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Apple News Introduces Coverage Portal of 2018 Winter Olympics in Partnership With NBC

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Apple News will be a go-to source for coverage of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which officially begin with Friday's opening ceremony, although some competition is already underway.

apple news 2018 winter olympics
A new section devoted to the Winter Olympics is now available within the "For You" tab of Apple News in the United States, and it will feature articles, videos, and other coverage of the games over the next two weeks.

Apple has partnered with NBC for the new section, but coverage will be provided from a variety of sources, according to Ingrid Lunden at TechCrunch. Live streams and full replays of specific events will link directly to the NBC Sports app, while clips from events will be viewable within Apple News itself.

The portal will also feature a planner for viewers to figure out when specific events are scheduled, and it will allow users to add events they want to watch to their calendars. There will also be a medal tracker and daily roundups given a 14-hour-plus time difference between South Korea and the United States.

Tags: Apple News Guide, NBC
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Upcoming Mobile Game 'Mario Kart Tour' Will Be Free-to-Start

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Nintendo last week announced that its next mobile game will be "Mario Kart Tour," but with a launch date aimed at any time before the company's fiscal year ending March 2019, not much information is known about the game. Today, DeNA CEO Isao Moriyasu was reported as saying that Mario Kart Tour will be free-to-start (via TouchArcade and The Wall Street Journal).

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The "free-to-start" terminology is somewhat vague, but when compared to Nintendo's previous use of the phrase it could suggest where Mario Kart Tour is headed. For example, Nintendo currently describes Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp as free-to-start on the game's website, while Super Mario Run's website explains that "you can download and enjoy a portion of Super Mario Run for free."

While far from a definitive answer, this suggests Nintendo might lean towards its recent trend and make Mario Kart Tour a game that's free to play, with in-app purchases that help with certain tasks. Out of Nintendo's four mobile games so far, three have followed this model (Miitomo, Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp), while only Super Mario Run has used the pay-once price tier.

Tags: DeNA, Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo
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iTunes Launches $20 'Award Winning' Movie Bundles Ahead of 90th Academy Awards

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Following a discount on bundles for movies in the Cloverfield and Mission: Impossible franchises earlier this week, Apple on iTunes has now launched a collection of "Award Winning" film bundles focused on categories from the Academy Awards. The sale is debuting just under one month before the 90th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 4.

The categories include Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, and vary from time periods like Classic to Contemporary. Each HD bundle is priced at $19.99, allowing those interested to grab four movies for the price of about two.

award winning oscar bundles
There are also a few "Under $10" Oscar film categories lined throughout the iTunes Movies store, broken into sections including "Best Original Screenplay" and "Best Adapted Screenplay." In the list below you'll find all of the Award Winning bundles, a few films from the Under $10 categories, and some other recent releases on iTunes that received notable discounts this week.

$19.99 Award Winning Bundles (HD)

2018 Oscar Nominations

Under $10 Oscar Winners

Recent 4K Price Drops

For more of the Oscars-related discounts on iTunes, you should be able to find the Award Winning bundles and Under $10 films featured heavily in the storefront's rotating carousel and just below the New and Noteworthy section, respectively.

If you don't yet have the Apple TV 4K to watch 4K iTunes movies on, don't forget that DirecTV Now's sale on the device remains ongoing in 2018 after initially launching last November. With the offer, when you sign up for four months of the streaming TV service at an upfront cost of around $140, you'll get the 32GB Apple TV 4K at no cost.
apple tv 4k siri remote front backNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This means that you can get the latest 32GB Apple TV 4K for about $40 cheaper than its traditional price point of $180, and if you're not a fan of DirecTV Now when the four months end, you can cancel the service at any time. Check out our original blog post on the DirecTV Now/4K Apple TV offer for more information, and head over to our full Deals Roundup to discover other sales happening this week.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
Related Forum: Mac Apps
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Media Watchdog Advises Journalists in China to Avoid Using iCloud Accounts, Citing Privacy Fears

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Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RWB/RSF) has urged journalists using iCloud in China to migrate away from Apple's cloud service this month, before control of their data is handed over to a Chinese company (via Hong Kong Free Press).

