Tim Hardwick

Tim is a Contributing Editor at MacRumors. His writing has appeared in over 30 newsstand print and online publications covering a range of topics. Originally from Liverpool, England, Tim can sometimes be found accessing a personal wi-fi hotspot on the Yorkshire Moors.



Google Maps Gains Detailed Voice Guidance for Visually Impaired Users

Friday October 11, 2019 1:17 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Google Maps has gained a new detailed voice guidance feature to help users with impaired vision get where they're going to on foot. With a launch timed to honor World Sight Day, the feature continually reminds the user that they're on the correct route, the distance until their next turn and the direction they're walking in. Detailed voice guidance also provides the user with warnings when approaching large intersections, and lets them know if they've accidentally left their route by offering a spoken notification that they're being re-routed. The new accessibility feature will be a welcome addition for users who are blind or who have moderate-to-severe vision impairments, but the reminders could be handy for people with normal eyesight, too. As Google notes in a blog post: While this new feature can be enormously helpful to people with visual impairments, it can also help someone who wants a more screen-free experience on their next walking trip. Similar to the announcements you might hear at crosswalks or on a bus, everyone can benefit from it. Not everyone will need this level of assistance, but it’s great to know it’s available and only a tap away. To enable the accessibility feature in Google Maps, go to the Settings section of the app and tap Navigation. At the bottom of the list, beneath the "Walking options" heading, is an option to turn on Detailed voice guidance. Detailed voice guidance for walking navigation is rolling out now on Android and iOS, and is initially available in English in the United States and Japanese in Japan, with support for
Read Full Article • 9 comments

How to Get Siri to Announce Incoming Messages Over AirPods

Thursday October 10, 2019 7:07 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
In iOS 13.2, Apple introduced Announce Messages with Siri, a new iPhone feature that allows you to listen to and respond to incoming text messages when you're wearing connected AirPods or Powerbeats Pro headphones. In short, if you receive a message when you're wearing a pair of Apple's wireless headphones, ‌Siri‌ will transcribe it to you so you don't have to look at your iPhone or Apple Watch, and if you wish, you can reply to it instantly without even having to say "Hey, ‌Siri‌." Announce Messages with ‌Siri‌ is disabled by default, but you can easily turn it on by following the steps below. Note that for the feature to work, you need a pair of second-generation ‌AirPods‌ or ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ with Apple's proprietary H1 chip -- it won't work with third-party Bluetooth headphones. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap ‌Siri‌ & Search. Toggle on the switch next to Announce Messages. To reply to a message without it being read back to you, toggle on the switch next to Reply Without Confirmation.The Announce Messages feature also supports third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp. You can choose which apps you want it to work with by selecting them from the same settings screen, below where it says Announce Messages From. Just note that if notifications have been turned off for the app you choose, they'll be turned back on
Read Full Article

How to Add Several Photos to an Album in the Photos App in iOS 13

Thursday October 10, 2019 7:04 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is always on the hunt for ways to make using your iPhone and iPad easier, and will often tweak the menu and button functions with each new version of iOS in order to make its software interfaces more consistent. Occasionally though, these changes can stump longtime users, and going by the number of emails MacRumors has received on the subject, that's just what a small adjustment to the Photos app appears to have done in iOS 13. In previous versions of Apple's operating system, adding some photos to an album involved selecting (or ticking) several photos in your Camera Roll and tapping an Add To button at the bottom of the interface. In ‌iOS 13‌, however, Apple has moved this facility to the share sheet. The following steps explain the new process of adding photos to an album, which should become second nature once you spot it. Launch the ‌Photos‌ app on your iPhone or ‌iPad‌. Tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen, then tap several photos that you want to add to an album. Tap the Share Sheet button (the square with an arrow pointing out) in the bottom-left corner of the screen. Swipe up on the share sheet to reveal the actions below the sharing icons. Tap Add to Album. On the next screen, under My Albums, tap an existing album to add your chosen photos to. Alternately, tap the New Album option above them, give your new album a name, then tap Save. Frankly, it's probably time Apple renamed the share sheet and called it the "action sheet," because very often you'll now see just as many actions as share options listed in it (if not
Read Full Article

