Innehållsförteckning för #385 från AppleMagazine

With Apple on the verge of launching an Apple-branded card and adding new features to the Wallet app to improve financial management and spending, we take a closer look at Apple Pay, its impact on the wider financial sector, and explore why Apple’s future is in fintech… THE SUCCESS OF APPLE PAY Whilst Apple has been characteristically coy regarding the success of Apple Pay, Tim Cook told Quartz in 2018 that the company handled more than a billion transactions over the year, putting it ahead of Square and just behind PayPal. Of course, Apple Pay was always going to be a success because of its convenience, but Apple has had to work hard to build trust amongst consumers and persuade them to spend with Apple rather than a third party,…

Facebook, already the leader in enabling you to share photos, videos and links, now wants to be a force in messaging, commerce, payments and just about everything else you do online. The company’s ambitions harken to how WeChat has become the centerpiece of digital life in China, where people use it to order movie tickets, subway passes, food delivery and rides. If Facebook succeeds in turning its own messaging services into a platform for everything, it could ultimately threaten established services such as Snapchat, Yelp, Venmo, eBay and even Apple and Amazon. “It’s clear that Facebook does have very broad ambitions here,” said Bob O’Donnell, president and chief analyst at Technalysis Research. “Their goal is to be the WeChat of everywhere but China.” But Facebook faces numerous hurdles. A key…

At the ripe old age of 30 and with half the globe using it, the World Wide Web is facing growing pains with issues like hate speech, privacy concerns and state-sponsored hacking, its creator says, trumpeting a call to make it better for humanity. Tim Berners-Lee joined a celebration of the Web and reminisced about his invention at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, starting with a proposal published on March 12, 1989. It opened the way to a technological revolution that has transformed the way people buy goods, share ideas, get information and much more. It’s also become a place where tech titans scoop up personal data, rival governments spy and seek to scuttle elections, and hate speech and vitriol have thrived — taking the Web far from…

Arizona’s biggest electric utility is going big on batteries. Arizona Public Service Co. plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to add large, building-size batteries to the power grid, aiming to use their capacity to store surplus power available early in the day when solar power plants are productive. The power stored in batteries then would be used in the evening when customers need the energy after solar panels power down for the night, the Arizona Republic reported . “Arizona is already a national leader in solar energy. The challenge is, no one has figured out how to stop the sun from setting at night,” said Don Brandt, APS chairman and CEO. “As storage technology improves and declines in cost, we will increasingly be able to store the power…

Oscar Isaac says he’s pleased to be making more use of his Spanish in his newest film, ”Triple Frontier.” The Guatemalan-American star of “Star Wars” and “Ex Machina” plays a former special forces operative leading a dangerous heist in South America in this J.C. Chandor directed film, which begins streaming on Netflix after a weeklong run in theaters. “I hope to make a whole movie in Spanish,” Isaac said in a recent interview, speaking in a mix of his mother’s tongue and English. He noted this is the most he’s ever spoken Spanish onscreen; his only other bilingual role was 2014’s “A Most Violent Year,” also helmed by Chandor. In “Triple Frontier” his character, Santiago “Pope” Garcia, gathers his old brothers in arms — played by Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam,…

When cyberthieves attacked Empire Industries’ computer network, technology manager Rich Shemanskis could see files in the process of being infected by malicious software. “We were looking at the network, and I noticed it, and another guy noticed it. We’re looking at the files and watching them change,” Shemanskis recalls about the attack three years ago. Shemanskis told staffers to quickly shut down their PCs, which helped limit the malware’s spread, but the company did lose about a day’s worth of work. The saving grace for the Manchester, Connecticut, manufacturer of building materials was it had backed up most of its files. A cyberattack that leads to down time and lost data can be more costly for smaller companies than for larger businesses — an average of $763 per affected computer…

NASA’s top official says the space agency’s new rocket won’t be ready for a moon shot next year. Administrator Jim Bridenstine told a Senate committee Wednesday he’s considering switching to commercial rockets to preserve the June 2020 launch date. Bridenstine says two commercial rockets would be needed, one to launch the Orion capsule and its European-built service module, the other to launch an upper stage. Orion would have to dock with the upper stage in orbit around Earth, before heading to the moon. NASA’s SLS, or Space Launch System, rocket, could do everything in one fell swoop. Bridenstine says NASA will decide in the next couple weeks whether to stick with its rocket and delay — or go commercial for this one test flight. It originally was scheduled this year.…

Chinese tech giant Huawei’s tensions with Washington, which says the telecom equipment maker is a security risk, stretch across four continents from courtrooms to corporate boardrooms to Canadian canola fields. In the latest twist, Huawei Technologies Ltd. is asking a court in Texas to strike down a legal ban on the government using its equipment or dealing with any contractor that does. Washington is trying to persuade European and other allies to shun the biggest maker of network technology as their phone carriers invest billions of dollars in upgrading to next-generation communications. The company denies accusations it might facilitate Chinese spying or is controlled by the ruling Communist Party. Chinese authorities say the United States is exaggerating security concerns to block a potential competitor. Meanwhile, U.S. prosecutors are trying to…

