Study Finds 21% of Windows PC Users Plan on Switching to Mac

Approximately 21% of U.S.-based computer owners indicated they are interested in switching to a Mac from their Windows PC, according to data collected by survey maker’s and tech industry analysts at Verto Analytics, whose most recent survey conversely found that only 2% of current Mac owners intended to switch over to a Windows PC.

As you can see in the chart below, Verto’s data suggests that the highest number of those wanting to dump Windows were desktop PC owners — with as many as 25%, or one-quarter, of them reporting their desire and intent to switch to Mac sometime within the next 6-24 months.

While interest in switching to Mac from PC was particularly high among lower wage earners, such as those in their teens or early 20s (whose switch may be dependent on income growth or financial support from their family), interest was also quite high, perhaps unsurprisingly, among higher wage earners and was greatest among those earning $150k/year or more.

“Nearly all (98% or more) current Mac owners intend to stay with Macs as their next computer,” Verto Analytic’s global director of content marketing, Connie Hwong, said. “However, nearly 21% of current Windows laptop owners and 25% of current Windows desktop owners responded that they intend to switch to a Mac within the next six months. And of those current Windows owners, consumers in the upper income bracket (those with an average income of $150,000 or more) showed the highest likelihood of switching to a Mac. Lower income groups (those making $20,000 or less annually) also report higher probability of switching to Mac: however, a further drill down shows that these lower income respondents are also in their teens or twenties, suggesting parental assistance.”

The results of Verto’s survey are particularly interesting this year, as both Apple and Microsoft recently unveiled a slew of new laptop and desktop offerings, respectively, including the latter’s iMac competitor, the Surface Studio, all-new Surface Pro, and the former’s powerful new iPad Pro tablets, refreshed Macs, and the upcoming iMac Pro. If anything, the findings paint a clear picture of the growing competition (and growing divide) between PC-makers and Apple in their respective attempts to capture larger shares of the market.

Of course, while Macs and PCs have their respective share of pros and cons, the decision ultimately boils down to a matter of personal preference — determining the needs your machine will serve. Still, as the population of iPhone and iPad owners continues to grow by leaps and bounds — and as users of them continue to see the value in Apple’s vast portfolio of internet services like iTunes and iCloud — it’s likely this heated desire to dump Windows for Mac will only intensify in the years to come.

Are you a Windows user looking to switch to Mac?
Or have you already gone #Mac, with no plan of ever going back?
Let us know in the comments!

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Judge Refuses to Dismiss FTC Lawsuit Against Qualcomm

A U.S. federal judge has denied Qualcomm’s motion to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against it, allowing the case to proceed. Notably, it means the chipmaker must now battle with U.S. regulators as well as contend with the separate $1 billion lawsuit filed by Apple.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh made the ruling late Monday, stating that if the FTC’s allegations are true, Qualcomm’s behavior would be anticompetitive. The agency filed the suit against the San Diego-based chipmaker in January, alleging that Qualcomm engages in anticompetitive tactics to maintain a monopoly on the chips it sells. As evidence, the FTC cites the company’s “no license, no chip” policy — in which the company refuses to sell chips unless buyers sign patent agreements and pay the associated fees. Additionally, the FTC claims that Qualcomm engages in other monopolistic tactics, such as refusing to grant patent licenses to its competitors.

Qualcomm, on the other hand, maintains that all of the FTC’s allegations wouldn’t amount to anticompetitive behavior — even if proven true. The San Diego company asked Koh to dismiss the case. “FTC will have the burden to prove its claims, which we continue to believe are without merit,” Qualcomm’s Don Rosenberg said in the wake of the dismissal. “We look forward to further proceedings in which we will be able to develop a more accurate factual record.”

Besides the FTC lawsuit, Qualcomm is also in the midst of a fierce legal battle with Apple. Earlier this month, Cupertino updated its complaint against the chipmaker, alleging that Qualcomm’s “illegal business practices are harming Apple and the entire industry.” In April, Apple said that it would stop paying Qualcomm’s royalties until a court intervenes. In response, the San Diego chipmaker filed lawsuits against several Apple suppliers — a move that Cupertino deemed was indicative of Qualcomm’s “true bullying nature.”

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Vivo Officially Beat Apple to Hidden Fingerprint Sensor Technology

Though Apple is all but certain to adopt an under-the-glass Touch ID solution on its high-end iPhone 8, a report which surfaced roughly two weeks ago insisted that Cupertino’s crown jewel wouldn’t be the first smartphone to ship with a display-embedded fingerprint scanner. Rather, according to that report, which cited comments from a “reputable tech researcher” made on Chinese social media, it will be Vivo (makers of high-end Android smartphones like the Xplay6) who’ll be first to publicly demonstrate and lay out plans for implementing the technology.

