Apple Lambasts Australian Banks Over Call For iPhone NFC Access

Apple has strongly criticized an attempt by three of Australia’s big banks to jointly negotiate a deal over access to the iPhone’s NFC mobile payment hardware, claiming it would compromise security and scupper innovation in the field (via Financial Review).

In a clear opprobrium of Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), and Westpac, Apple told the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that “allowing the banks to form a cartel to collectively dictate terms to new business models and services would set a troubling precedent and delay the introduction of new, potentially disruptive technologies.”

The three banks lodged a joint application with anti-trust regulators last month to negotiate with Apple over gaining access to its digital wallet hardware, having so far resisted signing deals to use the company’s Apple Pay mobile payment system.

But in a three-page submission to the ACCC, Apple accused the banks of using “innuendo and misstatements” in their application, and said that granting access to the iPhone’s transmitter to allow bank apps to facilitate contactless payments would compromise Apple’s hardware, harm consumers, and lead to less competition:

Apple upholds very high security standards for our customers when they use Apple devices to make payments. Providing simple access to the NFC antenna by banking applications would fundamentally diminish the high level of security Apple aims to have on our devices. 

Unfortunately, and based on their limited understanding of the offering, the [banks] perceive Apple Pay as a competitive threat. These banks want to maintain complete control over their customers. The present application is only the latest tactic employed by these competing banks to blunt Apple’s entry into the Australian market.

The submission made clear that the banks are “essential to Apple’s ability to offer Apple Pay on a meaningful basis with Australia”. However, it also lambasted their negotiating approach, with Apple claiming that one of the banks had even refused to enter into a confidentiality agreement to allow for initial discussions about the terms of participating in Apple Pay.

Apple asked the ACCC not to provide any authorization for a deal this month and suggested it take the full six-month statutory period to assess the application more thoroughly.

The submitted document was signed by Marg Demmer, a former cards executive at ANZ Banking Group, the only bank in Australia’s “Big Four” that played no part in the original joint application and has already allowed its cards to be used via Apple Pay.

Whenever a bank card transaction takes place, the card-issuing bank deducts what’s known as an interchange fee from the amount it pays the acquiring bank that handles the card transaction for the merchant. ANZ is said to have agreed to give up some of its interchange fee to Apple as part of its deal with the company, but the other big banks appear unwilling to negotiate a similar deal.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Australia
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Google Chrome 53 Browser to Block Flash Content By Default

Google announced yesterday that it will “de-emphasize” Adobe Flash in its Chrome browser in favor of HTML5 from next month.

As of Chrome 53, whenever the web browser comes across a site that loads Flash “behind the scenes” it will block the offending content and switch to the faster HTML5 web standard whenever it is available.

Google notified users of the change to its browser’s behavior ahead of time in a blog post:

Today, more than 90% of Flash on the web loads behind the scenes to support things like page analytics. This kind of Flash slows you down, and starting this September, Chrome 53 will begin to block it. HTML5 is much lighter and faster, and publishers are switching over to speed up page loading and save you more battery life. You’ll see an improvement in responsiveness and efficiency for many sites.

In December, Chrome 55 will make HTML5 the default experience, except for sites which only support Flash, in which case users will be prompted to enable it on initial visit.

The move is another nail in the coffin for Adobe’s web standard, which used to serve the majority of online media content before former Apple CEO Steve Jobs decided not to support it on the iPhone.

In Safari 10, set to ship with macOS Sierra, Apple plans to disable Flash by default, along with Java, Silverlight, and QuickTime, in an effort to focus on HTML5 content and improve the overall web browsing experience.

The plug-in has long been problematic for Apple, requiring frequent security fixes and forced updates to patch a stream of vulnerabilities.

Chrome can be downloaded from Google’s Chrome website or installed using the Chrome browser’s built-in update functionality.

Tags: Chrome, Adobe Flash Player
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MacBook Pro Lineup Set For ‘Most Significant Overhaul in Over 4 Years’

Apple is about to unveil the most significant overhaul of its MacBook Pro lineup in over four years, according to people familiar with the matter (via Bloomberg).

Today’s claim appears in the second report from the news outlet this week professing insider information on Apple’s upcoming product plans.

