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iOS 16 Battery Percentage, Google vs Apple on RCS, and VESA Studio Display on the AppleInsider Podcast


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Apple brings battery percentage back to the status bar in iOS 16 beta 5, Google puts Apple on blast over RCS adoption, we review the VESA mount Studio Display, and more on the AppleInsider podcast.

We discuss how the new battery percentage indicator may be Apple’s most disruptive feature of iOS 16. Many Apple fans are excited by the new feature, though neither of your hosts Wesley and Stephen will be turning it on.

Next, Google’s latest campaign for Apple to adopt RCS continues to push a narrative that’s missing a lot of details. The hosts dive into what’s wrong with RCS today and what it would take for Apple to consider the new messaging platform.

Meanwhile, Stephen’s Studio Display has arrived and he shares some controversial opinions about its speakers and webcam — they’re fine. Also, your hosts consider what it would take for them to upgrade from the existing Studio Display and whether Apple would introduce such a product anytime soon.

The latest product rumors point to new HomePods arriving sometime soon, and the new entry model iPad may see big changes in 2022. There’s also a quick discussion of Apple TV+ and the new animated film “Luck.”

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Telegram CEO claims Apple is delaying update that will ‘revolutionize’ messaging


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Telegram CEO Pavel Durov claims that Apple has been delaying an App Store update to the app that will “revolutionize how people express themselves in messaging.”

In a Telegram message on Thursday, Durov says that the upcoming update has been stuck in Apple’s review process for two weeks with no explanation from the iPhone maker about the holdup.

“If Telegram, one of the top 10 most popular apps globally, is receiving this treatment, one can only imagine the difficulties experienced by smaller app developers,” Durov wrote.

The Telegram chief executive also hit Apple and Google for charging a 30% commission on app and in-app purchases. Durov says the app review delay is just another harm on the commission, which he likes to a “tax.”

“The regulators in the EU and elsewhere are slowly starting to look into these abusive practices,” he said. “But the economic damage that has already been inflicted by Apple on the tech industry won’t be undone.”

This isn’t the first time that a Telegram update has been stuck in Apple’s app review process. Back in 2018, Apple delayed global updates after Russian authorities demanded the Cupertino tech giant remove the secure messaging app from the App Store.

Other app developers and executives have complained about Apple’s App Review process in the past. In 2021, Hopscotch CEO Samantha John called Apple’s review process “Kafkaesque.”

Apple has made moves to amend its App Store policies in recent years, including updated App Review processes and rules and the introduction of a lower 15% commission for apps making less than $1 million.

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Technology

Redesigned Eve Aqua has Thread and improved valve mechanism


AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

The redesigned Eve Aqua has improved mechanics and a new look to help HomeKit owners keep their gardens well-watered.

Following the release of the all-new Eve Motion, smart home accessory maker Eve Systems is out with its latest product. It has redesigned the Eve Aqua, with a refreshed design and durability improvements.

“Eve Aqua looks gorgeous and makes smart gardening easy, safe and joyful,” says Jerome Gackel, CEO, Eve Systems. “Thread eliminates the need for a digital bridge, while the brass faucet adapter ensures a rock-solid physical connection. And of course, our beautiful Eve app brings it all together, making scheduling, and monitoring consumption, a breeze.”

The new Eve Aqua has an IPX4 resistance rating and runs on a pair of AA batteries. It has a sleek new space gray body with a matte black front. The physical watering button has increased in size to make it easier to control.

It requires no bridge outside of your existing Home Hub and supports up to seven watering sessions per day.

On the inside, Eve has upgraded it to a brass faucet connector and magnetic valve that provides increased durability, helps prevents leaks, and is near-silent when opening or closing.

Like the second-generation Eve Aqua, the new model is able to connect via Bluetooth as well as Thread. This marks the 14th product Eve has released with support for Thread.

When Matter is released this fall, Eve Aqua (third-generation) will be updated for free to support the new standard and be compatible with other smart home platforms.

available now

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Apple offers $50 gift card with Apple TV 4K purchases

appletvsiri

Faster processor, better picture and all-new remote control

The risk Apple ran when it made its TV+ service compatible with so many third party devices was that people would find less reason to purchase an Apple TV. That seems to be what’s happening as the company offers $50 Apple Gift Cards to anyone who does purchase its box.

