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Uber begins the fight to keep its London license on Monday, and it's a battle that could define the company
Gurman: Higher-End AirPods to Launch in 2019, New HomePod and Over-Ear Headphones Also Likely Next Year
Is your 1440P monitor actually a downscaled 4K panel in disguise?

Uber begins the fight to keep its London license on Monday, and it's a battle that could define the company

Posted: 25 Jun 2018 07:24 AM PDT

This is a big test for Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's leadership.Getty

Uber will appear in court to appeal the loss of its operator's licence in London on Monday.
The case has big ramifications because London basically represents Uber's entire business in the UK.
London's transport regulator decided to revoke Uber's licence because of the company's record on safety — meaning there's a chance Uber could be kicked out of London.
But Uber's in with a fighting chance to reverse the decision because it's proactively made positive changes to its business.

Uber's fight to stay operational in London will begin in earnest on Monday morning, in a court case that has ramifications for its entire business.

It's a major test for chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, and the changes he has implemented to the ride-hailing company to appease public and regulatory criticism around the world.

Representatives for Uber will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London to appeal the loss of its operator's licence in the capital. London's transport regulator, TfL, revoked the licence last September.

The hearing is expected to continue for three days, and we won't necessarily know whether Uber has won its licence back at the end of the process. The appeal could go to a higher court.

Uber is continuing to operate in London in the meantime, but if it loses this process, it would have to quit London.

Uber will argue that it's "fit and proper" to hold a licence

When it announced its decision in September, TfL issued a 21-page document explaining why it didn't think Uber was "fit and proper" to hold an operator's licence. Specifically, it was worried about the company's record on passenger safety, the way it vetted drivers, and its alleged history of using software to evade US regulators.

Uber TFL A traditional black taxi driver protesting Uber being in London.(Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Sources expect Uber to point to the major changes it has made in the UK and Europe since September.

That includes hiring a former Amazon exec as its new northern Europe boss and appointing businesswoman Laurel Powers-Freeling as its new independent non-executive chair. It also brought in former travel head of Acromas Susan Hooper and media entrepreneur Roger Parry as non-executive directors this year.

It's also committed to reporting any serious incidents that take place on rides directly to the police.

Business Insider understands that the court isn't going to make a decision on whether TfL made the right call in September. Instead, it will decide on whether Uber is now "fit and proper" to hold a licence.

The company has already suggested that it could be given an 18-month licence, as opposed to its usual five-year licence, so that it can show it's made positive changes.

Follow Business Insider's coverage of the case on Monday.

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Gurman: Higher-End AirPods to Launch in 2019, New HomePod and Over-Ear Headphones Also Likely Next Year

Posted: 25 Jun 2018 04:58 AM PDT

Apple's audio device strategy has been highlighted today in a new report by Bloomberg, which looked forward to 2019 and the launch of the "higher-end" third-generation AirPods, next HomePod, and previously rumored over-ear headphones from Apple.

For the AirPods, next year's model is believed to be water resistant "to protect against rain and perspiration," which Bloomberg previously reported in February. In the new report, Mark Gurman and Debby Wu add that Apple is also working to introduce noise cancellation and increase the range that the AirPods can work away from iPhone or iPad, citing people familiar with Apple's plans.

Apple Inc. is about to pump up the volume on its audio-device strategy, planning higher-end AirPods, a new HomePod and studio-quality over-ear headphones for as early as next year, according to people familiar with the matter.

Additionally, the third-generation AirPods -- coming after this fall's expected second-generation update with "Hey Siri" support -- are expected to cost "more than the existing $159 pair." This is believed to cause Apple to "segment" the AirPods line like it does with iPhones, with a lower-cost model and a higher-cost model that has more features. One of these advanced features could also be a biometric sensor "like a heart-rate monitor."

Continuing its audio device push, Apple is eyeing an early 2019 debut for its over-ear headphones, after facing "development challenges" during its original late 2018 launch schedule. Bloomberg described the device as a "higher-end alternative to the company's Beats line," but otherwise didn't give any new details on features that could be coming to the headphones.

Lastly, the report quickly mentions that the second version of the HomePod is set to debut "as early as next year." Apple may also switch production on the smart speaker away from Inventec for the new model, in an overall shakeup of Apple's supply chain in regards to its audio devices. Sources said the company is looking to expand its partnership with Foxconn, which mainly helps manufacture the iPhone, and simultaneously lessen its reliance on Inventec, which helped supply AirPods and HomePod.

While updates to AirPods and HomePod have been expected, rumors first appeared for Apple's "own-branded" over-ear headphones back in February from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The audio accessory is expected to be "as convenient as AirPods" but with superior sound quality, active noise cancellation technology, and a price tag aimed at the high-end market.

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Is your 1440P monitor actually a downscaled 4K panel in disguise?

Posted: 25 Jun 2018 03:48 AM PDT

best gaming monitors asus pg279q — High-refresh rate 1440P displays like this PG279Q are one way to avoid downscaled 4K.

Some monitor manufacturers may be trying to save money when producing 1440P monitors by using downscaled 4K panels instead of native 2560 x 1440 panels. While that might seem like a free upgrade for those affected, there is no way for them to make full use of the increased resolution of the panel. Worse still, by downscaling away from the panel’s hardware-native resolution, the image quality is actually worse for it.

Whether we’re talking about the best monitor overall or the best gaming display, we almost always recommend a 1440P panel. They tend to have better feature sets like higher refresh rates, and even if it’s not always the case that they are more affordable by themselves, graphics card requirements are far lower with a 1440P display. That doesn’t mean 4K displays don’t have their uses, but when people buy a 1440P monitor, that’s what they want, not a downscaled 4K one.

But according to Prad.de, that’s exactly what some consumers have been stuck with. In its “Wolf in sheep’s clothing,” report, the German site suggests that the reason some of these (as yet unnamed) manufacturers take part in the practice, is because 4K panels have come down so much in price that they’re more affordable to manufacture. It does suggest this isn’t a common practice and one that typically only happens in times of high demand or low supply, but that some people with new “1440P” monitors may actually be running 4K panels instead.

The panels are said to be limited to the reduced resolution through a lock in the firmware, so it’s not possible to boost the resolution to its native. That’s unfortunate for users caught out like this too, as it can mean a worse image because of it.

For those potentially affected, one method for checking to see if you’ve been caught out by a downscaled panel is to look at text to see if it’s oddly blurry where it should be sharp and crisp. While larger visuals are said to be mostly unaffected, smaller icons and images may be noticeably blurry. Another method highlighted by TechSpot, is to look at the pixel size of your monitor. A true 2560 x 1440 display should have a pixel width of 0.23mm, while a 4K panel will have pixels that measure 0.16mm.