Apple Quashes Rumors of Potential Tidal Acquisition

Apple has moved to quash rumors that it is interested in purchasing rival music streaming service Tidal, according to BuzzFeed.

Back in June of this year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was “in talks” to acquire Tidal, which has fiercely competed with Apple Music for exclusivity rights to top list artists.

However, pushed on the subject in a forthcoming interview, head of Apple Music Jimmy Iovine told BuzzFeed that “We’re really running our own race. We’re not looking to acquire any streaming services.” Iovine didn’t deny that discussions had taken place, but said that no acquisition deal was currently in the works.

Irvine’s remarks are the first time anyone from Apple has commented on the alleged talks, which some believed indicated Cupertino’s hardened resolve to catch Spotify as the leader in the streaming market. Yesterday, Spotify announced that it now has over 40 million paying subscribers, compared to Apple Music’s 17 million as of early September.

Buying Tidal would have landed Apple Music an additional 4 million subscribers, all things remaining the same.

Theoretically, acquiring the company could have also aided Apple’s relationships with some big names in the music industry – Tidal is owned by various artists including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and Madonna. Back in June, Kanye West suggested the company wanted to partner up with Apple Music to heal the schism between the rival services, which he said was harming the industry.

In March 2015, Jay Z acquired Tidal parent company Aspiro AB for $56 million, but it has struggled to find stability. The company has moved on three chief executives in the last year, and last week it reported a net loss of $28 million for 2015, more than double its losses from the year before.

Apple released a redesigned, more streamlined version of its own streaming service on Tuesday as a part of the new iOS 10 release.

Tags: Jimmy Iovine, Apple Music, Tidal
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Ford previews the future of self-driving vehicles

This week, Ford invited members of the tech and automotive press to check out the latest developments, including the first rides in its autonomous vehicles. CEO Mark Fields already revealed the company is targeting 2021 for the release of a “Level 4” vehicle that’s fully self-driving, without contrivances like steering wheels or pedals. For now, it’s testing vehicles like these Ford Fusions on its Dearborn, MI campus, the Mcity test track in Ann Arbor, and on public roads in Arizona, Michigan and California.

The video above gives you a taste of what the vehicle actually “sees” on its test route, thanks to a combination of cameras, radar and LIDAR units. Like other self-driving car demonstrations I’ve experienced, the Fusion could navigate the test route without much of a problem, responding to both simulated and live situations easily. The reason the company is waiting until 2018 to deploy its on-campus autonomous transports is partially due to the risk of the unexpected. Besides the scare stories of Tesla Autopilot crashes, in some of the demos the cars hesitated because of situations they weren’t quite ready to handle.

As Business Insider’s Henry Blodget noted while interviewing Fields, in one circumstance a pedestrian being too-police and waving the car through resulted in a standstill. The car wasn’t ready to move on its own, and people that aren’t used to seeing self-driving vehicles on the road that might not read a wave-through.

Still, Ford is going heavy into self-driving tech, with Fields saying he expects it to have as big of an impact as the assembly line did. That video of the data its cars are producing in real-time could even mean more to the future of Ford than the usual HP ratings, as customers increasingly value information and services, in addition to manufacturing and technology Similar to Uber’s self-driving test vehicles, Ford plans to make its first self-driving cars available as part of some type of ride-sharing/ride-hailing. CTO Raj Nair said in an interview that he was surprised by how quickly that market grew, but clearly, the economics are appealing as automakers get ready for a future where people might put more miles on cars that they don’t own.

Source: Ford

All iPhone 7 Plus and Jet Black iPhone 7 Models Sold Out for Launch Day

Apple has issued a statement to a number of press outlets including TechCrunch, indicating that all models of the iPhone 7 Plus as well as the Jet Black iPhone 7 have completely sold out ahead of Friday’s launch and will not be available at Apple’s retail stores. The announcement will help those who had hoped to purchase one of those models on a walk-in basis on Friday plan appropriately.

We couldn’t be happier with the initial response to iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, and we are looking forward to beginning sales through our retail stores and partners around the world.

Beginning Friday, limited quantities of iPhone 7 in silver, gold, rose gold, and black will be available for walk-in customers at Apple retail stores. During the online pre-order period, initial quantities of iPhone 7 Plus in all finishes and iPhone 7 in jet black sold out and will not be available for walk-in customers. Availability at partner locations for all finishes may vary and we recommend checking directly with them.

Customers can continue to order all models in all colors on apple.com. We sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience as we work hard to get the new iPhone into the hands of everyone who wants one as quickly as possible.

As Apple notes, it is possible that other retailers may have some stock of these models, but given that Apple prioritizes its own sales channels over other retailers, customers should not count on being able to find them elsewhere.

