Apple likely paid somewhere around $5 to $6 billion to settle its ongoing legal battle with Qualcomm, according to estimates shared today by UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri (via CNBC).
The $5 to $6 billion payment would have been for royalty fees that Apple had stopped paying over the course of its two year legal fight with Qualcomm.
Qualcomm may also be receiving between $8 and $9 per iPhone from Apple in ongoing patent royalties, a figure calculated based on guidance numbers that Qualcomm provided following the settlement. Qualcomm said that it expects its earnings per share to increase by $2.
Apple previously paid $7.50 in royalties, so at $8 to $9 per iPhone, Apple would be shelling out more cash than it did before.
Apple appears to have had no alternative but to settle with Qualcomm, as it had no other way to source 5G chips for its 2020 iPhone lineup. Apple initially planned to use Intel chips, but rumors suggested Intel wasn't meeting development goals, leading to tension between Apple and Intel.
Just hours after Apple and Qualcomm announced a settlement deal, Intel said that it was exiting the 5G smartphone modem business and would not be making 5G smartphone chips at all.
It's not entirely clear if Apple settled with Qualcomm because it knew of Intel's plan to abandon 5G chip development or if Intel made the decision after learning of Apple's settlement plans, but either way, it leaves Apple with no choice but to re-adopt Qualcomm chips for future iPhones.
Smartphone makers like Samsung will have 5G smartphones available starting this year, so Apple could not afford to delay the rollout of its 5G iPhones. Launching in 2020 already puts Apple somewhat behind, but 5G networks from U.S. carriers are still very much in development.
Following news of the settlement, Qualcomm's stock has gone up over 38 percent, marking a big win for the San Diego company. The agreement includes a six-year licensing deal along with a "multiyear chipset supply agreement."
It sounds like Apple will need to rely on Qualcomm for the foreseeable future, but Apple is working on its own modem chip technology, which may eventually allow it to drop Qualcomm as a modem chip supplier.
Cozy, a company that has a variety of clever solutions for managing Apple accessories, recently released its latest product, a whimsical "Drink Different" ice cube tray that makes ice shaped like a vintage Mac.
Cozy sent me some of the Mac molds to test out, and I can confirm that they work well and result in Mac-shaped ice cubes that Apple enthusiasts are sure to like.
The $12.99 Drink Different molds are made from a malleable food grade silicone material, which you fill up with water and then put in the freezer, much like a standard ice cube tray. These are larger than the standard cubes that you get with an ice cube tray, so one or two are ideal for a regular cup. For something like a glass of whiskey or scotch, one will suffice.
On the outside, the molds read "stay thirsty" and "stay foolish," and on the inside, there's Mac detailing that creates the classic Mac shape, which includes a "Hello" script, an indentation for the display, and small cutout for the disk drive.
You can get the mold in three colors: space gray, classic beige, and granny smith green, all of which are identical and make the same shape. Once frozen, you can peel away the silicone to get the ice out. It's not quite as easy as cracking ice out of an ice cube tray, but it's not much more involved, either.
The mold results in a fairly accurate representation of a Macintosh Classic in ice form. Mine didn't look quite as perfect as the ones in Cozy's photos, but the cubes weren't too far off. I think it takes a little bit of trial and error with water level to get the ideal shape because mine were bulging a bit, but even then, the cubes looked decent and all of the details came out right.
I'm not too fussed about the small imperfections because the Mac shape lasts for just a few minutes in liquid before melting into a more standard cube shape. In most liquids I don't think you're really going to see the Mac shape unless it's filled just a bit as in Cozy's scotch example.
Most ice is not completely clear, and the cloudiness can sometimes make it a bit hard to see the detailing of the Mac design. It's difficult to get clear ice at home, but boiling distilled water will get you close. Taking pictures of details in ice is also not particularly easy, so I'd like to point out that these look better in person with crisper details.
As with most silicone molds like this, you can also potentially use them for candy making and chocolate, but it's going to take a lot of chocolate to fill one up. Theoretically, food grade silicone can also go in the oven so you could make little mini Mac cakes, though the details might not come out. Popsicles are also an option, as are soaps given the versatility of silicone.
Bottom Line
$12.99 is expensive for an ice cube tray, but it's right in line with other novelty ice products that are on the market. If you're looking for a gift for an Apple user or want to spice up your own drinks with some Mac-shaped cubes, the Drink Different is a fun choice.
