Apple News Goes Live In The UK And Australia With IOS 9.1

Anyone in the UK who has downloaded the new iOS 9.1 update to their iPhone or iPad may have noticed one new feature - and no it's not the middle finger emoji that everyone's talking about! Instead it's a red coloured icon on the home page we've been talking about for some time called simply enough News. It's Apple's latest news aggregation tool and went live in the UK and Australia yesterday. As a result of the move, Apple has quietly scrapped its Newsstand service which previously distributed newspaper and magazine content via an app. Trinity Mirror has also said that it is putting 27 of its regional titles on the service, including Daily Record, Manchester Evening News and Liverpool Echo. Anyone who has ever used Flipboard may find something quite familiar about Apple News. Like that app, it allows customers to create their own customised news feeds in a graphics-rich stream. The ‘For You' icon pulls together news stories from your favourite publications while Explore brings up the various categories (News, Business, Politics, Travel etc.) as well as suggested channels (publications) and topics (everything from UK politics to business and iOS9). However, importantly Apple has said the arrangement with News will allow publishers to keep 100 per cent of the revenue from the ads they sell themselves and 70 per cent of ad revenue generated by Apple's iAd platform (broadly similar to the terms Facebook is offering for its Instant Articles). Meanwhile last month Samsung announced its own curated news service in partnership with European publisher Axel Springer. The company mistakenly has been underestimating the number of readers using the News app since its launch, and passing that inaccurate information on to publishers. Publishers don't pay to post their content to the News app, but getting an accurate tally of users is important because it can affect their ability to sell advertising and to manage their resources accordingly. Apple allows publishers to keep 100% of revenue when they sell their own ads into the app; they keep 70% of ad revenue if Apple sells ads on their behalf. The app is still in its infancy, but the audience-measurement issue, along with other uncertainties surrounding the selling and serving of ads, has raised questions among several publishers about whether Apple's service will live up to its billing as a significant advancement in digital news distribution. The traffic has been modest relative to the enormous install base of iOS devices,” said Julie Hansen, president of Business Insider, which is now publishing all of the content it produces to Apple News. The main thing for us is how big of an audience Apple News can generate, and that's still an open question,” he said. Mr. Cue said Apple will continue to spend a lot of time getting feedback from publishers. We have been happy with the traffic we're seeing so far from Apple News, and have been particularly happy with the relationship,” said Julia Beizer, director of product at the Washington Post. In response to requests from publishers, Apple said it now allows the integration of features from measurement specialist comScore into the app. Apple initially provided updates about the app's usage by emailing spreadsheets that give a high-level overview of usage, but publishers want a more robust self-service dashboard to access that information. If they sell their own ads, Apple requires that publishers use its iAd advertising technology to insert, or serve,” them. Requiring publishers to devote resources to a tool they only would use for Apple News could make them question whether it is worth it. Mr. Cue said he was surprised by the extent to which publishers call on Apple to handle ad sales. He said Apple has accelerated the development of its iAd network and expects to launch a self-service ad-buying platform in the next two months to help increase ad spending. Despite the setbacks, publishers remain hopeful about the potential of the service and say Apple has been responsive to their feedback. I then must flip madly trying to get to the top of the news feed to get the latest news. I remind Apple that when you added this app and other half-baked apps without out any feedback from users you further alienated your customers, the ones that buy your expensive products. Now you, through Jose Cue, he that took a simple to use iTunes and made it into a maze, are talking about Apple and the publishers again ignoring your primary customers. I have found that Apple News serves up a pretty accurate list of articles that interest me, and the ability to go into areas dedicated to a specific publisher, like the Washington post or SI, works really, really well. To be clear, the best eformat for news I've seen is the Economist's iPad version, but Apple news is very, very good. It always