MacRumors

HBO today announced that its HBO GO and HBO NOW streaming services will no longer be available on second-generation and third-generation Apple TV models starting April 30, 2020.

In a support document on its website, HBO says this change is being made "in order to provide the best streaming experience":

In order to provide the best streaming experience, we need to make some changes to our supported devices list. Starting on April 30, 2020, HBO GO will no longer be available on the Apple TV (2nd and 3rd generation). Not sure which Apple TV you have? Identify your Apple TV model

If Apple TV was your primary streaming device, here are some other ways to stream HBO GO on your TV:

- Stream HBO GO using another streaming player or a game console. For a list of supported devices, see Supported devices.
- Use AirPlay to stream HBO GO to your Apple TV.
- Use an HDMI cable to connect your phone, tablet, or computer to your TV.
- Use Chromecast to cast HBO GO from your phone, tablet, or computer to your TV.

There is an identical notice for HBO NOW.

HBO's announcement comes just as a number of third-generation Apple TV users have also been struggling with accessing YouTube content.

Apple Music today told independent record labels that it is launching a $50 million advance royalty fund to make sure that artists get paid amid the ongoing pandemic.

In letters sent out to record labels that were seen and shared by Rolling Stone, Apple said that livelihoods are at risk and that it "wants to help."

These are difficult times for the music industry globally. Livelihoods are at risk, with multiple sources of income that our industry relies on vanishing overnight. Apple has a deep, decades-long history with music, and we are proud to be in close partnership with the best labels and artists in the world. We want to help.

Today Apple Music is announcing the creation of a $50 million-plus fund available as advances on future royalties to independent labels, to help them pay artists and maintain operations.

Royalty advances will be offered to independent labels with a direct Apple Music distribution deal who meet a minimum quarterly threshold of $10,000 in Apple Music earnings. Each advance will be based on the label's past earnings, and will be recoupable against the label's future earnings. This offer is in good faith that labels will channel funds to artists and label operations based on financial need.

Label agreements for the advances will be posted in iTunes Connect, in the Agreements, Tax, and Banking module, on April 10. To receive an advance you will need to accept the Royalty Advance agreement and be on the latest Apple Music distribution agreement before May 8, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

We hope that together we can help provide stability for artists by sustaining an enduring and vibrant music sector. If you have additional questions, please contact us.

Independent record labels that earn at least $10,000 in quarterly ‌Apple Music‌ earnings will qualify for royalty advances, and a direct ‌Apple Music‌ distribution deal is required.

According to Rolling Stone, the music industry has been struggling in recent months, as live music has been put on hold and many concert tours and major music festivals have been postponed or canceled. Music streaming is also down and artists are pushing back release dates for albums.

Apple today updated its website to announce that it will share its earnings results for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2020 on Thursday, April 30.

Apple's second quarter earnings results will give us a better picture of how product sales have fallen due to the pandemic that has spread across the world. Apple's stores outside of China have been closed since March 14, and Apple's stores in China were closed for several weeks in February.

In February, Apple announced that it would not meet its revenue goals for the quarter due to the outbreak. At the time, Apple cited store closures in China and manufacturing issues, but the problem has grown significantly worse since then. Apple originally expected to see revenue of $63 to $67 billion in the March quarter, but that number is likely to be much lower.

Apple's quarterly earnings statement will be released at 1:30 p.m. Pacific/4:30 p.m. Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 p.m. Pacific/5:00 p.m. Eastern. MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings release and conference call on April 30.

Apple has updated the search feature in the Apple Maps app to focus on categories that are most important to people right now: groceries, food delivery, pharmacies, hospitals, and urgent care.

These category options come up first when searching, coming ahead of restaurants, fast food, gas stations, banks, and other categories that used to be higher priority in the list.

Places that are currently closed, such as shopping centers, are at the bottom of the search category list. These changes were first noticed by German site iPhone Ticker, which also points out similar changes that have been made in the Google Maps app.

Google Maps has gone even further than ‌Apple Maps‌, letting users know when a business is closed or has shorter hours. The app also warns users to call a doctor before visiting a medical location.

Complete Anatomy, an iPad app from 3D4Medical, is designed to teach medical school students human anatomy with a virtual dissectible heart, real-time muscle movement mapping, nerve tracer, and microanatomy models to explore.

