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The days of hunting through cables to find the right charger may be coming to an end.

The European Union has provisionally agreed new portable electronic devices must, by autumn 2024, use a USB Type-C charger.

BBC News has asked the UK government if it intends to pass similar legislation.

But under the current post-Brexit arrangements, the European Union ruling would apply to Northern Ireland, according to EU and UK officials.

According to a December 2021 parliamentary report, the “new requirements may also apply to devices sold in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit agreement, potentially triggering divergence of product standards with the rest of the UK”.

The treaty works by keeping Northern Ireland inside the EU’s single market for goods, while mainland Britain is outside it.

A row between the UK and EU about how to reform the Northern Ireland protocol remains unresolved.

‘Stifles innovation’
Apple products such as iPhones and iPads will have to conform to the new regulation, as will, eventually laptop computers. Existing devices will be exempt.

The agreement will be brought before the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers after their summer recesses, where it can be formally approved and then published.

Apple told the BBC it had no new comment to make.

It argued against the proposal, when it was first introduced, in September 2021, with a representative telling BBC News: “Strict regulation mandating just one type of connector stifles innovation rather than encouraging it, which in turn will harm consumers in Europe and around the world”.

Apple is the biggest manufacturer to use a custom charging port that is exclusive to some of its products – its iPhone series uses an Apple-made Lightning connector.

The new rule will cover a range of “small and medium-sized portable electronics”, according the EU, including:

mobile phones
tablets
headphones and headsets
handheld videogame consoles
portable speakers
Any of these charged using a wired cable will have to have a USB Type-C port, regardless of who makes the devices.

Laptops will also have to abide by the ruling but manufacturers will have 40 months after it comes into effect to make changes.

The agreement also includes a plan to let customers choose whether or not they want a charging cable with their new electronics.

“This law is a part of a broader EU effort to make products in the EU more sustainable, to reduce electronic waste, and make consumers’ lives easier,” the EU said in its announcement.

It would save consumers “up to €250m [£213m] a year on unnecessary charger purchases” and cut 11,000 tonnes of waste per year, the EU added.

A second generation of Apple computer chips is born.

Apple broadened its processor ambitions on Monday with the new M2, a chip that improves core processing performance 18% over the M1 without hurting battery life in the company’s new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro laptops.

The 18% speed boost comes from the M2’s redesigned central processing units. The processor has four fast CPU cores and four efficient cores, a hybrid approach drawn from the smartphone world. And by increasing the number of graphics processing units up to a maximum of 10 instead of eight for the M1, GPU performance is 35% faster. Overall, the new MacBook Air is 38% faster at Final Cut Pro video editing, Apple said.

“We continue to have a relentless focus on power efficient performance,” Johny Srouji, Apple hardware team leader, said at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Power efficiency is crucial to shrinking laptops since the biggest component is the battery. The new MacBook Airs take up 20% less volume but still have a long, 18-hour battery life, Apple said. The company also is using the M2 in a new 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The M2 processor also has a significant memory boost, reaching up to 24GB instead of 16GB for the M1. Memory is important, especially as software gets bigger and laptops have years-long lifespans. M series chips build memory directly into the processor package for fast performance, but it’s not upgradable.

Apple debuted the M1 at 2020’s WWDC and began shipping it later that year in the earlier version of the MacBook Air. The M1, along with beefier successors called the M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra, struck an effective balance between performance and battery life and earned strong reviews.

The M2 doubles down on the same balanced approach, offering updated processing cores that are variants of the chips at the heart of newer iPhones. The new chips continue the gradual ejection of Intel processors from the Mac family of personal computers and could enable the last Intel-powered member, the Mac Pro, to switch to Apple chips.

Designing processors is an expensive, difficult undertaking. But with the M series chips, Apple takes advantage of the A series chip design work it already does for its iPhones and iPads and pays Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to build the chips on its advanced product lines.

The M2 is built on TSMC’s 5nm (5 nanometer) manufacturing process, but it’s an improved version to the one used for the M1. TSMC is working on a more advanced 3nm process that should let customers squeeze in somewhat more transistors, the core electronics element that processes data on a chip.

