Apple must pay $85 million in royalties to Canadian patent holding company WiLan for infringing patents related to wireless communications, a jury in San Diego has ruled (via Bloomberg).
The two patents relate to making phone calls while simultaneously downloading data. In August 2018, a different jury said Apple infringed the patents and awarded WiLan $145 million, but a retrial was ordered to reconsider the damages.
At the previous retrial in January 2019, the court agreed that Apple had infringed on the patents. However, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw accepted Apple's argument that the method WiLan had used to calculate the appropriate royalty rate was flawed.
Sabraw urged the Quarterhill company to accept reduced damages of $10 million or prepare for another trial to figure out how much Apple needed to pay. WiLan chose another trial.
WiLan came to the latest royalty figure of $85 million based on iPhone sales. Apple unsuccessfully argued in court papers that the Ottawa-based holding company hadn't provided enough evidence to help the jury determine it was entitled to anything.
WiLan describes itself as "one of the most successful patent licensing companies in the world." Apple's legal dispute with WiLan started back in 2010, when WiLan claimed Apple violated one of its Bluetooth related products.
Apple intends to donate money in support of groups fighting the outbreak of the Coronavirus in China, Tim Cook said on Saturday.
Electron micrograph of coronavirus virions
In a morning tweet marking the Luna New Year, the Apple chief said the company will be "donating to groups on the ground helping support all of those affected."
A coronavirus is a family of viruses that include the common cold, but this particular virus has never been detected before. Medical doctors have subsequently named it 2019-nCov, for "novel coronavirus."
The new virus causes severe acute respiratory infection. Since its discovery in the city of Wuhan in Hubei Province, it has killed at least 42 people and infected 1,372 across China.
On Saturday, Australia confirmed its first four cases in Melbourne, followed by three more in Sydney. Two cases of 2019-nCoV have been discovered in the United States. It has also spread to Europe, with three cases confirmed in France.
The cases largely involve people who had recently travelled from the affected region in China.
As people in China and around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year, we send our love and support to the many impacted by the Coronavirus. Apple will be donating to groups on the ground helping support all of those affected.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 25, 2020
Apple often provides donations during natural disasters and catastrophes. The company recently made a donation pledge to support fire fighting efforts in Australia, where bushfires have been burning after one of the worst droughts in history and record-breaking heat waves.
This week saw an interesting variety of Apple news and rumors, ranging from rumors about upcoming iPhone and iPad releases to Apple TV+ announcements to news that Adobe Flash support will finally be removed from Safari.
One of the quirkier stories of the week was also one of the most popular, as we learned a bit more about Apple CEO Tim Cook's multi-year investment in Nebia, the eco-friendly shower head that's looking to make a bigger splash with an updated model in partnership with Moen.
Apple May Launch Backlit Smart Keyboard Alongside 2020 iPad Pros
The short version of the story is that Nebia co-founder Philip Winter managed to persuade fitness centers in Silicon Valley to run pilot tests of the eco-shower, and after installing the prototypes he would wait outside locker rooms to get feedback. That's when he met Cook.
Winter said Cook invested a "significant" amount of his own money in the eco-shower head and advised Nebia on suppliers. He also pushed the startup to prioritize user experience, design, and sustainability.
iPhone 12 Lineup Rumored to Feature All-New Navy Blue Color Option
Weinbach has accurately revealed a new iPhone color in the past. In May 2019, through his Twitter account PineLeaks, he said the successor to the iPhone XR would come in a new light green color. However, his Apple rumor track record is certainly not perfect.
Apple Reportedly Dropped Plans for End-to-End Encrypted iCloud Backups After FBI Objected
More than two years ago, Apple informed the FBI that it planned to roll out end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups, according to Reuters. Apple ultimately dropped the plan at some point after the FBI objected, although the report notes that it is unclear if the federal agency was explicitly a factor in the decision.
A former Apple employee told Reuters that the company did not want to risk scrutiny from public officials for potentially protecting criminals, being sued for making previously accessible data out of reach, or encouraging new legislation against encryption.
Apple Likely to Drop Adobe Flash Support in Next Version of Safari
As noted in our coverage of Safari Technology Preview 99, Apple has removed all support for Adobe Flash. Safari Technology Preview is basically a beta of the next version of Safari proper, all but confirming that Apple is officially ditching support for Flash in the next version of its native Mac browser.
