Apple Teams Up With Supercell for 2015 World AIDS Day Campaign

Apple is gearing up for its annual World Aids Day campaign and has partnered with popular iOS app developer Supercell for a (SUPERCELL)RED promotion that will see the developer offering a special in-game decorative item for purchase, with 100 percent of proceeds going towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS.

Supercell is the developer behind some of the most profitable apps in the App Store, with Clash of Clans currently ranked as the number three most profitable app and Boom Beach ranked as number 10. From now until December 4 at 8:00 a.m., players who purchase a (Pile of Gems)RED pack in Clash of Clans, a (Pile of Diamonds)RED in Boom Beach, or a (Bag of Diamonds)RED in Hay Day can contribute to the fight against AIDS.

Apple has a long history of working with (PRODUCT)RED to fund AIDS research and charity work, and the company has run a World AIDS Day campaign for the last several years. Each year, Apple highlights World AIDS day on its website and decorates its retail stores with red Apple logos. With World AIDS day taking place tomorrow, December 1, Apple retail stores are expected to see decorations going up this afternoon and this evening.

Apple has also released an official (PRODUCT)RED leather case for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, which joins the (PRODUCT)RED silicone case that was released alongside the new iPhones in September.
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Apple Teams Up With Supercell for 2015 World AIDS Day Campaign

Apple is gearing up for its annual World Aids Day campaign and has partnered with popular iOS app developer Supercell for a (SUPERCELL)RED promotion that will see the developer offering a special in-game decorative item for purchase, with 100 percent of proceeds going towards the Global Fund to fight AIDS.

Supercell is the developer behind some of the most profitable apps in the App Store, with Clash of Clans currently ranked as the number three most profitable app and Boom Beach ranked as number 10. From now until December 4 at 8:00 a.m., players who purchase a (Pile of Gems)RED pack in Clash of Clans, a (Pile of Diamonds)RED in Boom Beach, or a (Bag of Diamonds)RED in Hay Day can contribute to the fight against AIDS.

Apple has a long history of working with (PRODUCT)RED to fund AIDS research and charity work, and the company has run a World AIDS Day campaign for the last several years. Each year, Apple highlights World AIDS day on its website and decorates its retail stores with red Apple logos. With World AIDS day taking place tomorrow, December 1, Apple retail stores are expected to see decorations going up this afternoon and this evening.

Apple has also released an official (PRODUCT)RED leather case for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, which joins the (PRODUCT)RED silicone case that was released alongside the new iPhones in September.
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Apple Releases (PRODUCT)RED Leather Cases for iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

An official (PRODUCT)RED version of Apple’s leather case for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been spotted in at least one Apple retail store today, as reported by French tech site iGeneration [Google Translate]. When the new line of iPhones debuted in September, only the silicone case was offered in a (PRODUCT)RED option.

The (PRODUCT)RED leather case for the iPhone 6s hasn’t appeared yet on Apple’s online store, but will most likely soon follow if the company keeps slowly rolling out the case to its retail locations around the country. When it does, it’ll no doubt come in at the same price of the other leather cases sold by Apple, costing $45 for the iPhone 6s version and $49 for the iPhone 6s Plus version.

A portion of sales from Apple’s entire (PRODUCT)RED lineup goes to the Global Fund to help fund AIDS programs in Africa. Most recently, the company introduced (PRODUCT)RED accessories for the Apple Watch, debuting a new collection and band in the bright red color option during its September “Hey Siri” media event.
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T-Mobile Announces ‘Un-carrier Unwrapped’ Promotion Offering Free LTE Data for All Customers for Three Months

T-Mobile today announced a new holiday promotion it’s calling “Un-carrier Unwrapped,” offering free unlimited LTE data for all of its Simple Choice customers for the next three months. All existing Simple Choice postpaid customers as of the end of the day on November 23 will get the unlimited data.

T-Mobile also plans to unveil additional “gifts” for the next month, with a new gift coming each week. The company is teasing a “special holiday gift” for Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon customers, with one gift per carrier per week.

“We’ve had a fantastic year, and we’re going to spread that T-Mobile cheer by starting with the most important people first… our existing customers! Now you get Unlimited LTE data on our blazing fast network for three full months as a gift from the Un-carrier to you,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “But that’s not all….we know that Verizon, AT&T and Sprint customers need some holiday cheer, too – so we’ve got presents coming for them. Just wait!”

The unlimited data offering for Simple Choice customers will begin on December 1, 2015 and will last through March 1, 2016. Unlimited data will kick in once all existing data and Data Stash data has been used up. T-Mobile does require its Binge On video streaming service to be activated.

Unveiled earlier this month, Binge On provides T-Mobile customers with video streaming that does not eat into data plans, but it uses a data compression algorithm that streams video at a reduced 480p quality.

