Earphones

According to sources speaking with Yahoo Finance, Fitbit's smartwatch was initially launching this spring, but GPS problems due to antenna positioning in a few prototypes delayed production to the fall. Additionally, waterproofing became an issue in production, and today's report even noted that "it’s still unclear as of the publication of this article whether the device will launch with the waterproof feature."

If it isn’t waterproof, critics may perceive it to be an inferior product to Apple’s — especially given that the device will launch roughly a year after the Apple Watch Series 2.

“Regardless of whether Fitbit manages to make it waterproof, I think they have to release the watch later this year,” one of our sources familiar with the matter told Yahoo Finance. “It’s literally sink or swim time for them.”

Fitbit's smartwatch is said to include a color display with peak brightness of 1,000 nits, which would make it comparable to Apple Watch Series 2. Similar features that will make it a competitor to Apple and other Android Wear watches are heart-rate monitoring, NFC payments, and on-board music storage (using Pandora on Fitbit). Fitbit could see a slight edge over Apple in the battery life department, with a reported four full days of charge capable on the smartwatch.

Fitbit's device is predicted to cost around $300 and will be housed in an aluminum unibody design that allows users to swap out bands of different styles and colors. Those who have seen a glimpse of the Fitbit smartwatch prototype compare it to the company's current product, the Fitbit Blaze.

fitbit blaze 2

The Fitbit Blaze

Yahoo Finance viewed the presentation deck Fitbit showed retail partners like Best Buy (BBY) and Target (TGT) behind closed doors. That deck revealed a general design aesthetic that resembles a product in the company’s current product line: the Blaze.

“It was very retro-looking with the lines and stuff — definitely not sexy,” one source told Yahoo Finance. Several employees who saw the design complained about it, the source said.

To help enter the crowded smartwatch field, Fitbit recently acquired luxury smartwatch maker Vector Watch, as well as popular wearable company Pebble. Fitbit noted that the company is aware there is "a lot of interest in our entry into the smartwatch category," but gave no comments regarding today's news.

Fitbit has had a rough couple of months, ranging from being accused of stealing trade secrets, to facing one of its "largest declines ever" in the fourth quarter of 2016, which resulted in layoffs of about 6 percent of its staff. Although the company remained above Apple Watch in sheer number of units shipped, it has slowly begun losing market share to rivals Apple and Xiaomi.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tag: Fitbit
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Instagram today announced the rollout of a new Direct messaging update that will unite permanent text messages with disappearing photos and videos into one easy-to-follow thread, instead of separating the two features like they were before today's update. When disappearing messages launched in Direct last year, they were given their own "Stories" bar atop the Direct tab.

Users can still find Direct by swiping right-to-left on the main Instagram landing feed, and within Direct there will be a new blue camera button located in the messaging field at the bottom of the tab. Here, users can tap an existing thread to continue a conversation, or create a new one, and then send a disappearing photo, video, or permanent text message. Disappearing messages are highlighted blue in the inbox to prepare users for what kind of message they're about to open.

instagram direct update
Instagram said that today's update focusing on Direct is a response to the messaging feature's growth since last November, which has risen from 300 million to 375 million in five months. Overall, disappearing chat features have grown to become a major focus in a variety of apps, most recently with Facebook Stories.

Today, we’re launching the new Direct to make it fast and easy to turn any conversation into a visual conversation with photos and videos. Texts and reshares will now appear in the same thread with disappearing photos and videos so you can seamlessly go back and forth with your friends.

Since our last update in November 2016, the number of people using Direct has grown from 300 million to 375 million. We want to make Direct the best place to have fun, visual conversations with your friends. Stay tuned for more.

Instagram's new update -- designated version 10.16 -- will begin rolling out throughout the day.

Samsung topped Apple as the world's largest smartphone maker in the first quarter, as it continues to show signs of recovery following its disastrous Galaxy Note7 recall last year, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce.

samsung galaxy note 7 colors
Samsung reclaimed the number one spot with an estimated 26.1 percent market share, trailed by Apple at an estimated 16.9 percent, said TrendForce. Chinese vendor Huawei, which aims to become the world's largest smartphone maker within four years, finished third with an estimated 11.4 percent market share.

TrendForce Q1 2017 smartphones
Samsung is traditionally the world's largest smartphone maker, as it sells millions of inexpensive smartphones alongside its flagship devices, so this would normally be no surprise. However, after Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note7 due to defective batteries, Apple overtook its South Korean rival in the fourth quarter.

