Philips Hue Gaining Apple HomeKit Support This Fall [iOS Blog]

Philips on Monday morning confirmed that its series of connected smart light bulbs, Philips Hue, will begin supporting Apple HomeKit sometime in the Fall. First announced nearly a year ago at last year’s WWDC, HomeKit is Apple’s home automation platform that aims to give developers and manufacturers a standardized framework to build devices that interact not only with Apple’s products but one another as well.

According to Philips, all current Hue owners will be able to upgrade their existing home systems to take advantage of Hue’s interaction with HomeKit. Unfortunately, besides confirming the partnership and that current Hue owners will be able to take advantage of it, Philips didn’t reveal any other information today, besides that the company plans to give out “more detailed information” this September.

Philips’ announcement of HomeKit support comes a few days after the first products compatible with the Apple home automation platform entered the market. Led by companies like Elgato, iHome, and Lutron, the HomeKit-supported devices allow users to measure air quality, control power to various electrical outlets, and even control lighting with a wireless dimmer.

Since the Philips Hue lighting system currently requires a wireless hub directly connected to a router to function, it’s unclear whether the HomeKit upgrade will require a simple software update or need some actual new piece of equipment to work properly. The company did note that, “Philips Hue will help existing users to upgrade their system,” whenever the update does go live. Philips encourages those interested in the HomeKit-related news, and general announcements from the company regarding Hue, to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for updates throughout the summer, leading up to its September announcement.

Live Coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2015 Keynote: iOS 9, OS X 10.11, Apple Music, and More

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off today at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco, with the event headlined by the traditional keynote address beginning at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

In line with tradition, Apple is expected to provide the first looks at iOS 9 and OS X 10.11, with the company also announcing a fresh push into streaming music led by a new Apple Music subscription service and a revamped iTunes Radio. Apple is also expected to debut new tools allowing developers to build native Apple Watch apps and perhaps make some additional announcements related to Apple Pay and HomeKit.

Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via Apple TV.

In addition to Apple’s video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Separate news stories regarding the event announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

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Apple to Discontinue Newsstand, Launch Free Flipboard-Like App to Feature News Content [iOS Blog]

Apple is planning to do away with Newsstand, its central app that stores newspaper and magazine subscriptions for users, according to sources who spoke with Re/code. In its place, the company will introduce a new Flipboard-style aggregation experience that will showcase curated lists of articles and content for individual customers. The partners for the new app will include ESPN, The New York Times, Conde Nast and Hearst, with the new app focused on providing “samples” of content.

Since magazines and newspapers were required to be located within the Newsstand app, many of Apple’s partners complained of buried content with the introduction of Newsstand. With the new structure in place, individual magazines and publications will sell their own app experiences within the App Store, allowing companies to push their content directly to a user’s device without having to navigate through Apple’s Newsstand app. While Apple is said to be adjusting its revenue cut for some types of subscription content, the company will reportedly continue to take its traditional 30 percent revenue cut from subscriptions within these services currently available in Newsstand.

MacRumors had previously heard Apple was meeting with publishers about the upcoming discontinuation of Newsstand, but was unable to obtain corroborating information.

Those supporting Apple’s supposed Flipboard-like app will also keep 100 percent of the advertising they each sell within the app. In exchange, Apple will help its partners sell unsold inventory and take a cut of the profit of each sale at a rate that one of its publishing partners detailed as “very favorable.” Although not stated directly, Re/code alludes to the confirmation of the Newsstand rumor happening today during the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference.

Existing Philips Hue bulbs will work with HomeKit this fall

Apple keynotes normally display pictures of pictures of Philips’ tech, but it was never clear if the existing gear would work with the company’s home control platform. Now, Philips has taken to the internet that yes, the collection of Hue bulbs that you’ve spent hundreds of dollars assembling will be compatible with HomeKit. The Dutch lighting firm isn’t talking about specifics and has said that the details are still being finalized, but pledges that the solid facts will be laid out this September ahead of a launch in the Fall. So, we can rest easy knowing that we won’t have to throw out our Sharknado setup when it comes time to renovate our home.

[Image Credit: AP Photo / Jeff Chiu]

Filed under: Misc, Internet, Apple

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Apple Targeting 100 Million Subscribers for Streaming Music Service

Apple has an ambitious goal to sign up 100 million subscribers for its upcoming streaming music service known as Apple Music, according to The Associated Press. A subscriber base that large would trump competing services such as Spotify, Pandora, Deezer and others, which had a collective 41 million paid U.S. subscribers in 2014 per the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Apple Music is widely expected to be a rebranded and improved version of Beats Music, which the Cupertino-based company acquired for $3 billion last year alongside the Beats Electronics headphones and speakers division. The much-rumored streaming service will reportedly cost $10 per month, with a three-month free trial period, and focus on exclusive content and human curated playlists.

Beats Music had 303,000 U.S. subscribers as of December, trailing market leader Spotify’s 4.7 million U.S. subscribers by a significant margin. Nevertheless, Apple previously said it has over 800 million users with iTunes accounts to its advantage and will reportedly present those users with the option to purchase an Apple Music subscription instead when downloading songs and albums through the iTunes Store.

