VMware won’t charge you to run a new OS in Fusion

Virtual machine software is theoretically a one-and-done purchase, but you know that’s not how it works in practice. You typically end up buying an upgrade every year just to get the latest operating system support, whether it’s in the virtual environment or your native OS of choice. You might not have to run on that treadmill this year, though. VMware is releasing free upgrades to Fusion (8.5 and 8.5 Pro) and Workstation (12.5 and 12.5 Pro) that support the latest and greatest platforms. The Linux, Mac and Windows versions of those programs can all run Windows 10 Anniversary Update and Windows Server 2016 in a virtual system, including multiple systems on Linux and Windows. On the Mac, Fusion will also take advantage of macOS Sierra features like Siri voice commands and tabbed windows.

The gesture beats dropping $50 (it’s $80 for a new copy), although it’s not surprising why VMware would give away this update. The focus here is almost exclusively on compatibility, rather than a big revision of VMware’s features — there wouldn’t be a strong incentive to buy a new copy. While it’s too soon to say for sure what will happen with Fusion 9 or Workstation 13, it won’t be surprising if it’s back to business as usual with those versions. Think of this year’s free upgrade more as a temporary reprieve than a fundamental shift in behavior.

Source: VMware

Apple Must Repay $14.5 Billion in Back Taxes, EU Commission Rules

Apple must repay 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in back taxes dating back to 2003-2014, the European Commission has ruled (via BBC).

The Apple tax ruling was confirmed this morning, after the judgement was leaked to the media yesterday. In unequivocal wording, the EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple’s tax benefits in Ireland are “illegal”.

“The Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to €13 billion to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid.”

Vestiges said this selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 percent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 percent in 2014. Therefore in 2014 Apple paid 0.005 percent tax on EU profits, which means that “For every million euros in profits, it (Apple) paid just €500 in taxes,” said Vestager. “This is based on an in-depth investigation, it’s based on the facts. I also think and hope that if it goes to the courts that it will be upheld by the European Court.”

According to the EC’s press release, the existing tax rulings endorsed a way to establish the taxable profits for two Irish incorporated companies of the Apple group (Apple Sales International and Apple Operations Europe), which did not correspond to economic reality:

“Almost all sales profits recorded by the two companies were internally attributed to a ‘head office’. The Commission’s assessment showed that these ‘head offices’ existed only on paper and could not have generated such profits. These profits allocated to the ‘head offices” were not subject to tax in any country under specific provisions of the Irish tax law, which are no longer in force.”

Ireland Finance Minister Noonan said the country “disagrees profoundly” with the back tax ruling by the European Commission. “The decision leaves me with no choice but to seek cabinet approval to appeal. This is necessary to defend the integrity of our tax system; to provide tax certainty to business; and to challenge the encroachment of EU state aid rules into the sovereign member state competence of taxation,” he said.

Apple shares fell more than 2 percent in pre-market trading following the ruling, which comes after a three-year investigation into Apple’s tax arrangements in Ireland, where it was initially thought to have paid around 2 percent or less in taxes compared to the country’s headline 12.5 percent corporate tax rate.

Update: Apple has reacted to today’s ruling with the following response:

“The European Commission has launched an effort to rewrite Apple’s history in Europe, ignore Ireland’s tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process. The Commission’s case is not about how much Apple pays in taxes, it’s about which government collects the money. It will have a profound and harmful effect on investment and job creation in Europe. Apple follows the law and pays all of the taxes we owe wherever we operate. We will appeal and we are confident the decision will be overturned.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook has also posted “A Message to the Apple Community in Europe” on the Apple website.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: corporate tax, European Commission, Europe, Ireland
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Roku overhaul will see five new streaming boxes released, include 4K and HDR

Roku will reportedly enforce its biggest line-up overhaul in many years, replacing all of its current streaming devices with all-new boxes, many of them offering 4K video.

Two leaks have revealed Roku’s plans. Documents filed with the Federal Communications Commission in the US, which certifies wireless technology, suggested that there are three brand new models coming. While two Canadian retail channels revealed more details, including an all-new naming convention.

The channels and FCC filings all use similar model coding to help piece the puzzle together. One gives an indication of some of the features, another the headline differences, while the third adds new names.

Zatz Not Funny

Tech blog Zatz Not Funny reports that the existing Roku 1 will be replaced by two new models, the Roku Express and Roku Express Plus. The exact differences between the two is not known, but it could be that one comes with an improved remote with headphone port or better connectivity.

It could even be that the Roku Express is in Streaming Stick form, while the Plus is the natural successor to the Roku 1.

Zatz Not Funny

A little more is known about the Roku Premiere and Premiere Plus boxes, as both are referred to by number in the FCC filing. Both are said to be 4K, while the latter will also come with HDR video capabilities.

A final Roku Ultra is said to have 4K Ultra HD streaming with HDR too, and it will also have an optical audio output. It will also be the only model with a USB port to play local media. It replaces the Roku 4 in the line-up.

Zatz Not Funny

All of these boxes are expected to launch in the US, but there are no indications yet whether they are also planned for the UK. After all, we don’t even have the Roku 4.

Hopefully, we’ll soon find out as Roku is tipped to get them all launched ahead of the bust holiday season.

