CROSSWORD
ONE SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE IN “APPLE ONE”
In Apple’s “Time Flies” event last week the brand grabbed headlines in announcing the forthcoming rollout of a new subscription-based offering. Dubbed “Apple One,” the service brings different Apple services together in unifying offerings like Apple News Plus, Apple TV Plus, Apple Music, Apple Arcade and subscriptionbased variants of the iCloud storage service. A new service – “Apple Fitness Plus” – was also unveiled during the event, as well as the unveiling of the new Apple Watch and this year’s edition of the brand’s iPad line.“Apple One” bundles Apple’s existing services in three varieties: an “Individual Plan” (four services for one person which includes Apple Music , Apple TV Plus , Apple Arcade and 50 gigs of iCloud storage), a “Family Plan” (four services for six which covers Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade and 200 gigs of iCloud storage) and a “Premier Plan” (six services for six which includes Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, 2 terabytes of iCloud storage and access to Apple News Plus and the new Apple Fitness Plus).
The service’s unveiling comes at a time when subscription-based business models are foreseen to be the next big thing in the internet-of-things sphere, and is widely characterized by tech pundits as the brand’s biggest step into the field to date. Standalone subscriptions to individual services will still be available, though Apple asserts that subscribers will get to save more should they opt for an Apple One subscription when it is made available later in the year. More information about “Apple One” is hosted on Apple’s official online channels.
YOUTUBE’S “SHORTS” DEBUTS IN INDIA
YouTube recently had the rollout of a new short-form video creation service in India called “Shorts,” a service which many have come to think as its equivalent to the hit TikTok app. Like TikTok, the service allows users to conveniently create and post 15-second long videos using a variety of built-in editing tools and effects, apart from accessing YouTube’s library of licensed background music to complete their creations. Unlike TikTok, the service is not a standalone app as it is accessible via the YouTube app through its “Create” feature panel.
Much has been said of how game changing the TikTok platform is, so much so that it has pushed Facebook and Instagram to come up with their own version of the service.
The recent rollout of
“Shorts” in India signifies YouTube’s plans to scale up its rollout to other areas in the coming days in a bid to capture the digital shortform video segment.
SPOTIFY ADDS VIRTUAL EVENTS LISTING FEATURE
Music-on-demand service Spotify recently took steps to spruce up the “On Tour” panel of its artist profile pages by listing virtual events which an artist or group will be taking part in. The listing cascades to the service’s “Concerts Hub” feature, and is foreseen to be a practical way for artists to promote a variety of virtual events like live at-home concerts/ sessions, podcasts, live instudio performances, virtual meet and greets and the like.
The Covid-19 restrictions have adversely affected the concerts and music festivals circuit. Virtual events have proven to be effective stop gap solutions to the situation, and Spotify – with its nearly 300-million user base – is recognizing this in adding a virtual events listing feature.
ACROSS
1. Hesitates
6. Contributes
10. Website addresses
14. Bay window
15. A formal high school dance
16. Ark builder
17. A sloping mass of loose rocks
18. Dad
19. Hoodwink
20. Branched lighting?fixture
22. Being
23. Extent
24. Sable
26. Copied
30. Color
31. A type of evergreen tree
32. Gown
33. Probabilities
35. Small African antelope
39. Rust
41. Distrustful
43. Sand bar
44. Have the nerve
46. Fee
47. Chief Executive Officer
49. Neither ___
50. Terminates
51. Ends a sentence
54. Anagram of “Buds”
56. Press
57. Emissions
63. Tibetan monk
64. Warbled
65. Blacksmith’s block
66. French for “State”
67. Location
68. Condition
69. Accomplished
70. Beers
71. Hollowed out
DOWN
1. Pear variety
2. Ogive
3. Former Italian currency