MacRumors

Samsung is rumored to be looking into a potential acquisition deal with Taiwan-based PlayNitride, specifically for the company's micro-LED technology, as Apple's micro-LED ambitions for the Apple Watch stretch into 2018.

According to sources speaking with OLED-Info, Samsung is willing to offer up to $150 million for the company, and would use the micro-LED tech for VR applications and television sets in the future.

Another potential reason behind Samsung's interest in PlayNitride might be related to Apple and an upcoming version of the Apple Watch.

Apple has been predicted to switch its wearable device over from an OLED display to micro-LED as soon as 2017, but it's more likely that micro-LED screens will hit an Apple Watch device in 2018, according to reports from sources in Apple's Longtan District plant in Taiwan.

Apple Inc is expected to crank out a small volume of next-generation Micro-LED displays from a plant in Taoyuan by the end of this year for its wearable devices, an IDC analyst said yesterday.

The US technology giant is forecast to begin mass production of Micro-LED displays at the plant in Longtan District (龍潭) next year, ahead of rival display makers, IDC analyst Annabelle Hsu said.

If accurate, a late 2017 ramp-up for a 2018 product launch would align with Samsung's entry in the micro-LED supply chain thanks to PlayNitride. Reports surrounding PlayNitride state that the company doesn't plan on beginning to produce micro-LED chips until later in 2017, meaning that the display maker and Samsung -- if it acquires PlayNitride -- wouldn't be added as potential Apple Watch supply sources until 2018 or later.

According to an industry insider in Taiwan, Samsung is set to acquire Taiwan's PlayNitride for the company's micro-LED technology for around $150 million. Our inside says that Samsung aims to develop micro-LED based displays for VR applications, but may also look into micro-LED based TVs using PlayNitride's technology.

All this means that Samsung may be just hedging its bets and gaining a foothold in an interesting and promising next-generation display technology. A $150 million investment is substantial - but Samsung is also spending billions of dollars to expand its OLED production capacity so it's unlikely that Samsung actually considers micro-LED as a replacement for OLEDs, unless maybe for specific applications.

In regards to advantages of micro-LED, devices with the screen technology have the chance to be thinner, lighter, see an improved color gamut with increased brightness, and sport higher resolutions.

Still, there remain numerous technical challenges that make micro-LED difficult to mass produce, making some analysts believe that true commercialization of the technology won't be reached until 2020. If Apple tries to build an Apple Watch with micro-LED this year or next, the company could face potential hurdles with the new technology, similar to what is rumored to be happening with the iPhone 8 and its switch to the new OLED screen.

A few years ago Apple itself acquired a micro-LED display maker, LuxVue, but the company hasn't given any updates on the progress of its micro-LED development since then. At the time, a LuxVue investor said that the company had made "a technical breakthrough in displays." Also believed to be a focus of Apple's micro-LED efforts is a facility in northern Taiwan.

While Apple's timing for micro-LED technology remains unclear, Apple Watch Series 3 is rumored to come with an all-new glass-film touchscreen in place of the current touch-on-lens solution, although it's not certain how such an update would affect users. Rumors still conflict as to whether or not the Series 3 edition will mark the Apple Watch's first major design change, or be another iterative addition to the lineup with a focus on battery life improvements.

Apple will begin selling iPhones directly through its website in India later this year, according to local newspaper The Economic Times.

Apple plans to make the iPhone SE available on its online store by October, in time for the Indian festival Diwali, followed by other iPhone models once it expands local production to include the rest of its smartphone lineup.

Apple manufacturing partner Wistron is expected to begin iPhone SE assembly at its Bengaluru facility by the end of June, satisfying India's requirement that 30 percent of products sold by foreign companies be manufactured or produced within the country. Thus, the iPhone SE can soon be sold on Apple's website in India.

Wistron will begin assembling the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s over the coming weeks too, The Wall Street Journal previously reported, so those older models could eventually be added to Apple's online store in India as well.

Apple's website in India currently has a "Where to Buy" page for all iPhone models, directing users to resellers Airtel and Vodafone.

Apple may also sell some accessories sourced from India on its online store in the country, according to today's report.

Apple is expected to open its first physical retail store in India as early as 2018, and the company is reportedly looking to open four to five flagship-class stores in the country over the next five to ten years.

Fans of Domino's pizza will gain access to a collection of new mobile ordering advantages thanks to the pizza chain's partnership with automation platform If This Then That, known as IFTTT. With the addition of new Domino's "Applets," anyone ordering a pizza from the restaurant who owns a few connected smart home products -- like Philips Hue -- will be able to receive notifications about their order update in interesting new ways.

As the first restaurant brand to join IFTTT and create an Applet, Domino's has listed a few useful IFTTT commands of its own to celebrate the partnership. One of the most notable Applets sends a signal to a user's Philips Hue bulbs, changing the lighting color at various intervals of the order's progress, like switching over to blue when the pizza has been placed in the oven.

