Benjamin Mayo

The UK government today scrapped plans for a centralized contact tracing app and instead will announce that it is switching to use the API solution provided by Apple and Google, as reported by the BBC. The Exposure Notification API preserves user privacy and offers better battery life and performance on Apple’s iPhone.

The news follows multiple delays about when the UK would actually launch its contact tracing app, which was originally billed to launch in May.

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In May, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo raised the idea that Apple is not planning to include its wired EarPod earbuds in the iPhone 12 box, as it has done with all previous iPhone models.

Now, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives is also saying that he is hearing the same: “our checks that likely no wired EarPods will come in the iPhone 12 box/packaging”. Ultimately, this will help Apple drive sales of its wireless AirPods earbuds ever higher.

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Update: Apple responded to the announcement with a short statement: “It’s disappointing the European Commission is advancing baseless complaints from a handful of companies who simply want a free ride, and don’t want to play by the same rules as everyone else”.

Apple is now formally facing investigations on its conduct regarding the App Store and Apple Pay. European competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager today said that the probes are a priority and revolve around Apple’s role as gatekeeper.

The Apple Pay investigation will look into whether Apple unfairly locked out competing contactless payment services by restricting the use of the NFC chip inside iPhones. The App Store investigation centers on the mandatory use of Apple In-App Purchase system for third-party apps, and the 30% revenue cut that implies.

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Apple is facing another anticompetitive complaint, this time filed by Rakuten who owns the Kobo ebook brand. The Financial Times reports that Kobo is filing a formal complaint that it cannot fairly compete against Apple Books in the App Store while it is subjected to sharing 30% of revenue from purchases made in the Kobo app.

Kobo is currently forced to sell all of its content through its website to avoid paying Apple 30% of revenues. This means customers cannot conveniently buy books inside of the app itself.

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Apple has today revised its Mac lineup with a new high-end GPU option for 16-inch MacBook Pro buyers. You can now spec a MacBook Pro with a AMD Radeon Pro 5600M GPU, as a $800 build-to-order option on the base model MacBook Pro. The previous top config, the Radeon Pro 5500M, is still available as a $200 option.

Apple has also announced a new SSD upgrade kit for the 2019 Mac Pro, which is available to order here from the Apple Store. The kit lets Mac Pro users change their internal SSD modules if they didn’t opt for the higher-capacity configs when the machine was purchased.

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We have been reporting on Apple’s upcoming ‘CarKey’ feature for a while now, and the latest iOS 13.6 beta gives us our best confirmation yet that the feature is imminent. On iOS 13.6, if you go to the Privacy information for Apple Wallet, Apple details several paragraphs about adding a car key to the Wallet app — a feature that the company has not yet officially announced. The find was first spotted by iPhone Ticker.

As the copy has been updated in 13.6 but not in prior releases, it suggests that Apple may be planning to launch Car Key with the release of iOS 13.6, rather than waiting for iOS 14. The company may very well announce Car Key as part of WWDC next week.

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Apple’s latest updates to the Eurasian Economic Commission database have hit today, with a handful of new model identifiers to theorize about. After a leaker indicated that a new iMac model was coming at WWDC, the EEC database now lists a new desktop Mac with model identifier ‘A2330’, running macOS 10.15. This is adding more fuel on the fire that a new generation iMac is just around the corner, expected to end a decade-long run of the current iMac’s industrial design.

There are also EEC listings for the expected iPhone 12 lineup, nine new model identifiers in total …

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Apple may be about to refresh the iMac’s external design after more than eight years. According to leaker Sonny Dickson, a new iMac is set to arrive later this month as part of Apple’s WWDC announcements.

The new iMac would feature slim bezels, resembling the Apple Pro Display XDR in appearance. It would also abandon spinning hard drives in favor of an all-SSD lineup, driven by the Apple T2 chip for the first time in an iMac.

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Apple is reportedly going to announce its transition from Intel to ARM chips for its line of Macs at WWDC, according to Bloomberg. The event kicks off on June 22nd (hosted virtually this year), and is the usual venue where Apple announces its big platform shifts. This year, we are expecting the unveiling of iOS 14, macOS 10.16, watchOS 7 and more.

Apple has had great success using custom A-series silicon for its iPhones and iPads, with its iOS devices offering market-leading performance. It is now looking to achieve a similar feat with its laptops and — later — desktop Macs. Bloomberg says Apple plans to announce the transition this month, which will give time for Mac developers to get their apps ready when the first Apple ARM Mac ships in 2021.

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In a nice tribute, Apple Maps has already updated its satellite imagery in Washington to show the Black Lives Matter sign that has been painted on the street near the White House.

Here’s a link if you want to see it for yourself in the app …

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Apple is readying to launch new Apple Card monthly payment plans, similar to what it introduced at the end of 2019 for iPhone. On the last quarterly earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased that the program would expand to other products soon.

According to Bloomberg, the new financing will let customers buy products including iPad, Mac, Apple Pencil, Pro Display XDR on their Apple Card in monthly instalments, over 12 months at 0% interest. Apple will offer six-months interest free plans for cheaper products like Apple TV, AirPods and HomePod. This is less than the 24 months free financing the Apple Card offers for iPhone purchases.

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The movie industry is currently offering a handful of movies to watch in light of the recent tragic happenings in the United States.

If you are in the US, open the TV app and look for the section in the Watch Now tab called Black in America. You can watch for free for a limited time, and buy to own the films at reduced prices too. The addition of the curated collection was first reported by the Screen Times blog.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook today posted an open letter on Apple’s website that addresses the recent protests and riots fuelled by the death of George Floyd under police arrest, described by Cook as a “senseless killing”.

Cook says that everyone must stand together and recognize the fear and outrage from recent events and the long history of racism. You can read Cook’s letter in full here, entitled ‘Speaking up on racism’.

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Apple Music is joining in a music industry wide ‘Black Out Tuesday’ campaign, to raise awareness for Black Lives Matter in the wake of Minneapolis resident George Floyd being killed whilst under police arrest. Apple CEO Tim Cook previously tweeted his support of the protests happening across the US and around the world.

Apple Music has canceled its usual Beats 1 radio schedule and is instead directing all iOS and macOS users to a single streaming station that celebrates the best in black music.

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As we all await the announcement of iOS 14 — Apple’s next major OS update — at WWDC later this month, Apple news website The Verifier has today said that its sources indicate that all existing iOS 13 iPhone and iPod touch devices will be able to update to iOS 14.

Assuming the report is accurate, that means that Apple will not be leaving any devices out for this year’s big iOS software update. This universal device compatibility was also reported by iPhonesoft earlier this year.

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Update: You can now watch all episodes of Fraggle Rock on Apple TV+ here.

Apple TV+ is said to have bought rights to the full back catalog of Fraggle Rock, comprising about 100 episodes of the live action puppet show originally owned by HBO.

Apple has already funded a short set of ‘Fraggle Rock On’ shorts, and is now taking that relationship further. In addition to the full back catalog of Fraggle Rock, Apple is ordering a season reboot of the show with full-length episodes.

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The HBO Max application is now available for Apple users with apps for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV: get the app here. HBO Max replaces HBO Now, so if you have the Now app already installed, it will transform into Max the next time the App Store updates your apps. HBO Max is a US-only service.

The HBO Max content offering is a superset of what was available under the Now moniker, with the same $14.99 monthly subscription price. Alongside everything you expect from HBO, Max content includes the full catalog of sitcom Friends, Looney Tunes, Studio Ghibli, Adult Swim shows, and a documentary on sexual assault accusations against Russel Simmons (a film that was previously set for Apple TV+).

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