Google put an eleven-figure price tag on being the go-to search tool on Apple’s Safari browser. Court documents from the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Google reveal that company parent Alphabet paid the iPhone maker $20 billion in 2022 to be its default search engine, Bloomberg reports. The disclosure, made by Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue, was the first confirmation of the exact dollar figure paid by Google to maintain its search engine dominance on the browser. The New York Times had [previously reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/technology/google-apple-search-spotlight.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share) that Google paid Apple about $18 billion in 2021 to keep Google’s search engine as the default option on iPhones. Antitrust and adaptation ------------------------ Google’s relationship with Apple, which **is** at the center of the lawsuit, has proven to run particularly deep. The filings also reveal that in 2020, Google’s payments to Apple made up 17.5% of the company’s operating income — no small slice of Apple’s cash flow. The Department of Justice and several U.S. states [filed its lawsuit](https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/1329131/dl?inline) against Google in 2020, accusing the tech giant of building an illegal monopoly in the search engine and advertising markets, primarily through multi-billion dollar deals paid out to browser companies, like Apple and others. Google has maintained that people use its search engine because it’s a useful product. After three years, the trial began in September, with concluding arguments slated for Thursday and Friday. The unsealed documents also show that Apple was fielding several potentially lucrative proposals for its browser’s coveted default slot: Microsoft offered Apple 90% of its advertising revenue in 2020 to make its search engine, Bing, Safari’s default, Bloomberg reported. Google had a search engine market share of almost 92% as of February, according to [data from Oberlo](https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/search-engine-market-share#:~:text=As%20of%20February%202024%2C%20Google,desktops%2C%20tablets%2C%20and%20smartphones.). Its share hasn’t dropped below 90% since 2014, and it has been the top search engine for the better part of two decades. But Prabhakar Raghavan, a senior vice president at Google who oversees search, ads, commerce, payments, and other key areas, warned employees last week that times have changed for the search giant. The company, he added, [needs to “twitch faster”](https://qz.com/google-alphabet-growth-prabhakar-raghavan-1851429513) to adapt to the new market.

174005505 story [](//apple.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=apple) Posted by msmash on Wednesday May 29, 2024 @03:20PM from the up-next dept. Apple is seeking a senior engineer to [help build a television and sports app for Android](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-29/apple-signals-that-it-s-working-on-tv-app-for-android-phones), a sign the company is finally bringing its TV+ service to the rival smartphone platform. From a report: _In a job listing published in recent days, Apple said it's looking for someone to lead the development of "fun new features" and "help build an application used by millions to watch and discover TV and sports." The move suggests that the company is looking to gain market share in video streaming -- and is setting aside its rivalry with Android in order to chase additional users. It's rare for Apple to develop software for Google's Android, which competes with its iOS platform. The TV+ service, launched in 2019, is Apple's answer to Netflix or Disney+, and the company has spent heavily on feeding it with original content._

One of Apple’s major challengers in the Chinese market is nearing a billion active users amid ongoing U.S. sanctions on its technology. Huawei has [reached 900 million active consumer devices](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-21/huawei-mobile-devices-near-a-billion-as-apple-rivalry-heats-up?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&utm_content=business&cmpid=socialflow-twitter-business&utm_source=twitter&embedded-checkout=true&sref=P6Q0mxvj) with the company’s Harmony operating software, said consumer chairman Richard Yu, according to Bloomberg. He added that the company’s premium smartphone sales have risen 72% in the first five months of the year. Since fully releasing its Mate 60 Pro smartphone series in September, Huawei has experienced a [resurgence in China](https://qz.com/huawei-beats-apple-makes-huge-profits-china-sanctions-1851445476). In April, Huawei reported a net profit of 19.6 billion yuan, or $2.7 million, in the first quarter — [up 564% from the previous year](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-30/huawei-profit-surges-564-as-it-eclipses-apple-in-china?sref=P6Q0mxvj). It also reported a 37% rise in sales to 178.8 billion yuan, or $24.7 billion. Huawei has put HarmonyOS in other devices, including watches and TVs, over the years, which [helped it overtake Apple’s operating system by Chinese market share](https://www.counterpointresearch.com/insights/global-smartphone-os-market-share/) in the first quarter of this year, according to Counterpoint Research. The Mate 60 Pro is powered by the Kirin 9000s chip, which uses advanced 7-nanometer processing technology. The processor was made by top Chinese chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC). Both the smartphone and chip were considered a feat for Huawei, which has been on the U.S. trade blacklist since 2019. However, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in April that [the chip “is not nearly as good” and “years behind”](https://qz.com/china-huawei-chip-us-sanctions-gina-raimondo-1851425501) advanced chips produced in the U.S. Yu said Huawei will release a successor to the Mate 60 Pro, the Mate 70, at the end of the year, Bloomberg reported. He also said Huawei’s Ascend processors, which the company’s developing as an alternative to advanced chips from firms such as Nvidia, are 1.1 times more effective in training AI models compared to chips made by unspecified competitors.