The M2 has 20 billion transistors, a 25% increase over the M1, Apple said.

One use of the new transistors is the increased GPU count. Another is an upgraded neural engine — a chip block used to accelerate artificial intelligence workloads. The new 16-core neural engine can perform 15.8 trillion operations per second, Apple said.

With its own chips, Apple gets more control over the technology foundation of its products — a principle important to Chief Executive Tim Cook — and we get better Macs.

Apple’s M series and A series chips are members of the Arm processor family. UK-based Arm licenses designs that companies can customize to varying degrees. Arm chips from Qualcomm, Apple, MediaTek, Samsung, Google and others power just about every smartphone for sale.

Because Apple doesn’t offer its chips to others, and because the majority of PCs use Intel processors, Intel is somewhat insulated from Apple’s shift. Intel is working to modernize its manufacturing, spending tens of billions of dollars on new chipmaking fabs. Intel aims to reclaim its lead over rivals TSMC and Samsung in 2024.

The most important part of Apple’s upcoming announcements on Monday may already be in your pocket.

At the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC as it’s called, Apple is expected to announce an array of software upgrades for its iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, in addition to, potentially, a new performance-focused Mac Pro computer and fresh TV-related features.

For iPhones, the new software is expected to include small “widget” apps on the lock screen, according to reports from Bloomberg and others. Apple is also expected to add features to improve multitasking and running apps side by side, particularly on the iPad. Those changes for Apple’s tablet would be welcomed by CNET reviewer Scott Stein, who’s criticized the device for its lack of PC-like features.

“The hardware seems just about perfect,” Stein wrote in his review of last year’s iPad Pro, which is now powered by the same M1 chips as the company’s MacBook laptops. “If Apple starts updating its iPadOS to add new features, more multitasking and monitor support, more Pro apps, and maybe even some sort of Mac compatibility mode using the M1 chip it now shares with all those new Macs, this could be an amazing machine.”

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

Though Apple may show off some hardware at this year’s WWDC, the event is primarily focused on the company’s plans for the future. It’s an opportunity for Apple to tease ideas that will power key new features in its devices. In the past, the company has used WWDC to announce revamped looks for its iPhone software, new coding languages for its devices and new initiatives like its transition to home-made chips to power its Mac computers.

Apple has also expanded its subscription offerings over the past couple of years. Those now include the $5 per month Apple TV Plus for movies and TV shows, the $5 per month Apple Arcade gaming service and the $10 per month Apple Fitness Plus. People have so far responded well to them, Apple has said, pointing to the 825 million accounts with paid subscriptions on its platform at the end of March. That’s an increase of 17% from the prior year.

“The pandemic has underlined even more how much we rely on this stuff,” said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies.

More, more, more
There’s a chance Apple will announce new computers at WWDC this year, particularly its already teased next Mac Pro performance desktop. But even if the company doesn’t produce a wow-worthy moment, Milanesi said, she’ll be watching for the seemingly small software changes Apple will undoubtedly announce that, over time, add up to big shifts in how its devices work.

For example, the company began experimenting with widgets, or small apps, in 2014 with iOS 8. At the time, those widgets were limited, and only visible in the Notification Center. After six years of refinement, Apple added widgets to the home screen with iOS 14.

Those software upgrades, which Apple makes freely available for iPhones and iPads produced within the last five years or so, are unusual. Most other companies don’t keep adding features years after their devices are sold.

The new software also offers an opportunity for Apple to present something fresh that doesn’t rely on manufacturing, which has struggled to keep up with demand, and that isn’t hit hard by the costs of inflation.

“With software, Apple has a unique ability to refresh products in a way that others don’t,” Milanesi said.

Big Apple
Another set of changes Apple has increasingly offered for its smartphones, tablets and computers is how well they work with other devices that the company doesn’t make. Over the years, Apple has, for example, added software technology that allows its Apple Watch to communicate with workout equipment. The company has also expanded its near-field communication technology, primarily built for Apple Pay wireless credit card payments, to serve as keys to get into a car, and soon driver’s licenses to use at an airport too.

