Apple Launches ‘Better’ Environmental Campaign, Shares Glimpse of New Nevada Data Center
In advance of Earth Day, Apple revamped its Environmental Responsibility website with new content that reconfirms the company’s dedication to operate its business in a way that is best for the environment. The updated website features a new “Better” video narrated by Apple CEO Tim Cook that explains the company’s environmentally friendly values.
Keeping with this Earth Day theme, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environmental initiatives, also recently gave Wired an exclusive tour of Apple’s newest data center in Yerington, Nevada. Apple is close to powering all its facilities entirely with renewable energy, with its corporate office and data centers now at 94 percent and climbing.
Though Jackson can’t take credit for Apple’s renewable initiative, she monitors its progress and, perhaps even more important, spreads the word that renewables aren’t just for tree-huggers, but are serious energy sources that can take on the biggest jobs. “No one can ever claim again you can’t have a data center that runs on 100 percent renewable,” says. “Once those proof points are out there, it makes it easier for policies to follow.”
Though the company uses wind and hydroelectric power in its other facilities, Apple is relying on solar power in it Nevada facility. This design mirrors its Maiden, NC data center, which uses two 100-acre solar fields to produce a total of 50 megawatts. Apple is now building out these solar arrays in Nevada on a 134-acre field, which will generate approximately 20 megawatts of power when it is completed in 2015. The remaining power for the plant will be supplied by geothermal energy.
Apple to End Support for AIM iChat Logins on Older Versions of OS X Starting June 30 [Mac Blog]
Apple has announced in a recent support note (via ZDNet) that it will end AIM iChat login support for users running versions of OS X below 10.7.2 Lion on June 30, 2014.
The change will affect those who use their mac.com and me.com addresses as AIM IDs to log into iChat on older systems, as users running compatible versions of OS X Snow Leopard and OS X Lion can upgrade to OS X Mavericks for free.
Meanwhile, users running OS X Leopard are directed to purchase and upgrade to Snow Leopard and then install OS X Mavericks for free. If a user cannot upgrade to a newer version of OS X, then the creation of a new AIM ID on AOL’s website will be required along with the need to repopulate a new contacts list.
iChat was discontinued in favor of Messages, which has been the default instant messaging application on the Mac since its first appearance in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. According to the latest data from Net Applications, Apple’s newest operating system, OS X Mavericks, holds a 51% share on all Macs, while the share of systems running older versions of OS X affected by this latest change is 19%.
Apple and Google Vying for Exclusive Games from Developers With Promotional Perks
A new report from The Wall Street Journal today highlights the increasing competition between Apple and Google to gain exclusive games for their respective iOS and Android platforms. According to the report, both companies have been offering developers promotional perks, such as premium placement on their app store home pages, in exchange for the first rights to a title.
For instance, the popular title Cut The Rope 2 was reportedly part of an exclusivity agreement between Apple and and developer ZeptoLab:
ZeptoLab’s sequel to its popular puzzle game “Cut the Rope”, introduced in December, reflected a similar pattern. The company and Apple agreed to about a three-month window of exclusivity for Apple’s App Store, in exchange for the store prominently promoting the game, one person familiar with the matter said. ZeptoLab launched an Android version in late March.
The report also notes a promotional agreement between Apple and EA to launch Plants VS. Zombies 2 on iOS two months before its release on Android. This is in line with a story from Giant Bomb last September that shared similar details. However, while both companies denied the claims and stated that no money was exchanged as asserted by the original story, The Wall Street Journal notes that Apple doesn’t offer money for game exclusives, but rather just marketing and promotional assistance.
Plants VS. Zombies 2 was prominently featured by Apple during the week of its release, as it was mentioned on the App Store Facebook page and featured in top banners on the App Store itself.
Amazon has also carried out similar practices, offering promotional spots on its Amazon Appstore in order for the rights to launch games on its Kindle family of devices. An Amazon spokeswoman corroborated these claims, stating that the company “works with many developers to bring their apps to the Amazon Appstore.” The company’s new Fire TV media streaming box, which was released earlier this month, contains dedicated support for games, even offering a $39 wireless Fire game controller.
The news also comes as the amount of money spent by consumers on mobile content grows. According to the results of a study done by research firms IDC and App Annie, mobile games accounted for $16 billion of app sales, jumping 2.3x over the past year.
The battle for exclusive games has come to smartphones
It’s like Sega and Sony all over again. We don’t mean the hardware arms race (although that’s certainly happening), but how the smartphone world’s two top players are now fighting over the most popular games… and their sequels. Gaming is one of the top money-spinning app categories on smartphones and tablets and according to a WSJ report, both Apple and Google are trying to get popular games and their developers on their side. The companies promise headline placement in their respective online stores and prominent ads around the app portal, in exchange for exclusivity, or at least a lead. This was apparently the case for Plants Vs. Zombies 2 last year, where Apple got a two-month lead over the Android version — and it’s not the only one.
