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Charlotte Henry

Charlotte is a media junkie, covering how Apple is not just a revolutionary tech firm, but a revolutionary media firm for TMO. She is based in London, and writes and broadcasts for various outlets.

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Bob Iger Reveals Why he Quit the Apple Board

Disney CEO and Chairman Bob Iger has revealed why he quit Apple’s board of directors. Speaking to CNBC’s Jim Cramer, he said the two companies’ paths were “conflicting.”

“The reason I got off the board as they got more and more into creating television shows and movies, it became more clear to me our paths were conflicting rather than converging,” Iger said in an interview with CNBC “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer. “I just thought it was the right thing to do.” The business is still relatively small for Apple, but meaningful for Disney, and it wasn’t right,” Iger continued. Iger resigned from Apple’s board of directors on Sept. 10, the day Apple announced the price and release date for its streaming service.

No No-Deal Brexit Could Lead to a Data Disaster

Data currently flows freely between the UK and other EU countries. Daphne Leprince-Ringuet Wired explained why a no-deal Brexit could put this in jeopardy.

The UK is part of the mutually agreed General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force in 2018 and covers its European members with the world’s strongest data protection rules. This means that personal information gathered in other GDPR-protected countries can enter the UK with no barriers, as it is assured that data will be equally protected in the country. The UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 supplements GDPR, and in some cases goes slightly further, making the UK’s rules more stringent in some specific cases. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Data Protection Act will ensure that personal information processed in the UK will keep enjoying the same level of protection they do now. Still, under EU law, the UK will be automatically considered a third country not bound by GDPR rules, and able to diverge from the current strong standards if parliament so decides. Consequently, data from EU countries would not be able to flow freely to the UK.

Users Have Right to Be Forgotten by Google, But Only in the EU

The European Court of Justice ruled Tuesday that users have a right to be forgotten by Google. However, Reuters reported, this only applies in the EU.

In its judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union said the right to have personal data protected was not an absolute right. “The balance between the right to privacy and the protection of personal data, on the one hand, and the freedom of information of internet users, on the other, is likely to vary significantly around the world,” it added. Google welcomed the decision, saying: “It’s good to see that the court agreed with our arguments.” The world’s predominant internet search engine has previously warned of the dangers of overreach by Europe. In a blog post two years ago, it said there should be a balance between sensitive personal data and the public interest and no country should be able to impose rules on citizens of another.

Mac Pro Problems Cause Chaos in Hollywood

Problems in Hollywood as Mac Pros refused to reboot and rumors about a virus attack swirled. Variety reports there were major issues with older versions of macOS and AVID’s Media Composer software.

Film and TV editors across Los Angeles were sweating Monday evening as their workstations were refusing to reboot, resulting in speculations about a possible computer virus attack. Social media reports suggested that the issue was widespread among users of Mac Pro computers running older versions of Apple’s operating system as well as AVID’s Media Composer software… Other users reported that multiple computers at their company were affected by the issue, with social media chatter indicating that a number of different companies were affected by the issue.

iOS 13 Could Be Google and Facebook's Worst Nightmare

Improved privacy and security is a big part of iOS 13. Apple is also used its release to highlight the data collection practices of Facebook and Google. As Kate O’Flaherty noted at Forbes, this could put them under a lot of pressure.

People are certainly becoming more aware of the way their data is used, following incidents such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal. In this context, many of the changes could be seen as a direct blow to Apple’s rivals Google and Facebook: iOS 13 highlights their data collection practices and gives iPhone users the opportunity to stop them. In this way, it’s an attack on Facebook and Google’s business models. It’s true: There are many apps that track you and collect data on you, and iOS 13 will affect all of these. But it is also worth considering the position that Apple holds in the market. When Apple speaks, people listen.

Analyst Shares Typically Bearish Take on iPhone 11

Jun Zhang of Rosenblatt Securities tends to be pretty Bearish on Apple. His latest notes, seen by Apple Insider, are no exception.

