MacRumors

Samsung today announced that it has worked with Apple to integrate iTunes movies and TV shows, as well as AirPlay 2 support, into its latest smart TVs. The features will roll out to 2018 models via a firmware update this spring and will be included on new 2019 models. iTunes movie and TV show access will come via a new dedicated app for Samsung's TV platform, available in over 100 countries.

With the new iTunes Movies and TV Shows app on Samsung Smart TVs, Samsung customers can access their existing iTunes library and browse the iTunes Store to buy or rent from a selection of hundreds of thousands of movies and TV episodes — including the largest selection of 4K HDR movies. iTunes Movies and TV Shows will work seamlessly with Samsung’s Smart TV Services, such as Universal Guide, the New Bixby and Search, to create a consistent experience across Samsung’s platform.

Apple's Internet Software and Services chief Eddy Cue weighed in on the partnership, noting "We look forward to bringing the iTunes and AirPlay 2 experience to even more customers around the world through Samsung Smart TVs, so iPhone, iPad and Mac users have yet another way to enjoy all their favorite content on the biggest screen in their home."

Apple yesterday posted a support document addressing the 2018 iPad Pro bending snafu that's been circulating around the internet over the course of the last couple of weeks.

In the document, Apple describes the new design of the unibody enclosure of the device and how cellular models use a new co-molding process to create the antenna bands in the chassis.

To provide optimal cellular performance, small vertical bands or “splits” in the sides of the iPad allow parts of the enclosure to function as cellular antennas. For the first time ever on an iPad, these bands are manufactured using a process called co-molding. In this high-temperature process, plastic is injected into precisely milled channels in the aluminum enclosure where it bonds to micro-pores in the aluminum surface. After the plastic cools, the entire enclosure is finished with a precision CNC machining operation, yielding a seamless integration of plastic and aluminum into a single, strong enclosure.

Apple says this process helps ensure the new iPad Pro models can meet a flatness specification of no more than a 400 micron deviation along any side, which less than the thickness of four sheets of paper. This is a tighter specification than on any previous model, but Apple says the new design could make any minor deviations more visible than before.

The new straight edges and the presence of the antenna splits may make subtle deviations in flatness more visible only from certain viewing angles that are imperceptible during normal use. These small variances do not affect the strength of the enclosure or the function of the product and will not change over time through normal use.

New iPad Pro owners first began noticing slight bends in their tablets shortly after the launch of the new device, prompting them to share their concerns on the MacRumors forums. iPad Pro users were worried about the structural integrity of the device, which is the thinnest iPad ever.

Users are encouraged to contact Apple if they believe their devices do not meet Apple's stated specifications, and the company reminds users of a 14-day return period and one-year warranty available on Apple products.

Apple devices have previously had issues with bending, and there was major consumer outcry over a "bendgate" controversy with the iPhone 6 Plus, which saw the iPhone bending due to regular use. iPad Pro owners are, understandably, concerned about another bendgate situation.

Apple last month told The Verge that the slight bending that some iPad Pro models are exhibiting is a side effect of the manufacturing process, caused by cooling of the metal and plastic components, but the new support document offers additional detail on the situation. While no official Apple statement was included in The Verge's article, it clearly said that Apple did not consider the bend to be a manufacturing defect, leading to customer confusion.

(Thanks, Bob!)

In the heart of Las Vegas, where the Consumer Electronics Show is set to kick off next week, Apple has put up a giant sign touting the security of its devices.

The billboard, which was noticed by Engadget's Chris Velazco, plays on an iconic Las Vegas tourism slogan: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone," reads the sign, which is located near the Las Vegas Convention Center and many prominent Las Vegas hotels.

CES will see thousands of tech industry attendees, members of the media, and tech exhibitors, and Apple's decision to put up a billboard here is interesting as the company does not have a presence at the show.

Apple competitors like Amazon, Samsung, and Google will be present at CES showing off smart home devices, smartphones, and other products, and while Apple employees are likely to be in attendance, Apple will not be highlighting any of its devices at the event.

It's not entirely clear when the billboard was put in place, but it seems clear that it's aimed at CES attendees who will be seeing products from companies with less of a privacy focus like Google and Amazon. Apple is not-so-subtly reminding the tech industry of its heavy emphasis on privacy, with the billboard offering up a link to Apple's dedicated privacy website.

The Consumer Electronics Show starts on Tuesday, January 8 and lasts through the end of the week.

Charter Spectrum subscribers can sign up to get an Apple TV for $7.50 per month following the release of the new Spectrum TV app for the 4K Apple TV, the company announced today.

