The U.S. Congress has requested information from Spotify related to its anticompetitive allegations against Apple, according to Reuters.
From the report:
The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee reached out to the music streaming service with broad requests for information, according to one source, who added the request to the company was narrowed in follow up telephone calls.
In March, Spotify announced it filed an antitrust complaint against Apple with the European Commission over unfair App Store practices. Spotify took particular issue with Apple charging a 30 percent "tax" on only certain App Store purchases, calling it "discriminatory."
Apple only charges a commission on in-app purchases tied to digital goods, so apps providing real goods and services like Uber are exempt.
Apple also forbids Spotify and other developers from alerting users that they can sign up for a subscription or complete a purchase outside of its iOS app, and disallows Spotify from advertising deals to its customers in the app or by email, as these practices would circumvent Apple's in-app purchase system.
Apple labeled Spotify's complaint as "misleading rhetoric" and claimed that "Spotify wants all the benefits of a free app without being free," later adding that Spotify pays Apple a 15 percent commission for only about 0.5 percent of its paying subscribers, as part of its official response to the complaint.
Apple has faced increasing scrutiny as of late over the way it runs its App Store. In response, Apple said the App Store "welcomes competition," noting that it was created to be "a safe and trusted place for customers to discover and download apps" and "a great business opportunity for all developers."
New deals have appeared today as we head into the weekend, including a low price on Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro, a sitewide discount code at Pad & Quill, and a Sprint iPhone XR offer. We've listed each of these sales below, so be sure to browse them before they expire.
Sitewide Pad & Quill Sale
You can save 15 percent sitewideon Pad & Quill's website by entering the promo code MR15 during the checkout process. This will take 15 percent off your order total, and can be used on any item on the site.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Pad & Quill sells a variety of Apple accessories, including cases for the new iPhone 11 family of devices, iPad cases, MacBook cases, leather bags, and other items like Apple Watch bands. Head to Pad & Quill soon to check out the company's accessories.
12.9-Inch iPad Pro Sale
Amazon is matching an all-time-low price for the 256GB Wi-Fi 12.9-inch iPad Pro, priced at $949.99, down from $1,149.00 ($200 off). To see this price, you'll have to add the iPad Pro to your cart and then head to the checkout screen on Amazon, otherwise the price is displayed as $1,070.90 on Amazon.
This is the lowest price currently available among the major Apple resellers. Apple revamped these iPad Pro models last year with an edge-to-edge display, no Home Button, a TrueDepth camera system with Face ID support, and the A12X Bionic chip. Orders on the 256GB iPad Pro will arrive in mid October.
Sprint iPhone XR Offer
Sprint has a new offer on the 64GB iPhone XR this week, discounting the price of the smartphone to $8/month when placed on an 18-month Sprint Flex lease plan and on a new line of service. The discount will be received in the form of a $17/month bill credit within two bills.
Sprint still has a few other offers from September as well, including Apple Watch Series 5 cellular models for half off. When purchasing a Series 5 model on a 24-month Installment Billing agreement, new watch plan activation, and on an account that already has one smartphone, you can get 50 percent off Apple Watch Series 5 via monthly bill credits.
More Apple-related sales and discounts can be found in our full Deals Roundup.
Apple may be readying a 96W USB-C power adapter for the widely rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro, according to information received by Chongdiantou, the Chinese-language sibling website of ChargerLAB.
Chongdiantou received a blurry photo of the alleged power adapter's label from an unidentified source via Chinese messaging app WeChat. The source claimed the 96W power adapter has a model identifier of A2166 and will be similarly sized as Apple's existing 87W USB-C power adapter for the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Image: Chongdiantou, enhanced for improved legibility
While the blurry photo is rather sketchy, Apple previously confirmed that its upcoming Pro Display XDR will be capable of up to 96W pass-through charging, which is more power than necessary for any portable device that Apple currently ships. Thus, perhaps the higher-power charger is for the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
Apple plans to release a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an all-new design later this year, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The notebook will feature a scissor keyboard, he said, after years of butterfly keyboard issues on MacBooks that prompted Apple to launch a worldwide repair program.
