LTA 123: November 2023

Panel:

• Bart Busschots (host) – @bbusschots

This is another solo show with just Bart. The show starts with a few followups, some regulatory and legal news, a little HR news, and the highlights from Apple’s services and original content. The three main stories are RCS coming to iMessage, an apparent parting of the ways between Apple and Goldman Sachs, and Apple’s end-of-year awards and charts. Finally, the show finishes with some other quick Apple-related stories that made the news in October.

You’ll find detailed show notes below the fold, and if you enjoy this free show, please consider clicking on the donate button at the top of the left side bar – the show is free for you to listen to, but not for Bart to Produce!

Updates & Followup

Quick updates to long-running stories the show continues to track, and to stories covered in recent shows.

• Followup from Halloween Media Event:

  • Apple released a Behind the Scenes press release and video showing how the entire media event was shot on iPhones and edited on Macs — www.apple.com/…
  • Apple confirms that there is no Apple Silicon 27-inch iMac in the works — appleinsider.com/…
  • Related: Apple gave CNBC access to one of their chip testing labs in CA, and access to Apple engineers — www.cnbc.com/…

• Followup on Apple's Q4 2023 Earnings:

  • A witness in the DOJ's anti-trust case against Google accidentally revealed that Apple get 36% of search revenue generated through Safari, this must make up a significant part of Apple's soaring Services revenue, and might not be sustainable — arstechnica.com/…
  • That 36% cut Apple gets of Google's revenue is apparently 3x what typical Android OEMs get — arstechnica.com/…

• The AppleTV Zoom app promised at WWDC has arrived — appleinsider.com/…

• The final Qi2 wireless charging spec has been approved, devices are expected to launch very quickly — appleinsider.com/…

Regulatory Rundown

• The drive to regulate Apple Pay as if it was a credit card itself continues in multiple countries:

  • Having flagged its intention to do so last month, the government has published a bill to regulate Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more — macdailynews.com/…
  • The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has announced its intentions to regulate 17 firms including Apple for their digital wallets and pay-later services (no details yet) — appleinsider.com/…

• In it's latest 10-k filing to the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) Apple seem to accept the inevitability of 3rd-party app stores in Europe — appleinsider.com/…

  "The Company expects to make further business changes in the future, including as a result of legislative initiatives impacting the App Store, such as the [EU] Digital Markets Act, which the Company is required to comply with by March 2024"

  • Apple has not quite given up though: Apple files legal challenge over Europe's demand for third-party app stores — appleinsider.com/…

• Japan to require companies like Apple to pay taxes in place of developers — appleinsider.com/…

• Apple may face $600 million tax demand from India — appleinsider.com/…

Legal Latest

• The EU Commission's epic case against the arrangements between Apple and Irish Tax Authorities appears to be far from over — the Advocate General reviewing the Commission's appeal has found "significant legal errors", an is recommending that the EU's General Court review the case, his advice is not binding, but usually followed, so expect to hear more about this nearly decade-old case in 2024 — appleinsider.com/…
• London's Court of Appeals has overturned a ruling blocking the UK Competition & Markets Authority's (CMA) investigation into the effect of Apple & Goole's mobile market dominance on cloud gaming on a technicality. The investigation remains on hold for now because Apple has a right to appeal — appleinsider.com/…
• Apple joins other major tech companies in filing an appeal against Maryland's Digital Advertising Tax, and are asking for all the tax paid back — appleinsider.com/…

Apple HR & Acquisition News

• Apple illegally denied benefits to union workers, says US labor board — appleinsider.com/… (Unionised workers in Towson store in Maryland denied new benefits announced for other staff)

Apple Services & Original Content Highlights

• Apple Arcade: Apple Arcade's 'Hello Kitty Island Adventure' nominated for best mobile game at The Game Awards — appleinsider.com/…

• Apple Music:

  • Apple Music users can now save TikTok songs directly to playlists — appleinsider.com/…
  • Your PS5 can get you free Apple Music subscription — www.cultofmac.com/… (Free 6 month trial for new and existing customers)

• Apple TV:

  • Just in time for the holidays, Apple have released their first Peanuts movie: Snoopy and Charlie Brown embark on a big city adventure in new Peanuts film for Apple TV+ — appleinsider.com/…

  • Apple's Michael J. Fox film tops Critics Choice Documentary Awards — appleinsider.com/… (won all 5 categories it was nominated in: Best Biographical Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narration for Michael J. Fox, Best Director for Davis Guggenheim & Best Editing for Michael Harte)

  • Apple TV app adds 3D movies ahead of Vision Pro release — appleinsider.com/…

    • Related: Spatial Video shot on iPhone for Apple Vision Pro previewed for a select few — appleinsider.com/… (John Gruber's experience)

