Innehållsförteckning för #179 från AppleMagazine

Apple CEO Tim Cook is joining a long list of magnates promising to give away most of the wealth that they amass during their careers. Cook mentioned his intentions in a story about him published Thursday by Fortune magazine. After paying for the college education of his 10-year-old nephew, Cook says he will donate the rest of his money to philanthropic causes. Apple Inc. declined to comment Friday. The charitable commitment echoes pledges made by other executives far richer than Cook, who is 54. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison are among more than 120 wealthy people and families who have announced they will give away their fortunes. Gates, Buffett and Ellison each have a net worth of at least $54 billion…

When vandals sliced a fiber-optic cable in the Arizona desert last month, they did more than time-warp thousands of people back to an era before computers, credit cards or even phones. They exposed a glaring vulnerability in the nation’s Internet infrastructure: no backup systems in many places. Because Internet service is largely unregulated by the federal government and the states, decisions about network reliability are left to the service providers. Industry analysts say these companies generally do not build alternative routes, or redundancies, unless they believe it is worthwhile financially. The result: While most major metropolitan areas in the U.S. have backup systems, some smaller cities and many rural areas do not. “The more rural the location, the more likely that there’s only one road in and out of that…

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that so-called “religious objection” legislation being introduced in a number of states is dangerous and bad for business. The bills, like the one enacted last week in Indiana, create a legal framework for individuals, mostly business owners, to claim that a law or regulation mandated by the government infringes on their religious beliefs. In an op-ed piece for The Washington Post, the leader of the nation’s largest corporation said that the bills under consideration “have the potential to undo decades of progress toward greater equality.” He cited actions taken by lawmakers in Texas, Indiana and Arkansas, but said that a “wave of legislation” has been introduced in more than two dozen states. Cook said he was opposing the legislation on behalf of Apple Inc. He…

Interstellar The latest epic from the director behind The Dark Knight trilogy, Christopher Nolan, charts the tale of a team of astronauts who embark on a covert journey through a wormhole, in search of a new home for humanity. The pioneers’quest to find an alternative habitable planet is prompted by the threat posed to life on Earth by epidemic crop failures. FIVE FACTS: 1.  Interstellar stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine.2.  The film was inspired by the work of Caltech theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, who also served as an executive producer and scientific consultant.3.  Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot the film on anamorphic 35mm and IMAX 70mm photography.4.  Filming took place from late 2013 in Alberta, Iceland and Los Angeles.5.  The movie won the Oscar for…

The virtual streets of Google Maps are being transformed into Pac-Man’s chomping grounds in celebration of April Fools’ Day. Google added the option to convert its popular navigation service into the Pac-Man video game on Tuesday morning, around the same day the calendar turned to April 1 in Asia. That ushered in a day when Google shows off its playful side by injecting more frivolity into its services. The gag on Google Maps enables visitors to click on a Pac-Man symbol in the lower left of the screen to play the video game on whatever location is listed in the address bar. As has been happening for nearly 35 years, Pac-Man eats blinking dots while trying to elude four “ghosts” - Pinky, Blinky, Inky and Clyde. The game can be…

Microsoft is making a cheaper version of its Surface Pro 3 tablet computer in an effort to reach students and budget-conscious families. Graphic artists, engineers and finance professionals needing to run complex software might still want the company’s higher-end Pro 3, said Dennis Meinhardt, director of program management for Surface. But the Surface 3 should be good for everyday tasks, he said, and brings the Pro 3’s premium feel to a device that will be affordable to more people. Here’s what you need to know. PRICE Priced at $499 (vs $799 to $1,949 for the Pro 3), the new tablet has a slightly smaller screen - 10.8 inches rather than 12 - a slower processor, and less flexible kickstand - just three angles rather than unlimited positions. A version with…

NEW SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE RUMORED FOR 2015 The Apple TV digital media player has always had a slightly curious place in the Cupertino giant's hardware range. There has been such a device since 2007, and it is presently in its third generation - albeit, a generation that has not seen a significant update for three years. The microconsole has also long been likened to a "hobby" by Apple executives, and yet, bigger plans seem to be afoot - including a subscription service and possible 4K content. There has been talk of Apple TV taking on a bigger role within the company for many years now, but there had been few stirrings in terms of actual announcements until, at the firm's most recent March 9 keynote, a price drop from $99 to $69 was…

