Updated: Why Apple buying Tidal makes sense

Apple is reportedly in talks to buy Tidal, the music streaming service run by iconic rapper Jay Z.

Unnamed sources familiar with the matter tell the Wall Street Journal the talks are ongoing and may not result in a deal. A Tidal spokesperson denies the company is in talks with Apple.

But if discussions are happening, why would Apple want to buy Tidal when it has its own Apple Music subscription service already? By all accounts, Apple Music isn't doing too badly for itself.

One obvious reason is for Tidal's technology. It's currently the only music subscription service that offers CD-quality "Hi-Fi" streaming for $19.99/£19.99/AU$23.99 a month.

Of Tidal's paltry 3 million subscribers, almost half of them pay for the Hi-Fi subscription, pointing to a passionate user base willing to chip in for higher quality sound. Apple could tap into Tidal's audio tech to offer a higher tier for its own streaming service, charging more than its standard $9.99/£9.99/AU$11.99 monthly subscription for those willing to pay it.

Star power

Tech and higher subscription prices aren't all Apple has to gain. It also likely has its eye on Tidal for its exclusives and influence in the always-tricky music industry.

Jay Z successfully brought on big names like Rihanna and Kanye West to the service, scoring exclusive streaming rights to boot. Tidal even houses exclusive video content, like Daft Punk's Electroma film and The White Stripes' first TV appearance. Not surprisingly, Beyonce's Lemonade was a Tidal exclusive, too.

For Apple, having big stars onboard means more influence over the music biz when it comes to rights. It's already nailed down its own exclusives like Drake's Views album, but Tidal would bring even more offerings to Apple's service.

Being able to tap artists like the aforementioned singers and rappers would be a huge boon for Apple as it looks to further its business as a lifestyle brand, not just a tech company.

For its part, while it's carved out a niche in the crowded streaming market, Tidal has struggled to gain traction. Though it's managed to bring on 3 million subscribers, executive shakeups and an industry dominated by the likes of Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, and countless others have likely left it with few options but to look for an acquisition.

Today's rumor comes just a year after Apple launched its music streaming service, which currently has around 15 million subscribers, roughly half of Spotify's numbers. Adding Tidal's subscribers wouldn't boost Apple Music users significantly, though exclusives would draw in more as time goes on.

At any rate, a potential Tidal buy certainly doesn't help Apple's case that it's not trying to snuff out competition. Oops.

• The complete guide to Apple Music

Michelle Fitzsimmons contributed to this report

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Is Apple keeping you from the best Spotify experience possible?

Music streaming service Spotify claims Apple is intentionally making hard update its iPhone app and holding back new features. The updated app reportedly avoids Apple's payment system altogether, which is permitted, but Apple doesn't allow the use of an alternative payment system within the app.

Spotify sent a letter to Apple's top lawyer this week, bashing the iPhone maker for its anti-competitive business model. According to Recode, Spotify general counsel Horacio Gutierrez sent a letter to Apple's legal representative Bruce Sewell on June 26 blasting the company for its App store subscription limitations.

US Senator Elizabeth Warren also chastised Apple, Amazon and Google for trying to "snuff out competition."

"[This] continues a troubling pattern of behavior by Apple to exclude and diminish the competitiveness of Spotify on iOS and as a rival to Apple Music, particularly when seen against the backdrop of Apple's previous anti-competitive conduct aimed at Spotify […] we cannot stand by as Apple uses the App Store approval process as a weapon to harm competitors," wrote Gutierrez.

Spotify dominates the music subscription service world with over 30 million paying subscribers. Apple Music, on the other hand, has half of that.

We've reached out to Spotify and Apple for comment and will update when and if they reply.

Apple shoots itself in the foot

While Apple has the right to set rules for its App Store, it's easy to see that these rules are making its own products worse. Spotify isn't the first company to fight back against the Apple's 30% cut. Amazon removed the ability to purchase books within its Kindle and ComiXology apps, instead pointing users to make purchases in Safari. It's a band-aid on a real problem.

Like most app stores, including Google Play and Amazon, Apple takes a 30% cut from any in-app purchases, including subscriptions.

