Apple reportedly has ‘hundreds’ working on an electric car

Those ages-old rumors of Apple working on its own cars may have some merit after all. Wall Street Journal sources report that Cupertino has “several hundred” staffers working on an electric car project nicknamed Titan. It’s supposedly early days (a release would be “several years” away), but the current effort apparently resembles a minivan. There’s no mention of whether or not Apple’s camera-toting vans are linked to this EV effort, although it’s certainly tempting to make that connection.

One thing is clear, if the claims are true: Apple isn’t taking the project lightly. The WSJ understands that ex-Ford engineer and veteran iPhone leader Steve Zadesky is heading up Titan. The Financial Times, meanwhile, has learned that Apple is recruiting loads of automotive experts, including former Mercedes-Benz research chief Johann Jungwirth (who’s officially tasked with Mac Systems Engineering). The company may be talking to vehicle suppliers like Magna, too. It’s possible that there’s something less ambitious in the works (such as more substantive car infotainment systems) or that the initiative will fall apart, but the sheer scale and focus suggests that Tesla could get stiff competition in its own back yard.

[Image credit: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for (RED)]

Filed under: Transportation, Apple

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Source: Wall Street Journal, Financial Times

Apple Recruiting Automotive Experts to Work in ‘Top-Secret Research Lab’

Apple is recruiting automotive technology and vehicle design experts to work in a new “top-secret research lab,” according to Financial Times. The report adds that a number of Apple designers working under design chief Jonathan Ive have also been regularly meeting with automotive executives and creators in recent months, and even trying to hire them in some cases.

A team of Apple employees, led by experienced managers from Apple’s iPhone unit, are said to be researching automotive products at a secretive location outside of the Cupertino-based company’s One Infinite Loop headquarters. The new research lab was allegedly set up late last year, shortly after the unveiling of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.

Financial Times claims that Apple may be developing an advanced software platform that builds upon the CarPlay dashboard system, although its sources claim that the background of the individuals that the iPhone maker is hiring suggests that the company may also be in the early stages of working on a car to compete with the likes of Tesla and Google.

But people familiar with the company said that the background of the people Apple is hiring — including automotive designers and vehicle dynamics engineers — and the seniority of the executives involved suggest a car could be in the works.

“Three months ago I would have said it was CarPlay,” said one person who has worked closely with Apple for many years, referring to Apple’s infotainment system. “Today I think it’s a car.”

An increasing amount of speculation has surfaced in recent months about Apple working on a car after a mysterious van leased to the company was spotted in California and a subsequent report claimed that Apple is working on a project that “will give Tesla a run for its money.”

White House Announces Apple Pay Support for Federal Payment Cards [iOS Blog]

Just ahead of Tim Cook’s speech at today’s Cybersecurity Summit, The White House has announced federal-payment cards are gaining Apple Pay support, reports Bloomberg. People who receive veterans and Social Security benefits from the government via debit card will now be able to use those cards with Apple Pay.

The deal includes the Direct Express payment network and government cards issued through GSA SmartPay, which handles more than 87.4 million transaction worth $26.4 billion each year, according to the General Services Administration.

Apple Pay has been lauded by banks and other payment industry executives for its security, and its acceptance by the federal government is a valuable endorsement for the service.

Apple Pay is seen as a highly secure solution due to its use of tokenization, which generates a unique code for each transaction to prevent actual credit card numbers from being shared. It also protects all consumer data like name and address, and it further ensures secure payments through fingerprint verification with Touch ID.

Currently, Apple Pay is only available in the United States, but it is set to expand internationally in the coming months. Apple Pay for China is expected in the near future, through a partnership with China’s UnionPay.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Speaks at White House Cybersecurity Summit

Apple CEO Tim Cook is at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection which is occurring now, and he is expected to speak for approximately 10 minutes beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, ahead of a presidential address set to take place at 11:15.

The summit is being streamed live on YouTube and can be watched below.

The White House is expected to unveil its next executive action on cybersecurity at today’s summit. The event includes tech executives, academics, government officials, with several panels on topics like payment security, and improving cybersecurity practices at consumer oriented businesses.

