Kano today announced the launch of the new Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit, which was developed in partnership with Warner Bros.
Using the coding kit, Harry Potter fans will be able to follow step-by-step instructions to build a wand, learning about sensors, data, and coding along the way. The wand includes a gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer, which lets it track location, speed, and the position of your hand.
The sensors allow the wand to recognize the motions of signature spells in the Harry Potter world, and the completed wand can be used to complete Harry Potter-related challenges in the accompanying Kano app.
There are scenarios and challenges to complete at Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, and The Forbidden Forest, with each challenge teaching the wand user the fundamentals of coding and real-world programming.
According to Kano, the wand's movements will be translated into rich effects in the app, making serpents slither, fires flow, toads transfigure, feathers float, goblets duplicate, Bertie Bott's Every-Flavour Beans enlarge, and more.
A block-based interface and JavaScript inspector walk users through the different coding lessons included in each challenge, and more advanced users can code the light and rumble pack included in the wand. A poster is included to illustrate classic Wizarding World spell motions like Incendio, Stupefy, and Wingardium Leviosa, all of which are featured in some of the coding challenges.
Kano says the Harry Potter Coding Kit is a great way for beginners to understand coding concepts and principles, and for more advanced users who already know how to code, the wand is a useful tool for creating art and music controlled with specific movements.
The Harry Potter Coding Kit has been designed with tablets in mind, and it is meant to be used with the iPad or an Android tablet, along with PCs and Macs.
You can pre-order the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit from Kano.me for $99.99, with pre-order customers receiving a free motion sensor kit.
Apple reseller B&H Photo today kicked off a new series of promos that let customers get free gift card credit at B&H Photo when they purchase one of Apple's new 2018 MacBook Pros. With the promotion, purchases of a 13-inch MacBook Pro come with a B&H Photo $50 e-gift card and purchases of a 15-inch MacBook Pro come with a $100 e-gift card.
Note: 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.
While this isn't a straight markdown on the prices of the new MacBook Pros, it is a good chance to put money towards other Apple devices and accessories (and many other product categories) if you shop on B&H Photo's website. There are 17 total MacBook Pros available under the new sale, including a few custom configurations, although some are designated as "preorders" and will ship when stock is available.
There aren't many other deals on the new MacBook Pros, given how new they are, but students do have a few options available online. At Apple, students and parents of students can get a free or discounted pair of BeatsX, Solo3 Wireless, or Powerbeats3 Wireless headphones with the purchase of any new MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro.
Best Buy provides a more direct discount, offering students and parents of students the chance to save $150 on the purchase of the latest MacBook Pros, making the entry-level 13-inch model $1,649.99.
Best Buy also has one of the best prices available online for the latest 2018 iPads, offering the 32GB Wi-Fi model for $299.99, down from $329.99 and the 128GB Wi-Fi model for $399.99, down from $429.99.
Below is a quick list of other discounts going on this week:
Apple this morning released a new supplemental update to macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, which is designed to address a bug that caused the new eighth-generation quad-core and 6-core Intel processors in the 2018 MacBook Pro models to throttle inappropriately.
The new macOS High Sierra update can be downloaded through the Software Update function in the Mac App Store on all 2018 MacBook Pro models. Today's supplemental update (build number 17G2208) is limited to those machines and is not available for other Macs. A direct link to download the update is also available.
According to Apple, the throttling seen in the higher-end 2018 MacBook Pro with Core i9 chip and other 2018 MacBook Pro models is unintentional.
The throttling issue first came to light on July 17, a few days after the first new 2018 MacBook Pros began shipping out to customers. YouTuber Dave Lee tested the top-of-the-line 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with 2.9GHz Core i9 chip using Adobe's Premiere Pro and found that it was underperforming compared to a 2017 MacBook Pro with a Core i7 chip.
Multiple other tests followed from customers and media sites that obtained one of the Core i9 machines, and many came to the same conclusion, that there was an unusual amount of throttling that was impacting the machine's performance. It was not entirely clear if other 2018 MacBook Pro models were throttling unintentionally, but Apple's patch today suggests that was the case.
While there were many theories as to what was causing the throttling, Apple has discovered that there was a missing digital key in the firmware that impacted the thermal management system, driving down clock speeds under heavy thermal loads. This is what has been addressed in today's update.
Apple has apologized to customers who have experienced less than optimal performance on their new 2018 machines.