 Apple has finally reversed its iPhone sales slump in China. According to Jefferies analysts, Apple’s new iPhone discounts have helped the company turn around its underperformance in the Chinese smartphone market, and its iPhone sales outperformed Google and Huawei devices during an annual Chinese shopping festival. 618 is China’s month-long online shopping festival ending June 18. Even though [the festival itself wasn’t as popular for Chinese shoppers this year](https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/chinas-retail-outlook-dims-after-mid-year-shopping-festival-flop-2024-06-24/), Apple came out of it shining. Apple’s China iPhone sales for the five week period before and after the festival — beginning four weeks prior to June 18 and ending one week after, to account for delivery times — grew in the high single digits from last year, while Google and Huawei smartphone sales grew in the mid-single digits, Jefferies analysts said. “We believe if iPhone discounts continue to stay aggressive, its market share will likely have limited downside,” they wrote in a research note June 30. “Between now and the launch of iPhone 16 (end of Sep), we believe iPhone discounts will remain heavier than those of Android flagship as Apple will likely need to defend \[its\] market share.” [Apple had its worst performance in smartphone sales in the first quarter of 2024](https://qz.com/apple-iphone-smartphone-sales-slump-covid-samsung-1851410066) since the pandemic, selling nearly 10% fewer iPhones globally than the same period in 2023. That poor showing reflected [its downturn in China](https://qz.com/apple-iphone-sales-china-huawei-vivo-1851308057) since releasing the iPhone 15 last September. The tech giant started offering discounts on its iPhones in the country in January and [cut prices way further in May](https://qz.com/apple-iphone-discounts-price-cuts-sales-china-tim-cook-1851487691). Apple’s launch of its AI project [Apple Intelligence is expected to boost iPhone sales by a lot](https://qz.com/apple-ai-smartphones-intelliphones-will-dominate-mark-1851507087) in the future. [Apple Intelligence will bring a host of AI-powered tools](https://qz.com/apple-wwdc-live-updates-reveal-ai-features-strategy-iph-1851529951) to its cell phones, including a major update to its voice assistant Siri. And [Apple is partnering with OpenAI](https://qz.com/apple-openai-partnership-chatgpt-iphone-ipad-1851530584) to put ChatGPT on its devices. Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.

In a new analysis, research firm Bernstein challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding Apple's iPhone sales fluctuations, arguing that perceived market share shifts between Apple and Android devices are largely illusory. The report, which Bernstein sent to its clients, contends that the majority of iPhone buyers are existing users upgrading their devices, rather than switchers from Android platforms. Bernstein posits that year-to-year changes in iPhone unit sales are predominantly driven by Apple's upgrade rates within its established user base. This dynamic creates the appearance of significant market share gains or losses, particularly in China, where consumers are highly sensitive to new features. The analyst notes that upgrade cycles in China tend to be more pronounced than in other markets, leading to exaggerated perceptions of market share volatility. He suggests that the company's struggles in the region are more likely attributed to poor upgrade rates within its existing customer base rather than a mass exodus to competitors like Huawei.

