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Cybersecurity

Redmagic reveals luxury edition of Redmagic 10 Pro with real gold

Redmagic unveils the luxurious 10 Pro Golden Saga Edition, which features real gold, silver, and sapphire elements and is priced at US$2,199. It will ship on March 31, 2025.

AI chatbot Grok briefly restricted results on Musk and Trump

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Mobile Legends: Bang Bang added to 2026 Asian Games as esports lineup expands

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Meta AI expands to the Middle East and Africa with Arabic language support

Meta AI expands to MENA, adding Arabic support and new features on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, reaching millions of new users.

Hyundaiโ€™s NACS port faces a major issue at Tesla charging stations

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5โ€™s new Tesla charging port faces real-world challenges due to its placement. Find out how this affects EV owners.

Marketing

Redmagic reveals luxury edition of Redmagic 10 Pro with real gold

Redmagic unveils the luxurious 10 Pro Golden Saga Edition, which features real gold, silver, and sapphire elements and is priced at US$2,199. It will ship on March 31, 2025.

AI chatbot Grok briefly restricted results on Musk and Trump

Grok, Elon Muskโ€™s AI chatbot, briefly blocked results claiming Musk and Trump spread misinformation due to an unauthorised system update.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang added to 2026 Asian Games as esports lineup expands

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be a medalled event at the 2026 Asian Games, joining a growing esports lineup at the international competition.

Meta AI expands to the Middle East and Africa with Arabic language support

Meta AI expands to MENA, adding Arabic support and new features on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, reaching millions of new users.

Hyundaiโ€™s NACS port faces a major issue at Tesla charging stations

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5โ€™s new Tesla charging port faces real-world challenges due to its placement. Find out how this affects EV owners.

Southeast Asia

Redmagic reveals luxury edition of Redmagic 10 Pro with real gold

Redmagic unveils the luxurious 10 Pro Golden Saga Edition, which features real gold, silver, and sapphire elements and is priced at US$2,199. It will ship on March 31, 2025.

AI chatbot Grok briefly restricted results on Musk and Trump

Grok, Elon Muskโ€™s AI chatbot, briefly blocked results claiming Musk and Trump spread misinformation due to an unauthorised system update.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang added to 2026 Asian Games as esports lineup expands

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be a medalled event at the 2026 Asian Games, joining a growing esports lineup at the international competition.

Meta AI expands to the Middle East and Africa with Arabic language support

Meta AI expands to MENA, adding Arabic support and new features on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, reaching millions of new users.

Hyundaiโ€™s NACS port faces a major issue at Tesla charging stations

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5โ€™s new Tesla charging port faces real-world challenges due to its placement. Find out how this affects EV owners.

Geek

Aetherdrift brings high-speed action to Magic: The Gathering fans

MTG's Aetherdrift brings high-speed action, new mechanics, and exclusive collectibles in an epic multiverse race starting 7 February.

Crunchyroll and Sony partners unveil anime adaptation of Ghost of Tsushima: Legends

Crunchyroll, Aniplex, and Sony partners reveal Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime adaptation, set for a 2027 release exclusively on Crunchyroll.

Evangelion store marks two decades with new merchandise and an anniversary fair

Celebrate 20 years of EVANGELION with exclusive merchandise and special gifts at the anniversary fair, only at the EVANGELION STORE.

AmiAmi launches on Shopee Singapore, bringing exclusive Japanese collectibles to fans

Japanโ€™s top hobby retailer AmiAmi debuts on Shopee Singapore, offering exclusive collectibles and Japanese pop culture merchandise to fans.

Crunchyroll Anime Awards to return to Tokyo on 25 May 2025

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards returns to Tokyo on 25 May 2025 with updated eligibility, new categories, and global livestream. Nominees out 3 April.

Hot topics

Going elsewhere?

