MacRumors

Samsung is close to completing a deal that will see it purchasing Israeli smartphone camera company Corephotonics for $150 million, reports Israeli news site Globes (via Android Authority).

The Corephotonics name may sound familiar to those who follow iPhone news because in 2017, Corephotonics levied a lawsuit against Apple accusing the Cupertino company of infringing on several Corephotonics camera patents with the ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus and ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus.

The patents in question relate to dual-lens camera technologies such as optical zoom and mini telephoto lens assembly techniques. The ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus and the ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus both use a dual-lens camera setup with 2x optical zoom and a wide-angle lens paired with a telephoto lens.

Dual-lens camera technology was first introduced with the ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus in 2016 and it has subsequently been used in the ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ X, ‌iPhone‌ XS, and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max. Corephotonics' original lawsuit covered just the 7 Plus and 8 Plus, but in 2018, the company filed a new patent infringement lawsuit that also covers the ‌iPhone‌ X.

According to Corephotonics, Apple's iPhones with dual-lens cameras use patented telephoto lens designs, optical zoom techniques, and a method for fusing images from the wide-angle and telephoto lenses to create a better quality photograph.

When the lawsuit was filed, Corephotonics said that it contacted Apple, but after "positive feedback" and "encouraging reports," the two companies were unable to reach a licensing agreement. Corephotonics accused Apple of releasing the ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus anyway, complete with infringing technology.

The legal matter between Corephotonics and Apple has yet to be resolved, so Samsung could inherit the dispute should it move forward with the Corephotonics purchase. Apple and Samsung in June 2018 reached a settlement for a design infringement lawsuit that spanned seven years.

Corephotonics developed the 5x optical zoom camera demonstrated by in an Oppo smartphone prototype in 2017, and it has detailed work [PDF] on a triple-lens camera setup that could allow for 5x optical zoom and a 25x total zoom feature that lets in 5x more light than traditional setups. Should Samsung purchase Corephotonics, these technologies could make their way to future Samsung devices.

Apple is today seeding the first beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to its public beta testing group, a few days after releasing the beta to developers and a week after releasing the iOS 12.1.3 update.

Beta testers who have joined Apple's beta testing program will receive the iOS 12.2 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device. The update will become available right around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time or 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Those who want to download the new beta can do so after signing up for the beta program, which gives access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.

iOS 12.2 expands Apple News to Canada for the first time, with Canadian iPhone and iPad users able to access news stories in English or French. The update introduces infrastructure for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on third-party TVs, and it brings a redesigned TV remote in Control Center.

The update also includes some tweaks to the Wallet app, new addition to Safari, changes to the Downtime feature in Screen Time, icon tweaks, and more, with a full list of the new features available in our iOS 12.2 tidbits post.

iOS 12.2 confirms that Apple is planning to release second-generation AirPods with "Hey Siri" support, thanks to a hidden "Hey ‌Siri‌" AirPods setup screen in the beta. The inclusion of the AirPods setup option in the beta indicates that Apple could perhaps be planning to release new AirPods when iOS 12.2 is released.

The update also features hints of an upcoming Apple News subscription service, which could see a Texture-like magazine service added to ‌Apple News‌.

The iOS 12.2 update will likely see several rounds of beta testing before it launches to the public.

App Store developers have earned a total of $120 billion since the ‌App Store‌ launched back in 2008, Apple announced today. More than a quarter of that total was earned in the past year alone, according to Apple.

The ‌App Store‌ has seen significant growth in revenue with each quarter and it brings in a major part of Apple's growing services revenue.

The new ‌App Store‌ metric was highlighted as part of an Apple Newsroom article covering the launch of the Entrepreneur Camp, which allows female-founded app development companies to attend a program at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino.

Entrepreneur Camp is designed to provide female app creators with "the tools needed to thrive in today's global app economy." There are 11 female app founders who are joining the inaugural program, which will last for two weeks.

Each attendee will have access to an immersive hands-on technology lab where participants will be able to work one-on-one with Apple experts and engineers to accelerate their apps.

