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Luke Dormehl - page 83

Disney+ racks up nearly $100 million in user spending in first 60 days

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Disney+
Disney+ is off to a flying start.
Photo: Disney

Aside from saying that Apple TV+ pulled in “millions of users” in its first week, Apple hasn’t shared any stats about how Apple’s streaming service is doing. Disney+, on the other hand, seems to be blowing away the competition.

Two months after Disney+ launched, its app has been downloaded close to 41 million times on the App Store and Google Play app store. In total, it has generated an estimated $97.2 million in user spending.

Little America currently holds 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes

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Little America was rejected from multiple networks being Apple snapped it up
Critics really, really seem to like Apple TV+'s new show.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+’s upcoming series Little America is pretty darn great. At least, if reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes is to be believed.

With the initial critic reviews in, Little America‘s current rating stands at a, well, flawless 100%. By contrast, previous Apple TV+ shows like The Morning Show were panned by early critics.

Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
There was a time when $1 trillion seemed crazy, too.
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple could be a $2 trillion business by the end of 2021, bullish Apple analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush claims.

If so, this would be a massive leap from Apple’s current market cap of $1.38 trillion. And it would be all thanks to momentum in Apple’s Services division, alongside the impending launch of a 5G iPhone.

TikTok was the top iOS app worldwide in Q4 2019

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TikTok 1
TikTok had a great fourth quarter.
Photo: TikTok

TikTok was the most popular iOS app worldwide in Q4 2019, as measured by total number of downloads. In both the App Store and Google Play, TikTok downloads hit an all-time high of almost 220 million installs. On iOS alone, it racked up 42 million.

In the United States, TikTok ranked no. 2 after the newly launched Disney+.

Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest coming to PAX South gaming expo

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Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest coming to PAX South gaming expo
Mythic Quest could be a pitch-perfect parody of the games industry.
Photo: Apple

Apple Original comedy series Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet is coming to Apple TV+ on February 7. But before then, Mythic Quest is stopping off at the PAX South gaming expo in Texas, possibly for an early advance screening.

The Apple TV+ show was co-created by It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia stars Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day. It follows a team of video game developers as they work on an epic sequel to the biggest multiplayer video game of all time. Think Silicon Valley for the gaming world!

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.

How to view your Apple Card transactions in a spreadsheet

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App makes it easy to view Apple Card transactions in a spreadsheet
Let's face it: Very few people love spreadsheets. But they're pretty darn useful.
Photo: Craig Chew-Moulding/Flickr CC

Apple Card advertises itself as being just about the most user-friendly credit card in the history of finance. But, surprisingly, it doesn’t let you easily upload your transaction history into a spreadsheet.

Fortunately, New York-based developer Jed Schmidt has created a tool that changes that. And you can start using it right now.

The first iPod went from pitch to shipped product in 7 months

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The first iPod went from pitch to shipped product in 7 months
The first iPod was a massive hit for Apple.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Whether it’s smartwatches or smart speakers, Apple rarely rushes to be the first company to move into a new product category. But once Apple’s decided to commit, it moves pretty darn quickly — as an iPod anecdote shared (indirectly) by former Apple exec Tony Fadell makes clear.

In a tweet made by the CEO of Stripe, Patrick Collison, Tony “Podfather” Fadell reveals the timeline of the original iPod. And it was pretty mind-blowingly intensive.

The Morning Show‘s Billy Crudup earns Apple TV+ its first major awards win

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The Morning Show's Billy Crudup earns Apple TV+ its first major awards win
Billy Crudup alongside Jennifer Aniston in The Morning Show.
Photo: Apple

Less than three months after Apple TV+ launched, it has picked up its first major awards win. At the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Billy Crudup won the Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series gong for his role as Cory Ellison in The Morning Show.

Crudup was up against Asante Blackk from This Is Us, Asia Kate Dillon from Billions, Peter Dinklage from Game of Thrones, and Tim Blake Nelson from Watchmen.

Apple asked to provide iPhone evidence in college campus attack investigation

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Apple is one of the tech companies named in petition.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is among the parties named in a notice issued by the Delhi High Court, regarding evidence concerning a recent assault on a campus at India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

Apple is being asked to hand over user data that may include messages, pictures, video, and more. In other words, this sounds like another potential privacy headache for Apple.

