Just a couple days after Sony Pictures made much-anticipated and controversial comedy The Interview available on Xbox Video, Google Play, YouTube and SeeTheInterview.com, Apple has made the film available on iTunes ($5.99 for rent, $14.99 for purchase), issuing a short statement to Re/code.
We're pleased to offer "The Interview" for rental and purchase on the iTunes store.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Apple had declined the offer from Sony Pictures to host The Interview on iTunes. There was no official answer on why Apple declined, although it was assumed the Cupertino company didn't want to move on Sony's quick timetable. One possibility is that the company did not want to disturb the iTunes Connect holiday freeze, which ran from December 22 to December 29 this year.
Earlier this week, Sony Pictures announced it was bringing The Interview to select independent movie theaters and online video distributors a week after canceling the wide theatrical release of the film after large theater chains pulled out of the release due to violent threats from hackers.
The film has been subject to controversy as it depicts two entertainment journalists attempting to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un under the guidance of the CIA. The hacking of Sony Pictures and the movie's cancellation prompted widespread reaction, with U.S. President Barack Obama calling the latter move a "mistake".
The Interview is available on to rent on iTunes for $5.99 [Direct Link] and to purchase for $14.99 [Direct Link]
During the New Year in Japan, many retailers often offer a Fukubukuro, also known as a "mystery bag" or "lucky bag", which is a grab bag filled with an assortment of products usually sold at a steep discount. Apple Japan has once again announced that it'll take part in the promotion, which begins January 2 in Apple Retail Stores across Japan.
Last year, Apple's Lucky Bags sold for 36,000 yen, or $345, and usually contained items like iPods, headphones and t-shirts. Purchasers of the Lucky Bags don't know what's inside the bag, and cannot get a refund unless a product is defective. Some fortunate customers have received big-ticket items like iPads and MacBook Airs in their Lucky Bags, which is part of why Lucky Bags have become so popular in Japan.
As with past years, Apple's Lucky Bag promotion is limited to Japanese customers. The company has not yet announced pricing for this year's Lucky Bag promotion, but it's likely to be in line with previous years' pricing.
Sony Pictures recently attempted to enter talks with Apple over distributing its highly-anticipated film "The Interview" on iTunes, reportsThe New York Times. The report notes that Apple showed no interest in the offer, which came shortly after Sony Pictures announced that it would be canceling the wide theatrical release of the movie after being threatened by hackers.
It remained unclear, however, whether any on-demand service would take "The Interview." According to people briefed on the matter, Sony had in recent days asked the White House for help in lining up a single technology partner — Apple, which operates iTunes — but the tech company was not interested, at least not on a speedy time table. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Sony announced yesterday that it would be showing "The Interview" at select independent cinemas, with Sony Entertainment Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton noting that the company is "continuing our efforts to secure more platforms and more theaters so that this movie reaches the largest possible audience.”
The movie has been the subject of controversy throughout the later half of 2014, as it depicts two journalists attempting to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un under the guidance of the CIA. The hacking of Sony Pictures and the movie's cancellation prompted widespread reaction, with U.S. President Barack Obama calling the latter move a "mistake."
Apple today shared cumulative lists of the best performing apps in the App Store across 2014 with various media sites and on iTunes, highlighting the iPad Top Paid, iPad Top Free, iPhone Top Paid, and iPhone Top Free apps that were most popular with consumers this year.
The number one free iPhone app in 2014 was Facebook Messenger, which continues to have a two and a half star rating in the App Store due to Facebook's unpopular decision to remove messaging capabilities from the main Facebook app in an effort to get users to download the standalone Facebook Messenger app. Other popular free iPhone apps included Snapchat, Instagram, and Google Maps, with the top 10 listed below.
The number one paid iPhone app in 2014 was popular party game Heads Up!, which was skyrocketed to fame thanks to its multiple appearances on The Ellen Degeneres Show. First launched in 2013, Heads Up! asks players to guess a word based on clues given by friends. Other popular paid iPhone apps included workout app 7 Minute Workout Challenge and photo editing app Afterlight.
