"German court throws out Qualcomm's latest patent case against Apple" Reuters 7:30 AM
"Germany Dismisses Qualcomm's Latest Patent Suit Against Apple: Decision is the first win for Apple in a series of global patent disputes launched against it by the chip maker" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 7:57 AM
"Qualcomm and Apple bridged the wide gap between their FRAND perspectives through complicated arrangements" Foss Patents 8:28 AM
"Apple's COO delivers blistering testimony on Qualcomm's 'onerous demands' over cellular patents" AppleInsider 2:43 PM
"Apple loses bid to undo $440 million verdict in VirnetX patent case" Reuters 9:19 AM
"Appeals Court Rules Against Apple in Patent Dispute With VirnetX: Second appeal to a related $595.9 million award is pending before another court" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 4:13 PM
"On Apple's $29 iPhone Battery Replacement Program and Its Role in Their Earnings Miss" ["During Apple's all-hands meeting January 3, Tim Cook said Apple replaced 11 million batteries under the $29 replacement program, and they'd have only anticipated about 1-2 million battery replacements normally."] Daring Fireball 7:27 AM
"Apple Replaced 11 Million iPhone Batteries in 2018, Up From 1 to 2 Million" MacRumors 7:32 AM
"Apple reportedly replaced 10 times as many batteries as expected in 2018: 11 million customers that didn't need to buy a new iPhone" The Verge 7:50 AM
"Apple Replaced 11 Million iPhone Batteries In 2018 Contributing To Stunning Earnings Shortfall" HotHardware 4:08 PM
"Apple's own battery blunder may be to blame for its earnings miss" ZDNet 8:26 AM
"This is how much Apple pays a typical employee — and how that compares to Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, Box and more: Apple's typical employee probably makes far less than you think: $55,426 per year." Silicon Valley Business Journal 7:56 AM
"The future of voice assistants like Alexa and Siri isn't just in homes — it's in cars: Voice assistants are more habit-forming in cars than on smartphones." Recode 7:59 AM
"US judge rules that feds can't force fingerprint or face phone unlocks" Engadget 7:57 AM
"Police can't force you to unlock your phone by iris, face or finger: A US judge has ruled that law enforcement cannot force you to release your biometric mobile device lock." ZDNet 8:11 AM
"Industry First: TD Ameritrade Enables Investors to Instantly Fund Brokerage Accounts Using Apple Pay" Business Wire 8:22 AM
"TD Ameritrade taps Apple Pay for instant fund transfers to accounts" Reuters 7:30 AM
"Apple to iPhone owners: Why you need to upgrade to XR/Apple emails owners of older models, urging them to upgrade to an iPhone XR." ZDNet 9:24 AM
"Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray Reteam on Apple and A24"s First Co-Production" Variety 4:11 PM
"First Apple & A24 collaboration is Sofia Coppola's 'On the Rocks': The first collaboration between Apple and film studio A24 will be 'On the Rocks,' directed by Sofia Coppola with stars Bill Murray and Rashida Jones." AppleInsider 5:08 PM
"DJ Charlie Sloth will bring fire to the booth on Beats 1" Cult of Mac 7:31 AM
"Man Who Sold Kidney for an iPhone Bedridden After Organ Failure" Newsweek 10:39 AM
"Man who sold kidney for an iPhone suffers organ failure" Cult of Mac 10:40 AM
Non-Apple News
"Roku Adds Then Drops Infowars After User Outrage: Roku told PCMag that the company's goal was to offer viewers a wide range of content, which customers can choose and control. But later on Tuesday, it decided to pull the program in response to user complaints." PC Magazine 8:46 PM
"Instagram caught selling ads to follower-buying services it banned" TechCrunch 4:41 PM
"Netflix is Raising Prices by 13 to 18 Percent in the U.S." Thurrott 4:32 PM
"Google Fi Gains iMessage-Like RCS Support And Greater 4G LTE Coverage In These Areas" HotHardware 4:08 PM
"LG G8: News, Rumors, Release Date, Specs, and More! We ThinQ should know about this phone." Android Central 9:08 AM
"The Snapdragon 855 Performance Preview: Setting the Stage for Flagship Android 2019" AnandTech 7:59 AM
"Ajit Pai refused to discuss carrier tracking scandal with lawmakers" Engadget 7:58 AM
