Indholdsfortegnelse for #390 i AppleMagazine

A DEVELOPMENT TO KEEP APPLE, NETFLIX AND OTHER BIG PLAYERS ON THEIR TOES It’s official. By the time Game of Thrones’ long-awaited winter has come and gone for the final time, many fans of entertainment streaming services will be eagerly anticipating a new major development in the fall of 2019. Last week, Disney confirmed the long awaited news that its own streaming service, Disney+, will officially hit our screens and devices this November . Looking set to challenge Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and regular satellite and cable TV, Disney already boasts a back-catalogue of favorite shows and movies that many families won’t mind spending a little money on. With every movie and series in the Star Wars catalogue, plus the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) soon to be exclusive to…

AT&T has sold its 9.5% share in Hulu back to the streaming TV company, leaving Disney and Comcast as its owners. Hulu said that AT&T sold its stake for $1.43 billion, valuing the unprofitable Hulu at $15 billion. The Walt Disney Co. wound up with a 60% share after its purchase of much of 21st Century Fox, which included Fox’s Hulu stake. NBCUniversal parent Comcast Corp. owns 30%. There is speculation that Comcast will sell too, leaving Disney the sole owner and perhaps making Hulu’s content much more Disney-centric. Disney may bundle Hulu with its upcoming kids-focused streaming service, Disney Plus, and its sports service, ESPN Plus, executives said last week. Hulu’s $6-a-month service lets users watch original series and network TV episodes after they air on TV. It has…

Apple and mobile chip maker Qualcomm have settled a bitter financial dispute centered on some of the technology that enables iPhones to connect to the internet. The surprise truce announced Tuesday came just as the former allies turned antagonists were facing off in a federal court trial that was supposed to unfold over the next month in San Diego. The resolution abruptly ended that trial, which also involved Apple’s key iPhone suppliers. The deal requires Apple to pay Qualcomm an undisclosed amount. It also includes a six-year licensing agreement that likely involves recurring payments to the mobile chip maker. Investors reacted as if it were a resounding victory for Qualcomm. The San Diego company’s stock soared 23% to close Tuesday at $70.45. Apple shares edged up 2 cents to $199.25.…

Ventura Anderson .Paak This quick-fire follow up to 2018’s Oxnard returns the tone to Paak’s soulful, melodic roots. However, given that he created albums at the same time, they are certainly part of the same journey, with this latest release something of a soothing night-cap to the previous album’s vibrant, energetic beats. FIVE FACTS: 1. The 33-year-old Californian’s real name is Brandon Paak Anderson. 2. The ‘dot’ in his name – Anderson .Paak – “stands for detail”. 3. He performed on six tracks on Dr. Dre’s 2015 album, Compton . 4. His first musical passion was drumming, which he used to do for American Idol contestant Haley Reinhart . 5. In 2011, he became homeless after losing his job at a marijuana farm . No Geography The Chemical Brothers Returning to…

YouTube might need a few more humans. The machines whose job is to tamp down conspiracy theories are not cutting it just yet. As people around the world Monday turned to YouTube to watch Notre Dame Cathedral burn in Paris, an automated system attached background information about the Sept. 11 terror attacks in New York to livestream videos of the fire. The cause of the blaze has not been determined, but authorities said it appeared to be accidental, not arson or terrorism. The background note was posted by a system YouTube recently put in place to combat well-known conspiracies about such events as the moon landing or 9/11. In this case, the algorithm might have had the opposite effect, fueling speculation about the cause of the fire and who might…

GOOD SHEPHERDGREY’S ANATOMY, SEASON 15 FROM FARM TO RUNWAYRUPAUL’S DRAG RACE, SEASON 11 (UNCENSORED) LADY LUCK (NO. 69)THE BLACKLIST, SEASON 6 SLEEPING WITH THE FISHESTHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY, SEASON 11 DO YOU KNOW HOW TODISPOSE OF A BODY?KILLING EVE, SEASON 2 A WOLF IN CAMILLE’S CLOTHINGTHE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS, SEASON 9 KOURTNEY’S CHOICEKEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS, SEASON 16 COMMON ENEMIESBLUE BLOODS, SEASON 9 HIGH FASHION TO HIGH STREETPROJECT RUNWAY, SEASON 17 UNTUCKED:RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE – FROM FARM… RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE: UNTUCKED!, SEASON 11…

