Apple is changing leaders at Beats, the premium headphone and earphone maker it acquired in 2014 for $3 billion. Longtime president Luke Wood is exiting and veteran Apple exec Oliver Schusser, who heads up Apple Music and International Content, is taking over at the end of this month.
Apple hasn’t publicly announced the leadership change, but Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, told Apple employees about the transition via email in recent weeks. A Beats spokesperson confirmed to CNET that Schusser will lead Beats after Wood’s departure on April 30. Schusser will also continue to run Apple Music and International Content, reporting to Cue. The consolidation is a homecoming of sorts for Apple Music, which was built on the backbone of the earlier Beats Music streaming service.
The move has been in the works for a while, Cue said in his note to employees. Cue wrote that he was sensitive to making a management change in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, remarking that “the timing of the announcement isn’t ideal.”
Changing leadership at any time isn’t always easy but it must be doubly so in the midst of a worldwide pandemic.
The Zoom videoconferencing service has faced unprecedented scrutiny amid massive growth, largely from consumer and school users relying on its free service tier. At the beginning of April, TidBITS published my extensive list of every Zoom security, privacy, and encryption flaw, design mistake, and judgment error.
Even during the writing and editing of that article, new exploits and problems emerged while Zoom was simultaneously addressing all the concerns it could. The company’s all-hands-on-deck efforts continued in the following days, but have finally slowed down as it has gotten ahead of urgent changes. Let’s look at the now-solved issues, new disclosures, and Zoom’s update on its roadmap.
Many felt that Zoom was just “catching up” because of the onslaught of new users and new scrutiny. The fact is, Zoom didn’t care about user privacy as much as it did growth. But the analysis of its shortcomings by security experts made them act (somewhat) faster to lock down the app to where it can be relatively safe and secure for most users.
The multi-platform, Web-based interface for the Apple Music streaming service exited beta and officially launched today. It lives at music.apple.com and is accessible through any modern Web browser.
In many respects, the design and layout of the site closely resembles that of the native Mac app. The layout of store pages is similar, and the visual language is the same. It has the same player controls at the top, and it also has the left-aligned navigation bar with “For You,” “Browse,” and “Radio.”
It’s interesting, though, that the website prominently features “open in Music” (in Safari on Apple devices) or “open in iTunes,” depending on the platform. This suggests that Apple still sees the website as a supplement to the native app experience, not a full replacement for it. Also, the Apple Music Web app lacks some of the personal library features that were grandfathered into Music from iTunes on Macs.
Personal preference (and old eyes) make me like the website version more than the iOS one.
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Join Fred Mills inside the £80M restoration of London’s Elizabeth Tower, the iconic structure at the heart of the UK’s Palace of Westminster.
It’s one of the most recognizable structures in the world and an enduring symbol of the United Kingdom. The video also shows you the actual “Big Ben.” Hint: it’s not the clock tower (officially called the Elizabeth Tower).
Dave returns this week and both of us share some personal news from the last couple of weeks. We also talk about the new iPhone SE and how quarantine is affecting internet speed at home.
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This is a pretty fascinating, behind the scenes look at how some iPhone displays (LCD, but not OLED) are made. When you think LCD, think older iPhones, as well as the iPhone XR and the brand new iPhone SE.
The current version of the public release of macOS Catalina is 10.15.4.
In the beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 is an update of the Energy Saver System Preferences pane. Follow the link for details.
From Apple’s post:
macOS Catalina 10.15.5 introduces battery health management, a feature designed to improve the lifespan of your Mac notebook’s battery.
And:
All rechargeable batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they get older—and their age isn’t determined only by time. A battery’s lifespan depends on its chemical age, which is affected by factors such as its temperature history and charging pattern. As your notebook’s battery ages chemically, its charging capacity gets smaller.
And:
The battery health management feature in macOS 10.15.5 is designed to improve your battery’s lifespan by reducing the rate at which it chemically ages. The feature does this by monitoring your battery’s temperature history and its charging patterns.
Based on the measurements that it collects, battery health management may reduce your battery’s maximum charge when in this mode. This happens as needed to ensure that your battery charges to a level that’s optimized for your usage—reducing wear on the battery, and slowing its chemical aging.
Bottom line, you’ll get this new battery intelligence when you update to macOS Catalina 10.15.5. Automatically.
If you’ve held off updating to Catalina, this is a strong reason to make the leap, once 10.15.5 becomes public.
This is not about Gruber’s review of the SE, this is from a post titled, “The Quadrennial iPhone SE Schedule”.
A few highlights:
The fact that our collective concern about the time we spend on our phones has grown alongside the physical size of our phones is not a coincidence. The 4-inch 2016 iPhone SE felt like a statement in that regard, whether intended by Apple or not.
An excellent point. Though I still wish for a 4″ form factor, for folks with small hands, no pockets. But we do spend ever more time, do an increasing amount with our phones. Much of that work depends on, and is made possible by, a more complex processor, one that depends on a bigger body for heat dissipation and a larger battery. Not to mention more components.