Apple takes a hacksaw to trade-in values for used iPhones and more

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Apple takes a hacksaw to estimated trade-in values for its devices
You won't get as much money for your old devices today as you would yesterday.
Photo: Pictures of Money/Flickr CC

Overnight Apple has chopped estimated trade-in values on a variety of products. It means that users will get less money for their old products when they try and trade them in with Apple.

Note to Cupertino: When people talk about wishing that Apple would cut prices on their products, this isn’t what they generally mean!

Pokémon Go’s best year yet shows novelty doesn’t have to wear off

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Pokémon GO’s best year yet shows novelty doesn't have to wear off
"You mean, people are still playing it?"
Photo: The Pokémon Company

No game dominated the summer of 2016 quite like the augmented reality blockbuster Pokémon Go. Raking in massive bucks and plenty of virtual column inches that summer, the game became a massive smash hit — before fading from view.

At least, that’s the perspective of people who wonder if anyone still plays Pokémon GOIn fact, not only do people still play it; the game just had its best year to date. What’s the secret to its longevity? And why is that a good thing for gamers?

Apple partners with Red Cross to accept donations to fight Australia bushfires

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Apple partners with Red Cross to accept donations to fight Australia bushfires
Apple made a donation back in December.
Photo: Cult of Mac / Picturesofmoney

Apple is making it easier for people to make donations to the Red Cross to help efforts in Australia as it battles back against the terrible bushfires the country has experienced.

Users can make Red Cross donations of between $5 to $200 through iTunes and the App Store. Apple is not taking any commission or processing fees for the donations, which will go entirely to charity.

Fraudster posing as Apple tech support steals $16,000 from Mac owner

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Fraudster steals $16k from victim posing as Apple tech support
"Hello ma'am, this is, ugh, John from your bank. Could you tell me your account number?"
Photo: Donald Tong/Pexels CC

A hacker recently stole $16,000 from a Mac owner in Cape Coral, Florida, by posing as Apple tech support.

The fraudster phoned the targeted individual and prompted the victim to hand over personal information. They said they would use this to solve assorted problems with the person’s Mac. Instead, they stole money that the victim may well never get back.

Apple closing in on its 2 billionth iPhone sale

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iPhones at MacPaw museum
Apple sure has sold a lot of iPhones over the years.
Photo: MacPaw

Apple will sell its 2 billionth iPhone in 2020 or 2021, a poll of analysts suggests.

They suggest that Apple will sell close to 195 million iPhones in fiscal 2020. That would bring the total number of iPhones sold since launch to around 1.9 billion units. Provided that they are talking about Apple’s fiscal 2020, which ends in September, that could conceivably mean pushing past the 2 billion milestone this calendar year.

Dubai fan has one of the most impressive Apple collections you’ll find

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Jimmy Grewal Apple collection
75 computers, a bunch of Newton MessagePads, and more.
Photo: Jimmy Grewal

A large white room filled with row upon row of just about every Apple computer you can imagine, all in pristine condition. On the walls are framed copies of Apple’s black-and-white “Think Different” ads. Sunlight streams through the large windows, giving everything a warm glow.

Is this heaven? The world’s greatest Apple Store? Nope, it’s Dubai, actually. Home to Jimmy Grewal, a collector of vintage Apple computers and one of the most impressive collections you’re likely to find anywhere.

Mythic Quest co-creator says Apple is opinionated, but ‘helpful’ partner

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Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest coming to PAX South gaming expo
Coming soon to Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

Rob McElhenney, co-creator of Apple TV+’s upcoming video game comedy Mythic Quest, says that Apple was “very helpful” in the creative process involved in making the show. But he noted that the company was more than willing to push back on issues it felt strongly about.

“Deference would assume we always know what we’re doing and when we walk into the room everyone should just be quiet,” McElhenney told Variety. “That is dangerous because then you have no opposition, and it doesn’t make for the best process.”

