The M2 chip, sequel to the inaugural Apple Silicon processor, will debut in the first half of 2022, says a leaker who previously nailed details about the company’s proprietary chips.
The tipster, known as Dylandkt, has an 81.3% accuracy rating according to Apple Track based on 16 previous rumors. Dylandkt said the M2 chip will be released alongside “the upcoming colorful MacBook Air.”
Larry David once played a verbose, neurotic app approval officer in a skit for Apple. But curb your enthusiasm (womp womp) … the video never aired. Clearly someone at Apple didn’t think it was pretty, pretty, pr-et-ty good enough to be shown to customers.
However, the video — apparently shot as a possible intro for 2014’s Worldwide Developers Conference — has been leaked online by Sam Henri-Gold of the dearly departed Unofficial Apple Archive, a former repository of Apple videos no longer around. While Henri-Gold only shared a snippet, the whole video was later posted to YouTube. Check it out below.
Apple’s new iPhone, set to launch in fall, will be named the iPhone 13, says a report from the Economic Daily News, published Monday.
Given that last year’s iPhone was named the iPhone 12, it may not sound much of a surprise to hear that it’s successor is named the iPhone 13. However, guessing the name of this year’s handset upgrade has proven surprisingly tricky.
Apple has thwarted an attempt by multiple Chinese tech companies to get around its App Tracking Transparency feature, the Financial Times reports Monday.
The group of tech companies includes Baidu, Tencent, and TikTok parent company ByteDance. They supposedly worked with a couple of Beijing companies to find a new way to get around Apple’s new privacy measures.
However, Apple blocked updates to several apps that included the workaround, called the Chinese Advertising ID (CAID). In doing so, it enforced its rules in a way that may have surprised the companies in question.
Having only fairly recently completed its massive Apple Park campus in Cupertino, Apple’s now “ramping up” efforts to decentralize its workforce, says Mark Gurman in his latest “Power On” column for Bloomberg.
This means reluctantly embracing the idea that not everyone wants to live and work in Silicon Valley. While Apple execs have supposedly fought against this way of thinking for years, recruitment challenges are now causing them to reassess the situation.
The app for Didi Chuxing, the popular Chinese ride-hailing service, has been removed from the App Store in China, citing privacy concerns.
This is no usual case of Apple booting an app from the App Store for failing to measure up to its standards, though. In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook sits on Didi’s board of directors, and Apple previously invested $1 billion in the Chinese Uber rival. Instead, the ban was ordered by China’s Cyberspace Administration of China regulators — citing “serious violations [regarding] collection and usage of personal information.”
A year and a half in, Apple TV+ remains something of a black box. Ever since the streaming video service’s launch in November 2019, Cupertino has refused to reveal hard data about just how well Apple TV+ is doing.
In some respects, the future looks promising. Apple TV+ continues to add high-profile projects to its production queue. Apple TV+ shows and movies continue to rack up awards. And upcoming originals like an epic sci-fi adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and the second season of surprise hit Ted Lasso are generating buzz.
Plus, with the original one-year free trials ending — and new free Apple TV+ trials slashed to just three months — the $4.99-a-month streaming service seems increasingly confident about its value proposition for viewers.
Still, the Apple TV+ library continues to be dwarfed by rivals like Netflix and Disney+.
So what does the future hold? And what does “success” look like for Apple TV+ anyway? Cult of Mac asked the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a pseudonymous entertainment executive who writes about the business, how Apple TV+ is faring and what to expect next. His responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
June 29, 2007: The first-generation iPhone goes on sale, generating massive queues of Apple fans lining up outside Apple Stores around the United States.
With its intuitive touchscreen display, it’s a massive leap forward for smartphones. The device goes on to change the course of not only Apple’s business, but that of the entire mobile industry!
When his kayak overturned in fast moving water while on Snake River in Idaho, Tom Adams lost his keys, fishing pole, wallet and iPhone.
However, three days later, a dive team found the items — including the iPhone, still in working order. “To all our amazement, [the phone] was still on!” Adams told the East Idaho News. “It was still alarming from my Sunday morning wake-up call reminder.”
Customs officials have seized around 80 iPhones being smuggled through Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, India. The devices included various iPhone 12 models, including the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. They also arrested two passengers who owned the checked-in luggage, and another person reportedly involved in the smuggling.
The smuggling was almost certainly to avoid paying import duty on the devices. Import duties on the iPhone in India were increased from 10 to 15% in late 2017.
Google Fi, the search giant’s cellular service, features a built-in VPN for protecting the online activity of users by stopping third parties tracking their location via IP address. The handy, privacy focused feature has previously been available only for Android users. However, Google has announced that it’s rolling out for iPhone as well.
“Starting today, we’re expanding our built-in VPN to iPhone,” Google tweeted Thursday. “With the Fi VPN, you get a private online connection and more protection from hackers included on all plans.”
Apple Studios has debuted the trailer for CODA, a movie which swept the 2021 Sundance Film Festival — capturing its Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast, Directing Award, Audience Award, and Grand Jury Prize.
A coming-of-age drama starring Emilia Jones and previous Oscar winner Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God), the movie is about a teenaged girl torn between following her musical dreams and staying with deaf family who rely on her. The title is an acronym standing for “Child of Deaf Adults.”
Check out the trailer below.
Apple is debuting new episodes of its Time to Walk stories for Apple Fitness+. The new episodes, featuring Randall Park, Michaela Jaé “MJ” Rodriguez, Stephen Fry, Anthony Joshua, and others, will arrive starting June 28.
