MacRumors

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has spoken out in favor of Apple and all other companies in the world paying the same 50% tax rate he does, calling anything less "unfair".

In an interview with the BBC published this morning, Wozniak, who left Apple in 1986, said that every company in the world should pay the same rate he pays as an individual. "I do a lot of work, I do a lot of travel and I pay over 50% of anything I make in taxes and I believe that's part of life and you should do it," he said.

Steve Wozniak
Tax avoidance has been brought back into focus by the recent Panama Papers revelations, a huge leak of documents that lifted the lid on how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth.

Asked about companies maximizing profit and the related issue of tax havens, Wozniak said he was personally never interested in making money, unlike his former partner, Steve Jobs. "Jobs started Apple Computers for money, that was his big thing and that was extremely important and critical and good," he said. "[But] we didn't think we'd be figuring out how to go off to the Bahamas and have special accounts like people do to try to hide their money."

"On the other hand," he continued, "any company that is a public company, its shareholders are going to force it to be as profitable as possible and that means financial people studying all the laws of the world and figuring out all the schemes that work that are technically legal. They're technically legal and it bothers me and I would not live my life that way."

Asked if he worried that Apple had moved so far away from its founding principles that it was now looking to actively pay less tax, Wozniak replied: "The company we founded in 1976 knew that we would be a worldwide company selling huge amounts of computers everywhere, and we just assumed we would pay taxes on it. And maybe the tax rates are different for a company than they are for a person, but that's something that bothers me to this day."

Apple is one of several multinational corporations that have been targeted for possible corporate tax avoidance in Europe. In September 2014, the European Commission formally accused it of receiving illegal state aid from Ireland, where it has reportedly paid a reduced tax rate of around 1.8% on its overseas profits.

In a March hearing at the European Parliament's tax committee, Apple claimed it was the "largest taxpayer in the world", in 2015 paying $13.2 billion in taxes worldwide at an effective tax rate of 36.4%.

Earlier this month, candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination for the United States, Bernie Sanders, said he wished Apple would stop trying not to pay its fair share of taxes and move some of its manufacturing to the U.S.

Tim Cook has previously said that Apple pays all of the taxes that it owes. In a December interview with Charlie Rose, he said accusations Apple avoids taxes on revenue held overseas is "total political crap". "There is no truth behind it," he said. "Apple pays every tax dollar we owe."

A decision in the European Commission's probe of Apple's tax affairs in Ireland is unlikely to be reached soon, according to EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager, who told reporters querying its conclusion, "Don't hold your breath."

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.

Apple has released a brand new ad called "Renewable Energy," which takes place entirely within the Messages app. The ad is focused on explaining how 100% renewable energy at Apple's data centers enables users to send and enjoy iMessages to and from friends.


The ad argues that since the tech behind iMessages is renewable and environmentally friendly, users are showing Earth "some love" by using the service. The ad ends with Apple's green-stemmed Earth Day logo and arrives just in time for Earth Day, which is April 22.


In 2013, Apple announced that its data centers were using 100% renewable energy. Worldwide, 93% of Apple's facilities run on renewable energy. Its new headquarters, Apple Campus 2, will also run on 100% renewable energy.

Apple is celebrating Earth Day by updating its retail stores' logos with green accents and providing retail employees with green shirts. The company is also promoting stores that run on 100% renewable energy with new signage.

Last week, the iTunes Movies and iBooks stores mysteriously went down in China. A new New York Times report says the stores were forced down by the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

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Initially, Apple apparently had the government’s approval to introduce the services. But then a regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, asserted its authority and demanded the closings, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

An Apple spokeswoman said the company "hoped to make books and movies available again to our customers in China as soon as possible." The store closures come six months after they were launched alongside Apple Music in the country.

Compared to other tech companies, Apple has had success in launching new ventures in the China. Most recently, Apple launched Apple Pay in the country in partnership with UnionPay, China's state-run interbank network.

After the shutdown of the two stores, China's President Xi Jinping conducted a meeting on China's restrictive internet policies with Alibaba's Jack Ma, Huawei's Ren Zhengfei and other tech leaders in the country, according to The NYT. Daniel H. Rosen, a founding partner at Rhodium Group, a firm that specializes in the Chinese economy, tells The New York Times that China has an interest in promoting Chinese tech companies while attempting to reduce the impact of foreign tech giants like Apple in the country.

Apple is one of eight companies that China has targeted for being "too deeply established in the country's core industries" according to The New York Times. Other companies on China's list include IBM, Qualcomm and Microsoft. Earlier today it was reported that local Chinese handset makers like Huawei faced inventory losses and squeezed market share following the launch of the iPhone SE.

