Apple Supplier Looks Set to Expand iPhone Assembly Facilities in India

Apple’s main iPhone assembler in India is scouting for additional land in Bangalore to expand its existing facilities, according to a new report today by Bloomberg.

Wistron executives reportedly toured the city last week and have shortlisted plots covering around 100 acres, including one plot close to the airport. The Taiwanese manufacturer may use the planned facilities to supply other brands, too, but Wistron has so far kept shtum on the matter.

Wistron began making the iPhone SE in India in May of this year. Since that time, Apple has been seeking exemptions from the country’s government that will allow it to set up more units to assemble iPhones. The company has asked state officials for a range of tax and policy changes to help build out its iPhone assembly infrastructure in India, and today’s report suggests that it may have gotten its way.

India recently ousted the U.S. to become the world’s second largest smartphone market after China, according to market research conducted by industry analyst Canalys. However, Apple has so far struggled to make a significant dent, mainly because its smartphones are so much more expensive than rivals such as Oppo and Xiaomi. But also because the government levies tariffs on devices manufactured outside the country, hence Apple’s eagerness to assemble more iPhones there.

During Apple’s earnings call last week, CEO Tim Cook said the company has “great momentum in India, where revenue doubled year over year”. But he also said that to gain ground, Apple would have to work on many fronts.

“It’s building stores. It’s building channels. It’s building markets. It’s building the developer ecosystem,” said Cook. “It’s having the right product lineup for the market. And I feel like we’re making good progress there and are gaining understanding of the market, but we still have a long way to go.”

Related Roundup: iPhone SETag: IndiaBuyer’s Guide: iPhone SE (Caution)
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Adidas’s first shopping app uses AI to come up with the goods

Adidas has offered online shopping for a long time but you’ve always had to do it via a web browser. That may be just fine on a PC or laptop, but the process can get fiddly if you like to use your smartphone to shop.

The good news is that the sports clothing giant has finally gotten around to building a mobile shopping app for iOS and Android devices.

The new app offers everything from its latest shoes to clothing and accessories.

In an effort to offer a little more than its browser-based shopping experience, it’ll also come up with personalized product recommendations based on the sports you play and the kind of gear you like to wear. And with Adidas’s new app employing artificial intelligence technology, those recommendations should improve over time.

For now you can only use it in the U.S. or U.K., and you need to choose between the two when you open the app for the first time.

After that, you can scroll down the main page to explore current trends in the world of sports gear, or hit the shoe icon to start shopping. You’ll find products split between men, women, and kids, with additional categories including shoes, clothing, and accessories.

You can order using Apple Pay “or another favorite way of paying,” Adidas says, and track your goods via regular updates from the company.

Adidas has cleverly worked in other reasons to get you to open the app, incorporating tailored news on sports and athletes that you’re into. Of course, you’ll also find updates on the latest Adidas gear to hit the market, likely with links to the store to encourage you to splash out on more gear.

For a bit of fun, there’s a “share how you wear it” feature where you can send in a photo of yourself posing in your swanky new Adidas gear for inclusion in a showcase of similar images so you can “see how your friends are wearing their Adidas.”

Finally, if you have any issues using the app, Adidas has agents available for an online chat around the clock, seven days a week. Of course, if Adidas isn’t your style, there’s always Nike.

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• The feed in your Google app is about to get a whole lot more personalized

Google updates Pixel 2 XL with new color display modes

Google has been quick to address the flak it caught over the Pixel 2 XL’s display color and burn-in issues. Now, it’s taking action in the form of a software update, which packs several modifications for the device’s P-OLED screen.

Among the changes are three color profiles — replacing the sole “vivid colors” display available in the past — including “boosted,” “natural,” and “saturated.” As Android Central points out, even with “saturated” selected, users shouldn’t expect the Pixel 2 XL to suddenly transform into a display dynamo in the vein of the Samsung Galaxy S8. Instead, Google’s aim is to add a striking range, while retaining the phone’s untouched palette. Meanwhile, the “boosted” option simply acts as a “vivid colors” replacement.

The other tweaks aim to hinder screen burn-in by reducing the burden on the display. They include a small reduction to the maximum brightness, and a navigation bar that fades out after a period of inactivity. While this update mainly centers on the larger sibling in Google’s flagship family, it also packs a fix for the “clicking noise” disturbing the Pixel 2. In addition, a December security patch is in the pipeline with more enhancements.