All three 2019 iPhones will feature 12-megapixel single-lens front cameras, up from 7-megapixels on the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, according to the latest research note from well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The note, obtained by MacRumors, adds that the next iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models with 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED displays respectively will also feature triple-lens rear cameras, including a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 12-megapixel super-wide-angle lens supplied by Sony:
We forecast the camera upgrade will be one of the new 2H19 iPhone's major selling points. Critical spec upgrades are as follows. (1) Rear cameras of 6.5-inch OLED, 5.8-inch OLED, and 6.1-inch LCD will likely upgrade to triple-camera and dual-camera, respectively. A super-wide camera will be newly adopted by the triple-camera system, which is equipped with the 12MP/1um CIS provided exclusively by Sony. (2) The front camera of all three new iPhone models will likely upgrade to 12MP CIS+5P lens (vs. current 7MP CIS+4P lens).
Kuo believes the next iPhone XR with a 6.1-inch LCD display will sport a dual-lens rear camera, as the WSJ previously reported, although he did not provide megapixels or any other camera specifications for that model. The rear camera on the current iPhone XR is a single 12-megapixel wide-angle lens.
Kuo says the rear super-wide-angle lens and front camera lens on the next iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will adopt "black lens-coating technologies," which will make the lenses look "inconspicuous," as hinted at previously.
The rumored triple-lens camera design for the next iPhones has proved quite controversial, but the special coating should help the far-right lens blend into the black bezels for a more aesthetically pleasing look.
Kuo says the new iPhones will be introduced in the second half of 2019. This is no surprise, as Apple has unveiled new iPhones in September every year since 2012. Last year, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max became available to order on September 14, followed by the iPhone XR on October 19.
Apple has opened a new lab that will study how it can expand upon its current recycling processes through machine learning and robotics. The company announced the news today, along with other environmentally-focused updates, including that it will quadruple the number of locations where United States customers can send their iPhone to be disassembled by its recycling robot Daisy in a major expansion of its recycling programs.
In regards to its new lab, Apple is calling it the "Material Recovery Lab" and says that it will be dedicated to looking for innovative solutions that will improve on traditional methods of recycling. The lab will work with Apple engineering teams and members of academia to address and propose solutions to current recycling challenges. The 9,000 square foot lab is located in Austin, Texas.
The recycling expansion also includes select iPhones returned to Best Buy stores throughout the United States and KPN retailers in the Netherlands. With the Apple Trade In program, those interested can also turn in their eligible devices to be recycled at any Apple Store or on Apple.com.
Apple says that Daisy can now disassemble 15 different iPhone models at the rate of 200 per hour, and after materials are recovered from the robot they are recycled back into the manufacturing process. Apple has received nearly 1 million devices through its recycling programs and each Daisy robot can disassemble 1.2 million devices each year.
In 2018, the company refurbished more than 7.8 million Apple devices and helped divert more than 48,000 metric tons of electronic waste from landfills.
“Advanced recycling must become an important part of the electronics supply chain, and Apple is pioneering a new path to help push our industry forward,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “We work hard to design products that our customers can rely on for a long time. When it comes time to recycle them, we hope that the convenience and benefit of our programs will encourage everyone to bring in their old devices.”
Lastly, the company has released its 2019 Environment report with more information on its climate change solutions. These include Apple's recent announcement that 44 of its suppliers -- like Foxconn and Wistron -- have committed to 100 percent renewable energy for their production of Apple products.
To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, Apple will have environmentally themed Today at Apple sessions at all Apple Stores, feature original stories and app collections on the App Store, and run an Earth Day Apple Watch challenge. The company will also support the efforts of non-profit organizations like Conservation International, SEE Foundation, and The Recycling Partnership, which are all focused on protecting and preserving the environment.
The front page of Apple.com has been updated as well, prompting visitors to learn more about Apple and its environmental efforts.
Apple has expanded mobile phone billing to additional countries and carriers, according to an updated support document on its website.
As of this week, the feature is now supported by Movistar in Chile, and dtac and AIS in Thailand. Elsewhere, Vodafone and O2 has been added to the list of supporting carriers in Netherlands and Czech Republic, respectively.