The most popular paid iPad app was, unsurprisingly, Minecraft - Pocket Edition, which also ranked as one of the top paid iPhone apps. Minecraft first debuted on iOS in 2011, but since that time, the app has been updated more than 20 times with new features, better graphics, bug fixes, and more. Its constant updates and pervasive popularity have kept it in the top list of apps for several years running. Other popular paid iPad apps were Terraria, Notability, and Minecraft-style apps Survivalcraft and Terraria.
The App Store's most popular free iPad app for 2014 was Google's YouTube app, which is a standalone app that lets users watch YouTube videos on their devices. YouTube used to be included with iOS, but the dedicated app was removed with iOS 6, prompting Google to release an app in 2012. Netflix was the second most downloaded free iPad app in 2014, followed by a calculator app, Skype, and Microsoft Word. Facebook and Facebook Messenger, two of the most popular free iPhone apps, were also popular on the iPad.
Earlier this month, Apple released its iTunes Store awards, highlighting some of the best apps, music, movies, and TV shows that were released in 2014. Those winning apps included Elevate - Brain Training, Threes!, Pixelmator, and Monument Valley. Of those apps, only two made Apple's top charts for 2014 -- Threes! was the 25th top paid iPhone app while Monument Valley was the 46th top paid iPhone app and 35th top paid iPad app.
Demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been growing even as Apple has significantly boosted available supply, according to a new survey conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. According to Munster, who surveyed 1,004 U.S. consumers about their upcoming smartphone purchase plans, demand for the iPhone has only increased since the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched in September.
Of consumers surveyed who plan to buy a smartphone in the next three months, 50 percent said they planned to buy an iPhone. In a similar survey conducted in September, only 47 percent were planning on purchasing an iPhone. In 2013, demand for the iPhone 5s fell following the device's launch, whereas demand for the iPhone 6 appears to be rising.
We conducted a survey of 1,004 US consumers. Of those looking to purchase a smartphone in the next three months, 50% said they plan on purchasing an iPhone vs. 47% in September, following the iPhone 6 announcement. By comparison, demand for the iPhone decreased from 50% in Sep-13 to 44% in Dec-13 following the iPhone 5S launch. Overall we believe this shows that consumers are extremely interested in the larger screen iPhone 6, a testament to the strength of the current upgrade cycle.
Munster also notes that supply checks have pointed towards increased numbers of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices in retail stores. As of last week, 77.6 percent of stores had iPhone 6 units in stock, compared to 56.1 percent two weeks ago.
Apple's online store shipping estimates also point towards a significant increase in supply, with Apple growing close to reaching supply/demand balance. Over the course of the last few weeks, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus shipping estimates have improved from 7 to 10 days to just a single business day. As of Thursday, December 18, 16 and 64GB iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models ship from Apple within a day, while the more constrained 128GB models ship within 3 to 5 days.
As the end of the year approaches, Apple today slightly altered its micro site dedicated to Apple Pay to update the status of several of its partnerships. Retailers that teamed up with Apple and plan to implement Apple Pay support in retail stores and apps in the near future are now listed under sections labeled "Coming soon" instead of "Coming later this year."
The minor change in language suggests that many of Apple's Apple Pay partners will not be able to implement Apple Pay support in the last week of 2014, instead rolling out support in the first months of 2015. Many retailers that have chosen to implement Apple Pay may still be working to train employees, update hardware, and swap out point-of-sale systems, leading to variable launch dates.
Just in the last few weeks, multiple partners who were initially listed under the "Coming later this year" category managed to implement support before the end of the year deadline, including Walt Disney World, which will begin accepting Apple Pay later this week, and Ticketmaster, which updated its app to support Apple Pay on Monday.
