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Epic to sue the local mattress store, and the ice cream cart guy

Not that bad yet, but they did add Google to the list of lawsuits.

Epic Games has filed suit against Google over alleged antitrust violations, just hours after seeing Fortnite dropped from the both the Google Play Store and iOS App store and filing a similar lawsuit against Apple. Epic’s complaint alleges that Google’s payment restrictions on the Play Store constitute a monopoly, and thus a violation of both the Sherman Act and California’s Cartwright Act.

Epic’s hit game Fortnite was removed from the Google Play Store earlier today.

Apple lands spy romance movie starring Idris Elba

Idris Elba and Simon Kinberg have teamed up for a yet-to-be-titled spy film, which after an intense bidding war, has landed at Apple.

Elba will star and produce the film, which is described as a “spy movie with romance” set in Africa. Kingberg and Audrey Chon, president of Kinberg’s Genre Films will produce. The film’s script comes from Travon Free, best known for “Black Monday” and “The Daily Show”.

I love spy movies, and I really like Idris Elba, so this should be a great movie for me. This film also shows how Apple is going after a variety of shows and movies instead of focusing on just a couple of genres.

The Dalrymple Report: Apple bundles, Apple News+, and Surface Duo

Rumors are circulating that Apple could offer bundles, combining some of its popular services. Dave and I talk about what we like and don’t like about the bundle, as well as how it affects certain services, like Apple News+. We also talk about the Surface, and catch up on a little hockey and personal news.

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Uber and Lyft: What is work

Om Malik:

Uber and Lyft, in response to a California court ruling that all drivers must be reclassified as employees with benefits, are threatening to quit doing business in the state. Putting the news, and the legal posturing of Uber and Lyft aside, the judgment and its possible impact on other gig-economy companies that rely on independent contractors will be a quagmire. But it raises more profound questions that go far beyond these startups, and our society.

Admittedly, there are many more questions than answers right now.

Apple to bundle CBS All Access and Showtime on Apple TV

Starting as early as Monday, Apple TV+ subscribers will be able to access both the CBS and Showtime channels in Apple’s TV app for $9.99 per month combined. CBS All Access and Showtime normally cost $9.99 and $10.99 per month respectively, so the deal would be a significant savings.

Now that is a good deal. If Apple does this, I will add this bundle to the Apple Channels I already purchased, and I’ll feel great about the price. Basically, I’ll be paying for Showtime and getting CBS for free, which is about how much it’s worth.

The Dalrymple Report: Phil Schiller, iMac, Astronauts and Disney+

Apple’s Phil Schiller stepped down from his senior vice president role and is now an Apple Fellow—Dave and I discuss how important he was to the company over the years. We also look at the new iMac, the astronaut landing and how Disney+ is being unfair to its customers.

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First look: macOS Big Sur public beta

I hadn’t thought of Big Sur as being the “end of OS X” but I guess it is. Whether that is truly significant remains to be seen.

Wireless charging is a disaster waiting to happen

The energy loss from wireless charging shouldn’t come as a surprise. But convenience will always outweigh the disadvantages for most people. But, as wireless charging becomes more ubiquitous, the issues raised in this piece become more apparent.

“The Way I See It” trailer

Souza is an incredible photographer with a unique ability to capture the formal and informal images of the POTUS. But, along the way, he has also become a political voice of change.

Why is printer ink so freaking expensive?

My family has very little need for a printer any more. We have a workhorse Brother B&W laser printer for printing off documents but, because of the rip-off that is the cost of inkjet printers, we’ll likely never buy another one.

SoundSource 5 brings a streamlined interface and more

I was a beta tester for SoundSource 5 and it works as advertised. I really like the ability to send sound to different apps at different volumes and audio quality. NOTE: SoundSource 5 is NOT yet compatible with the macOS Big Sur beta but Rogue Amoeba promises an update prior to the public launch of Big Sur.

Phil Schiller’s greatest stunt

In honour of his semi-retirement, I wanted to post this from Macworld Expo in New York City in 1999. I was in the audience when it happened and while we recognized it as a stunt, it was still pretty impressive. You have to remember that, even though WiFi was available, it was generally only in a corporate environment at the time and was hellaciously expensive. Apple, Schiller, Jobs, and the iBook democratized that and brought it to the huddled masses – and we broke free.

Phil Schiller now an Apple Fellow

Apple on Tuesday announced that longtime senior executive Phil Schiller would become an Apple Fellow. Greg Joswiak (Joz) will take over Schiller’s role of senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing at Apple.

Apple TV+ unveils first look at “Long Way Up,” a new original unscripted series starring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman

Many motorcyclists are big fans of McGregor’s other series, “Long Way Round” and “Long Way Down.” I’m less impressed if only because they had a support crew of many, many people to assist – the trips weren’t “solo travelers testing their mettle.” I still enjoyed them enough to want to watch this series if only to see how they managed it on electric motorcycles.

Apple demands 50% rent cuts for UK stores

I don’t know if Apple has actually “demanded” these discounts as the headline posits but I imagine it’s going to be awfully hard for a company that announced 55 billion pounds in profit last year to get any significant discounts from landlords who are “struggling” just as much.