Apple Adds $800 Lightning Adapter ‘Audeze EL-8’ Headphones to Online Store

Apple today introduced a new pair of headphones onto its online storefront that support an iPhone’s Lightning connector in lieu of a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack (via The Verge). The “Audeze EL-8 Titanium Closed-Back Headphones” will run users $799.95 and are being touted by Audeze as the “world’s first headphones with a fully integrated Apple Lightning cable.”

The included Lightning cable streams a complete 24-bit digital signal from the iOS device to the speakers in the headset through a high quality DSP and 28-bit DAC, giving the headphones “superior performance” for not only music but voice calls as well. The company has also created a companion app that allows users to customize specific sound presets for the device, and the built-in microphone used for making phone calls also supports Siri.

The EL-8 model gives you a lifelike listening experience with an extended frequency response that opens up a new breadth of sound. Its driver is four times larger than most other headphones and gives excellent bass response along with extremely low distortion. To match the EL-8’s impressive audio, its industrial design is by BMW’s DesignWorks. And durable aluminum construction ensures that you’ll have lasting enjoyment.

The EL-8’s “Cypher Cable,” which maximizes and enhances the sound quality of the iPhone’s playback, is one of the added costs of the headphone’s top-tier pricing, as pointed out by The Verge, resulting in a $100 premium over the standard EL-8 headphones. Still, in comparison to Audeze’s LCD collection of headphones, its Apple MFi certified EL-8 lineup debuting today is somewhat of a bargain. Most LCD models range between $900 and $1,500, but the most expensive reaches nearly $4,000.

Those interested can purchase the Audeze EL-8 Titanium Closed-Back Headphones for $799.95 on the Apple online store beginning today. Shipping sits at about 2-3 business days at the time of writing, but anyone close to an Apple store could opt-in for personal pick-up instead.

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New ‘djay Pro’ App for iPad Brings Redesigned Interface, Powerful Mixing Tools, and More

Following the launch of the ultra powerful iPad Pro, Algoriddim, the developers behind the popular line of djay apps for Mac and iOS devices, set out to build a professional quality djaying app designed with the new tablet in mind.

The result of that effort is djay Pro, which is available today for both the iPad Pro and older iPads. djay Pro takes some of the best parts from the djay Pro app for Mac and refines and improves them for use on a touch screen. Algoriddim tells MacRumors that the screen size and the power of the iPad Pro allowed the app to come together amazingly fast because they were so excited by what’s possible with Apple’s latest tablet.

djay Pro is designed for professional users, but it also has a clever interface that’s able to shift and grow with skill level. Algoriddim’s Michael Simmons likened it to the layers of an onion, with users able to add or subtract layers of tools for as much simplicity or power as they desire.

At its core, djay Pro has a fresh design that’s modern and less distracting while still incorporating all of the tools a professional needs. The default app interface includes two decks along with a range of different mixing tools, but it is able to incorporate up to four decks, displayed vertically or horizontally for mixing up to four audio tracks together. Advanced performance modes offer access to horizontal and vertical colored wave forms, live sampler and drum pads, and FX racks.

The built-in music library is able to combine local music, a Spotify catalog, and files stored in iCloud Drive or Dropbox into a central location so tracks can be mixed together and manipulated regardless of where they’re stored. It also includes a song recommendation engine that’s able to suggest tracks that will go well with what’s playing.

djay Pro includes all of the video features from vjay, allowing users to create video mashups to go along with song mixes. The video features sync to the music and there are audio visual effects with video tweaks that mimic sound effects like echoes and strobes. Pre-bundled video content is included, and there’s support for title and image overlays.

djay Pro offers support for iOS 9’s split-screen multitasking feature, allowing the djay Pro app to be used with Slide Over or full Split View mode on compatible iPads. With split-screen multitasking, djay Pro has the potential to be used along with other music apps, and because it includes integration with music libraries and Spotify, it is the first app that allows users to select and control their music using the multitasking window. Apps like Spotify and Apple Music have not yet integrated multitasking support.

Specific to the iPad Pro, the new app includes a selection of more than 70 keyboard shortcuts for the Smart Keyboard that merge touch and key strokes in a unique way that can only be done on a tablet, plus access to the camera and AirPlay for recording 1080p videos and displaying them in real-time. Also unique to the iPad Pro is the ability to import and work with both 4K and 1080p video when using the app’s video manipulating features. The iPad Pro is the only device that can handle two 4K/1080p video streams at once as the Mac version only supports 720p video.

