Saturday, October 29, 2016
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Apple Launches New Clean Energy Programs in China
Apple today announced two new programs aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its manufacturing partners in China. The programs will avoid over 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution in the country between now and 2020, equivalent to taking nearly 4 million passenger vehicles off the road for one year.
Apple also announced that construction on 40 megawatts of solar projects in the Sichuan Province is now complete. These solar installations produce more than the total amount of electricity used by Apple’s offices and retail stores in China, making Apple's operations carbon neutral in China.
“Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for action is now,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose. We believe passionately in leaving the world better than we found it and hope that many other suppliers, partners and other companies join us in this important effort.” At the end it is nice to see what an amzing job Apple does giving back.
First, Apple is significantly expanding its clean-energy investments in China. Apple plans to build more than 200 megawatts of solar projects in the northern, eastern and southern grid regions of China, which will produce the equivalent of the energy used by more by than 265,000 Chinese homes in a year and will begin to offset the energy used in Apple’s supply chain.
Second, Apple is launching a new initiative to drive its manufacturing partners to become more energy efficient and to use clean energy for their manufacturing operations. Apple will partner with suppliers in China to install more than 2 gigawatts of new clean energy in the coming years.
Apple also will share best practices in procuring clean energy and building high-quality renewable energy projects, and provide hands-on assistance to some suppliers in areas like energy efficiency audits, regulatory guidance and building strong partnerships to bring new clean energy projects to China.
As part of Apple’s industry-leading program, Foxconn will construct 400 megawatts of solar, starting in the Henan Province, by 2018. Foxconn has committed to generate as much clean energy as its Zhengzhou factory consumes in final production of iPhone.
“We are excited to embark on this initiative with Apple. Our companies share a vision for driving sustainability and I hope that this renewable energy project will serve as a catalyst for continued efforts to promote a greener ecosystem in our industry and beyond,” said Terry Gou, founder and CEO of Foxconn Technology Group. “Sustainability is a core pillar in Foxconn’s strategy and we are committed to investing in green manufacturing.”
“Being responsible, protecting air and water, and driving clean energy are at the heart of Apple’s commitment to China,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “These projects go beyond Apple’s operations in China to help our suppliers adopt clean renewable energy.”
Apple has taken significant steps to protect the environment by transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy. Today the company is powering 100 percent of its operations in China and the US, and more than 87 percent of its worldwide operations, with renewable energy.
Apple in China
Apple operates 19 corporate offices and 24 retail stores in Greater China, directly employing 10,000 people. In total, Apple has helped create and support over 4.4 million jobs in China, including at least 1.4 million iOS app developer jobs and other positions related to the iOS ecosystem.
Developers in China have earned more than $4 billion through the worldwide sale of apps on the App Store, with over half of that amount paid in the last 12 months alone.
Apple also announced that construction on 40 megawatts of solar projects in the Sichuan Province is now complete. These solar installations produce more than the total amount of electricity used by Apple’s offices and retail stores in China, making Apple's operations carbon neutral in China.
“Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for action is now,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose. We believe passionately in leaving the world better than we found it and hope that many other suppliers, partners and other companies join us in this important effort.” At the end it is nice to see what an amzing job Apple does giving back.
First, Apple is significantly expanding its clean-energy investments in China. Apple plans to build more than 200 megawatts of solar projects in the northern, eastern and southern grid regions of China, which will produce the equivalent of the energy used by more by than 265,000 Chinese homes in a year and will begin to offset the energy used in Apple’s supply chain.
Second, Apple is launching a new initiative to drive its manufacturing partners to become more energy efficient and to use clean energy for their manufacturing operations. Apple will partner with suppliers in China to install more than 2 gigawatts of new clean energy in the coming years.
Apple also will share best practices in procuring clean energy and building high-quality renewable energy projects, and provide hands-on assistance to some suppliers in areas like energy efficiency audits, regulatory guidance and building strong partnerships to bring new clean energy projects to China.
As part of Apple’s industry-leading program, Foxconn will construct 400 megawatts of solar, starting in the Henan Province, by 2018. Foxconn has committed to generate as much clean energy as its Zhengzhou factory consumes in final production of iPhone.
“We are excited to embark on this initiative with Apple. Our companies share a vision for driving sustainability and I hope that this renewable energy project will serve as a catalyst for continued efforts to promote a greener ecosystem in our industry and beyond,” said Terry Gou, founder and CEO of Foxconn Technology Group. “Sustainability is a core pillar in Foxconn’s strategy and we are committed to investing in green manufacturing.”
“Being responsible, protecting air and water, and driving clean energy are at the heart of Apple’s commitment to China,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “These projects go beyond Apple’s operations in China to help our suppliers adopt clean renewable energy.”
Apple has taken significant steps to protect the environment by transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy. Today the company is powering 100 percent of its operations in China and the US, and more than 87 percent of its worldwide operations, with renewable energy.
Apple in China
Apple operates 19 corporate offices and 24 retail stores in Greater China, directly employing 10,000 people. In total, Apple has helped create and support over 4.4 million jobs in China, including at least 1.4 million iOS app developer jobs and other positions related to the iOS ecosystem.
Developers in China have earned more than $4 billion through the worldwide sale of apps on the App Store, with over half of that amount paid in the last 12 months alone.
Instagram Launches New Boomerang App to Create Mini Videos From a Burst of Photos
Instagram has launched Boomerang, a new app that creates mini videos from a burst of photos, similar to Live Photos.
Find something (or someone!) that's moving, or create a video selfie by switching to the front-facing camera. There’s just one button. Tap it once and Boomerang does the rest: shoots a burst of 10 photos and turns them into a delightful mini video. Share it on Facebook and Instagram right from the app, or save your video to your camera roll to share later.
Features:
* Take mini videos of your life and yourself using the front and back facing camera.
* Download and start capturing immediately. No sign up or account required.
* There's just one button! The app takes 10 photos and stitches them together, speeds up the video and smooths out any bumps, then loops it back and forth.
* Share your videos on Instagram and Facebook right from the app, or share them later from your camera roll.
You can download Boomerang from Instagram from the App Store for free.
Right Here
Find something (or someone!) that's moving, or create a video selfie by switching to the front-facing camera. There’s just one button. Tap it once and Boomerang does the rest: shoots a burst of 10 photos and turns them into a delightful mini video. Share it on Facebook and Instagram right from the app, or save your video to your camera roll to share later.
Features:
* Take mini videos of your life and yourself using the front and back facing camera.
* Download and start capturing immediately. No sign up or account required.
* There's just one button! The app takes 10 photos and stitches them together, speeds up the video and smooths out any bumps, then loops it back and forth.
* Share your videos on Instagram and Facebook right from the app, or share them later from your camera roll.
You can download Boomerang from Instagram from the App Store for free.
Right Here
Runkeeper Releases Standalone App for the Apple Watch
Every one. Every run. Join the over 45 million users who’ve discovered the joy of running with the original and the best running app on the planet, Runkeeper. With Runkeeper, turn your phone into the GPS tracker that is dedicated to bringing the fun and the motivation you want into your workout routine.
What's New In This Version:
This one’s built for iOS9 AND watchOS 2. Here’s what that means for you:
- Standalone app for the Apple Watch. Hold the phone! That means you can run without your phone and still track with Runkeeper. You’ll also get heart rate data on the run, and can easily swipe right or force touch to pause an activity on the go. Also, you get to leave your phone at home (in case you needed a reminder).
- Post-activity music analytics. “Do I really run faster to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’ or am I just imagining that?” Wonder no more! Run with music in Runkeeper (via Spotify, iTunes, or Runkeeper DJ), and after the run you’ll get a full rundown of your playlist and your pace for each song. You’ll also get to see the same for your Runkeeper friends. Have fun comparing notes!
- Spotify integration bug fixes. What do you mean? Nothing’s getting in the way between you, your run, and the latest Bieber hit.
- Workout rewards bug fixes. Redeeming those rewards should be a breeze, once again.
You can download Runkeeper from the App Store for free.
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Facebook Identifies Issues That Caused Its App to Drain Your Battery, Releases Fix
Facebook has identified a few issues that have caused battery life issues with its iOS app and has released an update that addresses some of them.
We recently heard reports of some people experiencing battery issues with the Facebook iOS app and have been looking into the causes of these problems. We found a few key issues and have identified additional improvements, some of which are in the version of the app that was released today.
Here's some more details...
---
The first issue we found was a “CPU spin” in our network code. A CPU spin is like a child in a car asking, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”with the question not resulting in any progress to reaching the destination. This repeated processing causes our app to use more battery than intended. The version released today has some improvements that should start making this better.
The second issue is with how we manage audio sessions. If you leave the Facebook app after watching a video, the audio session sometimes stays open as if the app was playing audio silently. This is similar to when you close a music app and want to keep listening to the music while you do other things, except in this case it was unintentional and nothing kept playing. The app isn't actually doing anything while awake in the background, but it does use more battery simply by being awake. Our fixes will solve this audio issue and remove background audio completely.
---
Facebook is quick to note that the problems are not caused by the Location History feature or anything related to location. It says it's committed to improving battery usage and that users should already seem improvements in the version released today.
You can download Facebook from the App Store for free.
We recently heard reports of some people experiencing battery issues with the Facebook iOS app and have been looking into the causes of these problems. We found a few key issues and have identified additional improvements, some of which are in the version of the app that was released today.
Here's some more details...
---
The first issue we found was a “CPU spin” in our network code. A CPU spin is like a child in a car asking, “Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?”with the question not resulting in any progress to reaching the destination. This repeated processing causes our app to use more battery than intended. The version released today has some improvements that should start making this better.
The second issue is with how we manage audio sessions. If you leave the Facebook app after watching a video, the audio session sometimes stays open as if the app was playing audio silently. This is similar to when you close a music app and want to keep listening to the music while you do other things, except in this case it was unintentional and nothing kept playing. The app isn't actually doing anything while awake in the background, but it does use more battery simply by being awake. Our fixes will solve this audio issue and remove background audio completely.
---
Facebook is quick to note that the problems are not caused by the Location History feature or anything related to location. It says it's committed to improving battery usage and that users should already seem improvements in the version released today.
You can download Facebook from the App Store for free.
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