No longer just the firm that makes the best looking hardware, Apple is competing with the world’s media giants.
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Apple Bringing Editorial Direction to Apple News, Hires Experienced New York Magazine Exec
Politico reported that Apple brought on Lauren Kern, an experienced editor from New York Magazine.
New Apple Cartoon Looks at the Liam Recycling Robot
Apple launched a new video called “Earth Day 2017 — Does my iPhone believe in reincarnation?” It’s part of the cartoon series the company started on Earth Day earlier in May, but this one takes a look at Liam. That’s Apple’s purpose-built recycling robot that pulls iPhones apart so the components can be reused. I like this series of environmentally-themed cartoons. They’re fun, interesting, and informative. Lisa Jackson, Apple Vice President Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, tweeted the video Thursday.
Apple Launches New Swift Curriculum on iBooks Store for Free
Apple wants everyone to know how to code for the Mac, iPhone and iPad, so new training resources are rolling out today.
Apple and Nokia Reach Agreement in Patent Licensing Dispute
Apple and Nokia settled their patent licensing dispute on Monday and are besties again.
Apple's New Switcher Campaign — for iPhone
Apple launched a new advertising campaign called Switch to iPhone at apple.com/switch. The campaign trades the white of the company’s original I’m a PC campaign for dark pastels and simple, compelling imagery. The message is that it’s simple to switch to iPhone, which is faster, that your music will sound better, and that moving your photos is easy. Watch the four videos that make that argument in our full story.
Apple's Driverless Test Car Caught in the Wild
Apple’s driverless test car—a Lexus SUV—was caught in the wild by a MacRumors reader. There’s nothing earth-shattering about catching Apple’s autonomous vehicle in the wild—it’s been done before. But, I enjoy these reminders that Apple is going full steam ahead on developing driverless technology. Project Titan leaks have dramatically slowed since Bob Mansfield took it over, but testing obviously continues apace. MacRumor‘s Juli Clover has some additional details on this particular spotting.
Stevie Wonder Plays Apple's Beer Bash, Here's Tim Cook's Tweet
Apple brought Stevie Wonder in to play the company’s Beer Bash this week, and Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted an image of him hugging the artist onstage. The concert capped a week of activities highlighting Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Mr. Wonder, who is blind, has long endorsed Apple because of the company’s extensive accessibility features in macOS and iOS. Apple often brings in big names for its Beer Bash, a long tradition for the company. This is likely to be of the Beer Bashes is held at Infinite Loop, as the company begins moving into Apple Park in the next few weeks. 9to5Mac rounded up some additional tweeted imaged from the event.
Thank you to the incomparable Stevie Wonder for lifting hearts and celebrating accessibility with us! #GAAD pic.twitter.com/WvePkgte5R
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 19, 2017
How to shoot with zoom on iPhone 7 Plus (Apple Video)
Apple published another new video in its “Shoot with iPhone” series. This one is called “How to shoot with zoom on iPhone 7 Plus.” It offers two methods I don’t know you could use. The first is to single-tap your display for a 2x optical zoom. The second method is to touch and hold your display to scroll through your zoom until you get it where you want it. There are now 20 videos in this series, and they’re great resources for making the most of your iPhone’s camera.
How to shoot a one-handed selfie on iPhone 7 (Apple Video)
Apple posted a new video in its “Shoot with iPhone” series called “How to shoot a one-handed selfie on iPhone 7.” It offers the three steps needed to take a quick selfie with your iPhone (works with all iPhones running iOS 10). 1.) Swipe left from the lock screen. 2.) Switch to front-facing camera. 3.) Press either volume button to snap your selfie. There are now 20 videos in this series, and they’re great resources for making the most of your iPhone’s camera.
Chat Tipping in China, Thoughts on Apple Park - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-18
Apple has reportedly blocked in-app tipping in Chinese chat apps, and Jeff Butts and John Martellaro join guest-host Bryan Chaffin to talk about it. They also talk about John Martellaro’s thesis that Apple Park celebrates the employee.
New Macs at WWDC, Apple vs Diabetes, Lattice Data - ACM 411
This could be the year Apple breaks form and introduces new hardware at WWDC, and Bryan and Jeff explain why. They also discuss Apple’s big bets on an even bigger future and the importance of AI, neural nets, and machine learning.
