Apple Megathread - iOS, iPhone,iPad, Macs, OSX etc...

[KUweatherman]

Wrong thread.

[bonecrusher]

any current Iphone XS Max deals?
Currently using AT&T with a Iphone 7Plus and its all paid off and looking to get a newer Iphone.

thanks!

[JDLM]

macOS Catalina first look: goodbye, iTunes; hello, iPad apps on Mac




Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge iPad apps are coming to the Mac, and iTunes is being broken apart into several different apps. From a consumer perspective, those are the most significant new aspects of macOS Catalina, which Apple will roll out to Mac computers this fall. Today, the company is releasing its first public beta of Catalina. Let me say this up front: you should only install the beta on a secondary Mac you’ve got around the house; it’s been fairly stable in my testing, but it’s by no means ready to be put on your full-time laptop, iMac, or Mac mini.
There are plenty of other changes and improvements to macOS Catalina, from a redesigned Reminders app to small but helpful additions like iCloud Drive folder sharing. Let’s run through what you can expect from macOS 10.15 when it rolls out to everyone in a few months.
iTunes splits into Apple Music, Podcasts, and TV

Apple is finally bidding farewell to iTunes for the Mac, breaking the bloated software into three more focused apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV. The company says these apps should offer great performance, but I’ve been testing Catalina on a 2016 MacBook Pro — and this is still an early beta — so it’s hard to gauge how much faster they are than iTunes.




Apple Music is a gateway to the company’s subscription music service, but it also handles all of the traditional music library management that iTunes did before. So if you’re a nerd like me with an Apple Lossless collection and a bunch of smart playlists, don’t worry: that stuff is all making the trip over and works perfectly. And yep, you can still buy individual albums and songs here if you’re not an Apple Music person. If you are, you’ll get the usual sections like For You, Browse, and Radio. There’s also more color throughout the app and in the sidebar, which is a nice change since iTunes had gotten pretty drab.
As for Podcasts and Apple TV, they’re exactly what you’d expect from Mac versions of their iOS counterparts. Apple TV includes full support for Apple TV Channels, so you can stream content from HBO, Showtime, and other networks right inside the app if you subscribe to them. Apple is also adding support for HDR and Dolby Vision to the TV app.
And Podcasts offers a very clean, straightforward interface for keeping up with your favorite shows and podcasters.

Sidecar lets you use your iPad as a second display

Apple has taken a cue from apps like Luma Display and is introducing a new feature in macOS Catalina called Sidecar, which allows your iPad to serve as a secondary or mirrored display for your Mac. This works both wired and wirelessly, and Apple says performance should basically be identical between the two. In my experience, that's been mostly true, but the wireless mode can be a little buggy in this beta stage. It’s also limited to a range of 10 meters (or a little over 30 feet) since Apple’s using Bluetooth as part of the Sidecar magic.
Additionally, any app that supports stylus input will let you draw or edit with your Apple Pencil right away without developers having to do anything. That covers apps like Adobe Lightroom, Illustrator, and others such as Affinity Photo. Even if you’re not a pro app user, Sidecar will be convenient for annotating PDFs or signing documents on your Mac.
Image: Apple The Pencil can also be used to point and click like a mouse. And you’ll actually find yourself doing that more than you’d think because if you tap or swipe on the main iPad display area using your finger, nothing will happen. Apple has intentionally left out any kind of support for finger navigation, and that design decision was made because the company doesn’t really view macOS as a platform meant for touching. It’s for a mouse cursor or your Apple Pencil. There are two exceptions to this, though: running down the left side of your iPad’s screen is a sidebar that includes modifier keys (command, option, control, and shift) and an undo button. So to right click, you’d hold down control and tap the display with your Pencil. Additionally, if the app you’re using on your Mac includes Touch Bar controls — even if your Mac itself lacks a Touch Bar — those will appear at the bottom of the iPad’s screen.
Still, there are quirks to Sidecar. If you open a webpage in Safari, you have to use your Mac’s trackpad or the arrow keys on your iPad’s keyboard to scroll around. Since the Pencil is serving as a mouse pointer, you can’t use it to swipe around a page; it’ll just select content on the screen instead. This makes sense when you think about it, but is jarring at first. Second, Sidecar can only be launched from your Mac, so you can’t start a session on the iPad end. Lastly, Sidecar is strictly (and unsurprisingly) about display functionality. If you were hoping to pipe your Mac’s audio through your nice iPad Pro speakers, that’s not an option.

