Free Republic

Some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users have reported their new smartphones have had quite the hissy fit — making a noise that sounds like a snake hissing in the grass.

Silicon Valley is the capital of disruption. It’s the epicenter of the innovation earthquake. It’s the leader of the new way forward. And Apple, as the industry’s Think Different darling, is at the forefront of the revolution. So much so, in fact, that it decided a patent a sweet bag. The patent was filed in March and published by the US Patent and Trademark Office last week. The retail vessel carries a beautifully simple name—“bag”—and Apple describes it thusly: A paper bag is disclosed. The paper bag may include a bag container formed of white solid bleached sulfate paper with...

"Today we look at the reason why hackers always prefer Linux over Mac, Windows, and other operating systems. You may have your own reasons for choosing Linux but what do hackers really look forward to while working with Linux."

iOS 10 is here. Even though it looks just like iOS 9, a lot -- and we mean a lot -- of features are radically different. Messages is a lot more like Facebook Messenger, the lock screen packs a lot more info, and you can finally delete Apple's default apps. There's a lot more to know, so bookmark this page as you get started with iOS 10. Wait -- read this first! No seriously, wait. The iOS 10 update was freezing some people's phones. Apple has just issued a fix, but if you already ran into this issue, here's how...

Dutch Finance Minister and Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Multinational companies should refrain from tax-avoidance practices and pay their fair share, the head of euro zone finance ministers said on Saturday in a new endorsement of the European Union's fight against tax-dodging. In the wake of the 'Panama Papers' revelations of widespread tax-avoidance practices, Brussels has toughened up its drive for fairness by tightening controls and adopting stricter rules. The recent shock multi-billion euro tax demand on Apple was part of that trend as the EU also drafts plans for a common corporate tax base and a single...

The Apple Tax is about a lot more than just Apple and the billions of euros in backdated corporation tax it purportedly owes to European governments. It even goes far beyond the question of how — and how much — central authorities should tax recalcitrant multinationals that make billions of dollars in profits on their turf but share few or none of the proceeds. What is most at stake is the question of who gets to set the fiscal rules in Europe’s foreseeable future. One thing is clear: if Brussels gets its way, it’s not going to be the national...

This week Apple launched a new iPhone without a headphone jack and stirred up an understandable furor of discontent. But you won’t hear any headphone companies complaining about the move, even though it takes away their familiar entry point into the Apple ecosystem. Most of them have already been preparing for this change for months ... I spoke with a few of the major headphone manufacturers ... to gauge their reaction to the news. The universal response has been a mix of sunny optimism ... and practicality. Most companies ... recognize that there's plenty of opportunity in having ... Apple...

Mh3>Just helping you out Tim While many people refuse to believe me when I complain about the Tame Apple Press which publishes stories as free PR for the fruity cargo cult, they might want to look at the news this week. Apple was about to launch its disappointing iPhone 7 which was having its clock cleaned by the Samsung 7. Then in the middle of it there was a problem with Samsung’s battery exploding on some of its phones. Samsung fessed up immediately – the problem was caused by a faulty battery and will be fixed within a couple of...

After months of anticipation, Apple has finally revealed the iPhone 7 which has controversially dumped the headphone socket. Instead, users can plug into a Lighting port or can opt to use wireless 'AirPod' headphones that cost £159 in the UK and $159 in the US. Reaction to the change has been mixed, with many people taking to Twitter to mock the price of the AirPods and how easy they could be to lose.

Apple CEO Tim Cook and a team of Apple executives will be holding their September 7th special event at 10am PDT / 1pm EDT. The special event will take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California. It is widely expected that Apple today will unveil the new flagship 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus and the smaller 4.7-inch iPhone 7 along with the next-gen Apple Watch. Mac updates may also be announced (although could be limited to press release only). MacDailyNews will offer live notes during Tim Cook and companyÂ’s special event presentation right here on this page....

