Valve today announced an expansion of its game-streaming app Steam Link, now named Steam Link Anywhere (via The Verge).
The original Steam Link app let users stream PC games on Steam to a mobile device within their home, but Steam Link Anywhere lets users stream games from their PC to any compatible device with internet service, excluding Apple devices.
Apple rejected the original Steam Link app due to "business conflicts," while the app went on to see a release on Android.
The upgraded Steam Link Anywhere will now only be available on Android, Raspberry Pi, and Steam Link hardware, starting today as an early beta. Valve says that players will need a good upload connection for the host computer and a good network connection for the mobile device.
Following Apple's rejection last year, Valve pointed out that there are many other remote access-style apps that are allowed in the App Store, so it was unclear why Apple was blocking Valve's app. Since that time, Sony has released its own game streaming app, allowing PS4 owners to stream and control games on their iPhone or iPad, from anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection.
Similarly, Microsoft this week has detailed work on its Project xCloud game streaming initiative. The service aims to provide Xbox owners a chance to stream their favorite games from the console to a mobile device, although iOS devices haven't been mentioned yet. "True console-quality gaming will become available on mobile devices," Microsoft CVP of Gaming Cloud, Kareem Choudhry, said. "Providing the 2 billion-plus gamers around the world a new gateway to previously console- and PC-exclusive content."
Apple's online refurbished store is now offering discounted versions of the 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Radeon Pro Vega graphics, allowing the higher-end machines to be purchased at a discount.
Apple announced plans to add AMD's Radeon Pro Vega graphics to its MacBook Pro lineup in October when the new MacBook Air models were announced. MacBook Pro models with the new options were able to be purchased in November.
Only the higher-end 15-inch MacBook Pro can be upgraded with the Radeon Pro Vega 16 (+$250) or Radeon Pro Vega 20 (+$350), so purchased new, machines with the new graphics options are priced starting at $3,049.
Apple has a wide selection of MacBook Pro models with Radeon Pro Vega 16 and 20 graphics available. One of the most affordable options, which is a Core i9 model with the Radeon Pro Vega 16, 16GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD, is priced at $2,849, a $500 discount.
A base level Core i7 model with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, and the Radeon Pro Vega 20 is even cheaper at $2,679, a $470 discount.
There are a number of MacBook Pro configurations available with different RAM, SSD, and processor upgrades, all of which are equipped with the new graphics cards. With the wide range of configurations available, people looking for a discounted MacBook Pro with the Radeon Pro Vega should be able to find what they're seeking with today's update.
Apple even has a maxed out MacBook Pro with Core i9 processor, 32GB RAM, Radeon Pro Vega 20, and 4TB SSD for $5,989, a discount of $1,060.
Apple's refurbished stock does fluctuate, however, so available stock of refurbished MacBook Pro models could sell out quickly. Apple refreshes the refurbished store on a regular basis, and it can be handy to keep an eye on a tool like Refurb Tracker to find specific configurations.
Purchasing a refurbished MacBook Pro from Apple is a good way to get a like-new device at a lower price point. All of Apple's refurbished products are tested, certified, cleaned, and guaranteed with a one-year warranty that can be extended with AppleCare+.
IKEA today confirmed its plans to announce the Symfonisk line of speakers during the Milan Furniture Fair, which takes place next month. The Symfonisk speakers come out of a long-term partnership between IKEA and Sonos, resulting in unique products like a speaker that doubles as a bookshelf.
Neither company has released information about what the final version of the speakers will look like, but customers can expect the entire Symfonisk line to provide music playback with an extra purpose in your home's furnishing. IKEA put out a short video highlighting the Symfonisk speakers, but it appears the company has blurred out the actual speakers in the home set-up seen in the video, wanting to save the hardware reveal for next month's announcement.
The press release today also emphasizes the unity of sound and light, suggesting there could be more announcements from IKEA's smart lighting branch, or a product that combines the two.
There’s sound, and there’s light. What if we combined them both? Two hugely important elements for creating the right mood around the home. This was the starting point for making the playful exhibition FEEL HOME in Tortona in Milan. The results? It is best experienced on site, the ambition has been to share knowledge through fun interactive installations based on everyday life activities.
“Together with Sonos we wanted to combine our home furnishing knowledge with their expertise in creating great sound experiences for every room of the home, and in Milan we want you to experience the real difference that sound and light makes in your life”, says Björn Block, Business Leader for IKEA Home Smart at IKEA of Sweden.
