Zane Lowe Discusses Beats 1, Meeting Dr. Dre, Moving to Los Angeles and More

Just over six weeks after the launch of Apple Music, Billboard has published a wide-ranging interview with lead radio DJ Zane Lowe, in which he talks about Beats 1, collaborating with Dr. Dre and Trent Reznor, familiarizing himself with American radio stations, moving to Los Angeles from London and a number of other topics.

Zane Lowe hosts a flagship radio show on Beats 1 every Monday-Thursday
Lowe reflected on the first weeks of Beats 1, noting that the personality of the radio station is still developing, with no particular emphasis on which music genres are played. Electronic, alternative rock and hip-hop have been some of the most popular genres on Beats 1 so far, but Lowe ensured there are no set parameters for music.

There’s a lot of electronic music, edgy rock and hip-hop on Beats 1. Are there set genres you’re pursuing?
No, not really. We’ve played country music, Mexican house music, South American EDM, German hip-hop. I’ve never been a fan of, “We’ve got to get 22 percent of rock, 17 percent of R&B; where’s our 16 percent of hip-hop and our 9 percent of country?” If you do it that way, you’re not basing it on the merit of the music. You’re basing it on some kind of obligation.

How about pop?
The other day I heard the new 5 Seconds of Summer record, and I was like, “Could I play that on my show?” It was really strange. My whole perception shifted, because I had never played 5 Seconds of Summer before; they went straight to [BBC’s mainstream] Radio 1 daytime and never really crossed my path. Then I heard this song, and it just sounds like SoCal pop-punk. Cool!

Lowe said that he first met Dr. Dre while he was meeting with Apple’s Eddy Cue and Jimmy Iovine about coming to Los Angeles, adding that the iconic hip-hop artist had an “huge influence” on his life while growing up. He also noted that Beats 1 was essentially the idea of Apple Music chief creative director and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor.

Beats 1 was basically Trent Reznor’s idea?
Yeah. I’m not sure if you’ve had a chance to sit with Trent, but he’s one of the most intelligent, eloquent, passionate people I’ve ever met, not just for art, but also the way people can use it. He’s really committed to the user experience, so his whole thing was like, “People have been splintered off into individual experiences — let’s see if we can bring them back together and if so, what would that feel like for the user? What if they’re using it on a device in a music service, and not in the traditional places where radio is experienced?” It was incredibly useful for me to hear him say that because it really [solidified] some of the ideas that I’d been kicking around but wasn’t sure if I was on the right path. What is really valuable and exciting about radio is the connection to a community. Trent has been incredibly supportive every step of the way.

The full-length profile at Billboard is a worthwhile read for those interested in learning more about Lowe’s lifestyle and his transition from BBC 1 Radio to running a flagship show on Beats 1. You can listen to Zane Lowe on Beats 1 every Monday-Thursday between 9 AM and 11 AM Pacific, with a rebroadcast between 9 PM and 11 PM Pacific.

Apple Watch gets more band options for larger wrists

If you’ve been eying the Apple Watch, but needed a larger band to wear it comfortably, you’re in luck. Cupertino added new accessories today to accommodate with a new L/XL Sports Band and Link Bracelet Kit that adds an extra 40mm to the 42mm metal bands. That Sports Band comes in either black or white and will fit nicely around wrists that measure 195-245mm. Before now, the largest option (M/L) measured 160-210mm. Both the larger Sports Band and the extra links will set you back $49 from the Apple Store, and as 9to5Mac points out, the standalone Modern Buckle Bands are also available for purchase for $249.

Filed under:
Wearables, Apple

Comments

Via:
9to5Mac

Source:
Apple (1), (2)

Tags: accessories, apple, applewatch, band, linkbraceletkit, smartwatch, sportband, watch, wearables

You can now restore deleted iCloud files, contacts and calendars

If you’ve ever accidently deleted a file in a cloud service (or worse had someone delete a shared file) you know that any restore feature is a god send. Apple recently launched its own file restore feature for iCloud.com users that resurrects files, contacts, calendars and reminders. The new feature is buried in the Advanced area within Settings and deleted files seem to be available for restore for up to 30 days. While grabbing old files before they disappear forever is a no brainer, iCloud’s restoring of calendar and contacts carries with them warnings that the restored data will overwrite the calendar and contact data currently on your devices. So you want to be careful before you start going back in time with abandon.

Calendar restore is especially touchy. If you restore a calendar all your shared calendars will have to be shared again and events will be cancelled and invitations will be resent. This is really only for when something goes horribly wrong with your calendar or contacts and you need to get back to a previous version. If you do decide to restore a calendar or contact and everything goes haywire, all is not lost. The feature grabs a snapshot of your current data and you can just restore that.

