TSMC To Produce iPhone 6 Chips

Apple has officially come to the agreement with Taiwanese manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to supply the new generation of chips for iPhone, iPad and other iOS-based devices. It is a well-known fact that Cupertino-based corporation has been in a long-term cooperation with Samsung, but has decided to change the partner because of competition with the South Korean giant, and due to the numerous “patent wars” and corresponding lawsuits.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company was founded in 1987, becoming one of the leading semiconductor manufacturers in the world. Among its clients are such large companies as AMD, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Intel.

TSMC produces “system on a chip” for 20 and 28-nanometer process technology. They are smaller and more energy efficient than a 32-nanometer A5 and A6 chips from Samsung, used in Apple’s contemporary gadgets.

Apple had intentions to sign a deal with TMSC in 2010, but the agreement was postponed because Apple’s representatives remained dissatisfied with performance and power consumption of TSMC processors. Another condition insisted by Apple was the allocation of the complete manufacturing capacities exclusively for iPhone and iPad chips, which TSMC did not want to do.

Today, according to the latest information, TSMC has started the manufacturing process of a new generation of A-chips. Most likely, the processors will be labeled A8, and will be installed in the upcoming iPhone 6, as well as in the updated version of iPad Air. Presumably, both devices will be shown in the autumn of 2014.

According to the insider sources, Samsung has not managed to establish the required mass production of 20-nanometer chips of A-series, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company was able to meet the demands of Apple. The sources also note that Apple will request TSMC to start manufacturing of the brand new A9 chips (based on 16-nanometer crystal) in 2015. Later, when Samsung is able to start a mass production of 14-nanometer chips in a sufficient (for Apple) amount, Apple will restart its cooperation with the South Korean corporation.

However, according to the KGI Securities analyst, Ming Chi Kuo, new iPad Mini with Retina display is unlikely to undergo dramatic changes this year. He also expressed the opinion that the “professional” model of iPad has been postponed to the next year (i.e. 2015). As for the rumors about the new iPhone 6, the latest information that has appeared in the web was related to some “spy” photos of the future gadget.

Apple to Expand The Scope of Activities

Apple Corporation has recently made another step to strengthen its position in the heath care area (and not only). The company has granted patents for hitless control touch interface and built-in heart rate sensor, which can also be used to identify the user of the mobile device. One of the Apple patents describes how to use this technology, in particular, to improve user identification by gesture recognition and block accidental clicks. At the same time, the technology of more accurate touchscreen responses in the cold weather is described as well. Another patent describes a sensor that allows a user to determine their heart rate through the metal frame of the mobile device, conducting electric current to gather corresponding data. According to the patent details, the application accuracy, with which the sensor is working, will allow the user to identify the gadget according to biometric indicators. The goal of this technology will present an additional safety barrier for the owners of iPhone. In addition, it can be used in fitness applications, and not only by using smartphones, but also in other portable devices, which are yet to appear (e.g. iWatch).

Apple has been showing constant interest to the above-mentioned technologies due to the appearance of new product categories in the nearest future. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the iPhone and iPad maker may very soon start the production of devices associated with medicine and cars. In particular, according to the newspaper, Apple intends to create a device that will be able to predict a heart attack, by “listening to” the sound of arterial blood flow.

San Francisco Chronicle also mentions that the project is allegedly headed by the electroacoustic engineer, Tomlinson Holman. The latter is mostly known as the author of the audio standard THX (Tomlinson Holman’s eXperiment, created in 1982 for George Lucas’ company Lucasfilm). What is more, Holman is the key figure in the development of the first 10.2 surround sound system.

Actually, this is not the first rumor that Apple is interested in medicine. In January, it was reported that the company’s top executives have met with the sanitary inspection representatives of the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration), and discussed with them mobile applications in this area.

As per San Francisco Chronicle, Adrian Perica (Apple’s chief specialist on the transactions contracting and buying startups) has met with Tesla Motors CEO, Elon Musk last spring in Cupertino. However, the details of their negotiations have not been disclosed.

Mobile Giants Transformations

As it was recently reported about possible migration of Windows XP users to Google’s Chrome OS, the situation in the world of mobile operation systems looks just the opposite. According to official (insider) sources, Microsoft itself is considering about the possible transfer of Android applications to Windows and Windows Phone.

The reasons for this step are well known: Windows Phone suffers from limited amount of applications, and Microsoft does not always manage to attract the developers’ interest to the platform.