Following today's update, customers who own a 2018 MacBook Pro should see an appropriate level of throttling that is common to all devices under heavy load and does not impact performance to the point where the machine is underperforming compared to earlier, less powerful models.
Apple says that customers can expect the new 15-inch MacBook Pro to be up to 70 percent faster and the new 13-inch MacBook Pro to be up to 2X faster than 2017 models, as outlined in the performance results on the company's website.
MacRumors received the following statement from an Apple spokesperson:
Following extensive performance testing under numerous workloads, we've identified that there is a missing digital key in the firmware that impacts the thermal management system and could drive clock speeds down under heavy thermal loads on the new MacBook Pro.
A bug fix is included in today's macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update and is recommended. We apologize to any customer who has experienced less than optimal performance on their new systems.
Customers can expect the new 15-inch MacBook Pro to be up to 70% faster, and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar to be up to 2X faster, as shown in the performance results on our website.
The controversy began a week ago, when YouTube tech guru Dave Lee shared a video demonstrating that the new 15-inch MacBook Pro, maxed out with a six-core Intel Core i9 processor, was unable to maintain its base 2.9GHz clock speed while rendering a five-and-a-half minute 5K video in Adobe Premiere Pro.
In fact, the previous-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i7 processor rendered the video in around 10 percent less time, a fact that wasn't well received by customers, some of which threatened to cancel their orders.
Apple says the bug affected performance on not only the high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro configured with a six-core Intel Core i9 processor, which has faced the most extreme throttling in tests, but also quad-core Core i7 and Core i5 configurations, extending to the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models.
Some amount of throttling is to be expected on notebooks under heavy thermal workloads, especially ones as thin as the MacBook Pro. Lee, however, argued it is the degree of throttling he experienced that is unacceptable.
Apple says it contacted Lee within 48 hours after he published his video, working with him to replicate his workflow. Apple eventually set up a system with a similar workflow, applied the fix, and both the 15-inch and 13-inch models then matched Apple's advertised performance rates.
Marques Brownlee, who hosts the popular channel MKBHD, said the 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i9 exported his 8K sample video about 15 percent quicker than the previous 15-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i7. Faruk Korkmaz, who runs the YouTube channel iPhonedo, also found the Core i9 to perform "fantastic."
Apple for its part said it never experienced any issues with excessive performance degradation in its pre-production testing of the 2018 MacBook Pro, completed in June. The company did identify what it calls an isolated bug after digging deeper, and came up with what it calls a simple fix.
To be expected, Apple also talked up the new MacBook Pro, noting how most of what it has been hearing about the notebook from customers—including many professionals—has been very positive, including about performance.
Prior to Apple acknowledging this bug, speculation had mounted as to possible causes. One user believes that the throttling may have related to the power delivery chip, known as a voltage regulation module, reporting an over-power condition, throttling the CPU clock speed to scale back power.
In any case, it appears that Apple has addressed the problem.
Startup "Miles" today launched a new iOS app [Direct Link] that grants its users exclusive rewards to use at places like Starbucks and Whole Foods every time they travel in a car, bus, on a bike, or on foot. The company aims for its app to be a ground transportation alternative to frequent flier miles, allowing users to earn discounts over time for travel that they likely perform more frequently than flying on an airplane (via The Verge).
The caveat is that for the full experience, the Miles app requires you to give it constant access to your location, so it can keep up with automatically tracking your movement and converting its "miles" currency into deals and offers. You can opt to choose "only while using the app," but you'll then need to remember to keep Miles open every time you travel in order to gain rewards.
Under Miles' rewards, you'll earn more miles for transportation that is more environmentally friendly: one real-world mile of walking/running grants you 10 reward miles, one mile of biking is worth five reward miles, a mile in a ride share vehicle is worth two, and a mile in a car is equivalent to one reward mile.
At launch, you'll be able to trade these reward miles in for deals like $5 gift cards to Starbucks, Amazon, and Target, $42 off a first order from Hello Fresh, a complimentary rental on Audi's Silvercar service, and more. Other launch partners include Whole Foods, Canon, Bath & Body Works, and Cole Haan. When you trade in miles for rewards, some deals grant you with a barcode to scan at the physical checkout location (Starbucks), while others provide you with discount codes.
