Apple voices support for Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) bill

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

Apple Pride

Continuing its efforts in supporting various equal rights campaigns in recent years,  Apple has voiced its support for a new equal rights bill in Houston through a statement issued by the Human Rights Campaign organization. Business Houston Journal reports that the organization issued the statement below on Apple’s behalf in support of the bill known as Proposition 1, or Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO), ahead of voting on the bill ending October 30.

Apple said in a statement to Houston Unites: “Apple is proud to be a part of Houston with four stores that employ over 500 people. Our stores and our company are open to everyone, regardless of where they come from, what they look like, how they worship or who they love. Apple supports Proposition 1 as it sends a clear message that Houston is focused on a future of inclusion, diversity and continued prosperity.”

The Human Rights Campaign describes the bill as protecting “Houston residents and visitors from discrimination in housing, employment and business services on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion and 11 other characteristics.” It has more information on its website here.

Apple has been quite active in equal rights campaigns in recent years while CEO Tim Cook has made it clear that tackling these issues inside of Apple and supporting equal rights in general will be a focus for both himself personally and the company going forward.

The company has offered its support for many equal rights related laws on several occasions in recent memory, and it started reporting its own company diversity data for the first time last year.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, bill, Equal Rights, equality, Hero, Houston, Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, HRC, Human Rights Campaign, LGBT, Proposition 1, Texas

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Amazon follows through on threat, yanking all Apple TV hardware from leading online retail store

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

amzappletv21

Following through on a threat made earlier this month, Amazon has pulled all Apple TV hardware from its online stores, regardless of whether it was being sold by Amazon directly or third-party vendors in Amazon’s Marketplace. The removal coincides with today’s official release of the fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple’s first model to launch with an App Store full of third-party apps.

Amazon notified third-party merchants that it planned to remove both Apple TVs and Google’s Chromecasts from its listings, claiming an interest in reducing “consumer confusion” over streaming media players that don’t “interact well with Prime Video,” Amazon’s streaming video service. Apple TV and Chromecast pages currently lead to 404 Document Not Found error pages, while attempts to search for the products now redirect to Amazon’s own Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, PlayStation TV, and a collection of off-brand alternatives. Certain Apple TV accessories remain available for purchase, however…

It’s unclear why Amazon hasn’t followed numerous rivals in developing a tvOS-compatible app for the Apple TV, though relations between Apple and Amazon have been prickly since the leading online retailer began selling its own direct rivals to the iPad, Apple TV, and iPhone. Using an iOS app, Prime Video users have previously been able to watch videos on iPads and iPhones, as well as through past Apple TVs using AirPlay. Amazon has continued to offer both Prime subscriptions and the vast majority of its product catalog to Apple users, albeit without submitting to Apple’s 30% revenue-sharing demands for iOS apps.

Filed under: Apple TV, Tech Industry Tagged: Amazon, Amazon Prime, Apple, Apple TV, Prime Instant Video

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9to5Toys Lunch Break: 21″ iMac (newest version) $950, iPhone 6s/Plus cases from $3, iPhone car mount $7, more

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

9to5toys-header

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

apple-imac-mk142ll-a

Apple 21-inch iMac (newest version) 1.6GHz/8GB/1TB: $950 shipped (Reg. $1,099)

12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,099 shipped (Reg. $1,299)

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB: $1,280 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

panimini-iphone-6-case-sale

iPhone 6s/Plus accessories: ULAK cases from $3, Griffin and Case-Mate 20% off, more

Aukey Magnetic Cradle-less Car Air Vent Mount-sale-01

Aukey Magnetic Cradle-less Car Air Vent Mount $4.50 Prime shipped (Reg. $7)

apple-tv

PSA: Best Buy and others launch new Apple TV pre-orders, offer potential savings

The best accessories for the new Apple TV: MFi game controllers, keyboards, cables, more

apple-watch-target

Target ad leak reveals planned Apple Watch discount for iPhone purchasers

polk-audio-s2-speaker

Giveaway: Polk Audio’s Omni Whole Home Music System – Soundbar w/ subwoofer and S2 Speaker ($880 value)

More new gear from today:

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Headphones: Audio-Technica Over-Ears $100 (Orig. $250), URGE Basics Bluetooth Earbuds $9 (Reg. $19), more

More deals still alive:

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Logitech K480 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard (refurb) $20 shipped (Orig. $50)

rop-free-app-of-the-week-sale-08

App Store Free App of the Week: rop mind-bending puzzle game ($1 value)

