France Drops Law Requiring iPhone Sales to Include EarPods
No more free EarPods in France. While Apple stopped giving out free headphones with iPhones in most places with 2020’s iPhone 12, the company was forced to keep giving them out in France due to health concerns. The concern was that the RF emissions from iPhone were worse when people held the phone to their head to make or take a phone call. The hexagon thought people should be urged to use a headset, and thus forced Apple to keep giving them out.
For its part, Apple had said that it was stopping with the free headsets to lessen its environmental impact. Now, a piece from 9 to 5 Mac says environmental concerns in France have trumped health concerns, forcing (or allowing) Apple to stop with the included headphones. Citing a report from the French language site Consomac, the piece says a new law meant to reduce the environmental impact of such products eliminates this headphone obligation. Though Apple has said noting publicly, it’s apparently warned resellers that including EarPods at no additional cost will stop this week. 9 to 5 Mac figures that’ll hit after existing stock has been sold through.
Apple and Skydance Strengthen Ties with Multi-Year Film Deal
Image via Skydance.com
News of another big deal for Apple TV+. Deadline says the Cupertino-streamer has signed a multi-year deal with Skydance Media - this time for live action entertainment.
The two companies are already tied up on animation. The piece points out that Apple and Skydance have “a multi-year partnership for animated films and series…” That’s already seen the launch of the animated short Blush, an order for the animated series The Search for Wondla, and orders for the animated films Luck and Spellbound. They’ve also already done live action deals. Skydance produces the sci-fi series “Foundation” and the upcoming series “The Big Door Prize”. It’s also the studio behind the upcoming film The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
Plenty more where that came from. Deadline says the new deal calls on Skydance “to develop and produce an annual slate of live-action global-minded movies that will be released through Apple Original Films.”
Apple Drops “Central Park” Vid Ahead of Early March Return
Image via Apple
Get ready to go back to “Central Park.” Apple TV+ issued a press release Friday announcing a premier date for the second half of the second season of the animated musical series.
When did this become a thing? Breaking up seasons for no apparent reason? When did this become a thing? Used to mean a show was on the ropes. Now it’s just a thing that providers do for no apparent reason.
Anyway - same great cast, including Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, and Stanley Tucci. Guest stars for Seaon Two: Part Deux include Billy Porter, Catherine O’Hara, Ellie Kemper, and others.
The streamer also dropped a first look for part two, season two in the form of a song. You can catch “You are the Music” below. Apple TV+ returns to “Central Park,” or vice versa, on Friday 4 March.
Morgan Stanley: Revenue Stability and New Stuff Make AAPL Attractive
The good news from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty: she expects Apple to beat consensus when it reports earnings for 1QFY2022. The bad news in her note… well, it isn’t bad. More tepid, really. Apple 3.0 ran part of her note, wherein she says “Revenue stability, upcoming product launches, and expansion into new markets,” are what make Apple attractive going forward, not what or how it did last quarter. Her thinking seems to be that any holiday-quarter boost is already baked in.
Huberty has an “Overweight” rating on Apple shares. Her price target on the shares is $200.
Evercore: Tepid on Current Quarter, Stoked for H2FY22
Similar to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty’s excitement around Apple things to come, Evercore analyst Amit Daryanani is all about the next couple of quarters. Seriously. The next two - June and September. Apple 3.0 ran part of a note he wrote, where in AD Rock pointed to strength in the second half of FY22, given “several product launches” expected.
Closer in sounds like less fun. Advising that investors “consider seasonality,” he seems to think that the Street either is or may be expecting too much from Apple sales this quarter. According to Daryanani, “on average March-qtr sales are down 32% q/q vs. street models calling for a 25% q/q drop currently.” He and his are splitting the difference, looking for a sales drop of 28% from last quarter to this one.
Doing a list of good, bad, bad, good, “key data points” noted by the analyst include:
“Better iPhone availability as demand remained strong and component availability improved”
Apparent deceleration for iPhone in China in the December-quarter… Apple has gained what share it will for now, seems to be his thinking
An anticipated deceleration in Services revenue
Continued strength for Apple wearables, “given high demand for Watch and AirPods through Christmas season”
Dayranani has an “Outperform” rating on Apple shares. Evercore’s price target on the shares is $210.
