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UnlabelledTechnology - Google News

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

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Technology - Google News

Pokémon Sword and Shield Launch Worldwide on November 15 - Crunchyroll News

Posted: 05 Jun 2019 07:00 AM PDT

Apple is not a monopoly claims CEO Tim Cook as two developers sue - Phone Arena

Posted: 04 Jun 2019 01:02 PM PDT

Yesterday, we told you that four U.S. tech firms could be investigated for possible antitrust violations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Justice Department (DOJ). Monday's report says that the former will probe Amazon and Facebook while the latter will look at Apple and Google. According to Reuters, Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks that it is fair for Apple to be under scrutiny by the U.S. government, but he says that the company is not a monopoly. During a televised interview on CBS, Cook said that while Apple does control 30-35% of the U.S. smartphone market, Apple is not too big and does not need to be broken up by the government.

Cook responded to a question about Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's comment that Apple should spinoff the App Store by noting that Walmart is allowed to sell lower priced house brands. Still, the executive said that "With size, I think scrutiny is fair. I think we should be scrutinized. I don't think anybody reasonable is gonna come to the conclusion that Apple's a monopoly."

The company is being investigated in the EU after Spotify complained that by taking a 30% cut of App Store revenue, Apple is forcing its subscribers to sign up with its own Apple Music streaming service. Spotify has raised its prices in the App Store to protect its profit margins, and that means that it is priced higher than Apple Music in Apple's iOS app storefront. Normally, Spotify charges the same exact prices as Apple Music does. And the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that iOS users can sue Apple for acting like a monopoly by taking a 30% cut of the revenue generated by apps in the App Store. The plaintiffs in a huge class action suit allege that since Apple doesn't allow users to sideload apps, they are forced to pay higher prices for apps because of the so-called 30% Apple tax.

Netflix and Spotify both rail against the Apple tax

In a related development, Reuters reports that two app developers are suing Apple for various reasons, including the fact that it allows iOS apps to be installed only through the App Store. The suit claims that by doing this, the company is engaging in anticompetitive conduct. The developers, Donald R. Cameron, and Illinois Pure Sweat Basketball, both complain about Apple's 30% revenue cut and the policy that forces them to price their apps in tiers ending in 99 cents. Google's Android-based app storefront, the Google Play Store, has similar rules. Google charges a distribution fee of 30% on revenue collected for app purchases and in-app purchases. However, Android allows users to sideload apps and avoid the Play Store.

"This practice is analogous to a monopsonist retailer paying artificially low wholesale prices to its suppliers. In both paradigms, a competitive market would yield better post-commission or wholesale prices, and fairer profit, for developers' digital products."-Developers suit against Apple

Apple has responded by saying that it applies its App Store policies to everyone "evenhandedly," whether or not Apple competes with a certain developer. The company notes that some of its rivals, like Microsoft, do very well by offering its apps in the App Store. Apple claims that 84% of the apps in its store are free, and says that it has paid developers a total of $120 billion since the App Store opened on July 10th, 2008.

Besides Spotify, Netflix also has been fighting back against the Apple tax. The video streamer no longer allows new subscribers to sign up for service via the iOS app. Last year, the company took in $853 million from the App Store. Since the store opened, Netflix has generated $1.5 billion from its listing, which means that Apple's cut has amounted to more than $450 million.

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How to block robocalls on iPhone with the incoming Apple software update - Fox Business

Posted: 04 Jun 2019 09:55 AM PDT

With Apple's incoming software update — iOS 13 — you may never have to see "unknown caller" pop up on your iPhone again.

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During Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference Monday, the tech giant previewed several new features it expects to roll out in the fall. But if you're constantly pressing the decline button on robocalls, then this may be your favorite one yet.

Apple said a new setting within the software update will enable iPhone users to essentially block calls from unknown users, who tend to be spam or scam callers.

"When the setting is turned on, iOS uses Siri intelligence to allow calls to ring your phone from numbers in Contacts, Mail, and Messages. All other calls are automatically sent to voicemail," Apple explains on its website.

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It's likely iPhone users won't even be alerted by a ring or vibration when an unknown caller dials up their phones. You'll only be notified if that caller leaves a voicemail, which you can click on to read a transcript to determine whether the call was legitimate.

According to CNBC, Android already offers a similar feature on Google Pixel that has apparently been well-received.

However, some consumers voiced concerns about Apple's new offering on Monday.

"Has anyone told @Apple that not all unknown callers are robocalls? Just wondering..." one Twitter user asked.

"That doesn't alleviate the problem, because now you have to fish their message out of your VM," another commented.

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"Anyone who runs a business from their cellphone will be sending every new customer to voicemail," a third argued.

Others welcomed the new feature, which, they emphasized users can opt in or out of.

"Something I've been asking for for years is on its way," one eager iPhone user wrote on Twitter.

"This is the biggest reason I'll upgrade my iPhone to the iOS 13 beta. No more privacy-killing third-party apps that fail to block spam calls half the time," a user added.

"Silence Unknown Caller feature is the best new phone feature on the iPhone since visual voicemail #ios13," another echoed.

The next version of iPhone's operating software also manages to offer both privacy features and an aesthetic "dark mode" for the screen — a feature already available on Macs.

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Apple executives also claimed that iOS 13 will open apps faster and will incorporate a new version of the Face ID system that will unlock your phone 30 percent faster. The software also will introduce more artificial intelligence to enable Apple's digital assistant, Siri, to speak more like a human and, if so assigned, automatically tackle even more tasks, such as reading incoming messages out loud as Apple tries to catch up to the digital assistants made by Google and Amazon. Apple's improvements in artificial intelligence also hatched a new photo-management tool that picks out the best photos taken on a certain day or in an entire month or year.

But Apple Maps will get the biggest makeover of any of the company's built-in apps. Beginning with iOS 13, the maps will include granular street and location data that Apple says it collected with street and aerial footage — tactics its largest mobile app rival Google has been using for years.

For smartphone users looking to stop the spam before the fall, you may want to try these four tips to curbing unknown calls. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will also vote in June to determine whether to allow wireless carriers to block spam calls by default.

Fox Business' Kathleen Joyce and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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