Indholdsfortegnelse for #367 i AppleMagazine

THE SEARCH GIANT NO LONGER SITTING SO COMFORTABLY When you retrieve your iPhone from your pocket in preparation for a long journey on the road, which mapping application do you load up first? Whereas Google Maps might have once been the straightforward choice, Apple Maps has made significant leaps in functionality since the application’s belated debut in 2012. By 2015, the adoption level of Apple Maps was more than treble that ofGoogle Maps on iPhones and iPads – and things now look set to get even better. In an interview with TechCrunch in June, Apple announced that it was rebuilding its own Maps app “from the ground up”, giving it a wealth of new data sourced independently by Apple. The new Maps has since brokencover with iOS 12 – and…

Apple’s faithful customers aren’t snapping up iPhones quite as enthusiastically as anticipated heading into the crucial holiday shopping season. But the latest models costing $1,000 and more are popular enough to keep propelling profits ever higher for the world’s most prosperous company. The mixed bag emerged in the quarterly results Apple released amid jitters about how the company and the rest of the technology industry will fare in the face of myriad threats to growth. Those include increased government regulation, the escalating U.S. trade war with China and the specter of rising interest rates crimping economic growth. Apple’s performance for the July-through-September period and its revenue outlook for holiday season evidently weren’t enough to ease investors’ concerns. The Cupertino, California, company rattled Wall Street even more by unexpectedly announcing that…

For a fundamentally nerdy subject, net neutrality is pushing a lot of political buttons. The latest salvo is over a California law that restores a ban on cable, wireless and other broadband providers from impeding people’s ability to use their favorite apps and services. The federal government had rescinded that ban, and the Trump administration is seeking to block California’s effort as an imposition on federal prerogatives. Though net neutrality started off more than a decade ago as an insight into how to make networks work most efficiently, it has taken on much larger social and political dimensions lately. The issue has emerged as an anti-monopoly rallying point and even a focus for “resistance” to the Trump administration. “Any time the cable companies and the Trump administration are on one…

Nearly eight months after one of its autonomous test vehicles hit and killed an Arizona pedestrian, Uber wants to resume testing on public roads. The company has filed an application on with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to test in Pittsburgh, and it has issued a lengthy safety report pledging to put two human backup drivers in each vehicle and take a raft of other precautions to make the vehicles safe. Company officials acknowledge they have a long way to go to regain public trust after the March 18 crash in Tempe, Arizona, that killed Elaine Herzberg, 49, as she crossed a darkened road outside the lines of a crosswalk. Police said Uber’s backup driver in the autonomous Volvo SUV was streaming the television show “The Voice” on her phone…

Interstate Gospel Pistol Annies The long-awaited follow up to 2013’s Annie Up is here. The country super-group’s latest offering is a collection of 14 bombastic tracks, with post-divorce anthem “Got My Name Changed Back” a particular highlight. FIVE FACTS: 1. Like the Spice Girls, each of the Annies has a nickname. They are Lonestar Annie (Miranda Lambert), Hippie Annie (Ashley Monroe) and Holler Annie (Angaleena Presley). 2. All three members of the Pistol Annies have released solo albums. 3. All members of the group contributed towards the writing of the album. 4. Both previous albums by the group charted in the Top 5 of the US Billboard 200. 5. The band’s first album was certified Gold. Antares Kris Wu Antares is the debut studio album from Chinese-Canadian actor, singer and…

A NASA spacecraft has made its first close approach to the sun, just 2 1/2 months after liftoff. The Parker Solar Probe flew within 15 million miles (24 million kilometers) of the sun’s surface Monday night. Its speed topped 213,000 mph (342,000 kph) relative to the sun, as it penetrated the outer solar atmosphere, or corona. No spacecraft has ever gotten so close to our star. NASA won’t re-establish contact until Parker is far enough from the sun to avoid radio interference. NASA’s Nicola Fox says scientists “can’t wait to get the data.”The observations could unlock some of the sun’s mysteries. Assuming it survives the harsh solar environment, the spacecraft will make 23 even closer approaches over the next seven years. The next is in April.…

SoftBank Group Corp. Chief Executive Masayoshi Son denounced Monday the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but defended the Japanese technology giant’s investment fund, which includes Saudi money, as work that needs to be finished. Speaking at an earnings news conference, Son called the death an attack on “a precious life but also on journalism and the freedom of speech.” Son is partnering with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and about half of his $100 billion Vision Fund, established in 2016, comes from the kingdom. The fund has been investing in various companies, solar projects and artificial intelligence. Khashoggi, a 59-year-old columnist for The Washington Post, was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2, although details are still unclear. “It is a reality a horrible…