While the worst might be over for Samsung now, TrendForce said the company's sales results for its high-end smartphones still "fell short of expectations" in the first quarter, as consumer confidence in the brand had "yet to fully recover" from Galaxy Note7 recall and subsequent discontinuation in the fall.

Nevertheless, Samsung's continued success in the mid-range and low-end segments of the market allowed it to reclaim its crown.

The economically priced, high-performing Galaxy J series sustained Samsung’s shipments and contributed significantly to the expansion of the brand’s overall smartphone production volume. Samsung was the only brand that saw positive growth in production volume during the off season of the first quarter.

Samsung's focus has now shifted towards the Galaxy S8, set to launch later this month. The smartphone features an edge-to-edge 5.8-inch display with no physical home button, foreshadowing the rumored design of the tentatively named iPhone 8. And it shouldn't catch on fire like the Galaxy Note7, as Samsung now performs an 8-point battery check on all of its smartphones.

It's important to recognize that these are estimated figures only, and that shipments do not necessarily reflect sales to customers.

Apple will officially report its iPhone sales figures for the first quarter, corresponding with the second quarter of its 2017 fiscal year, on May 2.

Western Digital today announced the newest addition to its G-Technology brand "G-Drive," called the G-Drive USB-C. The company said that the new device was designed with power users and creative enthusiasts in mind, allowing them access to high-capacity storage and charging on the MacBook Pro through the USB-C port.

The G-Drive USB-C is available in 4TB, 8TB, and 10TB capacities so users can store HD videos, photos, music, backups, and more on the device, which is also Time Machine compatible. The drive also supports traditional USB 3.0 connections, and ships with a USB-C to USB-A cable to make it backwards compatible with systems that include USB-A connectors. A USB-C to USB-C cable is also included.

g drive usb cWestern Digital's new drive has a transfer rate of up to 195 MB/s, and in terms of charging the company said that the G-Drive USB-C provides up to 45 watts of USB Power Delivery. The drive is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 as well.

“The addition of the G-DRIVE USB-C external drive provides tech enthusiasts a single-cable high capacity, high quality storage solution that meets their individual creative needs,” said Mike Williams, vice president of Advanced Technologies, Western Digital. “The G-DRIVE USB-C ensures pros can work seamlessly with the latest computers, and with a USB-C port and support for USB Power Delivery, it allows a user’s charging capability to be more efficient without having to worry about connecting yet another cable to their computer for charging.”

Users can pre-order the G-Drive USB-C for $199.95 at 4TB, $349.95 at 8TB, and $499.95 at 10TB beginning today. Western Digital said that the drive will be available this quarter through G-Technology resellers around the world.

Dialog Semiconductor shares plunged to their lowest price in over 16 years on Monday, after an industry analyst predicted Apple will drop the supplier and move to its own in-house power management chips for iPhones by 2019.

dialog semiconductor iphone
The prediction comes from analyst Karsten Iltgen at German investment bank Bankhaus Lampe, who said that Apple will at the very least cut back to some degree on Dialog's supply of power management chips for the iPhone, according to a research note obtained by Bloomberg.

“There is strong evidence that Apple is developing its own power-management integrated circuits and intends to replace the chip made by Dialog at least in part,” Karsten Iltgen, analyst at Bankhaus Lampe, said in a research note published Tuesday. A shift to Apple developing its own chips in-house is unlikely in the short term, he said.

“We believe that Apple is setting up power-management design centers in Munich and California,” said Iltgen. “We hear from the industry that about 80 engineers at Apple are already working on a PMIC with specific plans to employ it in the iPhone by as early as 2019.”

According to Iltgen, Apple is setting up its own power management chip design centers in Munich and California, and up to 80 Apple engineers are said to already be working on its own PMIC (power management integrated circuit) component. However, he said Apple dropping Dialog "is unlikely in the short term."

Dialog's website says its integrated power management component results in up to 30% longer battery life:

Dialog replaces multiple discrete power management components with one highly integrated device, enabling our customers to produce lighter and thinner portable applications with higher power efficiency resulting in longer battery life.

These single chip solutions reduce energy usage and provide a simple, yet flexible, design at a lower cost. Typical usage tests show our Power Management Integrated Circuits (PMICs) are able to decrease the power consumption of a portable device by up to 30%.

