The seventh-generation iPad that Apple is planning to release alongside an updated iPad mini 5 will continue to use the same housing as the sixth-generation iPad, according to Japanese site Mac Otakara.
Prior rumors have suggested the device will feature a 10.2-inch display rather than a 9.7-inch display, but Mac Otakara says that it is hearing mixed rumors from suppliers. One supplier said that the display is "10 inches" but another said that the display size has not been changed.
Regardless of display size, the tablet is expected to continue to use a Touch ID fingerprint sensor rather than transitioning to Face ID like the iPad Pro models, and it will also still have a headphone jack.
Apple is expected to introduce both the updated seventh-generation iPad and a refreshed iPad mini at some point in the spring, perhaps right around the time of its March 25 event. Rumors have said the event will focus on software rather than hardware, but updates could be announced via press release shortly afterwards.
Mac Otakara says that it's likely both new iPads will debut at the same time, but the site did not provide any prospective launch timelines beyond mentioning that suppliers are preparing for a launch. Apple's current sixth-generation iPad sells for $329, and the new model is expected to be available at the same price point.
Earlier this week, we asked our readers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to look at some photos taken with the iPhone XS Max and the Samsung Galaxy S10+, Samsung's new flagship device, and tell us which photos they liked best.
There was a catch, though. We didn't tell them which smartphone took which photo, allowing us to aggregate some unbiased opinions on the quality of the images from each device. Today, we're revealing which photos came from which phone and sharing the results we gathered.
All of the photos that we shared came straight from the camera and were not edited or otherwise manipulated. We'll go through each image and give a brief overview of what people thought before unveiling which camera was used for these images.
The first photo, of a cup, shows off the iPhone's Portrait Mode and Samsung's Live Focus mode, which is basically the same thing. Photo A has more natural colors because Photo B is too warm, but B wins when it comes to depth. Photo A cut off part of the cup, while Photo B did not, though Photo A offered better blurring of background images. Most people actually preferred Photo A, but we think Photo B is the winner because it didn't cut off any of the cup.
The second photo, featuring a person, was also captured with portrait mode. Compared to Photo B, Photo A seems a bit washed out, but A did a better job isolating the subject from the background. MacRumors readers preferred Photo A, and so do we.
The third photo, of a street sign, is a portrait mode photo taken in lower lighting conditions. It was gray and snowy outside, and Camera A took an image that was too cool. Photo A doesn't have any of the sign cut off, but the blueness of the image skewed this heavily in favor of Photo B.
In our fourth image set, of a skyline, Photo B is brighter, but a bit overexposed and washed out. Photo A is darker, but the dynamic range and contrast are more accurate, especially when looking at the clouds. Most people liked Photo B better, but we prefer A because it's not washed out.
Our last images, shared solely on Instagram due to Twitter limitations, demonstrate how well Camera A is able to handle shots of the sky. Photo B's highlights are blown out and Camera B didn't do a great job of capturing the sun. We didn't get a lot of feedback on this image, but we preferred Photo A.
If you guessed that all of the Photo A images came from the iPhone XS Max, you guessed right. Photo A is the iPhone and the Photo B images came from the Galaxy S10+.
Results we received from readers on preference were ultimately mixed, with some of the photos captured by the Galaxy S10+ coming out on top, and some photos captured by the iPhone winning out. That's no surprise, though, as both of these smartphones have great camera systems that can capture some fantastic images.
Apple's iPhone XS Max uses a dual-lens camera system with a 12-megapixel f/1.8 wide-angle lens paired with a 12-megapixel f/2.4 lens, while Samsung uses a more advanced triple-lens camera system (which is, incidentally, rumored to be coming to 2019 iPhones). The Galaxy S10+ has a 12-megapixel f/1.5 wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto lens, and an additional 16-megapixel f/2.2 ultra wide-angle lens that can capture more of a scene at once, great for landscapes and group shots.
Both are also great at video and can record in 4K with optical image stabilization offered, though we thought the Galaxy S10+ outperformed the iPhone XS Max because its stabilization was just a bit better.
Overall, we preferred the images from the iPhone XS Max over the images from the Galaxy S10 because the iPhone offered more true-to-life colors, better dynamic range, and superior contrast, but the Galaxy S10+ still took fantastic shots.
Which photos did you prefer? iPhone XS Max or Galaxy S10+? Let us know in the comments.
Qualcomm today told a San Diego jury that it wants Apple to pay $31 million in damages for patent infringement violations, which is allegedly equivalent to $1.40 per infringing iPhone.
The new information comes from CNET, which has been covering the Qualcomm vs. Apple patent trial that's in court this week.
$1.40 per iPhone and a total of $31 million in damages suggests that Qualcomm believes only 22 million iPhones are infringing on its technology. Qualcomm came up with that total with the help of economist Patrick Kennedy, who took the stand as an expert witness for Qualcomm today. Kennedy calculated the figure based on iPhones sold from July 2017 on that used chips by Intel. Apple started using a mix of chips from both Intel and Qualcomm in the iPhone 7, and later transitioned to all Intel chips due to the legal troubles with Qualcomm.
