Archives 2023

What Japan plans to do

According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the planned legislation, expected to be submitted next year, aims to curb anti-competitive practices within the Japanese tech landscape. The Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC) would be empowered to impose fines for violations, potentially reaching up to 6% of revenue generated from the offending activities.
One of the most significant changes would be requiring Apple and Google to open their platforms to competition, allowing users to download apps from outside their official app stores. Currently, iOS devices solely rely on the App Store for app installation, while Android offers some flexibility but still retains control over default apps and payments.
Additionally, the JFTC is concerned about the high commission fees (15-30%) charged by Apple and Google to app developers. These fees have long been a source of friction, with developers arguing that they stifle innovation and raise consumer prices. The new law might address this by placing limits on commission rates or allowing alternative payment methods within apps.
Apple, on its part, has defended its App Store policies, arguing that they ensure security and quality for users. However, the company may face a difficult choice in Japan: adapt to the new regulations or risk potential fines and a smaller market share.

The US has officially banned the import and sale of Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models after US President Biden’s administration declined to veto an agency’s decision to restrict the wearables. The move follows an October ruling by the International Trade Commission (ITC) that certain Apple Watch models infringed the blood oxygen saturation technology patented by a medical tech company called Masimo. The affected Apple watches feature a blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring feature. The Cupertino giant is appealing the federal government ban. An Apple spokesperson said that the company strongly disagrees with the ITC’s order.

Apple on Tuesday (December 26) appealed (via Reuters) a decision to ban sales and imports of its latest wearables based on a complaint from Masimo after President Joe Biden’s administration declined to veto USITC earlier today. In a statement, an Apple spokesperson said that it strongly disagrees with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and will be “taking all measures to return the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the US as soon as possible.” The California-based Masimo earlier claimed that Apple’s pulse reader feature infringes on its pulse-oximeter technology.

The iPhone maker has filed an emergency request for the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban. It requested the Federal Circuit for a temporary stay on the ban at least until US Customs and Border Protection considers redesigned versions of its watches infringe Masimo’s patents by January 12.

A statement from the Office of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the agency “decided not to reverse the ITC’s determination” after “careful consideration.” The government tribunal’s order will go into effect on December 26, barring imports and sales of Apple Watches that use patent-infringing technology for monitoring blood-oxygen levels. Apple had already paused the sale of Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in the US on its website on December 21 and from its store shelves after December 24.

The ITC issued the ban in October this year after finding that Apple infringed on blood oxygen saturation technology patented by Masimo. The tribunal ordered Apple to pause selling any previously imported devices with the blood oxygen pulse oximeter sensor. The order was followed by the 60-day Presidential Review Period that expired on December 25.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 are still available for purchase outside the US. Also, the latest move does not affect the Apple Watch SE as the budget-friendly wearable does not feature a SpO2 sensor. Apple has included a SpO2 tracker in every wearable since its Series 6 model in 2020.

Infograph Modular: Data at a glance

Infograph Modular is a good choice for users who crave a lot information at their fingertips. This highly customisable watch face allows you to add a multitude of complications, providing quick access to your calendar, activity rings, weather updates, and more.
Portraits: A personal touch
Turn your most cherished memories into wearable art with Portraits. This face lets you display a photo of your loved ones, pets, or even a landscape. It’s a different look to the Watch but do remember that you can’t add too many complications to Portraits.

Explorer: For the adventure seekers

The Explorer watch face is designed for the adventurous spirit. Featuring a large, easy-to-read time display alongside a customisable dial showing various outdoor metrics like altitude, this face is ideal for hikers, climbers, and anyone who loves exploring the great outdoors.

Typography: Simple and elegant

For those who appreciate simplicity and elegance, the Typography watch face offers a minimalist design that focuses on showcasing the time in a stylish and readable format. With customisable colours and typefaces, users can tailor this watch face to match their personal aesthetic.

Meridian: Minimal and clean

For those who prefer a clean and minimalist design, the Meridian watch face is a top choice. Featuring a straightforward digital time display, it offers customisation options for complications, allowing users to add relevant information at a glance.

Bitcoin on Wednesday, December 27, reflected a small loss of 2.71 percent. Despite this slight decline, Bitcoin managed to retain its price above the level of $42,000 (roughly Rs. 34.9 lakh) and is currently trading at $42,218 (roughly Rs. 35 lakh). This is the third consecutive day that BTC is trading above $42,000. However, in the last three days, BTC has dropped in value by $688 (roughly Rs. 57,270). BTC’s crucial resistance stands at $44,500 (roughly Rs. 37 lakh) and $42,500 (roughly Rs. 35.3 lakh) as a support level.

“Today, Bitcoin experienced a decline in price as traders swiftly closed their positions amidst rising funding rates, leading to a shift from optimistic to pessimistic market sentiment. Amid expectations of a year-end surge and the impending US SEC verdict on a Bitcoin ETF, an increase in trading volume indicates sustained market engagement amid these evolving scenarios,” Rajagopal Menon, Vice President, Wazir told Gadgets360.

Ether registered a minor dip of 0.75 percent on Wednesday. At the time of writing, ETH was trading at $2,220 (roughly Rs. 1.84 lakh). For ETH, the key resistance stands at $2,380 (roughly Rs. 1.98 lakh) whereas its critical support level stands at $2,250 (roughly Rs. 1.87 lakh).

A bunch of altcoins reflected losses on Wednesday. These include Ripple, Cardano, Avalanche, Dogecoin, and Polkadot.

Tron, Chainlink, and Shiba Inu also reflected price dips on Tuesday.

The total crypto market cap dropped by 0.27 percent in the last 24 hours. The valuation of the sector currently stands at $1.65 trillion (roughly Rs. 1,37,46,414 crore), as per CoinMarketCap. However, the crypto fear and greed index looks positive and has increased by 2 points since yesterday.

“The market is currently at a critical juncture with a narrow range, as both bulls and bears vie for control,” Edul Patel,Co-Founder and CEO, Mudrex told Gadgets360.

Meanwhile, only a small number of cryptocurrencies showed profits on Wednesday. These are Tether, Solana, Binance Coin, USD Coin, Polygon, and Wrapped Bitcoin.

Small profits were also minted by Uniswap, Leo, Monero, Elrond, Binance USD, and Bitcoin SV.

“One of the top performers after this crash turned out to be Polygon. Its native token MATIC (+11 percent) crossed a dollar mark in almost seven months. This came as Binance native coin BNB (+6.8 percent) also saw some gains and crossed the 300-dollar mark for the first time in six months. Both of these tokens, along with SOL (-7.1 percent) were part of the token lists SEC accused of being securities backed in June this year,” the CoinSwitch Markets Desk told Gadgets360.

Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, not a legal tender and subject to market risks. The information provided in the article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any perceived recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article. 

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