In terms of its tech, Miles works in the iPhone's background to automatically log each trip a user takes from point A to point B. The company says that the app "consumes almost no power" when stationary, and will only "minimally increase battery consumption" when in transit. The app detects drives in a vehicle with special formulas that don't rely solely on GPS for location data, helping to reduce battery consumption.
The app remembers your trips and logs them so you can revisit them later (including time of day, starting location, ending location, and distance) and fix any mistakes it might have made, like incorrectly logging a vehicle trip for a ride share. Additionally, there's a section of the app that The Verge describes as a "Venmo-style feed," showing how other users are earning and redeeming their miles.
In an attempt to get ahead of users worrying about their location data being constantly tracked and stored by a third party, Miles CEO Jigar Shah says that neither the company nor its partners get access to specific location information. Instead, user data that is gathered is more ambiguous, but the app still knows when users travel, how they travel, and what deals they clip -- which is then fed into a "predictive marketing AI platform" to match them with other appropriate deals.
Once more people in an area begin clipping the same coupons, Miles uses this vague user data to predict demand for the most popular rewards. Shah says this prediction of "near-future demand" plays into the creation of future rewards as well, and is the backbone of the entire app:
To better explain how this works, Shah says, imagine there are 50,000 Miles users. 10,000 of those might be within 0.3 miles of a Starbucks. Out of those users, Miles can figure out which ones are most likely to buy a coffee within the next hour based on the history of where and when those people have stopped at coffee shops in the past. From there, Miles can also tell which users are likely to go to Starbucks, which will go somewhere else, and which customers aren’t too picky.
Miles then lets Starbucks tailor different offers to those specific groups. Maybe a Dunkin Donuts loyalist sees a $5 Starbucks gift card show up in the app that’s redeemable for 1,500 miles, instead of the typical 3,000, and decides to break rank. The goal is to get deals in front of customers when they’re “most receptive,” Shah says. “We allow [businesses] to understand their own customers’ near future. What do they need in the next four hours, next four days, and next four weeks? We’re literally making predictions about what their customers need and when they need it.”
The CEO promises that this "anonymously" aggregated information is secure and "nothing of users' data leaves the system." Still, as The Verge points out, the app will essentially be a middleman between businesses and customers, holding the latter's personal data in its hands, which is believed to have been what brought big brands to support Miles at launch in the first place.
Despite promises of personal data privacy and security, Miles is launching in a time when online privacy is at the forefront of many users' awareness when signing up for a new service, or deciding to leave an old one. In the spring, the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, wherein more than 87 million Facebook users had their personal data gathered and used to reportedly influence their votes during the 2016 presidential election.
Another app that heavily relies on user location data also faced a scandal in the spring, with MoviePass coming under fire for CEO Mitch Lowe pointing out that it watches "how you drive from home to the movies" and how the company watches "where you go afterwards." Lowe eventually admitted he was "completely inaccurate" and that the app "has never tracked" users in the background, with the developers removing an "unused app location capability" shortly after the story was shared online.
Just last week, privacy researchers began pointing out that Venmo's publicly viewable feed of money exchanges (which has been around since the app launched), does not sit well in today's privacy-concerned climate. Now, more people have begun questioning why Venmo chose to have the feed's settings default to public sharing, likely resulting in many users who may not know their payment information is available for others to see.
A user posting on reddit and in the MacRumors forums has given a detailed account of their findings and attempts to circumvent the throttling previously discovered on the new MacBook Pro 15" models featuring the six-core i9 Intel CPUs.
The user goes on to explain that one of the internal power limits set for the device may not be appropriate for the power draw of the CPU and identical to previous MacBook Pro models, causing the power delivery chip (known as a voltage regulation module, or VRM) to report an over power condition that forces the clock of the CPU down to scale back power. This sets up the same conditions to allow throttling to occur once again.
These conditions may be presenting themselves due to the new six-core design of the i9 CPU featured here. While Intel increased the core count of the CPU, they did not increase the thermal design power (TDP), or the amount of dissipated power manufacturers should plan to have to cool for a proper CPU design. This is an issue because this number usually reflects normal usage, and does not account for turbo modes. It's also likely it can exceed the draw of previous four core CPUs given the similarity of clock speeds and process nodes they are featured on.
A method for tuning this limit is provided in the post, but it requires executing a command manually or via script each time the computer boots, and would likely void the warranty if Apple technicians discovered it. Still, the user posts results of benchmarks showing successive runs with no throttling. Manufacturers will always quote likely reduced component lifetimes if used outside of their specifications, but the results appear stable, and there is no thermal throttling of the CPU, the original suspected cause of this issue.