And this very morning, live on stage from from Mobile World Congress 2017, Shanghai, Vivo did just that: officially taking the wraps off what the company’s dubbed, ingeniously, ‘Under Display Fingerprint Scanning Solution’ — a revolutionary new glass-embedded fingerprint reader that’s largely based on technology spearheaded by San Diego, California-based chip-maker, Qualcomm.

“In Vivo’s R&D plan, fingerprint scanning will not be carried out by an independent button or region. It will be realized more subtly under the screen, behind the metal shell, or even in the frame,” Vivo told Engadget in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of MWC, Shanghai. “Based on ultrasonic technology, the fingerprint recognition technology can be further expanded to realize user interaction, such as gesture recognition, security verification and other fields, which will greatly enhance user experience.”

Almost immediately following Vivo’s announcement, Qualcomm followed up by issuing its own press release announcing that its under-the-glass fingerprint scanning technology is currently in development. The chip-maker went on to explain that the sensors were developed as an “integrated solution” that would work in tandem with the chip-maker’s expansive line of Snapdragon CPUs for mobile devices.

“We are excited to announce Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors because they can be designed to support sleeker, cutting-edge form factors, unique mobile authentication experiences, and enhanced security authentication,” said Seshu Madhavapeddy, Qualcomm Technologies’s vice president of product management. “This provides OEMs and operators with the ability to offer truly distinct, differentiated devices with added value on truly groundbreaking new devices.”

Qualcomm says its technology will be the first of such that’s commercially available, capable of scanning through either OLED displays or aluminum, and that the company is planning to make its Fingerprint Sensors available to OEMs as early as this month — which means we should expect to see the technology debut in high-end smartphones as early as the first-half of 2018.

Worth noting is that while Apple’s uber-premium iPhone 8 flagship is expected to feature its own form of under-the-glass Touch ID tech, Cupertino likely won’t be licensing its solution from Qualcomm — especially as the partners-turned-adversaries continue casting stones at one another in court. Still, even despite rumors of iPhone 8 manufacturing delays, the sheer fact that display-embedded fingerprint readers are live and on their way is enough to believe that Apple will debut its new Touch ID solution later this year.

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iPhone 8 to Feature Ultra-Fast Charging via USB-C to Lightning

More evidence is mounting that, in addition to wireless charging capabilities, the upcoming iPhone 8 will also feature wired fast-charging by way of a 10W USB-C power adapter and corresponding power chip, according to several prominent Apple analysts.

More specifically, the upcoming Apple flagship is believed to be the first to come with a 10W power adapter with a USB-C — rather than USB-A — port, according to a research note penned by Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis, which was distributed to clients and obtained by MacRumors on Wednesday. In addition to the new port standard, Curtis believes that the iPhone 8 will include a USB-C Power Delivery chip, likely the same CYPD2104 chip installed in the recently released 10.5-inch iPad Pro. All of which will result in much faster wired charging capabilities for the iPhone 8.

To be clear, it’s highly unlikely that Apple will do away with the Lightning port — it’s the other end of the cable that analysts are probably talking about here. Previously, a February Wall Street Journal report claimed that Apple would nix its Lightning standard in favor of USB-C, citing “insider sources.” Renowned KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo later released a research note refuting that suggestion for several reasons. Additionally, the wording in the WSJ’s report was rather vague, which could have been a cause for confusion.

Rather than axing the Lightning port in favor of USB-C, there’s a higher probability that Apple will bundle a Lightning-to-USB-C cable with its upcoming flagship. To back this possibility up, just take a look at Apple’s 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro lineup — both of which are outfitted with Thunderbolt 3 ports, a standard that shares the same cable and connector design as USB-C. This, of course, would allow more seamless connectivity between the company’s upcoming flagship and latest MacBook Pros. Currently, connecting an iPhone to the new MacBook Pro models requires an adapter.

While USB-A ports are still fairly ubiquitous in the tech industry, it makes more sense for Apple to bring its Lightning cables up-to-speed with the latest standard on its notebooks rather than getting rid of Lightning. On the flip side, that also means that Apple users might have to carrying an extra Lightning to USB-A cable or a USB-C to USB-A dongle to charge in certain instances.

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23 Exciting New iOS 11 Features You’ll Love

23. Screen Recording

Apple has finally added the screen recording capability to iOS 11 so that users can record their iPhone or iPad screen without using a computer. Previously, users depended on their Mac or third-party applications, but this is no longer the case in iOS 11 as now there’s a native screen recorder built-in which can be found in the Control Center. Learn more about screen recording here.

