“Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple’s revival cannot be overstated, from 1998’s groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care,” says Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO in a press release. 

LoveFrom Jony

We don’t yet know more information about Ive’s new venture, but what we do know is that Marc Newson, a friend and collaborator at Apple, will join it. We also know that it’ll be based in California and there are reports that one area of focus will be wearable technology and healthcare, according to an exclusive interview he gave to the Financial Times. 

“While I will not be an [Apple] employee, I will still be very involved — I hope for many, many years to come,” says Ive. “This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change.”

Ive became head of Apple’s design studio in 1996, where he helped dig the company out of a pretty poor financial state by redesigning the iMac in 1998, and the iPod in 2001. He was also responsible for designing the iPod Mini (2004), iPhone (2007), MacBook Air (2008), iPad (2010), Apple Watch (2015), and the AirPods (2016). 

The dude who can design anything from a small audio device that took over the world, to a massive multibillion-dollar building called Apple Park, will surely be missed. Particularly since he’s probably near-irreplaceable at Apple. 

Source: Apple Newsroom

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Apple is offering users more than 300 magazines, spanning entertainment, fashion, health, news, politics, and sports. All of the content is curated, of course, and available for a single subscription.

Digital paper

The service will give users magazine-style design, from covers to layout to the table of contents. Users can swipe from article to article or pick a specific article from the contents page. There’s the possibility of interactive content, with Apple showing off an animated National Geographic cover. We’re sure there are many more possibilities that publishers can take advantage of with regards to design looking at the taster Apple offered.

It’s not all about digital versions of print, though. Apple News+ is adding access to new digital subscriptions, as well as several high-end American news publications… specifically the LA Times and The Wall Street Journal. We’ve seen some great inclusions like The New Yorker, but what’s going to be equally interesting is what’s missing… most conspicuous in its absence at first glance? The New York Times. Perhaps Apple will woo/wear down those who hold out… like Spotify did to Metallica. Only time will tell.

What you read remains with you

Curation and news article choices are private, something that Apple’s punting hard. The company says its system has no idea what readers are actually reading or viewing, because News+ can’t see that information. Article selection is mostly done on-device, which means that Apple (and advertisers) can’t track your preferences based on what you’re reading. Take that, Facebook.

What’s the cost? $9.99 per month for everything, with Family Sharing included in a single subscription. It’s available right about… now. If you’re an American or a Canadian, that is. It seems that we’re being overlooked but so are most of the other countries on the planet. The company is planning to roll out to select additional countries later this year (the UK and Australia), so it might be a while before the south end of Africa gets access.

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Rumours of the new subscription services have been dropping like case-free smartphones, along with others that suggest we probably won’t see the highly-anticipated next-gen AirPods or the rumoured new iPad Mini revealed at the March event. Pity. 

Apple’s New News

Reports have been swirling about Apple wanting to create the ‘Netflix for News’. They plan to add a paid, unlimited subscription to Apple News. This would offer readers premium magazine and news subscriptions in a single bundle.

But it isn’t all sunshine and butterflies in Apple-land. The subscription service has received some pushback from certain publications because of proposed revenue split. Apple is reportedly demanding a 50 percent cut, after which the remaining revenue is split among publishers based on how well their content performs. The service will cost $10 (around R140) per month, according to reports.

Apple FlixMax (maybe)

The forthcoming video streaming service, meanwhile, is expected to be the real talking point out of the March event. Apple has reportedly invited Hollywood stars like Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and JJ Abrams (among others). All of whom have been confirmed to be working with Apple on original content. The premium video subscription offering will be home to Apple’s original TV shows and movies as the company moves to take on Netflix and Amazon and further boost its services division.

These services should find an enthusiastic market in those folk who are already immersed in the Apple-ecosystem. Whether non-Apple users will be willing to add another video streaming subscription to their existing ones will largely depend on the quality of Apple’s unique content. And whether they’ll be keen on Apple News will depend both on the quality of what’s on offer, and whether Apple goes the Apple Music route and makes it available for people on Android or Windows.

Source: Buzzfeed News

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