Apple has acquired a Danish visual effects company which uses machine learning technology for image and video editing.
Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, the startup Spektral was acquired late in 2017, although news of the purchase has only come to light now. One of the company’s core technologies relates to real-time green screen processing that’s capable of separating people and objects from a background and dropping them into a scene with an alternate backdrop.
Apple is spending upwards of $1 billion making original TV shows, but little has been publicly said about the initiative just yet. According to Netflix’s chief content officer, not only are customers in the dark about how Apple will make its shows available — even the folks making the shows for Apple don’t know.
Speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in Los Angeles, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos said that, “I don’t have any idea what that Apple product is going to be. I don’t think anybody does. I don’t think people making shows for them have any idea.”
What’s more, Netflix isn’t worried!
Apple has been hit with a class action lawsuit for allegedly tricking iTunes customers into buying its TV season bundles by misleading them over how many episodes are contained.
iTunes sells shows by individual episodes, whole seasons, or season passes, which includes current and future episodes not yet available. The lawsuit takes aim at this last option, claiming that Apple sneakily counts promotional clips as episodes.
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 12.1 to developers this afternoon. In what’s possibly a new speed record, that version is already available to the general public.
The major change coming in the final version is support for Group FaceTime, but there’re other enhancements too.
Almost everyone who wants a smartphone already has one, so device makers depend on upgrades among current customers to make money. Fortunately for Apple, an analyst reports there’s a surge of interest in buying a newer model.
The rising desire to upgrade isn’t limited to iPhone users, but the analyst says Apple will benefit the most.
Director Steven Soderbergh called the iPhone the future of cinematography. Filmmaker and photographer Ed Gregory isn’t quite ready to put down his cinema camera.
Still, Gregory came away pretty impressed with the video capabilities of the iPhone XS Max when he tested it recently against his Canon C200.
Instagram just added Nametags to its app, to make it easier to share your account with other people. Instead of forcing them to try to remember your Instagram username, you can just show them your Instagram Nametag, and they scan it from their own Instagram app.
It’s a neat feature, already in use on Snapchat. And — of course — you can customize your Nametag. Lets check it out.
There’s bad news for Apple Watch Series 4 users: the third beta of watchOS 5.1 is out and it still lacks an ECG application. The hardware to take an electrocardiogram is built into Apple’s latest wearable but the software is still MIA.
There’s also a new beta of tvOS 12.1 today, along with iOS 12.1 beta 3. The latest macOS 10.14.1 pre-release version came out yesterday.
This post is presented by Dashlane.
One of iOS 12’s most powerful features — a newfound compatibility with password management apps — kind of flew under the radar. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a big deal. In fact, this is a huge step forward for password managers like Dashlane, because it makes them far easier to use on iPhones and iPads.
With the recent Facebook hack compromising the personal data of 50 million users, there’s never been a better time to change all your passwords. And if you’re going to use strong, unique and extremely hard-to-remember passwords for every site you visit or web service you use, you’re going to need industrial-strength password management.
Fraudulent iPhone repair claims are big business in China. To the point where about 60 percent of the handsets being repaired under warranty in that country were part of scams.
Apple has had to make draconian efforts to even slow the rate at which Chinese criminal gangs are stealing from it.
Facebook’s new Portal smart speaker, an Echo Show rival that’s designed for video chat, sounds like a privacy nightmare straight out of Black Mirror.
But you know who could benefit from concerns about Mark Zuckerberg’s smart camera? Apple — and specifically the HomePod. Here’s why.
Google called its new Pixel 3 “the best end-to-end photography experience” Tuesday and has adopted features and marketing strategies that made the iPhone a global success and camera industry game-changer.
But marketing and megapixels will not be where these two smartphone cameras do battle. The competition shifts to artificial intelligence and how it makes each phone camera perform.
Last week, Halide developer Sebastiaan de With debunked Beautygate, and introduced something called Smart RAW, all in one blog post. Now, Smart RAW is available in Halide 1.10, and it takes the iPhone XS camera to a whole new level.
