Daily Crunch: Apple doubles down on subscriptions

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1. Here’s everything Apple announced at its ‘Show Time’ event

Let’s see if I can get this all into one blurb: There’s the streaming service AppleTV+, the updated TV app with Channels (basically, subscriptions for other services), a $9.99 subscription for Apple News+ (including Extra Crunch) and a gaming subscription service called Apple Arcade.

Oh, and beyond the subscriptions, Apple is working with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard to launch an Apple Card.

2. Uber is paying $3.1BN to pick up Middle East rival Careem

After months and months of rumors it has finally been confirmed that ride-hailing giant Uber is picking up its Middle East rival Careem in an acquisition deal worth $3.1 billion — with $1.7 billion to be paid in convertible notes and $1.4 billion in cash.

3. McDonald’s is acquiring Dynamic Yield to create a more customized drive-thru

McDonald’s said it will use this technology to create a drive-thru menu that can be tailored to things like the weather, current restaurant traffic and trending menu items. Once you’ve started ordering, the display can also recommend additional items based on what you’ve already chosen.

4. European parliament votes for controversial copyright reform (yes, again)

An amendment that would have thrown out the most controversial component of the copyright reform — a.k.a. Article 13, which makes platforms liable for copyright infringements committed by their users — was rejected by just five votes.

5. Spotify acquires true crime studio Parcast to expand its original podcast content

Parcast is known best for true-crime and other factual serials in genres like mystery, science fiction and history.

6. NASA cancels all-female spacewalk because it didn’t have enough spacesuits ready in the right size

On Friday, NASA was planning to conduct its first all-female spacewalk, but realized it doesn’t have enough spacesuits that are the right size for its female astronauts.

7. Huawei announces smart glasses in partnership with Gentle Monster

Huawei is positioning the glasses as a sort of earbuds replacement, a device that lets you talk on the phone without putting anything in your ears. There won’t be a single model, but a collection of glasses with integrated electronics.

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The updated Apple News app keeps crashing for some users

While you’ll have to wait for a not-yet-announced date to pay a not-yet-announced price for many of the subscription services that Apple announced yesterday, Apple News+ actually launched pretty quickly … and then started crashing.

At least, that was my experience this morning after I updated my iPad to iOS 12.2, then reinstalled and opened the News app. The app started loading, then kicked me out a few seconds later. Then it did it again, and again, and again.

It’s not clear how widespread the issue is, but my colleague Matt Burns had a similar experience on his iPhone 8, and a number of other users seem to be tweeting about their own crashes on iPads, iPhones and Macs.

Wow, Apple News is instant crash this AM for a bunch of us.@AppleNews
If I cancel my sub will it start working again? pic.twitter.com/mLAWgsMzyb

— Ty Graham (@tygraham) March 26, 2019

There are, however, reports that you can circumvent the issue by immediately selecting the News+ tab and letting load.

In fact, I managed to do that myself, so that I could sign-up for the new $9.99 subscription (which includes TechCrunch’s own Extra Crunch). I appear to have subscribed successfully — only to have the app start crashing on me again. Not the most auspicious start for a paid product, and one that’s already spurring debate about whether or not it can help the news industry.

We’ve reached out to Apple and will update if we hear back (or if the company makes a public statement elsewhere).

Why is Apple News crashing today? Why, bad data pushed to the client, of course. Should be something they can fix remotely pic.twitter.com/YS6U3DNKih

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) March 26, 2019

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YouTube denies that it is canning scripted series, plans to launch ad-supported slate in coming weeks

On the heels of Apple announcing paid, monthly subscription services for video, games, and news, YouTube says it is also doubling down original video content. Parent company Google has denied a report in Bloomberg that YouTube has stopped accepting pitches for scripted shows. But it also confirmed another aspect of the same report: it plans a big focus on paid subscriptions by introducing an ad-supported slate that will include new and existing series in the coming weeks.

