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The tech giant is set to release quarterly earnings on Thursday, offering the latest sign of how COVID-19 is impacting tech.

Two years ago, Apple was one of the first companies to warn that the COVID-19 pandemic was seriously impacting its manufacturing. Now, the tech giant may offer the first signs that things are improving.

Apple will announce its earnings for its second fiscal quarter after market close Thursday. Typically, Apple executives use quarterly earnings announcements to talk about how popular its products are, while teasing the next big hit. But over the past year, they’ve also increasingly warned they’re struggling to build enough iPads and Macs to meet demand, missing out on billions of dollars in potential sales.

Though Apple isn’t providing forward-looking guidance during the pandemic, analysts on average expect the company to report $1.43 in profit per share on $93.9 billion in sales for the three months ended in March, according to surveys published by Yahoo Finance. That would amount to a 2% increase in profit per share from the same time a year ago and roughly 4% increase in sales.

Assuming Apple meets or beats those expectations, analysts say it’s likely the iPhone and its associated accessories made the biggest difference. And that’s even though demand for its Mac computers and iPad tablets has risen to record levels.

“We believe demand for the iPhone 13 held up better than expected through the end of the March quarter,” Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty wrote in a note to investors last week. “iPhone data points out of China were notably strong in the face of broader market weakness.”

Whatever Apple says will likely be seen as a bellwether for the tech industry, which has struggled with supply shortages, particularly as demand for computers, tablets and cameras and other technology jumped amid the pandemic.

The ongoing supply shortages have rippled throughout the global economy, slowing production of everything from cars to medical equipment. The constrained supplies have also pushed prices higher, contributing to inflation.

Apple and other tech companies have vowed to increase production in the US to help offset slowdowns in international shipping and manufacturing, but many of those projects are still years from completion. In the meantime, some supplies of chips have improved.

Analysts will likely be listening for any further signs from Apple on Thursday, particularly as the world struggles war started by Russia invading Ukraine. Lockdowns from another wave of rising COVID infections in China have shuttered ports In Shanghai and others cities, further contributing to shipping delays.

Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi said in a note to investors Monday that consumers appear to be slowing their spending binge that was a hallmark of the pandemic. “With slowing growth, high inflation and geopolitical uncertainty tied to the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” he wrote, “consumer sentiment appears to be waning.”

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra support faster 45-watt fast charging, one of the key features that distinguishes them from the less expensive Galaxy S22. Cheaper Samsung devices like the Galaxy S22 and S21 FE only support 25-watt fast charging instead. The catch, however, is that neither of the required power adapters come in the box with your phone and must be purchased separately.

Samsung’s 45-watt fast charger sells for $50 through the company’s website and on Amazon. The 25-watt charger costs a more palatable $28 through Amazon and $20 at Best Buy. With that in mind, you might be wondering: Is Samsung’s more expensive charger really worth it?

To answer that question, I tested it on the Galaxy S22 Plus in a few different scenarios. I charged the device over 10- and 20-minute increments with each adapter starting from various battery levels, using the same cable and outlet each time. The phone was also connected to the same Wi-Fi network during both tests with no SIM card.

As you can tell by looking at the table above, the results are mixed. The 45-watt power adapter charged the phone slightly faster when starting from 0% over the course of 10- and 20-minute increments. But when plugging in at 25%, the 25-watt charger replenished a slightly higher percentage of the battery after 10 and 20 minutes. The results were essentially the same when charging from 50%.

I’m not alone in experiencing these results. Android Authority also found the charging speeds to be very similar when comparing Samsung’s 25-watt and 45-watt chargers. CNET contacted Samsung to ask why performance is similar between the two power adapters and will update this story accordingly.

Samsung is one of several phone makers looking to shorten the amount of time it takes to charge your phone. The OnePlus 10 Pro, for example, supports either 65-watt or 80-watt fast charging depending on the model available in your region.

Charging speeds can differ depending on a variety of factors, such as your phone’s settings and apps running in the background. But based on my tests, which were performed on the same device under the same circumstances, there isn’t much of a difference between Samsung’s pricier 45-watt charger and its less expensive 25-watt charger.

The iPhone 14 is rumored to be getting the new satellite functionality for emergency use too.

Apple may have some upgrades in store for the Apple Watch and the iMac. According to Mark Gurman’s Sunday newsletter for Bloomberg, an Apple Watch with satellite connectivity and an M3-based version of the company’s desktop could be in the works.

The M3-based iMacs could arrive at the end of next year at the earliest, while the Apple Watch could gain the new functionality for emergency use this year or in 2023, said Gurman, a tech reporter who has a reputable track record of uncovering details about upcoming Apple products.