Apple is expected to unveil its new streaming music service at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference today in San Francisco. During the opening keynote at 10 AM Pacific, CEO Tim Cook and other executives should reveal several details about the service alongside other announcements about iOS 9, OS X 10.11, Apple Pay and more. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event as it unfolds.

Tim Cook Says Diversity is the Future of Apple, Points to More Female-Driven Presence at WWDC [Mac Blog]

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke with Mashable at a ceremony yesterday honoring the recipients of the company’s WWDC Scholarship Program, which awards up to 350 students and developers with tickets to the week-long Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The program aims to promote diversity amongst lesser-represented groups in the tech industry – such as women – by awarding tickets to WWDC for excelling in various technological or science-driven education environments. Today, when asked by Mashable why diversity is so important to Apple, Tim Cook responded simply that, “It’s the future of our company.”

Tim Cook posing with a WWDC scholarship winner

“I view these people that I talk to today as the future generations of the company, and they will either be a part of it directly or a part of the ecosystem. And either way — when I think of Apple, I think of the whole community, not just the people that have the Apple badge.”

And that future, according to Cook, should be diverse: “I think the most diverse group will produce the best product, I firmly believe that,” he says. Even without taking its values into account, Apple is a “better company” by being more diverse.

Given that Apple keynotes have historically been spearheaded by white male presenters, many wondered when Apple’s forward-thinking efforts in diversity would trickle down into the public spotlight at one of its big keynote events. When asked about just that, Cook hints that a more female-driven presence may occur later today at WWDC. “Look tomorrow,” Cook said. “Look tomorrow and let me know what you think.”

Although not an official employee of Apple, model and founder of non-profit organization “Every Mother Counts” Christy Turlington Burns partnered with the company in showcasing various uses of the Apple Watch in a weekly blog meant to build up excitement for the wearable, after first appearing on stage at the March “Spring Forward” event.

WWDC 2015 Spoiler Free Video Stream [Mac Blog]

Apple’s WWDC keynote will be kicking off in just a few hours, and as is tradition some MacRumors readers who can’t follow the event live are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until Apple posts the recorded video of the event so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.

For those individuals, we’ve posted this news story, which will be updated with a link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.

Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events refrain from making any posts in the thread about today’s announcements.

Apple Rumored to Build High-Speed Network for Faster Cloud Services

Apple is building a high-speed network and plans to upgrade its data centers with more of its own equipment in an effort to better compete with Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other cloud service providers, according to Bloomberg. The improved infrastructure will enable Apple to provide faster delivery of cloud-based content and services such as iCloud, iTunes and Siri.

The high-speed network may be a prerequisite for Apple’s much-rumored streaming music and TV services, the first of which is expected to be announced at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference today in San Francisco. Efficient content delivery will be important for both services, especially if the company plans to fulfill its ambitious goal of signing up 100 million subscribers for Apple Music.

The foundation of Apple’s high-speed data network will reportedly be long-haul pipes connecting the company’s data centers in California, Nevada, North Carolina and Oregon. Apple has also been planning ways to send data via fiber lines at hundreds of gigabits per second, as opposed to solely using off-the-shelf technology rented from third-party vendors, according to the report.

“Apple wants to own pipes linking its four large U.S. data centers and Internet hubs in certain cities to ensure fast, reliable delivery of content and services. By adding capacity and increasing efficiency, it seeks to handle more traffic on its own, without renting as much server space from cloud providers such as Amazon and Microsoft, said people with knowledge of the plan, who asked not to be identified because Apple isn’t discussing the moves publicly. They declined to name the cities involved.”

Apple will not move away from using Hewlett-Packard servers, Cisco ethernet switches and other off-the-shelf technology entirely, but the iPhone maker has been in talks with companies that could help design its own equipment that would be produced by third-party manufacturers. The new gear would mainly be used in Apple’s future data centers in Arizona, Ireland, Denmark and elsewhere.

Apple was the seventh-largest cloud infrastructure spender in 2014, investing $1 billion towards its data centers around the world last year according to research firm Analysys, matching the billions of dollars spent by Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other rivals in the cloud storage and services race. iCloud was introduced in October 2011 and is available on Mac, iPad, iPhone and other Apple products.

Tim Cook says diversity is the future of Apple

Tim Cook has pledged that Apple’s future won’t be as white and male as it has been in the company’s past. The CEO sat down with Mashable in advance of the WWDC keynote to say that diversity is the “future of our company.” It’s not just hand-wringing that has prompted his attitude, since he believes that “the most diverse group will produce the best product.” The executive has added that the tech community needs to work a lot harder to show women that the industry is “cool” and “how much fun it can be.”

Cook also believes that a lack of female role models in technology is a problem, one that Apple has been previously at fault for. As recently as March this year, the company scored a diversity own-goal by having just one woman on stage at its Apple Watch launch event. Unfortunately, the individual wasn’t even one of the company’s handful of female executives, like Angela Ahrendts (retail), Lisa Jackson (environment) or Denise Young Smith (HR). Instead, it was model Christy Turlington-Burns, who was asked to talk about her experiences running while wearing the wearable. Cook has hinted that this next keynote will help rectify the problem, hinting that we’re likely to see a much more diverse presentation than we’re used to.

Filed under: Apple

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Source: Mashable