Steve Jobs Opera Based on Shakespeare’s ‘Henry V’ to Open in France [Mac Blog]
France’s Opéra de Lyon is set to begin performing a multimedia opera that combines the history of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs with the story of Shakespeare’s 1599 play Henry V.
Written by German composer Roland Auzet, “Steve Five (King Different)” pulls its content from Walter Isaacson’s best-selling Steve Jobs biography and explores the parallels between two kings – one from Silicon Valley and the other from England – who confronted reality through invention.
Via Google Translate:
The book is composed of two biographies, two routes, close and yet separated by five centuries: two words, two ways to confront reality by inventing. Steve Jobs painted what Shakespeare called “the brightest heaven of invention” and the fate of Silicon Valley faces the epic Henry V.
The opera, which includes includes rap and classical orchestra, spoken and sung opera, and poetry, will be performed for the first time on Friday, March 14 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Lyon, France. It will also have three subsequent showings on March 15, 17, and 18.
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Apple drops iPhone return policy back to 14 days, matches carriers
At some point several years ago Apple decided to offer a much more generous return policy for the iPhone than it did for other products, bumping it from 14 days to 30 days. Over the last couple of years, however, the carriers have begun shifting to a 14 day return period. Obviously this caused some confusion among consumers who faced different terms depending on where they purchased their handset. Now Apple is (re)joining them by returning to the more restrictive two week policy. The move brings all parties in line with each other, which should reduce confusion and avoid surprise charges — it was possible before to be hit with an early cancellation fee from your carrier if you returned your iPhone to an Apple store. Though, clearly we wish everyone had settled on 30 days.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Apple
Apple Considering Standalone iTunes Radio App for iOS 8
Following its introduction at WWDC 2013, Apple’s iTunes Radio music streaming service launched alongside iOS 7 in September of last year. The service is available within iTunes on the desktop and the Music app for iOS, allowing users create channels based on artists, genres or songs. To bring attention to the service and increase engagement, Apple may be spinning off iTunes Radio into its own app in iOS 8, according to a report by 9to5Mac.
As a standalone application, users will be able to more quickly access iTunes Radio. Psychologically for users, iTunes Radio will be its own app competing with the likes of the Pandora, Spotify, and iHeartRadio apps found on the App Store. The benefit for Apple, however, is that iTunes Radio will be pre-installed. The interface for the standalone iTunes Radio application is said to be nearly identical to the one found inside of the iOS Music app and its Home screen icon is a terrestrial radio graphic atop a red background.
Apple originally wanted to launch iTunes Radio as a standalone app alongside iOS 6, but those plans allegedly fell through when licensing negotiations with major music labels hit a snag. As envisioned for iOS 8, the new standalone iTunes Radio reportedly would be similar to the current Music app version, continuing to offer Featured Stations and include a browsable music history. iOS users would maintain their ability to create and manage their music channels as well as purchase individual tracks.
Despite being buried within the iOS Music app, iTunes Radio continues to grow in popularity. A recent report from Edison Research and Statista places iTunes Radio as the third most popular music streaming service in the United States, edging out Spotify to land behind market leaders Pandora and iHeartRadio. The breakout of iTunes Radio into its own app in iOS 8 could further boost usage of the service.
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Microsoft OneNote Going Free with Mac Launch Later This Month
Microsoft is working on a version of OneNote for the Mac that will debut later this month, claims The Verge. This release will expand the note-taking software beyond its roots as a paid desktop app for Windows users and will complement the mobile apps that exist on iOS and Android.
According to The Verge’s report, Microsoft will drop the price on the note-taking app and release it for free to both OS X and Windows owners. The latest version of OneNote also may include companion web-clipper extensions that plug into popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. These plug-ins will make it easy for people to grab snippets from web pages and immediately share them with the OneNote app.
Microsoft hopes the price drop along with new web-clipping feature will make OneNote attractive to customers who currently use competing note-taking apps such as Evernote.