"This tiny Bluetooth chip doesn't need a battery because it harvests energy from the air: Amazon and Samsung are both investors, and a full release planned for 2020" The Verge 7:50 AM
"Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus Get Certified by 3C in China" MySmartPrice 7:26 AM
Publications/Podcasts
"The Talk Show ✪: Ep. 240, With Special Guest Ben Thompson" Daring Fireball 12:03 PM
"How the PewDiePie Printer Hacks Turned Toxic: This week on CYBER, Motherboard talks about how a PewDiePie superfan and hacker was burned by YouTubers." Motherboard 9:57 AM
"Let's Talk iOS 274: It's getting sizzling" iDownload Blog 8:38 AM
"AppStories, Episode 94 – Interview: iOS Game Design with Edwin Smith of Feral Interactive" MacStories 8:00 AM
"The new Apple TV is actually a TV, I mean TVs." The MT Show 7:21 AM
"Apple exec on Intel's CEO candidate list" Axios 10:34 AM
"Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Reportedly on Intel's List of Potential CEOs" MacRumors 10:40 AM
"Apple's $24 million chip executive is reportedly on Intel's short list for new CEO, but it's not clear if he'd be willing to make that jump" Business Insider 12:03 PM
"Another Possible Triple-Lens Camera Design in 2019 iPhone Shown Off in Renderings" MacRumors 2:43 PM
"iPod touch could make a comeback in 2019" Cult of Mac 7:34 AM
"Apple Releases Smart Battery Cases for iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, Qi Wireless Charging Supported" MacRumors 4:11 PM
"Apple's battery cases return for the iPhone XS and XR" TechCrunch 4:11 PM
"Apple launches $129 battery cases for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR" The Verge 4:10 PM
"Apple now makes smart battery cases for the iPhone XS and XR" CNET 4:10 PM
"Apple Launches Smart Battery Cases for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR" MacStories 4:13 PM
"Apple's new battery cases for latest iPhone models support wireless charging" Pocket-lint 6:20 PM
"Apple working on force-sensing gloves for gesture controls" AppleInsider 9:47 AM
"Apple patent filing involves a fabric-based 'smart glove" Apple World Today 8:28 AM
"Apple granted patent for an earbud case with charging system" Apple World Today 8:21 AM
"Uh Oh: Apple's MacBooks Have a New Keyboard Problem/Apple's storied troubles with its Butterfly-switch keyboards — which are haunted by reliability issues and sparked dual class-action lawsuits — appeared to be over. However, new reports of a seriously annoying space bar problem suggest otherwise" LAPTOP Magazine 9:32 AM
"Now that Apple has increased iPhone life spans, what is the new normal for upgrades?" Apple Must 12:00 PM
"Apple's biggest challenge isn't selling iPhones" ["It doesn't matter if we buy them less often, we're all going to continue to buy smartphones; the congregation of loyal iPhone users will continue to grow; and Apple's biggest challenge isn't mobile – it's Mac."] Computerworld 10:19 AM
"CES 2019 roundup: HomeKit & Airplay 2, plus the weird, the wonderful, and the app-enabled" AppleInsider 8:38 AM
"The Voice Assistant War: What If Nobody Wins?" Tech.pinions 8:20 AM
"So long, iPhone: Relegating Apple's hits to history" Macworld 7:34 AM
"Microsoft scores five-year $1.76bn contract with the Pentagon: Huawei will have to settle for a rhomboid" The Inquirer 7:05 AM
"Microsoft continues to build government security credentials ahead of JEDI decision" TechCrunch 4:32 PM
"Walgreens teams with Microsoft to battle Amazon" Seattle Times 11:11 AM
"Microsoft signs a huge deal with Walgreens, as Amazon's growing interest in health care looms large" CNBC 7:44 AM
"Microsoft is now helping Walgreens fend off Amazon's healthcare push: Walgreens joins Walmart, Kroger, and Gap in fighting off Amazon" The Verge 8:34 AM
"Xbox Maverick: Everything we know about Microsoft's disc-less Xbox One/Everything we know about Microsoft's next Xbox One console — cutting out the disc drive." Windows Central 8:35 AM
"Microsoft looks to instill app-compatibility confidence in Windows 7 users with Desktop App Assure: Microsoft's new program for Windows 10 Enterprise and Education customers is designed to help them resolve any application compatibility issues they find in attempting to move from Windows 7 to 10." ZDNet 3:09 PM
