Apple reportedly held talks with Electronic Arts to acquire them along with Disney and Amazon. Electronic Arts contacted Apple and other companies to merge with them but there has since been no public statement released about the deal. The acquisition of Electronic Arts could be in Apple's interest since the company has been heavily focusing on expanding its services like Apple TV+, Apple News+, Apple Fitness, and their gaming service, Apple Arcade. If Apple does decide to acquire Electronic Arts, they will have access to multiple game titles like Apex Legends, FIFA, and SimCity, which are all popular game titles from the company which Apple could add to their Apple Arcade service. Many rumors in the past have suggested that Apple is planning to release a gaming console in the future to compete with PlayStation and Xbox, but it's still not clear if Apple is still planning to do so. Most games released on Apple Arcade are more geared towards iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV users. There were also rumors of Apple potentially making the Apple TV a future game console and releasing a new game controller. If acquired, Electronic Arts CEO, Andrew Wilson, still wants to remain as the head of the company, and make future decisions as well.

The iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max were unveiled by Apple in September and they might be the best iPhone Apple has released in a while. The iPhone 13 lineup finally got a smaller notch. The notch which was introduced with the iPhone X back in September 2017 remained for four years after its announcement. The camera module on the iPhone 13 is slightly larger this year and on the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 the camera lenses are diagonal instead of just being vertical. The new iPhone 13 has the new A15 Bionic Chip, but for the first time Apple introduced a better version of the A15 Bionic chip with faster performance on the Pro models instead of the lower end models. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro models have a better battery life this year with the new A15 Bionic chip. The iPhone 13 mini can last up to 7 hours on a single charge while the iPhone 13 can last up to 8 hours. On the Pro models the iPhone 13 Pro can last up to 8 hours on a single charge and the iPhone 13 Pro Max can last up to 10 hours. Another reason to get the new iPhone 13 Pro models is because of the display. The display on the iPhone 13 Pro models is a 120Hz OLED LTPO display. The Pro Motion display can go as low as 10Hz when the phone is on a still image and can go as high as a 120Hz when watching a video or playing an intense game. The display is also brighter than before. Finally, the cameras on the iPhone 13 models are amazing. The iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 have a dual lens camera with better low light performance and sensor shift stabilization which was previously only available on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Apple also introduced cinematic mode which is portrait mode for video on the new iPhone 13 models. On the other hand, the iPhone 13 Pro models are able to record Pro Res video in 4K. For this feature you would need to buy the 256GB and above storage option models. Users with the standard 128GB iPhone can still record Pro Res video, but only in 1080p. The iPhone 13 models are packed with features this year and is worth upgrading this year because of the new display, better camera, better battery life, and faster performance.

Apple is reportedly planning to switch to USB-C for future iPhone models, according to Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple already has a couple of products in their lineup which have the USB-C port like the iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini, and many Mac models, so there’s a possibility that we might see a USB-C port on a future iPhone model. Recent rumors suggest that we might see the new port on the iPhone 15 models. The lightning port does allow Apple to have some control over their products and allows them to license it to other manufacturers who would like to create accessories which use the lightning connector. The main reason behind the switch is how Apple is being forced by the European Union to put a USB-C port on the iPhone. The new legislation by the EU states that all smartphones sold in the EU should feature a USB-C port and if passed Apple will be forced to comply. There’s a possibility that Apple separately sells iPhones with USB-C for the EU or introduces them to the entire world. It’s not clear when we will get USB-C on the iPhone or if the iPhone will even switch to one yet.

If you’re in the market for a new Mac, chances are you haven’t been able to get your hands on one for a while due to long wait times. The reason behind the long wait times is because of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in China which has caused many lockdowns. One of Apple’s supply chains, Quanta, was only able to restore 30% of its production capacity at its Shanghai facility. To combat the long wait times Apple has switched its shipments from sea to air to make it faster to deliver products. Apple has also reported that the lockdowns in China and chip shortages is making it very difficult for them to meet customer demands.

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, Apple is looking to boost up production outside of China by looking for potential new supply chain partners in India and Vietnam. Apple has been looking for new manufacturers outside of China for a while but they were forced to pause any changes to their supply chain due to the pandemic. Apple has also struggled to find any other countries except China that has the facilities to fulfill their large scale orders in a cheap and efficient way. Foxconn, one of Apple’s largest manufacturing partners has opened up new facilities in India to diversify their production to different parts of the world. Apple is also looking to move production to Vietnam for some of their products. The transition to getting their supply chains to different parts of the country will take some time.