How to Perform a Clean Installation of macOS 10.15 Catalina

Thursday October 10, 2019 7:02 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
This article guides you through the process of performing a clean installation of macOS 10.15 Catalina using the bootable USB drive method, rather than upgrading your Mac using Apple's standard installation package, which retains existing user data and any user-installed apps. Creating a bootable USB drive provides you with a convenient way to install a fresh copy of macOS Catalina on multiple Macs. Performing a clean install can also remove annoying quirks and strange behaviors that your Mac may have inherited over time, and often helps to reclaim disk space caused by junk files left by third-party apps. To follow the steps in this article, you'll need an empty 16GB or larger USB thumb drive (USB-C or USB-A, depending on your Mac) and an hour or two of downtime while the installation procedure completes. Also, be sure to perform a full backup of your Mac beforehand using Time Machine, so that you can restore your original system from the Recovery partition if something goes wrong.
Read Full Article • 48 comments

How to Use App Exposé in iPadOS

Thursday October 10, 2019 7:00 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
With the launch of iPadOS, Apple enhanced the iPad multitasking experience by introducing interface features that help you keep track of all the apps you have open, including multiple instances of each app. One of those features is called App Exposé, and it lets you see all of the windows that are open for a particular app. Depending on what you're viewing, there are two ways to invoke App Exposé -- the following steps show you how. App Exposé: Method 1 From the Home screen, long press on an app icon until a menu appears. Tap Show All Windows to open App Exposé for that app. Note: If the option isn't listed in the pop-up menu, there aren't multiple instances of the app open. All the instances of the selected app will be displayed on a scrollable screen, including any that are active in Split Screen and Slide Over. App Exposé: Method 2 When you're in an app, or you're using Split Screen or Slide Over mode, slide your finger up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the Dock. Tap an app icon in the Dock. All the instances of the selected app will be displayed on a scrollable screen, including any that are active in Split Screen and Slide Over. When App Exposé is open, simply tap on an instance of an app to open it (including the app alongside it if it's in Split Screen
Read Full Article

How to Share Folders in the iOS Notes App

Thursday October 10, 2019 6:58 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
In iOS 13, Apple fleshed out the feature set of the stock Notes app while enhancing the viewing and search functions in such a way that it's now easier than ever to generate, find, and organize your notes. In particular, there are new options to share entire folders of notes with friends or colleagues, including the ability to share your notes in a read-only capacity. Keep reading to learn how it's done. In iOS 12, users were limited to sharing individual notes in Apple's stock app, which was frustrating for heavy note-takers, to say the least. Fortunately, there are two ways you can share a folder of notes in ‌iOS 13‌. Method 1 Launch the Notes app on your iPhone or iPad. In the Folders view, swipe from right to left on the folder that you want to share. Tap the leftmost Share button (the blue icon). Check that the Share Options permissions at the bottom of the screen are set the way you want (invited people either Can make changes or View only). Choose how you'd like to share the folder. The default sharing options include iMessage, Mail, and a Copy Link option if you want to share the invitation link in another way that's not offered in the additional third-party sharing buttons shown. Method 2 Launch the Notes app on your iPhone or ‌iPad‌. Tap into the folder of notes that you want to share. Tap the circled ellipsis button at the top right corner of the screen. Select Add People in the pop-up menu. Check that the Share Options permissions at the bottom of the screen are set the way you want (invited people either Can make changes or View only).
Read Full Article

Apple Pulls Hong Kong Protest App From App Store Following Chinese Criticism [Updated]

Thursday October 10, 2019 2:01 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has pulled an app from the App Store that Hong Kong protestors have been using to track police movements, saying it violates the company's guidelines and local laws. Apple approved HKmap Live last week after reviewing its decision to initially reject the app from the ‌App Store‌. However, on Wednesday Apple was criticized by Chinese state media for its decision to make the app available. "Letting poisonous software have its way is a betrayal of the Chinese people's feelings," said the People's Daily. The app has since been delisted from the ‌App Store‌ and Apple has issued the following statement: We created the ‌App Store‌ to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. We have learned that an app, HKmap.live, has been used in ways that endanger law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong. Many concerned customers in Hong Kong have contacted us about this app and we immediately began investigating it. The app displays police locations and we have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement. This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store.In a series of tweets, the developers of HKmap Live said they disagreed with Apple's claim that the app endangered law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong, and argued that "there is zero evidence to support CSTCB's [the Hong Kong Police Force’s Cyber Security and
Read Full Article • 423 comments

China Accuses Apple of 'Protecting Rioters' After Approving HKmap Live for the App Store

