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☆ Massive Google billboard ad tells Apple to fix 'pixelated' photos and videos in texts between iPhones and Androids
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Google ad told Apple it doesn't have to "drop the ball" on fixing "pixelated photos and videos." The ad is part of Google's #GetTheMessage campaign urging Apple to adopt the RCS standard. In the New Year's-themed ad, Google shared lines of RCS code to help Apple "get the ball rolling." In December, Google continued its campaign against Apple with a "happy birthday" post for SMS which turned 30 in 2022. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said he doesn't hear many requests from Apple users to fix texting between iPhones and Android phones.

☆ Former Apple Executive Says Company Blundered by Firing Him After TikTok Video
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Aaron Tilley | Photographs James Jackman For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Apple exec fired after being caught on video joking about 'fondling big-breasted women' says he stayed up all night trying to get the TikTok down before it went viral
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former Apple exec Tony Blevins said he spent all night trying to get rid of a TikTok in which he made a crude joke. Apple fired Blevins over the video in September, after he'd been with the company for 22 years. The tech company, he said, reached out at 1:30 a.m. about the video, insisting he get it taken down immediately. "It was 22 years dissolved in about 25 seconds," Blevins told The Journal. The TikTok video was posted by a TikTok creator known as Daniel Mac as part of a series where he asks people with expensive cars what they do for a living.

☆ US labor officials say Apple violated the law by allegedly interrogating employees and holding mandatory meetings about unionization
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An Atlanta NLRB director found merit to allegations that Apple violated labor law. Apple, which did not respond to Insider's request for comment, has previously denied wrongdoing in a complaint with similar allegations concerning a New York Apple Store. We commend the NLRB for recognizing captive audience meetings for exactly what they are: a direct violation of labor rights." The Atlanta Apple Store in Cumberland Mall became the first Apple retail location to file for a union election in April. The employees in Atlanta eventually withdrew their call for a union vote days before the election, alleging intimidation from Apple.

☆ Google uses 30th anniversary of SMS texting to pressure Apple over 'green vs. blue bubble' texting, says iPhones are 'stuck in the 1990s'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In a "happy birthday" post to SMS, Google called Apple out, saying it's time to switch to RCS. "But after 30 years of SMS texting, it's truly time." Unlike SMS, RCS supports more multimedia features and makes it easier to send GIFs and hi-resolution videos through texts. Texting between devices using RCS is a similar experience to iPhone users texting with Apple's proprietary iMessage system, according to The Verge. "Hopefully Apple can #GetTheMessage so we don't have to keep waiting to remove the whole 'green-versus-blue bubble' thing," Budhiraja wrote.

☆ Apple spends over $100 million advertising on Twitter annually, report says, amid Elon Musk's growing criticism of the tech giant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Apple spent $48 million on Twitter ads in Q1, making it a key revenue stream, per the Washington Post. It is unclear whether Apple has actually removed ad spending from Twitter, and neither Apple nor Twitter immediately responded to requests for comment from Insider. Musk outlined in a tweet that Apple had additionally "threatened to withhold Twitter from its App Store, but won't tell us why." Shortly afterwards, Phil Schiller, a high-profile Apple executive managing the App Store, deleted his Twitter account, which had over 200,000 followers. If Twitter is booted off the App Store, it will lose access to 1.5 billion devices around the world, Bloomberg said.

☆ Apple's App store has become an ad-infested imitation of its former self, which is not good for iPhone users or developers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Michael Gartenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Apple used to carefully curate its App store, helping developers gain visibility and customers find what they needed. These days, it seems to be more about maximizing Apple's revenue than serving customers or helping developers flourish. Thus, the App store was born to give iPhone's beautiful hardware and elegant operating system thousands of apps, created by programmers running their own app businesses. Now, after 15 years of iPhones, I find the App store to be an imitation of its former self. The developer had gone to great lengths to try to show how copycat apps slipped through Apple's app review system.

☆ High-profile Apple executive overseeing App Store deleted his Twitter account, which had over 200,000 followers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Apple executive of 30 years leading its App Store deleted his Twitter account over the weekend. Elon Musk had complained about App Store fees being "too high" on Twitter just a few days before. Twitter risks expulsion from Apple's App Store if Musk rejects rules, one former Twitter exec said. In a tweet on November 19, Musk said: "App store fees are obviously too high due to the iOS/Android duopoly. App Store fees would decrease the revenue generated by Twitter Blue, hence Musk's complaints.