Satellite connectivity, which was a rumored iPhone 13 feature that didn’t come to fruition, would allow you to send short texts to select contacts when out of cellular service range in emergency situations. The feature is also rumored to be coming to the iPhone 14 this fall.

As for the iMac, many details surrounding Apple’s M3 chip are unclear, but Apple has reportedly been actively testing its next generation of in-house chips, the M2 chips series, in several new Mac models to possibly launch later this year. These models include a MacBook Air, Mac Mini and an entry-level MacBook Pro, among others.

EU lawmakers reach a deal on the basics of major legislation meant to address the negative side of online platforms.

Lawmakers in the European Union reached an agreement Saturday on the basic points of major legislation designed to curb negative impacts from social media sites and other digital platforms.

The Digital Services Act would, among other things, compel services including Facebook, Google, Twitter and others to crack down on the spread of disinformation on their platforms and to reveal how their algorithms recommend content to users. The DSA would also prohibit certain kinds of ads on the platforms, such as targeted ads aimed at children or tailored to people’s ethnicity or sexual orientation.

“With the DSA we help create a safe and accountable online environment,” European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “Platforms should be transparent about their content moderation decisions, prevent dangerous disinformation from going viral and avoid unsafe products being offered on market places. With today’s agreement we ensure that platforms are held accountable for the risks their services can pose to society and citizens.”

The DSA is one of two pillars of a major tech-regulation overhaul first unveiled in draft form by the EU in December 2020. The other pillar, the Digital Markets Act, received preliminary approval last month and is designed to address issues such as anticompetitive behavior. Both acts still await a final vote, but major changes aren’t expected. The EU has also passed the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which is designed to give people more control over the collection and sharing of their personal information.

Europe has long taken the lead in efforts to rein in big tech, and both the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act could influence efforts by governments worldwide to address problems around major technology platforms. The US so far hasn’t passed any comprehensive laws to tackle such issues.

Under the DSA, platforms that reach more than 10% of the EU’s population would be subject to independent audits of the steps they’re taking to prevent their systems from being abused, according to a rundown posted by the European Commission. Other steps the law would take include compelling online marketplaces to help identify sellers of illegal goods, and setting up ways for users to flag illegal goods, services or content and for platforms to work with “trusted flaggers.”

Companies that break the law could face fines of billions of dollars, as well as possible damage to the reputation of their brands.

Major tech companies said they support the EU’s goals but that specifics of the legislation are key.

“As the law is finalized and implemented, the details will matter,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to working with policymakers to get the remaining technical details right to ensure the law works for everyone.” In addition to its massive search engine, Google owns top video site YouTube.

Twitter said it looks forward to reviewing the DSA in detail and working with the EU. “We support smart, forward thinking regulation that balances the need to tackle online harm with protecting the Open Internet — while also understanding that a one-size-fits all approach fails to consider the diversity of our online environment,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

TikTok said it’s also awaiting details on the legislation. The company supports the EU’s “aim to harmonise the approach to online content issues” and welcomes the DSA’s “focus on transparency as a means to show accountability,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

Amazon pointed to comments made this past June by James Waterworth, its EU public policy director. Waterworth said Amazon supports the DSA “introducing regulated obligations to ensure that services act against illegal content.” But such obligations “need to be carefully balanced to provide certainty while allowing flexibility.”

Facebook didn’t respond to a request for comment.

EU lawmakers reach a deal on the basics of major legislation meant to address the negative side of online platforms.

Lawmakers in the European Union reached an agreement Saturday on the basic points of major legislation designed to curb negative impacts from social media sites and other digital platforms.

The Digital Services Act would, among other things, compel services including Facebook, Google, Twitter and others to crack down on the spread of disinformation on their platforms and to reveal how their algorithms recommend content to users. The DSA would also prohibit certain kinds of ads on the platforms, such as targeted ads aimed at children or tailored to people’s ethnicity or sexual orientation.

“With the DSA we help create a safe and accountable online environment,” European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “Platforms should be transparent about their content moderation decisions, prevent dangerous disinformation from going viral and avoid unsafe products being offered on market places. With today’s agreement we ensure that platforms are held accountable for the risks their services can pose to society and citizens.”

The DSA is one of two pillars of a major tech-regulation overhaul first unveiled in draft form by the EU in December 2020. The other pillar, the Digital Markets Act, received preliminary approval last month and is designed to address issues such as anticompetitive behavior. Both acts still await a final vote, but major changes aren’t expected. The EU has also passed the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which is designed to give people more control over the collection and sharing of their personal information.

Europe has long taken the lead in efforts to rein in big tech, and both the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act could influence efforts by governments worldwide to address problems around major technology platforms. The United States so far hasn’t passed any comprehensive laws to tackle such issues.