In the latest essay, provided to investors on Monday, Zhang offers dour opinions on the sales of the new iPhones. The iPhone 11 is estimated to make up around 60% of total new model sales, with the iPhone 11 Pro Max at around 22% and the iPhone 11 Pro at 18%. The product mix is skewed towards the iPhone 11 in Rosenblatt’s view more than last year, which saw iPhone XR sales make up 55% of the total, with the iPhone XS Max at about 30% and the iPhone XS at around 15%. The change in mix is obviously going to affect the average selling price (ASP), which Zhang predicts will be between 10% and 15% lower than the second half of 2018, with between 68 and 70 million new iPhones thought to ship this year.

Streaming 'a Whole New World' in November, Says Netflix Boss

Netflix is going to be under a lot of pressure come November when Apple TV+ and Disney+ launch. Variety reported on boss Reed Hasting’s comments to the Royal Television Society Friday, in which he looked ahead to what comes next.

“While we’ve been competing with many people in the last decade, it’s a whole new world starting in November…between Apple launching and Disney launching, and of course Amazon’s ramping up,” said Hastings, who also cited NBCUniversal’s coming Peacock service. “It’ll be tough competition. Direct-to-consumer [customers] will have a lot of choice.” He said Netflix would continue to hew closely to its core strategy of offering content for binge viewing, the phenomenon it helped create. That means the service isn’t moving into live sports, as Amazon Prime Video has, and won’t experiment much with different release models, including for its expanding catalogue of original films. “They may have a qualifying run for theatrical, but it’s fairly small.”

Don't Storm Area 51, Begs Fan Site Webmaster

Joerg Arnu is fascinated by Area 51. He even runs websites focussed on the site. However, as Wired discovered, he really does not want people descending on the mysterious Air Force base.

Arnu isn’t into it. He is not into the joke that has already inspired at least two people, young Dutch YouTubers, to breach the Air Force’s perimeter. And he is not into the party that threatens to take over his very little locale, a place located freakishly close to Area 51’s back gate. He has tried to put an end to its flight path. With the original festivities scheduled to start today, it’s unclear whether the horde will be huge or whether this bang will end with a poorly attended whimper.

Photographer Heaps Praise on iPhone 11 Pro Camera

Photographer Austin Mann could not wait to get his hands on a new iPhone 11 Pro and test the camera. His conclusion following a trip to China with the device? “If you are a serious photographer, get a Pro.” He explained why in a blog post, which also contained some stunning pictures (including the one featured in this article).

The addition of any new lens is a pretty big deal. You might remember my excitement when we gained the “telephoto” 51mm lens with the iPhone 7 Plus, and today I’m just as thrilled to be putting an entirely new Ultra Wide lens in my pocket. It gives us another format to tell the story, another perspective to visualize, and a better rounded tool for doing our best creative work. I’ve had a blast shooting with the new Ultra Wide on iPhone 11 Pro in all kinds of scenarios here in China.

Mark Zuckerberg Heads back to Washington D.C. for Dinner with Senators

On Wednesday, Axios exclusively revealed that  Mark Zuckerberg was set to return to Washington D.C. The site later reported that the Facebook CEO dined with senators Thursday evening. It was his first visit to the city since his high profile hearings on Capitol Hill.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg discussed election security and privacy with a group of senators over dinner ahead of his return to Capitol Hill Thursday, said a spokesperson for Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who organized the meeting. Warner’s spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Axios that he organized Wednesday’s dinner at Facebook’s request. “The participants had a discussion touching on multiple issues, including the role and responsibility of social media platforms in protecting our democracy, and what steps Congress should take to defend our elections, protect consumer data, and encourage competition in the social media space.”

Fortnite Adds Party Hub and Split View on iPad

Fortnite added a Party Hub and split view support for iPad in a recent update. The Party Hub tells you which friends are online for voice chat, according to Cult of Mac. Split View support means you can have another app running along side the game on compatible iPads.

The Party Hub is the first thing you’ll see when you load up Fortnite on an Android or iOS device (after installing the latest update). And it shows you instantly which of your friends is online. You can then voice chat with any of those friends — even if they’re in a game and you’re not. You can also start a party to voice chat with multiple friends before jumping into a match together. Party Hub works across platforms, so you can chat to friends who play on console and PC. And you can quickly transfer your party from your smartphone or tablet to another device.