Yesterday, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers decided Epic Games’ antitrust lawsuit against Apple, delivering a ruling in favor of Apple that comes with significant caveats. Although the Judge found that Apple‘s operation of the App Store isn’t an exercise of monopolistic power, she concluded that App Review Guidelines and related provisions of its agreements with developers foster a lack of pricing transparency store-wide that undermines competition under California law. So, while the decision is undeniably a win for Apple in many respects, it’s also a decidedly mixed bag. I’ve taken the time to read Judge Gonzalez Rogers’ 185-page decision and having written an in-depth look at the issues going into the trial, I thought I’d follow up with what the Court’s ruling is likely to mean for Epic and Apple as well as all developers and consumers.
What Does It All Mean?: A Look at Judge Gonzalez Rogers’ Decision in the Epic Versus Apple Trial
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MacStories Unwind: FaceTime, HomeKit, tvOS, Maps Updates in Italy, and the Upcoming Apple Event
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This week on MacStories Unwind:
MacStories
- Apple Rolls Out Updated Apple Maps with Nationwide Look Around, Improved Navigation, and More in Italy
- FaceTime’s Audio and Video Take a Leap Forward With Apple’s Upcoming iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS Updates
- Apple Announces September 14 Event
- Apple’s Fall OS Updates Promise Deeper HomeKit and Entertainment Integration
Club MacStories
- MacStories Weekly
- The cross-platform OS updates that John is using the most
- What an Apple event day is like at MacStories
- ETA Giveaway
- A Club member’s iPad Home Screen
- A Club member’s desk setup
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Unwind
- Joint Pick:
- Screen Violence by CHVRCHES
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What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
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MacStories Weekly: Issue 289
Apple Rolls Out Updated Apple Maps with Nationwide Look Around, Improved Navigation, and More in Italy
Earlier this summer Apple began testing the expansion of its updated Maps data in Italy, a rollout that started with North America before continuing in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal. Today, the company officially launched its new Maps data in Italy, San Marino, Vatican City, and Andorra, along with a host of related features.
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Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.
FaceTime’s Audio and Video Take a Leap Forward With Apple’s Upcoming iPhone, iPad, and Mac OS Updates
FaceTime has been a centerpiece feature across all of Apple’s platforms for a long time. However, with the pandemic, it became more important than ever, playing a critical role in the way friends and family have stayed connected. Of course, FaceTime isn’t the only way have kept in touch. The app had plenty of competition from Zoom, Skype, and other services.
So, it’s not surprising that this year’s FaceTime updates focus on fundamentals like audio and video quality and making the app available outside of Apple’s ecosystem, allowing it to compete better with other services. Nor is it surprising that Apple announced SharePlay, which won’t ship until later this fall, so friends and family who can’t be together can still enjoy synchronized group activities like watching a video or listening to music. I’m skeptical that SharePlay will be the hit that Apple’s marketing suggests the company hopes it will be, but even putting SharePlay aside, the app is getting some major improvements that I think everyone will appreciate, so let’s dig in.
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Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
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Automation Academy: Diving Deeper into Shortcuts’ Files Actions for iOS and iPadOS 15
Hello everyone, and welcome to the first monthly lesson of the Automation Academy. As the release of iOS and iPadOS 15 draws near, this month we’re taking a look at a revamped suite of actions in the updated Shortcuts app that will radically change how you can get work done on iPhone and iPad: the...
Read moreAppStories, Episode 239 – Reminders, Notes, and App Customization→
This week on AppStories, we examine the growing trend of app customization in the context of Apple’s system apps, focusing on Reminders’ Tag Browser and Smart Lists and Notes’ Tag Browser and Smart Folders.
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On AppStories+, Federico explains how his recently-purchased Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has enabled a unique reading and note-taking workflow.
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Apple Announces September 14 Event
As first reported by Myke Hurley of Relay FM, Apple has announced a media event for September 14, 2021 at 10:00 am Pacific. The event will be streamed online.
Based on widespread speculation, Apple is expected to introduce its new lineup of iPhones. A new iPad mini and redesigned Apple Watches are possible too. It’s been several months since the M1 iMac was introduced, so we could see new Macs too. In addition to hardware, Apple will likely show off the upcoming versions of its operating systems and announce release dates for each.
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Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.
Apple’s Fall OS Updates Promise Deeper HomeKit and Entertainment Integration
Apple’s fall OS updates will include a variety of HomeKit and home entertainment features. Unsurprisingly, some of those changes can be found in the company’s Home and TV apps, but this year, those apps only tell part of the overall story. To get the full picture, you need to zoom out from the apps, where you’ll find an interesting mix of new smart home device and entertainment features sprinkled throughout each platform.
Let’s start with HomeKit devices. This year, many of the changes coming to Apple’s OSes relate to two important categories: video cameras and door locks. Controlling both types of devices will become easier this fall, thanks to deeper integration with the upcoming OS releases.
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Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for nearly a decade.
What started with weekly and monthly email newsletters has blossomed into a family of memberships designed for every MacStories fan.
Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with apps, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, early access to the MacStories Unwind podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus an active Discord community, advanced search and custom RSS features for exploring the Club’s entire back catalog, bonus columns, and dozens of app discounts;
Club Premier: All of the above and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.