Mobile menu toggle

News - page 617

Terry Gilliam still hasn’t signed contract to remake Time Bandits with Apple

By

Time Bandits
The time-traveling dwarves of Time Bandits.
Photo: Handmade Films

Terry Gilliam’s 1981 movie Time Bandits is set to get the TV series treatment by Apple, but in a recent interview, Gilliam revealed he’s still not sure how involved he will be in the project.

Despite already getting an executive producer credit for the series, Gilliam says he still hasn’t signed his contract for the show. Even though he claims he’s delighted that Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi is taking the lead on the pilot episode, Gilliam is concerned about the overall tone of the show.

Sharp’s clamshell folding smartphone actually looks good

By

Sharp
Sharp’s folding phone looks pretty cool.
Photo: EngadgetJP

Every Android smartphone maker has a concept folding smartphone that turns into a tablet, but what if manufacturers used folding screens to make our smartphones smaller?

That’s exactly what Sharp has proposed with its first folding smartphone concept that turns a regular-looking smartphone into a clamshell phone kind of like the popular Motorola Razr.

Check it out in action:

How Ops operates back at Apple HQ [Cook book outtakes]

By

Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Tim Cook book outtakes: How Apple's Operations department works This post was going to be part of my new book, Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, but was cut for length or continuity. Over the next week or so, we will be publishing several more sections that were cut, focusing mostly on geeky details of Apple’s manufacturing operations.

As iPhone growth exploded, Apple struggled to keep up with demand. Every year, the number of iPhones sold would double, which meant that Apple kept adding new suppliers and assembly operations to keep up. It was a monumental struggle.

Apple doubles the number of suppliers committed to green energy

By

Apple supplier 2
Apple has worked hard to cement its environmental cred.
Photo: Apple

Apple shows an impressive commitment to sustainability, particularly when it comes to clean energy.

Today, it revealed that it has almost doubled the number of suppliers committed to running their Apple production on 100% clean energy. This brings the total number to 44. It means that Apple will exceed — by 1 gigawatt — its goal of bringing 4 gigawatts of renewable energy into its supply chain by 2020.

Apple’s newest services lack ‘depth,’ analysts warn

By

Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Apple TV+ could have 26 million paying subs by 2025; 2.6 million currently
Photo: Apple

Apple’s newest services don’t deliver the “depth” investors want to see as iPhone sales fall for the Cupertino company.

Some analysts are particularly disappointed with the upcoming Apple TV+ video streaming service. They don’t believe Apple has any hope of competing with Netflix.

German finance minister blasts tech giants which ‘pay taxes nowhere’

By

Cash app with cash money
Apple has previously battled the EU over tax avoidance.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Germany’s finance minister Olaf Scholz has slammed tech giants that “pay taxes nowhere.”

It’s the latest shot at tech giants such as Apple, Google, Facebook and Amazon which have previously clashed with the European Union on tax issues. In an interview with CNBC, Scholz argued that “we should find a global agreement” to shut tax avoidance loopholes.

Netflix’s next big original? A comedy radio station

By

Netflix Is A Joke Radio
Tune in on April 15.
Photo: Netflix

Netflix has confirmed plans to launch its first comedy radio station.

Netflix Is A Joke Radio, which is being launched in partnership with radio streaming service SiriusXM, will go live on April 15. It will feature “highlights from top Netflix talent,” including Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Ricky Gervais.

Apple Podcasts now offers web playback feature

By

Apple's podcasts app is deeper than you might imagine.
Podcasts just got an overhaul.
Photo: Incase/Flickr CC

Apple has overhauled the web interface for podcasts hosted on its platform. The refresh means that Mac users can now stream episodes directly from the podcasts.apple.com website, instead of being redirected through iTunes.

The change comes at a time when Apple is reportedly moving to break up iTunes, which has been bloated and increasingly un-user-friendly for years.

Apple’s share of global computer market grows

By

Phil Schiller: Nope, Apple still isn’t planning to make a touchscreen Mac
Sales of Macs didn’t have a stellar quarter.
Photo: Apple

Global shipments of laptops and desktops were on the decline in the first three months of this year, and Apple also saw a drop in Mac shipments. But there is a silver lining: the company did better than some of its rivals so its share of the global PC market actually increased.

The same was true for Mac sales in the United States.

Apple throws a wrench in iPhone throttling lawsuit

By

Apple could debut iPhone SE successor as soon as March
Apple could debut iPhone SE successor as soon as March
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is asking a judge to boot the lead attorneys in a class action suit that accuses the iPhone maker of throttling older phones to force users to buy new handsets.

