Apple

Epic Games sends emails to Fortnite players blaming Apple for new season’s unavailability

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From the email:

Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the ‌App Store‌, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, the Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), did not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.

Apple limits competition so they can collect 30% of consumer payments made in apps like Fortnite, raising the prices you pay. Epic lowered prices through a direct payment option, but Apple is blocking Fortnite in order to prevent Epic from passing on the savings from direct payments to players. Epic has taken legal action to end Apple’s anti-competitive restrictions on mobile device marketplaces. Papers are available for our August 13, August 17, and August 23 filings. In retaliation for this action, Apple blocked your access to Fortnite updates and new installs on all iOS devices.

Apple gave Epic the chance to fix the situation, Epic made the choice to take a stand.

Both sides made choices. Epic is painting a picture of Apple is bully and Epic as choice-less victim. To me, this is just ugly. And disingenuous.

Apple employees who completed this year’s ‘Close Your Rings’ Challenge receive shirt and congratulatory card

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Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Apple each year hosts a company wide fitness challenge for its employees at corporate offices and retail stores around the world, tasking participants to close all three of their Apple Watch Activity Rings every day of the month.

Normally runs in February, but COVID. So they ran it mid-July to mid-August. Follow the headline link to see a pic of this year’s shirt and card.

Just a shirt, but one I think will have special meaning, given all everyone’s going through this year.

Hidden iOS 14 features

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[VIDEO] Follow the headline link to read a roll-up of important and, perhaps, less obvious features brought to you in iOS 14 so far.

Or watch the video embedded in the main Loop post to see them in action. Really well presented.

iPadOS 14 now lets you interact with Siri and apps at the same time

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Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac:

One of the big improvements in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 is that Siri no longer takes over the whole screen. However, in the early betas you couldn’t interact with Siri and apps at the same time – doing anything with an app, even scrolling, would dismiss Siri.

A Redditor noticed that this is no longer the case on the iPad as of iPadOS 14 beta 5.

Here’s a link to the video showing this off.

Note that this works on iPadOS but not iOS. Not clear if that will change over time. Definitely a feature worth checking out. Siri working in parallel with the rest of the interface, rather than completely taking over, is a big step forward.

Facebook apologizes to users, businesses for Apple’s monstrous efforts to protect its customers’ privacy

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The Register:

Facebook has apologized to its users and advertisers for being forced to respect people’s privacy in an upcoming update to Apple’s mobile operating system – and promised it will do its best to invade their privacy on other platforms.

The antisocial network that makes almost all of its revenue from building a vast, constantly updated database of netizens that it then sells access to, is upset that iOS 14, due out next month, will require apps to ask users for permission before Facebook grabs data from their phones.

I’m a sucker for a well-written headline. Monstrous. Onion-worthy.

Epic confirms Fortnite’s new season won’t be on iOS or macOS

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[VIDEO] Epic:

Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, Fortnite’s newly released Chapter 2 – Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27.

This whole situation makes me sad. Seems like only yesterday Epic excitedly showed off their upcoming Fortnite title at the 2015 WWDC keynote.

That video is embedded in the main Loop post.

Apple losing wireless earbuds market share even as AirPods sales grow

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Bloomberg:

AirPods have come to define the true wireless (TWS) earphones category, with Apple accounting for nearly half of all sales in 2019 and expected to grow to 82 million units this year, according to Counterpoint Research data. More affordable alternatives from Chinese rivals, however, have eroded Apple’s lead and the Silicon Valley company now finds itself with just over a third of the market, at 35%, followed by Xiaomi Corp. with 10% and Samsung Electronics Co. on 6%, according to the researchers.

Follow the link, check the pie chart to see how splintered the earbuds market has become. It’d be interesting to see a pie chart based purely on iPhone users. It’d also be interesting to see a pie chart based on revenue, rather than units sold.

Apple made the market, showed the world how much money there was in making/selling earbuds. The market matured and the lower end of the market was underserved, the other makers filled the vacuum.

