The amount available at the end of the day for either Apple or the Irish government from lengthy legal proceedings over the company’s Irish tax affairs lost almost a billion dollars in the last year ahead of the final ruling. If the EU wins, the sum will be handed over to the Irish government; if the EU loses, it will be returned to Apple. The Irish Times: A quick recap: the State set up the escrow account in 2018 to hold €14.3 billion of alleged back taxes and interest that the European Commission ordered it to collect from Apple, even as the State and the iPhone maker appealed the matter before the courts in Luxembourg. Apple and the Government won…

Beleaguered Samsung Electronics, peddler of pretend iPhones, reported a disastrous 96% plunge in second-quarter operating profit on Friday as the South Korean dishwasher maker estimated its operating profit fell to 600 billion won ($459 million) in April to June, from 14.1 trillion won a year earlier in a brief preliminary earnings statement. Samsung’s Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for bribery in January 2021 Reuters: It would be Samsung’s lowest profit for any quarter since a 590 billion won profit in the first quarter of 2009, according to company data. Shares in Samsung fell 1.4% in early morning trade, underperforming a 0.6% drop in the wider market. Samsung is due to release detailed earnings on…

Early next year, Apple is planning a retail launch of its Vision Pro headset in America with appointment-only sales and in-store promotions in its retail store chain. Apple Vision Pro: Apple’s first spatial computer Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News: The company will designate special areas in the stores with seating, headset demo units and tools to size accessories for buyers. While the device will be sold at all of Apple’s roughly 270 US locations, the company is planning the sections for the Vision Pro initially at stores in major areas — such as New York and Los Angeles — before rolling them out nationwide, according to people with knowledge of the plans. Apple said it will offer the headset in…

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Apple’s contract chipmaker, said it doesn’t expect any immediate impact on its production from China’s decision to restrict the export of two metals widely used in semiconductors and electric vehicles. Ben Blanchard and Roger Tung for Reuters: In a move that a top Chinese trade adviser warned was “just a start,” Beijing said on Monday it would limit exports of products made from the minor metals of gallium and germanium to protect national security. That followed the U.S. decision to impose export restrictions to curb China’s access to key technologies used for artificial intelligence. Taiwan is a major producer of chips used in everything from smartphones and cars to fighter jets, supplying companies like Apple…

Amazon Prime Video and Netflix have been the dominant players in the U.S. subscription streaming VOD market for years, but that competitive edge appears to have been eclipsed in the second quarter of 2023. According to new data from JustWatch, which tracks the weekly streaming video habits of 20 million users across 59 markets, Amazon Prime Video ended the quarter with 21% market share, while Netflix had 20%. Apple held 7% share while Hulu finished with 11% share, behind Max (15%) and Disney+ (13%). JustWatch also found that the newly rebranded HBO Max saw positive market share growth in Q2, gaining 1%. Paramount+ also saw a 1% increase in market share. On the other hand, Disney+ and Hulu saw 1%…

Inspired by a curiosity for the natural world, “Deep Field” is a new immersive art experience and app created by celebrated Australian artists and creative technologists Tin Nguyen and Edward Cutting of Tin&Ed, using iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Students visiting the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney were among the first to experience the new immersive AR initiative Deep Field. Initially available at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney and the Getty Center in Los Angeles, the interactive augmented reality (AR) and sonic experience enables students and families around the world to cocreate and connect in real time through their shared reimagining of the environment. Harnessing the power and portability of iPad Pro, combined…