Chinese authorities have begun deploying a new surveillance tool: “gait recognition” software that uses people’s body shapes and how they walk to identify them, even when their faces are hidden from cameras. Already used by police on the streets of Beijing and Shanghai, “gait recognition” is part of a push across China to develop artificial-intelligence and data-driven surveillance that is raising concern about how far the technology will go. Huang Yongzhen, the CEO of Watrix, said that its system can identify people from up to 50 meters (165 feet) away, even with their back turned or face covered. This can fill a gap in facial recognition, which needs close-up, high-resolution images of a person’s face to work. “You don’t need people’s cooperation for us to be able to recognize their…

Verizon is undergoing a significant restructuring under new CEO Hans Vestberg, including its dominant wireless division, as it prepares to roll out its 5G technology. Three months after Vestberg took control, Verizon said that the New York company will be organized into four groups at the start of the year: Consumer, Business, Media, and Global Network & Technology. Verizon Consumer Group will include the company’s wireless and wireline businesses for consumers and will be led by Ronan Dunne. The remaining units include The Verizon Business Group and the Global Network & Technology organization. Vestberg said in a prepared statement that Verizon seeks to optimize opportunities in the new 5G era though its restructuring. Several other companies are preparing for the rollout of faster 5G service, including key rival AT&T. The…

LIGHTER, BRIGHTER, AND MIGHTIER Having only just unveiled a range of new iPhones and the Apple Watch Series 4, many thought Apple was set for the festive season. However, the Cupertino firm stayed true to tradition and held their ‘More in the Making’ event this October, introducing a bunch of new hardware for everyday and professional users alike, including an all-new MacBook Air made from 100% recycled aluminum that’s lighter, brighter, and mightier than ever before. This week, we unbox the new device and explore how it not only sports a breathtaking all-glass design but is also helping to save the planet… STUNNING RETINA DISPLAY Over the past five years, Apple has slowly been upgrading its hardware lineup to include Retina displays, first with the MacBook Pro and since with…

After a yearlong search for a second home, Amazon is now reportedly looking to build offices in two cities instead of one, a surprise move that could still have a major impact on the communities it ultimately selects. Virginia officials and some state lawmakers were recently briefed by the head of the state’s economic development office that Amazon was considering splitting up its second headquarters, according to a person familiar with the matter. Officials in Virginia believe there’s a strong likelihood Amazon will pick Crystal City in northern Virginia as one of its sites, but the company has not said anything definitive, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak on the record. “They’re a real secretive company,” the person said. One of the other areas the online…

So Disney has gone ahead and made a Christmas movie from “The Nutcracker.” Is this what we’re doing now? We’re making big Hollywood movies from 19th century ballets? Anyone have any fresh ideas at all? Talk about low-hanging fruit: It’s a sugar plum. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms ” is visually marvelous, inconsistently acted and rather incoherent in that fantasy genre way. There’s not even that much dancing, to tell the truth. Little kids might end up too scared and adults may need several shots of insulin. There’s a lot of stuff going on here so hold onto your popcorn. The story is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original 1816 tale, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” which went on to become a celebrated ballet with stirring music by Tchaikovsky.…

Two U.S. government agencies are giving conflicting interpretations of a safety study on cellphone radiation: One says it causes cancer in rats. The other says there’s no reason for people to worry. No new research was issued this week. Instead, the National Toxicology Program dialed up its concerns about a link to heart and brain cancer from a study of male rats that was made public last winter. The Food and Drug Administration, which oversees cellphone safety, disagreed with the upgraded warning. And “these findings should not be applied to human cellphone usage,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, FDA’s chief of radiological health. What’s most important is what happens in humans, not rats, said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. “The incidence of brain tumors in…

Earth’s protective ozone layer is finally healing from damage caused by aerosol sprays and coolants, a new United Nations report said. The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s. Scientist raised the alarm and ozone-depleting chemicals were phased out worldwide. As a result, the upper ozone layer above the Northern Hemisphere should be completely repaired in the 2030s and the gaping Antarctic ozone hole should disappear in the 2060s, according to a scientific assessment released Monday at a conference in Quito, Ecuador. The Southern Hemisphere lags a bit and its ozone layer should be healed by mid-century. “It’s really good news,” said report co-chairman Paul Newman, chief Earth scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “If ozone-depleting substances had continued to increase, we would have seen huge effects.…

President Xi Jinping promised this week to open China’s growing consumer market wider at an import fair meant to help defuse complaints Beijing abuses the global trading system. But he offered no response to U.S. and European complaints about technology policy and investment curbs. The China International Import Expo is part of efforts to develop China-centered trading networks while resisting pressure to roll back industry plans that Washington, Europe, Japan and other governments say violate its market-opening obligations. “It is our sincere commitment to open the Chinese market,” Xi said in a speech to a VIP audience that included Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Xi promised to cut costs for importers and improve consumer spending power to help boost imports. The president made no mention of the standoff with U.S.…