During IKEA's Democratic Design Day in Sweden last summer, the furniture company said that the Symfonisk system will fully integrate with other Sonos products as well as IKEA's Trådfris smart home line of lights and switches. Other prototype ideas suggested that a Symfonisk speaker will be compatible with many of IKEA's furniture products thanks to a bracket system, turning the speaker into a free-standing wall shelf or allowing customers to place it under a Metod kitchen cabinet.
In other IKEA-related news, the company today announced that it's delaying the release of its smart blinds until later in 2019. The smart blinds were originally set to launch in the United States on April 1, but IKEA decided to push back the release because it found "an opportunity for improved functionality," and the blinds need to have their firmware updated before the launch.
For the Symfonisk speakers, users can expect to hear more details about the IKEA and Sonos partnership sometime during the Milan Furniture Fair, which takes place April 9 through April 14 this year.
Find MyiPhone, iCloud Backup, iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, iCloud Mail, iCloud Notes, iWork for iCloud, Photos, News, and more are all unavailable for an unspecified number of users.
The outage has been going on since approximately 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time, so if you've been experiencing problems with iCloud services, this is why.
It's not clear when the issue will be resolved, but Apple often addresses these problems quickly. We'll update this post when all of the iCloud services have been restored to working order.
Update: According to Apple's System Status page, the iCloud outage has been fixed.
Dropbox users who have a free Dropbox account are now limited to using that account on a total of three devices, according to new information added to the Dropbox website and spotted on Twitter (via The Verge).
Dropbox says that as of March 2019, "Basic" users, which is the free tier, can add their account to three devices. Dropbox users who already have their account attached to more than three devices can keep them linked, but there will be no way to link additional devices when over the three device limit.
There has long been a free tier for Dropbox users, with no restrictions other than available storage space. The new three device limit will make Dropbox's free service less appealing to users, though it could spur upgrades.
To get unlimited device syncing, Dropbox users will now have to upgrade to a "Plus" or "Professional" Dropbox account. Plus is priced at $9.99 per month for 1TB of storage, while Professional costs $19.99 per month for 2TB of storage. There are discounts available when purchasing a yearly plan, however.
Shazam this week updated to version 12.10, introducing a new feature that adds time and date information for every Shazam you take in the My Shazam section of the app. With this small change, you can scroll back through your history of Shazams and see when exactly you listened to each song, as far back as the release of iOS 7 in 2013.
To see the new feature, make sure your Shazam app is updated, open it, and swipe left-to-right to go to My Shazam. This section shows your most recent Shazam and the new discovery date. If you scroll down to the "Recently Shazamed" section and tap "See All," the app provides the date and timestamp for every song that you found through it over the past few years.
If you scrub on the right side of the screen, you can quickly jump to any specific month over the past few years to see what you were listening to at that time. Tapping on these songs brings up their main page, which have links so you can jump into Apple Music and add them to your library.
Apple completed its acquisition of Shazam last year, turning the app ad-free afterwards and aligning user account data with Apple's privacy policy. It's expected that Apple will incorporate Shazam more directly into Apple Music in the future, but as of now the company has not changed the music recognition app in any way, besides small tweaks and updates as seen this week.
Apple today announced that its 30th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will begin on Monday, June 3 and last through Friday, June 7, with the conference set to be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.
Developers are able to register to attend starting this morning. As Apple has done for many years, WWDC attendees will be selected using a lottery system because of the popularity of the conference.
Apple is pricing tickets at $1,599, and only developers who win the aforementioned ticket lottery will be able to purchase a ticket to attend.
To enter the lottery, developers must have been a member of the Apple Developer Program or the Apple Developer Enterprise Program as of March 14, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Registration will be open until March 20, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and developers who win a ticket will be notified by March 21 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time.
"WWDC is Apple's biggest event of the year. It brings thousands of the most creative and dedicated developers from around the world together with over a thousand Apple engineers to learn about our latest platform innovations and to connect as a community," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Our developers are incredibly passionate about creating the next generation of mind-blowing experiences for the world through apps. We can't wait to get together with them and share what's next."
