MacRumors

Just ahead of when Apple plans to release new 2018 iPhones, the company has quietly updated its AirPort Utility app to introduce support for the longer display of the iPhone X.

AirPort Utility is one of the last remaining Apple apps that have gone for months without an iPhone X update.

For those unfamiliar with the app, it is designed to allow AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule owners to manage their devices.

Apple has discontinued development on all of these products, but has pledged to continue to support them for the next several years. Today's app update follows a major firmware update for the AirPort Express that introduced support for AirPlay 2.

Video platform Vimeo today is expanding its recent focus on software tools for video creators, part of a continued pivot away from earlier attempts to get into original content creation itself. Vimeo CEO Anjali Sud confirmed the move to Axios today, explaining that the company saw "so much organic growth" from software tools it already sells that the pivot "became a no-brainer."

Currently, Vimeo calls itself "the high quality home for video hosting and watching," with many videos like short films, documentaries, and more residing on the service. Vimeo found a niche for smaller content creators to host their videos on its site, since they could sell their content to interested viewers and take 90 percent of the revenue each video earned after fees.

Now, as more tech companies enter the already "saturated" video viewing market, and are willing to invest billions in original content, Vimeo has pulled back from competing in that space to focus on helping professional creators through the launch of tools such as stock video clips.

The pivot allows Vimeo to go after a less competitive social “SaaS” (software as a service) market that focuses on stock video, as opposed to the saturated original content viewing market, which is dominated by massive tech companies investing billions in original content to win eyeballs.

“Today 100% of our business model is software as a service, like a Dropbox or a Slack … We just saw so much organic growth from the software tools side among the creators that it became a no-brainer that this is what we should focus on.”

Although Apple is not directly mentioned, the company has set aside a "$1 billion war chest" in planning its upcoming streaming television service, and Vimeo has recognized that this expensive pursuit of original content is making for a very crowded marketplace. Ahead of a rumors 2019 launch, Apple has hired executives from Sony Pictures and Amazon Studios, prepared a lineup of over a dozen original shows, and is said to be "completely all in" on original content, according to iTunes chief Eddy Cue.

Vimeo does have a small collection of original series, but its Vimeo Originals platform never took off in comparison to rival video services. Ahead of the pivot, over the past year Vimeo has been "trying to pull back" from being a video viewing platform by "no longer investing in original content." Instead, Vimeo will now present itself as an "agnostic and independent home" full of tools and services that let creators edit their work, to then be shared on other platforms like YouTube or Facebook Watch.

“Most large video-viewing destinations, like YouTube and Facebook, are ad supported, and are focused on keeping content and eyeballs on their platform. But if you’re a creator, you need an agnostic and independent home to create and distribute your work and there really are no other creator platforms that do that at scale.”

Vimeo's new tools will be called "Vimeo Stock," with HD clips starting at $79 and 4K clips starting at $199. Vimeo is also offering paid memberships with various upload limits, tools, and team member limits, with memberships and clips available at discounted prices when purchased together.

On the other side of the equation, Vimeo says it will offer contributors of stock footage for the service a "higher revenue share" than its competitors, as much as 60-70 percent of revenue generated from their content.

As part of its quiet year-long move away from its own original content creation, Vimeo in April launched a dedicated macOS app aimed at Final Cut Pro users. The app gives these users "more control over file formats and video codecs," and integrates Vimeo with Final Cut Pro to export ProRes videos, manage uploads, share videos for team reviews, and more features that are exclusively focused on content creation and editing.

For Apple devices, Vimeo is available on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, but the company did not give any word regarding how these apps will change following the pivot.

Update: This article has been updated to clarify that Vimeo is not moving away from its traditional video hosting platform for creators. The company's ongoing shift away from its own original content is being augmented with today's launch of Vimeo Stock tools to assist independent creators with producing their own content.

Acura today debuted its all-new 2019 ILX compact sedan, complete with availability of CarPlay and Android Auto.

This is the first model year of the ILX available with factory installed CarPlay in the U.S., following in the footsteps of the 2017 and newer NSX, 2018 and newer MDX, 2018 and newer TLX, and 2019 RDX.

