‘Steve Jobs’ Earns $2.6 Million in Limited Release, Opens Wide Today
Steve Jobs has been out in limited release for two weeks now, meaning fans in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and select other locations in the U.S. and Canada have been able to see the Danny Boyle-directed film about the former Apple CEO ahead of today’s official wide release. Since its debut on October 9, the movie has grossed $2,601,320 as of Wednesday, October 21.
With the wide release, Universal Pictures has uploaded a handful of new videos to its YouTube channel. Throughout its limited release, the company posted unique content surrounding the launch of the movie, including a video where Steve Wozniak discusses his relationship with the real Steve Jobs and new clips from the movie. Yesterday, a roundtable discussion video was posted showcasing the film’s cast and crew talking about the legacy of Jobs.
The new movie, made on a budget of $30 million, is projected to gross between $15 and $19 million on opening weekend, with its direct competitor for the top spot at the box office being the supernatural horror sequel Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (via Variety). In total, Steve Jobs will expand from its 60 previous limited release theater locations to 2,411 across the country today.
Apple Watch Launches in India on November 6
Apple has updated its regional website for India to indicate the Apple Watch will be available in the world’s second most populous country on November 6.
India will be part of the tenth launch wave. Apple Watch most recently became available for purchase on October 22 in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, followed by Chile, South Africa and the Philippines on October 23.
- April 24: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, UK, US
- June 26: Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Taiwan
- July 17: The Netherlands, Sweden, and Thailand
- July 31: New Zealand, Russia, and Turkey
- September 25: Austria, Denmark, and Ireland
- October 9: Belgium, Finland, Norway, Luxembourg, and Poland
- October 16: Brazil and Colombia
- October 22: Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates
- October 23: Chile, Philippines, and South Africa
- November 6: India
Apple Watch prices in India are not yet listed on the Apple Online Store. Apple Watch Sport prices have been speculated to start at between Rs. 24,999 and Rs. 30,000 in the country.
Update Facebook on iOS now to keep it from draining your battery
Facebook users on iOS have had a sneaking suspicion that the app was starting to misbehave, to the detriment of their phone’s battery life. After saying it was looking into the issue, Facebook has now confirmed the problem and pushed out an update to the iOS app to help offer some relief. Facebook engineering manager Ari Grant said as much in a post today on (where else) Facebook, saying that the company “found a few key issues and have identified additional improvements, some of which are in the version of the app that was released today.” While there’s more Facebook says it can do to lessen battery draing, updating the app today should provide some immediate relief.
Source: Facebook
Chrome for iPad now supports iOS 9’s multitasking features
With iOS 9, Apple introduced a handful of new multitasking features for the iPad, like the ability to run two apps side by side. Now Google’s Chrome browser is ready to take advantage of these, thanks to an refreshed version of its universal iOS application. Aside from being able to use the Split View mode mentioned earlier, Chrome on iPad also supports Slide Over, as shown above; and Picture-in-Picture, which lets you browse websites and watch a pop-up video simultaneously. That said, Split View only works on iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and the soon-to-be-released iPad Pro, but the other tidbits are compatible with any tablet running Apple’s latest mobile OS.
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: App Store
iMovie Updated With 4K Support for iPad Air 2 on iOS 9.1
Apple today updated its iMovie app for iOS devices to version 2.2.1, fixing several bugs and adding 4K support for the iPad Air 2 following yesterday’s release of iOS 9.1. An iPad Air 2 running iOS 9.1 can now be used to edit and share 4K resolution videos.
iMovie first began supporting 4K video editing with the 2.2 update released in September after the launch of the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. The two new iPhones are the first Apple devices that are capable of capturing 4K video, and along with the iPad Pro and the iPad Air 2, they’re also the only devices that can edit 4K video.
Today’s 2.2.1 iMovie update also includes several fixes for bugs that were discovered after the major 2.2 September update.
What’s New
– Create and share movies at 4K resolution on iPad Air 2 with iOS 9.1*
– Fixes an issue that could prevent users from creating new trailers in some languages
– Resolves issues importing and removing projects from iCloud Drive
– Addresses interface issues that could appear in some right-to-left languages
– Addresses interface issues that could appear in iMovie extension for Photos
– Performance and stability improvementsiMovie supports 4K on iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro
iMovie can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]
Review: Twelve South’s Forté is a Versatile Apple-Approved Stand for the Apple Watch
Twelve South was one of the first companies to come out with an Apple Watch stand, announcing its HiRise for Apple Watch before the wrist-worn device even launched, but with watchOS 2, Apple introduced Nightstand mode, a function that required the Apple Watch to be placed in landscape mode on its side.