Developers who are chosen through the WWDC ticket lottery will be notified later in March. Apple is also making up to 350 WWDC Student Scholarships available to students and members of STEM organizations. Scholarships include a free WWDC ticket, free lodging, and a free one-year membership to the Apple Developer Program. Those who want to win a scholarship will need to create an interactive Swift Playground that can be experienced within three minutes. Apple is taking applications until Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. PDT, with scholarship winners to be notified by Monday, April 15.
Apple's WWDC keynote is used to introduce new software, to debut new hardware products, and to allow the company to network with developers from around the world. This year, we are expecting Apple to introduce iOS 13, macOS 10.15, tvOS 13, and watchOS 6.
The keynote event will be held on June 3, which is when we'll get our first look at the new operating systems. Right now, it's not known if new hardware will make a debut, but we are waiting on news about Apple's upcoming high-end modular Mac Pro. Additional details about what we can expect to see will undoubtedly surface as the June conference date approaches.
Apple has been holding its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose since 2017, and the event always takes place right around the same time in June.
Developers who are not chosen to attend the conference will be able to live stream it through the Apple Developer website or the dedicated WWDC app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Fibaro has been making smart home devices and HomeKit-compatible products for a few years now, and the company has several sensors that work with HomeKit, including the Flood Sensor.
Fibaro's Flood Sensor is designed to detect water, which sounds super basic, but it's something that has the potential to save you a lot of money because if you've ever had a flood or a water leak, you know the kind of damage that water can cause to your home.
Design
When I saw the Fibaro Flood Sensor online it looked like a rather sizable device, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's actually small, unobtrusive, and able to go anywhere.
The Flood Sensor, made from a white plastic material, fits in the palm of my hand. It's round in shape with three corrosion resistant gold feet at the bottom that are designed to detect liquid. The feet are retractable at the ends which makes sure the sensor's feet are in contact with the ground even if the surface is a bit uneven.
"Flood Sensor" is written on one side of the device, and there's a Fibaro logo at the top. Inside the Fibaro Flood Sensor, there's a CR123A battery, which can be accessed by twisting the top of the cover counter-clockwise. This is also where the serial number is located.
You can put the Flood Sensor just about anywhere it will fit. It's just about an inch thick at its widest point, so you can tuck it into some tight spots. I have it located underneath a shelf in my living room, a spot where rain water has come in during heavy rains when the gutters outside of my apartment get full.
The feet on the Flood Sensor are small enough that it can detect even a small amount of water right away, which is useful for catching a leak before it gets too bad. If there is a lot of water though, it does float.
Last month, a post from the GDC 2019 scheduling website hinted that Microsoft was preparing to launch a new software development kit that would sync your Xbox Live data to any compatible iOS app. This week, Microsoft confirmed the launch of the cross-platform mobile SDK, enabling developers to build achievements, Gamerscore, friend lists, clubs, and more into iOS and Android apps (via The Verge).
Game developers will be able to "pick and choose" the parts of Xbox Live they want to integrate into their apps, and all of the features will be enabled on the consumer side through a single sign-in to their Microsoft account. The company is using Minecraft as a template for what other developers can do in this space.
“We believe so strongly in community, and Xbox Live really being at the heart of our gaming community,” explains Kareem Choudhry, Microsoft’s gaming cloud chief in a media briefing this week.
“If you watch what we’ve done, especially with Minecraft, over the past few years we’ve taken Xbox Live to as many platforms as Minecraft is on as possible. Really uniting all those communities together with a consistent singular experience for those gamers.”
The new SDK is part of the "Microsoft Game Stack" initiative, which has the goal of bringing together Microsoft's tools and services to help both indie and AAA developers create games.
At the moment, there are a few iOS games with Xbox Live features like achievements, but they're only available in games that were released by Microsoft Studios. With the new SDK, these features will greatly expand to any developer willing to implement them into their iOS and Android apps, and progress made on mobile (like the player's gamerscore) will sync back to Xbox consoles.
Earlier news suggested the same abilities would be coming to Nintendo Switch, but at this time Microsoft said that it doesn't have "any specific announcements as it relates to Switch today." With the new SDK, Microsoft will have a chance to greatly expand its reach in the smartphone gaming market, which has boomed in recent years thanks to games like Fortnite and a renewed interest in mobile gaming from companies like Nintendo.
Spotify has accused Apple of unfairly applying its 30 percent App Store commission. While a 70-30 revenue split applies to most apps, including Spotify, others like Uber and Deliveroo are exempt since Apple's commission does not apply to "goods or services that will be consumed outside of the app."
