MacRumors

Target today announced it is building on its long-standing partnership with Apple to include a new "enhanced Apple shopping experience" in its stores across the United States.

The new in-store shopping experience is meant to offer customers a more convenient experience for shopping Apple products at Target locations. The new experience will be guided by new "Target Tech Consultants," who will receive specialized training directly from Apple. Target's Executive VP and Chief Growth officer says the new shopping model was designed with Target's guests in mind and is meant to elevate the Target-Apple partnership.

Apple products are popular with Target's guests, and this new, dedicated shopping experience offers enhanced service and expanded offerings, building on our strength as a go-to destination for electronics. This new model was created with Target's guests in mind, and we'll continue to learn and enhance the experience through future rollouts later this year.

The new space, rolling out to 17 Target locations currently, replicates an Apple Store like-experience with custom light fixtures, displays for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple TV, and other Apple accessories. The new experience will be rolling out to the Target locations below this month, with "additional locations rolling out in 2021 and beyond."

• T2180 (Monticello, MN)
• T0324 (San Jose, CA)
• T1397 (Oklahoma City, OK)
• T2516 (Allen, TX)
• T1766 (Hurst, TX)
• T1797 (Austin, TX)
• T1032 (Irving, TX)
• T1354 (San Antonio, TX)
• T0687 (Gainesville, FL)
• T1790 (Orlando, FL)
• T1820 (Clearwater, FL)
• T2848 (Miami, FL)
• T1159 (North Wales, PA)
• T2764 (Newark, DE)
• T1266 (Woburn, MA)
• T1532 (Nashua, NH)
• T1915 (Latham, NY)

Additionally, Target announced an improved online shopping experience, available now, for purchasing Apple products. Customers purchasing Apple products in-store at the new experience, or online, can enjoy a 5% discount when using their Target RedCard, and access to Target's pick-up and delivery options.

According to research firm IDC (via GizChina), Apple dominated the smartphone market in Japan over the fourth quarter of 2020, with the iPhone brand accounting for over half of all phone sales in the country.

As per the report, the mobile market reached 11.432 million shipments in Q4 2020, and 52.6% of all smartphone sales in Japan were iPhones, substantially contributing to a 10.6% year-on-year growth for the country's mobile market as a whole.

Apple's shipments totaled 6.015 million units in Japan, a 13.8% year-on-year increase in shipments, thanks mostly to the company's release of its 5G-capable ‌iPhone‌ 12 series.

In second place behind Apple came Sharp, with 1.414 million units shipped and a 12.4% market share, while local brand Kyocera was placed third with a 7.0% market share and 801,000 units shipped.

Samsung took fourth position with a 6.8% slice of the market, shipping 781,000 units, followed by Sony – traditionally a Japanese brand favorite – which came in fifth with 732,000 shipments and a 6.4% share, with other smaller brands making up the rest of shipments.

Looking at 2020 as a whole, Apple sold the most smartphones in Japan with a 46.5% market share, shipping 15.637 million units that earned it an 8.3% year-on-year growth. Meanwhile, Sharp, Fujitsu, Samsung, and Kyocera took 13.3%, 8.3%, 8.1%, and 7.5% market shares, respectively, with smaller domestic brands accounting for the rest.

Despite a delay in the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ 12 series in Japan due to the global health crisis, Apple remained the undisputed champion mobile brand in the country, where iOS regularly accounts for over 60 percent of the operating system market, compared to 50 percent of the market in the United States. Japan also regularly comes out top in terms of countries where ‌iPhone‌ models are least expensive.

In the latest update to the popular podcast player, Overcast has overhauled its Apple Watch app to be more intuitive and bring several features that were previously only accessible on Overcast for iPhone.

The newly designed watch interface ditches the horizontally scrolling panels to reveal features, and instead uses a single screen providing button access to settings, podcast library, and now playing controls. In addition, a sync button keeps podcasts stored on your watch in sync with those on your ‌iPhone‌.

The new playback controls include the ability to skip podcast chapters (if a podcast supports them) and adjust playback speed. These can be accessed by tapping a button in the bottom-right corner of the now playing screen.

