"Is It Time for a China-Tailored iPhone? A steep downturn in the world's largest smartphone market is prompting calls for radical change" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 7:40 AM
"Apple's Tim Cook maintains optimism despite iPhone sales slide" Financial Times [Paid Membership Required] 7:41 AM
"Apple has more than cheaper iPhones up its sleeve as investors start to tuck in again" The Independent 7:40 AM
"Apple CEO on iPhone sales drop: 'Yes, I do think that price is a factor'/Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company has started to cut iPhone prices in some territories in an attempt to boost falling sales." ZDNet 7:14 AM
"Apple will reduce international prices for future iPhones" The Next Web 7:29 AM
"Apple finally realized that international iPhone prices are a bit ridiculous" Mashable 7:25 AM
"Apple Sued Over FaceTime Eavesdropping Bug" Courthouse News 7:22 AM
"Apple Gets Sued Over FaceTime Bug That Lets People Eavesdrop" Bloomberg [Free/Paid Registration Required] 7:03 AM
"iPhone FaceTime bug: Now Apple sued over eavesdrop on lawyer's client phone call/Apple sued over FaceTime eavesdropping bug and faces criticism for not responding to bug reports." ZDNet 7:14 AM
"Lawyer sues Apple, claims FaceTime bug 'allowed' recording of deposition/Texas attorney: I didn't update my iPhone to enable 'unsolicited eavesdropping.'" Ars Technica 8:13 AM
"Apple's FaceTime bug will be investigated by New York's Attorney General" TechCrunch 3:15 PM
"Apple compares iOS updates to kitchen renovations in motion to dismiss iPhone slowdown lawsuit" AppleInsider 7:30 AM
"IDC: Samsung beat Apple in smartphone race during lucrative holiday quarter/According to the latest industry estimates from research firm IDC, Samsung was the world's top smartphone vendor during the quarter ending in December, a shopping season typically dominated by Apple's iPhone." AppleInsider 6:00 PM
"Exclusive: UAE used cyber super-weapon to spy on iPhones of foes" Reuters 7:15 AM
"UAE intel unit used iPhone exploit to spy on rivals" Six Colors 7:54 AM
"Facebook and Google offered gift cards for root-level access to iOS users' data: Both bypassed the App Store to distribute their data-collection apps to users." Ars Technica 3:21 PM
"Google removes tracking app that abused Apple's rules like Facebook" SlashGear 8:53 PM
"Apple is punishing Facebook big-time for breaking its rules: Apple moved fast and broke Facebook." Recode 3:23 PM
"Facebook issues memo on Apple Enterprise Certificate fiasco as employees vent frustration: Facebook is conducting internal damage control after Apple yanked the social media giant's enterprise developer certificates, a move that effectively disabled internal apps used by thousands of Facebook employees." AppleInsider 8:25 PM
"Apple Bans Facebook App in Escalating Privacy Fight: Action comes amid escalating battle between the tech giants over user privacy" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 3:16 PM
"Facebook and Apple are arguing over who banned a Facebook app that paid people $20 per month for complete access to their phones" Business Insider 9:41 AM
"Apple bans Facebook from tech tools for tracking teen browsing habits" Reuters 10:45 AM
"Apple says it's banning Facebook's research app that collects users' personal information: Facebook will stop its 'market research' program where it was paying users in exchange for their mobile data." Recode 8:42 AM
"Apple Shut Down All of Facebook's Internal Apps When Revoking Enterprise Certificate" MacRumors 11:41 AM
"Facebook to Shut Down Controversial iOS Market Research App" MacRumors 7:08 AM
"Facebook Is Paying Teenagers to Spy on Them" PC Magazine 7:15 AM
"Apple has revoked Facebook's enterprise developer certificates after sideload violations" AppleInsider 10:34 AM
"Google's also peddling a data collector through Apple's back door" TechCrunch 1:10 PM
"Google also has a data-vacuuming iOS app that bypasses the App Store" Engadget 3:21 PM
"Google Also Exploiting Enterprise Certificates to Bypass iOS App Store for Data Collection" MacRumors 3:12 PM