Apple has worked to grow its business in China, now its second biggest market, spending several years in negotiations with China Mobile, the country's largest carrier, to bring the iPhone to its 700 million customers. The two agreed to a deal in 2013. Tim Cook has also made several visits to the country, with Apple also planning to expand its retail efforts.

Last November, when asked whether Apple had run into censorship problems in China, Eddy Cue said that the company had a "great working relationship" with China and that the launch of Apple Music and the iTunes Movies and iBooks stores showed that Apple knew how to work in the country.

4/22 update: The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post has linked the store closures to the release of controversial independent movie Ten Years, which won best picture prize at this month’s Hong Kong Film Awards, despite being banned in China. News of the store closures broke shortly before the movie became available on iTunes in Hong Kong. The dystopian film imagines Hong Kong in 2025 with language police, mini Red Guards, radical protest and social alienation rife.

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.

Tag: China

Apple today added banners to the iTunes and App Stores allowing customers to donate to the American Red Cross in support of people affected by the earthquakes that hit Ecuador and Japan last week.

Donations made through iTunes and the App Store can be placed using credit cards already on file with Apple, making the donation process simple. Customers are able to donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100, or $200 to relief efforts. 100% of all donations made through iTunes will be given to the American Red Cross. [Direct Link to Donations]

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48 people have died in Japan and thousands more were injured after magnitude 6.2 and 7.0 earthquakes hit southwest Japan on April 14 and 16, causing severe damage in the Kumamoto and Ōita prefectures. More than 140 aftershocks have also affected the region.

In Ecuador, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit approximately 110 miles from Quito on April 16, killing more than 500 people and injuring thousands more.

Apple has used the iTunes Store donation method multiple times in the past to raise money for charity, most recently accepting donations in September to support the refugee and migration crisis across the Mediterranean Sea and Europe. Other previous relief effort fundraising campaigns have included the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the 2013 Phillippines typhoon, Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

United States Federal Bureau of Investigations Director James Comey today gave some hints on how much the agency paid to access the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, suggesting a sum upwards of $1.3 million.

According to Reuters, Comey said the FBI paid an amount exceeding what he will make in the next seven years and four months as director of the FBI. Comey's annual salary is at $183,300, and without raises or bonuses, will result in earnings of $1.34 million.

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Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum in London, Comey was asked by a moderator how much the FBI paid for the software that eventually broke into the iPhone.

"A lot. More than I will make in the remainder of this job, which is seven years and four months for sure," Comey said. "But it was, in my view, worth it."

According to anonymous law enforcement officials, Farook's iPhone did not contain contacts or messages resulting in new leads in the investigation, but it did clarify that Farook did not make contact with a third-party following the attack, suggesting he and his wife did not have assistance from friends or family members.

The FBI reportedly paid the sum in question to "professional hackers," at least one of which is a "gray hat" researcher that sells security flaws to governments, black market groups, and companies creating surveillance tools.

The method used to gain entry to the iPhone 5c owned by Farook does not work on the iPhone 5s or newer, but the FBI can continue to use it to access iPhone 5c devices running iOS 9.

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.

Following the launch of the new 12-inch Retina MacBook earlier this week, Apple Stores in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, U.K. and other countries have begun receiving limited stock of the notebook to set up as display models and to fulfill in-store purchases.

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Apple today reenabled its web-based Personal Pickup tool for the 12-inch MacBook, and the availability checker shows that select models are currently in stock at select Apple Stores in or near major U.S. cities, including Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

Outside of the U.S., the 12-inch MacBook is also available in or within the surrounding metropolitan area of a number of major international cities, including Adelaide, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brisbane, Hamburg, Ottawa, London, Madrid, Milan, Montréal, Munich, Naples, Paris, Perth, Rome, Sydney, Toronto, and Vancouver. Many other locations offer the notebook on a ship-to-store basis.

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Due to limited per-store availability of the 12-inch MacBook during launch week, it is highly recommended that prospective buyers call their local store ahead of time to confirm in-store stock. A crowdsourced list of Apple Stores with new 12-inch MacBook stock is also available in the MacRumors discussion forums.

The new 12-inch MacBook is also coming to Apple Authorized Resellers like Adorama, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo, MacMall, and others.

Related Forum: MacBook

Apple CEO Tim Cook was once again named one of "the 100 most influential people" by TIME magazine in its annual list recognizing individuals who have made a major impact on the world. Tim Cook is recognized as a "Titan" alongside people like Yuri Milner, Binny and Sachin Bansal, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Wang Jianlin, and Pope Francis.