The analyst noted that Apple has steadily hired engineers from the United Kingdom-based Dialog over the past year, from the chipmaker's pool of about 1,300 engineers, but a person familiar with the situation noted that "it isn't unusual" to see employees flowing between Apple and its supplier.

However, last week Apple announced that it was planning to stop using the graphics processing chips supplied by Imagination Technology in its iPhones within two years, and Bloomberg noted that, ahead of that decision, Apple had hired "several people" from Imagination to help craft its in-house technology.

If Apple does make the same decision with Dialog Semiconductor as it did with Imagination Technologies, the former company could see as much as three quarters of its business gone over the next few years, as it's believed that Dialog gets as much as 74 percent of its sales from Apple.

Some analysts don't believe that it will ever come to that and disagree with Iltgen's prediction, as Barclays analyst Andrew Gardiner recently mentioned in a research note that he does "not see [Dialog] remotely in a similar position" as Imagination. Dialog shares remained down around 16 percent on Tuesday.

Not everyone agrees that Dialog is at risk. “We do not see them remotely in a similar position," said Andrew Gardiner, an analyst at Barclays Plc, in a research note. "We acknowledge Apple’s continued hiring of engineers, in power management and elsewhere, but an additional 80 engineers hired in this area pales in comparison to the over 1,300 engineers Dialog employed at the end of last year."

Last year Dialog entered the news when a Fast Company report mentioned the supplier's $10 million investment in wireless technology company Energous, adding to recent rumors that Apple and its suppliers were gearing up to implement some form of wireless charging into a future line of iPhones.

Energous has said that its first truly wireless charging technology will arrive later in 2017, but in regards to the iPhone's wireless charging it's believed that Apple is again looking in-house to craft an inductive charger for the iPhone as it did for the Apple Watch, rather than using a truly wireless solution.

Tag: Dialog

Apple has filed a complaint in a Swiss court over the use of the slogan "Tick Different" in a Swatch marketing campaign, arguing that the watchmaker is unfairly referencing the Californian company's successful 1990s "Think Different" ad campaign for its own gain.

The complaint was lodged last week at the Swiss Federal Administrative Court by Apple representatives Lenz & Staehelin, whose lawyers filed a simultaneous but ultimately unsuccessful complaint with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.

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Image: Swatch

Swatch has been using the "Tick Different" slogan on its Bellamy quartz wristwatch with built-in NFC Visa payment technology. According to Watson, in order to successfully win the case Apple must show that Swatch's use of the phrase triggers an association with Apple products in the minds of at least 50 percent of consumers.

Swatch CEO Nick Hayek has reportedly rejected the allegation that it is capitalizing on Apple branding. Hayek claimed that the "Tick Different" slogan has its origins in an 80s Swatch campaign that used the phrase "Always different, always new", and says that any similarity with Apple is purely coincidental.

The "Think Different" slogan was created in 1997 by Apple advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, and was thought at the time to be a response to IBM's slogan "Think". It was used in TV commercials, print ads, and several TV promos. Disappearance of the slogan in Apple marketing material coincided with the launch of the iMac G4 in 2002.

Prior to the launch of the Apple Watch, Apple and Swatch were rumored to be joining together to introduce a smartwatch, but nothing ever came of it. Swatch filed an application for an "iSwatch" trademark when rumors first began swirling that Apple planned to enter the market. It later managed to block Apple's own U.K. trademark application for "iWatch".

Tag: Swatch

Qualcomm today announced it has countersued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, nearly three months after the iPhone maker sued the chipmaker for $1 billion in alleged unpaid royalty rebates. Apple also accused Qualcomm of engaging in anticompetitive licensing practices.

Qualcomm X12
Qualcomm, which earlier called Apple's lawsuit "baseless," officially denied the majority of Apple's allegations, and accused the Cupertino-based company of failing to engage in good faith negotiations for a license to its 3G and 4G standard essential patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms.

The chipmaker also accused Apple of breaching its licensing agreements, making false statements, and encouraging regulatory attacks on its business in multiple countries. Qualcomm added that Apple has deliberately "chose not to utilize the full performance" of its LTE modem in its iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Apple uses Intel's XMM7360 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X12 modems for GSM and CDMA models of the iPhone 7 respectively. Independent testing last year found Qualcomm's LTE chip to significantly outperform Intel's LTE chip in the iPhone 7, but it could theoretically be even faster.

Apple, however, said there is "no discernible difference" in performance between the Qualcomm and Intel modems in any of the models.

