Buster Hein - page 7

Nearly 11 million moochers in US stream music illegally

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apple-music
Apple Music is the one major streamer without a free tier.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music and Spotify pushed their paid subscriber numbers to new heights in 2019, but the number of people that share their account passwords is also increasing.

Nearly $1 billion in possible revenue maybe have been lost in 2019 thanks to stream “mooching”, according to a new study that estimates there are 95 million people in the U.S. using a major streaming service.

Siri update tackles tough election questions

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Applenews
Siri can keep you tuned into the latest happenings with the election.
Photo: Apple

“Hey Siri, who won the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary?”

Starting today, Apple’s digital assistant is able to answer that and other election questions as part of Apple News’ 2020 election coverage.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip phone folds up like a clamshell

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Z Flip
Say hello to the Galaxy Z Flip.
Photo: Samsung

The future of folding phones took a step in a new direction today with Samsung’s unveiling of the Galaxy Z Flip.

Taking a different approach to folding displays than the disastrous Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip packs a screen that folds from a tiny clamshell device, into a full-size 6.7-inch smartphone. And it comes with some novel uses that could change how app design is approached.

Ex-Warner Music Group head of innovation joins Apple Music

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bronikowski
Jeff Bronikowski has worked in the media industry for over 20 years.
Photo: Warner Music Group

Apple Music has added another media industry veteran to its roster of top executives.

Former Warner Music Group head of innovation, Jeff Bronkikowski, revealed that he has accepted a job with the iPhone-maker to become the new global head of strategic music initiatives for Apple Music.

Tim Cook tweets tribute to civil rights movement for Black History Month

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook standing at the Foot Solider monument in Birmingham, Alabama.
Photo: Tim Cook

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted a photo of himself at one of the most iconic civil rights movement monuments in his home state of Alabama this morning to show his support for Black History Month.

Cook, who grew up in Alabama during the ’60s and saw the impacts of discrimination and burning KKK crosses first hand, paid respects to the men and women who marched in Birmingham in 1963 to demand equality.

This is what Tim had to say:

Court denies Apple’s appeal in VirnetX patent-infringement case

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Apple wants patent trolls to stop ‘gaming the system’
The lesser-spotted patent troll.
Photo: Andrew Becraft/Flickr CC

Cupertino’s seemingly neverending legal battle with patent troll VirnetX Holding Corp. took another turn this week when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied Apple’s request to reconsider an original patent-infringement decision.

VirnetX and Apple have been fighting in courts for a decade over patents related to FaceTime and other secure communications. VirnetX, which doesn’t produce any products, previously won more than $503 million in damages, but courts subsequently threw out the award.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip looks more compelling than Galaxy Fold ever did

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Z flip
All the Z Flip details have been revealed ahead of its launch.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung is already putting out commercials for its new foldable phone before the device has even been announced.

With a big event scheduled in San Francisco tomorrow, Samsung ran a teaser ad for its new smartphone during the Oscars last night and we have to admit, this thing actually looks pretty neat.

Take a look at this futuristic clamshell:

Bernie Sanders tops list for most donations from Apple employees

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Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at an event in Des Moines, Iowa.
Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at an event in Des Moines, Iowa.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Big Tech employees are feeling the Bern as the U.S. presidential primary season shifts into full gear. New fundraising data disclosed this week reveals that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised more money from the country’s top tech companies than any other presidential candidate.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter employees donated nearly $270,000 to Sanders’ bid to take the White House, with nearly half of that money coming from Google. Check out the full breakdown by company:

ViacomCBS readies new streaming service to compete with Netflix and Apple TV+

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CBS
CBS All Access was one of the first TV streaming services to launch.
Photo: CBS

Apple TV+ is about to get even more competition in the form of a new streaming service currently in development by ViacomCBS.

Now that the Viacom and CBS merger was approved at the end of 2019, a new report claims company execs are plotting a way to combine the current CBS All Access service with Viacom’s assets, among which are Paramount’s trove of over 3,600 movies.

Unfollow frenzy: Instagram makes it simple to weed out your feed

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Instagram lawsuit
It's time to clean up your Instagram list.
Photo: Pixabay

Pruning the list of accounts you follow on Instagram just got a lot easier with the addition of a new feature coming to the photo and video sharing social network today.

Instagram’s Twitter account revealed the new feature this morning showing how you can see which accounts you interact with the least and then manage your following list from there.

This is what it looks like:

Coronavirus in China could exacerbate AirPods supply problems

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They AirPods Pro fit in their case like nothing ever happened.
New AirPods Pro orders aren't shipping until March.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s current AirPods Pro supply woes could soon get much worse, thanks to the new coronavirus spreading throughout China.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, Apple ordered suppliers to produce 45 million AirPods units to catch up with the huge demand. Then, manufacturers shut down production lines through February 10 due to the fast-spreading virus. Now a new report cautions that suppliers might not have enough components to fulfill Apple’s order when production resumes.

iOS 13.4 beta code hints at new Apple TV device

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Apple TV Siri Remote
Apple TV is due for an upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

An updated Apple TV 4K could soon roll out of Apple’s product pipeline, based on references to an unreleased product discovered in the latest iOS beta.

9to5Mac unearthed clues in iOS 13.4 beta 1 that signal a new Apple TV 4K is currently in development. Considering the company hasn’t released new Apple TV hardware since fall 2017, the wait for a new set-top box may not be much longer.

