George Stroumboulopoulos, host for CBC Radio 2, will become the newest Apple Music Curator with new show House of Strombo. A spinoff of his radio broadcast The Strombo Show, a ten episode show featuring video segments, artist interviews and behind-the-scenes details.
News
T-Mobile Spends $8 Billion to Upgrade Its Wireless Network
T-Mobile recently won an FCC wireless auction for a chunk of the wireless airwave spectrum, spending US$8 billion to expand its network. It acquired over 1,500 wireless licenses in the 600MHz range, which is high-quality. Andrew Orr tells us what this means for the future.
Developers: Get Ready for iTunes Connect Down Time on April 22
Apple has scheduled iTunes Connect down time starting at 7AM pacific time on April 22nd that could last up to eight hours. That means anything developers need to do in iTunes Connect and related services need to be handled before the morning of the 22nd.
First iPhone 8 Schematics Finally Leak, Maybe
The first of what claims to be an actual iPhone 8 schematic hit the web on Thursday showing a super-slim bezel for the display, and a Touch ID sensor on the back of the phone. Assuming the rendering is legit, the iPhone 8 will look a lot like Samsung’s Galaxy S8 smartphone.
Apple has a Secret Team Designing Diabetes Monitoring Sensors
Apple has a secret team working on non-invasive sensors to track blood glucose levels for diabetes patients. If the iPhone and Apple Watch maker is successful, it won’t be necessary to pierce the skin to get accurate blood sugar readings any more—something no other company has been able to figure out.
A New Drone Is Coming To Apple Stores
A new drone on the market called the Hover Camera Passport will soon be sold in Apple retail stores. Made by Chinese startup Zero Zero Robotics, and it will soon be available for in-store purchase at retail locations around the world.
Notability: My New Favorite Mac App for Taking Notes
Everyone has to take notes at some time in their life. After trying just about every note-taking technology ever invented, Dr. Mac recently discovered an iPad app that’s nearly perfect for his note taking needs.
Blackberry Scores $814M Win for Qualcomm Overcharging Patent Royalties
Qualcomm has agreed to pay Blackberry US$814.9 million for overcharging patent royalties. Blackberry entered into arbitration with Qualcomm over claims it was being forced to pay too much to use the company’s patent protected technologies in its smartphones, which sounds exactly like Apple’s current lawsuit against Qualcomm.
No, Apple Isn't Dropping iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c Support in iOS 10.3.2
There’s a report making the rounds claiming Apple is dropping support for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c in iOS 10.3.2, and they’re wrong. Apple hasn’t ever cut device support with a minor point update, and that holds true for iOS 10.3.2.
Western Digital Brings USB-C to G-Drive, Giving Photographers New Choice
Western Digital, which owns the brand G-DRIVE, has created a powerful new external hard drive. G-DRIVE is a popular brand among photographers, and the new drive is perfect for those creatives with the latest MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops, which are USB-C only. Andrew Orr gives us the scoop.
NVIDIA's Pascal Drivers for macOS Available, but Still Beta
NVIDIA made Mac users happy on Tuesday when it released a macOS-compatible version of its Pascal graphics processors. The company promised they were coming, and while still in beta, they let Mac owners get a taste of the company’s more powerful GPU offering.
Instagram Update Combines Disappearing Video and Photos with Direct Messages
Instagram is aiming to make Snapchat less relevant by making its own direct messaging features easier to use. An app update coming out today streamlines chats by combining disappearing photos and video with the direct message feature.
Apple Reportedly Moving to its Own iPhone Power Management Chips in 2019
Apple is developing its own iPhone power management chips and plans to stop using Dialog Semiconductor’s in 2019. That’s what Bankhaus Lampe analyst Karsten Iltgen says after talking with industry sources, although Apple and Dialog aren’t commenting on the report.
Watch Out, Imagination Technologies, Because Apple is Hiring More GPU Designers
Apple’s in-house GPU plans have the company on a hiring spree in London, which happens to be pretty close to where Imagination Technologies is based. That’s the company Apple partnered with for iPhone and iPad graphics processors before deciding to go it alone—and more than 20 employees have already left to join the Cupertino-based company.
Jay Z Comes Back to Apple Music
Whatever behind the scenes drama Jay Z was having with Apple Music seems to be resolved because the songs and albums he pulled from the streaming music service on Friday were back by Monday morning. His catalog disappeared from Apple Music and Spotify at the end of last week without any notice, and is back without any fanfare, too.
iOS 11 May Not Include 32-bit App Support
Apple plans to drop 32-bit app support completely in iOS 11, or at least that’s what seasoned developer Steven Troughton-Smith is hearing. That means apps that haven’t been updated with 64-bit support won’t run at all even though current iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch processors still support both 32-bit and 64-bit code.
Jay Z Ditches Apple Music and Spotify for Exclusive Streaming on Tidal
It looks like Tidal co-owner Jay Z doesn’t think Apple Music and Spotify are cool any more because he pulled his albums from the streaming music services. It looks like just his original content is gone while collaborations with other artists are still available.
TSMC Drops Out Toshiba Memory Bidding, Foxconn Still in the Race
The number of companies bidding for Toshiba’s NAND flash memory business is getting smaller now that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, has dropped out of the race. Foxconn is still still in the race with the highest bid at about US$30 billion.
Apple's Clips Social Media Video App Available for iPhone, iPad
Apple’s Clips video editing app for social networks hit the App Store on Thursday. The app lets iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users capture and edit short videos to share on Facebook, Twitter, and more.
Pebble Update Lets Watches Work After Servers Shut Down
Pebble smartwatch owners got a welcome iPhone app update this week that removes the dependency on the company’s cloud servers for firmware updates and app installation. The update addresses a concern users and developers have had ever since Fitbit bought Pebble last year.
Samsung Lands 2 Year Deal for Curved OLED iPhone Displays
Smartphone makers planning on using OLED screens are about to be in a bind because Apple just signed a two year contract with Samsung for the panels. Samsung will reportedly supply Apple with at least 70 million bendable OLED panels this year, and Samsung will take up the rest for itself.
Apple Watch Series 3 Set for Fall Launch
The third generation Apple Watch, or Apple Watch Series 3, will ship in late 2017, according to insider sources. Apple is also adding Compal Electronics as a second watch manufacturer.
Apple Pay Cash Transfers Now Work With Western Union App
Western Union has had support for Apple Pay since 2015. But it could only be used in stores for sending money and paying bills. Now, the Western Union app has support for Apple Pay cash transfers. You can finally use Apple Pay with Western Union to send cash from your bank to another person. Andrew Orr gives us the details.
Apple's iOS 10.3.1 Update Fixes Critical Broadcom WiFi Security Flaw
If you haven’t installed Apple’s iOS 10.3.1 update yet, now would be a good time because it fixes a big security flaw in the Broadcom WiFi chips in your iPhone. The security flaw could let attackers who are in WiFi range inject and run code on your smartphone.