Apple

iPhone 7 flash memory maker Toshiba could sell its NAND flash unit to Western Digital

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 20, 2017

DigiTimes estimated this week that flash memory chips for smartphones will remain in high demand throughout 2017 because supply shortages are reportedly “worse than expected” as chip makers are currently transitioning from older 2D NAND to newer 3D NAND technology.

According to a report Friday in The Korea Herald newspaper, citing Mirae Asset Daewoo Securities analysts, Toshiba may spin off of its lucrative NAND flash unit and sell the stake to Western Digital, narrowing the technology and market share gap with its bigger rival Samsung Electronics.

Samsung seeks arbitration against Sharp and other LCD panel makers over supply halt

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 20, 2017

Samsung Electronics has filed a request for international arbitration against Sharp and two other LCD panel makers over supply panel halt, The Korea Herald reported Friday.

Owned by iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, Sharp said recently it would stop supplying LCDs to Samsung.

The Galaxy maker is now seeking $492 million in compensation from Sharp and other vendors, said industry sources. Samsung reportedly filed its request with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Galaxy S8’s assistant to be called Bixby, offer camera-based visual search & text recognition

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 19, 2017

Galaxy S8 is widely expected to include a new Siri-like personal assistant, called Bixby, which may let users search for objects identified in a photograph and recognize text on images. These features should be integrated directly into Samsung's standard Camera app via a dedicated Bixby button, SamMobile learned Thursday.

Aside from these rumored visual search features, Bixby is thought to let the user control all stock apps and conduct payments, similar to Apple's Siri, and more.

iPhone 8 said to use fixed flex 5.8″ screen with embedded sensors

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 18, 2017

Apple's next iPhone is expected to adopt a 5.8-inch wraparound AMOLED display that utilizes a fixed flex screen like Samsung's ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

That's according to a note Cowen and Company analyst Timothy Arcuri issued to investors on Wednesday, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider. Arcuri refers to the so-called tenth anniversary iPhone as “iPhone X”.

The analyst claims the 4.7-inch iPhone 7s and 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus models may switch from LCDs to AMOLEDs, too, if Samsung Display is able to supply enough panels to Apple.

Samsung reportedly discovers that faulty battery caused Note 7 fires

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 16, 2017

Official investigation conducted by Samsung Electronics has determined that a faulty battery was the main reason for Note 7 fires, a fiasco which led to a worldwide recall of the handset before the device was fully discontinued, Reuters reported Monday. A person familiar with the matter told the news gathering organization that Samsung should officially announce the results of the investigation next Monday, January 23, a day before the company is scheduled to reveal its fourth-quarter earnings.

Appeals court reopens Apple vs. Samsung case over iPhone’s patented design

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 13, 2017

Believe it or not, the longstanding Apple vs. Samsung patent spat over iPhone's iconic design is now in its sixth year. During that time, Samsung was found guilty of infringing upon Apple's patented smartphone design, including iPhone's rectangular front face with rounded metal edges and a grid of colorful icons on a black screen.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reopened that lawsuit yesterday after a recommendation from the U.S. Supreme Court to determine how much Samsung should pay the Cupertino firm over copying iPhone's look and feel, according to court documents uncovered by Law360.com.

Apple planning to open first retail store on Samsung’s home turf

Cody Lee ∙ January 6, 2017

Apple is planning to open a retail store in Seoul, South Korea, reports Reuters. This will be the company's first official store in the country, which also plays home to the headquarters of Samsung, Apple's largest competitor in the smartphone space.

A spokesperson for Apple confirmed the plans with Reuters via email, saying "We're excited about opening our first Apple Store in Korea, one of the world's economic centers and a leader in telecommunication and technology, with a vibrant K-culture."

Samsung developing own AirPods-like earphones for Galaxy S8 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 30, 2016

Samsung is probably going to rip off AirPods next: the company should debut all-new wireless earphones alongside Galaxy S8 launch, according to confidential information received by SamMobile. “Samsung is surely looking to put out a product that competes with Apple’s AirPods,” reads the report.

Samsung, of course, was found guilty of lifting Apple's hardware and software designs in the past.

It currently owes the Cupertino firm hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Back in 2015, Samsung copied the look and feel of Apple's wired EarPods for Galaxy S6.

Poor yields for TSMC’s 10-nanometer process could disrupt next iPad launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Trade publication DigiTimes said Friday that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has received orders to kick off volume production of Apple-designed A10X Fusion chips for the next iPad. However, unsatisfactory yields for TSMC's 10-nanometer process technology could disrupt planned March 2017 launch of the next iPad series.

The proportion of semiconductor devices on the silicon wafer found to perform properly is referred to as the yield. Yield rates in semiconductor fabrication can be as low as thirty percent due to process variation and many other reasons.

New report says iPhone 8 will feature curved OLED display, new sensing tech

Cody Lee ∙ December 18, 2016

All iPhone 8 models will feature curved OLED displays, reports The Korea Herald. Citing sources familiar with the plans, the outlet says Apple has placed large orders with Samsung Display for plastic (not glass) OLED panels—similar to those used on the Galaxy S7 Edge—to use in its next handset.

Apple rejects Pay Mini app from Samsung

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2016

Apple has rejected the native Pay Mini app for iPhone from Samsung, ETNews reported Monday. The Cupertino company reportedly did not disclose why it had refused to host Samsung's app on the App Store, but it's fairly safe to speculate that it might have something to do with competition.

ETNews previously reported that Samsung was planning to release Samsung Pay, its mobile payments service, as a downloadable iPhone application.

Samsung planning a software update to render remaining U.S. Note 7 phones useless

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

Not even the exploding batteries have stopped die-hard fans of Samsung's ill-fated Note 7 from using the remaining phablets that are still in the wild. However, Samsung wants all Note 7 devices to be safely returned and is working on a software update that will render the remaining Notes in the United States useless, according to Samsung's official blog post and a statement given to The Verge.