Ek doubled down on this issue, referring to Apple's commission as a "competitor tax":
Let's call this 30% revenue-share exactly what it is – a competitor tax. Importantly, Apple's posture towards Spotify became increasingly hostile after Apple acquired a rival music streaming service and launched Apple Music. But until now, we felt like we didn't have much of a choice.
Spotify Premium normally costs $9.99 per month, the same price as Apple Music, but if Spotify were to offer that price on the App Store, it would only receive $6.99 of that amount after Apple's cut.
Spotify did experiment with offering Premium for $12.99 per month through its iOS app starting in 2014, netting it $9.09 per subscriber after Apple's cut, but this put it at a competitive disadvantage since Apple Music is $9.99 per month. Spotify has since stopped allowing upgrading to Premium through its iOS app.
As we all know, iOS and the App Store is the only way to offer our service to anyone with an iPhone or iPad. That's over a billion people around the world. So not being on their platform is just not an option for us — or really for any competing internet service in this day and age. Apple knows this.
If we wish to use Apple's payment system to allow our customers to upgrade to our Premium service, we must pay that 30% tax. This means we cannot be price competitive because we are forced to increase our cost to consumers … while Apple avoids the tax all together and can offer Apple Music at a much lower, more attractive rate. This is especially damaging to a company like ours who already pays out a significant portion of our revenues to record labels and music publishers.
The issue doesn't end there, as Apple's App Store review guidelines prevent Spotify from letting users know that they can subscribe to Premium for $9.99 per month on the web or other platforms. The guidelines also prevent Spotify from advertising discounts and other promotions in its iOS app.
We are essentially faced with a "gag order" that prevents us from communicating with our own users about our service. From dictating how we communicate with our own customers to imposing an unjustified tax, Apple isn't playing fair. Let me be clear: we have no desire to step into the spotlight on this issue. But we also believe we have no other choice.
Ek concluded with a ping-pong metaphor:
It's like inviting you to a match on our ping-pong table and then forcing you to play blindfolded while we change the rules throughout the game.
On a new website titled Time to Play Fair, Spotify also says it is not allowed to be on the HomePod or Siri, along with other accusations.
Spotify is aiming for all apps to be subject to the same fair set of rules, including Apple Music. Spotify also believes consumers should not be "forced to use systems with discriminatory tariffs such as Apple's" and that Apple should not be able to place "unfair restrictions" on marketing and promotions.
Best Buy kicked off a new Apple shopping event today, including a few notable sales on Apple devices like the 9.7-inch iPad and Apple Watch Series 3. At the same time, Best Buy is offering a flash sale on the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar (8GB RAM, 128GB SSD), priced at $999.99, down from $1,299.99 ($300 off).
There are three total configurations of this MacBook Pro on sale today only, including the 256GB SSD model and a custom configuration 512GB SSD model. These MacBook Pros lack a Touch Bar and instead have a traditional row of function keys atop the butterfly keyboard.
Each regular configuration on sale today represents the lowest-ever sale price for that MacBook Pro model. Note that the discounts only last today, March 14, and will expire later tonight.
To see the rest of the items on sale in Best Buy's Apple shopping event, head to our Deals Roundup.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
RTL Group, the largest broadcasting and production company in Europe, has confirmed a potential content partnership with Apple.
"Discussions with new OTT platforms such as Apple are also being held," said RTL Group CEO Bert Habets, speaking on the company's earnings call today, according to Deadline. OTT is short for over-the-top media services and presumably refers to Apple's widely expected streaming video service.
RTL Group owns Fremantle, which co-produces reality series and game shows such as American Idol, America's Got Talent, The Price is Right, and Family Feud in the United States. It is unclear if any of these series would be distributed on Apple's video service or if a partnership would focus solely on original content.
Apple is expected to unveil its video platform at its March 25 event at Steve Jobs Theater. The company already has dozens of original TV shows and movies lined up for the service, including an unnamed morning show drama starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell.
Multiple reports indicate that Apple plans to launch the video service by April or May, with a rollout to more than 100 countries expected by the end of the year. A subscription format is expected, but pricing remains a question mark.