Life insurance provider John Hancock has announced that it is expanding its Apple Watch program so that new and existing members of its Vitality program can receive a 40mm Apple Watch Series 5 for an initial payment of just $25 plus tax.
The cost of the Apple Watch is split up into 24 monthly payments, which can be paid off by walking, running, biking, swimming, or completing various other exercises.
Vitality members must earn at least 500 fitness-related Vitality Points per month over two years to avoid owing any of the instalments. Additional fees apply for customers who choose a cellular model or other more expensive models.
By connecting the Vitality Today app to Apple's Health app and confirming data sharing, customers can earn Vitality Points for Light, Standard, and Advanced Workouts towards the monthly goal.
Customers can also share steps measured by their iPhone or Apple Watch, as well as active calories from the Apple Watch.
The Vitality program is available with select John Hancock life insurance policies in the United States. The free Apple Watch Series 5 offer will be available starting this fall everywhere except New York and Puerto Rico.
John Hancock, owned by Manulife Financial, first started offering Apple Watches to a limited number of members in 2016, before opening the program to all Vitality members the following year.
In a recent survey of John Hancock Vitality members with Apple Watch, 84 percent stated they are motivated to exercise by their Apple Watch and 90 percent wear an Apple Watch seven days a week.
In addition, a RAND Europe study of over 400,000 people concluded that those who participated in Vitality's Global Apple Watch programs averaged a 34 percent sustained increase in physical activity compared to participants without an Apple Watch.
U.S., U.K., and Australian officials have contacted Facebook to request that it provides authorities with a way to access encrypted messages sent by users over the social network, it was revealed today.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp already uses end-to-end encryption to ensure only senders and recipients can read messages, but Facebook intends to extend the same protocols to its Messenger and Instagram Direct chat platforms.
However, government officials have penned an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him not to go ahead with the plan – or if it does, to at least give authorities a way to read encrypted messages for reasons of law enforcement, and in particular to prevent child sexual exploitation.
A draft of the letter, obtained by BuzzFeed News, is set to be released in tandem with an announcement on a new data-sharing agreement between law enforcement in the U.S. and the U.K. aimed at removing barriers to cross-border surveillance.
"We are writing to request that Facebook does not proceed with its plan to implement end-to-end encryption across its messaging services without ensuring that there is no reduction to user safety," the letter reads.
"Risks to public safety from Facebook’s proposals are exacerbated in the context of a single platform that would combine inaccessible messaging services with open profiles, providing unique routes for prospective offenders to identify and groom our children."
"Security enhancements to the virtual world should not make us more vulnerable in the physical world. Companies should not deliberately design their systems to preclude any form of access to content, even for preventing or investigating the most serious crimes."
The letter, dated October 4, is signed by U.S. Attorney General William P Barr, U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel, acting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, and the Australian minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton.
"We believe people have the right to have a private conversation online, wherever they are in the world," a Facebook spokesperson said in response to the letter. "Ahead of our plans to bring more security and privacy to our messaging apps, we are consulting closely with child safety experts, governments and technology companies and devoting new teams and sophisticated technology so we can use all the information available to us to help keep people safe."
"We strongly oppose government attempts to build backdoors because they would undermine the privacy and security of people everywhere."
Zuckerberg also defended his decision to encrypt Facebook's messaging services, despite concerns about its impact on child exploitation and other criminal activity.
Speaking on Thursday in a livestreamed version of the company's weekly internal Q&A session, the CEO said child exploitation risks weighed "most heavily" on him when he was making the decision and pledged steps to minimize harm.
Apple has long opposed government attempts to gain access to encrypted communications through the use of backdoors in iOS devices.
In 2016, a U.S. federal judge ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December 2015 attacks in San Bernardino.
The FBI asked Apple to create a version of iOS that would both disable passcode security features and allow passcodes to be entered electronically, allowing it to then brute force the passcode on the device.