Source: Google

Airbnb taps San Francisco’s biggest landlord for short-term rentals

Airbnb is recruiting San Francisco’s largest landlord to allow tenants to offer their apartments as short-term rentals. In return for Veritas Investments serving up five of its buildings, Airbnb will give it a cut of the nightly revenue (10 percent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle), as part of the incentives it launched a year ago.

The two make for strange bedfellows, considering the fraught relationship between landlords and the short-term rental service. Earlier this year, Airbnb was sued by a Denver-based real estate firm for “helping tenants breach their leases.” Meanwhile, New York has even fined tenants for posting short-term listings, under the new regulations it passed last year (a law Airbnb tried to block, before settling with the state).

Veritas, which owns over 5,000 units in San Francisco, is initially piloting the program on roughly 100 apartments. To lend a helping hand, Airbnb is enlisting Pillow, a startup that will help manage the short-term listings. But, removing housing from the rental market (and serving it up to tourists) is bound to be contentious in a city where rent prices are already among the highest in the US.

Then again, Airbnb’s relationship with its hometown has been far from smooth. It took a turn for the better in May, however, when the company settled a lawsuit with the city over a rule that levied fines on hosts that don’t register their units. Under the settlement, Airbnb will create a new registration system for hosts on its website in early 2018.

Apple wins $120 million from Samsung in slide-to-unlock patent lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court has turned down Samsung’s appeal in the long-running slide-to-unlock patent battle.

One of Apple’s patent disputes with Samsung has finally come to a close, with the U.S. Supreme Court turning down Samsung’s appeal in the $120 million slide-to-unlock patent infringement case. The initial ruling was delivered in 2014, and while Samsung was able to overturn the verdict back in 2016, a federal appeals court reinstated the original ruling a few months later.

Samsung now has to pay $120 million in damages to Apple for infringing on two patents: the slide-to-unlock gesture and the quick links patent, which turns addresses and phone numbers into interactive links. The final amount is a fraction of the $2 billion Apple’s lawyers demanded during the trial, but Samsung isn’t all that pleased with the outcome:

Our argument was supported by many who believed that the Court should hear the case to reinstate fair standards that promote innovation and prevent abuse of the patent system.

Although this particular battle is concluded, the lengthy patent war between the two companies is far from ending. The design patent dispute — wherein Apple claimed that Samsung copied the design of the iPhone — is set to go back to court in May 2018, with Samsung able to whittle the damages to $400 million from an initial $930 million. We’ll have that to look forward to next year.

MIUI 9: Top nine features you need to know

Xiaomi rolls out a laundry list of new features in MIUI 9.

After months of beta testing, the global version of MIUI 9 is now available. The Chinese manufacturer highlighted the new features at an event in India earlier this month, stating that the stable build will be rolling out initially to the Redmi Note 4, the bezel-less Mi Mix 2, and the Mi Max 2. In total, the MIUI 9 update will be rolling out to 32 Xiaomi phones, going as far back as 2012’s Mi 2.

MIUI 9 comes with a slew of new features, and while a few — like the intelligent photo search — are limited to the Chinese build on the ROM, there’s a lot to like in the global version. One of the key areas for Xiaomi was performance, with MIUI 9 coming close to pure Android in terms of app launches. Here’s a look at all the new features in MIUI 9.

A retooled notification pane

One of the biggest changes in MIUI 9 is the notification panel, which now supports bundled notifications and quick replies. Although MIUI 9 has over 280 million users around the world, a majority of them are located in China, where the use cases are different. For instance, WeChat doesn’t take advantage of Nougat-style quick replies or bundled notifications.

But with Xiaomi gaining market share outside of China, the company is rolling out the additions to the global version of MIUI 9. The notification panel itself doesn’t look any different from the Chinese build, but the ability to reply to messages directly from the notification shade is a welcome addition.

All-new image editor

Xiaomi has steadily been adding new features to its Gallery app, and MIUI 9 introduces a new photo editor with intelligent background erase. The feature lets you easily remove background elements from an image, and more often than not, it does a great job.

You’ll be able to access the editor through the Edit button in the Gallery. To remove background elements from a shot, all you have to do is select the area with your finger, and hit the Erase button. The update will be rolling out in the stable version of MIUI 9.

The image editor features the latest version of Beautify, which automatically adds effects to your photos.

