MacRumors

Following the completed rollout of App Privacy labels for its App Store apps, Google today updated the Google Maps app for the first time in four months.

Apple in December began requiring all new app submissions and app updates to include App Privacy labels, detailing the data that is collected by the app so consumers know what they're sharing.

Google didn't begin implementing App Privacy labels until February, and Google apps went several months without an update. Gmail, in fact, went so long without updating that it started giving users a warning that it was out of date, but no update was available.

Google Maps was updated with App Privacy labels in early April, and alongside Google Photos, it was one of the last apps to get the data collection details.

Now that Google Maps is compliant with the App Store rules, Google is once again able to update it. Today's version 5.65 refresh is minor in scale, offering bug fixes that improve the Google Maps app, but Google is now free to add additional features going forward.

In a recent interview with the Toronto Star, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about a wide variety of topics, ranging from App Tracking Transparency to Apple's ongoing legal battle over App Store policies with Fortnite creator Epic Games.

Notably, Cook said that Epic Games' desire for Apple to let developers offer their own payment systems in apps "would make the App Store a flea market":

At the heart of the Epic complaint is they'd like developers to each put in their own payment information. But that would make the App Store a flea market and you know the confidence level you have at the flea market.

The volume of people going into such a market would be dramatically lower, which would be bad for the user, because they would miss out on the innovation like we just heard with the four developers. And the developers would be left out because they wouldn't have a huge audience to sell to. So nobody wins in that environment.

Apple's App Store Review Guidelines require apps to use Apple's in-app purchase system, with direct payment systems forbidden.

Cook said he is confident that Apple should prevail in its lawsuit against Epic Games, so long as it is able to communicate the facts clearly. The U.S. bench trial is scheduled to begin May 3 in Northern California federal court.

Cook also revealed in the interview that Apple reviews 100,000 apps submitted for review every week and rejects about 40,000 of them. He said that by curating the App Store, users have "a safe and trusted place" to discover apps.

Timed with Cook's interview with the Toronto Star, Apple has issued a press release touting the success of the App Store in Canada. In the press release, spotted by the blog iPhone in Canada, Apple said the App Store now supports more than 243,000 jobs in Canada and added that developers across the country have generated more than $2 billion CAD in total earnings since the App Store launched in 2008.

Apple has adjusted the marketing of its high-end Pro Display XDR in the UK following complaints to the country's Advertising Standards Authority that it was misleading customers.

As reported by 9to5Mac, the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) had received complaints from customers about Apple's indirect claim that the Pro Display XDR features a 100% P3 wide color gamut. Apple previously marketed the Pro Display XDR as featuring P3 wide color gamut without any caveats, however following the complaint, the company has added a footnote to the product page in the UK to indicate it "supports 99% of the P3 wide color gamut."

Additionally, UK customers complained to the ASA regarding Apple's use of the term "Far beyond HDR." The complaints, alleging it to be misleading, caused Apple to remove it entirely from the product page in the UK. The Pro Display XDR marketing remains unchanged in the US.

Apple made unusual mid-production hardware changes to the A12, A13, and S5 processors in its devices in the fall of 2020 to update the Secure Storage Component, according to Apple Support documents.

According to an Apple Support page, spotted by Twitter user Andrew Pantyukhin, Apple changed the Secure Enclave in a number of products in the fall of 2020:

Note: A12, A13, S4, and S5 products first released in Fall 2020 have a 2nd-generation Secure Storage Component; while earlier products based on these SoCs have 1st-generation Secure Storage Component.

The Secure Enclave is a coprocessor that is used for data protection and authentication with Touch ID and Face ID. The purpose of the Secure Enclave is to handle keys and other information, such as biometrics, that are sensitive enough to not be handled by the Application Processor. This data is stored in a Secure Storage Component inside the Secure Enclave, which is the specific part that Apple changed last year.

The explanation in Apple's support document suggests, at minimum, that the eighth-generation entry-level iPad, Apple Watch SE, and HomePod mini have different Secure Enclaves compared to older devices with the same chip.

However, there are a number of discrepancies in Apple's support document. Despite Apple explaining that A13 products "first released in Fall 2020 have a 2nd-generation Secure Storage Component," there was no device with an A13 chip "first released in Fall 2020." The last device to be released with an A13 chip was the iPhone SE in February 2020.