Apple announced last Thursday that it will not release first-weekend sales numbers for the iPhone 7, and given quickly slipping shipping estimates in Apple’s online stores and extreme shortages of in-store stock for launch day, it appears early sales will be heavily constrained by supply rather than any weakness in demand.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
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Canon EOS M5 preview: ‘Mirrorless 80D’ finally shows Canon can compete in compact system cameras

It’s fair to say we’ve been highly critical of Canon’s compact system camera EOS M line. For a simple reason, though: the Japanese company’s mirrorless cameras just haven’t been able to stand up against the competition.

But that could be about to change. The Canon EOS M5 – which sits above the entry-level M10 and middling M3 (yep, it’s an odd numbering convention that makes no sense) – is, in many respects, like a “mini 80D” DSLR and, finally, offers a focus system that’s actually usable.

So does Canon have what it takes to stand out in the bustling compact system camera market? We experienced the M5 in person, ahead of its official unveil, to get a sense of its potential.

Canon EOS M5 review: Autofocus advances

The most critical aspect of the M5’s specification is that it offers Dual Pixel CMOS AF – the same technology as found in the top-end Canon EOS 1D X Mark II pro DSLR – to deliver on-sensor phase detection autofocus, paired with contrast-detect autofocus.

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And it genuinely works well. It’s quick, capable and doesn’t need to hunt excessively to find focus. Finally, then, Canon has an M-series camera with acceptable autofocus, so we can pretend the rest of the range doesn’t exist.

But is it the best autofocus system in any compact system camera? We don’t think so. For the simple reason that it’s far simpler than some of the other systems out there which offer a multitude of focus types. Take Panasonic’s pinpoint autofocus option (which zooms in to 100 per cent at a cross-hair focus for absolute accuracy), for example, in any of its G-series cameras; or consider the Fujifilm X-T2’s ultra-complex and customisable continuous autofocus abilities. Canon just offers medium and large AF box sizes, just as it does – and has for an age – on its compact cameras.

READ: Fujfiilm X-T2 preview

Canon EOS M5 review: Sensor and lenses

In its favour, however, the EOS M5 does come with a 24.2MP APS-C size sensor – that’s larger than you’ll find in Panasonic/Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras – which is reflective, again, of what you’ll find in the EOS 80D (the two sensors are different, though).

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We can’t comment on image quality at this stage, other than the M5 camera offers 14-bit raw files in addition to JPEG. But with Canon’s expertise we’ve rarely been disappointed with any of its cameras’ capabilities in this department. This ought to be its strong suit.

READ: Canon EOS 80D review

Add to that Digic 7 processing, which means super-fast processing that’s never appeared in any EOS camera before, and the EOS M has ample throughput to handle a decent burst rate of 7fps in continuous autofocus, increasing to 9fps at a fixed focus point. The buffer is said to be significant too, to avoid clogging after taking just a handful of images – but, without a card in the camera, we’ve not been able to test this just yet. And, according to Canon’s official spec, it maxes out at 26 JPEG images when shooting at 9fps.

That might not be the Fujifilm X-T2’s 11fps capability (once paired with its optional battery grip, anyway), but the EOS M5 is a much smaller camera by compare. It’s almost cutesy in its design – like an altogether more capable and mirrorless EOS 100D replacement, in a sense.

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As part of that size you’ll want to use EF-M lenses, however, not the EF and EF-S lenses that are larger, more varied and, in some of their pro guises, more capable than what the M-series lineup can offer. Canon is playing on this point by offering an EOS-M adapter for pre-order and initial purchases (while stocks last, presumed to be until the end of 2016) to get the most out of the full breadth of the company’s lens range.

Canon EOS M5 review: Design

There are some interesting points about the M5’s design. Unlike previous models in the range it’s aimed at users who want more control, who might otherwise contemplate a DSLR but seek something smaller. The M5, then, is exactly what we thought missed from the M-series lineup in its initial stages (well, that and the until-now poor autofocus).

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There are dual thumbdials for making those key adjustments, a lockable mode dial, programmable function buttons, even a rather nifty “dial func.” button atop the rear thumbdial to toggle between various settings, which are then attributed to that specific dial (ISO and white balance are default, but it can be switched off, or set to toggle through AF, metering and burst mode additions). It’s similar to Olympus’s 2×2 switch in some of its OM-D cameras, but as Canon positions it directly on the specific dial it’s a bit simpler to navigate.

READ: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II review

The M5 also comes with a tilt-angle LCD touchscreen, which can be flipped all the way underneath the camera for selfies (again, a bit Olympus-like: hello E-PL7), or upward for waist-level work. The power of touch is a big point of note, to empower the autofocus potential, but also add on distinctive point of note: drag to focus.