Optimizations with 2x faster app load times

In addition to user-facing changes, Xiaomi implemented several under-the-hood fixes to improve apps load on MIUI 9, which includes better background memory management, dynamic resource allocation, and more. The result is that MIUI 9 feels considerably faster than previous versions, and in latency tests Xiaomi found that the user interface is close to pure Android when it comes to loading apps.

Xiaomi is also rolling out the KRACK WPA2 fix to all of its devices with the stable version of MIUI 9.

New Mi Video app

Xiaomi is introducing a new Mi Video app with MIUI 9. The app automatically groups videos from the same TV show in a single folder, lets you load multilingual subtitles, and has extensive support for file formats: AVI, MP4, MOV, MKV, MPG, FLV, RM, TS, ASF, and 3GP.

You also get the option to hide videos in a private folder, take screenshots, customize the text size of subtitles, and use gestures to seek forward/backward within a video.

Mi Drop gets even better

Mi Drop is Xiaomi’s file transfer utility, and with MIUI 9, the app is moving out of the Utilities folder to its own spot in the home screen. The app also has a new logo, and is available for all Android devices, Xiaomi and otherwise.

With Mi Drop, you’ll be able to transfer files of any type, and there’s also the option to resume interrupted transfers. The interface has been simplified as well — now showing buttons for Send or Receive — allowing you to transfer files with ease.

Split screen

Xiaomi added a split screen feature to its Mi Max 2 earlier this year, and the feature is now standard in MIUI 9. You’ll be able to launch split screen mode by selecting a button in the multitasking pane, and you can easily resize windows.

App shortcuts

With MIUI 9, Xiaomi is rolling out app shortcuts via a Google Now-style pane that takes up the leftmost home screen. You get shortcuts for frequently used apps, along with the notes app, score updates for cricket, calendar events, and more.

You’ll be able to customize what shows up in the feed, and there’s also an option to hail a cab on Ola. You will be able to quickly launch Paytm from here as well.

Exclusive themes and sticker packs

Themes are a big part of MIUI, and with MIUI 9 Xiaomi is rolling out a new Limitless theme. The theme will be available as default when you’re setting up a phone that runs MIUI 9 out of the box, and will be available from the themes store as well. There’s also an India-exclusive theme.

MIUI 9 is also picking up sticker packs. You get 12 sticker sets in the Gallery app, with four packs limited to the Indian market. Xiaomi has also added icon animations to 21 apps. Most of the stock apps are getting animations, and a few popular third-party apps like Facebook, Instagram, and UC Browser will get animated icons.

Calendar with cards for holidays

The all-new Calendar in MIUI 9 comes with cards that let you view upcoming festivals and holidays. You can subscribe to football schedules, get news updates, dates for upcoming cricket matches, revisit news from the past with “On this day”, and more.

Your turn

What do you like the most in MIUI 9? Let us know in the comments below.

Google Assistant can ID that song for you

You don’t need to have a Pixel 2 to get a built-in song identifier anymore: Google has finally given Assistant the ability to compete with Shazam. Next time you hear a nice tune playing, you can simply ask Assistant “What song is this?” and it will reply with the title and artist. It will also toss in an info card with the title of the album where you can find the track, the date it was released and embedded links to Search, YouTube and Play that make it easier to get the song or to listen to it again.

Assistant will now also include “What’s this song?” in its carousel of possible queries if you have voice as your preferred input. The big G debuted always-on music identification with its latest Pixel devices, which can compare tunes to an onboard database of more than 10,000 popular tracks. It all happens locally on Pixel 2s, but on other devices, you will need an internet connection for Assistant to be able to do your bidding. Unfortunately, we cannot replicate the ability outside the US on either Android or iOS, and it’s unclear if the feature will be available outside the US. Google is still in the midst of rolling it out, though, so check back later if you can’t access it yet either.

Source: Android Authority

Apple defends moving offshore profits to the tax haven of Jersey

A set of leaked documents from offshore law firm Appleby has revealed that Apple stashed $250 billion in Jersey, a tiny island off the coast of France known for being a tax haven. The tech titan apparently secretly moved its pile of overseas profits to the island after the US and various European governments cracked down on the tax strategy it’s been employing since the 1980’s. Apple used to rely on an arrangement called the “double Irish,” which took advantage of Ireland’s business-friendly tax policies.

The company created Irish subsidiaries and attributed billions of dollars of profits made outside the US to them. It then avoided paying large amounts of taxes in the country by making it appear that the subsidiaries were being operated from California. In the US, such a scheme works, because the government allows taxes on income produced by multinational corporations’ foreign units to be deferred indefinitely.

