Technology - Google News

Apple files appeal to delay change in App Store payments - Engadget

Posted: 09 Oct 2021 03:18 AM PDT

The judge who presided over the Apple vs. Epic case largely sided with the tech giant, except in one area: She ruled that Apple must allow developers to direct users to other payment systems within their apps. Any changes the company has to make to App Store rules to accommodate for that must be in effect by December 9th, or so the judge originally ruled. But now, Apple has filed a notice of appeal (PDF via CNBC) asking for a stay on the injunction, which could push back developers' ability to offer alternative means of payment by one more year.

In its appeal, Apple wrote that it "has already taken concrete, specific steps in the direction indicated by the Court's opinion — including by agreeing to eliminate the prohibition on targeted out-of-app communications." The tech giant argued that it "would be a poor use of resources" to require it to comply with the injunction due to the "near-inevitable litigation" from Epic regarding the scope of its compliance. "There is no reason to expend resources,"it said, adding that "a stay would maintain the status quo while the appellate process progresses to completion."

Trystan Kosmynka, Apple's senior director of App Review, also said:

"At a high level, it is my judgment that, without thoughtful restrictions in place to protect consumers, developers, and the iOS platform, this change will harm users, developers, and the iOS platform more generally."

Allowing developers to add in-app links to external payment options would be a major shift for the company. It originally yanked Fortnite from the App Store when Epic offered buyers discounts and freebies if they make their purchases directly from the developer. Shortly after that, the tech giant removed Epic's developer tools, as well. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney shared communications between the two parties back in September, wherein the tech giant said it wouldn't allow Fortnite back in the App Store until all court appeals are exhausted. The process could take five years.

According to a previous analysis by the CNBC, the App Store had gross sales of around $64 billion in 2020. Apple typically takes a 30 percent cut from app purchases, though it recently lowered that to 15 percent for all apps that earn less than $1 million a year. Giving developers the means to accept alternative modes of payment could cost the company billions. As Bloomberg notes, however, the judge that issued the injunction didn't specifically mention that the company can't charge developers a commission for payments made outside the App Store. Whether Apple would still ask developers for a cut remains to be seen, though it would be a complex undertaking if it decides to do so.

A hearing has been set for Apple's request to stay the injunction on November 16th, but it's looking to move the proceeding to November 2nd.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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How to work with the Windows 11 Widget panel - The Verge

Posted: 09 Oct 2021 06:00 AM PDT

Windows 11 has introduced a brand new Widgets panel, where you can access a variety of updated information using configurable topic boxes (what Microsoft calls information cards). It's made up of two sections: a top section that offers widgets for weather, sports, your latest photos, and other personalized topics, and a news section that offers clickable headlines from a variety of sources.

Here's how to make the most of the current Windows 11 widgets.

Access your widgets

To access the widgets, select the Widgets icon in the taskbar (it's the one that looks like a square divided into white and blue sections). You can also hit the Window + W keys or, if you've got a touchscreen, swipe from the left.

You'll probably see a variety of starter widgets on top that will give you info about sports scores, the weather, stock prices, and any images you may have in your OneDrive account. There is also a search field and a button that lets you add new widgets. Under that, you can scroll down to find a number of news sources.

Adjust your widgets

There are a variety of ways you can tweak your widget panel.

To move your widgets around, long-press on the top of a widget until you see an open hand. (This is as opposed to a "pointing" hand, which enables you to click on a link.) You can then change its position on the panel.
To change the size of a widget, remove it from your panel, or customize it, click on the three dots in the upper right corner. The selections that you see will depend on the widget; for example, the Weather widget can be small, medium, or large, and you can customize it to set a default location and work either in Fahrenheit or Celsius. The Photos app, meanwhile, only sizes to medium or large and has no other customizations.

Click on the name of the widget in the upper left corner, and you will be taken to a separate page where you can access more information — more details on the weather, for example, or more of the latest sports scores.
If you want to see the current selection of widgets available, click on the "Add widgets" button that is between your widgets and the news feeds. It's not a large list right now — I counted 11, all available are Microsoft-produced. Hopefully, however, there will be additional third-party entries coming.

Windows 11 doesn't yet have a great many widgets, but that may change.

News feed

The news section is below the "Add widgets" button. It is headed by a "Top stories" section that highlights several headlines, followed by individual stories. Both come with Facebook-like icons that you can attach to each story (including thumbs-up, heart, "surprised," "thinking," sad, or angry).

Select the three dots next to each headline, and you can see more or fewer stories like that, hide stories from that source, save it for later (in other words, bookmark it), or report it. Any bookmarked stories will have a gray square around those three dots.

Personalize your interests

The "Add widgets" button also offers a link (in the lower-left corner) that lets you tell the Widget app what you are and are not interested in. (You can get to the same place by clicking on the three dots next to a news story and select "Manage interests.")

You can influence what shows up in your news feed.

Either way, you'll end up on the Microsoft Start page — essentially, the settings page for the Edge browser. Using the "My Interests" tab, you can tell Windows what types of news stories you want or don't want. On the left side of the page, you can choose from categories such as News, Sports, Travel, Health, etc.; as you click on each of those categories, you'll get a list of specific topics in the main window. For example, if you select "Entertainment," you can choose from topics such as "Celebrities," "Music," or "Books," among others.

Other tabs you can choose from include "Profile" (which introduces you to what is called the "Microsoft News Community"), "My Saves" (any stories you saved), "History" (a list of stories you've read within the last 48 hours), and "Experience Settings." You may want to visit this last: it lets you choose the language of your feed (the default is English) or toggle several features on and off, including those Facebook-like reaction icons. You can also toggle off some of the basic information cards, such as finance or weather.

If you're not in the mood for community reactions, you can remove them.

Currently, the Windows 11 widgets seem to be more of a curiosity or a way to take a quick break than a real tool. However, if and when third-party widgets become available, the widget pane could become truly useful.

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