Each person included on TIME's list is featured alongside an essay written by an associate, with Cook's 2016 note penned by Disney CEO Bob Iger.

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Apple is known for elegant, innovative products that change the world by transforming how we connect, create and communicate, as well as how we work, think and act. Its continued success requires a leader of great courage and character who demands excellence, upholds the highest ethical standards and routinely challenges the status quo, including encouraging vital conversations about who we are as a culture and a community.

Tim Cook is that kind of leader.

Behind his soft-spoken demeanor and Southern manners is a focused fearlessness that comes from deep personal conviction. Tim is committed to doing the right thing, in the right way, at the right time and for the right reasons. As CEO, he's led Apple to new heights, and he continues to build a global brand that is universally recognized as an industry leader and widely respected for its values.

Tim Cook has been included on the list of most influential people several times, and in 2014, Cook was nominated for the TIME person of the year after making the bold move of publicly announcing his sexual orientation despite being a notoriously private person.

Other notable people included on TIME's 2016 list include actors, world leaders, scientists, and notable people from the tech world. Priscilla and Mark Zuckerberg, YouTuber Pewdiepie, Aziz Ansari, Sundar Pichai, Stephen Curry, Adele, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Barack Obama were some of this year's most influential people.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.5 update to public beta testers, just one day after releasing the second OS X 10.11.5 beta to developers and a month after releasing OS X 10.11.4, the fourth update to the OS X 10.11 operating system.

The second beta of OS X 10.11.5 is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store for those who are enrolled in Apple's beta testing program. Those who want to join the program can sign up on Apple's beta testing website.

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Most of the updates to OS X 10.11 have been minor in scale, and OS X 10.11.5 is no exception. The update appears to focus on under-the-hood bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements with no obvious outward-facing changes discovered in the first two developer betas.

Related Forum: OS X El Capitan

applestorenewiconApple today updated its Apple Store app to add expanded 3D Touch support for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices. 3D Touch Quick Actions were previously available, allowing users to quickly access orders, a store list, accessories, and the shop, but as of today, the Apple Store app also supports Peek and Pop gestures within the app itself.

Using a force press on a link listed in the app will now bring up a "Peek" preview of the content, with a "Pop" able to fully open a window. These gestures are limited to devices with 3D Touch.

Today's update also makes the Apple Store app available in Korea, Russia, and Thailand, three locations where it was not previously available for download.

The Apple Store app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple today provided developers with the second beta of an upcoming 9.2.1 update to tvOS, the operating system designed to run on the fourth-generation Apple TV. tvOS 9.2.1 is a minor update that comes one month after the launch of tvOS 9.2, a major update that introduced a range of features from Bluetooth keyboard support and dictation to Siri search for the App Store and app folders.

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tvOS betas are more difficult to install than beta updates for iOS and OS X. Installing the tvOS beta requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator. Those who have already installed the first tvOS 9.2.1 beta will be able to update to the second beta over the air.

As a minor 9.x.x update, tvOS 9.2.1 likely focuses on bug fixes and performance updates to address issues discovered since the release of tvOS 9.2. No new outward-facing changes were found in the first tvOS 9.2.1 beta, but should any new features pop up in beta 2, we will list them below.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

ios93Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3.2 update to public beta testers, just a day after seeding the second iOS 9.3.2 beta to developers. iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 comes just over a month after the public release of iOS 9.3 and three weeks after the release of iOS 9.3.1, a followup bug fix update. iOS 9.3.2 has been in testing since April 6.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the iOS 9.3.2 update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on their iOS device.

Those who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to both iOS and OS X betas.

iOS 9.3.2, as a minor 9.x.x update, focuses primarily on performance improvements and under-the-hood bug fixes to address issues that have been discovered since the release of iOS 9.3. We don't know all of the fixes that will be included, but significant Game Center bug appears to have been fixed in the first beta, while iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 added the ability to use Low Power Mode and Night Shift simultaneously. No other outward-facing changes or immediately apparent bug fixes have been discovered in the first two developer betas.

Related Forum: iOS 9

Griffin Technology has announced that its BreakSafe Magnetic USB-C Power Cable for the 12-inch Retina MacBook, including the new Early 2016 model introduced earlier this week, will start shipping on Monday, April 25.

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BreakSafe is a magnetic breakaway power cable for USB-C laptops such as the 12-inch MacBook which, unlike the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, does not feature Apple's proprietary MagSafe technology first introduced in 2006.

The cable, originally announced at CES 2016, has a quick-release magnetic connector that plugs into the 12-inch MacBook's USB-C port and safely disconnects from the rest of the cable when under stress or strain, such as tripping over the power cord.