"New York Governor Cuomo Hits Out After Apple FaceTime bug Revealed" The Mac Observer 7:04 AM
"Another Apple Engineer Accused of Stealing Autonomous Vehicle Trade Secrets" NBC Bay Area 11:46 AM
"A second Apple employee was charged with stealing self-driving car project secrets: He faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000" The Verge 12:01 PM
"Apple's self-driving car technology allegedly stolen by second employee, says FBI" AppleInsider 11:47 AM
"Second Apple employee accused of stealing self-driving car tech: He allegedly planned to bring data to a Chinese company." Engadget 8:56 PM
"Evidence against Qualcomm is 'overwhelming,' says FTC" 9to5Mac 7:10 AM
"Qualcomm versus US FTC 'no license, no chips' antitrust trial wraps up" AppleInsider 7:11 AM
"FTC v. Qualcomm closing arguments: in a bench trial before Judge Koh, lawyers are just there to supply facts" Foss Patents 7:44 AM
"How a teen discovered Apple's FaceTime bug" Reuters Videos 9:30 AM
Non-Apple News
"Firm That Sold Social Media Bots Settles With New York Attorney General" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 8:46 PM
"Google brings YouTube Music to Sonos" BetaNews 7:49 PM
"Cheap internet of things gadgets betray you even after you toss them in the trash" TechCrunch 3:14 PM
"Square offering Pixelbooks to employees, trialing with designers as MacBook alternative" 9to5Google 12:01 PM
"Verizon pauses 5G Home rollout until actual 5G equipment is ready" The Verge 10:33 AM
"Foxconn Backpedals on Wisconsin Factory Plan, Shifts Focus To Research: Many of the new Wisconsin jobs will be in research, development and design; company official cites high costs if it were to manufacture displays in the U.S." WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 11:31 AM
"Foxconn Rethinking Wisconsin Factory Amid China Trade War" Time 9:40 AM
"Exclusive: Foxconn reconsidering plans to make LCD panels at Wisconsin plant" Reuters 7:08 AM
Publications/Podcasts
"#279: What Sorcery Is This? Our usage of group FaceTime before and after Apple's bug, which tech company we'd choose to run the country, what it will take for data privacy to be taken seriously, and how we deal with information overload in this day and age." Relay FM: Clockwise 3:22 PM
"Earnings and Apple's Future – TMO Daily Observations 2019-01-30" The Mac Observer 1:24 PM
"223: A Whole Cajoodle of SKUs" The Rebound 10:07 AM
"Apple Is Planning 3-D Cameras for New iPhones in AR Push" ["The rear-facing, longer-range 3-D camera is designed to scan the environment to create three-dimensional reconstructions of the real world. It will work up to about 15 feet from the device, the people said. That's in contrast with the current iPhone 3-D camera system, which points toward users and operates at distances of 25 to 50 centimeters to power Apple's Face ID facial-recognition feature."] Bloomberg [Free/Paid Registration Required] 3:12 PM
"Bloomberg report reveals details about iOS 13, plus iPhones and iPads through 2020: 2019's iPhones and iPads will be modest updates, but 2020 looks more interesting." Ars Technica 8:51 PM
"Triple-Lens Cameras Coming to 2019 iPhone, 2020 iPhones and iPads to Feature Laser-Powered 3D Cameras" MacRumors 3:14 PM
"Apple reportedly testing three-camera iPhone with USB-C, plans major iPad enhancements for iOS 13: Next year's iPhones will reportedly include models with a rear-facing 3D camera incorporating a laser scanner for purposes like augmented reality, while iOS 13 could deliver much-awaited features like Dark Mode and CarPlay enhancements." AppleInsider 3:34 PM
"Apple's 2020 iPhones may use laser-assisted 3D cameras: Augmented reality and portrait photography would get a boost." Engadget 5:58 PM
"New 10-Inch iPad and Cheaper iPad Mini Coming 'As Early As This Spring'" MacRumors 3:35 PM
"Latest iTunes 12.9 Beta No Longer Allows Downgrading iPhones to Older iOS Versions Using IPSWs Firmware Files" iPhone Hacks 1:10 PM
"Apple Music takes flight on American Airlines: Apple Music Subscribers can Stream Over 50 Million Songs, Playlists and Music Videos on US Flights" Apple 7:27 AM