I think the 4″ form-factor has sailed, part of the past.
Shortly after Apple announced the iPhone SE, I had the chance to ask Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, the meaning of “SE” in the phone’s name, which deviates slightly from its previous “S” format. SE is an abbreviation for “Special Edition,” Schiller said, a name that, to him, recalled the Macintosh SE, a computer the company released in the late 1980s.
Back to Gruber:
Now we have a second iPhone SE — the first time Apple has reused an old name for a new iPhone. What makes “special edition” apt for the two iPhones bearing the SE name is the way they differ, strategically, from regular edition iPhones.
You could argue that the iPhone X could have been called the iPhone SE, but I do get the naming logic there. That was a fork in the road model, not a one-off special edition.
There’s so much more to Gruber’s post. Take the time to make your way through the whole thing. It’s a terrific read.
Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook led a companywide virtual meeting on Thursday to address concerns about the impact of Covid-19 and discuss the iPhone maker’s plan to return to work.
During the meeting, Cook called the pandemic an “uncertain and stressful moment,” but expressed confidence that the company will emerge strongly from the crisis, as it did after the 2008 recession and following a near-bankruptcy in the late 1990s.
He said Apple entered the coronavirus pandemic with a strong balance sheet and stressed that the company will keep investing in a “really significant way” in research and development and future products, according to Apple employees who attended the meeting.
If you’re homebound and feeling mildly sorry for yourself about having to cancel a vacation this year, I have two words for you: Rick Steves.
Steves, who has made traveling his life’s work, is currently homebound in Edmonds, Washington. I called him up to hear about how one of the world’s foremost travel experts is spending his time in isolation: learning to cook, enjoying the sunsets, stocking up on weed, and more.
What do you do with yourself when you travel for a living?
The Las Vegas Strip looks like the morning after the end of the world.
On a recent day in late March, the strip was full of advertisements for things that read like transmissions from another planet where the air is easier to breathe.
Most of the businesses on the Vegas Strip and on Fremont Street, the city’s old strip, shut down in mid-March, when Steve Sisolak, the Nevada governor, ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses. This is the first time the entire strip has been shut down since the JFK assassination; even the devastating mass shooting in 2017 only resulted in a partial closure.
As a photographer, I see these as remarkable photos only possible at this time in history.
Pick your iPhone model on the left, scroll to see various comparisons between the new SE and what you have now. Apple’s been doing this side-by-side forever, but this page is specific to the SE.
Good link to share for folks considering the new phone.
My take? This is a great deal, especially for folks running older gear, or folks looking to dip their toes into the Apple ecosystem. I think Apple will sell a ton of these.
Joining the Apple tax stratosphere club, a set of wheels for your Mac Pro, $699.
Been thinking about this pricing. The best I can come up with was this: These are custom wheels, with custom-made attachments. Apple will not sell a ton of these (limited number of Mac Pros, and a limited subset of those folks will want wheels) and so they had to amortize the cost to develop these wheels among those limited sales.
Wondering if somewhere in the hallowed halls, this high price is seen as embellishing the brand, raising the prestige.
Whatever the logic, I see $699 for a set of wheels for my computer (with no wheel locks) as extraordinary.
Post from Sebastiaan de With, founder of Halide, a best-selling (and for good reason) iPhone camera app.
If you are not particularly interested in the camera aspects of the new iPad Pro, skip down about halfway to the section titled, “The Depth Sensor”. That’s where, for me, this post really gets interesting.
Some great explaining, and some really clarifying animated GIFs. This is now my go-to post for passing along to folks who ask about Apple, AR, and LIDAR.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he’s enlisting advisers from nearly all sectors of American commerce, the medical field and elected office to help shape his plans to reopen the coronavirus-battered economy.
The panel of advisers, whom Trump said he will consult by phone, will operate separately from the White House task force that’s leading the administration’s public health strategy to contain and mitigate the pandemic, though there is expected to be some overlap.
The panel, which the White House has dubbed the Great American Economic Revival Industry Groups, includes more than 50 executives and leaders from agricultural, defense and financial service industries, as well as leaders from unions, professional sports, think tanks and more.
These kinds of panels are often just for show but for Apple CEO Cook, they are also fraught with implications, political and otherwise.
Black. White. Or red. In a small 4.7” design. With studio-quality portraits. Sharp 4K video. Long battery life. A13 Bionic — the fastest chip in a smartphone. And the security of Touch ID, with privacy built in. iPhone SE. Lots to love. And less to spend.
These promos are always so well done, they make me want one even though I don’t need one.
About a month ago, Apple unveiled the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro when it introduced the new iPad Pro. It wasn’t ready to for order at that time, but Apple announced on Tuesday that they are now taking orders for the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro.
The Magic Keyboard is very different from the Smart Folio Keyboard ($179, $199) that Apple sells. It has a built-in trackpad, full-sized backlit keys that use a butterfly mechanism, and its cantilever design allows the iPad Pro to “float” in front of you and is adjustable. The Smart Folio Keyboard has no trackpad, smaller keys, and has a slot for the iPad Pro with only two viewing angles. Both keyboards fold into a case for the iPad Pro.
