Video Software Chief Randy Ubillos Retiring After 20 Years at Apple [Mac Blog]
Apple’s former Chief Architect of Video Applications Randy Ubillos announced on Twitter today that he is retiring after working for 20 years at the Cupertino-based company on professional video and photo software. Ubillos is best known as the creator of the first three versions of Adobe Premiere and KeyGrip, which was sold to Apple and released as Final Cut Pro.
After an amazing 20 years working on Apple products, today is my last day. I look forward to retirement and the adventures ahead. 
— Randy Ubillos (@ubillos) April 23, 2015
While not a household name like some other Apple employees, Ubillos is well known among those who have used Final Cut Pro or other professional video software. In June 2010, he made a brief appearance on stage during WWDC to demo the latest version of iMovie for iPhone 4 and returned on stage in October 2010 during Apple’s “Back to the Mac” event for another demo.
Apple Releases iMac Graphics Update to Fix JPEG Freezing Issue on OS X Yosemite [Mac Blog]
Apple today released an iMac Graphics Update for users of the more recent iMacs, fixing an issue that caused the computers to freeze up after viewing very large JPEG Files.
Affected iMacs include the late 2014 27-inch Retina iMac, the late 2013 21.5-inch iMac, and the late 2013 27-inch iMac.
Apple has also released an accompanying support document that describes the issue in more detail, suggesting the problem occurs when opening a large JPEG image in Finder or Preview on OS X Yosemite 10.10.3.
If you’re using using OS X Yosemite v10.10.3 and one of the following iMac models, viewing certain very large JPEG (.jpg) images in the Finder or Preview can cause your iMac to briefly stop responding, display a black screen, and restart to a message that your computer restarted because of a problem.
People who own one of these three iMacs are encouraged to update their machines right away to fix the bug.
Apple Watch User Guide Now Available
Apple has published the official Apple Watch User Guide on its website, providing detailed information about the wrist-worn device broken down into categories such as Basics, Watch Faces, Notifications, Glances, Timekeeping, Messages, Digital Touch, Mail, Phone Calls, Calendars and Reminders, Health and Fitness, Apple Pay and Passbook, Maps and Directions, Music, Photos, Accessibility and more.
The user guide provides a wealth of information about the Apple Watch in one place for easy access, and should serve as a valuable resource for customers that pre-ordered the Apple Watch for delivery starting April 24. The user guide provides step-by-step information and visuals on a wide variety of topics from setting up your Apple Watch and pairing with an iPhone to using apps and tracking your daily activity.
There are also instructions on how to remove, change and fasten Apple Watch bands for the Classic Buckle, Leather Loop, Link Bracelet, Milanese Loop, Modern Buckle and Sport Band. Apple advises that leather bands be cleaned with a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth that is lightly dampened with fresh water and then air dried, while other bands can be dried using a nonabrasive, lint-free cloth.
Apple Shares List of Must-Have Apps as Apple Watch App Store Goes Live Today
Ahead of the Apple Watch launch tomorrow, Apple has shared a selection of apps that it believes all new Apple Watch owners should download. Provided to Buzzfeed, the list covers a wide range of apps, from those that provide news coverage to those that help people share photos or travel around town.
Today marks the debut of the Apple Watch App Store, which should go live in just a few hours, letting people browse through available apps and download content before getting their watches tomorrow. The Apple Watch App Store will be accessible through the pre-installed Apple Watch app on the iPhone, available to all iOS 8.2 and iOS 8.3 users.
Image courtesy of Buzzfeed
For sharing on social media, Apple recommended both Twitter and Instagram, noting that the latter includes support for emoji comments on the Apple Watch. The New York Times was recommended for news, and Mint was recommended for tracking finances.
Yelp got a mention, as did Target‘s app, which includes a useful shopping list feature, and Dark Sky was highlighted as the must-have weather app. Citymapper was mentioned as a useful transit app, showing the fastest public transit routes, and Pacemaker‘s music mixing app was the only music app on the list. Elevate‘s brain training app was Apple’s most unusual pick.
Given the Apple Watch’s position as a health and fitness device, Apple also shared several notable fitness and nutrition apps, including Fitstar Yoga for yoga, Strava for runners, and Golfshot for golfers. Apple recommended Lifesum for tracking calories and Centered for meditation.
Several of these apps have been previously highlighted by Apple either during one of its Apple Watch events or on its Apple Watch app website, but several of the above apps are new picks that Apple has not previously shared.
When Apple Watches reach the hands of customers tomorrow, there will be more than 2,000 Apple Watch apps available for the device.