The payment method allows Apple customers to pay for iTunes Store content, App Store apps, iBooks, and Apple Music subscriptions without needing a debit or credit card, or even a bank account. Instead, purchases are added to a customer's mobile phone bill and paid off at the end of the month.
The payment method is already offered by select carriers in Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
Facebook harvested the email contacts of 1.5 million users without their knowledge or consent and used the data to build a web of their social connections, it emerged today. Business Insider reports that Facebook began collecting the contact lists in May 2016 when new users opened a new account on the social network.
Image via Business Insider
The harvesting occurred when users were offered email password verification as an option to verify their identity when signing up to Facebook, a method widely condemned by security experts. In some cases if users did enter their password, a pop-up message would appear informing them that it was "importing" their contacts, without even asking their permission to do so.
These contacts were then fed into Facebook's database systems and used to build a map of users' social links and inform recommended friends on the social network. It's not clear if the data was also used for ad-targeting purposes.
In a statement given to Business Insider, the company said that these email contacts had been "unintentionally uploaded" to Facebook when users created their account.
It also said that prior to May 2016, it offered an option to verify a user's account and voluntarily upload their contacts at the same time. However, the feature was changed and the text informing users that their contacts would be uploaded was deleted, but the underlying functionality was not. Facebook says at no point did it access the content of users' emails.
We estimate that up to 1.5 million people's email contacts may have been uploaded. These contacts were not shared with anyone and we're deleting them. We've fixed the underlying issue and are notifying people whose contacts were imported. People can also review and manage the contacts they share with Facebook in their settings.
The news is just the latest addition to a long list of privacy blunders and violations by Facebook. In March, for example, it emerged that between 200 and 600 million Facebook users may have had their account passwords stored in plain text in a database accessible to 20,000 Facebook employees. Some Instagram passwords were also included.
That was followed earlier this month by news that cybersecurity researchers had discovered millions of Facebook records publicly accessible on Amazon's cloud servers, after the data was uploaded by third-party companies that work with Facebook.
In yet another development just this week, over 4,000 pages of documents from 2011 to 2015 were leaked which provide insight into how Facebook took advantage of user data while publicly promising to protect user privacy before and after its 2015 move to end broad access to user data.
Samsung this week provided reviewers with Galaxy Fold devices for some hands-on time, and it appears the folding smartphone may be suffering from some serious flaws. Three of the reviewers who received a Galaxy Fold have already experienced failures, all of which focus on the display.
The Verge's Dieter Bohn says that his Galaxy Fold device broke after a random bulge appeared on the display, perhaps from a piece of debris that had gotten into the hinge. The debris, or whatever the bulge was, pressed into the display hard enough to break it.
Broken Galaxy Fold OLED display via The Verge
Bohn says that he did not mistreat the phone, doing "normal phone stuff" like putting it in a pocket and opening and closing the hinge.
It's a distressing thing to discover just two days after receiving my review unit. More distressing is that the bulge eventually pressed sharply enough into the screen to break it. You can see the telltale lines of a broken OLED converging on the spot where the bulge is.
Similarly, CNBC's Steve Kovach shared a video of his review unit displaying a flickering, failing screen after just a single day of use.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also ran into a catastrophic display failure. His Galaxy Fold is broken and unusable, appearing to feature some of the same screen failures as Kovach's unit.
The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not. pic.twitter.com/G0OHj3DQHw
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
In Gurman's case, he says that there was a protective layer on the screen that is not supposed to be removed, but this was not communicated to him. He took it off, which may have contributed to the problem. Well-known YouTuber Marques Brownlee says that he did the same thing because there was no warning in the box.
The phone comes with this protective layer/film. Samsung says you are not supposed to remove it. I removed it, not knowing you’re not supposed to (consumers won’t know either). It appeared removable in the left corner, so I took it off. I believe this contributed to the problem. pic.twitter.com/fU646D2zpY
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 17, 2019
Not all of the reviewers with broken units removed the plastic film, however, so there are clearly multiple issues impacting the Galaxy Fold. Three broken review units that failed within a day or two does not bode well for the device at all. It's not known if reviewers received a bad batch of the device or if units going out to customers will experience the same issues, but anyone considering a purchase should be aware of these failures.
