Apple takes on the European Commission over €13bn tax charge

Apple takes on the European Commission over €13bn tax charge

Apple takes on the European Commission over €13bn tax chargeApple has lodged a total of 14 'pleas' against the European Commission this week, in retaliation to accusations that it used an illegal tax deal in Ireland.
The findings of the Commission, which Apple claims are based on "fundamental errors ", argue that the tech giant's tax regime in Ireland was a form of "illegal state aid ", amounting to €13 billion in back taxes.


This is the largest sum in history that the Commission has ever charged a company - the last record being set by EDF Energy in 2015 when it was charged €1. 4 billion. Over the course of 11 years, Apple profited from a favourable tax regime that the European Commission claims is fundaApple is refuting the claims, accusing the Commission of "[violating] the principles of legal certainty and non-retroactivity by ordering recovery of the alleged aid", and alleging that the Commission failed to "conduct a diligent and impartial investigation". 



Apple claims that, by refusing to reveal how it reached its ruling, the Commission violated the company's "fundamental rights" to good 
administration. The legal action was first submitted on December 19, 2016, and has now progressed to the European Court of Justice. mentally illegal.



The nature of the case has been described in terms of a David-and-Goliath duel, with one German Green MEP Sven Giegold telling the FT: “Even Apple does not stand above the law.
The so-called 'Irish inversion ' tax loop has made the country a prime location for foreign companies to utilise lower tax rates by setting up a base on Irish soil.


The corporate tax rate in Ireland is set at 12. 5 per cent , however, Apple's selective treatment allowed the tech company - ranked 8th in Forbes Global 2000 list - to pay a significantly reduced sum.



Margrethe Vestager, the EU's competition commissioner, claimed that "selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1% on its European profits in 2003 down to 0. 005 per cent in 2014. more click here

Galaxy S8 Leak Reveals Samsung's Expensive Secrets

Galaxy S8 Leak Reveals Samsung's Expensive Secrets

Optimists will call it bad timing, cynics will label it "Monkey see, monkey do," but either way Samsung looks set to copy the worst feature of the radically redesigned iPhone 8...

According to a new report from SamMobile, Samsung is going to match Apple’s planned price rises which will see both the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8 retail for more than $1,000. Like previous years the pricing information again comes from Eastern European retailers, in this instance Ukraine’s Hryvnia.

A database leak (screengrab below) reveals the Galaxy S8 (SM-G950) and Galaxy S8 Plus (SM-G955) will start at $950 and $1,050 after a currency conversion. The caveat is electronics have different costs in different countries, but even factoring this into the equation the 2017 models carry a circa $100 premium over last year’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.

For those prepared to pay this premium (which will be spread out if you sign a long carrier contract), Hryvnia’s listing also reveals Samsung’s initial Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus colour options. Black, Gold or Orchid Gray will be the finishes available, though Samsung usually offers more finishes a few months after launch.
For those feeling frustrated about this trend of price rises (Google is also expected to increase the cost of the Pixel 2), it should be noted 2017 won’t be a year of incremental upgrades like 2016. The iPhone 8 will sport an entirely new design, and the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus will have massive 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch displays while being no larger than the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge - though there are some downsides as well.  Read More...

Nvidia Protect Pill K1 evaluation

Nvidia Protect Pill K1 evaluation

Nvidia's newest could be the tiny, potent nice area regarding Android os capsules

Update: If you look away for just long enough, Nvidia usually slides in a worthwhile to its recommended Shield Tablet K1. And exactly that has happened with its recent update to
Now, the tablet has all of the latest features available on Android, such as multi-window mode, enhanced Doze to save you battery life both at night and when you're on the go.
Original review follows below.

 When Nvidia first showed off its Shield Tablet in 2014, we were a bit unimpressed. After all, Android tablets were coming out in droves and it was rather difficult to stick out when Google's own Nexus 7 was putting them all to shame. Plus, the original was more unique, even if it wasn't the best-looking device.

The landscape looks a lot different now. Google itself has moved on to making larger tablets to compete with Apple's ipad, and most of the market has generally dialed back its focus. So, when Nvidia announced the Shield Tablet K1 in late 2015, I was actually pretty interested.
Here, we have an 8-inch tablet with a respectable screen resolution of 1, 920 x 1, 200. It fits nicely onto my palm and rocks an understated look that completely hides away its DNA, which is thoroughly steeped in green gaming goodness click herh.
The Shield Tablet K1 exists in a world without the Nexus 7 to hold it back, and based on looks alone, this might as well be the next Nexus tablet. It rocks a simplistic look and packs in nearly every feature that you might want. Dual speakers, microSD, good battery life and fast specs are all here. Plus, you might even think you're using a Nexus tablet based on how clean the Android Nougat interface is.

Nvidia's latest iteration of the Shield Tablet is one of the few Android devices to adopt the latest operating system and it, more or less, feels like a stock Android experience.
Best of all, the K1 is cheaper than the last iteration of the Shield Tablet and is more powerful than ever. At $199 (£149, about AU$261, ) the Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 is the tablet to buy if you're looking for the near-perfect balance of value, power, features and looks.
Design

The backside of the Shield Tablet K1 is coated in an anti-slip surface, which does its job just fine, but easily collects fingerprints in the process. Sharing the matte-textured back is the rear 5MP camera and the shiny "Shield" logo embossed in the center.
On the front of the tablet we have a front-facing 5MP camera and two front-facing speakers. While the speakers are not going to blow away dedicated Bluetooth speakers, like the JBL Charge 2 or UE Boom 2, they sound excellent for being such a small tablet. In addition to the speakers, the Shield Tablet has a 3. 5mm headphone jack up at the top for private listening.