Also interesting that this same market phenomenon does not seem to apply to the Apple Watch. This tech is just harder to master, for one thing. But earbuds are also easier to divorce from an ecosystem designed to include it.

On whether or not to buy nano-textured glass for the 2020 iMac

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[VIDEO] This is a great video from Jeff Benjamin, 9to5Mac, all about the nano-textured glass offered as a $500 upgrade to Apple’s 2020 iMac.

Watch the whole video (embedded in the main Loop post), but pay specific attention at about 1:28 in, where you see the direct comparison between regular and nano-textured glass, when it comes to reflection. If that matters to you, at least $500 worth, get the nano-textured glass. And be sure to clean it with the provided cloth.

Epic judge will protect Unreal Engine — but not Fortnite, an issue of “irreparable harm”

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The Verge:

Epic Games just won a temporary restraining order against Apple — at least in part. Effective immediately, Apple can’t retaliate against Epic Games by terminating the company’s Apple developer accounts or restricting use of Epic’s Unreal Engine by developers on Apple platforms.

That’s half of what was at issue. And, to the massive community of developers who depend on Unreal Engine, a critical ruling.

But in the same ruling, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided that Apple will not be required to bring Fortnite — which it had banned after Epic added an in-app payment system in violation of Apple’s rules — back to the App Store.

And that’s the other half. Impacting Fortnite fans, perhaps, but not much more than a tiny ripple in the ocean of iOS apps.

This battle is just beginning. A few more things to read:

  • The New York Times: To Fight Apple and Google’s Grip, Fortnite Creator Mounts a Crusade, a profile on Epic CEO Tim Sweeney (thus the “Battle of the Tims” tag you might encounter).

  • The legal order itself. Scroll down to the Analysis section on page 4. Key to the whole thing is the issue of “irreparable harm”. In a nutshell, the judge ruled that Fortnite would not suffer irreparable harm if it was blocked from the App Store. At the same time, the judge ruled that Unreal Engine would suffer irreparable harm if Epic’s developer account was terminated.

More to come. Much more.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is fulfilling another Steve Jobs vision

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Associated Press:

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was a tough act to follow. But Tim Cook seems to be doing so well at it that his eventual successor may also have big shoes to fill.

Yesterday was the 9th anniversary of Tim taking over for Steve. This AP article is a short recap of Tim’s time at the helm.

One particular highlight that stands out:

Asked what the company might look like under his management, Cook said that Apple needs “to own and control the primary technologies behind the products we make.” It has doubled down on that commitment, becoming a major chip producer in order to supply both iPhones and Macs. He added that Apple would resist exploring most projects “so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us.”

Good read.

Apple Music “Worldwide” ad

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[VIDEO] I find this ad amazing, a sign of how much energy Apple can put into a promo. A wild collision of styles, reminiscent of the early days of MTV. Video embedded in main Loop post.

The Ringer: How on Earth Is ‘Ted Lasso’ actually good?

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The Ringer:

The Apple TV+ series, which is based on a character from an old NBC Premier League ad campaign, is somehow one of the most touching shows of 2020

And:

It was hard not to be skeptical when AppleTV+ first announced Ted Lasso. Even with the pedigree of veteran showrunner Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Cougar Town, the tragically short-lived Whiskey Cavalier), there didn’t seem to be much there in terms of a series. The “character” of Ted Lasso, as one-dimensional as it was, originated from a couple of NBC promos when it acquired the television rights to the English Premier League. The idea was that an American football coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, was hired as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur. Most of the jokes stemmed from Lasso being out of his depth, from one sport called football to another. (Ted Lasso is unaware that you can end a soccer match with a draw, among many other things.)

Let me just step in here and say, I absolutely felt the same way when I first saw this show premise. The problem, I think, was that the trailers highlighted the dumb, without the warmth, without the charm.

Ted Lasso the sitcom … seriously rules. The series has no right to be as good, funny, and moving as it is. And yet I devoured all 10 episodes in a single day while frantically messaging my editor in disbelief that this is one of my favorite new shows. As far as TV productions go, this might as well be Leicester City winning the Premier League.