American Innovation and Choice Online Act Passes Out of Committee
Senator Klobuchar - Image via YouTube
Surprising no one, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act made its way out of committee on Thursday. I know we covered it a lot here yesterday, But Engadget gives it a good, quick summation. Sponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D - Minnesota), the piece says this bill:
…would prohibit Amazon from promoting its own Amazon Basics gear over similar products in search results. Similarly, Apple and Google would be barred from pushing their in-house apps over those from third-party developers in their respective app stores. The bill passed out of both the antitrust subcommittee and the primary judiciary committee with the support of that vote and will now be put forth on the Senate floor.
Illinois Latest State to Try to Force Third-Party Payments in App Store
Illinois State Capitol - Image via VisitSpringfiledIllinois.com
It looks like the Coalition for App Fairness is back to playing its state-by-state game. Last year, members of that organization backed legislation in Arizona, Minnesota, and North Dakota seeking to mandate the acceptance of third-party payment options for apps in Apple’s App Store as well as the Google Play Store. Apple and Google lobbied against each of those pushes, and Apple and Google prevailed. Now, a piece from Cult of Mac says David Heinemeier-Hansson is backing a bill in Illinois that’s looking to try again. Heinemeier-Hansson is the CEO of Basecamp, a member of the Coalition for App Fairness.
According to the Cult, the “Freedom to Subscribe Directly Act” wants Illinois lawmakers “to prohibit both companies [Apple and Google] from requiring developers to use the App Store and Google Play to sell software and subscriptions.” The piece says:
It also looks to prohibit retaliation against a developer or user “for using an in-application payment system or digital application distribution platform that is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with” Apple or Google.
No word on next steps for the proposed legislation.
Epic Appeals 2021 Ruling in App Store Fight
While the U.S. Senate tries to undo the App Store business model in D.C. and David Heinemeier-Hansson tries it in Illinois, Epic Games is still trying it in California. 9 to 5 Mac says the company has officially filed an appeal with the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This was the big Apple/Epic-Fortnite fight of 2020 and 2021. The piece says the ruling Epic’s appealing:
…required that Apple adjust its App Store guidelines to allow developers to link out to third-party payment options. Judge [Yvonne Gonzalez] Rogers, however, ruled that Apple did not hold a monopoly on the market in question.
Isn’t it nice when neither side is pleased? Actually, Apple called her ruling a “huge win” and a “resounding victory.” They’re still planning to appeal, though. Now, Epic’s started the ball rolling. The company’s asking the Ninth Circuit to overturn Judge Rogers’ ruling. 9 to 5 Mac has Epic arguing that she “erred” in deciding that “the App Store and its guidelines do not violate antitrust laws…” Epic’s filing says:
If not reversed, this decision would upend established principles of antitrust law and, as the district court itself recognized, undermine sound antitrust policy…
The piece cites a report from Bloomberg, that says Epic wants the Court of Appeals to:
…send the case back to U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, with instructions on how to address issues raised in its antitrust suit.
No word on a timeframe for the appeal.
Release Candidates for the Next Round of Apple OS Updates Out to Developers
Image via Apple
Apple hardware users appear to be pretty close to the next round of OS updates. MacRumors ran a few reports Thursday, saying that release candidates of iOS and iPadOS 15.3, macOS Monterey 12.2, watchOS 8.4, and tvOS 15.3 were out to developers. But developers don’t get to have all the fun. The same pieces said that the iOS, iPadOS, and macOS release candidates had also gone out to Apple’s public beta testing program.
Indications are that the next round of updates will fix things that need fixing without much in the way of new features. For example, a separate piece from MacRumors says the macOS and iOS RCs fix the WebKit IndexedDB data leak issue about which we heard earlier this week. Though the piece doesn’t say so specifically, one assumes that is fixed or will be in iPadOS as well.
I have spotted one feature in the next round of updates that would have to be called either new or expanded. A piece from 9 to 5 Mac says HomePod Software 15.3 turns on multi-user voice recognition for two new countries. According to that piece:
Software version 15.3 adds Siri voice recognition support for up to six users in a home in English (India) and Italian (Italy). This update also includes performance and stability improvements.
