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iOS apps can now offer external payment links, but Apple’s rules make it very, very unappealing

This week the Supreme Court declined to hear appeals in the Epic v. Apple anti-trust case that’s been underway for the past few years regarding the company’s App Store. That means lower court rulings stand, and that Apple does not have to allow users to sideload apps that aren’t available from the Play Store or […]

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Lilbits: A phone that charges in 9 minutes, Qualcomm v ARM, and why the Pixel 7 is 64-bit only (according to Google)

With most modern smartphone makers having access to the same processor, memory, storage, and display technology as their competitors, some companies have found other ways to stand out. For Google it’s photography. And for some Chinese phone makers like Xiaomi and Oppo it’s fast charging. Case in point: does anyone need a mid-range phone with […]

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ARM sues Qualcomm over license and trademark issues related to Nuvia acquisition

Qualcomm has dominated the smartphone chip market for years, but the company has had a tougher time breaking into the PC market. So Qualcomm acquired a startup called Nuvia last year, which was already working on processors meant to rival the chips that power Apple’s latest laptop and desktop computers. Both Qualcomm and Nuvia make […]

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Lilbits: HTC Vive Flow, Apple’s Macs with M1X chips, Google v Epic, and more

That HTC Vive Flow virtual reality headset that we learned about earlier this week? Now we know what it looks like, thanks to a series of leaked images posted by Evan Blass. While we’ll have to wait until Thursday for an official announcement, the Vive Focus sure looks like HTC’s answer to the Oculus Quest […]

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Apple appeals the Epic Games ruling, asks for stay on order to (sightly) loosen App Store restrictions

Apple is appealing a court ruling from September that would have required it to allow iPhone and iPad app developers to accept in-app payments using third-party payment systems. Currently not only does Apple require developers to use Apple’ own in-app payment service, with Apple taking a 30% commission on all purchases, but the company prevents […]

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Epic v Apple: US Judge rules Apple cannot force developers to use its in-app payments (but Epic still wants more)

Just over a year after Epic Games sued Apple over its App Store policies that forced developers to use Apple’s in-app payment system, among other things, US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers has issued a ruling in the case While the judge did not find Apple to be a monopoly overall, she did find […]

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US to remove Xiaomi from blacklist, allowing cash to continue flowing

Days before the end of the Trump administration, the US Department of Defense put Chinese electronics company Xiaomi on a list of “Communist Chinese military companies.” The move could have had major financial implications for Xiaomi if it had taken full effect. But now the Biden Administration Defense Department says it will remove Xiaomi from […]

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Cydia app store creator files lawsuit against Apple, claims anti-competitive behavior

When the first iPhone was released in 2007, it didn’t have an app store. Instead, it came with a handful of Apple-made apps pre-installed and if you wanted to do anything else with the phone, Apple suggested opening the Safari browser and using web apps. The following year, Apple introduced the App Store. But it […]

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Lilbits: Facebook faces antitrust suits, Google plans big changes for Chrome, and Adobe Flash is finally (almost) dead

Facebook wasn’t the first social network – remember MySpace and Friendster? And it’s not exactly the last one standing. Twitter’s still a thing. But Facebook is the biggest, most influential social network in the US, at least… and according to new lawsuits filed by the FTC and 48 attorneys general, Facebook abused its market dominance […]

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T-Mobile and Sprint merger moves closer after federal judge rules in favor

The four largest wireless carriers in the United States could become three soon. Nearly two years ago T-Mobile announced plans to acquire Sprint, and the merger was approved by the FCC in 2019. But a group of attorneys general from 13 states and Washington DC filed a lawsuit challenging the deal. Today a federal judge […]