FTC Reminds Manufacturers Voiding Warranties Due to Third-Party Repairs is Illegal

The Federal Trade Commission released a statement today reminding several major companies in the US that it is illegal to stipulate warranty coverage being dependent on using specific or “authorized” parts and service providers for repairs.

Under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, companies can’t put repair restrictions on their products unless they provide the parts or services for free or receive a waiver from the FTC.

“Provisions that tie warranty coverage to the use of particular products or services harm both consumers who pay more for them as well as the small businesses who offer competing products and services” said, Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, Thomas B. Pahl.

In addition to cellphone manufacturers, warnings were also sent to companies that sell cars and video game hardware.

The FTC has requested the companies to review their warranty publications and warned that failure to update their warranty information within 30 days could result in legal action.

You know those stickers on electronics that say you’ll void your warranty if they are removed? You won’t being seeing those anymore.

Apple Announces Red iPhone 8 with Black Front

Apple has announced a brand new (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, available later this week. The product features a special red back and a black bezel-ed front instead of a white bezel finish and silver home button which the company received a lot of criticism for the iPhone 7’s PRODUCT(RED) design.

“This special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone features a stunning red and black color combination and also offers customers the opportunity to make an impact in fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS,” said Apple’s VP of Product Marketing.

This (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will go up for order tomorrow online, with availability in stores starting Friday 13th. The new iPhone 8 color will be available through all the normal channels, including Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program.

The devices cost the same as normal iPhone models, but a portion of the sale is donated directly to the charity. The tech giant has contributed more than $160 million to research for possible cures for AIDS and HIV since it began partnering with the (RED) charity in 2006.

Apple Releases iOS 11.3 to Check Battery Health, Prevent Processor Throttling and Much More

Apple is releasing iOS 11.3 today. The software update includes the usual bug fixes and performance improvements plus some new features as well.

iOS 11.3 includes four new Animoji on the iPhone X, battery health features in beta on iPhones affected by performance throttling, Business Chat for iMessage in the US, new Health Records features, and HomeKit software authentication.

Apple faced harsh criticism when customers discovered that iOS was automatically slowing down iPhone processor performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns. With 11.3, now customers will be given the option to disable all throttling no matter how old their iPhone’s battery is. iPhone 6 or later users will see a new battery health screen that will recommend if a battery needs to be serviced. Because ultimately, replacing an iPhone’s battery is the best way to maintain peak performance and avoid throttling.

Apple’s latest software update also includes a new privacy icon that shows up whenever Apple is asking for your personal information. There’s also bug fixes. One major fix was random disconnects from Apple’s Smart Keyboard.

This is the biggest update for iPhones since iOS 11 originally launched in September of last year.

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Apple Still On Top After Amazon Passes Google As Second Most Valuable Company

On Tuesday March 20, Amazon’s stock rose 2.7% to while Apple declined .03% and Alphabet (Google) slipped .19%. As a result of this activity, Amazon passes Alphabet to become the second largest publicly traded company with a market cap of $768.04 billion. Alphabet is currently valued at $761.42 billion while Apple is atop with a current valuation of $889.17 billion.

Although, analysts estimate based on trends that Amazon will be first to hit one trillion in August with Apple hitting the mark one week later.

Apple Announces $5,000 Space Grey iMac Pro With December Release Date

Apple gave a teaser of the new iMac Pro at their developer conference and it will be the most powerful iMac yet. This machine is a beast all-in-one work station that has the look and feel of a 27" but the power of Intel Xeon processor and up to 18 cores. It will now also be available in a stealthy Space Grey color option.

With dual fans to generate more airflow, it's designed to be faster, stronger and more visually accurate than previous iMacs. The GPU is a Radeon Vega set up with up to 16GB VRAM. Which means Apple's new iMac Pro is now powerful enough to support and even create VR.

Aimed at machine learning, gaming and creative professionals, Apple wanted an all-in-one powerful enough to build immersive experiences. Users will be happy to hear that there's an SDXC port, four USB type 3 ports, four lightning ports, ethernet and what appears to be a headphone jack. The new iMac Pro is slated for a December release and start at $4,999.