If Apple really does come out with a foldable smartphone, it’ll be late to the party—but will somehow arrive just as the real fun is starting.  Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images The Android world has enjoyed [folding smartphones](https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-folding-phones/) for six years, but Apple stans may soon be able to take part—a folding [iPhone](https://www.wired.com/gallery/iphone-buying-guide/) might arrive in 2026, according to [a report from The Information](https://www.theinformation.com/articles/apple-moves-forward-with-foldable-iphone). The project, codenamed V68, is in early development and there's no guarantee it will come to fruition, but the report says it has moved past the conceptual stage and suppliers are involved. This would be Apple's first major design change to its flagship product since the [iPhone X](https://www.wired.com/2017/11/review-iphone-x/) in 2017. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report of a folding iPhone. Apple's move comes at a time when the popularity of folding smartphones is soaring across the world. Analytics firm Counterpoint Research reports that the folding phone market [grew by 49 percent year over year](https://www.counterpointresearch.com/insights/global-foldable-smartphone-market-q1-2024) in the first quarter of 2024, its highest rate of increase in six quarters. Shipments of iPhones were [down 13 percent in the first quarter year over year](https://www.counterpointresearch.com/insights/apple-iphone-market-share-quarter/), so a folding iPhone just might be what Apple needs to boost sales. But foldables aren't just more popular—they're more mature too. The latest models are far more refined and more durable than the clumsy early attempts. Samsung has spent the past six years publicly tweaking its folding smartphones—every year has brought small changes to the [Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip series](https://www.wired.com/review/samsung-galaxy-z-fold6-and-galaxy-z-flip6/), improving the durability of the screen and the reliability of the hinge. These were the biggest failings of the form factor in the early days of foldables, but advances in glass technology and hinge engineering have brought 2024's folding devices ever closer to a level of quality that matches what's expected of a [traditional smartphone](https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-android-phones/). Samsung's latest models have [IP48 water- and dust-resistance ratings](https://www.wired.com/story/ip-ratings-explained/), and while it's still not as dust-resistant as its nonfolding counterparts, it's one step bringing it closer. Samsung may have the longest track record, but competition is at the heels, with [Huawei](https://www.wired.com/tag/huawei/) and [Motorola](https://www.wired.com/review/motorola-razr-and-razr-2024/) lobbing off large chunks of Samsung's market share, and new devices from [OnePlus](https://www.wired.com/review/oneplus-open/) and [Google](https://www.wired.com/review/google-pixel-fold/) vying for consumer's attention. That means there's more manufacturing capability to craft these folding phones, though they remain expensive—while Motorola offers a $700 folding flip phone, Samsung just raised the [price of its handsets](https://www.wired.com/story/samsung-galaxy-unpacked-july-2024-flip6-fold6-galaxy-ring/). All this action in the market makes it the perfect time for Apple to join the folding fray. Apple has reportedly tested products in two sizes, but this greenlit project is for a folding flip phone, much like the Razr from Motorola or Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip6. These kinds of flip phones allow you to enjoy a full-size smartphone, and then fold it in half to stuff it in a pocket or bag. You get the same smartphone experience but in a tiny package. There's usually an external “cover screen,” and you can imagine Apple will likely create a way to access notifications, widgets, and even Siri (with its upcoming [AI-infused improvements](https://www.wired.com/story/everything-apple-announced-wwdc-2024/)) there. There's likely not much that Apple has to worry about on the developer front in terms of app compatibility—the company has been laying the groundwork for apps to resize and work on any Apple platform ever since the introduction of the [M1 chipset in the MacBook Air](https://www.wired.com/review/macbook-air-m1-2020/). iPhone apps are [now available on Mac](https://www.wired.com/story/wwdc-2018-federighi-ios-apps-on-macos/), and the Vision Pro headset can run mobile apps. Apps on iPad can enjoy [Mac-like interfaces](https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-use-stage-manager-with-ipad-and-mac/) to take advantage of the tablet's larger screen. This doesn't affect a fliplike folding phone, but should Apple decide to announce a booklike folding phone, like the iPad-shaped Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold6, there should be a wide number of apps ready to take advantage of the increased screen real estate. But starting with a flip phone makes sense for Apple as the design choice inherently solves the problem of a Too Big phone in a Too Small pocket. These phones are also cute and retro, and I can imagine celebrities will hop on the bandwagon immediately—after all, Motorola already got [Paris Hilton to DJ](https://www.wired.com/story/motorola-razr-and-razr-plus-2024/) its launch event and show off its new Razr+. Apple has a history of coming into an established market late, releasing a more mature product that feels informed by the hits and the misses of what's come before it. But also, expectations around foldables have been set in the minds of the buying public, so it will be interesting to see what Apple will drum up to make its late-to-the-game flip stand out. The Information's report mentioned the potential of a superslim device that’s no thicker than a normal iPhone when folded. I can already imagine accessing Apple's Voice Memos on a compact folded iPhone and having Apple Intelligence transcribe and summarize the recording. The market is ripe for a folding iPhone. Just brace yourself for the price—there's little doubt that it will be _very_ high.

