MacRumors

Apple is facing a trademark battle in Brazil as the Brazilian Supreme Court is set to determine whether Apple is allowed to use the iPhone trademark in Brazil.

The Brazilian Supreme Court will rule on the issue following a constitutional appeal by IGB Electronica, an electronics company that registered the ‌iPhone‌ trademark in Brazil in 2000.

Under the name Gradiente, IGB Electronica produced a line of IPHONE-branded Android smartphones in Brazil in 2012, and there was a period of time where the Brazilian company was given exclusive rights to the ‌iPhone‌ trademark.

There was a trademark battle and ultimately, Apple and IGB Electronica were both provided rights to use the name in the country. Since then, there's been continual back and forth fighting with each company attempting to gain exclusive rights to the trademark, but a 2018 decision upheld a 2013 ruling that gave both brands permission to use the trademark.

Earlier this year, IGB Electronica revived the dispute in an attempt to get the 2018 decision reversed by Brazil's Supreme Federal Court, and the court has agreed to hear the case. IGB argues that allowing Apple to use the trademark first filed by IGB "punishes creativity."

"Allowing a company to claim a trademark submitted in good faith by another one punishes creativity, distorts free competition and runs over Brazilian intellectual property authorities," says IGB's lawyer Igor Mauler Santiago in the petition. He also alleges the violation of free initiative and of trademarks protection, principles expressly prescribed in the Brazilian Constitution.

Apple has claimed that it was inappropriate for the National Institute of Industrial Property to grant the trademark to Gradiente in 2008 even though it was filed in 2000 because at that point, the ‌iPhone‌ existed.

It's not yet clear when the Brazilian Supreme Court will hear the case and come to a decision. IGB has been struggling for years and has lost close to 1 billion Brazilian Reals since 2018, so the ultimate goal may be a payout from Apple to end the dispute. Today's press release announcing the court's decision highlights commercial deals Apple has made in other countries to acquire rights to the ‌iPhone‌ trademark.

Apple's Brazilian dispute comes just after news that Apple has opposed the trademark application for Prepear, a recipe and meal planning app that uses a pear for an Apple logo. Apple fears people who encounter the pear logo will associate it with Apple.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 13.6.1, minor updates that come a month after the release of the iOS 13.6 update with Car Keys and Audio Apple News+ stories.

The iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.6.1 updates are available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

iOS 13.6.1 addresses an issue that could cause unneeded system data files to not be automatically deleted when storage is low, and it addresses a thermal management issue that caused some iPhone displays to exhibit a green tint. It also has a fix for a bug that could cause Exposure Notifications to be disabled for some users.

Apple's full release notes for the update are below:

iOS 13.6.1 includes bug fixes for your iPhone.

- Addresses an issue where unneeded system data files might not be automatically deleted when available storage is low
- Fixes a thermal management issue that caused some displays to exhibit a green tint
- Fixes an issue where Exposure Notifications could be disabled for some users

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iOS 13.6.1 is likely to be one of the last updates to the iOS 13 operating system as Apple has transitioned to working on iOS 14, an update that is set to be released this fall.

Apple today released a supplemental update for macOS Catalina 10.15.6, with the update coming a month after the original launch of macOS Catalina 10.15.6.

The ‌‌macOS Catalina‌‌ 10.15.6 Supplemental Update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store using the Update feature in the System Preferences app.

According to Apple's release notes, the update fixes a problem that could cause virtualization apps like VMware to crash. It also fixes an issue that could cause the 2020 iMac to appear washed out after waking from sleep. Apple's full release notes are below:

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 supplemental update includes bug fixes for your Mac.

- Fixes a stability issue that could occur when running virtualization apps
- Resolves an issue where an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2020) may appear washed out after waking from sleep

macOS Catalina 10.15.6 will likely be the last update to the macOS Catalina operating system as Apple transitions to macOS Big Sur, the newest version of macOS set to be released in the fall.

England is developing a contact tracing app that uses Apple and Google's Exposure Notification API, and while there are still bugs to be worked out, it's set to be trialed in a few areas in the country starting tomorrow.

According to the BBC, the app will be trialed on the Isle of Wight and in one other area with a volunteer group. The experiment is being launched quietly as there's no word on when a formal national rollout might happen.

Even as the app enters a trial period, engineers are struggling to address a problem with Bluetooth distance calculations. Apparently the app wrongly flags people of being within 6.6 feet of one another when they're not, which could lead to people quarantining when they don't need to.

Apple and Google do not provide raw Bluetooth signal strength data to app developers to better protect user privacy. Multiple countries have asked for relaxed restrictions.

Part of the problem with the Apple-Google framework is that the tech firms have decided that developers should not get access to raw attenuation data - a measure of changes in Bluetooth signal strength.

