MacRumors

Netflix isn't worried about the upcoming Disney+ and Apple TV+ streaming services from Disney and Apple, respectively, the company said today in its Q1 2019 earnings report. [PDF]

In the document, Netflix says that it's "excited" to compete with Apple and Disney, and that it does not feel that the new services will affect Netflix's growth because of the "differing nature" of the content offerings.

Netflix says all streaming services will continue to grow as the market transitions away from the traditional cable viewing.

Recently, Apple and Disney each unveiled their direct-to-consumer subscription video services. Both companies are world class consumer brands and we're excited to compete; the clear beneficiaries will be content creators and consumers who will reap the rewards of many companies vying to provide a great video experience for audiences.

We don't anticipate that these new entrants will materially affect our growth because the transition from linear to on demand entertainment is so massive ​and because of the differing nature of our content offerings​. We believe we'll all continue to grow as we each invest more in content and improve our service and as consumers continue to migrate away from linear viewing (similar to how US cable networks collectively grew for years as viewing shifted from broadcast networks during the 1980s and 1990s).

According to Netflix, there is "vast demand" for watching "great TV and movies," with Netflix satisfying only a small portion of the demand. Netflix says that its streaming hours in the United States represent roughly 10 percent of total TV usage, giving it plenty of room to grow. Netflix also sees growth opportunities in other countries and on other devices like mobile.

In its quarterly earnings report, Netflix reported $4.52 billion in revenue, beating analyst estimates.

Both Apple and Disney are set to launch new streaming services this fall. Apple has not provided specific details on launch timing or pricing, but Disney recently said its new service, Disney+, will come out on November 12 and will cost $6.99 per month, well below what Netflix is charging.

Disney and Apple are investing huge amounts of money into original programming for their streaming services, and Apple has more than two dozen original TV shows and movies in the works.

Netflix recently increased its pricing. It costs $8.99 for a basic non-HD streaming plan, $12.99 for an HD streaming plan, and $15.99 for a "Premium" UHD streaming plan. Netflix also controversially ended AirPlay streaming support on Apple's iOS devices, citing Apple's plans to expand AirPlay to third-party devices and an inability to determine which ‌AirPlay‌ device is which as a reason why.

Apple and Qualcomm just kicked off a legal battle over unpaid royalty rebates in a San Diego court, but the case will be cut short as the two companies have reached a settlement.

Apple announced the news in a press release this afternoon. Apple says the settlement includes a payment from Apple to Qualcomm and a six-year licensing agreement for Qualcomm's technologies.

Qualcomm and Apple today announced an agreement to dismiss all litigation between the two companies worldwide. The settlement includes a payment from Apple to Qualcomm. The companies also have reached a six-year license agreement, effective as of April 1, 2019, including a two-year option to extend, and a multiyear chipset supply agreement.

The settlement ends all ongoing litigation between the two companies, including with Apple's contract manufacturers. All companies involved have reached a global patent license agreement and a chipset supply agreement, suggesting Apple may be planning to once again use Qualcomm chips in its devices going forward.

The legal battle dates back to 2017, when Apple sued Qualcomm for over $1 billion in unpaid royalty rebates, accusing the San Diego chip company of anticompetitive patent licensing practices.

Apple in its lawsuit claimed that Qualcomm had "unfairly insisted" on collecting royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with," while Qualcomm said that its technology is "at the heart of every iPhone. The original lawsuit spawned a bitter legal battle between the two companies, which led to patent disputes and import bans in multiple countries, all of which will now be resolved.

Apple had also stopped using Qualcomm chips in its devices due to the ongoing legal troubles, opting for an all Intel chip lineup in 2018. Recent rumors have, however, suggested that Apple's plans to use Intel's 5G chips for its 2020 iPhones may fall through due to Intel's production delays, which may have been a factor in Apple's decision to come to an agreement with Qualcomm.

Facebook's executive team, including Mark Zuckerberg, used the data of Facebook users as leverage over partner companies, according to leaked emails, webchats, presentations, spreadsheets, and more obtained by NBC News.