It seems that for now the plan is for this to exist alongside YouTube Premium, its $11.99 ad-free subscription service that provides access to YouTube Music and original video content and films, which is not going away. Reports about YouTube’s changing content monetization strategy, moving content out from behind the paywall, have been going around for months.

We’ve also been able to confirm that part of the shift will indeed include cancelling two existing shows, Origin and Overthinking with Kate & June, which will not be on the new slate — one of the other details reported by Bloomberg.

The move signifies that Google is rethinking how it competes in the world of streamed video as the landscape gets increasingly crowded with a selection of options from which to choose. That’s happening not on one but two levels.

Many of the biggest existing services, as well as those that are now coming online, are putting millions into commissioning original movies and series. Netflix alone is estimated to be putting some $15 billion into its own slate this year. In other words the ante is very high for snagging big names and then investing in the production of films and series with them, and with competition the prices are getting higher.

Interestingly, $15 billion is also how much in advertising revenues that YouTube generated last year, and that is the second area where YouTube is changing up how it is planning to compete. With a number of companies now vying for a share of your entertainment budget with monthly subscription fees or one-off payments for specific items, YouTube is exploring a no-fee approach, playing to its strengths and offering its original TV content not as part of subscriptions but as an ad-supported free service.

One of the notable aspects of building original content plays for streaming services is that it means the provider sidesteps some of the more tricky, expensive and time-consuming aspects of negotiating regional deals with rightsholders. YouTube appears to be hoping to tackle this as well, from what we understand, by developing new series and formats that will appeal (and be accessible by) a global audience.

YouTube is easily Google’s most successful and popular effort in the world of social media, and beyond that it’s one of the most popular destinations on the web.

But the report and Google’s quick refutation underscores an ongoing issue for the company. One of the more persistent challenges for Google has been figuring out the best way to leverage YouTube’s audience and platform that has essentially been built around user-generated content — with its huge emphasis on user-created or user-uploaded videos that are by default presented with comments, ads, and carousels of further videos to watch — into one that can also be seen as a home for more finely-tuned premium video content, to create a one-stop-shop at a time when the several others are building services that can pull viewers away.

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Here’s everything Apple announced today

Even after last week’s stream of hardware releases — a new iPad, new iMacs, and new AirPods all back-to-back — Apple had more to announce.

The company announced a bunch of new stuff at a two hour event this morning, primarily focusing on its new premium media subscriptions. Don’t have time to catch up on all of it? Here are the highlights:

AppleTV+: Apple is building an ad-free subscription video service. It announced a ton of new original content from names like Oprah, Steve Carell, JJ Abrams, Steven Spielberg, Jason Momoa, Kumail Nanjiani, and many, many more. You’ll also be able to use the app to subscribe to and view other add-on services, like HBO, Showtime, Stars, and CBS All Access. The new Apple TV app will work with iOS, macOS, and smart TVs (Samsung first, then Sony, LG, and Vizio) along with Roku’s hardware and Amazon’s Fire TV. No pricing details were revealed.

Apple News+: Apple News is getting an overhaul, including a new subscription service called Apple News+. For $10 per month, you’ll get access to 300+ magazines (current and past issues) and digital subscriptions, including People, Vogue, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, and Wired. Oh, and TechCrunch’s Extra Crunch!

Apple Arcade: An ad-free, all-you-can-eat gaming service for games on iOS, macOS, and tvOS. Apple says it’ll have 100+ games at launch, with titles from the likes of Disney, Konami, and LEGO. All games will be playable offline. It launches this fall in 150 regions, but Apple didn’t say how much it’ll cost.

The Apple Credit Card: Apple is making a credit card. It’ll exist as a virtual card and as a physical titanium card. It’ll have no late fees or annual fees. The physical card has no number printed on it — nor a CVV, expiration date, or signature. If a merchant needs that info, you’ll be able to pull it up in the Wallet app. It generates one-time use, dynamic security codes, which TC’s Zack Whittaker points out should make it a lot harder to steal. Customer service is handled via in-app text messaging. It’ll be available this summer.