All of the Shield Tablet K1's ports are located on its top, with its buttons running along the upper right hand side. And as this tablet lacks any physical face buttons, it can be tricky at times to tell which way you should grab it to power it on or adjust the volume. I found that the front-facing camera is a good point of reference.
The ports include micro USB, mini HDMI out, and a microSD card slot capable of taking up to 128GB cards. The Shield Tablet K1 offers a volume rocker and a power button, which are a little difficult to find and press without looking, unless you're totally acclimated with the layout.

A subtle, but noticeable difference in the K1 is the rubberized speaker grilles. Not too sure what Nvidia's thinking was in doing this, but it's not a bad move. That said, they do attract a ton of fuzz. Also, extending from the speaker grilles, Nvidia has ditched the shiny, slanted plastic edge.more here

How you can accelerate a good apple ipad 2017

How you can accelerate a good apple ipad

If you own an older model of ipad - perhaps an ipad 1, 2, 3, or 4, or the ipad mini 1 - then the chances are that it isn't running as quickly as you like. Even though iOS is a modern operating system that requires minimal maintenance, it still gets full and slows down over time.
Sometimes even relatively new models feel sluggish compared to the way they soared when brand-new.Click here
There are many different techniques for speeding up an old or slowed-down ipad, and here are some of the ones that we've found to be most effective.
Alternatively, take a look at the other tips, tutorials and general advice for ipad owners in the articles linked below. more click here

Brand new apple iphone 7s discharge day whispers UNITED KINGDOM |

Brand new apple iphone 7s discharge day whispers UNITED KINGDOM | apple iphone 7s specifications & brand new functions.:

Production to begin early, with price expected to pass $1, 000 for first time
Looking forward to 2017's iphone 7s launch? We've gathered all the clues, hints and rumours related to the new iphone 7s for 2017, from the iphone 7s release date to tech specs, new features, pricing and design rumours. Latest: analysts predict that production will begin early for the next iphone, and predict that it will break the thousand-dollar barrier for the first time
When will the iphone 7s be released in the uk, and how different will it be from the iphone 7 and iphone 7 Plus? And what tech specs and new features should we expect from Apple's new iphone 7s and iphone 7s Plus handsets for 2017?

Welcome to our iphone 7s rumour roundup, in which we gather and analyse the latest clues and speculation about the iphone 7s release date, tech specs, new features and more. If you've come here in search of information about the current iphone range, allow us to direct you to our iphone 7 review , iphone 7 Plus review , iphone buying guide 2017 and best iphone deals UK .
Apple unveiled the new iphone 7, alongside its bigger sibling the iphone 7 Plus, during a special event on 7 September last year. But we're already looking ahead to the next iphone in 2017. In this article we sift through the clues and evidence pointing to Apple's iphone 7s launch later this year, and predict the iphone 7s release date, tech specs, design and new features.
We'll update this article whenever new information emerges, so check back regularly for the latest iphone 7s rumours.

Updated, 15 February 2017, with predictions that iphone 7s production will start earlier than expected , that Samsung will be making the screens , and that the next iphone may break the $1, 000-dollar barrier for the first time; on 6 Feb, with an awesome new concept video of the iphone 7s; on 26 Jan, with confirmation that one of Apple's hardware partners is ready to make curved screens ; on 20 Jan, with predictions that the late-2017 iphone update will be rebranded as the 'iPhone X' ; and on 4 Dec, to add further detail to reports that the iphone 7s will feature wireless charging
Read more: iphone 8 rumours | iphone 9 rumours | Best cheap iphone deals UK more click here

Apple face recognition lock. Might introduce facial-recognition in future iPhones

It seems pretty clear by this stage that Apple is working on a near-bezel-free design for the iPhone 8. Not only have we heard consistent reports supporting this idea – and Jony Ive’s ambitions of a ‘single slab of glass’ design – but it’s also a pretty obvious next step in the evolution of smartphones.

Apple face recognition lock. Might introduce facial-recognition in future iPhones

Apple has been headed in this direction since day one. One of the major points of differentiation of the very first iPhone over existing smartphones of the time was that it dispensed with a physical keyboard in order to maximize the screen space. In the latest iPhones, Apple has ditched a mechanical Home button in favor of a touch-sensitive one, and it holds patents for multiple approaches to embedding a fingerprint reader into a screen.

But the latest KGI report echoes an earlier one in suggesting that Apple may be planning to drop Touch ID and switch instead to ‘new biometric technologies’ …

Some have taken this to mean that Apple may be replacing fingerprint recognition with something else, but I think this isn’t the case.

Technically, Touch ID refers to the capacitive touch sensor Apple uses for fingerprint-recognition in its current devices, so a different type of fingerprint sensor embedded into the screen could easily count as ‘new biometric technologies.’

In other words, it would be business as usual: we continue to use fingerprints to unlock our iPhones, it’s just that Apple switches to a different method of reading them.

But there have also been multiple rumors of some kind of facial recognition system. Some of these reports suggest that we might see it used alongside fingerprint recognition as an alternative, which would be absolutely fine. If the phone recognizes our face, it unlocks immediately, if it doesn’t it asks for a fingerprint or passcode. Others are suggesting Apple will drop fingerprint recognition altogether, and it’s this I consider   Read more...