The app integrates with professional DJ hardware and Cue Points, beat grid edits, metadata, and FX purchases from other versions of djay for Mac and iOS will sync to the new djay Pro app.

djay Pro was designed with the iPad Pro in mind, so the iPad Pro is going to offer the absolute best performance with the app, but it is also fully functional on other iPads like the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 4, aside from the iPad Pro only features.

djay Pro can be downloaded from the App Store for $19.99, a limited time sale price that will rise to $29.99 in the future. [Direct Link]

In celebration of the launch of djay Pro, Algoriddim is also making djay 2 for iPhone, normally $2.99, available for free for a limited time. [Direct Link]

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Rovio CEO Leaving ‘Angry Birds’ Company After Just One Year

Rovio, the company behind the successful Angry Birds mobile franchise, today announced that its current CEO Pekka Rantala will be stepping down from the role after just one year in office. As Retuers reported, Rantala’s time at the company included multiple job cuts and restructuring plans within Rovio, and his tenure coincided with the company’s first reported profit decline since the launch of Angry Birds in 2009.

The company has now announced that chief legal officer Kati Levoranta will take the reins as CEO in the first quarter of 2016, after Rantala officially vacates the position. It also revealed a new initiative where “more independence” will be given its two biggest branches: games and media. Mikael Hed, former Rovio CEO, will lead the media branch while Wilhelm Taht, the current head of external products, will take the lead on the games side. According to the company, this corporate-wide policy change is what spurred Rantala to step down.

“We used to have a corporate model with centralized decisions, but that resulted into too slow reacting in very competitive markets,” chairman and main owner Kaj Hed told Reuters in an interview. “As the CEO will not be so hands-on anymore, he (Rantala) felt that it wasn’t for him anymore.”

Earlier in the year, reports confirmed that 2014 included Rovio’s first major profit decline due to a lessening interest by fans in the company’s physical consumer products like clothing and toys. Rovio’s profit decline from 2014 also led to the forecasting of impending decline this year, causing 213 jobs to be cut at the company back in October.

The Finnish developer’s Angry Birds franchise brought the company huge success, but has seen diminishing returns recently. At the time of the decline in profit announcement, Rantala hung hope on the impending launch of Angry Birds 2 and next summer’s The Angry Birds Movie as ways to bring the franchise back into the public consciousness.

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Best Buy knocks $100 off all its Apple Watches

Here are two pieces of information that you might think that it’s worth using to draw a conclusion, or not, we won’t judge. First up, Best Buy is offering a $100 discount on the Apple Watches that it sells, meaning that you can grab a base-model 38mm Sport for just $249. Second, rumors have emerged claiming that Apple will launch the second-generation of its wearable at an event in March. Now, if you wanted to imply that the retailer is clearing house in preparation for the inevitable refresh, well, that’d entirely be up to you.

It’s not the only store that’s currently offering deep discounts on Apple Watch models, although others aren’t feeling as generous. Target will also sell you a watch for $249, but the $100 discount comes in the form of vouchers that can only be spent at the same retailer. Alternatively, it could just be a way to pep up sales for the holiday season, since sales of the Watch have been remarkably consistent for the last two quarters. Either way, if you’ve been waiting for a chance to grab one and don’t mind the risk of something trumping it in the new year, this is your moment.

[Image Credit: AP Photo / Kiichiro Sato]

Via: The Verge, 9to5Mac

Source: Best Buy

Duet Display Updated With iPad Pro Support, Major Performance Improvements

Second-screen app Duet Display received a significant update today, introducing a new resolution option to support Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro and bringing significant performance improvements for both iPads and Macs that run the accompanying software.

For those unfamiliar with Duet Display, it’s an app that is designed to turn the iPad or iPhone into a secondary display for a Mac. Duet Display was the first app to use a Lightning cable to allow an iPad or iPhone to interface with a Mac, thereby drastically cutting down on the lag that’s typically present when an iOS device is used as a secondary display for a Mac over Wi-Fi.

Since its late 2014 launch, Duet Display has been updated several times to improve performance on a wide range of iPads and iPhones, but according to Duet Display developer Rahul Dewan, today’s update brings “massive performance improvements.” Improving performance was necessary to allow a Mac or PC to drive the high-resolution display of the iPad Pro while maintaining a lag-free connection, but the improvements also apply to all older iPads.

With the latest version of Duet Display, CPU usage has been reduced by over 80 percent on iPad and Mac or PC, thanks to a new algorithm that’s more efficient and an intelligent refresh feature that’s similar to the iPad Pro’s own faster refresh technology, but on the software end. Extremely high CPU usage was one of our major complaints with Duet Display when it was first released and it’s been a customer concern for some time, so this update should go a long way towards fixing one of the major pain points in the app.

Duet Display has proven to be a popular app with iPad owners as it gives the iPad the versatility to be used as a second display for a Mac. iPad Pro owners may find Duet Display to be especially useful given the large screen real estate of the device.

