Friday, 2 August 2019

Apple Card App Expected on iPad, Barclaycard Visa No Longer Offers Apple Rewards

Apple is set to launch its own credit card this month, and ahead of time, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed a few more details.


The report claims that the iPad will have a dedicated app for signing up for and managing the Apple Card, as confirmed by hidden iOS 12.4 references uncovered by developer Steve Moser. This is because the Wallet app, where the Apple Card will usually be found, is limited to the iPhone and iPod touch.

Meanwhile, in new terms disclosed this week, the report adds that Apple Card holders will be offered standalone financing plans for select purchases, in addition to the ability to carry a revolving balance. This could possibly allow users to make a large purchase and pay it off over a set period of time for a fixed monthly fee.

Last, the report notes that the Barclaycard Visa no longer offers Apple rewards, such as $50 worth of Apple Store or iTunes gift cards to new customers and three points per dollar spent on Apple products. The card remains available for now with special financing rates for qualifying Apple purchases.

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed the Apple Card will launch in August in the United States, but he did not provide a specific date. In a previous report, Gurman said the Apple Card will be available as early as the first half of the month.


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Google turns EU antitrust ruling into profit: Search providers will pay to be featured as default choice on Android

Google's ongoing European saga just saw a new development. After the record $5 billion antitrust fine issued by the European Commission last year, the company had to implement new screens to ask users if they wanted additional browsers and search engines on their devices, and now it's taking that one step further by making the search engine choice a default. However, as would any for-profit company do, it's using this as an opportunity to charge search providers that want to be featured.

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Google turns EU antitrust ruling into profit: Search providers will pay to be featured as default choice on Android was written by the awesome team at Android Police.



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DigiTimes: Apple to Launch MacBooks with Cellular 5G Connectivity in Second Half of 2020

Apple is working on a range of MacBooks with 5G cellular connectivity for launch as early as next year, claims a new report today by DigiTimes.


According to the hit-and-miss Taiwanese publication, Lenovo, HP, and Dell will kick off the 5G laptop market later this year, and Apple is set to follow with its own high-speed cellular notebook in the second half of 2020.
The world's top-3 notebook vendors Lenovo, HP and Dell are set to introduce their first 5G models in the second half of 2019, and Apple is also expected to roll out its 5G MacBook series in the second half of 2020, according to industry sources.
The English version of the DigiTimes story is currently paywalled, so the following details are based on a machine-translation of the same report on DigiTimes Taiwan.

DigiTimes' notebook supply chain connections claim that Apple has finalized its integrated 5G MacBook design and though it did so later than other vendors, its 5G transceiver offers higher efficiency and superior high-speed transmission rates than rival designs.

According to DigiTimes' sources, Apple is achieving better 5G performance in its notebook designs through the use of a ceramic antenna board, which costs six times that of a regular metal antenna board but offers twice the transmission and reception efficiency.

Another reason a 5G-enabled MacBook is expected to be high is reportedly down to the case: A metal chassis shields the 5G signal, meaning the notebook would require 13 to 15 antennas, where a 5G smartphone typically uses 11.

This is the first time we've heard anything about Apple planning to launch a MacBook with 5G, and DigiTimes has a mixed track record in relation to reporting on Apple's future plans, so it's best to treat its rumors with some skepticism until the info is corroborated by additional sources.

That said, Apple has explored the possibility of developing MacBooks with cellular connectivity in the past. Indeed, the company reportedly considered launching a MacBook Air with 3G connectivity, but former CEO Steve Jobs said in 2008 that Apple decided against it, since it would take up too much room in the case and would lock customers to a specific carrier. Plus owners who wanted to could always use a USB modem and choose their own carrier.


Despite retreating from the idea, Apple received approval for two patents in 2016 that would enable it to add LTE connectivity to its MacBooks. Both describe the use of an installed "cavity" antenna that runs parallel with the notebook's hinge which could be used for long-range communications such as cellular telephone bands. The patents also describe other uses including near-field communications (NFC), light-based wireless connectivity, satellite navigation, and more.

While it appears that Apple and Qualcomm's multi-year licensing and chipset supply agreement will result in Qualcomm supplying modems for the first 5G-enabled iPhones, expected to launch in 2020, multiple reports have indicated that Apple is on the path to developing its own cellular modems.

Indeed, Apple recently announced that it plans to acquire the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business, subject to regulatory approvals. The acquisition will certainly benefit Apple's cellular technologies team, but whether it will factor in on any plans for a series of 5G MacBooks remains to be seen.

Tag: 5G

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[Update: New test] Google could remove Voice Search from the Search widget, replace it with Lens and Discover

  • Another test for the widget has showed up, this time keeping the voice search button but also adding a home icon that takes you to your Discover feed. It's reminiscent

Google is no stranger to making unannounced changes to apps and services, and sometimes the changes don't even show up for all users or devices. At least some Android users have noticed an alteration to the Google Search widget today.

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[Update: New test] Google could remove Voice Search from the Search widget, replace it with Lens and Discover was written by the awesome team at Android Police.



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Apple Adds New Content Categories to its Podcasts App

Apple has started rolling out new categories in its iOS Podcasts app to help improve the browsing experience and aid content discovery.


Listeners can now scroll right along a horizontal strip of podcast categories, which appear in the Browse tab under a section labeled "Browse by Category."

The classifications include Arts, Business, Comedy, Education, Fiction, Government, Health & Fitness, History, Kids & Family, Leisure, Music, News, Religion & Spirituality, Science, Society & Culture, Sports, Technology, True Crime, and TV & Film.

When a category is selected, users can browse through Top Shows and New Shows. Some of the category listings also break down into additional subsections. For example, the Science category includes sections like Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Mathematics.


Category pages without subcategories have curated rows instead, such as Long-Running Shows in the Technology category.

At this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple mentioned that its Podcasts app would be getting new top-level categories and enhanced curation. Mac users should also be able to see the new categories in iTunes when the rollout is complete.


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