On Apple's site, retail partners listed under the "Coming soon" headings now include ACME, Albertsons, Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters. Walt Disney World continues to be listed, as Apple Pay will not be available until December 24. Upcoming app partners include Starbucks, StubHub, and Tickets.com, with Ticketmaster continuing to be listed despite implementing support earlier this week.
Since its October 20 launch, Apple Pay has proven to be popular with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users. Despite only being available for six weeks, Apple Pay was responsible for 1 percent of digital payment dollars in November, with the most money being spent at Whole Foods, Walgreens, and McDonald's.
Apple Pay is currently limited to the United States, but according to comments from Visa and a recent job posting, Apple has an Apple Pay team in London working on bringing the payments service to new countries in 2015.
CNN has named Tim Cook as "CEO of the Year" for 2014, pointing towards a hefty rise in stock price and some record-breaking product launches as the main reasons behind the award. Cook sits in first place ahead of a number of other high-profile CEOs, including John Chen of BlackBerry, Mary Barra of GM, and Meg Whitman of HP.
Though CNN mainly points to Apple being the "apple of Wall Street's eye again," with its stock up 40 percent this year, individual factors contributing to the rising stock price are taken into account as well.
CNN argues Cook did "an amazing job" this year, ushering the company through major events such as the successful launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the growing ubiquity of Apple Pay. The crescendo of excitement surrounding the Apple Watch's launch in early 2015 is also cited as a big win for the Apple CEO.
Cook has arguably the toughest CEO job in America. He's had to convince skeptics that Apple can still innovate after the death of Steve Jobs. He's proven all the naysayers wrong.
CNN's CEO of the Year isn't the only award Cook will walk away with this year. Earlier in December, he received the Financial Time's "Person of the Year" award, which cited similar reasons for the award, namely proving Apple can succeed in the wake of Steve Jobs' passing and his infusion of new and fresh ideas into the company. Cook was also nominated for TIME's 2014 "Person of the Year" award, but ultimately lost out to the Ebola Fighters.
San Francisco patent company RPX today announced it is purchasing more than 4,000 telecommunications patents from Rockstar, an Apple-led consortium that previously acquired the patents from bankrupt Nortel Networks. The sale will net Rockstar $900 million, a fraction of the $4.5 billion the conglomerate of technology companies paid for the entire patent portfolio in 2011, although many of the high-value patents were previously dispersed to the consortium's members.
As reported by The Wall Street Journal, RPX confirmed its subsidiary RPX Clearinghouse, will license the patents to a syndicate of technology companies that include Google and Cisco Systems. RPX is making the patents available with non-exclusive licenses to all syndicate members, whose funds helped pay for the purchase. RPX also will license the patents to outside companies under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms, and members of the Rockstar consortium will retain licenses for the patents.
Rockstar was formed in 2011 when Apple, BlackBerry, Ericsson, Microsoft, and Sony joined together to purchase patents from bankrupt communications company Nortel. The consortium purchased 6,000 patents, with 4,000 patents being held under the Rockstar umbrella and the remaining 2,000 patents being distributed to member companies.
The sale of the patents follows Rockstar's rather unsuccessful attempts to license the patents. The consortium also filed patent infringement lawsuits against a variety of technology companies with Google and Cisco recently settling their disputes for undisclosed amounts. As part of this patent sale to RPX, Rockstar has agreed to drop its existing suits against Samsung, LG and HTC.
As work on Apple's Campus 2 in Cupertino has continued throughout the fall, the spaceship-shaped structure has rapidly grown from basic foundations to the beginnings of an actual structure. Now, thanks some aerial shots recently taken by AppleInsider's DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus drone, the construction site appears to be moving along rapidly with concrete slab poured around the ring of the structure and a few dozen cranes working across the site.
As noted by AppleInsider, the earth-built ramps previously used to gain access to the site are now gone following the installation of the concrete floor. Instead, work on an underground channel access has begun, with plans to connect the main employee entrance off of Wolfe Road to the garage underneath the main structure and the two above-ground parking garages.