amazes me to hear people actually get their news from the likes of Yahoo, Google and Apple. People do not know how to think for themselves anymore, they are just pushed unfettered liberal news these companies want them to see and the readers just accept it. I have now elevated Apple News to my Number One/G0-To site for news from ZITE/Flipboard/BBC/WSJ, etc. Some of the articles also will not display, as if there were an access limitation for the Apple News Program. I'm sure apple will improve it. I prefer Flipboard which is easily customized to your specifications. Just shows publishers how strong apple really is, that MORE are reading then reported and they were happy before they knew this. However, it doesn't really fetch in background, and I have to wait everytime I launch it while it updatess news. I'm the biggest Apple bull ever, and I'm not forecasting guaranteed doom and gloom or anything like that.....BUT, the management of this company is pretty far off the rails. The opportunity and the cash pile is just too large for major shareholders to sit around and wonder why Apple News/fill in the blank didn't perform to expectations this quarter. The biggest contribution to any publisher/content provider Apple could provide to publishers would be an ability to buy ads on local level. If an advertiser is big enough to use a buying house, an ability to us Apple tools is low value add. What we need from Apple is for the Pizza shop, using a Macbook, to create an ad, and then using Apple ad buying tools to place that ad on our news website in a manner that advantages local buy. So for us, we need an advertiser/customer in Central Hong Kong who is having a sale to have his assistant using a Macbook, create an ad, then using Apple tools load it to our NEXT DIGITAL platform and limit it to the geographic area, Central/Admiralty/Sheung Wan, the advertiser wants to hit, and it becomes seamless. Also, didn't Apple News force various publications to drop or lower paywalls - meaning even the minimal revenue gleaned from subscriptions is reduced. However, The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple undercounted the number of people viewing stories on Apple News. Publications such as Business Insider, Vice, and The New York Times all include their content on the Apple News app. If they sell ads on the content themselves then they can keep 100% of the revenue, but they can also choose to let Apple sell ads, giving them 70% of the revenue. Based on the article of Vine Report , which was published just recently, the all new Macbook Pro 2016 would be made available in stores sooner than what most people are expecting. According to the source, Apple would be releasing the laptop on Black Friday, together with the latest reboot of both Macbook Air and iPad Air 3. If the device is unavailable on the said day, the article assures the fans that the most awaited laptop would be released before the year ends. Meanwhile, Yibada report claims that because of the decline in sales of Apple devices, the Macbook Pro is not expected to be released anytime soon. The article also claimed that Apple is concentrating more on the iPad line marketing and that it would be better if they delay the release of the latest laptop model. To get the new year started on the right foot, let's look at some of the oddly specific psychic predictions of doom and gloom for 2016. In case of newspapers there is a specific time limit for any news to be reported in any particular newspaper. In these sorts of situation the newspaper offers stale news to the readers who have already accessed the online news. The online news has some disadvantages but those are mainly for the newspaper publishers. The rates of subscriptions and advertisements are greatly reduced in case of online news. This implies that as the number of readers of online news increases the revenue generation of the newspaper publisher is falling drastically. The Yakima Herald-Republic says ( ) India has been Washington's third-largest apple export market in recent years. With Macworld/iWorld seemingly stuck in mothballs for good (see Macworld Expo Mothballed after 30 Years ,” 14 October 2014), Apple professionals will have to go elsewhere to gather with their peers. DotSwift: January 29, 2016 - Billed as the European Swift Conference,” dotSwift is coming in just a few weeks in Paris, France at the Théâtre des Variétés. Mac Admin & Developer Conference UK: February 9-10, 2016 - Marketed as the first conference for Mac admins and developers” in the UK, Mac Admin & Developer Conference UK will be held February 9th and 10th in London, England. Tickets are £497 (about US$729), not including VAT, and the two-day conference will feature sessions on Wi-Fi tools, Firefox administration, the Apple management toolchain, Munki, FileVault 2, and more. MacTech Pro: March-September 2016 - A regional event series from the folks behind MacTech Conference, MacTech Pro is designed for professional Apple techs and consultants. Topics may include Deconstructing iCloud Drive, Time Machine Deep Dive, the Professional Apple Tech's Toolbox, Using OS Resources to Diagnose Troubles, and more. Swift: March 2-4 2016 - Taking place at the Shibuya Mark City in Tokyo, Japan March 2nd through the 4th, try! Swift will feature sessions with expert Apple developers from around the world. CocoaConf: March-November 2016 - Focusing on training for iOS and Mac developers, CocoaConf is a touring conference that travels around the United States. Early-bird pricing for the conference and combo package ends on 6 February 2016, while the early-bird pricing for just the pre-conference workshop ends on 24 March 2016. Yosemite by CocoaConf: March 14-17, 2016 - Put on by the same people who organize the touring CocoaConf events, Yosemite is billed as the Apple conference with a view,” largely because it will be held in the heart of Yosemite Park in National Park, CA. It's aimed at Apple developers, designers, and enthusiasts, and will be less technical than a classic CocoaConf event. Mdevcon: March 17-18 2016 - Held in Amsterdam, Netherlands on March 17th and 18th for mobile app developers, Mdevcon will offer sessions for both iOS and Android developers. NSNorth: April 28-30, 2016 - The Canadian NSNorth conference once again focuses on developers and designers who specialize on the Mac and iOS platforms. ACEs Conference: May 4-5, 2016 -Organized by Apple consultants and technologists Justin Esgar and Luis Giraldo, ACEs Conference is in its second year and promises to be the place to be to learn about the business side of IT consulting.” Focusing on topics of interest to Apple consultants, topics may include brand coaching, business workshops, and even meditation for dealing with high-stress situations the job entails. Other speakers include well-known names from the Apple IT and enterprise communities, like Sean Costello of BackgroundBackup and Take Control of OS X Server ” author Charles Edge, and founders of respected Apple consultancies, such as Brian Best of BestMacs and Marie-Claire Hermans of On the business development side, talks will come from IP lawyer David Postolski, Rocksauce Studios Marketing Director Michael Manning, and Wheelwrights Managing Partner Shelley Watson.

UIKonf: May 22-25, 2016 - Billed as Berlin's independent conference for serious iOS developers,” UIKonf is still lining up speakers , but currently features UX coach Jaimee Newberry and consultant Daniel Steinberg. WWDC and AltConf: June 2016 - Apple hasn't announced dates for the San Francisco-based Worldwide Developers Conference this year, but the preeminent conference for Mac and iOS developers usually takes place in early June. With 5,000 developers and 1,000 Apple engineers in attendance, WWDC features a full week of sessions about current and future Apple technologies. Last year, Apple announced dates in early April and offered $1,599 tickets by lottery to work around registration snafus and give everyone an equal chance to attend (the last WWDC prior to the lottery system sold out within 90 seconds). AltConf is a free, community-driven event that takes place alongside WWDC, offering additional talks and events for those who weren't lucky enough to get into WWDC or who want a break from the Apple Reality Distortion Field. MacDeployment: June 13-14 2016 - A one-day conference on June 14th at the University of Calgary Canada, MacDeployment is dedicated to the best practices in Mac deployment and maintenance. MacDevOpsYVR: June 16-17 2016 - MacDevOpsYVR will take place June 16th and 17th in Vancouver, Canada, and will focus on all things related to Mac development and administration. This year, we'll examine Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomeKit as well as open source and reactive innovations such as ResearchKit over 2 days of talks and unconference sessions. MacAdmins: June 27-30, 2016 - Hosted at Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, PA, the MacAdmins conference offers over 50 technical sessions on Mac and iOS deployment plus networking opportunities for over 400 Apple-focused admins. Macstock Conference & Expo: July 16-17, 2016 - Returning for its second year, Macstock 2016 will be held July 16th and 17th at the Luecht Conference Center in Crystal Lake, IL. The $149 registration fee includes admission to all speaker and roundtable sessions, lunch, dinner, breakfast, a T-shirt, and more. FileMaker Developer Conference: July 18-21, 2016 - This one's pretty specific, but since the FileMaker Developer Conference is open to the public and FileMaker is an Apple subsidiary, we're including it. It takes place from July 18th through 21st at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, NV. Stay tuned