Apple announced that it would oppose the order in an open letter penned by Tim Cook, who said the FBI's request would set a "dangerous precedent" with serious implications for the future of smartphone encryption. Apple said the software the FBI asked for could serve as a "master key" able to be used to get information from any iPhone or iPad - including its most recent devices - while the FBI claimed it only wanted access to a single iPhone.
Apple's dispute with the FBI ended on March 28, 2016 after the government found an alternate way to access the data on the iPhone through the help of Israeli firm Cellebrite and withdrew the lawsuit.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple has asked suppliers to increase production of its new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro lineup by up to 10 percent, according to Nikkei Asian Review. The bump in production would add up to 8 million units to the current production plans as Apple seeks to meet stronger-than-expected demand.
"This autumn is so far much busier than we expected," one source with direct knowledge of the situation said. "Previously, Apple was quite conservative about placing orders," which were less than for last year's new iPhone. "After the increase, prepared production volume for the iPhone 11 series will be higher compared to last year," the source said.
The report claims the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are seeing the strongest demand, while Apple is actually revising orders for the iPhone 11 Pro Max down slightly as it seeks to balance production with demand.
Nearly every year, stories circulate about Apple cutting production in the months following the launches of new iPhones, but it's frequently unclear whether production cuts are due to weaker-than-expected demand or simply anticipated scaling back following the initial rush of orders. Regardless, an increase in production this year appears to be a good sign for Apple.
With the launch of three new iPhone models with improved cameras, Apple's iPhone lineup may be appealing to a broad array of customers ready to upgrade from older models, particularly with the iPhone 11 starting at $699, which is $50 less than its iPhone XR predecessor.
Those looking for an even more budget-friendly new iPhone may have some welcome news early next year, with multiple reliable sources indicating that Apple is planning to launch a new "iPhone SE 2" that would actually look very similar to the iPhone 8 but with upgraded internals such as Apple's latest A13 chip and 3 GB of RAM.
Apple today shared a new teaser trailer for its upcoming TV show "Servant," which is a psychological thriller created by Tony Basgallop and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan.
The series is said to follow a Philadelphia couple (played by Tony Kebbell and Lauren Ambrose) who hire a young nanny named Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) to care for their newborn child, who, based on the trailers, appears to be a fake baby.
The new teaser trailer is one of three that Apple has shown so far, with the others previewed during the Emmy Awards in September.
Servant will not be available when Apple TV+ launches on November 1, but it will be coming out soon after on November 28. Apple TV+ will be priced at $4.99 per month, but Apple is offering a free subscription to customers who purchase an Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
At launch, Apple TV+ will offer several TV shows, including "Dickinson," "For All Mankind," "Helpsters," "Ghostwriter," and "The Morning Show."
Apple CEO Tim Cook is currently in Europe, and over the course of the last few days, he's visited Germany, France, and Italy. Earlier this week we shared an interview he did with a German news site, and today he spoke with a French newspaper and students in Italy as part of an appearance at the Osservatorio Permanente.
Cook commented on topics like journalism, privacy, and immigration, with his comments shared by Italian site Macitynet.it [Google Translate] and French newspaper Les Echoes (via CNBC).
According to Cook, while the internet has brought "many positive things," fake news is one negative. From a translation of the original interview:
All of us lovers of democracy and freedom must think that separating the false from the true is the basis of freedom. Quality journalism is the foundation of every democracy and an open and free press is essential.
Cook also spoke about a topic that he's covered many times in the past - privacy. He reiterated his belief that Apple customers are not Apple's product, and that Apple will not sell customer data. "At Apple, we will never treat you as products but as customers with dignity and respect," he said.
Along with touching on privacy, Cook highlighted Apple's environmental efforts, such as the fact that Apple is run on 100 percent renewable energy, and he spoke on human rights. "We do not do it because it's required by regulations, but because it is a moral imperative," he said.
Apple supports immigration because wealthy countries must "accept migrants who are fleeing difficult situations," said Cook. Cook added that he would like for young people and children to be able to stay in the United States to study, referencing his support for DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy.
Cook had advice for students regarding smartphone usage. "Smartphones must bring you closer to those who are far away - don't leave those close to you," he said. "If you spend more time looking at your smartphones than people's eyes, you're wrong."