One of the biggest advancements to the campus worth noting is the separate 120,000 square foot "event center" that is costing the company around $161 million and will house an auditorium and product demo space for the company's media events. The outline of the primarily underground structure has received more definition alongside a surrounding bank that will eventually be tree-lined.
The parking facility, which includes an underground segment, is also rising rapidly, and is currently built up to the third level. It's the first of two similar structures being built that will together provide parking spaces for over 5,000 cars visiting the campus.
Though construction has continued steadily throughout the last half of 2014, the Apple's Campus 2 obviously still has a long way to go until completion. Besides the main "spaceship" structure, event theater, fitness center, and parking garages, Apple also submitted revised plans in October adding a few offices, testing facilities, and additional parking garages onto the second phase of construction. The complete campus is expected to be finished by the end of 2016.
Apple yesterday re-opened its Russian online store front with significant price hikes to compensate for changes in the value of the ruble. Apple last week closed the store to review its pricing after a dramatic drop in the ruble, which lost as much as 30 percent of its value.
According to Bloomberg, the entry-level 16GB iPhone 6 now costs 53,990 rubles (around $991), a 35 percent increase from the previous price tag of 39,900 rubles. Apple also is selling the 16GB iPhone 6 Plus for 61,990 rubles ($1,138) and the entry-level MacBook Air for 77,990 rubles ($1,431).
This isn't the first time Apple raised its prices in its Russian online store. The company also hiked the cost of its products by as much as 25 percent in November following an earlier drop in the ruble. Following the two price hikes, the cost of the iPhone in Russia has spiked almost 60 percent in the past month.
Just a couple days after announcing the app and launching it on Android, Facebook has launched the Messenger companion app Stickered on the App Store. The app allows users to overlay their photos with "stickers", which are Facebook's version of emojis, and send them to their friends via the Messenger app.
It's sticker time! Add cute characters, funny faces and more to make your photos pop.
- Pick as many stickers as you want - Stick them on before or after you snap a photo - Decorate photos from your camera roll, too - Drag, pinch, stretch and rotate stickers to make the perfect scene - Send your creations to friends with Messenger
If a user doesn't have Messenger installed, the app prompts them to download it from the App Store. Photos with stickers on them are also saved on a user's camera roll so they can be shared to non-Facebook social networks.
Stickered is a universal app that's available for free on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Floppy Cloud is branded as a file management app that allows users to manage their files from a Dropbox account or FTP server. However, MacRumors' sister-site TouchArcade has found that the app allows users to easily emulate Nintendo and Super Nintendo games.
Floppy Cloud emulator image via TouchArcade
It's masquerading as a file management app, which technically lets you manage your files, but if you let it "manage" a .nes NES ROM or a .smc Super Nintendo ROM in a very special way: It'll load right up inside of the appropriate emulator. Both iCade and MFi controllers are supported too, making this a particularly sweet find for someone who owns any kind of controller accessory.
The app imports the .nes NES ROM or .smc Super Nintendo ROM via Dropbox, allowing a user to "manage" the file. However, when one of those two files is selected for "management", an emulator pops up and allows users to play Nintendo and Super Nintendo video games. Traditionally, Apple has taken a strict stance on emulators in the App Store, taking them down as soon as they can.
In late 2011, just before the holidays iTunes freeze, the iMAME Arcade Emulatorappeared in the App Store. Two days after arriving, Apple pulled the app from the App Store. Floppy Cloud, however, has been in the App Store since October 30, likely because the app appears to be a simple file manager and that doesn't bring up the emulator until a game has been imported and selected.
This past May, GBA4iOS, a Game Boy emulator that bypassed Apple's App Store restrictions as it could be installed directly to a device via the project's official website, was shut down due to a Digital Millennium Copyright Claim from Nintendo.
Floppy Cloud is a universal app currently available in the App Store for $1.99. [Direct Link]
Update 1/23 3:30 PM PT: The Floppy Cloud app has been removed from the App Store and is no longer available for download.