The elimination of Flash support should not heavily impact users, given that most other popular browsers have already moved away from the format. Likewise, iPhone and iPad users won't be affected because Apple's mobile operating system has never supported Flash.
Back in July 2017, Adobe announced plans to end-of-life its Flash browser plug-in. Adobe said it was ceasing development and distribution of the software at the end of 2020, so its removal from Safari was to be expected.
It's a good moment to reflect on the Steve Jobs letter "Thoughts on Flash."
Apple Shares Release Dates for Upcoming Apple TV+ Series
Refurbished models are available in Space Gray, Silver, or Gold with 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage through Apple's online store in the United States. All of the models are unlocked, aka SIM-free.
Prices are discounted by $300 to $350 compared to September 2018. For example, the base model iPhone XS with 64GB of storage was $999 brand new and is now available refurbished for $699.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Representatives for Apple and Microsoft will be participating in a meeting with the Carin Alliance that's focused on making it easier for patients to access and share their medical information, reports CNBC.
The meeting will focus on efforts to push a rule change proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services that would promote medical data interoperability.
Ricky Bloomfield, a member of Apple's health team who formerly served as Duke University's Director of Mobile Strategy, will participate in the meeting by phone, according to a list of attendees published today [PDF].
Those who are in support of the change want to modernize patient access to data, as it continues to be common for medical facilities to provide health records via CD or Fax, which makes it difficult for people to switch providers and healthcare systems. From a PDF describing talking points for the meeting:
It's imperative to note how important and time sensitive aggregated health information across multiple provider and health plan systems can be for patients going through catastrophic events. This information is essential for patients as they consider options such as treatment planning, consenting to surgical procedures, exploring and enrolling in clinical trials, and matters of continuity of care, examples including expediting an urgent second opinion, appealing insurance denials for standard of care treatments prescribed by patient's board-certified physicians, as well as having all pertinent information when it comes to advance care planning, palliative care, and matters of end of life. Data access is a matter of patient safety, better outcomes, improved costs, and often life or death.
Apple has been working to make health data more accessible for patients with its Health Records feature that is designed to allow iOS users to access their medical records from participating hospitals and medical providers. Apple has partnered with hundreds of providers in the United States, allowing iPhone users to sync their medical data to the iOS Health app.
Choetech's new 61W Wall Charger uses gallium nitride technology, which allows it to be manufactured in a smaller casing than a standard power adapter. It's 50 percent smaller than the original 61W MacBook charger.
Priced at $35, the 61W power adapter is slim, portable, and perfect for use at home or travel thanks to the foldable prongs that tuck into the body of the accessory.
There's a single USB-C port on the charger that can be paired with a USB-C to USB-C cable or a USB-C to Lightning cable for charging up your Apple devices. 61W is ideal for the MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it's also suitable for the more powerful 15 and 16-inch MacBook Pro models when not doing system intensive tasks.
Choetech says that the charger is equipped with a built-in "smart identification chip" that's able to identify the voltage and current required by a device, providing the right amount of power. It can charge a 13-inch MacBook Pro to full in two hours or a MacBook Air to full in 1.6 hours.
The power adapter features a design made from a fire retardant PC material with over-current, over-voltage, and short-circuit protection for safety purposes.
Along with the 61W GaN charger, Choetech also offers a $15 6-foot USB-C to USB-C cable that supports 100W high-speed charging for all USB-C devices.
The cable, which is sold in a set of two, features a braided design along with reinforcing at the ends to make sure it won't fray or degrade with use, and it also cuts down on tangling. Choetech says that the cable supports data transfer speeds of 480MB/s, and that it has been tested through 5,000 bends and 30,000 plugs and unplugs.
We have 61W GaN power adapter and USB-C cable sets for 10 MacRumors readers. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
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The contest will run from today (January 24) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 31. The winners will be chosen randomly on January 31 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Alongside the giveaway, Choetech is offering several deals for MacRumors readers. The 61W GaN USB-C Power Adapter can be purchased for $28 with the promo code KD8ZFFJ3, and the USB-C to USB-C cable two-pack can be purchased for $9.50 with the promo code USBC100W.
Choetech is also offering a big discount on its standard 60W USB-C charger, dropping the price to $13.59 with promo code IV935S86.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS 10.15.3 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the second beta and more than a month after releasing the macOS Catalina 10.15.2 update.
The new macOS Catalina beta can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper software from the Developer Center.
