Apple Tracker: Knowing Your Niche (Or Not)

Apple is still trying to change the world, but some of its plans simply weren’t meant to be (read: Apple driverless, gas-pedal-less, steering-wheel-less cars). Others, such as the rumored replacement of TouchID with facial biometric authentication, may come to fruition soon – possibly as soon as Sept. 12, if the company’s upcoming press event is what we think it is. Apple is also reportedly in talks with Hollywood to change how movies are released, and it just scored a massive “maple bond” deal, whatever that is.

About Face

FaceID could make or break the forthcoming iPhone 8. As the latest Apple smartphone enters production, the replacement of the TouchID fingerprint reader with a facial recognition feature seems to be more or less a given, although the new product won’t be officially revealed until mid-September. To justify such a move, however, Forbes says that FaceID will need to be just as fast as, if not faster than, TouchID, to which it will inevitably draw comparisons. Its accuracy and security will also have to match or exceed what Apple customers have come to expect from their devices with TouchID.

Mark Your iCal

Apple has a big press event coming up on Tuesday, Sept. 12, and rumors are flying that the new iPhone 8 will be unveiled that morning. That would be consistent with Apple’s history of revealing new products in September. Typically, pre-orders for the new device start the Friday after the press conference, and general sales start the following week. The new, LTE-connected Apple Watch may also be announced that day, along with the iOS 11 software update and new versions of the iPhone 7 (7s and 7s Plus).

Self-Driving Car Plans Thrown Into Reverse

After a few years quietly working on its self-driving cars, Apple has decided to stick with what it knows: technology. An insider source told the New York Times that Apple is continuing to develop an autonomous system, which it will test on the Apple campus in the form of an employee shuttle between buildings, but has decided to leave car design to the professionals. The insiders said the project was too big and lacked specific vision, focusing on everything from eliminating the steering wheel and gas pedals to literally reinventing the wheel by replacing it with a sphere for better lateral movement.

Movie Movers

Who needs movie theaters anymore? Not Apple customers, if the company’s talks with Hollywood bear fruit. Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures, among others, have been in talks with Apple and Comcast about releasing digital rentals of new films just weeks after they debut in theaters. Theaters, of course, hate the idea, but the ball is in the studios’ court: if theaters don’t agree to a deal, the studios can still sell the films for download. Although, Bloomberg notes, that could lead to potential boycotts by the theaters of films that are slated for sale by download.

Apple Taps For Maple Bond

Apple’s first foray into the Canadian market was reportedly the biggest “maple bond” deal ever – that is, a bond issued by foreign companies in Canadian dollars. The company sold C$2.5 billion ($1.9 billion USD) in seven-year senior unsecured notes carrying a coupon of 2.513 percent, MarketWatch reported. The proceeds will fund the company’s shareholder return program, working capital, acquisitions, debt repayment and general corporate purposes, per a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.