Apple reduces pricing of USB C dongles

After hearing the resounding complaints from customers and critics alike, Apple has decided to discount its various USB Type-C dongles to help ease the pain in the pocketbooks of would-be MacBook Pro buyers. It's a good move to placate fans and pro users who may have been left scratching their heads after the new MacBook Pros eschewed more traditional ports. Apple is trying to make things right.

“We recognize that many users, especially pros, rely on legacy connectors to get work done today and they face a transition. We want to help them move to the latest technology and peripherals, as well as accelerate the growth of this new ecosystem. Through the end of the year, we are reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple’s USB-C adapters and cables.”

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Neil Young restores catalog on music streaming services

After one year or so of swearing off music streaming services due to audio quality issues, fock/rock musician Neil Young finds his music catalog back in the likes of Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. His music has been on Tidal due to the streaming service offering a “HiFi” tier in its service for those who want lossless quality tunes.

Young had been concentrating on its Pono brand, which included the PonoPlayer and PonoMusic download service. Both focusing on offering maximum audio quality. However, PonoMusic has been offline since July following the acquisition of its platform provider Omnifone. Perhaps, the drop in income has made Young reconsider his position. If you’re a fan and on these services, this is good news for you.

Source: AppleInsider

Samsung to release update to prevent unreturned Note 7s from charging beyond 60%

Since issuing the recall of all Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices, a spokesperson for the company in the US says almost 85 percent of recalled Note7 units have been replaced through the Note7 Refund and Exchange Program there and that most of them opted to get another Samsung device. But there are still some users holding on to their Note7 units. What Samsung plans to do is to release a software update that will “limit the phone’s ability to charge beyond 60 percent.” This update is expected to drop in the next few days. Alongside that, a pop-up reminder to return the device will show up every time the screen is turned on or the device is powered on or charged. In New Zealand, Samsung has cut off the cellular service to the phone.

Source: TechCrunch

Analyst: Apple's iPhone captures 103.6 % of smartphone profits in wake of Samsung Note fiasco

Analysts at BMO Capital Markets estimate that Apple captured 103.6 % of total smartphone industry profits in the wake of Samsung's monumental product recall for its faulty and now discontinued Galaxy Note 7 flagship. Samsung's profits are at 0.9%. BMO says that Apple also took more than 100 % of profits because a majority of vendores (i.e. LG, HTC) recorded losses on theri smartphone divisions this third quarter.

Samsung tried to steal the thunder from Apple's iPhone 7, they rushed their product to market and even bumped up the name to Note 7 (foregoing the Note 6). This backfired completely when Note 7 devices started exploding and causing fires. This propelled Samsung's brand into notoriety to the extent that no Note 7's were allowed on any airlines and the company recalled the product to the tune of $2 billion loss.

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