How to Add and Organize Images in Photos for OS X Yosemite [Mac Blog]
Once you’ve migrated your image library from iPhotos or Aperture (or both), you’ll probably want to add all the images from your iPhone or iPad and get everything organized so you can quickly find pictures from specific dates and events in the future.
To help you accomplish both of these tasks, we’ve written up a tutorial that provides an overview of how to import pictures into the Photos app on OS X Yosemite and gives a few suggestions for how to organize your collection.
Importing Pictures
- Connect your device (iPhone, iPad, or digital camera) to your computer using the USB connector and open the Photos for OS X app.
- Select “Import” from the list of tabs at the top of the screen in the app.
- Select the images you wish to add to the Photos app, or select “Import All New Items” to add everything from your device.
Imported images will automatically be added to the “Last Import” album in Photos. You can see your photos using a number of different views, including the main Photos tab, which displays all pictures that you have added to the app and any pictures that you have taken using an iOS device that is connected using My Photo Stream.
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Apple Watch Weather Apps Provide At-a-Glance Forecasts Throughout the Day [iOS Blog]
One of the main conveniences of the Apple Watch is that it provides at-a-glance information without needing to take your iPhone out of your pocket, whether you are stuck in a meeting, walking down the sidewalk or watching Netflix on your couch. For a task as simple as checking the weather, the ability to simply look at your wrist will make Apple Watch weather apps very appealing for a lot of users.
Many developers have been quick to jump on the opportunity to release weather-related Apple Watch apps, including CARROT Weather, The Weather Channel, Weather Underground, Yahoo Weather, AccuWeather, Weather Nerd, Thermo Diem, NOAA Radar Pro and more. While the apps all share a common thread of providing weather information, each have unique designs and features that are worth trying out.
CARROT Weather for Apple Watch
Earlier this week, CARROT Weather received its first-ever update with Apple Watch support, bringing its humorously twisted 24-hour and 7-day forecasts to the wrist. Tapping on a section brings up a color-coded interface with more detailed weather information, including the current temperature, type and chance of precipitation, wind speed, humidity, barometric pressure and more. CARROT Weather is $2.99 on the App Store.
The Weather Channel will also be releasing an updated version of their app to support Apple Watch, enabling users to view current weather conditions, hourly forecasts with temperature and precipitation visuals, and weekend forecasts. The app also offers customizable real-time notifications for rain, snow, lightning and severe weather on your wrist, and features a live radar based on your GPS location. The Weather Channel app is free on the App Store.
Weather Underground for Apple Watch
Weather Underground for Apple Watch provides current conditions, 10-day forecasts, severe weather alerts, radar imagery and more on the wrist, with Force Touch navigation for quick access to hourly, ten-day forecasts and saved locations. The app can also notify you about the latest National Weather Service severe weather alerts in the United States. Weather Underground is free on the App Store.
Yahoo Weather for Apple Watch features a sleek design that provides the current temperature at a glance, alongside the current weather conditions, type and chance of precipitation, wind speed, barometric pressure, sunrise and sunset times, and more. Yahoo Weather is free on the App Store.
Yahoo Weather for Apple Watch
AccuWeather for Apple Watch features MinuteCast, which provides minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts for the forthcoming two hours hyper-localized to your exact street address or GPS location. The app keeps you up to date with other current weather conditions based on your location, including temperature, the forecasted high and low for the day, wind speed, and times for sunrise or sunset. Breaking weather notifications in the U.S. can also be enabled. AccuWeather is free on the App Store.
More Weather Apps for Apple Watch:
- Weather Nerd ($4.99)
- Thermo Diem (Free)
- Weather Live ($1.99)
- NOAA Radar Pro – Severe Weather Alerts ($1.99)
- Dark Sky ($3.99)
This roundup will be updated with more popular Apple Watch weather apps as they become available.
Apple Rejects iOS App for Citing Pebble Support in App Store Description [iOS Blog]
Boating and navigation app SeaNav US [Direct Link] reported this morning that Apple is no longer welcoming the app on the App Store due to the mention of Pebble support, or “any other mobile platform”, within the app’s description.
SeaNav notes that its iOS app has been previously approved by Apple with no fuss, and have only faced roadblocks after receiving the rejection email this morning. The app supported Pebble for “nearly 2 years” before today, and the company says the app’s most recent update has “no changes to our support for the Pebble”, hinting that the impending launch of the Apple Watch could be the main culprit of the crackdown on SeaNav.
