Apple reportedly invests in its own MicroLED screens

Apple quietly acquired a company called LuxVue in 2014 that was working on low-power MicroLED display technology. A report by Bloomberg indicates that development has continued and that Apple is making a “significant investment” in the new technology with an eye toward including them in devices like the iPhone or Apple Watch in a few years.

Like OLED (used in the Apple Watch and now iPhone X, MicroLED tech doesn’t need a backlight, so it could provide better contrast while using less power, but since it has to be assembled one sub-pixel at a time (each pixel requires three), it hasn’t come to the mass market yet. Samsung plans to release its The Wall modular television built with MicroLED in August.

The rumor claims that Apple made its first Apple Watch MicroLED prototype last year, and the device has previously been reported as an initial target for the technology. The “T159” project where engineers are working on design and production is reportedly done inside a large manufacturing facility in Santa Clara, as it works on a way to replace technology designed by competitors like Samsung and LG. Just like the custom-designed processors used in its mobile devices, Apple would still likely have others build the actual displays, but if it’s first to MicroLED then it could offer another level of quality (and power-efficiency) than anyone else can provide.

Source: Bloomberg

Apple Developing Its Own MicroLED Displays for Future Devices

Apple has a secret manufacturing facility in Santa Clara, California, where it is designing and producing test samples of its own displays, reports Bloomberg. The company is reportedly using MicroLED technology in an effort to replace Samsung’s OLED displays in future devices.

Apple’s MicroLED facility in Santa Clara (Bloomberg)

The technology giant is making a significant investment in the development of next-generation MicroLED screens, say the people, who requested anonymity to discuss internal planning. MicroLED screens use different light-emitting compounds than the current OLED displays and promise to make future gadgets slimmer, brighter and less power-hungry.

Apple’s desire to expand its supply chain beyond Samsung has been extensively rumored, with Apple reportedly spending billions of dollars to help LG get its own OLED production up to speed and LG displays rumored to be making their way into this year’s “iPhone X Plus” device.

Looking beyond OLED, many believe MicroLED will be the next display technology to appear in mobile devices, and Apple’s interest in the technology was revealed in its acquisition of MicroLED firm LuxVue back in 2014. Apple has reportedly been working to first bring MicroLED to the Apple Watch, with some rumors pointing to that happening as soon as this year.

Bloomberg’s report suggests, however, that it will likely be a few years until Apple’s MicroLED displays will appear in shipping products, perhaps two years for the Apple Watch and three to five years for the iPhone. Apple will likely also outsource full-scale production of the displays.

The California facility is too small for mass-production, but the company wants to keep the proprietary technology away from its partners as long as possible, one of the people says. “We put a lot of money into the facility,” this person says. “It’s big enough to get through the engineering builds [and] lets us keep everything in-house during the development stages.”

Apple had reportedly been working on MicroLED display technology at an R&D center in Taiwan, but late last year the company was reported to have scaled back its efforts at that center. In light of today’s news, it’s possible Apple elected to concentrate its efforts at a facility closer to its headquarters.

Tags: bloomberg.com, Micro-LED
Discuss this article in our forums

The worst jetpack [#acpodcast]

• Subscribe in iTunes: Audio
• Subscribe in RSS: Audio
• Download directly: Audio

Show Notes and Links:

• President Trump preemptively blocks Broadcom’s Qualcomm takeover, citing national security concerns
• Samsung Galaxy S9 is now available: Here’s everything you need to know!
• Wear OS by Google officially replaces Android Wear
• Fitbit Versa hands-on
• Google’s bringing its Maps APIs to augmented reality game development

Sponsors:

• Thrifter.com: All the best deals from Amazon, Best Buy, and more, fussily curated and constantly updated.
• GameStash: Hundreds of awesome games on your Android phone. Try it free for 14 days!

