MacRumors

Twitter has started rolling out its new Ticketed Spaces feature to iOS users, the company has announced.

Twitter Spaces allow users to host live audio discussions that other users can listen in to. Now, some Twitter users on iOS will be able to create Ticketed Spaces that have a small fee to join, allowing hosts to make money from sales directly on the popular social media platform.

Users over the age of 18 who have hosted at least three Spaces in the past 30 days and have at least 1,000 followers have been able to apply to host Ticketed Spaces since June, but the feature has not been live until now.

Hosts receive 67 percent of the proceeds from ticket sales, with 30 percent going to Apple as an in-app purchase fee and three percent going to Twitter. If a host's total lifetime earnings on Twitter pass $50,000, then Twitter plans to raise its commission rate to 20 percent.

It is not clear how many users are now eligible to host Ticketed Spaces or when Twitter plans to roll out the functionality to all users. Even so, any iOS user is able to buy a ticket to join a Ticketed Spaces session.

Apple on Thursday evening announced it has reached a $100 million settlement that, pending court approval, will resolve a class action lawsuit from U.S. developers who alleged that Apple has a monopoly on the distribution of iOS apps and in-app purchases.

As part of the settlement, some U.S. developers would be entitled to receive a payment from Apple, so long as they meet certain requirements.

Who is eligible for a payment from Apple?

According to law firm Hagens Berman, which brought the lawsuit against Apple in 2019, the class includes any current or former U.S. developer of an iOS app that earned less than $1 million through the U.S. App Store in paid downloads and/or in-app purchases/subscriptions per calendar year between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021.

How can I submit a claim for a payment from Apple?

Eligible developers will be able to submit a claim through the website SmallAppDeveloperAssistance.com once the settlement has received court approval.

When can I submit a claim for a payment from Apple?

Developers can sign up on SmallAppDeveloperAssistance.com to be notified when the site launches. No specific timeframe has been provided, but in a court filing, law firm Hagens Berman proposed that the claims period begin within 45 days after court approval. Developers would then have a proposed 120 days to submit a claim.

How much will my payment be from Apple?

Eligible developers will be able to receive a payment between $250 and $30,000 from Apple depending on their total App Store earnings between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021, as outlined in the chart below from the settlement filing.

According to law firm Hagens Berman, a 100% claims rate is not likely, meaning that not all eligible developers will file for a payment from Apple. In that event, the law firm said the minimum payment amounts will increase proportionally, meaning that eligible developers may ultimately receive a larger payment from Apple.

Any leftover funds after payments to developers who submitted a claim would be sent to Girls Who Code, a non-profit organization that works to close the gender gap in computer science and programming, according to the settlement filing.

Why did Apple agree to this settlement?

According to the settlement filing, class members who do not opt out "expressly agree to the appropriateness of Apple's commission structure" for the App Store, including the Small Business Program. Class members also release their claims against Apple, including any claim that they were "overcharged" by virtue of Apple's commission on paid app downloads and/or in-app purchases/subscriptions through the App Store.

Can I opt out of the settlement?

Yes. Developers who opt out of the class action lawsuit will not be eligible for a payment from Apple but will retain their individual rights to sue Apple for the claims alleged in the complaint. Details on the opt-out process will likely be shared on the settlement website once it is live, or developers can contact law firm Hagens Berman.

Where can I get more details about the lawsuit?

The class action lawsuit, Cameron et al v. Apple Inc., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in June 2019. U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers presided over the case. The original complaint is available on CourtListener and more details are available on law firm Hagens Berman's website.

Images purporting to show counterfeit clones of upcoming Apple Watch Series 7 models have been shared online, giving a closer look at the device's expected redesign.

The images, shared in a tweet from the user known as "Majin Bu," show counterfeit clones of the Apple Watch Series 7 in Space Gray, Silver, and Space Black. The design of the clones closely matches the redesign that is expected to bring squared-off edges to the Apple Watch, much like those of the iPhone 12 lineup, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and 24-inch iMac.

Although the units in the images are clones and not legitimate Apple devices, they may give the best impression yet of what we can expect the new Apple Watch design to look like in the real world. Majin Bu explained that these Apple Watch Series 7 clones will sell for around $60 in China.