I’m telling you, this might be the best Apple TV+ series. Absolutely worth your time. A bit like Scrubs, but more long arcs, less slapstick. And ignore the trailers. This is not a jokey show, this is all about character, driven by Jason Sudeikis and his pitch perfect take.

Side note to Bill Lawrence: Consider a trailer based on the box of treats Ted brings to his boss every morning. That’s a perfect example of the heart of this show. Why does this work? I don’t know. Heartstrings mixed with a bit of mystery? Whatever it is, the trailers are missing the magic part that makes this show so great.

Apple Korea posts Mac ad

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[VIDEO] 16 million views and counting. Video embedded in main Loop post.

Hundreds of iPhones with Fortnite installed flood eBay

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Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Enterprising eBay sellers are hoping people who are desperate to play Fortnite will pay high prices for iPhones with the game installed, and there are currently hundreds of iPhone listings on eBay advertising the Fortnite app as a purchase perk.

This seems crazy to me. Can’t imagine anyone actually paying money for this. Puzzled as to what people hope to gain by putting up such outrageous asks. Hoping someone accidentally gets sucked in? Yeesh.

Chrome has owned the web for years. The next version of macOS could change that

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Inc:

Google Chrome has been the most popular web browser on both Macs and PCs for a long time. There’s really no question that compared to what came before, it was a huge step forward and made web browsing a noticeably better experience.

But, and let’s be honest here, Chrome has its problems. It sucks battery life and processing power out of your laptop and it’s definitely not the fastest web browser anymore. It also does far less than other browsers to protect your privacy and keep your data secure.

I know a lot of people who stuck with Chrome, partly for the extensions, partly for the 4K, and in spite of the battery suck.

Which brings us back to macOS 11, and the latest version of Safari, which comes with a bunch of updates that not only make browsing the web faster and safer, but more productive as well.

Make no mistake, all of these changes are a direct assault on Google’s dominance the web. There are very few things you can do online that don’t touch at least one of Google’s services, and Apple would very much like to change that.

Interesting take. Wonder if these new Safari features and efficiencies will be enough do sway users from Chrome back to Safari.

Can’t you just right click?

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Nice write-up (with lots of clarifying screenshots) from Jeff Johnson on where Apple is going with Gatekeeper and signing on the Mac, especially with the coming of Apple silicon-based Macs.

If you are not a developer, this is still worth a look. Think about the current experience of running an app you downloaded from the internet, as opposed to from the Mac App Store. Apple is slowly tightening the screws, from the olden days of “run whatever you want” to “we highly discourage this practice”.

The sequence of pictures really tells this story.

Porsche integrates Apple Music into its first fully-electric vehicle

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Porsche:

From the touchscreen display in the Porsche Advanced Cockpit, Apple Music subscribers can stream over 60 million songs ad-free, thousands of curated playlists, and the Beats 1 global livestream with three-year complimentary in-car music streaming in the Taycan. This is the first-ever full integration of Apple Music in any vehicle.

That Beats 1 reference is now dated. But I digress.

Highlights of the collaboration:

  • Porsche Voice Assistant: Use custom Porsche voice control to request songs, albums, playlists, or radio stations on Apple Music.
  • Discover on Broadcast Radio, Listen on Apple Music: Create your own custom station on Apple Music from any song you find while listening to broadcast radio.
  • Exclusive Playlists: Listen to curated playlists from Porsche, only on Apple Music.
  • In-Car Streaming Data: Complimentary in-car music streaming for 3 years.
  • Up to Six Months Included: New and existing Porsche owners get up to 6 months free of Apple Music.

Also:

Taycan drivers can pair a Burmester High-End Surround Sound System with Apple Digital Masters and enjoy studio-quality sound for an unparalleled listening experience in every journey. Apple Digital Masters delivers music as artists and sound engineers intend it to be heard.

Here’s the details on Apple Digital Masters.