While the 2019 ILX is available with a stacked dual-screen setup, including a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen on the bottom, CarPlay is displayed on the top screen, which is controlled by in-car knobs only.

Like most automakers, Acura is using wired CarPlay, so an iPhone must be connected to the system with a Lightning to USB cable.

Acura provides a brief demo of CarPlay in the 2019 ILX in its teaser video for the vehicle, starting at the 25 second mark. Fine print in the video confirms that CarPlay is available on the Premium trim and above.

The 2019 Acura ILX will begin arriving at Acura dealerships across the U.S. in October. Pricing has not been disclosed.

Update: Toyota has confirmed that CarPlay is available in the 2019 Camry.

T-Mobile today launched a new iPhone and iPad leasing program for businesses in partnership with Apple's Financial Services.

Under the program, qualifying business accounts activating 25 or more lines with T-Mobile can lease iPhone and iPad models with no upfront costs, and lower monthly installments versus purchasing the devices outright.

By leasing instead of owning, businesses pay only for their usage of the devices, with the option to upgrade to the latest models each year.

For example, businesses can get an iPhone 8 for as low as $18 per month. Paired with unlimited talk, text, and data through T-Mobile ONE for $25 per month, the monthly out of pocket cost is as low as $43 per line.

In addition, while purchasing devices upfront or through a financing plan is a capital expenditure, leasing devices over 24 months through Apple can move the cost to an operating expense for financial flexibility.

For a limited time, T-Mobile says it will cover the first $100 of every iPhone and iPad leased through the program. Businesses can sign up for the program, and learn more, on T-Mobile's enterprise website.

Four months after launching the second version of Spectacles, Snapchat today revealed two new styles of its wearable glasses, called "Nico" and "Veronica." Instead of the circular lenses with colorful styles, the new Spectacles come in black-on-black with polarized lenses and more traditional sunglasses designs.

Otherwise, the glasses appear to be largely the same as the the models that were announced in April. You can capture up to 70 videos or "hundreds" of photos on a single charge, and all the content will be transferred to your connected smartphone via Bluetooth. Nico and Veronica also retain the Spectacles 2's water resistance feature, so you don't have to worry about wearing them in the rain or at the beach.

In the fall, Snapchat says that a new Spectacles feature will debut that automatically curates your Spectacles Snaps into one Highlight Story. The company explains that this should make it "faster and easier" to find your favorite recorded moments and share them with your Snapchat friends after you've recorded a lot of videos and photos.

In addition to polarized lenses, The Verge reports that another difference between the new Spectacles and the models from April is a new black "semi-soft" carrying case. This is another aim by Snapchat to be more subtle with its Spectacles line, as the original devices all came with a bright, hard yellow charging case.

According to Snapchat, the April launch of Spectacles 2 saw a 40 percent increase in content uploaded to Snapchat via Spectacles:

Snap says that since the introduction of Spectacles 2, users have been posting, on average, 40 percent more photos and videos captured with the glasses. The company has also made it easier to share that content on other platforms outside Snapchat by adding automatic camera roll saves and by allowing users to export video in more conventional square and horizontal formats.

Those interested can purchase the Nico and Veronica Spectacles on Snapchat.com today for $199.99. Following the online launch, the updated Spectacles will be sold at select Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus retail stores in the fall, as well as a "variety of retailers in Europe." Prescription versions will also be available through Lensabl.

The new Spectacles come after Snapchat lost millions of users throughout 2018, following its controversial redesign that began rolling out in November 2017. During its second quarter earnings results, the company said it went down from 191 million daily active users in Q1 2018 to 188 million in Q2, "primarily driven" by the "disruption caused by our redesign," according to CEO Evan Spiegel.

Still, Spiegel at the time said that Snapchat is working to iterate and improve the app based on community feedback, promising that the major frustrations have already been addressed.

Germany today denied a report that claimed the finance ministry had given up on plans to introduce more taxes on certain "internet giants," like Apple, Amazon, and Google. The taxes are related to a new proposal from the European Commission, which aims to make companies with "significant digital revenues" in Europe pay a three percent tax on such services in the EU (via Reuters).