Filed under:
Storage, Internet, Apple

Comments

Source:
9to5 Mac

Tags: apple, cloud, iCloud

Another Report Claims No iPad Air 3 Launching in Near Future

Apple is expected to announce new iPhones and iPads over the next month or so in preparation for the holiday shopping season, but it remains unclear which iPad models in particular will be unveiled.

It is widely believed that a new iPad mini 4 will be announced, but rumors about the iPad Air 3 and so-called “iPad Pro” and their respective release dates have been inconsistent thus far.

A new report from Taiwanese blog DigiTimes offers some further details, corroborating a previous rumor that Apple is not planning an iPad Air 3 right now and focusing its efforts on the iPad mini 4.

The report claims that Apple’s upstream supply chain is readying components for the fourth-generation tablet, noting that it will only have minor upgrades over the current iPad mini. Recent reports suggest the upcoming 7.9-inch tablet will likely be a slimmed down version of the iPad Air 2 and support split-view multitasking.

DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans, so its latest report should be treated with a proverbial grain of salt. Moreover, the more reliable Japanese blog Mac Otakara reported in July that an A9-based iPad Air 3 is still possible for 2015, so Apple’s roadmap remains unclear and could change between now and the forthcoming iPhone and iPad event.

Apple has faced six consecutive quarters of declining iPad sales year-over-year as the broader tablet market continues to decline.

AT&T Introduces New Mobile Share Value Plans With More Data

AT&T today announced that the carrier plans to introduce a couple of new Mobile Share Value Plans beginning tomorrow, further expanding data bucket options for its customers while simultaneously cutting the prices of a few existing data storage options. Customers will have new options like 2GB ($30) and 5GB ($50), but those who opt-in for a plan with 15GB or higher will get unlimited talk and text to Mexico and Canada.

“There’s never been a better time to be an AT&T customer,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility. “Tomorrow, we roll out new plans for everyone, including a plan that gives 50% more data than on our most popular plan. And we’re not done yet.”

The announcement today sees the price of the 15GB plan cut from $130 to $100, alongside the 20GB plan getting reduced down from $150 to $140. The company notes that larger-size plans like 25GB, 30GB, 40GB and 50GB are also available, and business customers can get plans that go up to as much as 200GB.

All of the plans being announced tomorrow cover the same benefits and options under AT&T Next, which allows users to pay for their phone in monthly installment plans of 12, 18, or 24 months. AT&T mentions briefly that “select locations” still provide two year contracts for $40 per line, but the company is in obvious motions to begin supporting subsidized contracts less and less as they pivot to a focus on Next’s installment plans.

Apple hired more women, but still has a huge gender gap

Apple’s largely white guy workforce isn’t going to change overnight, but the company made strides this year, according to its latest diversity report. After promising changes in June, Tim Cook said “we’re working hard to expand our recruiting efforts, so we continue to hire talented people from groups that are currently underrepresented in the industry.” Globally, it hired 11,000 women over the past year compared to around 6,500 this year before. The company also took on 50 percent more black employees and 66 percent more Hispanics in the US over the same period. That’s positive, but Apple is still 69 percent male and 55 percent white, just a percent better than last year.

Apple has taken measures like supporting historically black colleges and disadvantaged universities and increasing intern diversity, but other companies set more concrete goals. Intel promised to reach “full representation at all levels” by 2020, and managed to hire 3.3 percent more workers from such groups this year. Other companies like Pinterest, eBay and Yahoo also set targets, and have significantly better gender diversity than Apple.

Some people will… see our progress. Others will recognize how much farther we have to go.

Apple still has serious glass ceiling issues, too, as its leadership group is 72 percent male and 63 percent white. As Wired pointed out, 60 of Apple’s 83 top executives are white men, and there’s just one woman — Angela Ahrendts, Senior VP of retail — in the upper echelon. Today’s report is a good sign, though, and with nearly 100,000 employees worldwide, it’ll take time for Apple to make a dent in its diversity stats. Cook acknowledged as much, saying “some people will… see our progress. Others will recognize how much farther we have to go.”

Filed under:
Misc, Apple

Comments

Source:
Apple

Tags: apple, Diversity, Ethnicity, Gender, Hiring, TimCook

Apple Watch Soon Available at Harvey Norman in Australia

Australian department store Harvey Norman has announced that it will begin selling the Apple Watch at its Auburn, New South Wales location starting August 15. The retailer will have aluminum Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch models available for purchase and try-on appointments.

Harvey Norman Auburn is located at 250 Parramatta Road and is open from 9 AM to 5:30 PM local time, with extended hours of 9 AM to 9 PM local time on Thursdays. The retail chain did not specify if the Apple Watch will be available at other Harvey Norman locations in Australia or other countries in the future.

(Thanks, Mitty!)