Other Applets will turn off a Rachio Smart Sprinkler system when the Domino's order is out for delivery, preventing potential mishaps for the delivery person, and even activate a Samsung POWERbot vacuum when the order is being prepped to clean up the house before guests arrive.

"We understand how much people love using Domino's Tracker, not only to know where their order is in the preparation and delivery process, but also to plan around that much-anticipated pizza arrival," said Dennis Maloney, Domino's senior vice president – chief digital officer.

"And now we're empowering customers to unleash their imagination as they create new ways to integrate some of our favorite innovations, like Domino's Tracker, into their everyday lives. Thanks to the endless possibilities of IFTTT Applets, customers will be more connected than ever."

To sync up IFTTT and Domino's Tracker Applets, users can download the IFTTT app on iOS [Direct Link] or Android devices. Although Domino's Applets are limited on the restaurant's IFTTT page, users will be able to create any number of commands on the automation app platform, including text message-based alerts about orders.

Last week, Twitter announced plans to launch a network of news-based TV shows that would stream on the social media company's apps 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, a report by The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Twitter will be partnering with Bloomberg in its live streaming endeavor, and together the two plan to launch a service "that will stream news produced solely for Twitter," and is set to debut sometime in the fall of 2017.

The network, which has yet to be officially named, will showcase the "most important" pieces of news going on every day around the world, and Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith mentioned that it will be "broader in focus" than the media company's existing network. The Bloomberg/Twitter hybrid won't be a simple rebroadcasting of Bloomberg's existing news streams, but consist of all-new reporting from various global Bloomberg bureaus.

Twitter's contribution to the network will come in the addition of crowdsourced footage being added into news pieces through videos posted on Twitter during related news coverage.

“It is going to be focused on the most important news for an intelligent audience around the globe and it’s going to be broader in focus than our existing network,” said Bloomberg Media’s chief executive officer, Justin Smith.

“We really think we can reach audiences that are not paying for TV and are watching television on the go and we think Bloomberg is the perfect partner for us to start with,” said Anthony Noto, Twitter’s chief financial and operating officer.

The monetary aspect of the deal was not disclosed by either Twitter or Bloomberg, but the companies did confirm that the network would be supported by advertisements and that programming duties would entirely fall on Bloomberg's shoulders.

The report comes ahead of the official announcement of the partnership, set to happen later today at an event that Bloomberg is holding for advertisers, where Michael Bloomberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey will both be in attendance. Previously, Twitter and Bloomberg partnered to cover the presidential debates last year on the social media network.

Besides those debates, Twitter has embraced live video during a number of special events, including the inauguration and pre- and post-shows for the 2017 Oscars. Video has subsequently turned into a major effort for Twitter, and in the first quarter of 2017 became one of the largest portions of the company's ad revenue, ramping up alongside similar video projects from rivals Facebook and Snapchat.

The advantage for users watching Twitter and Bloomberg's network will come thanks to the ability to watch live news coverage while simultaneously viewing and posting commentary of it from Twitter's social network. "Viewers have already embraced a multistream experience with live events," said Smith. "And marrying those experiences seemed like a very powerful thing to offer to consumers."

Update: Twitter has now revealed details on new shows coming to its 24/7 live streaming network with the help of partners other than Bloomberg, including BuzzFeed, the WNBA, and The Verge. The full list of partners and shows -- which range from sports coverage to fashion-related commentary -- can be found on Recode.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Pearl Automation to give MacRumors readers a chance to win the Pearl RearVision iPhone-connected wireless car backup camera system.

Priced at $499.99, the Pearl RearVision is a backup camera kit that's designed to be installed on a car's rear license plate, giving iPhone users a simple way to get an aftermarket backup camera.

This system, compatible with cars made in 1996 and newer, is designed to work with an iPhone 5 or later, and it includes a Camera Frame, Car Adapter, and Phone Mount for use with the iPhone. It's easy enough to set up that it doesn't require a professional - it's similar to installing a license plate cover.

Once the Camera Frame is installed, it connects to an iPhone running the accompanying Pearl app and displays whatever's behind the car in either portrait or landscape mode using two wide-angle 180 degree HD camera lenses, one with infrared for night vision capabilities. The Car Adapter also plugs into the car's OBD port, and the whole thing connects to the iPhone over WiFi and Bluetooth.

Pearl RearVision includes collision detection and gives audible and visual alerts when objects, including cars and people, are in the way of the car. The warning noise varies based on how close an object is to the camera.

Using the iPhone's screen, it's possible to pan left and right to get a better view of what's behind the car, and the frame itself is both water resistant and theft resistant. A built-in solar panel provides power, allowing the device to be wire-free, while a built-in battery stores power.

We have one Pearl RearVision to give away to a MacRumors reader. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (April 28) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 5. The winner will be chosen randomly on May 5 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.

Merriam-Webster recently announced that it has added "sheeple" to its dictionary, an informal word that it defines as "people who are docile, compliant, or easily influenced" and thereby "likened to sheep."

