Apple is today announcing some updates to its Digital Markets Act compliance plan in the European Union, with changes to external linking that give developers more freedom to direct customers to non-App Store purchase options and sales.
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There are two fees that are associated with directing customers to purchase options outside of the App Store. A 5 percent initial acquisition fee is paid for all sales of digital goods and services that the customer makes on any platform that occur within a 12-month period after an initial install. [...] The store services fee, which is in addition to the initial acquisition fee, is a commission that developers pay Apple on all sales of digital goods and services that the customer makes on any platform that occur within a fixed 12-month period from the date of an install, including app updates and reinstalls.
What many people want is for Apple just give in, concede, and allow iOS apps in the EU to just collect payments however they want, in-app or through links to the web, freely. [...] What Apple wants is to continue making bank from every purchase on digital good from an iOS app. We’re left with a mess where no one is happy with the result.
The new model — due later this year — will mark the first major design change to the mini since it was revamped under Steve Jobs in 2010, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The device will be far smaller than its predecessor, approaching the size of an Apple TV set-top box, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the work is secret.
Apple today announced that the Apple Vision Pro ecosystem has crossed a new milestone, with the visionOS App Store now featuring more than 2,500 native spatial apps.
1Password has shared that its software for Mac has a vulnerability that exposes users to a potentially serious threat. Along with attackers being able to compromise credentials, the flaw can give bad actors access to your account unlock key.
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Fortunately, version 8.10.36, available now, fixes the vulnerability. So be sure to check what build you have installed.
Before these apps invaded our lives, we would peek outside in the morning and dress accordingly while knowing that in Canada, the temperatures can rise and drop by more than 20 C in the course of a day. We would grab a sweater or raincoat or tuque, just in case, and head out to face the unknown. Now we first check the weather apps and still don’t know what will actually occur.
Apple’s rise to become the world’s foremost producer of smartphones—using a range of exclusive deals, anti-competitive practices, and race-to-the-bottom sourcing strategies—is intimately intertwined with why we needed to pass the CHIPS Act in the first place. No single company is more responsible for thinning out America’s chip manufacturing than Apple.
Yes, I do like to have a smaller Mac mini. I do not live in a big house, and a smaller computer just means I can have more space for other stuff. Or, perhaps, just more empty space. I do like empty space too.
I am already saving up to buy a new Mac mini. But if the rumors are wrong, and the next Mac mini is still the same size, I may now be tempted to wait for the next version. (Hopefully, Apple will update its Mac mini more frequently in the Apple Silicon era.)
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