Apple is reportedly trying to poach artists from Jay Z’s music service

The streaming music business is getting particularly cutthroat, it seems. According to Billboard, Apple exec Jimmy Iovine has been trying to lure the first-tier musicians from Jay Z’s artist-owned Tidal service (possibly for an upcoming streaming option) by paying them “more money upfront.” Jay Z isn’t directly confirming the rumor, but he isn’t exactly denying it, either. He explains that a poaching attempt just reflects Iovine’s “competitive nature” and that the two have talked about their rival offerings. The rapper claims that he’s trying to make nice, and that he doesn’t “have to lose in order for you guys [at Apple] to win” — he sees the two sides trying to help artists. That may be true, but something tells us that Apple isn’t about to make life easy for a direct competitor… especially one whose emphasis on exclusives and special deals could hurt Apple’s bottom line.

[Image credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Roc Nation]

Filed under: Internet, Apple

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Via: 9to5Mac

Source: Billboard

Microsoft Announces Intel Atom-Based Surface 3 With Windows 8.1 for $499

Microsoft on Tuesday announced the Surface 3 tablet with Windows 8.1, available in May for a starting price of $499. The latest iPad competitor is designed to be a laptop replacement, running full Windows, including desktop applications, and delivering all-day battery life. Surface 3 comes with 64GB storage and 2GB of RAM for $499, while a 128GB option with 4GB of RAM costs $599. Both Wi-Fi only and 4G LTE models are available.

Surface 3 is powered by a quad-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, a significant shift from ARM processors used in previous models. The tablet also features a 10.8″ full HD display at 1,920×1,280 pixels resolution, full-size USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, microSD card reader, headphone jack, cover port, micro USB charging port, Bluetooth 4.0 and three-position kickstand. The tablet will receive a free upgrade to Windows 10 when available, and includes a one-year Office 365 subscription to use Word, PowerPoint, Excel and more.

The base model Surface 3 in 64GB and 128GB options is available for pre-order now through Microsoft’s website for delivery starting the first week of May, while the 4G LTE models are listed as shipping by June 26th. The tablet includes a 1-year limited hardware warranty. More detailed hardware specifications and general information about the tablet is available on the Surface 3 product page.

U.S. ITC to Investigate Apple After Ericsson Patent Infringement Claims

The ongoing conflict between Apple and Ericsson escalated this afternoon as the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) agreed to launch an investigation into claims that Apple infringed on as many as 41 of Ericsson’s cellular technology patents with its iPad and iPhone devices, reports PCWorld.

Apple and Ericsson first clashed in January, after the expiration of a 2008 licensing agreement between the two companies. Despite two years of negotiations, the companies failed to establish a new agreement that would let Apple use Ericsson’s cellular technology patents.

Apple filed a complaint suggesting Ericsson was both demanding excessive royalties for LTE patents and wrongly claiming its patents as essential for the LTE wireless communication standard. Ericsson responded with its own complaint, asking the court to determine whether its licensing fees were fair.

Ericsson’s cellular technology patents are considered essential and are subject to fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms (FRAND). According to Ericsson, the licensing deal it offered Apple (estimated to be between $250 million and $750 million annually) was reasonable, but Apple disagreed.

In February, Ericsson went on to file seven new lawsuits against Apple and two complaints with U.S. ITC in an effort to prevent Apple from selling products in the U.S., which is what led to today’s ITC investigation. Companies often file complaints in district court and with the ITC simultaneously as the ITC moves faster and has the ability to block products from being sold in the United States. The looming threat of a product ban can accelerate licensing negotiations.

Should the International Trade Commission’s investigation find that Apple infringed on Ericsson’s patents, it could potentially lead to an exclusion order preventing the infringing products from being sold in the United States until the dispute is resolved.

