Apple to Provide iPhone 12 Software Update in France to Settle Radiation Row

A man looks at Apple iPhones at a shop in Bilbao, Spain, September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Vincent West
A man looks at Apple iPhones at a shop in Bilbao, Spain, September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Vincent West
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Apple to Provide iPhone 12 Software Update in France to Settle Radiation Row

A man looks at Apple iPhones at a shop in Bilbao, Spain, September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Vincent West
A man looks at Apple iPhones at a shop in Bilbao, Spain, September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Vincent West

Apple said on Friday it would issue a software update for iPhone 12 users in France, in what seemed to offer a way out of a row with French regulators which had ordered the suspension of the phone's sale due to breaches of radiation exposure limits.

"We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators. We look forward to iPhone 12 continuing to be available in France," Apple said in a statement.

"This is related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern," it said.

The French ANFR regulator is preparing to rapidly test this software update, which would eventually bring the model into compliance with European standards applied in France, and lift the marketing withdrawal, French Digital Affairs Minister Jean Noel Barrot's ministry said in a statement.



Germany Says Aims to be World Leader in Quantum Technologies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
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Germany Says Aims to be World Leader in Quantum Technologies

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stands next to a Quantum system during the inauguration of IBM's quantum data center at the IBM Campus in Ehningen, southern Germany, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by SILAS STEIN / AFP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to support the development of quantum technologies, saying at the opening of an IBM data center on Tuesday that investment in the sector was crucial for the future of Europe's biggest economy.

"Our goal is clear: to be global leader in quantum technologies," said Scholz, adding Germany had invested 2 billion euros ($2.22 billion) on quantum technology since 2020.

"This is the basis of our economic success and prosperity," he said at the opening of IBM's Quantum European Data Center in Ehningen, a roughly 290-million-euro investment. The center will allow users in Europe and elsewhere to access services for cloud-based quantum computing research, Reuters reported.

Quantum computers could operate millions of times faster than advanced supercomputers. So far, the United States and China have led the technology.

Other projects in Germany include the joint development of quantum processors by Infineon and eleQtron GmbH.
Scholz said Germany was focused on semiconductors, AI, pharmaceuticals and bio- and climate technologies.
"These are the areas we need to lead," said Scholz.