We understand that Microsoft will release the OneNote for Mac app for free, and the company is also planning to make the Windows desktop version available at no extra cost. This marks a significant change in the way Microsoft manages OneNote, unbundling it fully from the cost of Office. We’re told part of this free approach is targeted at competitors like Evernote, but Microsoft is also adding additional features to entice people away from the competition.
The launch of OneNote is part of a larger push by Microsoft into the Apple ecosystem. The company is rumored to be working on a new version of Office for the Mac that may debut later this year as well as Office for the iPad that allegedly is coming soon. 
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Apple Shortens iPhone Return Window to 14 Calendar Days [iOS Blog]
Customers who purchased an iPhone from an Apple Store in the U.S. had a 30-day period to try out the phone and return it for any reason. Starting March 13th, this return window is being shortened to 14 calendar days, claims 9to5Mac.
According to an internal document provided by one of our retail sources, Apple plans to change its iPhone return policy to just 14 days beginning on March 13th. However the return policy currently published on Apple.com already reflects this change.
This change brings Apple’s return policy in line with U.S. carriers, which offer a 14-day return period for customers who buy an iPhone from a carrier’s website or retail store. Previously, Apple would accept returns beyond the carrier’s 14-day period, but within the company’s 30-day return window. These customers would be credited for their iPhone purchase, but they still had to pay an early termination fee and any other associated charges to the carrier. This policy often was confusing to customers who expected to return their phone without penalty.
This change also standardizes Apple’s return policy across all product categories. Starting March 13th, customers who purchase an item from Apple will have 14 days in which to make a return, regardless of what they purchased.
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Apple to Focus on Selling Entry-Level iPhones and iPads in Small Stores Across India [iOS Blog]
Apple will reportedly look to build a presence in India by opening small stores with resell partners and emphasize sales of entry-level iPhones and iPads, according to a new report from The Economic Times. The plan follows comments from Apple India executives Maneesh Dhir and Sanjay Kaul last October stating a desire for the company to build 100 exclusive standalone stores under the franchise model throughout the country.
An Apple Premium Reseller in India
Apple has informed distributors and trade partners in recent meetings that it is looking to set up exclusive 400-600 sq ft stores in neighbourhoods and some popular high-street locations. They will focus on mobility products such as iPhones and iPads, besides entry-level Mac computers and iPods, said three of Apple’s trade partners aware of the plans.
“Apple wants to focus more on its entry-level models in these stores such as iPhone 4, iPhone 4s, iPad mini and iPad 2, which are essentially in the sub- 30,000 segment and also its largest-selling products in India,” said a senior executive of a leading trade partner of Apple.
The report adds that the company is looking to build these new stores in populated areas such Pune, Vizag, Guwahati, Durgapur, and Gangtok, stating that Apple is looking to attract the large number of students as well as residents with “high disposable incomes” in those regions. Currently, India does not have any Apple Retail Stores to call its own, although a report in January 2012 stated that Apple was interested in setting up locations in the country after business regulations were relaxed.
Q2 2013 figures from Canalys reported last August showed that India is the third largest smartphone market in the world, posting 129% growth and resulting in the shipment of 9 million smartphones during the quarter. Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned during the company’s Q3 2013 earnings call that iPhone sales in India increased by 400% year-over-year, as the iPad posted double-digit growth in the region. It was also reported last month that Apple would be restarting iPhone 4 production for India, Indonesia, and Brazil in order to recapture market share in those countries.
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Ting lets you bring your iPhone 5 to its pay-for-what-you-use cellular service
You haven’t had many choices for non-Android phones if you’ve wanted to switch to Ting, where you only pay for the cellular service you use — aside from the since-vanished HTC 8XT, you’ve had to bring over an aging iPhone 4 or 4S from Sprint. Your options just got a little better, though, as Ting now lets you activate a Sprint-compatible iPhone 5. That still leaves the modern iPhone 5s sadly out of reach, but Ting says that Sprint’s device restrictions are keeping Apple’s latest handset off-limits until September at the earliest. Even so, the newly expanded support is big news for eligible iPhone fans eager to trim their cellphone bills.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Apple, Sprint
Source: Ting
iOS 7.1 Adoption at 6% 24 Hours After Release
Though it was only released yesterday morning, iOS 7.1 has already been installed on 5.9 percent of iOS devices in North America, according to a new report from analytics firm Chitika. To get its numbers, Chitika measured ad impressions from tens of millions of iOS-based devices in the U.S. and Canada from March 9 to March 11, 2014.