Beginning February 28, Apple's iCloud services in mainland China will be operated by Guizhou on the Cloud Big Data (GCBD), which is owned by the Guizhou provincial government in southern China.

china icloud
The firm is set to manage Apple's new $1 billion data center, which opened in the region last year. The operational change was agreed between Apple and the Chinese government, bringing the tech giant into compliance with the country's new cloud computing regulations.

Apple says the partnership with GCBD will improve the speed and reliability of iCloud services and products, and has assured iCloud customers that no backdoors had been created into any of its systems. However, press freedom advocates fear that user data will become accessible to the Chinese state as a result of the switch. Earlier this week, RWB/RSF explicitly criticized Apple's "readiness to accommodate China's authoritarian regime".

"Apple promises that it will never give governments a backdoor to content, but there is no way of being sure about this," Head of RSF's East Asia bureau Cédric Alviani said.

"Knowing the Chinese government's determination and the extent of the means of pressure at its disposal, it will end up getting its way sooner or later, if it hasn't already."

Last month, Apple contacted and advised customers in China to examine new terms and conditions, which include a clause that both Apple and the Chinese firm will have access to all data stored on iCloud servers. Customers who did not want to use iCloud operated by GCBD were also given the option to terminate their account before the February 28 switch.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: China, iCloud
Related Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+
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First HomePod Orders Start Shipping Out to Customers in the U.K.

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Apple customers in the United Kingdom who pre-ordered HomePod have started receiving shipping despatch notifications this morning. Those who ordered before initial supplies began dwindling earlier this week can expect deliveries to arrive sometime on Friday, which is Apple's official launch day for HomePod.

uk homepod delivery

Images via @ryancarter_94

As expected, it looks as if Apple is relying on DPD to courier the majority of HomePods to homes across the U.K. Using their tracking information provided by Apple, customers can use the DPD website or download and install the DPD iPhone app and request a time slot for delivery, which are subject to availability.

Earlier today, customers in Australia who ordered a HomePod for February 9 began receiving shipment notifications. It's Thursday evening on February 8 in Australia, so the first HomePod deliveries will begin in the country in just a matter of hours.

Customers expecting launch day delivery in the United States may be able to locate their HomePod's shipping information by going to the UPS website, selecting the track by reference number option, and entering the phone number associated with a HomePod order.

Apple is no longer offering the HomePod for February 9 delivery or in-store pickup, but John Lewis, Argos, EE, and Currys PC World may have stock available for U.K. customers, while Apple will likely have a supply of HomePods available for walk-in purchase in retail stores in the U.S., UK, and Australia on launch day.

(Thanks, Ryan!)

Related Roundup: HomePod
Tag: United Kingdom
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)
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Apple Adds Chinese Firms to its Pool of 3D Sensing Module Suppliers for 2018 iPhones and iPads

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Apple will work with two Chinese suppliers in 2018 to ensure a stable supply of 3D sensing modules for use in this year's iPhone and iPad line-up, according to a report on Thursday by ET News.

face id ipad iphone
Last month The Investor claimed Apple was planning a $820.9 million investment in LG Innotek to secure supply of 3D sensing modules, which are key components of the iPhone X's new TrueDepth camera system, enabling features such as Face ID and Animoji.

However, according to today's report, Apple has selected two Chinese companies to shore up supply. One is said to be an emerging supplier amongst smartphone part markets, and the other is a popular semiconductor packaging company. Nevertheless, LG Innotek is expected remain the biggest main vendor out of the three module suppliers, while the two Chinese companies will provide the rest.

