In March, we covered Spotify’s It’s time to play fair campaign where the company laid out reasons it felt Apple wasn’t playing fair. Like most services, Apple obligates Spotify to pay a 30% cut in order to use in-app purchases when signing up new subscribers (it drops to 15% in year two of the subscription). Ultimately, Spotify wanted the EU to probe Apple Music in relation to how Apple treats its competitors vs its own business....
Facebook announced last spring at its F8 developer conference that it would be bringing Apple Music integration to its Messenger app. Now, the feature is beginning to roll out to users. When in a Messenger message, tap on the + symbol to the left of the text box. Then look for the Apple Music extension and tap on it to get going. Alternately, another way to share with Facebook Messenger is from within the share sheet in Apple Music....
The success of the iPhone this year, which sold 5 million units between March and June, has led to it rising from second to become the most stylish brand. The shortlist for the survey is compiled by 2,500 voters. The final twenty brands are voted on by a panel. BlackBerry saw some gains, climbing 16 places to seventh place, while the BBC’s iPlayer was the only new entry to take a top 20 slot....
Apple has announced that it will release iOS 13.7 to the public today, including a major expansion of the COVID-19 Exposure Notification platform. Apple and Google have unveiled a new Exposure Notifications Express system that allows public health authorities to support COVID-19 contact tracing without developing and maintaining their own application. Update: iOS 13.7 is now available. You can update via the Settings app on your iPhone. Apple has also released iPadOS 13....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRsPnzcZ1VY Continuing its ‘From one gift come many’ campaign, Apple has published a new commercial entitled ‘The Song’. The ad depicts a young woman listening to a song on a record player, from her youth. The girl then learns the tune using their guitar, recording the tune on a Mac. The girl then leaves an iPad preloaded with the same song for an older relation, her grandmother, provoking the same emotions of her childhood and memories....
In response to the continued coronavirus outbreak, Apple and Goldman Sachs are allowing customers to skip their Apple Card payments without incurring interest charges. Apple Card holders should receive an email announcing this “Customer Assistance Program,” which has been extended through August. Update #1 4/1: Apple and Goldman Sachs are also now allowing Apple Card customers to defer their April payment without penalty. Update #2 5/1: Apple and Goldman Sachs are now allowing customers to skip their May payments as well....
Both new iPads feature the rumored Touch ID fingerprint sensor and they look nearly identical to their predecessors. The iPad Air 2 is getting a burst photography mode, which is a new neat feature available for the first time on the iPad and previously released with the iPhone 5s. The new tablets are getting the latest iOS 8.1 upgrade along with the Apple Pay payments system. At the event, Tim Cook also announced that total iPad sales have reached 225 million units and that there are 675, 000 apps specifically optimized for the tablet....
According to Apple, these are “the thinnest phones they’ve ever made”, at 6.9mm for the iPhone 6 and 7.1mm for the iPhone 6 Plus. The smartphones are powered by Apple’s new A8 processor, which should be at least 25% faster than the A7 by processing power, and 50% faster in the graphic rendering field. Also, as expected, it seems that the battery life has been improved drastically. The iPhone 6’s battery should now be able to offer 14 hours of 3G talk, 50 hours of audio, 11 of video and 10 standby days....
Buying a new iPad always brings me to the same gigantic question: What do I do with it? My work life can fit on a MacBook Air, and my personal life fits on an iPhone. If the iPad Pro can’t completely replace at least one of those for me, then where exactly does it fit? I wasn’t kidding when I said my sole reason for buying the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2021) is for evaluating the mini-LED display, Center Stage, and the state of iPadOS over the next year....
Apple has updated Apple.com with an all-new gift guide for Valentine’s Day shoppers. The gift guide is interactive and lets you shop for specific types of people such as “lovers of photography” or “lovers of music.” The page includes some fresh new product imagery and surfaces some cool accessories you might have otherwise not easily found on the store. It also includes shoutouts to services like Apple Arcade and apps like Apple Podcasts that highlight popular titles....
Apple’s annual report, filed today, confirmed the obvious: music sales through its iTunes Store have declined. The company did not give a figure, noting only that the drop was more than compensated for by growth in app sales, but a recent WSJ report put the decline as high as 14%. The fall in music downloads was of course the primary motivation behind the company’s largest acquisition, the purchase of Beats, as it moves towards a full music streaming service of its own....