25.4 C
Singapore
21.1 C
Malaysia
24.4 C
Thailand
26.2 C
Philippines
20.7 C
Indonesia
15 C
Vietnam
25.2 C
Cambodia
14.8 C
Myanmar

Cybersecurity

Redmagic reveals luxury edition of Redmagic 10 Pro with real gold

Redmagic unveils the luxurious 10 Pro Golden Saga Edition, which features real gold, silver, and sapphire elements and is priced at US$2,199. It will ship on March 31, 2025.

AI chatbot Grok briefly restricted results on Musk and Trump

Grok, Elon Muskโ€™s AI chatbot, briefly blocked results claiming Musk and Trump spread misinformation due to an unauthorised system update.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang added to 2026 Asian Games as esports lineup expands

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be a medalled event at the 2026 Asian Games, joining a growing esports lineup at the international competition.

Meta AI expands to the Middle East and Africa with Arabic language support

Meta AI expands to MENA, adding Arabic support and new features on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, reaching millions of new users.

Hyundaiโ€™s NACS port faces a major issue at Tesla charging stations

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5โ€™s new Tesla charging port faces real-world challenges due to its placement. Find out how this affects EV owners.

Marketing

Redmagic reveals luxury edition of Redmagic 10 Pro with real gold

Redmagic unveils the luxurious 10 Pro Golden Saga Edition, which features real gold, silver, and sapphire elements and is priced at US$2,199. It will ship on March 31, 2025.

AI chatbot Grok briefly restricted results on Musk and Trump

Grok, Elon Muskโ€™s AI chatbot, briefly blocked results claiming Musk and Trump spread misinformation due to an unauthorised system update.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang added to 2026 Asian Games as esports lineup expands

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be a medalled event at the 2026 Asian Games, joining a growing esports lineup at the international competition.

Meta AI expands to the Middle East and Africa with Arabic language support

Meta AI expands to MENA, adding Arabic support and new features on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, reaching millions of new users.

Hyundaiโ€™s NACS port faces a major issue at Tesla charging stations

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5โ€™s new Tesla charging port faces real-world challenges due to its placement. Find out how this affects EV owners.

Southeast Asia

Redmagic reveals luxury edition of Redmagic 10 Pro with real gold

Redmagic unveils the luxurious 10 Pro Golden Saga Edition, which features real gold, silver, and sapphire elements and is priced at US$2,199. It will ship on March 31, 2025.

AI chatbot Grok briefly restricted results on Musk and Trump

Grok, Elon Muskโ€™s AI chatbot, briefly blocked results claiming Musk and Trump spread misinformation due to an unauthorised system update.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang added to 2026 Asian Games as esports lineup expands

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang will be a medalled event at the 2026 Asian Games, joining a growing esports lineup at the international competition.

Meta AI expands to the Middle East and Africa with Arabic language support

Meta AI expands to MENA, adding Arabic support and new features on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, reaching millions of new users.

Hyundaiโ€™s NACS port faces a major issue at Tesla charging stations

The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5โ€™s new Tesla charging port faces real-world challenges due to its placement. Find out how this affects EV owners.

Geek

Aetherdrift brings high-speed action to Magic: The Gathering fans

MTG's Aetherdrift brings high-speed action, new mechanics, and exclusive collectibles in an epic multiverse race starting 7 February.

Crunchyroll and Sony partners unveil anime adaptation of Ghost of Tsushima: Legends

Crunchyroll, Aniplex, and Sony partners reveal Ghost of Tsushima: Legends anime adaptation, set for a 2027 release exclusively on Crunchyroll.

Evangelion store marks two decades with new merchandise and an anniversary fair

Celebrate 20 years of EVANGELION with exclusive merchandise and special gifts at the anniversary fair, only at the EVANGELION STORE.

AmiAmi launches on Shopee Singapore, bringing exclusive Japanese collectibles to fans

Japanโ€™s top hobby retailer AmiAmi debuts on Shopee Singapore, offering exclusive collectibles and Japanese pop culture merchandise to fans.