Apple plans to launch a refreshed iPhone X, a larger iPhone X Plus, and a mid-range iPhone each with Face ID later this year, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple will also release at least one iPad Pro model with Face ID this year, according to Bloomberg.

It's unusual for Apple to source Chinese suppliers for key parts, but the additional help could mean Apple avoids the temporary supply chain issues it experienced with 3D sensing modules late last year.

In addition, the extra supply could benefit Apple in the long term if it looks to combine the front-facing camera and Face ID on future iPhones, as claimed by ETNews back in January.

According to the report, industry sources claim Apple's plan to combine these features would increase the number of parts used in iPhones, however it's unlikely we'll see such a design this year, given that the 2018 line-up of iOS devices are expected to have the same TrueDepth sensor housing as the iPhone X.

Related Forum: iPhone
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Screenshots of WhatsApp's First Peer-to-Peer Payments System Surface Online

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Over a year ago now, we reported on claims that popular mobile chat platform WhatsApp was looking at introducing a peer-to-peer payments system, beginning with a rollout for users in India. Today, the first iPhone screenshots of such a system appeared online via social media, revealing a list of Indian banks that will apparently support the service at launch.

The images indicate that the WhatsApp payment method will utilize the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), an instant real-time payment system developed by National Payments Corporation of India that facilitates inter-bank transactions.

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UPI is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India and works by instantly transferring funds between two bank accounts on a mobile platform. The same system is also used by Swedish-based phone number lookup service Trucaller, which introduced user-to-user payments in India via a tie-in with ICICI Bank last April.

WhatsApp's UPI setup process appears to involve just a couple of steps, after which users can presumably instantly transfer cash to other WhatsApp users' bank accounts. The payment system could be ready for launch in India in the first quarter of 2018, although WhatsApp's plans for a similar payments system for users in other countries remain unclear.

Facebook has had a payments system in its Messenger app for some time in the U.S., but WhatsApp remains far more popular in India and is heavily used there as an e-commerce portal, despite not yet offering any features that specifically support the practice.

Tags: India, WhatsApp
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First HomePod Orders Start Shipping Out in U.S., U.K., and Australia [Updated]

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Customers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia who ordered a HomePod for February 9 delivery have begun receiving shipment notifications from Apple letting them know their orders have shipped and are on the way.

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The first HomePod deliveries should begin in just a matter of hours in Australia, where it is already early Friday morning.

Apple is using Next Day Air delivery in the United States and shipping out from local hubs, with tracking information available.

homepod shipped us
Customers without a tracking number may be able to locate their HomePod's shipping information by going to the UPS website, selecting the track by reference number option, and entering the phone number associated with a HomePod order.

homepod ups
In the United States, HomePod deliveries will kick off at around 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday, February 9, with customers on the East Coast receiving their orders first. Apple is no longer offering the HomePod for February 9 delivery or in-store pickup, but the company will likely have a supply of HomePods available for walk-in purchase in retail stores in the U.S., UK, and Australia on launch day.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect that HomePods are now shipping in the United States and United Kingdom as well.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)
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HomePod No Longer Available for Launch Day Delivery From Apple in U.S.

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As the launch of the HomePod approaches, it's no longer possible to place an order for delivery on Friday, February 9 in the United States. HomePod orders submitted today on the Apple online store will deliver next week, on February 12 to February 13.

In-store pickup for HomePod orders also became unavailable on Tuesday morning, suggesting Apple's initial online HomePod supply has been exhausted.

homepoddeliveryestimates
HomePod supply in the United Kingdom and Australia has also dwindled, and new HomePod orders placed in those countries will be delivered between Monday, February 12 and Wednesday, February 14.

Although HomePod shipping estimates have slipped into next week, HomePod supply has been plentiful throughout the pre-order process, and it's still going to be possible to get a HomePod on launch day.

In the United States, Best Buy continues to offer the HomePod with in-store pickup available on February 9, as do several retailers in the UK. It's also likely that Apple retail stores in the United States, Australia, and the UK will have stock available for walk-in purchases on Friday.