“All of this translates not just to Apple playing better with their devices, but also with other devices,” said Bob O’Donnell, an analyst at Technalysis research.

This year in particular, O’Donnell will be watching for any mention of industrywide initiatives that Apple will back. In the past couple of years, Apple notably partnered with Fast Identity Online, or FIDO, to improve login security across the web. It also joined Matter, a consortium of device makers including Amazon, Samsung and Google, who are hoping to make it easier for smart home devices to talk to one another.

“That’s where you move beyond the basic, ‘Here’s a new version of iOS with X, Y and Z features,'” O’Donnell added.

There’s still always a chance Apple could pull a surprise announcement of its long-rumored AR glasses, expected to maybe go on sale next year. But analysts say that at a time when manufacturing is struggling and the broader economy is shaky, it’s a good opportunity for Apple to focus on the software that helps its devices stand out.

“With an unparalleled installed base of 1 billion iPhones worldwide and 1.8 billion iOS devices for Cupertino this continues to remain Apple’s unique advantage over other technology stalwarts,” Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a recent message to investors, referring to Apple’s hometown of Cupertino, California.

Ives added that though a quarter of those phones haven’t been upgraded in more than three years, demand for Apple’s devices is still strong, in part because of those regular software upgrades. “The stickiness of the iPhone upgrade cycle is being underestimated,” he said.

Commentary: WWDC 2022 is just days away. Here’s everything we want Apple to add and fix in its next big iPhone update.

Commentary: WWDC 2022 is just days away. Here’s everything we want Apple to add and fix in its next big iPhone update.

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off Monday, and with it we’re expecting an early look at iOS 16 — likely the name of Apple’s next software version for the iPhone. Apple is expected to share previews of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, WatchOS 9, MacOS and other software. We’re most excited about the next version of iOS, since it usually includes a few impressive changes for the iPhone.

Rumors for iOS 16 are relatively sparse, which is typical for unreleased Apple software. So it will truly be a surprise to see what new iOS features are revealed.

The last three versions of iOS have been similar. iOS 15 feels like a riff on iOS 14, which felt like a continuation of iOS 13. Any visual changes are able to be turned on and off instead of being forced onto your iPhone. For example, if you don’t like home screen widgets or Focus mode, you don’t have to use them. Even if you opt out of the more conspicuous changes, running iOS 15 brings a bunch of background improvements to keep your iPhone running smoothly and securely. And that will likely be the case with iOS 16.

iOS 15 has been out for seven months and the operating system has been relatively stable with very few bugs. Some features, such as Universal Control and SharePlay, took a while to roll out, but everything seems to be up and running now. iOS 16 will likely continue where iOS 15 leaves off, adding new features to the existing design.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things Apple needs to add or improve. My colleagues and I came up with a list of improvements, additions and fixes that we’d like Apple to make for iOS 16. Some are big, like adding support for the Apple Pencil, and others are small but significant, like giving home screen widgets more functionality. We’ll have to wait until June to see what Apple actually does.

Change comes amid rebranding to focus on building the virtual world of the metaverse.Facebook parent company Meta Platforms said Tuesday its stock will begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol META on June 9, replacing the FB symbol it went public with a little more than a decade ago.

The ticker symbol change comes roughly seven months after Facebook announced its rebranding to Meta to reflect the company’s focus on building the metaverse, a virtual world where people work, play, learn and connect with their friends and family.

At the time, Facebook announced it would start trading under the new stock ticker MVRS but later said it would delay the change until the first until the first quarter of this year.

Roundhill Investments had used the META stock symbol for its Roundhill Ball Metaverse ETF but relinquished it in January, allowing Meta to take over ownership.

The change comes at a challenging time for the social networking giant. In February, the company reported disappointing fourth-quarter earnings and a drop in daily users, underscoring how much the company relies on social media as it develops its metaverse ambitions.

Ditch that tangled nest of cables on your desk or nightstand with these handy UGreen adapters.