Flexible PCB firms Flexium Interconnect and Zhen Ding Technology are gearing up for mass production for Apple's next-generation iPad devices, while Compeq Manufacturing and Unitech PCB supply rigid-flex boards for the forthcoming AirPods, according to industry sources.
The report says that both updates are expected to come at Apple's March 25 event, although reliable sources have indicated the event will focus on Apple's upcoming news and video services with no hardware announcements planned.
Minor hardware updates could come silently alongside the event or via press release around the same time, as DigiTimes's insights via the supply chain are likely limited to production timing rather than event specifics.
Hints of an updated low-cost iPad have been growing, with new iPad models appearing in a regulatory database back in January. Rumors have suggested the entry-level iPad could see its display grow from 9.7 inches to around 10.2 inches thanks to slimmer bezels, but we're not expecting to see Face ID and removal of the home button with this update.
As for AirPods, we've been hearing about an imminent update for many months now, with Apple's plans seemingly delayed as the company continues work on its AirPower charging mat. Updated AirPods would include a wireless charging case to work with the AirPower mat, as well as other upgrades including "Hey Siri" support and possibly new health monitoring features, a "grippy" texture, and maybe even a new black color option.
LG recently introduced a 17-inch ultralight laptop, which we thought would be interesting to take a look at in light of rumors suggesting Apple may be planning to introduce a 16 to 16.5-inch MacBook Pro in the future.
We compared the LG Gram to a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but we also thought it might be fun to take a look at Apple's old 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro at the same time, as it was the last larger-display notebook Apple released.
Priced at $1,700, the 17-inch LG Gram features a 2560 x 1600 display with a slim and light enclosure. It has a full keyboard and a decent-sized trackpad, with speakers built into the bottom of the device.
The bezels at the top and the sides are super slim, and bezel size reduction is one of the ways Apple could expand the size of its current MacBook Pro lineup without making the enclosure larger.
The 17-inch LG Gram weighs just under three pounds, making it a pound lighter than the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The LG Gram is an impressive demonstration of how far technology has come over the course of the last eight years, as compared to Apple's 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro, it's so much lighter, thinner, and sleeker.
Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro weighs a whopping 6.6 pounds, but back in the day, components were larger and Apple also packed an entire SuperDrive for CDs and DVDs inside. The elimination of large components like this is a major reason why notebook computers today are so much thinner than they were in the early 2010s. The larger size of components in 2011 is also the reason why Apple's 17-inch MacBook Pro has so much more open space than the LG Gram around the trackpad.
The LG Gram offers three USB-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a micro SD card slot, an HDMI port, and a USB-C port, which is a better variety of ports than we're likely to get in a future MacBook Pro, even if it is larger. Apple has transitioned to all USB-C ports on its notebooks, which we don't expect will change.
Apple's MacBook Pro used a 1920 x 1200 panel, so while it's not quite as nice as the 2560 x 1600 display in the LG Gram, it's not too bad. The current 15-inch MacBook Pro uses a 2880 x 1800 display, and we expect Apple will use a similar pixel density expanded to the new 16 to 16.5-inch size.
We loved the larger size of the 17-inch LG Gram, and we're hoping those rumors of a 16 to 16.5-inch MacBook Pro are accurate. Apple probably isn't going to significantly increase the size of the MacBook Pro, but may instead cut down on bezel size to provide more available display area in a slim package. We wouldn't mind having a super large display in a bigger body, though.
What do you think of the 17-inch LG Gram? Are you hoping Apple releases a similar machine that's closer in size to its original 17-inch MacBook Pro? Let us know in the comments.
Apple Music is Apple's streaming music service, comparable to similar streaming services like Spotify, Amazon Music Unlimited, Google Play Music, Tidal, and others, though it has a leg up over many of its competitors with high-quality lossless audio and Spatial Audio support.
Apple Music boasts access to more than 75 million songs. Content can be streamed or downloaded for offline play, and there are also song and genre-based radio stations available along with the curated Beats 1 radio station.
Apple Music integrates with your existing iCloud Music Library, so you can combine Apple Music songs with songs that you have previously purchased on iTunes all in one unified location.
Apple Music's Standout Features
Apple Music supports Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio, two features that are being provided to Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost. Both of these features significantly improve the Apple Music listening experience by offering higher-quality music and a surround sound-like experience.
