Apple Music Ambassador program enlists student recruiters to promote service in exchange for perks
Apple this week has started a new Apple Music “Ambassador” marketing campaign for its streaming platform, quietly recruiting students and giving them perks in exchange for promoting the service and recruiting others. The new effort targets college students specifically and is run by so-called “Apple Music Ambassadors” on Twitter via a third-party marketing company called Social Chain that it appears Apple has hired (Social Chain lists Apple alongside other high-profile clients on its website).
While some specific information is unclear, these Student Ambassadors will share links to Apple Music content on Twitter and be rewarded with 3 months of free Apple Music and various other perks based on the number of users they recruit…
Filed under: Apple
You can now watch Zane Lowe’s Apple Music keynote at SXSW on YouTube [Video]
We brought you a liveblog of Zane Lowe’s Music keynote speech at SXSW yesterday, and the festival has now uploaded video of the talk to its YouTube channel (below) …
Filed under: Apple
PSA: If a Live photo didn’t choose the perfect moment, you can now select a different frame
If you’ve ever taken a Live Photo only to find that the still image automatically selected by the Camera app was just before a beautiful smile, or your slightly wonky horizon is straight in a later frame in the animated version, there’s an app to fix it.
Google has updated a free app to allow you to play your Live Photo frame-by-frame, and then choose a different frame for the still. Once you select it, you simply export it back into your camera roll as a replacement Live Photo …
Filed under: Apple
Apple investing half a billion dollars in Chinese R&D centers as it announces two more
Apple has revealed that it will be investing more than $500M in research & development in China, as it today announced plans for two more R&D centers in the country.
The new offices will be in Shanghai and Suzhou, and follow those already announced for Beijing and Shenzhen. All four centers are expected to open later this year.
Apple says that there is a compelling reason for the investment …
Filed under: Apple
Netflix dropping star ratings in favor of binary like/dislike; says user ratings less relevant
Netflix users will no longer be able to assign star ratings to the films and shows they have watched, reports FastCompany, as the streaming service switches instead to a simply binary like/dislike system. The change is said to be happening ‘in a few weeks.’
While the move makes little sense on the surface, providing far less scope to provide the feedback that drives future recommendations, Netflix claims that the stars we award are less relevant than we might think …
Filed under: Apple
Twitter posts about ‘screenshot alert’ in iOS 11 traced to unsupported vlogger claim
What feature tops your wish list for the next-gen Apple TV? [Poll]
Earlier today, we reported on the first evidence of an updated hardware model of the Apple TV. The tvOS-powered device was first announced back in 2015 and lags in a few different areas, so it’s more than due for an update.
Not much has been rumored as for what features the next-generation model may have, but there are a few possibilities, many of which we highlighted earlier this year in our look at the future of the Apple TV and tvOS.
What feature would you most like to see come to the next-gen Apple TV?
Filed under: Apple
Apple granted patents for earbud design with biometric features & improved noise cancellation
Earlier this year, we outlined a few possibilities as to what could come to Apple’s AirPods with future iterations, noting specifically of more advanced fitness features. Paving the way for such improvements, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today published three patents that it has granted Apple related to new fitness and biometric features for earbuds…
Filed under: Apple
Cartoonist officially releases his word for word graphic novel adaptation of the iTunes terms & conditions
The terms & conditions for iTunes have been the subject of mockery in the past for the extensive length and detail. Back in 2015, we told you about cartoonist Robert Sikoryak, who was turning the iTunes terms and conditions into a full-fledged graphic novel.
Now, Sikoryak has released the finished product: a 94-page, full color adaptation of the of the iTunes terms and conditions and It can be had for just $10 on Amazon.
Filed under: Apple
App Store highlighting indie games this week with new title launches, limited time discounts
Apple has been highlighting loads of iOS games created by independent developers this week on the App Store. The promotion includes a special section at the top of the App Store where new apps and updates are usually promoted, several new indie game launches, and even discounts on a handful of popular indie titles.
Filed under: Apple