HomePod orders have yet to ship out from Apple, but customers should start getting shipping notices soon. In the United States, Apple is sending HomePod packages from local hubs via UPS using Next Day Air delivery. HomePod orders have not shifted from preparing to ship, but shipping labels were created earlier in the week and can often be tracked on the UPS website using the track by reference option and a phone number.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)
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iPhone Source Code From iOS 9 Leaked on Github

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Source code for a core component of the iPhone's operating system recently leaked on GitHub, according to reports from Motherboard and Redmond Pie.

The code, which appears to be for iBoot, or the part of iOS that ensures a trusted boot of the operating system, was initially shared online several months ago on Reddit, but it resurfaced today on GitHub where it will presumably receive more attention. Motherboard consulted security experts who have confirmed that the code appears to be legitimate.

ios 9 ipad iphone
The iBoot code appears to be from a version of iOS 9, so it's not entirely relevant to the current iOS 11.2.5 operating system, but some of the code from iOS 9 likely still exists in iOS 11. It remains to be seen if anything will come of the leak, though, and it's also worth noting that modern iOS devices have protection in the form of the Secure Enclave.

There are files missing from the GitHub leak so the code can't be compiled, but security experts on Twitter say it could allow hackers and security researchers to find iOS vulnerabilities and create jailbreaks.


Along with the iBoot code, the leak includes a documents directory that offers up additional information relevant to iBoot, which Redmond Pie suggests could make it much easier to find a bootrom exploit for permanently jailbreaking iPhones and iPads.

Apple has open sourced portions of macOS and iOS in recent years, but iBoot is something that Apple has been careful to keep private. As Motherboard points out, Apple's own bug bounty program pays out up to $200,000 for vulnerabilities discovered in secure boot firmware components.

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New Study Suggests Apple Watch Heart Rate Sensor Can Detect Early Signs of Diabetes

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Cardiogram, a company that offers an app able to break down heart rate data collected by the Apple Watch, today shared the results of a new study that suggests the Apple Watch can be used to detect the signs of diabetes.

Cardiogram researchers teamed up with the University of California, San Francisco and used the Cardiogram DeepHeart neural network to determine that heart rate data collected from the Apple Watch was 85 percent accurate at distinguishing between people with diabetes and people without diabetes.

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For the study, Cardiogram used more than 200 million sensor measurements from 14,011 participants using an Apple Watch or Android Wear device and the Cardiogram app, aggregating data that included heart rate, step count, and other activity.

Prediabetes is a condition that often goes unnoticed and undiagnosed because traditional methods of detection require glucose-sensing hardware. Detection via the Apple Watch and an AI-based algorithm like Cardiogram's DeepHeart has the potential to alert users that there's an issue so they can then follow up with a medical professional.

According to Cardiogram, its study is the first large-scale study that demonstrates how an ordinary heart rate sensor, like the one in the Apple Watch and other devices like the Fitbit, can detect early signs of diabetes. Because the pancreas is connected to the heart through the nervous system, the heart rate variability changes when a person begins experiencing diabetes symptoms.

Over the course of the last year, Cardiogram and UCSF have teamed up to do a lot of research into the potential for wrist-worn heart rate sensors to detect serious health conditions. Previous studies have shown the Apple Watch heart rate sensor's ability to detect conditions that include hypertension, sleep apnea, and atrial fibrillation.

While there's still a long way to go before research proves whether the Apple Watch can officially detect early health problems, Cardiogram plans to implement new features to incorporate DeepHeart directly into the Cardiogram app in the future, which will allow users to be alerted if early signs of disease are detected.

Apple has also launched its own study in partnership with Stanford to determine whether the heart rate sensor in the Apple Watch can be used to detect abnormal heart rhythms and common heart conditions.