The Cut The Rope series followed a similar pattern, while Gameloft, the company behind titles like Asphalt, had apparently discussed the exclusivity angle with Apple, but eventually decided to launch on both Android and iOS at the same time. “We haven’t found the case where it makes sense for us,” said Gonzague de Vallois, head of sales and marketing. In contrast to the console battles from the last few decades, neither platform has managed to nail down anything resembling a talismanic mascot character or series — we’re not expecting hell to freeze over in this new fight.
Filed under: Gaming, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: WSJ
First Generation Apple TVs Unable to Connect to iTunes
Apple’s first generation Apple TV have lost their ability to connect to iTunes and appears to be affecting users worldwide.
A lengthy Apple Discussions page shows that the problem started on the 17th of April and has persisted for 1st generation Apple TV users. Forum poster georgevargas describes the issue:
As of last night I had full access to the iTunes Store. Since this morning I was getting an Itunes Store Not Available message, and after unplugging the AppleTv the iTunes Store access completly disappeared except for movie trailers.
Users have gone through the usual diagnostics, including rebooting and restoring, but have found that nothing has restored connectivity. MacRumors has confirmed the issue on our own 1st generation Apple TV.
The initial timing of the outage corresponds to the FaceTime not working for iOS 6 users, suggesting some internal changes by Apple has affected both services. Some users are speculating that internal communication upgrades related to the Heartbleed security issue could be related. Apple denied that Heartbleed affected any of their “key services” but did not elaborate on what those might be.
Apple has not provided any statement on if and when 1st generation Apple TV functionality will be restored or not. The first generation Apple TV was released in January, 2007 and was sold until September, 2010.
R.I.P Nike Fuelband?: Nike could be killing off their fitness wearable, instead focus on fitness Software
R.I.P Nike Fuelband. Here lies Nike’s fitness wearable, probably. According to sources who spoke with CNET, Nike has laid off 55 of the 70 strong Nike Fuelband hardware team, prompting the rumour that Nike may be shuttering development of its only fitness wearable. This is likely a move to refocus Nike’s aspirations, who just recently announced a Fuel Lab in San Francisco that aims to provide more digital services to athletes.
This move don’t come as much as a surprise as Nike has insisted on leaning on its close working relationship with Apple (Apple CEO, Tim Cook, is on Nike’s board). So much so that the Nike Fuelband (assuming this news is true) will be buried as an iOS-exclusive wearable and never having experienced the nigh-on 80% of smartphones that are Android based devices. Other pundits suggest that the Fuelband’s undoing was more likely due to its relationship with Apple and the rumoured Apple wearable that we’ve all heard so much about. A partnership between and Nike software and Apple hardware would be far more lucrative for the sports wear giant, however that’s all still a pipe dream at this point.
What do you think about the news that Nike is likely going to dump their fitness wearable? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
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‘Beats Music’ Updated With In-App Subscriptions, Offline Mode and More [iOS Blog]
Beats has updated its Beats Music streaming music app with in-app subscriptions, Facebook friend search, an offline mode and more. The move allows users to subscribe to the Beats Music service via their iTunes account.
What’s New in Version 1.0.7
You asked for it, and we listened! Some highlights in this release include:
– In-app subscription and account management via your iTunes account
– Find Your Friends — find and follow your Facebook friends on Beats Music
– Improved Facebook and Twitter account management
– Thousands of new tracks available in The Sentence
– Artist Offers — discover new content and merchandise from your favorite artists
– Offline Mode & Downloading improvements
– Music Player performance fixes
Previously, users had to subscribe to Beat Music on the service’s website, allowing Beats to bypass Apple’s 70 / 30 split with developers, which would result in the Cupertino company netting $3 a month from Beats Music’s $10-a-month fee for every subscriber Beats adds within the app.
Beats CEO Ian Rogers tells Re/code that the company made its decision to add in-app subscriptions, and therefore submit to the 70 / 30 split, when it found that more than half of its users used iPhones, making it difficult to get an iOS user to subscribe with no in-app subscription option.
Other music streaming services like Rdio and Rhapsody also sell subscriptions in-app, although Rdio’s in-app subscription price was raised from $10 a month to $15 a month to make up for Apple’s cut. Spotify, however, does not offer in-app subscriptions, though it does offer a free, ad-supported mode available in its app.