Sometimes, the added “convenience” of wireless connectivity ends up being more of a hassle than it’s worth. The simplest way to connect two devices is still with a hardwired connection, and there’s a whole ecosystem of cords and adapters out there that make it easier than ever. And today only at Amazon, you can shop a huge selection of UGreen cables, USB-hubs, adapters and other devices that are on sale for up to 38% off. These deals expire tonight at 11:55 p.m. PT (2:55 a.m. ET), so be sure to get your order in before then.

Whether you use a Mac or a PC, an iPhone or an Android, you’ll find tons of helpful cords and adapters that can add some serious versatility to your devices at this sale. If your laptop, tablet or two-in-one is pretty limited on ports, you can grab this handy seven-in-one USB-C hub. It features an Ethernet port, an SD and microSD card reader, an HDMI port that supports 4K video at 60Hz and more, and you can pick it up for just $27, $13 off the usual price. Or, if you’re tired of constantly having to track down a different cable specifically for your Apple devices, you can pick up this simple Lightning cable-to-USB-C adapter for just $20, saving you $5 off the normal price. Even if you’re not looking for any adapters, this sale is still a great chance to snag a few extra charging cables at a discount. You can pick up this two-pack of 6-foot USB-A-to-USB-C cables for just $7, or this single USB-C-to-USB-C fast charging cable for just $9.

When does the iPhone 14 arrive? Here’s what Apple’s history and some current rumors tell us.

The iPhone 14 is expected to be the next phone in Apple’s 2022 flagship line. There are numerous rumors buzzing around regarding the next iPhone’s design, price and new features (maybe it’ll finally be notchless with Touch ID), but at this stage in its development cycle, most leaks and rumors should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Plenty of iPhone 13 rumors turned out to be false, after all.

There haven’t been rumors on the release date for the next iPhone. We know that Apple is hosting WWDC 2022 starting June 6. It’s likely Apple will announce iOS 16, the next major software version for the iPhone, during the keynote on the first day. Apple hasn’t announced a date for a fall event, when the newest iPhone is typically announced. Typically Apple hosts the annual fall iPhone event in September with releases coming shortly thereafter.

Read more: Hey, Apple, Here’s What I Want to See on the iPhone 14

Apple tends to unveil its new iPhones either on the first or second Tuesday of September. Last year, the iPhone 13 series officially made its debut on Tuesday, Sept. 14, followed by preorders beginning on Friday, Sept. 17, and then the phones went on sale Sept. 24. For the iPhone 14, Apple could hold its fall event either on Tuesday, Sept. 6, or Tuesday, Sept. 13. Since iPhones usually go up for preorder on the Fridays of the same week, I’d expect that to happen next year on Friday, Sept. 9, or Friday, Sept. 16.

iPhone release dates are usually a week and a half after Apple’s announcements. Sometimes launch dates are staggered for specific models, especially when introducing a new design or size. So it’s possible the iPhone 14 lineup will have more than one release date.

There’s also another theory that’s been floating around for a few years. In 2018, CNET took a deep dive into the Apple event timeline and emerged with a compelling Labor Day hypothesis. Based on the 2022 calendar, the Labor Day rule would put the September Apple event (and the iPhone 14 unveil) on Wednesday, Sept. 7, with a Friday, Sept. 16, release date. However, the Labor Day prediction was a week off for 2021 — and, because of coronavirus delays, about a month off in 2020.

For a more in-depth look at iPhone rumors, check out every rumor we’ve heard about Apple’s iPhone 14 and our story on whether there will be a foldable iPhone. Also, take a look at how the iPhone 13 compares with the iPhone 12, the best iPhone cases you can buy in 2021 and our guesses about the next Apple event in general.

The UK’s competition watchdog has announced a probe into Google’s dominance of the advertising market.

The Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating whether Google used its prominence to illegally favour its own services over those of rivals.

This is its second active investigation into Google’s ad-tech practices.

A Google representative said: “We will continue to work with the CMA to answer their questions and share the details on how our systems work.”

They said: “Advertising tools from Google and many competitors help websites and apps fund their content – and help businesses of all sizes effectively reach their customers.

“Google’s tools alone have supported an estimated £55bn in economic activity for over 700,000 businesses in the UK – and when publishers choose to use our advertising services, they keep the majority of revenue.”