You can sign up to participate in the Apple Heart Study by downloading and installing the Apple Heart Study app and wearing the Apple Watch on a regular basis. If the Apple Watch detects an irregular heart rhythm, you'll be contacted by researchers and may be asked to wear an ePatch monitor.

You can also participate in Cardiogram's studies by installing the Cardiogram app and signing up to join the mRhythm study.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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How to Use iCloud Keychain on Your iOS Devices

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icloud keychainiCloud Keychain is a feature of your Apple account that you can use to keep your website login credentials, personal details, credit card details, and wireless network information up to date and available across all your Apple devices.

With so many usernames and passwords to remember these days, iCloud Keychain provides a convenient way of always having this information at hand. And with its AutoFill feature, iCloud Keychain can even enter your credentials for you when required.

It's also very secure, thanks to Apple's use of end-to-end encryption. This means that only you can access your information, and only on devices where you're signed in to iCloud. Keep reading to learn how to enable iCloud Keychain on your iOS devices.

How to Enable iCloud Keychain on Your iPhone or iPad

  1. Open the Settings app and tap your Apple ID banner at the top of the Settings menu.
  2. Tap iCloud.
  3. Scroll down the list and select Keychain.
  4. Toggle on the iCloud Keychain switch and enter your Apple ID password if prompted.

icloud keychain 1
If this is the first time you've enabled iCloud Keychain, you'll be asked to create an iCloud Security Code or use your existing device passcode. You'll also need to enter a phone number where you can receive SMS messages for authorization purposes. If you've already enabled iCloud Keychain in the past, you'll be prompted to enter the passcode that was used to set it up previously.

Accessing Your Login Details in iCloud Keychain

With iCloud Keychain enabled, Apple's Autofill feature will fill in your login credentials for you whenever you come across the relevant input fields on a website or in an app. On occasion, you may encounter a login screen that doesn't play nice with Autofill. In such cases, you'll need to copy and paste your username and password manually. Here's how it's done.

  1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.
  2. Tap Accounts and Passwords.
  3. Tap App & Website Passwords and use Touch ID if prompted.
  4. Tap the relevant login entry in the list, or using the search field at the top of the Passwords screen, type in the name of the app or website for which you need login credentials.
  5. Long press on the username/password and tap the Copy pop-up option.
  6. Now navigate back to the relevant app or website, long press the username/password input field, and then tap the Paste pop-up option.

icloud keychain 2
Note that you can delete login credentials by tapping Edit at the top right of the Passwords screen. You can also tap a website entry and use the Edit option to change existing username and password fields.

Adding Credit Cards and Personal Information

You can add personal information and credit card information to iCloud Keychain at any time using your iPhone or iPad, after which it will be available across all of your devices. Simply follow these steps:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Safari.
  3. Tap AutoFill.
  4. To add personal information, tap My Info and select your contact card from the list of contacts. To add credit card details, tap Saved Credit Cards and then tap Add Credit Card.

icloud keychain 3
The last screen you see here also includes three toggles for selectively disabling/re-enabling AutoFill functions, which can come in handy if someone else is going to be using your iPhone or iPad.

Tags: iCloud, iCloud Keychain
Related Forum: Apple Music, Apple Pay/Card, iCloud, Fitness+
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Instagram Testing Feature That Lets You Share Other People's Posts in Stories

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Instagram has never offered an option to publicly re-share images and content posted by other people, but the company is now testing a feature that would let you share public news feed posts from other people to your Instagram Story.

Instagram this morning confirmed to TechCrunch that it is indeed exploring such a feature, which is available to only a small percentage of Instagram users. "We're always testing ways to make it easier to share any moment with friends on Instagram," the company said.


Right now, the only way to share a person's Instagram post with someone else is to send it through a direct message.

As TechCrunch points out, with the option to share an Instagram post to your Story feed, you can add commentary, stickers, and other alterations to a meme, celebrity post, or a friend's photo. Instagram's Story feed, for those unfamiliar with it, allows people to post temporary content that disappears after 24 hours.