In the future, Complete Anatomy will take advantage of the LiDAR Scanner built into the 2020 iPad Pro to add a new feature that will allow healthcare professionals to accurately and instantly assess the range of motion of patients who are recovering from an injury or surgery.

The feature is demoed in a YouTube video featuring Irene Walsh, the chief design officer at Complete Anatomy. According to Walsh, there has been no standardized way to measure range of motion, a problem solved with the ‌iPad Pro‌'s LiDAR Scanner.

Using the new 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌, Complete Anatomy is able to view movements in three dimensions, using motion capture to identify which movement a person is doing. Movements are paired with 3D muscle animations, providing information on the primary muscles required to carry out the action.

Walsh says that the upcoming version of Complete Anatomy on the ‌iPad‌ "has the potential to transform the medical community of the future."

The LiDAR Scanner feature is coming to the Complete Anatomy app in the near future, though no specific release date is provided. So far, few apps are able to take advantage of the LiDAR Scanner, but previews like these give us an idea of just how powerful of a tool it will be when implemented by developers.

Rumors suggest that iPhones set to be released in 2020 will also include a similar 3D scanning LiDAR feature, which would allow Apple's iPhones and ‌iPad Pro‌ models to be used for more advanced and exciting augmented reality functions.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 13.4.1, minor updates that come two weeks after the release of iOS and iPadOS 13.4, major updates that introduced iCloud Folder Sharing, a new Mail toolbar, trackpad support for the iPad, and more.

The iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.4.1 updates are available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

The update addresses an issue that prevented devices running iOS 13.4 from participating in FaceTime calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 and earlier or OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 and earlier. It also fixes a bug in the settings app that could cause choosing Bluetooth from the quick actions menu on the Home screen to fail.

Discovered shortly after the release of iOS 13.4 and macOS 10.15.4, the ‌FaceTime‌ issue prevented iPhones, iPads, and Macs running these updates from making or receiving ‌FaceTime‌ calls from older devices that aren't able to upgrade, such as the ‌iPad‌ 2, third-generation ‌iPad‌, iPhone 4S, the first-generation iPad mini, and the fifth-generation iPod touch.

It wasn't clear if the problem was caused by a bug or was intentional, but the fix included in today's update clarifies that Apple did not mean to remove the option for devices running iOS 13.4 to communicate with older devices. Full release notes for the iOS 13.4.1 update are below:

iOS 13.4.1 includes bug fixes for your iPhone.

- Fixes an issue where devices running iOS 13.4 could not participate in FaceTime calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 and earlier or OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 and earlier.
- Addresses a bug with the Settings app where choosing a Bluetooth from the quick actions menu on the Home screen would fail.

The iPadOS 13.4.1 update fixes the same two issues, but also addresses a third bug that could cause the flashlight not to turn on on the new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models after the Flashlight button in Control Center or the Lock screen is tapped.

iOS 13.4.1 could be one of the last updates to the iOS 13 operating system as Apple prepares to transition work to iOS 14. There will be at least one additional update, though, as Apple is already beta testing iOS 13.4.5.

Apple has a team called Information Systems & Technology (IS&T), that builds its internal technology tools, including servers and data infrastructure. The IS&T group, according to an excerpt from an upcoming book shared by BuzzFeed News "operates in a state of tumult."

Made up largely of contractors hired by rival consulting companies, Apple's IS&T team has been likened to a "Game of Thrones nightmare" with turmoil, infighting, and disagreements that hinder work.

"There's a Cold War going on every single day," Archana Sabapathy, a former IS&T contractor who did two stints in the division, told me. Sabapathy's first stint at IS&T lasted more than three years, the second only a day. Inside the division, she said, contracting companies such as Wipro, Infosys, and Accenture are constantly fighting to fill roles and win projects, which are handed out largely on the basis of how cheaply they can staff up to Apple's needs.

Companies involved in providing contractors for available roles don't care about the work, the talent, or the effort that's put in. People come and go with no notice, and Apple employees have been forced to rewrite code created by IS&T on multiple occasions.

Experiences shared on Quora have said that working on the IS&T team is "worse than sweatshops in India" and a "soul sucking" place to be.

Apple also has unrealistic expectations for the IS&T team, paying consulting companies as much as $150 an hour while contractors make much less, up to $55 per hour, leaving Apple with "lesser contractors" to fill the "same high demands."

