Thomas Ricker

The company has successfully reduced its record-setting EU fine of €1.06 billion to €376.36 million, at most. It was levied way back in 2009 after the x86 maker was found guilty of anticompetitive practices like paying PC makers to halt or delay the launch of products fitted with competing chips.

So, is the legal battle over? Nope! But Intel’s definitely not a dominant chipmaker anymore.

LiFX’s new Outdoor Permanent Lights consists of 30 lights spread across two 25 foot segments. Set them to orange for Halloween, green for St. Patrick’s, red for Xmas, and a seizure-inducing strobing effect for November 5th.

$199, well spent.

The EU’s DMA continues prying open the walls around Apple’s exclusive garden.

Per 9to5Mac:

With the release of the first beta of iOS 18.2 to developers on Wednesday, Apple has published documentation for a new API that will let third-party browsers add web apps to the iPhone Home Screen using their own custom engine. This means that the entire web app experience will run using the same engine as the browser through which it was added.

Great, but nine months since Apple announced support in iOS 17.4, we’re still waiting for custom browser engines like Chrome’s Blink or Firefox’s Gecko to arrive.

Arm has given 60-days notice that it’s canceling the architectural license that lets Qualcomm use Arm IP to design its chips. It’s an escalation of a feud dating back to 2022 after Qualcomm bought Nuvia and failed to negotiate a new license. Qualcomm contends it doesn’t have to.

Here’s Bloomberg:

Qualcomm sells hundreds of millions of processors annually — technology used in the majority of Android smartphones. If the cancellation takes effect, the company might have to stop selling products that account for much of its roughly $39 billion in revenue, or face claims for massive damages.

Oof! But this is a negotiation and the most likely outcome is Qualcomm and Arm reaching a deal — else both companies suffer.

Remember in 2008 when ex-Intel chief Andy Grove tried convincing new leadership to diversify interests and produce advanced lithium-ion batteries? Here in 2024, Intel’s very survival is uncertain and Homeland Security worries that China’s domination of batteries used in EVs (80 percent) and commercial energy storage (90 percent) is a threat to the US supply chain. Duh.

In a lengthy, wide-ranging interview that spans growing up in Alabama to the fun he’s having as Apple CEO, Tim Cook, who turns 64 next month, says he’s not worried that Apple Intelligence isn’t available yet, with some announced features not arriving until next year.

“In the longness of time,” says Cook, “I don’t think it will be even a footnote.”