Apple has begun assembling its low-priced iPhone SE at its contract manufacturer&#39;s plant in the technology hub of Bengaluru, the company said in a statement.

Cupertino, California-based Apple, is keen to boost its market share in one of the world&#39;s fastest growing mobile phone markets as sales lag in Asian powerhouse China.

&quot;We are beginning initial production of a small number of iPhone SE in Bengaluru,&quot; Apple said in the statement, adding the phone would be available locally for sale this month.

In February, Reuters reported that Apple&#39;s Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron Corp will assemble the iPhone SE in India by April-end or beginning of May.

(Reuters)

Apple is keen to boost its market share in one of the world's fastest growing mobile phone markets

Apple has begun assembling its low-priced iPhone SE at its contract manufacturer's plant in the technology hub of Bengaluru, the company said in a statement. Cupertino, California-based Apple, is keen to boost its market share in one of the world's fastest growing mobile phone markets as sales lag in Asian powerhouse China. "We are beginning initial production of a small number of iPhone SE in Bengaluru," Apple said in the statement, adding the phone would be available locally for sale this month. In February, Reuters reported that Apple's Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron Corp will assemble the iPhone SE in India by April-end or beginning of May. (Reuters)

Apple begins assembling iPhone SE in Bengaluru plant

&nbsp;

Apple Inc. launched a revamped MacBook Pro on Thursday, with a touch bar of keys and increased prices.&nbsp;

Users can now access the new MacBook Pro with Touch ID, the fingerprint reader present in iPhones and use the Touch Bar. The buttons reflect the programs running by the user&nbsp;and will change accordingly, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

The new line of MacBook&#39;s was unveiled at an event Apple&#39;s headquarters in Silicon Valley, San Fransisco.

Senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, called the new MacBook Pro&#39;s as the &quot;gold standard&quot; in notebook computers.&nbsp;

Apple started taking orders on Thursday but the touch key&#39;s model will be available in three weeks. The standard model without the Touch Bar is available immediately.&nbsp;

Price rise

The 13-inch computer with Touch ID and Touch Bar starts at $1,799 a significant increase since last year&#39;s $1,299 for the 13-inch model. Apple is offering the same 13-inch model without the new features for $1,499.&nbsp;

While the 15-inch model with start at $2,399 from last years $1,999 for the same model, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

The price rise has surprised many consumers with many on Twitter posting pictures of crying over the new prices.&nbsp;

Apple&#39;s shares fell by 1.2 per cent.&nbsp;

Apple TV app

The tech firm also announced a TV app that operates on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and will include Twitter feeds, especially in live sports games.&nbsp;

The app also comes with Siri, Apple&#39;s virtual assistant to guide through the Apple TV viewing experience. However, Apple was unable to bring Netflix on board, a live-streaming television show service.&nbsp;

Apple chief executive Tim Cook at the event said, &quot;Now, there is a unified TV experience; one place to discover and enjoy your favorite TV show and movies across all your devices,&quot; AFP quoted him saying.&nbsp;

Microsoft unveils its first desktop computer

Apple&#39;s announcement came a day after rival Microsoft launched its first desktop computer, Surface Studio, with the new windows software aimed at creative professionals.&nbsp;Its features include touch screen and a 3D content representation.&nbsp;

The desktop is priced at $3,000. The tech giant also introduced a revamped Surface Book, a tablet computer priced at $2,400. The new features include better graphics and 16-hours of battery life.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The MacBook Pro with Touch ID, Touch Bar and a 13-inch screen will start at $1,799, compared with $1,299 for the previous 13-inch product

Apple Inc. launched a revamped MacBook Pro on Thursday, with a touch bar of keys and increased prices. Users can now access the new MacBook Pro with Touch ID, the fingerprint reader present in iPhones and use the Touch Bar. The buttons reflect the programs running by the user and will change accordingly, Reuters reported. The new line of MacBook's was unveiled at an event Apple's headquarters in Silicon Valley, San Fransisco. Senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller, called the new MacBook Pro's as the "gold standard" in notebook computers. Apple started taking orders on Thursday but the touch key's model will be available in three weeks. The standard model without the Touch Bar is available immediately. Price rise The 13-inch computer with Touch ID and Touch Bar starts at $1,799 a significant increase since last year's $1,299 for the 13-inch model. Apple is offering the same 13-inch model without the new features for $1,499. While the 15-inch model with start at $2,399 from last years $1,999 for the same model, Reuters reported. The price rise has surprised many consumers with many on Twitter posting pictures of crying over the new prices. Apple's shares fell by 1.2 per cent. Apple TV app The tech firm also announced a TV app that operates on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and will include Twitter feeds, especially in live sports games. The app also comes with Siri, Apple's virtual assistant to guide through the Apple TV viewing experience. However, Apple was unable to bring Netflix on board, a live-streaming television show service. Apple chief executive Tim Cook at the event said, "Now, there is a unified TV experience; one place to discover and enjoy your favorite TV show and movies across all your devices," AFP quoted him saying. Microsoft unveils its first desktop computer Apple's announcement came a day after rival Microsoft launched its first desktop computer, Surface Studio, with the new windows software aimed at creative professionals. Its features include touch screen and a 3D content representation. The desktop is priced at $3,000. The tech giant also introduced a revamped Surface Book, a tablet computer priced at $2,400. The new features include better graphics and 16-hours of battery life. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Apple unveils new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, hikes price