Transit in US cities: Later this year, Apple Pay will work on transit systems in a few major US cities, beginning with Portland, Chicago, and New York.

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Apple Card will make credit card fraud a lot more difficult

Apple’s new credit card has a curious security feature that will make it much more difficult to carry out credit card fraud.

The aptly named Apple Card is a new credit card, built into your iPhone Wallet app, which the company says will help customers live a “healthier” financial lifestyle. The card is designed to replace your traditional credit card and give you perks, such as daily cash. Chief among the benefits is a range of security and privacy features, which Apple says — unlike traditional credit card providers — the company doesn’t know where a customer shopped, what they bought or how much they paid.

But its one feature — a one-time unique dynamic security code — will make it nearly impossible for anyone to use the credit card to make fraudulent purchases.

That three-digit card verification value — or a CVV — on the back of your credit card is usually your last line of defense if someone steals your credit card number, such as if your card is cloned or skimmed by a dodgy ATM or stolen from a website through a phishing attack.

But rotating the security code will increase the difficulty for an attacker to use your card without your permission.

The idea of a dynamic credit card number first came about a few years ago with the Motion Code credit card concept, built by Oberthur Technologies, which included a randomly generating number built into a tiny display on the back of the card. The only downside is if someone steals your physical card.

Since then, other credit card makers — including Mastercard, the issuing bank for Apple Card — have worked to integrate biometric solutions instead. By enabling a fingerprint sensor on the card, powered by the card machine it was entered into, it was hoped that fraudulent purchases would be impossible. Other credit cards have worked to roll out biometric-powered credit cards. Again — a big letdown was online fraud, which still accounts for a huge proportion of fraud.

Apple Card seems to meld the two things: a virtual credit card with a rotating security code, protected by a biometric, like Touch ID or Face ID in newer devices. Better yet, the company’s debut physical titanium credit card won’t even have a credit card number.

Now if someone wants to commit fraud, they need to steal your phone and your face or fingerprint.

Like other sensitive data — such as health, financial and biometric data — any banking and credit card data is stored on the device’s security chip, known as the secure enclave.

Apple Card will be available in the U.S. later this summer.

Apple introduces its own credit card, the Apple Card

from Apple – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2UVHZ7a

Apple Card will make credit card fraud a lot more difficult

Apple’s new credit card has a curious security feature that will make it much more difficult to carry out credit card fraud.

The aptly named Apple Card is a new credit card, built into your iPhone Wallet app, which the company says will help customers live a “healthier” financial lifestyle. The card is designed to replace your traditional credit card and give you perks, such as daily cash. Chief among the benefits is a range of security and privacy features, which Apple says — unlike traditional credit card providers — the company doesn’t know where a customer shopped, what they bought, or how much they paid.

But its one feature — a one-time unique dynamic security code — will make it nearly impossible for anyone to use the credit card to make fraudulent purchases.

That three-digit card verification value — or a CVV — on the back of your credit card is usually your last line of defense if someone steals your credit card number, such as if your card is cloned or skimmed by a dodgy ATM or stolen from a website through a phishing attack.

But rotating the security code will increase the difficulty for an attacker to use your card without your permission.

The idea of a dynamic credit card number first came about a few years ago with the Motion Code credit card concept, built by Oberthur Technologies, which included a randomly generating number built into a tiny display on the back of the card. The only downside is if someone steals your physical card.

Since then, other credit card makers — including Mastercard, the issuing bank for Apple Card — have worked to integrate biometric solutions instead. By enabling a fingerprint sensor on the card, powered by the card machine it was entered into, it was hoped that fraudulent purchases would be impossible. Other credit cards have worked to roll out biometric-powered credit cards. Again — a big let down was online fraud, which still accounts for a huge proportion of fraud.

