It’s been an interesting day for user number stories out of Apple over the weekend. Early Sunday morning it was reported that Apple Music has reached 10 million paying subscribers, or half way to what Spotify currently claims, and a story published late Sunday night includes an interesting confession from Apple’s services guy Eddy Cue. The Apple exec told the WSJ that the company hasn’t been accurately counting the number of users actively using its new Apple News app.

“We’re in the process of fixing that now, but our numbers are lower than reality,” he said. “We don’t know what the right number is,” but he added that it was better to undercount than overcount traffic.

Despite the glitch, Mr. Cue said Apple is pleased with the product so far. He said most feedback from publishers has been positive. Usage has “scaled very fast…but it doesn’t mean we don’t all want more,” he said.

The lower-than-reality numbers have been shared with publishers that use the number to make decisions about using supporting the platform and optionally advertising through it.

While the admission of an error in the process is a bit odd, it partially puts Apple in a positive light as Apple News user numbers that may have not impressed partners can positively be revised once the tracking mistake is resolved. Three months ago when the tracking issue was presumably not known, Tim Cook confidently reported that iOS 9’s new Apple News app had drawn 40 million users during its first month as it expanded beyond the USA to the UK and Australia.

When Apple’s 40 million users figure was put out, it was widely questioned what actually counts as a user with some 9to5Mac readers sharing that the News app was rarely used although they may technically be counted as a user. Interestingly, Tim Cook is scheduled to address analysts and investors at the end of the month when Apple announces its quarterly earnings report from the holiday period. One thing to watch on January 26th is whether or not Apple once again tries to share Apple News user numbers.

In the meantime, let us know in our poll and in the comments below whether or not you actually use the new Apple News app introduced in iOS 9 as a replacement for the now retired Newsstand system:

Apple News has expanded beyond the USA and added new features since first debuting in September, and stories from 9to5Mac can be found through the app as well, so are you actively using Apple News or is it just another app in a folder on your iPhone or iPad?

Filed under: iOS Tagged: apple news, Eddy Cue, iOS 9, Newsstand

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According to the Financial Times, Apple has passed 10 million paying subscribers for Apple Music. Apple Music launched in June 2015 with a three month free trial. Since the launch, Apple announced it has 6.5 million paying subscribers in October. In November, Apple launched Apple Music on Android which no doubt attracted a significant chunk of additional new users.

Crossing ten million is a significant symbolic milestone, as it now means Apple Music is half as large as Spotify’s paid userbase.

The growth of Apple Music relative to Spotify is impressive; it took six years for Spotify to report 10 million paid subscribers. Apple Music has achieved that number in a little of six months. However, it is important to remember that much of Spotify’s business is derived from free users as most customers use the free ad-supported version.

Apple has relied on numerous exclusives with artists to push its streaming music service to customers. Most recently, in December, Apple offered Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour video as a free perk for Apple Music members.

Filed under: Apple Music, iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: 10 million, Android, Apple Music, iOS, Spotify, ten million

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Apple launched a Move to iOS app in September, pictured, that enables Android users to quickly transfer documents, photos, contacts and other personal data to a new iPhone. This eases the pain for Android users to switch to iOS, which clearly benefits Apple. Interestingly, the Telegraph is reporting that Apple is now developing a similar tool that goes in the opposite direction, letting iPhone users more easily transfer to Android devices.

Why would Apple want to do something like this? The Telegraph explanation is that it is related to European competition fears. Mobile operators in Europe have complained that few users switch away from iPhone which inhibits negotiations with Apple over contractual terms.

The telecoms operators are concerned that Apple is artificially limiting competition by making it hard to leave the iOS ecosystem. Hence, it seems Apple has agreed to help in this area by making this transitioning tool. The report ‘says Apple has privately agreed’ to make the service, so a public launch is unclear.

Whilst it is unlikely Apple would honor the requests out of the goodness of their hearts, it is possible that the telecoms operators could have presented the issue as an anticompetitive complaint which could have let to legal action in court. This is just speculation, but it explains why Apple would be cooperative. In October, Apple said the rate of Android switchers was at the highest point ever for new iPhone sales.

The European Commission began an investigation in 2013 over Apple’s terms with mobile operators, but the investigation was dropped as insufficient evidence of illicit behaviour was found.

Apple’s Move to iOS app annoyed Android users, garnering thousands of 1 stars in the Google Play Store. Perhaps they would be more receptive to an app that sent users in the other direction …

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: android switcher, iPhone, Move to iOS

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With its resources from the 2014 acquisition of headphone maker Beats Electronics, Apple is prototyping a completely new set of Bluetooth earphones with the potential of launching the accessory alongside the iPhone 7 this fall. The new earphones are said to be completely wireless, which is to say that they do not even have a cable connecting the left and right ear pieces. Sources say that the headphones are similar in concept to the Motorola Hint headset (pictured above) and Bragi’s new Dash headphones that were shown at CES this week.

