Apple’s new music service will reportedly cost $10 a month
Rumors that Apple is going to debut its retooled music offering at WWDC next week are nothing new. However, in a report by The Wall Street Journal comes word that the streaming service will be priced at $10 a month when it’s announced in a matter of days. That would put the unlimited Beats Music/iTunes listening option right in line with Spotify, Rdio and Tidal in terms of pricing. Previous reports indicated that Apple thought Beats’ price was too high, but it seems knocking a few dollars off of the monthly subscription may not be part of the strategy to lure new users.
What’s more, that free tier we’ve heard about won’t be and all-you-can-eat buffet like Spotify’s. Instead, the folks in Cupertino will serve up ad-supported internet radio that’s run by real DJs at no cost. And it seems Dr. Dre, Q-Tip and Drake are part of the talent Tim Cook & Co. plans to put on air as hosts. With a new option that’s reportedly not unlike broadcast stations, Apple will take another stab at internet radio after its first foray didn’t take off. WSJ also notes that the company has locked in licensing deals with Universal Music, Sony and Warner Bros — three of the biggest labels in the industry. We’ll have to wait to hear whether or not the subscription tier will provide exclusive content and releases like Tidal. If you’ll recall, Taylor Swift, Florence and The Machine and others were rumored to be part of Apple’s exclusive push. Either way, we should have all the details early next week.
[Image credit: Kim White/Getty Images]
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, Internet, Software
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Apple Shifts to Editorially Curated Lists on App Store
Apple has quietly changed the way it promotes new and popular apps on the App Store, shifting from algorithmically generated lists to editorially curated content last month. TechCrunch reports that the “Games” section, for example, no longer has “New,” “What’s Hot,” or “All iPhone (Free & Paid)” categories, which have been replaced with editor curated lists such as “Best New Games” and “More Games You Might Like,” the latter based on a customer’s purchase history.
“What’s also notable about the changes is that this represents the first time the Games’ subcategory pages (e.g., Action, Adventure, Racing, Trivia, etc.) have included editorially created lists,” reports TechCrunch. “These pages now have their own banner art at the top as well in order to better highlight the best new games within those sections. Within each subcategory page, consumers can browse editorial collections including ‘Best New Games,’ ‘All-Time Greats,’ ‘Free,’ and ‘Pay Once & Play.’”
The move towards editorial curation was expected given the multiple job listings that Apple has posted for App Store and iTunes editors in recent months, including one specifically for the games section.
“This position is responsible for the discovery, selection, and promotion of games on the Apple App Stores. Working under the direction of the Editorial Manager for Games, they are tasked with ensuring all games selected for promotion are played and scrutinized to the highest level of standards,” the job description for an “Editor, Games, App Store” position posted in late April reads.
The report claims that some app developers have seen between 30% to 90% fewer organic app downloads since the changes were made, although the move away from automatically generated app lists is not expected to negatively impact most developers. In fact, editorial curation should benefit developers with truly useful apps gain some well-deserved exposure on the App Store, rather than clone or rip-off apps that sometimes slipped through Apple’s old automated process.
Following the surging popularity and subsequent removal of Flappy Bird from the App Store a few years ago, for example, a number of developers were quick to release copycat versions of the app with similar app icons, titles, graphics and gameplay. At any given time, at least a few of those apps were often undeservingly featured under the algorithmically generated lists on the App Store such as “New” or “What’s Hot” based on total downloads and other factors.
There are over 1,400,000 apps available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod.
Apple Preparing Retail Employees for June In-Store Apple Watch Launch
During Apple’s most recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook announced plans to begin carrying the Apple Watch in the company’s retail stores in late June. Now that we’ve entered the first week of that month, Apple has begun preparing its retail employees for the in-store launch of the Apple Watch.
In a video message sent to retail employees, the contents of which were shared by 9to5Mac, retail chief Angela Ahrendts told employees that they need to be “above and beyond ready” for the launch. Apple’s VP of retail operations Jim Bean also detailed an upcoming “Reserve and Pickup” feature.
Reserve and Pickup will let customers check the Apple Online Store each day at 8:00 a.m. local time to see if a nearby store has their desired Apple Watch model in stock. If it’s available, customers will be able to reserve the Apple Watch and choose a time to pick it up. Customers will also be able to make reservations for Apple Watch models that are not yet in stock.
“This is our moment to shine, this will be a launch unlike any we’ve ever had before… this is what you were born to do, this is why you are at Apple,” Ahrendts told employees hoping to encourage them to re-review the Apple Watch training materials. Apple is also encouraging employees to discuss the benefits of Apple Pay with customers, which is a core Apple Watch feature.
