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Sunday, 23 August 2020

The ThunderCats Are Loose in This Impressive CGI Recreation of the Show's Classic Theme

Generally speaking, I’m a skeptic of the “recreated in CGI” genre of fan work. But this one really is something special.

Microsoft Supports Epic Games, Says Apple Blocking Access to Unreal Engine Would Harm Game Creators

Fortnite creator Epic Games has argued that Apple's plan to terminate its Developer Program membership would be "overbroad retaliation" and "an unlawful effort to maintain its monopoly and chill any action by others who might dare oppose Apple."

Earlier this month, Epic Games strategically violated Apple's rules regarding in-app purchases by introducing its own direct payment option for in-game currency in its hit game Fortnite on iOS. Apple promptly removed Fortnite from the App Store and subsequently informed Epic Games that its Developer Program membership would be terminated within two weeks unless it resubmits Fortnite without the direct payment option.

By having its Developer Program membership terminated, Epic Games would not only lose its ability to develop Fortnite for iOS, but also its popular game engine Unreal Engine for iOS and macOS, which thousands of developers rely on for their games.

In a court filing [PDF] today, Epic Games said that multiple Unreal Engine licensees have contacted the company "expressing grave concern over Apple's actions and its impact on their iOS and macOS-bound projects," including Microsoft.

In a declaration in support of Epic Games [PDF], Microsoft gaming executive Kevin Gammill wrote that "Apple's discontinuation of Epic's ability to develop and support Unreal Engine for iOS or macOS will harm game creators and gamers." Specifically, Gammill said that games utilizing Unreal Engine will be put at a "substantial disadvantage," citing Microsoft's own racing game Forza Street for iPhone and iPad as an example.

Apple has argued that Epic Games committed "self-inflicted wounds" by intentionally violating its rules, noting that it could have proceeded with its lawsuit without introducing a direct payment option in the Fortnite app. Apple has also said that it would be happy to have Fortnite back on the App Store if Epic Games addresses the violations.

A hearing related to Epic Games' request for a preliminary injunction, which would force Apple to put Fortnite back on the App Store during the legal proceedings, is set for tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time in California court.

Tag: Epic Games vs. Apple

This article, "Microsoft Supports Epic Games, Says Apple Blocking Access to Unreal Engine Would Harm Game Creators" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Lousiana Braces for Unprecedented Back-to-Back Hurricane Strikes

Two hurricanes are forecasted to slam the Gulf Coast this week, and Lousiana could see back-to-back landfalls in an unprecedented succession. Marco strengthened from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane over the weekend, and the latest National Hurricane Center forecast has it hitting the southeastern coast of…

You Deserve a Kindle, so Grab The Paperwhite Edition for $100

Kindle Paperwhite | $100 | Amazon

Apple Once Prototyped a Mac Mini With an iPod Dock

Twitter user @DongleBookPro has today shared images of a prototype first-generation Mac mini with a built-in dock for an iPod nano.

The images show a first-generation ‌Mac mini‌ with a 30-pin dock connector cutout on the top for an iPod nano. Otherwise, the computer appears to be virtually identical to the version that came to market in 2005. These types of docks were more commonly seen on speakers at the time, such as Apple's iPod Hi-Fi that was released in 2006.

The 30-pin connector was never directly implemented on computers, with a cable required for syncing. It is therefore intriguing to discover that Apple was seriously considering adding an iPod dock to the Mac, starting with the ‌Mac mini‌ in 2005.

According to the Twitter user who shared these photos, the project was scrapped internally before it saw the "light of day." Given that the size and shape of the iPod nano changed consistently over the years, this ‌Mac mini‌ would have only been compatible with the first and perhaps second generation of the music player.

EVT Mac Mini, with iPod dock. Totally scraped project that never saw the light of day pic.twitter.com/fSm1m31fhX
— Dongle (@DongleBookPro) August 22, 2020

@DongleBookPro regularly posts images of unreleased Apple devices and prototypes. Earlier this month, they revealed images of an unreleased first-generation iPod touch prototype with a 2013 Mac Pro-style glossy black finish.

Related Roundup: Mac mini

Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Buy Now)

This article, "Apple Once Prototyped a Mac Mini With an iPod Dock" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/2Qj8hzI