Qualcomm said Apple's statement misrepresented the performance disparity between iPhones using its modems and those using Intel-supplied modems. Apple then allegedly threatened Qualcomm about making any public comparisons about the apparently superior performance of the Qualcomm-powered iPhones.

Qualcomm, the exclusive supplier of 3G and LTE modems for iPhones until 2016, said Apple has "launched a global attack" against its company, using its "enormous market power" to coerce unfair and unreasonable licensing terms. The chipmaker insists that it will "vigorously defend" its business model.

“Over the last ten years, Apple has played a significant role in bringing the benefits of mobile technology to consumers with its popular products and services," said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm. "But Apple could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise that has made it the most profitable company in the world, capturing over 90 percent of smartphone profits, without relying upon Qualcomm's fundamental cellular technologies. Now, after a decade of historic growth, Apple refuses to acknowledge the well established and continuing value of those technologies. It has launched a global attack on Qualcomm and is attempting to use its enormous market power to coerce unfair and unreasonable license terms from Qualcomm. We intend to vigorously defend our business model, and pursue our right to protect and receive fair value for our technological contributions to the industry.”

Qualcomm said Apple "could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise" without relying upon Qualcomm's "fundamental cellular technologies." In its countersuit, Qualcomm went as far as saying Apple has "contributed virtually nothing to the development of core cellular technology."

Apple is the world's most profitable seller of cellular devices. But as a late-comer to the cellular industry, Apple contributed virtually nothing to the development of core cellular technology. Instead, Apple's products rely heavily on the cellular inventions of Qualcomm and others. Apple's iPhones and other products enjoy enormous commercial success, but without lightning-fast cellular connectivity—enabled in large part by Qualcomm's inventions—Apple's iPhones would lose much of their consumer appeal.

Qualcomm is seeking, among other things, both compensatory and punitive damages from Apple in amounts to be proven in a jury trial for "reneging on its promises in several agreements." It is also seeking to be released from any obligation to make further payments to Apple, per the court filing.

Apple for its part accused Qualcomm of using its position as the supplier of a key iPhone component to drive up patent licensing fees. In January, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that Qualcomm required Apple to exclusively use its modems from 2011 to 2016 in exchange for lower patent royalties.

The iPhone continues to be the most popular smartphone among teens, according to data gathered by investment firm Piper Jaffray in its most recent semiannual U.S. teen survey.

76 percent of teens surveyed own an iPhone, up from 69 percent in the spring of 2016, and the highest ownership level seen in the teen survey. A record 81 percent of teens surveyed said they expect their next phone to be an iPhone, up from 75 percent a year ago.

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Piper Jaffray attributes the jump in interest to the upcoming 2017 iPhone, which is expected to include an OLED display with an edge-to-edge design, a glass body, a faster A11 processor, no Home button, and wireless charging capabilities.

Apple continued to grow smartphone share among teens with 76% of teens owning an iPhone vs 74% in Fall-16. We view the survey as a positive data point on iPhone 7 demand and excitement around the upcoming launch of the 10th anniversary iPhone (iPhone X)

Teen interest in smart watches has also continued to grow, with interest in the Apple Watch up slightly. 13 percent of teens surveyed said they plan to buy an Apple Watch in the next six months, compared to 11 percent in the spring of 2016.

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Among fitness bands, the Apple Watch is the second most popular choice after Fitbit. 71 percent of teens said they prefer the Fitbit, while 10 percent chose the Apple Watch. Nine percent preferred Nike-branded fitness bands, while four percent preferred Garmin.

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While iPhone adoption among teens could see significant growth in the fall with the release of a new line of iPhones with exciting new features, Apple Watch growth may remain stagnant as rumors have thus far not pointed towards major changes.

For the teen survey, Piper Jaffray accumulated responses from 5,500 teens in the United States with an average age of 16.

IPSWFollowing the release of iOS 10.3.1 on April 3, Apple has stopped signing iOS 10.2.1 and iOS 10.3, earlier versions of iOS that were previously available to consumers before the latest update was released.

Customers who have upgraded to iOS 10.3.1 will no longer be able to downgrade their devices to iOS 10.2.1 or iOS 10.3.

Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to stay up to date.

iOS 10.3.1 is now the only version of iOS 10 that can be installed on iOS devices by the general public, but developers and public beta testers can also download iOS 10.3.2, a future update that is currently being beta tested.