Apple acquires musician development platform Platoon

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Apple continues to expand its media-related services and its latest acquisition hopes to grow its business in the music realm. Apple reportedly just bought Platoon, a London-based startup that works primarily with musicians (but also other creators like writers) to produce, distribute, and sell their work. The company makes use of analytics to source talent and figure out what’s the best way to market their talents, which TechCrunch likens to being a “modern-day tech equivalent of A&R services.”

Apple hasn’t officially confirmed the news nor what it plans to do with the company. But it can boost its Up Next platform, which focuses on working with up-and-coming artists. It’ll also help with music discovery for its users, perhaps even offer exclusives to its subscribers. From a creator’s perspective though, it could help Apple draw in lesser-known, unsigned artists and establish a long-term relationship with them. Platoon has worked with the likes of Billie Eilish and Jorja Smith before they got signed to big labels.

Source: The Verge

Microsoft fixes Windows 10 October 2018 update for Morphisec, Cisco users

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Microsoft has just fixed the issues Morphisec and Cisco users have experienced with the October 2018 update of Windows 10. Those who use Morphisec’s security software and Cisco AMP can now try installing the October update again. But the company has a few conditions before users should attempt to upgrade again.

Morphisec Protector users need to have at least version 2.4.8 to update. While Cisco AMP for Endpoints users need at least version 6.2.3.10814 before reinstalling the update. The upgrade block still exists for versions earlier than these versions. If you want to see the other remaining known issues with the update, you can check it out over at this link.

Source: MSPowerUser

Qualcomm, Mozilla working on native Firefox browser for Windows on ARM

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Qualcomm and Mozilla recently announced it’s working on a 64-bit version of the Firefox browser for Qualcomm-powered Windows machines that run on ARM. Having a native version of the app promises better performance for the browser. The browser tab will run on individual cores in the CPU and Qualcomm says there are plenty of cores to spare. Mozilla writes in a blog post about the collaboration saying, “Mozilla is excited to be collaborating with Qualcomm and optimizing Firefox. We can’t wait to see Firefox delivering blazing fast experiences for the always on, always connected, multi-core Snapdragon compute platform with Windows 10.”

Source: The Verge

Aston Martin to launch Heritage EV program to make its old cars electric

With more and more cities shunning internal combustion engines, Aston Martin is hoping its classic cars stay relevant and legal. The company is launching a Heritage EV program where classic Aston Martins can be converted to have all-electric powertrains. If you want to drive around in your classic Aston Martin, this will be the way to go. The company is using “key components” of the technology it’s using to develop the Rapide E, a limited edition all-electric sports car the car maker plans to launch late next year.

According to Aston Martin, the first car to get a conversion plan would be the 1970 DB6 MkII Volante. They will be making Rapide E-inspired “cassettes” that can be slipped in place of the original engine and gearbox and will even be attached using the same mountings. A new screen will also be fitted inside the car’s interior, but otherwise everything else will remain the same. This means, if the owner decides to change back, that’s possible, too.

Source: The Verge