A few weeks ago, code-divers found the Apple Watch companion app for iPhone lurking within the iOS 8.2 beta. Work-in-progress screenshots were shown off and potential new features revealed. Today, a deeper dive was posted. The two pertinent bits of information there: “work in progress” and “potential”.

Here’s the thing: When it comes to spoilers, we need to make sure we’re not the ones who get spoiled.

At WWDC 2013, Apple altered the way the iOS beta non-disclosure agreement worked: Traditionally, the NDA slammed a black curtain around its beta testers, from which no light nor sound was allowed to escape. Two years ago, however, Apple lifted many of the restrictions from that agreement, asking only that people refrain from publishing screenshots or video.

My suspicion is that, at least in part, Apple understands that betas change, and if people see something in a beta and then don’t see it in a release, they’ll wonder why. They may even get upset. Either way, the story becomes about the change, or perceived loss, and not the final product.

That’s even more likely when it comes to pre-beta software. Take last year’s Health app as a primary example: It was shown off, pre-beta, in its card metaphor form; at some point, however, Apple realized the app was going to have more data than could comfortably fit a card stack, and switched Health to a list view accordingly. When the beta came out, initial conversations didn’t focus on the Health app or its design, but on how and why it had changed. Expectations had been set for Apple rather than by Apple.

Technology is far from the only place this happens. Spoilers are everywhere in the entertainment industry: One actor is rumored, then another is cast. A script is leaked, and the final production is different. Comparisons inevitably get made and, instead of focusing on who and what we saw, we end up wondering about what might have been.

It’s why some people love spoilers and seek them out while others avoid them at all costs. What happens to beloved characters or beloved products can be equally stressful, equally scary, equally intriguing, and equally delightful.

Apple is still protecting future products the way Disney is protecting future Star Wars movies, but they’ve relaxed about coverage once announcements have been made. The company has even started doing public betas for OS X. They’re okay with shooting scripts, teasers, and trailers getting out, so to speak, just not the early drafts and not the final film, not until all the edits and FX are done. They still very much want that keynote to be filled an opening day event. After that, they’re more open to more discussion from more people than ever.

Historically, I’ve agreed to NDAs and stuck by those agreements. First, if Apple can’t trust me, why should any developer? Second, it affords me the time to really get to know the final products we’ll be using and ultimately write about them in an informed if far too long-winded manner. Other outlets avoid NDAs or make other choices. It’s what makes the internet diverse.

So, if you want to look at some screenshots extracted from the latest iOS 8 beta, or you want to find out what crazy Force powers might be in Episode VIII, you can take a look. Just keep reminding yourself that nothing is set in stone until it ships. That way, even if you’re into spoilers, your expectations and enjoyment aren’t what’s getting spoiled.

A new budget device with an intriguing pricing scheme

We’re live in London where Huawei’s Honor brand has launched its latest device, the Holly. In keeping with the tradition of previous Honor devices the Holly promises a mix of an affordable price and good hardware for it.

Honor’s European adventure is now 100 days old and the latest challenge to conventional pricing is the Pricehacker, a scheme where Honor will lower the launch price based upon how many customers pre-register their interest in buying it.

These are all very different bad things that we hate equally

The terms malware, spyware and virus get thrown around a lot on the Internet. Usually, you’ll find they get used interchangeably, and we all just nod in agreement because we understand that we’re talking about things we don’t want and would like to never see again. But the reality is that they are all very different animals.

We’re talking a bit about Android antivirus apps (which really are designed to prevent malware and not viruses) this week, so we wanted to take a few minutes and talk about what each of these nasties really is.

Google has started rolling out an update of its Chrome browser for Android devices. The new version number is 40.0.2214.109 and Google states, “This release contains a fix for some Samsung devices seeing a permissions error.”

2014 came and went without much news for iTunes. There was no international expansion for iTunes Radio, and no word on Continuity for iTunes or media. There was, however, Apple’s acquisition of Beats Music. I can only imagine it caused a bit of a scuffle in the company’s media department, tossing out old plans and demanding new plans be made.

As such, I’d have been surprised if Apple wasn’t working on a new, hybrid music service. But it’s the how and the what they’re going to do with it that’s interesting to me.

Mark Gurman writing for 9to5Mac:

Based heavily upon cloud streaming, Apple’s new service is centered around the user’s music library. A new search feature will be able to locate any song in the iTunes/Beats catalog, and users will be able to stream music from the catalog as well as add songs to their personal libraries. Users will be able to select specific tracks to store on their iOS devices and/or computers, or keep all songs solely in the cloud. Apple will also deeply integrate Beats Music’s Playlists, Activities, and Mixes features into the new service, letting users access a vast array of pre-made, human-curated playlists to fit various activities. Surprisingly, Apple is likely to also update Beats’ social networking features, allowing people to follow other users and artists as they did with the failed Ping social music network.

Gurman goes on to note that the pipes are Beats technology, but the interface is all Apple — historically a very good model for the company. Also, it may well mark Apple’s first official venture into the Android universe, as Beats already has an Android app; sadly, there appears to be no official plans being made for our Windows Phone counterparts (Because, market share. Apple famously made iTunes.app for Windows, but not for Linux — oh, how times have changed.)

I wonder how this rumored service might affect iTunes, as well: I’ve been hoping for an iTunes for iCloud service for years now, and dropping legacy support for Windows and enabling access over the web could free Apple up to do all sorts of interesting things — like completely reinvent the OS X app.

Obviously, given the iPhone gravity well, Apple is going to focus on mobile first, and in this case, music-first as well; Hollywood studios make record labels look positively progressive. But if the door’s open to Android, how much wider could it eventually get?

The iTunes app and iTunes Store is based on technology that goes back decades. It’s gotten creaky on the front-end, and I can’t even imagine what it must be like on the back-end. Moving hundreds of millions of products and customers accounting for billions of dollars in transactions out of the past and into the future will no doubt be an almost impossibly difficult task.
Yet it’s one that won’t get any easier over time. Maybe these rumors are a sign that Apple has acknowledged that issue, and that the transition is already underway. After all, the best way to move a colossus is to get its constituent parts to move themselves.

Windows 10 preview users can now download a patch for the current 9926 build, which contains a boatload of bug fixes for the OS since it was launched 12 days ago.

We went with a topic this week, “looking up,” that could be interpreted in a few different ways, and thankfully that led to photo entries that covered a wider range of topics. We received over 100 entries filling five pages in the forums, but we were able to narrow it down to the two winners that will be taking home prizes. Read along with us and see the winners this week.

Last Inua, a side-scrolling adventure game that was first released for the PC in December has now made its way to the Mac platform. It’s now available on the Mac App Store for $7.99.

The game was developed by Glowforth and is being published by Wired Productions. Here’s a quick look at its premise:

Last Inua is designed for both young and old, mixing classic platform genres as it tells the tale of an Inuit family’s fight for survival against a fearsome demon and the harsh Arctic elements. As the demonic trickster Tonrar has awoken to spread his darkness over the north the father and son team of Ataataq and Hiko are the only hope to restore balance in the world. Ataataq relies on brute strength to overcome obstacles as he guides Hiko, his physically weak but supernaturally gifted son who possess magical abilities, along their epic journey. Together, Ataataq and Hiko must traverse the arctic landscape and visit The Trinity of the Mythical Creatures to help defeat the malevolent Tonrar.

• $7.99 Download now