If the change was, in fact, made to all newly-manufactured devices with these chips, the affected devices would include the ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ SE, and fifth-generation iPad mini, as well as the newly-released eighth-generation ‌iPad‌, ‌Apple Watch SE‌, and ‌HomePod mini‌.

To make matters more confusing, the table listing the multiple versions of the Secure Enclave's storage component in the feature summary omits the S4 chip with a second-generation Secure Storage Component, despite the rubric claiming that such a chip exists. The Apple Watch Series 4 was the only device to contain an S4 chip, and this device was discontinued in September 2019, long before the second-generation Secure Storage Component was implemented in the fall of 2020. It is possible that part of this lack of clarity relates to the fact that the A12 and S4 chips introduced the first-generation Secure Storage Component.

New devices containing the A14 or S6 chip, such as the ‌iPhone‌ 12, ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro, fourth-generation iPad Air, and Apple Watch Series 6, also have the updated Secure Enclave.

Although the change took place in the fall of 2020, the support document detailing the alteration was published in February 2021. The full PDF version of Apple's Platform Security Guide reveals the difference between the first and second-generation Secure Storage Component:

The 2nd-generation Secure Storage Component adds counter lockboxes. Each counter lockbox stores a 128-bit salt, a 128-bit passcode verifier, an 8-bit counter, and an 8-bit maximum attempt value. Access to the counter lockboxes is through an encrypted and authenticated protocol.

Counter lockboxes hold the entropy needed to unlock passcode-protected user data. To access the user data, the paired Secure Enclave must derive the correct passcode entropy value from the user's passcode and the Secure Enclave's UID. The user's passcode can't be learned using unlock attempts sent from a source other than the paired Secure Enclave. If the passcode attempt limit is exceeded (for example, 10 attempts on iPhone), the passcode-protected data is erased completely by the Secure Storage Component.

This appears to be a countermeasure against password-cracking devices, such as GrayKey, which attempt to break into iPhones by guessing the passcode an infinite number of times, using exploits that allow for infinite incorrect password attempts.

The change appears to have been significant enough for Apple to justify an entire "second-generation" version of the Secure Enclave's storage. It is certainly unusual for Apple to change a component in its chips mid-way through production, but Apple likely deemed the security upgrade important enough to roll it out to all relevant new devices from the fall onwards, rather than just devices with the latest A14 and S6 chips.

Starting with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, Apple will be requiring apps to receive a user's permission to track their activity for targeted advertising purposes, as part of a privacy measure known as App Tracking Transparency.

Ahead of App Tracking Transparency being enforced, Apple CEO Tim Cook has participated in a privacy-focused interview with the Toronto Star, telling the Canadian newspaper that Apple is "not against digital advertising" and simply believes that users should have transparency and control as it relates to being tracked by apps for advertising purposes.

We're not against digital advertising. I think digital advertising is going to thrive in any situation, because more and more time is spent online, less and less is spent on linear TV. And digital advertising will do well in any situation. The question is, do we allow the building of this detailed profile to exist without your consent?

When asked about some major companies like Procter & Gamble that have reportedly been trying to find ways to get around App Tracking Transparency, Cook said any pushback on the change is likely because companies will no longer be able to track users without them knowing, resulting in less data being collected to build a profile on users.

The only reason why you would push back is if you believe you'll get less data. The only reason you would get less data is because people are consciously deciding not to do it and were not being asked before.

Cook reiterated Apple's longstanding belief that privacy is a "fundamental human right" and expressed his belief that privacy regulations around the world "will eventually catch up" with policies like App Tracking Transparency.

Cook said that App Tracking Transparency will launch "in a few weeks," but it's unclear when the interview was held. iOS 14.5 is believed to be nearing release following over two months of beta testing with many new features, including the much-awaited ability for Apple Watch users to unlock their iPhone with Face ID while wearing a mask.

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

The Mac experienced momentous growth in the first quarter of this year, with shipments growing by 111.5% compared to the same time period last year, according to market data from IDC.

The data shows that the whole PC industry grew year-over-year, despite the global health crisis and component shortages. In Q1 of the year, Apple shipped roughly 6.7 million Macs, representing 8% of the whole market. Just a year ago in the same time period, Apple shipped around 3.2 million computers.