In addition to preparing Apple employees for in-store Apple Watch sales, Apple has also notified them that customers are now able to try Apple Watch demo units paired to an iPhone in store. Prior to now, Apple Watches have been in a demo loop or attached to tables and unable to pair with iPhones.
Since its launch on April 24, the Apple Watch has been available from Apple solely online. Apple has, however, made limited numbers of the Apple Watch available to customers through third-party boutiques, such as Maxfield in Los Angeles. According to retail chief Angela Ahrendts, Apple’s efforts to keep sales online have been done due to supply constraints and to provide customers with the best possible Apple Watch buying experience.
The Apple Watch continues to be in short supply, but shipping times for many models have greatly improved since launch. Some models of the Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch are now shipping within a week in the United States.
Apple Fitness Director Jay Blahnik Hosting Special Events at Asia-Pacific Retail Stores
Apple’s Director of Fitness and Health Technologies Jay Blahnik is touring the Asia-Pacific region this week to host live Q&A sessions with popular personal trainers and other well-known icons at Apple Stores in Australia, China and Japan. The special events focus on the intersection of health, fitness and technology, such as how to live a better life by maintaining a healthy body and mind.
Blahnik posing with personal trainer Michelle Bridges and a fan in Sydney (Instagram)
Blahnik sat down with Australian personal trainer Michelle Bridges for a live Q&A session at the Apple Store in Sydney, Australia on May 29 before heading to the Omotesando Apple Store to speak with technology journalist Nobi Hayashi in Tokyo, Japan earlier today, as noted by Macotakara. Blahnik will now travel to Beijing for an event with Chinese action filmmaker Donnie Yen at the Apple Store in China Central Mall on June 3.
Prior to joining Apple in July 2013, Blahnik was a Nike FuelBand consultant for almost 20 years and an award-winning fitness instructor and personal trainer. As health and fitness director at Apple, he has played an instrumental role in development of the Apple Watch, working in the company’s top-secret health and fitness lab where it has collected over 18,000 hours of health and fitness data from employee workout sessions.
ElevationLab Debuts ‘Elevation Dock 3’ With Integrated Cable, iPhone 6 Plus Support [iOS Blog]
ElevationLab today announced the launch of an updated version of its popular Elevation Dock for the iPhone, adding new features like a wider design to accommodate the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, new lateral supports for improved stability, and a built-in Apple-certified Lightning connector.
The Elevation Dock originated on Kickstarter in 2012, and quickly became a popular choice for iPhone owners. The company released an Elevation Dock 2 able to support the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, and 6, but the Elevation Dock 3 is the first dock that works with Apple’s bigger iPhone 6 Plus and iPhones with thick cases. It’s also the first Elevation Dock that does not require the buyer to supply a Lightning cable.
Along with above-mentioned feature additions, the Elevation Dock 3 is also available in new finishes, adding Bright Polished Red and Cerulean Blue to the existing silver and black aluminum finishes.
Elevation Dock 3 can be purchased from the ElevationLab website for $89 to $99, depending on finish. Orders will ship out immediately.
Typo’s Smartphone Keyboard Business Comes to an End Following BlackBerry Lawsuits [iOS Blog]
BlackBerry and Typo Keyboard have reached the end of a lengthy lawsuit over Typo’s BlackBerry-esque iPhone case that adds a physical keyboard to the Apple product (via The Verge). The lawsuit dating back to January 2014 argued that Typo, which saw significant publicity due to Ryan Seacrest’s backing, willfully infringed on patents and “blatantly copied” BlackBerry’s keyboard design. Today’s settlement brings the news that Typo now essentially is prevented from making keyboards for any smartphone in the future.
While neither company released the full settlement terms, a brief press release from BlackBerry notes that Typo has agreed not to produce keyboards for devices with screens smaller than 7.9 inches. The essentially precludes Typo from making keyboards for any smartphone, but leaves the door open for keyboards for tablets or any other device with a screen larger than 7.9 inches.
As part of the settlement, Typo Products LLC, Typo Innovations LLC, Show Media LLC, Hallier Investments LLC, and Laurence Hallier have agreed to permanently discontinue selling anywhere in the world keyboards for smartphones and mobile devices with a screen size of less than 7.9 inches. Typo Products LLC, Typo Innovations LLC, Show Media LLC, Hallier Investments LLC, and Laurence Hallier may continue to sell keyboards for devices with a screen size of 7.9 inches or larger. Other terms of the settlement are confidential.