Apple Makes Custom Offer Codes for Subscriptions Available to Developers
New OS releases candidates aren’t all developers got on Thursday. Along with the new versions of iOS and iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and software for the HomePod, developers also got a way to create custom offer codes for subscriptions.
While Apple made special discount codes available to developers starting back in 2020, a piece from 9 to 5 Mac says those codes are now customizable. According to the report:
…developers can now create their own custom discount codes (like SPRINGPROMO) to distribute to customers, similar to what online stores already offer.
Previously, discount codes were randomly generated and also one-time use, meaning that the developer had to generate a code for each person. While one-time codes remain available, Apple believes that custom offer codes will make it easier to “acquire, retain, and win back subscribers.”
You know those times when you hear something and you think, “how was it not always like that?” Well anyway, it’s like that now.
Kristin Huguet Quayle Promoted to Apple VP Worldwide Corporate Communications
Image via LinkedIn
Shuffle at the head of Apple Public Relations. After a scant eight-months on the job, MacRumors says Stella Low is out as Apple VP Worldwide Corporate Communications, and Kristin Huguet Quayle is in.
I’m not sure when she added the “Quayle” but Kristin Huguet is an old name where Apple communications are concerned. In announcing her promotion, Apple said:
Kristin has played an instrumental role sharing Apple's story of incredible innovation and strong values for more than 15 years. With an extraordinary depth of experience and a long track record of principled leadership, Kristin is uniquely suited for her new role overseeing worldwide communications.
Why say “more than 15 years” when you could just as accurately say “for over 16?” According to MacRumors:
Huguet Quayle has been at Apple since 2005 and has been on Apple's communication team. She joined Apple when the company had fewer than 20,000 employees, and was responsible for leading communications during Apple's encryption fight with the FBI.
Is it wrong that I want to know what happened with Stella Low? Because I really wanna know what happened with Stella Low. And congratulations Huguet Quayle! I look forward to continuing to be ignored by your department for years to come.
Apple Uploads But Does Not Release Trailer for “The Sky is Everywhere” to YouTube
The point of a movie trailer is to generate buzz. I mean, it’s to tell people about the film, sure. But really to get people interested. Excited. To get people talking. All of that makes the trailer for the upcoming Apple TV+ film The Sky is Everywhere a little confusing.
The trailer itself isn’t confusing. It’s pretty straight forward. And it does what a trailer should. I’m a tiny bit interested in seeing that movie now, and I really wasn’t interested at all based on the description. We hit that description last week, when we got a release date for the film. It tells the story of “17-year-old Lennie Walker, a radiant musical prodigy, [struggling] with overwhelming grief following the sudden loss of her older sister…” She falls in love, though that’s complicated by her relationship with her sister’s former boyfriend. “Through her vivid imagination and honest, conflicted heart,” says Apple, “Lennie navigates first love and first loss to create a song of her own.”
And yes - the trailer still made me want to see it. What’s weird about the trailer - a piece from iDownloadBlog says, though it is on YouTube:
…it’s an unlisted upload, and it actually shows that Apple TV+ uploaded it on January 13. Plus, the official description attached to the trailer indicates Apple doesn’t actually plan to make it public until the early stages of next month.
The Sky Is Everywhere hits Apple TV+ on Friday 11 February. The trailer is below - at least, as of this writing.
Apple Releases “Servant” Season Three “First Look” and First Episode
M. Night Shyamalan - Image via YouTube
Season three of the creepy, M. Night Shyamalan series “Servant” hits Apple TV+ today, and there’s something to watch about it before you watch it. iMore says Apple’s streaming service has posted a first look for the third season. In it, the piece says:
…M. Night Shyamalan explains that as the Turners [the couple at the center of the series] desperately try to return to their normal lives, a new darkness looms.
In short, it’s another season of “Servant.” Seasons one and two are available to watch in full on Apple TV+. The first episode of season three is available now. If you want to see what you’re in for before you get into it, you can peep the first look below.