Customers who want a 4K Apple TV as part of their charter subscriptions will need to pay $7.50 per month plus tax over a period of 24 months, making the total cost of the device somewhere around $180. That is the standard price for a 4K Apple TV purchased outright from Apple.

The Apple TV 4K is being offered in lieu of a traditional cable box, and with the Spectrum app, which was released yesterday, it allows Charter Spectrum subscribers to access all of their cable content.

The Spectrum TV app offers access to live channels and tens of thousands of OnDemand programs, as well as all of the other content that an Apple TV has to offer.

Charter's Spectrum TV app and the Apple TV 4K work with the Zero Sign-on feature, designed to let Charter Spectrum users automatically sign into apps that require cable authentication when connected to accompanying Charter Spectrum internet services.

Charter is the first cable operator in the United States to offer support for Zero Sign-on. Charter says that when an Apple TV is first set up in a Spectrum household, it will detect the Spectrum customer's broadband network, automatically signing them in to the Spectrum TV app and other supported apps without the need to enter a username or password.

To use the Spectrum TV app and take advantage of Zero Sign-on, customers will need to subscribe to both Spectrum TV and internet services.

Phishing scams attempting to get info out of Apple users are nothing new, but scammers are growing more clever and scams are getting harder to distinguish from actual Apple communication.

On his Krebs on Security site, security researcher Brian Krebs today outlined one of the latest phishing scams he's seen, where an incoming phone call appears to be from a legitimate Apple support line.

As described by Krebs, Jody Westby, CEO of security consulting firm Global Cyber Risk, received an automated call on her iPhone warning her that services containing Apple user IDs had been compromised.

The message asked her to call a 1-866 number, and in the Phone app, the call looked like a call from Apple, with the number listed as 1(800)MYAPPLE, the name listed as Apple Inc., and with Apple's Infinite Loop website.

Westby contacted Apple support via the official Apple Support page and asked for an employee to contact her. She was assured that the call was not legitimate, but when looking in her recent calls list, she saw that real support call had been lumped in with the fake call.

The scammers spoofed Apple's phone number and the iPhone was unable to distinguish between the real and fake calls, making it look like Westby had, in fact, been contacted by Apple multiple times, when that was not the case. Westby told Krebs that this is a convincing scam that people may fall for.

"I told the Apple representative that they ought to be telling people about this, and he said that was a good point," Westby said. "This was so convincing I'd think a lot of other people will be falling for it."

Krebs went ahead and called the number that the scammers had asked Westby to call, where an automated system claimed he had reached Apple Support. A minute later, a person came on the line and asked about the reason for the call. Krebs responded that he was told to call about a breach at Apple, was placed on hold, and the call disconnected with no resolution.

A similar report hit Twitter this morning from Fantastical developer Michael Simmons, who says he received a scam phone call that also spoofed Apple's number.

Krebs believes scammers are aiming to obtain personal and financial details from Apple users to get payment, perhaps for tech support services. As he rightly points out, it is both shocking and concerning that Apple devices are unable to tell the difference between a legitimate call from Apple and someone attempting to spoof Apple.

With these kind of phone-based scams, it's a good idea to disconnect the call and get in touch with Apple via the actual support site to avoid being fooled. Apple support does not cold call users in this manner, so these calls are almost always fake, but scammers are skilled social engineers and people do fall for these scams.

Apple has a dedicated support page with information on how to avoid fake support calls, phishing emails, and other scam techniques that malicious individuals employ to extract information from Apple users.

In a press conference at the White House this afternoon, U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on Apple's recent revenue woes, suggesting the company will "be fine" despite its downgraded Q1 2019 guidance.

When asked about Apple's announcement and its potential impact on the U.S. economy, Trump erroneously said that Apple has "gone up hundreds of percent" since he's been president. "Apple was at a number that was incredible and they're going to be fine. Apple is a great company," Trump said.

Apple has not, of course, seen a "hundreds of percent" increase in its stock price, with the number instead at around 20 percent since Trump's January 2017 inauguration.

Trump went on to say that he's unconcerned about Apple because its devices are made "mostly in China," seemingly blaming that fact for Apple's financial issues. He also once again reiterated that should Apple move its manufacturing to the United States, and suggested he's friends with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

"Don't forget this Apple makes their product in China. I told Tim Cook, who is a friend of mine, who I like a lot: 'Make your product in the United States, build those big, beautiful plants that go on for miles it seems, build those plants in the United States.'"

Apple outlined many reasons for the change in its guidance, which is now at $84 billion and down from the $89 to $93 billion November estimate, but manufacturing problems in China were not among those reasons.

Instead, Apple said that the issue was caused by Chinese consumers not purchasing iPhones, which is unrelated to where iOS devices are assembled.

