Apple

Apple now offers free trials for iCloud storage upgrades

iCloud Storage Promotion

Apple has quietly introduced free one-month trials for its paid iCloud storage plans. The promotion is being offered if you are not currently paying for a subscription and have reached your 5GB limit. By taking advantage of the promotion, iCloud will backup all of your iOS devices without you worrying about hitting a storage limit.

Samsung owes Apple $539 million in iPhone infringement case

Law

A jury has told Samsung it must pay Apple $539 million for infringing on three design patents with Android phones sold between 2010 and 2011. The unanimous decision was made in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California in San Jose, California. The number is significant because it's higher than what Apple was likely to get based on past court decisions, according to Bloomberg. 

Apple partners with Volkswagen to turn vans into driverless cars

Apple-VW-Partnership

Apple's dream of producing driverless cars has moved forward, but not in the grand way it once hoped. The iPhone maker and Volkswagen are partnering to turn some of the German carmaker's new T6 Transporter vans into self-driving shuttles for Apple employees. This comes after other carmakers said no to Apple's loftier automobile goals, according to The New York Times.

Google, not Amazon now leads smart speaker market

Google Home

There's a new leader in the growing smart speaker market. During the first quarter of 2018, Google overtook Amazon for the top spot. Meanwhile, Apple's nowhere to be found in the new Canalys survey of the top smart speaker producers in the world, suggesting it might be awhile before the HomePod maker makes a mark in the emerging product category.