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos provides an immersive, multi-dimensional audio experience that allows artists to mix music in a way that makes it sound like the notes are coming from all around you. Apple Music automatically plays Dolby Atmos tracks on all AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as do the built-in speakers of the newest iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Support for Spatial Audio is also available in the Apple Music app for Android.
Apple adds new Dolby Atmos tracks on a regular basis and provides a curated selection of Dolby Atmos playlists. At launch, there were thousands of Spatial Audio songs available across a wide range of genres. Apple is working with Dolby to make it easy for musicians, producers, and mix engineers to create songs in Dolby Atmos.
Apple in June 2021 upgraded its entire music catalog to Lossless Audio with the ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) that preserves the details in the original audio file. Apple Music subscribers will be able to hear songs exactly as the artists recorded them in the studio.
The standard Lossless tier starts at CD quality, which is 16-bit at 44.1 kHz, and it goes up to 24 bit at 48 kHz. There's also a Hi-Res Lossless tier available at 24 bit 192 kHz, but Hi-Res Lossless requires an external digital-to-analog converter (DAC).
All of the streaming services have differences, and with Apple Music, Apple has focused on human curation. While there are some algorithmically created playlists, a lot of the content highlighted on Apple Music is done by Apple Music editors.
Apple offers regularly updated personalized playlists in a "For You" tab, including a favorites mix, a chill mix, a friends mix, and a new music mix, along with other playlist options that are updated on a daily basis.
Apple Music also often has exclusive album releases, documentaries, and music videos that aren't available on other platforms as a way to lure subscribers.
Beats 1, Apple Music's 24/7 live radio station, is also one of the service's unique features. It features songs curated by DJs along with a multitude of special shows, sometimes created by artists.
Live Radio Stations
Apple in iOS 13 added support for more than 100,000 live radio stations from around the world to Apple Music, so you can ask Siri to play your favorite local radio station.
What's Included in a Subscription
Unlimited access to Apple Music songs on demand
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos at no extra cost
Lossless audio on supported devices at no extra cost
Personalized algorithmic playlists
Curated playlists
Mood-based playlists
User-created playlists
Beats 1 Radio
Access to other radio stations
Offline song playback
Existing music matched to iTunes catalog and added to iCloud Music Library
Music and playlist syncing across all Apple Music-compatible devices
Apple Music Availability
Apple Music is available in over 100 countries and regions, with a full list of countries available on Apple's website.
Classical Music
Apple in August 2021 acquired classical music service Primephonic, and Primephonic's offerings are being baked into the Apple Music app.
Apple is creating a dedicated Primephonic experience in Apple Music, which is aimed at classical music fans. The Apple Music app will offer playlists and audio content from Primephonic, along with improved browsing and search capabilities by composer and repertoire, better classical music metadata, and more.
In the future, Apple plans to create a dedicated classical music app that combines Primephonic's classical music user interface with added features.
Apple Music Voice Plan
Apple in December 2021 introduced the Apple Music Voice Plan, a $4.99 Apple Music option that allows for content to be accessed solely by Siri command on supported devices like HomePod, iPad, iPhone, and Mac.
The $4.99 per month Apple Music Voice Plan is entirely separate from the $9.99 per month full Apple Music subscription, which already includes all of the features of the Apple Music Voice Plan. If you already subscribe to Apple Music, you have full Siri access and won't also need the Apple Music Voice Plan.
Apple designed the Apple Music Voice Plan as a more limited version of the standard Apple Music subscription. It's primarily designed to allow you to ask for songs and albums from the Apple Music catalog by Siri request rather than through the Apple Music app interface.
So to find music, you'd just go ahead and ask Siri to play something instead of looking it up in the Apple Music app. You do need to have Siri enabled on your devices, and Apple Music Voice works well on all devices that support Siri. It's particularly useful with CarPlay in the car and on the HomePod where the natural inclination is to use voice control.
Apple Music Voice Plan has a limited interface in the Apple Music app, but it does offer full access to Apple's song catalog and radio stations, as well as playlist suggestions. You can actually search for artists, albums, and songs using the Apple Music app, and you can listen to previews of songs, but not the full song. If you find a song in Apple Music that you want to play after hearing the preview from tapping it, you'll need to ask Siri to play the full version.
With the Apple Music Voice Plan, there is no option to add songs or albums to the Library, nor can you create playlists or save music for offline listening. Apple Music Voice does not support viewing lyrics, watching music videos, seeing what friends or listening to, nor does it off Spatial Audio or Lossless Audio.If you want those features, you need to upgrade to the full Apple Music subscription.