"In the past, starting a small business often meant having to invest in overhead, inventory or retail space. Today, a world of opportunity opens up with some coding skills and an entrepreneurial spirit," said Esther Hare, Apple's senior director, Worldwide Developer Marketing and executive sponsor, Women@Apple. "The App Store is the new digital Main Street, and creative developers are tapping into the vast potential of the global app economy. We hope that this program helps to inspire women around the world to learn to code, join the iOS development community and share in the thriving app economy."

Sessions on design, technology, and ‌App Store‌ marketing are included, as are ongoing guidance and support from an Apple Developer Relations representative. Apple says attendees will learn about new Apple technologies, including optimizing for the A12 chip, integrating CoreML into apps, building experiences for ARKit, and more.

Those who attend Entrepreneur camp will be provided with two tickets to the 2019 Worldwide Developers Conference and a complementary one-year membership to the Apple Developer Program. Apple has a list of the first app companies accepted to the program in its Newsroom article.

Going forward, Apple plans to hold Entrepreneur Camp sessions on a quarterly basis, with up to 20 app companies accepted for each round. As outlined when the program was announced, app-driven businesses need to be female founded, co-founded, or led, and must have at least one woman on the product development team.

Apple today uploaded a new iPad Pro video called "A new way to go behind the scenes," which, as the title suggests, offers a behind the scenes look at some of the recent iPad Pro ads Apple has shared.

Apple's latest round of ads featured a series of tutorials and demonstrations on using the ‌iPad Pro‌ features, all of which were created using an ‌iPad Pro‌. There was some skepticism that the ‌iPad Pro‌ could be used to make the content, which appears to be why Apple has uploaded this video.

Each of the ads were filmed, edited, animated, and designed on the ‌iPad Pro‌. The Filmic Pro, app, for example, was used during the filming of the ads, though the iPad Pros were mounted using professional equipment.

Luma Fusion was used for editing purposes, Keynote was used for animation, and GarageBand was used for creating music.

The original videos were designed to offer up highlights on what can be done with an ‌iPad Pro‌, focusing on taking notes, going paperless by scanning documents, hosting a podcast, designing a space with the Measure app, and creating a presentation in Keynote.

Well timed with a report from The New York Times today that explained why Apple is unlikely to manufacture more of its products in the United States, Apple has published a press release highlighting how several components it uses are manufactured by U.S. suppliers such as Finisar, Corning, and Broadcom.

Apple says it spent $60 billion with 9,000 American component suppliers and companies in 2018, an increase of more than 10 percent from the year before. Apple says this spending supports more than 450,000 jobs in the United States.

This includes VCSELs for Face ID on the iPhone X and newer at Finisar in Texas, ‌iPhone‌ and iPad display glass at Corning in Kentucky, water-resistance testing at Cincinnati Test Systems in Ohio, and wireless chips at Broadcom, Qorvo, and Skyworks in Colorado, Oregon, and Massachusetts respectively.

Since 2011, the total number of jobs created and supported by Apple in the United States has more than tripled from almost 600,000 to two million across all 50 states, the company says. Apple profiled a few of its supplier employees in its press release, providing a closer look at their operations.

Apple has held discussions with developers about a potential gaming subscription service, according to Cheddar's Alex Heath.

The report, citing five unnamed sources, claims the service would function like "Netflix for games," providing paying subscribers with access to a bundle of games for a set price. Apple began privately discussing the service with game developers in the second half of 2018, according to the report.

It's unclear how much the subscription will cost, when it may launch, or what kind of games Apple will offer. Apple has App Stores full of games on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, Mac, and Apple TV, but many are free-to-download "freemium" titles supported by in-app purchases like coins and jewels.

The service, said to be in the early stages of development, could bring more visibility to paid titles like Alto's Odyssey and Monument Valley rather than freemium titles like Clash of Clans that dominate the App Store charts. Given how early it is, though, Apple could ultimately abandon the plans.

Apple has also discussed partnering with developers as a publisher, according to two of the sources cited, suggesting that the ‌iPhone‌ maker could handle marketing, distribution, and other related costs for select games.