Samsung's Galaxy Fold costs a whopping $1,980, which is a sensationally high price even for a device that works. Right now, Samsung is accepting pre-orders for the Galaxy Fold on carrier sites, and the first retail units are expected to be available to customers on April 26.
Apple is facing a class action lawsuit accusing the company of securities fraud for making false statements and failing to disclose adverse information regarding its business prospects. These actions allegedly led to an artificially inflated stock price.
Specifically, the lawsuit claims that Apple was not initially forthcoming about a drop in demand for the iPhone due to poor sales in China and the 2018 battery replacement program, both of which contributed to lower than expected iPhone sales in the first fiscal quarter of 2019.
Apple is also accused of hiding the fact that production orders from suppliers had been slashed and prices had been cut, Apple's decision not to provide unit sales for iPhones and other hardware is also cited as a method Apple used to cause stock prices to rise to $209 per share.
When Apple did reveal the dip in iPhone sales and announced that it would not make its quarterly revenue forecast, Apple's stock fell $15 per share from $157.92 on January 2 to $142.19 per share on January 3. According to the lawsuit, Apple knew its iPhone sales weren't on track months before the information was shared.
The lawsuit, filed by the City of Roseville employees' retirement fund, is aiming to recover damages on behalf of people who purchased Apple stock between November 2, 2018 and January 2, 2019. Tim Cook and Luca Maestri are both named as defendants.
Update: A second law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, which is essentially identical to the first lawsuit. It also accuses Apple of securities fraud for concealing the iPhone's decline in sales.
2020 Toyota Highlander with wide 12.3-inch touchscreen in Platinum model
CarPlay will be a standard feature in the 2020 Toyota Highlander, equipped with a wide 12.3-inch touchscreen display on the highest-end Platinum trim and an 8-inch display on all other trims. Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, Waze, SiriusXM, and Wi-Fi connectivity through AT&T in the U.S. also come standard.
CarPlay and Android Auto come standard in the 2020 Hyundai Venue, the Korean automaker's all-new subcompact crossover SUV. All trims of the vehicle are equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen display.
Nissan is making CarPlay and Android Auto available as upgrade options in its 2020 Versa, equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen display.
CarPlay is wired in all three vehicles, with USB ports for connecting an iPhone via Lightning cable, providing convenient access to frequently used iPhone apps such as Phone, Messages, Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, Apple Music, Spotify, and those from the MLB and NHL directly from the dashboard.
Fully gas 2020 Highlander models will arrive at Toyota dealerships in December 2019, followed by hybrid models in February 2020. Hyundai says the 2020 Venue will arrive at dealerships in the fourth quarter of this year, and the 2020 Nissan Versa goes on sale in summer 2019. No prices were disclosed.
The New York International Auto Show opens to the public Friday.
Amazon Echo devices have been able to use Alexa-based voice commands to control Apple Musicsince December, but the feature has been limited to Amazon's own devices until today.
Sonos One and Sonos Beam owners in the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland are now also able to use Alexa to control Apple Music after adding the Apple Music skill to the Alexa app.
To get Alexa controls for Apple Music on Sonos, users will need to update to the newest version of the Sonos app, enable the Apple Music skill in the separate Amazon Alexa app, and link an Apple Music account.
From there, Sonos owners will be able to use commands like "Play My Chill Mix on Apple Music," or "Play Beats 1 Radio on Apple Music."
It's not yet clear if other Alexa-enabled devices will also be gaining support for Apple Music controls in the future, but right now, the feature is available on all Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices along with the Sonos One and Sonos Beam.
Following yesterday's surprise announcement of a settlement between Qualcomm and Apple, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf sat down with CNBC to share a few more details about the new agreement between the two companies.
According to Mollenkopf, after "a lot of talking" both between teams and with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple and Qualcomm came to an agreement that "both companies like." Qualcomm and Apple are now focusing on getting new products out, such as the 5G iPhone coming in 2020 that Qualcomm will supply chips for.
And really, if you look at the focus of that energy now, it's very much on, 'Let's get these products out.' You know, it really clears the way for, I think, a much more natural relationship between the two companies. One that we certainly enjoy working on products together. And that's what we're doing now.
Apple and Qualcomm have established a "very broad deal" across all of Qualcomm's technologies, which Mollenkopf says is the first direct license that Qualcomm has had with Apple rather than contract manufacturers.
