Apple has been fined $506 million by a federal jury in Texas for “willfully” infringing a total of five patents on cellular standards. The lawsuit was filed by a group of companies including PanOptics and Optis Wireless Technology over a year ago; it claimed Apple owed them royalties for violating several patents on LTE technology.
The court concluded Apple’s arguments were insufficient and that the infringement was willful, according to a Bloomberg report, which means the fine’s amount could be upped by as much as threefold later.
Apple told Bloomberg it plans to appeal the decision. “Lawsuits like this by companies who accumulate patents simply to harass the industry only serve to stifle innovation and harm consumers,” the company added in a statement.
The lawsuit primarily concerns standard patents that enable a handful of essential cellular functions and targets the use of LTE technology in the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad. PanOptics said that it offered Apple a “global license” for the LTE-related patents. Despite trying to repeatedly negotiate with the Cupertino, California-based company, they couldn’t enter an agreement.
In its defense, Apple argued that by bundling LTE capabilities in its products, it doesn’t necessarily violate these patents. The company also tried to push the hearing back to October due to coronavirus concerns but was denied by the court. Notably, this was the first in-person patent trial since the pandemic hit.
As it stands, Apple will have to pay at least a sum of $506.2 million to Optis Wireless and its related companies. We’ve reached out to Apple for further clarification on its arguments against PanOptics’ patent claims and we’ll update the story when we hear back.
Apple is currently in the middle of another lawsuit in Texas with pioneer audio manufacturer Koss, who has accused it of violating patents on wireless headphone technology. Earlier this week, Apple countersued Koss alleging baseless claims and a breach of a confidentiality agreement.
Apple has faced several fines over the last couple of months. In March, It was hit by a record $1.2 billion fine by French antitrust authorities for unlawfully limiting wholesalers’ ability to sell Apple products. A few weeks before that, Apple agreed to a $500 million settlement for throttling older iPhones.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
Merely days after the iPhone Duo hit the shelves, images of broken screens on the phone started popping up across social media. Until now, it’s been unclear what’s causing the line of defective pixels that appears vertically along the crease, as well as horizontally, on the phone’s inner display.
Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.