This fix will not address total system power draw becoming excessive, such as long sustained loads from the CPU and GPU, but it is possible Apple could issue a fix similar to the one outlined in the reddit post that is stable.
As for whether this issue is related to the hardware design of the MacBook Pro, that is possible as well. While iFixit's complete teardown of the current 15-inch MacBook Pro is not yet available, the previous teardown reveals significant differences in the VRM chips that power the GPU and CPU of the device.
GPU power components
The GPU power components seen above are on the top side of the logic board near the GPU die, and thermal grease can be seen on the components, indicating that they interface with the heatsink in the device. This is in contrast to the same components for the CPU, which are featured on the rear side of the logic board with no thermal interface to the top of the package, as seen below.
CPU power components
Additionally, the publicly available data sheets for these parts indicate more differences that suggest their thermal profiles will be different. The International Rectifier part for the GPU features a lower thermal resistance, meaning it can better dissipate its heat to the surrounding areas (board, air, heatsink) than the Intersil part for the CPU. Additionally, it boasts a higher power efficiency, meaning it dissipates less power itself to deliver the same amount of power as the Intersil part.
Along with the heatsink path provided for the IR parts, it's clear they will not be capable of driving the same amount of load in any sustained mode. This makes sense given GPUs can see high loads for longer periods, but this could be an area of improvement for future MacBook Pro models from Apple, especially since it has typically chosen GPUs with very similar thermal design power limits (TDPs) to the CPUs in its MacBook Pro line.
Nomad today announced the launch of a new wireless charging accessory that's been designed specifically with new Tesla Model 3 vehicles in mind.
The Tesla Wireless Charger is a wireless charging dock developed for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and future iPhones, which fits perfectly into the Tesla Model 3 dash and connects to the two USB-A ports in the car.
With the dual USB-A connection and a built-in 6,000mAh battery, the Tesla Wireless Charger offers 2A for faster 7.5W charging for Apple's iPhones, with two wireless chargers built into the device. With the dual setup, you can wirelessly charge two devices at once. While designed for iPhone, this is a Qi wireless charging setup that will charge any Qi-based device.
An anti-slip rubber base is included to keep your devices in place while on the road, and for smaller phones, Nomad is including optional spacers. Built-in LEDs let you know if your phone is charging or fully charged at a glance.
Nomad is selling the Tesla Wireless Charger for $150, but a $20 discount is available for customers who pre-order the accessory from the Nomad website starting today. Shipments of the Tesla Wireless Charger will begin on September 1.
Apple supplier Foxconn is gearing up to hire more workers for its plants in Zhengzhou, China by offering bonuses to workers who help assemble Apple's 2018 iPhones. According to a new report by the Economic Daily News, the supplier is offering one-off bonuses of up to CNY 2,000 (US $295) to workers who renew their contracts at this time (via DigiTimes), and the hiring campaign is expected to last through November 2018.
Suppliers typically begin their hiring sprees in the summer months in preparation for the annual fall iPhone launches, with Foxconn and Pegatron initiating hiring campaigns as early as May in 2016 and June in 2014.
The report also points back to the "weaker-than-expected" profits that Foxconn received in the fourth quarter of 2017 following the November launch of the iPhone X, believed to be due to the high pre-production costs of the smartphone. In an effort to prevent this from happening again in 2018, the supplier is applying "stricter cost management" to its iPhone production process.
Foxconn is expected to assemble the majority of Apple's three iPhone models coming out later this year, including all of the second-generation iPhone X, 90 percent of the "iPhone X Plus," and 75 percent of the lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone. This news came in a report by the Taipei Times last month, which claimed that the rest of the 2018 iPhone orders will be fulfilled by Taiwanese manufacturer Pegatron.
News surrounding the ramp-up of iPhone production usually begins around this time of year, with the majority of reports typically hitting in August and focusing on iPhones entering volume production and the supply chain facing shortages. Other Apple suppliers have also been at the center of production ramp-up stories, including TSMC about a month ago when DigiTimes reported that the company has begun commercial production of chips manufactured using its 7-nanometer process, including Apple's A12 processor.
