Tech Talk

Readdle today announced the launch of a new "My Writing Style" artificial intelligence feature created for the Spark email app . Spark already had an option for using AI to write emails in different styles like formal, neutral, and friendly, but the updated AI option is designed to write emails in each user's own voice. According to Readdle, it is able to mirror style, tone, and personality traits "to a degree." Users can enable Spark AI in the Spark Settings, and from there, the app will select three samples of recently sent emails to analyze writing style. This style will then be applied to AI-generated emails and replies. AI-generated text can be edited and reviewed before it is sent, and there is an option to disable the feature for those who do not want to use it. Spark suggests that the tool is useful for journalists, content creators, researchers, academics, and professional teams. Readdle recommends providing simple prompts to the AI to get the

Amid rumors that the European Commission will soon fine Apple 500 million euros for breaking EU law over access to streaming music services, Apple today commented on its relationship with Apple Music competitor Spotify and the ongoing complaints that Spotify has made to the EC to attempt to get the App Store rules changed. In a statement to MacRumors , Apple said that Spotify is aiming to get unlimited access to Apple's tools and services without paying anything for the value that Spotify receives from the ‌App Store‌. "We're happy to support the success of all developers -- including Spotify, which is the largest music streaming app in the world. Spotify pays Apple nothing for the services that have helped them build, update, and share their app with Apple users in 160 countries spanning the globe. Fundamentally, their complaint is about trying to get limitless access to all of Apple's tools without paying anything for the value Apple provides." The Europe

Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview , the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ 189 includes fixes and updates for CSS, HTML, SVG, Web API, Web Inspector, WebAuthn, WebGL, and WebRTC. The current ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release is compatible with machines running macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma , the latest version of macOS that Apple released in September 2023. The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences or System Settings to anyone who has downloaded the browser . Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website . Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology

Apple has frustrated another app developer with arbitrary enforcement of its App Store rules, with Insight Timer CEO Christopher Plowman this week taking to LinkedIn and speaking with TechCrunch to complain about a frustrating experience with the ‌App Store‌ review team. Insight Timer is a meditation app that is subscription based. Customers pay $60 per year to access guided meditations, yoga classes, and other teacher-led courses. In addition to the subscription fee, Insight Timer accepts tips for teachers, which is what is at the heart of the dispute. In 2022, Insight Timer started allowing app users to provide their teachers with digital donations or tips, and these donations were not initially subject to Apple's 30 percent fee on digital goods per Apple's ‌App Store‌ rules. Apple approved 47 Insight Timer updates that had the tipping functionality, but late last year, Apple's review team decided that these payments weren't considered tips, but digital goods

Apple's seventh-generation iPad mini is rumored to be launching this year, according to multiple sources. Keep reading to learn what the rumors say we can expect from Apple's small form factor tablet. The current iPad mini was released in September 2021, and includes a 8.3-inch display, a USB-C port, a Touch ID power button, an A15 Bionic chip, 5G support on cellular models, a 12-megapixel rear camera, second-generation Apple Pencil support, and more. Display Changes According to one rumor , the seventh-generation ‌iPad mini‌'s screen assembly will be rotated to reduce the effect of " jelly scrolling " that some users complain about with the current model when viewed in portrait orientation. The term refers to a noticeable effect when scrolling vertically through text-based content like a webpage or document, where each line of text appears to tilt down towards the left of the screen as it passes by. The effect makes it look as though one side of the dis

Apple's surprise decision to bring RCS support to its Messages app for iPhone later this year was not a result of impending EU legislation, but an about-face caused by Chinese political pressure, claimed a report over the weekend. In November 2023, Apple announced that it planned to bring RCS (Rich Communication Services) support to Messages alongside iMessage, a move that seemingly came out of the blue, given Apple's staunch resistance to pressure from Google and Samsung to adopt the communication protocol. In the weeks that followed, one popular theory for Apple's reversal was that its hand had been forced by the EU's Digital Markets Act, which would have required Apple to make changes to iMessage to make it interoperable with other platforms. That theory has since been debunked for two reasons. First, the DMA does not specifically mention RCA as a requirement of interoperability between messaging platforms. And second, the EU earlier this month concluded

Apple is speeding up development of a smart ring that can be worn on the finger to track users' health biometrics, claims a new report coming out of Korea. Teaser image of Samsung Galaxy Ring shown at Galaxy Unpacked in January Apple has toyed with the idea of a ring wearable for several years, as indicated by several patents , but with Samsung preparing to bring its own product to market, the time could be ripe for Apple to follow it with something that embodies CEO Tim Cook 's mantra, "be best, not first." According to the Electronic Times , Apple has been paying close attention to the market for signs that a smart ring would be a popular, less intrusive alternative to a watch, that can be worn for longer and is easier to sleep with. Apple is said to be seriously weighing up the idea as a viable expansion of its wearables lineup, and has been increasingly applying for patents related to an NFC-enabled finger-worn device as it coordinates the timing of the