Apple has purchased a former semiconductor manufacturing plant in North San Jose for $18.2 million, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal.The 70,000 square foot building was formerly used by Maxim Integrated as a manufacturing plant for semiconductors. Interestingly enough, Apple’s purchase of the plant makes it neighbors with Samsung Semiconductor. It remains unclear what Apple has planned for the facility for, but it likely won’t involve any large-scale manufacturing. Experts believe that the purchase doesn’t signal a push into chip manufacturing, but does suggest that Apple needs more “heavy R&D” space. The description of the plant from the listing agent’s marketing material indicates that it is” “Well suited for prototype, pilot, and low-volume manufacturing, this facility is capable of producing a wide array of products at multiple technology nodes ranging from 600nm to 90nm, with the bulk of production from 350nm to 180nm.”Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Apple Buys Former Semiconductor Manufacturing Plant in San Jose for .2 Million

Samsung has filed an appeal with the United States Supreme Court requesting a re-examinaition of the patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. Samsung not only argues that the verdict of the patent case was incorrect, it also argues that outdated patent laws must be reconsidered and fixed.Samsung claims that the jury in this case wasn’t given enough information about how to understand design patents (contrary to utility patents, where the judge instructs the jury on how to interpret the patent). Samsung is also arguing against the way the patent damages are calculated, noting that a company can sue to recover the other party’s profits. “Samsung is escalating this case because it believes that the way the laws were interpreted is not in line with modern times,” it said in a statement. “If the current legal precedent stands, it could diminish innovation, stifle competition, pave the way for design patent troll litigation and negatively impact the economy and consumers.”Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Samsung Appeals Apple Patent Infringement Case to the United States Supreme Court

Hulu has released an all-new iPhone app rebuilt from the ground up.There’s no place like Hulu for the holidays! ‘Tis the season to watch this season of your favorite shows and the hottest new series. Get into the commercial-free spirit, and stream the shows you love through either our new No Commercials plan or our existing Limited Commercials plan. Dive into all nine seasons of Seinfeld along with thousands of full seasons of top shows. You can also add SHOWTIME directly through HuluFeatures:• Watch the latest episodes of shows like Empire, The Mindy Project, Once Upon a Time, The Last Man on Earth, The Voice, South Park, and many more. • Enjoy previous seasons of Seinfeld, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Last Ship, American Horror Story, and more.• Stream popular kids programs including Adventure Time, Doc McStuffins, SpongeBob SquarePants, and classics such as Doug and Rugrats; Latino series and top telenovelas; Hulu Original series Casual, Difficult People, and the Emmy® nominated East Los High; and much more.• Stream and control your viewing experience from your iPhone or iPad to your TV with Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 using the in-app remote control.• Use your Apple watch as a remote to control playback experience and captions on Xbox One, PS3, PS4, and Chromecast.• Resume watching from where you left off on your TV or other supported device.• Set Kids Lock on your device so your kids are restricted to the Kids hub.• Watch over WiFi, 3G and 4G.Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Hulu Releases All New iPhone App

Morgan Stanley has published a research note from analyst Katy Huberty that predicts sales of the iPhone will drop in 2016 for the first time ever.Business Insider says Huberty expects unit sales of the iPhone to decline in fiscal 2016 by nearly 6% (or 2.9% in the 2016 calendar year). Even in post-iPhone 5s period Apple has never had negative unit sales growth. Morgan Stanley thinks that FY2016 iPhones sales will be 218 million – a 5.7% drop — while CY2016 sales will be 224,000 — a 2.9% drop. These predictions are significantly below Huberty’s previous estimates, of 247 million for FY2016 and 252 CY2016.Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Morgan Stanley Predicts iPhone Sales Will Drop Next Year for the First Time Ever

The European Commission is deepening its probe into whether Ireland offered illegal preferential tax terms to Apple, reports the Financial Times.Irish authorities had expected the case to conclude shortly but instead they have been sent bulky sets of supplementary questions. This likely means a final verdict won’t be reached until after the countries election which will take place around February 2016.The probe began back in 2014 and a verdict was originally expected earlier this year. An Irish finance ministry spokesperson confirmed that they would be supplying additional information to the EU. “We do not expect any decision until after the new year,” said the spokesman.Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: European Commission Probes Deeper Into Apple's Tax Deal With Ireland

