First 5G iPhone expected Sept 15; Fortnite battle heats up

Apple on Tuesday fired off invitations to a September 15 online event expected to star the first iPhone tailored for superfast 5G telecom networks.

The typically tight-lipped technology titan revealed only that the presentation would be streamed starting at 1700 GMT from its headquarters in Silicon Valley.

Copies of the emailed invitation spread quickly on social media, featuring a video-snippet version of the Apple logo in blue that unraveled into the event date.

The invitation was also posted at the Apple website, where the event will be streamed.

Apple has routinely held events this time of year to unveil new iPhones, and expectations are that this time around the spotlight will shine on a 5G model, with other new handsets possible as well.

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said in a note to investors that a check of Apple's supply chain in Asian strengthened his confidence in an iPhone 12 "supercycle" kicked off by the release of several new models in October.

Ives saw the China market as a "key ingredient in Apple's recipe for success," expecting it to account for about 20 percent of iPhone upgrades in the coming year.

5G networks are touted as promising an exponential leap in the amount and speed of wireless data, enabling advances in self-driving vehicles, virtual reality, connected health and more as sensors and servers communicate instantly.

Technology analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group cautioned that Apple might not have the chip technology in place for a 5G iPhone despite wanting one on the market.

Apple last year made $1 billion deal to acquire the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business, a move giving the iPhone maker more control over its supply chain.

The deal came after Intel announced it was abandoning efforts to compete with modem chips for smartphones synched to 5G networks.

Apple has been investing in its own mobile chips to ramp up performance and features in its devices and reduce its dependence on sector leader Qualcomm.

"If you have a premium phone, I don't see how you do it without 5G," Enderle said.

Smartphone rivals typically launch updated models before the year-end gift-giving season, which could be tempered this time around by economic disruption caused by the pandemic.

Apple seeks damages from Fortnite maker in App Store dispute
San Francisco (AFP) Sept 8, 2020 - Apple on Tuesday asked a US federal court to order Fortnite maker Epic Games to pay damages in a legal dispute over the rules for the iPhone maker's online marketplace.

The US tech giant asked for unspecified "compensatory and punitive damages" for breach of contract in its response to Epic's lawsuit last month, which claimed Apple abused its dominance by requiring app developers to pay a 30 percent commission for payments through its App Store.

"Although Epic portrays itself as a modern corporate Robin Hood, in reality it is a multibillion dollar enterprise that simply wants to pay nothing for the tremendous value it derives from the App Store," Apple said in its petition filed in a federal court in California.

It argued that Epic "would like to reap the benefits of the App Store without paying anything for them."

Apple said Epic has benefitted from the iOS ecosystem with some 130 million downloads in 174 countries, which earned Epic more than half a billion dollars, before changing its tune and seeking "special treatment."

Epic has been seeking to convince the California court to reinstate the massively popular Fortnite game on the Apple App Store pending legal proceedings, arguing that doing so is in the "public interest."

The two firms are battling over whether Apple's tight control over the App Store, and its 30 percent cut of revenue, counts as monopolistic behavior.

Apple pulled Fortnite from its online mobile apps marketplace on August 13 after Epic released an update that avoids revenue sharing with the iPhone maker.

Last month, a US court rejected Epic's bid to have Fortnite reinstated in the App Store, saying its eviction by Apple was a "self-inflicted wound."

Due to the legal row, Fortnite fans using iPhones or other Apple products no longer have access to the latest game updates, including the new season released at the end of August.

Apple does not allow users of its popular devices to download apps from anywhere but its App Store.

The dispute comes with Apple and other tech giants facing increased scrutiny for their dominance in various economic sectors, allowing them to grow even as much of the economy contracts from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the latest filing, Apple disputed Epic's characterization of its conduct as "retaliation," saying it was only enforcing the rules agreed upon by both firms.

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