A Dark Room — the best-selling iPhone/iPad RPG is now available for free (Reg. $1)

New products & more:

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GE’s new smart LED lightbulbs tell your brain when it’s time for bed

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This life-size R2-D2 refrigerator carries your beer to you…for a price

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, iMac, iPhone 6/6s cases, video games

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Video suggests Nexus 6P bends easier than iPhone 6 Plus, scratches like an iPhone 5

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

nexus-6p-bends

There’s nothing like a little controversy when a new smartphone is launched to get people debating online. Remember ‘#scratchgate’ when the iPhone 5’s slate blue anodized finished scratched off really easily? Or last year’s iPhone 6 Plus, which some said bent really easily? Put those two hashtag-gates together and you apparently have the latest flagship Android phone. The Nexus 6P is the newest pure Android phone from Google, and is about to come under some new scrutiny from prospective buyers thanks to a video from Jerry Rig Everything on YouTube…

In the video, Jerry takes the Nexus 6P, made by Huawei, through a series of tests to see how durable it is. He tests its ability to withstand scratching, overheating and bending. Sadly, the phone didn’t do so well in any of the three tests:

Testing nine different materials with increasing hardness against the display reveals that it will start to scratch from friction with any product that has a rating of 6 or higher on Mohs scale of hardness. What’s perhaps worse is that having scratched the screen, a light tap on the front glass panel made a long crack appear along the surface. He scratched the back metal too and noted how incredibly easy the anodized finish was to mark permanently, even with some keys.

To test the display’s performance against extreme heat, he took a flame to the panel and, again, it doesn’t do so well. The flame caused a white spot to burn in to the display panel which didn’t go away.

Then came the bend test. And to quote Jerry, his “little sister could have bent this phone in half with her hands”. In the comments section in response to a question, he even said the phone bent easier than an iPhone 6 Plus. So it’s practically made from paper… or not.

The problem with the bend test part is that the phone’s structure has already been compromised when the screen cracked. As you can see in this video, an unharmed version of the same phone is almost impossible to bend:

One commenter in a growing thread on reddit puts it like this:

Can confirm, this is the reason right here. Cracked glass means that you no longer have a boxed structure – you’re effectively bending a flat sheet of aluminum now.

In automotive and aerospace engineering, we call this a “body in white”, compared to a fully assembled vehicle. In a car, the front and rear windshield alone increase the stiffness of the frame by a factor of 2x. This is why crash testing is done with a fully assembled car, rather than just the frame and restraint system.

While it’s probably not a perfect analogy, it does explain the results pretty well. What’s more, it’s worth noting the phone cracked and bent in the same area the heat did the worst damage to the display. Extreme heat undoubtedly compromised that part of the phone.

Filed under: General, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Android, bendgate, iOS devices, iPhone 5, iphone 6 plus, Nexus 6P, scratchgate, videos

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Apple Music Diary: Really appreciating it while my main Mac is being repaired

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

apple-music

After a rough start and a mixed early experience, I did finally press the button on Apple Music – a decision I’m grateful for at present as my main Mac is away for repair. This diary piece is as much about that experience as Apple Music, but I will get to music, I promise …

I love a large screen on a laptop, so have stuck doggedly to my 17-inch MacBook Pro, despite the fact that it’s now four years old. It’s a maxed-out late-2011 machine that has been very heavily upgraded over the years, with 16GB RAM and 2TB of SSD storage, and consequently still offers decent performance.

Until recently … 

First, it started really struggling to drive my 27-inch Apple Thunderbolt Display, something it had done perfectly happily up until that point. That issue was rapidly followed by graphics glitches on the laptop’s own screen, and finally random crashes. I’m awaiting a diagnosis, but all the signs point to the infamous GPU failure thankfully now covered by Apple’s Repair Extension Program.

As soon as the graphics glitches started, I immediately supplemented my normal automated backups (Time Capsule, external drive and Dropbox) with a manual copy of my entire Documents folder to another external drive, so that I’d have more convenient access to files when I’d dropped the MBP 17 in for repair.

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I have been accused of being surgically attached to my MBP 17. In addition to use for work, it also contains a big chunk of my life – all my photos and music, for example. I’ll admit I was concerned about how massive a hassle it was going to be without it for the week I’ve been told to expect the diagnosis and repair to take.