Apple also pointed towards iPhone launch timing, a strong U.S. dollar, supply constraints, trade tensions, and weak iPhone upgrade numbers due to fewer carrier subsidies and the low-priced battery replacements that were available throughout 2018.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China caused by Trump's trade war have had an impact on Apple's bottom line. Back in November, Trump suggested that a 10 percent tariff could be implemented on iPhones and laptops imported from China, but thus far, additional tariffs have not been imposed.

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

With the intense ongoing legal battle between Qualcomm and Apple, it's easy to forget that Qualcomm is also facing an FTC antitrust lawsuit for using anticompetitive tactics to remain the main supplier for baseband processors for smartphones.

The FTC hasn't forgotten, though, and FTC lawyers are in a Northern California courtroom before well-known judge Lucy Koh, who also presided over the Apple-Samsung legal fight.

Lawyers for Qualcomm, the FTC, Apple, and other manufacturers have gathered as the trial commences, with the FTC set to argue that Qualcomm refused to provide chips to OEMs without a patent license, refused to license its technology to rivals, and set exclusive deals with Apple.

Manufacturers like Huawei and Lenovo will testify that Qualcomm threatened to disrupt their chip supply during licensing negotiations, forcing them into signing deals.

The FTC first filed a complaint against Qualcomm in January 2017, which was actually the catalyst for Apple's own lawsuit against the company just a few weeks later.

In that complaint, the FTC said that Qualcomm uses its position and its portfolio of patents to impose anticompetitive supply and licensing terms on cell phone manufacturers, impacting its competitors.

Part of the complaint addressed a deal with Apple in which Qualcomm required Apple to exclusively use its modems from 2011 to 2016 in exchange for lower patent royalties. Qualcomm is also accused of refusing to license its standard-essential (FRAND) patents to competing suppliers and implementing a no license, no chips policy to drive up royalty payments beyond what's fair.

Qualcomm attempted to get the FTC's lawsuit against it dismissed, but in June, Judge Koh ruled that the lawsuit would proceed on the basis that the FTC adequately demonstrated that anticompetitive tactics were being used by Qualcomm.

In its defense, Qualcomm has claimed the FTC is using a "flawed legal theory" and has misconceptions about the mobile technology industry. "We look forward to defending our business in federal court, where we are confident we will prevail on the merits," Qualcomm said in a statement in January 2017.

As the FTC trial begins, Apple and Qualcomm's legal battle has also been escalating. As of today, Apple has pulled the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 8 in Germany after Qualcomm won a preliminary injunction in the country.

Qualcomm also won an import ban on older iPhone models in China, which Apple sidestepped through a software update that addressed functionality said to infringe on Qualcomm patents.

At least one new iPhone released in 2019 will sport a USB-C port, smaller notch, and the return of Touch ID under the display, according to Jean Baptiste Su, Vice-President and Principal Analyst at consulting firm Atherton Research.

Su shared his prediction in a Forbes column about Apple lowering its revenue guidance for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year:

Although we believe that Apple will release a re-designed iPhone X in 2019—with a smaller notch, a fingerprint reader (Touch ID) under the display, and a USB-C port—it will still lack the extensibility (memory card), the battery life, the lightning-fast charging capability, and the camera quality of Android flagship smartphones while being more expensive.

This is the first Apple rumor we've ever heard from Su, and the Forbes contributor network has published its fair share of questionable content about Apple in recent years, so treat this rumor with a healthy dose of skepticism. Many analysts not named Ming-Chi Kuo simply make guesses — and not always educated ones.

Let's imagine these features prove to be true, though, and examine what that would mean for the next iPhone:

• USB-C: For many years, critics believed Apple would never switch to USB-C on its iOS devices, and then it did exactly that with the 2018 iPad Pro. Will the iPhone follow suit this year? Notorious supply chain publication DigiTimes seems to think so, so Su is not alone in his prediction.

  With many of the latest Macs equipped with USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 ports, which share the USB-C connector design, moving from Lightning to USB-C on the iPhone would create one primary I/O standard across not only Apple devices but hundreds of other electronics.

  The switch from Lightning to USB-C would almost certainly cause an uproar among at least some Apple customers, who already had to replace their docks, cables, and other accessories when Apple switched from its 30-pin dock connector to Lightning back in 2012.

  It's also worth considering that Apple has emphasized a wireless future, so one possibility is that the Lightning connector sticks around until there is no connector whatsoever.

• Touch ID under the display: This one is hard to believe. Face ID is more secure than Touch ID and seems like Apple's authentication method of choice going forward, starting with the iPhone X and expanding to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR last year.