Apple today released a new security update that’s designed to address a "critical security issue" with the Network Time Protocol service on OS X. Apple recommends that all Yosemite, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion users install the update "as soon as possible."
The update appears to address a problem that was highlighted by the U.S. Government on Friday, December 19 and originally discovered by the Google Security Team. The vulnerability has the potential to allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code using the privileges of the ntpd process.
Google Security Team researchers Neel Mehta and Stephen Roettger have coordinated multiple vulnerabilities with CERT/CC concerning the Network Time Protocol (NTP). As NTP is widely used within operational Industrial Control Systems deployments, NCCIC/ICS-CERT is providing this information for US Critical Infrastructure asset owners and operators for awareness and to identify mitigations for affected devices. ICS-CERT may release updates as additional information becomes available.
These vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely. Exploits that target these vulnerabilities are publicly available.
Products using NTP service prior to NTP–4.2.8 are affected. No specific vendor is specified because this is an open source protocol.
Apple has faced several vulnerabilities over the course of 2014, most recently releasing an OS X bash update in September to fix the “Shellshock” security flaw. Today’s security update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.
Update: As noted by Reuters, this update marks the first time Apple has deployed an automatic security update, which can be installed without user authorization.
Microsoft is hoping to lure MacBook users to its Surface Pro 3 with a new site that's aimed at users who are considering switching from an Apple laptop to one of Microsoft's surface tablets.
Launched over the weekend, Microsoft's "Making the Switch" site includes sections on Windows basics, questions and answers on transitioning from a MacBook to a Surface Pro 3, content migration, and using a Surface Pro 3 with an iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes.
In the section dedicated to current MacBook users, Microsoft includes several tips on how to perform basic functions on a Surface Pro 3, like right clicking, searching, accessing system settings, installing applications, and more. The site also covers viruses and replacements for FaceTime and iMessage, with Microsoft recommending Skype over the Apple options.
Microsoft often tries to attract iPad and MacBook users to its line of Surface tablets, and has a history of publishing ads that compare its products to Apple products. In 2013 and early 2014, Microsoft focused heavily on anti-iPad ads that compared the tablet to the Surface 2, but after the May launch of the more powerful 12-inch Surface Pro 3, the company moved on and began targeting Apple's MacBook.
Most recently, Microsoft launched a November "Winter Wonderland" holiday ad that highlighted the Surface Pro 3's versatility compared to the MacBook Air, pointing out the tablet's kickstand and touch screen. Microsoft has run quite a few anti-MacBook ads over the course of 2014, featuring the Surface Pro 3's abilities to function as a full-on notebook computer, with the tagline "The tablet that can replace your laptop."
Apple today launched a new Tumblr page highlighting the touchstones of pop culture across 2014. Mirroring the album art layout of iTunes itself, the company's Tumblr site lists the best music, movies, television, and books of the past year by showcasing various images and GIFs related to the content.
As with any Tumblr blog, users can like a post, share the content on Facebook and Twitter, and reblog it to their own tumblr page. A "See All" button allows users to delve even further into each category, highlighting a more extensive list for each of the four main mediums beyond the central hub.
The Best of 2014 blog shows off a variety of different pop culture milestones from the past year. Guardians of the Galaxy, The LEGO Movie, Fargo, Gone Girl, and artists like Nicki Minaj and Charli XCX all get their own mention on the page.
Apple has seen a bit of a resurgence on social media recently, with the company previously launching a Tumblr blog for the iPhone 5c back in March, and Tim Cook himself joining Twitter in September of 2013. As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple also started an Instagram account for iTunes just two weeks ago.
Apple's expanded social media presence comes four months after the company picked up Musa Tariq, Nike's former senior director of social media. Before working at Nike, Tariq worked closely with Apple's head of retail Angela Ahrendts at Burberry, helping with the brand's global expansion, and he may also be behind Apple's recent social media push.