Navigate to #22 Using the Right Arrow

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Analyst Claims AirPods Will Aquire ‘Augmented Audio’, Apple Glasses Will Arrive By 2020

AirPods, Apple’s truly wireless headphones, have been a wildly successful product for the company thus far — often selling out within hours, or even minutes, of becoming available through apple.com or a number of third-party Apple Authorized Retailers. While not quite as popular as the iPhone, AirPods are no doubt a hot ticket accessory for iPhone 7 users — one that will likely continue to dominate the market for years to come — and according to Gene Munster, former Piper Jaffray Apple analyst-turned-investor, AirPods will eventually evolve into a product that’s much “bigger than the Apple Watch.”

Specifically, Munster says that “over the course of the next 10 years,” AirPods will contribute to “about the same amount of revenue” as Apple Watch. He cautioned, however, that the truly wireless headphones will likely become more expensive as the company adds new features to future generations, slowly but surely transitioning to what Munster called “augmented audio.” According to AugmentedAudio.com, “Augmented Audio is defined as live audio being modified and/or enhanced by computer-generated sensory input. By introduction of another layer of information or media on top of an input feed, it is possible to produce highly enriched audio feedback.”

“Over the next 10 years, we anticipate that AirPods will be bigger than the Apple Watch as the product evolves from simple wireless headphones to a wearable, augmented audio device,” Munster said in a research note submitted by his new venture capital firm, LoupVentures. “While both AirPods and Apple Watch should continue to grow, we see AirPods contributing about the same amount of revenue as Apple Watch by FY22. We expect the AirPods ASP to increase from $159 today to $200 in FY22 as the product shifts to augmented audio.”

Apple Glasses

Meanwhile, Munster goes on to talk about Apple’s oft-rumored “Apple Glasses,” which could also be dubbed iGlass. Specifically, the veteran analyst provides guidance suggesting that we should expect to see a pair of Apple-branded AR/VR glasses ship by the “middle of fiscal-year 2020.” While he stopped short of elaborating on details about the glasses or their potential functionality, Munster did say they will likely be on the higher-end of Apple’s product pricing spectrum, demanding somewhere in the ballpark of $1,300.

He cited Apple’s recent launch of ARKit, and the company’s even more recent acquisition of German eye-tracking firm, SensoMotoric Instruments, as key indicators that the company is seriously stepping up its game in the AR/VR race. “We believe Apple see’s the AR future as a combination of the iPhone and some form of a wearable,” Munster said, while adding that with “an average sale price of $1,300, we expect initial demand to be limited at just over 3m units compared to 242m iPhones [for FY 2020.]”

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New Ransomware Attack Is Quickly Spreading Across Europe, U.S.

A new ransomware attack quickly spread across the globe and brought businesses to a close on Tuesday, just a few weeks after the WannaCry campaign crippled systems around the world.

News of the attack was first reported in Ukraine, where it hit the country’s central bank, state telecom service, a major airport in Kiev, and even the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The ransomware has since spread to 2,000 Windows-powered systems in Ukraine, Russia, Spain, France and the United States, The New York Times reported.

Initial reports of the attack from cyber security companies seem to indicate that the malware is a variation of Petya, a strain of ransomware identified last year that spreads via malicious cloud storage links — though there’s some disagreement on that fact. Additionally, Symantec, has confirmed that the ransomware in today’s attack uses EternalBlue, an exploit believed to have been stolen from the NSA and leaked by a group called the ShadowBrokers. Some companies that have been hit include U.S. pharmaceutical firm Merck, Danish shipping company Maersk and French construction company Saint-Gobain.

Like most ransomware, the latest attack encrypts users’ files and then demands a payment — reportedly of $300 — to decrypt them. There are still a handful of questions left unanswered about the malware, such as who is behind this latest attack, why it’s spreading as quickly as it is, or which systems are safe. To complicate matters, Posteo, a German email provider, has blocked the attacker’s email address, meaning that even users who have paid the ransom can no longer contact the attackers to get their files decrypted, Gizmodo reported. Blockchain records show that 32 transactions have been made thus far to the attacker’s bitcoin wallet. Microsoft has since announced that it is investigating the attack, and “will take appropriate action to protect customers.”

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This Site Warns You If Robots Will Take Your Job

With the rise of automation, computerization and artificial intelligence, it’s perfectly justifiable to start worrying about whether or not a robot is going to take your job. Luckily, a new website parses the data and lets you know how endangered your career field may be.

Will Robots Take My Job is a simple, clean website, that makes it easy to see how doomed your job may be. Just type in a career, and the site will give you a percentage — that’s the probability that automation will affect a certain job position, or in laymen’s terms, how likely a robot will steal your job. The site also adds some useful data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, like average income and job growth estimates.

As an example, graphic designers are rather safe with just an 8.2 percent chance of automation. Cashiers, on the other hand, have a 97 percent probability of being replaced (you can probably credit Amazon Go for that). For taxi drivers and chauffeurs, it’s an 89 percent chance of automation.

