BioWare has finally released the Cataclysm update for Anthem, which includes new loot and drop rate increases. This update comes after PC players got a peek at the event on Anthem’s public test server. That Anthem PTS recently closed down, leading many to speculate that Cataclysm was finally ready to make its way to the main game. Anthem has seen its share of criticism. Since its release, the game has frustrated players with game-breaking bugs and promised features that were never delivered, along with a host of other problems....

Anthem Update 1.0.4 has once again changed the way loot behaves in EA and BioWare’s looter shooter, and unfortunately, the developers have somehow made things even worse than they were previously. Players are reporting significant, detrimental changes to loot, alongside some major bugs that are negatively affecting other gameplay areas as well. Anthem actually enjoyed a successful launch month despite near-universal criticism of the game, which has quickly become the worst-reviewed BioWare title in the studio’s history....

Apple’s App Tracking Transparency policy, expected to come into force shortly, has led to an antitrust complaint in Germany from some of the largest media, tech, and ad companies in the country. It follows a similar complaint in France last month. The companies behind the complaint say that app developers could see their ad revenue fall by 60%, and also claim that consumers will pay more for apps … The Financial Times reports:...

T9 App Search AppDialer caters to those who are used to a physical keyboard and provides a simple way to find what you need quickly. First install the free version from the Google Play Store. A paid version is also available which includes extra features — you can get it here. You’ll notice a phone dial pad, but the difference is that, once you hit one of the keys, it will search for an app that has the letters on said key in its name....

Earlier today Apple opened up its public beta program for the upcoming OS X Yosemite release allowing the public to download the beta build from the Mac App Store. Those who signed up for the program received a code through Apple’s Beta Program website, but a number of users reported experiencing an error that said their code had already been redeemed. If you’re still having trouble, here’s the fix from Apple: Refresh the beta program redemption page when signed in to generate a new code (here)....

Apple and Ericsson have reached a licensing agreement that will put an end to a years-long, increasingly nasty legal battle between the two companies. As announced in a press release, the deal includes a “cross-license relating to patented cellular standard-essential technologies and grants certain other patent rights.” The two companies first sued each other in 2015, accusing each other of various patent infringement and licensing disagreements in regard to 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies....

Apple today announced the HomePod mini, its latest smart speaker product following the launch of the original HomePod in 2017. The speaker features a new circular ‘bowl’ design, available in white or black, wrapped in mesh fabric. HomePod mini will be released on November 16 for $99. Orders start November 6. Apple said the new HomePod mini combines amazing sound with the smarts of a voice assistant. The speaker emits sound in a 360-degree array....

Yet another Apple antitrust complaint has been filed, this time in Mexico. What makes this one unusual is that it has been filed by former head of the country’s telecoms regulator. The oddity of a former regulator filing a complaint is likely explained by the fact that the individual in question is now a freelance consultant … Background Apple is facing a huge number of antitrust investigations and lawsuits around the world, with the App Store the primary focus....

US senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has said that the Apple Card‘s “sexist” algorithm should be withdrawn if the claimed bias cannot be explained… Background The controversy began when Ruby on Rails creator David Hansson tweeted that Goldman Sachs gave him an Apple Card credit limit 20 times higher than his wife, despite the fact that their assets are shared, and she actually has a better credit score than he does....

Apple has posted the dates of the usual holiday shutdown of iTunes Connect, running for eight days from 22 to 29 December inclusive. During this time, developers will not be able to submit either new apps or updates to existing ones. Developers can still schedule apps for release during these dates, but they will need to be submitted and approved beforehand. Other iTunes Connect functionality, such as access to analytics data, will remain available....

Earlier this week, Apple sent an email to Apple Podcast Providers informing them of upcoming changes to how metadata is handled in Apple Podcasts. This evening, Apple has clarified those changes in a new email to podcasters. Apple’s original email, sent to podcasters yesterday, explained a few things that publishers should avoid: including placeholder text from your hosting provider, verbatim repetition of the title or author name in the description, incorporating irrelevant content or spam, and adding episode numbers in titles....

Right after Snapchat went down, it seems that some Apple services are also experiencing issues on Thursday night. Apple just confirmed that the App Store and iTunes Store are not available right now for some users, as shown on the System Status webpage on Apple’s website. Update (4:43 PM PT): Apple says the outage has now been fixed. You can read the original article below. What caused the outage is unclear, but Apple says both the App Store and iTunes Store may be slow or even completely unavailable for some users....

Apple is planning to update the system it uses to handle law enforcement requests for user data. While the company had previously relied on a dated email system, it is now upgrading to a new online portal. In a letter written to the U.S. Senate, Apple’s highest-ranking lawyer details the company’s plans on allowing access to user data (via Business Insider). Just last year Apple responded to roughly 14,000 legal requests from law enforcement asking for user data....

Research firm Deepfield reports that Apple has for the first time relied on its own content delivery network for the distribution of iOS 8 to users (via WSJ): “Until today, Apple used Akamai and other CDNs to deliver a large portion of their network traffic to consumers. Akamai is a content delivery network or CDN, so when your iOS device asked the network to download a new version, Akamai is the company that has the tens of thousands of servers around the world that would send you that update....

A few days ago, users noticed that the Apple Music app icon has been showing up in the PlayStation 5’s music menu — even though there isn’t one. Now Apple itself has hinted that its subscription music platform is coming soon to “gaming consoles.” As first noted by The Verge’s Tom Warren, Apple yesterday updated a webpage used to promote a special Apple Music offer for those who purchased new AirPods or Beats products....

Apple has recorded an insane mobile phone profit share in the third quarter, according to analysts at BMO Capital Markets. They estimate Apple captured 103.6% of total smartphone industry profits, with Samsung trailing far behind at just 0.9%. The reason Apple can take more than 100% of profits is because the majority of vendors lost money and recorded losses on their smartphone division, such as LG and HTC. On a units basis, Samsung led with 21....

Apple today announced a record-breaking holiday shopping season for the App Store. In a press release, the company said that customers spent over $890 million during the seven-day period beginning on Christmas Eve… Somewhat surprisingly, Apple says that customers rang in the new year by spending $300 million in the App Store on New Year’s Day alone. In a statement, Apple’s senior VP Phil Schiller said that iOS developers earned $26....

Apple has made another acquisition in the artificial intelligence industry. GeekWire reports today that Apple has acquired Xnor․ai, a Seattle-based startup that focuses on low-power artificial intelligence technology. Xnor․ai notably provided the AI behind smart camera company Wyze’s on-device people detection feature; the acquisition by Apple explains why Wyze recently lost that feature: Apple already ships its own smart camera people detection feature for HomeKit Secure Video, but there’s plenty of room for improvement....

Apple has updated its Online Store with a new $199 iPod touch, discontinuing the frontside-only $229 iPod touch in the process. The new 16 GB iPod touch, which ships today, is now almost identical to the 32 GB and 64 GB models, including a rear camera. However, it seems that the $9 loop accessory is not bundled with the $199 model. Customers wanting the loop will have to purchase it separately....

The Apple Watch continues to play a crucial role in medical research studies around the world. This week, the University of Michigan Health has published early results from what it calls a “landmark, three-year observational study” that it first started in 2018 in collaboration with Apple. As detailed in a new blog post from the University of Michigan Health, the goal of the study is to “enroll a diverse set of participants across a range of ages, races, ethnicities, and underlying health conditions” and to provide insight into the baseline health status of a representative group of thousands of people....