WSJ

Facebook signs video deals with Electronic Sports League and Major League Baseball

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Facebook has signed major deals with Electronic Sports League (ESL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), bringing fans of eSports and baseball both live and on-demand content in its ongoing streaming video push.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the social network is paying professional video game teams and others in the eSports industry to broadcast on its service.

Earlier this year, Facebook signed contracts with five teams to publish live and on-demand video of players practicing or competing in such games as StarCraft II, Counter-Strike, League of Legends and Overwatch.

ESL said in a blog post announcing the deal that its official Facebook page will soon stream all IEM and ESL One events in up to six different languages along with select national championship and online leagues. Viewers will be able to post comments, highlight up and coming players and more via an exclusive new weekly show on Facebook.

In addition to the 30 hours of weekly Rank S streaming, there'll be a weekly 30-minute hosted by Mark “Boq” Wilson, focused on Rank S and the current happenings in ESEA and CS:GO.

These broadcasts will start next month with Rank S matches.

Down the line, they'll host video interviews with the famous players, competition commentary and more. ESL broadcasts competitions on Twitch and YouTube, too.

You can find the ESEA announcement on their website.

As mentioned earlier, Facebook also cut a major deal with MLB that will result in 20 live-streamed Friday night MLB games via MLB's Facebook page during the 2017 season. US-based Facebook users will be able to stream the games for free. The first game is scheduled to broadcast tonight, Friday, May 19, with the Colorado Rockies and Cincinnati Reds facing off.

Apple kicks off iPhone SE production in India

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 17, 2017

Apple has officially kicked off the initial production run of an unspecified “small number” of iPhone SE handsets in its Bangalore plant in India, marking the first time the company has assembled any iPhone model in the vast 1.33 billion people market.

As previously suspected, the manufacturing of the cheapest iPhone model was handled earlier this month by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron via its assembling unit located in Karnataka, a state in the south western region of India.

Apple confirmed in a statement that it has begun the initial production of a small number of iPhone SE handsets in Bangalore. The Cupertino company will begin shipping the devices to domestic customers later this month, with the first shipments potentially hitting retail stores as early as this week or next, according to a person familiar with the matter.

A state official with direct knowledge of the matter told the publication that the Cupertino giant “could seek more production” within the country in the future.

It's unclear if Apple will reduce iPhone SE pricing in India to better compete with inexpensive smartphones from rivals. In India, according to Deutsche Bank’s annual “Mapping the World’s Prices” survey, the 128-gigabyte 4.7-inch iPhone 7 model costs about $900 versus an average selling price of $815 in the US.

iPhone SE costs $399 in the United States. By comparison, the current average going rate for iPhone SE in India is about $320. Some analysts think Apple should price the phone really aggressively were it to move a good number of these devices in the country.

“In three to five years, these users will be able to graduate to a standard-priced iPhone,” said Faisal Kawoosa, principal analyst at research firm CMR.

According to IDC, the average smartphone price in India is about $250.

Local government officials reportedly believe Apple could sell iPhone SE in India for as low as the equivalent of $220 in Indian currency. Apple's manufacturing partners assemble most of the iPhones the company sells in massive factories in China, with a smaller number of older iPhone models being manufactured in Foxconn's facilities in Brazil.

Apple working to address remaining CIA exploits, but many additional vulnerabilities exist

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

Apple said yesterday that “many” CIA exploits revealed in WikiLeaks' dump codenamed “Vault 7” are already patched in the latest version of iOS. As for the remaining exploits, Apple engineers are working to address them as well, according to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

A person familiar with the situation told the paper that Apple engineers have been coordinating the company’s response to this new security threat.

WSJ: Sharp investing $878 million into OLED production for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 7, 2017

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday morning that Sharp is investing a trillion yen, or about $878 million, into a manufacturing facility solely dedicated to churning out the superior organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels.

Sharp is owned by iPhone manufacturer Foxconn and the facility is expected to focus exclusively on OLED panel production for future iPhones.