Others such as Lenovo, HP, and Dell saw double-digit growth this quarter. However, Apple represented the most amount of growth. Ryan Reith, the vice president of IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Tracker, says the industry has been hit due to ongoing component shortages but that the outlook remains positive.

The ongoing shortages in the semiconductor space only further prolong the ability for vendors to refill inventory and fulfill orders to customers. We believe a fundamental shift has occurred around the PC, which will result in a more positive outlook for years to follow.

Apple's performance this quarter follows significant growth in Q4 of last year, where thanks to new Apple silicon Macs, Apple saw a 31.3% increase in shipments compared to the same quarter a year prior.

In November, Apple released three brand new Macs powered by its own Apple silicon, driving sales amid work and learning from home procedures. Looking towards the coming months, Apple is expected to widen its lead in the PC industry thanks to the launch of redesigned MacBook Pros, iMacs, and more.

Update: Gartner has also shared its data for the first quarter of 2021, suggesting that Apple shipped an estimated 5.57 million Macs worldwide, up from the 3.75 million shipped in the year-ago quarter, marking growth of 48.6 percent.

In the U.S., Gartner believes Apple shipped just over 2 million Macs, up from 1.33 in the year-ago quarter for growth of 54.2 percent.

Apple and Google have blocked an update to England and Wales' contact tracing app that included a feature that would have collected user location data, breaking the companies' terms and conditions for contact tracing apps, the BBC reports.

Last year, Apple and Google partnered up to announce a COVID-19 contact tracing API that allows apps to track whether someone has been in contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19.

When visiting a shop, restaurant or other public venue, users of the NHS COVID-19 app can scan a QR code to indicate that they've been at that location. Using the API, the NHS app checks a database to look for a match, and can inform the user if they need to self-quarantine and/or get tested if someone at the same location recorded a positive COVID-19 test result that was flagged by other means.

The U.K.'s National Health Service in England and Wales had planned to release an update to its app that would have asked COVID-19 positive users to upload a log of their QR code check-ins. However, according to the terms and conditions which govern Apple and Google's contact tracing API, any app that uses the API cannot collect user location data.

As a result, both companies have refused to make the update available for download on their respective app distribution platforms. The previous version of the NHS app, however, remains available for download.

The plan had been to ask users to upload logs of venue check-ins - carried out via poster barcode scans - if they tested positive for the virus. This could be used to warn others.

But the two firms had explicitly banned such a function from the start.

Under the terms that all health authorities signed up to use Apple and Google's privacy-centric contact-tracing tech, they had to agree not to collect any location data via the software.

As a result, Apple and Google refused to make the update available for download from their app stores last week and have instead kept the old version live.

As the BBC notes, the NHS app has always included the ability for users to scan a QR code when visiting a public establishment. However, the code was only used to check a database that had been generated by local authorities following a viral outbreak.

The now rejected update would have changed that, by asking users who had tested positive to upload their QR code checks-in to the cloud. A spokesperson for the Department of Health told the BBC that "The deployment of the functionality of the NHS Covid-19 app to enable users to upload their venue history has been delayed."

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

In a report outlining a possible Apple TV with a combined HomePod and camera, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that Apple is exploring a future high-end HomePod speaker that could include an iPad connected via a robotic arm that tracks and follows users around a room.

From the report:

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant, is also mulling the launch of a high-end speaker with a touch screen to better compete with market leaders Google and Amazon.com Inc., the people said. Such a device would combine an iPad with a HomePod speaker and also include a camera for video chat. Apple has explored connecting the iPad to the speaker with a robotic arm that can move to follow a user around a room, similar to Amazon’s latest Echo Show gadget.

Gurman had previously hinted Apple was working on a ‌HomePod‌ with a screen and camera as it looks to bolster its smart home lineup. However, today's report builds on that, revealing that the Cupertino tech giant is looking to utilize the ‌iPad‌, possibly connected to the speaker via a robotic arm that tracks and follows users during video calls.

The ‌HomePod‌/‌iPad‌ combination would work similarly to Amazon's Echo 10, which has a tablet connected to a robotic arm and utilizes facial recognition to keep users in frame during conference calls or when summoned for attention.

Bloomberg notes that the development of this high-end speaker is still very much early in the early stages, calling it a "concept" that could ultimately never see the light of day. Apple recently discontinued its original HomePod, saying that it will instead shift resources to focus on the HomePod mini.

