MacRumors

Shares in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) have climbed to their highest level on record, bucking a global slowdown in the smartphone market.

Bloomberg reports that TSMC's profits are attracting investors as demand for Apple's new iPhones fuels orders for its A10 processor on the back of a broader rally in technology companies over this year.

The world’s largest contract chipmaker has surged 32 percent, and the $156 billion company now accounts for 16 percent of Taiwan's entire equity market value, which is said to be the biggest proportion according to data stretching back 13 years.

Analysts are said to be unanimous in their recommendation that investors keep hold of their TSMC shares, and with Samsung Electronics faltering after discontinuing the Galaxy Note 7, market watchers predict the stock has room to rise further.

"Samsung's issues and the perceived benefit for Apple is surely creating some optimism," said Sandy Mehta, chief executive officer of Value Investment. "TSMC is the best in class. Valuations are not very high for TSMC, and rising estimates have led to investor optimism. The shares could still have upside."

Analysts predict the company's net income will increase 30 percent this quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Profit reportedly climbed 28 percent in the previous three months to $3.1 billion from a year earlier.

TSMC has reportedly secured exclusive orders for the A11 processor expected to power Apple's 2017 "iPhone 8". A TSMC spokesperson told Bloomberg the company will "soon" start mass production of chips using 10-nanometer processors, which will be used to build the A11 chip.

Readers interested in how TSMC won exclusivity with Apple for the A10 chip in the iPhone 7 can read MacRumors' article on the story here.

Twitter last week announced plans to shut down Vine, but it looks like the video sharing service could potentially live on as Twitter is currently entertaining multiple purchase offers.

According to TechCrunch, Twitter is vetting term sheets from several companies who are offering to buy Vine and "hopes to make a deal soon." Its not known which companies have made offers for Vine, but one rumor suggests Japanese company Line is in the running.

One source says that at least some of the offers are for under $10 million, indicating Twitter might not generate significant revenue directly from selling Vine.

However, Vine could still benefit Twitter even if it's owned by someone who would help it thrive and retain the strong integration between the two apps. Vine content plays instantly in the Twitter stream, bolstering its current parent company's quest to serve more video that could attract user engagement.

First introduced in 2013, Vine lets users capture six-second-long looping video clips that can be shared on social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Vine has had some stiff competition in recent years from companies like Snapchat and Instagram, leading to Twitter's decision to shut it down.

Should Vine not be sold, Twitter plans to shut it down "in the coming months." The Vine website will remain intact so Vines will continue to be available to watch and download, though no new content will be able to be created.

Vine's demise comes in the midst of significant layoffs at Twitter. In October, Twitter let go of nine percent of its staff, or 350 people, in an effort to cut costs and restructure its priorities.

Verizon has introduced two new prepaid data plans with 5GB for $50 per month and 10GB for $70 per month. Both plans include unlimited talk and text in the United States, Always-On Data, Carryover Data, Mobile Hotspot for 4G LTE tethering, and messaging to more than 200 countries at no additional cost.

Carryover Data allows Verizon customers to keep their unused data for an additional month. The feature automatically rolls your unused data for one month into the next. If you have 1GB of unused data remaining in November, for example, it would be added on top of your regular December data bucket.

Always-On Data provides unlimited data at up to 128 kbps speeds at no additional charge when a customer meets their monthly limit for high-speed data.

All prices require signing up for automatic payments with Verizon.

Verizon's postpaid data plans, by comparison, include 2GB for $35/month, 4GB for $50/month, 8GB for $70/month, 16GB for $90/month, and 24GB for $110/month. Each plan includes unlimited talk and text in the United States.

Verizon customers can review and make changes to their account using the revamped My Verizon app, available as a free download on the App Store [Direct Link].

T-Mobile has launched the SyncUP DRIVE, an all-in-one solution for in-vehicle 4G LTE connectivity, driving analysis, vehicle tracking, and maintenance monitoring.

The accessory plugs into the on-board diagnostic port, standard on most vehicles manufactured in 1996 or later. The OBD-II port is typically located underneath the driver's side dashboard, often within close proximity of the steering wheel. It is the same port used by mechanics to diagnose vehicle and engine problems.

The plug-in device can create a Wi-Fi hotspot that allows up to five devices to use 4G LTE cellular data. Meanwhile, the companion app uses GPS to track the vehicle's location, and it can provide maintenance reminders, recall info, speed limit warnings, and car trouble notifications with Diagnostic Trouble Codes.

SyncUP DRIVE is similar to the Automatic Pro, which also plugs into the OBD-II port and provides trip logging, business expensing, engine light diagnostics, fill-up logging, crash alerts, parking tracking, and more through a companion iPhone app. Automatic Pro costs $129.95 and includes unlimited 3G syncing for five years.