We have just had the latest version of our SeaNav US iOS app rejected by Apple because we support the Pebble Smartwatch and say so in the app description and meta-data (we also state in the review notes that “This application was approved for use with the Pebble MFI Accessory in the Product Plan xxxxxx-yyyy (Pebble Smartwatch)”. See copy of rejection reason below.
SeaNav US has previously been approved by Apple with no problem, we have had Pebble support in SeaNav for nearly 2 years and there are no changes to our support for the Pebble in this version. What are Apple doing? Have they gone Apple Watch crazy? What can we do?
App Store review guideline 3.1 has covered the prohibition on mentioning competing platforms for some time, but until now developers have generally not had issues with Apple rejecting apps for mentioning Pebble support. With the Apple Watch ready to launch, however, Pebble may now be considered a competing platform.
Apple has been known to deal swiftly with apps it deems questionable on the App Store in the past, but today’s news is definitely interesting given the reason for rejection and the launch of the Apple Watch tomorrow. SeaNav US should be able to resubmit the app after removing all mentions of the Pebble smartwatch from its marketing materials and App Store page, but it certainly leaves an interesting question for the future of Pebble-supported iOS apps, especially Pebble’s dedicated iOS app, presuming SeaNav’s rejection was not the result of a reviewer misunderstanding Apple’s intended application of the guidelines.
Apple Rumored to Release Updated iPod Touch Later This Year
Apple is expected to announce a new iPod touch later this year, according to AppleInsider. The report, citing a source familiar with the plans, claims that the refreshed portable media player will likely have a similar design as the current model released over two-and-a-half years ago, and speculates that the next-generation device could have camera and processor improvements.
iPod sales have been declining for several years, becoming a largely insignificant part of Apple’s product lineup, anchored by the iPhone, iPad and Mac. The company no longer reports iPod sales in its quarterly results after reporting 2.9 million units sold in Q4 2014. Apple has not refreshed the iPod touch since October 2012, when the portable media player was updated with an ultra-thin, colorful design, A5 processor and Lightning connector.
The report is entirely speculative about possible new features the next-generation iPod touch could have, including a 64-bit A7 processor, increased storage space, and improved iSight and FaceTime cameras. It would also make sense for the new iPod touch to support Apple Pay, which would require locked down NFC capabilities and a Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
If the report proves accurate, Apple could announce its next-generation iPod touch during its iPhone event in September or iPad event in October that it typically holds each year. It is possible that Apple may also quietly update the iPod touch through a press release or website update, given that iPods are no longer as important to Apple as in previous years.
Djay for Apple Watch puts decks on your wrist
Desktop, laptop, tablet, phone and (now) watch. That’s a list of things you can DJ (or rather, djay) on, thanks to a multi-platform update to the eponymous(ish) app from Algoriddim. As Apple Watch (kinda) hits stores this week, you’ll be able to update Djay 2 for iOS (the Watch version isn’t a standalone app) so that it works with your new timepiece. Of course, features are stripped back, but you can do most things you need to keep the music flowing, such as browse your iTunes library, add and sync tunes to a “deck” or use Force Touch and have the software do it all for you (aka “Automix” mode). It’s a tough life for the wearable DJ. If you prefer to mix on the other devices we listed, Algoriddim has updates for you, too.
If you’re too cool to be seen DJing with a watch, maybe then perhaps djay Pro‘s new features are more your style? The latest version of the Mac app adds the ability to mix videos — whether that’s music videos themselves, or VJ-style visuals to go along with your tunes. The visuals can be fed to an external display, or even piped over Airplay — a feature with “house party” written all over it. If you prefer to leave the laptop alone, and do your thing on real decks, there’s also native support for a slew of Pioneer’s pro DJ kit. High end gear found in most clubs — including the CDJ2000/CDJ900 and XDJ1000 — will act as a controller for djay Pro out of the box, including advanced features like Slip Mode, waveform display and showing cue points. The same update also bundles in support for higher quality Spotify music (320kbs files) if that’s your preferred source of music.
The Pro update is free for existing owners, (djay Pro costs $50), and a premium Spotify account is needed for the integrated features. Djay 2 for iPhone ($3) and iPad ($10) will be free for a week — go go get it.
Source: Algoriddim, (2)
Will Tidal’s artist exclusives ruin streaming music?
Tidal, the Jay Z-led music-streaming service, recently relaunched at the end of March with a roster of high-profile celebrity backers, like Madonna, Rihanna and Kanye West. The event was much more than an obvious photo-opp; it was a statement: In addition to a ceremonial pact signing, the group of over a dozen artists pledged to tackle fair compensation and improve the current state of streaming affairs for consumers and musicians. Part of this strategy involves offering content exclusive to Tidal. And while extra content is nice, it becomes worrisome when the exclusive bits take the form of much-anticipated full album releases. That seems to be Tidal’s plan to lure and retain subscribers. It’s a business plan that could very well kill the streaming-music vibe for everyone, especially when we’ve become used to an all-you-can-stream listening habit.