But, two days in, the answer appears to be less of a hassle than expected. I’m fortunate enough to have a second Mac: a mid-2013 Core i5 11-inch MacBook Air that serves as my main writing machine when on the move, and also comes in very handy for cycling holidays. For the moment, that machine is now my only Mac.

I’m extremely impressed with how well the MacBook Air is coping with its increased duties. It drives my 27-inch display perfectly – something the 12-inch MacBook can’t do – and despite only 4GB RAM, it chugs along quite happily with a dozen apps open at once. The external drive gives me access to all my documents.

I miss my 17-inch screen a lot. But one thing I haven’t missed is my music.

music

Thanks to first iTunes Match and now Apple Music, all of my own music is available in the cloud. I had literally nothing to do to get full access to it, exactly as if it were sitting on my MacBook Air. I simply opened iTunes on my MacBook Air and there it all was.

All my playlists are there. Every album, artist and track. Sure, all my own music has a little cloud icon next to it, but on a fast broadband connection, there is almost no discernible difference between the music being on my Mac and sitting thousands of miles away. (It will get rather closer in a couple of years, but still has to cross the Atlantic for now.)

The same is true on my iPhone. Usually I just load it up with a ton of music so I have access to it offline (the main reason I went for a 128GB phone), but if I want to stream or download anything not stored on the device, I can.

Granted, iTunes Match would have let me do all of that before Apple Music came along, but my music listening behavior has continued to evolve. Back when I used Spotify, I still listened to local music around 80% of the time. But as Apple Music’s ‘For You’ recommendations continue to get better and better as I continue to provide it with feedback, it’s now much closer to 50/50. That’s something I couldn’t have imagined when I first started listening to the service.

I don’t know why the out-of-the-box performance of Apple Music was so poor. As I wrote at the end of week one, Apple has so much data on my musical tastes, its recommendations should have been fantastic, right from the start.

iTunes knows more about my musical tastes than my girlfriend. More than my neighbours, who have sometimes been more familiar with my musical tastes than they might wish. More than any of my friends – even the one who kindly ripped all my CDs for me on his high-end PC with multiple DVD drives.

Think about that for a moment. iTunes knows every single artist, album and track I own. Not only that, but it knows which ones I have put into what playlists. It even knows the exact number of times I have played every single track!

Yet somehow it wasn’t.

But that was then, and this is now, and I have to say that I’m blown away by how good Apple Music’s recommendations are now. Unless it’s listening to my own music library, I hardly ever leave the ‘For You’ tab. Its mood-based playlists are great. Its artist-based playlists are excellent. And since I decided to pretend that ‘Intro to’ really says ‘Easy playlist for,’ I’ve even enjoyed listening to quite a few of those.

The albums it suggests do still include more of my owned music than I’d ideally like, so I’ll give those a ‘Must try harder’ rating for now. But really that’s my only complaint.

I’d become an Apple Music fan before, but being able to switch to a different Mac and simply carry on as usual with both owned and streamed music has made me a bigger one.

As always, do take our poll, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

You can read my full Apple Music Diary series here. You may also enjoy my Apple Watch Diary and opinion pieces.

Filed under: Apple Music, Opinion Tagged: 17-inch MacBook Pro, Apple Music, Apple Music diary, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Pro 17, Opinion

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Apple’s latest Android app is already getting trolled by 1-star reviews

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

Pill+ App

Apple can’t catch a break on Android. When Apple released its first app on Google’s platform last month called Move to iOS, Android fans were quick to negatively rate the app that only existed to help people switch from Android to iPhone. To date, Move to iOS has roughly 30,000 1 star reviews to only 10,000 5 star reviews with not much happening in the middle.

Now Apple has its second Android app on the Google Play Store called Beats Pill+. It’s a companion app to Apple’s new portable Bluetooth speaker with the same name, allowing both Android and iPhone users to pair two speakers as stereo or amplified and use a DJ feature for queueing up tracks from multiple phones.

And the reviews? Just as extreme despite Beats speakers working with both iPhone and Android and only recently being bought by Apple…

Pill+ reviews

At the 1 star end we have:

Apple need Android users to stay alive. Amazing how many apple lovers are giving it five stars. But obviously are using android to review it. You downloaded the wrong app people. It’s called move to iOS. Go back where you belong.

Doesn’t work as advertised I left my Benadryl in the other room so I downloaded this app with hopes that it’d use its Bluetooth or cloud services or whatever to fetch it for me. It did no such thing. One star.

