Three big threats Apple faces this week

Last week we told you how Apple got royally stewed after $23bn was wiped off its value.

This was largely due to news that iPhones can be bent out of shape.

Here are three big problems Apple is facing right now:

1. Apple’s Irish sweetheart deals

The EU has released a report on Apple’s 20 years of “sweetheart” Irish deals. The regulators said that Ireland’s decisions on tax “in favour of the Apple group constitute state aid”.

Apple’s tax rate in Ireland is reportedly as low as 2%.

In a statement, the European Commission said: “Accordingly, the commission is of the opinion that through those rulings the Irish authorities confer an advantage on Apple.

“That advantage is obtained every year and ongoing.

“At this stage, the commission has no indication that the contested measure can be considered compatible with the internal market”.

The Irish Government said: “Ireland is confident that there is no breach of state aid rules in this case.”

2. Bendgate continues as teens bend iPhone

Two teenage boys, the Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward of the Bendgate scandal, went into an Apple shop and filmed themselves bending an iPhone 6. This is particularly embarrassing for Apple as it continues to insist that the iPhone 6 phones don’t bend.

Here’s a video of the boys bending the iPhone:

3. Shell Shock – the bug

Mac users were left shell-shocked last week after a bug called erm, Shell Shock, invaded their computers. The bug, affecting Linux operating systems, allows hackers to remotely take control of the commands that tell a computer what functions to carry out. Apple has issued an update for protecting users against Shellshock. However, the problem persists.