The HiRise isn’t designed to be used in landscape mode, so as a result, Twelve South has come out with a second Apple Watch stand, the Forté. The Forté works in both portrait and landscape mode, so it’s able to be used with Nightstand mode. Twelve South also worked with Apple on this design, so the Forté is one of only a handful of Apple Watch stands available in Apple retail stores.
When it comes to design, the Forté doesn’t look very different from the dozens of other Apple Watch stands on the market, but it does boast high quality materials and a shape that’s both versatile and attractive. It consists of a leather-covered weighted chrome base and a chrome arm that holds the Apple Watch charger.
The base is larger than the base of the HiRise, but it has the benefit of being a suitable spot to rest an open-loop band on. When an Apple Watch isn’t on the Forté, or when it’s used with a closed-loop band, it’s the perfect size to hold an iPhone. On desks with little space, it’s a nice little charging platform for both an Apple Watch and an iPhone. On the bottom, there’s a silicone pad for some extra grip on a desktop or night stand surface.
Unfortunately, the Forté only comes in chrome with a black leather base, so it’s not going to match well with all Apple Watch models, namely the Gold and Rose Gold Apple Watch Sport.
As with most Apple Watch stands, you’re going to need to supply your own Apple Watch cable. There’s only one stand on the market right now that has a built-in Apple Watch charging puck, and that stand comes from Belkin. We’ll likely see more of those in the future, but for now, using your own cable is still a necessity.
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HTC exec defends One A9’s design: Apple copies us
You don’t need perfect vision to see that HTC’s latest smartphone, the One A9, is nearly identical to Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6s. But the Taiwan-based company swears Apple copied its design first, not the other way around, pointing to its One M7 and M8 flagships as proof — both came out before the iPhone 6 series. According to Want ChinaTimes, during a recent press briefing in Taiwan, HTC’s North Asia President Jack Tong responded to claims calling the A9 an iPhone clone. “We’re not copying. We made a unibody metal-clad phone in 2013 [the year the M7 was released],” he said. “It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back.”
Via: BGR
Source: Want ChinaTimes
Apple Supports Anti-Bullying Campaign With New iOS 9.1 Emoji Symbol
In betas of iOS 9.1 and OS X 10.11.1, Apple added a mysterious emoji symbol consisting of an eye inside of a speech bubble. At the time, it was not clear what purpose the mystery emoji served, but as Wired points out, it’s Apple’s way of supporting an anti-bullying campaign launched today by the Ad Council.
The “I Am A Witness” digital anti-bullying campaign aims to empower teenagers to speak up whenever they see bullying, with the emoji Apple implemented serving as a way to show support for someone who is being bullied.
Two designers at ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Angie Elko and Patrick Knowlton, came up with the eye-in-a-speech bubble symbol, and then the ad agency approached Apple to add it as an emoji to the Apple Keyboard. According to Goodby art director Hanna Wittmark, Apple was a fan of the symbol.
“When we first asked about bringing this emoji to the official Apple keyboard, they told us it would take at least a year or two to get it through and approved under Unicode,” says Wittmark. The company found a way to fast-track it, she says, by combining two existing emoji.
To create the new anti-bullying emoji, Apple combined the eye emoji with the left speech bubble emoji using what’s called a Zero Width Joiner, described on Emojipedia as a unicode character that’s able to join two or more characters together. It’s also used in emoji like the family, combining Man, Woman, Girl, and Boy emoji to create a single character emoji.
Image via Jeremy Burge of Emojipedia
The emoji is a key symbol in the campaign and is available on iPhones running iOS 9.1 and Macs running OS X 10.11.1. The dedicated “I Am A Witness” website asks teens to use the emoji or a specially created “I Am A Witness third-party keyboard to call out bullying.
In addition to Apple, several other tech companies are also supporting the new campaign, including Adobe, Facebook, Google, YouTube, and Twitter, with each of these providing customized content on their respective platforms.
HTC executive is not amused: “It’s Apple that copies us.”
When HTC announced the A9 this week, some felt a strange twinge of déjà-vu: how could this familiar metal clad phone actually be “brand new?” Indeed allegations of copy-cat craftsmanship had been circulating for weeks now. After the official unveiling however, a much more vocal claim has been made, HTC it seems, is not very amused by the coarse commentary and spoke out about such similarities.
Jack Tong, President of HTC North Asia, had the following to say at a press event held today for the Taiwanese launch of the new phone:
“We’re not copying. We made a uni-body metal-clad phone in 2013. It’s Apple that copies us in terms of the antenna design on the back.”
