The Tech Media Minute: Frank Ocean Might Have Killed Music Streaming Exclusives
The first “iOS 11” leak has likely arrived, even before Apple released iOS 10 to the public. Here’s a look at what’s making news for Thursday, Aug. 25.
Top news stories
Top news stories
Bloomberg: Apple preps its own Snapchat app
Faced with declining hardware sales, Apple is looking for ways to make more revenue in the company’s services business. One plan now being discussed: an iPhone video editing app like Snapchat, according to Bloomberg.
According to the report:
The goal behind the project’s development is to offer simple video editing with tools that appeal to the generation of users growing up with Snapchat and Instagram, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private.
Apple plans to introduce the new video features in 2017.
Are Apple devices less reliable than Android?
A new report from Blancco Technology Group suggests that up to 59 percent of iPhones “failed” during the second quarter of 2016, compared to 35 percent for Android-based devices. During the first three months of 2016, the iPhone failure rate was just 25 percent, compared to 44 percent for Android.
The term “failure” covers both first- and third-party issues, including Wi-Fi connectivity issues, headphone malfunctions, and third-party app crashes.
Other key findings:
- Samsung topped the list of Android manufacturers with the highest rate (26 percent) of device failures
- Out of the failed iOS devices, iPhone 6 model had the highest failure rate (29 percent), followed by iPhone 6S (23 percent) and iPhone 6S Plus (14 percent) models
- 50 percent of iOS apps crashed, including Snapchat (17 percent), Instagram (14 percent), and Facebook (9 percent)
Have you experienced more iPhone failures lately?
Another battle between Apple and record companies is brewing
Universal Music Group no longer wants to allow streaming exclusives after Frank Ocean pulled a fast one on the biggest music company in the world.
At issue: To fulfill his contract with Universal Music Group, Ocean released the visual album “Endless” as an Apple Music video stream via Def Jam/Universal Music Group. The next day, the 17-track “Blonde” album arrived through Ocean’s Boys Don’t Cry label, exclusively through Apple Music. In doing so, Ocean’s profit share likely jumped from 14 percent to 70 percent, according to Billboard.
They explain:
Def Jam and its parent Universal, stuck with an overshadowed visual album that isn’t for sale, and cut out of any revenue from the “proper” album that’s headed to the top of the charts on the strength of 225,000 to 250,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 25, were left with what amounts to a very long music video and without one of their marquee artists.
It will be interesting to see whether Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group follow Universal Music Group’s lead to stop allowing exclusive streaming content. Stay tuned.
On this day
Today, Aug. 25 is Kiss and Make Up Day.
Rewind: On this day in 1932, Amelia Earhart completed her trans-continental flight. In 1530, Ivan the Terrible was born.
Extra reading
Extra reading
We’ve looked around the web and found these other stories worth considering:
- WhatsApp plans to let businesses on to its service before the end of the year, TechCrunch
- Amazon launches new hub for car buyers — but isn’t selling them itself, The Verge
- New video goes behind the scenes of an iPhone 7 leak for the first time ever, BGR
Want even more? Check out Tech Media Extra.
The Tech Media Minute is published Monday through Friday on AppAdvice to highlight the biggest stories in technology.
Photo: Austin Evans
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