Apple

Apple’s upcoming subscription music service apparently won’t offer ad-driven free tier

Apple's subscription-based music-streaming service based on Beats technology will not include a free tier supported by advertising akin to iTunes Radio, Re/code reported Friday morning.

This doesn't exclude the possibility of a time-limited trial for new customers, the publication added. According to unnamed sources who have talked to Apple executives, led by SVP Eddy Cue and Beats Music co-founder Jimmy Iovine, the music business “needs to get behind a paywall.”

Amazon Game Studios announces four new mobile games coming to iOS platform

Amazon Game Studios, a games-publishing arm of the online retail giant, announced it will soon be bringing four new iPhone and iPad games to the iOS platform.

“We’re excited to share that two new games, Lost Within and Til Morning’s Light along with customer favorites Tales From Deep Space and To-Fu Fury, will be coming soon to iOS and more Fire devices,” said the studio in a media release Friday.

Apple to replace AT&T on the Dow on March 18

Apple of California will replace AT&T in the Dow Jones Industrial Average after the close of trading on March 18, Reuters reported this morning. The famed Dow Jones Industrial Average is indicative of the overall market health so Apple joining and replacing the nation's second-largest carrier on the index is certainly an encouraging sign for the economy.

Because the Dow is a weighted average of absolute stock price (unlike other indices), Apple was unable to join the Dow until its seven-to-one stock split, which took place in June of last year.

Jony Ive discusses Apple Watch in another fascinating interview ahead of April launch

The Apple Watch is just around the corner and Apple's PR department is in full swing. In addition to a series of fashion magazine covers featuring the device and a wide-ranging interview with Jony Ive in The New Yorker, London's Financial Times newspaper has now been given access to Apple's design czar.

Billed as “the man behind the Apple Watch”, Ive shares a few interesting details with FT's Nick Foulkes regarding crafting Apple's first wearable device.

He also touched upon other related topics such as the team’s meticulous attention to detail, the myopic approach to designing the Watch, how the device differs from the iPhone in terms of usage patterns and much more.

Apple giving Facebook and others early access to Apple Watch

Apple is giving select companies early access to the Apple Watch, reports Bloomberg. The outlet says that Facebook, airliner United Continental Holdings Inc. and others have "spent weeks" at Apple's Cupertino campus working hands-on with the smartwatch to test and fine-tune their apps ahead of next month's launch.

Citing people familiar with the process, Bloomberg says software engineers for the companies are being allowed to work with the Apple Watch in a top secret lab at Apple's headquarters. All who enter must sign non-disclosure agreements, and must follow a set of extreme guidelines to keep unknown Watch details from leaking.

Barclays: Apple could sell 54 million iPhones this quarter

Barclays is out with a research note on Thursday indicating Apple's most profitable business is nowhere close to slowing down. Analyst Ben Reitzes, citing supply chain sources, says the Cupertino-based company is on pace to sell 54 million units in the March quarter, a year-over-year increase of 24 percent.

Apple names Temple Run: Oz its new Free App of the Week

The exhilarating sequel to the classic endless runner with a Disney movie tie-in throw in for good measure, Temple Run: Oz is now available at no cost until next Thursday as part of Apple's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion.

Released precisely on this day a year ago, this marks the first time Temple Run: Oz has been marked down to zero bucks on the App Store (regularly $1.99).

The game is based on the 2013 film 'Oz the Great and Powerful' and features the same great gameplay as the original infinite runner, with an Oz twist to it.

5 new indie iPhone and iPad games worth playing

Like any Thursday, last evening the App Store was refreshed with a myriad of new game releases. Rather than highlight juicy games like Real Steel Champions, Warhammer: Snotling Fling and other new arrivals from big name publishers, this time around I've decided to do something entirely different.

Therefore: introducing a list of new game releases by independent publishers that I think deserve additional exposure and your attention.

Without further ado, here are five indie games that I think you should definitely check out and hopefully put on your Home screen.

Google updates Sheets, Slides and Docs for iOS with doc copying, accessibility improvements

Thursday, Google issued updates to its trio of cloud-powered productivity apps in the App Store: Sheets, Slides and Docs. These apps let you create, edit and collaborate with others on spreadsheets, documents and presentations and now include the ability to make a copy of a document, a feature previously reserved for the web UI.

Moreover, a new accessibility settings menu appears within Slides and Sheets when VoiceOver is enabled in Settings.

Apple reportedly planning thinner Apple TV with App Store

9to5mac reports Apple is working on a new version of its Apple TV set-top box, which will feature a slimmer profile and finally bring the most sought-after Apple TV feature - the App Store.

The publication, who is often correct in its reporting on Apple, reports that Apple had originally hoped to ship the redesigned Apple TV this month, however it could be delayed until later this year. Apple is said to be working on new content partnerships, like the reported HBO Now, and it could be the company wants to secure a few more before bringing the redesign to market.

Apple reminds users it’s pulling Aperture from the Mac App Store this spring

Apple on Thursday began sending out emails to Aperture users, reminding them that the software has been discontinued. When the new Photos app for OS X launches this spring, Aperture will be removed from the Mac App Store.

Users will still be able to use the popular photo editor in OS X Yosemite, but when the removal occurs, you will no longer be able to buy additional copies. Apple also notes that Aperture libraries can by migrated into Photos OS X.

Apple’s Beats-based music streaming service reportedly delayed until WWDC

Apple's rumored subscription music service based on Beats Music and with stock iOS Music app integration will be formally announced at this year's summer developers conference rather than in March, as previously reported.

Although some have hoped Monday's “Spring Forward” media event might serve as a launchpad for the service, Apple is now reportedly planning on introducing it in beta form at its Worldwide Developers Conference in early June, 9to5Mac said Thursday.