Cook also spoke about cryptocurrency according to CNBC, with statements originally shared by French site Les Echoes. Cook said that currency should stay in the hands of countries, and private companies should not look to gain power with cryptocurrency.
"No. I really think that a currency should stay in the hands of countries. I'm not comfortable with the idea of a private group setting up a competing currency," he said.
"A private company shouldn't be looking to gain power this way."
Apple's vice president of Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey recently said that Apple is "watching" cryptocurrency in regards to potentially supporting it in the future, but said that the company is primarily focused on what consumers are using today.
Cook's comments come three months after Facebook announced plans to launch a new digital currency called Libra next year in partnership with companies like Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, and Stripe.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple may have recently acquired UK-based motion capture company IKinema, based on evidence from company filings and information shared by a MacRumors reader.
IKinema offers animation technology that's used for games, virtual reality, and more. Earlier this year, for example, IKinema partnered with Ubisoft for IKinema's RunTime software for character creation. IKinema specialized in technology that allowed for real-time motion animation of virtual characters.
IKINEMA's technology is embraced by development teams the world over to bring their games to life through delivery of high fidelity results in natural character locomotion and greater player immersion within dynamic game worlds, including substantial cost reduction and accelerated production levels by a factor of five times or more to expedite the release of games to market.
Based on details from IKinema's mostly defunct website, the company considers itself a specialist in real-time procedural animation and whole body solving technology. IKinema has several videos on YouTube showing off its technology creating animated characters from real-life people, dogs, and more.
According to a document filed with the UK government, Apple lawyer Peter Denwood, who handles Apple's international affairs, was named the director of IKinema on September 12, 2019, with his address listed as One Apple Park Way.
The address of the company was also updated to 100 New Bridge Street in London on September 26, which is the address for Apple Europe Limited.
The IKinema website is no longer functional with the exception of a few technical documents, and the company's Twitter and Facebook accounts stopped being updated on August 19. MacRumors reader Peter, who is in the industry, told MacRumors that IKinema customers have been left in the dark "for weeks" and that the acquisition was confirmed in a private Facebook Motion Capture group this morning.
It's not clear what Apple will do with IKinema's technology, but Apple has delved into games with Apple Arcade, though the company does not develop its own game technology at this time.
Apple is also rumored to be working on various virtual and augmented reality projects, which could potentially benefit from IKinema's software, as could Animoji and Memoji, which animate based on facial expressions using the TrueDepth camera system.
Update October 4 7:55 a.m.: Apple has confirmed its acquisition of IKinema, giving Tim Bradshaw of Financial Times the company's usual boilerplate statement: "Apple buys smaller companies from time to time, and we generally don't discuss our purpose or plans."
Ahead of the launch of macOS Catalina, which Apple says will "soon be available," Apple is asking developers to submit Mac apps compatible with Catalina to the Mac App Store.
Apple encourages developers to take advantage of macOS Catalina technologies like Sign in with Apple, Sidecar, Core ML 3, and Metal. Apple also highlights Mac Catalyst, designed to bring iPad apps to the Mac.
macOS Catalina will soon be available to hundreds of millions of users around the world. With macOS Catalina, your Mac apps can take advantage of Sign in with Apple, Sidecar, and the latest advances in Core ML 3, and Metal. And with Mac Catalyst, you can bring your iPad apps to Mac. Build your apps using Xcode 11, test them on a Mac computer running the macOS Catalina GM seed, and submit them for review.
Separately, for apps that are designed to be distributed outside of the Mac App Store, Apple has reminded developers of a new notarization requirement.
Apple is requiring apps that are distributed outside of the Mac App Store to be notarized by Apple to run on macOS Catalina. First introduced in macOS Mojave, the notarization process is aimed at protecting Mac users from malicious and harmful apps.
To further protect users on macOS Catalina, we're working with developers to make sure all software, whether distributed on the App Store or outside of it, is signed or notarized by Apple. This will give users more confidence that the software they download and run, no matter where they get it from, has been checked for known security issues.