Samsung is reportedly adding a 3D Touch like pressure sensitive display and a high-speed charging port to its Galaxy S7 lineup of smartphones. The company is also considering adding a retina scanner to select versions of the device which will likely launch in March, reports the WSJ.The pressure-sensitive display, for instance, will be similar to that offered by rival Apple Inc. on the iPhone 6s earlier this year. The responsive display allows the phone to interpret different taps and touches depending on how the user presses on the touch screen. The Galaxy S7 will likely also feature a next-generation charging and connection port called a USB Type-C port, the people said, which will allow for a full day’s charge in under 30 minutes and in some cases significantly faster than that.The smartphone is also said to feature an improved camera that is optimized for lowlight and will sit flush with the back of the phone. The non-curved version of the Galaxy S7 will reportedly have an external memory card slot. Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Samsung Galaxy S7 to Get 3D Touch Like Pressure Sensitive Display, High-Speed Charging Port

Apple has slashed the price of the iPhone 5s in India bringing it down to almost half of its original price, reports the India Times.iPhone 5s prices now starts at Rs 24,999, down from Rs 44,500 in September. This makes Indian price of iPhone 5s one of the lowest globally, despite the depreciating rupee and higher import taxes making India among markets where Apple products cost the most, retailers and analysts said.”iPhone 6s and 6s Plus sales has again dampened after a brief period of pick up during Diwali, which prompted Apple to successively bring down price of iPhone 5s,” a senior executive with a leading retail chain said. “This is interesting since iPhone 5s has been their best seller in the Indian market and companies seldom drop prices such frequently for popular models,” he said.Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Apple Slashes Price of iPhone 5s in India by Almost Half

Google Maps for iOS has been updated with up-to-date gas prices when searching for gas stations as well as a “popular times” for points of interest. The “popular times” feature lists a location’s busiest days and times based on historical visits to the place.The Google Maps app for iPhone and iPad makes navigating your world faster and easier. Find the best spots in town and the information you need to get there.Features:• Comprehensive, accurate maps in 220 countries and territories• Voice-guided GPS navigation for driving, biking, and walking• Transit directions and maps for over 15,000 cities and towns• Live traffic conditions, incident reports, and automatic rerouting to find the best route• Detailed information on more than 100 million places• Street View and indoor imagery for restaurants, museums, and moreShare Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Google Maps for iOS Gets Up-to-date Gas Prices, Popular Times for Points of Interest

BBC has updated its BBC iPlayer app to support the new Apple TV 4. The iPlayer app was not available on previous generation Apple TVs, despite being available on the Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, and Sky’s Now TV box.Back in September BBC said it had no plans to bring the app to the new Apple TV but in October the company reversed course and announced an app would be coming.BBC iPlayer lets users in the United Kingdom stream a variety of television programs and radio programs to catch up on the last 30 days of episodes.Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: BBC iPlayer App Launches For the New Apple TV

Taylor Swift has announced that her upcoming ‘1989 World Tour – Live’ film will be an Apple Music exclusive.Swift made the announcement on Twitter, “Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes. I have a little surprise for you. #1989WorldTourLIVE @applemusic”.Filmed at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium in front of 76,000 fams, this exclusive concert film captures the excitement and energy of the hottest pop artist in the world. Interspersed with footage from her sold-out world tour and loaded with superstar guests, The 1989 World Tour – Live will be available exclusively on Apple Music starting December 20.Share Article:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Email,   Reddit,   Digg,   Delicious,   StumbleUponFollow iClarified:Facebook,   Twitter,   LinkedIn,   Google Plus,   Newsletter,   App Store,   YouTubeAdvertise Here

Source: iClarified Read More: Taylor Swift's '1989 World Tour – Live' Will Be an Apple Music Exclusive [Video]