We don't yet know what improvements the third update to macOS Catalina will bring, but it will likely focus on performance improvements, security updates, and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be fixed in the macOS Catalina 10.15.2 update.
macOS Catalina 10.15.3 has code in it that suggests a new "Pro Mode" is coming to Apple's Macs. Pro Mode appears to be an optional setting that overrides fan speed limits and energy saving restrictions to improve performance. The code says that apps "may run faster" but battery life could decrease and fan noise could increase.
It's not entirely clear if Pro Mode is coming to Macs in the 10.15.3 release, but the code is there so it is a possibility.
We didn't find any other major new changes in the first two betas of macOS Catalina 10.15.3, but we'll update this post if there's anything new in the third beta.
Best Buy has kicked off a new 3-day sale as we head into the weekend, with discounts on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Beats products, and iPhone cases. This sale lasts through Sunday, January 26 at 11:59 p.m. CT, and for some products you'll need to be a My Best Buy member to see the discounts.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks are seeing discounts that match the current best prices on select models in many cases. You can get the 128GB 2019 MacBook Air for $949.99 (down from $1,099.99), or the 512GB 16-inch MacBook Pro for $2,199.99 (down from $2,399.99).
Also included in the sale is a handful of discounts on iPhone cases, including ongoing solid deals on the iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case line. You can get this accessory for $103.99 in Black (down from $129.99), and there are also numerous discounts on Leather Cases, Silicone Cases, and Clear Cases.
Best Buy 3-Day Sale
MacBook Air - Save up to $200 on select models / Starting at $949.99
MacBook Pro - Save up to $200 on select models / Starting at $1,199.99
iPhone 11 - Save up to $350 with qualified activation and store trade-in
iPhone cases - Save up to 25% / Including Smart Battery Cases on sale
The App Store is experiencing a temporary outage that started at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time, according to Apple's System Status website. Apple's site says that there's an unspecified ongoing issue that's affecting some users.
Part of the problem appears to be linked to in-app purchases, based on a tweet from a Fortnite Twitter account, which says that in-app App Store purchases are unable to be completed at this time.
Other users have complained about not being able to make purchases from the App Store, receiving an unable to connect message.
There's no word on when the App Store problems will be resolved, but we'll update this article when the issues have been addressed.
Update: Apple is no longer listing an outage on the System Status website, suggesting the issue has been fixed.
Butter Royale has landed on the App Store as this week's addition to Apple Arcade across the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. The battle royale game is essentially a family-friendly version of Fortnite, replacing assault rifles and rocket launchers with sauce-shooting, baguette-blasting modified kitchen tools as weapons.
The game has both a 32-player online mode against live players and a single-player offline mode against bots, and the goal is to be the last person standing. The fast-paced food fights take less than five minutes.
Butter Royale is safe for kids aged 9+ to play without parental supervision, according to its Singapore-based developer Mighty Bear Games. As with all other Apple Arcade games, there are no ads, in-app purchases, or loot boxes, and unlike Fortnite for iOS, there is no option to enable voice chat.
From the App Store description:
- 32-Player Food Fight Shooter - Play as any of 50 characters from all walks of life. Knock out other contestants with delicious food. Be the last one standing in this third-person shooter - Squad Up - Indulge in multiplayer Culinary Combat with your friends, in teams of four - Solo Survival Game - Survive this battle royale game solo for ultimate bragging rights - Fire Food Blasters - Pick up epic food blasters like the Breadzooka from all over Butter Island, and fire away - Unlock Exclusive Content - Stay fresh with exclusive seasonal characters, melee food items, trails, and flags - 1 Butter Island, 9 Zones - Explore a sprawling map, from the rolling Flour Fields to San Francheesco. Choose your starting point wisely! - Be First to the Fridge - Collect the delivery and get special ultra rare loot - Steer Clear of Butter - Watch out for hot Butter and get yourself to safe zones! - No Wi-Fi, No Problem - Play your favourite battle royale game offline.
Butter Royale can be downloaded from the App Store with an Apple Arcade subscription. Apple's gaming service launched in September, providing iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac users with access to over 100 games with no in-app purchases or ads for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year in the United States.
In a recent press release, Apple promised that its Arcade service will receive new games and expansions every month.
Throwboy, known for its Iconic Pillow Collection featuring a selection of plush pillows designed to look like Apple devices, today launched a new selection of mini pillows called the "Pocket Pillows."