Device Compatibility
Apple Music works on all of Apple's devices, including iPhone (CarPlay included), iPad, Apple Watch (with no iPhone on LTE models), Apple TV, Mac, HomePod, and HomePod mini.
It's also available on non-Apple devices, so you don't need to be an Apple user to get it. It works on on PCs with the PC version of iTunes, on Android devices with the Android Apple Music app, on Sonos devices, and on Amazon-branded Echo devices.
Cost
Unlike Spotify, Apple Music does not offer a free ad-supported music tier. A paid subscription is required for all Apple Music content.
A standard Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month in the United States. With UNiDAYS verification, college students can sign up for a discounted Apple Music subscription that costs $4.99 per month. The Apple Music Voice Plan is $4.99 per month.
A family plan is available for $14.99 per month, and it allows up to six people to listen to Apple Music. A family subscription requires Family Sharing to be set up, which requires all people in the family to use the same credit card for iTunes billing purposes.
Apple Music can also be combined with other Apple services as part of an Apple One bundle to save money compared over subscribing to the services individually.
Pricing for Apple Music does vary by country, but is generally similar to the U.S. pricing.
In the United States, Verizon subscribers with Beyond Unlimited or Above Unlimited data plans can access Apple Music for free.
Free Trial
Apple offers free three-month free trials for Apple Music, and in some cases, has been known to offer additional trial months to encourage listeners to sign up for a paid subscription.
Trying to decide between Apple Music and another service? Make sure to check out our guides comparing Apple Music with other streaming music options that are out there.
In a nutshell, Apple Music is the ideal choice if you're in the Apple ecosystem, have a HomePod, prefer human-based curation, and already have an existing iTunes music collection.
Music Quality
Apple Music uses 256kb/s AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) files for standard playback, but Apple Music also has a lossless tier.
Apple Music lossless in the ALAC format starts at CD quality, which is 16-bit at 44.1 kHz (kilohertz) and goes up to 24-bit at 48 kHz for native playback on supported Apple devices. Apple Music is also available in a Hi-Resolution lossless tier that goes to 24-bit at 192kHz, but a USB digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is required.
Music quality can be adjusted in the Apple Music app by going to Settings > Music > Audio Quality, and music types can be picked for different connections and playback methods, including cellular, WiFi, and download.
DRM
You can download songs from Apple Music for offline playback, but the content that you download is protected by DRM (digital rights management), much like other streaming music services.
If you cancel your Apple Music subscription, the Apple Music songs that you've downloaded will no longer work. Apple Music songs also can't be transferred to other devices, downloaded, burned to CD, or used off-device in any way.
Note that with iCloud Music Library enabled, all of your Apple Music content will be available on all of your Apple Music-compatible devices.
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Apple last year acquired Laserlike, a machine learning startup located in Silicon Valley, reports The Information. Apple's purchase of the four-year-old company was confirmed by an Apple spokesperson with a standard acquisition statement: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
Laserlike's website says that its core mission is to deliver "high quality information and diverse perspectives on any topic from the entire web to you."
The company built a search app that used discovery and personalization machine learning techniques to build a Laserlike app described as an "interest search engine" that provided news, web, video, and local content relevant to each user. The Laserlike app is no longer available following the acquisition, but the company's website continues to cover what it was focused on:
We live in a world of information abundance, where the main problem is sifting through the noise and discovering the stuff you actually care about. For instance, if you care about knowing when the next SpaceX livestream launch is because you like to watch it with your kids, or if the car you bought two years ago has had a recall, or if a company you're interested in announces it's opening a new office where you live, or if there's a music festival coming to your town, you don't know when to look for these things, and there's no product that informs you automatically.
This is one of the things we want to fix on the Internet. Laserlike's core mission is to deliver high quality information and diverse perspectives on any topic from the entire web. We are passionate about helping people follow their interests and engage with new perspectives.
The Information suggests that Apple will use the Laserlike acquisition to strengthen its artificial intelligence efforts, including Siri. The Laserlike team has joined the Apple AI group led by new Apple AI chief John Giannandrea, who came to Apple from Google last year.
Giannandrea has been tasked with improving Apple's machine learning initiatives and bolstering Siri, the company's voice assistant. Laserlike's technology could potentially allow Siri to learn more about Apple users to provide more tailored, personalized content.