The main difference is that Google and Amazon allow alternative payment systems within apps. This means Android users can sign up for Spotify using PayPal or a credit card instead of using the Google Wallet system.

Other similar services like Google Play Movies & TV are subjected to the same sub-par user experience on iOS because of Apple's anti-competitive rules.

You can browse and watch your purchased content but you can't buy anything within the app itself. Instead, you'll have to do that in Safari.

Make Apple Music better, not its competitors worse

It makes sense for Apple to prioritize its own apps and services over the competition, especially on its own platform.

But by restricting third-party developers and services, Apple is making its own product worse. Users who don't want to live exclusively within Apple's ecosystem are left with a limited user experience and Spotify users won't likely jump to Apple Music because they can't purchase a subscription.

Instead of making its competitors worse, Apple should make Apple Music better. It's not that hard for a Spotify user to hop into Safari and sign up for the service. Personally, it's annoying, but it's not going to stop me from using the services that I want to use.

• iOS 10 vs iOS 9: the big changes

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Updated: macOS Sierra release date, news and features

macOS Sierra

Update: If you're enrolled in Apple's developer program, you can try out the company's new filesystem technology now, albeit in a limited capacity. Read on to find out more!

• Here's how macOS will convince you to go all-in on Apple

With Microsoft's Windows 10 heating up the PC market, Apple is bringing a free upgrade of its own with the launch of a new version of OS X for Mac packed with new features and improvements.

OS X 10.12 was officially revealed and renamed macOS Sierra at the Worldwide Developers Conference(WWDC). As expected, Sierra does much more than just providing bug fixes and performance updates, as we saw with the move from 10.10 Yosemite to 10.11 El Capitan.

So what's in store for Mac users? Follow along and we'll tell you exactly what you can expect from the next version of OS X – we mean macOS.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next version of Apple's desktop operating system
• When is it out? Fall 2016
• What will it cost? Like the previous several versions, it will be a free update

macOS Sierra release date

Apple has gotten into a cycle when it comes to releasing new operating systems. Typically they're demoed and debuted during WWDC in June, a beta preview over the summer and having the final OS in our hands by November.

• Find out if your Mac can run macOS

The Cupertino firm's macOS Sierra seems to follow that same formula. Following its reveal in mid-June, Apple plans to release a developer preview in July and the final OS in this fall.

Siri finally makes an appearance

The biggest new feature slated for macOS Sierra is the inclusion of the Siri virtual personal assistant. Siri was launched on iOS back in 2011, and Macs are surprisingly the last platform Apple decided to bring it to.

Just as with using the virtual assistant on iPhones, users will be able to simply command Siri and ask it questions with their voice. However, being on the Mac opens up a greater swath of options such as searching for files.

At WWDC, SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi demonstrated how Siri can help with sophisticated queries for files like, "Show the files I worked on last week about the off-site." And from there users can narrow down their search based on tags.

Siri also has full access to other parts of macOS' including applications such as iTunes, making her your personal DJ. Alternatively, Siri integrates with Safari to act on web searches.

By adding Siri to the Mac platform, Apple hopes to offer the same services for iPhone and iPad owners with a Mac.

What's more, Apple opened has issued an SDK for developers to make their own applications work with Siri.

A long overdue file system upgrade

Since 1985, Apple has remained complacent with its Hierarchal File System, or HFS. With macOS, however, that all changes thanks to the new APFS, or simply Apple File System. Starting with the company's 2017 MacBook lineup, all of Apple's computers will support the new filesystem on its bootup drive. And, although we'll be able to try it out for ourselves when the macOS Sierra public beta lands, developers in the preview right now are saying the new filesystem is limited to transferring files back and forth on a non-startup drive.

Once Apple's hardware begins to support the new standard, it won't be long before we start to reap the benefits. These include improved flash memory optimization, faster Time Machine backups and improved space allocation letting two APFS-formatted disks act as one combined storage drive. Unfortunately, for legacy Mac users this means HFS support will be ousted in the next 25 years, though it would be a miracle if your computer could still boot up by then.