Qualcomm and Apple are fighting over three patents that Qualcomm says Apple infringed on with its iPhones. As CNET describes, one of the patents covers a method for allowing a smartphone to quickly connect to the internet once turned on, while another covers graphics processing and battery life. The third patent Apple is accused of violating allows apps to download data more easily by directing traffic between the apps processor and modem.
Apple just last quarter earned more than $20 billion in profit, so $31 million in damages wouldn't be a hit to the company's bottom line. If Qualcomm wins the trial, though, its claim that its technology is at the "heart of every iPhone" would be more credible.
Apple and Qualcomm have been fighting since January 2017, when Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion in unpaid royalty fees. Qualcomm countersued, and since then, the two companies have levied multiple lawsuits against one another. Two of Qualcomm's lawsuits have resulted in import bans in Germany and China, both of which Apple was able to skirt with hardware and software updates.
The current patent trial between Apple and Qualcomm will last through next week.
As we head into the weekend, there are a few notable discounts and offers happening at various online retailers, including sales on the HomeKit-compatible Eve Room, Anker's new 5-in-1 USB-C hub, Best Buy's tax refund sale, and more.
Eve Room
For a limited time on Amazon, you can get $10 off the new Eve Room indoor air quality sensor on Amazon, knocking the price of the sensor down to $89.95 from $99.95 and representing the first discount on the device. The Eve Room includes full HomeKit support, allowing you to track the air quality, temperature, and humidity inside your home.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The sensor sports an e-ink display with an anodized aluminum body, which displays your favorite readings so you can easily glance at data when nearby. Thanks to the HomeKit support, you can ask Siri for readings of your home's air quality and temperature on iPhone, iPad, HomePod, and other Siri-enabled devices. Head to Amazon to check out more information on the Eve Room.
Anker 5-in-1 USB-C Hub
Anker recently launched a new 5-in-1 USB-C Hub with Power Delivery, and the company has also shared a discount code on the device. If you head to Amazon and add the accessory to your cart, then enter the code ANKERC32 in the checkout screen, you can get the 5-in-1 Hub for $29.99, $13 off from $42.99.
This accessory is aimed at USB-C enabled modern MacBooks, providing access to additional ports including 1 standard SD card slot, 1 microSD card slot, 1 USB-A charging and data port, 1 USB-A data port, and 1 USB-C charging port. It also comes with a travel pouch.
In terms of pass-through charging, the Anker Hub has a maximum input of 60W, with 13W given to the device's operation. This leaves up to 47W pass-through charging for the MacBook when you're using other ports on the 5-in-1 Hub. For MacBook Pro, this will charge Apple's premium laptops, albeit at a slow pace.
iTunes Movies Sale
Apple is constantly updating iTunes Movies around various holidays and events, and this week has been no different. To celebrate International Women's Day, shoppers can browse a collection of movies focused on powerful women, all priced under $10.
Best Buy has kicked off a new three day sale this week, discounting MacBook Air, iPad, 4K TVs, Beats, and more. My Best Buy members have the chance to get double the points on select items during the sale, which lasts until Saturday, March 9 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
MacBook Air (2018) - Save $200 on select models / as low as $999.99 for 128GB (lowest ever)
For a limited time, Philips is offering shoppers a chance to get the Hue Bridge for free when they purchase a Hue Play double pack along with the Hue Bridge. The Hue Play double pack runs for $129.99 and the Hue Bridge is priced at $59.99, so you'll be paying $129.99 for both products when purchased together.
Philips is running the same offer for the Hue Lightstrip Plus base pack. If you buy two of these for a total price of $159.99, and add a Hue Bridge to your cart, you'll get the $59.99 Hue Bridge for free.
For the last few weeks, Apple has been updating the artwork on playlists within Apple Music, and today, The Verge has shed some light on the reason why with input from Apple's global director of editorial, Rachel Newman.
Apple is using original artwork from well-known artists like the creator of the AC/DC logo for playlists in an effort to bring instant recognition to its content and to better connect with different communities.
New art for the Hip Hop Hits playlist, designed by the artist who created Migos' Culture album cover
According to Newman, the custom art for playlists is meant to be a "visual representation of the music that you will find inside the playlist."
That rootedness in specific cultures was something that Apple wanted to emphasize when it was commissioning art. "Suddenly there is really no strong definition of a genre anymore like there used to [be], you know, in the olden days," said Newman, the editorial director. Genre is now, in her words, a melting pot.
For each genre, Apple is choosing "huge name" artists that fit well and have worked within the genre before. Stole "Moab" Stojmenov, who designed the cover for Migos' album "Culture," created the art for Apple's "Hip Hop Hits" playlist, for example.
Carlos Perez, who directed the video for hit song "Despacito," created artwork for several playlists, including "Dale Reggaetón." Perez said that with Apple's freedom, he aimed for authenticity when creating the artwork, which seems to be Apple's goal with the project.
Apple plans to redesign "many thousands" of Apple Music playlists, with new artwork rolling out over the course of the next few months.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Hex to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Hex bag or iPhone case. Hex makes a whole range of products, including multiple totes, backpacks, and bags with simple designs and clean lines.
