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Friday, 15 May 2020

U.S. Government Proposed Manipulating CDC Guidelines to Avoid Mask Shortages

The U.S. government proposed manipulating information about whether N95 masks worked to fight the spread of coronavirus in the general public, according to Dr. Richard Bright, a whistleblower who testified publicly for the first time on Thursday. The deception was an effort to avoid shortages and keep masks available…

iPhone Assembler Foxconn Posts Near 90% Drop in First Quarter Profit

Apple's main iPhone assembler Foxconn posted an almost 90 percent drop in first-quarter profit on Friday, as the impact of the global health crisis hit production demand from clients (via Reuters).

But the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer said the worst was over, and the company would "stabilize in the second quarter," adding that it expects revenue to show double-digit growth in comparison to the first quarter.

Foxconn reported net profit of T$2.1 billion ($70.25 million) for the January-March quarter, falling well short of a Refinitiv consensus estimate of T$8.88 billion drawn from 14 analysts.

Foxconn slashed its 2020 revenue outlook in March after strict quarantines were enforced at its China plants for a period in February, at the height of the crisis, which has now largely resolved in the country.

Apple sold fewer than 500,000 iPhones amid the ongoing curbs on travel and transport – a 60 percent slump in ‌‌iPhone‌‌ sales compared to the February 2019 quarter. The same month, Apple announced that its financial guidance for the March quarter would fall short. Foxconn went on to suffer its biggest monthly drop in revenue in about seven years because of the containment measures.

The manufacturer had earlier claimed the viral outbreak had had a "fairly small impact" on ‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌ production, suggesting its factories in other countries like Vietnam, India, and Mexico had been able to fill the gap.

It and other factories in China have reportedly implemented stringent measures to prevent the another viral outbreak in the country, while the Chinese government is mandating that employers check temperatures and provide face masks to employees, as well as submitting daily reports on workers' health statuses.

Foxconn has since resumed normal operations at all of its main factories in China.

Tags: China, Foxconn

This article, "iPhone Assembler Foxconn Posts Near 90% Drop in First Quarter Profit" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Leaker: Apple to Launch New Low-Cost iPad This Year With A12 Chip

Apple's eighth-generation iPad will arrive this year and feature an A12 chip, according to an anonymous Twitter account with a thus-far proven track record for forthcoming Apple product leaks.

Apple's seventh-generation ‌iPad‌, introduced in September 2019, was an iterative update to the sixth-generation low-cost ‌iPad‌, with a larger 10.2-inch display and support for new accessories. However, it used the same A10 Fusion chip as the sixth-generation ‌iPad‌.

On Thursday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple is working on two new ‌iPad‌ models, which include a 10.8-inch ‌‌iPad‌‌ and an 8.5 to 9-inch ‌‌iPad‌‌ mini. These new iPads are expected to launch in the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021, respectively.

Kuo said that he believes the two new ‌‌iPad‌‌ models will follow the ‌iPhone SE‌'s product strategy, which means affordable price points. The existing low-cost ‌‌iPad‌‌ is 10.2 inches, so it's not clear if Apple plans to introduce larger-sized tablets or increase the available display size through bezel reduction.

in my dream ‌iPad‌ 2020 A12
— 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) May 15, 2020

Rumors aside, it would be reasonable to expect a new entry-level ‌iPad‌ this year, as the device has been updated annually for the past three generations. Also, the A10 chip was first used in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, so there's a good case for arguing that it's about time Apple took the processing power up a notch in its most affordable ‌iPad‌. The A12 chip first appeared in the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and the 2019 versions of the ‌iPad‌ Air and ‌iPad‌ Mini.

In recent weeks, the anonymously-run Twitter account "L0vetodream" has noted that some products and components have been delayed, including the new iMac models and the A14 chip. It has also hinted at a 2021 release for a rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro.

The Twitter account accurately revealed several details about the new ‌iPhone SE‌ before any other leakers that we know of, including that the device would launch in the second week of April and come in three storage capacities. Likewise, the account accurately claimed that new iPad Pro models would launch in the third week of March.

Related Roundup: iPad

Buyer's Guide: iPad (Neutral)

This article, "Leaker: Apple to Launch New Low-Cost iPad This Year With A12 Chip" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Spotify's Web Player Support for Safari Browser Has Been Restored

Spotify users can once again use Safari to access the streaming service's web player, following the restoration of support for Apple's browser this week after over two-and-a-half years of incompatibility.

A Spotify support page explaining how to use the web player includes a list of supported web browsers, which has been updated to include Apple's browser alongside Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera.

Previously, users who visited the Spotify web player on Safari received the message, "This browser doesn't support Spotify Web Player. Switch browsers or download Spotify for your desktop."

Spotify confirmed the incompatibility between its web player and Safari in September 2017, but never fully explained the problem. One theory was that it had something to do with Google's Widevine media optimizer plugin, which Spotify used for music streaming on the web but Apple opposed on security grounds. Whatever it was, the issue now appears to have been resolved.

Tags: Spotify, Safari

This article, "Spotify's Web Player Support for Safari Browser Has Been Restored" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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TSMC Officially Announces Plan to Build $12 Billion Plant in the United States

TSMC has officially announced that it plans to build and operate an advanced semiconductor fab in the United States with support from the U.S. federal government and the State of Arizona.

Here's the full announcement:

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This facility, which will be built in Arizona, will utilize TSMC’s 5-nanometer technology for semiconductor wafer fabrication, have a 20,000 semiconductor wafer per month capacity, create over 1,600 high-tech professional jobs directly, and thousands of indirect jobs in the semiconductor ecosystem. Construction is planned to start in 2021 with production targeted to begin in 2024. TSMC’s total spending on this project, including capital expenditure, will be approximately US$12 billion from 2021 to 2029. This U.S. facility not only enables us to better support our customers and partners, it also gives us more opportunities to attract global talents. This project is of critical, strategic importance to a vibrant and competitive U.S. semiconductor ecosystem that enables leading U.S. companies to fabricate their cutting-edge semiconductor products within the United States and benefit from the proximity of a world-class semiconductor foundry and ecosystem.

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