AR firm Avegant cuts half its workforce and picks new CEO

Avegant has drawn a lot of attention in the wearable world between its Glyph personal screen and its light-field augmented reality headset, but it’s facing uncertain times. The Verge has learned that the startup cut more than half of its workforce (it’s now down to “fewer than 20” workers) and has replaced CEO Joerg Tewes with co-founder Ed Tang. Most of those left are involved in research and technology partnership, according to the insiders.

Tang wouldn’t comment on the layoff or Tewes’ departure, but did confirm his new role. He also suggested that the move didn’t hint that Avegant’s future was in doubt. Its goal remains the same, he said, and it’s about to close a $10 million funding round that would help it fulfill its AR ambitions.

The remarks are consistent with Avegant’s strategy so far. It’s not interested in directly selling its own AR headsets, but rather on offering its technology to hardware partners. The remaining team should still help toward that end. However, such a drastic shakeup indicates that it won’t be easy going for the wearable tech company, at least not in the near future.

Source: Edward Tang (LinkedIn), The Verge

Tinder’s parent company sues Bumble over patents

It’s no secret that Tinder (or rather, its parent company Match Group) and Bumble are arch-rivals in the swipe-right dating app space, and that battle just escalated. Match Group has sued Bumble for allegedly violating two patents, one for the “ornamental” look of its app and another for the all-important swipe-based system. The Match team wasn’t exactly subtle about its claims — it asserted that Bumble (founded by former Tinder execs) explicitly copied Tinder’s core formula with subtle variations on the same interface elements. However, the motivations behind the lawsuit might not be so clear cut.

Match said in a statement that the suit was necessary for “protecting the intellectual property” of its business. However, TechCrunch sources had noted that Bumble turned down Match’s offers to buy the company in summer 2017. And when a Recode contact understood that Match was still interested in acquiring Bumble, it’s not hard to see the lawsuit as a pressure tactic to make Bumble accept a buyout offer it would otherwise reject. If it doesn’t give in, it might have to pay steep damages and change the core functionality of its app.

We’ve asked Bumble if it can comment on the lawsuit. It’s unquestionably in a tight spot, however. The company was created by Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe, who sued the company over sexual harassment and alleged that she lost her title because of the CMO’s belief that a “young female” founder hurt Tinder’s credibility. It’s understandable why she would be reluctant to accept a buyout from the very company she was determined to escape. At the same time, it’s evident that Match could make life miserable for Bumble if it insists on remaining independent. There’s no easy solution, and Bumble may have to compromise on some level (whether independence or cash) to remain a fixture in the dating app scene.

Via: The Verge

Source: Recode

GE just test flew the largest jet engine in existence — the GE9X

We may call the Boeing 747 a jumbo jet, but that airplane may soon seem standard-sized once aircraft powered by the GE9X take to the skies. The new engine from GE Aviation is known as the world’s largest jet engine, and it made its maiden voyage earlier this week, taking off from Victorville, California.

The engine will power Boeing’s brand new 777X, which already promises to be the “largest and most efficient twin-engine jet in the world.” The mammoth GE9X will be key to its performance. And while we still have to wait awhile longer to see the actual aircraft take off, the engine’s first test flight proved to be a resounding success.

The GE9X took off around 10:40 a.m. PT, and managed to fly for more than four hours on its very first journey. During the duration of the flight, the aircraft and its engine “completed the entire test card and validated key operational and functional characteristics enabling the test campaign to progress in subsequent flights,” GE Aviation noted.

The #GE9X engine, the world's largest, took to the skies yesterday for its first flight! The engine that will power @Boeing’s new #777X aircraft took to the air on March 13 and flew for more than four hours. #avgeek https://t.co/luJqPvGiuZ pic.twitter.com/8qoeoXhbkU

— GE Aviation (@GEAviation) March 15, 2018

“The GE9X and Victorville teams have spent months preparing for flight testing of the engine, and their efforts paid off today with a picture-perfect first flight,” said Ted Ingling, general manager of the GE9X program at GE Aviation. “Today’s flight starts the beginning of the GE9X flight test campaign that will last for several months, allowing us to accumulate data on how the engine performs at altitude and during various phases of flight.”

