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Apple has filed an emergency motion, asking a federal appeals court to put a pause on orders that would significantly change how the App Store works. Those changes, the company argued in its motion, will cost the company “substantial sums annually” and are based on conduct that hasn’t been “adjudicated to be (and is not) unlawful.” It said those orders were made to punish Apple for “purported non-compliance” to previous orders.  

If you’ll recall, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers recently ruled that Apple had violated her 2021 ruling on the lawsuit Epic Games filed against Apple. In her original decision, the judge told the company to allow developers to direct users to other payment systems that would let them bypass the 30 percent commission fee Apple collects. But Apple still collected up to a 27 percent cut for external purchases, and it also showed users a “scare screen” warning them that paying outside the App Store would mean they wouldn’t have the company’s protection.

In her new ruling, Gonzalez Rogers ordered Apple to stop collecting fees for external payments immediately. She also prohibited Apple from creating rules that would prevent developers from presenting customers with buttons and links for external payments. Apple changed its guidelines to remove prohibitions on buttons and external links that direct customers to non-App Store purchasing mechanisms. However, it also appealed Gonzalez Rogers’ decision and is now asking the court to put a stay on those two particular orders while its appeal is ongoing. 

Apple insisted in its motion that it is unlawful to prevent the company from taking a cut on linked transactions, because the original decision didn’t say anything about commissions or pricing. It also argued that it’s unlawful to prevent the company from setting conditions for link placement and language as the original injunction didn’t say anything about it. That provision violates the First Amendment, Apple said, by forcing it to “accommodate messages it would prefer to exclude.” The company accused the court of punishing it because, in its view, Apple “flouted the court’s order.”

“Without a stay, these extraordinary intrusions into Apple’s business will cause grave irreparable harm. Depriving Apple of control over core features of the App Store is, standing alone, sufficient to warrant a stay,” the company wrote. “The district court acknowledged that compliance will cost Apple ‘hundreds of millions to billions’ of dollars annually… which Apple can never recoup. Consumers would suffer from the destabilizing effects of the new injunction, while Epic would not be harmed by a stay.”

Epic Games called Apple’s motion a “last ditch effort to block competition and extract massive junk fees at the expense of consumers and developers.” In addition to the video game developer, other companies are also keen to offer external payments that would allow them to bypass Apple’s commission. Spotify, for one, already submitted an update that would let users pay outside the App Store for customers in the US. 

When Gonzalez Rogers handed down her decision, it had revealed that App Store lead Phil Schiller advocated for the company to stop collecting fees on web links back in 2023. However, Apple’s former Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri convinced Tim Cook to do the opposite. She said the company’s Vice-President of Finance, Alex Roman, lied under oath and told the court that Apple didn’t decide on collecting a 27-percent fee on external purchases until early 2024, whereas the truth was that Apple had already decided on that percentage back in 2023. The judge has referred the case to the US attorney for the Northern District of California to investigate Apple and Roman for possible criminal contempt.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-files-emergency-hold-to-challenge-app-store-payment-injunction-123030879.html?src=rss 

Tesla has scrapped its plans to sell a range extender for the Cybertruck, the automaker has notified customers who have previously paid a $2,000 reservation fee for the $16,000 add-on. Based on copies of the email people have been posting on social networks and forums, Tesla will be refunding their deposits in full. It didn’t say why it’s no longer planning to sell the accessory, but the emails come a month after the company quietly pulled the option to add it to the vehicle from its website configurator.

The range extender is a battery pack that was supposed to be installed on the bed of the Cybertruck. It was Tesla’s answer to releasing vehicles that had shorter ranges than it originally promised. When the company first unveiled the model, it said different versions would have different ranges, including one that has a 500-mile range. Instead, the long-range Cybertruck, which has the longest range, can only last for 350 miles on a single charge. As Electrek noted late last year, the battery pack was supposed to start shipping in early 2025, but Tesla pushed back its release to mid-2025 and also reduced its promised range from 470 miles to 445 miles.

Elon Musk previously said that he expects Tesla to sell between 250,000 to 500,000 Cybertrucks a year. However, a recent recall showed that the automaker sold fewer than 50,000 units over a 15-month period. It’s unclear whether the company decided to pull the plug on the range extender because it’s not worth manufacturing a new product for a model that’s performing far below expectations, or if it has another reason altogether. Either way, the Cybertruck’s battery add-on has been cancelled and won’t be seeing the light of day.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-will-no-longer-release-the-cybertruck-range-extender-004809209.html?src=rss 

Samsung will host a virtual Unpacked event on May 12 at 8PM ET. It streams live at the Samsung Newsroom and on the company’s official YouTube page.

The company promises a look at “the next evolution of Galaxy” devices and that it’ll unveil “more about the latest addition to the Galaxy S series.” This means we’ll get more juicy tidbits about that slim Galaxy S25 Edge smartphone that was first teased at an Unpacked event in January.

What to expect: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge

The company has confirmed via a blog post that the event will shine a light on the Galaxy S25 Edge, which was a long-rumored device before the official tease a few months ago. Samsung did give us a bit of information regarding specs. It offers a slimmer form factor than the standard S25 and includes an impressive 200MP wide camera lens.

The company also boasts that the phone will integrate with Galaxy AI to help the camera transform “into a smart lens that helps recognize what matters to create new memories.” We don’t know if that translates to brand-new camera software or if the company’s referring to the pre-existing suite of AI tools available with its newer handsets.

We’re still in the dark regarding traditional specs. Samsung’s blog post is heavy on hyperbole, calling the S25 Edge “a powerful AI companion and an engineering marvel” that merges “flagship-level performance with superior portability.”