Cook, who is one of the few top executives at the summit, is expected to speak on the importance of user privacy. Cook has been a major voice calling for government surveillance reform, asking for limitations on government authority to collect users’ information and transparency about data demands. MacRumors will update this post with highlights on what Cook has to say.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple Executives Mingled at Pre-Grammy Party Amid Discussions on Future of Beats and iTunes

While the Grammy Awards happened last weekend, information on a few Apple-related conversations happening at and around Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party are just now beginning to emerge, reports Billboard. Representing Apple at the gala were Tim Cook, Eddy Cue, Jimmy Iovine and iTunes VP Robert Kondrk, with the Apple executives chatting with a number of music industry representatives during the event.

The party came as Iovine has reportedly been meeting with senior executives from many record labels in recent weeks, and while Billboard reports “a nondisclosure agreement preceded every sit-down,” details on some of the discussions are beginning to trickle out. One of the main takeaways appears to be a targeted spring/summer launch window for the revamped Beats Music streaming service the company is said to be integrating with iOS and OS X.

Left to right: Al Gore, Eddy Cue, Tim Cook, Jimmy Iovine, Nancy Pelosi at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party (Photo via Mashable)
An insider speaking to Billboard claims the Cupertino-based company isn’t content just to be in the music business but “to be the music business; it’s not to compete with Spotify.” Billboard points out that, with new iOS updates in development possibly bringing Beats Music support and the booming popularity of streaming services, the company appears to already be lining up to deal with its digital music problems head-on.

The proof is in the 800 million credit cards it already has on file — comparably, Spotify has 15 million subscriptions and 60 million monthly users, although the service is growing, headed to an initial public offering.

In fact, integration has begun. Apple TV features a Beats logo, an update to Apple’s iOS will include streaming and creative is in the works for new ads starring artists recruited by Iovine. But that may be the extent of Beats’ involvement as Kondrk takes the lead on music. Like the Apple-centric design of its offices, the look and feel of Beats is likely to mirror Apple’s aesthetic, not the other way around.

Other news out of the talks points to a bit of housecleaning in dealing with iTunes itself, with Apple supposedly planning to rid the store of many covers, soundalikes, and re-recordings. Billboard also reports that the featured ticker seen on the iTunes storefront may lose its editorial-chosen feature and become more sales-based.

Additionally, featured-artist sliders, previously chosen editorially, may now be determined by sales velocity, leaving some to wonder if iTunes is becoming less like a Tower Records and more of a Target — limited selection and a focus on hit titles. “Until now, iTunes has been good to the indies,” contends one vet. Conversely, an Apple source says such case-by-case house-cleaning to eliminate duplicative and deceptive versions is routine.

Despite Apple’s challenges in a market where third-party music services can operate fairly freely on Apple’s platforms, insiders remain optimistic about Apple’s plans, with Davis’ son Doug pointing out the company’s already hugely popular ecosystem of devices and operating systems helping to launch the new service with a bang. “Their streaming service will see a seamless integration that’s cross-platform and convenient, as Spotify has become,” Davis said. “As a fan of all-you-can-eat, the industry in general is excited to have more market players.”

How to Enable Two-Step Verification for Apple ID [iOS Blog]

Apple introduced an additional layer of security for iPhone, iPad and Mac users a few years ago by rolling out two-step verification for Apple ID accounts. Two-step verification prevents anyone from accessing an Apple ID account, even if they know the password, by requiring a four-digit verification code sent via SMS or Find My iPhone. When you enable two-step verification, you must register at least one trusted device capable of receiving SMS text messages.

Once activated, two-step authentication is required when managing your Apple ID through My Apple ID, signing into iCloud, or making iTunes, iBooks or App Store purchases from a new device. Apple has also expanded two-step authentication to iMessage and FaceTime, requiring users to input an authentication code from a verified device on accounts that have two-factor verification enabled to prevent unauthorized entry attempts through both services. Read more

Candy Crush Saga Players Spent Over $1.3 Billion on In-App Purchases in 2014 [iOS Blog]

Candy Crush Saga may have reached peak popularity, with quarterly spending declining over the past eighteen months, but that hasn’t stopped the sweet-swapping puzzle game from raking in the cash. Candy Crush Saga players still spent over $1.3 billion on the game in 2014 alone, according to The Guardian, with dollars being used towards in-app purchases such as extra lives, extra moves, color bombs, lollipop hammers and gold bars.