Apple Card seems to meld the two things: a virtual credit card with a rotating security code, protected by a biometric, like Touch ID or Face ID in newer devices. Better yet, the company’s debut physical titanium credit card won’t even have a credit card number.

Now if someone wants to commit fraud, they need to steal your phone and your face or fingerprint.

Like other sensitive data — such as health, financial and biometric data — any banking and credit card data is stored on the device’s security chip, known as the secure enclave.

Apple Card will be available in the U.S. later this summer.

Apple introduces its own credit card, the Apple Card

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Apple unveils its $9.99 per month news subscription service, Apple News+

Apple today unveiled a revamped Apple News app, which now includes a premium tier called Apple News+,  offering access to more than 300 magazines and newspapers for $9.99 per month. At launch, the subscription includes magazine titles like Bon Appétit, People, Vogue, National Geographic Magazine, ELLE, Glamour and others, along with top publishers like The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, and more.

Apple News+ subscribers will be able to access both the current and past issues from the following magazines: The Atlantic, Better Homes & Gardens, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, ELLE, Entertainment Weekly, ESPN The Magazine, Esquire, Food & Wine, Good Housekeeping, GQ, Health, InStyle, Martha Stewart Living, National Geographic, New York Magazine, The New Yorker, O, The Oprah Magazine, Parents, People, Real Simple, Rolling Stone, Runner’s World, Sports Illustrated, TIME, Travel + Leisure, Vanity Fair, Vogue, WIRED and Woman’s Day.

TechCrunch’s premium product, Extra Crunch, is among the new participants, on the news side. Other news publishers highlighted onstage include theSkimm, Grub Street, The Highlight by Vox, The Cut, Vulture and Toronto Star.

Combined, the subscriptions provided through Apple News+ would cost more than $8,000 per year, Apple noted.

“When we created Apple news over three years ago, we wanted to provide the best way to read the news on your iPhone and iPad,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook, in introducing the company’s plans for Apple News+. “And we felt we can make a difference in the way that news is experienced and understood — a place where the news would come from trusted sources and be curated by experts,” he added.

Cook also touted how this led Apple News to become the No. 1 news application, but it wasn’t clear how the company determined this ranking — considering it’s preinstalled, it has a bit of an advantage over traditional publishers.

Before diving into the content, Apple introduced the premium news subscription’s new design feature, called “Live Covers,” which shows animated images instead of static photos for a magazine’s cover.

Inside the digital magazine’s pages, readers can view a table of contents, swipe through beautifully designed pages filled with text, photos and infographic content, and more. The experience looks very much like the popular digital magazine app, Flipboard.

 

The magazine publishers can also express their own unique look and feel through their design and photography, noted Apple designer Wyatt Mitchell, in presenting the new service.

The News+ tab is where you can begin to explore the available magazines, which are organized into sections, including a curated “Featured” area, as well as by magazine category like “Business & Finance,” or “Health,” for example.

Meanwhile, the Today tab features more recommendations of articles and issues. The service will also customize itself to your interests, but won’t do so by tracking what you read.

Instead, Apple says the service will download groups of articles from its servers. And then it uses on-device intelligence to make recommendations. That means Apple won’t know what you read and won’t allow advertisers to track you either.

When you subscribe, your whole family can access the magazines through Apple Family Sharing, for the same price.

Apple had signaled its intention to enter the premium news subscription businesses when it acquired digital newsstand startup Texture in spring 2018. Shortly thereafter, reports surfaced that Apple was planning to relaunch Texture’s product as part of the existing Apple News application. The company had been courting high-profile publishers, but industry reaction was mixed.

That appears to remain the case as the service goes to launch. While it does offer The Wall Street Journal — announced ahead of today’s event — other top publishers like The New York Times and The Washington Post have chosen not to participate.

Apple News+ is available in the U.S. and Canada, starting today. In Canada, the service will be $12.99 per month. Later this year, Apple News+ will arrive in Europe, starting with the U.K., as well as Australia.

The first month is free, before the monthly charge kicks in.

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