Hex's 10.8L Terra Expandable Laptop Briefcase, for example, has a no-frills, modern design that offers a wealth of storage space. There's a padded laptop slot that can accommodate up to a 15-inch laptop, an interior gear pocket, an external tablet pocket, two external gear pockets, and a rear document pocket, so it can fit pretty much all the gear you might need.
Priced at $139.95, it comes with backpack straps that can be tucked away so when it's packed full you can wear it like a backpack, and there's also a detachable shoulder strap so it can be worn in a more traditional way. The Terra is made from a polyester material treated for water resistance, so it can hold up to a bit of rain.
Hex's Nero Expandable Laptop Briefcase, also priced at $139.95, is pretty much identical to the Terra with all of the same features and pockets, but it is made from a black polyester material that's also resistant to rain and rips.
Hex also makes affordable backpacks, including the Echelon Signal Backpack, which is priced at $89.95. The Echelon backpack holds 17.25L, so it's a good size without being too large, and it can accommodate a 13 to 15-inch laptop in the padded laptop compartment.
It's made from a gray polyester material that's simple, attractive, and water resistant, and there's a big front pocket for a tablet. A pocket at the top keeps sunglasses safe, and inside, there's a big interior pocket and organized sections for pens, keys, and cards.
Hex's 24.9L Supply Laptop Tote, priced at $99.95, is another option for carrying a laptop. It can hold a 13 to 15-inch machine in the padded storage compartment, and for other items, there's a big main zippered compartment and a padded tablet compartment.
At the front, there's a snap pocket that can hold a phone, and two rear snap pockets for change and keys. It's made of a waxed canvas treated for water resistance, and it features coated canvas accents and leather zipper pulls.
The Stingray, priced at $44.95, is made from a textured leather material with a polycarbonate shell that keeps the iPhone safe from bumps and drops. There's a built-in wallet feature with 2 RFID blocking card slots and a raised front bezel that protects your screen.
We have one of each of the above listed products from Hex to give away to MacRumors readers. The first winner picked will receive the Terra briefcase, the second will get the Nero briefcase, the third will get the Echelon backpack, the fourth will get the Supply Laptop Tote, and the fifth will get the Stingray iPhone Case.
To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (March 8) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on March 15. The winners will be chosen randomly on March 15 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is in the running for the 2020 presidential race as a Democratic candidate, today outlined her proposal for "breaking up" tech giants like Amazon, Google, and Facebook in an effort to combat monopolistic behavior (via CNBC). Apple is not directly mentioned in Warren's post on Medium, but a representative from her campaign confirmed the plan would affect Apple.
In essence, Warren wants to make "big, structural changes" to the technology sector in order to promote increased competition. The presidential candidate says that these companies have too much power "over our economy, our society, and our democracy," in the process hurting small businesses and stifling innovation.
To combat this, Warren proposes a path to restoring competition to the tech sector in two major steps. The first is by passing legislation that requires large tech platforms to be designated as "Platform Utilities" and broken apart from any participant on that platform.
This first step is what would directly affect Apple, as the App Store would become a Platform Utility, and any of Apple's first-party apps on it would not be allowed. So, the company would have to choose between running the App Store or building and selling its own apps, according to Warren spokeswoman Saloni Sharma. The same law would hit Amazon on its Marketplace and Google's ad exchange.
Second, the Warren administration would appoint regulators committed to reversing anti-competitive tech mergers. These include "unwinding" mergers like Amazon/Whole Foods/Zappos, Facebook/WhatsApp/Instagram, and Google/Waze/Nest/DoubleClick.
Warren argues that undoing these mergers would promote healthy competition in the market, putting pressure back on big tech companies that would make them more responsive to user concerns, particularly about privacy. "Facebook would face real pressure from Instagram and WhatsApp to improve the user experience and protect our privacy," says Warren.
Toward the end of her blog post, Warren summed up her strategy:
Here’s what won’t change: You’ll still be able to go on Google and search like you do today. You’ll still be able to go on Amazon and find 30 different coffee machines that you can get delivered to your house in two days. You’ll still be able to go on Facebook and see how your old friend from school is doing.
Here’s what will change: Small businesses would have a fair shot to sell their products on Amazon without the fear of Amazon pushing them out of business. Google couldn’t smother competitors by demoting their products on Google Search. Facebook would face real pressure from Instagram and WhatsApp to improve the user experience and protect our privacy. Tech entrepreneurs would have a fighting chance to compete against the tech giants.
Warren is among a dozen Democrats who have announced their runs for the 2020 presidential bid over the past few months, also including senator Kamala Harris, congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, entrepreneur Andrew Yang, governor Jay Inslee, and senator Bernie Sanders. Confirmed Republican candidates running next year include president Donald Trump and former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld.
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.
