The next Apple Watch could connect directly to cell phone networks, allowing it to do more things without a nearby iPhone, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
Why it matters: Adding a cellular connection would add cost and hurt battery life, but would allow the watch to do things like download music and send messages without relying on a phone. Apple could well offer the watch in both Wi-Fi only and cellular versions, as it does with the iPad.
Separating the Apple Watch from the iPhone would be a "game changer," one analyst told Bloomberg. "If they could deliver an experience that isn't tethered to an iPhone, it could kick start a new direction for the business," said Gene Munster, co-founder of Loup Ventures.
Also: Bloomberg says that the cellular-capable Apple Watch will use a modem from Intel, rather than longtime supplier Qualcomm, with whom Apple is engaged in a bitter patent dispute.
Despite Waymo's objections, Uber insists that it should be able to present evidence that a former employee downloaded an alleged 14,000 proprietary files for reasons tied to his compensation bonus while working at Waymo.
Why it matters: Waymo has filed a lawsuit against the ride-hailing company alleging that it's using secrets stolen by a former employee, Anthony Levandowski, whose startup Uber acquired last last year. This is one of Uber's arguments to defend itself against the accusation that it acquired Levandowski's company knowing that he had the proprietary files and plotted to use Waymo's technology to get ahead in the self-driving car race.