In 2013, however, Apple faced inquiries from a US Senate committee that lambasted the company for exploiting a system that saved it billions of dollars in taxes. A year later, the European Union investigated Apple’s activities in Ireland and ordered the company to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes. That’s the same year Apple first emailed Appleby asking about possible alternative arrangements.

Based on the documents leaked as part of Paradise Papers, Apple asked the Bermuda-based law firm what different offshore jurisdictions, including the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Mauritius, the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey, have to offer. When Ireland changed its tax laws in 2015, it gave companies operating out of the country the right to continue with their arrangements until December 2020. That gave Apple enough time to begin processing the change in residency of its two biggest Irish subsidiaries to Jersey, which eliminated corporate taxes (sans some exceptions) in 2008, with Appleby’s help.

Why is this such a big deal? Well, Apple said 70 percent of its profits come from outside the US, yet its foreign tax rates typically fall between two to five percent only. In the US, it would have paid a 35 percent tax rate on those profits.

Republican senator John McCain once said:

“Apple claims to be the largest US corporate taxpayer, but by sheer size and scale it is also among America’s largest tax avoiders… [It] should not be shifting its profits overseas to avoid the payment of US tax, purposefully depriving the American people of revenue.”

Apple, however, defended its practices and its decision, insisting that the move “did not reduce [its] tax payments in any country.” It said it decided to hold overseas cash in Jersey, “specifically to ensure that tax obligations and payments to the US were not reduced.” Apple explained that it “paid billions of dollars in US tax” to establish its Jersey subsidiary, and that it gets no tax benefit from the change. The company also boasted that it’s the biggest taxpayer in the world, and its “worldwide effective tax rate is 24.6 percent, higher than average for US multinationals.”

The tech giant also promised to comply with any change in the tax system for multinational corporations in the US in case the administration’s tax reform plan goes through. The current proposal suggests cutting multinational companies’ taxes to 20 percent from 35 percent, though it will also impose minimum taxes on all foreign earnings and will no longer defer taxes earned by businesses’ foreign divisions.

Part of Cupertino’s statement reads:

“The debate over Apple’s taxes is not about how much we owe but where we owe it. As the largest taxpayer in the world we’ve paid over $35 billion in corporate income taxes over the past three years, plus billions of dollars more in property tax, payroll tax, sales tax and VAT. We believe every company has a responsibility to pay the taxes they owe and we’re proud of the economic contributions we make to the countries and communities where we do business.

Under the current international tax system, profits are taxed based on where the value is created. The taxes Apple pays to countries around the world are based on that principle. The vast majority of the value in our products is indisputably created in the United States — where we do our design, development, engineering work and much more — so the majority of our taxes are owed to the US.

When Ireland changed its tax laws in 2015, we complied by changing the residency of our Irish subsidiaries and we informed Ireland, the European Commission and the United States. The changes we made did not reduce our tax payments in any country. In fact, our payments to Ireland increased significantly and over the last three years we’ve paid $1.5 billion in tax there — 7 percent of all corporate income taxes paid in that country. Our changes also ensured that our tax obligation to the United States was not reduced.
We understand that some would like to change the tax system so multinationals’ taxes are spread differently across the countries where they operate, and we know that reasonable people can have different views about how this should work in the future. At Apple we follow the laws, and if the system changes we will comply. We strongly support efforts from the global community toward comprehensive international tax reform and a far simpler system, and we will continue to advocate for that.”

Source: The Guardian, The New York Times, Apple, BBC

Fake Russian Twitter users supported Trump early in his campaign

It’s no longer shocking that bogus, Russia-backed Twitter accounts tried to influence voters in the 2016 presidential election. But how long did it take this apparatus to get started? Not long at all, apparently. A Wall Street Journal analysis has determined that Russian Twitter accounts started promoting Donald Trump mere weeks after he announced his candidacy in June 2015, not December 2015 as the US intelligence community said in its election report. In addition to heaping heaping praise on Trump, many of these early posts attacked the Republicans’ then-favorite Jeb Bush as well as the Democrats’ Hillary Clinton.

The support for Trump was clear even at that stage: there was a 10-to-1 ratio of praise to criticism among the bogus accounts, a figure that would climb to 30-to-1 when the election was two weeks away. Identical messages often showed up within minutes of each other, hinting at tight coordination. And those posts that didn’t fit the pattern typically came from accounts that were bent on manipulating social tensions, such as Black Lives Matter protests and Texas’ secession movement.