It looks like Microsoft has eventually realized that it is not possible to stop the Android invasion, and the best way to find a relatively beneficial solution of this situation lies in the possible cooperation with Google. By allowing the huge amount applications from Google Play, Microsoft would definitely get rid of the problem with the lack of content, and would possibly transfer new users to its own services. However, the consequences can be sad, a vivid example of which is BlackBerry.

Despite the technical difficulties, the integration and support of Android directly on Windows and Windows Phone is possible; however, this method can simply destroy the Windows Phone as a platform, since not every developer wants to create an application under Windows-based Metro interface, when there’s a possibility of releasing a simple port of the standard Android apps.

It has also become known that Intel is promoting its concept of running two operating systems on a single device, and the company representatives really insist on letting the Android applications to the Windows Store.

However, there are also some examples of poor integration, e.g. Amazon Store for Kindle is currently full of outdated Android applications.

Anyway, such a move by Microsoft is fraught with enormous risks. Yet, the software giant can afford to do experiment, as the fate of the company is not dependent on the mobile division.

At the same time, Nokia, which is under Microsoft’s control, is rumored to release a smartphone based on its own work-version of Android. Yet, these devices will be most likely shipped without Google Play store.

Nevertheless, even if Microsoft decides on the Android-to- Windows application integration, it will not happen before 2015, i.e. after the release of Windows 9.

However, the company is also considering the release of free versions of Windows Phone and Windows RT, which in turn may spur interest among developers in order to start delivering apps for this particular platform.

Windows XP Business Users to Go Chrome OS

It has recently been reported that one of the main strategies of Google will be the further development of its Chrome OS and the corresponding notebooks. As it is reported in the Google’s official blog, the search giant has reached an agreement with the developer of the virtualization solutions, WMware. This cooperation will allow running Windows-based applications within the Chrome OS. Thus, it means that all the owners of “Chromebooks” (laptops that are run on cloud-based operating system) will now have access to a desktop Windows, applications and data, using WMware Horizon.

Google has not chosen this particular period of time accidentally: since Microsoft has officially announced that the corporation will not maintain its Windows XP users any more. It means that millions of customers that are still accustomed to the legendary operating system will not receive any patches and security updates. Hence, it looks like a great opportunity for Google to entice the “orphaned” Windows XP users. Of course, by saying “users”, it is meant the customers of the business segment, i.e. companies across the globe that use Windows XP on a corporate level. According to Microsoft’s official statement, less than in two months, the corporation will actually get rid of its then most popular operating system. Consequently, this means that the Windows XP users, which still have it installed on their machines, will have to think about moving to the alternative operating systems. By the way, as per December 2013, the global share of Windows XP makes 28.98 %.

In turn, being aware of the given situation, Microsoft is doing everything possible to bring its former XP users (especially the corporate segment) to Windows 8. At the same time, Microsoft is currently working on tweaking its “eight’s interface in order to make it closer to the previous versions if this operating system. It has been reported that the mentioned update may be available since March 11, 2014.

Moreover, according to the official Google blog, the users WMware on “Chromebooks” will have access to the familiar environment of Windows XP, which will also be without the known issues with security and application compatibility. Currently, VMware Horizon View 5.3 is available only as a DaaS (Data as a Service) over the Internet. However, according to the company, the platform will be possible for downloading as a Chrome Web Store application.

VSCO Cam: From Photo App To Social Network

Among the enormous variety of mobile applications specialized in enhancing and editing photos, VSCO Cam is definitely one of the most popular solutions in the market, available for both iPhone and Android. If earlier the program was focused solely on how to tweak the original pictures, making them more beautiful, the latest update of VSCO Cam turns the application into a kind of the social network, similar to Instagram.

The app has acquired the Home section, where one can see the pictures stream from the profiles for which one is subscribed. Yet, one cannot “like” the photos, leave comments or see the number of his/her followers. VSCO 3.0 is undoubtedly a social service, but it obviously does not compete with Instagram, in which people care about the number of their followers, using numerous #-tags to their photos in order to get more “likes”.

“You do not leave comments under the paintings that you like on the walls of the museum”, said the service founder Joel Flory. “VSCO has never been and never will be a platform in which numbers have a significant role”. Flory added that the profiles and news have been added to the application, since it was one of the most frequent requests from the VSCO users.

The application will continue to focus specifically on the photos, and not the social component, which is designed in the style the absolute minimalism. In addition to the pictures of friends, one will see the photos, selected by the application’s editors. The VSCO editor’s picks often include fascinating pictures, while “Popular” section in Instagram mainly consists of some celebrities’ “selfies”.