T-Mobile is also offering Black Friday deals on Samsung smartphones and discounting the UE Boom Bluetooth speaker by $100, dropping the price to $99.
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New ‘Sidefari’ App Allows iPad Users to View Side-by-Side Safari Windows

While Apple introduced a Split View mode in iOS 9 for iPad users to be able to use two apps side-by-side, it did not allow users to open two Safari windows side-by-side. A new app called Sidefari from developer Francisco Cantu (via MacStories) allows users to have two webpages open side-by-side to meet various browsing needs.

The app works by using Safari View Controller to open a second webpage via Split View. To activate Sidefari, all a user has to do is open the Slide Over app picker and choose Sidefari. The app also works in multiple sizes, allowing users to use Sidefari to take up either half the screen or smaller. Sidefari is only available for the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and iPad Pro as they are the only devices that support multitasking.

Sidefari for iPad is available in the App Store for $0.99. [Direct Link]
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Over 100 Million iPhones Now in Use in U.S., Nearly Two-Thirds Are iPhone 6 or Later

More than an estimated 100 million iPhones are being used in the United States, according to new data shared by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners [PDF]. At the end of the September 2015 quarter, more than 101 million iPhones were in use, and two-thirds of those iPhones were newer iPhones that have been released in 2014 and 2015.

An estimated 58 million of the 101 million iPhones in use were the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, while four million were iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models. The iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, and 6s Plus are the four iPhones that have larger 4.7 and 5.5 inch screens, and the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 appears to be the most popular model. CIRP’s data was gathered in September, shortly after the iPhone 6s launch. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus numbers are likely much higher now.

“The analysis shows the continued strength of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, now one year old,” said Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. “We estimate a combined 60 million of these flagship phones sold in the US from the September 2014 launch through September 30, 2015. For comparison, the iPhone 5S sold about 28 million in the same period in 2013-2014. With only a weekend of availability in the quarter, we estimate 4 million of the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus sold in the US.”

CIRP’s data suggests that while the larger-screened iPhones make up a large chunk of the iPhones in use in the United States, iPhone adoption is slowing as the U.S. market matures. For the past eight quarters, the iPhone installed base grew an estimated average of eight percent, but the installed base grew four percent in the September 2015 quarter and six percent in the September 2014 quarter. Growth numbers were as high as 17 percent in the December 2013 quarter following the launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c.

As the U.S. market becomes saturated with smartphone owners, Apple has increasingly focused its attention on luring customers from Android and other competing platforms. Apple has introduced a new “Move to iOS” Android app, an Android-switching microsite, and a trade-in program for Android users looking to switch to an iPhone.

Apple’s efforts have been successful, and in October, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple saw the highest rate of Android switchers it had ever measured in the fourth quarter of 2015. 30 percent of customers who were upgrading from an existing smartphone to an iPhone were former Android users.

CIRP’s numbers are extrapolated from a September 2015 survey of 500 U.S. Apple customers who purchased an Apple product in the preceding quarter. CIRP analyzes data on iPhone buyers, their new model selection, and their prior phones and compares that to iPhone sales data adjusted to the U.S. market.
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Adele’s New Album Won’t Be Available on Apple Music

Following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift, Adele is opting to restrict her upcoming album from streaming music services. “25,” Adele’s highly anticipated album set to release tomorrow, will not be available on Apple Music, Spotify, or other Internet-based streaming music services, reports The New York Times.

Citing three sources with knowledge of the album release plans, The New York Times says Adele was involved in the decision not to share her album on streaming music services. “25” is Adele’s first album in nearly five years and has been preceded by “Hello,” a single that’s already extremely popular, so the decision to restrict the album from streaming services may make fans unhappy.

Taylor Swift was one of the first major artists to take a stand against streaming music, opting to pull her songs from services like Spotify that offered a free listening tier. According to Swift, she did so because “music should not be free” and artists should value their work. It’s likely Adele has similar motives, as restricting Swift’s latest album “1989” from music sites did not significantly impact its popularity. “1989” sold upwards of 1.2 million copies during its first week of availability, and its believed Adele’s new album could sell 2.5 million copies.

Swift initially refused to share her songs on Apple Music because Apple executives did not intend to pay artists during the Apple Music free trial period, but after the company reversed course, she too changed her mind and allowed Apple Music to stream “1989” and her other albums.

While Adele’s new music will not be available on Apple Music, customers interested in obtaining the album will be able to purchase it through iTunes.

Adele had also asked Apple to stock her new album in its retail stores, but Apple declined the offer. It’s not likely the refusal impacted Adele’s decision not to offer her music on streaming sites, and Adele and Apple have also reportedly discussed a possible $30 million tour sponsorship. The status of that potential deal is not known.
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