Suppliers are getting ready for what is expected to be a global launch of the 2018 iPhone models this September, following Apple's annual iPhone reveal event. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will release all three new iPhones in September with an aggressive pricing strategy: the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone will be priced at $900 to $1,000, the 5.8-inch OLED second-generation iPhone X will be priced at $800 to $900, and the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will be priced at $600 to $700.
eBay, the popular online marketplace, today announced it will begin accepting Apple Pay as a payment method later this year.
iPhone and iPad users will be able to use Apple Pay to purchase items from sellers participating in the initial phase of the rollout in the United States beginning in the fall, through both eBay's app and mobile website.
Earlier this year, eBay announced it will manage end-to-end payments on its platform, and the introduction of Apple Pay is part of that change. Amsterdam-based Adyen will replace PayPal as eBay's primary payments processor.
eBay plans to continue to expand its payments initiative in 2019, and expects to have transitioned a majority of its customers to the new experience by 2021. Over that time, Apple Pay will expand to more items and regions.
Apple retail stores and the online Apple Store are now offering an iPhone case from Lander that's designed to be used in extreme weather conditions, protecting the iPhone from both hot and cold with an insulated lining.
The new Torrey Case , available for all of Apple's recent iPhones, is equipped with a layer of ThermoLine, which regulates and insulates against harsh temperatures.
Apple's iPhones list an operating temperature of 32°F to 95° F and can become non-functional in temperatures outside of those parameters, rendering a device inoperable or less functional in extremely hot or extremely cold weather. In cold weather, the screen can become unresponsive and the iPhone can shut off when the battery inside drops to a certain temperature, and in hot weather, the processor can overheat leading to the same issues.
The ThermoLine interior of Lander's Torrey Case has been tested to help protect the iPhone against the effects of climates ranging from 0°F to 120°F.
We were able to go hands-on with the new Torrey Case ahead of its launch, and while we couldn't adequately test its thermal capabilities here in balmy Northern California, we can speak to its design.
The ThermoLine lining inside of the case is built into the back, with the rest of the accessory constructed from a flexible TPU material that also offers protection from drops and damage.
The case wraps all the way around the iPhone and covers up the volume and side buttons, while leaving the mute switch, Lightning port, and speakers uncovered. There's also a camera cutout, and a raised lip protects the display when the iPhone is face down.
Lander's Torrey isn't a case that's designed to offer full protection from snow, mud, water, and other elements like an Otterbox - it's strictly for thermal protection. The soft, rubbery material definitely offers cushion against drops, though. Lander says it will protect against drops up to 10 feet.
This is a thin case that adds surprisingly little bulk to the iPhone given its capabilities, and it's just a bit thicker and bulkier than one of Apple's own silicone iPhone cases. It comes in Mauve, Blue, Taupe, and Black (we tested black) and there's an included strap that can attach to the back for when you're using your iPhone for vigorous activities.
The addition of the strap is useful for times when you might want to use your iPhone in dangerous conditions where dropping it is a possibility, and the strap itself is both sturdy and easily removable for times when you don't want it attached.
Design wise, the case has a stylish speckled look with soft, rounded corners that nicely complement the iPhone X. All in all, it's an attractive case on its own even without the thermal protection features.
The Lander Torrey Case is available for iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, and iPhone 7. It can be purchased from the Apple online store or at Apple retail locations for $39.95. It can also be purchased directly from Lander's website.
WhatsApp received an update overnight that suggests media previews will soon be coming to the app's iOS message notifications for the first time.
Currently in WhatsApp iOS notifications, images included in messages are replaced by a camera emoji, requiring the user to open WhatsApp to see the media. Likewise, GIF messages are represented in notifications by the space invader emoji.
However, WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp version 2.18.80 lays the groundwork for full media previews in iOS notifications. The upcoming notification extension feature is said to support images as well as GIFs.
To view the media preview, users will need to use the Peek and Pop gestures or swipe down on the notification in Notification Center. Users should also be able to download the media directly from the notification if they have disabled WhatsApp's media auto-download option.
Aside from the notification feature that's still under development, the latest version of the app lets you use Siri to send messages to WhatApp groups.
WhatsApp is a free download for iPhone available from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Apple today premiered this week's opening of Apple Piazza Liberty in the center of Milan, Italy. Set to open its doors on Thursday, the retail location features a dramatic glass fountain that serves as the entrance to the store and a backdrop to the large outdoor amphitheater.