Apple and Google engage in practices that undermine competition in the smartphone app market, Nikkei said, citing a report by Japan&#39;s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. 
 
The report looked at how the two US technology giants, as well as others that control platforms through which smartphone applications are sold, use their positions of power to decide what app developers can and cannot do, Nikkei reported. 
 
Restricting what payment methods developers can accept and limiting their pricing freedom may not directly violate Japan&#39;s anti-monopoly law, but these practices lead to elimination of competitors, Nikkei reported. 
 
Japan&#39;s competition watchdog intends to investigate further and &quot;may choose to conduct on-site inspections if there is sufficient suspicion of regulation breach,&quot; Nikkei reported, citing a high-ranking official. 
 
(Reuters)

Nikkei said the report looked at how the 2 US technology giants use their positions of power to decide what app developers can and cannot

Apple and Google engage in practices that undermine competition in the smartphone app market, Nikkei said, citing a report by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The report looked at how the two US technology giants, as well as others that control platforms through which smartphone applications are sold, use their positions of power to decide what app developers can and cannot do, Nikkei reported. Restricting what payment methods developers can accept and limiting their pricing freedom may not directly violate Japan's anti-monopoly law, but these practices lead to elimination of competitors, Nikkei reported. Japan's competition watchdog intends to investigate further and "may choose to conduct on-site inspections if there is sufficient suspicion of regulation breach," Nikkei reported, citing a high-ranking official. (Reuters)

Japan report shows Apple, Google hinder app competition - Nikkei

After extending its lead over Apple Inc in the global smartphone market with the Galaxy S7, Samsung Electronics Co is now trying to keep that spirit alive before a new iPhone arrives. 
 
The South Korean company announced the latest iteration of its large-screen smartphone with the 5.7-inch Note 7 that can be unlocked with an iris-scanning camera. Sporting a display that curves down both sides, Samsung&#39;s successor to the Note 5 skipped a number to synchronise its name with the technology used for its top-selling Galaxy S7. 
 
With consumers putting greater emphasis on multimedia when choosing devices, the Note 7 also supports so-called high-dynamic range video content and the company partnered with Amazon.com Inc to make such streaming content available in selected regions in time for the launch. HDR is seen as one of the next big advances in television and movie picture quality, alongside 4K Ultra HD and virtual reality. 
 
&ldquo;It is Samsung&rsquo;s first smartphone to be equipped with the iris-scanning capability,&rdquo; said Kang Byung-jin, Samsung&rsquo;s director of global product planning. &ldquo;Because the human iris is nearly impossible to replicate, iris-scanning is very secure and highly accurate.&rdquo; 
 
The device announcement comes at least a month before Apple is expected to unveil revamped iPhones. The Note 7 will go on sale starting August 19 and roll out gradually across the globe, Samsung said. 
 
The new device comes with Samsung Pay services and will be offered in four different colors, including gold, black, silver and blue. The Korean company also unveiled an upgraded version of its Gear VR, a gadget that twins with a Samsung phone to display virtual reality images. 
 
The iris-scanning technology, which relies on an infra-red camera lens mounted on the front of the phone, can also be used to unlock a secure folder within the Android operating system. Users can store sensitive documents and apps in the directory, which remain encrypted even if the phone is unlocked. Iris-detection is fast, identifying a registered face and unlocking the device in less than a second during a demonstration in London. 
 
Users will be able to authenticate Samsung Pay transactions via the new technology. 
 
Other features of the phone include an improved stylus that can be used underwater or when the screen is wet. Waterproofing the pen makes it easier to use when it rains as liquid on the screen generally makes fingers less effective, while the new pen nub will work just the same. 
 
This will be particularly useful to people who work outside, like delivery drivers, Eric McCarty, vice president of Samsung America mobile, told reporters in New York before the product announcement. 
 