Instead, it provides a more basic set of readings that an app can use to calculate its own risk scores - the idea being that this helps preserve users' anonymity.

But one consequence of this, is that engineers have not been able to take advantage of a technique developed by researchers at the UK's Turing Institute and the University of Oxford. It filters the data to give a better indication of proximity.

England's app engineers are hoping to be able to improve accuracy to a degree that will be usable by the end of the year.

As with other ‌Exposure Notification‌ solutions, the app will use Bluetooth to determine when two people come into contact with one another to track possible coronavirus exposures. If a person is diagnosed with COVID-19, the app allows them to notify all of the people they've been in contact with, cutting down on the spread of the virus.

The app England is developing will also ask users to scan a QR code when entering properties as a way to later alert them if they've visited a location linked to multiple infections.

The UK did not initially plan to use Apple and Google's ‌Exposure Notification‌ API and was instead pursuing a different approach, but a June report suggested the National Health Service had changed its mind and was working on an app using the Apple/Google API.

The original app was hobbled by restrictions that Apple imposes on Bluetooth apps, which would have prevented an app that doesn't use the ‌Exposure Notification‌ API from accessing Bluetooth in the background. Because Bluetooth was not continually available, the app that was initially in development only detected four percent of iPhones in situations where the app was asleep and the two devices involved had not been recently used.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.

Dropbox today announced that it has made three new features available to the public following beta testing, including a password manager, file vault, and automatic computer backup functionality on the Mac and PC, as noted by The Verge.

An overview of the new features:

• Dropbox Passwords: Similar to 1Password, this password manager allows you to save your account usernames and passwords and sync them across your devices, with autofilled or suggested passwords when you sign into websites and mobile apps. Dropbox Passwords is available as a desktop app, mobile app, and browser extension for Dropbox Plus and Dropbox Professional subscribers.
• Dropbox Vault: This feature allows users to create a location in Dropbox with an additional layer of security for sensitive files. The vault is protected by a PIN and can be shared with trusted contacts. Vaults can only be opened from Dropbox.com and the Dropbox mobile app. This feature will only be available for Dropbox Plus users.
• Dropbox Computer Backup: This feature allows users to automatically back up certain key folders on their Mac or PC, such as Desktop, Documents, and Downloads, to Dropbox. This feature is being made available to all Dropbox users.

More details can be found in Dropbox's blog post from June.

China will no longer be the world's manufacturing epicenter going forward, according to Apple's largest supply chain partner Foxconn, which has been gradually expanding its operations in other countries amid the U.S.-China trade war.

"No matter if it's India, Southeast Asia or the Americas, there will be a manufacturing ecosystem in each," said Foxconn chairman Young Liu, according to Bloomberg. Liu boldly proclaimed that while China will continue to be a key location for Foxconn's factories, the country's "days as the world's factory are done."

The report claims that Foxconn's manufacturing capacity outside China is now 30 percent of its total, up from 25 percent last June. Foxconn is one of several Apple suppliers that has expanded operations in India and Vietnam in particular.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Foxconn has commenced its seasonal hiring spree to assist with iPhone 12 production. Apple is widely expected to announce four ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ models this year, including a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a 6.7-inch model, all with OLED displays, 5G connectivity, and a new flat-edged design.

While new iPhones usually begin shipping in late September, Apple recently indicated that supply will be available "a few weeks later" this year. Foxconn expects a dip in its third quarter earnings results as a result of this delay.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.

Facebook, owner of Instagram, is facing a lawsuit over allegedly harvesting the biometric data of users, according to Bloomberg.

Last month, Facebook offered to pay a $650 million settlement in a similar lawsuit in which it was accused of illegally collecting biometric data via Facebook's photo-tagging feature. The settlement has not yet been approved by the judge, but if it is, affected users could be paid up to $400 each.

The new case was filed in California state court on Monday. Facebook was specifically accused of collecting, storing, and profiting from the biometric data of over 100 million Instagram users. Crucially, users did not give consent and were not aware of this alleged data-harvesting. Users were only made aware of biometric data collection on Instagram at the start of this year, but it is believed to have occurred for some time before that.

The lawsuit adds that unauthorized collection of biometric data would be a violation of Illinois privacy law, in which case Facebook could be forced to pay up to $5,000 per violation. Facebook did not respond to a request for comment from Bloomberg.

Google-owned navigation app Waze today announced that it is expanding railroad crossing alerts to additional countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, and others, according to The Verge. The safety feature quietly launched in the United States, Canada, and Belgium earlier this year.

Enabled by default, the alerts pop up in the Waze app when a driver is approaching a railroad crossing on a street. The feature can be disabled in Waze's in-app settings under Map display > Reports > Railroad crossing > Alert me while driving.