And as illustrated earlier, some of these accounts got plenty of attention. One account for a fake conservative Texan woman amassed roughly 70,000 followers, including Lt. Gen Michael Flynn and Sean Hannity.

The WSJ warns that its ability to measure the full timeline is limited: as Twitter removes tweets the moment it suspends an account, it’s difficult to go back and see every post. It’s possible that the initiative started earlier or had different ratios. Nonetheless, the findings suggest that Russia’s social influence campaign favored Trump right from the start, well before it was clear how he would fare in the Republican primaries or the general election.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available now

Calling Black Friday the Super Bowl of commerce is like calling the sun “kind of hot.” Every year, on the morning after Thanksgiving, consumers across America wake up at the crack of dawn, bellies full of half-digested turkey, and sprint to their favorite stores hoping to nab items at ridiculously low prices.

While there are some people who revel in the consumer chaos, most of us are just looking to save a little bit of cash as we head into the holiday season. So if you’re trying to avoid the madness all together, join us as we count down to Black Friday with our favorite deals available right now.

You can also check out the Amazon Black Friday Deals Store for more holiday savings.

Note: Deal prices are subject to change or expire.

Smartphone deals

Finding a new phone can be difficult and expensive. These deals should help alleviate the pain.

• $448 — LG G6: One of our most highly rated phones, the LG G6, is currently 31 percent off.
• $300 — Huawei Honor 8: With a rating of 7 out of 10 and a discount of 33 percent, this smartphone is great bargain.
• $400 — iPhone 8: Are you a Verizon customer? Trade in your old phone and get $300 toward the iPhone 8 or the iPhone X.
• $148 — LeEco S3: If your looking for a cheaper option, this deal is perfect for you. Check out our hands-on review for more info.

4K TV deals

Need a new TV, but don’t feel like being trampled by a hoard of aggressive Black Friday shoppers to get one? Here are some great deals (trampling excluded).

• $360 — TCL 49-inch 4K Smart TV: Save 25 percent on this Roku smart TV on Amazon.
• $548 — Samsung 40-inch 4K Smart TV: Save 48 percent on this Samsung model, or check out our review for more info.

Smart home deals

Automating your home can be expensive, why not do it the affordable way?

• $110 — Video Doorbell Bundle: This smart home bundle comes with a Wi-Fi video doorbell, two window sensors, and a Wi-Fi extender.
• $220 — Eufy Robovac 11: Need a robot to clean your floors? This little guy is currently 56 percent off on Amazon.
• $31 — KMC Smart Plugs (3-pack): Save 66 percent on these Alexa-enabled smart outlets.
• $50 — Phillips Smart Bulbs (4-Pack): Tired of getting up to shut off your light? Just ask Alexa and she’ll do it for you.

Gaming deals

Whether you’re looking for a new console, game, or a controller, we’ve got you covered.

• $285 — PS4 Slim Bundle: This bundle comes with the PS4 Slim, Uncharted 4, and a wireless controller.
• $243 — Xbox One S Bundle: This bundle comes with the Xbox One S, Battlefield 1, and a wireless controller
• $24 — Dark Souls III: Looking for a great game that won’t blow your budget? You can also check out are favorite PS4 games under $20 for more options.
• $26 — Stereo Gaming Headset: A quality gaming headset that won’t break the bank. You can also check out our favorite gaming headsets for more options

Laptop deals

Everyone could benefit from a brand new laptop. Why wait for Black Friday?

• $249 — Acer Convertible Chromebook: An Amazon Best Seller, this affordable laptop is perfect when you’re on the go.
• $176 — Samsung Chromebook: This cheap laptop won’t be able to store large files, but it’s perfect for note taking and browsing the web.
• $638 — Refubished Apple MacBook Pro: Want a MacBook without that MacBook price? Go with this certified refurbished option.

Looking for more great deals on tech and electronics? Check out our deals page or sign up for our deals newsletter for weekly updates.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com. Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The ultimate Black Friday Guide: All the hottest deals, none of the junk
• Save big on your next cell phone with T-Mobile’s pre-Black Friday deals
• Brace yourselves — the Amazon Black Friday deals have arrived
• Looking for PCs, consoles, and more on Black Friday? Dell’s deals have begun
• Looking for a bargain? Check out our top three Amazon tech deals for Monday

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4K smart TV, black friday, black friday deals, Laptops, smart home, Buying Guides

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