The piazza, clad in Beola Grigia, a stone used throughout Milan, will be open to the public 24 hours a day and will host special events year-round amongst 14 Gleditsia Sunburst trees planted in the area.
"There's no better expression of our vision for Apple stores serving as modern-day gathering places than Apple Piazza Liberty," said Angela Ahrendts, Apple's senior vice president of Retail. "In a city with such rich history of art, entertainment and creativity, it's an honor to establish a space where anyone can be inspired to learn, create and connect with their neighbors."
Apple Piazza Liberty will host a variety of Today at Apple sessions, taking in photography, filmmaking, music creation, coding, design and more. This September, Apple Piazza Liberty will also host a special month-long Milan Series, where 21 local artists will share their visions for the creative future of Milan, as previewed on a special Apple.com web page.
There will be live music in the location's amphitheater on the opening night by musician LIM, a "crazy self-portraits" session with Olimpia Zagnoli on July 27, a photographic laboratory with Piotr Niepsuj on July 28, and a "draw the summer" class on July 29.
"To work within one of Italy's historic piazzas is both a great responsibility and wonderful challenge," said Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer. "We combined two fundamental elements of the Italian piazza — water and stone — adding a glass portal that creates a multi-sensory experience as visitors enter the store through a cascading fountain that seems to envelop them."
The store will employ 230 staff, many of whom have come to Milan from Apple stores around the world, according to Apple. Apple Piazza Liberty opens Thursday, July 26, at 5pm, and registrations for Today at Apple can be made now on Apple's website.
YouTube today announced on its Creator Insider channel that it is experimenting with a new Explore Tab on mobile devices, which is designed to expose YouTube viewers to content they might not otherwise experience.
The Explore Tab will recommend different topics, channels, or videos that wouldn't typically come up in a user's traditional feed. Explore Tab recommendations are still personalized and are based on viewing habits, but it's essentially a greater range of content.
YouTube Director of Product Management Tom Leung explained the concept in the video announcing the feature.
The idea behind Explore is for viewers who say 'Hey, you know I like all these recommendations based on what I view, but sometimes it's like too much of the similar stuff' and they want to kind of broaden their horizons a bit. Explore is designed to help people be exposed to different kinds of topics, videos, or channels that you might not otherwise encounter.
The Explore Tab is in testing and it is available to one percent of iPhone users who use the YouTube iOS app. Users who are selected for testing will see a new "Explore" tab at the bottom of the app alongside the "Home" tab, a Subscriptions tab, a new Activity tab, and a Library tab.
While the Explore Tab is limited to a small number of users at this time, if it is successful, YouTube plans to roll it out to a wider number of users.
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners this afternoon shared analysis comparing data collected from Spotify subscribers in the United States and Spotify subscribers globally, finding some notable differences in habits between the two.
Spotify has a lower percentage of Spotify Premium subscribers in the United States compared to the global share, according to CIRP, which CIRP attributes to the competitive U.S. market that offers many different services from Apple, Google, Amazon, and others.
In the United States, 35 percent of Spotify users have signed up for a premium subscription, while the other 65 percent listen to the company's free tier or were previously Spotify Premium subscribers.
Of premium subscribers in the U.S., 55 percent have individual accounts, 24 percent use a family plan, 12 percent have student subscriptions, and 9 percent have a subscription that combines access to Spotify Premium and Hulu.
"In our first survey of Spotify users, we can see differences between the US and the rest of the world," said Josh Lowitz, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. "In the US, a somewhat lower percentage of listeners have Spotify Premium compared to the global share.
The US is a competitive market, with a number of options for both free and paid streaming music. And, among these Premium subscribers, over half have the standard Individual membership, while one-quarter have the broader Family Plan, which offers multiple individual accounts for a single higher monthly fee. A significant percentage of Spotify customers have chosen these alternative subscription options."
During the second quarter of 2018, which is when the data was collected, 11 percent of ad-supported Spotify listeners started a trial Premium subscription, while 74 percent of subscribers continued with a paid Premium subscription when a trial ended.
16 percent of Premium subscribers ended a subscription and reverted to the free listening tier or stopped using Spotify all together, a churn rate that CIRP says is higher than Spotify's global churn rate.