In June, we announced that all Mac software distributed outside the Mac App Store must be notarized by Apple in order to run by default on macOS Catalina. Make sure to test all versions of your software on the macOS Catalina GM seed and submit it to Apple to be notarized.
For notarization, Apple offers trusted non Mac App Store developers Developer IDs that are required to allow the Gatekeeper function on macOS to install non Mac App Store apps.
Notarization is not required for apps that are distributed through the Mac App Store, and Apple recently relaxed its notarization rules, giving developers until January 2020 to comply.
Apple today released the golden master version of macOS Catalina to developers, which represents the final version of the software that will be provided to the public.
It's still not known when macOS Catalina will launch, but it could be as early as tomorrow based on previously leaked info from Apple's Danish site.
Apple today seeded the golden master version of macOS 10.15 Catalina to developers, three days after seeding the tenth macOS Catalina beta and over three months after the new Mac operating system update was first unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
The golden master version of macOS Catalina represents the final version of the update that will be provided to the public at release. The new macOS Catalina software can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Developer Center.
macOS Catalina eliminates the iTunes app, splitting it into Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. The three new apps offer similar functionality to iTunes, but are split up by feature. iOS device management is still available on the Mac, but it's now done through the Finder rather than iTunes.
With a new Sidecar feature, you can turn your iPad into a second display for your Mac with just the click of a button. The Apple Pencil works with Sidecar, so you can turn your iPad into a drawing tablet in apps like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Your Apple Watch can be used to approve security prompts for passwords and other info in macOS Catalina, and Macs with a T2 chip now support Activation Lock, making them more secure. There's a new Find My that brings the Find My Mac app to the Mac for the first time and even lets you track your devices when they're offline, or, in the case of notebooks, closed.
Screen Time is available on the Mac as well as iOS devices, and Project Catalyst, a new Apple initiative, will let developers easily port their iPad apps over to the Mac to increase the number of Mac apps available.
There's a new Photos interface that surfaces your best photos organized by day, month, or year, there's a new start page in Safari, Mail has new tools for muting email threads and blocking senders, and the Reminders app has been overhauled.
32-bit apps no longer work in macOS Catalina, which is something to be aware of before installing the beta.
For more details on macOS Catalina, make sure to check out our macOS Catalina roundup. Apple is planning to release macOS Catalina sometime in October.
Costco is offering Apple's HomePod for $199.97 today, which is about $100 off the regular price of $299.00. The retailer is only selling the Space Gray version of the HomePod, but those who place an order can expect the speaker to arrive within three to five business days (with an added $4.99 for shipping and handling).
At $199.97, this is one of the lowest prices we've seen on the HomePod, and is a good chance for anyone looking to add more of Apple's smart speakers to their HomeKit setup. Of course, you'll need a Costco account to see the deal, which starts at $60/year. If you're a member, head to Costco today to browse the HomePod sale before it expires.
Apple dropped the price of the HomePod from $349.00 to $299.00 in April 2019. This price drop followed numerous discounts from well-known retailers like Target, Costco, and Best Buy, most of which began following a big discount on the HomePod during Black Friday 2018.
Apple plans to release a lower-priced "iPhone SE 2" in the first quarter of 2020, according to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said the device will feature a similar form factor design and specifications as the iPhone 8, with a faster A13 chip and 3GB of RAM:
We forecast that Apple will launch the more affordable iPhone SE2 in 1Q20. For the most part, the form factor design and hardware spec are similar to iPhone 8's. The most significant hardware spec upgrade will be the adoption of the A13 processor and 3GB LPDDR4X. iPhone SE2 will likely increase iPhone's market share and benefit Apple's promotions for service and content. We expect that the iPhone SE2 shipment will reach 30–40mn units in 2020.
Kuo believes the "iPhone SE 2" will be the "best upgrade choice" for an estimated 100 million remaining iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users, serving as a "key growth driver" for Apple in 2020. He believes these customers have low desire for new features like Face ID and multiple cameras, suggesting the "iPhone SE 2" will stick with Touch ID and a single-lens rear camera.
