Luke Dormehl - page 126

The 1990s was a simpler time, back when Apple was an underdog computer company and kids were obsessed with keychain virtual pets like Tamagotchis.

Jump forward to 2019, and things have certainly changed. Sure, Apple’s a whole lot bigger than it was, but virtual pets have come a long way, too. Instead of regular virtual pets, upcoming iOS game Noa Noa! is a virtual pet simulator, in which you control a Tamagotchi-like device inside the game. In other words, it’s a virtual virtual pet simulator. Got it?

Spotify is closing in on 100 million paying users, hammering home its position as the No. 1 company in streaming music.

In its latest quarterly earnings, the streaming company revealed that it now has 96 million paying subscribers around the world. That’s up 8 million in three months, and 36 percent year-over-year. The company also made its first ever quarterly operating profit. But not all the news is good.

There’s no doubt that Apple is a master when it comes to producing compelling commercials for its products. One of the coolest things about these ads, however, is how often they don’t just feature Apple products on screen — but are actually created using Apple products, too.

That was the case with a recent short film, directed by Jia Zhangke, that Apple commissioned to celebrate the Chinese New Year. In a new video, Zhangke goes behind the scenes to show how it was achieved using his trusty iPhone XS.

Apple Stores are known for their high level of service. An Australian dad begs to differ, however, based on his reported experience in a Sydney Apple Store recently.

Specifically, he claims that he was given a hard sell on using Apple Pay on his iPhone. Despite not wanting to use the service, he reports feeling patronized and — worse — as though the store was refusing to let him pay for his product in any other way.

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee has questions for Apple about its recent FaceTime bug — and why it took as long as it did to respond to the problem.

This follows similar concerns being voiced by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said last week that her office is launching an investigation into Apple’s failure to warn customers about the FaceTime vulnerability.

As the smart speaker market continues to pick up, Apple’s HomePod still lags behind devices from Amazon and Google. Both companies benefit from being earlier movers — and from offering products at a cheaper price point.

That’s the takeaway from a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners that describes holiday trends for HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Pop quiz: What do the original Mac, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, supersonic airplane Concorde, the Sony Walkman, and the Braun ET66 calculator have in common?

Give up? The answer is that they’re all cited as inspirations for designing the original iPhone back in 2007. The full list was recently shared by Imran Chaudhri, one of the software designers who helped create Apple’s breakthrough smartphone.

Apple is in “advanced talks” to lease space in the prestigious Hudson Yard complex in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.

The almost-completed 55 Hudson Yards office, which is part of the largest private real estate development in the United States by square footage, is home to hedge funds, major law firms… and, very soon, probably Apple, too.

For a long time, Apple stock was predictable in the way that 1980s Mike Tyson was predictable: steamrolling through challengers as it firmly held onto its status as all-conquering champion.

That changed last year as Apple’s market cap fell behind Amazon, Google, and even old rival Microsoft. But yesterday, for a few moments, it climbed back to the top of the mountain as the world’s most valuable company once again. For a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, that is!

Apple has revealed which user data is being stored on Russian servers as part of its compliance with a local law which came into effect in Russia in 2015. The user data affects only Apple users in the region, and includes their name, delivery address, email, and phone number.

A filing by Apple makes no mention of other forms of personal data, such as iMessages, documents, or photos. In the event of Apple employees, Apple also stores information such as passport numbers, income information, and more.

Target has started rolling out Apple Pay support at all its stores across the United States. The stores’ upgraded NFC-enabled payment terminals mean that the retail giant now accepts Apple’s mobile payment solution, along with Google Pay, Samsung Pay and contactless credit and debit cards.

It’s certainly big news for any retailer with 1,821 stores to hop on the Apple Pay bandwagon. But this is especially significant since Target was previously a notable holdout to this technology.

The 14-year-old kid who accidentally discovered the recent FaceTime eavesdropping bug has been told by Apple that he will be eligible for the company’s bug bounty program.

Apple set up its bug bounty program in 2016, offering rewards of up to $200,000 for security researchers who find vulnerabilities on the company’s software platforms. It’s not clear how much Grant Thompson can expect to claim from Apple — although it will reportedly go toward his college tuition savings.