Testing of the engine has been ongoing since May 2017, as the GE9X is certainly under heavy scrutiny. Almost 700 of these engines are already on order, and their list of features is lengthy indeed. The GE9X boasts the largest front fan (it’s a whopping 134 inches in diameter), with 16 fourth generation carbon fiber composite fan blades. There’s also a next-generation 27:1 pressure-ratio 11-stage high-pressure compressor; a third-generation TAPS III combustor for high efficiency and low emissions; and CMC material in the combustor and turbine.  The engines will be in the 100,000 pound thrust class.

Icing testing for the engine was recently completed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and crosswind testing is taking place in Ohio. Engine certification should take place in 2019.

Editors’ Recommendations

• All-female engineering team builds a solar-powered tent for the homeless
• These drones could team up to lift injured soldiers off the battlefield
• Hold on to your butts: These are the fastest cars in the world
• At long last, researchers develop a wearable fit for plants
• Next-generation 2018 Honda Accord upgrades sophistication and efficiency

Airbus wants to bring down a defunct space station with a giant harpoon

Junk in orbit around the Earth is becoming a bigger problem every year. Space agencies are tracking some 7,000 tons of debris, adding up to more than 20,000 pieces larger than 10 centimeters. European space agencies and private companies, in a joint effort called RemoveDebris, plan to test a variety of different possible solutions next month with a satellite launched aboard a SpaceX rocket to the International Space Station.

“The problem with so much junk up there now is it is actually starting to prove a real issue, and the chance of collisions is increasing all the time,” Jason Forshaw of RemoveDebris told The Guardian.

One of the most intriguing efforts is spearheaded by Airbus, and its target is the biggest hunk of junk in orbit — Envisat, the largest Earth observation satellite ever launched, weighing more than eight tons. The company wants to corral the floating behemoth with a giant space harpoon, and then drag it down into the atmosphere, where it will burn up on reentry.

According to the BBC, the harpoon is currently being developed in England, and a small prototype will be tested during next month’s RemoveDebris mission. “If we can design a harpoon that can cope with Envisat, then it should be able to cope with all other types of spacecraft including the many rocket upper-stages that remain in orbit,” said project engineer Alastair Wayman.

Envisat, launched in 2002, was a state-of-the-art observation platform bristling with instrumentation including imaging radar, spectrometers, and atmospheric sensors. The European Space Agency (ESA) unexpectedly lost contact with the satellite in 2012. Despite numerous attempts to resurrect it, the mission was declared officially dead shortly thereafter.

The relative simplicity of the harpoon is what appeals to engineers. “Many of these targets will be tumbling and if you were to use a robotic arm, say, that involves a lot of quite complex motions to follow your target,” Wayman explained. “Whereas, with the harpoon, all you have to do is sit a distance away, wait for the target to rotate underneath you, and at the right moment fire your harpoon.”

Envisat is the long-term goal of the space harpoon project — its great white whale, as it were — but test missions in the next few years will focus on smaller targets. April’s RemoveDebris demo mission will release a small target from the satellite and then attempt to retrieve it using the harpoon.

The harpoon that Airbus plans to use for Envisat is about three feet long, and it’s fired with a burst of compressed air. Barbs will pop out and lock it into place after penetrating the skin of the rogue spacecraft, which is a little more than an inch thick.

“The harpoon goes through these panels like a hot knife through butter,” said Wayman.

Editors’ Recommendations

• SpaceX is blazing a trail to Mars, one milestone at a time
• The Rocket Lab founder just launched a giant disco ball into orbit
• China’s ‘Heavenly Palace’ space station will crash in the next few weeks
• Watch NASA test fire a giant rocket engine for its mighty Space Launch System
• An amateur astronomer just discovered a long-lost NASA zombie satellite

Stephen Hawking’s last paper may lead to proof of a multiverse

Stephen Hawking may have passed away, but his legacy of scientific discovery will live on, and his final paper has the potential to lay the groundwork for one of the most important scientific discoveries of the 21st century. The Sunday Times reports that the paper, entitled “A Smooth Exit from Eternal Inflation,” details a means by which scientists could discover a parallel universe.