The design of the Apple Watch Series 7 has only been seen thus far in renders that were reportedly based on leaked images and alleged industry-sourced CAD renders, featuring two long speaker grilles along the left side of the device, squared-off edges, and a thinner casing.

Although the Apple Watch Series 7 is expected to be 1.7mm thinner than the Series 6, it is worth bearing in mind that this change may not have been carried over to the clones and the smartwatches depicted in these images may look thicker than the authentic devices.

Clones of popular Apple products are commonly made in China, often in the hopes of duping customers into thinking that they are the real thing. The issue is so widespread that Apple has a team whose sole focus is to crack down on counterfeit products and prevent them from being sold.

Earlier this year in March, images of third-generation AirPods clones emerged online. Given that these AirPods have yet to launch over half a year later, it goes to show how far in advance counterfeit manufacturing operations in China take place. Nevertheless, the range of images showing third-generation AirPods clones have given the clearest look yet at the expected design of the new wireless earbuds.

The Apple Watch Series 7 is expected to be unveiled by Apple as soon as next month, likely alongside the iPhone 13 lineup, offering improved display technology and Ultra Wideband connectivity, a faster processor, a bigger battery, and more.

It's no secret that Apple and Google have a considerable monetary agreement that ensures Google's position as the default search engine on Apple's devices. In a new investor note by financial advisor Bernstein's Toni Sacconaghi, the analyst claims Google's payment to Apple to maintain the status quo could reach $15 billion in 2021, up from $10 billion last year.

First reported by Ped30, Sacconaghi's note estimates that Google's payments to Apple could continue increasing on-year and approach $18-20 billion in 2022. The Bernstein analyst bases his numbers on Apple's public filings as well as a bottom-up analysis of Google's traffic acquisition costs.

Google's agreement with Apple in the search and advertising markets has been in place for over a decade, but with Google's search engine dominance coming under increasing scrutiny in recent years, Bernstein analysts believe the agreement could face a regulatory risk.

In addition, Yahoo and Microsoft have both been interested in inking a deal with Apple to overthrow Google as the default search engine on iOS devices, and the analysts suggest Google's huge payments to Apple are made to ensure Microsoft doesn't outbid it.

We see two potential risks to GOOG’s payments to AAPL: (1) regulatory risk, which we believe is real, but likely years away; we see a potential 4-5% impact to Apple’s gross profits from an adverse ruling; & (2) that Google chooses to stop paying Apple to be the default search engine altogether, or looks to renegotiate terms and pay less. We have noted in prior research that GOOG is likely paying to ensure Microsoft doesn’t outbid it. That said, with payments likely to approach $18 – $20B in FY 22, it not implausible that Google could revisit its strategy.

Last year, the U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, claiming the Mountain View-based company has used anticompetitive and exclusionary practices in the search and advertising markets to maintain an unlawful monopoly. One of the main complaints against Google is its deal with Apple that allows Google to be the default search engine on Apple's Safari browser and other search tools.

Last year, Sacconaghi argued Apple should purchase a search engine outright to put pressure on Google. Sacconaghi's reasoning was that Apple doesn't have many alternatives to Google, with its only leverage being a swap to Bing. However, the analyst also warned that such a move could trigger regulatory oversight that could ultimately block the acquisition, putting Apple in a worse position than before.

Speculation mounted in 2020 that Apple was planning to launch its own search engine, after increased activity was noted from its web crawler, but the uptick was later put down to Apple's efforts to improve Siri and Spotlight search results, and the rumor has so far come to nothing.

Apple today announced plans to make several changes to the App Store in order to settle a class-action lawsuit that was brought against Apple by developers in the United States.

Under the terms of the deal, Apple will let developers use communication methods like email to tell customers about payment methods available outside of iOS apps, and it will expand the price points that developers can offer for apps, in-app purchases, and subscriptions. Apple also plans to create a $100 million "fund" for small developers as part of the settlement, and it will release annual transparency reports on the app review process.

Apple says that the settlement will make the ‌App Store‌ an "even better business opportunity for developers" while maintaining the safety of the ‌App Store‌.

"From the beginning, the App Store has been an economic miracle; it is the safest and most trusted place for users to get apps, and an incredible business opportunity for developers to innovate, thrive, and grow," said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow who oversees the App Store. "We would like to thank the developers who worked with us to reach these agreements in support of the goals of the App Store and to the benefit of all of our users."

