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Spotify’s Podcast Subscriptions Leave 100% Fees for Creators

Andrew Orr ·

Next week, Spotify is launching a podcast subscription service for its creators and it will let them keep 100% of the revenue.

Spotify has said it was going to test paid subscriptions for podcasters to allow them to offer exclusive content to subscribers, officially announcing that during its February “Stream On” event. But it has not yet provided details on how that will work.

I’m sure Spotify will keep drumming the “no tax” part in contrast to Apple’s 30% fee from Apple Podcast Subscriptions. But in the end it doesn’t matter because the most important people win: The content creators.

Microsoft and Azul are Working on Java for M1 Macs
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Microsoft and Azul are Working on Java for M1 Macs

Andrew Orr ·

Microsoft and Azul Systems are working on M1 support for Java through OpenJDK. Azul’s website notes “Zulu OpenJDK runs on Linux, Windows, Solaris, and macOS on X86, Arm, SPARC, PowerPC, and MIPS.” Meanwhile, Microsoft has released an early access build of its macOS + AArch64 (M1) based on OpenJDK. The company is working with Azul on JEP 391 to upstream relevant patches to the OpenJDK project. Obviously, this is great news for those that need Java apps on their Mac because they won’t need to be run through Apple’s Rosetta 2 translator.

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Stolen MacBook Pro Schematics Indicate More Ports and MagSafe's Return

Charlotte Henry ·

Schematics stolen from Apple supplier Quanta Computer outline plans for future MacBook Pro models, expected later this year. MacRumors took a look and saw that the documents that feature the logic board indicate the return of MagSafe and… EXTRA PORTS.

On the right side of the machine, there’s a visible HDMI port, accompanied by a USB-C/Thunderbolt port and followed by an SD Card reader. The left side features two additional USB-C/Thunderbolt ports and a ‌MagSafe‌ charging slot, for a total of three USB-C/Thunderbolt ports instead of four as we have today… The codename for the Mac is “J316,” which suggests that the logic board that we’ve seen is for the 16-inch MacBook Pro. There’s also a “J314” model that likely correlates to the 14-inch MacBook Pro that Apple is also rumored to be working on. Both machines are expected to feature the new ports, ‌MagSafe‌ charging option, and upgraded Apple silicon chips.

TMO Deals

Palladium Wireless Earbuds: $64

Bryan Chaffin ·

We have a deal on a pair of Palladium Wireless Earbuds. They feature 6mm driver and a built-in mic for hands-free calls as well as voice control. And, they’re rated IPX4, which means they are eresistant to splashing water and small particles. These earbuds are $79.99, but promo code “WELOVEMOM” brings it down to $64.

New Civilization VI Update Means Scouts Can Pet Their Dogs
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New Civilization VI Update Means Scouts Can Pet Their Dogs

Andrew Orr ·

Civilization VI received an update on Thursday but it brings an important new feature: Your scouts can now pet their dogs. Other updates include three new military units, four new maps, a new unit action, and various bug fixes and improvements. New units: Trebuchet – Medieval Era Catapult upgrade. Siege promotion class. Upgrades into Bombard. Cannot move and attack on the same turn unless they’ve earned the Expert Crew Promotion. Man-At-Arms: Medieval Era Swordsman upgrade. Melee promotion class. Upgrades into Musketman. Line Infantry: Industrial Era Musketman upgrade. Melee promotion class. Upgrades into Infantry. New maps: Mediterranean Large Map: A large map of the greater Mediterranean region with resources, terrain, and features reflecting their historic locations. Earth Huge Map: A larger sized representation of Earth with resources, terrain, and features reflecting their historic locations. TSL Earth Huge: Civilizations start at the location of their historical capital on the huge Earth map. TSL Mediterranean: Civilizations start the location of their historic capital on the large Mediterranean map.

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Apple Music Editorial Content To Be Better Integrated With News

Charlotte Henry ·

Apple Music and Apple News are starting to form a much closer relationship, with editorial content from the former set to appear in the latter. The start of the process was spotted by MacStories, which compared the current progress to how Apple New was integrated with Stocks in the past.

The integration of Apple Music and News, which Apple said nothing about during its event on April 20th, is clearly just getting going, so there’s not a lot to see yet. However, it’s also the sort of integration that has the potential to differentiate Music from competitors like Spotify and give users a much-needed reason to visit News. This is a feature we may learn more about next week when iOS and iPadOS 14.5 are released to the public, and that we’ll be keeping a close eye on and as we learn more about Apple’s plans for the fall during WWDC.

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How Privacy Sits At the Heart of Apple's New AirTags

Charlotte Henry ·

After years of rumors, Apple finally unveiled AirTags at its ‘Spring Loaded’ event on Tuesday. Fast Company looked at how privacy sits at the heart of the new product.

“When it came to designing our own product, we thought carefully about how to get this right in a way that no one else in the industry’s ever done before,” says Kaiann Drance, Apple’s VP of worldwide iPhone product marketing. I spoke to her and Ron Huang, the company’s senior director of sensing and connectivity, about Apple’s newest, tiniest gadget. “You’ll see that we designed for the privacy of AirTag owners and nonowners, as well as making these benefits opened up to third-party products as well.” And from a privacy standpoint, that’s what’s really remarkable about the AirTag: Apple isn’t just thinking about the privacy of AirTag owners themselves, or even solely about users in Apple’s ecosystem. The company designed the AirTag with the privacy of everyone in mind—yes, even Android users and people who have never owned an Apple product.