Like their larger-sized siblings, the Pocket Pillows are modeled after Apple devices. The first palm-sized pillows are made to mimic the 1984 Classic Macintosh and the 1998 iMac G3, and they can be ordered today on Kickstarter. Depending on how the campaign goes, additional classic Apple products could be turned into little desktop plushes.
Each plush is made from a soft, huggable material and is embroidered to resemble one of Apple's Macs. The detail for each pillow is impressive, with all ports, vents, drives, and other features sewn on. Inside the Pocket Pillow, there's a plush filling along with pellets to give them some heft.
Unlike the couch-sized standard Iconic pillows, the smaller Pocket Pillows are designed for a desk, shelf, or nightstand.
Pocket Pillows can be pre-ordered for $15 each, or $30 for two, though there are some early bird backing options that are a few dollars cheaper. We don't typically feature Kickstarter projects as many of them don't come to fruition, but Throwboy is an established manufacturer that already has a line of plushes available. Pocket Pillows are expected to ship out in May 2020.
The Powerbeats Pro have returned to their lowest-ever price of $199.95 on Amazon, down from $249.95. This sale is the same one we've been tracking for the Powerbeats Pro since last fall, offering a solid $50 discount off the original price of the wireless headphones, and it usually only lasts for a few days.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Every color of the Powerbeats Pro are being discounted as well, so you can get the Black, Ivory, Moss, or Navy for $199.95 today. All models include secure-fit ear hooks, are sweat and water resistant, and support up to nine hours of listening time on a single charge.
Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.
On January 24, 1984, former Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the first Macintosh at Apple's annual shareholder's meeting in Cupertino, California, debuting the new computer equipped with a 9-inch black and white display, an 8MHz Motorola 68000 processor, 128KB of RAM, a 3.5-inch floppy drive, and a price tag of $2,495.
The now iconic machine weighed in at a whopping 17 pounds and was advertised as offering a word processing program, a graphics package, and a mouse. At the time it was introduced, the Macintosh was seen as Apple's last chance to overcome IBM's domination of the personal computer market and remain a major player in the personal computer industry.
Jobs pulled the Macintosh out of a bag at the event, powered it on, and the Mac had a little message for everyone in attendance.
Hello, I'm Macintosh. It sure is great to get out of that bag.
Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking, I'd like to share with you a maxim I thought of the first time I met an IBM mainframe: NEVER TRUST A COMPUTER YOU CAN'T LIFT!
Obviously, I can talk, but right now I'd like to sit back and listen. So, it is with considerable pride that I introduce a man who's been like a father to me... STEVE JOBS.
Despite the high price at the time, which was equivalent to around $6,000 today, the Macintosh sold well, with Apple hitting 70,000 units sold by May 1984. The now iconic "1984" Super Bowl ad that Apple invested in and debuted days before the Macintosh was unveiled may have helped bolster sales.
After the Macintosh, Apple introduced the Macintosh II, the Macintosh Classic, the PowerBook, the Power Macintosh, the iMac G3, the iBook, and so on, eventually leading to the current Mac lineup, which includes the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac mini, and Mac Pro.
Today, Apple is one of the leading PC vendors in the world, shipping an estimated 18 million Macs worldwide in 2019. Then Apple competitor IBM is no longer in the personal computer business, having sold its technology to Lenovo back in the early 2000s.
Apple in the future is expected to continue expanding its popular Mac lineup, and current rumors suggest we can expect to see new 16-inch MacBook Pro models, a refreshed 13-inch machine with scissor keyboard, and, eventually, an ARM-based Mac.
Samsung is said to be working on its own answer to AirDrop, Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users transfer files among Macs and iOS devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
According to XDA Developers, "Quick Share" will work similarly to AirDrop, enabling files to be sent "instantly" between two Galaxy phones in close proximity, so long as both devices have the feature turned on.
Like AirDrop, Galaxy users will be able to restrict who can send them files (Everyone or Contacts Only). When users set Quick Share to Everyone, it's not clear if the service will present unsolicited file shares in the same way as AirDrop.
Unlike AirDrop, Quick Share is expected to have a temporary cloud-storage component that will allow users to transfer data to SmartThings connected home devices. The maximum size of these files will be up to 1GB with a total of 2GBs being sent per day.
AirDrop was introduced with iOS 7, so it might surprise some Apple users that Samsung is only getting round to finalizing its own alternative. Android used to have an NFC-based equivalent called Android Beam, but it was discontinued with Android 10. Users have had to resort to third-party alternatives like Google's Files Go app since.