Instagram is allowing people with public Instagram profiles to opt out of letting others to share their posts with a new "Allow Resharing to Stories" option that's available in the Settings section of the app.

Re-sharing posts to Stories is a feature that's restricted to a small number of Instagram users at the current time, but following testing, it's likely Instagram will roll it out to all users.

Tag: Instagram
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YouTube App for Apple TV Receives Major Redesign

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The YouTube app for the Apple TV received a complete design overhaul today, introducing a new interface that's similar in design to the YouTube app for iOS, YouTube on the desktop, and the YouTube app for other television platforms.

appletvyoutuberevamp
Rather than a single navigation bar at the top that links to sections like Search, Home, and Subscriptions, there's a new universal search bar that's easier to access along with dedicated categories like Recommended, Entertainment, Food, Music, Gaming, Technology, Comedy, and more, which makes it easier to find new content relevant to your interests.

youtuberecommendedinterface
A navigation bar on the left side of the screen provides access to your subscriptions, library, and viewing history, and there's a new, more detailed settings section.

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While today's update lists 4K videos as "4K" in the video app, it does not appear that YouTube is supporting 4K content on the Apple TV at this time. When viewing details about a video, maximum available resolution is still listed as 1920 x 1080.

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Today's revamped YouTube Apple TV app comes just a few days after YouTube officially introduced its separate YouTube TV app for the Apple TV, allowing YouTube TV subscribers to access live content.

The new YouTube app for Apple TV is available now, and it can be installed by going to the YouTube app in the App Store and choosing "update" if it does not update automatically.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: YouTube
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater
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Showrunner for Upcoming 'Amazing Stories' Series Exits After Apple Requests Family Friendly Content

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Bryan Fuller, who was set to serve as showrunner on Apple's upcoming "Amazing Stories" reboot has opted to cut ties with Apple over creative differences, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Fuller is said to have wanted to turn "Amazing Stories" into a Black Mirror-style show, while Apple is aiming for a more family friendly series.


"Amazing Stories," which Apple picked up in October, is a science fiction and horror series created by Steven Spielberg. It originally ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987, and during the two years that it aired, the show won five Emmy Awards. The show focused on a new topic each episode, similar to "Tales From the Crypt" and Twilight Zone."

Fuller has been involved with "Amazing Stories" since 2015, and was originally set to write the script for the show before Steven Spielberg became involved. Fuller has, in the past, ended several other projects because of creative and financial differences, including "American Gods" and "Star Trek: Discovery."

Previous rumors have suggested that Apple wants to produce television shows with broad appeal that are also tame enough to be shown in an Apple Store. The company is said to be shying away from content that includes nudity, raw language, and violence, and it has reportedly turned down edgier content.

Apple is planning to create 10 new episodes of "Amazing Stories," with plans to spend more than $5 million per episode. "Amazing Stories" is not yet in production and it's not clear when the series will launch.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater
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iTunes Chief Eddy Cue Says Apple Will Share Details on its TV Plans in 'a Little Bit of Time'

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Apple iTunes chief Eddy Cue today spoke at Variety's 2018 Pollstar Live event in Los Angeles, California, where he discussed Apple Music and the Music Business with Variety Executive Music Editor Shirley Halperin.

Cue's talk wasn't streamed live for viewers at home to watch, but several attendees shared Cue's major talking points on Twitter.

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Image via Stacey Cohen White

Unsurprisingly, some of the discussion focused on the HomePod, which is officially launching this Friday. According to Cue, the HomePod will use its built-in A8 chip and AI algorithms to automatically adjust the bass, treble, and other settings on a song-by-song basis, so there won't be a need for users to fuss with settings.

In fact, Apple is confident enough in the HomePod's ability to make these adjustments that there are no built-in options to allow users to manually adjust sound.