[JDLM]

iPad apps on Mac: get ready for the floodgates to open

Project Catalyst gives developers an easy path for porting their iPad apps over to macOS while still providing the flexibility and tools to make them feel at home on the Mac. Touch controls are automatically adapted to the mouse and keyboard, but app makers can choose to do a bit of extra work for their Catalyst apps to fit in better with other Mac apps with things like menu bar controls, toolbar shortcuts, Touch Bar support, or translucent sidebars. (They’ll have to make another icon too, since iOS icons look a little weird in your dock.) If apps use iOS 13 features like dark mode, those automatically work in macOS as well.
Catalyst could prove huge for the Mac App Store, which has stagnated over the last several years compared to the bountiful selection of apps on iOS. Apple showed off a few examples of third-party Catalyst-based apps at WWDC, and more should be coming when Catalina ships in the fall. I can’t wait to see apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on the Mac (with support for offline downloads), and I’m sure you’ve got a list of what you’re excited about as well. Apple is doing everything it can to make it worthwhile — and easy — for devs to bring their iPad software to a new platform.
Apple is also continuing to introduce more of its own Mac apps based on the Project Catalyst tech. News, Home, Stocks, and Voice Memos debuted in Mojave to some harsh criticism, but the company says it has learned a lot in a year. Catalina’s Podcasts app runs on Catalyst, though Apple Music and TV are traditional Mac applications.
Find My, redesigned Reminders app, and Screen Time

As with iOS, Apple is updating the Reminders app on macOS with a new design and more advanced features. The Find My app, which combines Find My Friends and Find My iPhone (or Mac, in this case), is also coming to macOS Catalina.
Apple says that Find My will be able to locate your Mac even if it’s not connected to Wi-Fi by using its Bluetooth signal. If your Mac is lost or stolen, any Mac or iOS device that crosses its path will be able to report that location back to you, and it will then appear in the Find My app for easy reference. This reporting home feature is end-to-end encrypted and uses very little data or battery power, according to Apple.
Apple is also bringing Screen Time from iOS over to the Mac with Catalina. It can be found right in system preferences. As on mobile devices, it’ll show you how long you spend using individual apps. You can set limits, downtime periods, and also apply those limits to combined categories like games or social networking. Also, Apple is letting parents set communication limits for kids — such as limiting it to contacts only.
iPhones and iPads sync through the Finder now

Breaking up iTunes forced Apple to figure out what to do with device syncing. I suppose they could’ve kept it in the Apple Music app, but instead, the syncing menu has been relocated to macOS’s Finder. It’s basically the exact same screen that you’re familiar with from iTunes, just in a new spot. As Apple made sure to note at WWDC, nothing pops up automatically (and annoyingly) when you plug in an iPhone or iPad. You can just open Finder yourself to sync, back up, or restore a device.
Voice Control is a huge win for accessibility

Apple demoed its new Voice Control feature onstage at WWDC to big applause. It allows users to fully navigate and control their Mac (and iOS / iPadOS) devices using their voice. I repeated some of the steps in the video below, and they worked as expected. The system is smart enough to differentiate between dictation and commands on the fly, so it won’t include things like “hit send” in your messages. Apple says the quality of its dictation has improved as a result of these new accessibility efforts.





Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqoXFCCTfm4


The other tidbits

• Mail in Catalina will let you block senders, mute threads, and automatically unsubscribe from commercial mailing lists with a click.
• Activation Lock bolsters security on misplaced or stolen Macs, but only those that have a T2 security chip inside. Currently, that list includes the 2018 (and later) MacBook Pro, 2018 MacBook Air, 2018 Mac mini, and iMac Pro. Like with the iPhone, your Apple ID password must be entered for the device to be useable. And no, you can’t just boot into Disk Utility and wipe the hard drive to get around Activation Lock.
• Your Apple ID info is now found right at the top of system preferences, giving you fast and simple access to account management. Need to change your password? It couldn’t be much faster than it is in Catalina.
• The Apple Watch could already let you bypass your Mac’s lock screen, but now it can also be used to access your passwords, authenticate app installations, or view locked notes with a double tap of the digital crown.

Image: Apple

• Apps must now request permission whenever they want to access your Documents, Downloads, Desktop, or iCloud Drive folders. Permission is also required for access to removable storage.