Does not work with my prescription pills I tried to pair this with my pills but it simply does not work. Thanks apple!!!

Incorrectly advertised Downloaded this app expecting it to be a cloud-based prescription medication reminder. Instead it’s some Google play music knockoff. Uninstalled, don’t know what the developer was thinking when they made this.

Duh.. what?? I thought this app will scratch my back where i cannot reach. Does nothing of that sort. Fail apple. One star.

And at the 5 star end, lots of reviewers are trying to counter the negative ratings:

Disregard the one star reviews Just a bunch of Android fanboys who are attacking Apple for nothing. Mark the trolls as spam

Looks great Don’t have a Beats pill, but the app looks great. 5 stars to combat the pointless 1 stars

Because It’s Apple Everything Apple makes is golden. Or rose golden.

If there’s one thing to learn here, it’s that Apple should brace for the same behavior at a much larger scale when Apple Music for Android launches this year. Beats Music, which existed on Android for a while before Apple bought Beats, comparatively enjoys over 130,000 five star ratings versus just 18,000 one star reviews. Hates gonna hate, hate, hate…

Filed under: General, Tech Industry Tagged: Android, Apple, Beats, Beats Pill, Google Play Store

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The 10 best Apple TV apps to grab on day one (and honorable mentions)

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

appletvappstore

After years of waiting, the Apple TV finally has its own App Store, and it’s already populated with a surprisingly large number of worthwhile apps and games. We’ve been testing them and looking to see what’s hot and not for day one Apple TV buyers, including some titles compatible with third-party Apple-authorized game controllers.

Here are 10 of our top early picks, plus some honorable mentions that you may want to grab anyway despite some early issues. There are even several games that support 3DTVs (which are now heavily discounted), a little-known feature of the new Apple TV…

geometrywars3

1. Geometry Wars 3 Dimensions Evolved. If you want to show off the gaming potential of your new Apple TV, this is unquestionably the first thing you should download. Featuring the same killer electronica soundtrack and 3D vector graphics as the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Mac versions, Activision’s intense overhead shooter looks awesome on the new Apple TV. Better yet, the game works on both tvOS and iOS devices, so one purchase lets you cross-play, even carrying your saved games over through the cloud. Download it here.

hulu

2. Hulu. Although Netflix has the better overall content library right now, Hulu has a better day one Apple TV app, thanks to an interface that actually lets you dig down into its library in a familiar way. Hulu features numerous seasons worth of TV shows from major U.S. television networks, alongside a smaller collection of movies. If you’re looking to start enjoying all-you-can-watch streaming video, this is one of the two best places to start, though individual channel-specific apps (such as NBC, CBS, and FOX) are beginning to pop up with some overlapping content. A free trial is available to see if the service fits your needs. Download the app here.

luminocity

3. Lumino City. If you prefer your games to be relaxing rather than intense, you’ll be blown away by the presentation of Lumino City by State of Play Games. Dreamy music and a highly original visual style turn a point-and-click adventure into a seemingly living diorama — the developer calls it a “handmade world,” noting that it was made with paper, cards, lights, and motors. Cartoony characters move through photorealistic and semi-realistic backdrops, as you use a circular cursor to guide Lumi through a city to find her kidnapped grandfather. Download it here.

funnyordie

4. Funny Or Die. Conspicuously absent from prior generations of the Apple TV, the Will Ferrell- and Adam McKay-developed collection of comedy videos is sometimes NSFW, but packed with funny content. Consider Zach Galifianakis’s entire Between Two Ferns series for a (brief) binge watch after grabbing this free app. Download it here.

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5. Shoot The Zombirds. Perfectly timed for a Halloween debut on the Apple TV, this inexpensive, classic iOS shooter looks surprisingly beautiful on a large screen — and works across iOS and tvOS. You’re a pumpkin-headed archer trying to keep spooky birds from stealing baby pumpkins from a moonlit pumpkin patch, using the touch surface to fire arrows from the bow into as many birds at once as possible. It’s a fun, cheap game; download it here.

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6. Netflix. Probably the single-best video content app on the Apple TV, Netflix is worth grabbing because of the sheer quantity of high-quality content amassed (and developed) by the service over the past few years. While the app is a bit underdeveloped on day one, lacking for some of the category search features it really needs, you can make your way through the library using text searches (and, if you’re lucky, Siri searches). Download it here.