Wednesday October 9, 2019 4:39 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has come under attack from China for allowing an app in its App Store that is being used by Hong Kong protestors to track protests and police movements in the city state (via The Guardian). Last week we reported that Apple was reviewing its decision to reject the HKmap Live app from the ‌App Store‌ while it investigated whether the software violates local laws. HKmap Live has been used extensively by pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong to crowdsource information about street closures and police presence. Apple ultimately approved the app, which has become the most downloaded app under the travel category in the iOS ‌App Store‌ for Hong Kong – a fact that appears to have attracted the ire of the mainland Chinese administration. On Wednesday, China's state media accused the tech giant of endorsing and protecting "rioters" in Hong Kong's ongoing protests. The condemnation came via the People's Daily, a recognized Chinese Communist party mouthpiece. The commentary, the print-version of which ran with the headline "Protecting rioters – Has Apple thought clearly about this?", denounced Apple for "allowing the poisonous app to flourish," which it called "a betrayal of the Chinese people's feelings." It said Apple's approval of HKmap Live, which it did not specifically name, made it an "accomplice" in the protests because it "blatantly protects and endorses the rioters," and questioned what the company's intentions were. It also criticized Apple for allowing Glory to Hong Kong – an unofficial anthem frequently sung by protesters during the ongoing
Read Full Article • 117 comments

Kuo: iPad Pro With Rear 3D ToF Camera and Scissor Mechanism MacBooks to Launch in First Half of 2020

Wednesday October 9, 2019 3:26 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple will launch a new iPad Pro with a rear-facing 3D Time of Flight camera in the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and seen by MacRumors. We've previously heard multiple rumors suggesting a time-of-flight camera system for Apple's 2020 iPhones and iPad Pros, including info from Kuo himself, but this is the first time that he's specified the 3D sensing camera system will be available in new ‌iPad Pro‌ models to be released early next year. A time-of-flight camera system measures the time that it takes for a laser or LED to bounce off of objects in a room, providing an accurate 3D map of the surroundings. A rear time-of-flight camera would also bolster photo quality and offer new and improved AR applications. Two of the iPhones set to be released in 2020 will also feature 3D sensing rear camera setups with time-of-flight (ToF) camera lenses, according to a previous note from Kuo in July. The Apple analyst has also revealed his predicted schedule for Apple's MacBook lineup refresh. We've already learned that Apple is planning to use a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism for its upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is expected to be announced as soon as this month. However, Kuo has said that after the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ launches, future Macs coming in 2020 will also swap over to a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism, resulting in more durable keyboards that are not as prone to failure from heat, dust and other small particulates. Kuo now predicts that Apple's
Read Full Article • 203 comments

Kuo: Apple's AR Headset to Launch in Second Quarter of 2020

Wednesday October 9, 2019 2:14 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple's augmented reality headset will enter mass production as soon as the fourth quarter of this year in time for an early 2020 launch, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and seen by MacRumors. An Apple Glasses mockup In his latest research note with TF International Securities, the analyst says Apple will cooperate with third-party brands to launch its first head-mounted AR product in 2020, with Changying Precision tipped to be the main chassis supplier. A Kuo report in March claimed Apple would launch an AR product in 2020 that could be ready by the middle of next year. However, Kuo has brought forward his predicted time of release and the analyst now believes the launch window for the product will fall in the second quarter of 2020. Back in July, a DigiTimes report claimed Apple had suspended its AR headset project, but just last month, code found in Xcode 11 and iOS 13 confirmed that Apple is still working on an augmented reality headset of some kind. Within the internal Find My app bundle that MacRumors exclusively shared, there is also an icon depicting what appears to be an AR or VR headset that looks similar to the Google Cardboard. Kuo understands that Apple's AR glasses will be marketed as an iPhone accessory and primarily take a display role while wirelessly offloading computing, networking, and positioning to the iPhone. Designing the AR glasses to work as an iPhone accessory is also expected to allow Apple to keep the glasses slim and lightweight, rather than trying to pack in all the processing
Read Full Article • 124 comments

Amid 'Apple Tag' Rumors, Tile Announces New 3M Adhesive 'Sticker' and Updated 'Slim' Electronic Trackers