Thanks to BlackBerry’s constant pursuit of a lawsuit against the company, the Typo Keyboard for iPhone faced a very rocky road since its debut in January of 2014. Typo kept moving forward, however, just last December introducing the Typo2 for iPhone 6 that the company promised was designed to avoid the legal pitfalls of its previous case. BlackBerry was unconvinced, however, once again filing suit against Typo over the new product in February.
HangKeys makes a fun game out of an iOS keyboard
When messaging a friend of family member begins to drop off, wouldn’t it be good if you could fire up a game to liven things up a bit? Normally, you’d have to meet your would-be opponent in an app like Words With Friends, but new iOS keyboard HangKeys is able to skip the formalities and drop a fresh game of Hangman in any messaging app on your phone. Feel like you could use something like this during your next Facebook Messenger exchange? All you need to do is to switch to the HangKeys keyboard on your iOS device, enter a word and send the grid over to your adversary. They can then reply with their suggestions from any platform, whether it be Android, Windows Phone or PC. Luckily, the app does most of the heavy lifting but you will need to manually select each letter and send back the automatically updated grid after each turn. It’s a small bit of work for what is an otherwise fun game. While nearly all of the iOS keyboards we’ve seen focus on making texting easier, this little app could offer some light relief if the conversation runs dry.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile, Apple
Via: The Next Web
Source: HangKeys (App Store)
Apple I worth $200,000 gets tossed out for recycling
You’re about to get a textbook lesson in why you should always, always check vintage gadgets before you toss them out. A woman discarding her late husband’s electronics inadvertently gave a Milpitas recycling firm an ultra-rare Apple I computer that ultimately sold for $200,000. While the recycler’s policy is to share half the revenue from these sales, the woman refused to offer her name or get a receipt — she’s missing out on a $100,000 check for trading in a piece of computing history. The company would recognize her on sight, but its only chance of rewarding the mystery donor right now is to get the word out and hope she returns.
[Image credit: Emmanuel Dunand /AFP/Getty Images]
Source: San Jose Mercury News
What You Can Do With Apple Watch When Your Paired iPhone is Out of Range [iOS Blog]
Apple Watch uses both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to transfer data to the iPhone. It defaults to a Bluetooth connection whenever possible because it conserves power, but if your iPhone is not in Bluetooth range, Apple Watch will switch over to compatible Wi-Fi if it is available.
For Wi-Fi to work on Apple Watch, it needs to be 802.11b/g/n on a 2.4GHz band. It will not connect to the faster speed 5GHz Wi-Fi, nor will it connect to public networks requiring logins, subscriptions, or profiles. It will also not work if your paired iPhone has never connected to the local Wi-Fi network before. This is because Apple Watch cannot configure new Wi-Fi networks on its own. It can connect to networks that you have set up on the paired phone.
When your paired iPhone is out of range, and it is not connected to the same Wi-Fi network, there are a number of features that are still available:
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Video Review: A Look at Incipio’s Folio Cases for iPad Air 2 [iOS Blog]
Our newest video review takes a look at a selection of iPad Air 2 cases from popular accessory maker Incipio. The Tuxen, the Octane, and the Clarion are all multi-purpose folio-style cases that offer varying degrees of protection without adding a lot of bulk to Apple’s ultra slim iPad Air 2.
The Tuxen is the most expensive at $50, and it’s also the case that looks the nicest. It offers full protection with a vegan leather front cover that has a microsuede lining and a polycarbonate hard shell to protect the back of the iPad.
The Octane is designed to offer more protection, so it’s thicker. It has the same vegan leather cover and polycarbonate back shell, but it also comes with a textured bumper for better protection against drops and its backing is clear so you can see the iPad. Like the Octane, the Clarion, the most inexpensive case we looked at, offers a clear back shell so you can see the rear of the iPad. It has a vegan leather front cover and its backing is actually flexible.
We liked all three folio cases, but there was a problem that afflicted all of them — the stand feature built into the cover. All three have covers that fold back to be used as a stand, but the tab on the back that holds the cover in place means the iPad doesn’t lie flat when it’s placed on a surface like a desk. For the Clarion specifically, the latch was weak and wouldn’t reliably keep the iPad in place.
All three cases come in a wide variety of colors and can be purchased from the Incipio website. The Tuxen is priced at $50, the Octane is priced at $40, and the Clarion is priced at $34.99.
On Amazon, the cases can be purchased at even lower prices, depending on color choice. $31 for the Tuxen, $27 for the Octane, and $22 for the Clarion.
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