Facebook’s News tabs started appearing for users in the UK on Tuesday, bringing together content from a variety of outlets.
Articles by Charlotte Henry
Six-Part True Crime Drama Heading to Apple TV+
An adapation of a true crime memoir called ‘In With The Devil; looks set for Apple TV+, with Taron Egerton to star.
Hardware Engineering Leader Dan Riccio to Transition to New Role, as John Ternus Steps up
Apple executive Dan Riccio is to transition into a new role at the company, to focus on as a “new project,” reporting directly to Tim Cook.
A First Look at ‘Palmer’, Coming to Apple TV+ February 29
A new featurette looking at forthcoming Apple TV+ movie Palmer was released Monday. The films stars Justin Timberlake, who plays a former high school football player who has left prison and ends up making an unlikely friend – a boy called Sam. It will be available from February 29.
Apple Updates Medical Device Warnings for iPhone 12 and MagSafe Magnets
Apple issued new advice regarding the magnets in the iPhone 12 lineup and MagSafe accessories and medical devices.
Elon Musk's SpaceX Launches 133 Spacecraft in Single Day
SpaceX launched the most spacecraft in a single day on Sunday, Reuters reported. Elon Musk’s company sent 133 into space on one of its reusable rockets.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 10 a.m. EST from the Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It flew south along the eastern coast of Florida on its way to space, the company said. The reusable rocket ferried 133 commercial and government spacecraft and 10 Starlink satellites to space – part of the company’s SmallSat Rideshare Program, which provides access to space for small satellite operators seeking a reliable, affordable ride to orbit, according to the company. SpaceX delayed the launch one day because of unfavorable weather. On Jan. 22 Musk, also chief executive of Tesla Inc., wrote on Twitter: “Launching many small satellites for a wide range of customers tomorrow. Excited about offering low-cost access to orbit for small companies!”
‘Servant’ Season Two Viewership Two Opening Week Twice That of Season One on Apple TV+
First week viewership of the premiere of season two of Servant is double of that of season one, when three episodes were released.
Supply Chain Indicates iPhone 12 Mini Sales Are Lagging
Supply chain sources suggest manufacturing on the iPhone 12 Pro is increasing, while that on the iPhone 12 mini is decreasing.
Developer Complains to EU After Apple And Google Reject Game Encouraging COVID-19 Rule Compliance
A German developer has complained to EU antitrust authorities after Google and Apple rejected his game from the App Store and Play Store, Reuters reported. The game was designed to encourage compliance with COVID-19 rules issued by governments.
Mueller says the app rules set by the two U.S. tech giants are holding back innovation, in breach of EU regulation, after both companies rejected his Corona Control Game app in November. Google and Apple rules say COVID-19 related apps must be government approved in order to avoid promoting conflicting or incorrect health advice. Google told Reuters in response to Mueller’s complaint that it only approves apps that reference COVID-19 or related terms if they are published, commissioned, or authorized by an official government entity or public health organization. Apple had no immediate comment but referred to guidelines issued in March which say entertainment or game apps with COVID-19 as their theme will not be allowed.
How to View Your Apple Watch Apps as a List
The default Grid View on Apple Watch is a bit of a mess, but you can adjust the settings to view Apple Watch apps as a list instead.
Latest Rumors - Updated MacBook Air With MagSafe
Apple is working on a thinner, lighter, higher-end version of the MacBook Air, and it might even be available this year.
LG's UltraFine 4K Display Not Listed in Apple Stores in Europe
LG’s UltraFine 4K is not available in Apple Stores online across Europe, MacRumors reported. The Mac Observer took a look at found that indeed in some countries, like the UK, the 5K model is available. However, in others, nothing is listed.
This isn’t the first time LG’s UltraFine Displays have been unavailable to order on Apple’s online stores in some parts of the world. However, on previous occasions, the displays were out of stockand eventually replenished, and at no time were the listings removed. That they have been this time round could suggest that one or both are set to be discontinued. Introduced in May 2019, the UltraFine 4K features a 23.7-inch display with a 3,840 x 2,160 pixels resolution, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, three downstream USB-C ports, up to 500 nits brightness, P3 wide color gamut support, and built-in stereo speakers. The display is priced at $699.95 on Apple’s online store in the United States.
Save us From a Portless iPhone
Rumors are swirling that future iPhones may not have any ports. Ed Hardy at Cult of Mac explains why a portless iPhone would be a horrible idea.
First off, there’s iPhone recovery. If something goes seriously wrong with your iOS handset, the cure is to hook it to a Mac or PC and use recovery mode. The need for this is rare, but occasionally crops up when operating system updates go horribly wrong. Without a Lightning port, this is impossible. The only option would be to send the iPhone to Apple or an authorized repair tech. A minor hassle suddenly becomes a major one. Next, even assuming the future portless iPhone comes with MagSafe, wireless charging will still be slower than wired. And the handset itself will cost more to make because Apple will (probably) put a MagSafe charger in the box. And they’ll cost users extra because most people will want to buy extras to have additional chargers at work, in the car, etc. Plus, you can say goodbye to some great accessories…
Apple TV+ Lags Behind Even Peacock, Research Suggests
New research from the JustWatch platform found that Apple TV+ had just three percent market share in the U.S. last quarter.
