Movies

Apple announces HBO Now coming exclusively to Apple TV in April

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 9, 2015

Apple is holding its “Spring Forward” media event at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts and the company has just announced that HBO's rumored subscription service is debuting on the now discounted Apple TV set-top box next month at a fleet monthly fee of $14.99.

The CEO of HBO Richard Plepler took the stage to say that the service, dubbed HBO Now, will be exclusive to Apple at launch. Past, present and future programming will be available on Apple devices, via a brand new channel on Apple TV and a dedicated iOS app.

Apple says FCPX is ready for the big leagues, showcases its usage in ‘Focus’ movie production

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 2, 2018

Focus, an upcoming movie starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, has become the first Hollywood flick to have been edited entirely in Apple's Final Cut Pro X software, USA Today reported Wednesday.

In advance of the film's silver screen debut this coming Friday, Apple set up a dedicated webpage on its website to showcase how the romantic comedy was shot and edited using not just Final Cut Pro X, but other standard software readily available to anyone on the Mac App Store.

Jony Ive-designed lightsaber would look like this

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

An astonishingly detailed profile of Apple's design head Jony Ive that was published last week by The New Yorker makes an interesting side note about an upcoming Star Wars movie.

According to the article, director J.J. Abrams said Ive made “very specific” suggestions about lightsaber design for Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie.

The quote prompted 3D artist Martin Hajek to come up with a batch of renderings showcasing his amusing depiction of a Jony Ive-fied Star Wars lightsaber.

Apple airing new commercial ahead of the Oscars which showcases iPad use in filmmaking

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

Ahead of the annual Academy Awards ceremony tonight, Apple has started airing a new television commercial which highlights iPad use in filmmaking.

Titled ‘Make a film with iPad,’ the 30-second spot is narrated by director Martin Scorsese, widely regarded as one of the most significant and influential filmmakers in cinema history.

Unsurprisingly, the Oscars ad has been shot entirely on the iPad Air 2. The video closes with the ‘Everything changes with iPad’ tagline that was also used in Apple's previous iPad commercial, aired on the day of the Grammy Awards, which highlights how tablet can be used as a music-creation tool.

Turn your iPhone into a Batmobile or Delorean with these crazy light-up cases

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2015

Folks in the market for a distinctively different iPhone case who don't mind some bulk should check out a pair of crazy cases hailing from Japan.

As highlighted by TouchArcade, the cases turn your device into a near-perfect replica of Tim Burton's Batmobile or a Delorean from Back to the Future II, complete with blinking LEDs and sliding plastic doors to reveal the camera lens and the physical buttons.

Though impractical in terms of daily use, these cases will sure turn heads and make you the star of every party. Created by Bandai, they're available in Japan for 5,940 yen, which works out to approximately $50.

Another Steve Jobs film is in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 4, 2015

As first noted by Variety, a new Steve Jobs film will be premiering soon. No, not Universal's ill-fated biopic that started filming last week, based on Walter Isaacson’s biography and starring Michael Fassbender as Apple's mercurial co-founder.

Titled “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine,” the new film is basically a 120-minute nonfictional documentary that explores the impact of Steve Jobs' work on the society and our embrace of computers and technology.

Official mobile game of The LEGO Movie hits iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 30, 2018

Hey kids, if you loved The LEGO Movie now is your chance to enjoy the same fun characters and environments in an interactive iPhone and iPad game.

Released today in the App Store, the LEGO Movie Video Game contains more than 90 characters from the film and over 40 missions. It's a classic LEGO fun so you'll get to build your own virtual LEGO creations using the Master Builders.

Apple promoting music, movies, TV shows and books via new iTunes blog on Tumblr

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 22, 2014

As first noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has expanded its social presence with a brand new blog dedicated to iTunes content and hosted on Yahoo-owned Tumblr platform.

Now available at the itunes.tumblr.com URL, the blog highlights a curated selection of movies, television shows, music and books carried on the iTunes Store.

A special emphasis is given to Apple's Best of 2014 charts that were published on iTunes last week. If memory serves me well, this is Apple's second official blog on Tumblr following odd iPhone 5c web adds and Tumblr presence which was supposed to resonate with the blog platform's younger audience.

App Recap: discounts, new apps to enjoy mid-week

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Welcome to Wednesday. As we prepare for an onslaught of new arrivals that will be hitting the App Store midnight, a number of apps and games have been updated with new features and we're here to tell you what's changed.

We also want to make sure you stay on top of recent discounts as some apps get slashed by as much as eighty percent with the others going all the way down to zero bucks.

And it wouldn't be a roundup without taking a look at some of the forthcoming releases due later this month or sometime next year. This is App Recap, an app-focused column by iDownloadBlog.

Natalie Portman passes on Jobs biopic, Jeff Daniels being considered for role

Cody Lee ∙ December 9, 2014

Natalie Portman has decided to pass on the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, according to a new report from Variety. Portman was said to be in talks for a lead female role in the movie, either as Jobs' daughter Lisa or former Mac marketing chief Joanna Hoffman.

Additionally, The Wrap reports today that Universal Pictures is eyeing Jeff Daniels for the role of former Apple CEO John Sculley. If he signs on to the project, Daniels would join fellow Newsroom alumni in writer Aaron Sorkin and producer Scott Rudin.

App Recap: Facebook’s Graph Search launches on iPhone, MasterCard’s Apple Pay ad and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

App Recap welcomes you to Monday. Our daily column that helps make sense of the latest iPhone, iPad and Mac apps, games and media on iTunes is back with tons of goodies, discounts, software news and more.

We also feature a new Apple Pay television commercial by MasterCard featuring Gwen Stefani and a huge update to Paper by Fifty-Three while casting spotlight on a holiday-themed update to The Sims FreePlay and the latest Star Wars: Commander refresh that features Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Apple posts iTunes Best of 2014 charts

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Like in years past, Apple ahead of the holidays published its list of the best and most popular apps, movies, TV shows, music and books available on iTunes. In the category of the top paid iPhone app, Heads Up! came in first. Facebook's Messenger is Apple's top free iPhone app and Clash of Clans emerged as the top grossing iPhone app, respectively. On the iPad side, Minecraft, YouTube and Clash of Clans have been rated as the App Store's top paid, free and grossing apps, respectively.

Without further ado, here's the rest of Apple's most popular apps and media in 2014.