Image: Apple

• macOS Catalina runs on its own read-only system volume to prevent critical files from being deleted or overwritten.
• Photos for macOS is falling a bit behind the iOS version. In Catalina, it’s getting the new, more immersive browsing experience and support for Memory Movies, but it lacks some of the more powerful editing tools that are coming to Photos in iOS 13 — especially for video.
• 32-bit apps are not supported in macOS Catalina. Period. They just won’t run. If you have any 32-bit apps remaining on your system when you install the update, you’ll see which ones they are and be warned that they’ll become non-functional after updating.

One area Apple isn’t really addressing with macOS Catalina is speed. Software VP Craig Federighi didn’t talk up any performance improvements at WWDC, and it seems Apple is satisfied with where Mojave stands today. The effort to bring iPad apps to the Mac and Catalina’s other new features took priority, so maybe next year we’ll see a performance-focused update. This one is very much about refinement and ushering in a new era of third-party software on macOS.

[JDLM]

Apple Owes Samsung $90M After Failing To Sell Enough iPhones

Not selling enough iPhones doesn't just hurt Apple, it also hurts its suppliers. And that includes Samsung Display.
According to ETNews, Apple could be looking at "hundreds of billions of won in penalties" for not buying enough OLED screens. That would be around $90 million USD in fines. Obviously that's chump change to Apple, and it's also unlikely that Apple will actually hand over that cash to Samsung.
Apple likely will hand Samsung a new contract for OLED displays. This definitely seems to be the case, seeing as Apple is rumored to go all OLED next year on its iPhones. As well as introducing OLED to the Mac, for the first time. And that would mean that Apple would be needing more OLED screens from Samsung, even if iPhone sales don't improve.
Falling iPhone sales have been hurting Samsung Display in the last few years. In 2017, it raked in about 5.7 trillion won (around $4.9 billion USD), that fell to 2.62 trillion won (about $2.2 billion USD) in 2018.
For a company like Samsung, the slowdown in smartphone sales is hitting it pretty hard. It was already the biggest smartphone maker, so slowing down of smartphone sales is hitting Samsung Mobile pretty hard. But Samsung also makes components found in just about every other smartphone on the market. From displays, to chipsets, to batteries and everything in between. With other companies also feeling the pinch in the smartphone world, it's making it tougher on Samsung's family of companies: Samsung Display, Samsung Mobile and Samsung SDI.
The iPhone isn't the only smartphone that has been suffering from the plateau in smartphone sales in the past few years. It's actually hitting every player in the market. But since Apple is number two worldwide, and only makes about three different models, that equates to a much higher number of smartphones that Samsung is supplying screens for, than any other player. Including its own smartphones.
This fine means that Samsung and Apple will continue to work together for the next few years though. As the last thing Apple wants to do is pay Samsung millions for selling less iPhones. And this could also turn out to be a good thing for Apple's customers. As this is likely going to mean no more LCD iPhones, like the iPhone XR. And it also means OLED is coming to the Mac.
OLED on laptops is something pretty new in the past year or so. A couple of PC makers have added OLED to their high-end laptops, like Razer and Dell. an OLED display on a laptop is going to look amazing, since that is the display you probably look at more than your smartphone. And you're going to get richer colors as well as deeper blacks on this screen, compared to the others screens that are on laptops these days.
In the past few years, we've seen OLED become almost a staple on smartphones. Not only from Samsung, as LG is also starting to sell its OLED panels for smartphones, including its own smartphones.

[JDLM]

Jony Ive Is Finally Free




Jony Ive is leaving Apple, per a press release from the company. The designer, who joined Apple back in 1992, is departing to start his own design firm, with Apple as a primary client.



Ive hasn’t left yet but will depart later this year. He’s currently the Chief Design Officer for the company, where he’s overseen the design of some of Apple’s most iconic products—including the iPhone.

Though perhaps his best-known product is the original iMac, whose whimsical design notably helped propel the company back into the good graces of the general public.
According to Financial Times Ive’s new design firm will be called LoveForm and will formally launch in 2020 with Apple as it’s first client. Ive told Financial Times that he plans to focus on wearables and healthcare at his new company, where he will be joined by fellow Apple designer, Marc Newson. Newson joined Apple in 2014 after previously working with Ive on a series of products for RED’s annual auction, including a solid aluminum desk.



What’s prompted Ive and Newson’s departure from Apple has not been disclosed. Speaking with Financial Times Ive characterized the departure as necessary. “This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change,” he said.


Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, was his typical optimistic self in both his statements to Financial Times, noting company’s group of in-house designers is “the strongest it’s ever been”. In Apple’s press release Cook said, “Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built. After so many years working closely together, I’m happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working with Jony long into the future.”
However, some people might disagree with Cook as Ive’s departure immediately wiped $9 billion from Apple’s market cap, according to CNBC’s Steve Kovach.
Indeed Ive has long been seen, by fans and analysts, as the vision behind Apple’s coolest products since Steve Job’s passing in 2011. While Cook has business acumen to spare Ive’s is the one who seemed to have the Midas touch when it comes to gadgets.



In the last few years, the company has taken a number of critical hits for its products—from the soft initial launch of the Apple Watch, to the underwhelming reception of the HomePod, and even to this year’s MacPro, which has is divisive for its kitchen gadget aesthetic.

[JDLM]

A bizarre leak might’ve just given us our first look at an actual iPhone 11R

The Galaxy Note 10 launches next week, which means we expect to see more and more leaks showing the handset in the wild. One such leak happened just hours ago, when someone posted an image of the Note 10+ on Twitter before quickly deleting the post. But the internet never forgets, and that image was saved for posterity.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that the person who took the photo of Samsung’s unreleased Galaxy Note 10+ may have been using another unreleased phone to capture the picture: Apple’s iPhone 11R.


Rather than looking at the Galaxy Note 10+ In the images below, pay attention to the phone in the reflection on the screen. The Note’s screen isn’t turned on and is facing the sky, which means we get a better view of the person taking the picture and the device he’s using since the Note’s screen acts as a mirror.

The first to observe the strange occurrence was the well-known Samsung insider Ice Universe, who shared his thoughts on Twitter:

The device in the image does look a lot like what you’d expect from the iPhone 11 phones this year. All iPhone 11 models will have a square camera module in the top left corner around back, which becomes the top right corner when the phone is mirrored. The iPhone’s volume buttons sit opposite the camera on all models, and that’s visible in the mirrored image as well.
Finally, there seems to be a circular sticker that’s hiding the Apple logo on the phone, or the handset itself is in a protective case. No other smartphone has a similar design aside from the unreleased Pixel 4, the design of which Google already confirmed:
Image Source: Google via Roland Quandt
But the central placement of the flash seems to indicate we’re looking at an iPhone 11R rather than an iPhone 11, 11 Max, or Pixel 4. In the image at the top of this post, you can dummy models of all three upcoming new iPhone 11 models, with the iPhone 11R placed between the iPhone 11 and 11 Max.
The simplest explanation is that someone with early access to these phones used them both in the wild. After all, these devices have to be tested by wireless carriers in several markets. One other possibility is that the iPhone 11R isn’t a genuine phone. Instead, we may be looking at a clone from China. Whatever the case, the phone seen in that reflection looks exactly like the iPhone 11R that has been featured in several leaks so far.
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ launch next Wednesday, with the iPhone 11 series expected to be unveiled in early September.

An unknown leaker seems to have leaked two phones at the same time: the Galaxy Note10+ and the iPhone XR 2019 in the mirror.

[KUweatherman]

Looks like it is just a case on a regular iPhone. Nothing to see here.

[JDLM]

Apple's new iPhone event happening September 10




It's official: Apple's next iPhone event is happening September 10.


Apple today sent out invitations to the media for an event that's happening on September 10 at 10:00 am PT. The event is taking place at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, CA.


While Apple doesn't specifically say that new iPhones will be shown at this event, it's highly likely that they'll be the stars of this show. Not only have rumors said that Apple has new iPhone hardware in the works, but the company has held early September events for new iPhones for the past several years.


Rumors have suggested that Apple is planning three new iPhones for this year, including two "Pro" replacements for the iPhone XS and XS Max and a follow-up to the iPhone XR. The Pro models are expected to gain a wide angle rear camera, improved Face ID with a wider field of view, a faster processor, and better water resistance. The designs are expected to be similar to the iPhone XS and XS Max.
Meanwhile, the iPhone XR successor will reportedly get a second rear camera with optical zoom functionality. New colors are expected, too, and Apple could be hinting at the iPhone XR successor's color options with the colors in the Apple logo on this invitation.


What do you want to see from Apple's new iPhones?

[JDLM]

Apple reveals the powerful new iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max

They feature three cameras, better OLED screens, and more power than ever before.