In a new video shared this week by 512 Pixels, Stephen Hackett looks into the history of Clarus the Dogcow, a bitmapped image designed as part of the Cairo font for use on the Macintosh. While starting as part of a simple font language, Clarus grew to prominence on Mac over the years, becoming a popular part of Apple iconography throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
As Hackett explains in his video, Clarus was designed by graphic designer Susan Kare in 1983. Kare created the various fonts for the Macintosh's user interface, and one font in particular had a unique set of glyphs and images to represent the alphabet, referred to as a dingbat font. The letter "z" was represented by a small creature that appeared to merge a dog together with a cow.
Clarus became so endearing to Apple engineers that the Dogcow appeared in various printing programs on Macintosh computers, indicating to users which orientation the paper would be in when it was printed. Eventually, Scott Zimmerman coined the term "Dogcow" in 1987 and Apple employee Mark Harlan named the character Clarus in Technote 31 in the Developer Technical Support documents, to clarify the small animal people were seeing in the printing software.
Images via 512 Pixels
In the entry called "The Dogcow," Harlan stated, "Dogcows, by their nature, are not all dog, nor are they all cow, but they are a special genetic hybrid. They are rarely seen in the wild. Since dogcows are two dimensional, they will stand facing a viewer “on edge” to avoid being seen."
Hackett: "Apple was still performing well at this point, with the dark days of the mid-90s still several years off, and the company had a sense of humor about itself."
Clarus the Dogcow rose to prominence in the early and mid 1990s, thanks to a few videos of the character in early versions of QuickTime. One video shows Clarus riding a merry-go-round, while another has the character spinning in various directions.
At this time, the appearance of Clarus as an Apple icon really began to take off, with the Dogcow showing up in official Apple documentation about rendering on-screen graphics, mousepads, t-shirts, a brand of beer called "Moof Bräu", and even in the Icon Garden on Apple's Infinite Loop campus.
As the 1990s ended, so did the height of Clarus the Dogcow. According to Hackett, "While it's hard to pin the Dogcow's decline directly on Steve Jobs, Clarus became harder and harder to spot after his return to Apple. The Icon Garden came down, and Mac OS X used a less-fun image on the Page Setup screen. While Clarus made a brief appearance with OS X’s Address Book, it was hardly a comeback. The party, as they say, was over."
Clarus has made occasional appearances in recent years, with WWDC developers last year receiving a Clarus the Dogcow pin as part of their swag bags.
Spotify today announced that its streaming music service will be preinstalled on the latest Samsung smartphones starting today, including the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, Galaxy Fold, and select Galaxy A models. New subscribers on those devices can receive a free six-month Spotify Premium trial in the United States.
The announcement reflects a major extension of a partnership that saw Spotify become Samsung's go-to music service provider in August 2018, a move intended to provide a seamless listening experience across Samsung devices.
Spotify being preinstalled on millions of Samsung smartphones brings it more in line with Apple Music, preinstalled on hundreds of millions of iOS devices. Last month, Spotify announced that it had 96 million paid subscribers as of the end of 2018, easily topping Apple Music's over 50 million subscribers.
MacRumors and ElevationLab are partnering up this week to offer our readers a chance to save on the company's popular DraftTable device for the iPad. With our exclusive promo code, you can get the DraftTable for $39.96, down from $49.95; or you can purchase the DraftTable Kit for $55.96, down from $69.95.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
To access the sale, head to Amazon, choose from either the DraftTable or DraftTable Kit, add the item to your cart, and in the checkout screen enter the promo code MACLAB20 to gain your 20 percent discount. This code will last from today through Sunday, March 10.
The single DraftTable comes with ElevationLab's ergonomic stand that works with all sizes of the iPad Pro and can even accomodate the iPad mini. DraftTable is designed to ensure a rock-solid base station for working on iPad, with wide angle adjustment that ensures comfort on all-day workflows.
You can also upgrade to the DraftTable Kit, which includes the DraftTable base along with ElevationLab's ArmRest for even more comfort when sketching on iPad, as well as the Pencil Stand for securely holding the Apple Pencil.
Our full Deals Roundup has even more deals that are currently live, so be sure to head over to it as you shop around this weekend.
Apple's first rumored head-mounted augmented reality device could be ready by the middle of next year, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via Economic Daily News [Google Translate]).
A fanciful mockup of digital glasses via TechAcute
According to Kuo, Apple's AR glasses will be marketed as an iPhone accessory and primarily take a display role while wirelessly offloading computing, networking, and positioning to the iPhone.
Designing the AR glasses to work as an iPhone accessory is also expected to allow Apple to keep the glasses slim and lightweight, rather than trying to pack in all the processing hardware into the one device.
Kuo believes Apple is aiming to begin mass-producing the glasses as early as the fourth quarter of this year, although he admits the timeframe could be pushed back to the second quarter of 2020.
Back in November 2017, Bloomberg reported that Apple was developing an AR headset and aimed to have it ready by 2019, although the company could ship a product in 2020. The report said the headset would run on a new custom operating system, based on iOS, and dubbed "rOS" for "reality operating system."
Apple has been exploring virtual reality and augmented reality technologies for more than 10 years based on patent filings. The company is also rumored to have a secret research unit comprising hundreds of employees working on AR and VR, exploring ways the emerging technologies could be used in future Apple products.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked up the prospect of augmented reality several times, saying he views AR as "profound" because the technology "amplifies human performance instead of isolating humans."