It’s a noteworthy fact that at the very beginning of its career, Instagram was also aimed at uploading and editing images only, but then the project went the way of the maximal “socialization”.

Unfortunately, VSCO users cannot add friends from Facebook and Twitter, so one has to search for acquaintances manually. “Right now, the broad masses of the people are just beginning to realize that a camera phone can be used not only for self and photos of your latte, but it can also help to create a powerful and beautiful image,” - added Flory.

In addition to the “socialization” elements, the update presents the following new features: adjustable picture tilt, auto-save capability to Camera Roll, a redesigned tool for trimming, and other tiny innovations. 

Rumor: Apple TV to Be Announced in April

It is a well-known fact that every year, all the true followers of the Apple products have been speculating on the possible release dates of the new Apple TV. According to some rumors that have leaked out lately, Apple is already close to introduce the Apple TV set-top box of the new generation.

As it was reported earlier this year, Apple is already testing the new generation of Apple TV, which interface will be redesigned in the style of iOS 7. What is more, the set-top boxes will have their own application store. Third-party developers will be able to fill its content, which will include games as well. Also, it is possible that Apple TV will support wireless game controllers. Another noteworthy fact is that Company has “promoted” the set-top box Apple TV: now it’s not an accessory, but a full-fledged product category alongside with the iPhone or iPad. Experts believe that this was done on purpose.

One of the possible modifications, which are discussed in Cupertino, combines the capabilities of Apple TV and Wi-Fi router AirPort Express with the 802.11ac protocol support. This is in particular to increase the quality and stability of the video stream transmitted to the console.

However, the final release date may be delayed because Apple is still in the process of negotiating with the major video suppliers, such as Time Warner Cable. According to Bloomberg, the new generation of Apple TV will get a more powerful processor and a simplified interface that will allow its viewers to easily switch between TV shows, movies and other online content.

If Apple manages to conclude a licensing deal with Time Warner, US-based users will have access to hundreds of television channels. To date, their number is limited to six: Disney, ABC, ESPN, HBO, PBS and Bloomberg TV.

Many households already get Internet, cable TV and telephony services through a single cable; hence, theoretically, Apple may try to combine all of these features using the so-called “all-in-one” concept. Moreover, according to the some reliable sources, one of the versions of the new Apple TV has a built-in TV tuner to display channels received, for example, the cable box (Google TV, for instance, already has similar opportunities on its consoles). The new generation Apple TV will be allegedly a game console as well.

Kaspersky vs. Mask

Kaspersky Lab reported the discovery of the most modern and sophisticated cyber threats ever declassified. The company revealed the details of the strife against spyware called “Mask” (or Careto in Spanish). According to the Kaspersky experts, this tool is created by Hispanic cybercriminals (or at least people who are trying to be like the Spaniards).

So why is it called “Mask” or Careto? As it turned out, the Argentines do not really know this word. “Spaniards say it is popular word is slang denoting a mask. Or an ugly face”, says Vitali Kamlyuk - a leading anti-virus expert in Kaspersky Lab. “Argentines say that it was some unfamiliar word to them. Therefore, it is not quite clear which country sands behind this virus”.

Moreover, the Kaspersky specialists assume that “Mask” is not a creation of some enthusiastic hackers, but a seriously developed malware, which may be delivered for any country’s secret service.

“We think that this level of professionalism goes far beyond conventional cybercrime”, says Kostin Raju, head of Global Research Center at Kaspersky Lab. “To achieve this, you need to have huge resources and work for a large company or the government. We believe that creators of the virus worked for the state; and not just because that they have created such a complex system, but also because it is not aimed at making profit. This is what every cybercriminal wants - to earn a lot of money. In this case however, the money did not matter”, Raju resumed.

Presumably, “Mask” started to act in 2007. Moreover, many of its modules were already known; they participated in many of the so-called “targeted attacks”. These are the cases when a Trojan does not walk freely in the network and steals data from anybody, but is sent to a specific victim, often in the form of letters from an infected link. In case of  “Mask”, the links looked quite trustworthy, for example, YouTube links.

In addition, “Mask” worked on all existing operating systems, including Mac OS, Windows, Linux, and even supposedly on mobile systems. Data exchange between the program modules was carried out through ‘cookie’ files. Virus had infected at least 380 computers in 31 countries. What is more, for some reason, Morocco is in the first place by the number of infections. Brazil is on the second place, and the United Kingdom holds the third position. According to Kaspersky Lab experts, all the infected victims had access to classified information.