for more information. IOSDevCamp: July 22-24, 2016 - A not-for-profit event for iOS developers, iOSDevCamp is a BarCamp -style conference featuring workshop content by participants. It will take place from July 22th through 24th in San Jose, CA. Although full details aren't yet available, the focus will be on wearables and the Apple Watch. MacSysAdmin: September 2016 - The premier event for Mac and iOS system administrators in Europe, MacSysAdmin generally takes place in September in Göteborg, Sweden. Details for the 2016 event aren't yet available, but past speakers include Take Control of OS X Server ” author Charles Edge, Arek Dreyer, Andrina Kelly, Ed Marczak, Greg Neagle, and other well-known names in the Apple sysadmin world. IOSDevUK: September 5-8, 2016 - Focused on iOS development topics, the sixth installment of iOSDevUK will take place from September 5th through 8th in Aberystwyth, Wales. NSSpain: September 14-16, 2016 - Although few details for 2016 are yet available, in 2015, NSSpain offered four days of technical sessions for Apple developers in Logroño, Spain. Indie DevStock: September 16-17, 2016 - A new conference for developers at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Indie DevStock is organized by women and will take place September 16th and 17th. Release Notes: September 27-29, 2016 - While most conferences aimed at Mac and iOS developers have some sessions that cover business issues, the Release Notes conference aims squarely at that topic, building in plenty of time for essential networking. IBooks Author Conference: October 5-8, 2016 - A gathering of the iBooks Author user community in Nashville, Tennessee, the iBooks Author Conference focuses on educators, entrepreneurs, trainers, and of course, authors. CocoaLove: October 14-16 2016 - Although many details aren't yet available, the CocoaLove conference for iOS and Mac developers will be held October 14th through 16th in Philadelphia, PA. If you're looking for a conference late in 2016, sign up for CocoaLove's mailing list to be the first to hear about the itinerary. MacTech Conference: November 16-18, 2016 - While the MacTech Pro events fit into a single day and travel around the country, the Los Angeles-based MacTech Conference offers attendees three days of sessions, seminars, and vendor interaction, plus a pair of superlative evening activities. We've been a number of times (see MacTech Conference 2012 Opens Mental Doors ,” 22 October 2012, MacTech Conference 2013 Abounds with Networking and Fun ,” 11 November 2013, and Three Highlights from MacTech Conference 2015 ,” 9 November 2015) and recommend it to Apple developers and IT professionals alike. Úll: Sometime in 2016 - The two-day Úll conference takes place in Killarny, Ireland at The Europe hotel and resort. If you make your living in the Apple world as a consultant, developer, designer, or tech, there are a wide variety of conferences you can attend to hone your skills, learn new topics, network with your fellow wizards, and generally open your mind to new ways of thinking. Being that the Apple Watch is still in its first generation, there's no pattern which can predict when Apple intends to ship the Apple Watch 2. And while a new iPhone comes around every fall like clockwork, a new smart watch may not be something consumers want to upgrade every year. If the Apple Watch 2 were introduced in September - almost two years since the debut of its predecessor - that may help Apple avoid the pitfalls of consumer exhaustion. TechCrunch‘s sources have hinted that Apple may still have something in the works for the spring. If the tech giant does host an event in March, it could involve Apple Watch accessories and/or improvements to the current model - like the rumored FaceTime camera. When Apple ( AAPL - Get Report ) launched its Apple News app last September, it promised the publishers that came on board access to what it expected would grow into huge network of mobile readers. But as The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, there's a glitch in the system: Neither Apple nor its partners are sure how many people are reading their articles. But Lamba feels investors are extrapolating that weak data too far into the future, leading them to overly pessimistic views on Apple. Musk, also founder and CEO of rocket and spacecraft-maker SpaceX, told BBC News he thinks all transport except rockets will go fully electric and in the long term, and no one will buy a car unless it can drive itself. Quanta made the original Apple Watch, although previous reports have suggested that long-term partner Foxconn may also be working on the follow-up. Quanta's CEO claimed last year that the Apple Watch 2 would be on shelves in the second quarter of 2016, giving Apple time to offer the device on pre-order after its March event. The Apple Watch 2 is thought to be