While Germany "has long been cool" on the plans, a report from Bild recently claimed that Finance Minister Olaf Scholz had "abandoned plans" to implement the taxes on digital companies. Citing confidential finance ministry documents, the report said this was because a "demonization" of these companies was seen as "not productive."

Denying the report, the German finance ministry says there has simply been "no decision made yet" on whether or not Germany will implement the digital tax. Speaking to Reuters, a finance ministry spokesperson explained that Germany is ultimately aiming for "fair taxation of internet companies." A final decision is expected by January 2019.

“There has been no decision made yet by the minister or the ministry on one or more instruments,” a finance ministry spokesman said when asked to comment on the Bild report.

“The debate is still ongoing, also among the finance ministers of Europe and the G7/G20 countries. The Federal Government still aims to ensure a fair taxation of internet companies,” the spokesman added.

For Apple, such a tax would affect the company's services segment, which remains to be an important revenue driver for the company. These include services like iTunes, the App Store, Mac App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, Apple Pay, and AppleCare.

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.

Productivity app Evernote has slashed its premium subscription rates amid reports of a flurry of key staff departures at the startup.

An annual membership for the productivity suite now costs $42, down from $70, provided customers pay the fee in one lump sum. Monthly premium subscriptions remain at $7.99 per month (almost $100 over a year), so the deal is worth looking at if you're a long-time fan of the app.

According to TechCrunch, the productivity app has lost several of its most senior executives in the last month, including CTO Anirban Kundu, CFO Vincent Toolan, CPO Erik Wrobel, and head of HR Michelle Wagner.

Evernote has not commented on the departures, but one source claiming knowledge of the matter told TechCrunch that "Evernote is in a death spiral... Paid user growth and active users have been flat for the last six years and their enterprise product offering has not caught on."

Evernote used to be ranked as one of the most popular productivity apps in the App Store, but its popularity has gradually waned with the emergence of rival (and free) alternatives such as Apple Notes, Google Keep and Microsoft OneNote.

Google Maps received an update today that introduces a couple of potentially useful new features, including a new section that lists notable events happening nearby.

The new Events section lives at the bottom of the Explore tab, where users can find a variety of things listed depending on what's going on in their location.

Google says Events that appear in the new section can include everything from late night comedy shows to movie screenings in the local park.

Also new in version 4.57, cycling and walking directions now feature a handy elevation chart, offering users an idea of how much physical effort they can expect to exert for the route in question.

Elevation information has been available for some time on the Google Maps website, so having the data in-app should come as a welcome addition.

Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

CBS today announced plans to offer "unprecedented access" to Super Bowl LIII, offering streaming access to the game online at CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app with no authentication required.

The expanded access comes as part of a new agreement with the NFL that was announced earlier this year. CBS plans to offer streaming coverage from the CBS Sports app and website on connected TV devices, tablets, and mobile phones.

In prior years, streaming on mobile was limited to Verizon customers due to an NFL deal with Verizon Wireless.

"We're looking forward to bringing this season's biggest game to the biggest possible digital audience and building on the record-breaking Super Bowl streams we've delivered in the past," said Jeff Gerttula, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS Sports Digital. "Streaming Super Bowl LIII across CBS Sports Digital and CBS All Access platforms is a win for NFL fans."

CBS Sports live broadcast coverage of Super Bowl LIII will be available through the CBS All Access subscription service, priced starting at $5.99 per month with no commercials and $9.99 per month commercial free, with the exception of live TV.

The entire 2018 NFL on CBS schedule will be streamed live on the CBS All Access platforms on mobile phones and tablets, on CBS.com, and on connected devices that include consoles, the Apple TV, and other set top boxes.

CBS All Access subscribers will receive NFL on CBS games that are broadcast in their local market. Along with streaming access rights on mobile devices, NFL on CBS authenticated streaming rights also extend to mobile for cable, satellite, telco, and vMVPD partners.

NFL on CBS games, including the Super Bowl, can be streamed on NFL.com or the NFL app, with Verizon also streaming the games on phones and tablets on a cross-carrier basis on Yahoo Sports, Yahoo, AOL, Tumblr, and Complex.

The 2018-2019 NFL season kicks off on Thursday night.