The site was developed by Dimitar Raykov and Mubashar Iqbal, and it’s based on data sourced from a 2013 report titled “The Future of Employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation?” According to that report’s estimates, around 47 percent of all jobs in the U.S. are at risk. Worth noting is that the site only applies to the U.S. job market currently — but it could easily serve as a model for economies abroad, too.

It may seem like a bleak future, but one that’s looking increasingly more likely. At least now you can look at your odds and plan for the future accordingly.

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Apple Secretly Tore Apart Hundreds of Devices to Create the iPhone

During the development stages of the first iPhone, Apple engineers apparently tore apart hundreds of competitor devices to figure out their secrets, former Apple Senior Vice President Tony Fadell revealed in a recent interview.

The first iPhone turns 10-years-old this week, and to commemorate the anniversary, Wired sat down with Fadell to get some insight on the revolutionary device’s development. While Fadell eventually left Cupertino to found Nest, while at Apple, he was in charge of the company’s iPod Division, and is largely considered to be one of the “fathers” of the iPhone.

One of the more interesting questions that the publication asked Fadell was whether or not they were aware of the existence of the LG Prada, a touchscreen phone that had come out in 2006. “Yes, I knew about it,” Fadell responded. “I had probably 100 different cell phones, 100 different competitor music players, consumer electronics of all sorts ripped apart and looked at. We looked at everything. They were all over my office in various pieces, just to look at them, to understand what they were, see how they were built and what their competitive value was.” Notably, one of the LG Prada’s creators claimed in 2006 that Apple stole their idea with the iPhone.

Fadell also spoke about some of the conflicting stories regarding the iPhone’s origins, attributing the confusion to the wide variety of projects Apple had going on at the time and the challenges each project faced. There was, for example, an “iPod phone,” which basically added cellular capabilities to a device with no text-entry system. And there was a multi-touch, touchscreen Mac system that Steve Jobs himself fostered because he was “pissed off” about Microsoft tablets. These projects, along with a few others, all contributed in some way to the final iPhone design.

Wired also addressed the ROKR, a phone that Apple collaborated with Motorola on. It was, notably, the first phone to feature iTunes — but it was, for all intents and purposes, a failure. Fadell elaborated on the project, saying that “it was not deliberately made poor” because the iPhone was on the horizon. In fact, Fadell said, the ROKR lineup died off long before the iPhone was even finalized as a concept. “This was us trying to dip our toe in the water,” he added.

Fadell also expanded on how the iPhone’s development — and the device itself — has changed his life. “It has made me incredibly productive and has changed the world, from how I shop, how I travel, how I message people and communicate — every single aspect of my life has changed because of it.” More than that, it’s changing how children are growing up, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, he added. “It requires all of us to make the proper changes in our lives to make sure we don’t lose the analogue portion of our life and we don’t just stay digital and mobile all the time.”

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Apple Acquires ‘Eye-Tracking’ Firm to Improve Its AR/VR Tech

Just weeks after announcing the availability of its new Augmented Reality-focused ARKit, Apple has announced that it has acquired Germany-based SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI) for an undisclosed sum of money, according to a report by MacRumors. Founded in 1991, SMI has done some incredible work in the research and development of advanced eye-tracking applications in AR/VR tech. The firm has conducted a ton of research utilizing its proprietary eyeglass hardware to help develop consumer focused eye-tracking platforms for virtual reality applications.

These efforts resulted, late last year, in SMI’s creation of a development kit designed exclusively for the $799 HTC Vive VR headset. However the firm has championed other new technologies and techniques in recent years, like “foveated rendering,” which allows eye-tracking equipment to track the location of a user’s gaze in order to render higher-resolution images only to that focal area of the display. According to SMI and a number of leading experts in the AR/VR field, foveated rendering is “an essential step” to bringing ultra-high resolution displays to AR/VR headsets. Moreover, since the technology is designed to enhance resolution only in the area where a user’s gaze is detected, the other portions of the display are blurred, which in turn reduces demand for power on the headset’s CPU and components.

The deal remains largely under wraps at this time, and Apple isn’t known for publicly divulging major details about its acquisitions or imminent plans. To that end, when reached for further comment on the SMI deal, an Apple spokesperson reiterated the classic “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans” line.

So while we don’t have many details to share about what Apple plans to do with its newly-acquired eye-tracking technology, plenty of signs suggest that we could see an Apple-branded AR/VR headset be released — and perhaps even as early as later this year. Back in February, iDrop News reported that Apple was rumored to be working on a device called the iGlass, which, much akin to the unsuccessful Google Glass before it, would act as a lens through which users will be able to explore their imminent world in augmented reality. No word on when, or even if, this iGlass headset will debut — but Apple is most certainly at work on some kind of AR/VR hardware products, so we’ll just have to wait and see what they come up with.

In the meantime, Apple’s ARKit will provide developers with a solid platform from which they can get a head start on creating apps designed to take advantage of immersive AR/VR capabilities rumored the the iPhone 8 and beyond.