Apple Inks Deal for Godzilla-Inspired, Live Action Monsterverse Series
Image via Apple
21 JANUARY 2022 - They haven’t bought a studio, but Apple TV+ has made a monster deal for some established intellectual property. The Cupertino-streamer issued a press release Thursday announcing Apple’s expedition into the Monsterverse. That’s the name for the storytelling continuity set up between 2014’s Godzilla, 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. The release has Apple TV+ announcing:
…a series order for a new original live-action series from Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise. Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the series explores one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.
If you’re wondering why Apple would go this way, I can think of close to two-billion reasons. From a storytelling side, there is - literally - a world of stuff to explore. From a business side, Apple says:
Monsterverse films have accumulated close to two billion dollars globally at the box office and is ever expanding with the latest iteration being a new anime series, “Skull Island.”
Legendary Television is onboard to produce, as is Toho - Godzilla’s studio home in Japan all the way back to the 1950s. Behind the scenes talent includes production people from “Star Trek: Enterprise” and the recent Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” If I had to stand in line for it, I would. Luckily, I won’t have to. Just get to sit on my couch and wait. The release says nothing about a timeframe for the untitled Monsterverse series.
Capitol Hill Takes Aim at Big Tech
Big day for big tech in Washington, D.C. today. The Next Web has two bills targeting tech headed to committee this week - the American Innovation and Choice Online Act and the Open App Markets Act. That first one goes for markup today, according to a piece from Punchbowl. Proposed in the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, according to The Next Web:
“The act says companies should allow competing businesses the same access to features and operating systems as the platforms’ own apps.” That would, for example, give Spotify the same system-level access as Apple Music on iOS.
Users should be allowed to remove pre-installed apps from their devices. Theoretically, that levels the playing field between third-party developers and soup-to-nuts shops like Apple and Google.
And, the piece says, “The bill also prohibits these firms from taking advantage of non-public data to boost their own products, or making their own products more prominently visible in front of customers.”
As for the Open Apps Market Act, a piece from 9 to 5 Mac outlines changes it would bring. According to that report:
Competing app stores would be allowed on iPhones and Android phones
Consumers would choose which app store app to download
Consumers would choose their default apps
Apple and Google would not be allowed to do anything to give their own app stores an advantage
Personally, I find it difficult to keep track of which of these bills does what - in part, I think, because Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) is a cosponsor of both. Whatever the case, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act seems to be the one that’s riled a couple of CEO’s. The Punchbowl piece referenced earlier has senate aids saying that both Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai “have been calling and meeting with senators on the Judiciary panel, urging them to oppose this new legislation…” That piece goes on to say:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has circulated a letter urging lawmakers to vote no. A number of the major tech players – Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Apple, Spotify and Amazon – have all disclosed that they’re lobbying on the proposal.
Arguing against Apple and Google, The Next Web says, “a group of companies, including Basecamp, DuckDuckGo, Genius, Quora, and Sonos wrote a letter to the committee to support the bill.” Of course, Apple and Google are against it. In addition to the on-the-QT phone calls from the CEOs, a piece from MacRumors has Apple lumping the two bills together and calling them bad for consumers.
I will say, Apple lumping them together makes me feel better about not being able to keep them separated.
Citing a letter it’s seen from Timothy Powderly, Apple’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, to the Senate Judiciary Committee, MacRumors has Powderly arguing that the bills would “‘hurt competition and discourage innovation’ by making it ‘much harder’ to protect the privacy and security of personal devices in the United States.” Quoting the letter:
These bills will reward those who have been irresponsible with users' data and empower bad actors who would target consumers with malware, ransomware, and scams. […]
The bills put consumers in harm's way because of the real risk of privacy and security breaches. In addition to making privacy and security protections nearly impossible to defend, the bills would actually allow predators and scammers to side-step Apple's privacy and security protections completely. This circumvention is possible because the bills would mandate "sideloading," or the direct installation of software from the internet in a way that circumvents the privacy and security protections Apple has designed, including human review of every app and every app update.
MacRumors goes on to say:
Apple says that the bill would be a “big win for those who would profit by collecting even more personal information,” and that “millions of Americans” could be deceived into installing unwanted malicious software and would suffer preventable malware attacks. Regulators “should not ignore” the benefits that consumers receive from Apple.