"Spotify's financial success depends on creating a robust funnel of users, converting casual listeners that download the app to long-term paid Premium subscribers," said Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. "Spotify encourages free Ad-Supported listeners to begin a free or nearly-free trial of a Premium subscription, typically of seven or thirty days. It then seeks to convert that trial to some form of paid Premium, with users paying for the service monthly. The monthly payment plan does allow Premium subscribers to cancel at any time, a situation that Spotify calls 'churn'.
We estimate a US churn rate of 16% for the quarter, higher than what Spotify suggests is the global rate. Again, we attribute this to a competitive US market, with many choices for paid and free streaming music services."
While Spotify and Apple Music both operate in multiple countries around the world, Apple Music has been gaining popularity rapidly in the United States since its 2015 launch.
In early July, an anonymous source from a major U.S.-based distributor told Digital Music News that Apple Music has surpassed Spotify's subscriber count in the United States, something The Wall Street Journal accurately predicted would happen this summer given the subscriber growth rates of the two companies.
Both Apple Music and Spotify are said to have more than 20 million subscribers in the United States, with Apple "a hair ahead" of Spotify. Spotify and Apple Music do not break down their subscriber counts by country, so there's no official confirmation.
Spotify in May announced that it has a total of 75 million paid subscribers worldwide, and Apple during the same month said that it has 50 million paid subscribers and free trial users around the globe. Spotify's total user base continues to be much larger -- 170 million active users - due to the free ad-supported tier that Spotify offers.
Customers in the United States have a lot of choice when it comes to streaming music services. Along with Apple Music and Spotify, Pandora Radio, SoundCloud, Google Play Music, Amazon Music and others offer subscription options.
CIRP's Spotify data for its report was gathered from surveys of 500 U.S. participants who used Spotify from April to June 2018.
Over the weekend, Reddit user Nucleam shared photo albums containing archives of all of the different wallpapers that Apple has offered for iOS and macOS, providing an interesting trip down memory lane.
There are two separate Google Photos albums for iOS and macOS, with images dating back multiple years.
The iOS album, for example, contains wallpapers from iOS 3 and beyond, along with promotional images Apple has used for advertising purposes, images from WWDC and special events, and more.
The macOS album features wallpapers dating back to System 7, with images from Mac OS 9, all the versions of OS X, and more modern wallpapers from the newer versions of the Mac operating system. Event wallpapers, such as those used for the 2017 iMac and the 2017 MacBook Pro, are also available.
As The Loop pointed out this morning, this is an excellent collection of wallpapers that's worth checking out if you want to revisit (and use) some of Apple's past wallpaper options.
Netgear's Arlo brand today announced the launch of the new Arlo Audio Doorbell and Arlo Chime, a new smart doorbell solution that's designed to pair with wire-free cameras in the Arlo lineup.
The Arlo Audio Doorbell doesn't include its own camera, as it's meant to be used with existing Arlo home security camera options. It pairs up with an Arlo camera installed in a home's entryway and adds doorbell functionality, but it can also be used on a standalone audio-only basis.
Able to work via batteries or as a replacement for a home's existing doorbell setup, when the Arlo Audio Doorbell is pressed, it activates your iPhone with an incoming VoIP call interface so you can speak with whoever is at your door. If you're not home, the person can leave an audio message.
"When a guest rings the Arlo Audio Doorbell, users immediately receive a phone call on their smartphone via the Arlo app, prompting them to either answer the call or send a prerecorded message for a quick reply. Couple this standout feature with the simple, wire-free setup and users have a seamless way to modernize the traditional doorstep greeting."
A connected camera provides an image of the entryway so you can see who is at the door through the accompanying Arlo app, and with the addition of the Arlo Smart Chime speaker, you can hear the doorbell ring anywhere in the house if you've replaced your existing chime.
When paired with a camera that includes the Arlo Smart subscription service, intelligent people detection is included and there's an option to call emergency services closest to the camera's location.
The Arlo Audio Doorbell is resistant to weather conditions that include snow, rain, and heat, and your incoming audio calls are recorded and can be played back for 7 days with included 7-day rolling audio cloud storage.
The Arlo Audio Doorbell and Chime are an interesting alternative to other smart doorbell setups for those who are already in the Arlo ecosystem. As Arlo home security cameras don't include HomeKit, the new doorbell also will not be HomeKit-compatible.
Arlo plans to share more information on the Arlo Audio Doorbell and Chime, including pricing, later this year.
