Apple to pay $450 million in e-book price-fixing suit
Apple conspired with publishers to artificially raise the price of e-books, the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled today, upholding a verdict from 2013. Now that the company has lost its appeal, Apple is expected to pay $450 million, most of it to e-book customers. Apple agreed to a $450 million settlement in 2014 as part of the appeals process: If Apple had won in today’s ruling, it would have had to pay just $70 million ($50 million of that to customers) or it could have been off the hook entirely.
Nearly half a billion dollars is still less than the $840 million plaintiffs sought in the civil antitrust case. For perspective, $450 million is 3 percent of Apple’s profit for the quarter ending in December, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“We conclude that the district court correctly decided that Apple orchestrated a conspiracy among the publishers to raise e-book prices,” Second Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston wrote today.
[Photo credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]
Filed under: Handhelds, HD, Apple
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Apple Releases OS X 10.10.4 With ‘Discoveryd’ Process Removal [Mac Blog]
Apple today released OS X Yosemite 10.10.4, an under-the-hood update that introduces several bug fixes and performance improvements. Most notably, 10.10.4 includes the removal of the problematic Discoveryd process, which has caused multiple networking issues for some users in OS X Yosemite.
The OS X 10.10.4 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
Unlike 10.10.3, which brought Yosemite’s first outward-facing changes including the Photos for OS X app and new emoji features, OS X 10.10.4 is a behind-the-scenes update that focuses primarily on fixing bugs and introducing better performance through stability improvements.
The OS X Yosemite v10.10.4 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac.
This update:
– Improves networking reliability
– Improves Migration Assistant reliability
– Addresses an issue that prevented some external displays from functioning properly
– Improves the reliability of upgrading iPhoto and Aperture libraries to Photos
– Improves reliability when syncing photos and videos to iCloud Photo Library
– Addresses an issue that could cause Photos to unexpectedly quit after importing some Lecia DNG files
– Resolves an issue that could delay outgoing email messages in Mail
– Fixes an issue where a website could prevent the user from navigating away by presenting repeated JavaScript alerts in Safari
The biggest change in OS X 10.10.4 is the elimination of the discoveryd process that’s been accused of being responsible for some significant networking and WiFi bugs within Yosemite. Discoveryd is a networking process that was introduced in Yosemite to replace mDNSresponder, but it caused problems like slow wake from sleep, failures to resolve DNS names, duplicate machine names, WiFi disconnects, excessive CPU usage, battery drain, and more. In 10.10.4, discoveryd has been replaced with the older mDNSresponder process.
OS X 10.10.4 was in testing for approximately two months before seeing a public release, having been seeded to developers in mid-April. It’s likely we’ll see at least one more update to OS X Yosemite in the months preceding the public launch of OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple’s next-generation Mac operating system that’s also in the works.
Getting Started With Apple Music and Beats 1 on iOS, Mac and PC [iOS Blog]
Today marks the official worldwide launch of Apple Music, a subscription-based streaming music service and Spotify rival for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC and, later this year, Apple TV and Android.
Apple Music, arguably the company’s biggest music initiative since opening the iTunes Store in 2003, requires updating to iOS 8.4 on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or downloading iTunes 12.2 for Mac and PC.
Apple Music
Apple Music is an all-in-one streaming music service, live global radio station and social platform for artists to connect with fans. The service costs $9.99 per month, the same price as virtually all streaming music competitors, although Apple is offering a free three-month trial period to encourage customers to try it out. Apple Music is available in over 100 countries, including the United States.
Apple Music provides unlimited streaming of almost the entire iTunes Store catalog of music without needing to purchase songs or albums individually. Instead of paying $1.29 per song download, for example, subscribers have millions of songs at their fingertips for essentially the cost of an album. A family plan through iTunes Sharing for up to six members is also available for $14.99 per month.
Built into the stock Music app on iOS 8.4 and iTunes on Mac and PC, Apple Music provides side-by-side access to both your downloaded iTunes songs and albums and streaming music library, which should prove to be a more convenient option than third-party apps such as Spotify, Google Play Music and Rdio for most Apple users. Apple succinctly describes it as “the best ways to enjoy music — all in one place.”
