MacRumors

Samsung topped Apple as the world's largest smartphone maker in the first quarter, as it continues to show signs of recovery following its disastrous Galaxy Note7 recall last year, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce.

Samsung reclaimed the number one spot with an estimated 26.1 percent market share, trailed by Apple at an estimated 16.9 percent, said TrendForce. Chinese vendor Huawei, which aims to become the world's largest smartphone maker within four years, finished third with an estimated 11.4 percent market share.

Samsung is traditionally the world's largest smartphone maker, as it sells millions of inexpensive smartphones alongside its flagship devices, so this would normally be no surprise. However, after Samsung recalled the Galaxy Note7 due to defective batteries, Apple overtook its South Korean rival in the fourth quarter.

While the worst might be over for Samsung now, TrendForce said the company's sales results for its high-end smartphones still "fell short of expectations" in the first quarter, as consumer confidence in the brand had "yet to fully recover" from Galaxy Note7 recall and subsequent discontinuation in the fall.

Nevertheless, Samsung's continued success in the mid-range and low-end segments of the market allowed it to reclaim its crown.

The economically priced, high-performing Galaxy J series sustained Samsung’s shipments and contributed significantly to the expansion of the brand’s overall smartphone production volume. Samsung was the only brand that saw positive growth in production volume during the off season of the first quarter.

Samsung's focus has now shifted towards the Galaxy S8, set to launch later this month. The smartphone features an edge-to-edge 5.8-inch display with no physical home button, foreshadowing the rumored design of the tentatively named iPhone 8. And it shouldn't catch on fire like the Galaxy Note7, as Samsung now performs an 8-point battery check on all of its smartphones.

It's important to recognize that these are estimated figures only, and that shipments do not necessarily reflect sales to customers.

Apple will officially report its iPhone sales figures for the first quarter, corresponding with the second quarter of its 2017 fiscal year, on May 2.

Dialog Semiconductor shares plunged to their lowest price in over 16 years on Monday, after an industry analyst predicted Apple will drop the supplier and move to its own in-house power management chips for iPhones by 2019.

The prediction comes from analyst Karsten Iltgen at German investment bank Bankhaus Lampe, who said that Apple will at the very least cut back to some degree on Dialog's supply of power management chips for the iPhone, according to a research note obtained by Bloomberg.

“There is strong evidence that Apple is developing its own power-management integrated circuits and intends to replace the chip made by Dialog at least in part,” Karsten Iltgen, analyst at Bankhaus Lampe, said in a research note published Tuesday. A shift to Apple developing its own chips in-house is unlikely in the short term, he said.

“We believe that Apple is setting up power-management design centers in Munich and California,” said Iltgen. “We hear from the industry that about 80 engineers at Apple are already working on a PMIC with specific plans to employ it in the iPhone by as early as 2019.”

According to Iltgen, Apple is setting up its own power management chip design centers in Munich and California, and up to 80 Apple engineers are said to already be working on its own PMIC (power management integrated circuit) component. However, he said Apple dropping Dialog "is unlikely in the short term."

Dialog's website says its integrated power management component results in up to 30% longer battery life:

Dialog replaces multiple discrete power management components with one highly integrated device, enabling our customers to produce lighter and thinner portable applications with higher power efficiency resulting in longer battery life.

These single chip solutions reduce energy usage and provide a simple, yet flexible, design at a lower cost. Typical usage tests show our Power Management Integrated Circuits (PMICs) are able to decrease the power consumption of a portable device by up to 30%.

The analyst noted that Apple has steadily hired engineers from the United Kingdom-based Dialog over the past year, from the chipmaker's pool of about 1,300 engineers, but a person familiar with the situation noted that "it isn't unusual" to see employees flowing between Apple and its supplier.

However, last week Apple announced that it was planning to stop using the graphics processing chips supplied by Imagination Technology in its iPhones within two years, and Bloomberg noted that, ahead of that decision, Apple had hired "several people" from Imagination to help craft its in-house technology.

If Apple does make the same decision with Dialog Semiconductor as it did with Imagination Technologies, the former company could see as much as three quarters of its business gone over the next few years, as it's believed that Dialog gets as much as 74 percent of its sales from Apple.

Some analysts don't believe that it will ever come to that and disagree with Iltgen's prediction, as Barclays analyst Andrew Gardiner recently mentioned in a research note that he does "not see [Dialog] remotely in a similar position" as Imagination. Dialog shares remained down around 16 percent on Tuesday.

Not everyone agrees that Dialog is at risk. “We do not see them remotely in a similar position," said Andrew Gardiner, an analyst at Barclays Plc, in a research note. "We acknowledge Apple’s continued hiring of engineers, in power management and elsewhere, but an additional 80 engineers hired in this area pales in comparison to the over 1,300 engineers Dialog employed at the end of last year."

