Apple today shared a pair of videos from content creators who designed posters for Apple TV+ shows “Dickinson” and “For All Mankind.”
Janice Sung, an illustrator and digital painter, said she created a poster for Apple TV+ series “Dickinson” using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, and she outlined some of her creative process.
Designer and illustrator duo Justin and Paige from Phantom City Creative in a separate video shared details on how they used an iPad Pro to create two new posters for Apple TV+ show “For All Mankind.”
Apple has in the past shared behind the scenes details on content created on the iPad Pro, but this is the first time Apple has shared iPad Pro-focused videos from Apple TV+ content creators.
Apple today announced that several upcoming Apple TV+ projects are going to debut at the SXSW Film Festival, set to take place from March 13 to March 21.
Newly acquired documentary “Beastie Boys Story” will be shown at the festival ahead of its Apple TV+ release on April 24, and Apple will also premiere upcoming TV shows “Central Park” and “Home.”
Created by Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, both known for popular TV series “Bob’s Burgers,” “Central Park” is an animated musical series that tells the story of a family of caretakers who live and work in Central Park and end up saving the world.
The animated show features voice work from Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Tituss Burgess, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Daveed Diggs, and Kathryn Hahn.
“Home,” made by the creators of Netflix series “Chef’s Table,” is a docuseries that’s designed to provide viewers with a never-before-seen look inside the “world’s most innovative homes.”
The episode debuting at SXSW will focus on the home of lawyer and science fiction writer Christopher Brown, with the house being described as a “modern interpretation of Native American pit houses,” which are huts that were traditionally constructed with mud and grass.
There’s no word on when these two shows are going to debut on Apple TV+, but a launch could come not too long after their SXSW debut.
Designer Philip Lee, who makes a range of “Classicbot” toys based on classic Mac designs, this week unveiled a new huggable 12-inch Classicbot Plush.
The Classicbot Plush, priced at $67, is based on Apple’s Macintosh Classic, which was sold in the early 90s. While expensive, the Classicbot Plush is highly detailed and has a few notable features worth pointing out.
All of the Classic Macintosh details are carefully embroidered, and the plush features articulated arms that can be put into different positions. The fabric the Classicbot Plush is made from has been chosen because it’s “very soft” to the touch.
Along with articulated arms, the Classicbot Plush features interchangeable facial expressions thanks to velcro-backed pixel pieces that can be arranged in a multitude of ways.
Apple and M. Night Shyamalan, producer of Apple TV+ show “Servant,” are being targeted in a new lawsuit that accuses “Servant” of copying 2013 film “The Truth About Emanuel,” according to The Blast.
“The Truth About Emanuel” director Francesca Gregorini claims that “Servant” appropriates the plot of her movie and uses the same “cinematic language,” resulting in a “substantially similar feeling, mood, and theme.”
Along with parallel plot points, Gregorini says that Servant also features “strikingly similar–and highly idiosyncratic–characters, scenes, directorial choices, and modes of storytelling.”
Released in 2013 with Kaya Scoddelario and Jessica Biel, “The Truth About Emanuel” involves a 17-year-old babysitter who looks after a baby that turns out to be a doll replacing a baby that has died, which is indeed similar to the plot of “Servant.”
The lawsuit targets Apple TV+, show creator Tony Basgallop, producer M. Night Shyamalan, and other producers on the series. Shyamalan and the other show creators say that “Servant” was in development prior to the release of “The Truth About Emanuel.”
“Defendants have arrogantly dismissed Ms. Gregorini’s protests by vaguely claiming that Servant was in development long before Emanuel was made, and that any similarity is a coincidence. Indeed, Mr. Shyamalan and Mr. Basgallop implausibly claim they have never seen Emanuel–apparently not even curious enough to watch after hearing Ms. Gregorini’s objections. Worse, Apple has brought stonewalling to a new level by simply referring inquiries to Mr. Shyamalan’s lawyer (who in turns says he cannot speak for Apple).”
Gregorini is seeking unspecified damages, profits Apple made from the show, and an injunction to prevent “Servant” from being further distributed.
“Servant,” which debuted on November 28, is wrapping up its first season with the final episode set to be released on Friday, January 17. Apple has already renewed the series for a second season. Given that the show is still in development and the last episode hasn’t debuted, it’s not yet known how similar it will end up being to the movie in question.
Based on the description of the film, there already seem to be significantly divergent plot elements, so it’s not clear how the lawsuit will progress.
Apple has retained Lisa Ellman, a lawyer specializing in drone and aviation law, as a Washington lobbyist, reports Bloomberg.
Ellman, a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, leads her firm’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems practice and also co-founded the Commercial Drone Alliance. She has been doing lobbying work for Apple since December.
