Musk: Twitter feud with Apple ‘resolved’
Musk says that, after a walk around Apple’s HQ with Cook, that the ‘misunderstanding’ that Twitter would be removed form the App Store has been ‘resolved’
Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.
Musk did not say if Apple’s advertising was discussed at the meeting.
Good conversation. Among other things, we resolved the misunderstanding about Twitter potentially being removed from the App Store. Tim was clear that Apple never considered doing so.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 30, 2022
Musk: Apple is threatening Twitter’s presence on the App Store
After Musk publishes a poll, asking if Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers…
Apple should publish all censorship actions it has taken that affect its customers
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
…a Twitter user asks if Apple is threatening Twitter’s presence in the App Store or otherwise making moderation demands? Musk:
Yes
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Musk then directly tweets that Apple has threatened to withhold Twitter from its App store:
Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why
Apple has also threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won’t tell us why
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
When a Twitter user points out that 97.5% of Apple’s political donations were to the Democratic Party, Musk replies:
Wow, they don’t sound biased at all!
Musk asks Cook: Why has Apple stopped advertising on Twitter?
Musk asks Cook to tell him why Apple has stopped advertising on Twitter.
What’s going on here @tim_cook?
What’s going on here @tim_cook?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 28, 2022
Musk will make phone if Apple, Google block Twitter
In response to a Twitter user who says Musk should make his own phone if Apple and Google remove Twitter from their app stores, Musk replies:
I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone
I certainly hope it does not come to that, but, yes, if there is no other choice, I will make an alternative phone
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 25, 2022
EU demands Apple pay EUR13 billion taxes
EU antitrust regulators order Apple to pay up to 13 billion euros in taxes, plus interest, to the Irish government after ruling that a special scheme to route profits through Ireland was illegal state aid. The scheme meant that Apple paid tax rates on European profits on sales of its iPhone and other devices and services of between just 0.005 percent in 2014 and 1 percent in 2003. The demand, 40 times bigger than the previous known demand by the European Commission to a company in such a case, could be reduced if other countries seek more tax from the company. Apple and the Irish government say they willl appeal the decision,.
Peer-to-peer payment app
Apple is talking with banks about developing a peer to peer payment service that would let those who own an iPhone send money to one another as easily as they send messages, Apple says it wants a bigger portion of the mobile payments industry. The new service is expected out some time in the coming year.
‘Privacy is a fundamental human right’
In an interview with NPR, Cook says that Apple is committed to its customers’ privacy.
We do think that people want us to help them keep their lives private. We see that privacy is a fundamental human right that people have. We are going to do everything that we can to help maintain that trust…Our view on this comes from a values point of view, not from a commercial interest point of view. Our values are that we do think that people have a right to privacy. And that our customers are not our products. We don’t collect a lot of your data and understand every detail about your life. That’s just not the business that we are in.
Malware discovered
Security firm Palo Alto Networks discovers that login names and passwords for more than 225,000 Apple accounts were stolen by cyber-thieves in China. Apple says hackers embedded malicious code into the App Store by persuading developers to use a counterfeit version of the firm’s own software. The program, dubbed KeyRaider, allows hackers to collect data from jailbroken devices.
We’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software. We are working with the developers to make sure they’re using the proper version of Xcode to rebuild their apps.
Requests track access
An information request by The Guardian reveals that in May engineers from Apple’s Special Project group met with officials from GoMentum Station, a 2,100-acre former naval base near San Francisco that features features 20 miles of paved highways and city streets which are hidden from the public eye, and is being used as a high-security testing ground for autonomous vehicles. In an email to the facility Apple engineer Frank Fearon wrote:
We would … like to get an understanding of timing and availability for the space, and how we would need to coordinate around other parties who would be using [it].
The site is already being used by Mercedes-Benz and Honda to test their own self-driving cars.
VF interview: Talks about Apple letter
Swift talks about her Apple letter in an interview with Vanity Fair.
I wrote the letter at around four A.M. Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and I’ll write a song and I can’t sleep until I finish it, and it was like that with the letter.
She says she was nervous to post the letter online, after receiving negative feedback for her Wall Street Journal op-ed that had also advocated for fair compensation in the music industry. She says didn’t tell Borchetta, and the only person she ran it through before publishing was her mother
She’s always going to be the one. I just said, ‘I’m really scared of this letter, but I had to write it. I might not post it, but I had to say it.’
She compares Apples’ response with Spotify’s:
Apple treated me like I was a voice of a creative community that they actually cared about. I found it really ironic that the multi-billion-dollar company reacted to criticism with humility, and the start-up with no cash flow reacted to criticism like a corporate machine.
