Enter our new international giveaway for a chance to win the brand new iPhone 16 Pro.
John on Charlotte's New Podcast: Media+
John moves to the guest chair for a change and sits down with Charlotte Henry on her podcast Media+, where they discuss new shows on TV+.
Apple in Talks to Acquire Two John Lasseter Films From Skydance Animation
Apple is in talks with Skydance Animation to acquire “Luck” and “Spellbound” produced by John Lasseter.
How Apple's M1 Chip is Leading a Revolution in the Industry
In the latest episode of Odd Lots, a Bloomberg News podcast on markets, finance, and economics hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway discuss how Apple is blazing new ground with the M1 chip. Doug O’Loughlin, the writer of the Mule’s Musings newsletter, offered his perspective on the tech industry.
Explosive Document Reveals Facebook Gave Google Exclusive Access to Encrypted WhatsApp Messages
A document from the Texas Attorney General as part of its antitrust investigation reveals Facebook gave Google access to WhatsApp content.
Apple Shares First Look Featurette of ‘Dickinson’ Season 2
Apple shared a first look featurette for “Dickinson” season two on YouTube which premieres January 8. Dickinson is a half-hour comedy series starring Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld. Dickinson audaciously explores the constraints of society, gender, and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet Emily Dickinson. Created, written, and executive produced by Alena Smith and executive produced by Hailee Steinfeld, “Dickinson” stars Hailee Steinfeld, Jane Krakowski, Toby Huss, Anna Baryshnikov, Ella Hunt, and Adrian Blake Enscoe. Wiz Khalifa guest stars.
Latest iOS Beta Brings Google Stadia to Apple Devices
Google Stadia is heading to iOS a year after it launched, according to The Verge, meaning users can finally access their games on Apple devices. It’s coming via the latest mobile web beta for the iPhone and iPad.
Google, like other competing cloud services, is using mobile Safari due to Apple’s restrictions on cloud gaming apps that mean platforms like Stadia can’t exist in their current form on the App Store. You can access Stadia through its website on Safari or by creating a home screen icon that will turn the service into a progressive web app, so it acts almost identically to a native one. Unlike Nvidia’s GeForce Now or the planned mobile web version of Microsoft’s xCloud, however, Google Stadia has a free tier without restrictions and now offers two free-to-play games available (Destiny 2 and Super Bomberman R), with more to come. That means anyone with a Gmail account looking to try Stadia can give it a shot on an iPhone or iPad with minimal effort.
Since 2011 Apple’s Employee Giving Program Logged 1.6 Million Volunteer Hours
Apple posted some statistics for its Employee Giving Program on Wednesday along with some new stories for 2020.
Apple TV App Coming to Chromecast with Google TV
Apple TV is coming to Chromecast with Google TV, meaning Apple TV+ shows will be available via the device.
Fitness+ Is All the Best and All the Worst of Apple – TMO Daily Observations 2020-12-16
Charlotte Henry joins host Kelly Guimont to discuss their first impressions of Fitness+ and what does (or doesn’t) work with the new service.
Facebook Runs Anti-Apple Ads in Major U.S. Newspapers
Facebook took out adverts in major newspapers on Wednesday attacking Apple over its new data collections rules.
US Publishers Join Coalition for App Fairness Against Apple
Digital Content Next, a trade association representing major U.S. publishers, has joined the Coalition for App Fairness to protest Apple’s fees.
Life Time Adds Fitness+ to its Membership Program
Fitness company Life Time announced that it will be adding Apple’s Fitness+ program to its membership starting December 19.
macOS Big Sur Gets 11.1 Update - Introducing AirPods Max Support, ProRaw, and More
Apple has released the 11.1 update of macOS Big Sur with AirPods Max support, ProRAW support, and an updated TV app.
Nike Training Club is a Free Fitness+ Alternative
I tweeted about this app last night and I figured I’d write about it too. If you don’t have an Apple Watch or just don’t want another subscription, Nike Training Club is a free Fitness+ alternative. The premise is similar; it gives you guided video workouts for all fitness levels whether you have gym equipment or not. Once you’ve created an account the app will ask you what you’re looking for like fitness level, intensity level, if you’re in a gym or at home, and if you want to mix it up once in a while with cardio. It will then create a 4 to 8 week program for you. Like Fitness+ it can sync with your Apple Music library during workouts.
Private Messenger ‘Signal’ Adds Encrypted Group Video Calls
Good news for users of Signal. The app now supports group video calls, and they are end-to-end encrypted like the rest of the app’s communications.
Now when you open a group chat in Signal, you’ll see a video call button at the top. When you start a call, the group will receive a notification letting them know a call has started.
When you start or join a group call, Signal will display the participants in a grid view. You can also swipe up to switch to a view that automatically focuses the screen on who is speaking, and it will update in real time as the active speaker changes.
Mozilla Supports M1 Macs With Firefox 84
Mozilla issued an update to Firefox on Tuesday, and the 84th version has added support for M1 Macs, along with a few new features.
HomePod Software 14.3 Out Now
Apple released version 14.3 of its HomePod software on Tuesday, MacRumors reported. It followed a spate of releases on Monday, which included the latest version of iOS with Fitness+.
The HomePod 14.3 is available for the HomePod and the HomePod mini, and according to Apple’s release notes, the update includes general performance and stability improvements. HomePod software is installed automatically on the HomePod unless the feature is disabled.
Chrome and Keystone, Updating Apps – TMO Daily Observations 2020-12-15
Dave Hamilton and Andrew Orr join host Kelly Guimont to discuss Chrome’s updater and alternate methods for keeping apps current.
VSCO Shares its 2020 Year in Review With Top Trends
VSCO has shared its 2020 Year in Review, exploring the top trends it saw throughout the year like popular hashtags and photo presets. For example, the top third preset of 2020 was B1, aka B&W Classic. That’s my favorite VSCO preset for black and white photography and I have a feeling I was partially responsible for pushing it to the top.
Without the pressure of public likes and comments on VSCO, we saw our community share their most raw and true moments, and how creativity helped them to get through this year’s ups and downs.
EU Lays Out New Regulations for Big Tech
Thee EU has laid out plans to try and rein in big tech firms, including annual checks on how illegal and harmful content is dealt with.
COVID-19 Exposure Notifications Now Work on iPhone 6 And Other Older Devices
Devices that doe not support iOS 14, including the iPhone 6, can now access COVID-19 exposure notifications thanks toiOS 12.5.
Skylum Releases ‘Luminar AI’ Photo Editor for $79 on Mac
Known for products like Aurora HDR and Luminar, Skylum has launched its latest photo editor called Luminar AI.
Apple Boosting iPhone Production by 30 Percent in First Half of 2021
Apple is reportedly planning to produce 30 percent more iPhones in the first half of 2021 than in the same period in 2020.
First Look at Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry on Apple TV+
As promised, a first look at the documentary documenting the rise of Billie Eilish called The World’s a Little Blurry, was released on Tuesday. It follows the pop star as she tours and records an album that changes her life. It will air in theaters and on the streaming service on February 26, 2021.