Yahoo's Missed Opportunity with iOS 8 Weather Hints at Uncertain Future in Stocks App
iOS 8 will include a revamped Weather app with data provided by the Weather Channel instead of Yahoo, which previously powered Apple's weather app for years. This switchover of weather services allegedly was masterminded by former Yahoo board member and Weather Channel CEO David Kenny after he assumed his leadership role at the weather information company last year, reports Re/Code.
Kenny allegedly negotiated a deal with Apple that cut Yahoo out of the loop that provided weather data for iOS. In earlier iOS versions, Yahoo was the provider linked in the Weather app, but the actual meteorological data came from the Weather Channel. Kenny lured Apple away from Yahoo by offering a sweeter deal that included additional technology and more robust weather information than was made available to Yahoo. As a result, the Weather app in iOS 8 now includes a nine-day weather forecast, up from five days in iOS 7, details such as sunrise/sunset times and a new "Today" weather summary located at the bottom of the app.
Though Yahoo reportedly was in talks with Apple about featuring Yahoo services more prominently in iOS, the internet company didn't realize the Weather Channel was making a power play for iOS, and let this high-profile deal slip away.
“Yahoo had been renting ocean-front property for years and did not realize the lease was up, and the Weather Channel slipped right in and took it,” said a Yahoo exec, who said the company acted too late to save the deal. “It’s a high-profile loss.”
This provider change is a big blow to Yahoo, which as recently as April wanted to increase its role in iOS by making Yahoo the default search engine on iOS.
Apple's decision to drop Yahoo as it weather source also calls into question the search company's future involvement in the iOS Stocks app. Similar to earlier versions of the Weather app, the iOS Stocks app pulls its stock information from Yahoo Finance. Though not confirmed, some believe Apple could choose Bloomberg, CNBC or Reuters over Yahoo for its stock data in future versions of iOS 8.
Popular Stories
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.
According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak.
As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1.
Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings.
macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code.
In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