Kintsugi Death Cab for Cutie Kintsugi - the eighth studio album of the indie rock band, and its first since 2011 - may be the last to feature lead guitarist and founding member Chris Walla, but there’s still plenty more of interest here, not least the work of Walla’s replacement on production duties, Rich Costey. Indeed, it is the group’s first album to feature an outside producer. FIVE FACTS: 1.  The album’s title refers to the Japanese art of kintsugi, which involves the fixing of broken pottery and treats breakage and repair as part of an object’s history, rather than something to disguise.2.  It is the follow-up to 2011’s Codes and Keys.3.  The band was formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997.4.  The group presently comprises vocalist, guitarist and pianist Ben Gibbard,…

Every year, slightly more boy babies than girl babies are born worldwide. But back when sperm meets egg, the two sexes are conceived in equal numbers, a new study suggests. That contradicts the idea found in many textbooks and scientific articles that males are in the majority at conception, researchers said. And it implies more females than males die before birth, resulting in the excess of male births, says Steven Orzack, a study author. “We don’t have good information on the cause of this difference,” he said. The work, released Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also estimates the ratio of males to females at various points in pregnancy. It finds a see-sawing pattern over that time in which sex is more prone to die in…

U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew pressed Chinese leaders on Monday to suspend proposed curbs on foreign security technology and said a Beijing-led regional bank should work in partnership with existing institutions, an American official said. The United States and Europe say Beijing is improperly blocking access to its market with the curbs in proposed anti-terrorism and banking security measures. The measures have prompted an unusually high-level response, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other Cabinet officials writing to Beijing opposing them. Lew emphasized the seriousness of the issue for Washington and urged Chinese officials to suspend enforcement, said the senior Treasury official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. He said Chinese officials said their purpose was not to keep out U.S. products, but the official gave no…

LATEST SERIES TIPPED TO PREMIERE ON HBO NOW Few fantasy TV dramas have captured the popular imagination quite like Game of Thrones. The HBO series is adapted from George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and is filmed on location in various spots around the world, from the United States, Morocco and Iceland to Spain, Croatia and Northern Ireland. It has also attracted staggering viewer numbers. As the fifth series primes itself for an April 12 premiere amid rumors that it will coincide with the launch of the HBO NOW streaming service, we ask: how and why has it become such a phenomenon? Game of Thrones is set at the end of a decade-long summer on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, and draws upon…

Spotify is coming to the PlayStation, replacing Sony’s own Music Unlimited service, as the company continues to expand the game console into an entertainment hub beyond video games. Spotify hits the PlayStation 3 and 4 on Monday, with a new app adapted for large television screens. Sony says partnering with Spotify expands its music service to 41 countries, rather than the 19 available with Music Unlimited, and offers better tools for playlists and music discovery. PlayStation users have long been able to watch DVDs and stream Netflix, Amazon and YouTube shows with the console. Just two weeks ago, Sony launched an online television service, PlayStation Vue, offering more than 50 over-the-air and cable channels starting at $50 a month. Spotify has 60 million active users worldwide, including 15 million paid…

HTC’s flagship One phone has a lot going for it - except for strong sales. In Samsung’s and Apple’s shadows, HTC barely has any market share despite having good phones. But the latest edition of the HTC One, dubbed M9, is even better than previous year’s models, as it addresses a major shortcoming: the camera. The latest One keeps an elegant, all-metal design with a few changes. The power button moves from the top to the right side to keep the phone from sliding down and out of your hand when pressing. The back edges are also sharper to improve grip, though it does give the phone a boxy feel. The M9 screen stays at 5 inches, as measured diagonally. Advance orders for the One have already begun in the…

The White House on Friday announced a five-year plan to fight the threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria amid fears that once-treatable germs could become deadly. Repeated exposure to antibiotics can lead germs to become resistant to the drugs, so that they are no longer effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause 23,000 deaths and 2 million illnesses each year in the United States. The World Health Organization said last year that bacteria resistant to antibiotics have spread to every part of the world and might lead to a future where minor infections like strep throat could kill. Antibiotic resistance also threatens animal health, agriculture and the economy. President Barack Obama, who ordered the plan, said drug-resistant bacteria are one of the most serious public…

Download Periscope, Twitter’s just-launched live video-streaming app, and you’ll find people broadcasting all sorts of mundane stuff: waiting for AT&T to fix their wiring, getting out of bed in Silicon Valley, looking outside their office window in Chicago. Watch the videos, and you might ask yourself, is this really the next big thing? It could be. Check back in a few months, and you’ll likely see much more enticing content. After all, the first tweet, sent by co-founder Jack Dorsey in 2006, simply said “just setting up my twttr.” Now nearly 300 million people tweet photos and messages every month for work, play and social commentary. Twitter bought the company behind Periscope earlier this year for a reported $100 million. The launch comes in the heels of rival Meerkat’s breakout…