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How to Install iOS 11 Public Beta on iPhone or iPad

Just a few weeks after the announcement of iOS 11, Apple has released the first public beta of this version to all users. iOS 11 is packed with tons of exciting new features and design changes including Smart Invert, redesigned App Store and Control Center, native screen recorder, peer-to-peer payments using Apple Pay, and much more.

The public beta means that anyone with an iOS device can install and try iOS 11 without being part of Apple’s Developer Program. You first have to register for the public beta testing program and enroll your device, after which you can download and install iOS 11 beta onto your device.

While iOS 11 contains many exciting new features, we’d recommended that you avoid installing it until the final version is released later this year. The beta version is intended for testing purposes only and may contain bugs that will create issues on your device.

If you can’t wait to get your hands on iOS 11, then here’s how to download and install the public beta on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Before installing iOS 11 beta, take note of the following important points:

• Check if your device is compatible with iOS 11.
• Since iOS 11 is in beta, it might contain bugs and stability issues that would slow down your device.
• After updating to iOS 11 beta, if you wish to downgrade, you can downgrade to iOS 10.3.2 or iOS 10.3.1 only.
• Make sure that you make a complete backup of your iOS device using iTunes or iCloud. Keep in mind that if you make a backup of iOS 11, you cannot restore from it if you downgrade to an older firmware.

How to Enroll in the Public Beta Testing Program

Step 1: On your iOS device, open Safari and go to beta.apple.com.

Step 2: Tap on the Sign Up button.

Step 3: Sign in with your Apple ID and password.

• If you receive a popup with a sign in request, tap on the Allow button. You’ll then receive a 6 digit verification code via a popup on your iOS device. Enter the verification code on Apple’s website.

Step 4: Agree to the terms & conditions by pressing the Accept button at the bottom of the page.

Step 8: Now that you’ve registered for the public beta program, you’re ready to install the iOS 11 beta profile. Tap on Enroll Your Device in the top menu.

Step 9: Next, tap on the iOS tab.

Step 10: Scroll down a little and tap on Download profile button.

Step 11: The iOS Software Beta Profile will open in Settings. Tap on Install.

Step 12: Once the profile has been installed, a popup will appear to restart your device. Tap on Restart.

You’re now ready to download and install iOS 11 beta onto your device. Read the next section to find out how.

How to Download and Install iOS 11 Beta

Step 1: Open Settings and go to General.

Step 2: Tap on Software Update.

Step 3: You should see a pending iOS 11 beta update. Tap on Download & Install.

Step 4: Accept the terms & conditions by pressing the Agree button.

Step 5: The download will now begin. It will take some time depending on your internet speed and stress on Apple’s servers.

Step 6: Once the download has been completed, go back to the Software Update page in Settings and tap on the Install Now button. Your device will prepare for the iOS 11 update and will begin the installation process. Do not interfere with the update process until it has been completed successfully.

After the update is finished, you can start using your device normally and enjoy all the amazing new features that iOS 11 provides such as document scanning, screen recording, dark mode, redesigned Control Center, and much more. And now that you’ve installed iOS 11 on your device, make sure to read our roundup of the best 14 new features that you should definitely check out in iOS 11.

What are your favorite features of iOS 11? Let us know in the comments below.

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Star Wars Mega-Fan Recreates Trailer Using an Apple Computer from 1984

If you’re a fan of the popular Star Wars franchise, then you’re likely super-stoked about the upcoming film, The Last Jedi, which will begin playing in select U.S. theaters on December 15, 2017. And while fans will arguably differ in their personal affections towards the fantasy film series, one talented illustrator has proven that he’s hands down the biggest Star Wars fan he knows..Wahyu Ichwandardi, who was born in Indonesia but is now based in New York City, is such a hardcore Star Wars fan that he recently endeavored to sit down to (painstakingly) recreate the trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi film — and he did the majority of the work by hand, using little more than a 1984 Apple IIc computer, an 80s-era KodakPad, and an entry-level, bitmap-based art program (also from the 80s) called DazzleDraw.

Interestingly, according to Mashable, this same seemingly archaic configuration was once considered the “most complete computer graphics system” that money could buy. Though as you’ll see in the video below, it’s pretty clear just how far we’ve come over the last 30 years or so.

In stark contrast to today’s complex methods of digital drawing and design, what Ichwandardi had to do to accomplish his goal was manually hand draw each animation, layer by layer, all the while using plastic sheets placed over his monitor to guide him along as he traced each frame from the actual trailer for reference.

