News tagged ‘U.S.’
Apple to Get 0.15% of Each Apple Pay Purchase
Alongside the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and the Apple Watch release on Tuesday, the guys from Cupertino announced their long-anticipated payments service called Apple Pay. As I've already told you, the system is based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology and uses Touch ID for making each payment as secure as possible. Several new details about Apple Pay surfaced on the Internet on Friday and I feel that I should share them with you.
Apple Granted Patent for Method of Hardening Sapphire Screens
Apple on Thursday was granted a patent for a technology of hardening the sapphire structure. The patent application was published on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office official website. The patent is entitled "Sapphire property modification through ion implantation" and it describes a method of adding ions in a sapphire structure so that it becomes stronger and prevents this material from cracking. The advantage of the new technology is that it allows to make the sapphire stronger without using the chemicals.
Apple Reportedly in Talks with Insurance Companies Over HealthKit
According to the latest report from Bloomberg, the guys from Cupertino are currently in talks with major U.S. insurance companies, which include UnitedHealth and Humana, over the possibility of using the HealthKit platform. Apple says that this platform can be utilized for collecting data required for insurance firms and various medical providers.
Apple in Talks With Major U.S. Medical Professionals to Use Its HealthKit Platform
According to the latest reports from people familiar with the matter, Apple is currently in talks with major U.S. medical professionals concerning the possibility to use company's new HealthKit platform for storing medical data. Such companies as Mount Sinai, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins and Allscripts have been involved into the talks, Reuters reports.
Apple Files Patent for New OS X Virtual Assistant
The guys from Cupertino are currently thinking about making Siri available on their Mac OS X platform. According to the latest patent application published by the U.S. patent and Trademark Office, Apple is working on a virtual assistant for its desktops.
End of Patent War Between Apple and Samsung Is Near?
The end of the patent war between Apple and Samsung seems to be near. According to what Bloomberg reporters write, the market giants have recently released a joint statement announcing an agreement to end all the patent disputes outside the United States of America in the near future. Looks like the companies got tired of arguing.
President Obama Has Signed Cell Phone Unlocking Bill
As it was expected, President Obama has signed the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act. The legislation, which successfully passed the US House of Representatives and the US Senate earlier this year, makes it legal for any user to unlock any smartphone purchased on the territory of the USA.
Russian Government Asks Apple to Hand Over iOS and OS X Source Code
Russian government has recently asked Apple to give local intelligence agencies the source code of its iOS and Mac OS X. According to what the authorities say, such a step is required to make sure that the company software is not used for government surveillance. Russian Communications Minister Nikolai Nikiforov was the person who met with Peter Engrob Nielsen, Apple's general manager in Russia last week and asked about the handover of the source code.
Apple Signs Deal with Major Saudi Arabian Retailer
Apple has reportedly signed a deal with one of the major Arabian retailers called Jarir Bookstore. This deal will allow the guys from Cupertino to sell their products and offer additional services to local customers more efficiently than before. Moreover, Apple’s gadgets will become cheaper since the retailer won’t have to pay third-party distributors.
Apple Launches iPhone Trade-In Program in Italy
Apple has recently launched its Apple Store iPhone trade-in program in Italy. Moreover, this program will be available in Australia as soon as next week, people familiar with the matter claim.
Top 10 Stories of the Week
It's Sunday today, so looks like it is time to talk about the most interesting stories of the past seven days. Let's begin right now.
Apple's iPhone Remains U.S. Top Smartphone - comScore
According to the latest comScore research, Apple’s iPhone is the leader of the smartphone market in the United States. In the three months, which ended in April, the iPhone had a market share of about 41%.
Apple Was Granted Patent for Embedding Displays in Bezels Made out of LiquidMetal Alloy
Apple on Tuesday was granted a patent for "Methods and systems for integrally trapping a glass insert in a metal bezel". The document describes a method of joining iPhone’s glass with a bezel made of a new kind of metal alloy. In our particular case, the alloy is called LiquidMetal.
Numerous Users Report Early-2011 MacBook Pro GPU Failures
A wide number of early-2011 MacBook Pro owners have begun reporting problems with their laptops. The issues are probably somehow connected with AMD's discrete video cards on both 15-inch and 17-inch models.
Apple to Hold 'Enormous' iPhone Upgrade Event Soon
Apple is expected to hold an "enormous" iPhone upgrade event in its retail stores. On May 8th, the guys from Cupertino will start sending emails to those users who have an older iPhone. They will be offered a discount on newer handset - iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c - if they decide to give their old one back to Apple.