Version 2021.1 of the app also includes improved Siri support and "tons of under-the-hood improvements and bug fixes," although as a result of the changes, this update drops support for watchOS 6, meaning the app will no longer work on Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2.

Overcast 2021.1 is available for ‌iPhone‌ and iPad from the App Store in the form of an ad-supported free version or $9.99 per year ad-free. [Direct Link]

Around 29 million Britons who own an Apple or Samsung phone could be entitled to a collective £480m payout if a landmark legal claim against U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm is successful.

Consumer watchdog Which? is suing the chipmaker for allegedly breaching U.K. competition law by taking advantage of its dominance in the patent licensing and chip markets.

As reported by the BBC, Which? alleges that Qualcomm charged Apple and Samsung inflated fees that were then passed on to consumers in the form of higher smartphone prices.

Which? is seeking up to £30 each in damages for about 29 million people in the U.K. who own Apple or Samsung smartphones that have been purchased since October 1, 2015. For Apple smartphone owners, that would include iPhone 6s and 6s Plus and newer devices. The watchdog has filed its legal claim with the Competition Appeal Tribunal, which will ultimately decide if it can go ahead.

"We believe Qualcomm's practices are anti-competitive and have so far taken around £480m from consumers' pockets," said Anabel Hoult, CEO of Which? "This needs to stop. We are sending a clear warning that if companies like Qualcomm indulge in manipulative practices which harm consumers, Which? is prepared to take action."

Responding to the case, Qualcomm said it had "no basis."

"As the plaintiffs are well aware, their claims were effectively put to rest last summer by a unanimous panel of judges at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the United States," a spokesman told the BBC.

This is by no means the first time that Qualcomm has been accused of anticompetitive behavior. In 2018, Qualcomm was hit with a 997 million euro ($1.2 billion) fine by EU antitrust regulators for paying Apple to use its LTE chips in iOS devices.

According to the European Commission's investigation, the payments to Apple occurred from 2011 to 2016, and were made with the sole aim of blocking Qualcomm's LTE chipset market rivals, such as Intel.

In 2019, an antitrust lawsuit, brought against Qualcomm by the Federal Trade Commission, concluded that Qualcomm's "no license, no chips" model that allowed it to refuse to provide chips to companies without a patent license, violated federal antitrust laws, and required Qualcomm to renegotiate all of its licensing terms with customers in good faith.

However, in August 2020, Qualcomm won an appeal that prevented the San Diego company from having to renegotiate its licensing agreements with smartphone makers.

Valve, the makers behind popular game distribution platform Steam, will be forced to hand over aggregate historical sales, price, and other information on 436 games hosted on the store to Apple, as part of the Apple vs. Epic Games antitrust case.

As reported in a paywalled report by Law360, during a virtual discovery hearing on Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson ordered that Apple's subpoena for the data to Valve was valid, however, noted that Apple has "salted the earth with subpoenas," telling Valve "don’t worry, it’s not just you." Apple's original subpoena requested data from Valve about Steam dating as far back as 2015, the judge's ruling however will only require Valve to produce data limited to as early as 2017.

‌Epic Games‌ is in a heated legal battle with Apple over the App Store and claims that the Cupertino tech-giant locks developers into its ecosystem, and forces them to pay a "30% tax" for in-app purchases. Apple's subpoena for data from Valve is one of many that Apple has set forward as it attempts to prove its point that the ‌App Store‌ as a distribution platform for software is no different than others.

Gavin W. Stok, a lawyer representing Valve in the discovery hearing, urged Judge Hixson to reject the subpoena and not force his company to produce the data. Stok says that Valve is run by a small team and that collecting all the data Apple is requesting would require it to "dedicate multiple employees working full time," and that it would not be able to guarantee the request could be met on time.

Apple's lawyer, Jay P. Srinivasan, says that the request is doable, and points out that Apple could have requested data on all 30,000 games on the Steam store, but that it instead is only requesting data on 436 games. Apple continued to defend its subpoena, calling Valve a "prominent player" in the complete picture of relevant markets like the ‌App Store‌.