Apple is working on a combined Apple TV with HomePod speaker that has a camera for video calls through a connected television set, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

From the report:

The company is working on a product that would combine an Apple TV set-top box with a HomePod speaker and include a camera for video conferencing through a connected TV and other smart-home functions, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters.

The device's other capabilities would include standard Apple TV box functions like watching video and gaming plus smart speaker uses such as playing music and using Apple's Siri digital assistant.

Following disappointing sales, Apple discontinued its original high-end ‌HomePod‌ in March, leaving many wondering if the company was working on a successor. The HomePod mini, which launched last year, has been much more popular thanks to its lower price.

Apple unified its engineering teams for ‌HomePod‌ and ‌Apple TV‌ last year, suggesting an integrated device offering the best of both worlds could be in the offing.

However, according to today's report, the product's development is still in the early stages, and Apple could choose not to launch the product or change key features.

Apple is known to be working on an updated version of the Apple TV that will allegedly have a gaming focus with an updated remote control, a faster processor, and increased storage capacity, although it seems likely that today's report is referencing another potential future product. Signs of the new ‌Apple TV‌ have been showing up in iOS since January 2020, so we are expecting to see a new ‌Apple TV‌ launch in 2021.

Today's report also mentions that Apple is working on a concept for a future ‌HomePod‌ design that has an iPad connected via a robotic arm, which could follow users around a room during video calls.

Renders of Google's first smartwatch, codenamed "Rohan," have been shared by Jon Prosser, showing that Google plans to adopt a circular design for its flagship wearable watch.

Prosser shared the renders in an episode of his YouTube show "Front Page Tech," in which he claims they were made based on marketing material he had seen from a source within Google. The renders show that the Pixel Watch will adopt a bezel-less, circular design, with no buttons, except for a crown on the right.

The display itself, unlike the Apple Watch, features a completely circular form factor. Internally, the Pixel Watch will feature a heart rate sensor, but it so far remains unknown if it sports more advanced health features such as blood oxygen monitoring on the Apple Watch Series 6.

Like the Apple Watch, which allows users to swap and change bands, Google will offer around 20 band options for the Pixel Watch, according to Prosser.

The watch will presumably run WearOS, Google's operating systems for smartwatches. As for a release, Prosser says the watch will debut "sometime in October" but warns to be cautious given Google's habit of delaying and even canceling products altogether.

In 2019, Google signed a $40 million deal with watchmaker Fossil to take ownership of its smartwatch division. As a result of the deal, Fossil smartwatches joined Google's WearOS family and also spurred widespread speculation that Google intends to make its own-branded smartwatch to compete with the Apple Watch.

Besides changes to make it thinner, lighter, and the screen bigger thanks to smaller bezels, the Apple Watch design has largely remained the same since its launch in 2015. A recent patent has revealed that Apple is researching an Apple Watch design with a display that wraps around the band, where in turn, the watch band becomes an extension of the display itself.

Apple has in place stringent quality control standards on the assembly line floor to prevent mistakes in production, but that doesn't mean they don't happen.

Images shared on Twitter reveal an iPhone 11 Pro with a misaligned Apple logo on the back of the device, a misprint that is said to be as rare as 1 in a million.

The images, posted by Internal Archive, clearly show the Apple logo is canted up from the base and slightly off-center, making it closer to the right than it should be.

The Internal Archive, which often shares images of Apple prototypes, claims the misprint could "possibly be even rarer" than 1 in a million, which apparently made the device a sought-after item – it recently sold for $2,700, according to the Twitter account. The phone was purchased in an Apple Store and the customer kept and resold it.

Defective Apple products do make it out of the factory from time to time, but multiple devices are usually caught up in production faults, so it's unusual for a single impacted device like this to see the light of day – and even more uncommon for someone to pay over the odds for one.

Apple's upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro may be in short supply when it launches due to production issues of the mini-LED display being used in the device, reports Bloomberg.

Apple suppliers are experiencing poor manufacturing yields of the display, and at least one mini-LED maker has had to pause production as a result of these issues.

Though there are troubles with mini-LED display manufacturing, Apple is still intending to introduce new 11 and 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ models as early as this month, and as prior rumors have suggested, the mini-LED display will be exclusive to the larger 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

Mini-LED technology will offer multiple benefits, such as a better contrast ratio and improved brightness.