To establish a settlement, Apple and the developers involved in the lawsuit have come to an agreement that "identifies seven key priorities shared by Apple and small developers." Apple will implement the following measures, as outlined in court papers:

• Apple will maintain the ‌App Store‌ Small Business Program in its current structure for the next three years. Businesses earning less than $1 million annually will continue to pay a reduced 15 percent commission, while developers earning over that target will pay the standard 30 percent commission.
• ‌App Store‌ search results will continue to be based on objective characteristics like downloads, star ratings, text relevance, and user behavior signals. Apple will maintain the current ‌App Store‌ search system for at least three years.
• Apple will allow developers to use communications like email to share information about payment methods available outside of their iOS apps. Developers will not pay Apple a commission on purchases taking place outside of the app or the ‌App Store‌. Users must consent to the communication and can opt out.
• Apple will expand the number of price points available to developers for subscriptions, in-app purchases, and paid apps from fewer than 100 to more than 500. Developers had complained about the $0.99 minimum price available in the ‌App Store‌ and the inability to offer price points not ending in $0.99, so that may change.
• Apple will maintain the option for developers to appeal the rejection of an app based on perceived unfair treatment. Apple will add content to the App Review website to help developers better understand the appeals process.
• Apple will create an annual transparency report based on ‌App Store‌ data, which will provide meaningful statistics about the app review process, including the number of apps rejected for different reasons, the number of customer and developer accounts deactivated, objective data regarding search queries and results, and the number of apps removed from the ‌App Store‌.
• Apple is paying $100 million to developers to settle the lawsuit, and the money is being distributed as part of a "Small Developer Assistance Fund." Developers can claim between $250 and $30,000 based on their historic ‌App Store‌ participation. Eligible developers must have earned $1 million or less through the U.S. storefront for all of their apps in every calendar year in which the developers had an account between June 4, 2015, and April 26, 2021, a figure that encompasses 99 percent of U.S. developers. More information will be provided at a later date, and there is a settlement website, but it is not yet working.

The class-action lawsuit dates back to 2019 when a group of iOS developers accused Apple of using its ‌App Store‌ monopoly to impose "profit-killing" commissions. The lawsuit took issue with Apple's 30 percent cut of ‌App Store‌ sales, and was largely addressed with the late 2020 announcement of the App Store Small Business Program that cut the commission that small developers have to pay to 15 percent.

The developers who filed the lawsuit were also unhappy with Apple's minimum $0.99 purchase price for apps and in-app purchases, and they took issue with the $99 Apple Developer fee.

Apple will be implementing these changes pending approval from Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is overseeing the case. Rogers is also handling the ongoing Epic v. Apple lawsuit.

Samsung earlier this month unveiled the new Galaxy Z Fold 3, its latest flagship foldable smartphone. We thought we'd check out the Z Fold 3 to see the technology improvements that Samsung has made to its foldable smartphone lineup.

Foldable smartphones are still expensive, and as a Samsung flagship, the Z Fold 3 is priced starting at $1,799.99, which is more than you have to shell out for some computers. Of course, this is meant to serve as both a phone and a tablet, so there's a little more versatility than your average smartphone.

Design wise, the Z Fold 3 is Samsung's best foldable device yet because the camera is under the display for an all-display design. It looks great and while it's not entirely hidden, it maximizes available screen space.

The Z Fold 3 is a book-like device where the two sides come together in an inward fold. When folded, the outside display measures in at 6.2 inches, and when unfolded, it has a full 7.6-inch display inside. We found the display to be brighter, sharper, and more vibrant than Samsung's Z Fold 2.

Other than the fold and the in-display camera, the Z Fold 3 is basically on par with other smartphones. It has a 120Hz display, three 12-megapixel rear lenses, and a 10-megapixel front camera. It features IPX8 water resistance, a 4,400mAh battery, and a protective display film that's more durable than Samsung's past foldable devices.

The Z Fold 3 is Samsung's first foldable that supports the S Pen, and Samsung designed an S Pen just for the new smartphone. It has a tip that's designed to retract a bit while you're writing to prevent damage to the display, and it features the same S Pen functionality available with other Samsung devices. The S Pen is an optional add-on, though, so there's no dedicated storage.

As for the folding functionality, Samsung did a better job with the hinge this year and the folding mechanism feels more durable and like it will better hold up to damage.

