Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.
Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.
Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:
In a press release from Out Leadership, an organization that describes its goal as “cultivating LGBT and ally senior leaders to create global business opportunity and drive equality forward”, a number of Fortune 500 executives are applauding Apple CEO Tim Cook’s decision to identify himself as gay publicly.
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Following a bigger update earlier this month, Google today updated its Google Play Music app for iPhone with official support for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. That means that the app, which offers access to Google Play Music content and its All Access music streaming service, now takes advantage of the increased real estate on the larger, higher-resolution 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and 6 Plus displays.
Google also notes that the update brings “Lots of little tweaks and bug fixes.” In addition, the app receives a new icon (pictured right).
Earlier this year we reported on an under development iPad version of the Google Play Music app, but it’s yet to get an official release.
The updated Google Play Music app for iPhone, Version 1.5.3184, is available on the App Store now. The app received a big update earlier this month that introduced new Listen Now features for browsing radio stations and recently played music for All Access users in the US and Canada.
– iPhone 6/6+ support
– Lots of little tweaks and bug fixes
Reports speculating that Apple has recently added a new reinforcement to iPhone 6 Plus units following a controversy over rare instances of the device bending under pressure aren’t true, according to a source close to the situation.
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<em>Worldwide unit shipments for the top 5 tablet plus 2-in-1 device vendors over last five quarters</em>
New data from IDC tracking worldwide tablet shipments shows that Apple has maintained its lead during the third quarter despite “a decline in overall iPad shipment volume in 3Q14.” Specifically, Apple grabbed 22.8% of the market with 12.3 million shipments during the quarter compared to 14.1 million units and 29.2% share in the year ago quarter. That compares to Samsung at 18.3% of the market and 9.9 million units shipped up from 19.3% and 9.3 million units shipped in the third quarter last year:
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Following an update to version 7.1 for Mac yesterday, today Skype for iPhone is getting its own update that brings a few highly requested new features.
First up, version 5.7 of Skype for iPhone introduces the ability to save and delete photos: If you want to save a memorable photo to your camera roll or delete a sent photo from a chat, simply press and hold the image and the options will appear.
Also new in the updated app is much improved performance, according to Skype, including faster chat load times especially when entering a chat through notifications: Now when you receive a notification and tap it to open the app, the message will be there waiting for you without any delays.
Skype is also making avatars work as you’d expect for all users, across all chats types and synced across platforms. In addition the updated app is introducing easier to use people list search and filter options:
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Kamcord, the SDK that lets mobile app developers offer gameplay recording and sharing functionality, today announced some pretty impressive milestones alongside new updates for its SDK and mobile app. In addition to announcing 25 million videos shared (it uploads around 1hr of mobile gameplay video per minute), the company also told me it’s now passed popular gaming community Twitch in terms of unique content creators. It has also just became the first to offer gameplay recording functionality for mobile games using Apple’s new Metal technology.
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Google today announced it’s adding new ways to add money to its Google Wallet service in addition to some new features that will make keeping an eye on your balance easier.
First up, you will now be able to setup automatic bank transfers that will ensure there is always money to spend in your Google Wallet account. The recurring transfers allow you to schedule weekly, bi-weekly or monthly deposits and can be cancelled at any time:
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While lawyers for bankrupt sapphire supplier GT Advanced confirmed previously that it had reached an agreement to repay Apple approximately $439 million, many details regarding what exactly went wrong in the partnership had not been disclosed publicly. Today we get what might be the clearest explanation yet of what happened between the two companies leading up to GTAT filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. In a declaration filed by COO of GT Advanced Daniel Squiller with the courts yesterday (via Fortune), the company outlines previously sealed info regarding its deal with Apple and terms of the deal that lead to GT’s bankruptcy filing.
When GTAT initially entered into negotiations to sell sapphire furnaces to Apple, it had no sense that, having borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for the components of more than 2,036 sapphire furnaces, it would end up being unable to meet its cost and production targets for reasons that it believes were beyond its control as well as unforeseen difficulties in scaling its technology to 262kg boules to meet evolving product specifications.