Google paid former search executive Amit Singhal $35 million in an exit package when he was reportedly forced to resign after a sexual assault investigation, according to court documents released this week. Details of the exit package were revealed as part of a shareholder lawsuit against the company, one that followed a published report of payouts Google made to executives accused of sexual misconduct. The lawsuit targets the board of Google parent Alphabet, charging that its members had a duty to protect the company and its shareholders from risk and reputation damage. Instead, it says, the board agreed to pay off and otherwise support male executives facing misconduct charges — opening the company to reputational and financial damage by doing so. Previously redacted portions of the lawsuit were made available,…

THE ASPIRATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF AN OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD GENERATION It’s been a decade since the world boasted its first YouTuber to gain one million subscribers. By contrast, by the end of 2018, there were more than 4,600 channels with more than two million subscribers each . These still rather select individuals are part of something now much, much bigger; a generation of entrepreneurs who have made a living not where others failed, but where nobody else has ever found success before. That’s not to suggest that some haven’t failed, however. For every Fred Figglehorn – the fictional character of Lucas Alan Cruikshank that became the first YouTuber to hit one million subscribers – there are thousands of others who haven’t been able to command the same level of attention online.…

When a syringe-wielding drill thief tried sticking up a Home Depot near Yankee Stadium, police figured out quickly that it wasn’t a one-off. A man had also used a syringe a few weeks earlier while stealing a drill at another Home Depot 7 miles (11 kilometers) south in Manhattan. The match, though, wasn’t made by an officer looking through files. It was done by pattern-recognition computer software developed by the New York Police Department. The software, dubbed Patternizr, allows crime analysts stationed in each of the department’s 77 precincts to compare robberies, larcenies and thefts to hundreds of thousands of crimes logged in the NYPD’s database, transforming their hunt for crime patterns with the click of a button. It’s much faster than the old method, which involved analysts sifting through…

Aquaman In order to save Atlantis from the evil, power-mad King Orm, Aquaman – Orm’s half-human, half Atlantean brother – must fulfill his destiny as protector of the deep. With Orm’s army ready to conquer both the oceanic and surface worlds, Aquaman and royal counselor Vulko seek the legendary and all-powerful ancient relic, the Trident of Atlan, to aid their quest. FIVE FACTS: 1. Aquaman is the first DC Extended Universe movie to gross $1 billion worldwide. 2. Amber Heard explained that the underwater scenes were filmed by hosing down the actors, then filming them on a chilly soundstage. 3. In one scene, the Annabelle doll from director James Wan’s Conjuring horror movies can briefly be seen on the ocean floor. 4. Although Aquaman debuted in the world of comics…

Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot has come to the rescue of a fellow Israeli celebrity in a spat with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gadot, who typically shies away from politics, is rallying behind Rotem Sela, one of Israel’s top models and TV hosts, who drew fire from Netanyahu for criticizing his fearmongering election campaign against the country’s Arab minority. Sela’s rebuke of Netanyahu, and her call for equality for all Israeli citizens in an Instagram post, prompted the prime minister to take to social media himself and lecture her that “Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and of it alone.” Gadot responded with her own supportive post for Sela to her more than 28 million followers on Instagram: “Love thy neighbor as yourself. This isn’t an issue of…

Turn on the Xbox, fire up the Playstation and get ready for the green flag to drop. After long embracing esports as a way to grow motorsports and engage young fans, NASCAR is taking the experience to another level. It joined 704 Games and the Race Team Alliance in victory lane at ISM Raceway to conduct the inaugural eNASCAR Heat Pro League Draft. The online league features 14 teams and 28 drivers, each owned and operated by prominent NASCAR teams, and will begin this spring on Xbox and Playstation with a season stretching into the fall. “This is another way to connect with our fans,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps said. “Our industry understands that esports provides an opportunity to engage with our new and existing fans.” This was serious stuff,…

Swedish music site Spotify has complained to European Union regulators about Apple for allegedly abusing its dominant position in music streaming and stifling competition. Spotify founder Daniel Ek said that the company has filed a formal antitrust complaint with the executive European Commission against Apple — a move that adds to the debate about how to rein in the power of big-tech. Writing in a blog post , Ek said Apple is acting “as both a player and referee to deliberately disadvantage other app developers” by bringing in new rules to its App Store that intentionally limit choice and constrain innovation. The company takes issue with how Apple acts as a gatekeeper to the internet by controlling important platforms such as its iOS mobile operating system and the App Store,…