Thoughts On The Apple Mothership: Celebration of the Employee
Steven Levy has written a stellar article at Wired about his tour of the new Apple campus, Apple Park, aka The Mothership. The focus is on the design details inspired by Steve Jobs and the building as “Steve’s gift.” John read the article and has some follow-on thoughts to offer.
Apple Goes 'Beyond WWDC' with Third Party Events
Apple has posted some of the third party events that take place during its own World Wide Developer Conference. The Apple Developer Connection has a new Beyond WWDC list that includes events like AltConf 2017, The Talk Show with John Gruber Live, CocoaConf Next Door, Layers, the App Camp for Girls benefit with James Dempsey and the Breakpoints. and one of our favorites, Jim Dalrymple’s Beard Bash.
Apple Seeds First Developer Releases of iOS 10.3.3, watchOS 3.2.3, tvOS 10.2.2
In addition to a new developer release of Sierra, Apple also seeded developer releases of iOS 10.3.3, watchOS 3.2.3, tvOS 10.2.2. All three releases are most likely going to be bug releases, and they come just one day after final versions of their predecessors.
Apple Seeds First Developer Release of macOS Sierra 10.12.6
Apple released the first developer release of macOS Sierra 10.12.6 on Tuesday, just one day after shipping macOS Sierra 10.12.5. The company didn’t announce any new features in the release, and it’s likely to be another maintenance release ahead of Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference in June.
iBooks Offers 30 Edgar Award Winning Mysteries for $3.99 or Less
Apple’s iBooks is offering 30 mystery novels for $3.99 or less, all of them past winners of the Edgar Awards. The Edgars—short for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards—are handed out by the Mystery Writers of America, an author’s guild. The sale is promoting eight 2017 Edgar winners (from $2.99 to $20.99) and 21 nominees (from $3.99 to $14.99), but the 30 past winners are all on sale. Authors in the sale catalog include Eliot Pattison, Otto Penzier, Allison Gaylin, S.J. Rozan, Melanie Rehak, James Patterson, and some fellow named Michael Crichton (A Case of Need), and many more.
Watch Apple's 'iPhone 7 Plus — Barbers' Video
Apple published a new iPhone 7 Plus video to its YouTube channel on Monday. The spot shows a barber shop using iPhone 7 Plus’s Portrait Mode camera to promote its business. It’s a charming pitch directly demonstrating a practical way for someone to use the feature in their business. The imagery is compelling and the message is accessible. The soundtrack is “Fantastic Man” by William Onyeabor, an artist who recorded in the ’70s and early ’80s.
Apple Squashes 30 Security Holes in macOS Sierra, Plus Standalone Updates for El Cap and Yosemite
Apple squashed 30 security holes in macOS Sierra with the release of macOS 10.12.5 on Monday. The company’s security notes indicate the update addressed a wide variety of issues in its Mac operating system, many of which are serious. Apple included the same fixes in separate security updates for El Capitan and Yosemite.
Apple Releases iTunes 12.6.1, Calls it 'Minor'
Apple released iTunes 12.6.1 on Monday. The patch notes were sparse, noting only that, “This update includes minor app and performance improvements.”
Apple Watch watchOS 3.2.2 Released with Bug Fixes and Security Patches
Apple released watchOS 3.2.2 Monday. Apple’s patch notes for the release are scant, noting only that it “includes improvements and bug fixes.”
Apple Releases macOS 10.12.5 with USB Headphone Bug Fix, More RAW Formats
Apple released macOS 10.12.5 Monday. This update includes a fix for a USB headphone bug and other bug fixes, support for more RAW formats, and as-yet-unspecified security patches.
Apple Releases iOS 10.3.2 with Bug Fixes and Security Patches
Apple released iOS 10.3.2 Monday. The patch notes for the updates indicate it is entirely a maintenance update, noting that it “includes bug fixes and improves the security of your iPhone and iPad.”
Apple Launches 16 'Shoot with iPhone' Videos on Dedicated Website
Apple has launched a site dedicated to its Shoot with iPhone 7 instructional videos. Those videos were launched on YouTube Thursday evening. On Friday, Apple published a subsite on the apple.com domain with 16 videos from the series. Bryan Chaffin explains.