Under the DSA, platforms that reach more than 10% of the EU’s population would be subject to independent audits of the steps they’re taking to prevent their systems from being abused, according to a rundown posted by the European Commission. Other steps the law would take include compelling online marketplaces to help identify sellers of illegal goods, and setting up ways for users to flag illegal goods, services or content and for platforms to work with “trusted flaggers.”

Companies that break the law could face fines of billions of dollars, as well as possible damage to the reputation of their brands.

Major tech companies said they support the EU’s goals but that specifics of the legislation are key.

“As the law is finalized and implemented, the details will matter,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. “We look forward to working with policymakers to get the remaining technical details right to ensure the law works for everyone.” In addition to its massive search engine, Google owns top video site YouTube.

Twitter said it looks forward to reviewing the DSA in detail and working with the EU. “We support smart, forward thinking regulation that balances the need to tackle online harm with protecting the Open Internet — while also understanding that a one-size-fits all approach fails to consider the diversity of our online environment,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

TikTok said it’s also awaiting details on the legislation. The company supports the EU’s “aim to harmonise the approach to online content issues” and welcomes the DSA’s “focus on transparency as a means to show accountability,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement.

Amazon pointed to comments made this past June by James Waterworth, its EU public policy director. Waterworth said Amazon supports the DSA “introducing regulated obligations to ensure that services act against illegal content.” But such obligations “need to be carefully balanced to provide certainty while allowing flexibility.”

The carrier is focused on using its C-Band spectrum for improved 5G, but it’s feeling the pressure from rivals, its earnings report shows.Verizon is feeling the competitive heat. The nation’s largest wireless carrier suffered a decline in the first quarter and warned that its earnings growth would be at the lower end of its previous expectations.

Verizon lost 292,000 consumer postpaid phone subscriptions, the metric used by the industry as an indicator of success. In a Friday press release on its earnings for the quarter, Verizon chalked the loss up to “competitive dynamics.” On Thursday, rival AT&T reported first-quarter subscriber gains.

Verizon’s losses were largely offset by 256,000 business postpaid phone net additions, but the carrier is still concerned about the consumer losses, which mostly happened in March, when the first quarter closed, and into April, suggesting additional slowdown in the second quarter.

“We will continue to take appropriate measures to be competitive in the market,” Verizon Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Matt Ellis said during the earnings call, though he didn’t offer specifics beyond comments about relying on the carrier’s network and flexible plans.

Still, overall wireless services revenue was up 11.2% over last year, thanks in part to existing customers moving to pricier plans, as well as revenue from prepaid mobile company Tracfone, which appeared on Verizon’s books for the first time after the carrier finished acquiring the company last November. Verizon reported a loss of 80,000 Tracfone net phone subscriptions over the quarter, which the carrier pegged to the sunsetting of generous pandemic mobile service subsidies that benefited the prepaid company’s customer base.

Verizon’s focus on wireless and broadband internet may take some time to attract more customers and offset losses, especially as it spends this year building out coverage of its so-called C-band range of 5G, which launched in January. The carrier is betting big on C-band radio frequencies as a lure for customers, with higher speeds and wider coverage of its 5G Ultra Wideband network. But this quarter’s losses suggest customers aren’t yet convinced.

After reaching C-band 5G coverage of 100 million people in January, Verizon has continued to activate more service and is on track to reach 175 million people by the end of 2022. At Verizon’s investor day in March, the carrier said it had reached agreements with satellite companies to access more C-band spectrum, which will speed up coverage of 40 million people in certain markets, a year ahead of Verizon’s expectations.

Verizon has continued encouraging its existing customers to upgrade their phones, and 40% of customers are now using 5G handsets. That’s not much higher than the 33% reported in January. Numbers will slowly grow over the next year, with the carrier expecting six out of 10 customers to be using 5G phones by the end of 2023.

Verizon’s Fios fixed broadband added a modest 55,000 subscribers while its fixed wireless access, called Verizon 5G Home, continues to grow, with 112,000 net new customers. The carrier credited this to the wider availability of 5G Home thanks to the continued rollout of C-band service. Under current expansion plans, the service will cover 50 million households and 14 million businesses by the end of 2025.

Verizon posted $33.6 billion in revenue in the first quarter, up 2.1% from the same period last year. With Tracfone in its portfolio, wireless revenue grew to $15.2 billion, up from $13.7 billion in the first quarter of 2021. This is partially offset by the lost revenue from Verizon Media Group, sold last year, which dropped service and other revenue by 2.5%.

The carrier reported net income of $4.7 billion, or earnings of $1.09 per share. Its adjusted earnings came in at $1.35 per share, which is in line with analyst expectations per Yahoo Finance, but down slightly from $1.36 a share a year ago.