Ahead of what is expected to be a heated court hearing set for July 2021 between Apple and ‌Epic Games‌, Valve has until mid-March to produce the data. We've reached out to Valve for a comment on the judge's ruling and will update the page once we hear back.

Paramount+, the CBS All Access streaming service rebrand that launches March 4, will cost $4.99 per month with ads in the U.S. (less than the $5.99 charged for CBS All Access), or $9.99 without ads and with additional sports, news and live TV content.

ViacomCBS executives announced the pricing tiers in a virtual investor event held on Thursday, and also revealed that the service will be available across Latin America and Canada on March 4, with a Nordic launch a few weeks later and an Australian launch also planned for this year.

ViacomCBS CEO Tom Ryan justified bringing to market another streaming service with a plus in its name by explaining that research has shown how Viacom brands like Paramount, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon are well-known to viewers, and they will be showcased in the new service.

According to TechCrunch, executives also noted that Paramount+ will offer a combination of live news, live sports, and original entertainment delivered in 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision.

Paramount+ promises to host more than 30,000 TV show episodes and 2,500 movies, including new content such as a "Frasier" reboot and a "Halo" show due to debut on Paramount+ instead of Showtime in early 2022. The service is also rebooting a variety of Paramount properties like "Love Story," "Fatal Attraction" and "Flashdance."

Star Trek shows are also set to feature, including existing shows like "Discovery" and "Picard," but also new series like "Strange New Worlds" and an animated kids series called "Prodigy."

The company is also planning to bring some 2021 movie releases like "A Quiet Place Part 2" and "Mission Impossible 7" to Paramount+ 30 to 45 days after they arrive in theaters. Meanwhile, straight-to-streaming movies will include reboots of "Paranormal Activity" and "Pet Semetery."

When it launches on March 4, the new Paramount+ app will not be available on the second and third-generation ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ models, but it will be watchable on the fourth and fifth-generation ‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌ models. It will also be available on iPhone and iPad, which means third-generation ‌‌Apple TV‌‌ owners will at least be able to AirPlay it to their older set-top box.

Belkin appears to be working on a new "Belkin Soundform Connect" adapter that will connect to a standard speaker to add AirPlay 2 capabilities.

The adapter was found in FCC filings by Janko Roettgers (via 9to5Mac), and it looks like it will be powered by a USB-C cable and will feature a 3.5mm mini jack port for audio output and Optical Digital Audio.

The functionality may be similar to the AirPort Express, which is no longer available. The AirPort Express enabled ‌AirPlay‌ functionality on a standard speaker through the 3.5mm jack.

When a speaker is connected to Belkin's adapter, an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or other Apple device will be able to see it as an ‌AirPlay‌ 2 speaker.

‌AirPlay‌ 2 is a multi-room audio feature that lets you stream music to more than one ‌AirPlay‌ 2 enabled speaker. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 is available on the HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV, Sonos speakers, and other third-party speaker options.

The Belkin Soundform Connect will also add HomeKit support, which will allow the speakers to be assigned to a room and to be controlled with Siri voice commands or the Home app.

There's no word on when the Belkin Soundform Connect will be released, but it could be priced at around 100 euros or $120.

Bluetooth-enabled audio sunglasses have been trending lately, and Bose recently came out with the Frames Tenor, a set of high-end sunglasses that connect to your iPhone over Bluetooth, allowing you to listen to music without needing to bother with headphones.

We thought we'd check out the $250 Tenor audio sunglasses to see whether they're worth the cost for those who might be looking for an earbuds alternative.

Bose's audio sunglasses look like normal sunglasses, and from the outside, it's not clear at a glance that there are built-in speakers. Design wise, the frames look as attractive as other sunglasses, though the arms are thicker to accommodate the acoustics and the built-in tap and swipe gestures for music control. These frames are on the larger side and might not fit smaller faces well.