As usual, Apple's latest batch of iPhones aren't exactly surprising, thanks to plenty of detailed leaks throughout the year. Today, the company unveiled the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, its high-end smartphones that'll join the slightly cheaper iPhone 11. You might have noticed the name changes this time around: the 11 Pro models are direct successors to last year's "XS" phones, while the 11 is the cheaper alternative following the iPhone XR. There are a few design changes, like a "surgical-grade stainless steel" case and matte finish, but the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max are more focused on cramming in as much power as possible.






While the iPhone XS and XS Max featured two cameras, one for standard shots and another for telephoto and portrait pictures, the Pro models add a new 12MP wide-angle lens like the iPhone 11. Similar to how telephoto lens zooms into a shot, the wide-angle lens will let you zoom out a bit, allowing you to capture more of a scene without stepping back. The big takeaway is that you'll have a lot more flexibility when taking photos with this year's iPhones.


There's a new mode called Deep Fusion which takes nine photos across all three cameras, and stitches them together into a single high-quality photo. Even better, the app Filmic Pro will let you record from multiple cameras at once. So you'll be able to get footage from the front shooter right alongside rear cameras without taking multiple videos. And of course, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max will sport all of the new camera features from the iPhone 11, like a night photography mode and slow-motion selfies (or, ugh, "slowfies").




Aside from new midnight green and gold finishes, those cameras also make up the one major visual difference from last year's iPhones: a square camera hump. Your mileage might vary on that design choice, but it's not entirely surprising. We know the Pixel 4 will also get a square rear camera module, though from Google's renders, it looks to be less obtrusive than Apple's implementation. To my eyes, the camera hump detracts from the minimalist aesthetic Apple has been moving towards with the iPhone X and beyond. But all of those cameras have to live somewhere, right?


The iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max are powered by Apple's new A13 Bionic processor, and they feature "Super Retina" OLED screens with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and up to 1,200 nits of brightness. The company claims the new displays are 15 percent more energy efficient than before and feature 458 pixels per inch. Basically, they seem like a nice step forward from the iPhone XS and XS Max OLED screens, and a notable upgrade from the iPhone 11's LCD.
iPhone 11 Pro will start at $999, while the 11 Pro Max will go for $1,099. Pre-orders start this Friday, September 13th, at 5AM Pacific, and the phones will ship on September 20th.



Developing...

[JDLM]

Apple is killing its most-hated app, iTunes. Here's how it went from a popular music player to an outdated relic.



Apple's iTunes, the media library introduced to the world in 2001, is officially on its way out.


At the June WWDC, Apple announced that it was getting rid of iTunes on Macs, which it had already done on the iPhone. As macOS Catalina rolls out beginning this week, iTunes will be replaced by three separate apps: Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV.


Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced iTunes at the January 2001 Macworld Expo calling it "the world's best and easiest to use jukebox software." In 2003, iTunes 4 introduced the iTunes Music Store, on its way to Jobs' vision of a digital hub where all your media would be stored.



iTunes changed the way people bought and listened to music, but it also became a source of frustration for users. Publications featured stories about why people hate iTunes and why you should ditch iTunes, and many complained online.



Here is the history of iTunes, from its groundbreaking inception to its hated later years, and the final goodbye.


Apple released iTunes in 2001 as a "jukebox" software that allowed Mac users to import songs, convert them to MP3s, and store them.



Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images
Source: Apple


"iTunes is miles ahead of every other jukebox application, and we hope its dramatically simpler user interface will bring even more people into the digital music revolution," Steve Jobs said.



Photo by Apple Computer/Getty Images
Source: Apple


In October 2001, Apple released the original iPod, which automatically synced with iTunes. “With iPod, listening to music will never be the same again,” Jobs said.



Photo Courtesy of Apple Corp. via Getty Images
In the press release, Apple called the iPod "a breakthrough MP3 music player that packs up to 1,000 CD-quality songs into an ultra-portable, 6.5 ounce design that fits in your pocket."


The iTunes Music Store launched in 2004, with thousands of songs available for $.99. "Consumers don't want to be treated like criminals and artists don't want their valuable work stolen. The iTunes Music Store offers a groundbreaking solution for both," Jobs said.