It also has a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera. Compared to its predecessor it has a higher-capacity battery, faster performance, a lighter-weight design and a USB type C connector at the base instead of the older, more common Micro USB port. The pressure sensitivity of the new pen has been improved to be exactly like a ballpoint, the company said. 
 
Samsung introduced its large-screen Note series in 2011 and people were skeptical of its relatively large size at the time, David Lowes, the company&rsquo;s chief marketing officer in Europe, said in an interview. 
 
&ldquo;Actually the industry ridiculed us to some degree,&rdquo; Lowes said. &ldquo;But the way it&rsquo;s evolved is really interesting, because the large-screen segment is the fastest growing segment now in Europe. It accounts for approaching something like 20 per cent of the market. So this is not a niche proposition anymore.&rdquo; 
 
The world&rsquo;s largest smartphone maker faces tougher competition in the latter half of the year. Apple is expected to introduce a new iPhone model in September, while smaller Chinese rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co. release more sophisticated devices using the same Android operating system adopted by Samsung. 
 
Since 2015, Samsung has been releasing its premium Galaxy smartphones earlier than usual to get the jump on iPhones, helping the Korean electronics giant win back market share. In the three months through May, Samsung had the biggest slice of the US smartphone market with 37 per cent while Apple had 29 per cent, according to Kantar Worldpanel&rsquo;s July 13 report. 
 
That helped Samsung post the biggest quarterly profit in two years, mainly driven by the S7 sales amid sluggish demand for iPhone 6 and its high-margin siblings. &mdash;Bloomberg 
 
(Jungah Lee | DNA)

'The human iris is difficult to replicate, so it is very secure and highly accurate,' Samsung?s director of global product planning said

After extending its lead over Apple Inc in the global smartphone market with the Galaxy S7, Samsung Electronics Co is now trying to keep that spirit alive before a new iPhone arrives. The South Korean company announced the latest iteration of its large-screen smartphone with the 5.7-inch Note 7 that can be unlocked with an iris-scanning camera. Sporting a display that curves down both sides, Samsung's successor to the Note 5 skipped a number to synchronise its name with the technology used for its top-selling Galaxy S7. With consumers putting greater emphasis on multimedia when choosing devices, the Note 7 also supports so-called high-dynamic range video content and the company partnered with Amazon.com Inc to make such streaming content available in selected regions in time for the launch. HDR is seen as one of the next big advances in television and movie picture quality, alongside 4K Ultra HD and virtual reality. “It is Samsung’s first smartphone to be equipped with the iris-scanning capability,” said Kang Byung-jin, Samsung’s director of global product planning. “Because the human iris is nearly impossible to replicate, iris-scanning is very secure and highly accurate.” The device announcement comes at least a month before Apple is expected to unveil revamped iPhones. The Note 7 will go on sale starting August 19 and roll out gradually across the globe, Samsung said. The new device comes with Samsung Pay services and will be offered in four different colors, including gold, black, silver and blue. The Korean company also unveiled an upgraded version of its Gear VR, a gadget that twins with a Samsung phone to display virtual reality images. The iris-scanning technology, which relies on an infra-red camera lens mounted on the front of the phone, can also be used to unlock a secure folder within the Android operating system. Users can store sensitive documents and apps in the directory, which remain encrypted even if the phone is unlocked. Iris-detection is fast, identifying a registered face and unlocking the device in less than a second during a demonstration in London. Users will be able to authenticate Samsung Pay transactions via the new technology. Other features of the phone include an improved stylus that can be used underwater or when the screen is wet. Waterproofing the pen makes it easier to use when it rains as liquid on the screen generally makes fingers less effective, while the new pen nub will work just the same. This will be particularly useful to people who work outside, like delivery drivers, Eric McCarty, vice president of Samsung America mobile, told reporters in New York before the product announcement. It also has a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera. Compared to its predecessor it has a higher-capacity battery, faster performance, a lighter-weight design and a USB type C connector at the base instead of the older, more common Micro USB port. The pressure sensitivity of the new pen has been improved to be exactly like a ballpoint, the company said. Samsung introduced its large-screen Note series in 2011 and people were skeptical of its relatively large size at the time, David Lowes, the company’s chief marketing officer in Europe, said in an interview. “Actually the industry ridiculed us to some degree,” Lowes said. “But the way it’s evolved is really interesting, because the large-screen segment is the fastest growing segment now in Europe. It accounts for approaching something like 20 per cent of the market. So this is not a niche proposition anymore.” The world’s largest smartphone maker faces tougher competition in the latter half of the year. Apple is expected to introduce a new iPhone model in September, while smaller Chinese rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co. release more sophisticated devices using the same Android operating system adopted by Samsung. Since 2015, Samsung has been releasing its premium Galaxy smartphones earlier than usual to get the jump on iPhones, helping the Korean electronics giant win back market share. In the three months through May, Samsung had the biggest slice of the US smartphone market with 37 per cent while Apple had 29 per cent, according to Kantar Worldpanel’s July 13 report. That helped Samsung post the biggest quarterly profit in two years, mainly driven by the S7 sales amid sluggish demand for iPhone 6 and its high-margin siblings. —Bloomberg (Jungah Lee | DNA)

