Parler, the social media app that became popular with right-wing users, is back but it is still not on the Apple App store.
Articles by Charlotte Henry
Tim Cook Marks Presidents' Day by Quoting FDR
Apple CEO Tim Cook marked Presidents Day 2021 by sharing a quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt on choosing “the path of social justice.”
Steve Jobs Job Application up For Auction
A job application by Steve Jobs from 1973 is up for auction. Spotted by 9to5 Mac, the item is being auctioned by Charterfields. On the document, the Apple co-founder highlighted his experience with “computers and calculators” and said he had special abilities in “electronic tech or design engineer – digital.” The document is thought to have been completed close to when he dropped out of Reed College in Portland, Oregon. A full-size JPG is available here.
Is There Any Point in the Apple TV Anymore?
I’ve long been skeptical about the ongoing value of the Apple TV in a smart TV world. Over at Six Colors, Jason Snell pondered the same thing and looked at where, if anywhere, the box can go next.
For a long time, the killer feature of the Apple TV was that it did things that no other streaming device could do. It supported AirPlay and screen mirroring, for beaming video right from Apple devices to the big screen. And most importantly, it was the only box that supported movies and TV shows rented or purchased from Apple. But over the past couple of years, most of those distinctions have faded away. First, the arrival of the Movies Anywhere service has allowed most iTunes film (not television) purchases to migrate to other devices. Then in advance of the arrival of Apple’s TV streaming service, Apple made deals with the makers of TV sets and streaming boxes to add support for AirPlay, an Apple TV app, or both.
Apple Should Not Make an iPhone Mini Ever Again
The (very) small pool of people that I know who have one love it, but various bits of data indicate that the iPhone 12 mini is not selling well. Ed Hardy at Cult of Mac wrote that this relative failure indicates Apple should not make a 5.4′ iPhone again. Ever. I think it gets to the heart of the debate about your smartphone is for – making calls and replying to emails, or content consumption/creation.
Apple’s top-selling models aren‘t its smallest. On the contrary. The 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max — the largest ever — experienced a stronger launch than any iOS handset has in years. The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro has since emerged as the top seller, not the tiniest version. This is because of the way we use our phones. They’re personal computers we carry everywhere. With them, we communicate with each other. Take pictures. Shop. Play games. Watch videos. And a bigger screen makes all of these better. “Wish I had a smaller display to watch this TikTok,” said no one ever.
UK Government Orders 11,000 iPhone SEs
The UK government’s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is to purchase 11,000 iPhone SEs
Apple Looking for Head of International for Podcasts
Apple is looking to expand its Podcasts team and is recruiting a Head of International based in London, according to a job ad.
Netflix Co-Founder Takes Swipe at Apple TV+, but Has 'Deepest Respect' For Disney
Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph said he had “the deepest respect right now for Disney,” but was less complimentary about Apple TV+.
Apple Watch Now Worn by Over 100 Million People
There is an Apple Watch on more than 100 million wrists, according to analyst Neil Cybart, and there are huge possibilities for growth.
Who Might Build The Apple Car?
Talk about a potential Apple Car continues apace. One of the key questions is who will be the partner that actually makes the vehicle – Hyundai and Kia said recently that talks with them are not happening. Bloomberg News has a good rundown of the potential candidates.
The secret project has gained momentum in recent months, adding multiple former Tesla Inc. executives, gaining the supervision of Apple’s top artificial intelligence executive and ramping up road tests. The initiative, known as Project Titan inside Apple, is attracting intense interest because of its potential to upend the automotive industry and supply chains, much like the iPhone did to the smartphone market. If and when Apple commits to building a car, it is likely to seek multiple partners — including a major one to assemble the vehicle and many others to supply key components.
Students Can Get Apple Music Free For Six Months
Apple has extended its free trial of Apple Music for students so that it now lasts six months instead of three.
HBO Max Launching Internationally in June
HBO Max is going to launch internationally in June, The Verge reported. It will start in Latin America and the Caribbean, and they later become available in the Nordics, Spain, Central Europe, and Portugal. At the moment the streaming service is only available in the U.S.
The June launch will see HBO Max expand to 39 countries and territories across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Anguilla, Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, B.V.I., Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Facebook Looking to Build Clubhouse Competitor
Facebook is looking to build a competitor to Clubhouse, the increasingly popular app that allows users to broadcast and chat in ‘rooms’.
'For All Mankind' - A First Look at Season Two Coming to Apple TV+
A new featurette provides a first look at season two of For All Mankind, the alternative space race drama on Apple TV+. It will air on February 19, with the storyline resuming in 1983. The full first season is available now.
EU Privacy Watchdog Backs Safeguards And Curbs on Tech Giants
The EU’s privacy watchdog backed attempts to limit some of the power currently enjoyed by big tech firms and proposed additional measures.
