Apple's long-running licensing dispute with Qualcomm landed in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on Thursday. The iPhone maker filed petitions challenging four Qualcomm Inc. patents that it says don't cover new ideas, according to Bloomberg.
In a 5-4 decision, the United States Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that states can require online retailers to collect taxes. The decision reverses 50 years of legal rulings that barred states from imposing sales taxes when their residents made a purchase from an out-of-state retailer.
Just in time for this weekend's season 2 finale, Warner Bros. has released an official game based on the popular HBO series, "Westworld." The simulation game allows you to take on the role of a newly hired Delos employee who is granted access to the Delos Park Training Simulation, or DPTS.
In the game, which was written by those of the series, you’ll meet some familiar characters, including Bernard, Delores, and Maeve. Along the way, you’ll have the opportunity to control all aspects of Westworld park operations including manufacturing, managing, and upgrading AI-based Hosts, as well as satisfying a wide range of Guest desires.
The game’s initial content spans the first season of the series but will include more once season two ends.
https://www.facebook.com/WestworldMobile/videos/2590048347887234/
According to Jonathan Knight, vice president, studio head at WB Games San Francisco:
We are excited for Westworld players to experience what it’s like to manage a complex theme park powered by human desires and artificial life. The game features a compelling, unfolding narrative and multi-layered gameplay while remaining highly approachable and intuitive to play.
The Westworld game offers a combination of construction and management elements with roleplaying game RPG style character development. Gameplay takes place on two levels: Aboveground, where there is the western-themed world visitors experience, and Belowground, the high-tech Delos facility where Hosts are manufactured, repaired and upgraded.
"Westworld" first arrived on the scene in October 2016 and is based on the 1973 film of the same name. The story takes place in a fictional, technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populated by android “hosts.” High-paying “guests” may indulge their wildest fantasies within the park.
The series stars Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie Newton, Jeffrey Wright, and James Marsden.
As a long-time “Westworld” fan, this official game looks like a lot of fun; I can’t wait to try it out further in the coming days. The season finale of "Westworld" airs on HBO this Sunday, June 24.
You can download the game on the App Store and watch the series on the HBO Now app.
The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), which counts Apple as a charter member, has one goal in mind: to create a "digital key" standard that allows drivers to ditch their physical keys with NFC-enabled smartphones. In doing so, it might not be too long before you can use your iPhone to lock, unlock, start the engine, and share access to your car.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple plans on releasing its long-delayed inductive AirPower charging mat "before or in September." The product, first announced last September, allows you to charge certain Apple devices all at once including the iPhone X.
According to Gurman:
Apple didn’t say when in 2018 it would release AirPower, but engineers hoped to launch the charger by June. The aim now is to put it on sale before or in September, according to one of the people. In recent months, some Apple engineers have ramped up testing of the device by using it as their charger at the office, another person said.
The oval-shaped AirPower accessory announced during last year's iPhone X event can inductively charge multiple Apple devices at once, including the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and Apple Watch Series 3. An optional charging case for AirPods, which is also missing in action, will also work with the charging mat.
There have been numerous delays for the AirPower since it was announced last year. The accessory was once thought to be arriving in March and then June. In the meantime, third-party alternatives have launched.
As Gurman explains of the delays:
An executive at an Apple partner that manufactures third-party wireless chargers for iPhones, who asked not to be identified, said that the multi-device charging mechanism is challenging to build because it likely requires different sized charging components for the three types of devices, which would all overlap across the mat.
It makes sense for Apple to push the AirPower release date to September. By doing so, the company will have the opportunity to reintroduce the product alongside this year's iPhone and iPad Pro product lines. Each is expected to feature wireless charging capabilities; for the latter, for the first time.
Apple hasn't announced a price for the AirPower.
In macOS Mojave, Apple brought four iOS apps to Mac for the first time, including News, Home, Voice Memos, and Stocks. The last of these allows you to check the financial markets and also learn more about your favorite companies. Here's a look at how you use the new Stocks up in macOS Mojave.
Fortnite has already made $100 million on the App Store, just 90 days after its launch. This makes it the second quickest game to reach this milestone behind Clash Royale, according to Sensor Tower.
First launched on iOS on March 19, Fortnite reached $25 million in Apple platform sales in 30 days, while achieving the $50 million mark 15 days later. Clash Royale made $154 million after just 90 days in the App Store.
As Sensor Tower explains, these numbers are impressive:
In reaching this milestone, Epic Games has managed to surpass some of most successful multiplayer mobile titles of the past two years, despite the fact that Fortnite initially launched in invite-only form for two of the 12 weeks it has been available. As the chart below shows, it earned more than 3x as much as Tencent’s massively successful Honor of Kings—known as Arena of Valor in Western markets—did in China during its first 90 days on iOS, despite not being available there itself.
Considered a co-op sandbox survival game, Fortnite was developed by Epic Games and People Can Fly. The game launched on multiple platforms on July 25, including Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Epic announced Fortnite Mobile on iOS in March. At the time, it promised that the mobile port would have the same features, content, and weekly updates as Fortnite Battle Royale for PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
“We believe this is the future of games. The same game on all platforms. Console quality graphics and action. Play when you want, where you want,” Epic wrote.
Initially, the iOS version was available by invitation only. It launched to everyone on April 2. A May update added new locations to explore, new rewards to earn, and drag and drop support on the quickbar for quickly organizing inventory items.
You can download the free-to-play Fortnite on the App Store.
One of the hottest video games from early this century is coming to an iPad near year. Tropico, the city-building game set on an island in the Caribbean, is being redesigned and developed for mobile devices. Best of all, when it’s released, it will be a full-priced game with no in-app purchases.
As expected, Apple has released iOS 12 beta 2 for developers. The software update arrives 15 days after the first beta was released soon after this year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote. Developers can get the update from Apple's site or over-the-air (OTA).
Apple has released new beta software for developers. In addition to iOS 12 beta 2, the company has launched tvOS 12 beta 2, macOS Mojave beta 2, and watchOS 5 beta 2.
There's a Legacy apps tool in macOS Mojave. Here's how to use it.
At the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple confirmed macOS Mojave would be the last version to support 32-bit apps. To help developers and users alike find out whether their Macs use these apps, Apple has introduced a tool in the System Report in macOS Mojave. Though similar to a tool found in macOS High Sierra, this one makes it even clearer that support will soon end for these apps.
Uber is testing a new service that offers customers a less expensive fare if they agree to wait a little bit longer for a ride. The feature is currently being tested by Uber employees, according to Quartz, which has received confirmation from Uber.