Apple Trimming 200 Employees From Beats Team to Streamline Overlapping Functions

As part of its pending acquisition of Beats Electronics and Beats Music, Apple has begun making offers to Beats employees that will see roughly 200 of Beats’ 700 positions phased out over the next few months. News of the job cuts was first reported by 9to5Mac yesterday, with additional detail provided by the New York Post.

According to the reports, most of the job cuts will be in human resources, finance, and other areas where there is overlap between Apple and Beats staff. Some Beats employees will reportedly transfer to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, while others will remain at Beats’ current facility in the Los Angeles area.

Apple has issued a statement to Re/code confirming that some Beats employees have received only temporary offers from Apple as part of the transition.

Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr’s explanation: “We’re excited to have the Beats team join Apple, and we have extended job offers to every Beats employee. Because of some overlap in our operations, some offers are for a limited period and we’ll work hard during this time to find as many of these Beats employees as we can another permanent job within Apple.”

Apple’s $3 billion deal to acquire Beats and its headphone and streaming music businesses has been approved by European regulators, but will not be finalized until U.S. regulators sign off on the deal. Apple indicated at the time the acquisition was announced that it expects the deal to close this quarter.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Vox Music Player Updated With SoundCloud Integration, New Organizational Features [Mac Blog]

Coppertino today updated its popular Vox music player to version 2.1, adding SoundCloud integration and new options for organizing music. Vox now has the ability to stream HQ/FLAC/Lossless music from SoundCloud, giving users a way to listen to high quality music uploaded to SoundCloud.

According to Coppertino founder Ivan Ablamskiy, Vox is the only third-party music player that allows users to access and play original lossless files from SoundCloud.

Along with SoundCloud integration, Vox has also gained some new interface updates that make it easier to access and create playlists within the app, including “Collections,” a new way to intuitively organize music. A full list of updated features can be found below:

– Updated and improved modern and clean interface;
– Ability to stream SoundCloud files in high quality music formats (when the original file is a lossless or HQ audio file);
– Simplified access to all playlists, including iTunes;
– Convenient creation and management of playlists within VOX;
– Custom playlists from various sources;
– Easily queue a song to play it next;
– Full access to the largest database of radio stations and music from all over the world;
– Redesigned and more intelligent ‘Search’ capability;
– Numerous bug fixes and more.

Originally launched in August of 2013, Vox is a simple music player designed to serve as a replacement for the music player built into iTunes. It supports a wide variety of audio formats, including MP3, FLAC, AAC, Musepack, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, and more. Vox has the ability to import an existing iTunes library with metadata included and it also offers a built-in equalizer, radio connectivity, and gapless playback.

While Vox is currently limited to the Mac, Coppertino is working on an iOS app that’s expected to debut in the fall. According to a source that spoke to MacRumors, Coppertino is also working on an upcoming cloud music service, designed to allow Vox users to access their music on both the iPhone and Mac. The service will reportedly include unlimited music storage for a small yearly fee, with the ability to store any type of audio file, including HD.

The newly updated Vox app for the Mac is available from the Mac App Store for free. [Direct Link]

.CPlase_panel display:none;

iPhone 6 Said to Launch on Tuesday, October 14, Part of ‘Incredibly Busy’ Month for Apple

Apple may be planning to launch the iPhone 6 on Tuesday, October 14 as the month itself will be an incredibly busy one for the company, according to a source that spoke to MacRumors citing an internal Apple Retail Store meeting.

The source notes that a senior Store Leader mentioned October 14th as being an “immense” day for Apple, adding that the whole month of October would be very busy for stores and the company itself. Apple is also said to planning a media event for Tuesday, September 16, coming a month ahead of the device’s launch.

4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 mockups compared to iPhone 5s
To this point, most reports have pointed to a September announcement and launch for the iPhone 6. However, a report last week claimed that Apple is planning a mid-September event for the iPhone 6 and iOS 8, which would be followed by an October event showcasing the iWatch, OS X Yosemite, new iPads, and new Macs. An announcement event for September 16 would also fall on a Tuesday, which is when Apple typically announces new products.

Apple launching the iPhone 6 on a Tuesday would be a change from past years, as the company has launched previous iPhones and most new hardware on a Friday. However, the source claims that high customer demand and an ample supply due to a large production effort will motivate Apple to start iPhone 6 sales earlier in the week.