By default, these come with standard sunglass lenses, but there is a prescription option for those who need prescription sunglasses. Adding prescription lenses costs another $127 minimum, with higher prices for progressive lenses, thin and light lens material, and other upgrades.

The Bose Frames Tenor use Bose's Open Ear Audio technology, which is meant to provide high-quality sound from the arms of the sunglasses. Like bone conducting technology, the frames aren't exactly silent to those who are around you, but audio is noticeably better than what you get from bone conducting headphones. You're not going to achieve the volume that you get with in-ear earbuds like AirPods Pro, but the sound gets loud enough.

In terms of disturbing others, the sound coming from the Frames Tenor is similar to what someone might hear from you if you were listening to music loudly through standard headphones. It's not particularly disturbing and should be near silent to those who aren't right next to you.

Since there's nothing in the ear, with the Frames Tenor, you can still hear what's going on around you, which is ideal for situations where you need to be aware of your surroundings, such as biking or running. Since these are in fact sunglasses, they're primarily limited to outdoor use unless you fancy wearing sunglasses indoors, which is something to keep in mind. They're not as practical as earbuds that can be used both indoors and out.

The frames are comfortable to wear, and again, with nothing in the ear, there's no ear fatigue to worry about, so these have the potential to be a useful accessory for those who can't stand earbuds and headphones. With the built-in battery, the frames last for up to 5.5 hours, and thanks to an included microphone array, calls sound good. Bose included a magnetic carrying case for storage purposes.

Most people are probably going to prefer earbud options that are either more affordable or offer better sound quality and features, but for those who want outdoor-only audio sunglasses, the Frames Tenor are high quality and offer great audio while also not distracting from outside noises. What do you think of Bose's audio sunglasses? Let us know in the comments.

Apple Pay is likely a few days to a few weeks away from launching in Israel, according to local website The Verifier.

The report notes that Israeli mobile banking service Pepper recently updated its iPhone app, with the release notes for the latest version mentioning a "surprise" that would be shared at a later time. Pepper may have accidentally jumped the gun, however, as the app briefly showed users a splash screen with an option to add the Pepper card to the Wallet app for use with Apple Pay. The screen is apparently no longer being shown.

This serves as pretty good evidence that Apple Pay will likely expand to Israel soon, after launching in Mexico earlier this week. First introduced in 2014, Apple Pay is now available in over 50 countries or regions around the world.

Apple's next-generation iPhone 13 lineup will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X60 5G modem, with Samsung to handle manufacturing of the chip, according to DigiTimes.

Built on a 5nm process, the X60 packs higher power efficiency into a smaller footprint compared to the 7nm-based Snapdragon X55 modem used in iPhone 12 models, which could contribute to longer battery life. With the X60 modem, iPhone 13 models would also be able to aggregate 5G data from both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands simultaneously to achieve an optimal combination of high-speed and low-latency network coverage.

mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, making it best suited for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas. mmWave support on iPhone 12 models is limited to the United States, but rumors suggest that iPhone 13 models may support mmWave in additional countries.

In 2019, Apple and Qualcomm settled a legal battle and reached a multiyear chipset supply agreement, paving the way for Apple to use Qualcomm's 5G modems. A court document from the settlement revealed that Apple would likely use the X60 modem for 2021 iPhones, followed by the recently announced Snapdragon X65 modem in 2022 iPhones.

The X65 is the world's first 10 Gigabit 5G modem and antenna system for smartphones, enabling theoretical data speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. While real-world download speeds will certainly be slower than that, the X65 has many other benefits, including improved power efficiency, enhanced coverage for both mmWave and sub-6 GHz bands, and support for all global commercialized mmWave frequencies.

Starting in 2023, Apple is expected to start using its own in-house 5G modems for iPhones.

Hit-and-miss leaker Jon Prosser has today alleged that the upcoming 2021 iMac models will offer five color options, mirroring the colors of the fourth-generation iPad Air, and revealed a number of additional details about the Mac Pro with Apple Silicon.

In a new video on YouTube channel FrontPageTech, Prosser explained that the redesigned iMacs will come featuring options for Silver, Space Gray, Green, Sky Blue, and Rose Gold.