Consistent with previous rumors, the article says the updated notebooks are thinner and will include a touchscreen strip along the top of the keyboard, which is expected to present functions on an as-needed basis that fit the current task or application, as well as integrate Touch ID to enable users to quickly log in using their fingerprint.

The new top-of-the-line MacBook Pros will be slightly thinner than the current models but are not tapered like the MacBook Air and latest 12-inch MacBook, one of the people said. The new MacBook Pros have a smaller footprint than current models and the casing has shallower curves around the edges. The pressure-sensitive trackpad is also slightly wider, the person added.

More significantly perhaps, the anonymous source claims the new MacBook Pros will feature more powerful and efficient graphics processors for “expert users such as video gamers”.

An option for a version featuring a higher-performance graphics chip from Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will be available, another person familiar with the matter said. It’s unclear which provider Apple will use for the main processor, but Intel Corp. has supplied this in the past.

Apple is using one of AMD’s “Polaris” graphics chips because the design offers the power efficiency and thinness necessary to fit inside the slimmer Apple notebook, the person said. The new graphics card is more than 20 percent thinner than its predecessor, AMD said earlier this year. AMD declined to comment, referring inquiries to Apple.

As reported previously, the switch to the new Polaris 11 architecture is expected to be a significant performance upgrade over the previous 28nm chips, with AMD promising “console-class GPU performance for thin and light notebooks” and “extraordinary VR experiences” from the new low-power architecture.

The new design will also include USB-C connectivity that can handle charging, data transfers, and display outputs, according to sources. Apple is also reportedly considering whether to offer the notebooks in gray, gold, and silver, although it’s unclear if colored MacBook Pros will be available on initial release.

The new computers have been in advanced testing since earlier this year, according to the article’s sources, although they aren’t likely to debut at an event “currently scheduled for September 7 to introduce next-generation versions of the iPhone”.

With Monday, September 5 being Labor Day, previous predictions tagged September 6 as the day of Apple’s iPhone 7 event, but Wednesday still roughly lines up with Apple’s usual pattern for iPhone releases. Last year, Apple announced the iPhone on September 9, started pre-orders on September 12 and released it on September 25.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: bloomberg
Buyer’s Guide: Retina MacBook Pro (Don’t Buy)
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Renault Megane 2016 review: Dynamique or dud?

This is the fourth-generation Renault Megane – the French company’s mid-sized family hatchback, which has been with us since 1995. In that time, Renault has sold over a half a million of the things in the UK.

Whereas its Volkswagen Golf competitor evolves subtly with each iteration, Renault’s hatchbacks have tended to change significantly each time they’re updated. And so it goes with the 2016 Megane – a sharp-suited, yet softly surfaced car, replacing the slightly blobby and bland previous offering.

Whereas once Renault offered a multitude of Megane types – 3-door coupe, folding hard top, MPV – the new car will come as 5-door hatch, sport tourer estate and saloon only. So if you’re looking for sporty, the 5-door is about as good as it gets.

However, this particular class is uber-competitive. The Megane not only has to compete with the ubiquity of seemingly “classless” VW Golf and great-driving Ford Focus, it’s also got the new, super-value Vauxhall Astra and a host of Korean and Japanese cars burgeoning with kit to deal with too. And as you go up the range, looking at this type of car on a company scheme, or lease or PCP deals, you’ll likely become tempted by a raft of small BMWs, Audis and Mercedes too. So can Renault’s latest Megane cut it?

Renault Megane 2016 review: Part of the family

We think the new Megane’s design is a winner. This 5-door hatch continues the design vision that Renault design chief Laurens van den Acker set out on back in 2012. In some ways it completes the “circle of life” theme that the strategy was given.

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Surfacing is voluminous, so there’s a differentiation in approach from German cars that’s clear straight away. The details look hi-tech, too, particularly the lights with their edge-LED technology – which fit into a very bold front and rear graphic.

The Renault diamond logo is now massive, too, but it’s hiding the car’s radar sensors behind it, thus avoiding the clumsy array of blanking plates cameras poking out of the grille that many cars wear today.

And if you go for the GT or GT Line version, you get a completely different front and rear lower bumper, bigger wheels and a body kit that makes the car look distinctly more pumped up, without ruining its looks.