  Kuo agrees, noting that Apple doesn't plan to return to Touch ID in any capacity with its 2019 iPhone lineup back in September.

• Smaller notch: This one is certainly plausible. As the iPhone design continues to evolve, Apple will surely find ways to reduce the size of the notch, even if only by a fraction of a millimeter.

It's only January, so we're still early in the rumor cycle about 2019 iPhones. Over time, we should get a clearer picture about what to expect from more reputable sources like Kuo. To date, we've heard the next versions could feature a triple-lens rear camera, Face ID improvements, slightly thinner displays, and more.

New York-based law firm Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman has announced it is investigating whether Apple and certain executives violated U.S. federal securities laws after the company lowered its revenue guidance by up to $9 billion for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year earlier this week.

The law firm is conducting the investigation on behalf of AAPL shareholders, with potential for a class action lawsuit, and encourages affected investors to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting its website.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP, another New York-based investor rights law firm, launched a nearly identical investigation of Apple earlier this week.

Apple CEO Tim Cook in a letter to shareholders this week disclosed that Apple's revenue for the quarter just ended will be approximately $84 billion, significantly lower than its original guidance of $89 billion to $93 billion, due to "lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China."

Both investigations contrast the positive language that Cook has previously used when speaking about China with the weaker language used in his letter to shareholders this week, in which he said Apple "did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China."

On January 2, 2019, Apple revealed that its revenue for the first fiscal quarter of 2019 would be more than 7% lower than it expected because of "[l]ower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, [which] accounts for all of [Apple's] revenue shortfall to [its] guidance and for much more than [its] entire year-over-year revenue decline."

Conversely, on November 1, 2018 CEO Tim Cook stated during Apple's fourth quarter 2018 conference call, that "[o]ur business in China was very strong last quarter. We grew 16%, which we're very happy with. iPhone in particular was very strong, very strong double-digit growth there."

In other words, both law firms are investigating whether Apple failed to warn investors about slowing iPhone demand, particularly in China.

AAPL closed at $142.19 on Thursday, down 36 percent from a closing price of $222.22 on November 1, immediately prior to Apple's last earnings report. As a result, Apple's market valuation has plunged from a peak of around $1.1 trillion to under $700 billion, falling behind rivals Amazon, Microsoft, and Google.

Yesterday chipmaker Qualcomm announced that it posted €1.34 billion in security bonds required for the chipmaker to enforce a preliminary injunction on select iPhone models in Germany, after a court in the country found Apple to be infringing Qualcomm patents related to power savings technology in smartphones.

The injunction blocks the import and sale of infringing iPhone models in Germany while Apple appeals the verdict, and accordingly, Apple has now pulled the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus from sale in the country.

Those four iPhone models are no longer available to order via Apple.com in Germany and they have also been pulled from sale at all 15 of Apple's retail stores in the country until further notice. The latest iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models are not impacted by the verdict and remain available.

Qualcomm's equivalent of $1.5 billion in security bonds will be put towards the cost of the lost sales if Apple successfully appeals the verdict.

Apple was also ordered to recall infringing iPhone models from third-party resellers in Germany, according to Qualcomm, but as noted by TechCrunch and Reuters, some German resellers continue to sell iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models.

In a statement, Apple said this verdict is another "desperate attempt" by Qualcomm to distract from the "real issues" between the two companies:

Qualcomm's campaign is a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues between our companies. Their tactics, in the courts and in their everyday business, are harming innovation and harming consumers. Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didn't do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behavior. We are of course disappointed by this verdict and we plan to appeal. All iPhone models remain available to customers through carriers and resellers in 4,300 locations across Germany. During the appeal process, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models will not be available at Apple's 15 retail stores in Germany. iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will remain available in all our stores.

Apple and Qualcomm are engaged in a major legal battle spanning multiple countries. The spat began in early 2017 when Apple sued Qualcomm for an alleged $1 billion in unpaid royalty rebates, just days after an FTC complaint alleging Qualcomm engaged in anticompetitive patent licensing practices.

In defense, Qualcomm has said its "innovations are at the heart of every iPhone" and "enable the most important uses and features of those devices," adding that it "simply is untrue that Qualcomm is seeking to collect royalties for Apple innovations that have nothing to do with Qualcomm's technology."

Qualcomm has also accused Apple of making misleading statements, sharing its trade secrets with Intel, and numerous other infractions.

Qualcomm sought a similar injunction on iPhones in the United States, unsuccessfully, and in China, where a court did issue an import ban on select iPhone models over patent infringement last month. Apple made some tweaks in iOS 12.1.2 to address the patents and continues to sell all iPhone models in China.