Bloomberg in March said that the refreshed ‌iPad Pro‌ models would come as early as April, but there is still no narrower timeline available. It is not clear if the new tablets will be introduced via press release or if Apple has some kind of event in the works, as the iPad mini is also expected to see a refresh.

Along with a mini-LED display, the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models are expected to feature an A14X chip with M1-like performance and Thunderbolt connectivity.

Apple has agreed to provide its chief compliance officer, Kyle Andeer, to the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel for a hearing on anti-competitive practices for mobile app stores on April 21, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Earlier this week, Apple refused to provide an executive for the hearing around anti-competitive practices on online stores. In a letter obtained by Bloomberg News, Apple says that it has deep respect for the role and job of the subcommittee and that it was simply seeking alternative dates for the hearing due to its coming trial with Epic Games, also about the App Store.

“We have deep respect for your role and process on these matters and, as we told your staff, we are willing to participate in a hearing in the subcommittee,” Apple said. “We simply sought alternative dates in light of upcoming matters that have been scheduled for some time and that touch on similar issues.”

The U.S Senate subcommittee is focused on investigating claims that Apple and Google participate in anti-competitive practices for their respective online app marketplaces and distribution platforms. In a letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Senator Amy Klobuchar and Senator Mike Lee say that Apple's control and power over apps on its device warrant a "full and fair examination."

More than half of internet traffic comes through mobile phones, whose users rely on mobile applications to access online content and services—and the vast majority of mobile apps are downloaded from either Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store. Apple’s power over the cost, distribution, and availability of mobile applications on the Apple devices used by millions of consumers raises serious competition issues that are of interest to the Subcommittee, consumers, and app developers. A full and fair examination of these issues before the Subcommittee requires Apple’s participation.

Google had previously already agreed to provide a witness but declined to specify who would represent the company at the hearing.

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

The ultra-popular game Flappy Bird, removed from the App Store in 2014, may be making a comeback in the form of an interactive macOS notification.

Utilizing the new UserNotificationsUI framework added in macOS Big Sur, designer and developer Neil Sardesai has been able to put a clone of the game created by PlayCanvas creator Will Eastcott into a notification. Showcased on Twitter, Sardesai has utilized interactive elements inside of notification to recreate the game, with mouse clicks representing taps.

For those unfamiliar with Flappy Bird, the game consists of guiding a bird through as many pipes as possible without hitting them. The bird, named Farby, moves up with every tap, and users must ensure that Farby doesn't hit any obstacles along the way, or else the game ends.

The app grew immensely popular in 2014, even at one point generating $50,000/day thanks to in-app ads. Despite its removal from the App Store, a number of games to this day continue to be made and played with inspiration from Flappy Bird. You can learn more about Sardesai's interactive notification version of Flappy Bird on Twitter.

Apple's AirTags may still be nowhere to be seen nearly two years after signs of them were first discovered, but Apple this week launched its Find My network accessory program that will let third-party devices integrate with the Find My app on Apple's platforms to make it easy to keep track of your items.

This week also saw fresh rumors about the upcoming "iPhone 13" and new iMacs, while Microsoft and Samsung continue to take aim at Apple with their marketing. Read on for details on these stories and more!

Apple Announces Find My Network With Support for Third-Party Devices

Apple this week announced the launch of its Find My network accessory program, allowing the location of compatible third-party accessories to be tracked in the ‌Find My‌ app right alongside Apple devices. The first products that work with the Find My app will include a new Chipolo item tracker, Belkin earbuds, and select VanMoof e-bikes.

The updated Find My app with a new Items tab is available now on devices running iOS 14.3 and later, iPadOS 14.3 and later, and macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later, following a server-side change.

Apple also announced that third-party device makers will be able to take advantage of Ultra Wideband technology in U1-equipped Apple devices, like iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models. According to Apple, third-party accessories that offer Ultra Wideband support will be able to offer a "more precise, directionally aware experience when nearby," which should make it easier to pinpoint the specific location of these items when lost.

It has long been rumored that Apple is planning its own item trackers called AirTags, but at this point, it's unclear if and when they will be released. It is possible that Apple is giving competitors like Chipolo a head start over AirTags to avoid potential antitrust complaints.

iPhone 13 Pro Mockup Shows Smaller Notch, Repositioned Earpiece and Front Camera

While we are still several months away from the launch of iPhone 13 models, accessory makers are already preparing for the upcoming devices by creating dummy versions based on rumors and leaked specifications from Apple's supply chain.