Possibly of note, Apple recently expanded its iPod touch trademark to encompass gaming in the United States. While sales of the device have faded in recent years, rumors suggest Apple may be planning a seventh-generation iPod touch, which would likely be one of the cheapest points of entry for an Apple gaming service.

Apple is also expected to launch subscription-based services for TV shows and movies and magazines and newspapers this year.

The New York Times today published a story explaining why Apple is unlikely to manufacture more of its products in the United States.

The report reveals an interesting anecdote about the latest Mac Pro. In late 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook touted that the computer would be "Made in the USA," but sales were supposedly postponed by months in part because Apple could not secure enough custom screws for the computer from U.S.-based suppliers.

A machine shop in Texas tasked with the job could produce at most 1,000 screws a day, according to the report. By the time the computer was ready for mass production, this shortage gave Apple little choice but to order screws from China where factories can produce vast quantities of custom screws on short notice.

Apple's manufacturing partner eventually turned to another Texas supplier in Caldwell Manufacturing, which was hired to make 28,000 screws, the report adds. That company delivered 28,000 screws over 22 trips, with its owner Stephen Melo often "making the one-hour drive himself in his Lexus sedan."

The report goes on to describe how the United States struggles to compete with China's combination of scale, skills, infrastructure, and cost. In short, American workers are typically more expensive and unwilling to work around the clock.

In response to the report, an Apple spokesperson told The New York Times that Apple was "an engine of economic growth in the United States" that spent $60 billion last year with 9,000 American suppliers, helping to support 450,000 jobs.

Apple has promised to release a new Mac Pro in 2019, but it's unclear where it will be manufactured.

Update: MacRumors has obtained Apple's full statement regarding this topic, consistent with a press release it has shared on Apple Newsroom:

Apple is proud to be an engine of economic growth in the United States, supporting two million jobs across all fifty states.  Last year our spend with 9,000 American component suppliers and companies increased more than 10 percent to $60 billion, supporting over 450,000 jobs. Every one of our core products contains parts or materials from the US or is made with equipment from US suppliers, and we work with manufacturing locations in 38 states. 

The revolutionary Face ID that unlocks iPhone and iPad Pro is powered in part by vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) made by Finisar in Allen, Texas. iPhone and iPad include glass made by Corning in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. And Broadcom in Fort Collins, Colorado, Qorvo in Hillsboro, Oregon and Skyworks in Woburn, Massachusetts all make parts to enable seamless wireless connectivity around the world.

Last year we confirmed our direct contributions in the US would top $350 billion by 2023 and we are on track to meeting that commitment. From corporate employees and our retail teams, to app developers, manufacturing workers and logistics employees, Apple is creating jobs across the country and we are deeply committed to advancing American innovation.

AppleInsider reports that Apple engineers and key personnel were continuing to show interest in AR (Augmented Reality) technology companies at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.

More than half a dozen incognito Apple representatives, including employees of known subsidiaries, visited AR waveguide suppliers like DigiLens, Lumus, Vuzix and WaveOptics at CES 2019, according to a person with knowledge of the meetings.

Apple has been known to be interested in AR / VR technology for years with reports of hundreds of employees working on the technology. Tim Cook notably said in 2017 that the technology to do AR glasses in a "quality way" didn't yet exist, indicating that they would wait until Apple could deliver the best experience.

Rumors of an Apple AR Headset reignited when a report in April of 2018 suggested that a headset was actively being developed with a launch target of 2020. Since that rumor, it was revealed that Apple had also purchased Akonia Holographics, a startup that makes lenses for augmented reality glasses.

Earlier this month, Apple lowered its revenue guidance for the first quarter of the 2019 fiscal year by up to $9 billion due to fewer iPhone upgrades than it anticipated, particularly in the Greater China region.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, however, believes the "worst" will be "soon over" in regards to the slowdown. In his latest research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo opined that the "share prices of Apple and most ‌iPhone‌ suppliers are generally priced in the negative."