Chinese vendor Meizu is readying a Star Trek-themed handset

Samsung has launched limited edition models of its flagships with Batman and Iron Man branding, and it now looks like Chinese manufacturer Meizu is following suit with its upcoming Star Trek edition of the M3E. Leaked images of the phone reveal the Starfleet insignia on the back of the phone, as well as a custom launcher with backgrounds and icons from the franchise.

As for the phone itself, it looks like the Star Trek edition will offer the same hardware as the standard variant of the M3E, which includes a 5.5-inch Full HD display, MediaTek Helio P10 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, microSD slot, 13MP camera at the back, 5MP front shooter, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.1, and a 3100mAh battery.

Meizu is slated to unveil the phone in China on September 2. Seeing as how this will be a mid-range offering, it won’t be as astronomically priced as Samsung’s Injustice Edition, but with no mention of global availability, it will be just as hard to track down.

HTC One A9s leaked, slated for official unveil at IFA

HTC is all set to launch a sequel to last year’s mid-range One A9, dubbed the One A9s. Citing a person familiar with the matter, VentureBeat states that the phone will officially launch on September 1 at IFA. A leaked render of the phone showcases design similarities with the One A9, as well as white, black, gold and silver color options.

There are subtle differences in the design of the One A9s, such as the removal of the HTC logo above the home button. The rear camera is no longer centered (making it look even more like an iPhone 6s from the back), and the front camera has moved from the right to the left of the device. As for the hardware on offer, it looks like the One A9s will retain the 13MP camera at the back, with HTC moving from the UltraPixel camera at the front to a standard 5MP shooter.

The One A9 turned out to be a decent phone, albeit with a high price tag. Even though HTC won’t be sticking to the 15-day update schedule for Nougat, the phone will be one of the first outside the Nexus range to receive the update to the latest version of Android.

We’ll know more about the One A9s pricing and availability later this week, but with HTC’s revenues failing to take a turn for the better this year, the Taiwanese company is looking to the mid-range and high-end segments to drive growth. As such, it is likely that the upcoming mid-range phone will cost just as much — if not more — than last year’s $499 retail price for the One A9.

What do you want to see in the One A9s?

Logi ZeroTouch will get your old banger connected, help you keep your eyes on the road

Smartphones are a problem for drivers. The temptation to dip in and check your messages or send replies to your friends can be too much to resist. Looking to save drivers from that temptation is Logitech’s ZeroTouch.

ZeroTouch is designed to transform your car into a connected car, letting you do everything you need to do when driving, and save you from looking down at your phone when you should be keeping your eyes on the road. 

There are two sides to the ZeroTouch system. The first is a smartphone app for Android (there’s no iPhone support) and the second part is the mount for your phone. There’s a choice of vent mount or dashboard mount, with your phone connecting to the mount magnetically.

There are magnetic pads provided, to either stick to the back of your phone, or slip inside your phone’s cover.

Setup is incredibly easy, with the smartphone app walking you through the process with visual and audible instructions. That will get you through the basics of setup, help you mount your phone, connect to the base and make sure you’ve enabled the right permissions on your phone.

The apps is activated using a gesture – holding your palm in front of the light sensor on the front of your phone will wake ZeroTouch up, after which you can speak to it. 

Through voice you can send messages, place calls, share your location, play your music, navigate and open apps. ZeroTouch will confirm your messages before you send them, as well as read out incoming messages.

In the future email is going to be added to the list, the idea being that your emails could be read to you as you drive to work.

The idea behind ZeroTouch is to keep you informed and connected, but in a way that doesn’t require you to touch your phone. While those with new cars might have fancy smartphone compatibility or Android Auto, Logitech ZeroTouch brings essential features to your car for only £49.99 for the vent mount, £59.99 for the dashboard mount. 

Logitech ZeroTouch app is available to download now, the mounts will be available from Carphone Warehouse from early September 2016.

Huge Apple Mac range refresh tipped for October

Apple has been tipped to replace the MacBook Pro for a while, but it is alleged that the majority of the Mac line-up, save for the current MacBook, is soon to be refreshed.

Bloomberg reports that a Mac hardware refresh will include new models for iMac and MacBook Air, to go along with the much-rumoured thinner, more capable MacBook Pro. There will also be a 5K standalone monitor made by LG added to the range, it claims.

The news site’s sources also claim that the launches could come in October. Apple is hosting an event on 7 September, but it is thought that it will predominantly focus on the iPhone 7 models and iOS 10 upgraded features.

There might therefore be a second event a month later to announce the new laptops and desktop models.

• New MacBook Pro (2016): What’s the story so far?
• What to expect at Apple’s September 2016 event: iPhone 7 and more
• Apple announces new MacBook line-up, rose gold version added
• Apple Pencil might one day work with Mac trackpads and more

The new MacBook Air is said to adopt USB Type-C connectivity, much like the current MacBook, while the new iMacs will offer an option for AMD graphics processing.

We’ve heard plenty about the new MacBook Pro before, with talk on its assignable OLED function key panel, thinner build and the new Mac OS, Sierra. We suspect it will be the star of any possible launch event.

Bloomberg also reports that a new iPad Pro is in the pipeline, with a possible 10.5-inch screen over the current 9.7-inch version currently sported, but that won’t be launched until March next year at the earliest.

A software update for iPad Pro is also expected to add new features for the Apple Pencil stylus.