Madonna had to get comfy before signing the pact.
Look, I get it. The best way for these services to attract new users is to promote what makes them different. When your business is providing content, you need stuff that no one else has, and that’s what Tidal has been trying to do since its launch. Earlier this month, Beyoncé’s new song, an anniversary present to Jay Z (real name: Shawn Carter), debuted exclusively on that service. And that behavior’s nothing new for streaming-music services. In fact, Spotify regularly releases its Spotify Sessions live recordings with artists like Meghan Trainor, Ryan Adams and many other artists. It also serves up Spotify Commentary versions of albums, in addition to timed releases. And Rdio does something similar with live EPs, and bonus tracks. I’m all for added content that complements the regular albums, but when the differentiation becomes exclusive artist rosters rather than the so-called bonus content, the cost for consumers looking for choice begins to add up. It’s either sign up for multiple streaming services or find another way to listen (hello, piracy).
Are the artists really in control?
Jack White performs on The Tonight Show in February.
Let’s look at Jack White, for example. White is one of the artists that took the stage alongside a dozen or so others a couple weeks ago to declare his part ownership in Tidal. He owns a label, Third Man Records, that published not only his solo work, but also that of his previous acts The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs. Since labels typically handle distribution, which would include any deals with streaming services, White seemingly has the final say as far as his music is concerned and can license it however he wants. In this case, his work is licensed to Columbia Records, a company with a much larger distribution network than his own outfit.
In Rihanna’s case, her new album could very well be the first exclusive release for Tidal.
There’s a way around a label’s control and that’s if the artist’s contract affords them the rights to the master recordings. Just last month, reports surfaced indicating that when Rihanna’s upcoming album releases on Roc Nation (Jay Z’s imprint), she’ll own the rights to those files. More recently, Jay Z just gained the rights to two more of his albums. What does that mean exactly? Well, typically, when artists hand over those master rights to a label in exchange for shouldering the costs of recording and distribution, they lose the ability to make licensing decisions. But in Rihanna’s case, it means her new album could very well be the first exclusive release for Tidal — one that’s sure to be among the most popular albums of the year.
The inconvenience of exclusivity
Jay Z, Beyoncé and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler at the Tidal relaunch
While financial terms of each artist’s involvement in Tidal haven’t been disclosed, it’s hard to imagine any backer who’s financially invested not releasing their next album as an exclusive (timed or otherwise) on the service. We know that Jay Z purchased the service’s parent company, Aspiro, for $56 million and he recently told Billboard that each of the artist-owners had an equal stake. Turns out that equal stake is 3 percent each, with the rest of the shares divided up among Carter, investors and record labels. There will be additional shares available for second- and third-tier backers too, but these 16 folks are the key players.
So far, Tidal’s advertised exclusive content has been restricted to videos, singles and meet-and-greet contests. But with the possibility of other artists in Tidal’s camp retaining control of their master work, we could very well soon see full albums play a key role in the streaming-music wars. And that’s bad news for consumers. If you’re a fan of Rihanna, but are a faithful Spotify user, well, you could be left in a pinch. The (sorta) good news is most artists don’t have that kind of control over their work, which bodes well for rival streaming services.
Tidal’s iOS app
“If I put a record out, does it make sense to be exclusive on Tidal? Only if they’re paying significantly higher rates and they have all of the traffic,” says David Bakula, Nielsen’s SVP of Analytics.
Reports indicate that Tidal and Aspiro’s other music offering, WiMP, had 512,000 subscribers when Jay Z and co. took over operations and merged the two (Tidal so far has not released updated subscriber data). That’s significantly less than Spotify’s 15 million, even if they are offering better compensation per stream. But does that matter? Most of the money paid out from streaming goes to labels and the folks who handle licensing anyway — not the artists. It’s likely major labels won’t want to risk profits in an attempt to lure customers to Tidal under the banner of exclusivity.
Taylor Swift at the Academy of Country Music Awards
“If a consumer goes to a place and content isn’t available, a lot of times they’ll just move on,” Bakula continues. “As an artist, when you have to reach your fans everywhere that they are, I don’t think you can afford to say, ‘I’m just going to be here.’” And being everywhere is what turned the likes of Taylor Swift, Radiohead and others into the massive acts they are. “It’s different for Taylor Swift, because she has become as big as she is by doing all of those things and being everywhere, building that fan base up,” Bakula says. The lesson: People will likely follow Swift to a specific streaming platform, but they probably won’t chase after Tame Impala.
