MacRumors

Facebook is actively developing around two dozen television shows with plans to premiere some of them in mid-June, according to a report on Saturday.

The social media company has big-budget marquee shows geared towards a TV audience in the works, alongside a tier of less expensive shows that will span about 5 to 10 minutes, according to sources who spoke to Business Insider.

The news comes amid an apparent frenzy of similar plans by companies like Amazon, Snap, and Apple, as the digital rivals compete for a piece of the emerging online video programming market.

According to the report, Facebook aims to play a more hands-on role in controlling the content that its nearly 2 billion members see on the social network. To this end, the company considers high-quality, scripted video as an important feature that will help it retain users, particularly a younger demographic that spends an increasing amount of time on the rival Snapchat network.

Facebook also hopes to attract big sponsors typically associated with traditional TV networks, but a question hovers over whether users will consider video that autoplays in Facebook's news feed as a destination for viewing longer-form content.

The report goes on to explain that a virtual reality dating show from Condé Nast is among the content that Facebook has in the pipeline. "A-list celebrities" are said to be in talks to appear in other shows, with one major star already having agreed to a deal.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has referred in the past to his desire to lure users to the social network with "episodic content". The latest information on the company's plans comes just a day after YouTube revealed it would be developing free-to-view original content supported by ads.

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with BiteMyApple.Co to give MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone-connected Bionic Bird, which was originally an Indiegogo project.

BiteMyApple.Co didn't develop the Bionic Bird, which actually comes from French company XTIM, but it is a site that is a one-stop shop for all manner of successfully funded Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns that resulted in products that are now available for purchase. The site carries a wide range of unique Apple-related accessories.

As for the Bionic Bird, it's billed as the first biomimetic drone in the world, designed, as the name suggests, to resemble a bird in flight.

The Bionic Bird, which costs $99 from BiteMyApple.co, is controlled through an iPhone app with Bluetooth 4.0 and has a range of more than 100 meters. It features a foam body, which the company says is indestructible, along with a replaceable carbon fiber tail and wing structure.

It's charged through an included pocked-sized Turbo-Charge egg. A 12 minute charge gives the Bionic Bird enough juice to fly for eight minutes, and an egg holds enough power for around 12 flights. At nine grams, the bird is super light, and it can fly both indoors and outdoors. When outside, it reaches speeds of up to 12 miles per hour.

We have three Bionic Birds to give to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

The contest will run from today (May 5) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on May 12. The winners will be chosen randomly on May 12 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

BiteMyApple.Co is also offering all MacRumors readers a 15 percent discount off of all products on its site with the code "MacRumors." Just enter the code to get the discount when checking out.

An unreleased Prince concert film and a documentary about the making of the film could be heading exclusively to Apple Music, according to sources close to the Prince estate (via Billboard). The late singer's estate is said to be shopping around the rights to the concert film and doc to a variety of streaming services, namely including Apple Music and Spotify.

The agreement for the two films is said to potentially be a "multi-million dollar deal" thanks to the rarity of the footage. The concert film covers Prince's August 3, 1983 show in Minneapolis, at which time he debuted numerous songs for the first time from the soundtrack to Purple Rain, which released in theaters the year after in 1984. The footage is said to be exhaustive enough that the winning streaming service could use it to create and produce a documentary about the making of the concert film.

Helping to negotiate terms of the deal is Troy Carter, an executive from Spotify and advisor to the Prince estate, but the sources believe that Spotify "isn't likely" to become the exclusive home of the Prince films.

The lucky streaming service isn’t likely to be Carter’s employer, though: the estate is talking to a range of Spotify’s rivals including Apple Music, sources say.

The storied show at Minneapolis’s First Avenue nightclub was a surprise gig billed as a benefit for the Minnesota Dance Theatre, with a set list that included “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Purple Rain.”

Demand for Prince's robust back catalogue of songs has increased following the artist's death in April of 2016, and this past February his music became available to stream on Apple Music, as well as services like Spotify, Google Play Music, and Pandora. Prince's music was previously exclusive to Tidal after he pulled all of his tracks from everything but the Jay Z-owned service in July of 2015.

If Apple acquired rights to Prince's unreleased concert footage, the late artist's films would be the newest in a line of exclusive music documentaries that Apple Music has acquired over the past few years. In the first year of Apple's music streaming service, it launched Taylor Swift's 1989 World Tour LIVE film, and last month announced that Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' documentary Can't Stop, Won't Stop will be hitting Apple Music this June.

ExxonMobil this week announced an update to its Speedpass+ iOS app, which gives users the ability to pay for fuel and car washes using their Apple Watch and Apple Pay at over 10,000 participating Exxon and Mobil refueling stations across the United States.

For the Apple Watch payments process, users will have to navigate to the Speedpass+ watch app, select the pump they are at, authorize it for payment, and double-tap the side button to bring up Apple Pay. Once the payment is processed, users can begin fueling up their vehicle.

“With these updates to the Speedpass+ app, consumers now have even more options to pay for fuel while sitting in the comfort of their car – either using Ford SYNC 3 or the Apple Watch,” said Matt Bergeron, vice president of marketing for ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company.