thinner, with a faster processor and greater independence from the iPhone. Watch os2, the latest version of the operating system developed specifically for the Apple Watch that was released last year, is also likely to receive a further update when the device is revealed. The news outlet also pointed out that the possible reason for the delay is because Apple just launched iPad Pro and it would not be good for sales if the company follows it up with another similar device release in a short period of time. This could include a Touch ID on the Trackpad and a Force Touch upgrade similar to the 13in MacBook Pro, per Independent The Touch ID feature is already present in some of Apple's other devices like the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which supposedly makes Apple Pay features more secure. Meanwhile, Macworld also suggested that if a MacBook Air Retina version is launched, previous models may soon experience a price drop or be discontinued, similar to what Apple did with its other MacBook versions. That means apps with ongoing campaigns can continue until that date, but Apple isn't accepting any new apps into the iAd App Network as of today. Though there's no official word on how Apple will replace the network yet, Buzzfeed's report suggests the company will let developers have more control over their advertising campaigns, including submitting their own ads rather than forced into a set of Apple-curated ones. It may be another 8 months away, but because of the way Apple (and indeed, the entire smartphone industry) works, you can bet your bottom dollar that it is already well underway in its development of the iPhone 7. And, while Apple likes to try to surprise us, it's a predictable beast; it's almost certain the schedule for the iPhone 7 will see a launch in September 2016. Like the iPad Pro rumours before it, this in itself is perhaps because the product is actually rather likely to appear during 2016 and attack the very real pool of people that still want 4in iPhones. Apple knows this segment exists and it knows it can make a lot of cash from another iPhone C device, just as it did back in 2013 when it released the iPhone 5c (of which 20-odd million were sold). The April date does jazz well with previous reports which suggested Apple will hold an event in March where it will launch a new Apple Watch and, potentially, a smaller, 4in iPhone 6 model. Kuo reckons Apple will introduce a 4in iPhone 6c model next year, as there is still demand for smaller, 4in iPhones. But for the most part it was an iPhone 5 AND because of this, and the fact it was marketed as a NEW phone, Apple made a killing because the bill of materials was much lower. Anecdotally, I personally know a bunch of people who would bite Apple's hand off should it release a 4in iPhone in 2016. The report goes on to state that the iPhone 7c will arrive in September 2016 ahead of the main iPhone 7 launch, and will be priced between $400-$500. As is often the case ahead of Apple device launches, someone with 3D modelling abilities has taken it upon themselves to put together the various rumours and leaks into a visual imagining of the forthcoming smartphone design. Rumours of a 4-inch iPhone for 2016 have been circulating for the best part of a year now. Apparently there is a huge amount of demand for a slightly less expensive 4inch iPhone which is expected to launch later on in 2016, potentially alongside the Apple Watch 2 in April. A set of photos has leaked on January 6 2016 showing someone handling what is alleged to be a dummy unit of the iPhone 6c (or iPhone 7c OR iPhone 5e, depending on which rumour you believe). What we're looking at is the backlight panel for an iPhone device, complete with Apple branded wiring. A new report from China's MyDrivers reckons the Apple iPhone 7 Plus will feature a 3100mAh battery, a HUGE update on this year's iPhone 6s Plus which features a 2570mAh battery inside it and still produces some of the best battery performance we've seen on any smartphone to date. A newly unearthed patent lends credence to the theory that Apple is keen on improving the iPhone 7's stereo performance, bringing it more in-line with HTC's BoomSound and the like. The how and why of this move is explained inside a patent, first published by 9to5Mac , which details how Apple engineers will utilise an audio chamber” to create bigger, better sounds from the iPhone's built in speaker system. Put simply, what this means is Apple will cut chambers into the handset's internal chassis which will allow better air flow and, thus, improve the quality and volume of sounds played through the phone's speakers. Interestingly, and unlike a lot of Apple patents, this one isn't going to rot away on the floor of one of Apple's R&D labs — it's already been put to use inside the iPad Pro. This seems likely IF the rumors are true that