The paper had its latest revisions approved on March 4 — 10 days before Hawking’s death. “A Smooth Exit from Eternal Inflation” is a mathematical paper that sets out to find proof of multiverse theory, which argues that there are many other universes existing alongside our own.

Thomas Hertog, who co-wrote the paper with Hawking, said that their goal was “to transform the idea of a multiverse into a testable scientific framework.” Hertog said that he submitted the latest version of the paper after discussing it with Hawking in order to ensure he approved of everything.

The paper provides the mathematical calculations that a space probe would need to gather evidence regarding the existence of a parallel universe.

Hawking and Hertog’s research argues that evidence for a multiverse should be measurable via background radiation dating back to the beginning of the universe. The paper also speculates that this radiation should be detectable using a deep space probe equipped with the proper sensors.

The Times also noted that if the paper’s hypothesis pans out and researches do discover proof of parallel universes, the scientists behind the discovery would likely win a Nobel Prize. However, the reward cannot be awarded posthumously, so Hawking would not be eligible. It will likely take many years before such a discovery could be made. Unfortunately, this is the reason that Hawking was never awarded a Nobel Prize.

As a theoretical physicist, many of Hawking’s theories, while scientifically and mathematically sound, were difficult, if not impossible, to prove with current technology. The Nobel Prize committee only gives out its award once a theory has been proven.

Nobel Prizes aside, Hawking’s role as an ambassador for science and best-selling author ensures that his legacy will live on. His 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, introduced millions of readers to cosmology.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Mofrel is a giant printer that can spit out actual textures with 2.5D printing
• Stephen Hawking, acclaimed theoretical physicist, dies at 76
• Sony Digital Paper review
• From Trump haircuts to lawn mowers, ‘Sounds Fun’ is an Alexa game about noises
• Warriors coach tweeted message he meant to send privately, and blames iPhone X

The 5 Worst Bitcoin Scams

When the Bitcoin first came along, one of its biggest draws was the use of blockchains to make the currency secure in our digital world. Unfortunately, digital wallets are still open to hacking, and people are still open to scamming — so, so much scamming.

To get an idea of how bad it can get, let’s take a look at the biggest Bitcoin scams in history, and the often-ridiculous reasons that they happened.

The Massive Mt. Gox Disaster

You may have already heard about Mt. Gox. It’s easily one of the most infamous crashes in Bitcoin history, a tangled knot of mistakes, corruption, and fraud. Back in the early 2010s, Mt. Gox was a Bitcoin exchange based in Tokyo that handled the majority of Bitcoin transactions around the world, because people thought it was safe.

Unfortunately, Mt. Gox proved to be anything but secure. Within a few short years it faced several massive successful hacking attacks, payment processing issues, governmental investigations, and a massive bank run as people tried to withdraw their funds (and found it might not even be possible).

Ultimately, Mt. Gox gave up. In a devastating blow to the Bitcoin market, the company filed for bankruptcy and announced that it had totally lost around 850,000 Bitcoins, worth about $450 million dollars at the time, or nearly $8 billion at today’s usual market value. Oops!

Of course, hackers didn’t make away with all of it — in fact, it’s hard to tell just how much money was hacked because of security issues, and how much was simply stolen by Mt. Gox representatives. Millions and millions of dollars were lost to fraud, embezzlement, and other illegal acts made by company agents and partners. It will probably be years before we know just how deep the scamming went.

The Optioment Ploy

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

One of the worst types of cryptocurrency scams involves a fake ICO (initial coin offering). The equivalent of a company going public, an ICO occurs when a business first starts selling its cryptocurrency.

Most ICO scams use basic investment fraud, a.k.a. “We promise we’re a super-real and very successful company!” when the company doesn’t actually exist and has no plan to make a profit. More advanced ICO scams may even pretend to be other, real cryptocurrency organizations to confuse buyers who are searching online.

