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The Business-Model Edition Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Apple Has Some Big Media Challenges To Solve, by Jonny Evans, Computerworld

All the same, publishers desperately need that information to feed into existing advertising driven publishing models — and if a solution isn’t found that enables them to offer content profitably, then we can end up with less media, not more. And I strongly believe we need many voices to represent the diversity of public opinion and to oppose certain strains of fake news.

That means a viable and sustainable business model is required.

iPhone XS Smart Battery Case Pictured In 'Fall 2018' Documentation For Apple Resellers, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

The photos are part of a document that tells resellers how to present Apple silicone and leather cases for the fall 2018 season. Undeniable images of a XS Smart Battery Case are present in the cells for ‘black leather XS Max’ and ‘black leather XS’.

No Mention of Operating Systems

Qualcomm Says Apple Is Violating Chinese Court Order Despite Software Update, by CNBC

Apple never publicly commented last week on why or how it believed its current iPhones for sale in China complied with the court's order, which concerned patents on software features for switching between apps on a smart phone and resizing photos before setting them as a wallpaper on a phone.

Several media outlets, including CNBC, reported that Apple believed the court's orders applied only to iPhones running older versions of its iOS operating system. But the court's orders, a copy of which Qualcomm provided to Reuters, made no mention of operating systems and focused only on software features.

Apple's iPhone Manufacturers Are Ready To Jump Into The Legal Fight Against Qualcomm, by CNBC

The lead attorney for the group of Apple device assemblers seeking at least $9 billion in damages from Qualcomm said on Sunday the contract manufacturers are not in settlement talks with the mobile chip supplier and are "gearing up and heading toward the trial" in April.

The conflict is but one aspect of the global legal battle between regulators, Apple and Qualcomm, which supplies modem chips that help phones connect to wireless data networks.

Stuff

Apple Releases iOS 12.1.2 For iPhones With eSIM Bug Fixes, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 12.1.2 is a bug fix update that focuses on addressing issues with eSIM activation and a cellular connectivity issue in Turkey.

Apple Offering Up To $20 Bonus For Adding Funds To Apple ID In App Store Promo, by Michael Potuck, 9to5Mac

Apple has begun a new promotion in the US encouraging users to add funds to Apple ID accounts with their iPhone for app, music, movie, and game purchases. The new offer is giving up to $20 in bonus credit to users who use the iPhone funding method.

Apple Shares Apple Watch How To Videos For Walkie-Talkie, More, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple today has uploaded a handful of new Apple Watch videos to its YouTube channel. The new videos cover a range of topics, including how to stream Apple Music on Apple Watch, how to use the Walkie-Talkie functionality, and more.

How To Take Better iPhone Selfies, by Matt Elliott, CNET

If you've got an iPhone with FaceID via the front-facing TrueDepth camera -- iPhone X, XR, XS or XS Max -- then Halide lets you up your selfie game with portrait-mode selfies. Because why shouldn't you be able to blur out the background when snapping a selfie with a camera that senses depth?

Develop

Apple Launches New Apple Books Marketing Toolbox With Playable Audiobooks Widget, More, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple today has introduced a new Apple Books Marketing Toolbox for members of its Affiliate Program. Apple says the new marketing toolbox includes a variety of marketing assets to make it easier for affiliates to earn commission, as we as a new audiobooks widget.

The Web Now Belongs To Google, And That Should Worry Us All, by Peter Bright, Ars Technica

By relegating Firefox to being the sole secondary browser, Microsoft has just made it that much harder to justify making sites work in Firefox. The company has made designing for Chrome and ignoring everything else a bit more palatable, and Mozilla's continued existence is now that bit more marginal. Microsoft's move puts Google in charge of the direction of the Web's development. Google's track record shows it shouldn't be trusted with such a position.

Notes

Switzerland Says Apple Pledges To Fix Disruptions To Rival Payment App, by Reuters

“Apple has committed to provide TWINT with the technical capability to suppress the automatic launch of Apple Pay during the payment process with the TWINT app,” WEKO said, adding it was ending a preliminary probe against Apple following the pact.

France Will Tax Digital Giants From 2019 Even If No EU-wide Agreement: FinMin, by Reuters

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday said France will tax digital giants at a national level from 2019 if European Union states cannot reach an agreement on a tax on digital revenues for the bloc.

EU finance ministers failed to agree a tax on digital revenues on Tuesday, despite a last minute Franco-German plan to salvage the proposal by narrowing its focus to companies like Google and Facebook.

The Yoda Of Silicon Valley, by Siobhan Roberts, New York Times

Now 80, Dr. Knuth usually dresses like the youthful geek he was when he embarked on this odyssey: long-sleeved T-shirt under a short-sleeved T-shirt, with jeans, at least at this time of year. In those early days, he worked close to the machine, writing “in the raw,” tinkering with the zeros and ones.

“Knuth made it clear that the system could actually be understood all the way down to the machine code level,” said Dr. Norvig. Nowadays, of course, with algorithms masterminding (and undermining) our very existence, the average programmer no longer has time to manipulate the binary muck, and works instead with hierarchies of abstraction, layers upon layers of code — and often with chains of code borrowed from code libraries. But an elite class of engineers occasionally still does the deep dive.

Bottom of the Page

Apple is not responsible for newspapers' survival. Apple is only responsible for its own business models.

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Someday, I'll read all of Dr Knuth's volumes.

I wonder if there's an audiobook version.

:-)

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Thanks for reading.