EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED WITH APPLE IN DECEMBER

Apple Music expandsAccording to Nielsen, Apple Music had 54.5 million average monthly users in 2015 (while official subscriber numbers are around 15 million). Additionally, rumors surfaced in December that Apple Music will offer a Hi-Res Audio format in 2016. On top of all that, Apple Music (and its competitors) added streaming for the The Beatles this month.

Image credit: Apple.

Samsung pays upEarlier this month, Samsung agreed to pay Apple $548 million for infringing on design and technology patents. Apple is going after an additional $179 million in damages and interest payments as well. While Samsung is paying up, the company is still appealing other Apple lawsuits, and could eventually get this money back if it wins.

Image credit: Apple and Samsung.

Apple and Ericsson come to an agreementEricsson and Apple inked a new patent agreement this month for 2G, 3G, and LTE patents. The new deal essentially gives Ericsson about 0.5% of iPad and iPhone revenue, according to investment bank ABG Sundal Collier. Image credit: Apple.

More 4-inch iPhone rumorsA presentation image from Chinese wireless carrier China Mobile revealed that Apple is planning a product launch in April. The image was first published by MyDrivers, and while it doesn’t prove Apple will definitely release a device soon, it does match up with other rumors about a new, 4-inch iPhone model that will launch in the spring.

Apple Pay growsApple announced this month that it’s made a deal with UnionPay to bring Apple Pay to China next year. It’s a significant move considering that China is the world’s largest smartphone market. Additionally, Apple also added more than 100 U.S. financial institutions for Apple Pay this month. Image credit: Apple.

Leadership changesApple made a handful of major leadership changes this month as it named Jeff Williams as the company’s chief operating officer, and Johny Srouji moved into Apple’s senior VP of hardware technologies position. Additionally, Tor Myhren joined Apple as the vice president of marketing communications, and prominent Apple exec Phil Schiller was given control over the App Store.

Image credit: Apple.

Apple expands its footprintThis month, Apple bought a former Qualcomm lab in Taiwan, which a Bloomberg article says the company will use to produce thinner, lighter, and more energy efficient products. Qualcomm formerly used the lab to develop low-power displays. Apple also purchased a small chip fabrication building in San Jose for $18.2 million, which could be used for additional chip research and development.

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