This week saw Japanese blog Mac Otakara share an alleged dummy model of the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 Pro, providing a closer look at the device's rumored smaller notch with a relocated earpiece and front camera. While the dummy model is quite rudimentary, it supposedly has accurate dimensions, allowing accessory makers to get a head start on iPhone 13 cases and accessories.

iPhone 13 models are expected to be announced in September, with mass production of A15 chips for the devices reportedly set to begin in late May, which is apparently slightly ahead of schedule.

New iMac Expected to Feature 'Really Big' Display Larger Than Current 27-inch Model

Apple is widely rumored to be planning a redesigned iMac with an Apple silicon chip for release later this year, and a credible leaker known as "l0vetodream" this week claimed that at least one of the new models will feature a larger display than the current 27-inch iMac.

A larger display on the next-generation iMac would not be too surprising, as rumors suggest that the computer will feature a similar design as Apple's high-end Pro Display XDR monitor, including slimmer bezels around the screen and a flat back. The new iMac is also rumored to come in a variety of new iPad Air-like colors.

In June 2020, Apple said that its transition away from Intel processors in Macs would take around two years to be completed. In addition to the iMac, Apple is rumored to be working on redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon for release in the second half of this year.

Microsoft Says Surface Pro 7 is 'Better Choice' Than iPad Pro

A few months ago, Microsoft said the Surface Pro 7 is the "better choice" compared to the MacBook Pro. In a continuation of this ad campaign, Microsoft has now shared a video claiming that the Surface Pro 7 is "still the better choice" when compared to the iPad Pro.

The ad highlights how the Surface Pro 7 has a kickstand, unlike the iPad Pro, and it calls the ‌iPad Pro‌'s keyboard folio "a lot heavier" than the Surface option.

Microsoft also points out that the ‌iPad Pro‌ only has a single USB-C port while the Surface Pro 7 has several available ports. "You wanna be this guy?" says the actor in the ad, while holding up an ‌iPad‌ with a dongle attached.

"‌iPad Pro‌'s just a tablet," adds the actor. "Surface is a whole computer and a tablet."

Samsung's 'iTest' Lets You Try a Galaxy Device on Your iPhone

Samsung has launched "iTest," an interactive website experience that's designed to allow iPhone users to test out a simulated version of Android on a Galaxy device, or "sample the other side," as Samsung puts it.

Visiting the iTest website on an ‌iPhone‌ prompts users to install a web app to the Home screen. From there, tapping the app launches into a simulated Galaxy smartphone home screen complete with a range of apps and settings options. You can open the Galaxy Store, apply themes, and even access the messages and phone apps, complete with a simulated phone call and messages.

Samsung's interactive experience is neat, and if you are looking to kill some time, it is worth playing around with it for a few minutes.

Hands-On With the New Sonos Roam Speaker

Sonos in March introduced a new portable smart speaker called the Sonos Roam, which is priced at $169, making it the most affordable Sonos speaker to date. We were able to check out the Sonos Roam to see if it's worth the asking price and how it compares to other portable speakers on the market.

We were impressed with the sound quality that the Sonos Roam delivers relative to its size, and with AirPlay 2 support, it is an ideal choice for wirelessly streaming audio from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Sonos said the Roam will be released on April 20, and it is available for pre-order for $169 ahead of that date.

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Apple has decided not to testify in a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing on antitrust issues related to mobile App Stores, and U.S. senators have called Apple's refusal "unacceptable," reports Reuters.

In a letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook, senators Amy Klobuchar and Mike Lee urged Apple to reconsider the decision because a "full and fair examination" of competition issues requires Apple's participation.

The senators say that Apple has been aware of the upcoming April hearing for weeks and even held discussions with Senate staff members on who would testify on Apple's behalf, but then Apple "abruptly declared" that it would provide no witness to testify at all.

Apple is citing its upcoming trial against Epic Games as the reason for not providing a witness for the App Store hearing, but the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights is not happy with that excuse.

There is no specific date set for the hearing as of yet, but Google plans to participate. It will look at the power that Apple and Google have over the cost, distribution, and availability of mobile apps on iPhone and Android devices.

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