UK government sets out plans to rein in Big Tech
The investigation will look at the “ad-tech stack”, services that allow online advertising slots to be bought and sold.

It has divided this into three sections, in each of which, it says, Google owns the largest service provider:

demand-side platforms – where advertisers buy online advertising space
ad exchanges – where companies buy ads
ad servers – which choose the ads shown on a website
According to the CMA, UK advertisers spent about £1.8bn on this type of online advertising in 2019.

Ioannis Kokkoris, professor of competition law and economics, at Queen Mary University of London, said the issue for the CMA surrounded Google packaging up services from these sections.

“Under standard competition law, a company which is dominant in one market cannot tie together different products that it sells,” he said.

“It cannot impose exclusivities of any type.

“The CMA says what Google is doing is imposing on the advertisers, ‘If you want to use our ad exchange, then you must use our ad server.’

“It says Google is foreclosing other players from entering these markets.

“If the CMA can prove what it says the issue is, then that conduct is anticompetitive.

“It all boils down to whether the CMA will have the evidence to actually prove it.”

‘Loom large’
CMA chief executive Andrea Coscelli said: “We’re worried that Google may be using its position in ad tech to favour its own services to the detriment of its rivals, of its customers and ultimately of consumers.

“It’s vital that we continue to scrutinise the behaviour of the tech firms which loom large over our lives and ensure the best outcomes for people and businesses throughout the UK.”

If Google is found to have broken competition law, the CMA may choose to launch a subsequent investigation under the Competition Act 1998.

If this further investigation finds a breach of the law, it can impose a fine of up to 10% of Google’s worldwide turnover.

These self-paced IT training and certification programs can show you how to support iPhones, Macs and other Apple devices in the workplace.

If you’re looking to change careers, Apple has introduced two new professional training and certification programs to train IT workers, or anyone who wants to start a career in IT. Apple’s programs will explain how to deploy, manage and support iPhones, Macs and other Apple devices used in the workplace. You can sign up for the courses here.

Apple named the courses Apple Device Support and Apple Deployment and Management, and the courses are sequential.

The Apple Device Support course covers tools, services and best practices for Apple products, and the company said the course has about 14 hours of content to cover. Once completed, you’ll have to take an exam to earn certification and to advance to the next course.

The Apple Deployment and Management course will show you how to configure, manage and secure Apple products using Mobile Device Management. Apple estimates there is about 13 hours of content in this course. Once the course is complete, you can take the certification exam.

Each exam costs $149. Apple said it will offer scholarships covering the cost of the exams to students in its Community Education Initiative. Anyone with financial difficulties can also apply for vouchers from the Mac Admins Foundation to help pay for the cost of the exams.

“Apple Professional Training helps anyone with an interest in technology … pursue high-paying IT jobs with certifications that will stand out to potential employers,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of enterprise and education marketing, said in a release. “The new courses are self-paced and freely available, and we are working to ensure ability to pay isn’t a barrier to earning Apple certification.”

Apple is also offering in-person preparatory courses at community colleges and universities. A version of these courses was offered at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, in 2020. Maricopa Community Colleges in Chandler and Mesa, Arizona and Ed Farm, an education nonprofit based in Birmingham, Alabama, will offer the courses soon.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found the number of jobs in the computer and information technology field is expected to grow by 13% by 2030, and there are about 42,400 openings in this field each year. The median yearly wage for these careers is about $97,430, which is much higher than the median yearly wage for all other jobs at $45,760.

A South Korean supplier could bring the iPhone’s front-facing camera to a high-end standard.

Apple has reportedly chosen a new supplier for its front-facing camera to make a high-end lens. South Korean supplier LG Innotek will install the new selfie camera on the upcoming iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, according to a report Monday from South Korea-based tech news site ET News, citing unnamed industry sources. The front camera will also come with an auto-focus function, the report said.

The iPhone 14 is expected to be launched in the fall and is rumored to ditch the notched display. Apple is also expected to get rid of the iPhone Mini, leaving an iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max in the new lineup. Screen sizes are also expected to get a little bigger, while physical SIM cards could also be on the way out as iPhones move to eSIM only.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.