More than 4,000 pages of leaked documents from 2011 to 2015 provide insight into how Facebook was taking advantage of user data while publicly promising to protect user privacy before and after its 2015 move to end broad access to user data.

The documents were sent to NBC News by British journalist Duncan Campbell and originated from a 2015 lawsuit filed against Facebook by startup Six4Three after Facebook cut back on third-party data access. Six4Three had an app called Pikinis that let users find photos of their friends in swimsuits that was not able to function after Facebook's data changes.

Facebook has claimed that it limited data access to protect user privacy and to keep its users safe from companies that mishandled data, but internally, privacy was not the concern Facebook was addressing when making the move. Instead, the documents suggest Facebook ended access to user data to give it more power over third-party apps and partner companies.

However, among the documents leaked, there's very little evidence that privacy was a major concern of Facebook's, and the issue was rarely discussed in the thousands of pages of emails and meeting summaries. Where privacy is mentioned, it is often in the context of how Facebook can use it as a public relations strategy to soften the blow of the sweeping changes to developers' access to user data. The documents include several examples suggesting that these changes were designed to cement Facebook's power in the marketplace, not to protect users.

Companies favored by Facebook were given access to the data of Facebook users through exclusive deals struck before the data changes, while rival companies or apps were denied access. Amazon, for example, was provided with "extended access" to Facebook user data because of its spending on Facebook advertising and its Fire phone partnership, while data was restricted from other apps.

Facebook believed app developers were getting more value from Facebook user data than Facebook was getting from app developers, a factor that led Facebook to limit access to user data and consider other monetization tactics.

According to NBC News and previously leaked documents, Facebook mulled ways for third-party apps to provide monetary compensation for user data, ranging from direct payment to advertising spending and data sharing setups, but ultimately decided on providing access to app developers who were "personal friends" of Zuckerberg or who spent money on Facebook and shared their own data.

Facebook has previously confirmed that it considered charging companies for access to user data, but has downplayed the discussions as a mere consideration of different business models. Approximately 400 pages of the 4,000 that NBC News obtained have been leaked previously, and Facebook has called these past documents "cherry-picked" and "misleading."

NBC News says that the new documents suggest charging for user data was more than a cursory exploration of different business models, as Facebook discussed plans to sell user data for years. Senior executives, including Zuckerberg, COO Sheryl Sandberg, and CPO Chris Cox were in favor of selling data.

In emails to one of his friends in 2012, Zuckerberg explained that without limiting access to Facebook data, Facebook wouldn't have "any way to get developers to pay [Facebook] at all." He also said that he didn't feel that data leaks were a risk factor.

"I'm generally skeptical that there is as much data leak strategic risk as you think," he wrote in the email to Lessin. "I think we leak info to developers but I just can't think of any instances where that data has leaked from developer to developer and caused a real issue for us."

Facebook considered 100 deals with app developers to figure out the "real market value" of Facebook user data to learn "what developers would actually pay."

Zuckerberg ultimately decided not to charge outright for data access, but before implementing the sweeping changes in 2015, he explained in 2012 that access to Facebook data should be contingent on developers sharing "social content" generated by their apps back to Facebook and paying for advertising.

According to NBC News, the newly leaked documents could further an antitrust case against Facebook by establishing the value that Facebook placed on user data.

But if regulators can show that users were paying for access to Facebook with their personal data, and that Facebook valued that data as leverage against competitors, that could expose Facebook to an antitrust complaint, said Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, a trade association representing digital publishers.

"These emails clearly establish the value of consumer data to Facebook," Kint said. "It shows that it is not free."

The full exploration into Facebook's data sharing practices and additional details gleaned from the leaked documents can be read over at NBC News and is well worth checking out for anyone interested in Facebook's motivations.

As noted on Reddit, Apple has updated its tech specs for the 2018 MacBook Air to indicate that the notebook now has a display brightness of up to 400 nits, compared to up to 300 nits previously.