Disney CEO Bob Iger has shared additional details on the company's upcoming Disney+ streaming service, which will compete with Apple's forthcoming digital video platform.
Speaking to shareholders on Thursday, Iger said the Disney service will offer subscribers "the entire Disney motion picture library," and will signal the end of the so-called "Disney Vault".
The service, which I mentioned earlier is going to launch later in the year, is going to combine what we call library product, movies, and television, with a lot of original product as well, movies and television. And at some point fairly soon after launch it will house the entire Disney motion picture library, so the movies that you speak of that traditionally have been kept in a "vault" and brought out basically every few years will be on the service. And then, of course, we're producing a number of original movies and original television shows as well that will be Disney-branded.
As Polygon notes, Disney typically makes individual titles available on home video for limited periods of time. Once a run of a particular movie on DVD and Blu-ray has sold through, Disney returns it to the "Vault" until it's released again.
Iger also said that newer films will find a home on Disney+ within a year of their theatrical release. "It's going to combine both the old and the new," Iger continued. "All of the films that we're releasing this year, [starting] with Captain Marvel, will also be on the service."
Disney+, which will be home to Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel content, is set to launch in "late 2019," more than two years after it was first announced in August 2017.
Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Apple's upcoming video streaming service and its work on original TV content could spell trouble for Apple board member and Disney CEO Bob Iger, citing the potential for competition between the two companies.
Apple plans to introduce its streaming TV service at a March 25 event but it is expected to launch later in the year.
An icon has been shared on social media this morning that purportedly references Apple's next-generation iPod touch. The image below was shared by self-described tech product leaker Jonathan Mitchell, who claims to have unearthed the icon in iOS 12.2 Beta 4.
I was doing some coding in iOS 12.2 Beta 4. I cracked this here on what a new iPod touch 7th generation could look like. HLipod is the 6th generation HLipod2 is a unreleased generation. *Notice no home button and it looks to be a full screen display.* @OnLeaks@stroughtonsmithpic.twitter.com/pXLzif5JMZ
— Johnathan Mitchell (@jaymit2090tx13) March 8, 2019
The icon labeled "HLSipod2" on the right is shown beside the existing icon for Apple's current-generation iPod touch, suggesting that an unreleased seventh-generation iPod touch will inherit the design elements of Apple's flagship all-screen iPhones and do away with the Home button.
That said, the device in the icon doesn't have a notch and it also appears to be off-center, which could mean that it's being used by Apple as a placeholder in the iOS 12 beta. Either that, or it's not genuine at all.
In January, developer Steven Troughton-Smith discovered references in iOS 12.2 to an "iPod 9,1," which does not match up with any known iPod touch devices, suggesting it is a new next-generation model. However, the iPod listing in iOS 12.2 does not appear to have Face ID or Touch ID.
Last month, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects a new iPod touch with a faster processor to launch in 2019, but Kuo made no mention of a possible redesign for the device.
Apple last updated the iPod touch in July 2015, and in July 2017 the company cut prices and reduced the number of storage capacity options.
Update: Developer and frequent iOS beta explorer Guilherme Rambo says "there is no such icon on iOS."
Mobile gamers on iOS and Android have spent approximately $2.5 billion on Pokémon games, according to new data shared this week by Sensor Tower.
There are six mobile titles that Sensor Tower is counting towards the total, but the bulk of the money - 98 percent - was earned by the most popular Pokémon title, Pokémon GO.
The other five titles that have brought in more modest amounts of revenue include Pokémon Shuffle Mobile, Pokémon Duel, Pokémon Quest, Pokémon: Magikarp Jump, and Pokémon TCG Online.
The United States has spend the most on Pokémon games, with total U.S. revenue coming in at 875 million, or 35 percent of the $2.5 billion number. Japan comes in second and accounts for 29 percent or $725 million of the total Pokémon game revenue.
Pokémon games have been installed by 640 million mobile users around the world since 2014, with Pokémon GO unsurprisingly making up the bulk of that with 550 million total worldwide downloads.
Spotify, Google, Pandora, and Amazon have all teamed up to appeal a ruling by the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board that will increase royalties paid to songwriters by 44 percent, reports Variety.
In a joint statement, the companies, which all operate major streaming music services, said that the decision harms both music licensees and copyright owners.
"The Copyright Royalty Board (CRB), in a split decision, recently issued the U.S. mechanical statutory rates in a manner that raises serious procedural and substantive concerns. If left to stand, the CRB's decision harms both music licensees and copyright owners. Accordingly, we are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review the decision."
Apple is not joining the other streaming music services and will not appeal the decision. According to Variety, songwriter organizations have been heavily praising Apple while condemning the other streaming services.
David Israelite, CEO of the National Music Publishers' association, called the appeals from Spotify, Pandora, Google and Amazon "tech bullies who do not respect or value the songwriters who make their businesses possible."
He also thanked Apple Music for not participating in the appeal and for "continuing to be a friend to songwriters."