Electric scooters are overtaking station-based bicycles as the most popular form of shared transportation outside transit and cars in the U.S. Riders took 38.5 million trips on shared electric scooters in 2018, eclipsing the 36.5 million trips on shared, docked bicycles, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association of City Transportation Officials. This as scooter companies face challenges from every direction, including vandalism, theft, rider injuries, intense competition and aggressive regulations in cities across the country. Yet the scooter industry persists, and venture capitalists, ride-hailing companies and traditional auto manufacturers continue to pour millions into the fledgling companies. Companies are jockeying for strategic position in the so-called micromobility revolution, where consumers are embracing shared scooters and bikes for short trips and exploring alternatives to car ownership buoyed…

Jon Favreau gave fans their first look at the “The Mandalorian” at the Star Wars Celebration in Chicago last weekend, previewing the most anticipated series yet from the galaxy far, far away. Favreau’s eight-episode series will debut on the Disney-Plus streaming service on November 12. It’s set in the aftermath of “The Return of the Jedi,” taking place five years after the Rebellion’s victory. Favreau premiered behind-the-scenes clips and some finished footage to attendees. The series stars Pedro Pascal as the title character, a lone gunfighter the actor compared to a Western or samurai hero. It co-stars Gina Carano as a character named Cara Dune and Carl Weathers as a bounty hunter named Greef. Werner Hergog and Giancarlo Esposito also co-star. Favreau called himself “a product of a Star Wars…

With more TV streaming services than ever before, from newcomers like Disney Plus to stalwarts like Netflix, consumers may feel the ideal viewing experience is finally at hand. Americans have, on average, three streaming video subscription services, according to a recent study of digital media trends by Deloitte. While some have dropped cable and its average bill of around $100 a month altogether, about 43% have both pay TV and streaming subscriptions. Yet patching together a variety of services to get just what one wants isn’t always seamless. Families and individuals can still find themselves with service that doesn’t perfectly suit their viewing habits. And those monthly subscriptions can add up fast. “It doesn’t make sense to pay for a bunch of content you have no interest in watching,” said…

Uber is providing a look under the hood of its business in the lead-up to its hotly anticipated debut on the stock market, revealing strong growth but an ongoing struggle to overcome huge losses and repair its reputation. Documents released this week offered the most detailed view of the world’s largest ride-hailing service since its inception a decade ago. The massive filing shows Uber has been generating the robust revenue growth that entices investors, but also racked up nearly $8 billion in losses over its 10 years in existence, which mirrors the same trend challenging Lyft, Uber’s main rival in the U.S. Uber’s revenue totaled $11.3 billion in 2018, a 42% increase from $7.9 billion in 2017, and a giant leap from $495 million in 2014. The company posted a…

When Samsung said this year it would launch a smartphone with a folding screen, the big question was whether the innovation was something people actually wanted or needed. Is the Galaxy Fold a gimmick to help sell more smartphones in a slowing market or a true breakthrough that will change how we use our devices? Major manufacturers have in recent years been largely updating smartphones with marginal improvements like better cameras and face scanning technology, so skepticism has been high. The South Korean electronics company this week offered the media a hands-on preview ahead of the release in the U.S. this month, and the first impression is that a folding screen in some circumstances might be a useful innovation — but at a cost of almost $2,000 it won’t be…

When the last drop — or gallon — of blood is shed and an exultant victor has ascended to the Iron Throne, viewers may be split over how HBO’s fantasy saga ended but they’ll be joined in deprivation. “What do you do without ‘Game of Thrones?’” will be the lament heard after the May 19 finale, said media analyst Larry Gerbrandt. The question is even more critical to the pay-cable channel, which soared on dragon’s wings with its hugely popular, eight-season adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s novels. Keeping subscribers on board means more than another hit, even one as globally dazzling as “Game of Thrones” proved to be. But it’s where HBO can start to protect its brand and position, observers say, an effort both demanded and compounded by an…

The U.S. government will hold a massive auction later this year to bolster 5G service, the next generation of mobile networks. President Donald Trump showcased the announcement last Friday, declaring that the race to stand up these faster, more powerful networks is a competition “America must win.” “We cannot allow any other country to outcompete the United States in this powerful industry of the future,”Trump said at the White House. “We are leading by so much in so many different industries of that type, and we just can’t let that happen.” Trump also announced a $20 billion plan to expand broadband access to rural areas currently without it, a decadelong extension of an existing program. 5G will mean faster wireless speeds and has implications for technologies like self-driving cars and…

The European Union has approved a copyright overhaul that aims to give more protection to artists and news organizations but which critics say will stifle freedom of speech and online creativity and punish smaller web companies. Artists, celebrities and tech experts have spoken out both in favor and against the EU directive, which the 28 member states are required to adopt as law and got final approval from the European Council. Here’s a look at key issues. WHAT DOES THE DIRECTIVE SAY? The most vigorously debated part of the legislation is a section that makes companies responsible for making sure that copyrighted material isn’t uploaded to their platforms without permission from the original creator. It puts the legal onus on platforms to prevent copyright infringement but critics say it will…