Apple Music is largely based upon Beats Music, which Apple acquired alongside Beats Electronics for $3 billion last year. For example, the app features human curated playlists and recommendations from artists and music experts for improved personalization over algorithmically created playlists.
While customers do not own their Apple Music collection, the service offers unlimited online streaming over Wi-Fi or a cellular data connection, and the option to download songs or albums for offline playback. As long as a customer continues paying for their monthly subscription, they retain on-demand access to the iTunes Store catalog and their personal playlists.
Just like iTunes Match, Apple Music can scan your iTunes music library and upload any tracks not already included in Apple Music, making them seamlessly available to stream on all of your devices. iTunes Match will remain available as a standalone service priced at $25 per year for those who don’t want to subscribe to Apple Music, but Apple Music users won’t need to pay for both services.
Right now, Apple Music and iTunes Match can only handle iTunes libraries of up to 25,000 tracks (songs purchased from the iTunes Store don’t count toward the limit), although Eddy Cue has said Apple is working to increase the limit to 100,000 tracks later this year as part of iOS 9.
Apple has existing deals with major record labels, including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, and has also reached agreements with over 20,000 indie labels through Beggars Group and Merlin, meaning that Apple Music should have in the range of 37 million tracks available right now. Comparatively, market leader Spotify has some 30 million tracks available.
Apple has partnered with artists to offer exclusive content through Apple Music, in an attempt to differentiate the service from competitors. The company kickstarted those efforts by making Pharrell’s new single “Freedom” and Dr. Dre’s album “Chronic” exclusive to Apple Music, while pop artist Taylor Swift’s most recent best-selling “1989” album has landed on Apple Music before any other streaming service. Read more 
Beats 1 Worldwide 24/7 Live Radio With Zane Lowe Now Available
Following the launch of Apple Music alongside iOS 8.4, Apple’s Beats 1 radio station led by Zane Lowe has begun broadcasting. Available in more than 100 countries, Beats 1 is a 24/7 radio station that will play music around the clock with live DJs and guests.
The inaugural song played on Beats 1 radio right when it kicked off at 9:00 a.m. was Spring King’s “City,” which was followed by Beck’s “Dreams” and Jamie xx’s “In Color.” Spring King was picked by Lowe as a great upcoming band from Manchester.
Beats 1 features several shows by various on-air personalities, and a full lineup of what’s going to be on can be found at the Beats 1 website, which forwards to Apple’s new Tumblr page for Apple Music and Beats 1. The Tumblr page has a complete schedule that displays what’s playing, and it adjusts to your time zone based on location.
Beats 1 will include exclusive interviews and news broadcasts, with the first interview taking place tomorrow with Eminem. According to Zane Low, today’s focus is on the music, and several exclusive songs will be played over the course of the day.
Apple Music is available now and is free for all listeners for the first three months. Following the trial period, the service will cost $9.99 per month for individuals or $14.99 for families of up to 6.
Apple Music is now available on iOS devices
Apple’s entry into the music streaming fray has arrived. Apple Music is now available for download via the iOS 8.4 update for mobile devices, and you’ll be able use it on the desktop on both Mac and Windows machines, too. In addition to iTunes’ library of over 30 million tracks, you’ll also be able to stream Beats 1: Apple’s 24-hour internet radio station that’ll be manned by Zane Lowe, Drake and others. Like Beats Music, the app will serve up suggestions based on your preferences alongside curated playlists from the likes of Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and more. That Connect feature is there too, so you can keep up with your favorite acts on the road and in the studio. Last, but certainly not least, you’ll have access to all of the music you’ve purchased from iTunes in the new Music app as well. This means that what you own and what you stream is all easily played in the same place. We’ll have some more detailed impressions soon, but you can test drive the service now thanks to the aforementioned iOS update. And you can do it for free for the first three months.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Software, Mobile, Apple
Apple Releases iOS 8.4 With Apple Music, Beats 1, and Revamped Music App
Apple today released iOS 8.4, the fourth major update to iOS 8. First seeded to developers in April, iOS 8.4 includes a newly revamped Music app and Apple’s long-awaited on-demand streaming music service, Apple Music.