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

The next major version of the iPhone’s software will likely be called iOS 16 and debut at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in early June. 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 of 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 its 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.

iOS 16: The Photos app needs copy and paste for edits
We use iPhones to take photos and videos all the time, and editing photos is just as satisfying as taking them. Most people’s place to edit is the iPhone’s Photos app: The interface is straightforward, and there are an abundance of tools for getting the exact look you want.

But the MacOS version of the Photos app has one useful feature that would improve editing on the iPhone: the ability to copy and paste edits between photos. This is especially helpful when you take several photos at the same place, such as at a restaurant or party. Since all of the photos were taken under the same lighting and conditions, you can just edit one photo and then copy and paste those adjustments to the others.Instead, in iOS 15, you’re left making those adjustments one-by-one for each photo on the iPhone. It’s tedious.

In iOS 16, it would be great to see a similar copy and paste feature on the iPhone. We’d give iOS 16 bonus points if the edits you made in the Photos app on the Mac could be applied to the Photos app on the iPhone, and vice versa. But, one step at a time.

T-Mobile’s home internet service is growing, and is now available to 40 million homes.Just over a year after its launch, T-Mobile is sharing some updates for its 5G Home Internet service. On Wednesday the carrier revealed that it now has 1 million customers on the $50 per month internet option and has expanded the service’s availability from 30 million “eligible households” to 40 million.

T-Mobile ended 2021 with 646,000 home internet subscribers and revealed during its most recent earnings that it had added 224,000 home internet users during the fourth quarter of the year. The company has increasingly promoted the new service, including in a Super Bowl spot featuring Scrubs actors Donald Faison and Zach Braff. T-Mobile is set to report its 2022 first-quarter earnings on April 27.

Touted as an alternative to traditional cable service, T-Mobile’s option doesn’t have data caps or annual contacts and includes a modem and router in its $50 monthly price (assuming you have automatic payments enabled). The carrier has previously said it aims to have 7-8 million customers for its home internet service by 2025.

While the carrier is expanding home internet availability to another 10 million households today, it still lacks a map for quickly seeing if your home can sign up. Instead, those interested still need to enter their addresses and information into T-Mobile’s website to see if the option is available where you live.

T-Mobile isn’t the only wireless carrier using 5G to provide home internet. Verizon recently has begun rolling out an updated version of its own $50 per month, 5G broadband option and in February announced that this service is available to over 30 million households. Verizon will report its first-quarter earnings on April 22.

Workers at Apple’s Grand Central Station store in New York have announced a plan to start a union.

If their bid is successful it would be the first union at one of the tech giant’s US stores.

The group of staff known as Fruit Stand Workers United must get signatures of support from 30% of colleagues at the store to qualify for a union election.

The move follows unionisation drives by staff at Starbucks and Amazon. Apple has not commented on the announcement.

A statement on a campaign website for the prospective union said: “Grand Central is an extraordinary store with unique working conditions that make a union necessary to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living.

The group described themselves as working in “extraordinary times with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation,” though their website did not disclose the name of staff members leading the effort.

The group said it also wants a $30 (£23) minimum hourly wage for all workers, additional holiday time and information on more robust safety protocols at the Grand Central location.

The campaign is connected to Workers United, an affiliate of the national Service Employees International Union, which was established in 2009 from several earlier unions.

The Apple effort comes as a Starbucks unionisation drive backed by Workers United has spread nationally after election victories last year in New York.

Amazon is also facing a growing challenge from unions after an upstart campaign won an election at a warehouse in nearby Staten Island earlier this month.

Employees working in at least three other Apple stores are also attempting to organize, according to The Washington Post.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

A group of employees at Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal store has started formally collecting signatures to form a union, says a report.

A group of workers at Apple’s flagship retail store in Manhattan has begun formally gathering signatures to form a union, The Washington Post reported Saturday. Organizers at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal store say they voted Feb. 21 to affiliate with Workers United, the national labor union involved in recent efforts to unionize at Starbucks outlets, the paper reported.

If the organizers can collect enough signatures and then either bring about a successful union vote or prompt Apple to voluntarily recognize a union, the iPhone maker’s Grand Central store would, the Post said, become the first of its retail outlets to unionize. At least three additional Apple stores are working toward forming unions, the Post said, citing anonymous employees.

A website put together by the Grand Central organizers, who are calling themselves the Fruit Stand Workers United, says a union is needed “to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living in what have proven to be extraordinary times with the ongoing covid-19 pandemic and once-in-a-generation consumer price inflation,” the Post said.

The news comes just over two weeks after workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island, New York, voted in favor of joining a union, a first for Amazon’s US facilities.

Apple didn’t respond to CNET’s request for comment. The Post said the company wouldn’t say if it would support or push back against the organizing effort. Instead, it provided a general statement of appreciation for its retail employees, along with an overview of benefits it provides them, including health care, tuition reimbursement and new parental leave.