☆ Poland Missile Investigation Underway as World Leaders Discuss Next Steps
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The iPhone at 15: An Inside Look at How Apple Transformed a GenerationOn June 29, 2007, the first iPhone went on sale. On that same day, a boy named Noah Schmick was born. Over the next 15 years, the iPhone grew…and so did Noah. Through interviews with current and former Apple executives, WSJ’s Joanna Stern traces how Apple’s invention matured and changed all of us—perhaps the youngest generation most of all.

☆ I analyzed all 48,000 words of Jeff Bezos' Amazon shareholder letters. The visionary billionaire does 8 impressive things that prove he's a master of written communication.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Carmine Gallo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Thankfully, you won't need to wait for a business school to offer a class on the Bezos letters. Make the mission your mantraIn his first letter, Bezos laid out the principle that would drive the company's decisions for the next quarter century: customer obsession. In his 2017 shareholder letter, Bezos explained that while the quality of written memos varies widely, some have "the clarity of angels singing." Surround yourself with superstarsIn his 1998 letter, Bezos revealed the questions Amazon hiring managers ask themselves when they evaluate job applicants. Bezos wrote, "Day 2 is stasis.

☆ Apple job listings suggest the company is building a metaverse of its own for its long-rumored headset
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Apple is looking for engineers who can develop a 3D mixed-reality world for its coming headset. Tim Cook and another Apple executives have previously said they avoid using the word "metaverse." The company's development of a virtual and augmented reality headset was reported in early 2021, and trademark filings from August show that Apple may call the headset "Reality One" or "Reality Pro." Apple CEO Tim Cook previously told Dutch media outlet Bright that he avoids using the word "metaverse." Apple is expected to release its first mixed-reality headset in 2023, Bloomberg reported.

☆ Biden, Xi Meet Ahead of Bali G-20 Summit in Push to Restart Dialogue
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Biden Highlights Democrats’ Midterm Results
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Watch Live: President Biden Remarks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ 10 Things to Know About the 2022 iPads
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

It’s a fresh look for the tablet, bringing it more in-line with the iPad Pro, iPad Air and iPad Mini, with some notable compromises. Most people are likely better off choosing the 9th-generation iPad for non-demanding work, or the iPad Air or iPad Pro for more power. It has been totally redesignedThis is the first “mainline” iPad to get the edge-to-edge design that started with the iPad Pro before spreading to the iPad Air and iPad Mini. It uses fingerprint-based Touch ID on the top button for security, rather than the Face ID system found on the iPad Pro and almost all current iPhones. That’s nearly 40% more expensive than the base model, 9th-gen iPad, and only 25% less than the superior iPad Air.

☆ Meet the 11 execs leading Bridgewater into a new era after Ray Dalio relinquished control of the hedge fund
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Alyson Velati | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Bridgewater AssociatesAs cochief investment officer, Jensen oversees Bridgewater's investment strategies and research efforts as well as its investment talent. Karen Karniol-Tambour, cochief investment officer for sustainabilityKaren Karniol-Tambour, Bridgewater's cochief investment officer for sustainability. Rebecca Patterson, chief investment strategistBridgewater's chief investment strategist, Rebecca Patterson. In 2012, she joined as the chief investment officer of Bessemer Trust, managing $85 billion in client assets. The partnership elected three directors to Bridgewater's operating board of directors, which now has control over Bridgewater after Dalio relinquished control of the hedge fund.

☆ Americans are spending record amounts at casinos and airlines — but recent warnings from Amazon and Apple suggest the party may soon be over
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Despite inflation, Americans are still shelling out at casinos, airlines, and restaurants. In October, both American and Southwest Airlines reported record operating revenues for their respective companies in the third quarter. Following "record summer leisure travel demand," consumers continued to hit the skies in September, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said. A Deloitte survey of nearly 5,000 Americans found that Americans plan to buy 44% fewer gifts — an average of nine versus 16 last year. "Spending should slow down significantly with the holiday hangover and as savings continue to dwindle," RSM economist Tuan Nguyen told USA Today.

☆ Apple has touted its 'deliberate' hiring amid a tough economy, but insiders say widespread hiring freezes are in place for the year ahead
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Reed Alexander | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Apple has frozen hiring for roles across corporate divisions at the tech giant, three sources tell Insider. The company has said it will be "deliberate" with recruiting but has not acknowledged halting hires in some departments. Since the summer, Apple has touted its "deliberate" decisions about investment and hiring, including on its most recent quarterly earnings call last week. But three sources with close knowledge of conversations at the company told Insider it has paused almost all hiring. The second source, who has knowledge of multiple high-level conversations inside Apple, agreed that it's experiencing a hiring freeze.