iOS 8.4 is available immediately as an over-the-air download, and the new Apple Music service is located within the Music app. Apple Music will be available immediately after iOS 8.4 is installed, while the Beats 1 radio service will kick off at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
Introduced at the recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple Music is an on-demand streaming music service that’s much like Apple’s former Beats Music service. It allows users to listen to an unlimited amount of music for $9.99 per month or $14.99 for a family plan that supports up to 6 listeners.
Apple Music is accompanied by the Beats 1 radio station, which features 24-hour live human-curated music at no cost, and Apple Music Connect, a social networking platform that allows artists to interact with fans and share content like photos and videos. Apple Music includes millions of songs from iTunes and is launching simultaneously in more than 100 countries.
Along with Apple Music, today’s iOS 8.4 update includes a complete overhaul of the built-in Music app. It incorporates Apple Music and it features a new design that shows pictures of artists in the Artists view and a new MiniPlayer with a revamped “Now Playing” look. There are personalized playlists, global search capabilities that make it easier to search within the Music app, and a streamlined design for the radio feature to bolster music discovery.
Other minor changes in iOS 8.4 include the relocation of audiobooks from the Music app to the iBooks app, consolidating all books, print, and audio into one convenient spot, and a new Audiobooks for CarPlay app, giving drivers a standalone app dedicated to playing their audiobooks.
Apple Loses Appeal in E-Books Price Fixing Lawsuit, Ordered to Pay $450 Million Fine [Mac Blog]
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today upheld a 2013 decision that found Apple guilty of conspiring with publishers to raise the prices of e-books, reports The Wall Street Journal. Apple is now expected to pay a $450 million fine originally set in July 2014 to settle the case, with a majority of that settlement earmarked for consumers as part of a class action lawsuit.
Apple filed the appeal in the antitrust case in December 2014, and the outcome was originally expected to favor the iPhone maker, although federal judge Debra Ann Livingston ultimately determined that the company colluded with publishers to fix the prices of e-books. The decision was finalized by a 2-1 ruling in the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Tuesday.
“We conclude that the district court correctly decided that Apple orchestrated a conspiracy among the publishers to raise e-book prices,” wrote Second Circuit Judge Debra Ann Livingston. The conspiracy “unreasonably restrained trade” in violation of the Sherman Act, the federal antitrust law, the judge wrote.
The Wall Street Journal has shared the full-length court document for the decision.
Apple Music First Impressions: Convenient All-in-One Experience With Overwhelming Design
As Apple Music gears up to launch in the next few hours this morning — 9 AM Pacific to be exact, following iOS 8.4 at around 8 AM Pacific — a few publications have posted some detailed first impressions of the the music streaming service. Getting to mess around with the app for the first time, Mashable, Re/code, The Loop and Rolling Stone came away with largely positive reactions to Apple’s first foray into the music streaming game, although the large consensus hanging over it all was a tentative negativity regarding the app’s overwhelming amount of content and the somewhat confusing UI that is used to navigate it all.
First off, Mashable noted the big positive of the Apple Music service: for those baked into the Apple ecosystem it offers one library, combining purchases from iTunes with the songs users will listen to in Apple Music for one uniform experience. The site was also one of the few to enjoy Apple Music’s UI, calling it, “more polished and finished than the old music app.” Its biggest takeaway, however, was the “For You” section.
It’s hard for me to over-stress how much I like For You. From the very beginning, the recommendations in playlists and albums that the app showed me were dead-on accurate, reflecting my various musical interests.
The idea behind “For You” is to help make it easy to find good music to listen to. Tapping on an album or playlist will play it instantly. You can then either add it to your library, keep it playing in the background, add a track to another playlist or just cycle through. The DNA of this experience really is what we saw with Beats Music last year, but now it’s more refined and feels more fully realized.