Kuo's prediction lines up with multiple other sources that have claimed Apple plans to release a new lower-cost iPhone 8-esque device next year, including the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News, Japanese publication Nikkei Asian Review, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu.
Those earlier reports indicated the device will sport a 4.7-inch display and a Touch ID home button like the iPhone 8. Apple continues to sell the iPhone 8 from $449, while the iPhone SE was $349 prior to being discontinued. When new, the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE started at $699 and $399 respectively.
Epistar president Chin-Yung Fan said his company's clients are developing notebooks, tablets, smartphones, and monitors with Mini-LED backlighting systems, which will naturally boost demand for Mini-LEDs in the second half of 2020, according to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.
Epistar is an Apple supplier, leading to the possibility that the iPhone maker is one of the unnamed clients working on Mini-LED products, as previously rumored, but Epistar declined to comment on any specific clients.
Last week, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of investor firm TF International Securities said Apple plans to release an iPad with a Mini-LED display between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, followed by a MacBook with a Mini-LED display in the first or second quarter of 2021.
Kuo said Epistar will be one of Apple's suppliers for those iPad and MacBook models. Epistar is the largest LED manufacturer in Taiwan.
Kuo expects the iPad and MacBook to be positioned at the high end of their respective product lines due to costly Mini-LED display components, suggesting they will be iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models. He previously said the iPad will have a 10-12 inch screen and the MacBook will fall in the 15-17 inch range.
Kuo added that the Mini-LED backlit displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks.
The future iPad and MacBook displays will each use approximately 10,000 LEDs, compared to 576 in Apple's upcoming Pro Display XDR, according to Kuo. Each LED is said to be very small — below 200 microns in size.
Apple continues to use traditional LCDs across its entire iPad and Mac lineups for now, but if this rumor proves to be accurate, we can expect the first Mini-LED models within the next 12 to 18 months or so. Prices will likely start on the higher side, but the technology should shuffle its way down the lineup over the years.
Adobe today released updated versions of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, the company's affordable photo and video editing software aimed at casual users who want to improve their photos and videos with simple editing tools.
Photoshop and Premiere Elements 2020 feature updated Adobe Sensei AI technology, new guided edits for walking users through various features within each app, and updated ways to share content.
Since the 2019 version, opening up the Home Screen in Photoshop and Premiere Elements has shown automatically generated photo and video slideshows with different effects powered by Adobe Sensei.
In 2020, there are new effects like Black and White Selection, Pattern Brush for overlaying patterns on photos, Painterly for interesting masking and crops, and Depth of Field for blurring backgrounds to bring out subjects.
Photoshop Elements has new editing features that users can take advantage of for quick but powerful edits. There's an option that will automatically colorize black and white photos or tweak the colors in an existing color photo.
With one-click subject selection, users can select the subject of a photo with a click and then apply an effect or cut out a subject to put it in another photo.
There's a new skin smoothing feature that will automatically smooth and refine the skin of a subject in a photo using Adobe Sensei technology, and Adobe has added several new Guided Edits (aka tutorials). Guided Edits include making unwanted photo objects vanish and adding creative sparkle to photos using pattern brushes.
New this year is an option to create and order more than 140 items using photo prints from Fujifilm Prints and Gifts service (U.S. only), which is now built into Photoshop Elements.
Premiere Elements 2020 has been updated with a Reduce Noise effect that makes videos more crisp, cutting down on noise in low light videos. There are also several new Guided Edits for creating time-lapse videos, replacing static skies with moving skies, and filling the frame to match the video (such as when a video is taken in portrait orientation).
Also new to Premiere Elements is a Smart Tags feature for identifying the content in videos, and HEIF and HEVC support.
For more on what's new in Photoshop and Premiere Elements 2020, make sure to check out Adobe's website. The updates are available for purchase from Adobe for $99 each starting today, with bundle and upgrade pricing available.
The app has seen an overhauled interface that better matches macOS Catalina and iOS 13, Apple's newest operating systems. CloudApp for the Mac features larger interface elements and a streamlined design meant to improve the overall look and feel of the app.