IPhone 8 Will Feature Fingerprint Scanner In Display - Says Report

According to a new report from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the next generation iPhone will feature an optical fingerprint sensor to enable authentication directly by touching the screen.

TSMC reportedly broke the news at a technology symposium held in Taipei yesterday. If true, this will be a huge win for Apple, considering Samsung was unable to succeed with the same technology with their Galaxy S8, instead being forced to awkwardly place the fingerprint scanner on the back of the device.
Analysts previous reported that Apple's biggest hurdle would be integrating a fingerprint sensor into the display. They went as far as stating that the device wouldn't be available until October due to manufacturing restraints.

Apple's iPhone 8 is expected to be announced in September alongside an iPhone 7s and 7s Plus.

Report Claims iPhone 8 Will Be Named iPhone Edition And Possible Delay.

Leaked Images of Dummy iPhone 8 Reveal Prototype Design.

Renders For A New Slim-Bezeled iPad Pro Have Surfaced

A render artist posted what he claims the are designs for both the unannounced 10.5" and a 12.9" Apple iPad Pro. Despite previous rumors, Benjamin Geskin's renders reveal that the 10.5" iPad Pro will not be "bezel-less" design, but will be reduced in size.

Geskin states that the side bezels weigh in at 7mm, while the Home Button will be capacitive, not mechanical. This will be similar to the iPhone 7 and will leave the user feeling as though he or she just pressed onto an actual button.
The artist went on to say that embedding the Touch ID button under the display to further reduce any bezels will not be found on these iPad Pro models but could be a possibility for future iterations.

Analysts expect Apple to announce the 10.5" iPad Pro at it's annual developer conference in June.

New 10.5 iPad Pro Expected Later 2017 With New Apple Pencil.

Apple’s New “Spaceship” Headquarters Will Also Be Open To The Public.

New Leak Reveals Molds For Three New iPhones Including iPhone 8

It's been reported that Apple is expected to launch three new iPhones later this year. The first two are anticipated to be the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus with a familiar design language. Meanwhile, the third one is expected to be the radical new design change many have been waiting for, the iPhone 8.

Some new photos have surfaced potentially revealing the molds for all three of these new phones. These molds are likely meant to create iPhone cases or dummy iPhone units, but it’s interesting to see the sizes comparatively.

Notice how the iPhone 8 in the middle is much closer in size of the 4.7" model than the 5.5" Plus model. This is due to the dramatically smaller bezels the iPhone 8 is expected have, featuring a 5.8" display. As previously reported, it will also feature a new vertical dual-camera system.

The company is expected to unveil these new iPhones at an event in September. It's possible that the iPhone 8 won't be available until October and could have a price tag starting at $1,000.

Report Claims iPhone 8 Will Be Named iPhone Edition And Possible Delay.

Leaked Images of Dummy iPhone 8 Reveal Prototype Design.

Analyst Confirms $1,000 iPhone 8 Due In September

Not too long ago, an inside source claimed to have knowledge about Apple's next iPhone, stating that the phone would have the largest price tag yet.

According to the insider, Apple will price the iPhone 8 starting at $1,000. Now Simona Jankowski, a Goldman Sachs analyst has informed clients in a new report that this will indeed be the price. "We expect the iPhone 8 to have 128GB and 256GB models priced at $999 and $1,099, respectively." The analyst also expects two accompanying models to debut along with the iPhone 8: the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. Pricing for the base models of those devices are expected to carry over from the current ones.

Currently, this is how the analyst expects Apple to price its new handsets:

Apple iPhone 8 - $999 and up
Apple iPhone 7s Plus - $769 and up
Apple iPhone 7s - $649 and up

Lastly, the Goldman Sachs analyst expects the Apple iPhone 8 to include:

5.8-inch OLED screen.
No bezel, all screen.
3D sensing.
Better, faster memory.
Capacity starting at 128 GB.
A11 processor.
No home button.
Bio-metric authentication.

"With only four months left until launch, we believe Apple has now locked down the design.” the analyst said. So it looks like we'll have to wait until September to see what the tech giant has in-store for us.

