Apple's proposed acquisition of the media identification service Shazam is now being scrutinized under the watchful eye of the European Commission, Reuters reported Monday.
European Commission is investigating Apple’s proposed acquisition of Shazam
Europe
Facebook unveils new privacy controls ahead of GDPR compliance deadline
Facebook is launching new privacy controls following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
German paper calls out Apple for paying between 1 and 7% tax on overseas income
Süddeutsche Zeitung, the biggest newspaper in Germany, on Wednesday published an open letter to Apple's boss Tim Cook in which its editor-in-chief Wolfgang Krach claims that the Cupertino giant pays between 1 and 7% tax on its overseas income.
Apple could launch 32GB “iPhone 6 (2017)” in Europe next week
A new 32GB version of iPhone 6 in Gold has been quietly available at one online carrier in China since late February, and since March 10 prominently in Taiwan as the cheapest iPhone ever offered on the Taiwan Mobile network. As per a local blog, the 32GB “limited-edition” iPhone 6 in Space Gray will launch as soon as next week in Belarus—a 9.5 million people landlocked country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia, among other neighboring countries.
Sources say the phone will go on sale via i-Store, priced at the equivalent of $522 (999 Belarusian rubles). For context, i-Store is an Apple Premium Reseller located in Minsk, the country's capital and the most populous city with 2+ million people.
Kantar: iPhone 6s/7/Plus were 3 most popular smartphones in U.S. in November
Kantar Worldpanel previously said that iOS achieved its strongest growth and the highest market share in the United States in more than two years. In its latest survey, the market intelligence company found out that iPhone's share of the U.S. smartphone market grew 6.4 percent year-on-year in the three months ending in November 2016.
iPhone 6s, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were the country's three most popular smartphones during November, with the handsets taking share from Google's Android platform in most markets globally.
France fines Apple $422 million over its controversial tax practices
French tax authorities have recently issued Apple a fine in the amount of 400 million euros (about $422 million), according to L'Express. At the core of the adjustment is Apple's complex and controversial tax optimization scheme that allows the firm to send back the lion share of its profits to tax-friendly countries such as Ireland.
Construction is underway for Apple’s $1 billion data center in Foulum, Denmark
In February of last year, the Cupertino firm announced that it will be spending to the tune of two billion dollars on the construction of two huge data centers in Ireland and Denmark that will make iCloud and other services more performant and reliable for European customers. As per The Copenhagen Post, the Denmark facility is located in Foulum.
Foulum is a small town located just outside of Viborg, a city in central Jutland that is home to Aarhus University and agricultural research facilities. Additionally, the iPhone maker reportedly signed a multi-year clean energy deal with Aarhus University on a new biogas research and development project.
Check out Euro 2016 Easter egg surprise hidden on Apple’s website
Apple hid a nice Easter egg surprise on its website for fans of soccer who are currently following the 2016 UEFA European Championship. Apple websites in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe now sport an updated Choose Your Country selector with Euro 2016 country groups and schedules.
As reported on by Dutch blog iCulture, the Cupertino firm even temporarily added a few new countries that it does not have regional websites for—like Albania, Iceland, Northern Ireland, Ukraine and Wales—to ensure that the groups and bracket are filled out properly.
Apple: we’re “working rapidly” to bring Apple Pay to “every significant market”
Earlier in the week, Apple Pay launched fully in Singapore with five major local banks on board, marking the sixth country where the company's service is currently accepted as a form of payment.
But that's just the beginning as Apple's ultimate goal is to roll out the service to "every significant market" in which the company operates, according to Jennifer Bailey, who was former Netscape executive and now serves as Vice President of Apple Pay.
Is Apple prepping to refresh Thunderbolt Display?
Apple hasn't refreshed the beautiful Thunderbolt Display since its July 2011 debut. That could change soon, however, as shipping times for the Thunderbolt Display have risen sharply across its European stores.
As first noted by German blog Macerkopf.de, customers in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, the United Kingdom and other major markets in Europe are now faced with an eight-day delay when ordering a Thunderbolt Display.
European Union files anti-trust charges against Google
Making good on rumors that have been bouncing around for several months, the European Union officially filed anti-trust charges against Google on Wednesday. The Commission will formally investigate whether the tech firm has abused its dominance in search results, as well as within its Android operating system.
In the near term this doesn't mean much—there will be a lengthy investigation and likely a trial. But in the long term, if Google were to be found guilty, it could face a fine of up to $6 billion (10% of its annual revenue) and various business-altering restrictions. Many pundits are comparing it to Microsoft in the late 90's.
Apple cracks down on users who abuse the 14-day return policy for digital content in Europe
Users looking to abuse Apple's new 14-day return policy for digital purchases in Europe will be in for a bad surprise, as the company has apparently been taking measures against those that want to dishonestly take advantage of the system.
According to one account from a user who had been abusing the return policy by downloading a dozen apps and requesting refunds after "trialing" them, Apple quickly caught up to the scheme and is now warning him he won't be eligible for refunds for newly purchased applications.