Apple’s Smartphone Trade-In Program Launches in United States, Canada and Europe

Apple has expanded its Reuse and Recycling Program in the United States, Canada and several European countries to cover eligible Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone smartphones. The new trade-in program is available online and in-store and provides customers with the option to mail in eligible non-Apple smartphones, including certain Samsung, HTC, LG, Nokia, Sony and BlackBerry models, for credit in the form of an Apple Store gift card or bank transfer.

The smartphone trade-in program has gone live in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany and Canada in partnership with third-party device buyback and trade-in company Brightstar. Apple is also accepting various PC models by certain manufacturers as part of its expanded Reuse and Recycling Program, handled by third-party vendor Dataserv.

Apple confirms new trade-in program is up and running today in US, UK, Canada, France, Germany and Italy.

— John Paczkowski (@JohnPaczkowski) March 30, 2015

Apple’s Reuse and Recycling Program launched in August 2013 and was previously limited to trading in qualifying iPhones, iPads and Macs for immediate credit towards the purchase of a new Apple device. Apple also offers a traditional recycling program for disposing of devices such as iPhones, iPads, Macs and other smartphones and computers that are no longer eligible for trade in.

Apple to Announce Q2 2015 Earnings on April 27 [Mac Blog]

Apple updated its investor relations page today to note that it will announce its earnings for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2015 on Monday, April 27. The quarterly earnings statement will be released sometime 1:30 PM Pacific/4:30 PM Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 PM Pacific/5:00 PM Eastern.

The earnings release will provide a look at sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus during the period following Apple’s record-breaking first quarter as well as iPad and Mac sales throughout the first few months of 2015. For the first quarter of 2015, Apple announced revenue of $74.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $18 billion, on 74.5 million iPhone sales, 5.5 million Mac sales, and 21.4 million iPad sales. April’s earnings call will come three days after the Apple Watch release, but will not include Apple Watch sales figures.

During its first quarter earnings report, Apple provided Q2 2015 guidance of $52 to $55 billion in revenue and gross margin between 38.5 and 39.5 percent.

MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings release and conference call on April 27.

Apple Seeds Sixth OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite Beta to Developers, Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded a new beta of OS X Yosemite to developers and public beta testers, a week after seeding the fifth OS X Yosemite beta and almost two months after releasing the first OS X 10.10.3 beta.

The new beta, build 14D127a, is available for registered developers through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Mac Developer Center. OS X Yosemite Recovery Update 1.0 is also available, improving the reliability of Yosemite Recovery when restoring from a Time Machine backup.

OS X 10.10.3 includes several new features, like the Photos for OS X app. Designed to integrate with iCloud Photo Library and the Photos app on iOS, the Photos for OS X app is a replacement for both iPhoto and Aperture. Reviews have suggested that while Photos is a suitable replacement for iPhoto, with more advanced tools and performance optimizations, it may leave professional users disappointed in its initial incarnation.

Along with the new Photos for OS X app, earlier OS X 10.10.3 betas have introduced a redesigned emoji picker that consolidates emoji into a single scrollable page with clear labels, new diversified emoji and emoji skin tone modifiers, new flag emoji and updated emoji for the iPhone, iMac, and Apple Watch, and support for Google 2-step verification when setting up accounts in System Preferences.

With the fifth OS X 10.10.3 beta, there were just two minor bug fixes to the OS X Photos app, and today’s update likely includes similar small changes. Given that we’re on the sixth beta, OS X 10.10.3 is undoubtedly getting close to completion and we may see a public release of the software in the near future.

How to Use iTunes Match [Mac Blog]

For $24.99 per year, or about two dollars per month, iTunes Match keeps all of your music in iCloud so you can access any song at any time from any device instead of picking and downloading your favorite playlists every time you sync your device. Plus, Apple will provide you with high quality playback using 256 Kbps AAC DRM free versions of your music, even if your original copy was lower quality.

Some users may not be entirely familiar with hoe the service works, so we’ve put together this tutorial that explains the process of how to subscribe to and use iTunes Match on your computer and iOS devices.