He shared renders of what these new color options may look like on a redesigned ‌iMac‌, but noted that he has yet to see the rear of the new design, so his renders are purely speculative beyond color.

Prosser explained that the range of color options aims to capitalize on nostalgia for the original ‌iMac‌, which came in a selection of iconic colors such as lime, strawberry, blueberry, grape, and tangerine.

Redesigned iMacs with slimmer bezels and ‌Apple Silicon‌ chips have been expected for some time, but it is unclear exactly when they are expected to be launched this year or if both model sizes will come out at the same time.

Prosser also outlined a number of additional details about the upcoming ‌Mac Pro‌ with ‌Apple Silicon‌, supporting previous rumors from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman has said that the new ‌Mac Pro‌ will be less than half the size of the current ‌‌Mac Pro‌‌, putting it somewhere between the existing ‌‌Mac Pro‌‌ and the Mac mini. The machine is speculated to feature a mostly aluminum exterior and may "invoke nostalgia" for the Power Mac G4 Cube.

Prosser has now said that the new ‌Mac Pro‌ will feature a design that looks like "three to four Mac minis stacked on top of each other," and provided renders of the purported new look.

Internally, Prosser says that the ‌Mac Pro‌ will be designed with the "compute unit on the bottom" and a "big heat sink on top."

Late last year, Bloomberg reported that Apple plans to launch the new, smaller ‌‌Mac Pro‌‌ with ‌‌Apple Silicon‌‌ by the end of 2022, but it could arrive as soon as this year.

Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs was born on February 24, 1955, and if he was still alive, today would mark his 66th birthday.

Jobs founded Apple alongside Steve Wozniak in 1976, producing the very first Apple computers, but he also served as CEO during a pivotal period and was largely responsible for the company's wild success with products like the iPhone and the iPod.

Under Jobs' leadership from 1997 until his 2011 death from cancer, Apple went from a company on the brink of failure to one of the biggest tech companies thanks to the launch of the 1998 iMac and the well known "Think different" ad campaign.

The 1998 ‌iMac‌ was followed by a slew of other successful products, including the ‌iPhone‌, iPod, and iPad along with the iTunes Store. Jobs also oversaw the opening of the first Apple retail locations in 2001, and he established a company culture that Apple still operates under today.

As Apple CEO Tim Cook has said multiple times in the past, Jobs' thinking, unwavering perfectionism, dedication to hard work, and lust for innovation are the "foundation of Apple."

Millions of lives have been touched by Apple devices, and there are few technology products on the market that have not been influenced by Apple and Steve Jobs in some way, even today. ‌Tim Cook‌ has since taken over for Steve Jobs, and has kept Jobs' legacy alive.

Apple fans around the world will celebrate Steve Jobs and his accomplishments today, and ‌Tim Cook‌ as always has tweeted in memory of Jobs' birthday.

MacRumors also happens to share a birthday with Steve Jobs, and as of today, the site is turning 21. MacRumors was founded on February 24, 2000 by Arnold Kim, and what started out as a side project has grown right alongside Apple into the number one Apple news site on the web.

We're grateful to all of our dedicated readers, passionate community members, and volunteers, and we look forward to bringing you Apple news and rumors for the next 21 years. 🥂

Apple will host a new Apple Watch Activity Challenge in celebration of International Women's Day in March, according to 9to5Mac.

International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8 around the world as a focal point for women's rights.

The Activity Challenge will appear as an alert for Apple Watch users in the days leading up to the event. To win the International Women's Day award, Apple Watch users will need to complete a workout of any kind with a length of at least 20 minutes.

Apple Watch users who earn the award will also unlock a series of five animated stickers for Messages and FaceTime. Apple has offered similar Activity awards for International Women's Day in recent years, with the same 20-minute workout challenge.

Earlier this month, Apple hosted Activity Challenges for Heart Month and Black History Month, and there will be more challenges for special occasions throughout the year.