"Listen to Apple Music on American Airlines Without Wi-Fi Fees" PC Magazine 11:27 AM
"Siri Shortcuts can be used to steal and send personal data, developer warns" AppleInsider 10:07 AM
"How Apple's iPhone has changed through the years" BBC 12:26 PM
"How to Save on Your Next Apple Purchase: If recent increases are any indication, chances are your next iDevice will cost even more. We analyzed how prices have shot up and offer ways to buy for less." New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 7:43 AM
Non-Apple
"The Best Touch-Screen Gloves for Your Frozen Fingers: Touch-screen-friendly gloves keep out the chill and let you get a handle on your phone. Check out the pairs we've picked out for men, women, and kids." PC Magazine 8:52 PM
"Zuckerberg says merging WhatsApp, Instagram & Messenger chats will improve security, create an iMessage-like experience" 9to5Mac 7:49 PM
"How AI is solving one of music's most expensive problems: The last step in audio production is being taken over by machines" The Verge 12:22 PM
"Life without Google (Fonts)" Subtraction 12:21 PM
"How screwed is Huawei? It can weather fines, but lost trust could mean lost billions." Engadget 7:44 AM
"Thinking about getting computer glasses? Read this first: They claim to help stop headaches and keep us from staying up too late, but are they worth the money?" CNET 7:17 AM
"Teens deserve more than $20 for giving all their phone data to Facebook: Why Facebook Research is a bad bargain for participants" The Verge 7:10 AM
"Microsoft Reports Slower Sales in Some Product Lines, Despite Cloud Strength: Company reports a second-quarter profit of $8.42 billion compared with a net loss of $6.3 billion" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 4:04 PM
"Microsoft reports $32.5 billion in Q2 2019 revenue: Azure up 76%, Surface up 39%, and LinkedIn up 29%" VentureBeat 3:34 PM
"Microsoft sold a lot of Surfaces during the holiday season: Everything's coming up MS!" Engadget 4:50 PM
"Microsoft dips slightly on revenue miss" CNBC 3:17 PM
"Microsoft's Azure revenue growth slows in December quarter" Reuters 3:35 PM
"Microsoft stock drops as tech giant falls just short on revenue expectations, reporting $32.5B" GeekWire 3:35 PM
"Microsoft Q2 2019 financial results: strong Surface revenue as Windows slips" The Verge 3:36 PM
"Microsoft Azure revenue growth slows in Q2" TechCrunch 3:57 PM
"Microsoft says chip shortages to continue to impact Windows, Office through June quarter: Microsoft's cloud businesses and Surface grew solidly during its Q2 FY19, while Windows OEM and Office Consumer products slowed, in part, due to chip supply issues." ZDNet 6:49 PM
"Microsoft's Expanding Cloud Is Likely to Limit Growth: Azure grew 76% in the previous quarter, a healthy pace but slower than previous quarters. Investors will be watching closely as the tech giant reports earnings on Wednesday" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 7:21 AM
"What to Expect from Microsoft's Second-Quarter Earnings" Market Realist 7:30 AM
"Microsoft Results to Give View on Enterprise, Cloud Spending" ITPro Today 12:22 PM
"Meet IBM's bleeding edge of quantum computing: With the Q System One, the tech titan's grand promise of super-powerful computing takes a big step forward." CNET 7:43 AM
"Israel, Intel agree to reciprocal spending deal: ministry" Reuters 7:21 AM
"Mellanox Soars as Intel Reportedly Places Buyout Bid of Nearly $6 Billion: Intel bids nearly $6 billion to acquire big data chipmaker Mellanox, sending the stock soaring, say reports." TheStreet 7:21 AM
"Meet IBM's bleeding edge of quantum computing: With the Q System One, the tech titan's grand promise of super-powerful computing takes a big step forward." CNET 10:16 AM
"IBM to use one million faces to avoid facial recognition bias" Innovation Enterprise 10:18 AM
"SAP and IBM are just the ticket for the Toronto Transit Commission" IT World Canada 10:18 AM
"IBM keeping the AU$11 billion metro tunnel on track" IT Brief Australia 10:20 AM
"IBM tells PHL firms to invest in tech-savvy work force" BusinessWorld 10:19 AM
"Intel bidding 6 billion bucks for networking firm Mellanox – reports" The Register 8:12 AM
