Linked List: September 10, 2024

Tuesday, 10 September 2024

Apple Told to Pay Ireland €13 Billion in Tax by EU ★

BBC News:

Apple has been ordered to pay Ireland €13bn (£11bn; $14bn) in unpaid taxes by Europe’s top court, putting an end to an eight-year row.

The European Commission accused Ireland of giving Apple illegal tax advantages in 2016, but Ireland has consistently argued against the need for the tax to be paid.

The Irish government said it would respect the ruling.

Apple said it was disappointed with the decision and accused the European Commission of “trying to retroactively change the rules”.

Ireland doesn’t want the money:

The Irish government has argued that Apple should not have to repay the back taxes, deeming that its loss was worth it to make the country an attractive home for large companies.

What a great win for Margrethe Vestager, making clear to the world that the EU is hostile to successful companies. Good job.

Good Riddance to Apple’s FineWoven Cases ★

Juli Clover, reporting for MacRumors:

Apple today discontinued its ill-received FineWoven material, introducing no new cases that use the leather replacement. The company has also removed existing FineWoven iPhone cases for older devices from its website, though FineWoven versions of the MagSafe Wallet and AirTag Key Ring continue to be available.

You know what’s a great material for phone cases? Leather. Apple is so damn good at material engineering — I truly expect them to, sooner rather than later, come up with a leather-like non-leather that’s as good or better than actual leather. But FineWoven sure as shit wasn’t it.

Update: Also, Apple is still using FineWoven for watch bands, with, of course, updated colors. It really was just the FineWoven iPhone cases that people complained about — the material seems fine (sorry) for these other products.

New Building at Apple Park: The Observatory ★

My iPhones 16 briefing yesterday was at this new building. It is very nice. A little cozy — it’s not that big. Great light, and from the main room, a splendid view of the main building. Restroom doors are like bank vault doors.