Apple now allows Netflix, Spotify and other ‘reader’ apps to link to their sites for payment

Netflix, Spotify and other similar services will now be able to add a link in their iOS apps that take users to their own websites for payment and account management. Apple now allows developers of “reader” apps to link to a website that they maintain. The tech giant defines reader apps as applications that “provide previously purchased content or content subscriptions for digital magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music and video.” 

Apple first announced that it will allow certain media services to add in-app links last year as part of a settlement with the Japan Fair Trade Commission. The company agreed with the stipulation, because those apps “do not offer in-app digital goods and services for purchase” anyway. While the change was a result of JFTC’s investigation, Apple will apply the new policy to all reader apps around the world. That said, developers will have to request access to the External Link Account Entitlement program first before they’re allowed to add in-app links. Also, while the change gives developers a way to avoid giving Apple a 15 to 30 percent cut, the company will still collect commissions for purchases within the app itself if the service offers any. 

Google also recently launched a pilot program to test third-party billing systems in Android, allowing users to pay for services either via its own payment system or the developer’s. Spotify, one of the apps piloting the feature, will show subscribers Google’s and its own billing system side by side starting later this year. Google will still get a cut even if the user chooses the service’s own billing system, but it will be smaller than the 15 percent commission the tech giant typically collects for subscriptions. 

YouTube TV finally supports picture-in-picture on iOS

Google has begun rolling out a new update to its iOS YouTube TV app that allows both iPhone and iPad users to take advantage of picture-in-picture functionality. To watch something in PiP mode, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. The video will then automatically resize and move across your device’s display.

Today’s update is long overdue, a fact Google acknowledged. “We really appreciate your patience while we worked on enabling this key feature for your iOS 15+ devices,” the company said on Twitter. To put the wait in perspective, Apple’s mobile operating system has supported picture-in-picture functionality on iPad since iOS 13 and iPhone since iOS 14. What’s more, the feature has been available through the company’s main YouTube app since last year.

Hubble may have spotted the most distant star to date

Astronomers have had success finding some of the most distant galaxies in the universe, but now they might have pinpointed the most distant star to date. As SyFy Wirenotes, researchers using the Hubble Space Telescope have spotted Earendel (“morning star” in Old English), a star currently reckoned to be 12.9 billion light-years away — the light we see from it comes from when the universe was roughly 900 million years old. Until now, the smallest objects seen at that distance were star clusters.

If confirmed, the star will easily smash the previous record. The most distant star before now was MACS J1149+2223 Lensed Star 1, which shone when the universe was about 4 billion years old. Scientists found that star using Hubble in 2018.

Lensed Star Earendel
The ancient star Earendel capured in a composite of exposures from the Hubble Space Telescope.
NASA/ESA/Brian Welch (JHU)/Dan Coe (STScI)/Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

The feat was accomplished using gravitational lensing, or relying on the gravity of galaxy clusters to distort light and magnify objects that would otherwise remain difficult or impossible to detect. The star’s host galaxy had its light warped into a long arc thanks to the massive WHL0137-08 galaxy cluster. As Earendel sits on the edge of a space “caustic,” or a ripple in the fabric of space, its brightness was magnified a thousand times and helped it stand out.

Earendel is a large beast, too. The scientists estimate it’s “at least” 50 times the mass of the Sun, and millions of times brighter. It’s also expected to have relatively little metal, as it would have formed when it didn’t have access to heavier elements that came with successive star generations. If it’s made of only hydrogen and helium, it would be the first evidence of very early “Population III” stars.

The object hasn’t been confirmed as a star yet, but that might come relatively soon. Observers plan to use the James Webb Space Telescope’s high infrared sensitivity to both verify Earendel’s star status and study it in more detail. With that said, Webb might also help pinpoint stars that are even more distant. To put it another way, he technology needed to acknowledge the star’s existence might relegate it to a footnote.

Apple’s Studio Display guts feature a remarkable feat of over-engineering

It may look a lot like the redesigned iMac, but Apple’s new Studio Display is in many ways a more complicated device once you open it up. Next to the company’s all-in-one desktop, the monitor is about 50 percent thicker, and there’s an interesting reason for that.

Following its recent Mac Studio teardown, iFixit took apart the Studio Display to see the engineering that went into Apple’s first dedicated monitor since the Pro Display XDR. What ends up making the studio display thicker than the iMac is a complicated, multi-board power supply board that’s housed within the monitor. Unlike with the iMac, you don’t need an adapter to power the Studio Display. It’s one of those features that might seem small on the surface, but it ultimately leads to a better user experience.  

“If [Apple] had gone with an external power supply, this could have been the same design as the iMac,” iFixit said. It notes Apple likely invested a significant amount of engineering effort and cost to design a power supply that is as slim as the one found in the Studio Display. 

In taking apart the Studio Display, iFixit also discovered a few other interesting tidbits about the monitor. Almost every review of the Studio Display has complained of poor web camera quality. Apple has said it will release a software update to address the problem. In the meantime, iFixit says the Studio Display’s camera module looks nearly identical to the one found in the iPhone 11. “Hardware-wise, a three-year-old sensor is perfectly capable of packing a better punch than all these reviewers are seeing,” the company said. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re thinking about purchasing the Studio Display.