“This is more than a cashless payment app; it is a platform that earns and redeems Plenti loyalty points and manages receipts. With ExxonMobil’s heritage and commitment to innovation, the Speedpass+ app continues to bring new benefits to its users.”

The update also comes with a new "Ford SYNC 3" feature that lets Speedpass+ app users easily authorize fuel payments using voice commands or an in-car touch screen, as well as check how much fuel is in the tank when away from their car using the app.

The new Speedpass+ update follows the app's introduction of Apple Pay in March of 2016, which introduced the ability to pay for fuel using an iPhone and Apple's mobile wallet. Exxon's Apple Pay solution doesn't use NFC reader technology, instead focusing on software within the app to use GPS and QR codes in order to authorize fuel payments.

Fuel companies have slowly begun to adopt Apple Pay over the years, with Chevron opening up a pilot program for Apple Pay fuel payments at a few of its stations in San Francisco in 2015. A few vehicle manufacturers have also rolled out Apple Pay support directly within their infotainment systems, with Jaguar and Shell partnering up to allow drivers in the United Kingdom to pay for fuel with Apple Pay insider their car.

ExxonMobil Speedpass+ is available to download for free on the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]

Uber found itself in more hot water on Thursday after Reuters revealed that the ride-hailing service is facing a criminal investigation by the U.S. government.

The Department of Justice has reportedly begun an investigation over the company's use of "secret" software that allowed its drivers to operate in areas where Uber was banned or restricted.

First reported by The New York Times, the so-called "greyball" software is said to have allowed the company to identify officials seeking to prevent the service from running. It is claimed the software was used in several areas including Portland and Oregon, where the service was still waiting for approval to operate.

Transport regulation officials regularly posed as passengers in those regions where Uber had yet to obtain approval, in an effort to prove that Uber was operating illegally. The software was used to work out who was an undercover official and would attempt to block them from booking rides in the first place.

Uber has already admitted to using the software. In a letter sent to Portland transport regulators last week, the company said it used greyball "exceedingly sparingly" in the city, but had not used it since April 2015 when it received permission to operate.

Uber has also previously defended its use of the software by claiming that it helped the company limit fraud and protect its drivers from harm. The company prohibited the use of the software for identifying officials shortly after the New York Times report brought the practice to light.

The nature of any potential federal criminal violation, and the likelihood of anyone being charged, remains unclear because the investigation is still in its early stages, according to sources. However, Uber has reportedly received a subpoena from a Northern California grand jury seeking documents concerning how the software tool functioned and where it was deployed. A subpoena indicates that an official criminal investigation is underway.

Uber has come under increasing pressure on several fronts in recent months following several controversies. Concerns were first raised late last year when users complained that the app appeared to track them for days or even weeks after they last used the ride-hailing service.

Recently it emerged that Apple CEO Tim Cook threatened to pull Uber's app from the App Store in early 2015 after discovering that it was secretly "fingerprinting" iPhones that used the app. The revelation came in a New York Times article published last month that detailed the ride-hailing service's history of controversial business tactics.

Bosch has won orders to supply Apple with some of the motion sensors in its next range of iPhones, according to a report by Bloomberg, potentially loosening Invensense's position as the primary supplier of the smartphone components.

California-based Invensense exclusively supplied the gyroscopes and accelerometers in the iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 7, but Apple's new deal with Bosch could see the German firm supply as much as half of the motion-sensing components in Apple's upcoming phones.

Bosch already supplies the barometric pressure sensors for the iPhone, but the deal could reflect Apple's aim to source components from at least two suppliers to make it easier to negotiate cheaper prices.

Invensense is currently seeking to complete a $1.3 billion sale to Tokyo-based TDK Corp, which had hoped to strengthen its business with Apple as part of the deal. "We aim to become a strong player in the sensor business with InvenSense as our perfect partner," TDK CEO Shigenao Ishiguro said in December, when the purchase agreement was first made. Shares in Invensense dipped more than 5 percent on Thursday's news.

Apple has a major iPhone redesign planned this year, with a glass body and edge-to-edge OLED display that includes an integrated Touch ID fingerprint sensor and front-facing camera. The new iPhone is expected to be sold alongside standard "S" cycle 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhones.

YouTube has announced plans to produce a raft of original programming beginning this year, as the Google-owned video site moves to counter the rising tide of premium streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu.

The difference in YouTube's approach to original content is that its shows will be free to view on its website and apps through an ad-supported format, rather than being tied to the company's ad-free $9.99 YouTube Red subscription service.

The company will make a multi-million dollar investment in more than 40 original shows and movies in the next year, according to sources who spoke to Bloomberg. YouTube hopes that high-profile stars will feature in the content and that this will in turn attract bigger advertisers to sponsor the programming.

"We're working with YouTube stars and big celebrities that we know have global appeal, advertiser appeal and are largely established on the platform," Susanne Daniels, YouTube's head of original content, said in an interview.

