Charlotte Henry

Recent rumors suggest that the iOS 14, likely to revealed at WWDC towards the end of the month, will work on devices going as far back as the iPhone 6s. Which is pretty impressive. Christine Chan at iMore thinks it shows Android device makers have a lot to learn from Apple.

It’s actually quite impressive that Apple continues to support its devices for so long, especially when you compare it to Android devices. With Android, you have hundreds or even thousands of different hardware devices from different manufacturers, and these range from being super cheap models to flagship devices. Google releases a new version of Android every year, and for the most part, Google’s own Pixel devices get first dibs on new software updates. At the same time, other handsets need to wait for their manufacturer to modify that software before it reaches users, and sometimes, others are just left out entirely. And who knows how long it takes before that update reaches a specific manufacturer’s hardware? So even if you buy a flagship Android device today, there’s no guarantee that it will still be getting support or updates five years down the road. So when compared to Apple, where even a five-year-old iPhone 6s will be getting support through at 2021 with the latest iOS 14, it’s a bit of a letdown.

Streaming on HBO Max will not count against your AT&T data cap, The Verge reported. Not surprisingly, the same does not apply to rival streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV+.

According to an AT&T executive familiar with the matter, HBO Max is using AT&T’s “sponsored data” system, which technically allows any company to pay to excuse its services from data caps. But since AT&T owns HBO Max, it’s just paying itself: the data fee shows up on the HBO Max books as an expense and on the AT&T Mobility books as revenue. For AT&T as a whole, it zeroes out. Compare that to a competitor like Netflix, which could theoretically pay AT&T for sponsored data, but it would be a pure cost. That’s why the last time we looked at AT&T’s sponsored data system, the only three streaming services we could find using it… were owned by AT&T. It’s also why sponsored data systems fly in the face of net neutrality principles.

The Apple Pencil has, thus far, only been available in white. However, AppleInsider picked up on rumors that it may become available in black in the not too distant future.

There haven’t been any rumors about a potential Apple Pencil refresh, though the stylus was last updated in 2018 alongside an iPad Pro overhaul, three years after it first debuted in 2015. Currently, the Apple Pencil is only available in white. On Tuesday, Twitter user Mr. white (@laobaiTD) posted a vague statement that the “New Apple Pencil is Black.” Because of the lack of information, it isn’t clear when a third-generation Apple Pencil could launch, or what the speculation is based on.

Users have started to notice that Amazon does not include the items you’ve ordered in its confirmation and shipment emails. One Daring Fireball, John Gruber owners whether it is a bid to stop others scraping the data.

Amazon no longer puts a list of items in order confirmation and shipment notice emails. Almost certainly they’re doing this to thwart email-scraping data harvesters from obtaining information about Amazon sales. All sorts of companies harvest this info, and people volunteer to let them do it (including Edison Mail, the iOS mail client whose recent egregious bug granted full access to email accounts to random other users — at least they’re up front about it in their “how we use data” statement). Edison is far from alone in this — there’s an entire cottage industry of email clients and “tools” whose entire business model is based on scraping their users’ email for e-commerce trends. So, from the Department of This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, Amazon has responded by removing product information from its emails.

The mid-2012 MacBook Pro is to become “obsolete” at the end of June, according to a memo seen by MacRumors. It means the 15″ device, the first MacBook Pro with a Retina Display, will no longer be eligible for hardware services from Apple.

In an internal memo today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple has indicated that this particular MacBook Pro model will be marked as “obsolete” worldwide on June 30, 2020, just over eight years after its release. In a support document, Apple notes that obsolete products are no longer eligible for hardware service, with “no exceptions.” Apple already classified the 2012 MacBook Pro as “vintage” in 2018, but it has still continued to service the notebook as part of a pilot program, subject to parts availability. With the 2012 MacBook Pro transitioning to “obsolete” status at the end of this month, it would appear that the notebook will no longer be eligible for any official repairs.

Apple Card customers can defer payments set for June, 9to5Mac reported. That will be the third month in which Apple and Goldman Sachs have allowed such a deferral, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

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”…  Apple and Goldman Sachs have once again announced an extension of the Apple Card Customer Assistance Program, allowing users to skip their June payments without penalty. Learn how to join the Customer Assistance Program here. |We understand that the COVID-19 situation poses unique challenges for everyone and some customers may have difficulty making their monthly payments. Should you need assistance, please click here to be connected to Apple Card Support via Messages and enroll in our Customer Assistance Program, which will allow you to skip your June payment without incurring interest charges. If you previously enrolled in the Customer Assistance Program, you will need to enroll again.

Soccer leagues around the world are starting to return, with games being played in empty stadiums. When players in Japan next take to the pitch they could be cheered, or jeered, by fans using a smartphone app, the Guardian reported.

The Remote Cheerer system developed by the Japanese firm Yamaha allows fans following the match on TV, the radio or online to encourage – or berate – players via their smartphones, their voices reverberating around the stadium in realtime via loudspeakers. In a recent field test, users in multiple remote locations chose from a range of on-screen options that sent their cheers, applause, chants and boos into the 50,000-seat Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa via 58 speakers set up among the empty seats.

YouTube has introduced Video Chapters for longer clips, Techcrunch reported. The markers are available across iOS, the web, and Android. There is haptic feedback when scrolling through on mobile versions too.

Video Chapters will be automatically enabled as a line of timestamps and titles when creators add chapter information to their video’s description. The first timestamp has to be marked 0:00, followed by a space, then the chapter’s title. On the next line, you’ll type the timestamp where the next chapter starts (e.g. “2:31”), then a space and that chapter’s title. When you’re finished adding in the chapters, you save the changes and the Video Chapters will be listed as you scrub through the video. Videos will need to have at least three timestamps that are 10 seconds or more in length in order to use the feature.

Wired has published its review of the new 13-inch MacBook Pro. It finds lots to compliment, but says that the power and portability comes at a high price.

For a $1,799 machine, there are a few areas where Apple needs to improve things. First, the webcam. It’s not great. More people are video calling than ever before, and it’d be great if we could see each other in 1080p. The addition of Face ID as a login option would be nice too. Touch ID is fine, but I’ve gotten used to the iPad Pro unlocking as soon as I remove the cover, and I think that experience would translate well on a MacBook.

Mike Markkula, Apple employee number three, has his rather impressive Carmel Valley Ranch on the market, iDropnews has spotted. Mr. Markkula was also Apple’s second CEO. The property will set you back US$37.5 million.

More than just 14,000 acres of land, you’ll receive quite the bundle for your 37 million dollars, including seven homes, a helipad, a private lake, two barns, a 2,900-foot airstrip, offices, staff housing, a horse-riding arena and more. See photos below… Markkula purchased the ranch back in 1982 for $8 million, which, adjusted for inflation, equals roughly $21.2 million in 2020. The ranch is said to be perfect for those who enjoy the outdoors, riding horses, ATVing, or hunting and sits just 85 miles south of Silicon Valley.

Tidal subscribers will soon be able to get Dolby Atmos Music on their Apple TV 4K. AppleInsider reported that the change is set to be included in a forthcoming update to the music and entertainment streaming service.

To get the update, users will need to have a Dolby Atmos-enabled devices to a compatible streaming player, have an active subscription to Tidal HiFi, and make sure their Tidal app is updated to the most recent version. The Apple TV 4K, which supports Dolby Atmos, should get the update soon as the service will be rolling out over the next few days. Other compatible devices include Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube, Fire TV Stick (second generation), Fire TV (third generation), and Nvidia’s Shield TV and Shield TV Pro. The Tidal app is also available on Dolby Atmos-enabled Android TVs from Sony and Philips.