Crunchyroll Anime Awards to return to Tokyo on 25 May 2025

The Crunchyroll Anime Awards returns to Tokyo on 25 May 2025 with updated eligibility, new categories, and global livestream. Nominees out 3 April.
Tuesday, 25 February 2025
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The high-stakes legal battle between Epic and Apple over antitrust issues continues to unfold

Epic Games and Apple return to court over antitrust issues, with Judge Gonzalez Rogers questioning Apple's compliance with previous orders.

In 2020, Epic Games initiated legal action against Apple for alleged antitrust violations. Although the trial concluded years ago and a verdict was rendered, recent weeks have witnessed a return to the courtroom for both Apple and Epic Games. This time, the outcome is far from certain, with the potential for a different outcome than the initial trial.

The beginning of the battle

The seeds of the conflict were sown when Epic Games challenged Appleโ€™s 30 per cent fees on in-app purchases. Epicโ€™s audacious move to introduce its own payment system within Fortnite led to the gameโ€™s removal from the App Store, sparking a legal battle with Apple.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Epic breached its contract and ordered the company to pay Apple 30 per cent of the revenue made through its alternative payment system, amounting to about $3.5 million.

Despite Apple winning on most points, Gonzalez Rogers also ordered Apple to allow developers to use alternative payment systems for in-app purchases. After the Supreme Court refused to hear appeals from both companies earlier this year, Apple was required to implement this change.

However, Apple introduced its solution in its own way. Developers could link to external payment methods to avoid Appleโ€™s up-to-30 per cent cut, but Appleโ€™s system included a new commission of up to 27 per cent. Epicโ€™s CEO, Tim Sweeney, labelled Appleโ€™s move as โ€œbad-faithโ€ compliance. Epic contested Appleโ€™s compliance plan, leading to more court hearings in recent weeks.

Courtroom drama

During these hearings, lawyers from both sides have interrogated witnesses, including Apple employees and external experts, about Appleโ€™s decisions in the compliance plan and how they believed it adhered to the court order.

Judge Gonzalez Rogers, a pivotal figure in this legal saga, has posed several pointed questions to Apple. Her insightful queries, such as questioning the necessity of Appleโ€™s button styles for external payment links, suggest a keen understanding of the case and its potential implications.

On May 16, she seemed particularly frustrated with Carson Oliver, Appleโ€™s senior director for business management for the App Store. Epicโ€™s lawyer, Yonatan Even, questioned Oliver on whether he understood that the courtโ€™s concern was about anti-steering rules preventing communication of lower prices outside of the app, which hindered competition. Oliverโ€™s responses did not satisfy the judge, who questioned his understanding of the courtโ€™s intent to increase competition.

Throughout the proceedings, Oliver described an analysis by an outside consultancy group, but the judge doubted its value to individual developers. Appleโ€™s model seemed to have one group of developers subsidizing others.

Phil Schiller on the stand

Phil Schiller, an Apple Fellow responsible for the App Store, also testified. The judge took issue with Appleโ€™s compliance plan that collects a commission from apps that install an โ€œExternal Purchase Linkโ€ within the first seven days after a user taps the link. Schiller explained that this period balanced Appleโ€™s entitlement to a commission with the indirect connection of an in-app purchase to the App Store over time.

During questioning, Schiller revealed that only 38 apps had applied to use external payment links out of 135,000 apps with in-app purchases on the App Store. Epicโ€™s lawyer, Gary Bornstein, argued that the number of potential applicants should include apps not yet offering in-app purchases or apps not yet on the store. Schiller conceded that this might be a valid perspective.

Epic reminded the court that it could seek sanctions if it believed Apple had violated the original order. The evidentiary hearing is ongoing, with more sessions scheduled.

The outcome of this protracted legal battle, which has far-reaching implications for both companies and the broader tech industry, is yet to be determined. Judge Gonzalez Rogersโ€™s final ruling could potentially reshape the tech industry, making this a case of the utmost importance.

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Google expands in-car apps, turning vehicles into mobile entertainment hubs

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