YouTube has signed up comedian Kevin Hart and TV host Ellen DeGeneres as its first two high-profile celebrities. Hart's show will be a workout-based series, while DeGeneres' program will give fans a peak backstage into the making of her talkshow.

Katy Perry and Demi Lovato also announced behind-the-scenes shows with YouTube, while TV and radio personality Ryan Seacrest confirmed his involvement in a music competition called "Best.Cover.Ever", which will debut on the site later this year.

YouTube's original content plans were announced at the annual digital NewFronts conference in New York on Friday.

Puzzle game Zip-Zap has been named Apple's App of the Week, and as a result, it is available to download for free for the next seven days. Zip-Zap is normally priced at $1.99 and this is the first time it's been free since its September 2016 launch.

Zip-Zap is a puzzle game that asks users to solve puzzles using Rube Goldberg-style hinges and levers that are put into place via well-timed taps. There are more than 100 levels to complete, and the game has no ads or in-app purchases.

Zip-Zap will be available for free until next Thursday, when a new App of the Week will be chosen. It can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one and a half weeks after seeding the fourth 10.2.1 beta and more than one month after releasing tvOS 10.2, an update that included improved scrolling and iPad support for the Apple TV Remote app.

The tvOS 10.2.1 beta is designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV. It can be downloaded by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software from a registered developer account using iTunes.

Because of the installation requirements, tvOS betas are limited to developers. tvOS 10.2.1 will not be available to the public until the final version of the software launches.

Apple does not typically provide detailed beta release notes, so we don't yet know what's included in tvOS 10.2.1. It's likely to focus primarily on bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements, but we may not know what's new until the software sees an official release.

No notable changes were found in the first four tvOS 10.2.1 betas, but should anything new popup in the fifth beta, we'll update this post.

GE today announced that its connected LED light bulbs C-Life and C-Sleep will gain Apple HomeKit compatibility this summer.

A new C-Reach hub with HomeKit support will allow homeowners to turn on and off their "C by GE" lights, dim them, and control bulbs individually or in groups by rooms with Siri voice commands. The lights also should be able to be controlled with the Home app on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 10 or later.

GE said the C-Reach hub will sell for less than $50 and will be available at a discount when bundled with some lights, according to The Verge.

GE describes the C-Life as an "everyday" light bulb that provides "optimal daytime light," while the C-Sleep light bulb is supposedly "warm and calm at night" and "crisp and vibrant in the morning." A starter pack with two C-Life and two C-Sleep light bulbs is available for $74.99 plus shipping in the United States.

Epix has updated its iOS app with a new feature called "Epix Cast," which allows users to beam videos from the service's mobile app to compatible smart TVs and streaming boxes, even if the receiving device doesn't have an Epix app. Notably, Epix Cast allows iOS and Android smartphones to be used normally during a casting, and videos will continue playing "even if the device turns off."

To use the feature, Epix viewers simply have to find a movie to watch in the app, choose the "Tap to TV" button, and select from a list of nearby streaming devices that are connected to their Wi-Fi network to instantly play the selected movie on a bigger screen. When a video is playing the Epix mobile app can act as a remote, a browser to queue up the next movie, and a social feed to discuss the movie with fellow fans.

Epix Cast also allows users to seamlessly switch between multiple TVs and devices without having to start a movie over again. In an interview with TechCrunch, Epix chief digital officer Jon Dakss detailed the technology behind the feature, which goes beyond simply mirroring video playing on an iPhone and performs searches online in order to discover "the highest quality version that will work on your TV."

A pioneer in cross-platform viewing, EPIX is again advancing the “TV Everywhere” experience by making it easier for all audiences to enjoy its content on connected TV devices with the touch of a finger on their smart phones. Premium entertainment network EPIX today announced that it has launched EPIX Cast, a new feature that allows users to cast EPIX content from their Apple and Android devices to any connected TV device without the need for additional hardware.

“From the very beginning of the creation of EPIX, our network has been focused on reaching consumers wherever they are, whenever they want and with an experience that is unrivaled in the market today,” said Mark Greenberg, EPIX CEO. “With this new feature, we’re once again leading the charge on advancing the consumer viewing experience”.

Epix Cast has launched thanks to help from start-up Vizbee, which created the "Vizbee Device Network" to seamlessly connect all video devices in a household and now fuels the new casting feature on Epix.

Compatible streaming devices and smart TVs include: Google Chromecast, Sony Blu-ray Disc Players, LG webOS TVs, Sony Android TVs, Sony Opera TVs, Vizio TVs, and unspecified "other Smart TVs." Down the line, Epix said Samsung Tizen TVs, LG NetCast TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and TiVo support will be added.

Epix launched an Apple TV app in February, but incoming support for Epix Cast on Apple's set-top box was not confirmed. Like any use of Epix, users will have to sign in with an existing cable provider that includes the entertainment channel in its package listing. When asked whether the company would launch a standalone subscription model in a similar vein to HBO Now, Dakss neither confirmed nor denied such a move, saying, "It’s an area that we continue to explore and look at."

Epix can be downloaded from the iOS App Store for free [Direct Link], and this week's update also includes enhancements to the personalization and communication features of the app.