An ad-free version of the service will be available for a fee and non-pay TV customers can purchase a subscription to the service, the media company said

Everyone has to have their own service. From a user perspective, there are too many services to keep track of.

HomePod, the innovative wireless speaker from Apple, will be available in mainland China and Hong Kong markets starting Friday, January 18.

Under normal circumstances I would think this was great news, but with China’s economy being what it is, I’m not sure this will be a big help for Apple, at least not yet.

Damn good question.

Fans of Eddie Van Halen’s illustrious Eruption guitars can now own a piece of rock and roll history with three tribute model packages from EVH Guitars! These new models include the Super ’78 (limited to only 8 pieces), ’78 Eruption Relic (limited to only 30 guitars) and ’78 Eruption (limited to only 40 pieces). And in a true homage to this pivotal period, EVH has also recreated Eddie Van Halen’s original G&G case and loaded it up with the very items used by him at the time, such as ‘70s-era Fender Super Bullets strings, Van Halen ‘70s tortoiseshell picks, ’78 chain strap and 3-in-One oil. The tribute models are also accompanied by an exclusive collector’s booklet, a backstage pass vinyl cloth sticker, 8”x10” 1978 concert photo of Eddie Van Halen, autographed certificate of authenticity and an autographed vinyl copy of Van Halen.

I want one of these!

The allegations stem primarily from large severance payments to Andy Rubin, who led Google’s Android mobile operating division until 2014, and Amit Singhal, head of Google’s search unit until 2016. Company investigations into both men had found accusations of sexual harassment against them to be credible, according to the lawsuits.

A Mongolian band using traditional Mongolian instruments. It’s good.

Hulu is preparing to update its streaming app in order to make it simpler to navigate to and discover content you want to watch. Some of the changes coming in the weeks ahead are smaller, but worthwhile tweaks – like adding buttons or rearranging menus. But the more notable change is that Hulu is testing the elimination of the app’s existing landing page – currently known as “Lineup” – and replacing it with a new experience.

There’s a possibility that the testing might reveal that viewers prefer “Lineup” over “Hulu Picks” so the company can’t definitively say that it will drop Lineup permanently.

I’m currently testing out Hulu and it’s a pretty good app, but these changes are a good move. There are some other changes I would like to see with the DVR and other functions, but navigation should help users find the content they want faster.

According to its Feature Availability page, Apple today introduced a number of new features for Apple Maps. Several new Flyover locations have been added, and available maps for indoor malls have expanded.

Speed limits in Canada, new flyover locations, and indoor maps are among the changes in the latest updates.

Enthusiasm for aviation-related education programs in Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Aviation and Transportation Technology (SATT) continues to soar with the arrival of iPad and Apple Pencil for each of the nearly one thousand students and faculty. Undergraduate programs in SATT include professional flight, aeronautical engineering technology, aviation management and unmanned aerial systems.

Dubbed an Electronic Purdue Bag (EPB) — a nod to the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) that replaced pilots’ paper-based flight information in the cockpit during in the 1990s — the new 9.7-inch cellular iPad, Apple Pencil and Logitech keyboard and case provide Purdue’s aviation students with a competitive advantage by preparing them for the technologically advanced aviation industry where most major airlines use iPad in the cockpit. Students now have access to the latest technical documents, including operating manuals and navigational charts, can generate multimedia safety reports on the spot, and will leverage the latest virtual and augmented reality (AR) tools on iPad. Eventually, students will develop their own apps and customize their learning experience.

This is great for Purdue students, but also a necessary move for the school. Since pilots are already using iPads, Purdue needs to be on the cutting edge and they clearly are. According to Purdue, they plan to upgrade all of the iPads every two years.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is set to post its first drop in quarterly operating profit in two years as slowing economic growth in China, a key market for the South Korean tech giant, erodes demand for its products.

[…]

“Depressed demand in China will further drive down Samsung’s chip sales there. And China’s overall smartphone market is stalled and declining, which will affect not only Apple but Samsung,” Song Myung-sup, a senior analyst at HI Investment & Securities, told Reuters.

Like I said, this is a China issue, not an iPhone problem.

Fifteen years ago, John Mayer joined Steve Jobs on stage to introduce a new app called GarageBand. For those of us who loved to create music, GarageBand was a revolution that would change the world. […]

China’s Huawei Technologies has punished two employees for New Year greetings sent on the smartphone maker’s official Twitter account using an iPhone, an internal memo showed.

All companies use competitors products, but they usually don’t use them to post public messages. This isn’t a huge issue, but still a blunder that makes the company look bad.