While noting that the deal was “an ambitious transaction for the production of sapphire in quantities, size and quality never before achieved,” the document reveals a number of strict terms Apple imposed in the deal that the company describes as limiting its ability to achieve Apple’s requirements for sapphire production. Here’s a few of the more interesting bits:
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Developer James Thomson of popular calculator app PCalc announced today via his Twitter account that Apple is forcing him to remove the app’s Today Widget due to a restriction that iOS widgets “cannot perform any calculations.”
Apple’s new Today Widgets feature in iOS 8, which allows developers to build functions into the system-wide Notification Center, does have some limitations that Apple outlines in developer documentation. For example, Apple encourages developers not to use Today Widgets for multistep tasks: “If you want to create an app extension that enables a multistep task or helps users perform a lengthy task, such as uploading or downloading content, the Today extension point is not the right choice.” There doesn’t, however, appear to be specific references to apps that perform calculations in Apple’s developer guidelines.
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Following opening up preorders for Apple’s new iPads last week, T-Mobile announced today that the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 are now available to purchase from both its online and brick and mortar retail stores. T-Mobile’s website, however, notes that the 128GB iPad Air 2 is not yet available and currently only offers the 16GB and 64GB variants.
Sales at T-Mobile follows preorders through Apple, AT&T, Sprint and others kicking off earlier this month with first shipments of the device arriving last week. Apple, Sprint, and other carriers started sales of the device in stores last week.
Why exactly T-Mobile doesn’t have the 128GB model is unclear, but availability of certain models through carrier and retail partners has varied greatly from company to company since the launch last week. Through Apple’s website in the US, most versions of the 128GB iPad Air 2, apart from the Space Gray color option, have the same 1-3 day shipping estimate as the 16GB and 64GB models.
Through T-Mobile the iPads will be available through T-Mobile’s financing options for Simple Choice plan customers starting at $0 down for both tablets. $0 down with monthly payments (approx. $26 for iPad Air 2 and $22 for iPad mini 3) is for the 16GB entry level models, while the 64GB model will be available for $99 down and the 128GB models for $199 down.
The iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 are available from T-Mobile’s website and in-stores now.
Samsung decided to publish an editorial on the history of portable audio devices today and it conveniently leaves out Apple and the iPod. It instead jumps straight from cassette players to the company’s first MP3 Player, the Samsung YEPP (You remember the Samsung YEPP, right?). Who needed to wait two more years for an iPod when you could hold a whole 10 4-minute songs on your 40MB YEPP?
Samsung then jumps to smartphones: “Starting in 2006, as smartphones became more prominent, and featured a music player function, MP3 players started to phase out.” iPhone? What iPhone?
Samsung points out support for 24 bit, 192kHz audio in the new Galaxy Note 4 music player, the one thing that Apple doesn’t yet support. It’s also the one thing that the majority of consumers, apart from audiophiles, simply don’t care about.
TwelveSouth, makers of various popular Mac and iOS device accessories, today announced a new BookArc product for the Mac Pro. Much like its BookArc products for MacBooks and iPads, the BookArc acts as a desktop stand that allows the Mac Pro to lay horizontally opposed to its usual upright orientation.
As pointed out by TwelveSouth, the horizontal mount cuts down the roughly 14-inches vertical height requirement to 7.5 inches, allowing Mac Pros to fit in rack mounts and other places the computer normally wouldn’t fit. In a rack mount, for instance, that means 5 rack spaces when using the BookArc opposed to approximately 8 spaces for the vertical Mac Pro.
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Time Warner Cable today announced a new smartphone app that will let its customers use their home phone service on mobile devices for no additional fees. That means that users with a Time Warner Cable home phone service, which starts at $10/month, can now text and call through the new Phone 2 Go app on smartphones and tablets. The service requires a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection and will also work for international calling and texting:
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Following an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook last night at the Wall Street Journal’s WSJD Live conference, today videos of the event have made their way online. Cook talked about a number of subjects during the interview including the upcoming Apple Watch, stats related to the Apple Pay launch, why the iPod Classic was recently discontinued, and talks regarding a possible partnership with Alibaba.