How to get SHOWTIME free with Apple TV+ and existing CBS All Access subscription

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MacObserver:

If you are currently an Apple TV+ and CBS All Access (CBSAA) subscriber, you can get SHOWTIME free. Your subscription status will automatically reflect the new bundle. However, there’s a slight trick involved.

Read the post for the details, one of those things that’s good to know, even if it doesn’t apply to you, on the off chance you know someone it’d help.

From the fine print:

With Apple TV+, add SHOWTIME to CBS All Access at no cost. Without Apple TV+, it’s $20.98/mo.

That’s a pretty penny. Check out the Showtime web site to see what they have to offer.

Check out Apple’s watchOS 7 Preview page

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Some beautiful design here. Heads up, there’s a lot of motion on the page, so keep in mind if that’s an issue for you.

I particularly love the ease-in animation as you move from day to night. Watch the menu bar disappear as you hit that midpoint. Lovely stuff.

Apple is the Navy, not the pirates

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Ben Evans:

Apple changed how software development worked, and by doing so expanded the number of people who could comfortably, safely use a computer from a few hundred million to a few billion.

And, three problems Apple took on:

  • Putting apps in a sandbox, where they can only do things that Apple allows and cannot ask (or persuade, or trick) the user for permission to do ‘dangerous’ things, means that apps become completely safe. A horoscope app can’t break your computer, or silt it up, or run your battery down, or watch your web browser and steal your bank details.

  • An app store is a much better way to distribute software. Users don’t have to mess around with installers and file management to put a program onto their computer – they just press ‘Get’. If you (or your customers) were technical this didn’t seem like a problem, but for everyone else with 15 copies of the installer in their download folder, baffled at what to do next, this was a huge step forward.

  • Asking for a credit card to buy an app online created both a friction barrier and a safety barrier – ‘can I trust this company with my card?’ Apple added frictionless, safe payment.

And:

All of this levelled the playing field. You knew you could trust Adobe or EA with your credit card, and you knew you could trust them not to abuse your PC too much. Panic, Rogue Amoeba or Basecamp have accumulated reputations that mean they get trust too, for tech insiders who’ve known about them for years. But what about a random Vietnamese developer who’s made a fun little game about a bird that flaps? The iOS software model removed trust as a problem, and as an advantage for big companies.

And:

When your product has a few points of market share you can make whatever choices you like, but when you dominate the market, other rules start applying. Apple isn’t the pirates anymore – it’s the navy, the port and the customs house. In the last few weeks, Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Epic have been stopped at customs.

Fascinating perspective. Great read.

Apple TV+ trailer for Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Sofia Coppola project

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[VIDEO] The movie is called On the Rocks, and is a reunion of sorts, bringing Bill Murray and Sofia Coppola back together. Coppola won the Best Original Screenplay for 2003’s Lost in Translation (one of my favorite movies) with nominations for Coppola as Best Director and Bill Murray as Best Actor.

On the Rocks was once again written and directed by Coppola. Coming to theaters (maybe?) and Apple TV+ in October. The trailer is embedded in the main Loop post.

“Covid was the perfect positive storm for these guys”

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New York Times:

The stocks of Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft and Facebook, the five largest publicly traded companies in America, rose 37 percent in the first seven months this year, while all the other stocks in the S&P 500 fell a combined 6 percent.

And:

Those five companies now constitute 20 percent of the stock market’s total worth, a level not seen from a single industry in at least 70 years. Apple’s stock market value, the highest of the bunch, is nearly $2 trillion — double what it was just 21 weeks ago.

And:

“Covid was the perfect positive storm for these guys,” said Thomas Philippon, a professor of finance at New York University.

And let’s not forget about the billionaires. Jump to this Statista post and scroll down to the chart showing the massive growth in billionaire wealth since March 18th.

How to force quit apps on Apple Watch

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A funky little tip from OSXDaily. This is not how to force reboot your Apple Watch but, rather, how to force quit a misbehaving app.