It’s expected that the in-development accessory will include a noise-cancelling microphone system, enabling phone calls and communication with Siri even without Apple’s prior in-line microphone and remote. In order to fit inside of the user’s ear, Apple will likely develop different sized ear sleeves for the hardware, similar to the approach used by Motorola and Bragi. Bragi’s headphones include a built-in button to answer calls, so Apple’s could have a control for managing calls and activating Siri.

The headphones are planned to be a premium alternative to a new version of the EarPods, and are highly likely to be sold separately from the iPhone 7; a comparable model from Bragi will retail for $300. As has been previously rumored, sources confirm that the iPhone 7 will not include a standard headphone jack and will instead require headphones to connect via the Lightning connector or wirelessly over Bluetooth. The ability for headphones to connect over Lightning has been included in iOS since 2014, and new EarPods will support this.

The latest version of the new wireless Apple/Beats headphones in development do not include any ports for charging, in contrast to the mini-USB port on the current wireless Beats. Instead, the new headphones are likely to come with a carrying case that doubles as a rechargeable battery to juice up the headphones when they are not in use. Apple first tested the battery case waters last month with an iPhone 6 battery case. While Apple hopes to launch the new earphones this fall, the hardware is still in development and could be delayed by battery life concerns. As the design requires twin wireless chips and separate batteries, sub-4-hour battery life without use of the case would be expected.

The iPhone 7 is likely to debut this fall, but sources say that Apple has not yet finalized the design of the handset. Case makers tell us that Apple is currently testing three different designs for the iPhone 7, including a completely new, thinner look as well as a backup design that looks substantially like the iPhone 6s. Since 2014, the Apple-owned Beats division has released Apple Music as well as minor updates to existing headphone lines, so this new wireless pair will mark the first major hardware launch of the merged companies.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, Beats, Bluetooth, headphones, iPhone 7, Lightning, Thinner, Wireless

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Remember that class-action lawsuit alleging AppleCare+ customers were being given subpar replacement products? This week a federal judge rejected the case while calling the plantiffs’ lawyer “manifestly incompetent” and suggesting the counsel orchestrated the entire case.

ArsTechnica reports the judge’s rejection this week claimed the lawyer encouraged the plaintiffs to purchase AppleCare plans and record interactions with Apple employees “for the purpose of initiating this lawsuit.”

But none of the plaintiffs were disgruntled consumers who went looking for a lawyer after getting bad service. Galindo was a paralegal for Renee Kennedy, the lawyer who filed the lawsuit, and Adkins had also worked for Kennedy in the past. Kennedy gave them both “monetary gifts to thank them for their excellent work,” and both women used those “gifts” to buy AppleCare Plus, referred to as “AC+” in court papers.

While the case isn’t entirely over, it won’t be a class-action and therefore will likely be on a much smaller scale than it might have been otherwise (if it doesn’t eventually get thrown out altogether).

Under Apple’s current policy for AppleCare plans, the company promises to “exchange the Covered Equipment with a replacement product that is new or equivalent to new in performance and reliability, and is at least functionally equivalent to the original product.” It’s not always the case — the judge found one plaintiff in the case was actually given a brand new device as a replacement — that’s another way of saying you might get refurbished replacement units (or parts for repairs).

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, AppleCare, Class action, Lawsuit, Refurbished

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CarPlay in iOS 9 adds several new features including wireless connectivity over wired Lightning connections, but current cars don’t yet support the new protocol that offers the better experience. None of the new aftermarket displays from Pioneer, JBL, and others from this year support wireless CarPlay, and automakers like Ford and Chevy that are rolling out CarPlay support this year are focusing first on the wired experience and not talking about wireless yet.

CarPlay partner Volkswagen, however, apparently did plan to demonstrate their integration of wireless CarPlay with their concept infotainment system, but pulled the demo from CES this year at Apple’s request, Car and Driver reports:

 “We wanted to demonstrate wireless CarPlay and the owner of CarPlay technology didn’t allow us to,” Volkmar Tannerberger, head of electrical and electronic development at Volkswagen, told Car and Driver.

While hunting the CES floor for any demos of wireless CarPlay this week, I ran into a couple of CarPlay engineers from Apple and asked if anyone was doing wireless yet. I’m generally happy with CarPlay these days aside from a few missing features like sending voice messages, but wireless CarPlay would greatly improve the experience and several readers have asked me about it. Their answer was that the protocol is out there and that it’s up to partners to use it, making the VW incident all the more curious.

Filed under: CarPlay Tagged: CarPlay, Volkswagen

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

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Activeon’s new 4K action camera uses solar power to provide six hours of recording

