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In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest Apple news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.

Monday, March 26

Highlights

1. Spotify for Apple Watch to debut at WWDC? An anonymous and unverified tipster has informed MacRumors that Spotify will unveil an official Apple Watch app at WWDC 2018 in June, based on personal involvement with the project.

apple-watch-snowy-800x655.jpg
Third-party Spotify app Snowy, which was never released, as its developer Andrew Chang was hired by Spotify to help build their official Apple Watch app

The app will supposedly be a lead example of Apple's tentatively named StreamKit framework that will enable cellular Apple Watch models to receive push notifications from third-party apps like Facebook and Twitter, completely independent from a paired iPhone, on watchOS 5.

2. Are corporations that use Wikipedia giving back? Wikimedia's revenue chief Lisa Gruwell expresses some concerns about seemingly one-sided relationships with companies that utilize its information.
"I don't mean to sound like the Lorax here," said Gruwell. "If you overuse something and you don't give back to it, you can harm it. In the case of Alexa and Siri, our content gets intermediated. Wikipedia works because people can contribute to it, people can edit it. Also, once a year, when we ask people can donate. When they get their information not from us -- but Wikipedia content through something like Siri or something like Alexa -- that opportunity to either contribute back as an editor is broken, and that opportunity to contribute, to donate is also broken."
Gruwell said Wikimedia's relationship with Google is by far the best, both in terms of how much they contribute to the organization--more than $1 million in the 2017 fiscal year--and how the companies work together.

By comparison, Apple, Facebook, and Microsoft all contributed around $50,000 through their employee donation matching programs, while Amazon wasn't named on Wikimedia's list of donors in 2017 whatsoever.

microled.jpg
An illustration of the size difference between traditional LEDs and Micro-LEDs via CNET

3. MicroLED is the first new screen tech in a decade. Can it beat OLED? CNET's Geoffrey Morrison provides a detailed explanation of the advantages and technology behind microLED displays. Apple is reportedly developing its own microLED displays, but we're likely at least a few years away from seeing them in an Apple Watch or iPhone.

Other Links
Interview: Apple logo creator Rob Janoff on making timeless work, fielding criticism, and what makes a good designer: 9to5Mac's Michael Steeber interviews Rob Janoff, who designed the classic six-color Apple logo in 1977. Janoff was also interviewed by Forbes contributor Will Burns, ahead of a design-related event he is headlining on March 28.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV): What is it, and why does the Apple Watch track it? by iMore's Serenity Caldwell
For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.

Article Link: Quick Takes: Spotify for Apple Watch and StreamKit for watchOS 5 to Debut at WWDC 2018?
 
So, if I nuderstand this right, the Streamkit based Spotify will only work with cellular equipped Apple Watch 3 models (and higher). The non cellular Apple Watch 3 gets left out?
 
As much as I'd love to personally see a Spotify watchOS app, I can't see Apple actively promoting the closest competitor to Apple Music at their own event.

Spotify on applewatch will only help their sales and doesn't apple get a cut of subs paid for through the app store too? I get that it hurts them but 30% of something plus a watch sale is better than 100% of nothing.
 
I would be really surprised to see Apple demo a Spotify app at an Apple event.
They made a big deal out of Amazon Prime coming to Apple TV, so I don’t see why not. Apple is still primarily a hardware company. When an incredibly popular app/service comes to their hardware, they’re going to mention it, because it helps drive sales.
 
Now we're getting somewhere! Sucks it takes 4 generations for functionality like this to be implemented. I know it happens with most devices including the iPad. And it's just silly that each year is another "basic" feature in the spotlight (e.g. GPS for 2, cellular for 3). Those should have been there from the start so they could focus solely on polishing it and making the entire experience that much better. But I guess that's business...
 
Apple is absolutely not going to use THEIR conference to make a big stage announcement about a competing music subscription service. They may release it on the same day or even feature it in one of the panels, but even that’s unlikely.
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Oh right. The watch does apps. I almost forgot cuz it’s so SLOW
Series 3 isn’t.
 