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The company is hoping that the focus on design will continue to breathe life back into Renault sales. It’s worked with the Clio and Captur – respectively the best selling cars in their sectors across Europe over the past couple of years. The Renault family resemblance is clear in the Megane, but if we have one criticism it’s that the car looks a little too much like a Clio on steroids.

Renault Megane review: Engine options

On the road, the Megane’s front really seems to catch people’s attention. The car can clear a motorway fast lane effectively – though you might want to spec a bigger engine than this 1.5-litre diesel review car if you’re really planning on this type of driving behaviour.

The Megane is available from launch with two petrol and two diesel engine options. Petrols comes as 1.2-litre Tce with 130bhp and a manual or auto box, and the 1.6-litre with 205bhp, which is auto only. Diesels are the 1.5-litre dCi with 110bhp that we’re testing here. Or there’s a 1.6-litre dCi with 130bhp.

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On the way is a more powerful diesel with 165bhp, and a version with some hybrid assist systems that should present a very interesting economy/performance/low CO2 mix. And although Renault hasn’t officially confirmed it, a RenaultSport version is likely coming, too, which you’d expect to have more horsepower than today’s 275bhp hot Megane.

We drove the 1.6-litre 205bhp petrol with the auto box, briefly, and confess to not really loving it. The gearbox is not the sharpest, despite being a dual-clutch unit, while the engine never felt 205bhp strong – though it was a very new low mile car, so that might improve with mileage.

The GT 205 petrol also comes with 4-wheel steering, which makes the turning circle smaller at lower speeds and the car feel longer and more stable at high speeds. We didn’t love the way it felt from behind a very dead-feeling steering wheel though. The spec in this model is strong – you get one-piece backrest bucket seats for instance – but the interior trim with the blue faux carbon fibre is all a bit chintzy. If you want performance, wait for the real deal Renault Sport version.

Renault Megane 2016 review: Short drive, long drive

Only the lower-powered 1.5 diesel in manual format was available for us to test on a short-term loan. And while it never felt quick – that might have something to do with us stepping out of a Golf R before hand – it is good in numerous ways.

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Primarily – and this is a general new Megane forte – it’s hugely refined in all regards. The cabin is a very relaxing, quiet place to be, while the engine (even when thrashed) remains relatively muted. Wind noise is commendably low, and the cabin noise bests any of the MQB-based products from VW, Skoda or Seat when travelling at speed. Which came as something of a surprise.

That diesel engine is also very linear in its delivery. It’s not boosty, it just pulls gently right through the range with no holes in its delivery. Although the 0-62 time of 11ish-seconds is no great shakes, it’s plenty enough for most. Plus you’ll be rewarded with 50mpg in town, and upwards of 60mpg out of it, in exchange for the its lack of spritely performance.

However, the gearbox action is typically French. Which is to say, sadly, not as good as most. It has a long throw and an indirect, vague feeling.

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The ride on 17-inch wheels is smooth, although occasionally the shudder and dynamic behaviour from the rear gives away that this is a car which has a torsion beam, rather than more expensive independent rear suspension set up of some rivals. The steering is light, but totally lifeless.

We came to rather like the Megane’s relaxed, refined approach to life. It takes a different tack to the dynamic German brands and Ford. And for many people, it will be the better companion for it.

Renault Megane 2016 review: Uptown funk

Like all brands occupying the mainstream market, Renault makes no secret of its desire to be seen as more premium. The new Megane tries to do this in a couple of ways: by shifting the proportions on from the last car; by offering a lot of technology features and the ability to personalise that tech.

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Beyond the rear lighting arrangement – seriously, look at the sweeping lights, they’re great – the Megane’s “techieness” isn’t obvious until you approach the car. Then, if you’ve got Renault’s slightly over-sized keycard in your pocket, the car will “wake”, unlocking as you approach, the mirrors unfolding and the interior lighting washing round the cabin. When you’re done, get out, walk away and the reverse happens – it locks automatically. There’s no fiddling with sensors on handles as with some keyless systems, and while it sounds small beer, it’s actually brilliant. Renault has been trying to get its hands-free system right for some time and has finally nailed it. Not only does it make the car feel semi-human, but once you’ve got used to it, ever other car’s entry/key/keyless system seems clunky.