Samsung's new Galaxy Buds, designed to compete with the AirPods, are launching this week. We got our hands on a set and thought we'd compare them with the AirPods to see just how Samsung's newest earbuds measure up to Apple's super popular product.
Like the AirPods, the Galaxy Buds are wire free, using Bluetooth to connect two separate ear pieces to a smartphone or other device. Samsung opted for a different design than Apple, though, using a pillbox-style case and a squatter, rounder design for the earbuds themselves to set the Galaxy Buds apart from the AirPods.
Apple's AirPods, as you probably know, have a distinct design with a stem that comes out of the ears and a square flip case that's been likened to a container of dental floss.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds come in white, black, and yellow, while the AirPods are limited to white at the current time. The Galaxy Buds have a simple, clean design with a USB-C charging port at the back and Samsung branding at the top. AirPods have no Apple branding and a Lightning port at the bottom, along with a reset button on the back.
Both cases hold their respective earbuds in place magnetically and offer additional charge, and we found both to be equally portable. The AirPods case does have a slight edge, though, because it better holds the AirPods in place thanks to a stronger magnetic grip.
No headphones are going to fit in everyone's ears, and some people may have problems with the AirPods, while others might have issues with the Galaxy Buds. We had problems with fit when it came to the Galaxy Buds and it was difficult for us to get a good seal. We didn't have that problem with the AirPods, but fit is something that varies from person to person.
With the Galaxy Wear app on a Samsung device, you can see battery level and choose different equalizer presets, a feature not offered on the AirPods. With AirPods, you can see battery level natively when paired with an iOS device, but there's no accompanying app for making adjustments to sound. The Galaxy Buds also have an ambient sound setting to better let you hear your surroundings, but we didn't notice a huge difference.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds support customizable gestures just like the AirPods do. A tap plays or pauses music, a double tap plays the next track or answers/ends a call, a triple tap plays the previous track, and a tap and hold accesses the voice assistant, turns on ambient sound, or adjusts the volume. On AirPods, many of these same gestures are supported, but there's no tap gesture for changing volume.
AirPods pair to an Apple device using a W1 chip that enables quick pairing and device switching, and on Samsung phones, there's a similar feature for the Galaxy Buds. You can pop open the case to do a quick pair with a Galaxy smartphone, and there's an easy switch feature for swapping the earbuds over to any other Galaxy device.
Apple limits this feature to the iPhones, and similarly, the easy pairing feature on the Galaxy Buds is limited to Samsung devices. There's no quick pairing when using the Galaxy Buds with Android devices or an iPhone, so you'll need to use regular Bluetooth.
With the AirPods, there's a neat feature that pauses the music when you remove an earbud from your ear, which is not available with the Galaxy Buds, but Samsung's earbuds do offer several features not available with the AirPods.
For one, there's wireless charging, so you can charge the Galaxy Buds using any Qi wireless charging accessory. When using the Galaxy Buds with a new S10 device, there's a PowerShare feature that lets the S10 charge the Galaxy Buds, which is both handy and cool.
There's actually a rumor that the 2019 iPhones could get a similar feature, so we may very well be able to charge that rumored wireless AirPods charging case that's in the works with a 2019 iPhone when September rolls around.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds are basically the AirPods of the Samsung ecosystem. You're probably not going to want to pick these up if you're an iPhone owner because the AirPods offer so many more benefits, but if you have a Samsung device, there are a lot of great features you can take advantage of.
Apple Music has become immensely popular since it launched in 2015, and now has over 60 million subscribers worldwide. So how does it stack up against ecommerce giant Amazon's rival premium streaming service in terms of features, music catalog, and cost? Keep reading to find out.
Amazon actually has two primary music services, so before we go any further it's worth explaining the difference. If you have an Amazon Prime membership, you already have access to Amazon Prime Music, as it's bundled in with the service. In fact, Prime Music and Amazon Music Unlimited are similar in many ways, so if you are a Prime member and you're interested in Amazon's standalone streaming service then it's worth getting to know Prime Music first.
Both services share the same interface and apps, and offer similar features like the ability to download songs, albums and playlists for offline listening. The main difference between the two offerings is the number of songs you have access to. Amazon Prime Music has two million songs in its catalog, but paying the extra for Amazon Music Unlimited gets you access to 50 million songs, including the majority of new releases.
Subscriptions and Plans
An individual Apple Music subscription costs $9.99 per month in the United States, with slight price variations in other countries and territories. Membership means you can stream Apple's music catalog, download music and videos for offline listening, and get access to new releases and exclusives, as well as a back catalog of shows broadcast on Apple's Beats 1 radio station.
The price you pay for an individual Amazon Music Unlimited subscription depends. If you're already an Amazon Prime member the streaming music service costs an additional $7.99 per month (or $79 per year). For Prime members who own an Amazon Echo, it's $3.99 per month, but the subscription is tied to just a single device. For everyone else, it's $9.99 per month, which is the same as Apple Music. A subscription gets you ad-free access to Amazon's 50-million song music catalog with offline listening and unlimited skips.
