Report

Report: Apple close to striking major partnership with NHL

Cody Lee ∙ December 7, 2016

The National Hockey League has informed teams that it is in late-stage negotiations with Apple over a major partnership, reports TSN. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Canadian sports outlet says the deal could see iPads and other technology come to NHL team benches.

Apparently the League has been in talks with Apple, and competitor Microsoft, for several years, but discussions with the iPhone-maker accelerated after a similar deal with the NBA fell through. The source says this pact could still dissipate, but it's pretty far along for that to happen.

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Apple Music now has more than 20 million subscribers

Cody Lee ∙ December 6, 2016

Apple Music has surpassed 20 million paid subscribers, the company's SVP of Internet software and services tells Billboard. That marks a 15% jump in the last 3 months, when Apple announced it had passed 17 million users during its iPhone event in September.

That's impressive considering the streaming music service is less than two years old and up against veterans like Spotify with much larger user bases. Cue attributes some of Apple Music's growth to its string of exclusive deals with artists like Drake and Travis Scott.

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Fitbit said to be buying Pebble for around $40 million

Cody Lee ∙ November 30, 2016

Fitbit is set to acquire troubled smartwatch-maker Pebble, according to a report from The Information. The deal is said to be mainly about the company's intellectual property and software, and will likely result in the end of Pebble hardware.

In a subsequent report, TechCrunch says a source close to the startup pegged the deal in the neighborhood of $34 to $40 million, and it will just barely cover its debts. In the past, it was rumored Pebble received offers as high as $740 million.

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Samsung issues another massive recall: this time it’s washing machines

Cody Lee ∙ November 4, 2016

Samsung on Friday announced that it is recalling 2.8 million top-loading washing machines, reports The Wall Street Journal. The move affects 34 top-loading models sold at various stores dating all the way back to 2011.

The company has received more than 700 reports of incidents and 9 reports of injuries, including a broken jaw. Apparently unbalanced drums can cause parts of the washer to detach and, in some cases, launch out of the machine.

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Apple said to be launching new TV guide app tomorrow

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple plans to unveil a new TV guide app tomorrow during its Hello Again Mac event, reports Recode. Citing a source familiar with the initiative, the site says the guide will aggregate and show content that's available, and will work on Apple TV and iOS devices.

Unfortunately, not all major video providers have agreed to participate in the program. Most notably, the report claims that Netflix data will not be available in the guide, which is odd considering that the two companies have worked closely together in the past.

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New report rebuffs claim that Apple will release 5-inch iPhone in 2017

Cody Lee ∙ October 26, 2016

A new report is out late Wednesday rebuffing an earlier claim that Apple intends to release 3 iPhone models next year. Citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, AppleInsider says the company will be sticking with its 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handset sizes in 2017.

For those that missed it, Asian news outlet Nikkei reported Wednesday morning that Apple would be adding a 5-inch option to its current two-size lineup. It didn't, however, explain why it would want to do so, given how close it would be to the 4.7-inch model.

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AT&T and Time Warner discussing possible merger

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Senior executives at AT&T and Time Warner met in recent weeks to discuss various business strategies, reports Bloomberg. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the outlet says that the talks are informal at this point, and neither side has hired a financial adviser, but the discussions have included the possibility of a merger.

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Google inks deal with CBS for upcoming YouTube TV service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Google has reached an agreement with CBS to carry the broadcast network on its upcoming TV service, reports The Wall Street Journal. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the deal marks the first major TV network to sign on to the service, which is expected to launch in 2017 on Google's YouTube platform.

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Apple listed as exhibitor at next year’s Mobile World Congress

Cody Lee ∙ October 19, 2016

Apple is slated to make an appearance at the 2017 Mobile World Congress, reports MacRumors. The site points to a page (which has since been pulled) on the MWC website, which shows the company has booked exhibitor space for the event.

This is significant for a few reasons. For one, Mobile World Congress is the world's largest exhibition and conference for the mobile industry. And two, Apple's been absent from most major trade shows and conferences since the early 2000's.

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Report: Apple planning to hold new Mac event October 27

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple will introduce new Macs at an event on October 27, reports Recode. Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, the outlet says that the event will likely take place at or near Apple's Cupertino campus, rather than its typical venue in San Francisco.

Recode doesn't specify exactly which Mac products we'll see, but most of Apple's laptop and desktop lines are due for an update. A report from Japanese blog Mac Otakara yesterday called for new 13" and 15" MacBook Pro models, and a refreshed 13-inch Air.

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