A highway shoulder in Venezuela’s capital has turned into one of the city’s most sought-after destinations. It’s one of the few places residents could find the slightest cellphone signal strong enough to reach loved ones around the world during the country’s worst blackout. “My siblings who live abroad are so worried about me,” said Ana Maria Suarez Napolitano, a 48-year-old attorney who had pulled over to the side of the major highway running through Caracas. “They ask if I have enough food, enough water.” Much of Venezuela went dark last Thursday, forcing residents to struggle since then through long periods in the dark without consistent electricity, running water, cellphone service and internet connection. After years of economic decay, shortages and hyperinflation that led to the mass migration of millions and…

In 1664, Maryland passed the first British colonial law banning marriage between whites and slaves. An 1883 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that state prohibitions on interracial marriage don’t violate the Fourteenth Amendment held for more than 80 years. While such impediments to marriage were dismantled over time, there are still hurdles, however small, to overcome. Here, in 2019, interracial couples have a small victory to celebrate: The approval of 71 new variations of emoji for couples of color. Capping a yearlong project by, of all people, the folks at the swipe-right dating app Tinder and tech activist group Emojination, the emoji gods (known as the Unicode Consortium) recently approved the additions in characters technically referred to as people “holding hands.” A new “gender-inclusive” couple emoji was also approved among 230…

A handful of Verizon customers could soon have faster wireless service — but they’ll have to pay $10 a month more. Verizon says it’ll flip the switch next month on a much-hyped, next-generation “5G” phone network. Service will start in parts of Chicago and Minneapolis. Verizon expects to have 5G in 30 cities this year. For now, few people will sign on. The offer is available only on unlimited plans, which currently start at $75 for one person or $160 for a family of four without 5G. On family plans, each 5G line would cost $10 extra. And network access will initially work with just one phone, Motorola’s Moto Z3, with a special 5G attachment. Verizon will offer some promotions at first, including discounts on the phone and attachment and…

Mark Zuckerberg’s abrupt last week declaration of a new ”privacy vision ”for social networking was for many people a sort of Rorschach test. Looked at one way, the manifesto read as an apology of sorts for Facebook’s history of privacy transgressions, and suggested that the social network would de-emphasize its huge public social network in favor of private messaging between individuals and among small groups. Looked at another, it turned Facebook into a kind of privacy champion by embracing encrypted messaging that’s shielded from prying eyes — including those of Facebook itself. Yet another reading suggested the whole thing was a public-relations exercise designed to lull its users while Facebook entrenches its competitive position in messaging and uses it to develop new sources of user data to feed its voracious…

Part 1 Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Foals 2018 was a busy year for the alternative rockers from Oxford, England. Their latest hard-working, melodious endeavors will be released in two parts this year, with Part 2 due for release in September. As always, Foals have contrasted melancholic lyrics with hectic, but expertly curated music. FIVE FACTS: 1. The album cover was designed by Ecuadorian artist Vicente Muñoz, using infrared film to capture infrared signals, rather than natural light, to contrast vegetation with the built environment. 2. Original band members Jimmy Smith and Walter Gervers met and formed the band at Abingdon School, Oxfordshire – the same school attended by Radiohead. 3. Lead vocalist Yannis Philippakis and keyboard player Edwin Congreave dropped out of Oxford University to pursue their music…

Puerto Rico’s governor said Monday that he hopes a new technology center can help the U.S. territory incorporate artificial intelligence and internet -connected devices as it rebuilds from Hurricane Maria. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said the lab located in the northern city of Bayamon will be completed in four months and will be run by a local company, Engine-4. It will receive resources and help from companies including Intel, AT&T, IBM, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. “The opportunities are enormous,” he said. “It allows us to take these ideas and give them shape.” He said Intel will create an innovation center within the lab to focus on artificial intelligence technology, “internet of things” devices and drones. Rossello said he expects some projects will help create “smart cities” with features that might include technologies…

Somewhere in the Midwest, a restaurant is frying foods with oil made from gene-edited soybeans. That’s according to the company making the oil, which says it’s the first commercial use of a gene-edited food in the U.S. Calyxt said it can’t reveal its first customer for competitive reasons, but CEO Jim Blome said the oil is “in use and being eaten.” The Minnesota-based company is hoping the announcement will encourage the food industry’s interest in the oil, which it says has no trans fats and a longer shelf life than other soybean oils. Whether demand builds remains to be seen, but the oil’s transition into the food supply signals gene editing’s potential to alter foods without the controversy of conventional GMOs, or genetically modified organisms. Among the other gene-edited crops…

The head of the U.N. women’s agency is calling for the revolution in technology to be used to benefit the world’s poor, and especially women, who will not achieve gender equality without “the giant leap that 21st century innovations can bring.” Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in an interview and a speech ahead of the Commission on the Status of Women’s annual meeting that sanitation, clean water, good roads, affordable internet service and use of mobile phones to transfer money and pay bills are critical to changing women’s lives. “We have made progress toward gender equality. We have more women in significant roles, but we’re still leaving many, many more women behind,” the executive director of UN Women said. “Sometimes we even lose the gains that we’ve already made. And that is…