Ebro Darden has been known to New Yorkers for years as the self-proclaimed “King Troll” of hip-hop radio. Currently the host of Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning with Laura Stylez & Rosenberg show, the 43-year-old has also expanded into other arenas in recent years. Most notably, Darden has been playing an increasingly large role with Apple Music since joining Beats 1 Radio as an anchor in 2015.

Now, he’s journeying further into the Apple universe with a new job as global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B for Apple Music. The new gig will find Darden, the company says, “manag[ing] a team of hip-hop and R&B editors as they build out editorial plans for artists, albums and song releases.”

This is a good interview, but one thing struck me in particular. Take his title “global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B for Apple Music,” and change hip-hop and R&B to any music genre. I would love to see Apple doing the things outlined in this interview for all music genres.

(This is probably the worst site I’ve ever seen for ads. You’ve been warned.)

Apple today announced that App Store customers worldwide set new spending records over the holidays, wrapping up a record-breaking year. App Store spending topped $1.22 billion between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Customers also spent over $322 million on … Continued

Super Dave Osborne was a comedy genius and a staple on TV in Canada. His stunts were fake and so hilarious, you couldn’t help but laugh out loud. You can read a bit more about his career on Variety, but here’s a compilation of some of his stunts.

Apple posted on its web site yesterday that 78% of all devices introduced in the last 4 years are using iOS 12, and 75% of all devices are using iOS 12. That’s a substantial numbers of people that are using the latest operating system.

A variety of skins are available for customizing the design of the Apple Pencil, but Reddit user Cedric Chase decided to take the do-it-yourself route with some sandpaper, synthetic fabric dye, and paint, transforming his second-generation Apple Pencil into one that closely resembles a No. 2 graphite pencil.

He did a great job, but there’s no way I take a chance on doing this with my new Apple Pencil.

My thanks to Bare Bones Software for sponsoring The Loop this week. Do you sling code or compose with words? Whether you’re an app developer, web developer, systems admin or just want a powerful writing tool that stays out of your way, BBEdit is worth checking out.

I’ve been using BBEdit since 1995, so I know first hand that it can handle any job I throw at it.

BBEdit is crafted in response to the needs of writers, web authors, and software developers, providing an abundance of high-performance features for editing, searching, and the manipulation of text.

BBEdit 12.5 is 64-bit ready. Download and try it today!

Dan Riccio, Apple’s vice president of hardware engineering:

Relative to the issue you referenced regarding the new iPad Pro, its unibody design meets or exceeds all of Apple’s high quality standards of design and precision manufacturing. We’ve carefully engineered it and every part of the manufacturing process is precisely measured and controlled.

This iPad Pro bend is a real head scratcher for me. Apple is so diligent and precise in every aspect of manufacturing that it seems impossible that this could happen, but yet it has. I haven’t seen this with my iPad Pro and we don’t know how prevalent it is beyond the few pictures we’ve seen online.

Apple is committed to your privacy and being transparent about government requests for customer data globally. This report provides information on government requests received.

I love that Apple releases this information.

My thanks to Bare Bones Software for sponsoring The Loop this week. Do you sling code or compose with words? Whether you’re an app developer, web developer, systems admin or just want a powerful writing tool that stays out of your way, BBEdit is worth checking out.

I’ve been using BBEdit since 1995, so I know first hand that it can handle any job I throw at it.

BBEdit is crafted in response to the needs of writers, web authors, and software developers, providing an abundance of high-performance features for editing, searching, and the manipulation of text.

BBEdit 12.5 is 64-bit ready. Download and try it today!

After more than 8 years as a paid-for app, djay for iOS is changing. With the latest release, we are now offering a single universal app as a free download which offers everything you need to DJ, along with an affordable new monthly Pro subscription service with power user features, video mixing, music production tools, and most importantly, unlimited access to a large library of audio loops, samples, FX, and visuals.

Changing your business model is always tricky, no matter what your app does. The company posted an extensive explanation on its web site that should answer most questions from customers, including the differences between the free and subscription-based app. I’ve always loved djay and the people behind the app, so I’ll be interested to see how this transition goes for them.

Today, the For You tab is making its way over to Google Maps in over 40 countries on iOS and 130+ new countries on Android—helping you stay up to date on fun, new places so you’ll know exactly where to take the fam this winter. The For You tab is designed to be a constant source of inspiration tailored to your tastes and preferences. Simply follow neighborhoods or places you’re interested in to get updates and recommendations—everything from recent news about an opening or pop up, a new menu item, and even restaurant suggestions based on what you’re likely to enjoy. If you’re making a trip this holiday season, the For You can help you get a jump start on travel planning even before you take off.

I mostly use Apple Maps, but I’ll give this a try just to see how it does picking places for me to visit.