Apple, Facebook and Discord reportedly gave user data to hackers posing as law enforcement

Apple, Facebook and Discord turned over user data to hackers posing as law enforcement officials, according to a new report in Bloomberg. The demands, which were forged to look like authentic legal requests, reportedly came from legitimate email accoun…

Apple reportedly wants to handle more financial services in-house

Apple is well-known for doing things in-house whenever possible, and that might even extend to financial services. Bloombergsources claim Apple is laying the groundwork for “future financial services” through a multi-year effort that would bring more financial procedures under the company’s wing. The iPhone maker is reportedly developing its own payment processing system, and also wants to handle credit checks, risk assessment for loans and other behind-the-scenes tasks.

The initiatives are meant for future offerings, according to the sources. This wouldn’t augment Apple Card, Apple Pay, contactless payments for stores or other known financial products. The first product to rely on the payment processing would supposedly be a service nicknamed “Apple Pay Later” that lets you pay off devices in either four interest-free instalments or monthly instalments with interest.

Apple has already declined comment. This isn’t the first time in recent weeks that the company was said to be shaking up its business models, though. A previous rumor also suggested Apple was planning a hardware subscription service where you’d pay a monthly fee to use the latest devices. 

The greater responsibility could prove a challenge. Apple has “faced some hurdles” developing the payment processing tech, Bloomberg said. However, the company has multiple incentives to take more control of financial services. It could launch new features faster, and in countries where they wouldn’t otherwise be viable. Apple might also take a larger slice of revenue in some cases. Simply put, Apple might not be held back by payment processors and banks like some of its peers.

EV startup VinFast will build a $5 billion plant in North Carolina

VinFast Automotive— the Vietnamese car startup — is set to build its first North American assembly plant in North Carolina’s Triangle Innovation Point, right outside of Raleigh. The company will invest a total of $5 billion in the facility which will eventually employ 13,000 workers, according to the Raleigh News and Observer. The Vinfast plant won’t just be North Carolina’s first EV facility, it’ll also be the state’s first car manufacturing plant. Toyota also announced plans last year to build a $1.29 billion battery manufacturing plant in Randolph County, further cementing North Carolina’s status as the next potential EV hub.

We’ve already heard about VinFast’s two new electric crossover cars — the VF32 and the VF33 — that it plans to debut in the US this summer. But the North Carolina plant will focus on building two other cars: the VinFast VF 9, a 7-passenger all-electric SUV and the VinFast VF 8, a 5-passenger, all-electric mid-size SUV. The company is aiming to make both lines available for delivery in the US later this year.

As far as SUVs go, both VinFast models will be reasonably priced. The smaller car, the two-row VF 8, will retail for $39,400. The three-row VF 9 will retail for $53,700. Drivers have the option of selecting different battery sizes for each model. The VF 8 with a smaller battery has a range of 285 miles, with a bigger battery the range increases to 313 miles. Meanwhile, the VF 9 is likely to come with a larger battery pack that could give it a range of up to 423 miles, InsideEVs reported. If this actually happens, this would put the VF 9 at a higher maximum range than many of its competitors in the electric SUV space. For the sake of comparison, the 2021 Tesla Model X has a range of 360 miles and the Kia EV9 SUV has a range of 300 miles.

Even as far as EV startups go, VinFast is relatively new to the game. The company is a subsidiary of a Vietnamese conglomerate called VinGroup, and only started making cars in 2017. Both its cars and scooters are popular in Vietnam, but it has yet to sell any cars abroad, reported the Raleigh News and Observer. But with its first US manufacturing facility in the works, the Vietnamese startup is likely to gain more credibility stateside.

White House launches covid.gov with testing and treatment resources

The White House has launched covid.gov, a dedicated website for COVID-19 guidance, including resources for treatment and testing. The site is meant to be a “one-stop shop” for all things related to COVID-19, including testing and treatment options, mas…

Waymo trials fully driverless rides in San Francisco

Waymo is now operating fully driverless cars in more than one city. The Alphabet-owned brand has started trials of self-driving Jaguar I-Pace EVs in San Francisco with no backup drivers. The tests are limited to employees hailing rides in the company’s early service area, but this still represents a major milestone — the company claimed in a message to Engadget that it was the first anywhere to offer autonomous ride-hailing in two different territories.

You’ll also see an expanded footprint in Arizona. Waymo said it will expand fully autonomous rides to downtown Phoenix, starting with employees. Members of the public in the Trusted Tester program can hail rides “soon after,” Waymo said.

It’s not certain when Waymo might offer trips to the general public in San Francisco. The company recently received permission to charge for self-driving rides in California, but only as long as there’s a backup driver aboard. Still, both rollouts indicate greater confidence on Waymo’s part. It’s more willing to test its autonomous system in densely-populated areas (where traffic and roadwork can be huge headaches), and without leaning as much on human safety nets.