Apple without WeChat could mean disaster for the iPhone in China

Posted on August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

Donald Trump could make Apple lose tons of cash, as he recently banned US companies from Transactions with WeChat owner Tencent. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Trump’s actions would force Apple to remove WeChat from the Apple Store after September 20, which would also translate to a decline in iPhone shipments that could go up to 30 percent. However, a new report from Bloomberg suggests that things could get worse for Apple.

According to a massive survey that took place in China, 95 percent of Chinese iPhone users would switch from Apple to any other smartphone brand if they should lose WeChat from their devices. In other words, this survey suggests that more than 1.2 million iPhone users would replace their Apple devices.

“iPhone loyalists across China are now reconsidering their attachment to the device after Donald Trump issued an executive order last week barring US companies from doing business with WeChat […]

“A survey on the twitter-like Weibo service asking consumers to choose between WeChat and their iPhones has drawn more than 1.2 million responses so far, with roughly 95% of participants saying they would rather give up their devices. ‘The ban will force a lot of Chinese users to switch from Apple to other brands because WeChat is really important for us,’ said Sky Ding, who works in fintech in Hong Kong and originally hails from Xi’an […]

“The ban threatens to turn iPhones into expensive ‘electronic trash,’ said Hong Kong resident Kenny Ou, who sees WeChat as one of the most essential software on his handset.

“WeChat isn’t just a messaging service: It’s basically a whole operating system […] The average Chinese person picks up their phone and immediately opens WeChat. Pretty much everything else they do happens within this single app.”

It’s not clear if this ban would only take effect in the United States or applies to business worldwide. If China gets affected, Chinese iPhone users won’t get new iPhone models, and they would eventually switch to Android devices, as WeChat is the most important app in China. It is more than just a chat app, as it is used for payments, e-Commerce, news reading, productivity, and more.

“Apple is one of more than a dozen US companies who this week warned the Trump administration about the implications of banning WeChat from their platforms. The warning was given during a conference call on Tuesday.

“Disney, Ford, Intel, Morgan Stanley, UPS, and Walmart were also among those to inform the White House that the consequences for US companies could be severe.”

Source 9to5Mac

Via Bloomberg

The post Apple without WeChat could mean disaster for the iPhone in China appeared first on Pocketnow.

T-Mobile is now the second largest carrier in the US

Posted on August 8, 2020August 8, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

Magenta had to wait for several years to complete its merger with Sprint. This year, we finally saw the operation take place, and even though we have seen T-Mobile lay off hundreds of Sprint’s employees, we are also starting to see how the carrier has started to grow.

Mike Sievert, T-Mobile’s new CEO, said:

“Surpassing AT&T to become #2 was a huge milestone to kick off Q2, but that was only the beginning! In our first quarter as a combined company, T-Mobile led the industry in total branded customer adds – even in a challenging environment – and there is no doubt that we are THE leading growth company in wireless.

Now we’re setting our sights on #1 – in customer choice and customers’ hearts – and we’ll get there by doing ONLY what the Un-carrier can do: offering customers the most advanced 5G network AND the best value while continuing to make big moves that fix customer pain points and disrupt this industry. I’m excited about what’s to come in this new T-Mobile era – we’re just getting started!”

T-Mobile is now the second-largest wireless carrier in the United States. The company has surpassed AT&T after its merger with Sprint, adding 1,245,000 new customers and reaching a total of 98.3 million customers at the end of Q2. Magenta has also announced a new Scam-Shield, which are tools that will help its users fight spam and scam calls. It also launched a new nationwide 5G standalone network, giving it a considerable advantage compared to its competitors.

Source Android Central

The post T-Mobile is now the second largest carrier in the US appeared first on Pocketnow.

Pocketnow Daily: Google Pixel 5 Specs: Oh boy… (video)

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

It's only fair to share...

Several Apple products, gaming monitors and more, on sale today

Deals. Come on, we know you missed the Apple deals so we have some new ones for you. The latest 16in MacBook Pro is currently $300 off at B&H, leaving the 2.7GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage variant for $2099. The latest MacBook Air is also $100 off, leaving the 512GB of storage variant for $1200. For those of you gamers, the Razer Jungle Cat controller is also $15 off, leaving it at $85 shipped. We have deals on more Apple products, BenQ monitors and more in the links in the description.