Last year Dialog entered the news when a Fast Company report mentioned the supplier's $10 million investment in wireless technology company Energous, adding to recent rumors that Apple and its suppliers were gearing up to implement some form of wireless charging into a future line of iPhones.

Energous has said that its first truly wireless charging technology will arrive later in 2017, but in regards to the iPhone's wireless charging it's believed that Apple is again looking in-house to craft an inductive charger for the iPhone as it did for the Apple Watch, rather than using a truly wireless solution.

Qualcomm today announced it has countersued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, nearly three months after the iPhone maker sued the chipmaker for $1 billion in alleged unpaid royalty rebates. Apple also accused Qualcomm of engaging in anticompetitive licensing practices.

Qualcomm, which earlier called Apple's lawsuit "baseless," officially denied the majority of Apple's allegations, and accused the Cupertino-based company of failing to engage in good faith negotiations for a license to its 3G and 4G standard essential patents on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms.

The chipmaker also accused Apple of breaching its licensing agreements, making false statements, and encouraging regulatory attacks on its business in multiple countries. Qualcomm added that Apple has deliberately "chose not to utilize the full performance" of its LTE modem in its iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Apple uses Intel's XMM7360 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X12 modems for GSM and CDMA models of the iPhone 7 respectively. Independent testing last year found Qualcomm's LTE chip to significantly outperform Intel's LTE chip in the iPhone 7, but it could theoretically be even faster.

Apple, however, said there is "no discernible difference" in performance between the Qualcomm and Intel modems in any of the models.

Qualcomm said Apple's statement misrepresented the performance disparity between iPhones using its modems and those using Intel-supplied modems. Apple then allegedly threatened Qualcomm about making any public comparisons about the apparently superior performance of the Qualcomm-powered iPhones.

Qualcomm, the exclusive supplier of 3G and LTE modems for iPhones until 2016, said Apple has "launched a global attack" against its company, using its "enormous market power" to coerce unfair and unreasonable licensing terms. The chipmaker insists that it will "vigorously defend" its business model.

“Over the last ten years, Apple has played a significant role in bringing the benefits of mobile technology to consumers with its popular products and services," said Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel of Qualcomm. "But Apple could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise that has made it the most profitable company in the world, capturing over 90 percent of smartphone profits, without relying upon Qualcomm's fundamental cellular technologies. Now, after a decade of historic growth, Apple refuses to acknowledge the well established and continuing value of those technologies. It has launched a global attack on Qualcomm and is attempting to use its enormous market power to coerce unfair and unreasonable license terms from Qualcomm. We intend to vigorously defend our business model, and pursue our right to protect and receive fair value for our technological contributions to the industry.”

Qualcomm said Apple "could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise" without relying upon Qualcomm's "fundamental cellular technologies." In its countersuit, Qualcomm went as far as saying Apple has "contributed virtually nothing to the development of core cellular technology."

Apple is the world's most profitable seller of cellular devices. But as a late-comer to the cellular industry, Apple contributed virtually nothing to the development of core cellular technology. Instead, Apple's products rely heavily on the cellular inventions of Qualcomm and others. Apple's iPhones and other products enjoy enormous commercial success, but without lightning-fast cellular connectivity—enabled in large part by Qualcomm's inventions—Apple's iPhones would lose much of their consumer appeal.

Qualcomm is seeking, among other things, both compensatory and punitive damages from Apple in amounts to be proven in a jury trial for "reneging on its promises in several agreements." It is also seeking to be released from any obligation to make further payments to Apple, per the court filing.

Apple for its part accused Qualcomm of using its position as the supplier of a key iPhone component to drive up patent licensing fees. In January, the Federal Trade Commission alleged that Qualcomm required Apple to exclusively use its modems from 2011 to 2016 in exchange for lower patent royalties.

The iPhone continues to be the most popular smartphone among teens, according to data gathered by investment firm Piper Jaffray in its most recent semiannual U.S. teen survey.

76 percent of teens surveyed own an iPhone, up from 69 percent in the spring of 2016, and the highest ownership level seen in the teen survey. A record 81 percent of teens surveyed said they expect their next phone to be an iPhone, up from 75 percent a year ago.

Piper Jaffray attributes the jump in interest to the upcoming 2017 iPhone, which is expected to include an OLED display with an edge-to-edge design, a glass body, a faster A11 processor, no Home button, and wireless charging capabilities.