A DJI Mavic Pro drone
Apple since 2016 has been using drones for data collection purposes to boost the quality of Apple Maps. Apple’s drones are able to capture and update mapping data faster than the LiDAR-equipped minivans that it has used to collect mapping information since 2015.
Apple in 2018 was also a participant in a pilot program that allows the company to operate drones in ways restricted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Apple partnered with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to use drones to capture aerial mapping data.
Bloomberg suggests that Apple’s new lobbying efforts indicate a new push into the growing drone field. Apple also has a team working on satellites that Ellman could potentially assist with when it comes to regulations.
In addition to employing drones for mapping purposes, Apple also sells popular drones from DJI in its Apple retail stores and on its website.
Apple has purchased Seattle startup Xnor.ai, a company that specializes in on-device artificial intelligence, reports GeekWire, citing sources with knowledge of the acquisition.
Apple is said to have paid around $200 million for Xnor.ai, and while both Apple and Xnor.ai have declined to comment on the potential acquisition, much of the Xnor.ai website has been taken offline and GeekWire says that a move from the Xnor.ai offices is taking place in Seattle.
Xnor.ai’s technology lets companies run deep learning algorithms locally on devices that include smartphones and wearables rather than requiring these computations to be done in the cloud. Xnor promised complete privacy of data along with reduced memory load and power demands.
Given Apple’s deep interest in personal privacy, an acquisition of technology for handling AI on device is unsurprising. Apple has, in the past, purchased other similar AI companies, such as Turi.
Xnor.ai’s work could potentially be incorporated into future iPhones, improving Siri and other AI and machine learning-based tasks that are done on device.
Update: Apple confirmed the acquisition of Xnor.ai to Axios with its standard acquisition statement: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
More discounts on Apple’s 10.5-inch iPad Air have appeared on Amazon this week, with lowest-ever prices now appearing for the 64GB Wi-Fi model and the 256GB cellular model. This iPad Air is the version that launched in March 2019 with a 10.5-inch Retina display and Touch ID.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
You can save up to $180 in the sale, with prices starting at $399.99 for the 64GB model with Wi-Fi. If you’re shopping for a cellular iPad Air, note that both models listed below have delayed shipping estimates and will ship within 1-4 weeks at the time of writing.
10.5-inch iPad Air Discounts
64GB, Wi-Fi – $399.99, down from $499.00 ($99 off, lowest ever)
256GB, Wi-Fi – $597.00, down from $549.00 ($48 off)
Apple has acquired the rights to “Beastie Boys Story” a documentary about the band directed by Spike Jonze and penned by Beastie Boys members Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz, reports Deadline.
Under the terms of the deal, the film will be available in IMAX theaters in a limited release on April 3 before launching on Apple TV+ on April 24.
Image Credit: Ilpo Musto/REX/Shutterstock
The release of the documentary comes ahead of the 26th anniversary of the release of “Ill Communication,” the band’s fourth album. Spike Jonze originally directed the music video for the hit song “Sabotage.”
“Beastie Boys Story” is described as a live documentary experience that focuses on the history and the legacy of the group and its personal story. It’s based on the “Beastie Boys Book,” published in October 2018, and will feature Horovitz and Diamond discussing their long running friendship and rise to fame.
Microsoft today announced the first stable launch of its Edge browser built on the Google Chromium open source project. Microsoft Edge can be downloaded on both Windows machines and Macs.
A beta version of the Microsoft Edge browser has been available for several months ahead of the official, stable launch.
Microsoft’s aim with the Edge browser is to provide better web compatibility with improved performance for customers while also making sure there’s less fragmentation of the web for developers.
Edge for Mac has been designed to be similar to the Edge experience on Windows, but Microsoft has added optimizations to make it feel more Mac-like. Extensions can be added from the Microsoft Addons store or other Chromium-based web stores like the Chrome Web Store.
The browser includes tracking prevention (enabled by default), customization options, built-in search capabilities with Bing, an Internet Explorer mode for viewing older web pages, and a new wave-style logo that replaces the traditional “e” that past Microsoft browsers have used.
For Mac users who plan to use Edge, the browser is available cross platform and can be downloaded on Mac, Windows, and iOS devices with the Edge iOS app.
Microsoft is planning regular updates for the Edge browser, with Canary, Dev, and Beta updates on a daily, weekly, and multi-week basis. The next stable version of Edge will see an update sometime in February.
Anker is back this week with its latest round of discounts on useful charging and audio accessories. This time you can find sales on USB-C chargers, Eufy smart home products, Bluetooth speakers, and portable chargers.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
We’ve noted below if the accessory requires a discount code, but most items this time around have had their discounts automatically applied and do not require a code. A majority of the sale expires this Sunday, January 19, so be sure to browse and place your order before the end of the week.