In previous years, Apple has celebrated International Women's Day with "She Creates" workshops at Apple retail stores and usually highlights apps, TV shows, and podcasts made by women.

As reported by Musically (via iMore), Apple's global Senior Director of Music publishing, Elean Segal, has shot down the possibility that Apple will introduce a free Apple Music tier, based on ads.

Segal was answering questions to British members of parliament in the UK's Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport committee, alongside representatives from Spotify and Amazon, about the economics of streaming services. The trio of representatives was asked about the price of their subscriptions, and their thoughts about free tiers for their services.

Spotify and Amazon both offer free tiers for their music streaming services, however, the experience includes frequent interruptions with ads and limited in-app features. On whether Apple would introduce a free tier for ‌Apple Music‌ with ads, Segal says that a free tier wouldn't generate enough revenue to "support a healthy overall ecosystem," and that it "also really goes against our fundamental values on privacy."

At a FAQ section on the ‌Apple Music‌ webpage, when asked whether the service has commercials, Apple emphatically says "‌Apple Music‌ has zero ads." An ad-free listening experience has always been a cornerstone of Apple's marketing for the service, and while it was unlikely a free-tier with ads would ever launch, the confirmation from an Apple executive will now put to rest any simmering hope.

Apple doesn't have tiers for ‌Apple Music‌ that offer different features, such as some of its competitors. Instead, Apple's pricing model around the service is based on users' personal needs. For a single user, ‌Apple Music‌ costs $9.99 a month, a family plan which allows up to six members is $14.99 a month, and students get a discounted $4.99 per month plan. Additionally, ‌Apple Music‌ is part of Apple One, a bundle that offers customers a set monthly price for access to different Apple services.

‌Apple One‌ includes three separate plans, each offering ‌Apple Music‌. The lowest plan costing $14.95, includes access to ‌Apple Music‌, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage. The mid-tier for $19.95, adds an extra 150GB of ‌iCloud‌ storage, and the highest tier for $29.95, offers 2TB of storage, the ability to share with five other family members, and access to Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+ (where available).

With more and more Android smartphone vendors coming out with their take on the foldable phone concept, and Apple rumors swirling about a possible future foldable iPhone, Google appears keen to get in on the act as soon as this year with its first foldable Pixel device.

According to a new report by The Elec, Samsung is in the process of developing in-folding foldable OLED panels to supply to Oppo, Xiaomi, and Google. The panels are said to be destined for use in devices to be launched later in 2021, and Google has reportedly requested Samsung Display develop a foldable OLED panel around 7.6-inches in size.

Documents leaked in August last year suggested Google plans to release a foldable pixel phone in the fourth quarter of 2021. Google confirmed in 2019 that it is developing technology that could be used in foldable devices, although at the time the company played down the prospect of actually launching a foldable, saying it didn't see "a clear use case yet."

That said, Google develops the software that has to run on all Android foldable devices, which would put it at a distinct advantage when it comes to foldable hardware-software integration.

Today's report adds further support to the prospect of a Google foldable, which will use the now more commonly preferred in-folding design, demonstrated most recently by the Xiaomi Mate X2, whose predecessor was out-folding by comparison. According to Xiaomi, advances in hinge technology and materials used in the Mate X2 allow for a seamless fold without a gap and eliminate the problem of display creasing.

Samsung was first to launch a consumer foldable device, but the 2019 Galaxy Fold suffered from major design issues including display creasing and panel breakages along the hinge due to the ingress of debris and other issues.

Thanks to lessons learned from the design of the Fold, Samsung improved the design and eventually brought the Fold back to market. The company has since released foldable flip phones - most recently the clamshell-style Galaxy Z Flip.

Market research firm Omdia expects foldable OLED sales to reach US$2.1 billion this year, a 203% increase from 2020. Most of the sales are expected to come through foldable panels made by Samsung Display, and while Apple appears to have not made a firm decision on whether it will launch a foldable smartphone, previous rumors have suggested that Apple has requested foldable display samples from Samsung for testing purposes in a future ‌iPhone‌.