Apple continued to grow smartphone share among teens with 76% of teens owning an iPhone vs 74% in Fall-16. We view the survey as a positive data point on iPhone 7 demand and excitement around the upcoming launch of the 10th anniversary iPhone (iPhone X)

Teen interest in smart watches has also continued to grow, with interest in the Apple Watch up slightly. 13 percent of teens surveyed said they plan to buy an Apple Watch in the next six months, compared to 11 percent in the spring of 2016.

Among fitness bands, the Apple Watch is the second most popular choice after Fitbit. 71 percent of teens said they prefer the Fitbit, while 10 percent chose the Apple Watch. Nine percent preferred Nike-branded fitness bands, while four percent preferred Garmin.

While iPhone adoption among teens could see significant growth in the fall with the release of a new line of iPhones with exciting new features, Apple Watch growth may remain stagnant as rumors have thus far not pointed towards major changes.

For the teen survey, Piper Jaffray accumulated responses from 5,500 teens in the United States with an average age of 16.

Full smartphone use on commercial flights will continue to be disallowed, according to a proposal issued today by United States Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai. Pai wants to terminate 2013 proceedings that aimed to relax the rules prohibiting passengers from using their cellular phones for phone calls and data while in the air.

In a statement [PDF], Pai called the FCC's plan "ill-conceived" and said that tabling it permanently would be a "victory for Americans across the country."

"I stand with airline pilots, flight attendants, and America's flying public against the FCC's ill-conceived 2013 plan to allow people to make cellphone calls on planes. I do not believe that moving forward with this plan is in the public interest. Taking it off the table permanently will be a victory for Americans across the country who, like me, value a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet."

Back in late 2013, The FCC announced plans to introduce a proposal that would allow passengers to use their cellular phones on airplanes during flight for making phone calls and browsing the web. The proposal went forward, despite protests from flight attendants, airlines, consumer groups, and pilots, leading the Department of Transportation to announce plans to consider banning calls if the FCC approved the measure.

Since then, the FCC has been investigating the safety of allowing cellphone service on planes, and the proposal has not moved forward. With Pai aiming to nix it completely, it sounds like cellphone usage while in flight, including data usage for web browsing and making voice calls, will continue to be banned.

Under the FCC's existing rules, which were updated in 2013, passengers can use personal devices like iPhones and iPads throughout their flights, but cellular service must be disabled through Airplane Mode.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra 10.12.5 update to developers, nearly two weeks after seeding the first beta and two weeks after releasing macOS Sierra 10.12.4, which introduced Night Shift for the Mac.

macOS Sierra 10.12.5 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

According to the release notes accompanying the beta, the update "improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac."

Because Apple's release notes don't often provide much insight into what's included in new beta software, we don't yet know what features or bug fixes might be included in 10.12.5.

Nothing notable was discovered in the first beta, but should new features be discovered in the second macOS Sierra 10.12.5 beta, we'll update this post.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 10.3.2 update to developers, nearly two weeks after seeding the first iOS 10.3.2 beta and two weeks after introducing iOS 10.3, which included features like a new Find My AirPods feature and Apple File System. Apple has also released a minor iOS 10.3.1 update, which focused on security improvements.

Registered developers can download the second iOS 10.3.2 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air with the proper configuration profile installed.

We don't yet know what features or improvements are coming in iOS 10.3.2 as Apple doesn't offer detailed release notes and nothing notable was discovered in the first iOS 10.3.2 update.

As a minor 10.x.x update, we can expect iOS 10.3.2 to offer bug fixes and performance improvements rather than outward-facing features. Apple has said that the update fixes SiriKit car commands, which should be working as expected.

If we find anything new in the second iOS 10.3.2 beta, we'll update this post.

Apple has secured a lease at the Antara Fashion Hall shopping center in Mexico City, where it will open a new flagship retail store, according to a person familiar with the matter. The store's design will be similar to Apple's multi-level World Trade Center location in New York City, the person said.

Antara Fashion Hall will mark Apple's second retail location in Mexico after opening its Via Santa Fe store last year, also in Mexico City.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Apple will soon decide whether to open two additional stores in Brazil, potentially including a flagship store in São Paulo, according to our source. Apple is also said to be exploring leases for its first store in Argentina, which is expected to open by the end of 2018.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Apple continues to revamp a number of its older retail locations. Apple said its Burlington, Massachusetts store will be temporarily closed for renovations starting April 23, while GeekWire recently uncovered plans for a new University Village store in Seattle.

MacRumors has also received unconfirmed tips about Apple's plans to relocate its stores at Valley Fair in Santa Clara, CA and Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, IL. Apple now has over 35 next-generation Apple Stores in the United States, including its newly reopened Woodland Mall store in Grand Rapids, MI.