Month: March 2019

Michael Jackson’s songs banned from radio stations around the world, but not on Apple Music

CompuScoop Staff March 7, 2019 0

“Spotify and Apple Music have not taken action against Michael Jackson’s music catalog following the release of ‘Leaving Neverland,’ a two-part HBO documentary that accuses the pop superstar of sexually abusing two young boys in the ’80s and ’90s,” Sean Burch writes for The Wrap. “The move is a departure from the stance the two companies took against R. Kelly after the singer was hit with new accusations of sexual misconduct… Both Spotify and Apple Music removed R. Kelly’s music from its playlists last year.”

“Jackson’s music, it’s worth noting, isn’t actively featured when users open Apple Music, and hasn’t cracked Spotify’s top 200 global chart in the last week,” Burch writes. “Jackson has reentered the public conversation after ‘Leaving Neverland’ debuted on HBO on Sunday night. The four-hour documentary, which concluded on Monday night, featured comprehensive accusations from two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who said that Jackson sexually assaulted them when they were young boys.”

“The Jackson estate has vehemently opposed the documentary, calling it ‘the kind of tabloid character assassination Michael Jackson endured in life, and now in death,'” Burch writes. “At the same time, the estate is suing HBO for $100 million, accusing the network of violating a non-disparagement clause that was part of an agreement the two sides had which granted HBO the right to air Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour in 1992.”

Read more in the full article here.

Apple deserves positive praise for doing right by worker’s in reducing supplier violations

CompuScoop Staff March 7, 2019 0

“I’ve been quite harsh toward Apple Inc. for a long time. Having covered the company for close to 15 years, first as a reporter and now a columnist, I’ve spent much time researching and writing about its supply chain and the myriad problems within,” Tim Culpan writes for Bloomberg. “Today, though, it’s time to give credit where it’s due.”

“Two of my major beefs with Apple relate to the issues of bonded and underage labor. In the first instance, employees working for the iPhone maker’s suppliers are required to pay upfront fees just to secure a job. This money is usually paid to recruitment agencies. The second is self-explanatory,” Culpan writes. “Both problems have almost been stamped out.”

“According to the company’s annual Supplier Responsibility Report, just two cases of bonded labor were found last year, involving 287 employees,” Culpan writes. “By employee numbers, it’s an 82 percent improvement from last year alone. As for underage labor, just one case was uncovered, versus three a year prior. While even one is too many, cases of juveniles slipping into supplier factories are often a result of employees themselves faking documentation.”

Nintendo asking developer partners to cut back on In-App purchases in its iOS Games

CompuScoop Staff March 7, 2019 0

Nintendo is asking its developers that make games for the iOS platform to cut back on asking players for in-app purchases fearing how app-based microtransactions could be tarnishing its brand, this according to The Wall Street Journal. The company is going as far as to ask developers not to ask the end user for so many in-app purchases.

One Nintendo official reiterated that the company uses its smartphone games to entice players into purchasing full-fledged console titles. Now, according to the unnamed official, Nintendo is concerned that it could be criticized for being greedy in the smartphone gaming market, ultimately hurting the company across divisions.

As for individual games, Nintendo's plan is already affecting certain titles. Dragalia Lost developer CyberAgent slashed its fiscal year earnings forecast for the first time in 17 years, reportedly due in part to the game's underperformance. Although it has a lot of players downloading and interacting with the app, "revenue from each player has fallen short of projections," seemingly tied to Nintendo's new strategy.

“Nintendo is not interested in making a large amount of revenue from a single smartphone game,” one CyberAgent official said. “If we managed the game alone, we would have made a lot more.”

Apple CEO and other Tech Companies tell President Trump they are hiring more people WITHOUT College Degrees

CompuScoop Staff March 7, 2019 0

“Chief executives of major companies said at a White House forum on Wednesday that they are hiring more Americans without college degrees as they search to find increasingly scarce applicants for open jobs,” David Shepardson reports for Reuters. “The White House hosted CEOs of major corporations who joined a Trump administration advisory board on workforce issues, including from Apple Inc, IBM Corp, Lockheed Martin Corp, Siemens USA and Home Depot Inc, who are part of a 25-member board co-chaired by President Donald Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. ‘We have a chance to employ so many more people – and not always with a college degree, a less than a four-year degree will get a very good paying job in the new economy,’ said IBM Chief Executive Ginni Rometty.”

“Apple CEO Tim Cook said nearly 50 percent of the people the company hired in the United States last year did not have a four-year degree,” Shepardson reports. “‘We never thought that the college degree was the thing that you had to have to do well,’ Cook said, adding that ‘our founder was a college dropout,’ an apparent reference to Steve Jobs. Cook said he believed ‘strongly’ that computer coding proficiency should be a requirement before U.S. students graduate from high school.”

“Trump said he wants to help companies find workers and he wants more high-skilled immigrants as U.S. unemployment remains low at 4 percent. ‘In one way, I love it,’ Trump said of low unemployment. ‘But in another way, I don’t want to make it hard for you,'” Shepardson reports. “Last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said U.S. job openings reached a record high in December at 7.3 million. The White House says the job openings present ‘a mismatch between the skills needed and those being taught, requiring immediate attention to help more Americans enter the workforce.'”