China's big three mobile vendors Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo are also working collectively on an AirDrop-style peer-to-peer transfer protocol that is expected to launch next month.
Samsung's Quick Share service is expected to arrive with the launch of Galaxy S20+, which is slated for February 11, with the sharing service likely to come to older Samsung devices later on.
Apple has leased the entirety of the so-called "Triangle Building" near Apple Park in San Jose, California, reports The Mercury News.
The prominent six-floor building is located at 5300 Stevens Creek Blvd, just two miles from Apple Park, and the company has reportedly leased all 86,000-square feet of the property.
According to the report, a "considerable" amount of construction work is already to be underway on all six floors, and Apple logos can be seen throughout the building.
Apple first rented part of the building in 2012, but information from property listing services obtained by The Mercury News suggests that the company has not continuously made use of the office space.
The report notes that Apple began expanding its presence around Apple Park last year, when it leased office space in a complex located directly across from the Triangle Building.
Apple owns and leases several properties in and around the Bay Area, including its Cupertino campus in Santa Clara and offices in San Jose.
Since the launch of iOS 13 last fall, third-party access to users' background location data has reportedly declined by 68 percent, according to Location Sciences, a firm that analyzes location data for marketers (via Fast Company).
The firm also found that foreground data sharing, which occurs only while an app is open, has fallen by 24 percent.
According to a separate report by Digiday, third-party apps are now seeing opt-in rates under 50 percent for collecting location data when they're not in use.
The shortage of GPS data has been put down to Apple's recently introduction of pop-up options that let users selectively control background location tracking on the fly.
In iOS 13, iPhone and iPad users are periodically reminded about apps that are continuously tracking their location, complete with a map of those locations and options to "Change to Only While Using," "Always Allow," and "Just Once."
"As those particular options were made available to users, we do attribute that to the decrease in sharing," Jason Smith, Location Sciences' chief business officer, told Fast Company.
While the report indicates that Apple's new background location tracking options are having their intended effect, a recent report by The Wall Street Journal suggests that some developers are concerned that frequent location tracking reminders will hurt adoption of their apps.
Apple responded to the report by insisting that the changes were made to further safeguard user privacy.
"Apple has not built a business model around knowing a customer's location or the location of their device," an Apple spokesperson told WSJ, adding that Apple builds its hardware and software with privacy in mind.
Apple this afternoon sent out emails advertising its latest Apple Pay promotion, which offers 10 percent off of a purchase from the StubHub app.
StubHub is an online ticketing company that lets users purchase tickets for concerts, sporting events, and more.
To get the 10 percent discount, customers can enter the code APPLEPAY2020 when checking out in the StubHub app and using Apple Pay as the payment method.
Apple's promotion allows customers in the United States to get a maximum discount of $100, and the promotion will be available until January 29, 2020
Longtime Apple supplier Broadcom today announced that it has signed two multi-year deals with Apple that cover a "range of specified high-performance wireless components and modules" that Apple will use in its products.
According to Broadcom, these new agreements are in addition to a prior agreement it established with Apple in June 2019 for RF components and modules. The new agreements will last for three and a half years beginning in January 2020.
Broadcom says that the two new deals combined with its existing 2019 deal could generate aggregate total future revenue of approximately $15 billion.
As pointed out by Bloomberg, Broadcom's announcement allows potential purchasers to know that they're getting an established business relationship with Apple. Broadcom has been exploring a sale of its radio frequency chip unit since last year.
Apple is developing a podcast for Apple TV+ show "Little America," show creator Lee Eisenberg revealed today in an interview with Forbes.
In the interview, Eisenberg says that the podcast will "delve more info the stories and music on the show." Apple also plans to promote the series with a playlist for every episode, and there will be a book.
News of the upcoming "Little America" podcast confirms a recent rumor from Bloomberg that suggested Apple was exploring the idea of creating original podcasts to accompany Apple TV+ shows.
Apple in the summer of 2019 began asking podcast producers to pitch ideas for Apple TV+ podcasts, and has since discussed making podcasts with some of the producers of its shows.
It appears that "Little America" could be one of the first Apple TV+ Shows to get a podcast, though there's no word on when the podcast might come out. The full first season of "Little America" was released last Friday and is available to watch now on Apple TV+.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Samsung is said to be working on its own answer to AirDrop, Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users transfer files among Macs and iOS devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. 
Since the launch of iOS 13 last fall, third-party access to users' background location data has reportedly declined by 68 percent, according to 