Apple’s Carpool Karaoke TV series is already back with a new season and based on the new preview Apple posted, the pairings are going to be even crazier than last season’s.
Matthew McConaughey and Snoop Dogg are spotted rolling down the street together in the teaser Apple posted this morning. That’s just the start of the wildness though. The Muppets, Weird Al and the Lonely Island crew also make an appearance.
Check out some of the funny new pairings:
Developers received a brand new beta for iOS 12.1 this morning, bringing a host of new tweaks and performance improvements to the iPhone and iPad.
iOS 12.1 beta 3 comes one week after Apple seeded the last beta build to developers. The company also released the third beta builds of watchOS 5.1 and tvOS 12.1 to developers today.
Google unleashed its latest wave of hardware designed to take on Apple and Amazon by combining its powerful software with custom-designed hardware. And it actually looks pretty good.
Three new products were unveiled at Google’s event in New York City this morning: the Pixel 3, Pixel Slate and Google Home Hub. All three pack some interesting new features that some of Apple’s own products can’t match. But there are also glaring weaknesses in the new Google products. Like the horrifically huge notch on the Pixel 3 to start with.
Take a closer look at all the new products:
Tim Cook is in China, visiting Shanghai to promote Apple Watch, pay a trip to one of one of the local Apple Stores, and meet with developers and Apple users.
Cook marked the trip by posting on his official Weibo account, the microblogging account that acts as China’s version of Twitter. While he is upbeat about meeting with Chinese fans, however, the visit comes at a tough time — with a burgeoning trade war with the U.S. and questionable claims about Chinese spy chips allegedly used by Apple.
Watching an immersive video or VR experience, it’s easy to think you’d need bulky or expensive gear to create similar content. But that’s not the case. In fact, 360-degree video is more accessible than it’s ever been.
Minecraft for Apple TV has been scrapped. Users can no longer download the game from the tvOS App Store, while existing players have been informed that the title will no longer receive updates or support.
The game’s removal is being blamed on a lack of players. Developer Mojang explains that it needs to “reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most.”
Actress Katherine LaNasa from the TV series Imposters and Satisfaction has joined the cast of Apple thriller series Are You Sleeping?, about a Serial-style crime podcast which reopens a murder case.
Interestingly, she will play a new character to replace the one originally played by actress Moon Bloodgood, who left the show after filming four out of the eight season one episodes. According to trade publication Deadline, the character’s role in the show is being completely rewritten.
Microsoft is bringing Sticky Notes to your iPhone and iPad. You will be able to use them inside OneNote to quickly jot down notes and reminders on the go, and you’ll be able to sync notes from Windows to iOS.
It is looking increasingly likely that Apple will deliver a new iPad Pro lineup before the end of 2018. A new report, citing a number of sources familiar with the company’s plans, reveals some things we can look forward to.
Here’s what to expect from the next-generation iPad Pro’s display, Face ID, Apple Pencil, and more.
One of the cool things about iOS gaming has been seeing how developers incorporate Apple’s new technologies into the games that they offer. At first, it was features like the accelerometer and now, thanks to the TrueDepth sensors used for Face ID, Apple’s face tracking tech is set to be incorporated into next-gen titles.
One of the first out of the gate is the upcoming Reigns: Game of Thrones. According to a new report, the title will use facial tracking technology in an innovative way: by asking you to carry out stare-downs with the various characters.
One of the sources named in Bloomberg‘s recent report on alleged Chinese spy chips in motherboards used by Apple and other companies has cast doubts on the story.
Speaking on a podcast published this week, security researcher Joe Fitzpatrick said that the hardware implant approach described “doesn’t make sense.”
Be warned: anyone who upgrades their iPhone or iPad to iOS 12 no longer has the option to downgrade. It’s not possible to go back to any version of iOS 11. Not that there’s much reason to want to.
This isn’t an unusual move. With today’s release of iOS 12.0.1, going to iOS 11 would be two jumps back, and it’s very rare for Apple to allow that.