Apple claims opposing counsel with Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy discussed and quoted confidential documents in a public hearing last month.

YouTube TV costs App Store subscribers extra

By

YouTube
YouTube TV has new content but also a higher price. Especially for those who subscribe through the App Store.
Photo: YouTube

The monthly YouTube TV subscription fee is going up to $49.99. And it will be even higher for those who pay for this streaming video service via the Apple App Store.

This is apparently YouTube’s way of partially offsetting the cut Apple takes from all subscription fees. And it’s something other companies might emulate.

Apple teams up with NHL stars for new ‘Shot on iPhone XS’ ad

By

shot iPhone XS
There’s a lot of this in the new ad.
Photo: Apple

Two of the biggest stars of the NHL teamed up with Apple for the company’s latest ‘Shot on iPhone XS’ ad.

Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews steps behind the lens in the new ad that shows what a typical day in the NHL looks like for his teammate, Mitch Marner. The short ad takes viewers from the streets to the rink giving fans a a personal look at the hockey players’ lives.

Atom Piano Roll is an iOS MIDI-lover’s dream

By

Atom piano roll
Atom is a like a player-piano for your iPad
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

 

Atom is a “piano roll” sequencer for making music on iOS. A piano roll is named for the software used to run olde worlde player pianos. It’s a roll of paper with holes punched in it. As the roll moves through the piano, the holes are read by a “tracker bar,” and the corresponding notes are played.

Imagine such a sheet of paper in the digital realm. That’s a modern piano-roll sequencer, and it’s a commonplace way to control software instruments. Atom brings some amazing tricks to the piano roll. It’s also an Audio Unit (AU) app, which means it can work as a plug-in inside your favorite iOS Music apps, like Cubasis and GarageBand.

Apple will pay out $485 million for Texture

By

Goodbye Texture
'Texture is ending.'
Photo: Apple

Apple’s total purchase price for Texture will come in at just under half a billion dollars, according to a new report that reveals details of the acquisition.

Texture, an online magazine subscription service, was bought by Apple in 2018. It serves as the foundation for Apple News+. Apple revealed that the Texture app will shut down next month, but the four publishers who teamed up to launch the service are set to get some big paydays.

Inside Apple’s factories [Cook book outtakes]

By

Apple factory workers in China
Workers examine a camera module in one of Apple's factories in China.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook book outtakes: How Apple's Operations department works This post was going to be part of my new book, Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, but was cut for length or continuity. Over the next week or so, we will be publishing several more sections that were cut, focusing mostly on geeky details of Apple’s manufacturing operations.

A good measure of the size of Apple’s manufacturing operations is its capital expenditure, the amount of money spends on things like buildings and equipment.

Apple’s capital expenditure, or CapEx, is mindboggling. To get an idea of how big it is, take Apple’s new spaceship campus in Cupertino – which is the fourth most expensive building in the world. It cost the company an estimated $5 billion to construct.

Apple spends a similar amount every six months on manufacturing equipment.

New Apple Music docuseries charts the rise of Wiz Khalifa

By

Wiz Khalifa 1
Khalifa is the latest rapper to be chronicled in an Apple Music documentary.
Photo: Tore Sætre/Wikipedia CC

Wiz Khalifa is the latest rapper to receive the documentary treatment courtesy of Apple Music. Wiz Khalifa: Behind the Cam is set to debut this month on Apple’s streaming music platform.

The multi-part docuseries will feature footage from throughout the rapper’s career. If you’re a fan of Khalifa’s music, all five episodes will be available to binge watch on April 17.

Rare Apple WALT prototype combines phone and fax machine

By

Apple WALT prototype
This is one Apple device you’ve probably never heard of.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

Apple had plans to deliver a phone long before Steve Jobs took to the stage of Macworld 2007 to show off the iPhone.

Around 14 years earlier, the company previewed a prototype device called the Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone, or the WALT, which combined a telephone and fax machine into one.

Here’s a rare look at the prototype that shows just what WALT can do.

Prince Harry teams with Oprah for Apple TV+ show

By

Duke of Sussex
The Duke of Sussex has frequently spoken out about mental health.
Photo: E. J. Hersom/Wikipedia CC

Just when you think that Apple can’t get any bigger names for its TV+ service, it surprises you! Today, it was revealed that the U.K.’s Prince Harry, a.k.a the Duke of Sussex, has partnered with Oprah Winfrey for a new series.

Both parties are acting as co-creators and executive producers for a series on mental health. It will debut for Apple in 2020.