Tuesday October 8, 2019 4:44 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Amid rumors that Apple is developing a Tile-like accessory that will help users keep track of their personal belongings, Tile today announced a new smart tracker called the Sticker, along with an updated Tile Slim. About the size of a quarter, the Tile Sticker is the company's smallest tracker to date, and features waterproofing and a 3M adhesive backing for attaching it to most metal and plastic objects, including remote controls, cameras, and outdoor gear. The Tile Sticker is available in black and in twin packs for $39.99, or a pack of four for $59.99. Meanwhile, the Tile Slim assumes a new compact form factor that's the shape and thinness of two credit cards. It also now features a three-year battery life, a speaker that's twice as loud as the previous model, and a 200-foot range. The Tile Slim also comes in black and costs $29.99 for a single device. In addition, Tile's most popular tags – the Mate and Pro – have had their ranges extended to 400 feet. The Tile Mate costs $24.99 and the Tile Pro can be had for $34.99. All Tile trackers are available today from Tile's website, Amazon, and other retailers. Based on assets discovered in iOS 13 by MacRumors, Apple's equivalent electronic tracker accessory is expected to be a small, circular tag with an Apple logo in the center. The tags will be closely integrated with the new Find My app in ‌iOS 13‌ and macOS Catalina, which merged Apple's previous ‌Find My‌ iPhone and ‌Find My‌ Friends services into one. Apple Tags concept by MacRumors While not available in public betas of ‌iOS 13‌, the internal build
Read Full Article • 131 comments

Apple on Course to Retake Second Place in Global Smartphone Vendor Ranking

Tuesday October 8, 2019 3:21 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is on course to recapture second place from Huawei in the global smartphone vendor ranking in the fourth quarter of 2019, reports DigiTimes. The change in ranking is said to be a combined effect of strong sales of Apple's iPhone 11 lineup and the impact of Huawei's trade ban in the United States. Despite being blacklisted by the U.S. government in the middle of the second quarter this year, Huawei has managed to ship 60 million handsets, which is around the same amount it shipped in the previous quarter, according to data from Gartner. However, as the trade ban drags on, Huawei is expect to see sales slide over the second half of this year. Gartner estimates that shipments could fall to about 50 million units in the third quarter, before bouncing back to 60 million units going into the holiday period. According to IDC, Apple shipped 36 million iPhones in Q1 2019. Sales are said to have dropped to 34 million in the second quarter, with an expected slide to 30 million units in Q3 as people waited for Apple's next-generation flagship devices, ‌iPhone 11‌, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. But with reports of higher-than-expected sales of its ‌iPhone 11‌ lineup both domestically and abroad, Apple could see its handset shipments reach 70 million units in the fourth quarter, which would exceed the 60 million units Huawei is expected to ship in Q4 2019.
Read Full Article • 24 comments

Apple Says iCloud Folder Sharing in macOS Catalina Coming 'This Spring'

Tuesday October 8, 2019 2:22 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has delayed the introduction of iCloud Folder Sharing in macOS Catalina until spring 2020, according to its website. The key cloud storage feature has spent months in development and would have allowed users to share folders in their iCloud Drive with other Apple users via a private link. It first appeared in early beta versions of iOS 13, before it was pulled prior to the official release for iPhones and iPads last month after problems arose during testing. As expected, ‌iCloud‌ Folder Sharing hasn't made it to the Mac either. ‌macOS Catalina‌ was launched on Monday. In early beta versions of ‌macOS Catalina‌, right-clicking a folder in ‌iCloud Drive‌ revealed a submenu that allowed you to generate a private link to the folder and share it via AirDrop, Messages, Mail, or with people in your contacts. Anyone who received the link was able to access the folder in ‌iCloud Drive‌, add new files, and stay up-to-date with the latest file versions. On its ‌macOS Catalina‌ features page, Apple says ‌iCloud Drive‌ folder sharing is now "Coming this spring." In contrast, on its ‌iOS 13‌ features page, Apple says the feature is coming to iPhones and iPads "later this fall," although it's still unclear whether Apple just hasn't updated the page to reflect the extended delay. Either way, the latest iOS 13.2 beta 1 still does not appear to support the function. As it stands, it's only possible to share individual files in ‌iCloud Drive‌, which puts it at a significant disadvantage when compared to rival cloud-storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, which have
Read Full Article • 83 comments

Official Twitch App for Apple TV Now Available

Monday October 7, 2019 4:05 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
The official Twitch app for Apple TV has just dropped. The live game-streaming service has offered iOS and Mac apps for some time, but a version for Apple's set-top box has only been in testing over the last month. From today though, gamers can watch their favorite streams on the big screen. The Twitch app for ‌Apple TV‌ offers the same features found on the iOS and Mac apps, so users can watch live streams, clips, and video on demand, as well as get involved in on-screen chat. Twitch also hosts a slew of additional broadcasts, including live Thursday Night NFL Games, so this news isn't necessarily just for videogame fans. The ‌Apple TV‌ app rollout is currently underway. If the Twitch app isn't showing up for you in the tvOS App Store, launch the Settings app on your set-top box and enable Apps -> Automatically Install Apps, then download the iOS app to your iPhone or iPad (or remove it and then install it again), and it should appear on your ‌Apple TV‌'s Home
Read Full Article • 10 comments

