Syria Reportedly Bans iPhones; Apple Employee Fired for Badmouthing Co. on Facebook

Every week, makes news with technology developments, business deals and, more often than not, controversies.

That’s where our weekly "Core Bytes" column on Apple comes in. We’ll relay the past week’s news highlights from our favorite backyard tech giant.

Controversies
Syrian authorities have banned the use of iPhones (but not other smartphones, apparently). The move comes as the country tries to stymie protesters attempting to oust president Bashar Assad. Activists are being given notices that read: "The authorities warn anyone against using the iPhone in Syria," according to Lebanese website El Nashara.

Apple confirmed that it will remove the controversial Carrier IQ, which stores cellphone data and sends it to service providers, from future software. Around the world, governmental agencies such as Germany’s Bavarian State Authority for Data Protection, have begun questioning Apple about the privacy concerns the software could pose.

Some pro-choice activists have claimed that Siri of the iPhone 4S (or its developers) has an anti-abortion bias. When they asked to find an abortion clinic, Siri directed them to a “Crisis Pregnancy Center”, which advise women to carry out their pregnancies. Yet there is no bias, say developers, just a tech glitch.

A U.K. Apple employee was fired because he ranted about his job via his Facebook page. While his profile was set to private, a friend passed on the comments to Apple’s management. The company said the comments violated their social media policy about negative comments, and a tribunal upheld the decision.

Australians who wish to purchase Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 will have to wait a little longer. Apple has won a one-week extension of the Samsung tablet ban, which has been in effect since Oct. 12. Apple claims its fellow smartphone giant has infringed on two of its patents related to touchscreen and multitouch.

New Products
Is Apple taking a lead from James Cameron? In the future, your smiley emoticons may look like no other than yourself. Apple just applied for a patent for avatar emoticons, faces derived from images of their users.

Business Deals and Developments
Apple is confirmed to hit the Big Apple: it will open a new store in New York City’s Grand Central Station on Dec. 9, costing the company about $800,000 for the first year. The move comes even as New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is investigating the Metropolitan Transit Agency’s (MTA) lease: apparently Apple will be paying $60 per square foot, while other tenants pay upwards of $200.

Could the Kindle Fire pose competition for Apple’s iPad? Some analysts think so, as it has already secured the number two spot in worldwide media tablet sales in the fourth quarter just two weeks after its launch. Yet Apple still holds a 65.6 percent market share of tablet shipments.