Re/code mentioned three big positives for the new streaming service: the slick combination of old iTunes songs with new Apple Music songs, surprisingly accurate and enjoyable song curation, and the $15 per month family plan. The biggest issue however tied into one of the app’s positives, with the wealth of content and exploration somewhat kneecapped by an overly “confusing” user interface experience, especially within the “New” tab, which “could be a streaming app all by itself.”
I set out to gather some initial impressions of how it feels to use the product. And to answer the question: Would I pay $10 a month — $120 a year — to use it? My answer is a tentative yes, with some caveats. Apple has built a handsome, robust app and service that goes well beyond just offering a huge catalog of music by providing many ways to discover and group music for a very wide range of tastes and moods.
But it’s also uncharacteristically complicated by Apple standards, with everything from a global terrestrial radio station to numerous suggested playlists for different purposes in different places. And the company offers very little guidance on how to navigate its many features. It will take time to learn it. And that’s not something you’re going to want to do if all you’re looking for is to lean back and listen.
Similar to Re/code and Mashable, Rolling Stone was impressed by the “Netflix-style hyper customization” of the “For You” tab that will great every user when first entering Apple Music for the first time. Although Beats 1 Radio had not yet launched when the site had hands-on with the service, they got to preview a few artist-focused shows, including St. Vincent’s “Mixtape Delivery Service,” which saw the alternative musician reading notes from fans and spending the hour dedicating personalized songs to each one.
Rolling Stone also detailed Apple Music’s “Connect” platform a bit more than the others, noting that even though a few artists had Connect available to them in the pre-launch demo phase, the Twitter-like service “looked pretty quiet.” The biggest issue, however, was the possibility of fan interaction amongst one another within Connect, and the fact that the only designated place for it to occur was within the comments of each individual post.
Moreover, the only place where fans can interact is the comments section of each post, cutting out a major part of what Apple hopes will be a new music ecosystem: fandom. While it’s possible fans would share music individually – with Apple Music’s many options to post to text, email, Twitter and Facebook – the absence of fans’ voices on “Connect” makes it more like a supplement to a social network than an exciting music-discovery platform. But only time will tell if it catches on. This is one place where Spotify, with its ability to follow and make playlists your friends, has a leg up.
With its vast selection of music and smartly curated playlists and radio, Apple Music is robust enough to compete with, and possibly supplant, Spotify and Pandora as the go-to service for music fans. At the same time, users will need to play around with it a bit and dig to move past some of the less immediately intuitive facets (i.e., just how deep the “New” tab goes) for it to hook them.
The Loop went into detail regarding the “My Music” section of Apple Music, noting that between the tab’s two sections — Library and Playlists — all of a user’s old iTunes music downloaded or in the cloud can be found there. Users will be able to add certain playlists to My Music so it can appear front-and-center in the tab without having to go through multiple pages, and entire playlists will be able to be made to listen to offline. Besides a finicky rating system for Beats 1, The Loop largely enjoyed Apple Music in the end.
I’m damned impressed. Apple Music is a quality service, with the right mix of human curation and algorithms to help users figure out exactly what they want to hear. I can only imagine that the service will only get better from here. The more I use it, like/dislike songs, the better it will know me.
I was interacting with Apple Music the entire time I was writing this and the radio station I started listening to improved quite a bit in those hours. I’m not skipping songs, instead I have a steady diet of Slash, Godsmack, Led Zeppelin, and Metallica. It’s hard to beat that.
Everyone will be able to test out Apple Music for themselves soon enough, with the official launch of the updated music app in just a few hours at 9 AM Pacific. Those interested should remember to first download the new iOS 8.4 update an hour before in preparation for the streaming music service’s debut.
Apple Music in the UK: what you need to know
After months of waiting, Apple Music is finally upon us. The company is now ready to take the wraps off its new streaming service, which will deliver millions of tracks on demand, host a free 24-hour radio station with slots from some of the world’s biggest artists, and include a bevvy of social features. It’ll go live in over 100 countries today (June 30th), but as is often the case with new Apple services, there’s still some uncertainty around what you get and how much it’ll set you back. Fear not, for we’ve pieced together everything you need to know about Apple Music in the UK. Read on to find out.