Google hasn’t been silent, by the way. The Next Web says the search giant “published a long blog post listing several negative consequences of these bills…” In part, Google said:
There are important discussions taking place about the rules of the road for the modern economy. We believe that updating technology regulations in areas like privacy, AI, and protections for kids and families could provide real benefits. But breaking our products wouldn’t address any of these issues.
The way Punchbowl sees it, “the odds of it getting approved by Judiciary are very good. Whether it can get through the full Senate is another matter.”
Apple Drops Max Trade-In Values on Older Apple and Android Devices
Image via Apple
If you’re thinking about trading in your sort-of-swanky Android phone for something with an Apple logo - you maybe should have done that last week. MacRumors says Apple has dropped the maximum trade-in value for Samsung Galaxy devices as well as Google Pixels.
Like the phones themselves, the changes are all over the map. For example, the max value on Samsung Galaxy S9 dropped from $75 to $65, while the max value on a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra dropped from $545 to $405.
Lest you think this is Apple picking on the robots, it’s not. The company also dropped the trade-in values on a lot of its own hardware, according to the report. You can find out more about the company’s trade-in program Apple's site.
Apple Has Officially Dropped Security-Only Updates for iOS 14
Remember the confusion around the disappearance of iOS 14 security updates? During WWDC 2021, Apple said that folks who didn’t want to make the move from iOS 14 to iOS 15, but who did want to keep getting security updates would have that option. They’d have their “choice between two software update versions,” according to the company, keeping the stay-behinds safe.
Last week, a few sites pointed out that Apple has pushed out a couple of iOS 15 updates since December with no corresponding security release for iOS 14. The assumption was that Apple had changed its corporate mind about the two-version thing. Now, MacRumors has Apple saying it has not changed its corporate mind, but it is done with the two-version thing. The report has Apple telling Ars Technica:
…that the option to stay on iOS 14 and avoid the iOS 15 upgrade was always meant to be temporary. It is not a mistake that there are no more security updates to iOS 14, and support for the update has essentially ended.
How hard would it have been to say, “until the end of the year?”
Poland’s Conotoxia Adds Apple Pay Support
News of a neat addition for Apple Pay in Poland. iMore says that country’s Conotoxia has added Apple Pay support. What I find interesting about Conotoxia: It lets users pay for things in over 160 different currencies.
I don’t know about you, but I can name… ten currencies. Maybe.
Offering reasons for the support, the payment platform said:
Conotoxia brings its multi-currency card users Apple Pay, a safer, more secure and private way to pay that helps customers avoid handing their payment card to someone else, touching physical buttons or exchanging cash – and uses the power of iPhone and Apple Watch to protect every transaction.
Good for transactions online and offline, iMore says “Conotoxia's free multi-currency Visa Debit card” is good wherever Visa is accepted. That includes the EU, the UK, and the US.
Apple Outs Trailer for “WeCrashed” Ahead of Mid-March Premier
Image via YouTube
Apple TV+ has offered a short glimpse at “WeCrashed.” That’s the limited series about the rise and demise of the space-sharing startup WeWork. According to a piece from Engadget:
The eight-episode drama stars Jared Leto as former WeWork CEO Adam Neumann, who wielded hype to earn a $47 billion valuation only to lose most of it (and his job) when the IPO process revealed ugly financials and leadership. Anne Hathaway plays Adam's wife Rebekah, who served as an executive (including the head of WeGrow) and whose relationship with Adam was "at the center of it all…”
“WeCrashed” hits Apple TV+ on Friday 18 March. You can see the teaser below.
“Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” Gets a First Look Ahead of 21 January Premier
Image via YouTube
With just a couple of days before heading back to it, Apple has offered a first look at the series “Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock.” iDownloadBlog says the five-minute feature has footage of the show, as well as “details from some members of the creative team,” and some of the show’s voice actors, including Ed Helms, Daveed Diggs, and Cynthia Erivo.
“Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock” rolls on to Apple TV+ tomorrow - Friday 21 January. If you want a first look before the full look, you can catch the feature below.