PC Shipments Level, But May Drop Off; Verizon Filter App Blocks Spoofed Area Codes; Google Fighting EU Antitrust Fine; LiDAR Will Stay Exclusive on iPhone 13 Pros

According to IDC’s tracker, global PC shipments have remained steady in the 2nd quarter. ZDnet.com says worldwide PC shipments hit 83.6 million units in Q2 of 2021, a 13% increase from Q2 of 2020. The data points to things tapering off, however. As some people head back to offices, the home component…pushed by needs for newer and more powerful laptops as people worked from home…will drop. The top 5 maker remained Lenovo (25.2% market share), with HP second, Dell at #3, and Apple and Acer coming in at #4 and #5. 

In a plus for people who hate spam calls from spoofed cell numbers (that’s ALL of us!), Verizon has updated its free Call Filter app with a so-called ‘Neighborhood Filter’ that blocks calls from numbers that share your area code and prefix. According to engadget.com, when scammers try to use the spoof now, it goes directly to voicemail. You can specify other neighborhood numbers if you know scam artists use them, but doing that will run you an extra $3 per month for Call Filter Plus. Obviously, you can make exceptions. The software automatically does that with numbers in your contact list. You can also teach it to let through future calls from a number you want to hear from. the app is out now on both Android and iOS.

Alphabet’s Google division will go to court to try and overturn a 4.34 billion Euro ($5.15 billion) antitrust fine imposed by the EU. Reuters.com reports that the fine came in an EU Commission decision in 2018 that held that Google had used its popular Android mobile operating system to thwart rivals, an anti-competitive practice dating from 2011. Android runs on some 80% of the world’s smartphones. The hearing is set for September 27th in Luxembourg.

A leak picked up by 9to5mac.com says the iPhone 13s coming out in September will not see the LiDAR trickle down to the lower line models. It will stay an exclusive feature on the Pro and Pro Max. Earlier this year, leakers had picked up on Apple wanting to offer it across the entire iPhone 13 Line, but apparently not this year. Late rumors (and dummy models) indicate that the Pro models will pick up a better ultra-wide lens. Again, a rumor persists that there will be a smaller notch at the top of the screen….but we’ve heard that for the last 4 years…don’t hold your breath!