Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2018/03/wednesday-morning-news070318/
Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson says 40% of iPhone owners surveyed didn’t upgrade to the iPhone X because 31% of them felt it was too expensive, with another 8% preferring an even larger screen. The numbers an excerpt from Olson’s report were shared by Philip Elmer-DeWitt, who also notes the 1,500 iPhone owners surveyed said they didn’t upgrade because their current iPhone works fine, or some other reason. I’m not sure what Apple are going to do about the price, but the rumours definitely point towards Apple releasing a larger-screened iPhone X later this year.
It’s the end of the road iTunes LPs. Apple confirmed to The Verge that it would stop taking submissions for the format this month, with existing iTunes LPs continuing to be available until an undisclosed date later this year. If you want to download the extras bundled with your album purchase — or even purchase an iTunes LP for the first time — you should do so sooner, rather than later.
Apple Pay Transit leverages Apple Pay for contactless public transport payments. Currently, it works in a very exclusive list of cities and public transport operators in the US, Japan, Russia, and the UK. China’s Guangzhou region is also on that list, and new code found within the iOS 11.3 beta suggests Apple Pay Transit will making its way to Shanghai and Beijing in the near future.
The fourth beta of watchOS 4.3 follows similar beta releases for iOS and macOS yesterday, with the only difference being that there’s no public beta for watchOS. Still, portrait nightstand mode and improved music controls should make for a compelling update when it’s finally released.
The latest Apple Watch activity challenge is for International Women’s Day tomorrow, Thursday 8th March. You can get the award by doubling your move ring, so I’m wondering if you still get the challenge badge just by setting your move goal as low as it can go — but that’s probably considered cheating.
Apple’s latest partnership with Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler sees the company offer a six-month Apple Music trial with CarPlay-equipped vehicles. This definitely seems to be a US-only promo starting in May, and while only new Apple Music accounts will get the full six-months, existing Apple Music subscribers will still get three months of Apple Music.
A police officer in New Orleans has been accused of stealing AirPods from an Apple Store. The incident occurred while the female police officer was still in uniform, with the officer claiming she would purchase AirPods, but then walking out with a pair without paying. The officer has since resigned from their position in the New Orleans police department.
The latest update from Halide is a big one, with the powerful third-party camera app now offering depth previews, better ARKit integration within the app itself, and some interesting new capture modes. There’s quite a few smaller details that arise as a result of how Halide is doing things, and MacStories has the full rundown.
Perhaps the worst thing about manufacturers making great smartphones is being forced to choose. Unfortunately, most people will be forced to choose just one smartphone, and in the era of the iPhone X and devices like the Pixel 2, there’s some kind of tragic anxiety in being forced to choose.
Apple’s latest ad is a four-minute long HomePod video directed by Spike Jonze and starring FKA Twigs. It gets a little weird, but it’s a pretty nice ad overall.