We've confirmed with Apple that this increase is tied to the macOS 10.14.4 software update released on March 25. Apple's release notes did mention that the update "corrects the default screen brightness" for 2018 MacBook Air models, although no specific details were known at the time.

Prior to macOS 10.14.4, Laptop Mag found that its 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ review unit maxed out at a brightness of 234 nits, while NotebookCheck determined an average value of 315 nits. It's unclear why there is such a big discrepancy there, but it'll be interesting to see how much the number increases in subsequent testing.

Battery life stats for the 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ remain unchanged on Apple's tech specs page.

(Thanks, Aaron!)

Apple's high-profile trial against chipmaker Qualcomm kicked off in San Diego federal court on Monday with jury selection.

Among the nine jurors selected are a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, a woman who has never owned a smartphone, a retired clinical psychologist, a pilot, an accountant, a retired nurse, and an environmental consultant, according to reports from CNET and Bloomberg.

Opening statements will be heard today. Apple has accused Qualcomm of anticompetitive business practices by way of demanding excessive patent royalties, while Qualcomm alleges that Apple manufacturers Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, and Compal owe it more than $7.5 billion in unpaid royalties.

Apple already won a preliminary judgment ordering Qualcomm to pay nearly $1 billion in withheld rebates last month.

Qualcomm has already faced scrutiny from antitrust regulators in multiple countries, including the United States, where an FTC lawyer said "evidence is overwhelming that Qualcomm engaged in exclusionary conduct, and the effects of Qualcomm's conduct, when considered together, are anticompetitive."

Amidst the legal battle, Apple dropped Qualcomm as a supplier of cellular modems starting with last year's iPhone XS, ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, and ‌iPhone‌ XR, switching to Intel for all modems in those devices.

Apple will be donating to Notre Dame rebuilding efforts to help restore the historic cathedral in Paris, according to a tweet from its CEO Tim Cook.

Notre Dame was significantly damaged in a fire on Monday. While the cause of the blaze remains unknown, the cathedral had been undergoing renovations, and at this point it is believed that it may have been accidental. Fortunately, reports indicate that no lives were lost in the fire, but at least one first responder is injured.

Cook did not indicate how much Apple will donate to the efforts. Less than 24 hours after the fire, French billionaires and other companies have already pledged over $450 million to help rebuild Notre Dame.

macOS 10.15 will have a new feature that allows users to send any window of any app to an external display, according to 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo. The external display can supposedly be a monitor connected to the Mac or even an iPad.

The report claims this functionality will be accessible via a new menu that can be opened by hovering over the green "maximize" button in a Mac app window for a split second. The menu is expected to provide options for making windows full-screen, tiling windows, and moving windows to external displays.

The feature, codenamed "Sidecar," is said to be similar to the Luna Display hardware solution that turns an ‌iPad‌ into a second display for the Mac.

Users with an ‌iPad‌ that supports Apple Pencil will be able to draw with the Pencil when the ‌iPad‌ is being used as an external display for the Mac, effectively "turning the ‌iPad‌ into a Wacom-like tablet," according to the report.

The report claims Apple is also working on options that will allow windows to be easily snapped to one side of the screen.

The Procreate app for iOS was today updated to version 4.3, introducing several major features that enable new text manipulation abilities within illustrations, as well as general speed and performance improvements.

Users of the popular illustration app for iPad can now add editable typography to their illustrations, while precision sliders make it possible to refine spacing and alignment, and rasterize the results to finish.

This release also introduces the ability to drag and drop fonts into Procreate, while new layer export options allow you to share layers as folders containing PNG images, a multi-page PDF, or an animated GIF.

Elsewhere, there's new pressure smoothing settings to enhance strokes, and new layer blend modes including Darker/Lighter Color, Vivid Light, Linear Light, Pin Light, Hard Mix and Divide.

Procreate 4.3 is a free update for existing users. New users can download Procreate from the App Store for $9.99. [Direct Link]