BreakSafe's magnetic connector is 12.8mm deep, while the USB-C cable is six feet (1.8m) long. The cable, compatible with USB Power Delivery and rated up to 60 watts, is for charging power only and does not support data and video.

BreakSafe can be ordered now for $39.99 on Griffin's website ahead of April 25 shipping.

Related Forum: MacBook

Apple's efforts to move its cloud infrastructure in-house for its web services are being slowed by "political infighting" between the company's iCloud and Siri engineering teams, according to The Information.

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The paywalled report claims that the fighting is holding back Apple from fixing "technical problems that have plagued iCloud and iTunes," while at least one key engineering manager is said to have departed the company over the ongoing conflict.

Steve D’Aurora, an engineering manager in a team led by Patrick Gates, resigned last week. That’s raised the possibility that Mr. D’Aurora’s superior, Darren Haas, a “head of cloud engineering,” would leave as well. Both Mr. D’Aurora and Mr. Haas joined Apple through its 2010 acquisition of Siri, the voice-activated assistant on the iPhone.

Multiple sources claim that Apple is working on building its own internal cloud infrastructure, known as "Project McQueen" internally, to reduce its dependence on services like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Apple spends an estimated $1 billion or more on cloud services each year.

Apple reportedly inked a $400 to $600 million deal with Google last year to "significantly" cut down on its reliance on Amazon Web Services, but its reliance on third-party providers should decrease as it builds or expands new data centers in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Ireland, and Denmark.

The new infrastructure is meant to help improve the reliability of iCloud and Apple’s other apps. The infrastructure work has taken on added significance this year. Apple CEO Tim Cook has publicly played up the company’s intention to generate more Internet-services revenue from existing iPhone owners, including from the App Store and things like Apple Music.

In June 2015, it was reported that Apple is building a high-speed content delivery network and planning to upgrade its data centers with more of its own equipment. The foundation of the high-speed data network was reported to be long-haul pipes connecting Apple data centers in California, Nevada, North Carolina, and Oregon.

Apple may be enlisting Chinese server vendor Inspur to help migrate its cloud services in house. Inspur already has employees and facilities close to Apple's headquarters in California, including an R&D team and production center, and it has previously agreed to partnerships with Microsoft, Intel, IBM, and other technology companies.

Intel-iPhone-6sQualcomm shares are currently trading lower after the chip maker suggested during an earnings call Wednesday that it will be losing orders from one of its major customers to one of its leading competitors.

Analysts believe that customer will be Apple, according to Bloomberg, following rumors that the Cupertino-based company will rely on Intel to supply the majority of LTE modems for the iPhone 7, which is expected to be announced at a media event this September.

Qualcomm Chief Executive Officer Steve Mollenkopf told analysts he is “assuming” that a major customer will give orders to a rival, indicating a potential loss of business for the company. […] Samsung already uses multiple suppliers, leaving only Apple to make this change.

In early March, CLSA Securities analyst Srini Pajjuri issued a research note claiming that Intel has secured a "significant portion" of LTE chip orders from Apple, likely in the range of 30 to 40 percent of production. Pajjuri believes Qualcomm will likely be tasked with at least a portion of the remaining orders.

Intel reportedly has 1,000 or more employees working on preparing its 7360 LTE modem for the next-generation iPhone. Intel's 7360 LTE modem chip [PDF] features faster theoretical downlink speeds up to 450 Mbps, uplink speeds up to 100 Mbps, and support for LTE category 10 and 29 LTE bands overall.

The switch to Intel LTE chips means the iPhone 7 could have even faster LTE speeds for browsing the web, downloading apps, streaming video, and other data-related tasks. Apple already improved LTE speeds on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus by adopting LTE-Advanced, which pushed downlink speeds up to a theoretical max of 300 Mbps.

Apple currently sources all of its LTE modems for iPhones from Qualcomm, including the MDM9635 chipset in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which provides theoretical downlink speeds up to 300 Mbps and uplink speeds up to 50 Mbps. Qualcomm has been Apple's exclusive supplier of LTE modems for over three years.

Rumors suggest that Apple may eventually create an all-in-one system-on-a-chip that includes both an A-series processor and an LTE modem chip for improved speed and power management. Intel could play a key role in licensing and fabricating the chipset based on its advanced 14-nanometer process.

Related Forum: iPhone

Facebook has announced a new feature coming to its standalone Messenger app that will let users start up group calls with up to 50 friends and family members. Rolling out now to the iOS and Android Messenger apps, the update will use previously established group chats within Facebook's messaging client as a springboard for starting a voice call with the group's members (via TechCrunch).