WSJ: iPhone 8 to sport curved OLED screen, supplant Lightning with USB-C

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 28, 2017

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that iPhone will feature a flexible screen based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology and supplant Lightning with USB-C.

The story corroborates KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo's claims that Apple will release three new phones this year in the form of the brand new OLED-based iPhone 8 model with refreshed industrial design and the more iterative LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus updates.

WSJ: Japan Display creating flexible LCD panels for 2018 iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 25, 2017

iPhone display supplier Japan Display has devised new manufacturing processes for mass production of flexible liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. According to a report Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal, Apple is considering using flexible LCD panels in iPhones launching in 2018 and beyond.

This is an interesting development in light of rumors that iPhone 8 will be equipped with a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen. While not as flexible as curved OLED panels, Japan Display's new processes do allow for the creation of bendable LCDs that support designs like Samsung's curved-screen Galaxy Edge series.

WSJ: AirPods delayed because of issues with dual Bluetooth connectivity

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 9, 2016

Apple’s mysterious AirPods delay continues to puzzle us. Marking a rare public misstep, the company's failed to make its first-ever Bluetooth earphones available in time for the critical holiday season because, as Apple said, it needed “a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers.”

A person familiar with the product's development told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that the problem with the AirPods stems from Apple's efforts to “chart a new path for wireless headphones” and, specifically, resolve what happens when you lose one of the earphones or its battery dies on you.

Apple is said to have more than ten different iPhone 8 prototypes under development

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 28, 2016

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Apple has as many as ten different iPhone 8 prototypes under development, including a higher-priced model with an advanced display based on power-saving organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology that multiple industry sources, analysts and supply chain makers have been talking about for months now.

Asian suppliers have been asked to increase output of thinner OLED displays and submit prototype screens “with better resolution than ones from Samsung” to Apple.

Samsung Galaxy S8 to integrate Viv personal assistant developed by Siri creators

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 7, 2016

As we reported, Samsung last month bought Viv Labs, a San Jose startup co-founded by former Siri creators who have developed a brand new Viv artificial intelligence assistant. The Galaxy maker has now confirmed to Reuters that it will be integrating Viv technology into an advanced personal digital assistant of its own.

Samsung's Viv-based AI assistant will debut on next year's Galaxy S8. According to The Wall Street Journal, the handset should have a dedicated button to summon the new service though the Galaxy S8 may be delayed until April following the costly Note 7 debacle rather than at the Mobile World Congress trade show in February.

AT&T to buy Time Warner for a reported $80 billion

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2016

U.S. wireless carrier is buying media entertainment conglomerate Time Warner for a reported $80 billion as consolidation continues in media and technology industries. AT&T has reportedly agreed to pay $107.50 a share in a half-cash, half-stock deal, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Time Warner, which does not have a controlling shareholder, reported $28 billion in 2015 revenue.

The media giant had a market capitalization of $68 billion before rumors of a possible takeover bid. AT&T currently has a market capitalization of more than $230 billion.

Apple recently approached Time Warner about takeover bid, now “monitoring” AT&T talks

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 21, 2016

AT&T, the second-largest carrier in the United States, is in advanced talks with media giant Time Warner about a possible merger and Apple “is now monitoring the situation”, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. The Cupertino-based gadget maker was first mentioned as a possible suitor for a Time Warner takeover back in January of this year.

According to WSJ, Apple a few months ago approached Time Warner “about pursuing a combination”, but the discussions didn’t progress “beyond a preliminary stage.”

WSJ: e-ink keyboards will be a standard feature on 2018 MacBooks

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 19, 2016

Following The Guardian's report, based on a verified post on Reddit alleging that Apple recently met with representatives from Australian startup Sonder Design to discuss using its dynamic keyboard technology in a future Magic Keyboard, The Wall Street Journal has corroborated that such talks took place on October 11 in China.

However, Sonder CEO Francisco Serra-Martin denied in a press release that the meeting took place. Be that as it may, WSJ claims that the new dynamic keyboards will be a standard feature on next-generation MacBook laptops, which Apple is aiming to launch in 2018.