Ticketmaster today announced it has added support for Apple Pay to its iOS app. Available now, version 1.7.1 of the Ticketmaster app allows customers to purchase tickets for music, sporting events, and more with a single touch.
"We work hard to deliver simple and secure ways for fans to purchase tickets to the events they love, and offering Apple Pay makes our industry-leading app the most convenient, flexible and secure way to buy," said Jared Smith, president of Ticketmaster North America.
Ticketmaster joins Walt Disney World among the newest Apple Pay members. According to WDWMagic, Walt Disney World will begin accepting Apple Pay over the holidays, with the expected rollout slated for this Wednesday, December 24. Both Ticketmaster and Walt Disney World have been touted by Apple as "coming later this year" Apple Pay partners since the service's launch.
Apple Pay is now two months old, and early adoption of the mobile payment service by retailers and consumers has been strong. A recent report from ITG suggesed Apple Pay accounted for 1 percent of digital payment dollars during the month of November.
DockPhone, a newly released Mac app, fixes a problem many OS X Yosemite users have faced in the months since the release of the new operating system: the inconvenience of opening FaceTime or Contacts to make a phone call on a Mac. With DockPhone app, users can now search for contacts or directly enter a number within the app, bypassing the need of opening FaceTime altogether.
Though it was one of the major new Continuity features included in OS X Yosemite when it launched earlier this year, many users lamented needing to open FaceTime or Contacts to place phone calls from their desktops or laptops. Receiving calls was simple, but making them through the video chat app designed for a different purpose or cluttered Contacts app felt unintuitive.
DockPhone lets users skip that step, offering a streamlined experience allowing users to easily enter a contact's name or specific phone number to start a phone call. The app interacts with FaceTime behind the scenes to connect with your iPhone, and finally get the call out to the person you dialed. As with making normal phone calls on a Mac, users still need OS X Yosemite on their Mac, an iPhone with iOS 8 or later, and both devices on the same Wi-Fi and iCloud accounts.
While DockPhone is not the first app to offer such functionality, with others such as Keypad having launched some time ago, DockPhone uniquely allows users to also use their voice to begin phone calls. After clicking the microphone button, simply saying the name of a contact or reciting a phone number will begin a call. Recent contacts also appear in widget form in the Notification Center sidebar of your Mac screen, with quick-access prompts to contact them again.
DockPhone is available for download from the Mac App Store for $0.99. [Direct Link]
Walt Disney World will officially begin accepting Apple Pay starting this Wednesday, December 24, reportsWDWMagic (via iMore). The inclusion of Apple Pay will allow users to make purchases at the theme park with an iPhone 6 or an iPhone 6 Plus, and is a part of Disney's initiative to accept more contactless payment methods rolled out with its MyMagic+ program.
Leveraging the RFID infrastructure deployed as part of MyMagic+, Walt Disney World will also accept other contactless payments, such as Google Wallet and contactless RFID credit cards.
Initially, most stores, quick service restaurants, bars and ticket sales booths will be included. Any locations that use portable payment terminals, such as table service restaurants, will be added later.
Walt Disney World was listed as one of the first partners for Apple Pay alongside retailers like Macy's, Walgreens, Subway, McDonalds, and Whole Foods. The report also states that Disneyland will begin accepting contactless payment methods like Apple Pay in 2015. Apple Pay has seen impressive early adoption numbers since launching in October, making up 1% of all digital payment dollars in November with Whole Foods being the most popular location for the payment method.
Just a couple days after Sony Pictures made much-anticipated and controversial comedy The Interview available on Xbox Video, Google Play, YouTube and SeeTheInterview.com, Apple has made the film available on iTunes ($5.99 for rent, $14.99 for purchase), issuing a short statement to Re/code.
Sony Pictures recently attempted to enter talks with Apple over distributing its highly-anticipated film "The Interview" on iTunes, 
CNN has 