On the same day Apple will also introduce an Artist Spotlight series, boasting workouts with workouts set to playlists from individual artists — like Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Lady Gaga.
The next-gen iPhone will boast “more flexible SiP battery modules and LCP antenna modules,” backing up previous rumors that it will come with a new, improved battery and bring new ultra-speedy mmWave 5G to new countries.
A report published Thursday by Digitimes noted that these are two of the big changes expected for this year’s iPhone refresh. Other than this, the iPhone 13 (or whatever Apple opts to call it) will reportedly “see few changes.” Fortunately, from the sound of things that might include pricing.
A House committee approved antitrust legislation Thursday that threatens many big tech companies — Apple included. In a 24 to 20 vote early this morning, the committee approved the American Choice and Innovation Online Act.
The bill, which still needs to pass the full House, seeks to stop big platforms from advantaging their own products or services over those made by others. That could affect Apple, which not only owns and operates the App Store distribution platform, but also makes products that compete with some of the apps distributed through said store.
A case brought by France’s finance ministry against Apple will have its day in court September 17. The case involves allegedly abusive contractual terms imposed by Apple for developers selling software in the App Store.
It’s a similar scenario to the complaint made by Fortnite makers Epic Games, regarding the control Apple has over developers on iOS. The lawsuit follows a three-year probe carried out by the DGCCRF consumer fraud watchdog. It’s also just the latest of many complaints made about the App Store around the world.
Apple this week launched its App Store search advertising business in mainland China, five years after it arrived in the United States. Called Apple Search Ads, the targeted ads feature works similar to Google ads by letting developers bid to get advertising space for certain keywords.
Debuting Apple Search Ads in one of Apple’s biggest markets comes at the same time that Apple is cracking down on targeted advertising from other companies. Features like iOS 14’s App Transparency Tracker lets users opt out of personalized tracking from other companies. But while they’re struggling, Apple’s seemingly making the move to expand its own ad empire.
A new Apple TV+ video gives a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the creation of new perm- and leotard-filled dark comedy Physical. The retro series follows the 1980s transformation of a timid housewife into an aerobics influencer extraordinaire.
The four-and-a-half-minute “making of” video features input from Physical stars Rose Byrne, Rory Scovel, Della Saba and Dierdre Friel, along with series showrunner Annie Weisman. It includes discussions of the show’s themes, including central character Sheila Rubin’s eating disorder.
Apple thinks five pieces of antitrust reform legislation could undermine innovation and competition in tech, as well as creating a “race to the bottom” for security and privacy. Apple laid out its concerns in a letter sent ahead of Wednesday’s meeting of the House Judiciary Committee to discuss the proposed laws.
The letter — sent to chairmen Jerrold Nadler and David Cicilline, and ranking members Jim Jordan and Ken Buck — lays out Apple’s arguments for why the government needs to reconsider the five bills.
Apple’s none too keen on sideloading, the process of allowing apps to be installed on iPhones and iPads from outside of the App Store. While some critics take issue with this as an example of Cupertino’s uncompromising monopolistic tendencies, Apple — unsurprisingly — has a different take.
In an interview with Fast Company, timed to coincide with publication of a white paper on the subject, Apple’s head of user privacy, Erik Neuenschwander, explains the company’s take.
Spoiler alert: It’s all about security.
It’s somehow been 30 years since Sega’s rapid blue hedgehog mascot, Sonic, first speeded his way onto the Genesis and into video game history on June 23, 1991.
To celebrate the occasion, Minecraft has released an official DLC pack that lets you play through recreations of some of Sonic’s most iconic levels from the original Sonic the Hedgehog inside, well, Minecraft. It even includes blocky rings to collect.
If you’re a fan of Sega’s iconic spiky mammal, it looks like it’s well worth checking out. This 3D endless runner is all yours for 1,340 coins — or, approximately, $8 in real world terms. Check out the trailer below.
Tim Cook reportedly got in touch with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in addition to other members of Congress, to voice his worries about possible antitrust legislation, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The Democrats are currently circulating drafts of antitrust bills that could affect the likes of Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Google. If passed, these bills could impact Apple’s ability to own and operate its own App Store marketplace in the way it currently does.
Facebook debuted its Clubhouse-style Live Audio Rooms and new podcast platform Monday, giving users two new ways to engage with the social network — and hopefully keep them hooked for longer.
Public figures and select Facebook Groups in the United States can create Live Rooms on iOS. They can then invite friends, followers, public figures and, well, anyone else who wants to tune in and contribute to an audio session. There can be up to 50 speakers, with no limits on listeners.
It’s iPhone production season, and that means that Apple manufacturers need to recruit enough workers to build them. While this seasonal demand happens every year, in 2021 it’s heightened by the worldwide labor shortage coming out of the pandemic.
As a result, Apple’s manufacturers are working hard to offer bonuses to tempt people to spend a few months on the production line. According to a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily paper, manufacturer Pegatron is offering extra paychecks for both workers and those who recommend their friends for jobs.
Between the iconic Ridley Scott “1984” ad and ahead-of-their-time campaigns like “Test Drive a Mac,” the original Macintosh wasn’t exactly short of memorable marketing materials. But what would an ad look like for the OG Macintosh if it came along in 2021?
Designer Thibaut Crepell put a concept together and, frankly, it’s pretty darn awesome. While it’s not going to dislodge either of the two previously mentioned campaigns, it’s neat to see a video that could convincingly fit in as part of one of today’s Apple keynotes, but showing a piece of Apple tech that’s now approaching 40 years old.
Check it out below.