Each side "found something that was useful" in the deal, and according to Mollenkopf, Apple and Qualcomm "want to work together on products," as evidenced by the multiyear product deal the two signed as part of the settlement.
Part of the agreement between the two companies included a payment from Apple to Qualcomm, but Mollenkopf declined to provide further details on the size of the payment. He also refused to reveal how much Apple is paying Qualcomm per phone.
On the topic of 5G chips for future iPhones, Mollenkopf said that Qualcomm is "excited" and has the "entire team" working to support Apple. Unsurprisingly, no details were given on Apple's product plans or launch timelines for 5G connectivity.
While Apple settled with Qualcomm, Qualcomm continues to face an FTC inquiry into anticompetitive business tactics, which Mollenkopf says is still a risk to Qualcomm. He doesn't believe the Apple decision will impact what the FTC decides.
I don't think so. I think when we look at this deal, we're just happy to be able to do it. The environment with which we were able to put the deal together is obviously right in the middle of a trial. But, you know, the court is going to make its decision.
Mollenkopf's full interview, which includes additional details about Qualcomm's relationship with Apple and Qualcomm's goals moving forward, can be watched on CNBC's website.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 80 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for WebGPU, Web API, SVG Animation, Media, CSS, Accessibility, and Web Inspector. With this release, legacy Safari Extensions are no longer supported.
The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave, the newest version of the Mac operating system that was released to the public in September 2018.
Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Apple Pay is now available as a payment option in the Uber Eats food delivery app for the first time, allowing users who make food orders to pay with a credit or debit card stored in the Wallet app.
The addition of Apple Pay will make food ordering through Uber Eats a more streamlined process as payments will be able to be approved with Face ID or Touch ID instead of through full billing information.
As TechCrunch points out, the main Uber app has had Apple Pay as a payment option since 2014, but it was never made available in Uber Eats until now. Uber Eats already supports other third-party payment options like Venmo and PayPal.
Apple Pay support is coming to Uber Eats over the course of the next few weeks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates.
Apple is developing a new app that combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends into a single package, according to 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo. The report cites sources familiar with ongoing testing of the app.
In addition to existing Find MyiPhone features like Lost Mode and the ability to remotely erase a device, the report claims the new unified app includes a new "find network" feature that allows Apple devices to be tracked even when they are not connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network.
The app would also incorporate existing Find My Friends features, including location sharing and location-based notifications from friends and family.
The report claims the app will be available on both iOS and macOS as part of Apple's so-called "Marzipan" cross-platform initiative. The app could presumably debut in iOS 13, which will be previewed at WWDC in June, but no timeframe is provided. It is allegedly codenamed "GreenTorch" internally.
Tile-like product tracker
Rambo also reports that Apple is working on a new hardware product in the form of a "tag" that can be attached to any item, similar to Tile. The tag would be paired to a user's iCloud account and rely on proximity to an iPhone.
Like the Tile, users would be able to receive notifications when their device gets too far away from the tag. To avoid false triggers, it would be possible to set a list of common locations to be ignored like a work office so that the item can be left at those locations without the user being notified.
The report adds that users will also be able to store their contact information in the tag and receive a notification when it is found. Apple may leverage its hundreds of millions of active devices to create a crowdsourced network that helps its users find any lost item in tandem with this product.
No release timeframe was provided for Apple's product tracker, but perhaps it will show up alongside new iPhones in September.
Sleep tracking has become a popular activity for many people, since the practice can result in major benefits to your daily wellbeing, restfulness, stress levels, and mental health. There are many ways you can go about tracking your sleep, and Apple itself sells a few products that can help, including the Apple Watch (paired with a third-party app like Pillow) and the Beddit Sleep Monitor.
Withings' solution to sleep tracking is similar to Beddit's, coming in the shape of a slim mat that you place beneath you as you sleep to automatically track and assess your sleep quality, heart rate, snoring, duration, and more. With the latest update, Withings Sleep can even detect breathing disturbances, and later this year the device will add an ability to detect the symptoms of sleep apnea.
Design and Setup
Withings Sleep is a 25" x 7.5" mat that has a straightforward design with a very nice and premium fabric finish, which matches well with the braided power cord. In reality, you don't ever really see Withings Sleep once it's placed where it needs to go, but it's easy to see that the company strived to make a nice-looking product despite the fact that it's not something everyone coming over to your house will see.
