This digest compiles the latest from Apple Insider.
Today’s Apple Insider Roundup
Apple's ghost town, new iPads, smart rings, and Snow Leopard on the AppleInsider Podcast
So many people are leaving Apple that it’s a wonder it can still function with only 164,000 employees. But it’s still bringing out new iPads, while Pebble has a smart ring, and the legend of Snow Leopard is back again on the AppleInsider Podcast.
The news is that more senior people are leaving Apple, and the context is that most of them are senior in another sense — they tend to be people who are retiring. While reports of the departures even threatening the future of the iPhone are ridiculous, these were key people who shaped Apple.
Nonetheless, Apple is somehow going to manage to bring out new iPads early next year. The latest rumors seem to be settling on the A19 processor coming to the base model — which should mean Apple Intelligence too.
Inside FileMaker Pro — the massive hit few realize is Apple's
FileMaker Pro is the biggest Windows app that Apple makes, it and its Mac version are a crucial part of businesses large and small — and it was nearly owned by Microsoft. Here’s the story of the huge Apple hit you might never have used.
It’s also possible that you’ve used FileMaker Pro without actually realising it. Not because you didn’t look up to see the app’s name in the menubar, but because it is a tool for making other tools.
FileMaker Pro is used to make database apps, many of which just run inside this one, but many others are sold separately. If you develop FileMaker Pro databases, you could roll them out across your company, or your customers, you can have it power websites and iPad data-collecting apps.
Switzerland opens antitrust probe over iPhone NFC access
Swiss regulators are examining what conditions Apple puts on third-party firms before it allows them to use the same NFC technology that enables Apple Pay.
In June 2024, the European Union forced Apple to open up its NFC payment processes to rivals. Apple then granted the same access to companies in a range of regions including the US, Canada, and Japan in August 2024.
Now Switzerland’s Competition Commission (COMCO) has announced a provisional investigation into the specifics of this access. COMCO says that this is in part to determine “whether other providers of mobile payment apps can effectively compete with Apple Pay.”
Epic CEO Sweeney still wants to pay Apple nothing for access to the App Store
As the court directs Apple and Epic Games to discuss appropriate App Store fees, CEO Tim Sweeney has made it clear that he’ll never back any profit sharing.
Despite mostly losing its appeal against previous court rulings, Apple has won the argument that it should be paid a commission when apps are sold through a third-party app store. However, the court has told Epic Games and Apple to agree a reasonable rate between them.
Speaking after the court ruling, however, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was blunt about how such negotiations would go. In an interview with The Verge, Sweeney said that this must be the end of what he called Apple’s “junk fees.”
End of today’s Apple Insider roundup.
