Here are a few of the tech stories I’ve found interesting over the last few days.
Apple Appeals Ruling in Epic Games Trial
Apple scored many victories in the court case brought against it by Epic Games, but that isn’t stopping the fruit company from appealing that ruling. While Apple came away mostly unscathed, the judge in the case did rule that Apple must allow developers to inform users of alternative payment methods for in app purchases within their apps. Apple is appealing that ruling, so off to the courts we go again.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/8/22717271/apple-appeals-epic-games-ruling-anti-steering
Canadian Government Restricts 5G Around Airports
The Canadian government is issuing new rules about 5G signals near airports, severely restricting 5G use. The government recently auctioned off spectrum in the 3500MHz range that is considered vital for future 5G deployments, while some airplane communication with airports operates in the 4200 to 4400MHz range. For the Canadian government, these signals are too close to each other, and thus it has made the decision to restrict 3500MHz 5G signals from operating near airports. The article linked below has a map of what it would look like around Toronto Pearson Airport, which swaths of the nearby communities being blocked from future 3500MHz deployments. The carriers that spent billions of dollars on that spectrum are understandably upset, as this could affect their deployment plans in high density areas.
It is worth noting that Canada appears to be an outlier here, with many other governments only restricting frequenices withing 100 or 200MHz of the airplane signals, making 3500MHz 5G unaffected in other countries.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/10/09/federal-government-restrictions-5g-service-airports/
Tile Announces New Tracking Devices
With Apple AirTags and Samsung Galaxy SmartTags in the world, Tile, the company that made the first Bluetooth device trackers, has refreshed its lineup. The new trackers have updated designs, larger range and in the case of the new Tile Pro, even includes ultrawideband capabilities like the Apple AirTag and the Samsung Galaxy SmartTag+.
However, the Tile trackers appear to have one significant downside. All of the models except the Pro do not include user replaceable batteries. This means that after their batteries die, which the company estimates will be about 3 years after activation, the new Tile trackers must be thrown away. With a larger focus by larger tech companies on sustainability and recycling, to release a product with a finite lifetime with no way to keep using it is…. A bad idea.
https://www.engadget.com/tile-pro-ultra-wideband-tracker-new-devices-100025451.html
GM Begins Replacing Chevy Bolt EV Batteries as Part of Recall
GM has been dealing with battery issues on its Bolt Electric Vehicle for the better part of a year, after some vehicles caught fire due to battery pack issues. The problem was eventually found to be a manufacturing defect in the batteries that power the vehicles, and the company issued a recall. It has now begun replacing the battery packs in all Bolt EVs, with the process reportedly taking about 2 days to complete for each vehicle. Replacing the battery on every Bolt will cost about $1.8 Billion USD, with reports that LG, the manufacturer of the batteries, covering those costs.
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/10/chevrolet-begins-replacing-batteries-in-recalled-bolt-evs/
Google Will Start Making its iOS Apps Look and Feel Like iOS Apps
Google has been making its apps look identical across all platforms since 2014. This includes on Apple’s iOS platform, where Google has to do significant work to make its apps look like Android apps and not iOS apps. The company has apparently abandoned that idea, and is planning in revamping its apps to look more native to Apple’s platform. This should actually mean good things for Google apps on iPhones and iPads, as it will simplify development of the apps, and should hopefully lead to better and more frequent updates. I’ll be interested to see what they eventually end up looking like.
https://www.engadget.com/google-material-design-uikit-171651054.html
Apple Announces Event for October 18th
Apple will be putting on another show to unveil new products. While it is not confirmed, it is believed we will be seeing new Macs with the next version of it’s M1 processor. We don’t have to wait much longer, as the livestream is schedule for October 18th.
https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/12/apple-event-unleashed-october-18/