Beyond this, the new Megane can be festooned with so-called ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and technology that’s tended to be reserved for bigger cars. “D-sector in the C-segment,” Renault calls it. Try autonomous braking, adaptive cruise control, safe distance warning, blindspot and lane departure warnings, LED headlamps with automatic low/high beam function, self-parking, and not just front and rear – but 360-degree parking sensors that, incidentally, have a small temper tantrum every time you approach a car park ticket barrier.

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Our upper-mid level Dynamique S spec car’s key options were the £500 parking pack (self-parking, 360 degree sensors and blind spot warning), the £400 safety pack (adaptive cruise control, safe distance and autonomous braking), full LED headlamps at £500, and a £500 Bose sound system. This all took the price to £22,925, from a standard £20,400 (for the Dynamique spec, the standard Megan starts at £16,600) – but most pack prices are cheap compared to rivals. Keep in mind that you get things like the 8.7-inch touchscreen and TomTom Live Sat Nav as standard, regardless of optional choices, and it’s a good base setup.

Renault Megane 2016 review: Screen masquerade

It’s that 8.7-inch portrait-aligned screen which ultimately masquerades as the big differentiating factor in the Renault’s interior. Here Renault wants to really sell its big “wow” moment.

Thing is, the screen isn’t quite up to the design standard of the rest of the car. Sure, the graphics are clear and easy to read and the definition in the cluster is decent. But the level of adjustability – the home screen of the centre display can be configured like your smartphone to contain various menu tiles – didn’t feel right for us. Some setups eluded us: you can’t seem to put the phone menu in the homescreen, for instance; nor have a dominant map/nav mode in the instrument cluster. Dare we suggest Renault go look at what Audi lets you do within a digital dashboard?

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There are elements that works nicely, such as the TomTom-based Sat Nav, and the pinch-and-zoom ability of the screen. But overall, the customisation aspect feels gimmicky and made us feel like the tech wasn’t truly optimised. Coloured lights, we can see the appeal of. A sports mode that remaps the engine we get. But the on-screen display could be better thought-out.

Otherwise “personalisation” was obviously a buzz word in the Megane’s development. To the point that there’s a starfish-adorned centre tunnel button, as one of the few remaining physical interfaces in the cabin. This button’s sole purpose is to adjust between modes. Confusingly, of the five modes – eco, neutral, comfort, sport and perso – this button only switches between comfort and sport settings. A separate physical “eco” button sits below the touchscreen to activate that mode.

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Although Renault talks about these modes’ significance in altering the feel of the drive, in this low-powered diesel, without anything as fancy as adaptive dampers or locking differentials to change the settings, the change in the way the Megane feels to drive is pretty limited. Eco mode makes it feel like the engine’s broken. Sport makes everything red and you just have to press the accelerator slightly less far to the floor to get a strong response.

Maybe we’re being harsh. Ultimately it’s not hard to use the Megane’s tech, but there’s so much opportunity with a tech suite like this that we don’t think Renault has taken full advantage.

Verdict

Calm, refined and well-equipped, the new Renault Megane is a car that’s easy to like. It offers an alternative approach to a very German-car centric way of doing things in this class – and we think that’ll make it a hit with some buyers.

If you’re looking for a dynamic drive, however, you might want to take a look elsewhere. And we’re really not convinced about the in-car interface design – worrying, especially considering this suite of tech is going to do service across several other Renault cars beyond the Megane.

This segment of the car market is choc full of high quality products. The Megane does have a design that’ll make you look, but having lived with one for a week we just don’t think it has true standout quality in a number of areas. 

Two players meet in No Man’s Sky, guess what happened next?

No Man’s Sky is finally released in the UK and other regions today, 10 August, after making its consumer debut in the States yesterday and it is already hitting the headlines with almost as much vigour as Pokemon Go.

The latest nugget to get tongues a-wagging concerns the game’s famed “multiplayer” element. Developer Games has often claimed that the No Man’s Sky universe is persistently online and players all inhabit it. But it has also constantly said because the playing field is so massive (18 quintillion procedurally generated planets), and players initially spawn in completely random areas, the chances of meeting another real human being are “almost zero”.

It certainly didn’t expect that to happen on day one.

