Apple

European Commission anti-trust regulator Margrethe Vestager tweeted that "consumers are losing out".

It relates to charges brought two years ago by music streaming app Spotify which claimed that Apple was stifling innovation in that industry.

Apple faces a large fine and may be forced to change its policies if its arguments do not convince regulators.

Previously it has denied any wrong-doing.

A computer-chip shortage has been accelerated primarily by pandemic-driven disruptions over the past year.

Industries around the world are struggling to meet a surge in demand for products such as cars, high-tech gadgets and smartphones.

And Apple chief executive Tim Cook says supply issues could affect products that feature its own M1 chip, which include the new iPad Pro and iMac 2021.

The shortage could threaten Apple's profits, which it revealed on Wednesday were up 54% year-on-year.

"The shortages primarily affect ‌iPad‌ and Mac.

Quanta Computer is a manufacturer of many flagship Apple products, including its MacBook line.

The hackers, known as Revil, have published stolen blueprints for unreleased products, and are threatening to release more.

Taiwanese officials said they are "taking an initial step to look into and understand" the incident.

It is being handled by the Ministry of Justice's investigation bureau.

On their darknet website, the anonymous hackers are attempting to extort a ransom from Apple directly, writing: "We recommended that Apple buy back available data by 1 May."

Thirty-three US states claimed that Apple had done this to drive users into buying new devices.

Millions of people were affected when the models of iPhone 6 and 7 and SE were slowed down in 2016 in a scandal that was dubbed batterygate.

Apple declined to comment, however, it has previously said the phones were slowed to preserve aging battery life.

The deal is separate from a proposed settlement Apple reached in March to pay affected iPhone owners up to $500m in a class action lawsuit.

The company has also extended the range to include a new "Mini" model that has a smaller 5.4in screen.

The US firm bucked a wider industry downturn by increasing its handset sales over the past year.

But some experts say the new features give Apple its best opportunity for growth since 2014, when it revamped its line-up with the iPhone 6.

"5G will bring a new level of performance for downloads and uploads, higher quality video streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity and so much more," said chief executive Tim Cook.

Amazon sales soared 40% in the three months ending June, while Apple saw a surge in purchases of its iPhones and other hardware.

At Facebook, the number of people on its platforms, which include WhatsApp and Instagram, jumped by 15%.

The gains come as the firms face scrutiny over their size and power.

At a hearing in Washington on Wednesday, lawmakers grilled the companies about whether they were abusing their dominance to quash rivals, noting the sharp contrast between their fortunes and many other firms.

The updates, announced at Apple (AAPL)'s annual Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, highlight the company's continued effort to insert itself into seemingly every corner of our lives, from our cars and living rooms to our personal health, while also confronting the potential for app fatigue more than a decade after the App Store launched.

The firm said more than 85% of that figure occurred via transactions from which it did not take a commission.

The announcement comes at a time Apple and other US tech giants are facing increased anti-competition scrutiny.

A leading developer has also called on the iPhone-maker to lower the fees it charges, ahead of its annual developers' conference next week.

An Apple representative told the BBC that it was proud of the commerce that it had enabled and welcomed scrutiny of its App Store.

The Mobility Trends Report produces three daily percentage figures, showing how many fewer people are driving, walking and using public transport compared with on 13 January, before the coronavirus lockdowns came into effect.

It covers major cities and national figures for 63 countries. Hong Kong is included but not mainland China.

It follows a similar effort by Google.

They hope to initially help third-party contact-tracing apps run efficiently.

But ultimately, they aim to do away with the need to download dedicated apps, to encourage the practice.

The two companies believe their approach - designed to keep users, whose participation would be voluntary, anonymous - addresses privacy concerns.

Their contact-tracing method would work by using a smartphone's Bluetooth signals to determine to whom the owner had recently been in proximity for long enough to have established contagion a risk.