Drag to focus is (again, Olympus-like) the ability to press-and-drag a finger on the rear screen to adjust the focus point whilst using the camera’s built-in viewfinder. You can specify the whole screen, half screen, or any quarter of the screen to be active, with the point absolute or relative, for the best possible control – and it works really well. Olympus may have had the idea first, but Canon makes it all the more usable.

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Speaking of the viewfinder, the EOS M has a 2036k-dot OLED panel, which not only looks sharp but will keep action flowing beautifully thanks to its 120fps refresh rate (which can be halved in the settings to save battery, if you so wish).

Canon EOS M5 review: Video and connectivity

It’s a 4K world these days, with the likes of Panasonic, Fujifilm and, well, just about any maker pushing 4K movie capture. Not so with the Canon EOS M5, though, it’s limited to 1080p60 instead. Which is fine, but given that the camera could handle 4K, it seems amiss to have it absent.

There’s a 3.5mm microphone socket, too, but no headphones jack. So if you’re looking for a miniature interchangeable lens camera for high-end video work, ultimately the EOS M5 isn’t it. It’s all about casual shooting, with touchscreen autofocus adjustment making that just fine and dandy.

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The M5 also supports Bluetooth LE (low energy), which bubbles away in the background (or not if you turn it off) for remote control of the camera via the associated smart app on a phone or tablet.

This is a pretty smart move, as the constant connection and re-connection of cameras when it comes to smart apps is overly fussy. By having BTLE it’s possible to wake the camera from sleep to conserve energy, then dig into the remote control or sharing of images between devices – useful if this dinky mirrorless is poised somewhere in a fixed position to take a lucrative shot.

First Impressions

The Canon EOS M5 is the mirrorless camera we were hoping the company would launch years ago. If this is how its compact system camera line-up had kicked off then we think the company would have been in with a shout of making more of a mark with EOS M and EF-M.

As it stands the M5 is a capable “mini D80” in many senses, like a condensed DSLR. It’s got a capable autofocus system for the first time in an M-series camera, has decent touch control and a high-spec built-in OLED viewfinder too.

But, at £1,049 for the body only, it’s punching in the same territory as Panasonic GH4R and Fujifilm X-T2 – without some of those cameras’ standout features, such as 4K video capture and more comprehensive autofocus systems.

So as much as we’re pleased to see Canon pushing forward in the compact system camera market, it still just seems almost shy to let loose and throw everything at the category to create a truly best-in-class model. We like the M5, but we’d rather save the £50 and buy the excellent 80D instead.

Muzik’s $300 headphones are ready to share your #nowplaying

Twitter-backed high-end headphones startup Muzik has finally released the smart Bluetooth cans it’s been showing off for years. Muzik One’s defining feature is what the company calls “programmable hot keys.” Simply put, it’s the ability to perform tasks by tapping on the headphones’ ear cup. For instance, so long as you link your Spotify, Facebook and Twitter accounts to it, you can tap on a cup to start up a playlist, follow artists or share what you’re listening to on social media. You can also use IFTTT recipes to give it the power to control various connected elements in your home, including the lights or your thermostat.

Muzik One is now available on Amazon in Black, Silver and Champagne, but take note that it will set you back $300 like Beats and other more expensive headphones. If you want to see what we mean when we said you’d only have to tap on an ear cup, check out the demo video below featuring “hot felon” Jeremy Meeks.

Source: Muzik

Canon’s EOS M5 is a mirrorless camera with a DSLR feel

It’s been almost a year since the debut of the EOS M3, arguably Canon’s best mirrorless camera to date. And now the company is expanding its compact series with the M5, a high-end shooter with a DSLR feel to it. We’re not saying it’ll replace your DSLR, by any means, but the M3 does borrow a number of features from Canon’s prosumer-focused 80D. There’s the the Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus, for instance, which helps you track moving subjects accurately in video mode. Additionally, you have the same 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor and 100-25,600 ISO.

On top that, the EOS M5 sports a Digic 7 processor (the latest from Canon), 7fps continuous shooting as well as Bluetooth, NFC and WiFi for pairing with devices like a smartphone. Meanwhile, you’ll find a 3.2-inch touchscreen on the back, along with a high-res electronic viewfinder. All in all, Canon’s new mirrorless camera promises to be one of the best on the market, though we’ll have to wait and see. The EOS M5 will hit stores “early” November for $980 body-only, or $120 more for a kit with a 15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom lens.

It’s worth noting this is an EF-M mount camera, but you can buy an adapter separately to use it with Canon’s wide range of EF lenses.