Satechi adds pass-through charging to its USB-C hub

• Bang & Olufsen releases a new aluminum soundbar with AirPlay and a big price tag
• Reddit has compiled the best AMA sessions into a limited edition book, order now
• Nostalgia runs high on Kodak’s modern take of the Super 8 camera
• Polaroid’s new Snap+ is the beneficiary of a touchscreen display
• Sony takes to CES 2016 with new 4K HDR Ultra HDTVs, multi-room audio, more
• Nikon jumps into the action camera fray with its new Keymission 360
• LG drops new ultra-slim OLED 4K UHDTVs at CES that focus on HDR capabilities
• DJI introduces new 4K drone with a more affordable price, updates Inspire 1 PRO
• Harman Kardon releases a new HD audio multi-room speaker line with outdoor functionality
• Jaybird slates Freedom, X3 Bluetooth 4.0 athletic headphones for Q2 2016
• Parrot’s new DISCO drone hits the skies with 50MPH speeds and extended flight times
• Altec Lansing’s new Bluetooth earbuds are completely wireless and have built-in GPS
• Samsung’s newest ‘Family Hub’ refrigerator sports a Tesla-like 21-inch 1080p display
• Roku announces fresh 4K UHDTVs w/ HDR as 1080p models hit all-time low prices
• Altec Lansing’s new Bluetooth earbuds are completely wireless and have built-in GPS

Filed under: iOS Devices, Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Aukey, Best Buy, Bluetooth, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, Mac App Bundle, MacBook, video games

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While ‘Apple Car‘ is still a highly rumored project that really gained momentum last year, Apple hasn’t officially acknowledged its electric vehicle project publicly yet. Instead, Apple executives have cleverly referenced the rumors during media events while Tim Cook has resisted denying the project. The biggest tease to date comes in the form of new car-related domain names registered to the company that are likely related to the so-called Project Titan.

First discovered by MacRumors, Apple Inc. is the company behind three new car-themed domain names registered last month and revealed today. All three domain names, which include apple.car, apple.auto, and apple.cars, are currently inactive and do not point toward any Apple websites, but the WHOIS registration ties Apple to the domain names which only adds to the likelihood that Apple’s moving forward with its car project.

Aside from Apple’s rumored plans to produce a car in addition to iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches, the company does already have technology in the car space with its iPhone-based CarPlay infotainment feature. CarPlay puts optimized versions of the iPhone’s Messages, Phone, Maps, and Music apps on screens in cars using Siri voice control as the input method.

Apple’s newly registered car-related domains do not point to Apple’s CarPlay site which lists partnered automakers and supported apps, however, which further suggests the new domains are either continued teases or actual domains Apple plans to use in the future. Another possibility is that Apple has picked up the new domain names to prevent others was cashing in on them in the future, but either way the evidence that Apple is developing an electric vehicle is only growing and will surely continue this year.

Filed under: Apple Car Tagged: Apple Car, CarPlay, Project Titan

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of CarPlay, Apple Car, and Apple Car.

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We asked you yesterday to tell us how exciting you found the possibilities opened up by Apple’s patent for twin rear-facing cameras, and the results were very clear: 70.4% of you selected either ‘very exciting’ or ‘take my money.’

In addition to the possible applications I outlined in the piece, some of you had additional ideas that might be made possible by the dual-camera tech which has been rumored for the iPhone 7 …

One thought was to take two photos at different exposures, giving the user the chance to choose between them afterwards – or even allowing HDR video, where you can ensure that both bright and dark parts of video footage are properly exposed in the same way as the iPhone does with HDR stills.

Others wondered whether the approach might allow simulated shallow depth of field, emulating photos taken by large-sensor cameras like DSLRs and high-end compact cameras with APS-C sensors.

3D photography was another suggestion, perhaps creating images which could be used as iPhone wallpaper in a similar way to the existing parallax wallpaper images.

If you have other thoughts on how the technology could be used, do keep them coming.

Image: fiftyfootshadows.net

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple patent, Camera, Cameras, Dual cameras, iPhone, iPhone 7, iPhonography, Patent, twin cameras

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As if Apple’s management wasn’t under enough pressure from the stock falling below $100 yesterday, two firms of analysts have said that the company was either over-optimistic in its iPhone sales expectations or has even been guilty of “deliberately overstating underlying trends.”

Business Insider quotes excerpts from investor notes from Pacific Crest and UBS, each suggesting that Apple has over-estimated iPhone demand. Both point to apparent contradictions between Apple’s predictions of continued growth and supply-chain reports of reduced orders.

UBS says that it believes Apple has been taken by surprise with the relatively low numbers of people upgrading from older iPhones.

We think the most likely reason for a shortfall is that the upgrader portion of unit demand has stalled significantly in recent months and is failing to meet Apple’s own expectations.

The note from Pacific Crest goes much further.

Management’s confidence now looks highly likely to be misplaced, which suggests that it was either ignorant of the challenges it faced or deliberately overstating underlying trends. The former seems unlikely, which suggests that management has taken a much more aggressive tone as growth in the high-end smartphone market has slowed. This reduces our confidence in Apple’s commentary going forward.

Business Insider notes that the Wall Street consensus is for significant year-on-year fall in the current quarter, ranging from Stifel, Aaron Rakers and team forecasting an 8% drop in sales through to Pacific Crest at 18%. Even noted Apple bull Katy Huberty at Morgan Stanley is predicting a 15% fall this quarter.

As we noted earlier, Apple’s guidance for the current quarter will be issued when it reports its holiday quarter numbers on January 26th.

Photo: wallpapersfine.com

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: AAPL, Apple Inc, iPhone, iPhone sales, Morgan Stanley, Supply chain, Wall Street

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