Today at Apple worldwide: The first year in review
Twelve short months ago, Today at Apple sessions rolled out to Apple stores worldwide. Since then, thousands of free programs spanning a range of creative topics, from learning how to use Swift Playgrounds to taking a sketch walk in the community have been held daily. The sessions have become a key part of Apple’s recent retail philosophy which aims to reimagine Apple stores as modern-day town squares. With a full year in the books, it’s a fitting time to review the growth of Today at Apple, how well it has remained true to its goals, and what may be in store for year two.
Apple reduces USB-C to Lightning Cable price amid rumors 2018 iPhones dropping USB-A
Apple’s 1m USB-C to Lightning Cable, which allows faster charging for compatible iPhones and iPads, has been reduced in price. When the cable debuted, the original price was $25 for the 1m version, and $35 for the 2m version.
It appears that last month, Apple quietly dropped the price of the 1m USB-C to Lighting Cable by $6, going from $25 to $19. This change comes amid rumors that new iPhones will drop the USB-A to Lightning Cables in favor of USB-C cables that are able to facilitate faster charging. more…
Call for Facebook to be broken up as EU says it will livestream Zuckerberg’s testimony
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony to Congress was the video stream that launched a thousand memes – and now meme creators will get another opportunity. The European Parliament has announced that its meeting with Zuckerberg tomorrow will also be livestreamed …
Procreate Pocket receives major 2.0 update that’s built from the ground up
Procreate Pocket ($4.99 on App Store) is the iPhone rendition of the popular Procreate drawing app for iPad. Version 2.0 of Procreate Pocket was just released today, and it’s basically a brand new app that has been designed from the ground up with the iPhone in mind.
Procreate Pocket is now built on the same Silica-M Metal engine as the Apple Pencil-powered iPad app, and developer Savage Interactive says that every line of code along with every pixel is new. Procreate Pocket 2.0 features 136 handcrafted brushes, wet painting effects, new time-lapse features, brush imports and exports, and hundreds of additional features that will empower creatives on the go. more…
AAPL slips one place in Fortune 500 ranking, now below Exxon Mobil
Apple has fallen one place in the Fortune 500 rankings, based on company revenues.
Last year, Apple retained its #3 slot after falling behind major AAPL investor Berkshire Hathaway, but overtaking Exxon Mobile. This year, however, it has slipped to #4 …
Run-up to 5G continues as Qualcomm announces ‘critical component’ of infrastructure
We don’t yet know when Apple will choose to support 5G in future iPhones and iPads, but the telecoms industry is gearing-up to have at least some level of 5G service operational next year.
One critical element of making 5G connectivity widely available is ensuring enough cells in cities – with ‘small cells’ key to this …
Change My View: Apple will lose the patent trial, as it should
If you’re new to Change My View pieces, please check out our guide. What we’re looking for in the comments are respectful rational arguments either for or against the motion.
The Apple versus Samsung patent trial that began in 2011 returned to court last week. Closing arguments were made on Friday, and it’s now up to a jury to decide whether the damages awarded to Apple will be increased, decreased or remain unchanged.
My expectation is that Apple will lose the case – and I’ll define ‘lose’ in a moment – and that, actually, that would be the right result …
HomeScan helps find signal weak spots for your Bluetooth HomeKit smart home accessories
Aaron Pearce, maker of the HomeCam and HomePass apps, has today expanded his HomeKit utility suite with HomeScan, a simple app to show the current signal strength of all the Bluetooth HomeKit accessories in your home. You can quickly identify weak spots and find a better placement for your essential smart home sensors.
Plaintext Apple ID passwords included in teen phone monitoring app’s data breach
According to a new report from ZDNet, a popular app used by parents to monitor their teens has suffered a data breach. The app, TeenSafe, touts that it’s a “secure” monitor app for iOS that allows parents to monitor text messages, location, calling history, web history, and more.
Included in the data breach, the report says, was a list of plaintext Apple ID passwords…
How much should Apple’s rumored ‘cheaper’ HomePod cost? [Poll]
Over the last few months, several reports have indicated that Apple has a cheaper HomePod in the pipeline to join the existing $349 model. Last night, a report suggested that device could be priced at $199.
With companies like Amazon and Google expanding their smart speaker families at rapid paces, at what price point do you want Apple’s next smart speaker to be?