Offers free Beats headphones to students
Apple offers a free Beats Solo 2 headphone to students who buy a iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Pro with the Educational Pricing. The headphones cost 199$ if bought alone. The offer is only for students in the USA and Puerto Rico. School faculty, staff, and parents can also take advantage of this offer.
Stock down 7%
Apple stocks fall 7% after it releases its third quarter financial report showing that iPhone sales were lower than investors expected. Even though revenue is up 33% at $49.6 billion, iPhone sales are short 1.3 million units than expected in part due to low inventory. iPhone sales make up half of Apple’s revenue. CEO Cook:
Channel was down by 600,000. We sold more units than we thought we would. We always run with just the inventory we thought we need. In this quarter, we were able to end right at the bottom end of our range. Revenue would have been higher if we expanded channel, but that’s not how we think of the business.
Ads targeted to bank balance patent
Apple files a patent an opt-in service that targets ads on Apple Pay through the iPhone, based on how much money a user has in their bank accounts. Advertisers will be able to choose parameters for the ads, so that a user’s profile can be matched up to the most appropriate ad. The profile could include, along with available credit, “age, sex and income level(s), target telephone type, etc.” From Filing:
An advantage of such targeted advertising is that only advertisements for goods and services which particular users can afford, are delivered to these users.
Accepts Swift’s request to pay artists
Responding to Swift’s comments, the company agrees to pay artists during the three-month trial period.
We hear you @taylorswift13 and indie artists. Love, Apple
— Eddy Cue (@cue) June 22, 2015
Swift responds:
https://twitter.com/taylorswift13/status/612841136311390209
Criticizes Apple Music’s non-payment of artists
In the note titled To Apple, Love Taylor, Swift criticizes Apple Music’s free three-month trial for users, a period of time in which the service will not compensate artists for what is streamed.
I’m sure you are aware that Apple Music will be offering a free 3 month trial to anyone who signs up for the service. I’m not sure you know that Apple Music will not be paying writers, producers, or artists for those three months. I find it to be shocking, disappointing, and completely unlike this historically progressive and generous company.
This is not about me. Thankfully I am on my fifth album and can support myself, my band, crew, and entire management team by playing live shows. This is about the new artist or band that has just released their first single and will not be paid for its success. This is about the young songwriter who just got his or her first cut and thought that the royalties from that would get them out of debt. This is about the producer who works tirelessly to innovate and create, just like the innovators and creators at Apple are pioneering in their field…but will not get paid for a quarter of a year’s worth of plays on his or her songs…
…Three months is a long time to go unpaid, and it is unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing. I say this with love, reverence, and admiration for everything else Apple has done. I hope that soon I can join them in the progression towards a streaming model that seems fair to those who create this music. I think this could be the platform that gets it right.
But I say to Apple with all due respect, it’s not too late to change this policy and change the minds of those in the music industry who will be deeply and gravely affected by this. We don’t ask you for free iPhones. Please don’t ask us to provide you with our music for no compensation.
3000 apps released
App Store for Apple Watch releases 3,000 applications for travel, health, family, communication, fitness and work. It features Yelp, TripAdvisor, Fandango, Twitter and the NYTimes.
Guided tour videos
This first series of guided-tour videos explain how to receive and respond to messages, personalize the screen and share emotions with other users.
Stores offline
The Company’s iTunes and App stores are offline for more than eight hours due to a DNS (doman name service) error. During this time customers worldwide are not able to buy or download items. Service for the iBooks Store also was interrupted. A timeline on Apple’s page said the outage started before 5 a.m. Access issues for users of iCloud Mail and other cloud services lasted about four hours, according to the timeline.
We apologize to our customers experiencing problems with iTunes and other services this morning. The cause was an internal DNS error at Apple. We’re working to make all of the services available to customers as soon as possible, and we thank everyone for their patience.
Apple Watch unveiled
Apple unveils a smart-watch that allows user to make and receive calls and track personal health. Apple chief executive, Tim Cook:
Apple watch is like having a coach on your wrist.It is the most personal device we have ever created and can display a variety of faces ranging from a classic watch to an animated Mickey Mouse. With the built in speaker and microphone you can receive calls on your watch. I have been wanting to do this since I was five years old.
HBO Now launch
HBO announces HBO Now, a standalone streaming service available exclusively on Apple TV as a new channel. HBO Now is also available on iPhone, iPad, and iPod as an app. HBO’s entire catalog of movies and TV shows can either be streamed through HBONow.com or on all Apple devices through the channel or the app. The service costs $15 a month, and it can only be subscribed to via the HBO Now app on an Apple device.