It is unknown if an October release for the iPhone 6 would include both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch version, as recent rumors have pointed toward several production issues plaguing the larger model. It is possible that the 5.5-inch may launch later in the year or in 2015 after Apple can produce enough devices. In addition to a larger screen, both versions of the iPhone 6 are expected to feature a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, and an improved camera.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Shazam Brings Always-On Music and TV Recognition to Mac With Free Menu Bar App

Music recognition service Shazam, which was one of the early App Store hits and has continued to see good success on mobile platforms, is now bringing its services to the desktop in the form of the first music, TV show, and ad recognition app for Mac.

Running as a menu bar item, Shazam for Mac quietly monitors audio around the user’s Mac and provides not only pop-up notifications of the content being played but also easy access to supplemental content such as lyrics, additional tracks from the album, purchasing options such as the iTunes Store, music videos, social sharing options, and more.

Once content has been identified by Shazam, a standard Notification Center pop-up appears onscreen, and an entry for the item is added to the running list of Shazam IDs in the menu bar app. Clicking in either location takes the user to a dedicated page on the web for the identified content.

MacRumors spoke with Shazam’s Chief Product Officer Daniel Danker about the launch, and Danker highlighted the utility of Shazam for Mac in the context of the popularity of lyrics searches on the Internet. With Shazam’s dedicated track pages on the web, Shazam for Mac seamlessly directs users to high-quality lyrics presented in a responsive layout appropriate for various screen sizes and without ads or other distractions.

Content feature page on shazam.com
In our testing of Shazam for Mac, the app generally did a solid job of picking up audio and quickly identifying the tracks being played. It is of course limited by the number of tracks available in Shazam’s database, and on an eclectic mix of tracks Shazam was unable to identify some of the tracks. Identification was generally solid, however, and came fairly quickly after the track began playing.

Beyond music, Shazam also works with television channels in the U.S., and Shazam for Mac was able to identify a number of shows and movies airing on a nearby television. Clicking on the item’s listing in Shazam offers quick access to content such as cast information, IMDB and Wikipedia listings, and more. With over 160 U.S. TV channels included in Shazam’s database, content can even be identified from the commercials being played between segments. Even ads such as Apple’s latest “Stickers” commercial for the MacBook Air can be identified by Shazam.

Shazam for Mac marks the next step in the service’s evolution as the company seeks to integrate its platform into users’ daily technology experience. Its always-on status builds upon the Auto Shazam functionality added to the iOS app late last year. Shazam has also entered into a partnership with Apple that will see Shazam’s music identification services integrated with Siri, allowing users to quickly and easily ask Siri to identify the music playing around them.

As for the future of Shazam for Mac and the service in general, Danker noted the company is working to build seamless connections with streaming music services to aid listeners, and also enhancing the lyrics experiencing with syncing and other features.

Shazam for Mac is a free app launching today in the Mac App Store.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

FCC Questions Verizon Plan to Throttle Some Unlimited Data Customers

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler today sent a letter [PDF via Gigaom] to Verizon Wireless, questioning its plan to throttle customers that have unlimited data plans during peak usage times. Verizon first announced its intention to throttle high-usage customers on grandfathered unlimited LTE plans last week.

In the letter, Wheeler says that he is “deeply troubled” by Verizon’s decision to throttle its unlimited users, as the company described its efforts as necessary for “Network Optimization.” Wheeler stated that he does not believe slowing the data speeds for select users falls under the “reasonable network management” umbrella.

“Reasonable network management” concerns the technical management of your network; it is not a loophole designed to enhance your revenue streams. It is disturbing to me that Verizon Wireless would base its “network management” on distinctions among its customers’ data plans, rather than on network architecture or technology.

Wheeler goes on to ask Verizon to answer a series of questions, requesting that the company explain its rationale for treating customers differently based on data plan type and questioning whether Verizon’s new throttling policy is justified under the FCC’s Open Internet rules. Wheeler also questions the necessity of cutting data speeds on the much more efficient 4G LTE network.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal Verizon said that it would respond to the Chairman’s letter following a review of the content.

“We will officially respond to the Chairman’s letter once we have received and reviewed it,” Verizon Wireless said in a statement. “However, what we announced last week was a highly targeted and very limited network optimization effort, only targeting cell cites experiencing high demand. The purpose is to ensure there is capacity for everyone in those limited circumstances, and that high users don’t limit capacity for others.”

Verizon plans to begin throttling high-usage LTE customers accessing congested network cells beginning on October 1. The company says the change will only affect users with grandfathered unlimited plans not under contract who rank in the top five percent of data users.

At the time of its announcement, Verizon said that the top five percent consisted of customers who used 4.7GB of data each month, and those customers may experience slow data speeds “when using certain high bandwidth applications, such as streaming high-definition video or during real-time, online gaming” when connected to a cell site “experiencing heavy demand.”