Bitcoin Savings and Trust was even more blatant: It started out as an ICO scam based around a simple Ponzi scheme, and then…kept on going. Unwitting investors were promised amazing returns like 7 percent per week, and ultimately more than 265,000 bitcoins were stolen via fraud. The whole Savings and Trust scheme finally collapsed in 2012, and the organizer Trendon Shavers was caught up in court battles for years: This eventually led to his imprisonment and a $40 million fine. Too bad the bitcoins that he alone stole were worth around $97 million at the time of his sentencing.

Silk Road’s Ridiculous Email Trap

Silk Road, one of the most famous (and seedier) sites on the Tor network

“Wait, Silk Road wasn’t exactly a scam, was it?” you may be wondering, and you would be correct. Silk Road was an infamous black market for trading drugs and other various illegal things on the Dark Web. Most importantly, it was taken down by the FBI and other law enforcement organizations…which actually helped to cement Bitcoin as a legitimate currency that governments cared about.

Then things went a bit wrong. Specifically, the government agreed to auction offer the Bitcoins seized from Silk Road (something that commonly happens to harmless seized goods), so it contacted potential participants to let them know about the auction and ask if they were interested in signing up. Unfortunately, due to a classic “bcc” email mistake, all potential bidders could see everyone the email was sent to. That list was quickly copied, sold and stolen.

The result was a wave of scam emails sent to all these people who were already interested in buying Bitcoins. Phishing schemes like this one pretended to be from the government or related agencies, seeking out sensitive financial information that allowed the scammers to steal Bitcoins from those participating. It wasn’t the greatest way to end the Silk Road case.

Canadian Bitcoins and the Simplest Scam

NurPhoto/Getty Images

The worst scams are those that no one should fall for, but somehow work anyway. This happened to Canadian Bitcoins, an exchange that was used to—as you might guess—manage Bitcoins for Canadian investors. Back in 2014, the exchange was expertly hacked, and at least $100,000 dollars worth of Bitcoins were stolen.

So, where does the scam come in? Well, CB had leased out some space at a Rogers Data Centre for important server hardware, the sort of hardware you could use to hack into the exchange. The data center fell for what might be the oldest scam in the book, right behind, “Hey, what’s that over there!?”

A hacker sent a message to Rogers Data Centre that (basically) said, “Hello, I am the CEO of Canadian Bitcoins. My name is James Grant. I need all your security codes.” Rogers verified that the CEO of Canadian Bitcoins was indeed named James Grant, then sent the hacker all the security codes they needed. No one ever checked to see if the message had really been from Grant, or asked for any kind of confirmation, or, you know, tried to contact Grant through professional channels. You can imagine how displeased investors were when they found out.

Bitcoin Gold and False Promises

Steve Garfield/Flickr

Bitcoin gold was a project designed to create a new form of cryptocurrency that also tapped into the Bitcoin name. That branding trick was a little shady, but nothing was particularly illegal.

Then, expert scammers built a website called “mybtgwallet.com” which offered users a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to generate Bitcoin gold wallets. All they had to do was submit their private keys used to protect their cryptocurrency wallets!

Needless to say, people shouldn’t have fallen for such an obvious scam, but apparently the website looked convincing to a lot of buyers. More than $3 million in Bitcoins were stolen by the scammers, along with a number of other cryptocurrencies. Even the creators of Bitcoin cold were roped into the scam and actually endorsed the website on its Twitter account before realizing it was all one big con. Remember, it’s really easy to lie online.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Hackers steal as much as 10 percent of new cryptocurrency funds
• Japan’s Coincheck will refund $400 million in stolen cryptocurrency tokens
• The old “Nigerian prince” scam is back on Twitter — with a Bitcoin twist
• A fake startup uses initial coin offering to steal $2 million in digital coins
• Mining Bitcoin in the cloud is like renting a money printer and yes, it’s bizarre

Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

Right now there are great discounts on Joby’s GripTight GorillaPod, Vizio’s 50-inch 4K TV, the Hyperkin RetroN 2 gaming console and so much more!

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!