Apple is ditching the trusty old 3.5mm jack on the iPhone 7. It seems that Apple is still pondering the intricacies of what will feature in the next iPhone handset launched in 2016, as according to a new report the firm has as many as five different prototypes and is deliberating over which one (or ones) will be pushed forward for further development, and ultimately a release as the next flagship (or flagship variant). It's also reiterated that Apple is testing AMOLED displays, although this isn't believed to be part of the iPhone 7 prototype testing program, as the introduction of AMOLED for iPhone isn't expected to appear in the next-generation and could remain unseen until 2018/2019, so around the iPhone 8/8s or thereabouts. According to always-reliable analyst-come-tipster, Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 7 will be the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever produced at around 6mm, making it around the same size as current iPod Touch models. But that's not all - Apple will also bump the memory up inside the iPhone 7 Plus model to 3GB of RAM as well, which should translate into super-fast performance when coupled with Apple's next-generation A10 chipset. This situation is likely to remain the same on the iPhone 7, as Apple looks to make the larger handset more attractive to its ever-growing base of users. It also reiterates that we'll see a third, 4in display iPhone model launched in 2016 (the rumoured iPhone 6c/iPhone 7c/iPhone 5e). According to a new, and somewhat upsetting rumour emerging on December 1, Apple may achieve a super-thin iPhone chassis by omitting the traditional 3.5mm universal headphone jack. The reasoning here seems pretty obvious, firstly, the use of the 3.5mm jack means you can't have a body thinner than 3.5mm, so to go thinner means using a proprietary jack - and Apple loves proprietary stuff. Naturally some users are a bit concerned that this will render their expensive headphones useless, as if Apple does follow this plan it will surely issue its own custom headphones with new handsets and sell its own variants thereafter. This rumor is bolstered by a January 5 report that alleges to originate from Apple supply chain sources: the iPhone 7 will indeed be so crazy thin as to omit the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. He believes it will do away with the home button, instead relying on the 3D Touch screen introduced in the 6S. 'As many have speculated, the addition of 3D Touch may provide Apple with a way to eliminate the home button on the phone and use the additional space to make the screen bigger or make the device smaller,' he said, according to Barrons. Rather, Intel has so many people working on the chip to perfect it in hopes of getting it right and winning a contract from Apple. No. When most people heard Intel and Apple were working on a chip for the iPhone 7, they assumed it was the CPU chipset. Intel has stated this chip will ship to handset makers in 2016, but it appears they are trying to fine tune it with the iPhone's architecture to win an LTE chipset contract from Apple. But if Apple is at least giving Intel a shot, many thought that meant there is something wrong with Qualcomm's chips. Matter of fact, the primary reason Apple is willing to work with Intel now to see if they can pull off an adequate LTE chip is so the company can pit Intel against Qualcomm. Because-as it did with TSMC and Samsung, who both make the A9 chip-if there are two LTE chipmakers Apple can use it gives Apple a stronger hand in negotiations. If Intel and Qualcomm can both make the chip, Apple knows that will drive their prices lower as they compete to get the Cupertino company's business. Matter of fact, Venturebeat alludes to the fact that this possible inclusion of an Intel LTE chip could be a test run to see if Apple should consider moving its system-on-a-chip (SOC) Ax series manufacturing over to Intel from Samsung and TSMC. AFTER a year of big Apple releases, analysts are predicting a flat 2016 where the world's biggest tech company refines product lines rather than produces the next big thing. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty recently predicted that 2016 would be first time that iPhone sales would shrink, dropping by up to three per cent. Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jack Daw Research, was more positive about the iPhone's future predicting that Apple would continue to grow sales but was pessimistic about the iPad, with the tablet market for all companies struggling as people fail to see compelling reasons to upgrade from their first tablet. After years of rumours it launched its first wearable product, the Apple Watch , leapfrogging Samsung, Sony and others to become the dominant player. All in all, it'll be interesting to see what type of refresh cycle the Apple Watch falls into.