The company goes on to say the new handset “not only sets a new standard for what you can achieve with your smartphone, but it also unlocks a new era of growth for the mobile industry.” We’ll find out just how true these words are on May 12.

Will this Unpacked event start and stop with the S25 Edge? That’s likely, but it’s always possible that Samsung will throw a curveball our way. Maybe the standard S25 Edge will get companion smartphones that are more powerful, like the S25+ or S25 Ultra. It’s also highly possible the company will reveal a new AI tool or two.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-is-hosting-a-virtual-unpacked-event-on-may-12-at-8pm-et-230026574.html?src=rss 

The US Patent and Trademark Office has refused one of Tesla’s initial attempts to trademark the term “Robotaxi” because it believes the name is generic and already in use by other companies, according to a filing spotted by TechCrunch. Tesla was hoping to trademark the term in connection to its planned self-driving car service, but now it’ll have to reply with more evidence to change the office’s mind.

The main issue outlined in the USPTO decision is that “Robotaxi” is “merely descriptive,” as in its an already commonly used term. A robotaxi typically refers to the self-driving cars used in services like Waymo. As long as Silicon Valley has believed money could be made selling autonomous vehicles (and the rides you can take in them), the term has been in use. That means Tesla can’t trademark “robotaxi” because the “term is used to describe similar goods and services by other companies,” the USPTO writes. Like, Zoox, an Amazon subsidiary mentioned in the filing, which already refers to its product as a “robotaxi.”

The application the USPTO refused was for “land vehicles; electric vehicles, namely automobiles; automobiles; and structural parts therefor.” As TechCrunch notes, Tesla has trademark applications out for other names, like “Robobus,” that might get a different response. The company is also apparently facing difficulties locking down trademarks for “Cybercab,” the name of the self-driving car designed to be used in Tesla’s robotaxi service. 

The company formally introduced the Cybercab and the loose outline of its robotaxi service at an event in October 2024 called “We, Robot.” The Cybercab has no steering wheel or pedals, and is supposed to rely on inductive charging for power in between rides. The event also featured the introduction of the Robobus and another appearance from Tesla’s in-development Optimus robot.

Tesla needs to provide “fact sheets, instruction manuals, brochures, advertisements and pertinent screenshots of [its] website” to help make the case for how it’ll use the “robotaxi” trademark, should the USPTO change its ruling. Considering the difficulty of pulling off a self-driving car service, though, not being able to trademark names seems like the least of Tesla’s challenges.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/teslas-robotaxi-brand-might-be-too-generic-to-trademark-220429561.html?src=rss 

Add Microsoft’s Surface lineup to the list of gear that now costs more. XDA first spotted price hikes of around 20 percent for most existing models. The damage applies to the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro lines, as well as power bricks.

The starting prices of the 13.8-inch Surface Laptop and 13-inch Surface Pro increased from $1,000 to $1,200. Of course, the new devices Microsoft launched on Tuesday stand pat. (And their curiously high prices now make more sense.) Only the 15-inch Surface Laptop was spared, sticking to its original $1,300.

Even accessories like power supplies are part of the fun. The 65W Surface power supply shot up from $90 to $120, and the 127W variant went from $125 to $175.

PCMag notes that retail partners like Best Buy and Amazon still show the original prices. So, if you were considering a new Surface, that’s a good place to start.

The move follows last week’s Xbox price increases. The Xbox Series X is now $80 more expensive, while an Xbox Series X costs an extra $100.

Unsurprisingly, Microsoft hasn’t explicitly tied the price hikes to President Trump’s tariffs. When XDA‘s Rich Woods asked the company about the surprisingly expensive entry-level Surface models introduced this week, it neither confirmed nor denied the connection.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/microsoft-raises-base-surface-prices-by-20-percent-210427490.html?src=rss 

The Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s ruling that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard did not violate antitrust laws. The Federal Trade Commission had sued to block the merger of these large gaming brands on claims that the new entity would fall afoul of antitrust laws. In the court’s ruling, released today, the FTC failed to prove that Microsoft would have blocked access to popular titles such as Call of Duty on hardware owned by other gaming brands. The appeals court was also unswayed by the FTC’s arguments that the deal would have lessened competition in gaming subscription services and cloud streaming.

The issue of platform-exclusive titles was one of the core tenets of the FTC’s latest charge against this acquisition. However, the opinion written by Judge Daniel P. Collins observed that “all major manufacturers have engaged in this practice.” And as Microsoft has been making more and more of its once-exclusive titles available on new hardware, this may mean that the competition agency will finally accept the deal as done.

The $68.7 billion deal for Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard closed in October 2023, but the acquisition has faced multiple challenges from the FTC at varying stages of the process. In fact, this isn’t the first time the Ninth Circuit Court has rejected the agency’s efforts to block the merger. The competition agency also raised alarms about layoffs after the merger closed.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/appeals-court-once-again-upholds-microsofts-acquisition-of-activision-blizzard-211008049.html?src=rss 

Google is once again crossing the great divide between rival tech giants, at least with artificial intelligence. The company has launched a dedicated iPad app for its Gemini AI assistant. In addition to natively running on Apple hardware, Gemini’s iPad app can take advantage of the tablet’s split view, so that the AI assistant is open on the screen at the same time as another program for easier use. The app is available today from the App Store in all countries where Gemini is currently available.

Gemini has been a huge focus for Google’s recent announcements as it works to put its service in front of more and more potential users. iPhones got their first native Gemini app last November. The company recently introduced a program for children to explore the AI assistant and it opened the Deep Research capability to all Gemini users. With Google I/O 2025 right around the corner, it’s a safe bet that we’ll be hearing about more features and integrations for the AI assistant later this month.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-launches-a-gemini-app-for-ipad-194047388.html?src=rss