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Thursday, 20 February 2020

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2 Cruise Ship Passengers Die of Coronavirus, Raising Death Toll Outside China to 11

Two passengers from the Diamond Princess cruise ship currently docked in Yokohama, Japan have died from COVID-19, according to Japan’s public broadcaster NHK. They’re the first passengers from the cruise ship to die since it was put under quarantine on February 5, raising Japan’s death toll from the new coronavirus to…

Norway Becomes a Hub for Time-Displaced Refugees in HBO's Beforeigners Trailer

Science fiction and fantasy are often used as mirrors to reflect our own modern societal problems, one of the biggest being the ongoing refugee crisis. Amazon Prime’s Carnival Row explores the theme using fairies and mythical creatures. District 9 was about aliens who’d found themselves stuck on Earth. Now, HBO has…

Bloomberg: Apple May Let iOS Users Set Third-Party Web Browser and Mail Apps as Defaults Over Stock Apps

Apple is considering whether to let iPhone and iPad users set third-party mail and browser apps as defaults instead of the mobile operating system's preference for its own Safari and Mail stock apps. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman:

The technology giant is discussing whether to let users choose third-party web browser and mail applications as their default options on Apple’s mobile devices, replacing the company’s Safari browser and Mail app, according to people familiar with the matter.

The potential move comes after criticism that the tech giant gives its in-house apps an unfair advantage and undue prominence on the App Store. As it stands, Apple doesn't allow users to replace pre-installed apps like Safari and Mail with third-party services, opening it up to scrutiny from lawmakers investigating possible antitrust violations.

The report also claims that Apple is considering opening its HomePod speaker to third-party music services like Spotify.

The Cupertino, California-based company also is considering loosening restrictions on third-party music apps, including its top streaming rival Spotify Technology SA, on HomePods, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal company deliberations.

Currently, Spotify and other third-party music services can be streamed from ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ to ‌HomePod‌ using Apple's AirPlay technology, but it's an ungainly alternative solution than just allowing users to stream third-party music services from the speaker directly.

As Gurman notes, opening the ‌HomePod‌ to additional music services could benefit the product's sales. The speaker has lagged behind rivals like the Amazon Echo in functionality since being introduced in 2018 and owns less than 5 percent of the smart-speaker market, according to an estimate last week from Strategy Analytics.

Whether the discussions include opening the ‌HomePod‌'s integrated Bluetooth technology to Bluetooth streaming devices is unknown. Currently, Bluetooth is used during the ‌HomePod‌'s setup process, but is otherwise rendered dormant in the speaker, which means only Apple devices can stream audio to ‌HomePod‌ using the ‌AirPlay‌ protocol.

Related Roundup: HomePod

Tag: bloomberg.com

Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)

This article, "Bloomberg: Apple May Let iOS Users Set Third-Party Web Browser and Mail Apps as Defaults Over Stock Apps" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Report Suggests Apple to Release GaN USB-C Charger With 65W Fast-Charge This Year

Apple is among a number of tech companies with plans to release a GaN-based power adapter this year, claims a new report out today. According to IT Home (via Gizchina), Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung, Oppo, and Apple all have plans for the Gallium Nitride technology, which can provide fast charging solutions through a USB-C interface and support fast-charging up to 65 Watts.

Choetech GaN charger

According to Caifa News, in addition to Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung, OPPO, and Apple all have deep accumulation in GaN technology. Xiaomi, a supplier of Xiaomi GaN solutions, said that following Xiaomi, "this year, several manufacturers of the same size as Xiaomi will release GaN power adapters."

GaN technology uses fewer components than standard silicon chargers, and allows them to be manufactured in a smaller casing than a standard power adapter. For example, Choetech's new 61W Wall Charger is half the size of the original 61W MacBook charger.

GizChina notes that Xiaomi recently released a new GaN charger that utilizes the technology. It comes with a USB Type-C interface that supports up to 65W fast-charge and can deliver a full charge of a Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro in 45 minutes.

Thanks to the new semiconductor material GaN (gallium nitride), the size of this charger is about 48% smaller than that of the Xiaomi notebook’s standard adapter. In addition, Xiaomi's GaN charger Type-C 65W's USB-C interface supports intelligent adjustment of output current in multiple gears. It can charge up to 65W for high-power devices such as the new MacBook Pro and Xiaomi notebooks.

The report is unclear on what plans Apple might have for the technology, but it notes that GaN benefits from an ability to adjust output automatically depending on the connected device, so one possibility is that we could see more versatile Apple chargers that support multiple Apple devices like iPhones and Macs.

This article, "Report Suggests Apple to Release GaN USB-C Charger With 65W Fast-Charge This Year" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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