TiVo might not release an Apple TV app after all

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TiVo might not release an Apple TV app after all
TiVo's probably not getting an Apple TV app. Not in the future -- or whenever this picture was taken.
Photo: TiVo

TiVo’s plans for an Apple TV app are “currently on hold,” according to an executive at the company. Speaking with TechHive, Ted Malone, TiVo’s VP of consumer products and services, described the promised app as being “in limbo.”

A spokesperson later said that this is because the company has, “re-prioritized several projects in order to focus on the launch of TiVo Stream 4K.” It sounds as if Roku and Fire TV apps may also be set to suffer a similar fate.

Glitch causes some Apple Pay Express Transit users in NYC to be overcharged

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Glitch causes some Apple Pay Express Transit users to be overcharged
NYC commuters can now use Apple Pay to pay at busy Penn Station.
Photo: Gryffindor/Wikipedia CC

Some Apple Pay Express Transit users are being overcharged during travel in the New York subway. That’s because the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s OMNY tap-and-go fare readers are picking up their iPhones — even when users aren’t intending to use them.

According to the New York Post, the issue has resulted in a small number of users receiving an extra $2.75 charge. Here’s how you can avoid the problem if it’s happened to use.

Apple scans photos uploaded to iCloud to check if they contain child abuse

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Apple ditched plans for secure iCloud backups after FBI concern
Apple's chief privacy officer discussed the tech in a CES panel.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

CES-2020-bug-2

Apple’s chief privacy officer says that Apple scans photos uploaded to iCloud to check whether they contain child abuse. Jane Horvath discussed the use of the technology during a Tuesday panel on user privacy at CES.

Horvath didn’t reveal exactly how Apple carries this out. Many companies — including Facebook, Twitter and Google — already use a Microsoft-developed tool called PhotoDNA. This checks images against a database of previously identified pictures.

CES sure has changed a lot since Apple was last there in 1992

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CES sure has changed a lot since Apple was last there in 1992
Here's the CES floor in 1992.
Photo: News 8

CES-2020-bug-2Apple’s privacy-focused appearance at this year’s CES marks the first time in 28 years the Cupertino company has appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show. It last had an official presence at CES way back in 1992.

Want a glimpse of what the world famous high-tech expo was like the last time Apple took the stage? Read on to find out.

Apple exec takes the stage at CES to talk about the importance of privacy

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Apple exec turned up at CES to talk about the importance of privacy
Apple is big into privacy.
Photo: Apple

CES-2020-bug-2Apple has made its return to CES for the first time in 28 years, as a representative of the world’s biggest tech company appeared on-stage at the world’s biggest tech conference.

Apple wasn’t showing off new products, however. Instead, Jane Horvath, Apple’s senior director of global privacy, participated in a panel Tuesday titled “Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable: What Do Consumers Want?” The panel also included representatives from Facebook, Procter & Gamble, and the FTC.

AirPods Pro will ‘just work’ with a 10-year-old iPhone

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AirPods will ‘just work’ with a 10-year-old iPhone
Even iPhone 3GS users can get in on the wireless listening fun.
Photo: Apple

Apple stopped selling the iPhone 3GS, its third ever iPhone model, in 2012. The last version of iOS it supported was iOS 6.1.6, released February 21, 2014. But — wouldn’t you know it — this old phone still works with Apple’s cutting edge AirPods Pro.

For anyone who remembers the struggle with finding and installing drivers to try and get new tech to work with old tech, it’s pretty awesome. And proof positive of why Apple talks about making devices that “just work.”

Why Samsung will probably get away with ‘borrowing’ Face ID icon

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Samsung Pass logo
That logo certainly looks familiar.
Photo: Parker Ortolani/Twitter

Eagle-eyed viewers spotted something oddly familiar during Samsung’s CES keynote Monday. On a slide regarding Samsung Pass, its new biometric “identity management as-a-service” product, Samsung included a logo that looks (to be polite) “borrowed” from Apple’s Face ID.

Yes, this not-quite-identical logo is the latest chapter in Samsung being, err, inspired by Apple designs. But should Apple be firing up its on-call lawyers for an easy win over Samsung? Legally speaking, things might be a bit more complicated than they initially seem.