Duet Display can be downloaded from the App Store for $9.99 (reg. $15.99). [Direct Link]

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CBS exec says Apple’s streaming TV plans are ‘on hold’

The other half of the rollout for the new Apple TV has always been a rumored streaming TV service. It wasn’t present for the device’s launch, and now CBS CEO Les Moonves (who has previously been good for a quote or two on Apple’s TV plans) says the project is on ice. Speaking at the Business Insider Ignition conference in New York the exec claimed “They’ve had conversations on it, and I think they pressed the hold button.” According to Bloomberg a source said Apple has suspended its plans, and will go ahead with the Apple TV as a platform for content available via the App Store.

The new Apple TV seems built to take on conventional cable and satellite TV bundles for streaming live channels, but for now owners can expect to navigate a segmented experience of different apps, often with their own logins. Moonves went on to say that he believes “it will happen,” through Apple or someone else, and suggested a price point of around $35, with users having more of an opportunity to opt for the channels they want to watch.

As internet TV providers provide services that compete squarely with traditional TV, Amazon just announced the option to tack Starz, Showtime and others onto its Prime video service. Dish Network has Sling TV streaming a bundle of channels while PlayStation Vue is rolling out to more areas with a wider selection of channels and DVR features, but at a slightly higher price. Tim Cook and Apple’s advertising campaign promise that the future of TV is apps, but it doesn’t feel that way to me, even with the new remote’s Siri-powered universal search. Without a truly new video experience to go along with its hardware, the new Apple TV is a lot like the old one.

Source: Business Insider, Bloomberg

Apple Shares New ‘The Future of Television’ Apple TV Ad

Continuing on with its Apple TV promotions, Apple today shared a new Apple TV ad entitled “The Future of Television.” The ad, like other Apple TV ads, features brightly colored television test pattern bars that serve as a background for quick peeks at the TV shows and movies available on the device.

There are glimpses of television shows like The Muppets, The Simpsons, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Game of Thrones. Movies featured include The Martian, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ant Man, Inside Out and The Wizard of Oz.

The ad also highlights the search tools available on the Apple TV, its Siri capabilities, Apple Music, and the tvOS App Store. Several games are featured, including Disney Infinity 3.0 and Guitar Hero. The ad ends with the video title: “The future of television.”

Since its October launch, Apple has been promoting the Apple TV through similar quick ads shown on television, colorful billboards that are displayed across a number of cities, web ads, and a social media campaign.

Apple has been focusing heavily on highlighting the array of content that’s available through the device via its App Store, which is fitting as news just hit today suggesting its own streaming television plans have been shelved. Due to an inability to secure deals for its rumored web-based streaming service, Apple is said to be focusing instead on its tvOS App Store, which serves as a conduit for media companies to sell their content to Apple customers.

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CBS CEO: Apple’s ‘Pressed the Hold Button’ on Streaming TV Service

Speaking today at the Business Insider Ignition Conference in New York City, CBS CEO Les Moonves made some statements suggesting Apple may have put the development of its rumored television streaming service on hold.

“They’ve had conversations on it and I think they pressed the hold button,” Moonves said, referencing prior talks CBS has had with Apple about joining its subscription service. Apple and CBS were reportedly negotiating prices before Apple paused the discussions.

Today, Moonves said that Apple and CBS were close to settling on a price point of between $30 and $40 per month for these bundles — Moonves specifically mentioned the price point of $35 multiple times — before Apple decided to pause and reconsider.

Apple’s streaming television service was originally rumored to be launching alongside the new Apple TV, but Apple has had ongoing trouble establishing deals with content providers. Difficulty securing content deals has delayed and shifted Apple’s television plans for years, but in 2015, it looked like a things were coming together for a subscription service.

In May, Moonves, who has been very open with his comments on CBS’ negotiations with Apple, said Apple and CBS were still in talks and that CBS would “probably” ink a deal with the Cupertino company. At the time, he had recently met with Eddy Cue and said he was “very excited” about Apple’s service. In October, he made similar statements, suggesting discussions between the two companies had not progressed further towards a deal.

Rumors have suggested Apple is aiming for a web-based streaming service that would bundle approximately 25 channels for $30 to $40 per month. Earlier this year, Apple was said to be in discussions with several content providers in addition to CBS, including ABC, Fox, Disney, Viacom, and Discovery.

Given Moonves’ comments and the general lack of recent rumors, it is not clear when Apple will launch its streaming television service. An August report from Bloomberg suggested negotiation troubles had delayed its release until 2016, but there’s been no word on Apple’s plans beyond that. There are a lot of factors involved in the launch of the streaming service, as Apple needs to secure deals with dozens of content providers, including local affiliates.

Moonves believes Apple’s streaming television service, or something like it, will launch in the near future. “This will happen,” he told Business Insider. “People will not be spending money on channels they don’t want to watch.”

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