Two players have posted proof on Reddit that they not only spawned close to each other, they set out to meet. And they ended up in exactly the same spot in the game, on the same planet, in the same galaxy, but things didn’t quite turn out as expected.

• No Man’s Sky preview: 10 hours in and it’s fiercely good fun
• What is No Man’s Sky and why should you care about it?
• 50 different planets from No Man’s Sky revealed, only 18 quintillion yet to go

Twitch broadcaster TheSadCactus (TheGalacticCactus on Reddit) discovered that a system he visited had already been named by a different player, Psytokat.

Whenever a new system or planet is found it can be renamed by the first player to arrive, so he knew that Psytokat else must have travelled through recently (as the game had only been out for a day). He arranged to meet his compatriot nearby and they headed to the same planet.

They found a landmark and waited for each other to turn up. Neither did. That is to say, both arrived there but couldn’t see each other. What’s more, the lighting and area ambience was different.

Psytokat

“We are 100 per cent in the same station same spot and everything and we cannot see each other,” said TheSadCactus.

There are several speculated reasons for this. It could be a glitch, after all the game only went live yesterday and the servers were flooded. It could be that the two players were split into different lobbies online. Or it could be that you actually can’t meet other players at all.

Hello Games’ founder Sean Murray had revealed in the past that it was possible to meet others, even suggesting that other players would be able to tell you what you look like: “You can’t see yourself,” he told The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert. “The only way to know what you look like is for somebody else to see you.

“But the chances of that are incredibly rare because of the size of what we’re building.”

Psytokat

Conspiracy theories aside, we wonder if it really matters. Hello Games has said all along that No Man’s Sky is a single-player experience with some multiplayer factors, such as the naming and discovery of planets.

And in that it is, from what we’ve played so far, thoroughly engrossing.

Bang & Olufsen embraces 4K Ultra HD and Android TV with BeoVision 14

It has been a couple of years since Bang & Olufsen unveiled a new television, the stunning BeoVision Avant. And it’s been even longer since it released the BeoVision 11.

However, a spiritual successor to the latter is now available in the form of the BeoVision 14.

It adopts a similar design aesthetic to the older set but adds a 4K Ultra HD pixel resolution. It is also powered by Android TV and, therefore, has Google Cast abilities built into the set, but there’s no sign of HDR picture tech support.

The B&O BeoVision 14 comes in 40 and 55-inch screen sizes and features an LCD panel with LED backlighting. It has anti-reflection front glass to remove reflections by up to 98 per cent. And a 360-degree Automatic Picture Control sensor adjusts images based on the ambient light in your current surroundings.

• Hands-on: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant 4K UHD TV review

If you couple it with a motorise B&O stand, it will even sense your seating position and automatically turn to face you.

A three-way custom speaker adorns the front, which are covered by ultra-thin oak wood lamellas. The audio tech utilised is based on that found in the BeoLab 18 loudspeaker. A cloth front can be chosen instead of the oak in order to change the colour scheme.

The TV links with all other BeoLink Multiroon products and it comes with a new version of the BeoRemote One, which now features Bluetooth connectivity.

The BeoVision 14 4K Ultra HD TV starts at £4,495 for the 40-inch model. The 55-inch version retails from £6,495.

Sony PlayStation event confirmed for 7 September, likely for PS4.5

The new, high-powered PlayStation 4 will likely be unveiled in September.

Sony has sent invites to the media for a PlayStation event scheduled on 7 September in New York City. It’ll actually be held at the PlayStation Theatre, but the company is being coy about what it will announce or introduce, only saying that it plans to “share details about the PlayStation business”. It of course will probably debut the upgraded PlayStation 4, which goes by the codename Neo.

The new device is thought to support 4K games and media. It might also come with more processing power, allowing it to work with the PlayStation VR headset coming this October. We’re not sure if Sony will discuss a release date or pricing at its event, though rumours have suggested that Neo will launch some time next year. Keep in mind Sony has already confirmed a 4K PS4 is in the works.

Andrew House, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, told the Financial Times in June that Sony will sell both the PS4 and Neo through their life cycles, and that all Neo-compatible games will support the standard PS4, too.

Check out Pocket-lint’s PS4.5/Neo round-up for more details about the upcoming console, dubbed PS4.5.