Both Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited offer student subscription plans priced at $4.99 per month and both require you to sign up using your educational institution credentials. Both streaming services also offer a family plan costing $14.99 a month which allows up to six people to access the services using a personal account for each family member. Apple Music members can also share iTunes purchases with each other in addition to music catalog content, but all family members are required to use the same credit card for all App Store purchases as part of Apple's Family Sharing program.
Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited memberships automatically renew each month, but you can cancel renewal at any time and your subscription will last until the end of your current billing cycle.
Free Trials
Apple Music offers a free three-month trial of its paid service, which converts to a paid membership unless the user cancels before the trial period is over.
Amazon also offers a free trial for its paid music service, but it only lasts 30 days before billing begins.
Libraries and Offline Listening
The Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited plans give you access to a huge catalog of content when you sign up. Both services boast catalogs with 50 million songs, but Apple goes the extra mile to secure artist exclusives including new releases, live performances and concert videos.
Apple Music users can download a maximum of 100,000 songs to their library, and thanks to Apple's iCloud Music Library feature these can be synced across any devices signed in to the same Apple ID. Amazon Music Unlimited users also have a 100,000 song upper limit on their library downloads, but these are accessible across a maximum of 10 devices.
Streaming Quality
Starting in June 2021, Apple Music will support Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio, two features that are being provided to Apple Music subscribers at no additional cost. Both of these features will significantly improve the Apple Music listening experience.
Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos will provide 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 has had a Spatial Audio feature available for television content, and now it is expanding to Apple Music audio content.
Apple is upgrading 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.
When Lossless Audio launches, 20 million songs will support the codec, with all 75 million songs available in Lossless Audio by the end of 2021.
The standard Lossless tier will start 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).
In response to Apple Music's lossless audio announcement, Amazon's high-fidelity streaming service, Amazon Music HD, is now available to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers at no extra cost. Amazon Music HD previously cost $14.99 a month ($12.99 for Prime members) compared to Amazon Music Unlimited, its most popular service option, which $9.99 a month ($7.99 for Prime members).
If you're not interested in lossless audio, Apple Music streams 256kbps AAC files across the board. Amazon hasn't revealed the bitrate of its library, but the general consensus is that its user audio quality options (low/medium/high) range from 48 Kbps up to and 320 Kbps.
Apart from audiophiles, most listeners probably won't notice much difference between highest-quality streams of the same song, but Amazon Music's option to select the bitrate can come in handy if you're worried about using up your cellular data.
Mobile, Desktop, and Web Apps
The Apple Music catalog is accessed within the Music app, which has a clean white interface and comes pre-installed on every iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, and is available as a separate downloadable app on Android devices.
The app is organized into tabs to access your music library, browse the Apple Music catalog, and listen to radio stations, while a For You tab lets you check out suggestions based on your listening preferences.
Amazon's Music app has a contrasting black interface and is also available on both iOS and Android. The Browse section is organized by category and showcases new releases, popular playlists, and song and artist recommendations, while the Recents tab displays music you've recently accessed and My Music is the home of your saved music, organized by category (Playlists, Artists, Albums, Songs, and Genres).
Any music you may have purchased from Amazon on other devices is also automatically available here. Tapping the Alexa icon lets you ask the assistant to play music, pause, play the next or previous song and many other options, while a Search icon also lives at the top right of the screen and in the navigation menu at the bottom to find music to listen to.
Apple Music uses iCloud Music Library to match any existing music you have in your iTunes library to tracks in the Apple Music catalog, which are then made available on your other devices. Amazon Music also includes a matching service in its PC and Mac apps, but the feature isn't as seamless as Apple's. Amazon used to offer an equivalent music upload service to Amazon Music Storage subscribers, but as of April 2018 the plans are no longer extendable and the storage service is being retired.
Both apps are easy to navigate and include fullscreen media players that showcase album art as you listen. These screens also put add-to-playlist, sharing, song queuing, lyric viewing, and audio device options at your fingertips, with Apple Music having the advantage of 3D Touch support on compatible devices, which can be used to quickly access additional options.
On desktop, Apple Music subscribers can access the service through the iTunes app for Mac and PC. Apple Music in iTunes is largely based on the same format as the mobile app, but it's not quite as pretty. It's also a little less navigable, but it does have Smart Playlists. Smart Playlists can be automatically generated by iTunes based on genre, date added, loved/disliked, and so on, meaning you don't have to manually build playlists yourself if you don't want to.
Amazon also offers desktop Music apps for Mac and PC that let you browse the catalog, access your library, and download songs, but the interfaces are terribly basic and the presentation is uninspired by comparison. The Amazon Music web player is no better, but at least the company offers one – Apple Music still lacks an equivalent, but subscribers can use a free third-party web player called Musish.
Discovery Features
When you sign up for Apple Music, Apple asks you to select some of your favorite artists so that the service can get a sense of your tastes. Using this information, Apple Music populates its regularly updated For You section with new releases, daily mixes and playlists to appeal to your preferences. Playlists can take on a style (pop or jazz, for example), a particular artist, or even a particular activity like studying.