"Microsoft: We've fixed Windows 7 'Not genuine' and network share issues/Microsoft strongly recommends uninstalling an anti-piracy patch on enterprise Windows 7 PCs." ZDNet 7:44 AM
"PoC for Windows VCF zero-day published online: Microsoft said it would fix the vulnerability in Windows 19H1, in April." ZDNet 8:04 AM
"Microsoft is preparing for foldable Windows devices: New devices from both Microsoft and PC makers" The Verge 7:44 AM
"Surface and third-party devices with an unfortunate kink are on the way" The Inquirer 2:31 PM
"Microsoft's fonts catch out another fraudster—this time in Canada: Will these people never learn?" Ars Technica 5:09 PM
"And so it begins: Micron calls its bank manager... we'll be havin' your bit of our JV, Intel/Chipzilla says it has 'options' to source Optane 3D XPoint, 3D NAND production elsewhere" The Register 7:40 AM
"Intel Possibly Readying Core i9-9990XE Processor — Rocks 14 Cores, Up To 5.0 GHz Frequency at 255W TDP" WCCFTech 7:40 AM
"Intel Core i9-9990XE Basin Falls CPU Rumored With 14 Cores And 5GHz Boost Clock" HotHardware 4:31 PM
"Micron Acquires Intel Share in IM Flash, Inherits Manufacturing Lab In Utah" Computer Business Review 7:40 AM
"Micron confirms Intel IM Flash buy-out: Micron Says it is exercising its right to purchase Intel's interest in the parties' joint venture, IM Flash Technologies." Electronics Weekly 7:40 AM
"In CEO Search, Intel Still Hasn't Found What It's Looking For" Bloomberg 7:43 AM
"How Dell's OEM Group is Connecting the Edge, Data Center, Cloud/IT BUSINESS ANALYSIS: A strategic initiative that Dell calls the 'compute continuum' emphasizes OEM solutions that can be effectively deployed, managed and supported from the edge of the network to on-premises data centers to the cloud, regardless of complexity, environmental or scale challenges." eWeek 4:38 PM
"Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL) Performance Assessment in Focus" NASDAQ Times 7:25 AM
"AMD working with Microsoft on Threadripper 2 scheduler issues" Hexus 7:39 AM
"IBM's quantum announcement is a big step in a 1,000-mile journey: Does IBM's announcement of its new quantum computing system mean that quantum computing must be on your technology roadmap?" ZDNet 12:48 PM
"Cramer: Apple should buy Epic Systems, a private digital health records..." CNBC 6:24 PM
"Apple's share price plunge points to a looming trade recession in China" Business Insider Australia 8:20 AM
Industry News
"Stocks close higher as Netflix-led tech rally offsets JPMorgan disappointment: S&P 500 and Nasdaq finish above key levels for the first time since Dec. 13" MarketWatch 8:42 PM
"Dow Shakes Off Weak JPMorgan Earnings, Nasdaq Surges After Netflix Price Hike: The Dow Jones Industrial Average is rising Tuesday as Wall Street digests a weaker-than-expected earnings report from JPMorgan Chase." TheStreet 12:31 PM
"Stock futures cautious after bank earnings" FOXBusiness 8:07 AM
"Tech Shares Lead U.S. Stocks Higher: Major indexes notch their first day of gains in three trading sessions" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 8:43 PM
"Asian markets rise, shaking off China slowdown concerns: Nikkei gains after holiday; Hong Kong stocks jump" MarketWatch 8:08 AM
"FTSE 100 clings to gains as London investors await crucial Brexit vote: Marks & Spencer announces job cuts, shares pull back" MarketWatch 8:08 AM
MacSurfer Headline News Staff
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: P. Pearson
Managing & Weekday Editor: D. Mahaffy
Evening Editors: S. Siegling and
D. Mahaffy
Weekend Editors: S. Siegling , A. Spaulding and
D. Mahaffy
CEO: T. Jefferson
CFO: K. Midas
Editor Emeritus: W. Shakespeare
Writers Emeritus: W. Lewis, R. Chandler, W. Morris, G. Simenon, C. Vallejo, F. Garcia Lorca,
P. White, R. Adams, P. Valery, C. Aiken, R. Bradbury, F. Pessoa, S. Bellow, F. O'Connor
Art Directors: V. Van Gogh, C. Monet
Advertising Managers: C. Chaplin, H. Marx
Public Relations Firm: Bits & Bytes
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Chief Scientists: I. Asimov, S. Hawking
Road Crew: R. Petty, J. Cooper
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General Counsel: #%@*$$$$!