Collections and Favorites are also new additions, making it easier to share screen recordings, GIFs, videos, photos, and more with colleagues. Collections lets CloudApp users better organize their content, keeping it right at their fingertips for quick access. Users can create a Collection of commonly used files, get to those files right from a folder on the desktop, and easily share the content.
CloudApp imagines multiple use cases for Collections. Customer service representatives, for example, can create a Collection of videos, screenshots, and GIFs for answering common customer questions, while marketing teams can keep design elements on hand.
Favorites, meanwhile, are aimed at making it faster for CloudApp users to get to their most used Drops from the desktop. Favorites can be accessed from the new Favorites section, right next to Collections and Drops.
CloudApp is also gaining new short links, doing away with the cl.ly short links in favor of share.getcloudapp.com links. CloudApp says these are more customer friendly, direct, and offer better security with SSL. Paid customers can continue to offer links with a customized domain.
Apple has reportedly banned an app that allows Hong Kong protestors to track protests and police movements in the city state, despite increasing international condemnation against the violence used by the authorities.
According to The Register, Apple has told the makers of the HKmap Live app that it can't be allowed in the App Store because it helps protestors to evade the police.
"Your app contains content - or facilitates, enables, and encourages an activity - that is not legal ... specifically, the app allowed users to evade law enforcement," the American tech giant told makers of the HKmap Live on Tuesday before pulling it.
Opposition to the Chinese state and the Hong Kong authorities has grown louder, driven by an escalation in violence against protestors over the past week. On Wednesday, thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong to denounce the shooting of an unarmed teenage student by police.
Tsang Chi-kin was shot in the chest at point-blank range on Tuesday. He remains in hospital in stable but critical condition after surgery to remove the bullet, which narrowly missed his heart.
The rise in police violence has led protesters to make use of digital networking and collaborative tools to organize street gatherings, with services like HKmap Live being used to help them avoid what they perceive as government-orchestrated attacks.
This isn't the first time Apple has acted to remove apps from the App Store to abide by Chinese law. In July 2017, Apple removed the majority of VPN apps from the App Store in China, following regulations passed earlier in the year that require such apps to be authorized by the Chinese government.
Update 1:19 p.m.: Apple is reviewing its decision to reject HKmap Live, reports Bloomberg, and is likely investigating whether the software violates local laws. It's not yet clear if the app will be re-added to the App Store and the developer has not yet received an update from Apple following the commencement of the new review.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Three-quarters of Netflix subscribers have no intention of subscribing to either Apple TV+ or Disney+ when they launch next month, according to surveys conducted by Piper Jaffray (via CNBC).
According to the investment banker's survey of 1,500 Netflix subscribers, roughly 75 percent don't intend to subscribe to the upcoming rival streaming services, although those who do subscribe to Apple TV+ or Disney+ also expect to keep their Netflix subscription going.
"Our survey suggests that the majority (~75%) of Netflix subscribers do not intend to subscribe to either Disney+ or Apple TV+. For those that do expect to use one of these offerings, the vast majority expect to also maintain their Netflix subscription," Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson said.
"Most existing Netflix subscribers appear to be trending towards multiple streaming video subscriptions, especially as many continue to reduce their spend on traditional TV offerings," Olson said.
The survey should provide some comfort for Netflix investors following news of slowing subscriber growth over the last three months, along with fears about the effect that the new streaming competition will have on the company's stock price.
As CNBC's Michael Bloom notes, optimistic forecasts for Netflix were nearly universal on Wall Street as recently as July, but Netflix stock has since dropped nearly 30 percent and effectively wiped out its 2019 gains.
Amid the challenges, Netflix has been looking at new marketing strategies to help fend off its upcoming rivals. For example, the streaming leader has been offering non-subscribers access to the first episode of its new series, Bard of Blood, for a limited time.
Apple TV+ launches on November 1, with Disney+ arriving a little over a week after, on November 12. Apple is offering a one-year free trial of Apple TV+ to anyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, or iPod touch.
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