Verizon, which has long restricted 3G data usage for unlimited users, is not the first wireless carrier that has implemented LTE usage restrictions for customers on grandfathered unlimited plans. Other carriers, like AT&T, have similar policies and restrict key features from unlimited data plan holders in an effort to encourage them to switch to pay-by-usage tiered data plans.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Apple Seeds First OS X Mavericks 10.9.5 Beta to Developers

Apple today seeded the first build of OS X 10.9.5 to developers, one month after releasing OS X 10.9.4 to the public. The new beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Mac Dev Center. The beta has a build number of 13F7.

OS X 10.9.5 follows new seeds of Safari 7.0.6 and 6.1.6 for Mavericks and Mountain Lion, which were released to developers last night.

It is unclear what improvements the 10.9.5 update will bring to Mavericks, but it is likely to include bug fixes and stability enhancements. Apple is asking developers to focus on USB, USB Smart Cards, Graphics, and Safari.

Along with working on improvements to Mavericks, Apple is also beta testing OS X Yosemite, which is due to be released in the fall. The last Mavericks update, 10.9.4, added several Wi-Fi fixes and improved wake from sleep reliability.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

NomadPlus Transforms an Apple Charger Into a Portable Battery [iOS Blog]

Nomad, the company behind the pocket-sized NomadKey iPhone cable, today debuted the NomadPlus, a product that transforms an Apple charger into a portable battery pack.

While there are hundreds of different portable battery options for the iPhone, the NomadPlus is unique because it functions with an existing Apple charger. The NomadPlus plugs into an Apple wall charger, transforming it into a 1500 mAh portable battery with enough juice to recharge an iPhone to 70 percent.

One of the most cumbersome aspects of most battery packs is the recharging of the battery itself, but the NomadPlus allows the add-on battery to be charged as an iPhone charges via the wall charger, a simple solution that saves time and effort.

The NomadPlus is not much larger than an iPhone wall charger, measuring in at 2.75″ x 1.33″ x 1.10″, and it weighs just 2.1 ounces. It supports pass-through charging, and will charge the iPhone before charging the battery itself.

While NomadPlus takes advantage of the Apple wall charger’s superb design and engineering, its USB port can be used to power up any number of smartphone or tablet devices. Upcycling your wall plug with NomadPlus is the way to go when looking for a portable battery; it’s a practical upgrade of something you already own.

The NomadPlus can be pre-ordered from the Nomad website for $39, but as noted by TechCrunch, entering the promo code “nomadplus” will cut the price down to $20, presumably for a limited time.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Apple Launches New EFI Update 2.9.1 For 2011 MacBook Air to Solve Installation Problems [Mac Blog]

Apple today re-released its EFI Firmware 2.9 update for 2011 MacBook Air models after the original EFI update appeared to be causing trouble for many MacBook Air users.

The update, originally released on July 15 to address sleep/wake issues, caused some MacBook Air machines to shut down completely for several hours. On other machines, the update simply refused to install. Today’s re-released software, labeled 2.9.1, presumably fixes these issues, allowing the update to be properly installed.

The MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.9.1 is available in the Mac App Store for 2011 MacBook Airs and can also be downloaded from the Apple Support site.

.CPlase_panel display:none;

Russia wants Apple and SAP to prove that their software isn’t used for spying

Russia has been extra-sensitive to technological threats to its government as of late, and that’s clearer than ever in the wake of a new government proposal. Communication Minister Nikolai Nikiforov has suggested that Apple and SAP should hand over their source code to prove that it doesn’t have “undeclared capabilities” for spying on Russian agencies. In other words, he doesn’t want to give the NSA free rein just because an official brought an iPhone to work. While he isn’t certain as to whether or not institutions will keep using products whose code remains a secret, there’s an implication that Apple and SAP may be locked out of government contracts if Putin and crew believe there’s too much of a risk. Much of that business could go to Microsoft, which has been cooperating with Russia since 2003.

Neither Apple nor SAP has commented on the proposal so far, although the concept came about after their national managers met Nikiforov last week. Whether or not they’re forced to make a decision about their code, it’s not clear that divulging source code will be effective. Many of the NSA’s intrusion efforts are based on security exploits, not voluntarily created back doors — innocuous code on any platform can still contain surveillance-friendly bugs. And yes, there’s a degree of irony when Russia has been accused of both discouraging political transparency and using malicious code to spy on world leaders.

[Image credit: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin]

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Apple

Comments

Source: Reuters

.CPlase_panel display:none;