Users will be able to begin a group call by tapping the new phone icon at the bottom of a group chat window, picking which members they specifically want included in the call, and waiting for them to receive a Messenger notification and jump in on the conversation. The social media company confirmed that a total of 50 people can be in on one group call at a time, and that anyone late to the call can join after the fact through the same phone icon in the group's chat log.

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An in-progress group call on the Messenger apps for iOS and Android

Group calls are an extension of Messenger's established one-on-one voice and video calling features, and the company has said that group video conferencing could be coming down the line, as well. "Group video calling is definitely a use case that a lot of our people might be interested in at some point," Stan Chudnovsky, Messenger's head of product, said in an interview last year. "It would be a big deal if the whole [shakes hand to simulate lack of video stabilization] thing goes away.”

In addition to expanding Messenger into its own self-sufficient communication hub, Facebook has been slowly rolling out new features into its mainline application. Earlier in the year it introduced six new "Reactions" so users could communicate their feelings on a post beyond the binary liking system. At its F8 Conference, it also pushed ahead into the Live Video and broadcasting features introduced to a handful of prominent celebrities last summer, and expanded to wide use this month.

Product Hunt, the site that specializes in surfacing new technology products, books, games, and podcasts, is today launching a dedicated Mac app. The Product Hunt Mac app adds a menu bar widget to Macs, giving users a way to stay updated with new site content throughout the day.

Once installed, Product Hunt for Mac adds a "P" icon to the Mac's menu bar, which can be clicked to display a list of the day's stories. It's a simple app that has few bells and whistles, but it offers Product Hunt fans a quick way to access posts. The app updates on a regular basis and is set up to display a notification badge whenever an unread story is available.

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In the app, users will see a list of the most highly upvoted products, games, podcasts, and books, with trending posts at the top of the feed. Clicking on a story headline opens the Product Hunt website in the default browser, where users can read more about a particular product.

Settings allow for a small bit of customization, with filters for only displaying posts that have a certain number of votes to limit the content that's offered up. There are also built-in FAQs and help documents for users who are new to Product Hunt.

Product Hunt for Mac is open source and available on GitHub, allowing Product Hunt users to help improve it. Product Hunt also offers an API for developers to create third-party apps for the web, iPhone, and Android. The new Mac app can be downloaded from the Product Hunt website for free.

SanDisk's iXpand Flash Drive, which is able to transfer files between an iPhone and a PC, has been around since 2014, giving iPhone and iPad users a simple way to back up their photos, offload extra content, and expand the storage space on their devices.

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Today, SanDisk is ready to debut a second-generation iXpand Flash Drive, introducing the same file transfer functionality in a smaller package with faster USB 3.0 transfer speeds and a revamped app that makes it easier to use. Available in 16, 32, 64, and 128GB capacities, the iXpand can back up a full photo library and store a wide range of media files that can be viewed directly from the drive.

Design

The new iXpand Flash Drive, made of metal and a flexible rubber, material, has a curved design with a Lightning connector on one end and a USB connector on the other end. When plugged into an iPhone, the USB connector wraps around the back, allowing the iPhone to be used as normal while it's plugged in.

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Design wise, the iXpand Flash Drive works well. When plugged in, the iXpand sticks out from the Lightning connector about an inch, but it doesn't seem to interfere with normal usage. It makes it more awkward to hold an iPhone or stick it in a pocket with the dongle plugged in, but it's not difficult to adjust to.

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Tag: SanDisk

The launch of the iPhone SE in China has squeezed market share from local brands causing handset makers to rein in their inventory stockpiling for future component shipments, according to sources in the supply chain (via DigiTimes).

The introduction of the relatively low-priced iPhone SE into the Chinese market has reportedly affected the performance of brands including Huawei, Xiaomi Technology, Vivo, and Oppo. The intensified competition means handset makers are reluctant to build up inventories based on what they now perceive as over-confident shipment prospects, said the sources.

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The conservatism follows similar trends last year when shipment numbers failed to meet expectations. Camera module makers in particular were exposed to a high level of inventories in 2015 after optimistic shipment projections, but ended up shipping only 70 to 80 percent of their stockpiles. As a result, camera module suppliers have grown skeptical of prospects from vendors marketing smartphones with dual lenses.

Sources also noted that Apple's efforts to upgrade the internal voltage of its power supply devices from 15 volts to 20 volts to improve charging efficiency has left power supply makers with excessive inventories.

Apple is expected to include a dual-lens camera in the iPhone 7, set to be released in the fall of this year. However, according to respected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the dual camera will be exclusive to Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone.