Tag: apple

  • Apple’s Sports App

    Apple’s Sports App

    This week Apple launched a new app entirely devoted to sport. Apple Sports is initially available in the US, Canada and UK, and has a relatively small list of features. You basically pick which leagues you’re interested in, and which teams within those leagues you follow, and it’ll happily provide you with things like line-ups,…

  • Most Popular Apple (& Spotify) Podcasts of 2023

    Most Popular Apple (& Spotify) Podcasts of 2023

    Updated to include Spotify’s Top Podcasts. See below. It may only be 28th November, but Apple is trying to get ahead of other streaming music and audio services by publishing its year-end round ups early. And today they’ve announced the Most Popular Podcasts of 2023… at least amongst listeners who use the Apple Podcasts app.…

  • Crossfading in Music Streaming Apps

    Crossfading in Music Streaming Apps

    I think it’s fair to say that based on functionality and widespread adoption, Spotify has the best music streaming app. If somebody interesting has a shared playlist – it’s on Spotify. If you want to connect some hardware to a streaming app – it’ll probably work easiest on Spotify. And because it’s the biggest, it…

  • Apple and Dark Sky

    Apple and Dark Sky

    Yesterday came news that Apple has bought the company who make the mobile weather app, Dark Sky. For those who don’t know, Dark Sky is a particularly good weather app that marries great design with accurate minute-by-minute prediction of things like rain. They began as an iOS app, before making an API available to other…

  • Is Spotify Really Bigger Than Apple Podcasts?

    Is Spotify Really Bigger Than Apple Podcasts?

    Two data points: A Morgan Stanley note for investors is reported to claim that Spotify is now the #1 podcast platform beating Apple. MIDiA Research publishes a blog based on their regularly published tracking report that says “Spotify AND Apple Lead Podcasts – It’s All Down to How You Measure It.” From these two reports…

  • Further Apple TV+ Thoughts

    Further Apple TV+ Thoughts

    This Friday Apple TV+ launches globally. In the UK, the PR launch is already well underway. Stars from some of the first tranche of Apple shows have been made available to various media outlets – Jason Malmoa was on Graham Norton for example. And there has been an absolute blitz of outdoor advertising for the…

  • The Pricing of Apple TV+

    The Pricing of Apple TV+

    Apple has announced that it’s upcoming TV service will cost £4.99 in the UK (and $4.99 in the US). That’s instantly brought a lot of comparisons with other services’ prices since it undercuts all of its major competitors. They will also give you a year free when you buy a new Apple device. However, I…

  • Powerbeats Pro Review: with an Android Phone

    Powerbeats Pro Review: with an Android Phone

    TL;DR Excellent sounding and superb fit; but some significant connectivity and synchronisation issues alongside an atrocious case. I’ve been using these new headphones for a couple of months or so now, and think that I’ve used them enough to put together some sort of review about them. The first thing to say is that the…

  • Music Listening

    Music Listening

    I’m a little bit concerned that the way I listen to music is about to fundamentally change, and I’m not sure how it’s going to work. Both Google Play Music and iTunes are thought to be making major changes in the coming months, and those changes will fundamentally affect how I listen to music. My…

  • Apple News+ and the Publishing Industry

    Apple News+ and the Publishing Industry

    In March last year, Apple bought the digital magazine service, Texture. Texture’s business model was relatively straightforward – users paid a flat monthly fee of $9.99 for access to around 200 magazines. Texture placed a layer of editorial on top of things, highlighting specific articles that you might not have otherwise discovered. Initially, the business…

  • Apple’s TV Offering: Difficult to Get Excited

    Apple’s TV Offering: Difficult to Get Excited

    On last night’s BBC Ten O’Clock News, there was a story on the [re-] launch of Apple TV [+]. I suspect that this had become a diary item after Apple announced that they’d be announcing something yesterday, because in the end, I’m not sure that there’s a great deal to talk about yet, and the…

  • The Dark Ages of Film History?

    I was recently talking to a some colleagues at work about one of my favourite films of all time, the classic Howard Hawks screwball comedy, Bringing Up Baby. Made in 1938, it stars two of Hollywood’s biggest ever stars, Kathryn Hepburn and Cary Grant, both giving terrific performances in a classic of the genre. How…