Tuesday, October 8, 2019

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Apple Inks Deal for 'A Christmas Carol' Musical Starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell

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Apple has picked up the rights to "A Christmas Carol," which is a live action musical that's set to star Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, reports Variety.

Prior to acquiring the musical, based on the classic novel "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Apple entered into a heated bidding war with rivals like Netflix, Warner Bros., and Paramount Pictures.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Apple is said to have offered a "lavish" deal that "blew away other offers." Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds will both make millions, with Apple planning to shell out "north of $60 million" just for talent.
Reynolds and Ferrell stand to make a staggering amounts as producers and stars, along with significant paydays for writer-directors Sean Anders and John Morris ("Daddy's Home," "Instant Family"). Fees for talent alone will clock in at north of $60 million, according to numerous insiders. That includes Anders and Morris' $10 million to $15 million paydays for creating the movie and overseeing its production.
Reynolds is said to have been asking for as much as $27 million for acting and producing services during early negotiations, and ultimately was requesting as much as $35 million. Ferrell, meanwhile, was asking for $25 million to star and produce.

It's not known what Apple ultimately paid, but the deal supposedly includes "unusual provisions" that may ultimately become the standard for digital content.

The filmmakers wanted to keep the rights to the original music written for the film, though Apple might have negotiated to retain those rights. Filmmakers also asked for the movie's copyright to revert back to them in 20 to 25 years, though it is also not known if Apple agreed to that.

"A Christmas Carol" will be added to Apple's Apple TV+ streaming service, and it could also see a theatrical release as some of the films that Apple has purchased will be in the theater before debuting on Apple TV+.

Separately, Variety also did an interview with Jennifer Aniston, who is starring in the upcoming Apple TV+ show "The Morning Show." Aniston goes into some detail about working for Apple and preparing for the role, and it's worth a read for those interested in the series.

Apple TV+ will premiere on November 1 with titles like "The Morning Show," but it's not known specifically when "A Christmas Carol" will be available.


This article, "Apple Inks Deal for 'A Christmas Carol' Musical Starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Pentium powered Lenovo Chromebook C340-15 available on Amazon with one-day shipping


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Google now gives you more power over your personal data


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Sony Announces Xperia 8 With A 6-inch Display And Dual Camera: Specifications, Features, Price


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Some Developers Facing 'Several Problems' Porting iPad Apps to the Mac With Catalyst

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One of macOS Catalina's biggest new features for developers is Mac Catalyst—initially known as Project Catalyst—which Apple says makes porting iPad apps to the Mac as easy as checking a box in Xcode.

However, more work is required for the iPad apps to truly resemble native Mac apps, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that some developers have encountered "several problems" with Catalyst so far.


For example, the report claims that James Thomson had to work harder than he expected to get his popular PCalc calculator app for iPad to run well on the Mac. Thomson said the Mac version initially "looked like an iPad app floating on a larger Mac screen," so he had to redesign much of the user interface.

Thomson added that some older Macs struggle to handle Catalyst-based apps that use Apple's high-level 3D graphics framework SceneKit.

Lukas Burgstaller, developer of the RSS reader Fiery Feeds for iPad, also "ran into all sorts of walls" trying to adapt the iPad app to the Mac interface using Catalyst, but the report does not mention any specific issues he faced.

On the consumer side of things, the report notes that Catalyst results in users paying twice for the same app across iOS and macOS.

"As a user, I don't want to pay again just to have the same app," well-known developer Steven Troughton-Smith told Bloomberg. "As a developer, I don't want my users to have to make that decision."

Troughton-Smith touched on some of the issues developers are facing with Catalyst, noting that Mac versions of some apps can't hide the mouse cursor while video is playing, or may have issues with video recording, two-finger scrolling, or using the keyboard and full-screen mode in video games.

The report adds that two upcoming Catalyst apps that had been featured on Apple's website since June were removed this week, including comic book app DC Universe and the racing game Asphalt 9. It is unclear if the Mac apps are no longer planned or delayed, or if any of the Catalyst issues reported were a factor.

DC Universe for Mac preview on Apple's website prior to being removed

Netflix also confirmed that it has no plans to develop a Mac app using Catalyst at this time, according to the report.

Despite all of this, Troughton-Smith believes Catalyst is the "future of Mac app development," and he is impressed with many of the first apps. There might just be a few growing pains along the way.

macOS Catalina was widely released on Monday.


This article, "Some Developers Facing 'Several Problems' Porting iPad Apps to the Mac With Catalyst" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Tap Launches Second-Generation Wearable Keyboard With Gesture Controls

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Tap, the company that makes a futuristic, wearable keyboard, today announced the launch of its second-generation keyboard, the Tap Strap 2.

The Tap Strap 2 is similar in design to the original Tap Strap, fitting over the fingers and allowing for typing via a series of different finger taps.


Compared to the original Tap, the Tap Strap 2 offers up a new thumb ring glider and better mouse functionality that's more sensitive. Tapping on soft surfaces to type letters is better than it was with the original Tap version, and it now supports 10 hours of battery life.

It connects to devices via Bluetooth, and sports a new feature called AirMouse. With AirMouse, users can control iPads, smart TVs, set-top boxes like the Apple TV, and more using hand gestures.

AirMouse mode works out of the box without the need for calibration or software drivers. There are multiple modes of operation, which vary based on what the user needs to get accomplished.


In Mouse Mode, the Tap Strap 2 can be used to control a cursor, scroll, and click, just as one can do with a standard mouse. In Multimedia Mode, users can play, pause, adjust volume, or skip a track, and in Smart TV mode, users can navigate through menus, select items, and search for content to watch. There's also a separate selfie tap option for snapping photos from afar.

All of the modes work through different hand gestures, and the Tap Strap 2 is designed to anticipate what the person wearing the device wants to do. When a hand is horizontal, the Tap Strap 2 works in keyboard mode for typing via different finger taps. When the thumb is resting on a surface, it switches over to mouse mode, and when the hand is rotated vertically, it swaps over into AirMouse Mode.


Tap says that the Tap Strap 2 is designed to offer enhanced support for the iPad, offering up interactions like horizontal swipes, getting to the Home screen, and launching the app switcher.

In the future, Tap plans to expand its gesture-based capabilities to work for gaming and with AR and VR devices. Starting in 2020, developers will be able to create applications that incorporate AirMouse capabilities using an AirMouse SDK.

Tap Strap 2 can be purchased from the Tap website for $199.

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This article, "Tap Launches Second-Generation Wearable Keyboard With Gesture Controls" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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