Waze is available for free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

In related news, Google Maps will be returning to the Apple Watch in the coming weeks. The app supports estimated arrival times and step-by-step directions on ‌the Apple Watch‌ when using saved destinations like Work or Home. Other destinations require navigation to start on the iPhone, with the directions then picked up by the ‌Apple Watch‌.

Last week, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple camera lens suppliers Genius Electronic Optical had discovered issues with cracking coatings on the wide-angle camera lens destined for the lower-end 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch ‌iPhone 12‌ models. Kuo noted that the issue was unlikely to have an impact on the iPhone 12 shipping schedule.

Genius Electronic Optical has since refuted the report, maintaining that its production is still running without issues and that demand from its clients remains normal, according to DigiTimes. In any case, Apple also has Largan Precision as a camera lens supplier for iPhone 12 models, so customers are unlikely to see any impact regardless.

Apple is widely expected to announce four ‌iPhone 12‌ models this year, including a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a 6.7-inch model, all with OLED displays and 5G connectivity. While new iPhones usually begin shipping in late September, Apple recently indicated that supply will be available "a few weeks later" this year.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Apple's largest manufacturing partner Foxconn commenced its seasonal hiring spree to assist with iPhone 12 production.

Read our iPhone 12 roundup for an overview of rumored features and specs.

Microsoft will launch its Surface Duo dual-screen Android phone on September 10, with prices starting at $1,399. Pre-orders will begin today at AT&T, Best Buy, and the Microsoft online store.

The Surface Duo features two 4:3 OLED displays that are connected side by side with a hinge. Each display is 5.6 inches in size, which results in a 3:2 8.1-inch overall tablet-style screen size.

You can hold the device like a book, using one side for one app and the other side for another app, or you can fold them up into a more traditional form factor. They can also be unfolded into a notebook shape if desired. The device has two batteries under each display with a total capacity of 3577mAh, which Microsoft says equates to an "all day battery life."

The Surface Duo has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, 6GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. LTE is available on T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, but there is no support for 5G. Surface Duo supports Microsoft's Surface pens and comes with a protective bumper cover.

The device has a single 11-megapixel f/2.0 camera, which will include software modes for low light, HDR multi-frame captures, and a "super zoom" up to 7x. Both 4K and 1080p video recording are supported at 30fps and 60fps, with electronic image stabilization.

The Surface Duo runs a heavily skinned version of Android, and any Android app will run on the device without modification. Developers will be able to optimize the layout of their apps to take advantage of the dual displays. Microsoft is also using specifically-designed algorithms to instruct apps to open on the correct display depending on the user's needs.

The Surface Duo was unveiled in October 2019, alongside its larger sibling, the Surface Neo. The release date of the Surface Neo, Microsoft's larger tablet-sized foldable device with a similar design to the Duo, is as yet unknown. The Surface Neo is expected to run Windows 10X, a new custom software based on Windows 10, but designed for dual display devices.

MacRumors videographer Dan was in attendance at the October event and saw both newly announced products. Watch an overview over on our YouTube channel.

A new document outlining the potential scope of President Trump's TikTok ban suggests Apple could be forced to remove the short-form video sharing platform from its App Store in China.

Trump last week signed an executive order that would officially ban any U.S. transactions with TikTok if its Chinese parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it to a U.S. company in 45 days.

According to a White House document sent out to supporters and seen by Reuters, the ban aims to cut off U.S. business transactions, disrupt TikTok's funding, and eliminate its ability to operate within the United States.

"Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores ... purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device," the document states.

The document is believed to have been written the same week as two executive orders signed by Trump that target Chinese businesses, one of which is Tencent, the owner of the massively popular WeChat platform.

The document does not explicitly mention WeChat, but if the Trump administration decides to subject it to the same measures, the consequences for Apple could be huge.

WeChat is heavily relied upon in China as a messaging platform, as an interface for numerous other apps, and to make mobile transactions. WeChat is also widely used around the world and has over 1.2 billion monthly active users.

In a worst-case scenario, Apple's annual global iPhone shipments could decline by 25–30% if it was forced to remove WeChat from its App Stores around the world, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

TikTok could avoid a ban if it agrees sell off its U.S. operations to an American company. Microsoft has publicly confirmed its intention to purchase TikTok in the United States and is currently in discussions with ByteDance. Twitter has also reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the service.

TikTok earlier this week said it intends to sue the Trump administration to keep operating in the US, and claimed the executive order is "based on pure speculation and conjecture."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.

Major Apple supplier Foxconn reported better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, overcoming slowing smartphone sales thanks to rising telecommuting demand amid the global health crisis (via Reuters).

The iPhone manufacturer posted net profit of $778.54 million for the second quarter ended June, almost $5 billion more than a consensus estimate from analysts, and up around 34 percent from a year earlier.

The results reflect a huge turnaround for the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, following a near 90 percent drop in first-quarter profit at the beginning of this year.