**Check out Shift, the best new browser for managing all your apps. [Download Shift for Free](https://shift.com/?utm_source=sourceforge&utm_medium=unitad&utm_campaign=1024)** One window for everything you do on the internet. The first browser to integrate your web apps into one seamless experience. × 175266613 story [](//apple.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=apple) Posted by msmash on Wednesday October 16, 2024 @05:20PM from the slow-progress dept. Apple's [$3,499 Vision Pro](https://apple.slashdot.org/story/23/06/05/1845237/apple-vision-pro-is-apples-new-ar-headset) is [struggling to attract major software-makers](https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/apple-headset-stalls-struggles-to-attract-killer-apps-in-first-year/ar-AA1sblax) to develop apps for the device, a challenge that threatens to slow the progress of the company's biggest new product in a decade. WSJ: _New apps released on the Vision Pro every month have slowed since its launch in January. Some of the most successful virtual-reality software developers have so far opted not to build apps for the headset. Without enough killer apps, certain users have found the device less useful and are opting to sell it. "It's a chicken-or-egg problem," said Bertrand Nepveu, who previously worked on the Vision Pro at Apple and is now an investor in this area at Triptyq Capital. Nepveu and app developers think Apple should fund app makers to give them an incentive to port over their existing apps from other headsets or to develop fresh content. This practice has become common in the industry, with headset leader Meta Platforms funding many developers and even buying several app makers. The social-media company is a formidable competitor to Apple, with a market share of all headsets reaching 74% in the second quarter this year, according to Counterpoint Research._

Experience faster, smoother browsing with built-in features like a free VPN, ad blocker, and AI tools—get the Opera web browser and redefine how you explore the web! [**Download for FREE here**](https://www.opera.com/partner?utm_medium=pb&utm_source=sourceforge&utm_campaign=testdecember) Try it for free today. × 175815927 story [](//apple.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=china)[ ](//apple.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=iphone)[](//apple.slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=apple) Posted by msmash on Thursday January 02, 2025 @05:00AM from the whatever-floats-the-boat dept. Apple is [offering rare discounts](https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-offers-iphone-discounts-china-competition-intensifies-2025-01-02/) of up to 500 yuan ($68.50) on its latest iPhone models in China, as the U.S. tech giant moves to defend its market share against rising competition from domestic rivals like Huawei. From a report: _The four-day promotion, running from Jan. 4-7, applies to several iPhone models when purchased using specific payment methods, according to its website. The flagship iPhone 16 Pro with a starting price of 7,999 yuan and the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a starting price of 9,999 yuan will see the highest discount of 500 yuan. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will receive a 400 yuan reduction. The discounts come as consumers remain cautious with spending amid China's slowing economy and deflationary pressures, with the country's consumer inflation hitting a five-month low in November._