SyncUP DRIVE will be available on November 18 for $149.99. For a limited time, customers purchasing the device on a 24-month installment plan with at least 2GB of data per month will get the accessory for free after 24 monthly bill credits. The device is not compatible with electric, hybrid, or diesel vehicles.

The companion SyncUp DRIVE app for iPhone, developed by Mojio, will be available for free on the App Store.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the first tvOS 10.1 beta and more than a month after launching tvOS 10.

Designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, the tvOS 10.1 beta can be obtained by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, downloading and installing the software from a registered developer account via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Once a beta profile has been installed on the device through iTunes, new beta updates will be available over the air.

Many Apple TV owners are eagerly awaiting a promised Single Sign-On feature that will allow Apple TV users to sign in once with their cable credentials to access all available live cable content, and the feature has been introduced in the tvOS 10.1 beta.

Not included is the new "TV" app that was announced at Apple's October 27 event. "TV" is meant to be a TV guide-style app that provides users with recommendations on what to watch and an easy way to discover new television content.

tvOS 10, for those unfamiliar with the operating system, brings features like improved search, expanded Siri capabilities, a dark mode, a Continuity option for using the iPhone for text input, automatic app downloads, quicker access to live TV, and more.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 3.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the first watchOS 3.1.1 beta and two weeks after releasing watchOS 3.1, the first update to the watchOS 3 operating system.

watchOS 3.1.1 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. watchOS 3.1 requires an iPhone running iOS 10 to install.

As a minor 3.1.x update, watchOS 3.1.1 appears to focus on under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements, with no outward-facing changes discovered in the first watchOS 3.1.1 beta. We'll update this post should any new features be discovered in the second watchOS 3.1.1 beta.

watchOS 3 completely overhauls the interface on the Apple Watch, introducing a dedicated app dock, instant launch apps, new watch faces, and new complication options. There are new Activity sharing features, a "Breathe" app guides users through deep breathing sessions to cut down on stress, and an SOS feature can automatically call emergency service.

For more details on what's new in watchOS 3, make sure to check out our watchOS 3 roundup.

Facebook's popular messaging app WhatsApp for iPhone was updated over the weekend with long-overdue support for animated GIFs.

WhatsApp users can now send and receive their own animated GIFs, or discover and share GIFs from built-in services such as Giphy and Tenor -- which one exactly appears to be dependant on your region.

Likewise, videos that are shorter than six seconds and Live Photos can also be sent as GIFs. To send a Live Photo as a GIF, simply 3D Touch the photo after tapping on Attach > Photo/Video Library and choose "Select as GIF."

WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone. The app is now at version 2.16.15.

Ahead of Election Day in the United States tomorrow, November 8, a collection of popular iOS and Android ride-hailing apps have launched promos for customers to more easily make it to their polling location before the 8PM deadline (via BuzzFeed). As the biggest ride-hailing app in the U.S., Uber [Direct Link] recently announced that starting tomorrow an action sheet will pop up when users launch the app, reminding them to vote.

Through a partnership with Google, the prompt will also include a way for users to find their polling place, add it as a destination, and use Uber to make it to the polls. Uber said that the small update was implemented because the company wants "to make getting to and from your polling place easier than ever." As a blanket rule, polls open 6AM and close at 8PM.

Let Uber and Google help you get out to vote. As part of our ongoing campaign to encourage users to vote, Uber is teaming up with Google to launch a special in-app feature on November 8th that will help you locate your polling location and then seamlessly request a ride with just a push of a button.

Given the important decision people around the country will make on November 8th, we wanted to make getting to and from your polling place easier than ever. Teaming up with Google, Uber is excited to help make that trip as convenient and stress free as possible.

Another popular taxiing app, Lyft [Direct Link], is angling its Election Day promotion as more of a money-saver for its customers (via The Verge). In twenty select markets, Lyft riders will be able to get a 45 percent discount on one ride between 7AM and 8PM tomorrow, although the return trip does not receive a similar discount.

Lyft's promotion is limited to the following cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City and New Jersey, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, San Diego, and Washington. Eligible customers in these cities can check their inbox for a promotional email from Lyft and take advantage of the 45 percent discount in the Deals of the Week section of the app.

Car-sharing company Zipcar [Direct Link] is offering 7,000 of its vehicles completely free of charge on Election Day to customers riding to the polls. Of course, limitations apply, including the fact that a free Zipcar can only be taken between the limiting, last-minute window of 6PM and 10PM on the night of November 8. Users can reserve a Zipcar now, although supplies of the 7,000 rides available are likely to be limited.

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.

Gmail for iOS received a major update today with a brand new look, improved search with instant results and spelling suggestions, Undo Send for retracting accidental emails, and swipe to archive functionality for easier inbox management.

The app now more closely resembles Inbox by Gmail and Gmail for Android with a Material Design makeover, including an all-new pop-out side menu with a splash of color. Meanwhile, the new features should result in a faster experience for iPhone users.