Disney

All the Disney+ 3D movies you can watch on Vision Pro

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Disney+ 3D movies on Vision Pro
Disney+ has 42 movies in stunning 3D for you to experience on Vision Pro.
Photo: Disney

Now that Apple’s Vision Pro is out, Disney let everyone know Friday exactly which 3D films are available to watch on the headset. There are 42 different Disney+ 3D movies on Vision Pro at launch. The mix includes Star Wars and Marvel movies, as well as Disney’s celebrated animated fare.

And because of the immersive qualities of Vision Pro experiences like Environments, watching these 3D flicks could be pretty mind-blowing.

Sonic Dream Team races onto Apple Arcade

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'Sonic Dream Team' is one of four games just added to Apple Arcade.
Sonic Dream Team is one of four games just added to Apple Arcade.
Image: Sega

Sonic Dream Team pits the high-speed hedgehog against an evil mastermind with the power to make dreams real.

It’s one of four additions to the Apple Arcade gaming service, including Disney Dreamlight Valley, Puzzle & Dragons Story and Turmoil+.

All of these and hundreds more and playable with a single subscription fee.

Apple stops advertising on X after Elon Musk’s antisemitic post

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X and Apple logos
Apple paused advertising on the service formerly known as Twitter amid another controversy touched off by Elon Musk.
Photo: X/Apple

In the wake of Elon Musk posting his support for an antisemitic comment on X, Apple reportedly paused advertising on the social-networking service that Musk owns.

Disney, IBM and Lionsgate have also supposedly stopped advertising on the service formerly known as Twitter.

Apple Arcade getting 8 more fun new games in 2023

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Apple Arcade games
There are plenty of upcoming games and recent additions to Apple Arcade.
Image: Apple

Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition, Football Manager 2024 Touch, Sonic Dream Team and Puzzle & Dragons Story are among the eight games on the way to Apple Arcade in November and December. They’ll join the 200+ already on the service.

In addition, more than 50 of the already available games will get content updates.

Why the dream of Apple buying Disney won’t die

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The idea that Apple could buy Disney keeps coming up.
Photo: The Walt Disney Company

As legacy studios like Disney face formidable problems, a new report suggests CEO Bob Iger might revisit a “once-unthinkable option” — that Apple might buy the company, or at least a stripped-down version of it.

After all, in a near-future of even greater tech-company dominance over entertainment, Disney may need deep-pocketed protection. And its longstanding connection with Apple could come into play.

Dark Disney Mirrorverse RPG hits iPhone in June

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Dark ‘Disney Mirrorverse’ RPG hits iPhone in June
It’s a whole new world… of violence.
Photo: Disney

Disney is taking many of its classic characters in a darker direction with Disney Mirrorverse, an RPG for mobile devices. Alternate-reality versions of these screen icons will have to team up face a “dark, unrelenting threat.”

Disney revealed Monday that the game will launch June 23. There’s also a trailer to whet players’ appetites.

Disney+ considers more affordable, ad-supported subscription for US

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Disney+ considers ad-supported plan
Disney's rivals already offer more affordable plan options.
Image: Disney/Cult of Mac

Disney+ is said to be exploring a more affordable subscription plan that will be supported by advertisements for viewers in the United States.

Its current $7.99 per month (or $79.99 per year) price tag makes the service more affordable than Netflix but more expensive than Apple TV+, while rivals like Discovery+ and Paramount+ already offer ad-supported plans from $4.99.

Apple TV+ is the only streaming service that takes your privacy seriously

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Spatial audio for Apple TV in tvOS 15
Most streaming services are watching you while you watch them.
Photo: Apple

Almost every video streaming service except Apple TV+ is selling your data to third-party companies and tracking your viewing habits for targeted ads. A new report from Common Sense Media exposes the loose privacy policies employed by most streaming providers, including Amazon and Netflix.

“Many viewers know that free streaming apps are most likely selling their personal information, but most viewers may not know that most paid sub‐ scription streaming apps are also selling users’ data,” warns the report.

How much Steve Jobs’ Disney and Apple shares would be worth today

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How much would Steve Jobs be worth today?
Things would have been even better had Steve Jobs held onto his original Apple shares.
Photo: Jorge Palma Pastor/Flickr CC

One of the things that always surprised me was how, compared to some of his Silicon Valley peers, Steve Jobs’ net worth during his life paled in comparison to some of his contemporaries.

When Jobs died in late 2011, his net worth was reported as being $10.2 billion. That’s an enormous amount of money, but it was a drop in the ocean next to Bill Gates’ $56 billion that year, and less than Google’s Sergey Brin and Larry Page’s $19.8 billion apiece, Michael Dell’s $14.6 billion, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg’s $13.5 billion.

Had Jobs had the same share arrangement today, however, it would be a very different story.

Star Wars, Marvel and other Disney movies get free 4K upgrade in iTunes

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"These are the 4K upgrades you're looking for."
Photo: Epic Games

An assortment of Disney movies are now available in 4K HDR quality on iTunes. If you’ve not bought them already, the movies can be purchased for the same price as their previous HD counterparts. If you previously purchased the HD version, it will be automatically upgraded to 4K for free.

This includes the Star Wars movies, much of the Marvel catalog, and various Pixar and Disney films — with more being added all the time.

Disney+ launches in UK, 6 European countries at 25% lower bandwidth

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Disney+ launches, but don't count on much customer support for now.
Photo: Apple

Disney+, the streaming service from the Walt Disney Company, launched in the early hours of Tuesday morning across the United Kingdom and six European countries, but at reduced bandwidth and video quality after a government request to ease the strain on broadband networks.