Samsung has historically been a key supplier to Apple, providing the OLED screens for iPhones. The company intends to dominate the foldable display market as a supplier, and was considering a move to step up production to 10 million units a year depending on demand.

Apple has been known to be working on foldable display technology for some time, filing multiple patents regarding the technology, and rumors have also floated around LG's potential involvement.

The repeated insinuation of Samsung's involvement and orders being placed by Apple offers a more concrete suggestion that work on a foldable ‌‌iPhone‌‌ is continuing at pace, with some rumors suggesting a release as early as 2023.

Apple has amended its trademark for Final Cut Pro, its professional high-end video editing software, in a way that suggests it could be planning to turn the now one-time payment model for the software into a subscription.

As reported by Patently Apple, on Monday, Apple added a Nice Classification #42 listing to its Final Cut Pro trademark in Europe. The Class 42 identification is listed as including software as a service (SaaS), or a platform as a service (PaaS). For context, Microsoft Office 365, which is based on a monthly or yearly subscription, includes the same Class 42 listing for its suite of software.

Final Cut Pro is currently sold for $300 and is used widely by professional videographers, YouTubers, and content makers. Potentially changing the price and payment model into a monthly, or yearly subscription could entice even more customers to use the software. If Apple is planning the subscription route, it'll likely include more than simply the software itself.

With a subscription, Apple theoretically could offer subscribers access to original content, such as in-depth tutorials, walkthroughs, or exclusive videos/sessions with prominent video makers who use Final Cut Pro as part of their workflow.

Whether Apple takes the route is unknown, however, the pure nature of the updated trademark is rather telling. Apple over the years has launched a number of new services, the most recent being Apple Fitness+. The momentum is not slowing down, however. Apple is reportedly eyeing to launch a new podcast subscription service that would offer listeners exclusive and original content.

Dutch company Coulisse is working with Eve Systems to launch a range of HomeKit-compatible smart window covering motors.

According to HomeKit News, the new range will include wireless motors to work with roller blinds, Venetian blinds, cellular shades and curtains. Notably, they will also be the first product of their kind to support the Thread wireless protocol, of which Apple is a supporter.

Thread is a low-power IP-based networking technology for connecting Internet of Things (IoT) devices, offering a secure, mesh-based system that makes it easy to build an ecosystem of devices. Eve plans to help to equip the Coulisse curtains with HomeKit and Thread integration and to spread them in a wider market.

"Thanks to the Eve software, this new motor range is a game changer in the interior window coverings market," said Christiaan Roetgering, owner and CEO of Coulisse. "The simplicity of both installation and use is unmatched. All complexity is eliminated, and the installation time drastically reduced. Combined with the fact that you don't need a hub anymore this offers major cost advantages. It opens up the way to make motorized blinds available to a broad audience and widely embraced as a product that brings joy and value to everyday life in the home."

While Thread is essentially agnostic to the application layers that run on top of it, it can support multiple layers and may play a role in Project Connected Home over IP, the alliance of Apple, Amazon, Google, and other companies that is seeking to make it simpler to build devices compatible with multiple ecosystems such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.

The HomePod mini is Apple's first (and currently only) product to support Thread networking technology. For the time being, however, Apple says in a footnote that ‌‌HomePod mini‌‌'s Thread support is limited to ‌HomeKit‌ devices, so the technology can't yet be leveraged cross-platform and it remains to be seen how Apple will embrace Thread going forward.

Apple is a noted supporter of the Thread project, with longtime Apple engineer Stuart Cheshire, who developed the Rendezvous/Bonjour zero-configuration standard nearly 20 years ago, serves as a director of Thread Group.

Coulisse is keen to emphasize how secure the combination of ‌HomeKit‌ and Thread is, since they be can linked with other ‌HomeKit‌ products and all data is stored locally. The roller blinds can be connected via Bluetooth, but Thread should in theory offer a more resilient connection by linking up with nearby Thread-supporting "hubs" such as a ‌HomePod mini‌.

According to iCulture, the roller blind motors will be launched in the second quarter of 2021. More information on the Coulisse range of products can be found on their website.