"Intel Capital invests in Fortanix and Pliops to beef up cloud infrastructure and security" VentureBeat 7:42 AM
"Intel Bets Big On Kubernetes For Nauta Deep Learning Platform" Forbes 7:45 AM
"AMD Continues Its Turnaround Story Post-Earnings: AMD reported earnings after the close on Tuesday and despite missing on revenue the stock popped by 16% from Tuesday's close to Wednesday's early high of $22.40.." TheStreet 10:08 AM
"AMD Earnings Report, Q4 FY 2018: Closing On A Profitable 2018" AnandTech 7:31 AM
"AMD Surges After Solid 2019 Sales Guidance Offsets Tepid Q4 Earnings" TheStreet 7:21 AM
"AMD Misses on Q4 Earnings & Revenues Estimates, Shares Down" Zacks 8:41 AM
"AMD and Nvidia's unsettled earnings suggest lower GPU prices could hang on" PCWorld 7:43 AM
"Dell EMC eyes cloud transformation opportunities from Greater China" DigiTimes 10:13 AM
"What Oracle wants: more small companies, non-tech users for its enterprise technology" ZDNet 11:27 AM
"Hands up who isn't fighting Oracle in court? HPE, for now, as Solaris support sueball tossed" The Register 7:42 AM
"Cisco expands CloudCenter for multi-cloud management" TechTarget 10:12 AM
"Cisco reveals new tools and networking products for IoT" CloudPro 10:12 AM
"Habana, the AI chip innovator, promises top performance and efficiency: Habana is the best kept secret in AI chips. Designed from the ground up for machine learning workloads, it promises superior performance combined with power efficiency to revolutionize everything from data centers in the cloud to autonomous cars." ZDNet 10:33 AM
"Computing Power Suppliers are Shifting Gears for AI" ReadWrite 12:22 PM
"Cramer: Apple's biggest naysayers have 'their tails between their legs' post-earnings" CNBC 9:44 AM
"18 Key Takeaways From Apple's First Earnings Call of 2019" MacRumors 9:44 AM
"5 things we learned from Apple's latest quarterly results: Apple's latest financial results was a mixture of good and not-so-good news." Macworld 7:01 AM
"Everything you need to know about Apple's Q2 19 results" Computerworld 6:59 AM
"Apple iPhone sales: Global shipments 'down by millions' in Q1 2019/iPhone shipments fell in Q4 2019, but the active installed base of iPhones now exceeds 900 million." ZDNet 9:28 AM
"Apple bets that 900m iPhone users will underpin growth" Financial Times [Paid Membership Required] 8:45 AM
"Apple has 900 million iPhones in the wild, 1.4 billion devices worldwide" iDownload Blog 11:41 AM
"Apple First Look: A Slew Of Hidden Good News" Seeking Alpha 10:08 AM
"Another analyst thinks Apple shares are going cheap" Cult of Mac 7:09 AM
"Investors who sold Apple after its first-quarter warning are looking silly now" CNBC 9:30 AM
Industry News
"Stocks close at best levels in nearly 2 months as Fed seen taking dovish stance: Dow reclaims the 25,000-mark as Apple spikes higher" MarketWatch 4:00 PM
"Dow Cracks 25,000 After Fed Holds Rates Steady, Apple and Boeing Surge Higher: The Dow Jones Industrial Average rises sharply Wednesday, getting a boost from a surge in shares of Apple and Boeing." TheStreet 3:18 PM
"Dow Pounds Bears As FANG Stocks Recover; Will The 'BLT Stocks' Bolt Higher In 2019?" Investor's Business Daily 4:00 PM
"Stocks Extend Gains on Fed Decision: U.S. stocks extended their rebound Wednesday, surging to their highest close since early December, after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and signaled further increases are on hold." WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 4:00 PM
"Asian markets mostly higher ahead of Fed meeting, latest trade talks: Nikkei, Shanghai indexes retreat, Hang Seng gains" MarketWatch 7:50 AM
"European markets tick up as investors await trade talks: German bourse lags broader market" MarketWatch 7:50 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
Bomb Squad: Type 11 Errors
Chief Scientists: I. Asimov, S. Hawking
Road Crew: R. Petty, J. Cooper
Mechanics: Tom and Ray
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Head Chef: Mom
Head Travel Guru: D. Pearson
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General Counsel: #%@*$$$$!