Apple is back at doing what they do best and it isn't making iPhones unfortunately! In a brand new legal war that the Cupertino giant has declared on the mobile chip maker, they are claiming that Qualcomm has not paid its due bills to Apple. Additionally, Apple also claims that Qualcomm has been charging Apple for patents that the company has no relation to.

According to the official statement detailed in the lawsuit, Qualcomm receives royalty payments for "older, legacy, standards," on which Apple's displays, cameras and even the TouchID may have been built on initially. Apple further states that the irrelevant patent claims are costing Apple, "at least five times more in payments than all the other cellular patent licensors we have agreements with combined."

Secondly, they had started an investigation into Qualcomm a while back, which involved co-working with government law enforcement agencies. Somewhere during the course of this investigation, Qualcomm ended up with a due payment of $1 billion, which they have not yet acknowledged.

In response to these allegations, this is what Qualcomm had to say:

"While we are still in the process of reviewing the complaint in detail, it is quite clear that Apple's claims are baseless. Apple has intentionally mischaracterized our agreements and negotiations, as well as the enormity and value of the technology we have invented, contributed and shared with all mobile device makers through our licensing program. Apple has been actively encouraging regulatory attacks on Qualcomm's business in various jurisdictions around the world, as reflected in the recent KFTC decision and FTC complaint, by misrepresenting facts and withholding information. We welcome the opportunity to have these meritless claims heard in court where we will be entitled to full discovery of Apple's practices and a robust examination of the merits." - Don Rosenberg, executive vice president and general counsel, Qualcomm Incorporated.

It is to be noted that Qualcomm is already facing an earlier charge for anti-competitive practices from the US Federal Trade Commission, which was made against the company just a few days back.

 Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

According to multiple rumors and reports all around the internet, Apple might just launch the biggest iPhone yet in 2017. What this means is that Apple will (reportedly) launch three variants of the iPhone 8 next year, which will include a massive 5.8-inch version along with the usual iPhone 8 (4.7-inch) and iPhone 8 Plus (5.5-inch). This huge iPhone 8 will not only sport the largest display ever on an iPhone, but also an OLED panel made by Samsung. The other two of the iPhones will continue to use TFT-LCD panels as always.

According to DigiTimes,

"Apple will launch 4.7-, 5.5- and 5.8-inch new iPhone models in second-half 2017, with TFT-LCD panels to be used in the former two models and AMOLED for the 5.8-inch one...Global shipments of the AMOLED iPhone in 2017 are estimated at 60-70 million units..."

To be honest, even though multiple sources are claiming it, it feels awkward to believe that Apple will actually opt for a 5.8-inch display, given how much they had mocked large screen smartphones in the past. Nevertheless, some experts are of the opinion that the size of the largest variant of the iPhone 8 will not be a problem because of the "all-curve" display on it. Apparently, an "Edgeless" display that's curved on all the four sides will be making its way onto the iPhone 8 as well. We will find out what's what when the products are actually launched near the middle of 2017.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

Apple is one of the most reputed brands in the entire world, but lately, they have been facing a lot of criticism from fans and critics alike. In a recent update, we are hearing reports about a broken camera on some of the brand new iPhone 7 Plus models. The bad news is that the problem isn't even a software issue that can be patched with an update, but an actual problem with the camera hardware. On opening the camera app, the user would be greeted with either a black screen or a view finder that's severely tinted with the color green or purple. One report suggests that users are even seeing a "Emergency iPhone needs to cool down" message, even when the phone isn't showing any signs of heating.

How has Apple reacted to the problem? Well, at times they have replaced the entire phone, while at others they have simply replaced the faulty camera module at a Genius Bar. It would be interesting to see if Apple comes out with a public statement, addressing the problem. If you plan to pick up an iPhone 7 Plus or have already done so recently, keep an eye on the camera.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

According to a latest report by the Korea Herald, the Apple iPhone 8 will feature an "All-curved" OLED display. Now, we have seen the dual curved display from Samsung on the S7 Edge and we have also seen an almost bezel-less design for smartphones from the likes of the Xiaomi Mi Mix and the Honor Magic, but we are hearing about the "All-curved" display for the first time. Although it is only speculation at the moment, we are guessing that it CAN mean at least one variant of the iPhone 8 will feature an "edgeless" OLED display that's curved on all the four sides.

According to the report,

"The OLED version of the new iPhone will all be curved as Apple ordered all plastic OLED - not glass - from Samsung Display. Samsung is capable of supplying a little less than 100 million units of curved OLED displays to Apple," - The Korea Herald.

This basically presents two problems; a display that has no bezel and is curved on all sides can become very difficult to use without triggering unwanted responses from the phone. We are hoping that Apple will somehow improve on the inadequate palm rejection tech that's in place right now on curved phones such as the S7 Edge. Secondly, the fact that plastic OLED was chosen in place of glass may not sit well with Apple customers, if the material doesn't feel premium to the touch. What do you think about all this? Let us know in the comments.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)

It isn't very often that Apple finds itself on the receiving end of a lawsuit as it is usually they who are suing other OEMs. However, in a somewhat rare turn of events, Apple was sued earlier by the existing division of Nokia Corp. over patent infringements in Asia, Europe and the US. Although most people think that "Nokia" got sold off to Microsoft, the truth is that the Finnish company had only sold off its telecommunications business to the Windows giant in 2014 and not the entire company.

According to an official statement by Nokia on December 21, Apple has infringed on 40 of its patents, stretched over 11 countries all around the world. All of the infringements have been noted, and filed against the Cupertino giant in courts of both Germany and the United States. To top it off, Nokia has even highlighted the fact that Apple declined the company's offer to legally license a number of its patents concerned with Nokia's inventions and introductions to the industry. It would be interesting to see how Apple reacts to the lawsuits.

Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)