Beats Music is available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Facebook Updates ‘Paper’ App With Birthdays, Events, Photo Comments and More [iOS Blog]
Facebook has updated its news creation and curation app Paper with birthdays, events, group updates, photo comments and much more, filling in the app with features from the “main” Facebook app that users have requested since its debut.
Thanks again for your feedback on Paper. We’ve been working to build features you’ve asked for, and we’re excited to share version 1.1. Here’s the scoop:
– Birthdays and events: Never miss a chance to celebrate! Just tap the notifications globe and scroll down to see important dates ahead.
– Photo comments: When words aren’t enough, now you can add photos to comments to show how you feel.
– Group updates: Don’t miss posts from your favorite groups. Swipe down to open the Main Menu. Tap the More Options icon to the right of the Search box. When you see your groups, check the new unread counts to catch up on the posts you’ve missed.
– New story buttons: To keep up with the latest stories in a section in fullscreen view, or to catch the newest stories in the next section, tap the new story arrows when they appear.
– More article covers: 9 new article covers join our collection, making easier to spot your favorite sources on Paper. Keep an eye out for Fox News, Bloomberg News, Mashable, FT, kottke, Popular Science, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair and Hacker News.
– Basic accessibility: All of your sections now support basic accessibility features, and we’re working to extend accessibility throughout the app.
In addition, Paper product manager Michael Reckhow tells The Verge that despite Facebook’s plans to strip Messenger out of its main Facebook app, the Paper product team does not have plans to remove messaging from its app, saying that the team wishes to keep the app independent from the goals and strategies of the main Facebook app.
Paper isn’t the only app Facebook has been working on updates for, as the company yesterday announced a new feature called Nearby Friends for its main app. Similar to Apple’s Find My Friends, the optional feature allows users to see if their friends are nearby so that they can meet up.
Paper – stories from Facebook is available for free in the App Store. [Direct Link]
Facebook is available for free on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Nike Fires Majority of FuelBand Team, Plans to Stop Making Wearables [iOS Blog]
Nike plans to no longer make wearable hardware, as it has fired the majority of its 80-person team responsible for the FuelBand fitness tracker and will instead focus its efforts on fitness software, according to an unnamed source that spoke to CNET.
The shoemaker isn’t throwing in the towel on technology. Rather, it’s turning away from hardware and realigning its focus exclusively on fitness and athletic software, a strategic shift that would still benefit the company in the long run, analysts said.
While the competition in the fitness wearable category has increased with entries from Jawbone and Fitbit, Nike spokesman Brian Strong told CNET in an email that the company continually aligns its resources with business priorities and that it has made changes to its team as its Digital Sport priorities have shifted toward software. Nike is also opening an incubator called Fuel Lab in San Francisco to allow developers to create products that incorporate its workout metric NikeFuel and plug into a Nike+ API that’ll come this fall.
Nike’s move away from wearables also comes as Apple’s long-rumored iWatch is expected to come to fruition. Apple CEO Tim Cook is an avid wearer of the FuelBand and has sat on the Nike board for the last nine years, which has helped the two brands foster a strong relationship.
A possible partnership between Apple and Nike wouldn’t be out of the question as the athletic company was one of the first to show support for the iPhone 5s’ motion coprocessor, debuting the Nike+ Move app alongside the iPhone 5s at Apple’s media event. Apple also helped Nike enter the wearable market in 2006 with the Nike+iPod shoe package.
Apple has also hired former members of the Nike’s Digital Sport team, picking up former FuelBand consultant Jay Blahnik last August and Nike design director Ben Shaffer last September.
Apple is expected to release the iWatch later this year alongside iOS 8 and the iPhone 6.
Apple Offering Some Developers Second Chance to Buy Unclaimed WWDC Tickets
Apple is offering some developers a chance to buy unclaimed WWDC tickets, according to a report from 9to5Mac and several Twitter users. Apple has emailed certain developers to offer them WWDC tickets, giving them 24 hours to pay the $1,599 ticket fee.
This year, because of nearly immediate ticket sellouts in past years, Apple decided to offer WWDC tickets to registered, paid iOS and Mac developers through a lottery system. Developers who won the ticket lottery had until April 14 to complete their purchases.
Now Apple is reportedly reaching out to developers who didn’t win the lottery and offering them a chance to buy unclaimed tickets. Some developers are starting to get phone calls from the company informing them that they have been randomly selected to buy one of the tickets that winners failed to claim before the 14th.
It is unknown how many WWDC tickets went unclaimed by lottery winners, nor how the company is choosing developers to receive a second chance at tickets.
The annual Worldwide Developers Conference will be held from June 2-6 at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco
