MacRumors

Independent record labels have expressed concerns about Apple's plans to pay more money for songs recorded in Spatial Audio, claiming it will only benefit the biggest companies in the marketplace, reports the Financial Times.

Last week, Apple announced royalty incentives to encourage music artists and record labels to publish tracks in Spatial Audio. Apple said it will pay up to 10% more in royalties for Spatial Audio, which uses Dolby Atmos technology to replicate an in-person music experience with sound coming from various directions around the listener.

Apple has said that over half of Apple Music subscribers use the feature, and that the bonus is a reward for artists delivering the content, and also compensation to recognize the additional time and effort required to mix in Dolby Atmos.

However, several independent labels told FT that the new incentive will effectively channel cash towards established megastars and away from other musicians who do not have the resources to compete.

"It's literally going to take the money out of independent labels and their artists, to benefit the biggest companies in the marketplace," said a senior executive at a large independent record company.

"It's going to benefit the biggest player, Universal, because they're the ones with the resources to invest in that. Whereas the independent sector . . . we've found it hard to justify the expense of creating spatial masters . . . we're not in the business of chucking money just because Apple is saying you should be spending money on this."

Another independent label told FT that the new deal will badly impact its revenues.

Producing music in Spatial Audio is not cheap. Executives say it costs an extra $1,000 per song, or roughly $10,000 per album, and going back to remaster older tracks can double the costs. Some record executives have also questioned the artistic value of Spatial Audio, with one executive likening it to "hanging a digital 3D version of the 'Mona Lisa' and expecting Louvre patrons to prefer it."

Indie labels say they hope to work with Apple to make changes to the new policy. If those negotiations fail, they would explore legal or regulatory options, said people familiar with the matter who spoke to FT.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has criticized Apple's compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulation, which forces Apple to let third-party developers create alternative App Stores and use their own payment systems, amongst other things.

Speaking to investors on Thursday during Meta's Q4 earnings call, Zuckerberg called Apple's new rules "so onerous" that he would not be surprised if any developer adopted them.

"I don't think that the Apple thing is going to have any difference for us. Because I think that the way they have implemented it, I would be very surprised if any developer chose to go into the alternative app stores that they have. They've made it so onerous, and I think so at odds with the intent of what the EU regulation was, that I think it's just going to be very difficult for anyone, including ourselves, to really seriously entertain what they're doing there."

The introduction of the EU's DMA regulations were designed to increase competition in the bloc's app economy by allowing other companies to host their own app stores and collect payments, without them being subjected to Apple's commission rates. However, Apple has introduced a new fee structure as part of the change, including a €0.50 "Core Technology Fee" or CTF for every app install over one million installs, a model that could be prohibitively expensive for free apps like Meta's if they are distributed outside of the App Store.

Meta's comments broadly align with several other big companies critical of Apple's proposed DMA changes, including Spotify, Epic Games, Mozilla, and Microsoft.

Spotify CEO Daniel EK called Apple's plan "a complete and total farce" under "the false pretense of compliance and concessions." Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, another outspoken Apple critic, said that the ‌‌App Store‌‌ changes are a "devious new instance of malicious compliance" aimed at thwarting EU regulations. Microsoft said they are a "step in the wrong direction," while Mozilla said it was "extremely disappointed" and called the plans "another example of Apple creating barriers to prevent true browser competition on iOS."

EU regulators say they intend to study Apple's proposed plans after March 7, when the DMA goes into effect.

Cultured Code has officially released an all-new spatial computing version of Things 3, the popular personal task manager software, for Apple's Vision Pro headset, which launches today in the U.S.

Developed from the ground up to be a fully featured native app for visionOS, the productivity app brings the familiar Things interface into the user's virtual workspace, allowing them to open multiple Things windows and arrange them around their immediate environment.

The sidebar can be hidden to focus on a single list, or users can place it next to their other apps while they get things done. As you'd expect for a visionOS app, the Things interface can be navigated using eyes, hands, and voice. Available functions include the ability to search across lists, drag and drop to-dos, and dictate notes.

The app also works with a wireless keyboard connection, offering full keyboard support, and Things for Vision Pro syncs with the app on Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch.

Things 3 for Vision is available to download from the visionOS App Store from today, and is a $29.99 one-time purchase. The app supports English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional).

Apple is considering launching its first foldable in the next few years in the form of a 7- to 8-inch device that could ultimately replace the 8.3-inch iPad mini.

That's the latest claim to come out of Korean outlet The Elec. According to the report, Apple is reviewing a launch timeframe for the device between 2026 and 2027.

However, Apple is also actively developing an OLED iPad mini, so there remains uncertainty within Apple about the nature and specifications of the foldable. Speculation reportedly remains rife in the industry around whether it will be a foldable iPhone or foldable iPad model.

Samsung Display and LG Display have reportedly already been sending samples of 7-inch and 8-inch foldable panels to Apple since last year.

Among the panel companies, Samsung is said to be more active in developing Apple foldable panels than LG, and is the more likely primary supplier of a foldable panel if Apple decides on a 2026 release.

Apple, Samsung Display, and LG Display are also said to have "different ideas" about the ultra-thin glass material, foldable panel cover window, and the hinge concept, which is at the core of the product's mechanism. These differences reportedly involve contrasting judgements concerning product durability and reliability.

Once mass production is decided, Samsung is expected to create the foldable panel in the 6th generation A3 or A4 OLED line that it uses to make OLED panels for Apple's iPhones.

According to the report, Apple is also working on a larger 20.5-inch foldable product that is expected to be released later than the 7- to 8-inch device. The larger foldable has been rumored before by both The Elec, Bloomberg, and Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst Ross Young. Young has also previously said that he expects a foldable tablet-like device in 2026 or 2027.

Apple today held its earnings call for the first fiscal quarter of 2024 (fourth calendar quarter of 2023), with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri sharing details on Apple's performance, recent product sales, services growth, and more.

We've highlighted the most interesting takeaways from the earnings call.

EU App Ecosystem Changes

Maestri and Cook were asked about possible economic results from the changes that are being made to the App Store in the European Union. Maestri said that the EU represents just seven percent of Apple's global ‌App Store‌ revenue, while Cook said that impact it is impossible to determine right now because Apple finds it difficult to predict what customers and developers will choose.

"We've really focused on privacy, security and usability," Cook said. "And we've we've tried our best to get as close it in the past in terms of things that people love about our ecosystem, but we're going to fall short of providing the maximum amount that we could supply because we need to comply with the with the regulation."

Vision Pro

Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that several big companies are planning Vision Pro apps for customers and employees, including Walmart, Nike, Vanguard, Stryker, Bloomberg, and SAP. "From everyday productivity to collaborative product design to immersive training, we cannot wait to see the amazing things our enterprise customers will create in the months and years to come," said Maestri.

Cook said that Apple is "incredibly excited about the enterprise opportunities" with Vision Pro. Walmart, for, example, has a "very cool" merchandising app. There are companies making collaboration and design apps, there are field service applications, apps for control center/command center work, and more. "Really all over the map," said Cook.

"We couldn't be more excited about where things are right now," Cook said. "This has been multiple years of efforts from so many people across Apple and really took a whole of company effort to bring it this far."

AI

Tim Cook said that Apple is spending a "tremendous" amount of time and effort on artificial intelligence, and that details on its AI work will be shared later this year.

In terms of generative AI which I would guess is your focus, we have a lot of work going on internally, as I've alluded to before. Our MO, if you will, has always been to do work and then talk about work and not to get out in front of ourselves. And so we're going to hold that to this as well. but we've got some things that we're incredibly excited about, that we'll be talking about later this year.

Services

Apple's Services category set an all-time revenue record at $23.1 billion, up from $20.7 billion in the year-ago quarter. Paid subscriptions grew double digits year-over-year.

Apple set all-time revenue records in advertising cloud services, and payment services and video, along with December quarter records in the ‌App Store‌ and AppleCare.

Wearables

The Wearables, Home and Accessories category saw a drop in revenue, coming in at $12 billion, down from $13.4 billion last year.

Mac and iPad Sales

Mac sales were about flat at $7.8 billion (compared to $7.7 billion last year), but iPad sales were way down as Apple released no new models in 2023. ‌iPad‌ revenue was $7 billion, down from $9.4 billion last year.

Active Devices

Apple now has more than 2.2 billion active devices worldwide, which includes iPhones, iPads, and Macs.

During today's earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2024, Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on Apple's work on artificial intelligence. He said that Apple is investing a "tremendous" amount of time and effort in AI, with details to come later this year.

"As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other technologies that will shape the future. That includes artificial intelligence, where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort and we're excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year."

Rumors suggest that Apple's upcoming iOS 18 software release might be the "biggest" software update in the history of the device, with multiple AI features rumored.

Apple is said to be working on generative AI technology that will improve Siri, the Messages app, and more. AI could be integrated across the operating system, in apps like Apple Music, Pages, Xcode, and more.

Apple is planning to incorporate large language models into ‌Siri‌ to allow ‌Siri‌ to automate complex tasks, which will allow for deeper integration between ‌Siri‌ and the Shortcuts app.

There are more than two billion active iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices worldwide, Apple said today in the earnings report covering the first fiscal quarter of 2024.

"We are pleased to announce that our installed base of active devices has now surpassed 2.2 billion, reaching an all-time high across all products and geographic segments," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in Apple's press release.

2.2 billion active devices is a new record for the company. Apple last shared its active install base numbers in January 2023, when the company had 2 billion active devices worldwide.

Apple did not provide numbers for individual devices, but Apple has long had more than a billion active iPhones worldwide.

Apple today announced financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2024, which corresponds to the fourth calendar quarter of 2023.

For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $119.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $33.9 billion, or $2.18 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $117.2 billion and net quarterly profit of $30.0 billion, or $1.88 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.

Gross margin for the quarter was 45.9 percent, compared to 43.0 percent in the year-ago quarter. Apple also declared a quarterly dividend payment of $0.24 per share, payable on February 15 to shareholders of record as of February 12.

"Today Apple is reporting revenue growth for the December quarter fueled by iPhone sales, and an all-time revenue record in Services," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We are pleased to announce that our installed base of active devices has now surpassed 2.2 billion, reaching an all-time high across all products and geographic segments. And as customers begin to experience the incredible Apple Vision Pro tomorrow, we are committed as ever to the pursuit of groundbreaking innovation — in line with our values and on behalf of our customers."

As has been the case for over three years now, Apple is once again not issuing guidance for the current quarter ending in March.

Apple will provide live streaming of its fiscal Q1 2024 financial results conference call at 2:00 pm Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.

Conference call recap ahead...

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

The Vision Pro is set to come out tomorrow, and Apple has already released a visionOS 1.0.2 update, which means there will be a day-one update that Vision Pro owners need to install.

CNET's Scott Stein today shared a video that demonstrates what the Vision Pro looks like when an update is installed. While the update is in progress, there's a bar on the front display that slowly fills up as the update is installed, and when it's done, an Apple logo is shown during a restart.

Apple plans to regularly update the software on the Vision Pro going forward, and we are expecting to see visionOS 2.0 unveiled at WWDC in June.

While Apple officially launched the visionOS App Store in mid-January, apps were not showing up on the ‌App Store‌ website. That has now changed, and the Vision Pro ‌App Store‌ is now live on the web as well.

When viewing an app's webpage, visionOS screenshots and compatibility are listed, giving more insight into which apps will support the Vision Pro.

App listings include insight into an app's visionOS capabilities as well as several screenshots of what the app looks like on the Vision Pro.

The Vision Pro is set to launch in the United States tomorrow, with customers who pre-ordered receiving their deliveries. Apple also plans to begin accepting demo appointments in its retail store locations as of tomorrow morning.

Apple Vision Pro launches in the U.S. this Friday, and you will be able to try out the headset at your local Apple Store on the same day.

Starting tomorrow at 8 a.m. local time, all Apple Stores in the U.S. will allow customers to receive a Vision Pro demo, which is expected to last around 20 to 25 minutes. From Friday through Sunday, you can only sign up for a demo in person on a first‑come, first‑served basis. Demos on Monday and later can be reserved online.

Given that the Vision Pro starts at $3,499, these free demos will be especially important for customers who want to experience spatial computing without spending a fortune. During the demo, they will learn how to navigate the visionOS operating system, and explore built-in apps such as Apple TV, Photos, and Safari.

The Meta Quest VR headset will soon be able to play spatial videos captured on an iPhone 15 Pro or ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro Max, Meta announced today. The upcoming v62 update will add support for the feature.

Spatial videos can be uploaded to the Meta Quest headset using the Meta Quest mobile app, so that the stereoscopic videos captured on the ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro models can be relived on Meta's device for those who do not have an Apple Vision Pro.

Spatial videos uploaded to the Meta Quest will be converted to the correct format for playback on the device, and it will be stored in the cloud. Spatial video content can be selected from the Files menu for an immersive viewing experience. Several demo videos are available on the Meta Quest so users can experience what spatial videos are like.

Apple added the ability to capture spatial videos specifically for ‌Apple Vision Pro‌ headset owners. On Apple devices, spatial videos can only be viewed on the Vision Pro headset, which is priced at $3,500. Other products show the spatial videos as standard 2D videos.

We are thrilled to announce support for spatial video playback on Meta Quest! If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can now upload spatial videos (a.k.a stereoscopic videos) to your Meta Quest headset using the Meta Quest mobile app--letting you relive the moment with surprising depth. With this new feature, you can experience your memories and media content like never before.

At $500, the Meta Quest is more affordable than the Vision Pro, so the option to watch spatial videos on a lower-cost device might be appealing to some ‌iPhone 15‌ Pro owners.

For a few months in 2022, Snapchat parent company Snap sold a Pixy selfie camera drone. Sales of the device were lackluster and Snap stopped all plans for further work on the device after a four month period. Still, Snap sold 71,000 of the devices, but now it's recalling all of them.

As noted by The Verge, the batteries in the Pixy are a fire hazard and Snap has issued a recall in partnership with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Pixy's battery can overheat, and there have been four reports of battery issues. One incident resulted in a minor battery fire, and a second resulted in a minor injury.

The Pixy was sold on Snapchat's Pixy website and on Amazon between May 2022 and December 2023, with prices ranging from $185 to $250. Snap also sold extra batteries for $16 to $20.

According to the recall notice, customers who purchased a Pixy Flying Camera should remove the battery and stop charging it. Snap is providing refunds for all customers who bought a Pixy.

To get a refund, customers will need to visit the Pixy support site and follow the instructions. Pixy cameras must be returned to Snap, and batteries must be safely disposed of.

Apple's 9th generation 64GB Wi-Fi iPad has hit $249.00 today on Amazon, down from $329.00. You can get this deal in Space Gray and Silver, and there's an estimated February 3 - February 6 delivery date, although that may change depending on your location.

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.

This iPad features a 10.2-inch Retina Display, 12MP front camera and 8MP rear camera, the A13 Bionic chip, and Touch ID. This is the most affordable iPad that Apple sells, and when it's discounted it's an even better deal.

Likewise, the 256GB Wi-Fi iPad is on sale for $379.00, down from $479.00. This one is also available in both Silver and Space Gray, with the same delivery estimates as the 64GB model. It's also a match for the all-time low price on this version of the 9th generation iPad.

If you're interested in the iPad Air, it's worth checking out Best Buy's current sale. Right now you can get every 5th generation iPad Air model for $150 off at Best Buy, with prices starting at $449.99 for the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air.

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Images purporting to depict some of the potential color options heading for Apple's 2024 spring accessory refresh have surfaced on the MacRumors forums, providing an early look at what to expect.

The information comes from Apple Watch band collector and MacRumors forums member known as "mikedop," who explained that the pictured Sport Loop units originate from China. mikedop's source referred to the colors as "Navy Blue" and "Emerald," although they noted that these names might not be the official titles. Historically, the exact names of Apple's new color options are often lost in translation prior to their release.

Apple reportedly prototypes around twice as many new color options as it actually releases, so it is not yet known if these ones were approved or not. Apple's annual spring refresh of its accessory colors is likely to launch in early March, perhaps alongside a new iPhone 15 color option.

Apple today announced that over 600 apps with native support for visionOS will be available on the Vision Pro when the headset launches in the U.S. this Friday.

For entertainment, streaming and sports apps like Disney+, IMAX, Max, MLB, NBA, PGA TOUR Vision, and Red Bull TV have all been optimized to take full advantage of the Vision Pro's spatial design elements and immersive capabilities. In addition, soccer fans can subscribe to MLS Season Pass in the Apple TV app.

With the NBA app and an NBA League Pass subscription, for example, Apple says basketball fans can use the Multiview feature to watch up to five broadcasts live or on demand, view real-time stats and scores at a glance, and more.

Other apps optimized for the Vision Pro include Airmail, Box, CARROT Weather, djay, Fantastical, Facades, J.Crew, JigSpace, Lowe's, MindNode, MUBI, Navi, Night Sky, Numerics, OmniFocus, OmniPlan, Parcel, PCalc, Sky Guide, Tides, Voyager by ForeFlight, Wayfair, Webex, Zillow, Zoom, and many others. Microsoft 365 apps like Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, and Word also natively support visionOS.

Apple Arcade subscribers will have access to several optimized games for the Vision Pro, including Super Fruit Ninja, LEGO Builder's Journey, WHAT THE GOLF?, Cut the Rope 3, Jetpack Joyride 2, Patterned, Illustrated, Wylde Flowers, and more.

In addition, more than one million compatible iOS and iPadOS apps will automatically be available on the Vision Pro at launch. These apps have not been optimized for visionOS, so they will have a more iPad-like appearance. In the streaming space, for example, compatible apps that will be available include Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, and Peacock. Other compatible apps include Slack, Todoist, Comcast Xfinity, Sling TV, ESPN, and more.

Tim Cook has been finally pictured wearing the Apple Vision Pro headset. The photographs accompany a Vanity Fair article about the device, which leads on the digital cover of the magazine.

This is the first time the Apple CEO has been seen wearing the device since its unveiling at WWDC 2023 in June. Given that Cook is usually keen to model and be seen using Apple devices, particularly during keynote events and speeches, it's interesting that the company appears to have been a little more reticent to take the same approach with Vision Pro, until now.

The article includes interview quotes from ‌Tim Cook‌, Greg Joswiak, James Cameron, Jon Favreau, and others on their experience with ‌Apple Vision Pro‌, how the headset was developed, and more. Here are some select quotes from the piece, which was written by Nick Bilton:

You can actually lay on your sofa and put the displays on your ceiling if you wish," Cook told me. "I watched the third season of [Ted] Lasso on my ceiling and it was unbelievable!" When I got home and hooked up my own Apple Vision Pro, I watched Ford v Ferrari on my ceiling, and with the spatial audio it felt like Ken Miles’s Ford GT40 was in the room with me. "I think meditation is on a different level than anything I’ve ever experienced, and I've meditated for a long time," Cook said. I've always had trouble meditating, and he was right about that too. "And I use it for productivity," Cook told me.

[...]

"I would say my experience was religious," the director James Cameron told me when I asked him about his first encounter with the Apple Vision Pro. "I was skeptical at first. I don’t bow down before the great god of Apple, but I was really, really blown away."

[...]

If there's one consistent grumble about the Apple Vision Pro, it's about the size and weight. It's around 20 ounces, which might not sound like a lot, because you cook with ounces, you don't necessarily wear them. But that's the same as five sticks of butter—imagine walking around with five sticks of butter on your face all day. Carolina Cruz-Neira, a pioneer of virtual reality, told me that the way a device sits on your face really impacts how you respond to the technology. "I’ve been working in VR for over 30 years, and until we can get the scuba diving mask off your face and we make it less noticeable, we’re not going to make this a mass-adoption technology," Cruz-Neira said. "And the size and weight of these scuba diving masks are not going to be solved in a year."

[...]

"There’s nothing we could have done to make it lighter or smaller," Richard Howarth [Apple VP of industrial design] explained. "This is the state of the art." Everyone else I spoke to at Apple proffered a similar sentiment. "It feels like we've reached into the future and grabbed this product," Joswiak said to me. "You’re putting the future on your face." As did Rockwell, who told me: "We packed just about as much technology as you could possibly pack into that small of a form factor."

You can read the full review on the Vanity Fair website.

‌Apple Vision Pro‌ starts at $3,499 and launches in the U.S. this Friday, February 2. Apple has said the Vision Pro will launch in additional countries later this year.

Apple's iron-clad grasp on the top spot of Fortune's "World's Most Admired Companies" shows no signs of weakening, with the tech giant finishing ahead of the 300+ pack for the 17th consecutive year.

Apple was placed above Microsoft in second place, followed by Amazon in third. All three companies have rounded out the top three for the fifth year in a row. Notably, Nvidia, whose GPU chips are powering servers for generative AI around the world, soared to its highest-ever ranking at number 10.

Fortune ranks companies through a collection of "key attributes of reputation," such as innovation, quality of management, social responsibility, use of corporate assets, financial soundness, quality of products and services, and global competitiveness. Apple topped the list in every category.

As it has in the past, Fortune collaborated with partner Korn Ferry on its survey of corporate reputations.

To select our 50 All-Stars, Korn Ferry asked 3,720 executives, directors, and securities analysts who had responded to the industry surveys to select the 10 companies they admired most. They chose from a list made up of the companies that ranked in the top 25% in last year’s surveys, plus those that finished in the top 20% of their industry. Anyone could vote for any company in any industry.

To see the full ranking of the World's Most Admired Companies, visit Fortune's website.