Eve Systems, formerly known as Elgato, has been making its Eve line of HomeKit products since HomeKit was first announced, and it was in fact one of the first companies to come out with HomeKit devices.
Eve recently expanded into lighting, launching the Eve Flare and the Eve Light Strip. I tested the Eve Light Strip earlier this year, and now that its sister product the Eve Flare has come to the United States, I thought I'd take a look at it to see how it measures up to other available HomeKit lighting options.
Design
The Eve Flare is a sphere-shaped LED lamp that reminds me a lot of the white FADO lamps from Ikea. I've used Ikea's lamps for years with my Hue bulbs, so I expected the Eve Flare's sphere-shaped form factor to look great with colored and white light alike and I was not disappointed.
Ikea's FADO lamps are made of glass with a plastic base, but the Eve Flare assembly is all plastic because it's meant to be portable. A plastic design makes it lighter weight and safer to move around than glass. There is a seam that I can feel at the top of the Flare where the two halves come together, but it's not very visible when the light is in use.
There's one flat side on the base of the Eve Flare that allows it to sit flat on a table and charge on its included charging base. You can use the Eve Flare while it's on the base, but you can also pick it up and take it with you outside, in the bath, next to the pool, in the kitchen, or wherever else you might want portable mood lighting. It's kind of similar to the Hue Go in regard to portability, though the Flare is larger and not as bright.
The Eve Flare has impressive battery life. Eve says that it will last for up to six hours, but I assume that's at maximum brightness. I set the brightness to about 40 percent and the Eve Flare lasted well over 24 hours. I took it off the charger at 9:40 a.m. and when I got up the next morning, it was still on. It didn't die until the next day at 6pm. Battery level can be checked in the Eve app.
Eve designed the Eve Flare to be IP65 water resistant, which means it's able to hold up to multi-directional low-pressure water jets for at least 15 minutes. This basically means that it can be used in the rain, poolside, near the bathtub, and in other areas where it might get splashed or a bit wet, but you're not going to want to submerge it.
I don't necessarily recommend it, but I took the Eve Flare in the shower to test it a few times, and it had no problem with the moisture and splashes in there.
The Eve Flare is on the larger size, which make it a little inconvenient to carry, but at the base, there's a little metal handle you can use for both carrying and hanging the light up on a hook if you want. The handle isn't particularly comfortable to hold because it's metal, but it's sturdy when hung up on something like one of those 3M adhesive hooks.
There are two physical control buttons at the bottom of the Eve Flare. One for cycling through the colors you have set as favorites in the Eve app and a second for turning the power on and off. There are no options for setting up color palettes and automatically shifting between colors, unfortunately.
Setup and Reliability
While Eve's other lighting product, the Eve Light Strip, connects to HomeKit using WiFi, the Eve Flare uses a Bluetooth connection. Connecting it to HomeKit was a matter of opening up the Eve app, making sure the lamp was turned on using the power button at the bottom, and then scanning the code. The connection is quick with no WiFi steps since it's Bluetooth.
Amazon today expanded its Apple Music integration to the Amazon Fire TV, allowing Fire TV owners to ask Alexa to play songs from the Apple Music service.
According to CNBC, Apple Music on the Amazon Fire TV is available starting today.
The expansion comes three months after Apple allowed Apple Music to be streamed on Amazon Echo speakers using the Alexa voice assistant.
On the Fire TV, users can use commands like "Alexa, play music by Stevie Nicks," or "Alexa, play a Fleetwood Mac album" to play content directly from Apple Music.
It can be enabled by going to the Alexa app on an Android or iOS device and activating the Apple Music skill. Those who have already set up Apple Music with Alexa for Echo devices will not need to repeat the steps.
Right now, Apple Music is limited to the Fire TV and Amazon Echo speakers, though it may be expanded to third-party Alexa devices in the future.
Apple's effort to allow Apple Music to be streamed on third-party platforms is part of a deeper push to grow services revenue. Apple is also planning to expand iTunes to Samsung Smart TVs in the form of an iTunes app, and AirPlay 2 functionality is being built into recent smart TV sets from a number of manufacturers like Sony and LG.
Valve today announced an expansion of its game-streaming app Steam Link, now named Steam Link Anywhere (via The Verge). 