Cult of Mac confirmed that the Disney+ app and service are available on the Apple TV App Store in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Switzerland.

Netflix creates $100 million fund for production crews hit by COVID-19 shutdowns

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netflix.logo
Expect Netflix to stay in the no. 1 spot for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac

Netflix is stepping up to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a $100 million fund that will go to support production and other workers in the industry.

The moves comes after production on nearly all major TV shows and movies has come to a grinding halt as more states and cities in act stay-at-home mandates.

Analyst thinks Apple should buy Disney to help give Apple TV+ a boost

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Disney+
Buying Disney would certainly solve Apple's shortage of Apple TV+ content.
Photo: Disney

Apple should seize on the current market volatility to buy the Walt Disney Company, Rosenblatt Securities analyst Bernie McTernan wrote in a recent note to clients.

The note, published Friday, suggests that Apple should seize on the opportunity of Disney’s recent stock price decline to acquire the Hollywood entertainment powerhouse. Disney closed Monday at $95.01, giving the company a market cap of $171.53 billion. It’s been trading below $100 since last week, following the temporary close of its theme parks, former CEO Bob Iger stepping, and ongoing issues related to coronavirus.

20th Century Fox poaches Apple TV+ executive

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Michelle-mendelovitz
Mendelovitz's short stint at Apple TV+ is already over.
Photo: Paul Smith Photography

A top Apple executive who oversaw development of some of the first Apple TV+ series is headed to a rival studio.

20th Century Fox TV revealed today that it tapped Michelle Mendelovitz to lead the development of its drama TV series. Mendelovitz worked at Apple for less than two years, helping to oversee the production of For All Mankind, Servant and Visible: Out on Television.

Disney+ is as cheap as Apple TV+ in the UK if you preorder today

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Disney-Plus
Who wouldn't want Disney+ at this price?
Photo: Disney

Disney+ is as affordable as Apple TV+ for subscribers in the United Kingdom if they preorder the service ahead of its debut next month. An annual subscription is available today for just £49.99 — £10 off the usual price.

That’s exactly the same price you’ll pay for a year of Apple TV+, but of course, Disney is offering you a lot more content.

Disney+ already has 28.6 million subscribers in 3 months

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Disney-Plus
Disney+ is a massive hit.
Photo: Disney

The Walt Disney Company just unleashed its first quarterly earnings report for 2020 revealing that its Disney+ streaming service is off to an impressive start.

Paid subscribers for Disney+ more than doubled from 10 million during the first week of availability, to 26.5 million users by the end of 2019. CEO Bob Iger said the service has continued growing since then and currently has 28.6 million subscribers as of today.

Shrewd millennial investors make Apple their top stock pick

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Apple waives developer fees for nonprofits, others in 8 additional countries
AAPL shares have been boomin the last 12 months.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Millennials don’t just love Apple for the iPhone. Turns out AAPL is also their favorite stock.

A recent survey of over 734,000 portfolios from US-based investors with an average age of 31 found that Apple and Amazon are the two most popular stocks with young investors by a long shot.

What Apple TV+ needs to be a big player in 2020

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What Apple TV+ needs to be a big player in 2020
What changes should Apple make to Apple TV+?
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ is great. I think it’s done a whole lot right in the sub-3 months since it launched. But, right now, Apple TV+ is what Apple was to Microsoft in the 1990s. Sure, the quality is there, but it’s a tiny bit player next to the likes of Netflix and Disney+. To truly live up to its potential, Apple TV+ needs to make some big strides forward in 2020.

Here’s what I think needs to change.

Verizon customers score 12 months of Disney+ for free

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Disney+
Disney+ will take on Apple TV+ and Netflix.
Photo: Disney

Disney is ready to tap into Verizon’s massive customer base to give it a massive influx of viewers for its upcoming streaming service Disney+.

Verizon revealed today that all of its customers will receive 12 months of Disney+ for free starting on November 12. The offer matches Apple’s own 12 free months offer for Apple TV+ to customers that buy a new Apple device.

Disney CEO reveals why he left Apple’s board

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With Apple TV+ ready to compete against Disney+, Bob Iger resigns from the Apple board.
With Apple TV+ ready to compete against Disney+, Bob Iger resigned from the Apple board.
Photo: Josh Hallett/Flickr CC

Disney CEO Bob Iger finally spoke about his recent resignation from Apple’s board of directors in an interview with Mad Money host Jim Cramer.

Iger resigned from Apple’s board earlier this month. As many people speculated, Iger says he felt it was time for him to step aside because of Apple TV+.

Apple will rake in cash from Disney+ too

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The Mandalorian on Disney+
Watching The Mandalorian on Disney+ will probably make Apple money.
Photo: Disney/Cult of Mac

Apple and Disney are launching streaming video services this fall. Despite these being rivals, Apple will make money off both. There will be Disney+ apps for iOS and Apple TV, and consumers will be able to subscribe with in-app purchases, which means Apple gets a hefty cut of the revenue.

Plus, Star Wars fans can be assured they’ll be able to watch The Mandalorian when it debuts Nov. 12 with their iPad or other Apple computer.

Netflix tests ‘Random Episode’ button for finding what to watch

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

Figuring out what to watch from Netflix’s massive catalog of shows might soon be as easy as tapping one button.

Netflix is currently testing two new tweaks that give users the ability to watch a popular episode from a TV series of their choosing as well as the option to play a random episode once you’ve finished the last one.