The first example of the word in a sentence is pretty unremarkable…

James Nichols, who ran the family farm here, stamped dollar bills with red ink in protest against currency and told his neighbors that they were “sheeple” for obeying authority like livestock. — Sara Rimer and James Bennet

…but then there's this:

Apple's debuted a battery case for the juice-sucking iPhone—an ungainly lumpy case the sheeple will happily shell out $99 for. — Doug Criss

Merriam-Webster, which dates back to 1843, says the first usage of the word "sheeple" was in 1945, long before the advent of the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple as a company altogether. For what it's worth, the word's popularity apparently falls within the bottom 10 percent of its dictionary.

Sadly, this is not the Onion.

Uber today announced that it will begin rolling out a simplified way for users to permanently delete their personal information from the app over the next few weeks (via The Verge). The news follows a few months of protests against the company that included Uber's perceived opportunistic business tactics during the immigration airport protests in January, the questionable actions of CEO Travis Kalanick, and the app's location sharing practices.

Prior to the update, users could delete the app from their phone, but any data Uber had obtained from its users would remain on its servers unless customers personally emailed or called the company's support team. Now, users will be able to go through this process within the app itself thanks to a new "Delete Your Account" screen, which will immediately deactivate user accounts and then permanently delete everything after 30 days.

Uber said this protracted deletion period is a way for users to reverse their decision if they change their minds. Data deleted will also affect any information that was entered in Uber's food-related spin-off app, UberEats.

Late last year and early in 2017, Uber faced a series of backlashes from the public related to the app's tracking of user data up to five minutes after a trip ends, as well as multiple reports related to Kalanick and his relationship with President Donald Trump. Uber claims that the new account deletion update isn't in response to any of those previous reports, and that it's been in the works "for more than a year."

Uber insists today’s changes aren’t a response to those campaigns. A spokesperson said today’s release has been scheduled for several months, and the changes have been in the works for even longer. “We’ve been working on improving this [account deletion] experience for more than a year,” said an Uber spokesperson.

The update will also include more customizable notification settings, as well as a few tweaks to location sharing settings when friends ask to hail a ride from where you're located. The actual main location sharing feature is still a black and white choice, so users who opt-out will have to manually enter their location each time they want to request a ride.

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.

Ride-sharing company Didi Chuxing has raised more than $5.5 billion from investors in China, marking the largest amount of funding earned by a technology company ever in the country. Didi, which Apple invested $1 billion into last year, is believed to use its new funding to expand beyond China, invest in artificial intelligence initiatives, and even look into various driverless and automated vehicle technologies (via Bloomberg).

Specific investors for this round of funding were left unidentified, but people familiar with the investments suggested the likes of SoftBank Group, Silver Lake Kraftwerk, China Merchants Bank Co. and one arm of Bank of Communications Co. were all backing Didi. The company's total valuation is said to have been raised from $34 billion -- which it earned after acquiring Uber's business in China -- to now sit at $50 billion.

The funding places Didi ahead of Xiaomi's $46 billion valuation, and makes the company the world's second most valuable startup after Uber's $68 billion.

Ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing raised more than $5.5 billion from investors, scoring the largest round of funding ever for a technology company to bankroll an expansion beyond China and into driverless technology.

That price tag would surpass smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp.’s and make Didi the world’s most valuable startup after Uber. Didi amassed $10 billion in cash and equivalents last year, but the deal yields more ammunition as it prepares to challenge Uber and Alphabet Inc. in automated driving, and buys the company time to carve out new revenue streams.

Didi's expansion beyond hailing cars is believed to become "increasingly important," due to China's increasingly strict regulations regarding qualifications for the users who drive Didi vehicles. In places like Beijing and Shanghai, the company's drivers are required to be local residents, preventing what is estimated to be thousands of potential Didi Chuxing drivers from nearby towns and countryside to work for the startup.

As a potential major pillar of its expansion, Didi executives hope that investing into driverless technology research will assist in overcoming hurdles related to China's human driver restrictions. The further Didi investigates and tests driverless technologies, the more data Apple receives on the subject, since the companies are now working together and sharing notes related to autonomous innovations one or the other might make.

Cheng and President Jean Liu hope that adopting driverless technology will help overcome such hurdles in the future. Didi wants to take advantage of data on 400 million users across some 400 cities to aid research into AI and autonomous vehicles. It opened an artificial intelligence lab in Mountain View, California last month, called Didi Labs. And it’s already lured dozens of stalwarts in the field including former Uber auto-security expert Charlie Miller, known for remotely hacking into a Jeep Cherokee in 2015.

While Didi works on implementing driverless rides for its users, Apple is said to be working on a self-driving platform of its own, with a deadline of late 2017 when the company will officially decide on the "feasibility" of its progress on the tech at that time. Just this week, a Lexus SUV was spotted leaving an Apple facility in California, coming equipped with various sensors and cameras and believed to be one of the vehicles Apple is using to test self-driving cars on the road.