Apple

Apple and other tech giants file legal brief opposing Trump’s immigration order

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 6, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial executive order that would bar Syrian refuges and travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the country is being formally challenged by Apple and 96 other companies, Bloomberg said Monday.

Apple, Google, Facebook, Intel, Airbnb Netflix, Snap, Uber, Zynga, Levi Strauss, Chobani along with many other companies have all signed an amicus brief, which is a legal filing that lets outside parties offer non-binding opinions to the court.

Apple renews efforts to sell used iPhones in India

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 6, 2017

Apple is planning to kick off local iPhone production in India by the summer. While a final decision has yet to be made regarding a number of concessions Apple is seeking from the government before setting up a production plant in the country, the company is now said to be reviving efforts to sell used iPhones in the massive 1.25 billion people country.

As per Bloomberg, Apple's previous proposal regarding selling refurbished iPhones was met with heavy resistance so the firm's put back its request on the table, ensuring government officials that used devices would be compliant with quality standards.

India: no decision yet on concessions to Apple regarding iPhone manufacturing plant

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 6, 2017

A game of cat and mouse between Apple and the Indian government continues with news Monday that the government has yet to make a final decision regarding concessions being sought by Apple to set up an iPhone manufacturing plant in the country. Tribune India is reporting that Ramesh Abhishek, a secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), told the media this morning that while Apple did submit certain demands for the government's consideration, a final decision has yet to be announced.

As Facebook turns 13 tomorrow, Discover People starts rolling out in mobile app

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2017

This Saturday, February 4, Facebook turns 13, a day the company calls Friends Day. In launching products to celebrate friendship and encouraging people to take time to connect with their friends, Facebook recently began adding personalized Friends Day videos at the top of users' News Feed. Additionally, Facebook is now rolling out a new Discover People section in its mobile app for iOS and Android.

As first noted by TechCrunch, Discover People basically encourages Facebook users to add any missing pieces of information to their profile, browse a list of upcoming events to see who else may also be going, check out people in their city they're not yet friends with or browse people who share the same employer.

Apple releases $199 education bundle: FCP X, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor & MainStage

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2017

If you're a teacher, college student, faculty member or staff, or a K12 or higher education institution, you can now buy a bundle of Apple's pro video and audio editing apps for Mac. As reported by The Loop, the Pro Apps Bundle for Education includes Final Cut Pro X ($300), Logic Pro X ($200), Motion 5 ($50), Compressor 4 ($50) and MainStage 3 ($30).

The bundle is priced at just $199, a $430 savings versus the apps' combined retail price.

Tim Cook will receive honorary degree from University of Glasgow

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2017

Apple's chief executive Tim Cook is scheduled to receive an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow on February 8 at 6pm local time. Following the official ceremony, the university will hold a fireside chat with Cook which will be followed by a Q&A session with students.

The news was tweeted this morning on the University of Glasgow's official Twitter account. The event is open to the University of Glasgow students.

Lawsuit says Apple broke FaceTime on iOS 6 to force iOS 7 upgrades & save money on data fees

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2017

A new class action lawsuit alleges that Apple intentionally broke FaceTime on iOS 6 in order to push users towards iOS 7. The move rendered older hardware like iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s inoperable with the FaceTime service. AppleInsider reports that Apple wanted to save money on a pricey data services deal with the content delivery network Akamai.

Apple supplier Wistron to build iPhones in India

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 3, 2017

It's official: Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron will be assembling iPhones in a facility set up at Peenya on the outskirts of Bengaluru, The Times of India reported Friday. No timeline has been provided, but production is expected to begin in June. The Karnataka government issued a release yesterday in which regional IT minister Priyank Kharge welcomed Apple's proposal “to commence initial manufacturing operations” in the state.

Apple hires Spotify’s former head of label relations

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

The Apple vs. Spotify fight just became tougher with news that Apple recently hired Spotify's former head of label relations, Steve Savoca, who left the company in August of last year (Spotify's current boss of label relations is Rob Harvey). He was recruited for the identical role at Apple Music.

The Cupertino firm on Thursday confirmed the hiring of Spotify's former executive, saying he'll be focusing on relationships with smaller, independent labels, especially internationally.

In Snapchat, you can now create Snapcodes that launch websites

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Snapchat's mobile application was updated on App Store this morning with a new feature that allows business accounts and individual users to create a Snapcode for any website. When you friends snap your QR code, they'll see an option to open the website inside Snapchat for iPhone. Snapcodes require Snapchat 10.1 for iOS, a free download from App Store. Oh, and Snapchat's parent company just filed for an IPO with the SEC, as per The Wall Street Journal.

Snapseed now gives you precise control over brightness levels and colors

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Earlier this week, Google's free image-editing app Snapseed was refreshed with a new tool for adjusting brightness and color levels precisely. A pair of under-the-hood tweaks is included, too. Snapseed is part of my iPhone photography toolkit and while I'm fond of its simplicity, I wish I could say the same for the app's imprecise slider-based controls.

With Snapseed 2.15 for iPhone and iPad, adding drama to your photos has become a lot easier than before.

That's because the new curve-based editing gives you precise control over things like contrast, brightness and color intensity in a given image.

Tim Cook named recipient of Newseum’s 2017 Free Expression Award

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2017

Thursday, Apple's chief executive Tim Cook got selected as the recipient of Newseum's 2017 Free Expression Award in the Free Speech category. The organization recognized Cook's contributions to issues like racial equality, privacy, the environment, access to education, LGBT rights and more. The Newseum, for those not in the know, is an interactive museum based in Washington, D.C. that promotes free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.