A video of the full interview isn’t yet available, but WSJ has posted the clips above and below showing Cook’s take many of the topics noted above.
The interview videos below include clips where Cook talks about Apple’s role in fitness and the decision by several retailers to block Apple Pay:
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Plex, the popular media server software, today gets an updated iOS app that brings full support for the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. That means that the app now supports the higher resolutions of the new iPhones providing more screen real estate for content on the larger 4.7 and 5.5-inch displays.
In addition to the update for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users, the app also receives improved compatibility for iOS 8 and enhancements for streaming to a device connected to Google’s $35 Chromecast streaming stick. The release notes say version 3.5.2 of the app includes “Updated Chromecast software from Google.”
The update also brings the usual dose of bug fixes.
The updated Plex app for iPhone and iPad, version 3.5.2, is available on the App Store now.
– Improved compatibility with iOS 8.
– Support for the full resolution of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
– Updated Chromecast software from Google.
– Additional minor bug fixes.
Logitech announced today that it’s releasing updated versions of its Logitech Type+ and Logitech Ultrathin keyboard cases that work with the new slimmer iPad Air 2. It’s also unveiling the new Keys-To-Go, a stand alone Bluetooth keyboard made to work with any model of iPad.
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As others have in promotion of Apple Pay service, Wells Fargo is offering customers up to $20 credits on their bill just for trying out the new NFC-based payments service. Readers sent in screenshots of an email (pictured above) that Wells Fargo has sent out to customers informing them of the credits in a promotion that will last until November 30. The company also confirmed that Apple Pay support for its business Visa cards is arriving next month…
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Today Yelp updated its app for iPhone and iPad with optimizations for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which means you can now finally take full advantage of the increased screen real estate on the devices.
The optimizations include a number of UI tweaks for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus that allow you to view more content on larger displays of the new phones.
In addition to the update for new iPhone users, Yelp also notes new and improved features for Directions with a new “Directions button which tells you just how long it’ll take to walk or drive to the business.”
The updated Yelp app, version 8.7.0, is available on the App Store now.
• For you early adopters with the new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, it’s time to get pumped. The Yelp app is now optimized for your fancy new phones.
• You’re going to love our new Directions button which tells you just how long it’ll take to walk or drive to the business.
If you’ve ever made a contactless credit card payment in a retail store, you’ve likely run into a VeriFone NFC-terminal: recent estimates put it at approximately 60% global market share for EMV payment terminals, for example. Today, the company is launching a new campaign along with payment processing company Vantiv that encourages Verifone’s massive network of clients to upgrade their terminals and get ready for Apple Pay:
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Today DisplayMate Technologies published its usual detailed analysis of Apple’s latest product releases with an in-depth review of the display technology in the new iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2 displays.
One of the more notable improvements in the new iPad Air 2 display is the anti-reflective coating that, according to DisplayMate, “reduces ambient light reflections by about 3:1 over most other Tablets and Smartphones (including the previous iPads), and about 2:1 over all of the very best competing Tablets and Smartphones (including the new iPhone 6).”
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AT&T has confirmed in a statement that the new universal Apple SIM card in iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 becomes locked to the carrier after being activated on its network.
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Facebook’s new ‘Rooms’ app Room Inc’s ‘Room’ app
Following the launch of Facebook’s new “Rooms” app for iPhone, the company behind a similar piece of software called “Room” is claiming the social media outlet copied its intellectual property. The Room application, which like Facebook’s app allows users to create and invite others to chatrooms while remaining anonymous, was first released on the App Store back in September.
The company’s Damien Rottemberg, Co-Founder and CTO of Room, sent over the following statement on the situation:
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Teardowns of Apple’s new iPad Air 2 revealed an NFC chip that wasn’t officially announced by Apple, but sources close to the situation have confirmed it’s only being used as a Secure Element for Apple Pay in-app purchases.
Apple’s worldwide digital music sales through iTunes have dropped up as much as 14% in 2014, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal citing sources close to the situation. That’s a big decrease, as the report points out, when compared to data available for digital sales last year:
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