512 Pixels

Sam Byford at The Verge:

Imagination Technologies, the British chip designer that provides PowerVR graphics processors for use in the iPhone and iPad, has said that Apple will no longer be licensing its technology in less than two years’ time. In a statement, Imagination says that Apple has notified the company that it’s “working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination’s technology.”

Here’s a bit from that statement:

Apple has used Imagination’s technology and intellectual property for many years. It has formed the basis of Graphics Processor Units (“GPUs”) in Apple’s phones, tablets, iPods, TVs and watches. Apple has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination’s technology.

Apple has not presented any evidence to substantiate its assertion that it will no longer require Imagination’s technology, without violating Imagination’s patents, intellectual property and confidential information. This evidence has been requested by Imagination but Apple has declined to provide it.

That’s some pretty strong language from Imagination Technologies, but I can understand why. According to Byford, its Apple contract makes up about half of the company’s revenue.

I have little doubt that Apple is working toward building its own GPUs for iOS devices. Like the A series of CPUs, Apple would be able to fine-tune its own silicon for its own needs and see drastic results.

Avery Hartmans and Julie Bort:

When Verizon merges Yahoo with AOL after its acquisition of Yahoo closes, the newly created division will get a new name.

That new name is Oath, sources tell Business Insider.

Yeah, I’m sure this will go well.

Your Apple Watch measures your heart rate every 4 minutes during the day. With CardioBot, you can easily understand the data captured by the Apple Watch so you can improve your lifestyle and discover notable patterns.

CardioBot is an iPhone app that reads heart rate data stored by the Apple Watch in HealthKit. The app separates readings in low, resting, high resting, and elevated heart rate through different colors and charts, allowing you to see averages at a glance.

CardioBot also supports viewing data captured during workouts, and it can also provide sleep analysis information for a complete dashboard of your heart rate. All of this is done with a minimal and elegant interface that makes it easy to view statistics for individual days, browse detailed timelines, and compare day-to-day changes.

Jason Kottke:

Glenn and Shannon Dellimore own at least two original Apple I computers built in 1976 by Steve Wozniak, Dan Kottke, and Steve Jobs. The couple recently purchased one of the computers at auction for $365,000 and then lent it to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum for an exhibition. The hand-built machine is in such good condition that they were able to boot it up and run a simple program.

I’m sure this will fix all of the service’s problems.

To celebrate Autism Acceptance month, the iOS App Store team has put together a new collection:

Now more than ever, autistic people can share their voices with the world. With the help of amazing apps, they can learn, play, and communicate. Through the power of books and podcasts, they can tell their stories. During Autism Acceptance Month, we celebrate how their unique experiences enrich us all.

This is great. Not only will it be a helpful resource for those in this community, but for us outside of it as well to learn more about it. I love seeing Apple do stuff like this.

via Steven Aquino

Today, SpaceX launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets to put a customer satellite (dubbed SES-10) in orbit.

The trick? It’s a rocket that’s been to space already.

Today’s Falcon 9 vehicle was the first one the company successfully recovered at sea. That mission took place back in April 2016. Since then, SpaceX has been inspecting every nook and cranny and testing it to prepare it for today’s mission, when it became the first orbital-class rocket to be used for more than one flight.

They even landed it on the droneship again.

It’s important to note that the whole rocket isn’t reused, just the 14-story lower stage. It houses the nine engines required to lift the vehicle and its payload from the pad and provides the brunt of the horsepower of the Falcon 9.

SpaceX’s vision of taking humanity to low-Earth orbit and beyond with lower and lower costs overtime. Reusing a rocket multiple times is a huge step toward that goal. It’s a big deal if getting to Mars is ever going to be remotely affordable.

Update: SpaceX also landed the Falcon 9’s fairing for the first time, according to the press event after the launch. The fairing is basically the nose cone of the ship and protects the payload during launch and its trip through the thick atmosphere.

You should read this article by Federico Viticci:

Workflow as an app is an incredibly good acquisition for Apple, but there’s a deeper subtext here. Workflow represents a movement from a large number of users who enjoy working from iOS devices so much, they want to optimize the experience as much as possible. Workflow’s goal wasn’t to merely provide a capable alternative to the Mac’s AppleScript and Automator; Workflow wanted to eclipse legacy scripting environments and usher iOS users into a new era of mobile automation. There’s the Workflow app and team – technically impressive and absolutely talented – and there’s the bigger theme behind Workflow.

But what has Apple acquired, exactly? Under Apple’s control, can Workflow continue on its mission to make automation accessible for everyone? If Apple sees a future in iOS automation powered by Workflow, what else can be done with a virtually infinite budget and stronger ties to the platform? And what does this acquisition mean for Apple’s commitment to pro users on iOS?

I’ve been mulling over these questions for the past week.

This time around, the changes are focused on how the stores interact with business customers:

Apple is planning another shakeup within its retail stores, according to a source who shared the company’s plans with MacRumors. At the end of April, Apple plans to eliminate certain retail positions, including Business Manager, Business Events Lead, Events Coordinator, and Events Lead.

Apple Store Leaders began informing affected employees about the change earlier this week, and many were caught off guard by the sudden sunsetting of specialized positions that have long existed at retail stores.

Ouch.

T.C. Sottek at The Verge, writing on the recent move by Congress in which lawmakers gave ISPs the okay to sell customer data:

The only people who seem to want this are the people who are going to make lots of money from it. (Hint: they work for companies like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T.) Incidentally, these people and their companies routinely give lots of money to members of Congress.

So here is a list of the lawmakers who voted to betray you, and how much money they received from the telecom industry in their most recent election cycle.

Disgusting.

This week’s weird Wikipedia article is about people who have died taking selfies. You do not want to be on this list; getting that perfect snap is not worth your life.

My thanks to our sponsor:

• Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy.

This week, a rare “we made a mistake” kbase article:

The antistatic shipping bags for small number of 180 GB Apple Drive Modules (ADMs) have a inaccurate label that states: “This drive is for use in an Xserve RAID only. Server Monitor software will not support this drive is installed in an Xserve.”

The solution is pretty simple:

The 180 GB ADM is fully functional in Xserve and Xserve (Slot Load) servers. The statement on the antistatic bag label is incorrect and not a cause for concern.