O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: celebrities

  • Twitter Blue subscription to retail for $11 per month for iPhone users upon relaunch

    Twitter Blue subscription to retail for $11 per month for iPhone users upon relaunch

    In a move that could either clarify or further muddy the waters for Twitter, the social media company has announced that as of today’s launch, Blue Subscription on iPhone will cost $11 to allow Twitter to recuperate the 30 percent commission that Apple takes on in-app purchases.

    According to The Information, prior to Twitter pausing its Blue subscriptions, the company had charged $7.99 per month for iPhone users. The price will be increased to $11 per month. Twitter Blue on the web, on the other hand, will cost $7 per month. It’s also been reported that some Twitter employees have already been briefed about the price change.

    Additionally, the report noted that the higher subscription cost would let Twitter pay Apple’s required 30 percent commission for in-app purchases without incurring too much cost for Twitter. Interestingly, charging higher Twitter Blue fees on iPhone could lead users to just subscribe on the web. This will allow Twitter to avoid Apple’s in-app purchases commission.

    Twitter may be following the same option that other companies have used in terms of Apple’s cut for in-app purchases. Spotify, for example, charges higher subscription costs on the iPhone than on the web. While this strategy may be fine with some customers, others might get confused by the price difference on a device-to-device basis. Apple apparently has no issue with companies charging more on iPhone than on the web.

    The relaunched Blue subscription plan includes a verification checkmark. When this was first launched, it led people to impersonate companies, celebrities, and other high-profile Twitter users, provided they paid the $8 subscription cost. Twitter had to pause its Twitter Blue subscription given these actions.

    It’s also been reported that Twitter Blue will come with different colored checkmarks upon relaunch. These include gold for companies, grey for government accounts, and blue for individuals, whether or not they are public figures.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via The Mac Observer and The Information

  • Apple releases first iOS 12 public beta for testing

    If you’re feeling brave with your iOS device, you now have the change to test our the first public beta of iOS 12, which was released to its public beta testing group on Tuesday. The first public beta of iOS 12 should correspond to the second developer beta, which was released last week.

    Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the iOS 12 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.

    Users can sign up to join the beta testing program on beta.apple.com, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas. Prior to installing a beta, make sure to create a full encrypted iTunes backup or an iCloud backup and be sure to install iOS 12 on a secondary device because beta software is not always stable and can include bugs.

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  • Apple to produce its first television series, “Planet of the Apps”

    Apple has begun producing its first ever TV show.

    The new series, titled “Planet of the Apps”, is literally celebrities telling app developers why their apps will never be profitable and will never be used by anyone. The apps are judged by a star-studded panel: Jessica Alba, Will.i.am and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others.

    Where historically an entrepreneur would make an “elevator pitch”, developers and entrepreneurs make an “escalator pitch”, which literally takes place on an escalator.

    “‘Planet of the Apps’ is coming to Apple Music in the next few months,” said Ben Silverman at the Code Media conference at the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point, Calif. Silverman is the CEO of Propagate, the production company that’s partnering with Apple to create the show.

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  • Apple to institute 2-step iCloud authentication protocol after recent celebrity photo leaks

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    Sometimes you’ve gotta go the two step security authentication route to keep everyone happy.

    Especially the celebrities.

    Following a rash of nude photos apparently stolen from celebrities’ iCloud accounts, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company plans to activate new security measures designed to thwart future attacks.

    Per AppleInsider and the Wall Street Journal, Cook reiterated Apple’s previous stance that iCloud was not breached before announcing new security protocols meant to give users a heads-up when changes are made to their accounts.

    “When I step back from this terrible scenario that happened and say what more could we have done, I think about the awareness piece,” Cook said. “I think we have a responsibility to ratchet that up. That’s not really an engineering thing.”

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