AppleMagazine #176

Apple is in. AT&T is out. In another milestone for the popular and profitable iPhone giant, Apple will replace AT&T in the venerable Dow Jones industrial average on March 19, the manager of the index announced Friday. The move isn’t likely to impact the 30-stock index much, and will have no effect on the fortunes of the two companies. But market experts say it does have symbolic importance, sort of like getting an Oscar at the Academy Awards - or at least a nomination. The change cements Apple as “the gold standard of technology,” says Daniel Ives, a financial analyst at FBR Research. “They’ve really become the modern-day Wright Brothers.” The reshuffling of the 119-year-old Dow, a barometer of market fortune and folly once dominated by railroads, also reflects a…

SOFT BOX OFFICE DEBUT FOR BLOMKAMP’S LATEST Johannesburg-born Neill Blomkamp has already built quite the career in his 35 years on earth. Known for his documentary-style, handheld observational cinema technique, he has enjoyed decent big screen success with District 9 and Elysium, and now, he’s back with another science fiction film: Chappie. Its box office return hasn’t been amazing, and the critical reviews have been mixed, but it has certainly reopened the debate on where robots belong in our lives - and the role that they will play in generations to come. Chappie has a screenplay written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, with its origins in the director’s 2004 short film Tetra Vaal. With a cast including such stars as Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sigourney Weaver and…

A consumer survey showed the popularity of the iPhone 6 has driven Apple’s market share in China to its highest ever while Samsung has continued to lose ground. Kantar Worldpanel ComTech said Thursday that its latest survey of 15,000 people living in Chinese cities showed Apple’s market share reached 25.4 percent in the November-January period, up from 20.9 percent a year earlier. That was a record for Apple in the world’s largest smartphone market, but not enough to catch up Chinese maker Xiaomi, which claimed 27.6 percent. The research firm said the market share of Samsung Electronics Co. eroded further to 11.3 percent. It was 22.2 percent a year earlier. Kantar conducts a monthly online survey of the same 15,000 city-dwelling Chinese who are 16 years or older. Its latest…

HBO NOW, MACBOOK AND EVEN THE APPLE WATCH... When word got round of another major Apple keynote set to take place on March 9, there was inevitably much of the excitement that always accompanies events like these, including plenty of guessing about what would be covered at the event. One subject - the Apple Watch - was predictable, but we ended up getting so much more than that, with new MacBook models and an over-the-top subscription video on demand service among the other unveilings. But first, let’s consider the pre-event chatter. As the usual media corps received their invites to the event, which was to take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco, thoughts immediately cast back to past Apple unveilings at this time…

At the Game Developers Conference, it’s easy to imagine what virtual reality will look like when it eventually hits the marketplace. What it will feel like, however, is an entirely different matter. From wand-shaped controllers to motion-detecting sensors, VR creators are trying out all sorts of input methods on the road to bringing the immersive technology into consumers’ homes. For decades, to interact with virtual worlds depicted on television and computer screens, gamers had to rely on either hand-held controllers with an assortment of buttons, directional pads and analog sticks, or a keyboard coupled with a mouse. The head-mounted VR displays that intentionally obstruct users’ vision are providing new challenges for designers seeking to create a sense of presence on the screen. While creators agree that boosting frame rates and…

Microsoft is attempting to break down the walls surrounding console gaming. Phil Spencer, head of the company’s video game division, detailed Microsoft’s plan for game makers to create universal apps that can run on both Xbox One consoles and PCs with Windows 10, as well as smartphones, tablets and other devices running the forthcoming version of Windows. That includes HoloLens, Microsoft’s wearable headset that gives wearers the ability to interact with three-dimensional images. “Our goal with gaming at Microsoft is to allow people to play games wherever they are” Spencer told game makers Wednesday at the Game Developers Conference. “We know for developers that it’s critically important for you to reach those gamers wherever they are.” Spencer said the marriage of Xbox One and Windows 10 would allow creators to…