Apple ([AAPL\-2.83%](https://qz.com/quote/AAPL)) is giving its Chinese customers a discount on iPhones as it [competes with homegrown rivals](https://qz.com/apple-losing-huawei-china-smartphone-iphone-ai-market-1851672936) such as Huawei. The iPhone maker is offering a [discount of up to 500 Chinese yuan](https://www.apple.com.cn/iphone/), or $68.50, on its latest iPhone models when customers use “eligible payment methods,” according to the Apple website. The 500 yuan discount applies to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, while the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be discounted by 400 yuan during the promotion, which runs from January 4 to 7. In the third quarter of last year, Apple [re-entered the top five smartphone makers](https://qz.com/apple-china-smartphone-market-share-huawei-iphone-16-1851681264) in the Chinese market, capturing a 15.6% share and coming in second place, according to [data](https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prAP52680124) from the International Data Corporation (IDC). The Cupertino-based company had previously [fallen to sixth place](https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prAP52467524) in the second quarter. Huawei, once the world’s largest smartphone maker before [U.S. sanctions hobbled](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/28/huawei-q4-smartphone-shipments-plunge-41percent-as-us-sanctions-bite.html) its business in 2020, is slashing prices by up to 20% on its premium phones to compete with Apple in China. The company is also pushing innovation, launching its groundbreaking Mate XT smartphone with a 10-inch tri-fold display [just hours](https://qz.com/huawei-mate-xt-trifold-smartphone-apple-iphone-16-ai-1851644416) after Apple’s iPhone 16 debut in September. “Huawei has staged an impressive comeback, recording four consecutive quarters of at least double-digit growth,” the IDC said. “The launch of the world’s first tri-foldable phone is expected to further drive the foldable market development.” Huawei and other Chinese smartphone makers experienced double-digit growth last year, [boosting smartphone shipments in China by 8.9%](https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prAP52467524) year-over-year in the second quarter, according to a previous IDC report.

Long-time Slashdot reader [Shayde](https://www.slashdot.org/~Shayde) once [restored a 1986 DEC PDP-11 minicomputer](https://slashdot.org/story/23/12/10/035238/retro-computing-enthusiast-tries-restoring-a-1986-dec-pdp-11-minicomputer), and even [ran Turbo Pascal on a 40-year-old Apple II clone](https://apple.slashdot.org/story/24/04/06/2151232/retro-computing-enthusiast-tries-running-turbo-pascal-on-a-40-year-old-apple-ii-clone). Now he's [exploring a 27-year-old Macintosh PowerBook G3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Sv-c0zTCg) — with 64 megabytes memory and 4 gigabytes of disk space. "The year is 1997, and Apple is in big trouble." (Apple's market share had dropped from 16% in 1980 to somewhere below 4%...) _Turns out this was one of the first machines able to run OS X, and was built during the transition period for Apple after Steve Jobs came back in to rescue the company from bankruptcy._ It's clearly old technology. There's even a SCSI connector, PCMCIA sockets, a modem port for your phone/landline cable, and a CD-ROM drive. There's also Apple's proprietary ports for [LocalTalk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LocalTalk) and an [Apple Desktop Bus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Desktop_Bus) port ("used for keyboards, mice, and stuff like that"). And its lithium-ion batteries "were meant to be replaced and moved around, so you could carry spare batteries with you." So what's it like using a 27-year-old laptop? "The first thing I had to note was this thing weighs a ton! This thing could be used as a projectile weapon! I can't imagine hauling these things around doing business..." And it's a good thing it had vents, because "This thing runs _hot_!" (The moment he plugs it in he can hear its ancient fan running...) It seems to take more than two minutes to boot up. ("The drive is rattling away...") But soon he's looking at a glorious desktop from 1998 desktop. ("Applications installed... Oh look! Adobe Acrobat Reader! I betcha _that's_ going to need an update...") After plugging in a network cable, a pop-up prompts him to "Set up your .Mac membership." ("I have so little interest in doing this.") He does find an old version of Safari, but it refuses to launch-- though "While puttering around in the application folder, I did notice that we had Internet Explorer installed. But that pretty much went as well as expected." In the end it seems like he ends up "on the network, but we have no browser." Although at least he does find a Terminal program — and successfully pings Google. _The thing that would drive me crazy is when opening the laptop, Apple's logo is upside-down!_

