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Author: Olivier Blanchard

Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

ICYMI: 2016 $15 Billion Judgment Against Apple Hangs on by a Thread Following General Court of the European Court of Justice Ruling

At the heart of the European Commission’s case against Apple (and by default, to some degree, against Ireland) is the fact that EU member States, under EU state aid rules, are prohibited from providing tax benefits to select companies. In 2016, the EC concluded that Ireland had granted illegally preferential and artificially low tax benefits to Apple.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

FedEx New SenseAware ID Tracking System Arrives Just in Time for COVID Relief

From an engineering standpoint, selecting the solution with the lowest power consumption and the smallest possible network footprint makes perfect sense, not just for Fedex but also for carriers, for whom bandwidth can often be a challenge. SenseAware ID should be able to provide the high level of value-add tracking that FedEx customers will find valuable while not monopolizing precious network resources.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

US Antitrust Action against Google Could Come Sooner than Expected

At the heart of Google’s US antitrust troubles is the search giant’s staggering advantage in online search: Google processes roughly 90% of all online searches in the US. But there’s a difference between hypercompetitive behavior and anticompetitive behavior, and I believe that’s what this case is about. As this plays out, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google rubbing up against the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ recent ruling in FTC vs. Qualcomm. Interesting times ahead, to be sure.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

Data Privacy: Apple Agrees to Delay Enforcement of iOS 14’s New IDFA Opt-in Rules to 2021

Apple added that they believe that “technology should protect users’ fundamental right to privacy, and that means giving users tools to understand which apps and websites may be sharing their data with other companies for advertising or advertising measurement purposes, as well as the tools to revoke permission for this tracking.”
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

Escalating App Store War Between Apple and Developers Likely to Bleed into Antitrust Probes in US and EU

Apple removes Fortnite, Epic Games’ popular battle royale game, from its App Store, and blocks “rival” game streaming platforms from iOS. Fortnite pretty much immediately filed suit, but there’s much more to unpack in this quest for a piece of the mobile game revenue pie. Note that last year 2.5 billion people played mobile games, propelling mobile game revenues to amount to nearly 75% of all in-app spending. 30% of that revenue is what Apple (and Google) are fighting to capture, at the expense, some would argue, of game developers.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

What Qualcomm’s Landmark Antitrust Victory Against the FTC Really Means for the Mobile Industry, Investors, and Consumers

The 9th Circuit’s decision is not just a victory for Qualcomm. It is also a victory for the mobile industry at large, a victory for consumers and investors, and a victory, of course, for innovators as well. The widespread sigh of relief when the court reaffirmed over a century of fundamental IP law that Judge Koh might have otherwise upended, could be felt as much as heard around the world.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

Qualcomm’s New Quick Charge 5 Technology Can Safely Charge Your Phone to 100% in the Time it Takes to Shower

Qualcomm’s Quick Charge was already the number one fast-charging solution in mobile, with over 1,000 unique accessories, over 250 mobile devices, and healthy expansion into adjacent technology categories like tablets, speakers, and drones. By leaning more on USB-PD, Qualcomm appears to be looking more to enable the entire industry than unique OEMs.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

Apple Antitrust Probes Heat up 2020 for the iPhone Giant as it Faces Scrutiny in the EU and US

Unpacking the scrutiny on Apple’s App Store and Apple Pay business practices that have caught the ire of regulators, lawmakers, and other tech companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Of note, a third vulnerability for Apple, and an angle that US courts will be perhaps more eager to tackle than the previous two, is whether or not Apple’s business practices can be shown to have led to higher prices and fewer choices for consumers. This is a core litmus test for antitrust cases in the US, and this point should have Apple attorneys at least a little worried.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

Google $2.1 Billion Fitbit Acquisition Hits EU Snag

Fears about Google’s use of Fitbit data to potentially gain an unfair advertising advantage cause EU regulators to take a closer look at the potential anticompetitive effects of the deal. I don’t see much cause for alarm here, and here’s why.
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

Zoom Slides into the “Enterprise Renovation of the Home” Trend With Dedicated Teleconferencing Appliance

Given how much more utility a new laptop (on which Zoom will work just fine) will provide that worker, the question becomes obvious: why would any IT department spend $599 apiece for these standalone devices when similarly-priced laptops will run Zoom just as well?
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

ICYMI: Qualcomm’s New Snapdragon Wear 4100+ Brings Significant Performance Improvements to Android Smartwatches

Performance improvements aside, I can’t help but sense that the android smartwatch ecosystem is being somewhat hamstrung by a lack of interest, perhaps from Google, to really focus on beating Apple at its own game.
ICYMI: 3GPP’s 5G NR Release 16’s 9 Most Critical Improvements to 5G
Olivier Blanchard
Olivier Blanchard

ICYMI: 3GPP’s 5G NR Release 16’s 9 Most Critical Improvements to 5G

What we see with Release 16, in addition to improvements to previous fundamental standards, is a shift towards the next market for 5G technologies: industrial networks and applications. That is why, MIMO and IAB improvements aside, private networks, unlicensed spectrum, multi-TRP architecture, high-precision device positioning, efficient new power-saving protocols, and even multicasting between vehicles, constitute the lion’s share of projects in this release.
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