NAOMI LYNCH
Special to The Leader
Much to my Android fangirl chagrin, Apple seems to be having an interesting week of ups and downs. YouTube is trying to become more child friendly, Amazon’s world domination plans are coming to a halt, Kanye West tickles the world pink with his dumb tweets and the release of a possible Tinder-like binge-watching app? Catch up on the Week in Tech News below!
Apple is releasing a 12-inch iPad
Just when you thought the folks at One Infinity Drive couldn’t get any more outlandish, French website http://www.Nowhereelse.fr has leaked images of an iPad case for Apple’s upcoming oven-sheet-sized tablet. I love my tablet because it’s bigger than my phone but not bigger than my 13-inch laptop. When Apple sold their iPhone 5C, the numbers were dismal according to the company, but they still sold enough to make a profit. The same thing might happen with the new iPad. Only time will tell.
Delivery giant Amazon angered by Drone restrictions
Let’s face it — http://www.amazon.com is as ubiquitous as God. If you don’t know what Amazon is, I need you to stop living under that rock of yours. With swift delivery service and a limitless inventory, Amazon is the Empress of Everything. With drones becoming more consumer friendly, it would make sense that Amazon would want to utilize this technology, right? Well, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said “hell no!”
http://www.BusinessInsider.com reported that the FAA requires companies that want to use drones to have a special pilot’s license, stay away from bystanders and finally, fly only during the day. Amazon is in the process of testing for a drone service called Prime Air, which would get packages to customers in half an hour. This puts a damper in Amazon’s world domination, but I’m pretty sure they will find a way around it, the same way they found a way past their bombed Kindle Fire phone.
PlayStation 4 will dominate Xbox One through 2018
During the last console war, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was kicking Sony’s Playstation 3 to bits, and now, the Ghost of Consoles Past has come to execute sweet revenge. According to http://www.ExtremeTech.com, an analyst forecasts that the PS4 will sell 80 million units by 2018, while the Xbox One will sell 57 million units. In terms of overall profits, these numbers are not bad. However, in a world where we care about bragging rights, the folks at Sony are sipping some tea because their sales numbers are throwing all the shade for them.
Side note: RIP to the Wii U. They’ll only sell between 15-20 million units.
YouTube launches Kids App
In a world of rapidly growing technology, kids need to be monitored. I still hate the fact that my 15-year-old nephew has a Galaxy S4 that he has already broken twice. He’ll never know about the days of the T-Mobile Sidekick and the Motorola Razr, but that’s the point of technology — things become obsolete after a few years. In an effort to be more child-friendly, YouTube is launching a children’s app that became available Feb. 23, 2015.
http://www.USAToday.com got to demo the new app, which highlights larger icons, an icon that represents educational learning and most importantly — blocking of profane words! If a child were to type in a profane word, YouTube would respond with “Try something else.” Now, I’m not sure how well this will work with tech-savvy children who can easily bypass restrictions, but … my sister figured out a way to restrict my nephew’s phone to only make phone calls after she caught him catfishing, so if there is a will, there is a way!
Apple repairing corrupted MBP’s for free – do you qualify?
Were you the lucky recipient of a 15 or 17-inch Macbook Pro model before 2014? Does your laptop run corrupted video? No video at all? Or does it reboot at inconvenient times? Well, you’re in luck — Apple will repair your laptop free of charge even if your warranty has run out! http://www.Engadget.com reports that as long as your model is between 2011 and 2013, it wouldn’t hurt to check out your computer and make sure things are running smoothly. For the price of that machine, you’d better!
Kanye West goes on Twitter rampage after critic tears apart his fashion show
Whenever Kanye gets angry, the rest of the world and I become either very gleeful or very annoyed. I was tickled pink reading his angry tweets after the creator of New York Fashion Week, Fern Mallis, told the New York Post that she’s “kind of over Kanye,” http://www.BusinessInsider.com reports. “I’m not a fan of his music, and the attitude and the agenda is not my style,” Mallis also said. So, what does Kanye do?
Kanye does classic Kanye.
(insert Kanye Tweets here)
Never forget, everyone: Kanye is immortal and will always win.
Apple Planning Beta Testing for iOS 8.3 and iOS 9.0
Behind Apple’s closed doors are the dystopian dreams we all have nightmares about. How can you trust a company that won’t make removable batteries in its phones? Apple may be turning over a new leaf, though.
http://www.9to5Mac.com reports that Apple may be doing a public beta test for its upcoming improvements to its operating system. Apple is notoriously private about beta testing, but with all the bugs that have appeared before, I think Apple would rather be safe than sorry. iOS 8.3 testing will begin mid-March, while iOS 9 testing will begin in the summer.
New idea alert: Binger: the Tinder for binge watching
Will the Tinder trend ever end?
Probably not, but let’s take advantage of it while we are here! Binger is exactly what it sounds like — an app through which you can binge-watch a show you and a stranger have in common, based on what you watch on Netflix (since Netflix is the great overlord of movies and such.) http://www.TheVerge.com reports that since Netflix’s API isn’t available to the public yet, “this is only a pipe dream.” I would love to say I met my future wife through binge-watching “Orange Is The New Black,” but I’m going to have to wait on that dream.