Room for improvement?

When most television sets already run 4K natively, the purpose of Apple’s box has changed. The fact that content rich systems (such as Amazon’s or Roku’s hardware) can also provide access to TV+ content also reduces the appeal of these systems, I think.

What’s negative about this is that Apple’s made some big investments in creating a developer friendly environment for its TV box, with Arcade making these systems an alternative to console games. The challenge is that gamers are loyal to their console platforms and like to play the games they enjoy.

What is the deal?

Apple has extended its Apple TV 4K gift card offer outside the US to many other nations, including the UK and Australia. Under the deal, you get a $50 Apple Gift Card rebate (or the equivalent in local currency) on up to two units of Apple TV – buy two, get $100.

The offer is available until mid-August. It may be interesting to note that Disney+ recently added 4K support to Apple TV 4K.

One can’t help but wonder what happens after that?

What’s that coming over the hill?

The Apple TV 4K seems a little long in the tooth at this point. Some of its main reasons for existence have become diluted, and until Apple hits us (as it I think inevitably will) with AR-based and 6K content to beef up the package, the only deal has to be priced. We’ve all heard the speculation of a lower cost Apple TV stick, and it is possible Apple wants to put all its entertainment system eggs inside its AR goggles basket.

We do think a new Apple TV is on the way and this will likely feature an upgraded A14 (M1?) chip and more RAM.

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Linus Torvalds uses M2 MacBook Air to release Linux 5.19


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The latest release of Linux 5.19 has more of an Apple angle than usual, with Linus Torvalds releasing it using an M2 MacBook Air running a version of Linux ported to Apple Silicon.

Linux, like other operating systems, receives updates periodically, with the open source software being no exception. Linus Torvalds, the driving force behind Linux, recently released version 5.19 of the operating system, enabling maintainers of the different Linux variants to incorporate the changes.

spotted by AsahiLinux, Torvalds has passed comment about the use of Apple products in an email to the Linux Kernel Mailing List. Posted on Sunday, Torvalds writes “the most interesting part here is that I did the release (and am writing this) on an arm64 laptop,” referring to the use of Apple Silicon.

Torvalds doesn’t specifically name the model of Mac he is using. But, Asahi Linux claims it is an M2 MacBook Air running its port.

“It’s something I’ve been waiting for for a long time [sic] time, and it’s finally reality, thanks to the Asahi team,” Torvalds continues. In July, the Asahi Linux for Mac project released an update that added Mac Studio support as well as experimental M2 support and fixing Bluetooth.

Torvalds mentions that there has been arm64 hardware running Linux for a while, but that “none of it has really been usable as a development platform until now.”

This marks the third time Torvalds has used Apple hardware for Linux development. He previously did so “for powerpc development on a ppc970 machine,” then over a decade ago with the MacBook Air as it was “the only real thin-and-lite around.”

He admits its usage has been limited, as it hasn’t been used “for any real work” so far. It has been used for “doing test builds and boots and now the actual release tagging.”

Torvalds anticipates using it while traveling “and finally dog-fooding the arm64 side too.”

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Apple takes down online Apple Store for ‘updates’ [u]


AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

The Apple Store is offline in the US and most — but not all — territories worldwide.

The online Apple Store is currently showing its familiar “We’ll be right back,” notice, along with the information that “updates are coming to the Apple Store.” Unusually, the Store is not offline worldwide, however.

At time of writing, the US, Australia, UK, and major European are showing variations on the “Check again soon” message. But the Store in other regions, including China, Japan and New Zealand, is operating normally.

There are no Apple products due to be added through any announced pre-order release. It’s conceivable that Apple will make an unannounced addition, but it’s unlikely, given that the Store is not down worldwide.

The US Apple Store does include products such as certain accessories that are not available elsewhere. However, if it isn’t due to maintenance issues, it’s most likely that Apple is about to unveil some promotion.

Apple is currently offering a promotion in China that, until the end of Monday, August 1, 2022, features rare discounts on many products.

Update 04:10 Eastern: the store is back up

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