Mary Meisenzahl/Business Insider
The iTunes Music Store made iTunes a model for legally buying and downloading music, The Verge observed. "The iTunes Music Store offers the revolutionary rights to burn an unlimited number of CDs for personal use and to put music on an unlimited number of iPods for on-the-go listening," said Steve Jobs in the press release.
Apple dominated the online music sharing space so completely that musicians like Thom Yorke of Radiohead accused Apple of making "all content, including music and newspapers, worthless, in order to make their billions."


iTunes also became available on Windows in 2004, making it available to users of the world's largest operating system for the first time. Jobs called it "probably the best Windows app ever written."



Gabe Palacio/Getty Images
Source: Macworld


iTunes 5 and 6 were primarily bug fixes, but they added podcast and video support in 2005 and 2006, respectively.



Mary Meisenzahl


In 2006, iTunes 7 introduced games, gapless playback, and more, as Apple also released the first iPhone. By this point, the software supported iPod Classic, Shuffle, Touch, Nano, and iPhone.



Apple

[JDLM]

Post-iTunes 7, the software kept getting more confusing, and criticisms became more common as it evolved from a music player to a multimedia platform. It was even briefly home to Ping, "a social network for music" that was replaced within a year.



Jeff Sayre
Ping was reportedly supposed to connect with Facebook, but users pointed out that it was difficult to use, with no alerts or notifications when friends reacted to you.


In 2012, redesigned iTunes 11 left users confused about how to access and organize their content, which could now include, music, podcasts, TV shows, and movies.



Apple
The company also introduced iTunes Radio and iTunes in the Cloud, letting users store their music library in the cloud.


Apple also launched iTunes Match, a streaming service, along with the Genius Sidebar, which users found confusing. When he originally launched iTunes, Jobs said of other music apps "They are too complex. They are really difficult to learn and use," but now that was becoming true of iTunes.



Screenshot


In 2014, Apple redesigned the software again for iTunes 12, again confusing users and disorganizing some carefully-curated music collections with iCloud Music Library.



Apple.com
Source: MacWorld


Apple finally entered the streaming game in 2015 with Apple Music, which was a standalone service, but confusingly also lived in the same iTunes Mac app as. It is its own app in iOS, however, separate from the music player.



Dave Smith/Business Insider
In the press release, music producer Jimmy Iovine said "Online music has become a complicated mess of apps, services and websites. Apple Music brings the best features together for an experience every music lover will appreciate," although Apple did not respond specifically to complaints about the clutter and complications of iTunes.


Some critics say iTunes was doomed from that point on. "People couldn't figure out the new, Frankensteinian hybrid. Which of their songs were hosted in the cloud? Why did they need to re-enter their Apple ID every time they wanted to play an album? Where were their downloads going?" Kevin Roose wrote in the New York Times.



Photo by Felix Wong/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
Source: New York Times


Apple blogger Marco Arment called Apple Music a "hellstew," and the New York Times called late iTunes "a bloated, buggy nightmare." Problems with Apple Music inevitably affected the iTunes experience as they were tied together in the same app.



Apple
Source: Marco.org


Across the Internet, the consensus was that Apple put too many features into iTunes, but none of them worked very well. Verge called it "Apple's most hated app" and Farhad Manjoo wrote at Slate in 2012 that "Apple’s horrible, bloated program needs to die."



This mysterious message is appearing for at least some users when trying to play music stored in Apple's cloud. Troy Wolverton/Business Insider
Source: The Verge, Slate


Now, iTunes is no more. Customers stream rather than buy music, and even physical music sales overtook iTunes sales early this year. Ebooks and podcasts can be downloaded directly onto devices and setting up iPhones no longer requires a link with the software, so iTunes is no longer the hub it once was.




Source: 9to5Mac

[varshA]

Over the years, Apple has continued to adds features to Apple Maps. iOS 11 brought lane guidance and a speed limit widget on the navigation, and indoor location mapping. With iOS 12, Apple has proclaimed they are rebuilding Maps from the ground up.

The new underlying map uses Apple data and features enhanced geographic context like pedestrian paths and parks, more detailed building outlines and parking lots, better road network coverage, and more. You'll also be able to get where you're going with improved routes, whether you're on the road or on foot.

Apple Maps has made slight adjustments to better promote things like food delivery and medical services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Apple’s adjustments follow similar changes made by Google Maps, though Apple does not go as far in its efforts.

Google Maps is also making it more clear when a business is temporarily closed because of COVID-19. Apple Maps, on the other hand, lists businesses as open, even if they are closed due to shelter in place orders. Google Maps also highlights takeout and delivery restaurants.