I would be really surprised to see Apple demo a Spotify app at an Apple event.
Well yesterday it might have happened. Today? After this leak? Not anymore.

Whoever leaked this may have just cost Spotify a chance of a WADC appearance.

Right now, the developers holed up atApple are being escorted out the door.
 
Spotify for Apple Watch being debuted at WWDC would be one of the biggest Apple news stories in years. Not sure why it’s being forced into a recap like this.

Agreed. Though, I hope they do something about load times and speed (I have an S1). If apps continue to be dog slow, I'll probably just keep using the general music remote app to control Spotify.
 
I can't see Apple actively promoting the closest competitor to Apple Music at their own event.

Apple is absolutely not going to use THEIR conference to make a big stage announcement about a competing music subscription service.

Of course they would. They did exactly that already with Prime. Doing so would do a world of good for Apple. The number one reason some people hate Apple, besides the high cost of their devices/computers, is that it's a "walled gargen" that doesn't work with anything else. Allowing Spotify to work natively on the watch and making a big deal about it would be huge for them.

Though, I hope they do something about load times and speed (I have an S1).

They did. They released new versions of the Apple Watch. That's the price you pay for being an early adopter.
 
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Agreed. Though, I hope they do something about load times and speed (I have an S1). If apps continue to be dog slow, I'll probably just keep using the general music remote app to control Spotify.
They already have. They doubled the CPU speed, but you need new hardware for that.
 
Apple is absolutely not going to use THEIR conference to make a big stage announcement about a competing music subscription service. They may release it on the same day or even feature it in one of the panels, but even that’s unlikely.
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Series 3 isn’t.

The only reason Apple should be afraid to have Spotify at the event is if they don't think Apple Music is good enough to win against the competition. Apple's platform needs to be more open and support choices. Then let their stuff compete on its own merit, and its "inside" integration which should give it a huge advantage. I use Spotify, and this would be something that would interest me in possibly returning to using Apple products more.
 
Of course they would. They did exactly that already with Prime. Doing so would do a world of good for Apple. They number one reason people don't use Apple devices, besides price, is that it's a "walled gargen" that doesn't work with anything else. Allowing Spotify to work natively on the watch and making a big deal about it would be huge for them.
Don't really think Apple have a service comparable to Prime, hence why it was demoed and marketed. Although they have some original content on Apple Music, it is much more likely for people to subscribe to both AM and Prime than AM and Spotify.

Apple also rejected a Spotify app update in 2016 which caused Spotify to call their approval process a 'weapon' publicly. And as recently as December last year, Spotify (along with companies such as Deezer) wrote to EU regulators urging for stronger competition policies to help them compete with Apple and Amazon.

Stranger things have happened, but Spotify is one of the last companies I see Apple wanting to promote considering their recent history.
 
I for one am discomforted by the thought of Wikipedia as a point of information and truth.

But it is pretty low to set up access to an open source product and then not contribute to it. Monetary only please. Not content.
 
2. Are corporations that use Wikipedia giving back? Wikimedia's revenue chief Lisa Gruwell expresses some concerns about seemingly one-sided relationships with companies that utilize its information

I think you're going to get a lot of resistance due to the nature of the relationship set by Wikipedia. Many companies and individuals have pages on them that contain disparaging or incorrect information, and any attempts to fix them are rebuffed, often with hostility, by wikipedia volunteers. The page on myself contains quite a bit of counterfactual information, including a company I never owned, a brother I never had, and a school I never attended. I gave up trying to correct them years ago after being scolded by Wikipedia that subjects of pages are not permitted to make changes to those pages, and threatened with banishment if I tried again. To this day, that misinformation remains. Now wonder why I don't value wikipedia as a source of reliable information worth donating a few million euro to. What a mystery.
 
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