Withings Sleep is also super easy to install: you simply unroll the mat from the box, plug in the included USB power adapter into an outlet near your bed, and place Withings Sleep underneath your mattress at chest level.
This is a crucial difference between Withings and Beddit's sleep trackers, since the Beddit Sleep Monitor sits right below your fitted sheet and above the mattress. With Withings, I never noticed the mat while I slept, and some nights I even forgot that it was tracking my sleep. I just placed the mat under my mattress the first night, and guided the power cord through slats in my bed, and I haven't touched it or needed to adjust it since.
Once it's plugged in, Withings Sleep goes through a brief pairing process with the iOS Health Mate app [Direct Link]. If you're new to Health Mate, which is Withings' iOS hub app, you'll have to create an account with an email address, password, name, sex, birthdate, weight, height and consent to allowing Withings to process your personal data (which in this case could include your heart rate, sleep cycles, snoring episodes, etc). Withings says it does not sell your data, and only uses anonymized data to develop new products and services and sometimes conduct data studies.
After creating an account, Withings Sleep will calibrate and once that quick process is done the mat will be ready to track your sleep. This is done automatically, so the first time you sit in your bed to fall asleep, the sensors in the mat will begin accumulating data.
What Data is Tracked in the App?
Withings Sleep tracks the following nighttime data:
Sleep duration (this includes the time it takes you to fall asleep and wake up)
Sleep cycles (deep, light, and REM phases)
Continuous and average heart-rate
Snoring duration
Sleep quality score
Sleep regularity
Breathing disturbances
Each morning, this data is presented to you on the main "Timeline" tab of the Health Mate app, which also encompasses your daily steps (if you want to sync to Health), average heart rate, and your currently enrolled Wellness Programs. When you tap on a night you'll see your Sleep Score (Withings uses a basic 100-point scale), a chart of your sleep cycles, and all of the other tracked data in little squares.
Each of these can be tapped on to expand the data and to learn some more about each metric. Overall, Withings has taken a no-frills approach to presenting sleep data in its app, and I really appreciated how simple it was to understand my previous night's sleep. Over time you're also able to combine all of your data into weekly and monthly charts to really get a wide glimpse at your sleep habits.
Of course, the question is whether this data is helpful and can it actively change your sleep cycles for the better? In the weeks I've used Withings Sleep, I've found these data snippets to be fun and interesting recaps of my nighttime routines rather than integral stats that I could use to change any negative habits.
According to Withings Sleep, I don't have too many bad sleep habits. My Sleep Score consistently remained above 90 and -- as I could have told anyone before owning a high-tech sleep mat -- my worst area was always the time it took me to fall asleep. Withings's Wellness Programs told me to stop staring at my iPhone before bed and to dim my lights, but these are already things I do (or I at least have Night Shift enabled), and I've long since accepted the fact that I simply will always need to be in bed about 30 minutes before the time I actually want to be asleep.
Withings Sleep didn't really change that for me or provide new solutions to the issue, and there were a few problems with some of its findings, particularly with the time to get up stat. For every single day I've used the mat, it's placed my time to get up at zero minutes. I consistently set my alarm to go off earlier than I intend to actually get out of bed (another no-no according to Withings), which could be anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes. This is definitely a nuanced statistic that the mat missed every morning.
On the positive side of things, my time to sleep was always between 20 to 30 minutes (the app wanted me to be under 20), and on one particularly tiring day where I couldn't wait to get into bed, Withings Sleep tracked me at falling asleep in seven minutes, which proved very accurate.
Other stats that feed into your overall Sleep Score include interruptions, which was accurate save one or two nights when I know I was awoken by a loud noise before falling back asleep, which the mat didn't detect. The mat also tracked my breathing disturbances over the course of a few weeks, which was an interesting chart to watch evolve and the feature should become a bit more impactful when full sleep apnea detection is added later in 2019. Lastly, the snoring and heart rate tracking appeared consistently accurate throughout my testing, no matter what position I laid in at night.