Samsung announces new phone, can be unlocked by user's eye

Spotify&nbsp;confirmed on Friday that it has complained to Apple Inc after the US&nbsp;technology company rejected an updated app for the Swedish music streaming service on iPhones.

The companies have gone head to head in the battle for music streaming customers since Apple Music was launched in more than 100 countries last year, and&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;said the rejection of its revised app for iPhones was causing it &quot;grave harm&quot;.

The complaint was in the form of a letter sent by&nbsp;Spotify&#39;s lawyer to Apple this week, technology website Recode reported.

The letter said Apple&#39;s rejection of the revised app raised &quot;serious concerns&quot; under competition law in the United States and Europe and the move was causing &quot;grave harm to&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;and its customers&quot;, Recode first reported on Thursday.

&quot;It continues a troubling pattern of behaviour by Apple to exclude and diminish the competitiveness of&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;on iOS and as a rival to Apple Music,&quot; Recode quoted&nbsp;Spotify general counsel Horacio Gutierrez as saying in the letter.

&quot;We cannot stand by as Apple uses the App Store approval process as a weapon to harm competitors,&quot; Gutierrez said.

A&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;spokeswoman confirmed the accuracy of the report.&nbsp;Apple did not respond to requests for comment.

Launched a decade ago,&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;is the world&#39;s biggest paid music streaming service with about 30 million paying users in 59 markets, while Apple Music has some 13 million.

According to Recode, privately owned&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;said Apple turned down the app under &quot;business model rules&quot;, and demanded the Swedish service use Apple&#39;s billing system if it wanted to &quot;use the app to acquire new customers and sell subscriptions&quot;.

Music streaming is a crowded business. Alphabet Inc&#39;s Google Music and YouTube units also compete with&nbsp;Spotify&nbsp;and Apple Music to attract users prepared to pay for music, as does Pandora Media Inc and rapper Jay Z&#39;s Tidal. 
 
(Reuters)

Company accuses Apple of raising 'serious concerns' under competition law in the US and Europe, and causing customers 'grave harm'

Spotify confirmed on Friday that it has complained to Apple Inc after the US technology company rejected an updated app for the Swedish music streaming service on iPhones. The companies have gone head to head in the battle for music streaming customers since Apple Music was launched in more than 100 countries last year, and Spotify said the rejection of its revised app for iPhones was causing it "grave harm". The complaint was in the form of a letter sent by Spotify's lawyer to Apple this week, technology website Recode reported. The letter said Apple's rejection of the revised app raised "serious concerns" under competition law in the United States and Europe and the move was causing "grave harm to Spotify and its customers", Recode first reported on Thursday. "It continues a troubling pattern of behaviour by Apple to exclude and diminish the competitiveness of Spotify on iOS and as a rival to Apple Music," Recode quoted Spotify general counsel Horacio Gutierrez as saying in the letter. "We cannot stand by as Apple uses the App Store approval process as a weapon to harm competitors," Gutierrez said. A Spotify spokeswoman confirmed the accuracy of the report. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. Launched a decade ago, Spotify is the world's biggest paid music streaming service with about 30 million paying users in 59 markets, while Apple Music has some 13 million. According to Recode, privately owned Spotify said Apple turned down the app under "business model rules", and demanded the Swedish service use Apple's billing system if it wanted to "use the app to acquire new customers and sell subscriptions". Music streaming is a crowded business. Alphabet Inc's Google Music and YouTube units also compete with Spotify and Apple Music to attract users prepared to pay for music, as does Pandora Media Inc and rapper Jay Z's Tidal. (Reuters)

Spotify hits out at Apple after rival rejects updated app for iPhones

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Apple begins assembling iPhone SE in Bengaluru plant

Apple unveils new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, hikes price

Japan report shows Apple, Google hinder app competition - Nikkei

Samsung announces new phone, can be unlocked by user's eye

Spotify hits out at Apple after rival rejects updated app for iPhones