What do I need and what time will it launch?
Thanks to Apple Music senior director Ian Rogers, we have a clear idea of when you can get streaming. The company will release the new iOS 8.4 update at 4pm UK time, which brings the Apple Music app with it. Once that necessary update has installed, you’ll be able to sign up for the three-month free trial and get to grips with all of the app’s features. As for Beats 1, Apple’s first foray into live radio: that will go on air one hour later.
Apple will also make its first ever Android app for Music. That won’t launch until the autumn, but you’ll be able to access the service on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch (via a paired phone) and on your Mac or PC via iTunes from day one.
How much will it cost?
When Apple unveiled Music, it only provided pricing for US customers. However, in the lead up to the launch, the company revealed the cost for Brits within iOS 9 beta updates. When you initially sign up, you’ll take advantage of a 90-day free trial, but after that you’ll have to pay £10 per month to continue streaming.
If you use Apple’s Family Sharing scheme for song, e-book and app purchases, there’s also a new option for Music that costs £15 each month and allows up to six family members to use individual Apple Music accounts. If you’ve had issues with Family Sharing in the past, this might not be the best option, but it definitely offers good value for money.
What will I get?
Apple already offers around 30 million tracks on iTunes and it’s very likely that the majority of them will be available to stream on day one. We don’t yet know what the bitrate will be, but reports suggest that Apple Music will mirror iTunes Match, which offers tracks at 256Kbps AAC quality.
While you’re free to stream your favourite artists, Apple Music will also offer curated playlists from “the most talented music experts around the world.” These will include mixtapes from Apple’s own curators, but there’ll also be playlists created by respected music publications like Rolling Stone, Q Magazine and Pitchfork. Apple says the more you listen to these playlists, the more relevant they’ll become. You’ll be able to find them in the “For You” section of the app, which will also suggest albums and new releases you might enjoy. If you want to create your own compilations, Apple will let you pull together (and share) playlists featuring tracks from the steaming service, and those you’ve purchased from iTunes or saved in Match.
If you’re one of those people who can never decide what to listen to and prefer the good old-fashioned radio experience, then Apple has you covered. With Beats 1, the company is launching a free, 24/7 global radio network with Zane Lowe fronting the show in Los Angeles, Ebro Darden in New York and Julie Adenuga in London. Lowe’s first slate of programming will feature an interview with Eminem and there’ll also be appearances from Dr. Dre and model-cum-actress Cara Delevigne. Apple has also said it will offer a daily schedule, so you’ll know who will be featured and when.
With Apple Music’s Connect feature, the company hopes it can do a better job at social than it did with Ping. Connect has a tab of its own inside the Apple Music app, and will allow verified artists to, you know, connect with fans. Pharrell, for example, could fill his Connect feed with tracks, photos and video. You can then heart posts, add a comment or share the updates to Facebook or Twitter, giving musicians and Apple Music a chance to enjoy more social exposure.
Apple will likely share more details when Apple Music launches — we’ll make sure to notify you as soon as any new information becomes available.
Source: Apple Music
Apple Retail Announces 2015 Interactive Summer Camps for Kids
Apple has opened registration for its annual Apple Camp three-day workshops where kids aged 8 to 12 can visit a retail store and learn how to make movies or create interactive books using software such as GarageBand, iBooks Author and iMovie on iPad and Mac. This year’s two free workshops are called “Stories in Motion with iMovie” and “Interactive Storytelling with iBooks.”
Apple’s summer workshops will be hosted between 11 AM and 12:30 PM local time, on various dates from July 20 to August 7, in the United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Parents are recommended to sign up early since space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
“Stories in Motion with iMovie” teaches kids how to create their own movies, ranging from storyboarding ideas and shooting video to creating an original soundtrack in GarageBand on an iPad and editing in iMovie on a Mac. “Interactive Storytelling with iBooks” shows kids how to create their own interactive books by drawing illustrations on an iPad and adding sound effects and Multi-Touch features using iBooks Author.
Apple notes that children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for the duration of each workshop.
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