Average mobile data usage now exceeds 10GB per month, says a new report. The increase in data usage is partly driven by growth in 5G devices, with 5G users set to double this year.
But two further factors explain the surprisingly high figure, says mobile network company Ericsson…
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Market intelligence company Canalys is forecasting that global smartphone shipments will grow 12% this year, despite challenges posed by the chip shortage. However, it says that phone makers will need to choose their priority countries and regions…
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The US Senate has approved $52B in funding to boost US chip production, as part of an effort to address the global chip shortage, and to reduce dependence on China. Apple was one of the companies lobbying for the move.
In total, the US Innovation and Competition Act provides almost $250B in funding for US manufacturing, with $52B of it specifically allocated to chip fabrication. However, it is as yet unclear whether it will also pass in the House …
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Global chip shortages could last significantly longer than expected, continuing until at least the middle of next year, and possibly into 2023. The warning was given by contract manufacturing giant Flex …
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A new Pew Research study shows that some 15% of US adults are now mobile-only internet users, which is to say they do not have a home broadband connection, but instead rely solely on their smartphone.
Coincidentally, the same study reveals that a further 15% of American adults still don’t own a smartphone …
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A former Apple designer who worked on both the iPhone and HomePod has created a startup company for speakers known as Cell Alpha, which aim to take spatial audio to the next level …
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The pandemic has seen a dramatic increase in the number of scam messages sent via text, email, WhatsApp, and other messaging platforms …
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American families below or close to the poverty line will soon be able to apply for a broadband subsidy worth $50 per month, as part of the COVID relief package. Applications open on May 12, with a number of additional ways to qualify…
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Computer giant HP is following Apple’s environmental example in promising to achieve net zero emissions. However, while Apple achieved this in 2018 for its own operations, and is pledging to do so for its entire supply-chain by 2030, HP is setting itself a less ambitious target…
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The pandemic has seen many people working from home, and it appears that a significant majority want the option to continue doing so at least some of the time once the crisis has passed. A new poll found that some would even turn down an extra $30K a year to retain that flexibility …
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The White House has promised access to broadband for all Americans, as part of a major new infrastructure initiative known as The American Jobs Plan.
The plan as a whole will cost $2T over eight years, with $100B of it reserved for the broadband elements …
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A new report from consumer advocacy nonprofit Public Citizen says that big tech companies are now the biggest lobbyists, and that the money they spend on influencing government policy has allowed them “to harm consumers, workers, and other businesses alike.”
However, while Apple is mentioned 27 times in the report, only one direct criticism is leveled at the company …
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On Tuesday morning, a 220,000-metric ton, 1,312-foot container vessel got stuck sideways, blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal. This canal is responsible for 12% of the world trade, and a new report from NBC News explains what effect this could have on shipping logistics around the world.
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is inviting you to describe your broadband experience, in terms of the choices available to you in your location, the speeds you experience in real-life use, and your thoughts as to the quality of service your ISP provides …
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Apple CEO Tim Cook may be keen to return to the office, but a large-scale international survey shows that the majority of people want flexible remote working options once the pandemic is under control …
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A survey of 1,500 tech employees found that 77% of them think that Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook have too much power. Only 8% disagreed.
Tech workers were also asked about a wide range of other tech issues, including working with law enforcement, China, and legislating AI…
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is being called on to update the official US high-speed broadband definition to reflect today’s needs …
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Smartphone addiction affects almost 40% of college students, impacting the quality of their sleep, according to a new study.
However, some academics take issue with the findings, arguing there is no such thing …
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President Biden has reversed the US immigrant freeze imposed by his predecessor, and will not extend the US work visa freeze. Hundreds of thousands of foreign workers will soon be able to apply for visas and green cards, including the H-1B temporary worker visa, which Apple had said was important to its business.
Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook were all among the companies to oppose the freeze and other restrictions imposed by the previous administration…
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It’s the end of an era for technology fans: After nearly 36 years, Fry’s Electronics has officially confirmed that it is going out of business and closing all of its stores nationwide. The company has also completely shut down its online store and replaced it with a goodbye message.
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A pandemic-induced worldwide chip shortage is continuing to hit iPhone 12 production, despite Apple’s advantages in negotiating priority with many of its suppliers. So far, the company has been affected by shortages of both power management chips and LiDAR components – and there are fears that the situation could get a lot worse.
The automotive industry has been particularly badly hit, with lack of semiconductors resulting in an estimated $61B in lost sales. Experts now fear that the impact on the consumer electronics sector could be even greater …
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Interest in developing UWB applications has been significantly boosted by Apple’s decision to adopt the ultrawide band standard in its products, says a new report today, with other smartphone manufacturers following the company’s lead.
Samsung and Xiaomi have already included UWB in high-end smartphones, with two other Android brands likely to do so …
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Business Insider has an interesting look at the battle for web privacy — and how Apple is effectively keeping Google’s data-grabbing ambitions in check across the web as a whole.
New web standards are agreed by the World Wide Web Consortium, also known as the W3C. In theory, each member organization gets one vote, but the site’s Shona Ghosh argues that the reality is somewhat different…
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Zendure likes its beefy power banks, like the 100W one I tested back in the summer, but the Zendure SuperBase 500 has got to be the ultimate one. As the name suggests, it offers a huge 500Wh of capacity (518Wh to be precise). It provides both AC and DC power and can cope with up to a massive 600 watts of simultaneous output.
Of course, that kind of capacity requires a huge battery, so this thing isn’t small or light– but it is a fair bit smaller than the competition …
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