Month: August 2024

Apple Developers can soon offer in‑app NFC transactions using the Secure Element

Apple Inc August 14, 2024 1

Developers can soon offer in‑app NFC transactions using the Secure Element

Starting with iOS 18.1, developers will be able to offer NFC contactless transactions using the Secure Element from within their own apps on iPhone, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Using the new NFC and SE (Secure Element) APIs, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions for in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets, with government IDs to be supported in the future.

As users’ security and privacy is of the utmost importance to Apple, this new solution was designed to provide developers with a secure way to offer NFC contactless transactions from within their iOS apps. The NFC and SE APIsleverage the Secure Element — an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store sensitive information securely on device. Apple has dedicated significant resources to design a solution that protects users’ security and privacy, leveraging a number of Apple’s proprietary hardware and software technologies when making a contactless transaction, including the Secure Enclave, biometric authentication, and Apple servers. To make a contactless transaction within an app that utilizes these APIs, users can either open the app directly, or set the app as their default contactless app in iOS Settings, and double-click the side button on iPhone to initiate a transaction.

To incorporate this new solution in their iPhone apps, developers will need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, request the NFC and SE entitlement, and pay the associated fees. This ensures that only authorized developers who meet certain industry and regulatory requirements, and commit to Apple’s ongoing security and privacy standards, can access the relevant APIs. The NFC and SE APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. in an upcoming developer seed for iOS 18.1, with additional locations to follow. Developers and users will continue to have access to the easy, secure, and private experience of Apple Pay and Wallet.

Press Contacts

Heather Norton

Apple

heather_norton@apple.com

Kimberly Mai

Apple

k_mai@apple.com

Apple Media Helpline

media.help@apple.com

Apple shares “The Relay” for the Para Olympics

Dan Uff August 14, 2024 0

Apple has made the below video to help bring attention to the Para Olympics, which are scheduled to begin in Paris, France.

You can watch the over 3 minute video below:

[su_youtube url="https://youtu.be/BPqir3EZolw?si=PHfNWfUi6IVP0vD-"]

Apple TV+ announces new season of motorbike adventure series

Apple Inc August 14, 2024 1

Today, Apple TV+ announced an all-new 10-episode season of the epic motorcycle adventure series starring and executive produced by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, which reunites the best friends for their next great motorbike tour, this time a little closer to home.

“On a rather tricky, sandy bit of ‘Long Way Up,’ Charley and I started to daydream about another trip to keep our minds off the scary road at hand!” said Ewan McGrego in a statementr. “This is that trip. Rusty old bikes and 10,000 miles of Scandinavia, and Eastern and Central Europe. A big loop from my house in Scotland to Charley’s house in England. Long way home … magic.”

“It has been such a pleasure to get back on the road on motorcycles with my best friend Ewan,” said Charley Boorman in a statement. “We’ve talked about doing this trip on old bikes since the last one. Traveling around Scandinavia and Europe has been a blast on our beautiful bikes.”

Ewan and Charley’s adventures have received praise from both critics and fans alike, as “Long Way Up” quickly achieved a perfect 100 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes following its global premiere. The series has been hailed as an “entertaining and highly enjoyable” ride, sure to “please fans looking for adventure,” and was honored with three Emmy Award nominations in 2021, including Outstanding Travel, Adventure and Nature Program; Outstanding Sound Mixing and Editing; and Outstanding Multiple Camera Editing.

The new season follows Ewan and Charley as they ride lovingly refurbished vintage motorbikes from Ewan’s home in Scotland to Charley’s in England — but rather than take the shortest route, they go the long way! They head across the North Sea to Scandinavia, all the way up to the Arctic Circle and then down to the Baltics and through continental Europe, before eventually hopping back over the English Channel two months later. It’s an adventure that will take them to more than fifteen countries, through spectacular scenery and along some of the greatest driving roads in the world. Along the way they’ll immerse themselves in each country’s culture, meet the locals and try their hand at unique and eclectic activities.

The series is executive produced by McGregor and Boorman, alongside longtime collaborators David Alexanian and Russ Malkin, who also direct.
“Long Way Up” follows Ewan and Charley’s previous adventures in “Long Way Round” and “Long Way Down.” All three previous seasons are now streaming on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have earned 501 wins and 2,286 award nominations and counting, including multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy “Ted Lasso” and historic Oscar Best Picture winner “CODA.”

Dear Former Windows users: STOP DOING THIS!!

Dan Uff August 13, 2024 0

If you're coming from Windows to Mac, then you maybe used to exiting an app just by clicking the RED button at the top of the window. While this may seem to work with Macs, don't let your eyes fool you.

Yes, the window disappears when you click on the red button, BUT it doesn't actually take the app totally out of memory, and when you have limited memory and a lot to do, you'll need all the help you can get!

So, how DO you close an app to free memory?

All Mac apps have a way to close them and free up memory - it's a simple key combination: [Command] + [Q]. This is the only way to close an app and free up memory.

You're welcome! :-)