“No one is ever really gone,” says the voice of Luke Skywalker in the first teaser trailer for “Star Wars: Episode IX,” which audiences finally learned will be called “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” last Friday at a fan event in Chicago. The closely guarded film from director J.J. Abrams will put an end to the Skywalker saga that began over 40 years ago, but even as characters and acto rs have passed on, the footage shown at Star Wars Celebration suggests that as with all “Star Wars” films, death is just a technicality a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Mark Hamill’s Skywalker may have died at the end of the most recent installment but his voice dominates the teaser trailer, telling someone, possibly Daisy…

Netflix kicked off the year with the biggest subscriber gains in the history of its video streaming service, but forecast a springtime slowdown that disappointed investors. The strong first-quarter performance coincided with the video streaming service’s biggest U.S. price increases and emerging streaming challenges from Walt Disney and Apple, two of the world’s most popular brands. The video service added 9.6 million subscribers worldwide during the first quarter of 2019, topping the projections of both Netflix’s own management and Wall Street analysts. It’s the most subscribers that Netflix has gained during any three-month stretch since the Los Gatos, California, company unveiled its streaming service 12 years ago. The surge announced Tuesday left Netflix with nearly 149 million subscribers through March. Netflix expects to add another 5 million subscribers during the…

Automakers showcased electric SUVs and sedans with longer range and luxury features this week at the Shanghai auto show, wooing Chinese buyers as Beijing slashes subsidies that helped to launch the industry. Two of China’s biggest state-owned automakers unveiled models they said can travel 600 kilometers (370 miles) on one charge, or nearly double the range of global competitors. If that can be achieved, it would raise the standard for an industry trying to compete with gasoline models by defusing “range anxiety” or fear of being stranded with a dead battery. China’s communist leaders have spent heavily seeking to make the country a leader in electrics. They’re now shifting the burden to automakers by imposing sales targets. That requires brands to create consumer-friendly models at a time when they are…

Escape Room Initially enticed by the chance to win $10,000 at the mysterious Minos Escape Room Facility, six strangers face a race against time as mystery becomes murder and macabre. With an increasingly devious network of puzzles between them and escape, each ‘player’ faces extreme danger and personal demons in an intense struggle to survive. FIVE FACTS: 1. Following the deaths of five Polish teenagers in a real-life escape room fire, the release date of the movie was pushed back by several months in a number of countries. 2. During development, the working title of the movie was The Maze. 3. A sequel is already anticipated and scheduled for release in April 2020. 4. Although set in Chicago, the movie was filmed in South Africa. 5. As of April 2019,…

Hellboy is back and he’s got a dirty mouth and a man bun. The third film in the comic adaptation franchise has a new director, a new writer and a new look — led by a swashbuckling hellion who uses expletives and wears one of the most ridiculed hair styles in decades. “Hellboy ” is a reboot of artist and writer Mike Mignola’s fantasy world that rather rudely brushes aside the first two films as if they never existed. It’s like your new girlfriend blithely tossing out all the accumulated stuff in your medicine cabinet. It even ignores in its title that we’ve already had a “Hellboy.” Out is director Guillermo del Toro, a monster maker of epic proportions. Out is the original Hellboy, Ron Perlman. Out is the PG-13…

Terry Gou, chairman of the world’s largest contract assembler of consumer electronics, including Apple’s iPhones, said Wednesday he intends to run for president of Taiwan, bringing his pro-business and China-friendly policies to what is expected to be a crowded field for next year’s election. The Foxconn Technology chairman who also ranks among Taiwan’s richest people with a fortune estimated by Forbes at $7.8 billion is seeking the opposition Nationalist Party’s nomination for the 2020 presidential race against an incumbent hampered by low public approval ratings. “I am willing to participate in the primary election,” Gou said at the party headquarters in Taipei. “If I am not chosen, it means I didn’t work hard enough.” He told reporters earlier in the day he was inspired by the Chinese sea goddess Matsu…

Britain’s privacy regulator wants to stop kids from being able to “like” posts on Facebook and other social media sites as part of tough new rules it’s proposing to protect children’s online privacy. Under the draft rules, which were released for consultation this week, tech companies would not be allowed to use “nudge techniques” that encourage children to keep using a site. The Information Commissioner’s Office said examples of “reward loops” that keep people using a site so that more of their personal data can be harvested include “likes” on Facebook and Instagram or “streaks” on Snapchat. A Snapchat streak involves two friends sending each other direct “snaps” on consecutive days. The code of practice includes 16 standards that must be met by apps, connected toys, social media sites, search…