Continuity gets even better

Continuity between Mac and iOS is a big deal for those engulfed in Apple's hardy ecosystem. Ever since its introduction, users have been able to pick up calls and text conversations from their phones and conveniently pull them up on their Mac computers.

With macOS Sierra, not only will you be able to access your computer from other machines including your iPhone, but if you need to copy something from one device to another, you can achieve that using the Universal Clipboard function. By copying something from one device, you can seamlessly paste it over to another. If you thought AirDrop made your life easier, this enhances the Apple ecosystem even further with yet another method of shuffling around files.

And, while TouchID isn't coming to Mac anytime soon, auto-unlock is. As the name implies, this new feature will let you unlock your Mac by merely being in close proximity to an Apple Watch or iOS device.

What's more, Apple Pay has expanded beyond the restraints of a 4.7-inch screen and onto PCs by way of macOS. Making an effort to compete with ecommerce services like PayPal, a "Pay with Apple Pay" button will soon be integrated in your browser with TouchID on a nearby iPhone or iPad serving as a means of quick authentication.

Better photo and video functionality

Finally we have the Photos app getting an overhaul in iOS 10, and because of the way Continuity works, the incoming features also apply to Mac. These include a new "Memories" tab for a more magazine-like viewing mode as well as an AI that automatically sorts photos either by people or topics.

Likewise, if you're a skilled multi-tasker interested in watching videos while you work, you'll be delighted to know that macOS Sierra's picture-in-picture mode allows users to take their video windows with them even as they rotate between desktop screens.

Gabe Carey also contributed to this article

• What about that Surface Pro 5?

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Round up: The best free alternatives to Evernote

Free Evernote alternatives

The best free note-taking apps

This week, Evernote's developers announced that the free note-taking app is undergoing significant changes. Controversially, these include limiting the Basic (free) account tier to just two devices, and raising the prices of Plus and Premium accounts to US$3.99 (about £2.96, AU$5.37) and $7.99 (about £5.93, AU$10.75) per month respectively.

That's disappointing news for anyone who uses the app on their desktop and mobile devices to keep track of thoughts, gather resources for projects or jot down ideas throughout the day.

Evernote has vowed to give current users time to adapt before the new limits kick in, but if you're looking for an alternative, here are your options.

1. Microsoft OneNote

Text, drawings, web clips, audio – OneNote stores it all

• Price: Free
• Storage: Through OneDrive (5GB as standard)
• Devices supported: Unlimited

If you use Evernote as a multimedia pinboard or to manage projects, OneNote is an excellent alternative. The OneNote app comes pre-installed with Windows 10 as part of the updated Office suite, and is available to download for earlier versions of Windows. There are mobile apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone too, plus a web app.

OneNote synchronizes your data through your Microsoft account, and uses OneDrive to store everything you save. Earlier this year, Microsoft cut the standard OneDrive storage limit from 15GB to 5GB, which is worth bearing in mind if your notes tend to contain a lot of images and other media.

Like most note-taking apps, OneNote lets you gather and organise links, text, images and drawings in tagged notebooks, but it also has a few extra tricks up its sleeve. You can also import text and tables from other Microsoft Office apps, record audio, and email content straight to a notebook (a very handy option for working on fiddly smartphone screens). It can also record audio

There are optional extensions, too: OneNote Web Clipper lets you capture and clip sections of web pages, and Office Lens (for Windows 10 Mobile) captures pictures of handouts, whiteboards and other meeting-room paraphernalia, turns them into editable documents and saves them to a notebook.

Thanks to Microsoft's business clout, other developers are falling over themselves to integrate OneNote into their apps. WordPress, IFTTT, Feedly and Livescribe are just a few with OneNote compatibility now built in.

Convinced? Shift your clips and notes across using Evernote to OneNote Importer and you're ready to go!

2. Simplenote

Text-only notes for pretty much any device with a screen

• Price: Free
• Storage: Unlimited
• Devices supported: Unlimited

You can use Simplenote on as many devices you like, with apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Kindle Fire, Android and Linux, plus a web version for good measure. There's unlimited storage too (as long as you don't go mad with it), and it's completely free.