The excerpt suggests that Apple should make an effort to fix its "broken" IS&T division as it would be the right thing to do from a moral standpoint and could also help Apple's business.

The full excerpt can be read over on BuzzFeed's website, and it comes from the book "Always Day One" by BuzzFeed writer Alex Kantrowitz. "Always Day One" takes a look at the inner workings of Amazon, Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

Following this weekend's news from Tim Cook that Apple is working with its supply chain to produce a million face shields per week for medical workers, the company has shared a support document outlining how to assemble and adjust the shields.

The document includes a series of images and animations showing how the simple three-piece product can be assembled for either a regular fit or with extra space between the user's face and the shield, and then how the latex-free silicone strap should be threaded to secure the shield and forehead band together and around the user's head.

Apple includes a video of the assembly process, as well as instructions for use and for sterilizing and reusing shields. There's also a printable PDF of the instruction sheet that comes in the box with the shields. The paper copy includes a link and a QR code to make it easy to get to the online instructions, as well as an email support contact for those needing assistance with their shields.

Cook said in his video announcement about the new face shields that they can be packed flat with 100 units per box.

(Thanks, Petter!)

Last week, we laid out evidence suggesting that the just-released iPad Pro models do not contain a U1 Ultra Wideband chip, including the lack of any mention of the chip in tech specs or Apple's press materials, the absence of software support for U1 features, and more. Most tellingly, iFixit was unable to find the chip or related antennas in the device.

Daring Fireball's John Gruber has followed up on the situation, and he has "confirmed with a little birdie who would certainly know the answer" that the new ‌iPad Pro‌ indeed does not have a U1 chip.

At first blush, it seems surprising that the 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ wouldn't have a U1 chip when Apple deployed it across the entire iPhone 11 lineup last fall and indicated that it would be the basis for a number of future features. Perhaps the most high-profile rumored feature for the U1 relates Apple's AirTags item trackers that have yet to launch, with the chip allowing for highly precise locating capabilities.

As discovered by iFixit in its teardown of the new iPad Pro, however, the new model's internals are nearly identical to those of the 2018 model, down to the logic board layout. Even the new A12Z chip is essentially the previous A12X with a previously disabled graphics core enabled.

Adding a U1 chip to the ‌iPad Pro‌ would have required a redesign of the ‌iPad Pro‌ logic board, and depending on how the U1 interfaces with the device's main chip, may have required more substantial changes in the A12Z chip itself, perhaps necessitating an all-new A13X chip to support the feature.

The U1 chip also requires associated antennas that wouldn't play particularly nicely with the ‌iPad Pro‌'s metal chassis. On the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series, these antennas require cutouts in the metal case lining, but remain concealed thanks to the glass exterior of the phone.

With rumors of a more substantial iPad Pro refresh as soon as this fall, including at least one mode with an A14X chip and a new mini-LED display, the latest model appears to have been a stopgap update to add some new AR-related capabilities without making a full overhaul of the device, and the addition of a U1 chip and associated hardware may have been required more substantial changes than Apple was willing to invest in for this update.

Rumors of Apple-branded over-ear headphones have been circulating for quite some time, while more recent rumors have mentioned an "AirPods Pro Lite" that could also be in the works, and Twitter leaker Jon Prosser's recent foray into Apple rumors provides a bit more detail on what we might able to expect for these products.

On the over-ear side, Prosser says that Apple is targeting a June WWDC debut with pricing set at around $350, putting them in the range of Beats Studio3 and Bose 700 headphones. Prosser says Apple's codename for these headphones is B515, which matches up with leaked icons for these headphones found in an iOS 14 build last month.

As for the "AirPods Pro Lite" previously rumored by DigiTimes, Prosser says they are likely what he has heard are referred to as "AirPods X," which should launch in the September–October timeframe. He says these would be similar to the current BeatsX earphones, which are targeted at the sports market. He doesn't specifically say, however, whether the AirPods X would have a wire between the earbuds as BeatsX do. He also says the AirPods X, which carry a codename of B517, will be priced at around $200, which is double the price of BeatsX.

Generally speaking, Prosser believes that Apple's ultimate goal is to eventually phase out the Beats brand, as both of these new Apple headphones are similar to existing Beats products. That will take time, however, as Beats offers a fairly extensive line of headphone options, including the fairly new Beats Solo Pro and the Powerbeats lineup that has seen several recent updates.