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7. Rayman Adventures. Staggering production values and all-age-appropriate content make this action-platforming game a must-see for gamers. Controlled simply — Rayman runs automatically, letting you control jumps, punches, and interactions with one button and directional swipes — this adaptation of the classic side-scroller looks and sounds just like a console game. It’ll do until deeper platformers are developed for tvOS; for now, it appears to be an Apple TV exclusive (with other versions apparently coming soon). Download it here.

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8. Jetpack Joyride. Halfbrick’s classic one-button fly-and-dodge game has seen excellent updates and support since its release on iOS, and the Apple TV version is even better. Featuring the Back to the Future theme previously added to the iOS game, it starts with a familiar, rousing score that really makes great use of your TV’s speakers, and lets you live out your flying Delorean fantasties. Jetpack Joyride is an ideal introduction to casual gaming for the unfamiliar, and offers tons of fun (including costume and power-up customization) for free. Download it here.

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9. YouTube. Visually sparing from an interface standpoint but loaded with free video content, YouTube has come a long way since Steve Jobs introduced it as an early third-party channel for the first-generation Apple TV. Untold quantities of professionally produced video now dominate the site, allowing you to watch everything from SNL skits to in-game videos to press conferences — at this point, accompanied by relatively painless advertising. Download it here.

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10. Beat Sports. Debuted alongside the Apple TV, this Harmonix-developed combination of music rhythm gaming and sports is appropriate for all ages, and appears to have been built specifically for tvOS. Featuring music by Masaya Matsuura, one of the geniuses behind Sony’s breakthrough PlayStation rhythm game PaRappa the Rapper, it ably uses the Siri Remote’s motion and touch capabilities, and has the overall look and feel of a full-fledged console game. It’s notably not iOS-compatible, and can currently only be downloaded through the Apple TV, but a free companion app to use your iPhone or iPod touch for multi-player gameplay can be downloaded here.

nanosaur2

Honorable Mention: Nanosaur 2: Hatchling. While this aged Mac game isn’t worthy of top 10 status, this 3D flying/shooting title merits a mention because Pangea Software added 3DTV support, spotlighting a little-known capability of the new Apple TV hardware. Nanosaur 2 runs fine on regular HDTVs as well, but supports 3D glasses if your TV does, via a settings screen. An epic soundtrack and smooth graphics help to make up for the regrettable lack of explanation as to how the game controls with the Siri Remote; be prepared for some early frustration trying to figure out how to fly. If you prefer walk-and-jump action, or overhead shooting, look at Pangea’s other titles (Bugdom 2, Otto Matic and Nucleus) instead. You can download Nanosaur 2 here.

asphalt8appletv4

Honorable Mention: Asphalt 8: Airborne. Gameloft’s iOS-dominating 3-D driving game may be years old at this point, but it continues to add content and features at an impressive clip. The Apple TV version (thankfully) features Bluetooth controller support (which you may find necessary after trying the Siri Remote), tons of unlockable content, impressive music, and super-fluid 3D graphics. Just be prepared for interminable loading times to grab tracks and new challenges, thanks to Apple’s 200MB initial app download limit. Download it here.

wordsgalore

Honorable Mention: Words Galore! People love to find words hidden in a sea of letters. Digitalglen’s Words Galore! provides multiple skill levels ranging from beginner (for kids) to expert, with several different variations including timed and timer-less games. Easier levels stick with themes kids will like (animals), and you can choose between a bright UI or a dark mode that won’t light up your room. Use of the Siri Remote to select hidden words, particularly on diagonals, is a bit of a challenge.

tvworkout

Honorable Mention: 7 Minute TV Workout. Roman Shevtsov’s 7 Minute TV Workout cycles through 12 “scientifically proven exercises,” using the left side of the screen to play 30-second videos of a woman doing jumping jacks, plunges, squats, and other quick workouts, each ending with a brief “rest” before moving on to the next activity. The app includes a Progress Calendar and explanations of each of the exercises, referencing a New York Times article to suggest that the brief workout has positive health benefits, and can be repeated multiple times for a longer exercise cycle. While it’s a very early offering, it shows how the Apple TV with a large HDTV can evolve into a more compelling fitness tool than an iPhone or iPad.

More From This Author

Check out more of my editorials, How-To guides, and reviews for 9to5Mac here! I’ve covered a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users. I’ve recently discussed how to safely prepare and wipe your iPhone for resale or trade-in, and how to get the best iPhone trade-in price to help buy an iPhone 6s, amongst many other topics.

