Apple has confirmed reports that some of its iTunes users have been experiencing deletions to music tracks in their libraries. While the company says it should have an update with new safeguards available this week, it has not been able to reproduce the problem, so any update does not guarantee a fix. According to 9to5Mac: “There’s a chance that the promised iTunes update of which Apple refers is more than a simple bug fix release — Apple is readying the release of iTunes 12.4 which will include some UI changes to streamline navigation in the app. The most likely situation is that Apple will release an emergency bug-fix update to the existing iTunes 12.3 software, given the timing.” Continue reading Apple Working on iTunes Update to Prevent Song Deletions

Amazon is planning to introduce new lines of private-label brands, including perishable foods, by the end of this month or early June. “The new brands with names like Happy Belly, Wickedly Prime and Mama Bear will include nuts, spices, tea, coffee, baby food and vitamins, as well as household items such as diapers and laundry detergents,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Amazon is ‘carpet-bombing’ the market with new products,” said Bill Bishop, chief architect of consultancy Brick Meets Click. “Private label allows them to test out new prices and distinctive flavors with less risk.” Continue reading Amazon Plans to Roll Out Expanded Private-Label Offerings

As part of a multiyear partnership renewal, the National Football League will increase its in-game highlight clips available on YouTube, and for the first time, offer full-length games via the video service. “Under the expanded pact, the NFL will post a total of 96 games to its official YouTube channel, comprising three of the most memorable games for each of the 32 clubs, prior to the start of the 2016-17 season,” explains Variety. While YouTube will not feature any live NFL game broadcasts, Twitter recently signed an agreement with the NFL to distribute 10 Thursday night games online next season, “with rights to splash the broadcast feeds from CBS and NBC across multiple devices.” Continue reading YouTube to Feature Classic NFL Matchups for the First Time

Google announced yesterday that it plans to introduce NFL “in-game highlight videos to the top of its search results as part of an expanded partnership with the league,” reports Bloomberg. “Videos will be embedded along with related news and information into boxes that will appear at the top of Google search results while games are in progress.” The partnership is part of Google’s larger strategy to keep eyeballs on its own sites and services, such as YouTube, rather than send people to other websites. Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook all have deals to offer NFL content via their services. Continue reading Partnership to Add In-Game NFL Highlights to Google Search

Activision Blizzard announced at the Digital Content NewFronts in NYC that it would start publishing daily live programming via Facebook next month in an effort to attract more e-sports gamers and generate more advertising revenue. Activision Blizzard is currently seeking sponsors for the daily match highlights, stats, commentary and interviews it plans to publish live on its Facebook page for Major League Gaming. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Facebook will provide Activision Blizzard with data on viewership and help it build an audience for the video, some of which will be exclusive to the social network and at times featured on Facebook’s own sports page.” Continue reading NewFronts: Activision Blizzard Goes Social with Live Content

Apple has invested $1 billion in Didi Chuxing — the largest ride-hailing service in China and an Uber rival. The deal is a major strategic investment by the Cupertino-based tech giant, which generally invests quietly in smaller startups. Its last significant investment was the purchase of Beats for $3 billion in 2014. A move in China, where the company’s sales have sharply declined, is notable. “Apple is attempting to reinvigorate flagging iPhone sales in China, the company’s second-largest market, and just last month Apple shuttered its iBooks and iTunes movie stores in the country,” reports The New York Times. Continue reading Apple Invests $1 Billion in Chinese Ride-Hailing Service Didi

According to GfK research commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, digital video has surpassed primetime television in popularity among Internet viewers for the first time. IAB’s 2016 Original Digital Video Study found that adult respondents who view online video at least monthly indicated they were “most likely” to watch Internet video if given the option, followed by primetime broadcast or cable, and then local and national TV news, live televised sports and daytime TV (in that order). Meanwhile, Nielsen says 95 percent of time spent viewing video in Q4 2015 involved live or time-shifted TV. Continue reading IAB: Younger Viewers Prefer Internet Video Over Primetime TV