Buy 27-inch iMac Pro

Buy 16-inch MacBook Pro

Buy 13.3-inch MacBook Air

Buy BenQ Ultrawide Curved QHD monitor

Buy Razer Junglecat

Buy iPod Touch

Buy Apple Watch Series 3

iOS 13.5 brings Exposure Notification API, faster unlock experience while wearing a mask

Apple just started rolling out iOS 13.5 which brings some changes directly related to the pandemic. For starters, it brings the new notification exposure API they built with Google which is the foundation on which contact tracing apps will be developed. Other key features include Face ID now detecting that you’re wearing a mask and immediately asks for your password instead of it taking forever to realize, it also works with Apple Pay and other apps. We have the full list of changes in the description.

OnePlus might not launch another McLaren Edition phone in the future

Remember the phone with the coolest name ever? Yes, we’re talking about the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition. It seems we won’t have another one to mock as, OnePlus is no longer listed in the official McLaren partners page. None of the companies has made a statement yet but it seems that their partnership has come to an end, meaning that we won’t see any McLaren branded phone from OnePlus soon. It could be a mistake or part of a strategy but, the logo still isn’t back on the site. We’ll keep you posted in case we have official statements. Let’s hope that if they do decide to work together again, the name becomes a bit less ridiculous.

We have new details about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event

Now as for some sad possible updates from the pandemic, well, Samsung usually hosts two major Unpacked Events each year for their flagship releases but. I’m actually shocked we still got the February Unpacked. Thing is, for obvious reasons this year will be different. According to a report from South Korea, Samsung has already taken their decision and this will be the first time ever that the company is releasing a flagship online. We get tons of silent releases online from Samsung but they will obviously have some sort of event for the Note’s Unpacked. The event is still slated for August but we don’t have any specific dates yet. Some other products we might get at this event include obviously the Galaxy Note 20, the Galaxy Fold 2 and some wearables.

Samsung Galaxy S21 could arrive with Chinese OLED displays

A couple of weeks ago we reported that Samsung could be ditching Samsung Display for the Galaxy S21 but, not entirely. According to some industry insiders, after a month of preliminary negotiations, Samsung just sent an official request for quotation to BOE which hints to the deal happening and also the fact that they are already working on the S21. Now, it isn’t clear if we’ll be getting a Galaxy S21 Ultra but, that one wouldn’t be using a BOE display because these orders are for 90Hz displays. They have also sent a quotation request to Samsung Display for 60Hz and 120Hz displays so, they aren’t leaving them completely. According to other insiders, Samsung is trying to get Samsung Display to lower the price on the panels and the threat of having BOE replace them might work.

Story of the day:

More rumors say that the Google Pixel 5 will have a mid-range processor

And finally, let’s call this the most interesting news today. I mean, Pixels have taken the spotlight for weeks now, though I wish they would sell as much as people care about the news. Thing is we’ve been getting several rumors that the Google Pixel 5 might not be a flagship. Yesterday we covered the fact that a Google survey showed that this phone might cost as low as $699. Now, XDA has found some new evidence in the Android 11 Developer Preview that hint to the Pixel 5 bringing the Snapdragon 765G processor. It isn’t clear if it will be the 765G or the new 768G but it is compatible to what they found in the new Google Camera APK for upcoming Pixel phones. The price tag also hints that this phone might not bring a Snapdragon 865 after all.

Subscribe:
http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub
http://pocketnow.com

Follow us:
http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow
http://facebook.com/pocketnow
http://twitter.com/pocketnow
http://google.com/+pocketnow

The post Pocketnow Daily: Google Pixel 5 Specs: Oh boy… (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.

It's only fair to share...

We have new details about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

It's only fair to share...

We know that Samsung is still planning to present the new Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series and the Galaxy Fold 2 in the second half of 2020. We also know that Samsung usually holds its Unpacked event in the United States, in San Francisco and New York, but the current pandemic may change things a bit.