Proses bikinnya http://pic.twitter.com/zPTJmMpMhJ

— Pinot (@pinotski) June 26, 2017

Armed with his retro equipment, Ichwandardi reportedly spent three whole weeks creating the short, monochromatic, green-hued trailer. In all, he produced 288 image files (illustrations) totaling just 6MB. As pursuant with his archaic setup, however, Ichwandardi then stored the files on a total of 48 floppy disks — each of which provided 140KB of memory.

Check out Ichwandardi’s complete trailer in the Tweet below, followed by the original Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer, and then decide for yourself which is more compelling!

Cita-cita waktu masih kecil di th 80an: bikin trailer Star Wars pakai komputer Apple bermonitor monochrome, baru kesampaian sekarang. http://pic.twitter.com/kUV28VB5pq

— Pinot (@pinotski) June 26, 2017

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Google Slapped with $2.7B Fine for EU Antitrust Violation

Google has been slapped with a record-breaking $2.7 billion fine after the European Commission concluded that the company was in violation of EU antitrust regulations. The fine is the largest the EU has ever imposed on a single company and concludes a seven-year investigation into the matter.

European antitrust regulators accused Google of “abusing dominance” by unfairly favoring its own services over its rivals. Specifically, regulators found that Google was giving more prominence to its own comparison shopping service, while downplaying rival services in its search results, according to a European Commission press release. Additionally, the Mountain View company has also been accused of blocking rival’s ads in online searches.

“Google abused its market dominance as a search engine…” Commissioner Magrethe Vestager said. “It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation.”

To put the fine into context, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, was reported to have a full-year revenue of around $90 billion in 2016. That makes the EU fine around 3 percent of Alphabet’s turnover for the year — the company’s largest regulatory setback thus far, Reuters reported. “We respectfully disagree with the conclusions announced today. We will review the Commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to making our case,” Google’s Kent Walker said in a statement.

The Commission said that Google has 90 days to stop favoring its own services, or the tech giant will face a more severe penalty of around 5 percent of its average global turnover per day.

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How to Enable ‘Type to Siri’ in iOS 11

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Top 5 Most Memorable iOS Wallpapers of All Time

Since the very first iPhone was revealed in 2007, Apple has shown off its flagship device with a variety of iconic wallpapers. Whether they were default iOS wallpapers, backgrounds used extensively in Apple marketing material, or pictures that graced device screens during keynote presentations, these are undoubtedly some of the most memorable images associated with Apple’s revolutionary smartphone.

5. Blue Marble

While the clownfish image was used in most marketing material, it wasn’t the image that graced displays when consumers first booted their iPhones. If you search your memory, you’ll remember that this picture of Earth from space was the actual default Lock Screen wallpaper for early versions of iOS. But despite its ubiquity, more people probably remember the clownfish image than this one.

4. Lake and Mountains

This innocuous picture of a lake and mountains against a night sky was the first image publicly displayed on an iPad — it was the default wallpaper during Steve Job’s announcement of the device in 2010. But, unlike the clownfish image, it was also the default wallpaper that shipped with first-generation iPad devices. Though maybe not as iconic as the clownfish image, it’s still an integral part of iOS’s visual history.

3. Drops on Glass

This picture of water droplets on frosted glass was the default wallpaper for iOS 4. Notably, it’s the first image used as a default Home screen wallpaper since previous versions of iOS didn’t allow users to change their background, only the Lock Screen image. Beyond that, the image also showed off the Retina capabilities of the iPhone 4 at the time and for many of us, it’s an image that we remember fondly.

2. Cloudy Night Sky

This image, released as the default wallpaper for iOS 7, is notable mostly because iOS 7 was a major redesign of Apple’s software — and one that dropped the aging skeuomorphic elements of its predecessors. It was a controversial change for some, and there’s no doubt that it shifted the look of iOS forever. But while iOS 7 supported dynamic wallpapers for the first time, Apple opted for this picture of a starry night sky as the default.

1. Clownfish

Prominently displayed on the demo device Steve Jobs used when he unveiled the first iPhone, this image of clownfish swimming through a sea anemone is nothing short of symbolic — and is arguably the most iconic iPhone wallpaper ever. But while the picture was used heavily in Apple marketing material at the time, it was actually left off of the original consumer version of iOS.

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12 Effective Fixes for iPhone’s ‘Storage Almost Full’ Popup

While Apple has been adding more storage options to iPhone and iPad, and even increased the base iPhone 7 model’s storage to 32GB from 16GB, users with low storage capacities often end up filling it very quickly. Most apps (especially games) are large, ranging anywhere from 50MB to as much as 2GB. High-quality photos and videos take up a lot of space too.

When you run out of space on your iPhone, you won’t be able to install new apps, capture photos, or store your favorite new songs or videos. Your device will constantly display a popup message that says “Storage Almost Full”. This can be very annoying and the only way to get rid of it is to free up some space on your device. Here are 12 effective ways to clear the storage space of your iPhone to get rid of the ‘Storage Almost Full’ popup.