Apple, Amazon, Google, Energy companies, and Airlines, and others back Microsoft in battle with government overreach. Link only due to copy right issues: Apple, Google Back Microsoft Over ‘Sneak-and-Peek’

Economics was not one of my favorite subjects in college, so I avoided economic courses. But I do know a few things about human nature. If you tax income at too high a rate, corporations will look elsewhere for relief. Take Ireland. In 1991, Apple Corporation cut a deal with the Irish government so that only a certain bracket of its earnings would be taxed, giving it, writes Business Insider, "...a dramatically lower tax rate than it would have to pay in the U.S." In return, Apple promised jobs, lots of jobs, which it provided. The company currently employs 4,000...

...Apple first arrived in Ireland in 1980 when it launched a manufacturing plant in Holyhill, above Cork. Steve Jobs announced £7 million in investment in the country, along with 700 new jobs. In 1990, Apple's financial team met with the Irish government to draft an arrangement for how much tax it paid in the country..The message is clear: We've been here for 10 years, we're a vital part of Cork, and if you don't strike a deal with us then maybe we'll go elsewhere. The Irish government agreed a deal with Apple in 1991 to only tax a certain bracket...

<p>Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has weighed into the tax dispute between Apple and the European Union, saying the Irish government should write a letter to the EU telling them to "f**k off".</p> <p>Dubbing the EU's ruling "bizarre", the outspoken Irishman said: "One of the fundamental principles of the European Union is that each country has its autonomy to make its own tax decisions.</p>

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: The way the European Union is looking at Apple -- the European Union is nothing but a bunch of takers. The European Union wouldn't know how to produce diddly-squat. So Apple is the golden goose. And they're taking as many eggs from the golden goose as they can, because they're out of money. All these brilliant socialist Democrats in Western Europe, all these elites, these pointy-headed intellectuals, our so-called betters, can't manage anything. And they have been out of money for years. They don't know how to budget. They don't know how to behave responsibly. So here...

Britain could cut corporation tax to attract major international companies under plans being considered by Theresa May after Apple was hit with a record tax bill by Brussels. Downing Street yesterday said it would "welcome" Apple to the UK after the European Commission took the extraordinary step of hitting the company with an £11billion fine. In a damning report published yesterday, the commission found that a deal with Ireland meant the technology giant paid as little as 0.005 per cent tax on its European profits for more than a decade.

Apple has already threatened to cut jobs in Europe after Brussels ordered it to repay £11billion ($14.5billion) - the biggest tax bill ever imposed outside the US. The European Commission's three-year investigation into Apple's sweetheart deal with Ireland has found it amounted to illegal state aid. Its damning report published today says the tech giant paid as little as 0.005 per cent tax by funnelling its non-US profits through its Irish headquarters with no staff or premises then on to its $178billion (£120bn) offshore fund.

The European Union on Tuesday said US tech giant Apple must repay a record 13 billion euros ($14.3 billion or roughly Rs. 95,910 crores) in back taxes after ruling that a series of Irish sweetheart tax deals were illegal. "The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to 13 billion euros to Apple. This is illegal under EU state aid rules because it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses. Ireland must now recover the illegal aid," a Commission statement said. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Apple's "selective treatment" in Ireland...

My girlfriend opened her iPad this morning and was presented with a pop-up requestor that stated "It's time to change your iPhone/iPad passcode." with a CONTINUE button. Apple NEVER requires users to change their device passcode. This was an attempt by some bad actor to gain access to her iPad for a nefarious reason. This took her to another requestor that had three entry boxes. Two were for a new passcode, and a check of the new passcode, and the third was to enter your current passcode. One could NOT make this go away, nor could the home button bring...

Susan* bought her 6-year-old son John an iPad when he was in first grade. “I thought ‘why not let him get a jump on things?’ ” she told me during a therapy session. John’s school had begun using the devices with younger and younger grades—and his technology teacher had raved about their educational benefits—so Susan wanted to do what was best for her sandy-haired boy who loved reading and playing baseball. She started letting John play different educational games on his iPad. Eventually, he discovered Minecraft, which the technology teacher assured her was “just like electronic Lego.”