The 2013 device in-question, for those wondering, was none other than the HTC One (M7), which truly turned heads at the time for making liberal use of metal in a time when everyone else was pushing plastic or gushing over glass.
Mr. Tong continued, stating that:
“The A9 is made thinner and more lightweight than our previous metal-clad phones. This is a change and evolution, and we’re not copying.”
First come, fast forgotten
The current accusations that HTC faces are hardly new in the mobile space. Apple – thanks to its high brand awareness and solid sales – occupies a pioneering place in the minds of the mainstream. For the vast majority of the world’s population, the iPhone was the first smartphone, and the iPad the first tablet. Seemingly everything these two products entail were all done by Apple first, a misconception that is only furthered by the company’s finely crafted marketing and liberal use of adjectives.
To all those who got there first however, their achievements are essentially forgotten. Numerous tablets were made running Windows XP, for example. Japan had NFC and even fingerprint readers over a decade ago. PDAs were basically prototype smartphones. Touch screens were first described in 1965. The whole situation is not unlike that which Nintendo enjoyed when it “invented” motion sensing (Wii), for example.
Line-up: Both the HTC One M7 (right) and One M8 (left) released before the iPhone 6 was ever announced.
While it’s quite easy to see the similarities between the HTC A9 and the Apple iPhone 6S, it’s also quite easy to see the similarities between the Apple iPhone 6 and the HTC One M7. Yet, because the public became aware of metal bodies and antenna lines through Apple’s design language, it makes sense that some individuals would have a gut reaction of a copy-cat crisis. The same has already been made about the Lenovo PHAB Plus, for example.
Privy to Preparedness
Aside from the strong words issued by Mr. Tong, a new leak provides some insight into the way the company is seeking to educate its staff about the claimed copying:
The slide is quite direct in what it states, and serves to reiterate the talking points mentioned earlier today in Taiwan.
A cross-licensing misconception
Around the time Apple and Samsung were waging war in a California courtroom, the Cupertino-based company entered into a cross-licensing agreement with HTC. Although the actual terms of deal are unknown, under the agreement, HTC is free to use the following technologies and UI elements on smartphones during the decade, among others:
- Slide to unlock
- Universal search
- Bounce scrolling
- Scroll locking
Nowhere was it specifically mentioned that HTC is given a green-light to copy Apple’s product designs however, and indeed this may be why the company has yet to sue the Taiwanese-based OEM on hardware design-related matters. It is thus erroneous to assume HTC is somehow “within its rights” to clone the iPhone and Apple would literally have to look the other way.
What’s to come
Lenovo has already been accused by some for “cloning” the iPhone.
Given that the HTC A9 was just announced, we won’t know how sales fare for some time. The device has certainly managed to pique the interest of those in the market for a mid-range product, and has definitely got people talking. Perhaps HTC could ask for nothing more, as this makes for an enormous amount of free press, the likes of which would otherwise cost exorbitant sums of money to generate.
It remains to be seen as to what Apple ultimately has to say about the device, if anything at all. If the company should take a critical opinion of the design, it would be an almost hypocritical statement given the iPhone 6’s similarities to the M7. In many ways, this new issue represents a very critical look at what Tim Cook’s Apple will do, as opposed to what Steve Job’s Apple already did.
Perhaps one thing that is a bit more certain, is that HTC will seek to focus on this new design language in the future, with Mr. Tong indicating it will be carried over to the M-series as well as the Desire line.
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Griffin Launches New Combination Apple Watch and iPhone Charging Station
Third-party accessory manufacturer Griffin today announced a new combination Apple Watch and iPhone charging stand called the “WatchStand Powered Charging Station.” The dock takes the original design of the company’s WatchStand dock and adds on a new section that acts as a landing pad to charge an iPhone or iPad next to the Apple Watch.
The new version of the WatchStand comes with a built-in power supply and two dedicated USB charging ports so the cable clutter is visually reduced trailing out from the back of the dock. The WatchStand’s underside provides multiple cable management opportunities to ensure that the cords for the Apple Watch and iPhone don’t become unruly when both are placed on the stand.
Just as with the original WatchStand, the new version supports all bands for the Apple Watch and can even adapt to horizontal and vertical positions, giving users the option to try out new WatchOS 2 features like Nightstand mode. The base of the WatchStand lets users place their iPhone either on the top of a flat, felt surface or angled against the piece that holds up the Apple Watch, to watch videos while the iPhone charges.
The WatchStand Powered Charging Station is available to purchase from Griffin’s official website for $59.99 starting today.
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