• Apple Pay: Tap to Pay on iPhone starts taking payments in France — appleinsider.com/…

Main Stories

1. Apple Will Add RCS Support on iOS in 2024 — appleinsider.com/…

   • RCS will be augmenting SMS & MMS, so it will bring better 'green bubbles', not end them — appleinsider.com/…
   • Apple's flavor of RCS won't support Google's end-to-end encryption extension — appleinsider.com/…
   • Opinion: John Gruber's Analysis of the News
   • Related earlier news: The FT reports that Google joined forces with some large EU carriers to send a letter to the European Commissioner for Internal Markets asking that Apple be forced to open up iMessage — appleinsider.com/… (Not and open letter)

2. Confusion reigns over the future of Apple's unhappy relationship with Goldman Sachs with reports that Apple have offered to end the contract early, in about a year, and their statement when asked for comment said basically nothing nothing — appleinsider.com/…

   "Apple and Goldman Sachs are focused on providing an incredible experience for our customers to help them lead healthier financial lives. The award-winning Apple Card has seen a great reception from consumers, and we will continue to innovate and deliver the best tools and services for them"

   • Related Rumour: Legendary Apple leaker Mark Gurman suggests Chase are in the running to replace Goldman Sachs — appleinsider.com/…

3. Apple doles out many end-of-year awards & charts:

   • Music:

     • Apple Music Artist of the Year for 2023: Taylor Swift — www.cultofmac.com/… & Apple Music to host event honoring Taylor Swift as its 2023 Artist of the Year — appleinsider.com/… (Apple's Press Release)
     • Apple also reminded us that we can listen back to our own top music of 2023 in Apple Music Replay: How to find your music stats with Apple Music Replay 2023 — www.cultofmac.com/…

   • Apps:

     • Apple Announces Close to 40 App Store Awards Finalists — www.macstories.net/… (Apple's Press Release)

     • Apple reveals 2023 App Store Award winners, highlights AI as the year's biggest trend — appleinsider.com/… (Apple's Press Release)

       AllTrails nurtures community through comprehensive trail guides and outdoor exploration for everyone. Prêt-à-Makeup offers a true-to-life makeup sketchpad on iPad for professional artists and casual users, while fostering inclusivity and self-expression. Photomator’s machine learning-powered tools make advanced editing tasks streamlined and seamless. MUBI curates exceptional indie films and international documentaries with a human touch, and SmartGym shines on Apple Watch with its comprehensive library of exercises, routines, and robust fitness reporting.

       …

       In the gaming category, Honkai: Star Rail takes players through a narrative full of complex characters and tactically rich combat on iPhone, while Lost in Play invites players to tap into a charming, childlike imagination during an epic point-and-click adventure. Lies of P presents players with an exquisitely crafted dark fantasy world, and Apple Arcade’s Hello Kitty Island Adventure delivers an immersive gaming world with its main goal being as sweet as can be: making friends.

   • Podcasts & Books: Apple releases 2023 top charts for Podcasts, Apple Books — appleinsider.com/… (Apple's Press Release)

Quick Stories

• Apple have launched the 2024 Swift Student Challenge, and 50 kids will earn trips to WWDC — www.cultofmac.com/…

• Apple Music Classical finally comes to the iPad — appleinsider.com/… (But it's still not available on the Mac, not even as an iPad app on M-series Macs )

• Final Cut Pro November update incoming with improved navigation, ML Object Tracker — appleinsider.com/… (Apple's Press Release)

• Apple have extended the free initial trial of SOS via Satellite by 1 year for iPhone 15 owners — www.cultofmac.com/…

• Apple and other tech companies launch Aliro, a new standard for smart locks that aims to bring and interoperability and security baseline to this developing market — appleinsider.com/… (or as Apple Inside put it "Aliro aims to be the Matter of smart locks")

• Apple & Amkor have announced that Amkor will build a chip packaging foundry close to TSMC's Arizona factory, simplifying the manufacturing of Apple Silicon chips in the US (and creating 2,000 jobs) — appleinsider.com/… & arstechnica.com/… (a big problem for the TSMC plant was not having chip packaging available nearby)

  • Related: iPhone maker Foxconn plans extra $1.54 billion plant in India — appleinsider.com/…

• Apple gives guidance online for shipping ‘holidays gifts, just in time’ — www.cultofmac.com/…

  • Related: Apple donating $1 to (RED) for all Apple Store purchases made with Apple Pay through December 8 — appleinsider.com/… (Too late now, but Apple also donated proceeds from some games to Product RED — appleinsider.com/…)

Legend

Note: When the textual description of a link is part of the link it is the title of the page being linked to, when the text describing a link is not part of the link it is a description written by Bart.