How iTunes Match Works

In November 2011, Apple released iTunes Match in the United States, gradually expanding availability over time and now offering the subscription service in over 115 countries. The service is designed to let you store up to 25,000 songs in iCloud that can be accessed from any Apple device at any time. Music you have purchased through the iTunes Store does not count against your maximum capacity.

Every song that you’ve added to your music library in iTunes via CD or digital download, including music from the iTunes Store or another source, can be stored in iTunes Match.

Once you have subscribed to the service, iTunes determines which songs in your collection are available in the iTunes Store, and those songs are automatically added to iCloud. Songs that don’t exist in the iTunes Store already are uploaded to iCloud from your computer. Once songs are made available via iCloud, you can play back music on any device that your Apple ID is connected to. Up to 10 devices are supported.

On a PC or Mac, music is streamed over the air, although you can download songs to your computer by selecting the iCloud download button. On iOS, songs download to your device as they are played, and you can also manually download music by tapping the iCloud download button. You can only stream songs on Apple TV.
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Review: The BrydgeAir Keyboard Turns Your iPad Air 2 Into a Mini MacBook [iOS Blog]

After we published our review of the ClamCase Pro keyboard for the iPad Air 2, some of our readers suggested that we take a look at other iPad keyboards available on the market. We decided to take MacRumors readers up on that suggestion, and over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at several keyboards designed for Apple’s newest tablet, the iPad Air 2.

We’re kicking things off with a review of the BrydgeAir keyboard, which is able to work with both the original iPad Air and the iPad Air 2. Much like the ClamCase Pro we previously looked at, the all-aluminum BrydgeAir is designed to turn the iPad into a miniature MacBook.

At $169, the BrydgeAir is one of the more expensive iPad keyboards on the market, but that price point comes with some perks not found in many cheaper options — quality aluminum construction, a fluid 180 degree hinge, built-in dual stereo speakers, and backlit keys.
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iPad Pro Dummy Points Towards Dual Lightning Ports or USB-C Port

Images of what appear to be a mockup version of the upcoming larger-screened “iPad Pro” depict either a secondary Lightning port or a USB-C port on one side of the device, suggesting it could potentially have multiple methods of charging and/or the ability to support accessories like keyboards and mice. The pictures, which show the mystery port, a headphone jack/speakers, and the camera, originated on microblogging site Sina Weibo and were shared by Italian site HDBlog.

Case manufacturers and other accessory makers often create dummy models of upcoming Apple devices to get an early start on the development process, and the tablet pictured in the photos is likely one of these mockups. Most of these models are based on rumors and leaked schematics, and while they’re frequently accurate, there have been errors in dummy models for past devices.

The port on the left side of the device in the images does line up with a previously leaked iPad Pro case that had an opening on the left side believed to be for a SIM card tray, but the presence of a side port was not seen in schematics shared by Japanese magazine Mac Fan last November. Those schematics may have been inaccurate or out of date, as rumors have suggested Apple is still working on ironing out the tablet’s features ahead of its release.

Given the design similarities between a Lightning port and a USB-C port, it is not entirely clear what function the extra port serves, but a recent rumor from The Wall Street Journal pointed towards the the possible inclusion of USB 3.0 ports on the iPad Pro, potentially allowing the device to connect to a keyboard or mouse.

Aside from the Lightning port, the other images shared on Weibo show a rear camera with light sensor and microphone, and a headphone jack adjacent to a row of speakers. Rumors have suggested the iPad Pro will have speakers and microphones at the top and bottom edges of the device for a stereo audio experience.

Aside from its larger size and tweaked design elements to accommodate new features, the iPad Pro is said to look similar to the existing iPad Air and iPad mini. It’s rumored to have a high-resolution display between 12.2 and 12.9 inches, an A8X processor, 2GB RAM, and Touch ID. It may also support an optional stylus accessory.

Apple may be targeting a September 2015 production timeline for the tablet, so it may come alongside new iPad Air and iPad mini models this fall.