Spotify Gains Siri Support on iOS 13 and CarPlay, Apple TV App Launching Later Today

Monday October 7, 2019 3:31 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Spotify today updated its mobile app to include Siri support, which means iPhone and iPad users running iOS 13 can now use ‌Siri‌ to control their favorite music streaming service, just like Apple Music subscribers. After updating the app, users simply need to invoke ‌Siri‌ on their device and ask the voice assistant to play an album or song "with Spotify." Commands for playing playlists work the same way. According to Spotify's release notes, ‌Siri‌ support is compatible over connected AirPods and also extends to CarPlay and HomePod via AirPlay. On iPhones and iPads running ‌iOS 13‌, Spotify will also now turn on its Data Saver feature when a device has Low Data Mode enabled. In addition, the streaming service says Spotify is "now available on Apple TV," although it isn't showing up in the tvOS App Store as of writing, so rollout is likely scheduled for later in the
Read Full Article • 60 comments

Kuo: iPhone 11 Demand and Upcoming Launch of 'iPhone SE 2' to Boost Overall iPhone Sales Growth in Q1 2020

Sunday October 6, 2019 2:01 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple will sell around 10 percent more iPhones in the first quarter of 2020, thanks to strong replacement demand for its iPhone 11 series devices and next year's launch of the "iPhone SE 2," claims Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in his latest research note, seen by MacRumors. We expect that combined iPhone shipments in 1Q20 will grow around 10% YoY thanks to the ‌iPhone 11‌'s replacement demand boosted by more affordable prices and iPhone SE2's shipments starting in 1Q20. We estimate that iPhone shipment in 1Q20 will be 45–50mn units (iPhone 11 Pro series and ‌iPhone 11‌ to be 13–15 and 22–24mn units, respectively), which is better than around 42mn units of iPhone shipments in 1Q19 (iPhone XS series and iPhone XR to be around 12 and 14mn units, respectively). The TFI Securities analyst estimates that ‌iPhone 11‌ series shipments will reach between 70 and 75 million units in 2019, and he believes that figure may have been higher but for supply constraints. A Nikkei report previously claimed Apple has upped orders from suppliers after stronger-than-expected demand for its latest flagship phones. Specifically, Kuo estimates that shipments of the ‌iPhone 11 Pro‌ in 2019 will be around 37-40 million units, and shipments of the ‌iPhone 11‌ will be around 36 to 40 million units. If those figures are accurate, Kuo says Pro series shipments will be lower than last year's equivalent ‌iPhone XS‌ shipments, but only because of a tighter supply caused by "increased production difficulties" of specific ‌iPhone 11 Pro‌ components. Meanwhile, shipments of ‌iPhone 11‌ will be higher than 2018's
Read Full Article • 138 comments

John Hancock Offers Apple Watch Series 5 to Vitality Life Insurance Customers for $25

Friday October 4, 2019 2:58 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Life insurance provider John Hancock has announced that it is expanding its Apple Watch program so that new and existing members of its Vitality program can receive a 40mm ‌Apple Watch‌ Series 5 for an initial payment of just $25 plus tax. The cost of the ‌Apple Watch‌ is split up into 24 monthly payments, which can be paid off by walking, running, biking, swimming, or completing various other exercises. Vitality members must earn at least 500 fitness-related Vitality Points per month over two years to avoid owing any of the instalments. Additional fees apply for customers who choose a cellular model or other more expensive models. By connecting the Vitality Today app to Apple's Health app and confirming data sharing, customers can earn Vitality Points for Light, Standard, and Advanced Workouts towards the monthly goal. Customers can also share steps measured by their iPhone or ‌Apple Watch‌, as well as active calories from the ‌Apple Watch‌. The Vitality program is available with select John Hancock life insurance policies in the United States. The free ‌Apple Watch‌ Series 5 offer will be available starting this fall everywhere except New York and Puerto Rico. John Hancock, owned by Manulife Financial, first started offering Apple Watches to a limited number of members in 2016, before opening the program to all Vitality members the following year. In a recent survey of John Hancock Vitality members with ‌Apple Watch‌, 84 percent stated they are motivated to exercise by their ‌Apple Watch‌ and 90 percent wear an ‌Apple Watch‌ seven days a week. In
Read Full Article • 39 comments