Our report published on December 14, 2018, was the first to cut the estimation of 2019 iPhone shipments to 190mn units or less; the current market consensus on 2019 iPhone shipments (160–180mn units) is much lower than our estimation and we believe the share prices of Apple and most iPhone suppliers are generally priced in the negative.

We maintain our forecast of 188–192mn units for 2019 iPhone shipments. We believe the downside risks of share prices for the Apple and iPhone supply chain are limited in the near term given that 2Q19 iPhone shipments will likely be better than the market consensus.

Kuo has slightly cut his estimate for ‌iPhone‌ shipments in the first quarter of 2019 from 38–42 million units to 36–38 million units because the "demand for new models in China and emerging markets is lower than expected," but he believes the decline will begin to ease starting in the second quarter.

Specifically, he estimates ‌iPhone‌ shipments in the second quarter of 2019 will reach 34–37 million units, slightly higher than the market consensus of 30–35 million units. That would still be a roughly 14 percent decline on a year-over-year basis, but far better than an estimated 29 percent drop in the first quarter.

As long as the US-China trade war does not worsen, Kuo expects the improvement to continue into the second half of 2019, with ‌iPhone‌ shipments likely to be generally flat compared to the second half of 2018 thanks to stronger replacement demand, trade-in programs, and market share gain in European markets.

Kuo maintains his forecast of 188–192 million ‌iPhone‌ shipments in 2019.

National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman, and star players Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, sat down with Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller on Thursday to discuss how technology is improving the game of hockey for players, coaches, and fans.

The discussion took place at the Town Hall auditorium at Apple's Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino, California, less than 10 miles from the SAP Center arena in San Jose, where the 2019 NHL All-Star Game was played this weekend.

One way the NHL has incorporated technology is by making iPad Pros available behind the bench, providing real-time video footage that helps players make shift-by-shift adjustments during games, and gives coaches a better idea of when to challenge a referee's offside or goaltender interference call.

"We love the collaboration that we have with Apple," said Bettman. "It has helped transform the game without changing the game itself."

"The game has never been as fast as it is," said McDavid. "You get out there, and these guys are flying around. We have two refs that are looking to call penalties, we have two linesmen, and it's not enough. You can't bring more refs. So what are you going to do? You've got to turn to technology."

"I usually use it to prove to Hitch that it wasn't my fault," quipped McDavid, referring to Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock. The comment drew laughs from the audience of about 300 or so Apple employees, according to NHL.com.

Matthews said he and the Leafs coaching staff use the iPads to study the face-off tendencies of opposing players.

Earlier this month, the NHL announced that teams will soon have access to a new Coaching Insights App for iPad developed by the NHL, Apple, and SAP. The app will provide 35 player stats and 30 team stats in real time, such as time on ice, face-off percentages, shot attempts, and chances for and against.

"Our collaboration with Apple and things like the Coaching Insight, which we do with SAP and their cloud platforms, are all designed to make it better for the players, make it better for the coaches and most importantly make it better for the fans," said Bettman. "So we're grateful for all we do together."

The app is expected to be available at some point after the All-Star Game break.

In related news, the NHL brought the Stanley Cup to Apple Park on Wednesday, providing Apple employees with an opportunity to take a photo with the iconic trophy at the company's new headquarters.

Hat tip to Gary Ng at the blog iPhone in Canada.

Following a report last week that Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji was on Intel's list of candidates for CEO, The Motley Fool's Ashraf Eassa says that Srouji has informed his team that he will be staying at Apple.

Eassa, who follows Intel very closely, has offered no other details on the situation, so it's unclear whether Srouji was never seriously considered, withdrew his name, or was passed over as Intel narrowed its list.

Srouji spent over a decade at Intel from 1993 to 2005, bookended by a couple of brief stints at IBM. He joined Apple in 2008 to lead development of Apple's custom A-series chips starting with the A4 that appeared in the iPhone 4.

Since late 2015, Srouji has been a member of Apple's senior executive staff, reporting directly to Tim Cook and overseeing Apple's custom work on batteries, application processors, storage controllers, sensors silicon, display silicon, and other chipsets.