Mobile News - Week of November 30, 2020

Q3 smartphone figures from the analysts published today showed that smartphone unit sales were 366 million units, a decline of 5.7% globally compared to the same period last year. Yes, it’s a drop; but it is still a clear improvement on the first half of this year, when sales slumped by 20% in each quarter, due largely to the effects of COVID-19 on spending and consumer confidence overall.

Apple, the largest of the many tech giants that rely on Chinese factories to make their gadgets, will move some production of its iPads and MacBooks to Vietnam. Key assembly partner, Foxconn, has allocated $270 million in new investments to the Southeast Asian country. Those moves presage a larger and longer-term migration that may have ramifications for the iPhone maker as well as China’s role as workshop to the world.

iPhone App of the Year - Wakeout! (home workout app )

iPad App of the Year - Zoom

Apple TV App of the Year. - Disney+

The payment processor for online businesses is set to give its customers the option of offering bank accounts, debit cards and other cash-management services to their own merchants and vendors.

Older demographics are turning to games more often as they find themselves with money they can no longer spend on dining out or attending live events.

Spending on video games for Americans 45 years old-to-54 years old increased 76%. People age 55-to-64 increased their spending 29%.

Is government surveillance through your phone legal? The Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog said it would investigate the use of cellphone location data to track Americans without a warrant.