At this price point, the Z Fold 3 is still a niche device that most people aren't going to want to pay the price for, but it's a definite improvement over the prior Z Fold 2. Samsung now has a few years of foldable device development on Apple, so it will be interesting to see how Apple's foldable iPhone measures up should one ever see a release.

T-Mobile recently suffered a significant data breach that saw sensitive data from more than 50 million current, prospective, and former customers stolen.

John Binns, a 21-year-old American who lives in Turkey, told The Wall Street Journal that he is responsible for the attack. Binns said that he discovered an unprotected router in July after scanning T-Mobile's known internet addresses for weak spots.

He used the unprotected router to access T-Mobile's data center located in Washington, where stored credentials provided him access to over 100 servers. He said he initially panicked because he "had access to something big," and went on to claim that T-Mobile's "security is awful."

It took him about a week to sort through the servers to find the personal data on millions of customers, and he downloaded the data on August 4. On August 13, T-Mobile was informed that someone was selling T-Mobile customer data, and T-Mobile confirmed the breach just days later.

T-Mobile has since said that data from more than 50 million customers was accessed. Stolen data includes customer names, dates of birth, SSNs, ID cards, and licenses. The Wall Street Journal took steps to confirm that the hacker selling the data was Binns, using his IRDev online alias.

Binns told The ‌Wall Street Journal‌ that he hacked T-Mobile to "generate noise" and get attention as he had allegedly been the victim of an illegal kidnapping that saw him taken to a fake mental hospital in Germany. Binns would not say whether he had sold any of the data that he stole, and it is not clear if he had accomplices. The Seattle office of the FBI is investigating the hack.

Affected T-Mobile customers can receive two years of free identity protection services through McAfee's ID Theft Protection Service and can implement Account Takeover Protection features.

Apple today released a new firmware update designed for the AirTag item trackers. The refreshed firmware has a version number of 1.0.291 and a build number of 1A291a, up from 1A287b.

There's no word on what new features the firmware might add, but firmware released back in June added anti-stalking enhancements.

There is no way to force an ‌AirTag‌ update, as it's something that's done over-the-air through a connected iPhone. To make sure the update happens, you can put your ‌AirTag‌ in range of your ‌iPhone‌, but you have to wait for the firmware to roll out to your device.

You can check your current ‌AirTag‌ firmware version through the Find My app, with instructions available in our how to.

Classic puzzle game Myst has been revived on the Mac and an optimized version of the title is now available for M1 Macs.

Cyan has undertaken a rework of the game that takes advantage of Metal 2.1 and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution for a 50 percent performance boost on ‌M1‌ Macs that does not impact game quality.

Myst for ‌M1‌ Macs features improved modeling, textures, and dynamic lighting effects, and Apple's machines are able to run the game at 4K resolution without noisy fans. It's also been reimagined for a VR gaming experience.

Myst is compatible with both Intel and ‌M1‌ Macs. According to the system requirements, it works with the following machines:

• All MacBook Pros released since 2018
• All iMacs released since 2019
• All iMac Pros released since 2017
• All MacBook Airs released since 2018
• All Mac Pros released since 2019
• All Mac minis released since 2018

The updated version of Myst can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99.

Netflix earlier this year confirmed plans to get into mobile gaming, and now the company is testing its gaming experience with Netflix users in Poland.

Netflix's Polish Twitter account today tweeted that the Android Netflix app in Poland is offering access to "Stranger Things 1984" and "Stranger Things 3," two mobile game options.

According to NetflixGeeked, the games are included with a Netflix membership and feature no ads or in-app purchases, similar to how Apple Arcade works. The games are downloaded directly to a mobile device from Netflix and are not streamed from the Netflix app.

As noted by CNET, the games that are being offered have been available for a few years outside of the Netflix app and were created in partnership with Netflix for the second and third seasons of "Stranger Things."

Back in July, Netflix said that it considered gaming to be another new content category, similar to its expansion into original films, animation, and unscripted television.

With its expansion into mobile gaming, Netflix will compete directly with ‌Apple Arcade‌, Apple's $4.99 per month gaming service that allows users to access hundreds of ad-free games on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV.

Given that the two games Netflix is experimenting with are already existing titles, we may need to wait for some time to see where Netflix plans to take its mobile gaming feature in the future.

