Panel:

• Bart Busschots (host) - @bbusschots
• Chuck Joiner from MacVoices - @chuckjoiner
• Allison Sheridan from the NosillaCast Podcast - @podfeet

The show starts with a the usual followups and updates on long-running stories. That's followed by a few notable numbers, some Apple HR news, and some highlights from Apple's push into original content. The three main stories are how well Apple TV+ is doing this awards season, a dramatic escalation in Epic's attacks on Apple, and an interesting hearing study run via Apple Health. The show ends with a quick rundown of some smaller Apple-related stories that made the news in February.

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!

[audio mp3=”http://www.mymac.com/podcast/lta/LetsTalkApple-EP90-February2021.mp3”]

Followup

• Another busy month in AppleCar Rumours
  • Report says Apple to invest $3.6 billion in Kia for Apple Car production — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple Car: Top Porsche engineer poached by Apple — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple and Hyundai-Kia close to finalizing deal on Apple Car — www.imore.com/…
  • Kia looking for Apple Car manufacturing partners — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple Car could be made by Japanese company, ‘at least six’ manufacturers in play — www.imore.com/…
  • Talks between Apple and Hyundai/Kia on Apple Car have reportedly stalled — www.imore.com/…
  • Hyundai/Kia say they are no longer in talks to produce Apple Car — www.imore.com/…
  • Hyundai has ‘learned some lessons’ following Apple Car blunder — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple’s self-driving test vehicles logged twice the mileage in 2020 — www.imore.com/…
  • Nissan now ‘the most likely candidate’ to be in talks about Apple Car — www.imore.com/…
  • Report: Nissan shot down Apple deal to avoid becoming Foxconn of cars — arstechnica.com
  • Nissan says it is ‘not in talks with Apple’ about Apple Car — www.imore.com/…
  • Hyundai executives under investigation over trades following Apple Car reports — www.imore.com/… & Hyundai’s executives might have shown how easily the news can be manipulated for financial gain — www.imore.com/…
  • Key Project Titan Manager Leaving Apple’s Autonomous Electric Vehicle Team — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Apple in talks with ‘multiple suppliers’ for Apple Car LiDAR tech — www.imore.com/…
  • Hyundai/Kia may still be working with Apple on multiple partnerships — www.imore.com/…
• Social Media & Ad Companies Continue to Prepare for the roll-out of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature:
  • Not just Facebook: Snap, Unity warn Apple’s tracking change threatens business — arstechnica.com
  • Twitter expects iOS 14 privacy changes to have ‘modest impact’ on revenue — www.imore.com/…
  • Six Mobile ad Companies Form Alliance to Help Navigate Apple Privacy Changes — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Facebook has a new initiative to highlight importance of personalized ads — www.imore.com/…
• Apple continues to tussle wit regulators around the world:
  • 🇰🇷 Apple to invest nearly $90 million to settle Korea antitrust dispute — www.imore.com/…
  • 🇪🇺 European Union’s antitrust chief warns Apple about new privacy features — www.imore.com/…
  • 🇺🇸 Apple under investigation for ‘Sign in with Apple’ button — www.imore.com/…
• 🇮🇳 Apple Continues to expand into India:
  • Apple supplier acquires land in India for factory — www.imore.com/…
  • Production to restart at riot-hit iPhone plant in India ‘in next few days’ — www.imore.com/…
  • India approves plan that could bring iPad manufacturing to the country — www.imore.com/…
• COVID Update:
  • 🇬🇧 Covid–19: NHS app has told 1.7 million to self-isolate — www.bbc.com/… & NHS COVID–19 app prevents 600,000 infections — www.imore.com/…
    • Related: 🇺🇸 COVID–19 exposure warnings for iPhone, Android phones: Apps still await widespread adoption — www.usatoday.com/…
  • A study says Apple Watch can predict COVID–19 diagnosis a week early — www.imore.com/…
  • 🇺🇸 Utah Launches COVID–19 Exposure Notification System — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Health pass apps must be associated with public health authorities — www.imore.com/…
  • COPAN Diagnostics Ships 15 Million of COVID–19 Tests Following Investment From Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Share Your COVID–19 Stories With Apple News Today — www.macobserver.com/…
  • 🇺🇸 All U.S. Apple stores open for first time in nearly a year — www.imore.com/…

Notable Numbers

• Chrome OS Passes macOS to Become Second Most Popular Desktop OS — www.macobserver.com/…
  • The Link Allison Mentioned: Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide — gs.statcounter.com/…
• Apple beats Samsung in phone sales for first time since 2016 — arstechnica.com/…
• Apple has bought more than 100 companies in the last six years — www.imore.com/… & Apple Makes a New Acquisition Every Three to Four Weeks — www.macobserver.com/…

Legal Latest

Apple HR & Acquisition News

• Apple Looking for Head of International for Podcasts — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple hiring 6G engineers — www.imore.com/…