Apple’s PRODUCT(RED) devices have taken center stage on the company’s website today. In partnership with (RED), Apple has announced that it will be redirecting 100% of eligible proceeds of its PRODUCT(RED) devices and accessories to the Global Fund’s COVID‑19 relief efforts from now until June 30. Apple updated its website today in the US and around the world to note that all donations from sales of its PRODUCT(RED) lineup that normally go to helping fight HIV/AIDS will be temporarily redirected to pandemic relief (which will actually help keep HIV/AIDS programs alive)....
Apple has hired Samsung battery executive Soonho Ahn to lead its own battery development initiatives, Bloomberg reports. According to the report, Ahn joined Apple in December after having worked at Samsung SDI as a senior VP since 2015. At Apple, Ahn will act as the company’s global head of battery developments. During his time at Samsung, Ahn was responsible with developing lithium battery packs and “next-generation” battery technology. Apple has used batteries from Samsung SDI in its own products in the past....
The iPad Mini Not to be outdone by the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7, Apple is attempting to enter into the 7-inch category of tablets. However, it faces quite a few challenges, including a higher price tag. The iPad Mini starts at $330 for the 16GB version and only goes up from there. This brings it close to twice the cost of its Android counterparts after tax. The Mini also doesn’t feature any other new tech, as it is comprised mostly of the same parts found in the old iPad 2....
Apple Music today has quietly added another subscription option for users. Seemingly with no official announcement from Apple itself, a new annual subscription option is now available that offers users 12 months of Apple Music for $99… As noted by TechCrunch, the new option is a bit buried and not exactly prominently advertised by Apple. For instance, if you currently don’t subscribe to Apple Music and head into the Music app to subscribe, you’ll see the normal individual, family, and college student monthly rates....
Thomson Reuters has listed Apple in its top 10 global tech leaders list, behind Microsoft, Intel and Cisco. Other top ten companies are Alphabet, IBM, Texas Instruments, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, SAP and Accenture. Thomson Reuters says that it analyzed 28 separate factors across eight categories: Management & investor confidence Legal compliance Financial performance Innovation Risk & resilience People & social responsibility Reputation Environmental impact The combination provides a ‘holistic’ view of companies, it says....
The list pretty much underlines that the PowerPC Mac is extinct, leaving few PowerPC models in the frame. Apple includes products discontinued over five but less than seven years ago as ‘Vintage’. Thanks to Hardmac for the info. The following Macs and other products, may they rest in peace (or get cannibalised for spare parts via eBay) iBook G4 (early 2004) iBook G4 (14" early 2004) eMac (USB 2.0) Apple Cinema Display ADC Apple Studio Display 15" ADC Apple Studio Display 17" LCD Apple Studio Display 17" ADC Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver 2002) Macintosh Server G4 (QuickSilver 2002) PowerBook G4 (DVI) iBook (14....
A patent application from Apple details the possibility of a future AirPods case design doubling as a wireless charging dock for the iPhone and Apple Watch. The patent was part of a dump of 250 Apple patent applications from the US Patent Office late last month and discovered by Patently Apple… The patent application depicts the AirPods charging case doubling as a charger for a variety of products, including the Apple Watch, MacBook, iPhone, and iPad....
Re/code has received a statement from Apple about the alleged hacking incidents. Natalie Kerris says: As is the norm with Apple’s public facing commentary, the company has not said much about the situation. Somehow, compromising personal pictures of several celebrities have leaked online and many are blaming iCloud as the root cause. The events are muddled by the fact that some of the reported claims have transpired to be fake Photoshopped images, although some — like the images of Jennifer Lawrence — have been confirmed to be legitimate....
Apple officially enabled its Up-to-Date program after launching the new operating system, but some who tried to receive their free upgrade to OS X Mountain Lion immediately ran into problems. Many redemption codes were apparently coming up invalid, so Apple said it would replace the invalid codes over the next three days. At least a half dozen commenters in the MacRumors Forum claim Apple sent the replacement codes today, but, unfortunately, the codes are for the “OS X Server components of Mountain Lion rather than Mountain Lion itself....