Filed under: Apple TV, General, iOS Tagged: Apple TV, Apple TV apps, tvOS

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Video game pioneer betting on the Apple Watch as the ideal platform when online gambling is legalized

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

apple-watch-slots

Video game pioneer Larry DeMar believes that the Apple Watch is the ideal platform for slot machine gaming if and when other U.S. states legalize online gambling. DeMar created the popular arcade machine game Defender, and now works on slot-machine games for casinos.

At present, online gaming for real money is legal only in New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware – and the App Store bans gambling apps. But DeMar thinks that will change, reports the Chicago Tribune.

He wants to be ready if more states legalize online gaming, something he and his brother – Steven DeMar, LED Gaming’s director of business development – believe is inevitable.

“The money is going to have to come from somewhere,” Steven DeMar said, referring to states’ need for tax revenue.

DeMar’s company LED Gaming is getting ready by offering a slot-machine app for the Watch that currently allows people to play with credits but could be adapted to use real money. When your credits run out, you can either wait an hour to be given more, or ‘buy’ some by watching an ad.

DeMar says the Apple Watch is a great platform for the game thanks to a winning combination of crisp graphics and haptic feedback, allowing users to ‘feel’ the game.

Betting on a combination of changes to both law and Apple’s App Store policy may seem a long-shot, but I guess the gambling mentality comes with the territory for DeMar.

Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, Apple Watch games, Apple Watch slot machine app, casino, Gambling apps, Gaming apps, Slot machine

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Apple’s artificial intelligence work is being hurt by its extreme secrecy, says AI academics

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

apple-ai

Apple’s famed obsession with secrecy in its product development process is hampering its work in the field of artificial intelligence, say academics working in the field. Bloomberg reports that AI experts believe that lack of two-way sharing of information slows development.

“Apple is off the scale in terms of secrecy,” says Richard Zemel, a professor in the computer science department at the University of Toronto. “They’re completely out of the loop.”

Apple Maps was cited as an example of what can go wrong when AI teams within Apple are cut off from other work being done in the field – and even from researchers in other teams within Apple. Worse, it is claimed, the approach makes it impossible for Apple to recruit the brightest people in the field …

“The really strong people don’t want to go into a closed environment where it’s all secret,” says Yoshua Bengio, an AI pioneer and professor of computer science at the University of Montreal. “The differentiating factors are, ‘Who are you going to be working with?’ ‘Am I going to stay a part of the scientific community?’ ‘How much freedom will I have?’ ”

The secrecy at Apple means that those researchers who do attend conferences don’t present papers or even say who they work for unless directly asked. Apple doesn’t even allow new AI hires to update their LinkedIn accounts or announce their position on Twitter, according to Graham Taylor, a professor of machine learning at Ontario’s University of Guelph.

Academics have previously said that Apple’s commitment to the privacy of its customer data also poses a challenge for the company. Machine learning relies heavily on crunching large amounts of data to identify patterns, but Apple deliberately limits the amount of data sent from iPhones to its servers.

Apple recently acquired Perceptio, a startup specialising in technology that allows AI systems to be run on smartphones while limiting the amount of user data shared with cloud-based servers.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: AI, Apple Inc, Apple Maps, Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, Siri

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You can buy the Apple TV from today in Apple Stores, Best Buy, MacMall & other retailers

by | Oct 30, 2015 |

apple-tv

Apple has confirmed our report that the Apple TV is available in its retail stores from this morning, with Best Buy, MacMall and Target also having limited stock available for pickup starting today.

Apple has sent an email to some customers promoting the 4th-generation Apple TV as ‘the future of television,’ highlighting apps, Siri remote and the new user interface. Apple’s email contains links to both the online store and retail store-finder.

If you’re planning to pick one up, you’ll need to choose between the two models available … 

Apple offers a choice of a 32GB model at $149 or a 64GB one for $199, with the 32GB model likely to be adequate for most. While the App Store has not yet officially launched, developers using pre-release models have been able to search for apps.

Eddy Cue said yesterday that Apple TV had graduated from a hobby, confusingly saying that the company had sold over 20M of the earlier models, in contrast to the 25M number given by Tim Cook during the recent earnings call.

If you’ve already decided to buy one, you may want to check out our roundup of the best accessories for the device over at 9to5Toys. If you’re still undecided, a review roundup and hands-on video may help – though one common complaint in reviews is already being addressed by Apple.

Filed under: Apple TV Tagged: Apple Retail Store, Apple Store, Apple TV, Siri

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