Global Scans · Apple · Weekly Summary

• [New] Many other companies in Silicon Valley followed suit, now including Apple, investing tens of billions still further, an entire industry sprung up around it - nearly all of which ignored evidence that the whole enterprise might be built on sand. DNyuz
• Yoco's secure payment processing solutions will seamlessly integrate into Shopstar's platform, allowing business owners to accept a wide range of payment methods, including credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payments such as Apple Pay. IT News Africa | Business Technology, Telecoms and Star
• Computer vision will soon see a major surge in popularity and become mainstream as companies like Apple and Meta continue to innovate in the spaces of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. The Teen Magazine
• On Apple and Alphabet, EU investigators will look into whether the tech giants' app stores are in breach of the DMA's steering rules that mandate that they allow developers to let consumers know of payment methods outside their app stores. Tech Xplore
• The RCS standard will continue to improve over time, and if Apple does not support later versions of RCS, cross-platform messaging using RCS could soon be broken on iPhones anyway. The New York Times
• As rumours circulate about Apple's ambitious AI-driven goals for 2024, attention turns to the upcoming WWDC in June for potential revelations about new software developments, with iOS 18 and macOS 15 anticipated to play a key role in Apple's AI strategy. Ubergizmo
• Buying loose reduces food waste - research by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) has shown that if all apples, bananas and potatoes in the UK were sold loose, we could save 70,000 tonnes of food waste by enabling people to buy closer to their needs. Lisburn & Castlereagh
• Apple has long dismissed RCS in favor of its own proprietary messaging system, iMessage, arguing that any messaging system outside of the Apple ecosystem could put iPhone users' security and privacy at risk. Opb
• Customer loyalty for Apple has remained strong over the years, with 57% of current iPhone users saying they plan to buy an iPhone during its next upgrade. Business Insider Africa
• Apple has denied users access to digital wallets that would have provided a wide variety of enhanced features and denied digital wallet developers - often banks - the opportunity to provide advanced digital payments services to their own customers. FinExtra
• Digital wallets could eventually provide developers an alternative way to process payments and manage customer relationships, forcing Apple to compete more aggressively by lowering fees and improving quality, which would ultimately benefit users. The New York Times
• When developers imagine a new product or service for iPhone consumers, Apple demands up to 30% of the price of an app whose content, product, or service it did not create. The New York Times
• As Apple ventures further into AI with iOS 18, it continues to emphasize the importance of privacy, ensuring that the new AI features will be accompanied by robust user controls. Business Times
• The European Union leveled its first antitrust penalty against Apple on Monday, fining the US tech giant $2 billion for unfairly favoring its own music streaming service by forbidding rivals like Spotify from telling users how they could pay for cheaper subscriptions outside of iPhone apps. The Boston Globe
• Should an Apple and Google partnership materialize, it has the potential to reshape the user experience by bringing advanced AI capabilities directly into iOS devices. Dazeinfo
• Buying loose items reduces food waste; WRAP research has shown that if all apples, bananas and potatoes were sold loose, we could save 60,000 tonnes of food waste by enabling people to buy closer to their needs. The University of Sheffield
• The DMA-mandated alterations have led Apple to express fears of unnecessary security risks for iPhone users in Europe. GizChina Media
• Apple's recent move to implement significant changes in its App Store in Europe has sparked a wave of controversy and concerns regarding potential security risks and increased vulnerability to hacking. GizChina Media
• Given the billions of people who use Apple products and services globally, an Apple debit card could further solidify Apple's position as a financial services provider and deepen its integration into users' daily lives. FinExtra
• DMA requirements linked to user choice - such as options to choose an alternative default contactless payment method other than Apple' s-could introduce new threats, like malware or malicious code used to scam users, that Apple can not promise to protect against. Ars Technica
• As Apple continues to navigate evolving regulatory landscapes and consumer demands, its commitment to innovation, user empowerment, and regulatory compliance will shape the future of the iOS ecosystem in the European Union and beyond. GizChina Media
• In response to the EU DMA requirements, Apple has now confirmed that they are developing a user-friendly solution to allow iPhone users to easily transfer data to non-Apple phones (i.e. Android phones), with a tentative target of 2025 Autumn of the year. GizChina Media

Last updated: 14 April 2024