The catch? It's text-only – no images, web pages or doodles. That won't be to everyone's liking, but if you never bother with Evernote's fancier options and just want a cross-platform notebook with automatic syncing, it's perfect.

Simplenote is so small, you might as well install it on everything you own, just in case. You never know when inspiration might strike – or you need to jot down the registration number of a van that took your wing mirror off in a car park.

3. Cintanotes

A lean note-taking app with handy shortcuts

• Price: Free; Pro US$39 (about £29, AU$52); Lifetime Pro US$119 (about £88, AU$160)
• Storage: 100MB for synchronized attachments
• Devices supported: Unlimited (Windows only)

Cintanotes is Windows-only, and although it's also available as a portable app so you don't have to install it, there's no online version. There's no limit on the number of devices though, so if you're dedicated to Microsoft's OS that will be no obstacle.

Cintanotes comes in three flavors: free, Pro and Lifetime Pro. The free version is a straightforward affair offering text clipping, search, backup, customizable hotkeys and three sections to store your notes. It's nicely designed, and the keyboard and mouse shortcuts make it feel like a natural extension of Windows.

Notes created in Cintanotes are synchronized using Simplenote (above), so it's worth trying both programs to see which suits you best.

4. Google Keep

Quick reminders to jog your memory

• Price: Free
• Storage: Unlimited (attachments stored in Google Drive)
• Devices supported: Unlimited

Google Keep is available for Android and iOS, as a Chrome browser plug-in, and as a web app. As you'd expect. it uses your Google account to sync across devices, making it a particularly useful option for Android users.

However, despite this convenience, Google Keep is quite limited compared to Evernote and OneNote. Although useful for keeping your own thoughts in order, it's not built with collaboration in mind. You can share individual notes with contacts one at a time, but that's the extent of it. There's no convenient way to work with teams, so you're better off using a Google Doc. You can't attach files directly to notes in Keep, either; they must come from Google Drive. This is particularly irritating if you want to add an image from a website – you need to save it locally, then re-upload it. Not ideal.

Ultimately, Keep's little notes are essentially a portable alternative to a collection of Post-it notes orbiting your monitor reminding you to make a phone call at 3pm, or pick up cake ingredients on Wednesday. They serve a definite purpose, but you wouldn't use them to gather ideas for a novel or manage a project.

5. Dropbox Paper (beta)

Wave goodbye to the office whiteboard

• Price: Free
• Storage: Unlimited (for now)
• Devices supported: Unlimited (online only)

In contrast to Keep, Dropbox Paper (initially known as Note) is serious business. With support for images, tables and tasks (which can be assigned to people using their Dropbox usernames), it makes a great replacement for the usual handwritten minutes, hastily scrawled, then transcribed by an unfortunate soul and sent as a mass email. We're sure you've been there.

There's currently no size limit on notebooks created using Paper, but you can't insert documents directly; instead, the document must uploaded to your Dropbox account, then linked. Paper will display a small preview of the document, so teammates can see if it's relevant before adding it to their own Dropbox folder. The interface is straightforward, and everything can be clicked and dragged around the page.

Paper is still in beta, so its features are subject to change, but if you already use Dropbox for filesharing at work then it's definitely worth a look. Bear in mind that it's still undergoing stability and security testing.

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NBC will offer 85 hours of VR Olympics programming, courtesy of Samsung

 NBC has already hinted at plans to capitalize on the exponential interest surrounding VR by adding the format to its planned wall-to-wall Olympic coverage, but for the first time, the Rio broadcasting network is shedding some real light on how it intends to do so. The plan revolves around Gear VR– exclusively, in fact. Owners of Samsung’s headset (and compatible Galaxy phones… Read More

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Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are now for sale unlocked in the US

 The waiting is over for select Samsung fans in the States who have been holding out for the company’s flagship to get the carrier-free treatment. The smartphone giant announced today that it will be offering up unlocked versions of both the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge through its own site, along with big name retailers like Amazon, Best Buy and Target. The unlocked versions of the handsets… Read More

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Here are the free PlayStation Plus games for July 2016