Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Quick Takes: Apple Hires a Latin TV Head, New Owner of Reserve Strap Plans to Sue Apple, and More
In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest Apple news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.
Apple announces hiring of Sony TV's Angélica Guerra as Head of Latin American Programming: Guerra oversaw Sony Picture Television's production business across Latin America, including Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. She will report to Morgan Wandell, Apple's head of international creative development.
Commentary: Apple has poached several Sony executives, including Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, who run the company's new Worldwide Video Programming division. Apple has already placed orders for over 10 original series with well-known actors and producers such as Jennifer Aniston and Steven Spielberg.
Apple hasn't revealed how it plans to distribute its original content, but it will soon. The company could launch a streaming service like Netflix, or it could release the series through its TV app or iTunes. In the past, episodes of Apple's "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" and "Planet of the Apps" were exclusive to Apple Music.
Microsoft releases Soundscape: The app for iPhone uses 3D audio technology to enhance a person's surroundings, helping people with blindness or low vision to explore unfamiliar areas. An audio beacon can be placed on a point of interest, which users hear as they move around.
California Highway Patrol to use decoy buses in hopes of catching Apple and Google shuttle attackers: A $10,000 reward is also being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible.
Photo Credit: Teamsters Joint Council 7
Commentary: Unmarked coach buses have been attacked by pellet guns at least 20 times recently while transporting Apple and Google employees along the Interstate 280, between San Francisco and the South Bay, where each company is headquartered. Hopefully these efforts will help catch the perpetrators.
Apple has stopped signing iOS 11.2.5: It is no longer possible to downgrade an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to software versions older than the latest iOS 11.2.6 update, which fixed a system crashing bug related to a Telugu character.
WiseWear plans to sue Apple over illegal restraint of trade: The technology startup filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday. The company blames part of its demise on Apple, which made changes that prevented the Reserve Strap charging band from working with the Apple Watch's diagnostic port.
Commentary: WiseWear acquired the original company behind the Reserve Strap last year, well after orders were suspended due to the changes in watchOS, so it's hard to see them having a strong case should they proceed.
For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.
Friday, March 2
Apple announces hiring of Sony TV's Angélica Guerra as Head of Latin American Programming: Guerra oversaw Sony Picture Television's production business across Latin America, including Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. She will report to Morgan Wandell, Apple's head of international creative development.
Commentary: Apple has poached several Sony executives, including Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, who run the company's new Worldwide Video Programming division. Apple has already placed orders for over 10 original series with well-known actors and producers such as Jennifer Aniston and Steven Spielberg.
Apple hasn't revealed how it plans to distribute its original content, but it will soon. The company could launch a streaming service like Netflix, or it could release the series through its TV app or iTunes. In the past, episodes of Apple's "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" and "Planet of the Apps" were exclusive to Apple Music.
Microsoft releases Soundscape: The app for iPhone uses 3D audio technology to enhance a person's surroundings, helping people with blindness or low vision to explore unfamiliar areas. An audio beacon can be placed on a point of interest, which users hear as they move around.
Soundscape provides information about your surroundings with synthesized binaural audio, creating the effect of 3D sound. It can run in the background in conjunction with navigation or other applications to provide you with additional context about the environment. Your phone, in hand or in pocket, tracks movement using location and activity sensors, and lets you move toward a self-set audio beacon.Commentary: This is a great example of how technology can improve accessibility. Microsoft still encourages users with vision loss to continue to place their basic awareness of their surroundings and mobility skills as a priority.
California Highway Patrol to use decoy buses in hopes of catching Apple and Google shuttle attackers: A $10,000 reward is also being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible.
Commentary: Unmarked coach buses have been attacked by pellet guns at least 20 times recently while transporting Apple and Google employees along the Interstate 280, between San Francisco and the South Bay, where each company is headquartered. Hopefully these efforts will help catch the perpetrators.
Apple has stopped signing iOS 11.2.5: It is no longer possible to downgrade an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to software versions older than the latest iOS 11.2.6 update, which fixed a system crashing bug related to a Telugu character.
WiseWear plans to sue Apple over illegal restraint of trade: The technology startup filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday. The company blames part of its demise on Apple, which made changes that prevented the Reserve Strap charging band from working with the Apple Watch's diagnostic port.
Commentary: WiseWear acquired the original company behind the Reserve Strap last year, well after orders were suspended due to the changes in watchOS, so it's hard to see them having a strong case should they proceed.
For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy), Apple Watch (Neutral)
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Top Rated Comments
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16 months ago
Can I just say, Macrumors, that I really love the format of these posts you've been doing lately. I like how they're grouped and some reason it makes it feel like way more content than if it was several different posts
16 months ago
Using the Service/Diagnostic port
If Apple published the specs to the Diagnostic port then there might be a case to answer. Otherwise, it is use of an interface that Apple is free to change whenever they deem fit.
IANAL etc.
TBH, I'd never base a business on something where I could have the rug removed from underneath me at a moments notice. It might be that others are not a cautious as me.
If Apple published the specs to the Diagnostic port then there might be a case to answer. Otherwise, it is use of an interface that Apple is free to change whenever they deem fit.
IANAL etc.
TBH, I'd never base a business on something where I could have the rug removed from underneath me at a moments notice. It might be that others are not a cautious as me.
16 months ago
Why are they broadcasting the tactical details of the CHP operation? It's like: "Hey vandals, guess how we're going to catch you? We're going to BLAH BLAH BLAH!"
Like just keep your mouths shut until they're caught.
Like just keep your mouths shut until they're caught.
16 months ago
Can I just say, Macrumors, that I really love the format of these posts you've been doing lately. I like how they're grouped and some reason it makes it feel like way more content than if it was several different posts
Yeah, they sort of remind me of early 2000s MacRumors articles that were all really short, except they've been grouped together, preventing an influx of "slow news day" comments that people didn't seem to make as much in the past.In 2001, this was the longest an MR article would get:
Unrelated: that iPod thing sounds pretty cool.
16 months ago
The date of acquisition is irrelevant. The only relevant matter is whether the original company has/had a cause of action. However, its complain looks pretty weak.
16 months ago
They formed a business on a technicality or oversight. Not exactly sound...
16 months ago
You can't just use some undocumented hidden port on a device that is against the software terms of use and expect it to work going forward. I'm sure Apple's lawyers have all the language airtight on that. I'm pretty sure that everybody except them thought their entire business model was on shaky ground when the news was first posted about them.
16 months ago
Why are they broadcasting the tactical details of the CHP operation? It's like: "Hey vandals, guess how we're going to catch you? We're going to BLAH BLAH BLAH!"
Like just keep your mouths shut until they're caught.
Yes, I think it's irresponsible of publications to advertise the details of an ongoing investigation. Seriously, I expect better of MacRumours, but they just can't pass up the page views, I guess.
If you take the time to look, you'll see that it's a TV news station that's broadcast the story, and if you look at that it's implied that CHP themselves have 'gone public' on their operation. Think about it, what do you want - the incidents to stop happening as soon as possible by whatever means (including providing an effective deterrent such as this story), or to keep trying to catch the perpetrators however long it takes and however many lives are being put at stake in the meantime?
Who knows, maybe CHP aren't even running decoy buses, but just putting this story out might be enough to stop the attacks.
[ Read All Comments ]
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