iMac Pro orders ‘preparing to ship,’ showing delivery from December 28
Comment: Will Apple’s plans for cross-platform apps lead to the dumbing down of Mac apps?
There have long been rumors that Apple plans to eventually converge Macs and iOS devices into a single product line running the same operating system. I expressed my own concerns about this way back in 2013, though also listed some things from which we could draw reassurance.
Apple has consistently denied the rumors, Tim Cook doing so with a particularly striking phrase back in 2012.
You can converge a toaster and refrigerator, but these things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user.
But yesterday’s news that Apple plans to support cross-platform apps that run on iPhone, iPad and Mac does raise a variation on this concern …
LG announces drool-worthy 34-inch ultrawide ‘4.5K’ monitor w/ Thunderbolt 3
LG has announced a 34-inch ultrawide 5K monitor with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, allowing a single-cable connection to a Mac that includes power. It has slim bezels on all four sizes.
LG says that the 34WK95U is aimed at professional users.
This ultimate 5K viewing experience is geared towards users who multitask extensively, such as video editors, photographers and software and app developers …
Apple’s planned flagship Melborne store raises objections over loss of public space
When Apple announced plans for a new ‘global flagship’ store in Melborne, Australia, it was welcomed by both government ministers and the square’s original architect.
Tourism minister John Eren said that the store would ‘breathe new life into Federation Square,’ while architect Donald Bates said that the development ‘respects and expands on the original vision for the site.’ It will also involve the demolition of an existing building many view as an eyesore.
But not everyone is happy about the plan …
US tax bill passes, allowing Apple to repatriate its $252B foreign cash, but there’s a catch …
Congress finally passed the Republican tax overhaul, which would make it affordable for Apple to repatriate the $252.3B cash it currently holds overseas. Apple would be able to take advantage of a one-time tax break, paying just 15.5% tax on the cash, rather than the 35% it would have had to pay previously.
If Apple chose to bring all of the cash back to the US, it would pay $39.1B in tax. And this would be practical because the company has already set aside $36.3B – almost the entire amount – for exactly that eventuality. But there’s one catch …
Apple will waive $99/year App Store developer fee for governments and nonprofits in 2018
Apple dropped some new App Store review guidelines yesterday that detailed the latest policies and rules developers must abide by to see their apps approved. For template-generated apps, Apple will require that all apps published to the store must be submitted by the true owner of the app, with their own developer account. This adds some financial burden to charities and nonprofits that didn’t exist before, but Apple has announced a solution …
What do you think of Apple slowing down older iPhones to account for battery wear? [Poll]
After our initial report earlier this month, and more evidence from other sources, Apple today officially commented on reports that it slowed the performance of older iPhones in order to stabilize battery performance.
What do you make of this tactic and Apple’s reasoning for it?
Hands-on: Nomad Leather cases for iPhone X [Video]
We recently got our hands on several new Nomad cases for the iPhone X. Nomad, known for its high quality Horween Leather offerings, provides a wide variety of cases in its iPhone X lineup. Watch our hands-on video commentary for more details. more…
App Store guidelines updated w/ new info on template apps, VPNs, cryptocurrencies & more
Apple has announced today that it is revising its App Store guidelines with a handful of notable changes. The latest version of the guidelines offers new details for template applications, cryptocurrency trading clients, VPNs, and more…
CARROT Weather update brings redesigned widget, new snarky content, and more
On the heels of a major redesign for iPhone X last month, CARROT Weather for iOS was today updated with even more changes and enhancements. Bringing the app to version 4.4, today’s update brings more snarky content, a redesigned widget, and more…