Mitchel Broussard

Nearly one year after Apple announced its acquisition of music recognition service Shazam, and one month since the acquisition was completed, Shazam has now begun informing users of Apple's plans with their data (via iGeneration). You can see the new splash screen if you have a Shazam account and open up the app. If you've created a Shazam account in the past, which allows you to share Shazams ...

In a new report by The New York Times today, Apple let a reporter take a glimpse inside the human curation process of its Apple News service. The article looks into Apple's news strategy (which is focusing less on algorithm-led news curation like its rivals), the service's future integration with Texture magazine subscriptions, and its issues with ad revenue. Providing context, the NYT...

A few notable sales have kicked off today, starting with eBay's latest sitewide coupon that's offering shoppers 10 percent off nearly everything on eBay, excluding as usual: warranties and protection plans, coins and paper money, gift cards and coupons, and real estate. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small ...

Apple today provided updates on a few retail stores opening soon, including locations in Thailand and Texas (via Storeteller.de). In Thailand, Apple will open a store in the Iconsiam mall, which is described as a mixed-use development that will include two malls, multiple hotels, and residences when it opens on November 9. Apple Iconsiam will open one day later on November 10 at 10 a.m. local...

The data breach that affected all 3 billion Yahoo accounts beginning in 2013 is getting a bit of closure this week, with a settlement agreement between Yahoo and the Northern District Court of California (via Engadget). In the settlement, Yahoo has agreed to put $50 million into a fund for victims of the breach, provide two years of credit monitoring from AllClear, and a few other benefits for...

Nuance this week announced that it is discontinuing Dragon Professional Individual for Mac, effective two days ago on Monday, October 22, 2018. The software is no longer available for purchase, but customers who purchased version 6 of the software and have a perpetual license will be able to keep using Dragon Professional Individual. As of now, Nuance will no longer provide updates for the...

Google this week announced that it will now automatically upgrade all previously purchased films from participating Hollywood studios to 4K, even if those movies were originally bought in SD or HD. The company is also reducing the price of new 4K movies on its Google Play store to match SD/HD prices of $19.99 and below. Previously, 4K films on Google Play rose to as much as $30. These new...

Nearly one year after reports began circling about Apple's throttling of older iPhones with degraded batteries, Italy's antitrust authority is now fining Apple 10 million euros (about $11.5 million USD) for "planned obsolescence" of its smartphones (via The Korea Herald). The fine on Apple follows Italy's investigation into iPhone battery slowdowns that began back in January, and the Italian...

This morning reviews for Apple's iPhone XR were released, and among them were The Verge's impressions on the new smartphone. In a section of the review that focuses on the iPhone XR's camera, the site notes that Apple is planning to address the issue of "BeautyGate" in the upcoming iOS 12.1 update, which is currently being tested by developers and public beta testers. BeautyGate began when...

eBay today launched a new option for customers who are looking to trade in their iPhones or other smartphones, which it's calling "Instant Selling." Using this feature, you can list an old iPhone and get paid instantly with an eBay voucher. Instead of listing an old device on eBay as normal, waiting for bids to come in and for payment to be received, eBay is making this process easier with...

American teenagers are still choosing Apple's iPhone over the competition, with 82 percent of surveyed U.S. teens saying that they own an iPhone, according to Piper Jaffray's latest survey (via Business Insider). This number has grown steadily from 76 percent in April 2017 to 78 percent in October 2017, and it now appears to have plateaued temporarily in 2018, as 82 percent of teens said they ...

PayPal has kicked off its latest 15 percent discount on App Store and iTunes gift cards today on its Digital Gifts eBay storefront. If you head over to the website you can get the $100 iTunes gift card for $85 while the discount lasts, which can be anywhere from a few hours to multiple days. The gift card will be delivered via email within 24 hours and will be valid only on purchases made in...

Google Chrome now enables picture-in-picture as a default setting on Mac, Windows, and Linux computers as of Chrome 70. If you are up-to-date and watching a compatible video in the Chrome web browser, you can minimize it and continue browsing the web in other tabs, while the video keeps playing in a new miniature screen (via Android Police). The feature works similarly to Safari's...

Today is iPhone XR pre-order day, and like with previous iPhone models you are able to pre-order the XR from all of the major cellular carriers, most of which are offering promotions. If you haven't pre-ordered your iPhone XR yet, check out the list below to see all of the various deals and offers you can get when buying the colorful new iPhone. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with...

Payments company Square today announced the launch of a new point-of-sale hardware device called "Terminal," which combines NFC, credit/debit card swiping, and chip-based payments all in one piece of hardware. Like Square's other devices, Terminal supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other mobile wallets using near-field communication. Square says Terminal can be used alongside an existing...

Startup Beddr today launched the "SleepTuner," the first FDA-registered consumer sleep wearable that helps to assess and improve sleep quality. SleepTuner is a small accessory (about the size of a postage stamp) with Bluetooth Low Energy that attaches to your forehead to measure sleep duration, track heart rate, optimize nighttime breathing, and improve oxygenation, all viewable when synced to...

SoundCloud today announced that users on the SoundCloud Go+ subscription plan will now gain access to lossless audio streaming at no additional cost. SoundCloud Go is the company's enhanced streaming service, with three tiers that start at free with 120 million tracks to stream; $4.99/month with 120 million tracks, offline saving, and ad-free streaming; and SoundCloud Go+ with everything in ...

Ember today announced that its temperature control mugs will now sync with Apple's Health iOS app, allowing users to track their caffeine consumption throughout the day alongside other Health app statistics. The updated Ember app introduces this Health integration, with features like setting a maximum caffeine intake measurement for the day that will warn users when they near the limit. The...

Apple's 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (2.2 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB HD) is receiving a discount at a few online retailers this week, marked down to $2,199.99 from $2,399.99 on Adorama and B&H Photo. B&H Photo still has a collection of 2017 MacBook Pros on sale for $200-$900 off select models as well. If you're on the hunt for a new iPad, Walmart is offering the 9.7-inch iPad (128GB,...

Apple has formally apologized to users in China over the hacking of some Chinese accounts in a series of phishing scams that hit the country last week. The successful phishing attacks used stolen Apple IDs to gain access to customer funds, leading to "a small number of...users' accounts" being accessed through these scams (via The Wall Street Journal). In a statement shared in China today,...