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers and Chicago-area scientists are working to create a communications network that can withstand hacking. The University of Illinois announced last month that it will be joining the Chicago Quantum Exchange in its effort to explore quantum technology, an emerging field of physics and engineering that involves studying matter and energy at a small scale. Experts believe work in the field could eliminate cybersecurity risks and further pharmaceutical discoveries. “This new branch of science was really born here in Illinois,” said U of I Chancellor Robert Jones. “This Chicago Quantum Exchange is a huge step forward in ensuring that the revolution in innovation and discovery that will come in this field will be anchored right here where it all started.” The exchange was started last…

The smartphone industry has been searching for a breakthrough to revive a market mired in an innovation lull and a sales slump. A potential catalyst is coming with the introduction of phones featuring flexible screens that can be folded in half without breaking. That feat could make the devices more versatile for work and pleasure, by increasing screen space without making phones too big. On Wednesday, Samsung provided a glimpse at a foldable-screen device that it will release next year. It’s expected to compete against several other flexible-screen phones. But it’s unclear whether the flexibility will have mass appeal, especially when the bendy devices are expected to cost more than $1,000.…

Tennessee and Alabama will get their largest solar power projects yet, to supply a Facebook data center with 100 percent renewable energy. Officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority announced an agreement with two developers to build the electricity providers. John Bradley, TVA’s senior vice president of Economic Development, said that First Solar in Colbert County, Alabama and NextEra Energy Resources in Lincoln County, Tennessee, will produce 377 megawatts between them to supply Facebook’s data center in Huntsville, Alabama. Doug Perry, TVA vice president of Commercial Energy Solutions, says the federal utility plans on investing $8 billion in renewable energy over the next 20 years.…

Alpha This action adventure set in the last Ice Age picks up the story of a young man who awakes to find himself injured and his entire tribe wiped out. He teams up with a lone wolf and the pair must learn to navigate the harsh wild for themselves. FIVE FACTS: 1. The title character of the wolf is played by Chuck, a five year old Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. 2. The movie’s characters speak a fictional foreign language, with English subtitles. 3. Filming took place in Canada and Iceland. 4. The movie’s working title was The Solutrean. 5. It is the first solo film for director Albert Hughes, who normally directs with his brother Allen. The Incredibles 2 Pixar sequels are famously long-awaited, and The Incredibles 2 is no exception. In…

Americans take out roughly $50 billion in payday loans a year, each racking up hundreds of dollars in fees and interest. But a small and growing service that allows its users to take an advance on their paycheck might be giving the payday loan industry a run for its money. San Francisco-based financial technology company Even made headlines late last year when Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, announced it would start offering Even’s service as part of its employee benefits package. Along with providing tools that allow employees to track their spending and save money, Even features Instapay, which allows users to advance some of their next paycheck up to 13 days before payday. Because the Even user is tapping into his or her already accumulated hours, Even doesn’t…

European Union authorities say they have cleared Disney’s acquisition of Fox’s entertainment assets, provided Disney sells off some TV channels it controls in Europe to maintain competition. The EU’s executive Commission said this week it gave its approval to the deal. Disney’s $71.3 billion deal to buy the 21st Century Fox assets, which include Marvel’s X-Men and Avengers franchises, is part of its plan to compete with tech companies such as Netflix and Amazon as the entertainment industry moves into the digital streaming era. Disney shareholders and U.S. regulators had already approved the Fox bid. The European Commission said Disney agreed to sell off all factual TV channels it controls in Europe to address concerns the combined company would have eliminated competition between two big wholesale suppliers.…

Tightening its control over popular anonymous chat apps, the Russian government has approved regulations that would identify users by their cellphone numbers. The measures signed this week by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev are part of Russia’s moves to clamp down on smartphone messenger services, such as Telegram, that authorities claim are used by criminals and terrorists. Mobile phone network operators will be required to confirm the authenticity of a user’s phone numbers within 20 minutes. If a number cannot be verified, messenger services are required to block users from their platforms. The Russian government will also require network operators to keep track of which messenger apps their users have registered for. The decree goes into effect after 180 days. Over the past few years, Russia has adopted legislation aimed at…

A Chinese state-owned company says it is developing a stealth combat drone in the latest sign of the country’s growing aerospace prowess. The CH-7 unmanned aerial vehicle also underscores China’s growing competitiveness in the expanding global market for drones. China has won sales in the Middle East and elsewhere by offering drones at lower prices and without the political conditions attached by the U.S. The CH-7’s chief designer Shi Wen says the aircraft can “fly long hours, scout and strike the target when necessary.” “Very soon, I believe, in the next one to two years, (we) can see the CH-7 flying in the blue skies, gradually being a practical and usable product in the future,” Shi told The Associated Press. Shi said manufacturer Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation plans…