Apple, which was once a pioneer of innovations in smartphones, now wants the iPhone to replace your car keys. The tech company announced at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, a new feature that uses the smartphone to unlock and start a car. Apple will first roll out the feature on the 2021 BMW 5 Series, and will eventually expand to other cars.
Tech giants Apple and Google released an initial version of their software tool that will make it possible for 23 nations to release coronavirus contact-tracing apps. It will alert users when they came into contact with people who were COVID-19 positive. But authorities would have to stop requiring phone numbers from users under the companies’ rules.
Apple is releasing a new iPhone that will be vastly cheaper than the previous models as pandemic curbed spending. The second-generation iPhone SE introduced will sell for $399, a 40 per cent markdown from the iPhone 11 unveiled last year. Higher-end versions of the iPhone 11 sell for more than $1,000. Online orders for the iPhone SE will begin Friday, with the first deliveries expected April 24.
Manufacturing partner of Apple, Foxconn reported its biggest monthly drop in revenue in about seven years as the coronavirus outbreak continued to play havoc with its business. The Taiwanese company, which assembles Apple’s (AAPL.O) iPhones, saw revenue sink 18.1% in February compared with a year earlier – the biggest monthly fall since March 2013 and the third straight month of decline. It warned the coronavirus epidemic would hit its bottom line in the first quarter.
Tech giant Apple were fined 25 million euros for deliberately slowing down older iPhone models. Critics accused the firm of surreptitiously forcing users to buy phones sooner than necessary. IPhone owners were not informed that installing iOS updates (10.2.1 and 11.2) could slow down their devices, according to the DGCCRF anti-fraud agency’s statement.
Apple is shutting down all of its stores in mainland China until February 9 amidst fears of the coronavirus outbreak, according to an official statement provided to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple has also restricted employee travels to China and has put in new guidelines for the cleanliness of its stores and employee health. They have issued a new revenue forecast statement that is more uncertain than usual due to the virus situation.
CEO Tim Cook has announced that later this year, users will be able to buy an iPhone on an Apple Card, pay for it over 24 months with zero interest, get 3 percent cash back on the purchase, and manage payments in the Wallet app. While Apple already offers a number of ways to finance the cost of the iPhone, “manage payments in the Wallet app” portion is the working solution.
Some investors want Apple to sell its iPhone on a subscription basis to shift more of Apple’s revenue from transactional sales to recurring revenue. Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn’t shoot down the idea during a conference call on Wednesday and suggests that Apple is working on new ways to pay for iPhones on a monthly basis. He also mentioned that a lot of users want a sort of recurring payment like that and he is well aware of that.
Apple Inc, in its biggest marketing event of the year, revealed a triple-camera iPhone, and it rolled out a streaming TV service priced at $5 a month, undercutting Disney and Netflix. Prices start at $699, down from last year’s new iPhone that started at $749. Apple said its new iPhone 11 will come with two back cameras, including an ultra wide-angle lens.
Apple has massively increased the amount it’s offering hackers for finding vulnerabilities in iPhones and Macs, up to $1 million. It’s by far the highest bug bounty on offer from any major tech company. That’s up from $200,000, and in fall the program will be open to all researchers. Previously only those on company’s invite-only bug bounty program were eligible to receive rewards.