The adoption rates are similar to those of iOS 7.0.6, which offered a critical security fix and was installed on 13.3 percent of iOS devices 48 hours after release and 25 percent of devices after four days.
As with most minor version updates, iOS 7.1 adoption rates have been less dramatic than those of its major-version counterparts. In the 24 hours following the operating system’s public release, iOS 7.1 users generated 5.9% of total North American iOS Web traffic.
iOS 7.1 offers CarPlay support, Touch ID improvements, bug fixes, and several visual tweaks for iOS, including revamped shift and caps locks keys for the keyboard, refined icons for the Phone, FaceTime, and Messages apps, and a redesign for several aspects of the Phone dialer and shutdown screen.
Beyond iOS 7.1, iOS 7 users generated more than 80 percent of all iOS web traffic over the three days Chitika measured, a number that has remained steady since the company’s previous February 26 study.
Chitika’s overall iOS 7 usage numbers in North America are in line with reports from Apple’s App Store support page for developers, which indicates 83 percent of all iOS devices have iOS 7 installed as of March 9, 2014.
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Apple Gets Final Go Ahead for New San Francisco Flagship Store
Apple has received final approval for its upcoming Union Square Apple Store from the San Francisco Planning Commission and the city’s Board of Supervisors, reports Re/code. With the go ahead from the city, Apple can begin construction on the new store, which is located approximately three blocks away from its existing San Francisco store.
A model of the San Francisco Apple Store courtesy of ifoAppleStore
“We are thrilled that the city of San Francisco has given its final approval to begin work on our new store and public plaza, which will make a wonderful addition to Union Square and create hundreds of local jobs,” Apple spokeswoman Amy Bessette told Re/code. “Our Stockton Street store has been incredibly popular, welcoming over 13 million customers since it opened nine years ago, and we look forward to making a new home on Union Square.”
Apple first earned final approval from the planning commission in February and it received a necessary zoning concession from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last week after agreeing to revise its initial building plans. Apple’s original plan, which received some criticism, called for the removal of the historical Ruth Asawa fountain at the location and the installation of an 80-foot wide wall along a key pedestrian and transit corridor.
The company filed a revised plan back in August, pledging to move the fountain to a nearby location, add an eight-foot wide window for visual interest, and move the glass wall of the store back by four feet.
Apple’s new Union Square store will be located in the former Levi’s building at the corner of Post and Stockton streets. Renderings of the location have suggested it will have massive 44-foot tall sliding glass panels at the entry way, with an Apple representative calling the location “more iconic” than the company’s well-known Fifth Avenue store in New York City.
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Flappy Bird creator ‘considering’ bringing the game back
Admit it, you played Flappy Bird. And for a brief period of time, you may have even liked the incredibly addictive game. After millions of people downloaded the viral hit, however, creator Dong Nguyen decided enough was enough — it was time to pull the plug, making it unavailable in the iOS and Android app markets. But never say never again: Nguyen revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone that there is still at least a sliver of a chance that the extremely simple game will return in a blaze of avian glory. “I’m considering it,” said Nguyen when asked if it would ever be offered again, so take that with a grain of salt; we’ll believe it when we see it. In the meantime, we bet Android users can still download an APK somewhere, and iPhone fans can always check eBay to see if somebody’s selling their phone with the game on it. As for why Nguyen pulled the app, he mentioned that the game’s massive success was crushing and weighing him down, and it threatened his simple life: “I’m a master of my own fate,” he said, “[an] independent thinker.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Rolling Stone