As to the sleep cycle tracking, it's a bit harder for me to determine whether or not Withings' middle-of-the-night tracking is on point or not. Each night followed an expected falling asleep pattern: I first entered light sleep for about an hour to 90 minutes, fell into deep sleep for another 45 minutes, and then entered the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage. The pattern wasn't exactly the same every night, but Withings Sleep said I entered the REM stage about four to six times every night, which is accurate for the average adult.
Some irregularities appeared in the early morning and waking hours, where sometimes the mat indicated I was in REM sleep the minute I woke up and got out of bed. Most mornings I lightly doze in the minutes before I actually get up, and am definitely not in any sort of deep sleep.
After using Withings Sleep for a few weeks, I began questioning the method Withings was using to add up to my overall Sleep Score when I received a few 100, so-called "perfect nights." I had solid sleep duration, good depth, no interruptions, and decent regularity and time to sleep numbers, which is all good, but these nights didn't particularly stand out to me as exceptionally great or anywhere near perfect.
Withings says that it grants Sleep Scores that even reach above 100 in some instances, depending on the quality of each parameter on each night. Some parameters (like sleep duration) hold more weight than others, so if you get an extra lengthy night of sleep that's full of poorer, light sleep periods, you could still reach a near-perfect night. This exact example happened to me one night, resulting in a score that definitely did not mirror my fatigue the next day.
Wellness Programs
On the middle tab of the Health Mate app, Withings encourages users to participate in its Wellness Programs, which are daily activities that are built to help you meditate, sleep better, lose weight, learn more about cardiovascular health, track a pregnancy, and even compare activity stats with friends. I joined the mindfulness and sleep programs early on, and was largely disappointed with this aspect of the company's overarching health goals.
While the tab still has a sleek design like the rest of the app, the programs themselves feel hollow. Particularly the "Meditate with Petit BamBou" class that I joined for a few days, which has every traditional mindfulness exercise like body scans, posture work, anchored breathing, etc. I've been a big fan of Calm and have found some success with that app, and comparatively Withings' version is very anemic.
You can look at a schedule of the 21-day class, start a session, read about what you'll be doing that day, and then hit play. The UI in each daily session is poor and makes these additions feel like an afterthought, and the voice over work is a bit stilted and not relaxed enough. The classes will also move forward each day no matter if you've completed them or not, making it particularly confusing to keep track of your progress. On the plus side, I like that Withings adds in offbeat meditation days, like some that have a brief story to read or an animated video to watch.
The other Wellness Programs offer essentially the same idea as the mindfulness one, but focused on other topics. Unfortunately, there is some bugginess to this area of the app, as I consistently could not continue my Sleep Smarter program and got an error message every day.
IFTTT Automation
With Withings Sleep, you can connect the mat to other IFTTT automation platforms and activate lights or thermostats just by getting in to or out of your bed. Keeping with other aspects of Withings Sleep, this is something that I've been enjoying during my time with the mat and it works quite well, but it felt a bit like a superfluous addition to my daily schedule.
That's especially true of the Nest Learning Thermostat IFTTT integration. With this automation, I set my Nest thermostat to drop to 65 degrees when I got into bed at night, and then to rise to 72 degrees when I got out of bed in the morning. This is something that is entirely unnecessary because the Nest Learning Thermostat's main draw is that it learns your schedule and automates a weekly routine for you, so even before Withings Sleep my thermostat was dropping around 9 p.m. every night and rising at 6 a.m. every morning.
The Philips Hue automation offers a bit more utility. Before Withings Sleep, when I would get into bed I would activate my Goodnight HomeKit scene via a nearby HomePod, which turns off all my Philips Hue lights and turns on my bedside fan. Thanks to the Withings Sleep IFTTT automation, I was able to turn off my lights simply by getting into bed (there is about a 10 second delay), so I didn't need to speak to turn off the lights. However, I did still need to use HomeKit to activate the iDevices smart plug connected to my fan.
This slightly expedited my bedtime routine, but not in such a way that it felt like I couldn't just go back to using Siri. There were also some nights where I wanted to get into bed and keep the lights on to read, and although you can set boundaries to activate the IFTTT scene only during certain times of the day, the feature lacks any more nuanced settings.
Lastly, there were some bugs with the IFTTT features of the Withings Sleep, although they were rare. One evening, I began receiving frequent notifications on my iPhone that my IFTTT applet had been activated, turning off my lights and dialing down my Nest. I was on my couch at the time and no one was in my bed, and the notifications became so frequent (about 20 within 5 minutes), that I eventually had to temporarily turn off each applet in the IFTTT app. I turned them on again the next day and things went back to normal.