Amazon Music's Home screen is where the service's personalization is centered, but it's minimal at best and the playlists and albums "for You" don't feel very targeted. Things improve a little after you've added some music to your library, listened to some radio stations, and liked/disliked a bunch of songs, but the suggestion accuracy isn't on par with Apple Music's curation, and the algorithms Amazon uses leaves a lot to be desired. Probably the best alternative in this regard is to make sufficient use of the "Customers Also Listened To" button in the media player interface, but it's the same option you'll find on Amazon's online web store and hardly a unique feature befitting a premium streaming service.
Apple Music's non-personalized content lives in a separate Browse tab showcasing trending artists and playlists, top charts, and music videos. Browse is also home to a TV and films section that features Apple-made programming like Carpool Karaoke and artist documentaries.
Apple Music's Radio tab features curated music stations tuned to your listening habits as well as Apple's Beats 1 radio station. Beats 1 offers live radio 24 hours a day, and also plays a big part in the platform's music discovery. The Radio tab also has an archive of its most popular radio shows and playlists from years past. Amazon Music's default radio station offering pales by comparison, and unlike Apple Music it doesn't let you you create a station from a song, album, artist, or playlist.
Music Sharing
Apple Music allows you to follow friends who are also subscribers and share playlists with them that you've personally created. Apple Music's For You tab will also show you what your friends are listening to if you've connected to them. Amazon Music Unlimited has no such features, but it does let you share song links via text or over social media.
Speakers and Voice Assistants
As an Apple Music subscriber, you can use Apple's Siri voice assistant on your iOS devices as a personal DJ to control song playback, queue up songs, find song facts, add songs to your library, play your favorite playlists, or even play something new. Getting Amazon Music to work with Siri requires the use of Siri Shortcuts, and even then it isn't guaranteed to work and it lacks many Siri skills exclusive to Apple Music.
If you own any of Amazon's Echo speakers or an Amazon Fire TV, then you can tap into the company's Alexa voice assistant, which offers many similar DJ skills as Siri does for Apple Music. All Amazon Music Unlimited subscription plans work on Amazon Echo and Fire TV devices. In the U.S. at least, Apple Music can also be set up to stream on Amazon Echo devices, but it's not as seamless and you won't get said Alexa skills.
On the other hand, Apple's HomePod speaker is made to be used in conjunction with Apple Music. In fact, one of the main uses for Siri on HomePod is to control your Apple Music collection. There are Siri voice commands for accessing content like playlists, genres, moods, liking or disliking songs, playing more music based on something you've heard, starting a new radio station, and much more. None of these functions will work with an Amazon Music subscription – you can stream audio to HomePod from a device running the Amazon Music app, but that's it.
Listening in the Car
Apple's CarPlay system supports Amazon Music and, of course, Apple Music. If a car doesn't have CarPlay, most newer models have their own entertainment systems, which often make it easy to connect your chosen streaming service. Usually you can do so either direct from a built-in app, over Bluetooth, or via a cable connection. You can also listen to Apple Music and Amazon Music through your phone's or car's speakers with Android Auto.
Apple Music highlights
Seamless integration with Apple's eco-system
Beats live radio and archive
Human curated recommendations
Social features
Support for uploading/matching your own music files
Works natively with HomePod
Amazon Music Unlimited highlights
Echo speaker integration
Official web player
Large music catalog
Summing Up
Amazon Music Unlimited is a decent service on its own, but when compared to Apple Music, its shortcomings become glaring. In terms of interface and apps, Apple Music is far easier on the eye than Amazon Music Unlimited, and Apple's music curation and personalization efforts easily outshine its rival. In addition, Apple Music offers subscribers better social features and far more content, including radio shows, exclusive artist releases, live video performances and concerts.
Of course, let's not forget Amazon Prime Music, which is available to all Prime members at no extra cost. If you just want access to some tunes to help pass the time, it could be an ideal choice. But if you're looking for a dedicated premium streaming service, Apple Music is the one to shoot for.
In a meeting of the Workforce Policy Advisory Board yesterday, U.S. President Donald Trump mistakenly referred to Apple CEO Tim Cook as "Tim Apple" in a flub that quickly spread around the internet.
Cook today joined in on the fun and changed his name on Twitter from Tim Cook to "Tim ," referencing Trump's mistake.
During yesterday's meeting, Cook was sitting right next to Trump when Trump referred to him as Tim Apple and he managed to keep a straight face at the time.
"We're going to be opening up the labor forces because we have to. We have so many companies coming in. People like Tim - you're expanding all over and doing things that I really wanted you to do from the beginning. You used to say, 'Tim, you gotta start doing it here,' and you have really put a big investment in our country. We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple."
Trump's mistake went viral on Twitter, spurring endless jokes and comments, especially because it's not the first time he's done it. Last year, he introduced Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson as "Marillyn Lockheed."
Cook was at the meeting because he's a member of the Workforce Policy Advisory Board. The board was put together to make recommendations on policies to "to develop and implement a strategy to revamp the American workforce to better meet the challenges of the 21st century."
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.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
