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Apple has been ordered to pay a $502 million lump sum payment by UK courts for infringing on patents owned by Optis Cellular Technology LLC, based out of Texas. When you include interest and fees, Optis estimates the total sum to be in excess of $700 million. This particular company is not an aggrieved innovator, but instead what is referred to as a patent troll. Thats a company that buys up niche patents with the specific intent to seek damages for infringement from lucrative defendants like Apple, and its not their first time being awarded damages from the Cupertino giant. This lawsuit was originally filed through London courts in 2019 over patents governing cellular technology, including 4G, that Optis says was improperly used in iPads and iPhones. In 2023, Londons High Court ruled in Optis favor and ordered Apple to pay just over $56 million plus interest to settle the dispute, inclusive of past and future sales that featured the offending tech. Optis successfully argued that this was far too low a sum, leading to the half-a-billion-dollars in damages ordered today. The iPhone maker has found itself in court over patent infringements time and time again in the past not only with patent trolls, but also fellow industry stalwarts. The ability for enormous tech companies to (allegedly) infringe on design or utility patents and pay pennies on the dollar for the damage done years later seems to be a feature, not a bug. Apple has unsurprisingly responded by promising to appeal the court's decision, to which Optis insisted it will fight to defend its intellectual property. Optis provided Engadget with the following statement: "Were pleased the UK Court of Appeals has recognized and corrected a clearly flawed prior ruling and has made meaningful progress toward affirming the true value of our patents to Apple devices. In addition to ordering payment that exceeds $700 million with interest and fees, the Court has judged that 'Apples significant negotiating strength leads some parties to agree lower rates than would be agreed between a willing licensor/willing licensee' thereby gaining an unfair advantage. We will continue to ensure fair compensation for the Optis intellectual property that enables high-speed connectivity for millions of devices around the world." Update, May 1, 2025, 11:53AM ET: This story was updated with a statement from Optis and details about the total compensation inclusive of fees and interest. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-ordered-to-pay-502-million-to-optis-by-uk-courts-153053338.html?src=rss
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The recently-released Apple iPad Air M3 is already on sale via Amazon. You can pick up the 11-inch model starting at $499 and the 13-inch version starting at $699. Both discounts mark the lowest prices we've tracked. If Amazon isnt your bag, these deals are also available at Best Buy. The Air topped our list of the best iPads, as we called it the ideal choice for most Apple tablet buyers. The M3 chip is extremely powerful, which increases performance and multitasking when compared to the base iPad. It offers support for the Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard, which is nice, and the overall design is lovely. The battery can last up to 12 hours, which is a decent metric for a modern tablet. The two 12MP cameras wont be winning any awards, but they get the job done. These are also fairly lightweight, which makes sense given the name. The 11-inch version weighs around a pound and the 13-inch model shoots up to 1.36 pounds. Thats light enough for long-term use without any real issues. While the screen is certainly above-average, its not quite on the level of the iPad Pro's OLED panel. It also maxes out with a 60Hz refresh rate, which is rather basic. Its worth noting that the $499 base price for the 11-inch model gets you a healthy 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. Other variations are on sale, but the cost can add up. For instance, the 13-inch version with a 1TB drive will set you back $1,200. Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/apples-ipad-air-m3-is-100-off-151340723.html?src=rss
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Apple has been warning possible victims of spyware attacks, according to several alleged recipients of the messages. At the time of writing there appears to be at least two people who have confirmed theyve been notified by Apple, and that the warning itself says that users in 100 countries have received similar alerts. The company does not offer any specifics as to how many people may have been targeted, or where the attacks are coming from As reported by TechCrunch, one recipient of the warning message is the Italian journalist Ciro Pellegrino, who works for an online news outlet called Fanpage in his native country. The other (as far as we know right now) is Dutch right-wing commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek, who posted screenshots and a video of the alleged warning message on X. According to Vlaardingerbroek, Apple informed her that it had detected a targeted mercenary spyware attack against her iPhone. The message she says she received said: This attack is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are and what you do. Although its never possible to achieve absolute certainty when detecting such attacks, Apple has high confidence in this warning please take it seriously. Posting the iMessage with the threat notification I got from @Apple here (4 out of 5 screenshots) pic.twitter.com/sbYWkfMr0A Eva Vlaardingerbroek (@EvaVlaar) April 30, 2025 The warning does not say where the alleged spyware attack originated, but Vlaardingerbroek claims that Apple used the Israeli cyber-arms company NSO Groups Pegasus software as an example. She goes on to say that the attack, if genuine, is likely an attempt to intimidate and silence her. Apples official guidelines about threat notifications match the screenshots on Vlaardingerbroeks video, where it also explains that mercenary spyware attacks cost millions of dollars and often have a short shelf life, making them much harder to detect and prevent. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks. The same guidelines state that targeted users will be notified with an alert at the top of the page when signing into their Apple account, as well as by email and iMessage using the email addresses and phone numbers associated with that account. Last year, Apple device users in as many as 92 countries were sent spyware attack warnings of a similar nature, and since 2021, individuals in over 150 countries have been contacted. But Apple hasnt given more details on how many people are targeted in such attacks, only the number of countries where it contacted affected users.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/apple-sends-spyware-warnings-to-iphone-users-in-100-countries-142547474.html?src=rss
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