Bottom Line
Withings Sleep is a worthy addition to the growing sleep tracker market, and it earns a lot of points for its unobtrusive placement, clear-cut app statistics, and mostly accurate sleep data. For someone who wants to take an active approach to tracking their sleep, Withings is a good place to start, but there are caveats.
Some of the mat's data readouts aren't consistent, the app can be buggy, its Wellness Programs aren't very deep, and the various IFTTT automations are more of an interesting afterthought rather than a selling point. For $99.95 ($50 cheaper than Apple's $149.95 Beddit device), these downsides are easier to deal with, especially because the company has already committed to ongoing updates for the mat, like the sleep apnea detection add-on coming later in the year.
Note: Withings provided MacRumors with a Withings Sleep mat for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is also an affiliate partner with Amazon, so you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple has held talks with at least four potential suppliers of LiDAR sensors for self-driving vehicles, providing fresh evidence of the company's renewed ambitions to enter the autonomous vehicle space, according to Reuters.
Apple has been using Lexus SUVs with LiDAR equipment to test autonomous technologies
The report claims Apple is seeking LiDAR units that are "smaller, cheaper and more easily mass produced" than current systems, which can cost over $100,000 and are considered "too bulky and prone to failure" for use in mass-produced vehicles. Apple is said to be "setting a high bar" with demands for a "revolutionary design."
While it remains unclear whether the goal of Apple's so-called "Project Titan" is to build its own vehicle or supply self-driving hardware and software to other automakers, the report says Apple wants to control the "perception stack" of sensors and software for autonomous vehicles, regardless of who makes it.
In addition to evaluating potential outside suppliers, Apple is believed to have its own LiDAR sensor technology under development, the report adds.
The report claims the next-generation LiDAR sensor designs that Apple is seeking could potentially be made with semiconductor manufacturing techniques, potentially significantly lowering costs, but the sources cited say Apple has not been happy with most of what it has seen so far.
Apple this morning shared a new video in its ongoing "Shot on iPhone XS" series, this time focusing on awe-inspiring natural scenes caught on Apple's smartphone camera by artist group Camp4 Collective.
Titled "Don't Mess With Mother," the one-minute video features various stark images of nature in action, captured from around the world, synced to the song "Last Rites" by Megadeth.
Shots in the clip include galloping zebra, scurrying desert insects, ice-capped mountain vistas, charging antelopes, mingling elephants, swimming lizards, snow avalanches, lava-spewing volcanoes, and more.
Apple has shared many "Shot on iPhone" videos and photos over the course of the last several years, including one posted last week that focused on the Maldives Shark Research Programme, a charity focused on whale shark research and community-focused conservation efforts.
Update: Apple has also shared a new behind-the-scenes look at the making of the "Don't Mess With Mother" video.
Apple has removed TikTok from its App Store in India to comply with a government demand to block downloads of the video sharing app over child safety concerns.
TikTok, developed by China-based Bytedance Technology, lets users create and share short-form videos enhanced with digital effects, a formula that has proved a huge hit in India. The app has been downloaded more than 240 million times in the country, according to a report from app analytics firm Sensor Tower in February.
However, on April 3 a court in southern Tamil Nadu state asked the federal Indian government to ban the app on grounds that it encouraged pornography, and warned that sexual predators could target child users. Citing an IT ministry official, Reuters reports that the federal government sent a letter to Apple and Google requesting that the companies abide by the state court's order by pulling TikTok from their respective app stores.
As of this morning, the title is no longer available for download on either platform in the country. In a statement, Google didn't mention the app by name but said it complied with all local state laws. Apple has yet to comment.
Last week, Bytedance challenged the ban order in India's Supreme Court, arguing that it went against freedom of speech rights in India, but when the case was referred back to the state court a judge rejected the request to put the ban order on hold. Bytedance has been asked to give written submissions in the case, which is scheduled to have its next hearing on April 24.
This isn't the first time a country has taken action against TikTok. In February, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission fined the app's developers $5.7 million to settle allegations of child privacy law violations, after TikTok was accused of collecting personal data from users under the age of 13 without seeking parental consent.
Apple today 
