John Martellaro and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the new macOS read-only volume and ISP budgets for lobbying lawmakers.
iPhone and the US-China Trade War
Jason Dedrick, Greg Linden, and Kenneth L. Kraemer broke down the cost of the iPhone and showed how China doesn’t get as much value from iPhone exports as we think.
So what about all of those famous factories in China with millions of workers making iPhones? The companies that own those factories, including Foxconn, are all based in Taiwan. Of the factory-cost estimate of $237.45 from IHS Markit at the time the iPhone 7 was released in late 2016, we calculate that all that’s earned in China is about $8.46, or 3.6% of the total. That includes a battery supplied by a Chinese company and the labor used for assembly.
Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken to Support Apple Pay
Savings bank Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken will become another German institution supporting Apple Pay. The move will happen sometime by the end of 2019, AppleInsider reported. The Euro-Cheque card is not expected to be supported at launch. That will follow at a later date.
Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken, a branch of German savings banks and cooperative banks, will support Apple Pay in 2019. While there is no specific date mentioned, the service should start «later this year,» said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of internet services. Other German banks have already begun to adopt Apple Pay. «The ink is dry,» the Federal Association of German Banks wrote on Twitter, «The Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken will offer their customers Apple Pay later this year.» According to an article at Heise Online, the EC card, or Euro-Cheque card, will not be supported at launch. Girocard, the producers and managers of EC cards, will need to do some work on their end before integration can happen.
NSA Found Wrongly Collecting Phone Records For Second Time
The NSA has been found to have improperly collected the phone records of U.S. citizens. Again. The Wall Street journal reported on documents obtained by the ACLU. It said that the collection took place in October but it was unknown how many records were involved. The name of the telecoms firm involved was redacted.
The previously undisclosed error, which took place last October, occurred several months after the NSA said it had purged hundreds of millions of metadata records it had amassed since 2015 due to a separate overcollection episode. Metadata include the numbers and time stamps of a call or text message but not the contents of the conversation. The American Civil Liberties Union obtained the documents, which were reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit involving the surveillance program. They are heavily redacted internal NSA memos that discuss oversight of intelligence-collection activities.
Get the Perfect Filming Angle with This Ultra-Secure, Heavy Duty Claw Mount: $39.99
We have a deal on the myGEKOgear MagiClaw smartphone and camera mount. This claw-grip mount features a ball head that can rotate 360 degrees to get the perfect viewing angle. Plus, the phone mount stretches up to 3.35 inches so you can use it with smartphones and action cams alike. It’s $39.99 through our deal, 20% off retail.
How Much Does Your ISP Spend on Lobbying?
Paul Bischoff gives us a breakdown of the top 25 lobbying spenders in 2018, and how much they spent.
2018 was the biggest year yet for ISP lobbying at $80 million. Top spenders include AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast, which have amassed lobbying expenses of $341 million, $265 million, and $200 million, respectively since 1998.
Manage Pop Superstars BTS in New iOS Game
Ever dreamed of managing one of the biggest pop acts on the planet? Well, South Korean pop superstars BTS are giving you that chance in their new iOS game. In BTS World, you start leading the band from their formation in 2012. It gives fans the chance to hear each band member’s story, and conduct conversations with them in the game. The game is free to download but there are a variety of in-app purchases. Oh, and if you don’t know who BTS is, ask your daughter/granddaughter/niece/younger sister. They will know, and will probably have downloaded this game.
Visualizing Apple Product Release Patterns
Randy Krum created an infographic to visualize Apple product release patterns since 2007. He updated it for this year.
This year I further broke apart all of the individual product lines so you can see their separate release patterns, or lack of any discernible pattern. Some product lines, like the iPhone Release Pattern (ABOVE), have clearly defined release patterns that can be used to predict future product announcement and releases.
It’s a neat website, and he predicts that the 2019 iPhone will be announced September 10 and released September 20.
Robocalls, Spotify vs Apple – TMO Daily Observations 2019-06-25
Charlotte Henry and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss a new approach to fighting robocalls and Spotify’s complaint against Apple.
Introducing Your New Favorite Subreddit
If you have ever wondered whether or not you’re in the right in a given situation Reddit has the answer. Wired outlined how users on the Am I the Asshole subreddit will pass judgment on any issue.
People go to r/AmItheAsshole for one thing: judgment. They submit scenarios in which they are not sure whether they behaved correctly or not, and ask the hive mind for a ruling. Am I in the right here – or am I the asshole? For posters, it’s a way to satisfy an ongoing argument or settle their conscience. For subscribers, it’s a chance to get on their high horse and enjoy passing down verdicts from an assumed position of moral superiority. Insult your pregnant wife? You’re the asshole! Refuse to cut your hair for a friend’s wedding? Not the asshole! Next!