It seems that Samsung’s next Unpacked event would still take place in August, but with a different approach. According to a new report from South Korea, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event will be held online in August, but there’s no mention of a specific date. We will probably miss out on a huge show, like other years, but at least Samsung may have taken the best decision since mass gatherings are still prohibited because of the ongoing situation. This would be the first time Samsung changes the way it unveils its flagships, and let’s remember that we could also see the arrival of a new Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. Whatever the case, an online presentation would still be better than a press release, since Samsung is also known for launching some of its tablets, mid-rangers and a couple of wearables this way.

Source SamMobile

Via News Herald

The post We have new details about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event appeared first on Pocketnow.

It's only fair to share...

The US stopped Huawei’s latest $700 million order to TSMC

Posted on May 18, 2020May 18, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

It seems that Huawei is already being affected by the latest changes in the Huawei ban. The US started to implement more restrictions on Friday, and according to Nikkei Asian Review, the TSMC has turned down Huawei’s latest chipset order because of these new rules.

The US Commerce Department set new rules last Friday, which make manufacturing companies that use US equipment and software to get a special license to sell to Huawei. Some of the sources say that:
“TSMC has stopped taking new orders from Huawei after the new rule change was announced to fully comply with the latest export control regulation.”
“But those already in production and those orders which TSMC took before the new ban are not impacted and could continue to proceed if those chips could be shipped before mid-September.”

Huawei hasn’t made comments on the current situation, while the TSMC says that these are “purely market rumors.” The report says that the rejected $700 million order from Huawei was for its 5nm and 7nm chips, which could be the upcoming Kirin 1020 and the current 5G baseband chips, respectively. It is also rumored that TSMC could be working on full capacity and wouldn’t be able to take any more orders. Whatever the case, Huawei could’ve also been stockpiling components since the end of 2019 to ensure a steady supply of components.

The Chinese tech giant could also start looking for alternatives to the TSMC, such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. Still, there’s no guarantee that these companies would be able to sell their silicon to Huawei since they also use the TSMC to produce their chips.

Source Android Authority

Via Nikkei Asian Review

The post The US stopped Huawei’s latest $700 million order to TSMC appeared first on Pocketnow.

Apple and other US companies may get extra taxes for manufacturing overseas

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

It's only fair to share...

It seems that Apple and other US companies may want to start moving their manufacturing back to the US. The latest information suggests that president Trump is planning to implement new taxes on American companies that manufacture devices or components outside of the United States.

Donald Trump and his administration may be looking for new ways to force US companies to bring their activities back to US grounds. The latest information from US officials, they are mainly trying to move product manufacturing out of China. This happens just after President Trump has extended the Huawei ban for another year. We also know that the US is trying to block HUAWEI’s access to global semiconductor shipments and that China has already warned that it will also start taking action.

Tariffs to Chinese imports have already made US companies lose $46 billion, according to the Commerce Department, and this US-China trade ban may have cost around $370 billion of Chinese products. Trump has also criticized the existence of supply chains, as he believes that production should be moved to US grounds. If these new tariffs finally take place, Apple may have to raise the prices on iPhones and other devices.

Source GSM Arena

Via Reuters

The post Apple and other US companies may get extra taxes for manufacturing overseas appeared first on Pocketnow.

It's only fair to share...

Pocketnow Daily: Galaxy S10 Camera Update: FORGET about the S20?! (video)

Posted on March 26, 2020March 26, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

On today's Pocketnow Daily, we talk about the camera update that will make you choose the Galaxy S10 over the Samsung Galaxy S20 and more

The post Pocketnow Daily: Galaxy S10 Camera Update: FORGET about the S20?! (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.

AT&T will give free wireless data for remote learning and waive fees to help during the COVID-19 pandemic

Posted on March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 by Samuel Martinez

AT&T is also helping its customers in the United States to stay connected during the COVID-19 pandemic and it also offers programs to help remote learning

The post AT&T will give free wireless data for remote learning and waive fees to help during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared first on Pocketnow.