The Apple Watch continues to be the most popular smart watch on the market, and in Q2 2021, Apple hit a new user base milestone, according to Counterpoint Research's Global Smartwatch Shipments Tracker.

There are now more than 100 million active Apple Watch users thanks to the device's design, health features, and related services. It's possible Apple hit this milestone even earlier than 2021, as Neil Cybart said in February that based on his estimates, Apple reached 100 million users in December.

In the second quarter of 2021, global smart watch shipments were up 27 percent overall, and Apple was able to maintain its number one position. Apple's market share was at 28 percent, down slightly from 30 percent in the year-ago quarter, but well above competitors like Huawei, Samsung, and Garmin.

The United States continues to be Apple's largest market, responsible for more than half of the Apple Watch user base.

During the quarter, the Apple Watch Series 6 was the most popular smart watch overall, followed by the Apple Watch SE. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 took the third spot, followed by the Apple Watch Series 3 in fourth and the Imoo Z6-4G in fifth.

Apple in just a few weeks is set to debut its newest wrist-worn device, the Apple Watch Series 7. The Series 7 will feature the first redesign we've seen in years, with Apple adopting a flat-edged design, a larger display, and new 41mm and 45mm case sizes.

We're expecting Apple to debut the new Apple Watch Series 7 models alongside the iPhone 13 lineup, and we could be hearing details on an event date within the next two weeks.

Refurbished M1 Mac mini models with a 10Gb ethernet port are now available from the Apple Store, following the launch of the $100 build-to-order option in April.

The refurbished units were first spotted by Paul Haddad on Twitter. There are currently a range of refurbished ‌M1‌ ‌Mac mini‌ configurations with 10Gb ethernet available with different amounts of storage, although stock appears to be selling out quickly. Going forward, stock will fluctuate based on which machines customers are sending back to Apple for repairs and returns.

Spot checks show that the refurbished ‌M1‌ models with 10Gb ethernet are now available in multiple regions, including the United States, Canada, France, and Japan.

When buying the ‌M1‌ ‌Mac mini‌ new, customers have to use a build-to-order configuration to upgrade from standard Gigabit ethernet to 10Gb ethernet for an additional $100. A refurbished ‌M1‌ ‌Mac mini‌ with 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and 10Gb ethernet sells for $849, which is a $150 saving on the same machine if bought new.

Apple's refurbished ‌‌M1‌‌ Mac minis are sold with the same one-year warranty offered with a new ‌‌Mac mini‌, and they come with all manuals and accessories. Apple uses a rigorous testing, repair, repackaging, and cleaning process to ensure refurbished devices are identical to new devices.

Apple today announced a News Partner Program that will allow publishers who are committed to publishing their content through Apple News to qualify for a reduced 15% commission rate on qualifying in-app subscriptions.

In exchange for maintaining a "robust" presence on Apple News, publishers enrolled in the program will receive 85% of the revenue from readers who subscribe through the publication's own app on the App Store. By comparison, publishers currently receive 70% of revenue from readers who have been subscribed for less than one year and 85% of revenue from readers who have been subscribed for one year or longer.

Publishers may apply for the program starting today worldwide. To be eligible, publishers must maintain an Apple News channel and publish all content to that channel in the Apple News Format. Further details are available on Apple's website.

Apple will also support, fund, and collaborate with additional media literacy organizations around the world, and the company has recommitted support to three leading non-profit organizations that offer independent media literacy programs, including Common Sense Media, the News Literacy Project, and Osservatorio Permanente Giovani-Editori.

Days after celebrating his tenth anniversary at Apple's helm, Tim Cook is poised to receive a whopping $750 million of Apple's stock this week as the final installment of his pay deal with Apple, put in place over a decade ago when he took over the company, Bloomberg reports.

The installment will consist of 5 million shares of Apple's stock, equating to be around worth $750 million, according to Bloomberg. Last year, Cook received restricted stock units worth up to $114 million, ensuring he'll remain CEO until at least 2025.

Cook, aged 60, has a net worth of roughly $1.5 billion according to Bloomberg's Billionaires Index. Though a billionaire, Cook's compensation for 2020 was among the most modest compared to other high-paid tech CEOs. In 2020, Cook received $14.7 million, according to SEC filings.

The CEO has said in the past he donates a portion of his salary and compensation to charitable organizations and plans to give most of his wealth away.