iPad App Issue Delays ‘a Few Dozen’ American Airlines Flights

Issues with an app on iPads provided to pilots on American Airline flights have delayed “a few dozen” flights, making it difficult for planes to take off and causing them to return to the gates to fix the issue, according to The Verge.

An American Airlines pilot’s iPad

“Some flights are experiencing an issue with a software application on pilot iPads,” American Airlines spokesperson Andrea Huguely later told The Verge. “In some cases, the flight has had to return to the gate to access a Wi-Fi connection to fix the issue. We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers. We are working to have them on the way to their destination as soon as possible.” Another spokesperson said that the issue affected “a few dozen flights” across the airline. “We’ve identified the issue, we’ve identified the solution, and we are working on it right now.”

Passenger Bill Jacaruso was traveling to Austin from Dallas / Fort Worth when his flight was delayed. He told The Verge that the pilot got on the intercom and told the passengers that his co-pilot’s iPad had went blank. About 25 minutes later he got on the intercom again, noting that his iPad had also went blank. At the time, the pilot said that all 737 airplanes were affected, but 45 minutes later he said the issue was affecting “random” American Airline planes. Another passenger told The Verge that “two systems” had failed and needed to be rebooted.

American Airlines received FAA approval for iPad use by pilots in the cockpit back in 2011. In 2013, the airline company began giving its pilots Electronic Flight Bags (EFB) containing the iPads, the first major commercial carrier to do so. The EFB’s goal is to use the iPad to replace the 40 pounds of manuals and maps that pilots usually carry. The iPads also come with a long-life battery that keeps the iPad powered for 24 hours.

MCX CEO Out After Best Buy Begins Accepting Apple Pay

Just a day after Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that MCX member Best Buy would begin accepting Apple Pay in stores later this year, MCX, the company behind Apple Pay competitor CurrentC, announced that current CEO Dekkers Davidson has left the company. He’s been replaced by former Bank of America Merchant Services CEO Brian V. Mooney on an interim basis.

“MCX was created to capitalize on a tremendous opportunity for consumers, and I look forward to taking the company through the next exciting phase of bringing CurrentC™ to the market,” said Mooney. “MCX has a talented team in place backed by the determination and resources of many of the world’s largest and most successful merchants. Building on that foundation, we’re focused on making CurrentC™ the consumer preferred mobile payments app.”

MCX spokeswoman Kristin Parran Faulder told CNET that the move had nothing to do with the Best Buy announcement. Coincidence or not, CurrentC, which is expected to launch widely later this year, will face increasing competition in the mobile payments sector from the more recently announced Samsung Pay and Android Pay as well as a growing Apple Pay. In recent weeks, Apple’s payment platform has gained the support of Discover, GameStop, NBA teams and more in addition to Best Buy.

Best Buy was the second MCX member, after Meijer, to offer Apple Pay support. Last October, former MCX CEO Davidson had said that there were no penalties or fines for leaving the MCX program. MCX exclusivity agreements with retailers reportedly end in summer 2015, which means that MCX members like Best Buy would be able to offer Apple Pay in retail stores once the agreement ends. A Best Buy spokesperson told Re/code yesterday that while the company is still invested in MCX they weren’t prepared to declare launch support for CurrentC at this time.

‘Test Model’ iPad Stolen During Robbery and Kidnapping at Cupertino Home [iOS Blog]

An iPad “test model” was one of the stolen items during a robbery and kidnapping at a Cupertino home earlier this month, reports the San Jose Mercury News. It’s unclear whether the test device was for a previous iPad model or a future one.

The robbers took the device, along with electronics, prescription drugs and cash valued at $7,500, from a Cupertino home during an incident in which a 20-year-old man was kidnapped and robbed after answering a woman’s online advertisement.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has arrested the two suspected robbers, who took the items and forced the victim into their car before driving three-quarters of a mile and releasing him. The victim contacted the sheriff’s department five days later and the case is still being investigated. The test iPad has not yet been found.

Apple has had test devices stolen in the past, with the most famous example being the test iPhone 4 that was lost in a Bay Area bar before being found by someone and sold to a reporter for $5,000. The reporter then posted images and a breakdown of the new device before returning it to Apple. After that, the reporter’s house was raided by authorities and his computers and other property were seized.