12. Delete Oversized, Unused Apps

If you have a lot of apps installed on your iPhone, chances are that some of them are not used as much as others. Go through all the apps you’ve installed to find the ones that you no longer need and remove them from your device. This way you can save space by removing necessary apps. Additionally, you can delete the apps that are consuming a lot of space. To determine how much space each app is consuming..

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Storage & iCloud Usage (or iPhone Storage in iOS 11. If you have iOS 11 installed, skip step 4).
4. Under Storage, tap on Manage Storage.

A list is displayed containing all the apps you’ve installed on your iPhone. Next to each app is the space that it consumes. Open the ones that are consuming a lot of space, but are not used as much. Then tap on the Delete App button.

Navigate to #11 Using the Right Arrow

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First iOS 11 Public Beta Now Available to Download

Apple on Monday released the first public beta version of its upcoming iOS 11 software, and it’s available to download immediately for members of Apple’s public beta testing program.

Announced on June 5 at WWDC ’17, iOS 11 is a major update to the iPhone and iPad’s software. It features a redesigned Control Center, supports peer-to-peer Apple Pay payments in Messages, adds a dedicated Files app, and a host of other significant upgrades. iOS 11 is also the largest update to the iPad version of iOS, with a new macOS-inspired dock, improved App Switching and Apple Pencil support, the Files app, as well as systemwide drag-and-drop and enhanced multitasking abilities — all of which make iPad on iOS 11 even closer to a powerful notebook replacement.

iOS 11 also features smaller — but no less useful — updates, like baked-in screen recording, automatic call answering, enhancements to Siri, Camera and Photos, and a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature. Notably, it also marks the debut of ARKit, an augmented reality toolset for developers that, in the words of Apple, turns iOS into the “largest AR platform in the world.” And, despite iOS 11’s official debut is still a few months off, its powerful potential is already being demonstrated by developers.

As with all software beta versions, it’s wise to exercise caution. As we saw with the first iOS 11 developer beta, test software can be extremely buggy. It might be smart to hold off on downloading the public beta on your primary iOS device, or at the very least, ensure that you backup your device to iTunes or iCloud before proceeding.

How to Download iOS 11 Public Beta

To download the public beta, you’ll need to sign up and enroll your device in Apple’s Beta Software Program — which you can do via Apple’s website. If you’d rather wait for the final version, iOS 11 is slated for a general rollout in the fall.

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Former Apple Engineer Opens up About the Future of Factory Automation

Despite the awe-inspiring rate at which the technology and consumer electronics industries have grown and adapted over the years, the vast majority of products (including our iPhones and iPads) are still being built almost entirely by hand, according to one former Apple product design engineer, who recently opened up about her time working with the company in an exclusive interview. Moreover, she shared her personal experiences and applied them to how “modern manufacturing” and artificial intelligence-based machine learning will play a pivotal role in “revolutionizing factories” around the world.

Anna-Katrnia Shedletsky, who during her tenure at Apple played an integral role in the development of products like the original Apple Watch, several generations of iPod, and more, indicated in her interview with Cultofmac’s Leander Kahney how she believes that AI-based machine learning will shortly begin shaking up the manufacturing sector as we know it. She argues that while the majority of electronic devices are still built by hand on Far East assembly lines, the days of “assembly by hand” are essentially numbered due to what she calls the impending “sea of change” wrought by robotics and machine learning.

Shedletsky argued that companies like Apple, in particular, would ultimately stand to benefit the most by “modernizing their manufacturing processes.” For example, by incorporating robotics and machine learning algorithms, she waged the case that companies like Apple can greatly improve the efficacy, accuracy, and consistency with which their new products are built, from start to finish.

Despite her optimistic overtures of a fully automated manufacturing future, however, Shedletsky acknowledge there are currently a myriad of obstacles standing in the way of that reality. Most notably, she outlined a number of issues concerning the advancement of products from prototype to production units, and how a “big part” of working out the kinks in a product is actually sampling and experimenting with it by hand before launching into large scale production. By blending certain aspects of software and hardware integration, however, current and future product design engineers will one day be able to “virtually disassemble” any problematic units — while advanced machine learning can dichotomously be used in the process of manufacturing to help learn errors so they don’t repeat themselves.

Of course, even when AI and machine learning begin taking over assembly lines, Shedletsky notes there will still be other challenges for the field of manufacturing, as a whole, to overcome. These include how to manage larger factories such as those currently in operation by Foxconn — Apple’s primary iPhone assembly partner. She noted that, at present, Foxconn is running like a small “city,” which is effectively built around the factory and its vast workforce, and specifically how bringing automation to the table might disrupt processes currently in place.

Still, while challenges may persist, Shedletsky remains optimistic that the benefits of automation significantly outweigh the hurdles standing in its way.

