Australia's Commonwealth Bank to Support Apple Pay Starting Next Month

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Commonwealth Bank (CBA) today announced that next month it will become the second of Australia's "Big Four" banks to support Apple Pay, ceding to customer demand after a multi-year dispute with Apple over fees and access to the NFC chip in iPhones. CBA is the largest retail bank in Australia and has long been a notable holdout from Apple Pay.

Angus Sullivan, Group Executive of Retail Banking Services, said: “We recently wrote to our customers asking them what the bank could do differently and we received lots of excellent suggestions.

“One of the things we heard repeatedly from our customers is that they want Apple Pay and we’re delighted to be making it available in January 2019.

“We are committed to making changes that benefit our customers and simplify our business. We will continue to look for more opportunities to innovate and listen, to ensure our customers get the best experience when they bank with us. Responding to customer demand for Apple Pay underscores our commitment to becoming a better, simpler bank.

Three of the Big Four banks (Commonwealth Bank, NAB, and Westpac) attempted to engage in collective bargaining with Apple in an effort to force Apple to open up the iPhone's NFC capabilities to support other digital wallets such as those offered by the banks themselves.

Apple argued that the banks' stance was harmful to consumers and stifling innovation, and Australian regulators agreed with Apple, denying the banks authorization for collective bargaining.

ANZ was the only the one of the Big Four banks in Australia willing to engage in talks with Apple over Apple Pay support, and the bank launched Apple Pay in April 2016. Dozens of smaller Australian banks later followed suit, but the remaining three major banks continued their holdout until today's announcement from Commonwealth.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

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Apple Music Connect to Shut Down, Suffering Same Fate as iTunes Ping

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Apple today announced that its Apple Music Connect social platform for artists is in the process of shutting down, suffering the same fate as Ping, the company's previous social network for music removed from iTunes in October 2012.


In a letter shared with artists, Apple said artists will no longer be able to post to Connect as of today, with the feature now removed from artist pages and the "For You" tab in Apple Music. Apple says all previously uploaded Connect content will remain searchable in Apple Music until May 24, 2019:

We've made a few changes to Apple Music that we'd like to tell you about.

We're always looking for ways to enhance our focus on artists and help them better connect to fans. So we've given Artist Pages an all-new design and added new, personalized Artist Radio.

Today we're streamlining music discovery by removing Connect posts from Artist Pages and For You. This means you'll no longer be able to post to Connect as of December 13, 2018, but all previously uploaded content will still be searchable until May 24, 2019. You can still create Artist Playlists with the latest version of Apple Music.

We're also excited about the latest beta of Apple Music for Artists, which gives you everything you need to understand your music's impact across Apple Music, as well as valuable audience insights. You can even upload your own photo to use on your Artist Page. Sign up for free today.

Thank you for helping us make Apple Music a vibrant community for artists and fans.

Connect had its own tab in Apple Music when the app first launched in 2015, but its presence was later reduced to a section in the "For You" tab.

Tags: Apple Music, Apple Music Connect

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macOS App Analytics Now Available in App Store Connect

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Apple today announced that analytics for macOS apps are now available in App Store Connect:

Your app data from the new Mac App Store on macOS Mojave is now available in App Store Connect. Now you can find out how many times your app was seen on the Mac App Store, how many times your product page was viewed, and how many new customers downloaded your app. You can also see sales numbers for in-app purchases as well as for paying users, and more.

The dashboard was previously limited to iOS and tvOS apps.

Tag: App Store Connect

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Save Up to $200 on New MacBook Air, Now $999 at Costco and $1,059 at Amazon

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Costco began selling select Macs this week in the United States, and it is offering a particularly notable deal of $200 off the new MacBook Air. The deal is available on its website, with in-store pickup available.


The base model 2018 MacBook Air with a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of SSD storage, and Intel UHD Graphics 617 is available for $999, down from Apple's regular price of $1,199. Costco's regular price on this configuration will be $1,149, or $50 off, once the sale ends.

Unfortunately, for anyone hoping to purchase one as a Christmas gift, Costco says the base model MacBook Air will ship the week of December 26.

If you don't have a Costco membership, and happen to live near a Micro Center store, the Apple Authorized Reseller is still offering $200 off the new MacBook Air at its 25 locations. Unlike Costco, this deal extends to the higher-end 2018 MacBook Air with 256GB storage for $1,199, down from $1,399 at Apple.

If neither Costco nor Micro Center is an option, Amazon is offering $140 off the base model 2018 MacBook Air in silver, bringing the price down to $1,059. While not as good of a deal, remember that a Costco membership costs $60.

These are the best deals we've seen on the new MacBook Air since its release in early November. The latest model features a long-awaited Retina display, faster eighth-generation Intel processor, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1.5TB of SSD storage, Touch ID, and the Apple T2 Security chip with "Hey Siri" support.
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Apple Orders J.J. Abrams-Produced Series 'My Glory Was I Had Such Friends' Starring Jennifer Garner

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Apple has reportedly given a straight-to-series order for a show starring Jennifer Garner and executive produced by J.J. Abrams.

Image Credit: Jordan Strauss/Shutterstock via Variety
"My Glory Was I Had Such Friends," based on the 2017 memoir of the same name by Amy Silverstein, will follow a group of women who supported Silverstein as she waited for a second life-saving heart transplant, according to Variety.

The series reunites Garner and Abrams, who worked together on the ABC show "Alias" between 2001 and 2006. Garner starred in the drama series, which was created by Abrams and produced by his company Bad Robot Productions and what was then called Touchstone Television, now known as ABC Studios under Disney.

Bad Robot Productions will also produce this series in association with Warner Bros. Television, as part of a deal between the companies.

Garner most recently starred in the HBO series "Camping," and she also starred in the 2017 film "The Tribes of Palos Verdes," according to the report. She is also known for her work in films like "Dallas Buyers Club," "13 Going on 30," and "Juno."

Abrams and Bad Robot have previously produced shows like "Lost," "Fringe," "Person of Interest," and the ongoing HBO series "Westworld." Abrams is also known for films like "Super 8," "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and the "Star Trek," "Mission: Impossible," and "Cloverfield" franchises, the report adds.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12

Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

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Family Link for Chromebooks adds screen time limits, site & app whitelisting and parental management controls

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iPhones Have Become Thicker Since 2014, But Thinner Samsung Displays May Break the Trend Next Year

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While it is a common belief that iPhones have become thinner and thinner over the years, when Apple could be keeping them the same size and including larger and longer-lasting batteries, the opposite is true in reality.


As mentioned on Reddit, iPhones have gradually become thicker since 2014, capped off by the iPhone XR, the thickest model since the iPhone 4s in 2011:

• iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus: 6.9mm and 7.1mm
  
• iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus: 7.1mm and 7.3mm
  
• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: 7.1mm and 7.3mm
  
• iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: 7.3mm and 7.5mm
  
• iPhone X: 7.7mm
  
• iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max: 7.7mm
  
• iPhone XR: 8.3mm

The trend may come to an end next year, however, as Korean website ETNews [Translated] reports that 2019 iPhones could be thinner and lighter due to Apple adopting Samsung-designed OLED display tech called Y-OCTA, which integrates the typically-separate touch-screen layer into the display panel itself.

There's a good chance the reduction in thickness could be negligible, however, as the display panel is already a very thin component. The bigger advantage for Apple may be reduced costs, as the report claims that the Y-OCTA displays are less expensive to manufacture, lowering the iPhone's bill of materials.

Last week, tech analyst Anne Lee of Japanese research firm Nomura said 2019 iPhones will "likely have the same form factors" as the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, including body size and displays. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects iPhone screen sizes to remain 5.8-inches, 6.1-inches, and 6.5-inches in 2019.

Beyond that, rumors suggest at least one 2019 iPhone will have a triple-lens rear-facing camera, while all three new models are expected to feature enhanced Face ID. And in June, the notorious DigiTimes made the bold prediction that 2019 iPhones will feature USB-C like the 2018 iPad Pro.

Related Roundup: 2019 iPhones

Tag: Samsung

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