Candy Crush Saga continues to be the third-highest grossing app in the United States, closely trailed by Candy Crush Soda Saga at sixth overall. The game has gained a cult-like following since launching on the App Store in June 2013, following in the footsteps of other smash-hit games such as Infinity Blade and Angry Birds. The game was most lucrative when it pulled in $551 million during the third quarter of 2013.

The latest financial numbers from King, the developer of the game, reveal that Candy Crush Saga represented 45% of spending on the company’s games during the final quarter of 2014, the first quarter in a long time that the iconic title did not make up the majority of its revenue. King has been working to diversify its gaming portfolio so that it relies less on Candy Crush Saga to remain profitable. The company had 356 million monthly unique users playing its games last quarter.

Earlier this week, Apple introduced a new category on the App Store to promote games without in-app purchases. The “Pay Once & Play” section offers a range of titles that are organized into the following categories: Recent Releases, Blockbuster Games, and App Store Originals. Some of the featured titles include Thomas Was Alone, Minecraft – Pocket Edition, Hero Emblems, Threes, Blek, and Goblin Sword.

Fleksy Keyboard Adds New Themes, Extensions, and Valentine’s Day Content [iOS Blog]

Fleksy yesterday announced an update to its popular, and record-breaking, third-party iOS keyboard that brings along a slew of new customizable Extensions and Themes, including a few that tie in with the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday this weekend.

The specific Valentine’s Day theme will be free to all Fleksy users on February 14, and Fleksy is also introducing a “Heartpops” extension that animates a colorful heart with every keypress.

In the 5.2 update, the company is also making a few broader additions to expand the Fleksy experience. The most notable additions include a new “Energy Theme Pack” with three brand new themes, a Hotkey Extension that allows users to customize a row of seven keys with their own desired emojis, custom phrases or email addresses, and of course general bug fixes and performance improvements.

FEATURING

– The Energy Theme Pack! Breathe more life into your keyboard with these animated themes.
– The Hotkey Extension! Add a row of customizable keys for things you type often like emojis, symbols or email addresses.
– Heart Pops! Make your keys pop with hearts with this lovely Extension.
– Magic Button! Replace the globe with emoji, a comma, or a dismiss keyboard button in settings. Also, long-press the globe button for more options.
– Case-sensitive layout. Enable this feature in Settings.
– iCloud Sync. Now your dictionary words will sync automatically across your devices.
– More keys have been added to landscape orientation on iPhone (portrait for iPad). You can disable this layout in Settings.

Following the launch of iOS 8 last September and its system-wide support of alternative keyboards, a handful of third-party keyboard apps rocketed to the top of the App Store charts. Fleksy has remained one of the more popular options, with the latest December update bringing a big overhaul to customization options and the introduction of Extensions into the experience.

Fleksy Keyboard can be downloaded from the App Store for $0.99. [Direct Link]

iWork for iCloud Beta Apps Now Accessible Without an Apple Device

Apple on Thursday made Pages, Numbers and Keynote accessible to users without an Apple device through iCloud Beta. Starting last night, anyone can sign up for an Apple ID to access the trio of iWork for iCloud beta apps for free. Each account comes with 1GB of complimentary iCloud storage for use with the productivity software.

While the offer is currently limited to the iCloud Beta website, it is likely that Apple will rollout the feature to the regular version in the future. To create a free Apple ID account, navigate to iCloud Beta and click on the get started link in the top banner to begin the signup process.

Apple introduced iWork for iCloud at WWDC 2013, bringing Pages, Numbers and Keynote to the web. After receiving “overwhelming response,” Apple eventually opened the service to all users a few months later. iWork for iCloud has been steadily improved since then with interactive charts, an updated design, expanded language support and more.