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Huawei on Tuesday held a global launch for the industry’s first tri-foldable phone, which analysts said marked a symbolic victory for the Chinese tech giant amid U.S. technology curbs. But challenges over pricing, longevity, supply and app constraints may limit its success. Huawei said at a launch event in Kuala Lumpur that the Huawei Mate XT, first unveiled in China five months ago, will be priced at 3,499 euros ($3,662). Although dubbed a trifold, the phone has three mini-panels and folds only twice. The company says it's the thinnest foldable phone at 3.6 millimeters (0.14 inches), with a 10.2-inch screen similar to an Apple iPad. “Right now, Huawei kind of stands alone as an innovator" with the trifold design, said Bryan Ma, vice president of device research with the market intelligence firm International Data Corporation. Huawei reached the position despite “not getting access to chips, to Google services. All these things basically have been huge roadblocks in front of Huawei,” Ma said, adding that the “resurgence we're seeing from them over the past year has been quite a bit of a victory." Huawei, China’s first global tech brand, is at the center of a U.S.-China battle over trade and technology. Washington in 2019 severed Huawei’s access to U.S. components and technology, including Google’s music and other smartphone services, making Huawei's phone less appealing to users. It has also barred global vendors from using U.S. technology to produce components for Huawei. American officials say Huawei is a security risk, which the company denies. China’s government has accused Washington of misusing security warnings to contain a rising competitor to U.S. technology companies. Huawei launched the Mate XT in China on Sept. 20 last year, the same day Apple launched its iPhone 16 series in global markets. But with its steep price tag, the Mate XT “is not a mainstream product that people are going to jump for,” Ma said. At the Kuala Lumpur event, Huawei also unveiled its MatePad Pro tablet and Free Arc, its first open-ear earbuds with ear hooks and other wearable devices. While Huawei’s cutting-edge devices showcase its technological prowess, its long-term success remains uncertain given ongoing challenges over global supply chain constraints, chip availability and limitations on the software ecosystem, said Ruby Lu, an analyst with the research firm TrendForce. "System limitations, particularly the lack of Google Mobile Services, means its international market potential remains constrained,” Lu said. IDC's Ma said Huawei dominated the foldable phone market in China with 49% market share last year. In the global market, it had 23% market share, trailing behind Samsung's 33% share in 2024, he said. IDC predicted that total foldable phone shipments worldwide could surge to 45.7 million units by 2028, from over 20 million last year. While most major brands have entered the foldable segments, Lu said Apple has yet to release a competing product. “Once Apple enters the market, it is expected to significantly influence and stimulate further growth in the foldable phone sector,” Lu added.

Apple Watch sales are enduring a years-long backslide. While Apple first launched its watch in 2015, sales didn’t spike until the pandemic, when consumers were highly focused on their health. But competitors quickly caught up, with fitness-focused companies like Garmin integrating more smart technology. Meanwhile, Apple stumbled in adding compelling new features—getting into some legal spats along the way. For the past three years, Apple Watch sales have declined year-over-year, according to research firm IDC. In 2022, Apple sold 43 million units; by 2024, that number dropped to 34 million. The Apple Watch also lost market share, falling from 29.6% to 22.5%, while high-end competitor Garmin and budget alternatives like Huawei and Xiaomi gained ground. And although Apple doesn’t break out revenue by individual product, its “Wearables, Home and Accessories” segment was the only one to [decline](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/fy2025-q1/FY25_Q1_Consolidated_Financial_Statements.pdf) year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2024. “Apple is in a weird spot,” says Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager at IDC studying wearables. “They make great stuff but, at least on the watch side, things are a little bit iterative.” _ The final deadline for Fast Company’s [Best Workplaces for Innovators Awards](https://www.fastcompany.com/apply/best-workplaces-for-innovators) is this Friday, March 28, at 11:59 p.m. PT. [Apply today.](https://www.fastcompany.com/apply/best-workplaces-for-innovators) _