Along with the new iPhones, Apple has finally started orders for this keyboard. It will be interesting to see what reviewers think of it.
Apple on Wednesday announced the 2nd generation of its iPhone SE, a smaller, more affordable iPhone for Apple customers. Pre-orders for the $399 iPhone SE will begin on Friday, April 17 with orders shipping on April 24.
The three goals of the iPhone SE have always been performance, affordability, and smaller size, Apple said. The company certainly nailed all three components with this 2nd generation model.
The iPhone SE is built to be more compact than its counterparts. When the iPhone SE was first introduced a few years back, a 4-inch screen was the most popular, but that has bumped up to a 4.7-inch Retina HD display in the 2nd generation model.
When you look at performance, you can’t argue with the power of the A13 Bionic chip—It powers the current line of Apple’s iPhone models. At $399, the iPhone SE is the most affordable model in Apple’s catalog but a large margin. That price is the same as the original iPhone SE released in 2016. Apple is also accepting trade-ins on the new model, so your price could be even cheaper.
iPhone SE comes with a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture Wide camera and includes Portrait mode, all six Portrait Lighting effects and Depth Control.
The new SE is also wireless-charging capable with Qi-certified chargers, and supports fast charging.
Another feature that a lot of users will like is the inclusion of a Home button and support for Touch ID. While new iPhones support Face ID, many users still favor the touch system in their iPhones.
The iPhone SE 2nd generation comes in Black, White and (PRODUCT)RED.
With the inclusion of high-end chips and cameras, and the affordable price, I can’t imagine why the iPhone SE 2nd generation would not be a huge seller for Apple this year.
Giulio Zompetti, a 27-year-old from Northern Italy, told Motherboard that he purchased half a dozen early prototypes of Apple Watch recently, and is planning to fix them and sell them for thousands of dollars. Zompetti declined to say where exactly he purchased the devices from, but said they come from e-waste facilities. The prototypes he obtained are all broken, but key components are still intact, making it possible to repair them, he said.
If you open an app you normally use with AirPods, your iPhone or iPad will automatically connect to your AirPods if they’re in your ears – essentially, “stealing” them from whatever they’re currently connected to (for example, your Mac). No need to manually select and connect to them!
This process requires a bit of Shortcuts work. But the steps are very well laid out. A fun project, if you’ve got some time on your hands.
Try as I might, I have not been able to unlock my iPhone with a mask on. Makes sense. With a mask on, my nose is gone, my beard is gone. My own family couldn’t recognize me.
If you have this same experience, give this training process a try, see if it works for you.
Apple Inc. and Google addressed questions about their upcoming Covid-19 smartphone contact-tracing solution on Monday, providing details about a partnership that has raised concerns among some privacy and cybersecurity experts.
One specific concern that was making waves was that of a bad actor seeding false positives. For example, imagine someone putting a device out there that made contact with your iPhone, then reporting it had tested positive, marking you as having had contact with someone who was infected. Much room for malevolent mischief here.
The companies said the tool will require users to verify positive diagnoses before putting that information into the system. Test results will be checked by public health agencies that are building mobile apps that will work with the contact-tracing technology, Apple and Google added. They also defended the privacy of the system, reiterating that users’ names and locations would not be shared or stored.
So far, so good. If the tests are accurate, this should be a good solution.
First, the US Food and Drug Administration relaxed its rules, and now companies can sell antibody tests without submitting validation data that shows they actually work.
The American Public Health Lab Association says that has resulted in “crappy” tests flooding the market.
And:
There has been concern that some of the tests might confuse the coronavirus causing the current pandemic with one of several coronaviruses that cause the common cold.
“Lots of tests confuse the two,” Relman said.
Whether these third party tests are used as part of the verification process for Apple/Google contact tracing or not, need this fixed ASAP.
Google says it is temporarily lowering the video quality of Nest Cams in an effort to limit how much bandwidth each camera uses and, in turn, “conserve internet resources.” The adjustment is rolling out over the next few days, and Google says anyone who has their quality settings adjusted will get a notification in the Nest app.
More streaming, more Zoom/Skype/FaceTime, no question we’re using more internet in my house in corona time.
Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube have each taken steps to limit the strain they might be adding to the network, while Sony has been capping PlayStation game download speeds.
Interesting times. Imagine if we had to go through this without the internet.
It began life as a tiny emblem, something to adorn a 45 r.p.m. single or the band’s letterhead. It quickly became ubiquitous and, ultimately, the most famous logo in rock ’n’ roll. Over 50 years, the legendary “tongue and lips” of the Rolling Stones has been emblazoned on everything from T-shirts and lighters to stage sets, appearing in countless variations throughout the decades. And while many who love it are fans of the band, the logo has in many ways transcended the Stones. But when it was commissioned in April 1970 its designer, John Pasche, had little idea how popular — and lucrative — it would become.
While I’m not a huge Rolling Stones fan, that logo turned out to be brilliant and unmistakably theirs.