Apple’s universal purchases will change how you buy and use apps

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app-store
Universal Purchases are coming soon to iOS and Mac apps.
Photo: Apple

Apple is laying the groundwork to make it easier for developers to distribute their apps across all of Apple’s platforms.

Included in Wednesday’s big batch of beta updates, Apple introduced a new option in Xcode 11.4 beta 1 for developers to build and test apps using a single bundle ID. Starting in March, iPhone users will be able to download an app via the iOS App Store and then (if the developer supports it) download it on other Apple platforms with ease.

This simple change might seem like an obvious added convenience for users, but it also sets up the App Store for some colossal changes over the next few years. It will force Apple developers to make some big decisions about their businesses.

Apple TV+ basketball series forced to sub out lead actor

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O'Shea Jackson Jr. is bringing his swagger to Apple TV+ basketball show,
O'Shea Jackson Jr. is bringing his swagger to Apple TV+.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Apple’s upcoming TV series about the life of young basketball players, Swagger, is making a late substitution with its leading actor.

O’Shea Jackson Jr. has been tapped to fill in as the leading actor for Duke Winston who had to drop out of the project. Winston was named as the star of the show back in October but reportedly suffered a serious injury on set, forcing the show to find a new lead.

Buggy app causes Iowa caucuses voting chaos

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Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg addresses the crowd at a rally in Iowa.
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg addresses the crowd at a rally in Iowa.
Photo: Phil Roeder/Flickr CC

The first U.S. presidential primary of 2020 has been a complete disaster. And it looks like a buggy app is to blame.

Organizers of the 2020 Iowa Democratic Party caucuses used a new app created by developer Shadow Inc. The app was supposed to enable Iowa caucus-goers to securely report the voting results in their precincts. But when it came time for the app to shine, a coding error threw the election into chaos by reporting incorrect data.

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.

Feds quiz parental control app maker in Apple antitrust investigation

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Mobicip
Mobicip created screen time limits before Apple did.
Photo: Mobicip

The U.S. Justice Department is reaching out to parental app control companies that may have been affected by Apple’s allegedly anti-competitive App Store practices.

Reuters reported this morning that Suren Ramasubbu, the chief executive developer of Mobicip, was interviewed by US investigators. Mobicip, which allows parents to control what kids access on their iPhones, was kicked out of the App Store last year because it failed to meet new app requirements.

Apple shows how Little America‘s heartwarming immigrant stories come alive

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Little America was rejected from multiple networks being Apple snapped it up
All 8 episodes of Little America now streaming on Apple TV+
Photo: Apple

I canceled my Apple TV+ subscription just over a month after the service launch, but the company’s latest batch of behind-the-scenes videos is making consider giving it a second chance.

Following up on yesterday’s preview of Mythic Quest, Apple dropped three more featurettes that give an in-depth look at episodes of Little America. Boasting a Rotten Tomatoes score of 94%, Little America has been one of the most well-reviewed shows on Apple TV+ and it’s not hard to see why in the new videos.

Apple has paid out nearly double the amount to developers than Google has

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
If you want to make money off apps, iOS is where the money is at.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Google’s Android operating system may have the biggest market share in the world, but if you’re a developer making apps, iOS is clearly where all the money is to be made.

In its latest quarterly earnings report, Google shared some surprising new numbers with investors, including the fact that the company has paid out $80 billion to Android developers to date. That may sound like a lot, but it’s just over half of what iOS developers have been paid so far.

iPhone 9 concept gives a glimpse at what Apple may launch this spring

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iphone9
Will the iPhone 9 really look like this?
Photo: Mauro Batino

The long wait for the successor to the iPhone SE may nearly be over and thanks to a new concept ad you can already get a good glimpse of what it will probably look like.

Mauro Battino unleashed his gorgeous iPhone 9 concept ad this morning that’s based on all the latest rumors. Armed with an A13 chip, the best LCD Apple’s ever made, Portrait Mode camera and new colors, the iPhone 9 could become a big hit. The best feature of all though might be its price tag.

Take a look at this stunning concept ad:

Apple boosts Apple Watch trade-in values for Heart Month

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watchOS 6 new features
Upgrading to the Series 5 just got a bit cheaper.
Photo: Apple

Apple is trying to entice people with an old Apple Watch to upgrade to a newer model with some new trade-in deals.

As part of its promotion for Heart Month, Apple increased the trade-in value for the Apple Watch Series 2 and will give you $100 off the purchase of an Apple Watch Series 5. Other models also received a trade-in value bump, but Apple Watch Series 4 owners might want to hold onto their units for a while longer.

These are the deals you can expect:

Hands-on video reveals Samsung’s next folding smartphone

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Z flip
Samsung is taking another stab at folding displays with the Z Flip.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s next big keynote is just over a week away but the biggest surprise has already been spoiled.

Hands-on video of a leaked model of Samsung’s next folding-display smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip, surfaced on the Twitter this weekend showcasing many of the phones features. Tons of details of the phone had already leaked online but now we can finally see the clamshell design in action.

Check out how long the display is:

Apple’s Foundation series will be Ireland’s largest-ever production

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Troystudios
This is where the bulk of Foundation's filming will take place.
Photo: Troy Studios

Apple’s TV series adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s science fiction novel trilogy, Foundation, is set to become the largest studio production in the history of Ireland.

During a press conference today, Screen Ireland revealed that Apple will create more than 500 jobs when it begins production on Foundation later this year. With its gigantic budget and epic world-building plot, Apple clearly thinks Foundation could be its answer to Game of Thrones, which was also shot in Ireland.