Cue didn't want to share information about Apple's upcoming original programming plans, despite the fact that the company has inked deals for eight TV shows so far. He did, however, say that we may hear "a lot more" about Apple's plans in "a little bit of time," suggesting Apple will share details on its television goals later this year.

Details are light on the other points that Cue covered in his talk, but should more information surface on what he had to say, we'll update this post.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tags: Apple Music Guide, Eddy Cue
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater
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Here Are 150+ New Emoji Coming to iPhones and iPads Later This Year

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The Unicode Consortium today announced it has finalized a new set of 157 emoji that companies like Apple will be able to implement later this year. There are actually only 77 new emoji in total, as some have multiple skin tones.

ios 12 emoji
Jeremy Burge, who runs the popular emoji-themed website Emojipedia, has shared sample images of every new emoji in an Apple-like style to show how they might look on devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.


Emoji 11.0 will include several new hairstyles and types, including male and female faces with red hair, curly hair, gray hair at a younger age, and no hair or baldness, along with hot and cold faces, and woozy and pleading faces.

emoji faces
Other notable inclusions are new male and female superhero and supervillain options, a face with a party hat, and emojis for well-known activities such as sewing, knitting, lacrosse, softball, frisbee, chess, and skateboarding.

emoji 11 superheroes
New animals and insects include a kangaroo, parrot, peacock, swan, badger, llama, lobster, hippopotamus, raccoon, and mosquito.

New food options include a bagel, lettuce, mango, and cupcake, among others, while new objects range from a fire extinguisher and test tube to a toilet paper roll and sponge. There's even a pirate flag and an infinity symbol.

emoji 11 objects
Emoji 11.0 will be part of the Unicode 11.0 standard, scheduled for release this June. The new emoji typically start showing up on mobile devices in August or September, so expect to see them on iPhones and iPads around iOS 12. The new emojis should extend to the Mac and Apple Watch at some point too.

Next up will be Emoji 12.0, part of the Unicode 12.0 standard, scheduled for release around March 2019. New guidelines in Emoji 12.0 will allow for emojis that currently face to the left or right only to face either direction.

Tags: Emoji, Unicode Consortium
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Apple to Offer Presentation on ARKit at This Year's Game Developers Conference

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Apple will be hosting a session at this year's Game Developers Conference for the first time, offering an introduction to ARKit, its augmented reality platform for developers.

The session will be presented by Michael Kuhn, who leads Apple's ARKit engineering team.

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Entitled "Introduction to Apple's ARKit: Best practices and recent updates," the talk will cover core concepts of the ARKit framework and the ARKit API. It's designed to teach game developers how to get started with ARKit, and it will cover ARKit best practices.

This session introduces core concepts of the ARKit framework, it's underlying principles, and the ARKit API. It explains how to get started with ARKit using the different tracking and scene understanding capabilities as well integration into rendering/game engines. The session also highlights best practices for AR like starting an experience, placing objects in the real world, interacting with them and implications for games. In addition it explains basic concepts and challenges of AR and Computer Vision to help avoid common pitfalls and allow the creation of great experiences.

Apple has not previously offered developer sessions at GDC, but this is the first GDC since the launch of ARKit and Apple is likely hoping to get more game developers interested in implementing augmented reality features.

ARKit was introduced as part of iOS 11 back in September of 2017, and since then, developers have incorporated augmented reality features into more than 2,000 apps. Major improvements are coming to ARKit with the launch of iOS 11.3 and ARKit 1.5, which may come out right around when GDC takes place and will likely be a topic of discussion.

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ARKit 1.5 can map irregularly shaped surfaces for better detection of ambient surroundings, it can recognize and map vertical surfaces like walls and doors, and it includes an image detection feature that works on everything from movie posters to bar codes.

The 2018 Game Developers Conference will kick off on March 19 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, and it will last until March 23.

Tag: ARKit
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