News - page 633

Watching Monday morning’s “It’s show time” keynote, I was struck by how much Tim Cook is stamping his values on what Apple is doing.

While writing a book about Cook last year, I accidentally stumbled on six values he has been championing at Apple:

• Accessibility
• Education
• Environment
• Inclusion and diversity
• Privacy
• Supplier responsibility

These are the things Cook has been pushing internally since taking over from Steve Jobs in 2011. These are the priorities of his leadership, reflecting the things he wants to get done and the internal values that guide what Apple employees do and how they do it.

Monday’s keynote was a chance to witness these values in action, to see the kinds of products and services his priorities are helping to create.

The recently-launched wireless charging case for Apple’s AirPods is starting to reach customers’ hands, and it comes with a surprise: there’s a picture of the AirPower charging mat on the box, even though this isn’t available yet.

Beats’ most popular earbuds are about to get the AirPod treatment from Apple.

Leaked images of the unreleased PowerBeats Pro wireless earbuds surfaced online today after they were discovered hiding in iOS 12.2. Rumors just surfaced last week that the PowerBeats Pro are in development, but now we already know what they look like and I gotta say, the design is better than I expected.

There’s no longer a digital media player called simply “Apple TV” in this company’s product line up. But it wasn’t discontinued, just renamed, pobably to prevent confusion with the upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service.

Aquaman star Jason Momoa is finally getting his own TV show as part of Apple TV+’s lineup of original content. The up-and-coming star first made waves as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones before getting killed off in the first season. Now it looks like he’s ready to play another fearsome warrior in the series See created by Peaky Blinders showrunner Steven Knight.

Based on the few brief glimpses we got, See has the potential to be Apple’s most intriguing show. It has epic world building while also asking deep question about humanity which could make the company’s first hit. It also has the potential to be Apple’s worst show too if it fails to strike the right balance.

America is bitterly divided on immigration. But the creator of an original Apple TV series, announced at the Steve Jobs Theatre today, wants his anthology to help heal that divide.

Rather than tales of exceptional talent and achievement, Little America tells the everyday stories of immigrants navigating the American dream.

The creator is writer and stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani whose very own American dream hit a sweet spot in 2017 with the movie The Big Sick.

Steven Spielberg, who brought us Indiana Jones and E.T., is lending his gravitas to the newly announced Apple TV+ service. He’s bringing back Amazing Stories, which told single-episode sci-fi tales back in the 1980s.

Its tone is expected to stand in stark contrast to Netflix’s Black Mirror, though the shows have similarities.

Apple’s big batch of videos from today’s “It’s show time” keynote are already available online and they pack more star power than anything we’ve ever seen come out of Cupertino.

Today’s event featured a bevy of new services like Apple Card, Apple News+, Apple TV+ and other offerings that will surely translate into big bucks for the iPhone-maker. If you didn’t get a chance to watch today’s keynote, we’ve rounded up all the feature videos so you can catch up on what’s new in one place.

Get ready to be overwhelmed with all the new offerings:

Today we see updates for all your Apple devices — Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and even Apple Watch.

Almost all of Apple’s big announcements today were software-based — the titanium Apple Card and the new TV shows were the exceptions — but very few of those announcements will be available today, or even soon. In the U.S. and Canada, you’ll be able to sign up for the new Apple News+ subscription today, but that’s about it.

Let’s see what else is new.

Leave it to Apple to make the rollout of a new credit card as exciting as a new iPhone.

The Apple Card, on iPhone or in a physical titanium form you stash in a wallet, aspires to change the way people pay with credit.

Apple’s services business is about to kick things into overdrive in 2019. During the company’s “It’s show time” event at Apple Park this morning the company unveil a slew of new services that cover everything from news to credit cards.

There was something for everyone to get excited about at today’s event that packed more celebrity power than any Apple event ever. Tim Cook finally gave us a look at the original TV shows Apple has been brewing up for years, but there are still a lot of questions surrounding Apple’s new services.