This is akin to swiping up on an app on your iPhone to force quit it.

Apple renames Beats 1 to Apple Music 1, adds two new radio stations

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Apple:

Apple today announced two new live global radio offerings on Apple Music, now available to music fans in 165 countries. Beginning today, Beats 1, the flagship global radio station, will be renamed Apple Music 1, and two additional radio stations will launch: Apple Music Hits, celebrating everyone’s favorite songs from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, and Apple Music Country, spotlighting country music.

Interesting that Apple has stepped back from the Beats brand here. Note that Apple purchased Beats on August 1st, 2014. I wonder if the Beats 1 branding was part of that contract and time just ran out on that requirement. Pure speculation on my part.

Apple gives users more time to buy AppleCare+ after sales slow

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Mark Gurman, Bloomberg:

Consumers currently have a chance to sign up to the warranty-and-support program within 60 days of buying an Apple product. This subscription window is increasing to up to a year now in the U.S. and Canada.

“This gives customers another opportunity to protect their device and have access to all the AppleCare+ benefits,” Apple wrote in a memo to staff seen by Bloomberg News. The company told employees the offer is available to customers who pay for AppleCare+ in full versus monthly payments, or for those that subscribe via installments on the Apple Card credit card.

Keep that change in mind. Looks like you’ll now have up to a year after you buy Apple Hardware to sign up for AppleCare+.

AppleCare is what you get for free, AppleCare+ is what you pay for. Note that you’ll have to have your device screened by an Apple retail employee to make sure it is not damaged before they’ll let you sign up.

‘For All Mankind’ Apple drama series resumes production on Season 2

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Nellie Andreeva, Deadline:

I hear filming on the remaining two episodes started today on the Sony lot in Culver City.

Indie studio Sony Pictures TV has been at the forefront of efforts to safely return scripted series to production. The studio’s CBS show S.W.A.T. became the first broadcast drama to start filming new episodes, Its daytime drama The Young and the Restless has been back in production for weeks, its ABC comedy The Goldbergs is eying a production restart in a week; while studio’s drama The Good Doctor is looking to get filming underway in Vancouver at the end of this month.

I’ve been reading about production on many different projects slowly ramping up, with lots of actor/crew testing, mannequins and family stand-ins subbing for other actors when filming hugs, etc.

Good to hear about more and more shows coming back to life.

Apple orders “My Kind of Country” music competition series from Reese Witherspoon, Jason Owen and Izzie Pick Ibarra

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Apple:

Apple has ordered its first competition series, “My Kind of Country,” a groundbreaking global search for unconventional and extraordinary country music talent that will be produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Emmy-nominated Hello Sunshine, Jason Owen and Emmy Award nominee Izzie Pick Ibarra. Emmy Award-nominated Adam Blackstone will serve as musical director of the series, which will be executive produced by Done + Dusted.

First competition series? Planet of the Apps will not be forgotten!

“My Kind of Country” will revolutionize the music competition genre with a fresh, new documentary sensibility. The hybrid series will break down cultural and musical barriers in the country music space, inviting innovative musicians to unleash their authentic voices and take center stage.

Apple TV+ continues to flesh out its offerings, expanding its reach while trying to make all shows appealing, in some way or other, to a very wide audience. Difficult road to walk, so far so good.

And if you’ve avoided Ted Lasso because you couldn’t connect to the trailers, ignore them, watch the show. It’s really good.

The Case of the Top Secret iPod

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David Shayer, TidBITS:

It was a gray day in late 2005. I was sitting at my desk, writing code for the next year’s iPod. Without knocking, the director of iPod Software—my boss’s boss—abruptly entered and closed the door behind him. He cut to the chase. “I have a special assignment for you. Your boss doesn’t know about it. You’ll help two engineers from the US Department of Energy build a special iPod. Report only to me.”

This is an unbelievable read. But totally believable, since it’s from David Shayer, who worked as a software engineer at Apple for about 18 years. Look him up. Then follow the headline link and read the whole thing.