Report Claims iPhone 8 Will Be Named iPhone Edition And Possible Delay.

Leaked Images of Dummy iPhone 8 Reveal Prototype Design.

Apple May Announce A Siri Amazon Echo Competitor In June

Apple could announce an Amazon Echo competitor at the company's developer conference this summer.

According to analysts, one of Apple's next products will be a high-end speaker with Siri built-in. It will be aimed at the premium market, featuring a better audio experience, computing performance and a higher price tag. The reports also suggest that the speaker will be able to control home appliances through Apple's HomeKit.

Consumers have been waiting for Apple to enter the digital home assistant market since Amazon and Google found success. Siri made her way from mobile to desktop, it would only be natural for her to find a place in the home.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference begins June 5.

Apple Surpasses Samsung As The World's Top Smartphone Vendor

via Instagram According to analysts, Apple capitalized on Samsung's recent missteps and overtook Samsung as the world's top smartphone vendor during the final three months of 2016. Apple reported that the company sold 78.3 million iPhones in the fourth quarter, snapping a streak of declining sales. Fueled by iPhone 7 and 7 Plus sales, Apple captured 18 percent of the global market earning its highest revenue quarter ever. Overall global smartphone shipments grew 3% during 2016, hitting 1.5 billion due to stronger demand in developing markets like China and Africa.
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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT APPLE'S NEW PRODUCTS

Wow, Apple unveils a slew of new products and features at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, so here is a rundown of everything that you need to know from Apple's Event today.

New Apple Watch

Starting off the event, Apple makes it clear to not forget about their smartwatch today, in fact, it gained new colors, new straps and an update to the watch's operating system. Gold and rose gold have been added to the watch matching the company's line up phones. Some stylish new straps from designer Hermes have been added to it's selection of bands as well. There have been some new additions to the apps that can be used with Apple watch as well as access to some third party apps with the update of WatchOS 2 available to download this September 16th.

iPad Pro

Apple CEO Tim Cook takes to the stage in San Francisco with a statement simply saying "The biggest news in iPad, since the iPad." Unveiling a massive 12.9-inch tablet.  It is big, powerful and available November starting at $799 for the 32GB WiFi only model.

• 12.9″ screen with a 2,732 x 2,048 display
• 6.9mm thin, weighs 1.57 lbs
• Powerful new A9X chip, which is 1.8x than the A8 before it.
• Powerful four speaker audio
• 10-hour battery life
• 8MP iSight camera
• Touch ID
• $799 for the 32GB model
• $949 for the 128GB model
• $1079 for the 128GB LTE model

Along with the iPad Pro, Apple also introduced a couple of familiar yet obvious new accessories for the giant tablet. The Apple Pencil which is essentially a stylus that allows users to write or draw like a pencil. Meaning, different levels of pressure will draw lines of different thickness. Drawing at different angles will also change the level of shading. Apple states it is accurate “to the pixel.” The Smart Keyboard is a physical keyboard that snaps magnetically taking advantage of the new magnetic connector and uses the same button technology as MacBook keyboards. This will only work with the iPad Pro. The Pencil cost $99 and the Smart Keyboard will set you back a whopping $169.

New Apple TV

Next Apple takes tot the stage to announce their redesigned set-top box. Actually, the box itself has seen much of a redesign as it's operating system which the company calls tvOS. This operating system places emphasis on cord-cutting favorites like Hulu, Netfilx and MLB at Bat. Apple also announces that Apple Music will joining it list of applications and provide third party support for app developers.  The digital assistant Siri also takes center stage with the announcement of tvOS. Siri is easily accessible with large variety of voice commands. The company also provides casual gaming in their set-top box with the new remote that has some Nintendo Wiimote-style motion controls. The new Apple TV is available in October and starts at $149 for a 32GB model.

iPhone 6s & iPhone 6s Plus

Finally, Apple CEO returns to the stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to announce it latest smartphones. This duo of new devices are similar in appearance to it's predecessor but sport a variety of new features. The most talked about feature will have to be Apple's 3D Touch. 3D Touch is the new “taptic engine” that can recognize how hard you touch the screen. Long touches will bring up shortcuts around the new iPhones. For example, the user can peek at an email with a deeper tap and hold and the user can even access applications without opening them thanks to 3D Touch. Both of the new smartphones are packing a new 12 megapixel iSight camera which the company states can take much better low light photos. 4K video support is also provided with the new camera hardware. 