Facebook’s upcoming “360 Photos” feature will allow users to upload panoramas taken on smartphones and cameras and convert them into enhanced 360-degree images with panning functionality for their News Feeds and the Oculus-powered Samsung Gear VR, essentially enabling consumers to publish VR content without the need for special equipment. “Facebook is also releasing Gear VR usage stats for the first time, saying Gear VR has 1 million monthly users, and those who use it spend 25 minutes per day on the device,” reports TechCrunch. “That could encourage developers to build for the platform.” Continue reading Facebook Helps You Morph Flat Panoramas into ‘360 Photos’

Amazon is taking on Google with the launch of its Video Direct ad-supported video service, which allows anyone to upload original or licensed video content, similar to the YouTube model. Amazon account holders will have the options of offering their content for free, to rent or own, via a subscription channel, or exclusively to Amazon Prime members. The move is another step in Amazon’s push into media as the company continues to invest in original programming and exclusive deals with the likes of HBO and Epix, while introducing a month-by-month subscription option to compete with Netflix. Continue reading Amazon Ramps Up its Google Rivalry with New Video Service

Uber has agreed with a union to launch the Independent Drivers Guild for its 35,000 drivers in New York. The association will be affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, and will afford Uber drivers “some limited benefits and protections,” but “would stop short of unionization,” reports The New York Times. While Uber drivers have formed various groups across the U.S., this is the first officially recognized by Uber. “The agreement is Uber’s latest attempt to assuage mounting concerns from regulators and drivers’ groups about the company’s labor model, which treats drivers as independent contractors,” notes NYT. Continue reading Uber Agrees to Forming Independent Drivers Guild in New York

While Facebook continues its push into mobile, it may be surprising to learn that its popular mobile messaging service WhatsApp has released a desktop app for both Windows and Mac. “Like WhatsApp Web, our desktop app is simply an extension of your phone: the app mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device,” explains the WhatsApp Blog. The ability to continue conversations that users “start on their phone even if they switch devices,” suggests Re/code, will prove “useful, and something that Google and Apple also allow with Hangouts and iMessage respectively.” Facebook paid $19 billion for WhatsApp two years ago. The service currently has about one billion users. Continue reading Facebook’s WhatsApp Unveils Desktop App for Mac, Windows

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang debuted the much-anticipated GeForce GTX 1080 gaming GPU, the first based on the new Pascal architecture, promising dramatic improvements in performance, memory and power efficiency. Huang told the crowd at DreamHack in Austin, Texas that the new GPU delivers twice the performance and three times the efficiency of Titan X. For a sense of Pascal’s capabilities for gaming and virtual reality, attendees were treated to demos involving next generation character models, the Ansel game capture tool and the compelling “VR Funhouse” experience. Continue reading Nvidia Unveils GeForce GTX 1080 Advanced Graphics Card

Apple is now offering its Apple Music subscription service to college and university students at a 50 percent discount ($4.99 per month). Apple will verify student status via Unidays, which provides discounts across major retailers and brands. The new offer brings Apple’s “music service in line with Spotify and Tidal, both of which already offer $4.99 student subscriptions,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Google Play Music offers no discount for students, just the industry-standard $9.99 a month. All four rival services do offer family plans, where multiple users can share a subscription at a starting price of $14.99 a month.” Continue reading Apple Music Now Available to College Students at Half Price

The Federal Communications Commission has approved the proposed acquisitions of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks by Charter Communications. If California regulators also approve (a decision is expected by Thursday), the deals would result in the second-largest broadband provider and third-largest video provider in the U.S. The Time Warner Cable deal is valued at $56.7 billion, while the Bright House deal is valued at $10.4 billion. Thomas Rutledge, president and chief exec of Charter, said the deals would lead to increased competition, more access to affordable broadband and new jobs. Continue reading FCC Approves Charter’s Purchase of TWC and Bright House

Ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft are planning to suspend their operations in Austin, Texas after voters rejected the Proposition 1 ballot measure over the weekend. The initiative would have allowed the two services to set their own regulations, and essentially bypass a city ordinance that requires fingerprint background checks for drivers, which the companies argued were “burdensome and unnecessary,” reports Re/code. Lyft and Uber are pausing operations in Austin as a result of the loss, and suggest they may need to take the same action in other markets with similar laws. Continue reading Ballot Measure Rejected, Uber and Lyft Pulling Out of Austin