Update: Arlo recently unveiled Arlo Smart service plans that offer features like person detection, cloud activity zones for monitoring specific areas, rich notifications for previews of what's captured on the iPhone's lock screen, and support for e911 emergency call services to send emergency responders to your camera's location. The Arlo Smart service plans start at $2.99 per month.
Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, who starred in Apple's first original TV show "Planet of the Apps" as a mentor and investor, recently shared some insight into why he thinks the show ultimately failed, blaming Apple's marketing efforts.
Vaynerchuk made the comments in a recent episode of AskGaryVee, where he spoke with The Grill Dads from Food Network (via Business Insider). In the video, Vaynerchuk says that Apple did "everything" wrong when marketing "Planet of the Apps," and that he sat through Apple marketing meetings metaphorically "bleeding profusely from his mouth" from biting his cheeks to keep quiet on Apple's decisions.
Vaynerchuk's "Planet of the Apps" comments begin right around 27 minutes into the video.
I was on an Apple show, right? Planet of the Apps? Gwyneth, Will, Jessica Alba, and me and Apple didn't use me or Vayner[Media] to do the marketing and did EVERYTHING wrong. Apple. [...]
I don't trust anybody in marketing today. And I feel like when you have the misfortune of also knowing production and marketing you're sitting there -- and I did the same thing -- for all my bravado, I'm a real tough guy when it's in my home, this is my home. When I do content, it's my home. But when I'm in somebody else's house, I was taught to show respect.
You'd be blown away by the way I handled myself in the Apple marketing meetings. My cheeks were bleeding profusely out of every meeting because I was biting them. My tongue completely fell out of my mouth. You're also there with Jimmy Iovine and Jimmy is like 'I got it, we got it,' and I knew he wasn't in the trenches, I know Jimmy's no dope, clearly, but I was like f**k this.
Vaynerchuk didn't go into specific detail on what he thought Apple did wrong, but he did say that he felt Jimmy Iovine was not involved enough in the marketing of the show. Apple limited "Planet of the Apps" to its Apple Music subscribers as a perk, which undoubtedly had an impact on its popularity, but given the response to the show, it's doubtful more expansive marketing would have improved the ultimate outcome.
"Planet of the Apps" launched in the summer of 2017 and received rather mixed reviews. Engadget, for example, called it Planet of the Naps and said it was lousy TV, The Guardian said it "won't be a fun watch for anyone except maybe venture capitalists," and Variety said it was a "bland, tepid, barely competent knock-off of 'Shark Tank.'"
The unscripted series was meant to be about apps and the developers who make them. It featured several app developers who pitched different app ideas for a chance to be mentored by influencers and entrepreneurs that included Vaynerchuk, Gwyneth Paltrow, Will.i.am, and Jessica Alba.
Mentors helped their chosen candidates build out their apps and prepared them to ask for funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners.
"Planet of the Apps" wasn't universally hated and some viewers did enjoy it as it earned 3.5 stars on iTunes, but unlike Apple's second original TV show, "Carpool Karaoke: The Series," "Planet of the Apps" did not get renewed for a second season and Apple has not continued on with the series.
Similar to the existing indoor LightStrip, the outdoor product is a flexible diffuse light that the company says works for both direct and indirect lighting situations. Available in 2m and 5m, the LightStrip Outdoor lacks a sticky backing like its indoor counterpart, and instead can be attached to a wall, ceiling, or fence with included clips and screws. Customers can also place the light on the ground and bend and shape it to provide lighting along a path.
Like other products in the outdoor range, the LightStrip Outdoor is "completely weatherproof" and can withstand rain, small puddles, and water jets from any direction, according to the company. The accessory also supports hues in both the white and color ambiance spectrum, so customers will be able to light their outdoor spaces with "16 million colors and all shades of white."
Other Philips Hue Outdoor accessories include the PAR38 bulb, Calla pathway light, Ludere security light, Lucca wall lantern, Inara wall lantern, and an extension cable. Like all other HomeKit-compatible products, Hue's line of outdoor devices can be added into Apple's Home app so users can control them in existing HomeKit scenes, automations, and by using Siri.
For the LightStrip Outdoor, it's unclear when Philips plans to expand availability for the accessory across its website in all territories, but even on the Netherlands-based website the rope light doesn't appear to be available for purchase at this time. According to a Philips representative, more details about the LightStrip Outdoor should be emerging towards the end of August.
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WhatsApp received an update overnight that suggests media previews will soon be coming to the app's iOS message notifications for the first time.