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Apple Leases Fleet of Lexus SUVs to Test Self-Driving Vehicle Tech

Apple is partnering with rental car company Hertz to begin testing its self-driving car technology, according to a new Bloomberg report published Monday. The move could end up being a major  step forward for the historically shadowy “Project Titan.”

The Cupertino tech giant is reportedly leasing a “small fleet of cars” — specifically Lexus RX450h SUVs — from Donlen, a Hertz-owned fleet management company, according to recently released California DMV documents. Previously, in April, Apple received a permit to begin testing self-driving vehicles — those documents also showed Donlen as the lessor, according to Bloomberg. In addition, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC that Apple will lease six of the Lexus SUVs to the company to test their autonomous driving technology.

The news echoes — and closely follows — a similar partnership between Alphabet-owned Waymo and Avis Budget. Google’s own self-driving car initiative also announced its partnership early Monday, with a planned 600 vehicles slated to be deployed on public roads. In the wake of both announcements, shares of Hertz and Avis spiked.

Apple’s own “Project Titan” has been a poorly kept secret for quite a while, although details about the endeavor have remained vague until recently. Apple CEO Tim Cook finally acknowledged the existence of the project in an interview with Bloomberg earlier this month, admitting that “autonomous systems” were the focus of its car initiative. According to the publication’s sources, Apple has already been testing its systems on roads around the Bay Area for at least a year. And as a further hint of the company’s ambitions, Apple sent a letter to the California DMV in April asking for the agency to “amend or clarify” certain regulations and protocols concerning autonomous tech.

The road has reportedly been bumpy for Titan, a project that was originally rumored to be focused on producing an actual car. But Cupertino rebooted its vision late last year, whittling down its original plans and choosing to focus on building underlying autonomous systems and technology. Earlier this year, a trove of documents describing the technology was leaked to Business Insider. But today’s news could prove to be a leap forward for the initiative, and perhaps an integral part of Cupertino’s future plans. During his interview with Bloomberg, Cook called self-driving car technology the “mother of all AI projects.”

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Minecraft and Virtual Measuring Tape Apps Prove the Power of Apple’s ARKit

Of all the exciting new features and technologies baked into Apple’s upcoming iOS 11 software update, perhaps the most intriguing (and promising) of them is the company’s newly introduced ARKit. Shown off in extensive detail at WWDC 2017 earlier this month, ARKit is Apple’s first major foray into the burgeoning Augmented Reality (AR)-based app development space, and will enable app developers to seamlessly incorporate a variety of AR experiences into their existing iOS apps. So far we’ve seen a ton of possibilities in terms of what ARKit will be able to bring to certain apps when iOS 11 launches this fall — such as the upcoming IKEA app with built-in AR functionality, which will allow shoppers to place, view, and configure furnishings (“virtually”) in their own home prior to making a purchase. But wait, there’s more.

ARKit Tools

One of several videos that were recently shared to Twitter, show some savvy developers affiliated with @madewithARKit demonstrating how they were able to harness the power of the iPhone’s camera, processors, and motion sensor array to assist in calculating the size of certain objects in their environment. The video demonstrates how the utility will work on iPhone and iPad – when a user taps on two locations in their imminent environment, ARKit will determine the distance between them, displaying the result as a free-floating variable that appears onscreen.

 

🔥 BOOM 🔥 And just like that we have #ARKit measurement app number 2 https://t.co/cjfQMpHmx0 → by @laanlabs 🍒 http://pic.twitter.com/U8QKFjiMXs

— Made With ARKit (@madewithARKit) June 25, 2017

In another demonstration, app developers with Laan Labs were able to create an ARKit-based virtual tape measuring experience, which they claim is actually comparable to physically using a measuring tape. Users can apply the virtual measuring tape by selecting the point where they want it to begin, and then panning the onscreen area in the room to determine where the alternate end of the tape should be placed. Currently one of several ARKit-based projects in development by Laan Labs, the app even applies the virtual measuring tape technique to a picture frame, and an armoire, for further validation.

ARKit & Mobile Gaming

And the possibilities don’t stop there. Various app developers have already begun experimenting with ARKit in their iOS games. One example that’s already taking shape is a joint project to develop an AR-based Minecraft app, which would allow players to place Minecraft blocks strategically around their imminent environment, while also affording them the pleasure of destroying what’s been made using Minecraft’s traditional arsenal of destruction utilities. Check out the AR-based Minecraft in the video below.

😱 You can pretty much forget about getting anything done after this hits 🙈 Minecraft for iPhone w/ ARkit & Unity https://t.co/IquRtHfCFs 💥 http://pic.twitter.com/GfWCgv794W

— Made With ARKit (@madewithARKit) June 26, 2017

To learn more about ARKit and what implications it holds for the future of iPhone and iOS, be sure to check out everything you need to know about Apple’s new ARKit here.

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