Foxconn slashed its 2020 revenue outlook in March after strict quarantines were enforced at its China plants for a period in February, at the height of the crisis, which has now largely resolved in the country. Foxconn said at the time it believed the worst was over, and the company would stabilize in the second quarter.

Apple's new smartphone lineup is expected to arrive in the fall, and Foxconn firm has already begun its seasonal hiring spree to assist with ‌iPhone‌ 12 production.

More than 70 percent of the new iPhones could be assembled by Foxconn, according to Taipei-based KGI Securities. Analysts expect the launch to boost Foxconn’s revenue recovery in the months to come.

Apple is widely expected to announce four ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ models this year, including a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a 6.7-inch model, all with OLED displays and 5G connectivity.

Apple recently relaunched its Apple Music beta website to add a "Listen Now" feature that replaces the "For You" tab from the standard Apple Music website.

Listen Now is similar to For You, featuring Top Picks based on usage habits, recently played songs, and automatic playlists like Favorites Mix and Chill Mix, and it is updated with new suggestions regularly.

The new beta page, initially noticed by 9to5Mac, mirrors the new "Listen Now" tab that was introduced in Apple Music in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur, and it exists alongside the non-beta ‌Apple Music‌ website. Apple has also redesigned the beta ‌Apple Music‌ website to resemble the design of the Music app in iOS 14.

Apple made a web version of ‌Apple Music‌ available in September 2019, and the web experience exited beta in April 2020. ‌Apple Music‌ on the web lets ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers sign in to access their music libraries, playlists, personal mixes, and recommendations. Music content plays right in the web browser, so the web experience makes ‌Apple Music‌ available on any device.

‌Apple Music‌ on the web does not offer certain features that can be found in Apple's dedicated ‌Apple Music‌ apps like the option to see lyrics for songs that are playing.

The beta web experience is likely to replace the existing web experience when iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur launch to the public this fall. The beta site can be accessed at beta.music.apple.com, while the standard site is still available at music.apple.com.

Logitech recently debuted the Folio Touch, a keyboard and trackpad case designed for the 11-inch iPad Pro that serves as an alternative to the Magic Keyboard. In our latest YouTube video, we compare the $160 Folio Touch to Apple's $300 Magic Keyboard to see which is better.

Logitech is selling the Folio Touch for $160, while Apple's Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Pro‌ is much more expensive at $300, so right off the bat, it has a huge advantage when it comes to price.

The Folio Touch has better viewing angles thanks to a movable stand, it offers more protection for the ‌iPad Pro‌ because it encases the entire device, and the cover can be folded all the way back to use the ‌iPad Pro‌ in tablet mode or with an Apple Pencil, something the Magic Keyboard isn't capable of.

Design wise, the Folio Touch is bulkier because of the extra protection and made from a fabric material that's less prone to dust and grime, but that aforementioned stand is malleable and not as sturdy as the Magic Keyboard in a lap. The hinge of the Magic Keyboard is sturdy and the floating design is visually impressive, while the Folio Touch offers a more straightforward iPad folio case design.

One major advantage the Folio Touch offers is a function row of keys for controlling media, accessing the Home Screen, adjusting screen brightness, and more, and that's missing on the Magic Keyboard. There's space for charging the ‌Apple Pencil‌ with the Folio Touch and it can be held in place with a magnetic flap when the keyboard is closed. The same is true of the Magic Keyboard, but there's no extra flap for holding the ‌Apple Pencil‌ in place.

The Magic Keyboard's trackpad is a little bit better because it doesn't take as much force to click, but that's mitigated if you have tap to click turn on. Both trackpads have the same functionality and work with all the iPadOS gestures. The Magic Keyboard's keys also feel better under the fingers with more travel and a sturdier press, but it's a close call.

Both have backlighting and connect to the ‌iPad Pro‌ using the Smart Connector, so there's no need to charge or use Bluetooth, and both keyboard options seem to drain about the same amount of battery from the ‌iPad Pro‌. There's no extra USB-C port on the Folio Touch like there is on the Magic Keyboard, which is a negative if you want to use an extra accessory, plus the cutout is a little bit small so it might not work with docks.

Make sure to watch the full video for a better look at how the two keyboards compare, but in a nutshell, Logitech's Folio Touch is an appealing Magic Keyboard alternative because it offers the same functionality as the Magic Keyboard, and when it comes to the stand and the versatility of the case design, it's even better than the Magic Keyboard.

There are some perks to the Magic Keyboard like that extra USB-C port and the more unique and visually appealing hinge design, but at $160, the Logitech Folio is definitely worth considering for those who are looking for an ‌iPad Pro‌ keyboard. The biggest downside is that it's not yet available for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

We'll have a more in-depth review of the Logitech Folio Touch coming later this week, so keep an eye out for that, and let us know in the comments what you think about each keyboard.