Everyone from Netflix to big banks were put on notice today with Apple’s new services lineup. Only one of the new services are launching today, but there’s still a lot to look forward too.

Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell appeared on stage at today’s “Show Time” event to talk about The Morning Show, the comedy series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell.

Sounding like a mixture of Anchorman and Aaron Sorkin’s Sports Night, the series follows behind-the-scenes shenanigans at a morning news show. It will particularly focus on “[pulling] back the curtain on the power dynamics” between men and women in the workplace. Coming in the #MeToo era, it certainly looks pretty good timing.

Hundreds of TV shows are available through dozens of streaming services, and Apple has just added itself to the mix with a stable of original programs. But rather than increasing the complexity, Apple is hoping to simplify everything by becoming a one-stop-shop for multiple offerings, including HBO, Showtime and more.

This service is called, logically enough, Apple TV+

Apple has unveiled Apple Arcade, a new subscription game which will allow iOS and Mac gamers to access a plethora of games in an “all-you-can-eat” subscription service.

“We want to make gaming even better,” said Tim Cook. Based on what Apple showed today, they may well have succeeded.

You can now find your favorite magazines inside Apple News.

A new subscription provides access to a wealth of periodicals from the likes of Vogue, Rolling Stone and The New Yorker. It also features content from The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times.

You can read as many as you like, as much as you like, for just $9.99 a month.

The first Apple event of 2019 is finally upon us and it promises to be unlike any other Apple keynote we’ve seen.

Services are set to be the star of the show as Apple busts out a new TV streaming app, news subscriptions and maybe even an Apple Pay credit card. Rumors have been ramping up leading to today’s “It’s show time” event, but there are still plenty of surprises waiting for fans. As always, Cult of Mac is live-blogging the whole dang thing with up-to-the-minute analysis on all the new stuff. Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage at 10 a.m. Pacific — most likely with a ton of Hollywood A-listers in tow — but we’re gonna get the party started a little before that.

Come join the fun:

YouTube is reportedly canceling its original series just as Apple prepares to unveil a video streaming service of its own.

At least two of YouTube’s biggest shows have been axed, according to a new report. The service has also stopped accepting pitches for new originals as it drops plans to compete with the likes of Amazon and Netflix.

Apple has seemingly given up on the iPhone SE form factor. However, it’s not given up selling them — as evidenced by the fact that Apple’s diminutive, 4-inch handset just turned up on Apple’s Online Store.

Apple is selling the handsets in silver, gold, silver, and space gray — with prices starting at a mere $249. That’s great news for anyone who doesn’t want to drop the money necessary to pick up an iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or XS Max.

Apple has started shipping its newest AirPods out to customers. The first deliveries for a small few will arrive today. If you haven’t already ordered yours, you will now be waiting at least three days for them to ship.

Apple has shared five new Apple Watch tips on its YouTube channel, intended to show users how to get the most out of their Apple wearable.

The short, 30-second videos contain tips on changing watchbands, activating Siri, and using the Apple Watch as a fitness trackers. Check them out below.

Apple is having some fun with frenzied fanboys and gals ahead of today’s “It’s show time” media event. Although the live broadcast won’t officially start until 10 a.m. Pacific, Apple “accidentally” showed a few images of the empty auditorium.

What makes that particularly exciting? Only the fact that the screen is showing images such as an incoming call from “Captain America” star Chris Evans.

The arrest of the CFO of Huawei in Canada last year brought to light an embarrassing secret about Meng Wanzhou: the daughter of the founder of China’s biggest mobile phone maker apparently prefers Apple.

This week we clean up text with Text Case, fix up focus with Focos, ditch Instagram with Sunlit, and more.

The wait for details on Apple’s rumored games subscription service could be over as soon as Monday, according to a new report.

This will supposedly offer a bundle of iPhone and iPad titles for a monthly fee.

AiPad Pro owners no longer have to pay $129 to get a high-quality stylus. The Apple Pencil 2 isn’t the only option any more.

Apple is changing course by allowing the Logitech Crayon to work with more of its tablets, and this accessory is about half the price of the Pencil 2.