• 4.7" iPhone 6s & 5.5" iPhone 6s Plus
• 3D Touch
• 64-bit A9 chip
• 12MP back camera with 4K video recording
• 5MP FaceTime HD and Retina Flash
• Touch ID
• Supports WiFi up to 866 mbps, with 300 mbps LTE

Most surprising of all may just be Apple's new iPhone upgrade program. The company announced a monthly payment plan within their retail stores that allows customers to upgrade to the new iPhone every year starting at $32/month. This will include an unlocked phone and AppleCare! Device monthly payment plans may not be exactly new, as some carriers have been trying out payment plans like this for over a year now. What is new about this is the fact that, the customer will be doing this straight from the manufacturer! It will be interesting to see if other manufacturers follow Apple's direction with this. These new smartphones will be on pre-order September 12th and official launch date is September 25th.

UNDO SENT EMAILS WITH GMAIL

We all have been there; having second thoughts immediately after sending an email. Whether it was because of a lack of proof reading or maybe you said something you didn’t mean to. Don’t you wish there was a way to prevent your email from being received? Google has finally provided the answer to one of the most serious email pain points. After six years in the lab, “Undo Send” is finally available for Gmail.

This feature is current only available through the Gmail website but after testing you can be sure that it will make it’s way into the mobile application as well.

To enable this new feature, you will first need to log into your email account on the Gmail website. Afterwards navigate to your “Settings” pane located directly below your profile picture and you’ll be given the option to “Enable Undo Send.” Additionally you are provided with a drop-down that lets you choose the undo period for the feature: 5, 10, 20 or 30 seconds.

We have ours got set to 30 seconds because it is not too long or short of a time frame plus you can never be too careful. So give the new feature a try and who knows, maybe you will be able to sleep easier knowing you didn’t send that article to your boss with all of those grammatical errors.

UPDATE: The app Inbox which was created by Gmail now supports this “Undo Send” feature in it’s mobile application which also leads us to believe it it definitely make it’s way to the Gmail app as well sometime soon.

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STICKER BEHIND SAMSUNG BATTERY NOT SPY CHIP!

That little sticker behind your Samsung Battery is not a spy chip! This is a public service announcement, "Samsung is not using a sticker hidden behind your battery to obtain your content or for government surveillance."

It is easy to fear the unknown. In fact, this is happening right now on Facebook thanks to a few videos going viral of a couple of men pealing back the sticker of a Samsung battery claiming a "disturbing discovery."

This is usually the sort of thing that we would sit back and chuckle about. However, as the videos became more frequent, we decided to inform users instead of just watching them remove unique features from their devices and shouting conspiracy from the internet roof tops.

The sticker behind the Samsung battery is without a doubt a chip but not what some people have come to think. It is called a NFC chip or near field communication. This technology enables devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching the devices together or bringing them with a close proximity. The most popular example of this is Apple Pay or Google Wallet. Many retailers already have contactless terminals that are NFC-based in place, making the transition to mobile payments easy. Other common functions of NFC is called Android Beam which uses this technology to exchange information between two Android phones. We are sure you've seen those Samsung commercials, placing two phones back-to-back and exchanging an item.

It should be known that usually NFC chips are sealed within the plastic backs of most devices. Although, Samsung made the business decision to place this chip behind the battery sticker because they want the user to purchase their specific model for battery replacement.

This is one of the technical things that most people are simply unaware of because it hasn't been made universal among all devices. Unfortunately, when misunderstanding and slight paranoia combine, madness is soon to follow. So please do not attempt to remove the NFC sticker from your batteries. The chip is not acquiring your information in any way no matter what Facebook tells you. Instead try something new and make a mobile payment or two. Who knows, you may find it more convenient than carrying around your purse or wallet.