Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2017/03/monday-morning-news200317/
A report from Fast Company claims Apple is looking to the $3 trillion healthcare market as its next big catch. With many patients in hospitals already used to smartphones, having an iPad to manage your own healthcare while you’re admitted is a normal thing, provided you go to one of a handful of hospitals in the US. Apple says the privacy and security of iOS means that hospitals are choosing Apple products to manage all aspects of health care, including remote-patient monitoring and in-patient care.
Apple is planning for two more research centres in China. Coming at a cost of at least $500 million, Apple’s newest research centres will be planned for the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Suzhou. All four research centres — the other two being Beijing and Shenzhen — are slated to open later this year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is in China to help foster relations between the country and his company, and Cook took the opportunity to speak at the China Development Forum while he was there. Cook touched on the topic of globalisation and user privacy, saying that the benefits to globalisation weren’t necessarily split evenly, although isolating yourself from the world was even worse.
In other markets, Apple is resuming iPhone sales in Indonesia. Sales were halted due to local requirements which meant Apple had to promise a $44 million investment in a local research and development centre in Jakarta over the next three years. If this sounds familiar, it’s because India also has a similar policy when it comes to sales from international companies.
Across the pond, the New Zealand Herald reports Apple has paid nothing in income tax to New Zealand’s Inland Revenue over the past ten years, despite selling $4.2 billion worth of product in the country since 2007. Why this is the case isn’t entirely clear; the article mentions that Apple’s New Zealand operations are managed from Australia, and there’s some kind of tax treaty between the two companies, but doesn’t completely explain why Apple NZ has paid no tax.
MacRumors says you can now buy AppleCare+ up to a year after your iPhone purchase, up from the 60 days it was previously. While the change is yet to be reflected on the AppleCare+ product page in the US or Australia, they have confirmed it with AppleCare support over the phone. Note that this doesn’t apply retroactively, either — you’ll need to buy a new iPhone from today to be eligible for the one-year AppleCare+ upgrade window, and it’s also possible that this is a US-only change for the time being.
Chance the Rapper’s latest mixtape Coloring Book cost Apple half a million in order to be an Apple Music exclusive for two weeks last year. In addition to the cash, Apple also funded a commercial to promote the new album, as revealed in tweets from Chance.
ColorWare’s retro-styled iPhone 7 Plus looks pretty great. The beige isn’t exactly my style, but I can appreciate the rainbow-coloured Apple logo. The only thing is, it’s also US $1899.
MacStories has a review of Magnet, a window management app that kind of brings the built-in Windows Snap tools to the Mac. Pre-defined positions let you choose where and how you’d like your windows to be displayed, and Magnet is also on sale for a limited time.
If you like indie games, you’re in luck. The App Store now has a permanent spot for indie titles, which should be good news for indie game fans everywhere.