People will likely follow Taylor Swift to a specific streaming platform, but they probably won’t chase after Tame Impala.
“I think for the most part, the idea of exclusives is not good for fans,” Rdio CEO Anthony Bay told Bloomberg last week. “The idea that people will subscribe to multiple music services in order to get just a few songs or a few artists I think is going to slow down the whole category. It’s hard enough right now to get people to want to pay and understand the value of $10 a month.” Bay believes that if exclusivity deals start to dominate streaming, it’ll be easier for folks to go back to buying full digital albums.
Ellie Goulding performs at the Rdio House in Toronto.
That said, Bay admits no one really knows how the concept of exclusives will play out. It could be a matter of a timed window, with a new release only being available on a particular service for a week, or even a month. Or, and this would be the worst-case scenario, artists would tie all of their digital catalogs to Rdio, Spotify, Beats or Tidal. Today, $10 a month for streaming a library of millions of songs is already a tough sell for some. But if you up that to around $30 or more per month just to have access to the full roster of your favorite musicians across multiple apps, then the streaming-music renaissance grinds to a halt.
The reaction
Apple’s Tim Cook and Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine at a Grammy event
The use of exclusive releases is more a question of “when” than “if” for Apple’s upcoming Beats Music/iTunes streaming service. iTunes has done this already (remember the great U2 debacle?), offering an album for purchase on its platform before it’s made available on services like Spotify or Rdio. Usually, though, these iTunes exclusives take the form of bonus tracks or videos. But whatever form exclusives take on the company’s new subscription service, it’s by no means a stretch that Apple will continue to flex its muscle and sign exclusive deals, especially in the wake of Tidal.
Right now it seems possible the streaming-music sandbox mentality could triumph over consumer choice.
According to Billboard, Beats co-founder Jimmy Iovine attempted to lure some of Tidal’s backers, before its relaunch, over to the upcoming Beats Music service. What’s more, Bloomberg’s sources say that Apple is looking to lock down exclusives from artists like Swift and Florence and the Machine, whose How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful could be the big album of the summer.
So where does this leave the streaming companies without Apple’s deep pockets or a collection of popular musicians? Rdio’s already gone on record to oppose the exclusives strategy and Spotify doesn’t have the financial heft to compete. The Swedish company’s been clear about its financial model; that it’s not making any money and paying out most of its revenue (around 70 percent) to labels and publishers. That leaves only two major streaming music competitors to duke it out: Tidal with a roster of artists who control their own destiny, and Apple with its billion-dollar coffers.
Salute your solution
Spotify’s suite of apps
For the first time, last year streaming music sales surpassed physical CD sales, with subscriptions earning $1.87 billion, a 29 percent increase from 2013, versus $1.85 billion in CD revenues for all of 2014. Of course, streaming services have not overtaken downloads… yet. That’s still a $2.58 billion-per-year business, nabbing 37 percent of the market, but change is coming. With Spotify and Rdio continuing to add loads of new subscribers each quarter, and Apple’s expected service debut this summer, however, those numbers will surely continue to close the gap between downloads and services. Spotify, for example, added 2.5 million paying users between November and January, bringing its paid subscribers base to 15 million.
If the crux of the issue is artist compensation — as it appears to be for Tidal’s roster — then that’s something that should be resolved another way. I get that artists sign over their rights in a record deal and, in doing so, miss out on a big cut of streaming royalties until they can renegotiate. But there has to be a solution to the issue that doesn’t anger consumers and stymie the streaming revolution.
I feel ya, Kanye.
There’s no question that people are going to sign up and even switch over to Tidal if it means they’re guaranteed Rihanna’s album this year, or the next Kanye West release. And that’s fine so long as these deals are timed exclusives that don’t indefinitely lock out users of rival streaming services. Fair compensation shouldn’t be consumers’ burden; it’s between the artists and the labels that handle licensing deals. Right now, though, it seems possible the streaming-music sandbox mentality could triumph over consumer choice.
[Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Roc Nation (Tidal event); Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Roc Nation (Madonna); Douglas Gorenstein/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images (Jack White); Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For Roc Nation (Jay Z, Beyoncé, Win Butler); Kevin Winter/ACM2015/Getty Images for dcp (Taylor Swift); Karl Walter/Getty Images (Ellie Goulding); Michael Kovac/WireImage (Tim Cook and Jimmy Iovine); Theo Wargo/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images (Kanye West)]
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