Apple Services Highlights

• Freebies:
  • Best Buy offering up to free 6 months of Apple Music, News+, and Fitness+ — www.imore.com/…
  • Best Buy now offers a health and safety subscription for Apple Watch — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple Music free for six months for students through April — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple and Shazam team up with Dolly Parton to offer 5 months of Apple Music for free to new users — 9to5mac.com/…
• Apple Music News:
  • Leslie Jordan is getting his own radio show on Apple Music — www.imore.com/…
  • Editor Mel Lewis is Latest to Leave BBC Radio 1 For Apple Music — www.macobserver.com/…
• ‘Fantasian,’ a new title from the mind behind ‘Final Fantasy,’ is coming soon to Apple Arcade — www.imore.com/…
• Apple TV+ Becomes Available on Chromecast with Google TV — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple strikes multi-year TV+ deal to release Skydance Animation movies — www.imore.com/…
• Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie to Star in Apple TV+ Series ‘Roar’ — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple announces ‘groundbreaking’ auditory series ‘Calls’, starring Nick Jonas, Pedro Pascal — www.imore.com/…
• Apple reveals dates for new season of ‘Ted Lasso’, ‘Mythic Quest’, and more on TV+ — www.imore.com/…
• Season 2 of For All Man Kind is out — www.imore.com/…
  • Explore the world of ‘For All Mankind’ with Apple’s new AR app — www.imore.com/…
  • Apple announces ‘For All Mankind: The Official Podcast’ ahead of season 2 debut — www.imore.com/…
• ‘Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry’ is now available on Apple TV+ — www.imore.com/…
  • Relive the Billie Eilish: ‘The World’s A Little Blurry’ Premiere Event — www.macobserver.com/…
  • Apple drops limited edition gift card to celebrate Billie Eilish doc — www.imore.com/…

Main Stories

1. Apple TV+ Wins Awards
   • CODA, the movie Apple purchased the rights to won the grand jury prize, the directing prize, the audience award, and a special jury prize in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category at the Sundance Film Festival — www.macobserver.com/…
   • ‘Ted Lasso’, ‘Wolfwalkers’, and Jason Sudeikis pick up 2021 Golden Globe nominations — www.imore.com/…
     • Golden Globes 2021: Jason Sudeikis Scores First Win for Apple TV+ With Ted Lasso Performance — www.macobserver.com/…
     • Related: Directors of ‘Wolfwalkers’ Plan Animated Series for Apple TV+ — www.macobserver.com/…
   • ‘Ted Lasso’ picks up three Writers Guild Award nominations — www.imore.com/…
   • ‘Ted Lasso’, ‘On The Rocks’, Jennifer Aniston Receive AARP Movies For Grownups Awards Nominations — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Apple receives 11 nominations for the 52nd NAACP Image Awards — www.imore.com/…
   • Apple receives 4 Critics Choice Awards Nominations (On The Rocks is nominated for Best Comedy, Bill Murray for Best Supporting Actor in the same film, Ryder Allen for Best Young Actor/Actressfor Palmer, and Greyhound is nominated for Best Visual Effects) — www.macobserver.com/…
   • Apple TV+ film ‘Wolfwalkers’ earns 10 nominations for the Annie Awards — www.imore.com/…
   • Related: ‘For All Mankind’ and ‘Palmer’ take top spots in streaming last week — www.imore.com/…
2. Epic Continues to Expand it’s War on Apple
   • 🇦🇺 Epic has lodged an anti-trust complaint against Apple with Australia’s Competition and Consumer Commission — www.imore.com/…
   • 🇪🇺 Epic Games files EU antitrust complaint against Apple — www.imore.com/… & Fortnite fight expands as Epic claims Apple broke EU competition law — arstechnica.com
   • 🇺🇸 Epic add State Legislatures into the mix:
     • North Dakota lawmakers jump into Apple/Epic fight with new app store bill — arstechnica.com & North Dakota Votes No on Third Party App Store Bill Backed by Epic Games — www.macobserver.com/…
     • New Minnesota Bill takes aim at Apple’s App Store fees — www.imore.com/…
     • Apple: Arizona bill government mandate to give away the App Store — www.imore.com/… & In a close vote, Arizona House passes bill that goes after the Apple and Google app stores — www.imore.com/…
   • 🇺🇸 Developments in the primary US Case:
     • Valve refuses Apple subpoena in Epic Games antitrust lawsuit — www.imore.com/… & Valve will have to produce Steam information in Epic Games suit, rules judge — www.imore.com/…
       • Related: Apple ‘Salted The Earth With Subpoenas’ in Case With Epic Games, Says Judge — www.macobserver.com/…
     • Epic Games wants former iOS chief Scott Forstall to testify in Apple lawsuit — www.imore.com/…
     • Apple and Epic will do battle, hopefully in court, starting May 3 — www.imore.com/…
   • Developments in other on-going Cases:
     • 🇬🇧 Epic Games Cannot Contest Apple Fortnite Ban in UK, Says Court — www.macobserver.com/…
3. Apple hearing study reveals 25% of participants exposed to too much noise — www.imore.com/… & Apple Hearing Study Shares Concerning Statistics — www.macobserver.com/…

Quick Stories

• Apple launches new Ethics and Compliance website — www.imore.com/…
• Apple’s indoor mapping format now recognized as a community standard — www.imore.com/…
• Apple has started to offer a sign-language interpreter to Apple store customers in 11 countries (US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium & Austria) — www.imore.com/…
• Apple Creates First Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders, Developers — www.macobserver.com/…
• Apple celebrates Women’s History Month with the help of Apple Music, Fitness+, and more — www.imore.com/…
  • Related: Applications open for Entrepreneur Camp for female founders & developers — www.imore.com/…
• 🇺🇸 Apple donates $1 million and products to Utah-based LGBTQ+ charity Encircle — www.imore.com/…
• 🇺🇸 Target to open mini Apple shops inside 17 stores in latest move to woo customers — www.cnbc.com/…
• 🇫🇷 Apple adds repairability scores to iPhone and Mac in France — www.imore.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.

Emoji	Meaning
🎧	A link to audio content, probably a podcast.
flag	The story is particularly relevant to people living in a specific country, or, the organisation the story is about is affiliated with the government of a specific country.
📊	A link to graphical content, probably a chart, graph, or diagram.
💵	A link to an article behind a pay-wall.
📌	A pinned story, i.e. one to keep an eye on that’s likely to develop into something significant in the future.