How, and Why, Laurene Powell Jobs Became a Force in U.S. Media
In recent years Laurene Powell Jobs has become a major presence in U.S. media, investing millions. The Colombia Journalism Review has a really good profile of Steve Jobs’s widow and looks at what her Emerson Collective is trying to achieve.
The organization started small; in the early years, it was focused primarily on advocacy work in education, climate, immigration, and gun violence prevention. Powell Jobs gave money to a handful of nonprofit newsrooms engaged with those subjects, such as Chalkbeat. She also invested in Ozy Media, a millennial news site cofounded by a friend of hers. But it was not until 2016, around the time of McGray and Edwards’s visit to Palo Alto, that Emerson started a major expansion that included, for the first time, a determined focus on media. In the years since, Emerson’s media investments have grown quickly in scale. Through Emerson, Powell Jobs has acquired equity in a number of Hollywood production companies, including a controlling share of Anonymous Content, which helped create Mr. Robot, Spotlight, and George Clooney’s Midnight Sky. Since 2015, according to a person familiar with Emerson’s finances, she has spent roughly a quarter of a billion dollars on journalism
YouTube Hashtag Landing Pages Now Available to All Users
YouTube made hashtag landing pages available to all users on Tuesday, Techcrunch reported. Although these operate differently from how they do on other social networks, they still provide another way for users to find content, and creators to get eyeballs.
Going forward, when you click on a hashtag on YouTube, you’ll be taken to a dedicated landing page that contains only videos that are using the hashtag. This page is also sorted to keep the “best” videos at the top, YouTube claimed. The ranking algorithm, however, may need some work as it’s currently surfacing an odd mix of both newer and older videos and seems to be heavily dominated by Indian creator content, in several top categories. The result, then, is not the equivalent to something like a hashtag search on a social network like Facebook or Twitter, for example, where more recent content gets top billing. For that reason, it may be difficult to use these hashtag landing pages for discovery of new videos to watch, as intended, but could still serve as an interesting research tool for creators looking to better leverage the hashtag format.
UK Government Gave Home-Schooling Kids Laptops With Malware on
Malware has been found on some laptops sent by the UK government to schools and intended for home-schooling pupils.
Apple First VR/AR Foray to be Pricey, Niche Headset
Apple’s first entry into the world of AR and VR headsets is going to be pricey and aimed at a niche audience.
EU Fines Valve And Five Other PC Games Publishers
The European Union Commission issued fines totalling €7.8 million ($9.4 million) to Valve and five other games publishers on Wednesday, Techrunch reported. It followed a lengthy investigation that found that firm’s had broken the bloc’s rules.
The geo-blocking practices investigated since before 2017 concerned around 100 PC video games of different genres, including sports, simulation and action games. In addition to Valve — which has been fined just over €1.6 million — the five sanctioned games publishers are: Bandai Namco (fined €340,000), Capcom (€396,000), Focus Home (€2.8 million), Koch Media (€977,000) and ZeniMax (€1.6 million). The Commission said the fines were reduced by between 10% and 15% owing to cooperation from the companies, with the exception of Valve, which it said chose not to cooperate (a “prohibition Decision” rather than a fine reduction was applied in its case).
Linux Now “Completely Usable” on Apple Silicon M1 Macs
A version of Linux now works on Apple Silicon M1 chip, AppleInsider reported. Security researchers at Corellium ported the operating system, and plan to release it under an open-source license.
The Linux version is a full Ubuntu desktop operating system booted from a USB, according to Corellium Chief Technology Officer Chris Wade. Although details are scarce, he said that Linux is now “completely usable” on Apple Silicon machines. Network compatibility is possible through a USB-C dongle, and the current update to the platform will support USB, I2C, and DART. The Ubuntu operating system is one initially meant for the ARM-based Raspberry Pi, Wade added.
President Biden on ‘Same Page’ With EU Over Big Tech Regulation
U.S. President Joe Biden and the EU are on the “same page” as regards to regulating Big Tech, according to the Head of the EU Commission.
iPhone 12 Pro Production Increasing, Mini Production Being Cut
iPhone 12 Pro lead times have decreased from 22 days to around 10 days, as Apple ramps up production of the device.
LG Display Stops LCD Production for iPhone
LG Display has stopped producing LCD panels for iPhones as the work was particularly profitable for the company.
Should Apple Build Netflix For Podcasts?
Rumors abound that Apple is to launch a Podcasts+ subscription service to compete with Spotify. In his latest Vulture column, Hot Pod’s Hot Pod‘s Nick Quah looked at whether he should and highlighted some difficulties that the company may come across.
You have to start with the reality that nobody’s really figured out a Netflix-esque paid subscription service for podcasting just yet, which is another way of saying that audiences haven’t sufficiently expressed interest in that kind of relationship with podcasts … or that audiences haven’t been sufficiently conditioned to want to pay for a service that would serve them podcast-like experiences. For all intents and purposes, Luminary went nowhere, notable only for its achievements in raising investment money and driving headlines. Meanwhile, other examples that can be evoked — whether it’s Stitcher Premium or Quake Media — seem largely limited in their respective achievements. We simply haven’t seen meaningful efforts at a true podcast equivalent to Netflix or even something more genre-specific like Crunchyroll, Shudder, or the Criterion Channel.