Apple’s “1984” Macintosh commercial isn’t just the most iconic Apple ad in history, but one of the greatest advertisements ever created anywhere.

Now, three-and-a-half decades after the ad aired, the original storyboard for the commercial has popped up online. It offers a glimpse at the process which led to Blade Runner director Ridley Scott’s masterful ad.

Apple TV now supports the X-Ray feature for Amazon Prime Video. X-Ray provides additional information on the movies and TV shows you’re watching by giving extra details on the cast, characters, and production.

If you’re the kind of person who likes a dose of trivia, or additional context, with your entertainment, this could be the feature for you.

Apple shares have rebounded some from the company’s holiday season slump, but its $787.6 billion market cap has a way to go before it’s back at the $1 trillion level it hit last summer.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley have a suggestion for turning things around, however. They think that Apple’s Services division could see Apple once again take its place in the exclusive trillionaires club.

Apple has apologized for its FaceTime bug, and assured customers that an iOS software update is coming next week to fix it.

The FaceTime flaw allowed users to see and hear individuals before they answered a Group FaceTime call. Apple took the Group FaceTime servers offline after the news broke, but from the sound of things, it regrets how long it took to deal with the situation.

The U.K. government has an idea for getting around the thorny issue of tech companies creating a backdoor for encrypted services: just let government agents be able to listen in on encrypted communications.

That’s the so-called “ghost proposal” being put forward by officials from Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a close surveillance partner of the U.S. National Security Agency. The proposal would make it possible to inject hidden participants into secure messaging services.

During good times, Apple’s record-breaking share buyback has been credited with helping with a stock market boom.

Something weird happened in December, however. When Apple’s stock price was tumbling from its record high, Apple stopped buying back shares. Clearly the whole “buy low, sell high” thing doesn’t always apply!

I’m still blown away that the developers of Rome: Total War for iOS were able to take the classic PC strategy game and translate it almost perfectly to Apple’s touch-based mobile operating system.

Well, the game just got even better since its latest update adds 8 more playable functions, and numerous other updates. Check out more details below.

Having apparently proved its point, Apple has restored its access to enterprise certificates for both Facebook and Google, essentially un-breaking their internal apps.

In a statement to the New York Times‘ Mike Isaac, Facebook confirmed that Facebook is currently “in the process” of returning its internal apps to working order. Google, meanwhile, confirmed to Bloomberg that it was, “working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps.”

Apple seemingly scrapped plans for an iPhone SE 2, but there’s good news for fans of Apple’s 4-inch handset. For the third time this month, Apple is offering brand-new, unlocked models of the iPhone SE for up to $150 off.

The handsets are available in rose gold, gold and silver options on Apple’s clearance webpage. The 32GB models cost just $249 and the 128GB models go for $299.

Apple supplier Foxconn may be rethinking its U.S. manufacturing plans in Wisconsin, but the Taiwan-based company wants people to know it’s serious about delivering the jobs it promised.

Responding to a recent report, Foxconn says it will keep its promise to create 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin.

A fresh attempt is being made to demolish Federation Square’s Yarra Building in Melbourne, Australia to free up space for a proposed flagship Apple Store.

The application has been made by the square’s management, which argues that the building to be demolished is not in keeping with the other building designs in the precinct.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has said that her office is launching an investigation into Apple’s failure to warn customers about its FaceTime bug, which let people eavesdrop on other FaceTime users by exploiting a bug in the software.

James also wants to know why Apple was so slow to address the issue.

In its quest for minimalist perfectionism, Apple loves shaving ports off its products wherever possible. But even it has stopped short of creating a phone like the Meizu Zero.

Promising no buttons, no speaker holes, no Sim card slot, and no charging port, this sleek Chinese Android phone looked like a concept phone or, uncharitably, an early April Fool’s joke when it first popped up online last month. Well, it seems that that’s not the case at all — since pre-orders have just gone live on Indiegogo. Be warned: It’s not cheap.