US, UK, and Australia Urge Zuckerberg Not to Extend Encrypted Messaging to Facebook and Instagram

Friday October 4, 2019 2:26 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
U.S., U.K., and Australian officials have contacted Facebook to request that it provides authorities with a way to access encrypted messages sent by users over the social network, it was revealed today. Facebook-owned WhatsApp already uses end-to-end encryption to ensure only senders and recipients can read messages, but Facebook intends to extend the same protocols to its Messenger and Instagram Direct chat platforms. However, government officials have penned an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asking him not to go ahead with the plan – or if it does, to at least give authorities a way to read encrypted messages for reasons of law enforcement, and in particular to prevent child sexual exploitation. A draft of the letter, obtained by BuzzFeed News, is set to be released in tandem with an announcement on a new data-sharing agreement between law enforcement in the U.S. and the U.K. aimed at removing barriers to cross-border surveillance. "We are writing to request that Facebook does not proceed with its plan to implement end-to-end encryption across its messaging services without ensuring that there is no reduction to user safety," the letter reads. "Risks to public safety from Facebook’s proposals are exacerbated in the context of a single platform that would combine inaccessible messaging services with open profiles, providing unique routes for prospective offenders to identify and groom our children." "Security enhancements to the virtual world should not make us more vulnerable in the physical world. Companies should not deliberately design
Read Full Article • 30 comments

Apple Bans App That Allowed Hong Kong Protestors to Track Police Movements [Updated x2]

Thursday October 3, 2019 4:03 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple has reportedly banned an app that allows Hong Kong protestors to track protests and police movements in the city state, despite increasing international condemnation against the violence used by the authorities. According to The Register, Apple has told the makers of the HKmap Live app that it can't be allowed in the App Store because it helps protestors to evade the police. "Your app contains content - or facilitates, enables, and encourages an activity - that is not legal ... specifically, the app allowed users to evade law enforcement," the American tech giant told makers of the HKmap Live on Tuesday before pulling it.Opposition to the Chinese state and the Hong Kong authorities has grown louder, driven by an escalation in violence against protestors over the past week. On Wednesday, thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong to denounce the shooting of an unarmed teenage student by police. Tsang Chi-kin was shot in the chest at point-blank range on Tuesday. He remains in hospital in stable but critical condition after surgery to remove the bullet, which narrowly missed his heart. The rise in police violence has led protesters to make use of digital networking and collaborative tools to organize street gatherings, with services like HKmap Live being used to help them avoid what they perceive as government-orchestrated attacks. This isn't the first time Apple has acted to remove apps from the ‌App Store‌ to abide by Chinese law. In July 2017, Apple removed the majority of VPN apps from the ‌App Store‌ in China, following regulations passed
Read Full Article • 85 comments

Analyst Survey Suggests Most Netflix Users Don't Plan to Subscribe to Apple TV+

Thursday October 3, 2019 3:33 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Three-quarters of Netflix subscribers have no intention of subscribing to either Apple TV+ or Disney+ when they launch next month, according to surveys conducted by Piper Jaffray (via CNBC). According to the investment banker's survey of 1,500 Netflix subscribers, roughly 75 percent don't intend to subscribe to the upcoming rival streaming services, although those who do subscribe to ‌Apple TV‌+ or Disney+ also expect to keep their Netflix subscription going. "Our survey suggests that the majority (~75%) of Netflix subscribers do not intend to subscribe to either Disney+ or ‌Apple TV‌+. For those that do expect to use one of these offerings, the vast majority expect to also maintain their Netflix subscription," Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson said. "Most existing Netflix subscribers appear to be trending towards multiple streaming video subscriptions, especially as many continue to reduce their spend on traditional TV offerings," Olson said.The survey should provide some comfort for Netflix investors following news of slowing subscriber growth over the last three months, along with fears about the effect that the new streaming competition will have on the company's stock price. As CNBC's Michael Bloom notes, optimistic forecasts for Netflix were nearly universal on Wall Street as recently as July, but Netflix stock has since dropped nearly 30 percent and effectively wiped out its 2019 gains. Amid the challenges, Netflix has been looking at new marketing strategies to help fend off its upcoming rivals. For example, the streaming leader has been offering
Read Full Article • 49 comments