Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2018/02/tuesday-morning-news060218/
Following reports from users saying that the display on the iPhone X does not turn on quickly enough to answer calls, Apple has confirmed to MacRumors that it is investigating the issue. The issue has been described as the iPhone X display failing to turn on for up to 10 seconds, which may be all the time needed to miss a call. While I’ve certainly noticed there’s a certain delayed display activation on the iPhone X display that I’ve never seen before on iPhones — kind of like a very subtle fade-in animation — I haven’t come across this issue.
Apple has announced a new cyber risk management solution for the enterprise in partnership with its business partners. Cisco, Aon, and Allianz provide their own expertise, with Cisco providing secure technologies, Aon bringing cyber resilience evaluation services, and Allianz offering cyber insurance coverage. Security is certainly a hot topic these days, with many businesses now focusing on securing their data, instead of leaving it as an afterthought.
A new partnership with US-based CDW helps enterprises deploy Macs and iOS devices into the workplace as part of a new employee choice initiative. Apple’s partnership with CDW lets businesses continue to work with a trusted vendor to procure their hardware and services. An updated Apple at Work website shows off success stories of Apple products in the workplace, including the Queensland Police’s iPad deployment for police officers in the field.
David Pogue’s hands-on with Apple’s HomePod tells us about it’s the speaker, rather than Siri’s smarts. While Siri can certainly do a lot and has plenty of built-in hooks to many Apple services, the personal assistant’s general information knowledge can be lacking when compared to Google’s Home or Amazon’s Alexa. So it’s good news that HomePod is a speaker first, smart home assistant second.
A paywalled Wall Street Journal article summarised at 9to5Mac tells us about the potential of a subscription service for Apple services and hardware. Analyst Horace Deidu says it would smooth out Apple’s revenue stream, removing a lot of doubt for investors about Apple’s financial results based on the quarter and how many people chose to upgrade their iPhones this year. But I’m not convinced about the benefits to end users. Subscriptions aren’t necessarily a good thing, and for big ticket items like Apple hardware, I’m not sure I always want the latest and greatest.
Speaking of subscriptions, Apple has confirmed Apple Music now has 36 million subscribers worldwide. MacRumors notes that’s up from the 30 million reported in September last year, adding that at current rates, Apple Music could eclipse Spotify’s subscriber base within the US this year. Outside of the US it’s a slightly different story, with Spotify’s 70 million paying subscribers being almost double that of Apple Music.
Nike has let loose with perks for NikePlus members, although the rewards seem relatively tame. Nike offers unlockable exclusive Apple Music playlists for reaching certain achievements, or even months of Apple Music from Nike purchases of certain fitness gear.
Secure messaging app Telegram was briefly pulled from the App Store last week after child pornography was reported on the platform. Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller confirmed in an email that Telegram was pulled following verification of the illegal content, and the app was restored after its removal.
Brett Terpstra’s list of great macOS apps for 2017 has something for everyone in almost every category. And if you’re really into computer nerdery, there’s a bunch of apps there for you, too.
The YouTube TV app is now available on the Apple TV. It’s a subscription service that offers the ability to watch and record live TV channels from the US, which pretty much guarantees that it’s basically useless for Australians.