The third generation iPhone SE is the newest edition to Apple's iPhone lineup and it's also a great option for customers who would like to try out the iPhone for the first time but aren't willing to spend a lot for the premium flagship iPhones. Here's a quick rundown of features available on the third generation iPhone SE. Third generation iPhone SE features: 12MP Wide camera with Smart HDR 4 and 4K video up to 60 fps 7MP front facing camera with Smart HDR 4 and 1080p video recording New A15 Bionic chip found on iPhone 13 lineup Up to 15 hours of video playback on a single charge Support for 5G IP67 water resistance rating The design of the third generation iPhone SE is the same as the iPhone 8 and it still has the home button with Touch ID. It also has a small 4.7-inch LCD display and doesn't feature the OLED displays found on the flagship models. The iPhone 14 base model also only comes with 64GB of storage while the flagship iPhone 13 models come with 128GB of storage on the base models. Customers who should buy a third generation iPhone SE are those who are new to the Apple ecosystem since existing iPhone users won't get any huge upgrades from their existing iPhones by switching over. It's also worth it to note that Apple's upcoming iPhone 14 models will launch in September and buying an iPhone right now isn't probably the best decision since you will not want to miss out on the new models. We don't recommend that you purchase a third generation iPhone SE if you're an existing iPhone user since you won't see any massive differences between your previous iPhone and the newer models. It's definitely worth to wait a couple of months for the new iPhone 14 models or find another cheaper alternative like the iPhone 11 or iPhone 12 models which are still available to purchase from Apple and are great options. If you're looking to purchase the third generation iPhone SE, it retails for $429 and you can buy it in Midnight, Product Red, and Starlight color options. It's also available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB storage options.

Welcome to the first article of The Apple Square Stories, a new weekly newsletter which highlights top stories from the week. Here are this week's top stories from The Apple Square. Google opens up its Bay View headquarters which is the first ever campus designed by Google The company opened up its doors to the new office this week after announcing the project back in 2013. The building itself has a unique design and also has many features which makes it eco-friendly. New HomePod model is coming by the end of this year In a new report from Ming Chi Kuo he claims that Apple is working on a new HomePod model which could launch as early as this year. New 27-inch display from Apple delayed till October In a new report from Apple display analyst Ross Young, he claims that several factors including COVID-19 has caused Apple to push back the launch of the new 27-inch display. Is it the right time to buy an iPhone 13 with the iPhone 14 right around the corner. With new rumors about the iPhone 14 popping up every week now its hard to decide whether you should wait for the iPhone 14 or just buy the iPhone 13. Learn more about what we think you should do.

Ecobee announced their new Smart Thermostat Premium which is compatible with HomeKit and has a variety of new features for your home. The thermostat is very similar to the Nest thermostat offered by Google. The design is also meant to be premium and will go well with anything inside your house. The thermostat comes with Ecobee’s Smart Sensor which is used to measure the temperature of your house and provide you with a more precise reading. You can also put it wherever your like around the house. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium also has support for Siri. You can tell Siri on your Apple devices or HomePod to set the temperature to cool or heat and also tell Siri to turn off or on the thermostat. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat is now available now for purchase.

Logitech has a great option for users who are looking for HomeKit compatible devices such as video doorbells. The Logitech Circle View doorbell retails for $199 and is available to purchase on Apple’s website under HomeKit accessories. It has a variety of features that Apple HomeKit users will love like display who’s at your front door on your Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other Apple devices. This doorbell is a great buy for users who want to have smart home products which are compatible with HomeKit at their house.

A second charge has been filed against Apple for union busting at Apple World Trade Center store in New York. The union is claimed to be started because of the low wages which employees were receiving even as inflation caused prices to go up. There are also other working condition issues in the retail environment which are persuading Apple employees to join efforts to unionize. The first charge against Apple for union busting was made by an Apple store in Atlanta for violating the National Labor Relations Act while trying to disrupt the unionization efforts. It’s not clear if Apple will try to cooperate with employees who are pushing to unionize or take the busting down approach and get confrontational.

Image: Getty Images Twitter stock rose by 3% as the company claimed that they were still in talks with Elon Musk about his acquisition deal of the company to their employees reported by Bloomberg. In recent tweets from Elon Musk, he claimed multiple times that his acquisition of Twitter was on hold and that the deal might not go through. This comes after a statement from Twitter where they claim only less than 5% of its accounts are fake accounts operated by bots when Musk claims that 20% of the company has fake accounts operated by bots. Tesla just recently lost about $400 billion in market value and Musk was planning to put $10 billion of his stake in the company to buying Twitter. Twitter still believes Musk will acquire the company and is still discussing the deal and fixed purchase price with him.

Google finally opened its doors to its new headquarters designed by Google called Bay View campus after debuting the project back in 2013. The new campus is very different from your traditional office building and might be even cooler than Apple’s big circle building which looks like a spaceship at Apple Park. One noticeable feature of the building is the dragon scales like roof which can be viewed from the top of the building. This roof is made up of 90,000 solar panels capable of generating a whopping seven megawatts of energy. The office is also filled with automated window shades which will let a lot of natural light in during the day and also serves as a ventilation system which drags in 100% of the air from outside the campus. It’s not clear if employees will still return to working in person since Google has transitioned their team to work in a hybrid model where they will only have to show up to the campus a few days a week. It also might be hard to get most employees to come back since most are pushing for work from home.