Apple Apologizes For Mistakenly Removing Student’s Indigenous Language App from App Store
Student, Brendan Eshom, a member of the Gitga’at community of the Ts’msyen First Nation, launched an app that shared his community’s culture and promoted a word each day in its language – Sm’algyax. However, it was removed and the young developer tried to contact Apple to found out. He got no answers, but the company has confirmed to Global News that it was taken down in error, has been reinstated, and apologized.
He says he reached out to Apple multiple times for an explanation, but couldn’t get answers. “It was definitely more discouraging to not even hear why they took it down in the first place,” he said. Eshom contacted Consumer Matters for help. Consumer Matters contacted Apple asking why the app had been removed and why Eshom’s status on Apple had been terminated. In an email, Apple stated: “Maintaining the integrity of the App Store is a responsibility we take seriously to ensure the safety of our customers, and give every developer a platform to share their brightest ideas with the world. Unfortunately, this developer’s app, which is a great example of how technology can be used to bridge cultural understanding, was mistakenly removed from the App Store
macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 With MacBook Pro Charging Fix Now Available
macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 is out and addresses battery charging issues suffered by users with a 2016 or 2017 MacBook Pro.
Spotify Finally Testing Live Lyrics Feature in U.S.
Spotify is finally rolling out its Live Lyrics feature to some users in the U.S, Engadget reported. Equivalent features are widely available on rivals Apple Music and Deezer.
It’s worth noting that Spotify’s “new” approach to lyrics — which is once again powered by Musixmatch — isn’t really all that new. The company has been testing the feature in markets around the world for years, and officially launched it in 26 markets — including Brazil, Mexico, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Thailand, India and more — around the middle of 2020. More recently, live lyrics were also made available to users in South Korea when the service launched there earlier this month. At the risk of sounding a little obvious, though, not every test market ultimately gets access to the feature at wide scale. Spotify, for instance, ran a similar test in Canada before discontinuing it around June 2020; to our knowledge, the feature has never reappeared. This move puts Spotify on more even footing with competing services like Apple Music and Deezer, and should help the company from losing competitors to more feature-rich rivals.
Developer Raises Warning About App Store Scams
Developer Kosta Eleftheriou thinks there are major scams threatening to ruin the integrity of the App Store. He told The Verge that they are spreading in part because Apple is not enforcing its own rules strictly enough.
“It’s surprising more people don’t know about this. The extent to which this has been going on and is currently going on is absolutely mind-blowing,” Eleftheriou tells The Verge of the magnitude of fraud he says is occurring daily on the App Store. “In particular now with the App Store, which is my main concern, the problem has grown to such an extent that having the rating and review system is making it worse. It gives consumers a false sense of security and a false idea that the app is great as you’re entering it through a glowing App Store page with raving reviews.” His vocal complaints, which have attracted the attention and support of countless other app developers in the iOS community, underscore the increasing tension between Apple and the software makers upon whom it depends.
How Tim Cook Transformed Apple
Almost whatever way you cut it, financially Apple has reached new heights under the leadership of Tim Cook. Bloomberg Businessweek week on how he transformed the company.
In many ways, Cook is now applying the lessons Apple learned building its China manufacturing network to other parts of the business. Its operational prowess has enabled it to churn out more product permutations and accessories. And just as Apple uses its awesome buying power to extract concessions from suppliers, it’s now using its control over an equally impressive digital supply chain, which includes the company’s own subscription services, as well as third-party apps, to generate greater revenue from customers and software developers. In an October report on the tech industry, the House antitrust subcommittee said this influence of its App Store amounted to “monopoly power” and recommended that regulators step in.
Wistron Plant in India Reopening After Violence, Says Apple
A Wistron plant in India is restarting its operations, Apple announced, after it closed following an outbreak of violence there.
Apple TV+ Films and Actors Receive Critics Choice Awards Nominations
Apple TV+ has received multiple film nominations for the Critics Choice Awards, on top of the previously announced series nominations.
Awards Season for Apple TV+ - Media+
It’s awards season and, thanks mostly to ‘Ted Lasso’, Apple TV+ is heavily involved. Host Charlotte Henry and The Mac Observer’s Editor-in-Chief Bryan Chaffin get dressed up and walk down the red carpet to take a closer look.
Apple Supplier Dialog Semiconductor Taken Over by Renesas Electronics in US$6 Billion Deal
Apple supplier Dialog Semiconductor is being taken over by Japanese Firm Renesas Electronics, AppleInsider reported. The deal involving the UK chip-maker is worth US$6 billion.
This includes its business in power management, charging and power conversion, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth LE, as well as its expertise in mixed-signal integrated circuits. It is said by the companies that Dialog’s attributes will complement and expand Renesas’ existing portfolio of products. “Dialog has a strong culture of innovation along with excellent customer relationships and serves fast growing areas including IoT, industrial, and automotive,” said Renesas president and CEO Hidetoshi Shibata in a statement. “By bringing Dialog’s talented team and expertise into Renesas, together, we will accelerate innovation for customers and create sustainable value for our shareholders.” The offer value is based on Renesas paying 67.50 euro ($81.17) per share, representing a 20.3% premium over Dialog’s closing price on February 5.