☆ Apple Executives Say Privacy Controls and Advertising Can Coexist
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Tim Higgins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif.— Apple software chief said advertising and privacy can coexist as iPhone changes rolled out more than a year ago continue to roil the digital-ad market. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s annual Tech Live conference, Craig Federighi , senior vice president of software engineering, said the iPhone maker was uncertain about the short-term ramifications of the new requirements it introduced last year that require third-party apps to seek user permission to track their digital footprints.

☆ Apple's new App Store rules over 'boosted ads' provoke Facebook again
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Apple recently updated its App Store Guidelines with changes that, yet again, impact Facebook's ad business. "For many years now, the App Store guidelines have been clear that the sale of digital goods and services within an app must use In-App Purchase," an Apple spokesman told CNBC. But most, like Twitter , already use Apple's in-app purchase mechanism that lists boosted posts for $9.99 on Apple's App Store. For Meta, it thinks Apple's recent clarification crosses a line in taking a piece of advertising revenue, not just app sales. Meta points to previous Apple executive statements, some made as part of the Epic Games trial over App Store rules, where it said it didn't take a cut of ads.

☆ Apple executive slams the metaverse: It's a 'word I will never use'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

An Apple executive said the word metaverse is one he will "never use." Tim Cook previously said Apple avoids using the word because people don't know what it means. Earlier this month, CEO Tim Cook said the company avoids using the word "metaverse" because the average person doesn't know what it means. Apple is one of Meta's biggest competitors when it comes to selling gadgets for the metaverse. In July, Zuckerberg told staff that Meta is in "deep, philosophical competition" with Apple to build the metaverse.

☆ Apple will support USB-C charging to comply with new EU requirement, exec says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN Business —The iPhone will support USB-C charging in the European Union to comply with a new ruling that mandates electronic devices have a common charging standard, an Apple executive said Tuesday night. “Obviously we will have to comply,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said at the Wall Street Journal’s Tech Live conference, in the first remarks from a company official since the ruling came out Monday. EU member states voted on Monday to approve legislation that would require smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, portable speakers and other small devices to support USB-C charging by 2024. The law would effectively require Apple (AAPL) to move away from the proprietary Lightning charger it uses for devices in the EU, and could potentially extend to devices Apple (AAPL) sells in other markets as well if the company decides to streamline its products globally. “I don’t mind governments telling us what they want to accomplish,” he said, “but usually we have some pretty smart engineers that help us figure out how to accomplish them technically.”

☆ Meet the 'stone-cold-brilliant' Apple exec heading up Apple TV+, Sports, gaming and more, who insiders think could succeed Eddy Cue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The former Time Warner Cable exec is driving Apple's subscription businesses including TV+, Sports, and Apple One. But inside and outside the tech giant, people are eyeing one cable TV alum who is being positioned for bigger things under Eddy Cue, the company's longtime Services SVP. As VP, Services, Stern is responsible for running strategy and operations for multiple growth businesses inside Apple. Here's how Stern ascended from cable TV to the top of the tech giant, and what his moves mean for the future of Apple Services. He appeared on stage in 2019 as the frontman for the Apple TV app, in a pair of dark-wash jeans and an untucked gray button-down.

☆ Meet the under-the-radar Apple executive who heads Apple TV+, gaming, and sports, and drives more than 860 million paid subscriptions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

The former Time Warner Cable exec is driving Apple's subscription businesses including TV+, Sports, and Apple One. As VP, Services, Stern is responsible for running strategy and operations for multiple growth businesses inside Apple. Here's how Stern ascended from cable TV to the top of the tech giant, and what his moves mean for the future of Apple Services. A third former high-placed Time Warner Cable alum also recalled this exchange. He appeared on stage in 2019 as the frontman for the Apple TV app, in a pair of dark-wash jeans and an untucked gray button-down.

☆ Google is giving Apple a dose of its own medicine. iPhones owners will now get annoying messages that an Android user 'reacted' to their text.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

iPhones exchange messages using iMessage, Apple's proprietary messaging system, but revert to SMS when texting an Android. Text messages sent with RCS would work like iMessages between iPhone users, according to The Verge. For example, like in iMessage, Google Messages users will be able to watch YouTube videos in the app, and can make a calendar event if a date or time is sent in a message. Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he doesn't get a lot of feedback from iPhone users that Apple needs to fix messaging between iPhones and Androids. In legal documents from a 2021 lawsuit between Epic Games and Apple, an Apple executive said "Moving iMessage to Android will hurt us more than help us."

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