Mark Gurman of Bloomberg News joins host Charlotte Henry for the final Media+ of 2021. They look back on Apple’s digital media successes and failures in the last 12 months and discuss what might come next.
Articles by Charlotte Henry
Apple Seeds iOS 15.3 Developer And Public Betas, Still no Universal Control
Apple has seeded the first round of developer and public betas for iOS and iPadOS 15.3, but Universal Control does not seem to be part of it.
Five Things to Watch on Apple TV+ Over The Christmas Holidays
There are lots of great Christmas shows and films to watch on Apple TV+, and some things to catch up on this holiday season.
Apple TV+: 'Swan Song' Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
A behind-the-scenes featurette for the movie Swang Song has been released. In it, stars Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, and Glenn Close, as well as director Benjamin Cleary discuss the key questions raised in the feature. It is available on Apple TV+ and in theaters now.
Apple Building New Team in Irvine, California, to Build Wireless Chips
Apple is hiring engineers to work in a new office in Irvine, California and develop wireless chips in-house.
Loving AirPods Max After Using Them For a Year
The AirPods Max headphones were met with quite a lot of skepticism when they were first released, thanks largely to the US$549.00 price point. Over on iMore, Joe Wituschek explains why he loves his, a year after getting them.
After using AirPods Max for about a year now, I can say that the experience of these headphones is phenomenal. If you love good audio and are in the Apple ecosystem, it’s tough to find a better pair of over-the-ear headphones. Not only are they integrated with Find My and Apple’s quick pairing and switching between devices features, but they sound incredible. Now, sound quality can be subjective in a lot of ways – everyone has a different preference of what they want to hear. More bass, more treble, more detail, and a host of other preferences can make some headphones better for certain people. However, it is easy to recognize for most when you are wearing a pair of quality headphones. You can hear the difference. You hear more at higher volumes with more clarity and less distortion. And these headphones nail all of those things. You truly get immersed in what you are listening to.
Some Essential Siri Commands For The Apple Music Voice Plan
The release of iOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.3 brought with it the Apple Music Voice Plan. While I’m still skeptical about why the plan exists, Apple Must has a good list of useful Siri commands if you’re using it.
To start the trial? Just use Siri and say “Hey Siri, start my Apple Music Voice trial,” though you can also sign up through the Apple Music app. So, what can it do? You can Play, pause, skip forward and skip back on tracks. You can raise and lower volume. One good trick is to ask Siri how loud it is now, and then reduce it in percentages, such as “Play Music at 35% volume”. Apple Music Voice Plan also lets you access Apple Music’s entire lineup of playlists, including Today’s Hits, R&B Now, danceXL, The Agenda and others. You should be able to check through what’s available in the Apple Music app, though you won’t be able to play anything unless you use Siri.
'The Tragedy of Macbeth' Premiere Takes Place in Los Angeles
Apple Original Films hosted a premiere of The Tragedy of Macbeth in Los Angeles attended by stars and company executives.
Apple Releases macOS Monterey 12.2 Developer Beta One Without Universal Control
Apple seeded the fist developer beta of macOS Monterey 12.2 on Thursday. MacRumors reported on the, rather limited, details that were available. One thing missing was Universal Control.
Registered developers can download the beta through the Apple Developer Center and after the appropriate profile is installed, betas will be available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences. We don’t yet know what’s included in macOS Monterey 12.2, but Apple has yet to implement a major feature — Universal Control. Universal Control is designed to allow a single mouse and trackpad to be used with multiple Macs and iPads, and Apple has said it will be launching this spring.
'Severance' From Ben Stiller Debuts February 18 on Apple TV+
‘Severance ‘will debut on February 18, 2022 with first two episodes of the drama from Ben Stiller available on that date.
Apple TV+ Documentary Will Tell The Story of James Bond Soundtracks
The forthcoming Apple TV+ music documentary will be about the history of James Bond soundtracks and called ‘The Sound of 007’.
Apple Delays Return to Office Indefinitely
Apple has delayed its return to the office once again until a “date yet to be determined” due to the onset of the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
Apple TV+: Animated Family Series 'El Deafo' to Debut January 7
Three-part kids and family series ‘El Deafo’, based on the best selling graphic novel, will premiere on Apple TV+ on January 7, 2022
Department of Labour to Investigate Allegations Apple Retailiated Against Whistleblower Ashley Gjovik
The U.S. Department of Labor is set to investigate allegations that Apple retaliated against whistleblower Ashley Gjovik.
SharePlay Now Works With Disney+
Disney+ now supports Apple’s new SharePlay feature which allows everyone on a FaceTime call to watch the same content at the same time.
Google Sets Out Plan For News Content to French Antitrust Regulator
Google has set out a plan for paying news agencies and publishers to French antitrust regulators. The proposals will now be put to public consultation, with responses required by January 31, 2022, Reuters reported. Google’s influence on the news business is obviously far more significant than Apple’s, although I imagine Cupertino will be keeping a keen eye on how this plays out.
News organizations, which have been losing ad revenue to online aggregators such as Google and Facebook (FB.O), have complained for years about tech companies using stories in search results or other features without copyright payment. As part of its proposals, Google commits to negotiate “in good faith” with news agencies and publishers the amount it would pay for using their protected content. It also commits to making a payment offer within three months from the start of the negotiation. If a deal cannot be reached, it would be possible to go to an arbitration court that would decide on the amount to pay.
Apple TV+: 'The Afterparty' With All-Star Cast will Premiere January 28
Murder-mystery comedy series ‘The Afterparty’ will debut on Apple TV+ on January 28, with an all-star cast that includes Tiffany Haddish.
Apple Music Christmas in Spatial Audio Playlist
Apple Music has a Christmas playlist out, and it’s available in Spatial Audio too. Users can enjoy a range of festive favorites now! Tracks included can vary between countries.
Apple TV+ Now Available Via Sky Glass and Sky Q
The Apple TV app is now directly available to users of a Sky Q box or Sky Glass television in the UK and Ireland.
Apple’s Employee Giving Program Has Raised US$725 Million in 10 Years
Apple’s Employee Giving program distributed US$120 million in 2021, and raised US$725 million in the decade it has been around.
Why Does The Apple Music Voice Plan Exist? — Media+
Kelly Guimont joins Charlotte Henry to discuss the newly available Apple Music Voice Plan. Why has Apple launched it, and who might find it useful?
watchOS 8.3 For Apple Watch Available Now
Apple released watchOS 8.3, to accompany the release of iPadOS and iOS 15.2 and features such as Apple Music Voice Plan.
Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 15.2 With Voice Plan and App Privacy Report [Updated]
Apple has released iOS and iPadOS 15.2. The operating system updates bring with them an array of new features and fixes.
Interviews With Apple Music Awards 2021 International Winners [Updated]
Interviews with some of the international winners at the Apple Music Awards 2021 – HIGE DANDISM, RIN, and Aya Nakamura – have been released.
