Microsoft today announced the preview launch of a new "intelligent task management app" that's designed to make it easier to plan and manage a day's activities.

Called "Microsoft To-Do," the app was designed by the team behind Wunderlist, which Microsoft purchased in June of 2015. To-Do is designed to replace Wunderlist, which Microsoft plans to retire after all Wunderlist features have been built into the new app.

To-Do is a list-making app that allows users to create lists for home, work, groceries, and everything in between. As with Wunderlist, it can be used for keeping track of deadlines with reminders, due dates, and notes, and it is entirely customizable.

It includes Intelligent Suggestions that aim to help users focus and plan to complete tasks that are the most important. The app offers up "helpful suggestions" based on a "smart algorithm."

What areas of your life do you want to be more productive in? You can have a color-coded list for each. Now you can quickly add your homework to one list, your groceries to another, your packing list, your work projects and your home DIY projects to yet more lists. You can create as many lists as fits your lifestyle. And if you follow a productivity system such as GTD (David Allen's Getting Things Done Methodology) then you can create a Someday list or a Follow-up list. To-Do is here for you, whether your goals are for this week or in 5 years time.

Microsoft is making To-Do available for iPhone, Android, Windows 10, and the web. It's available in a Preview capacity starting today, and in the future, Microsoft plans to add support for the iPad and release a Mac app.

Microsoft To-Do can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Hulu's upcoming live streaming television service could launch as soon as early May, reports TechCrunch. Hulu has already confirmed the service will launch in the spring, but has not given a more specific public launch date.

Internally, the company is said to be telling employees that the first week of May is being targeted for launch, but TechCrunch says this is a rolling target date that could shift to later in May if necessary.

Despite the internal communication - which we've seen - claiming the "first week of May" launch, we've also heard that the chatter among employees is that consumers will likely get the service around mid-May. In addition, other sources familiar with Hulu's launch plans have confirmed that mid-May is just as likely as earlier in the month. It could even end up being the third week.

In other words, "mid-May" doesn't translate to a May 15th launch.

However, the month of May - in general - is definitely a go.

The official launch date of the service is perhaps dependent on an ongoing beta testing period that the company is using to garner feedback from users and eliminate bugs.

Rumors suggest Hulu plans to price its upcoming television service at $39.99 per month, with an add-on cloud DVR service that could cost an additional $20 per month for "unlimited" storage capped at 200 hours of programming.

Hulu is said to be planning to allow concurrent devices on up to three devices in the same home, and channels will include content from CBS, 21st Century Fox, ESPN, and Disney. Many details of Hulu's upcoming service remain a mystery, including whether or not the company will offer multiple packages like DirecTV Now, but its TV package is "comparable" to rival services.

Hulu's streaming service will offer a mix of live TV and on-demand content, something that will make the service unique among its peers.

Qualcomm today reported earnings for the second fiscal quarter of 2017, and in its report, the company says Apple suppliers are withholding royalty payments amid Apple's ongoing legal dispute with Qualcomm. [PDF]

According to Qualcomm, Apple's contract manufacturers underpaid royalties in Q2 2017 in an amount equal to that which Qualcomm has not paid Apple. Qualcomm says this hasn't had a negative impact on revenue, but it could be an issue next quarter if manufacturers continue to underpay.

Apple's contract manufacturers reported, but underpaid, royalties in the second quarter of fiscal 2017. However, our revenues were not negatively impacted as the contract manufacturers acknowledged the amounts are due and the underpayment was equal to the amounts that Qualcomm has not paid Apple under our Cooperation Agreement that are currently in dispute. The Cooperation Agreement expired December 31, 2016.

It is not clear whether Apple's contract manufacturers will underpay royalties owed under their contracts with us in the third quarter of fiscal 2017, which could have a negative impact on our financial results. Our guidance range for fiscal third quarter EPS is wider than our typical practice primarily due to this uncertainty. We have considered a variety of scenarios within this range, but have not included a scenario where no payment is made by the contract manufacturers. We will update our guidance if we subsequently learn of any action that would take us outside of the announced guidance range.

Qualcomm and Apple are embroiled in an ongoing legal dispute that dates back to an FTC complaint alleging Qualcomm engaged in anticompetitive patent licensing practices. Shortly after the FTC filed its complaint, Apple levied a lawsuit against Qualcomm, accusing the company of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with."

Apple claims that Qualcomm "reinforces its dominance" through exclusionary tactics and high patent licensing fees, charging Apple "at least five times more" in payments than other cellular patent licensors.

Qualcomm has separately refused to pay Apple quarterly rebates due to Apple's participation in an antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm in South Korea, which has led Apple to seek $1 billion in rebate repayments. Qualcomm has called Apple's claims "baseless" and has accused Apple of "encouraging regulatory attacks."

Earlier this month, Qualcomm filed a countersuit against Apple, claiming Apple has breached its licensing agreements, made false statements, and encouraged regulatory attacks on Qualcomm's business in multiple countries. According to Qualcomm, Apple "could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise" without relying on Qualcomm's "fundamental cellular technologies."

Cartoon Network today announced that it has implemented support for several of Apple's recently introduced television features on the Apple TV and iOS devices, including the TV app, Single sign-on, and universal search.

Through the TV app installed on Apple iOS devices in the United States, Cartoon Network content is now displayed alongside content from other apps that have added TV app support. Cartoon Network shows are now available in the "Up Next" and "Recommended" sections of the TV app.

With Single sign-on, Cartoon Network app users with supported Single sign-on cable providers will no longer need to sign into the Cartoon Network app with their cable credentials on the Apple TV and iOS devices as signing in will be automatic.

When using Siri on the Apple TV to ask about content, Cartoon Network app content will now be displayed alongside other results thanks to universal search support.

The Cartoon Network is a popular channel that offers shows like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball, Regular Show, and The Powerpuff Girls. While the app offers some free content, cable authentication is required to access all of what the app has to offer.

Cartoon Network can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple is expanding the available features in its Maps app in Europe according to a briefing that was held in London on Wednesday and shared by Bloomberg.

Apple Maps for iOS devices and Macs now includes locations of electric vehicle charging stations in the UK, thanks to a partnership with Cirrantic Moovility. More than 3,000 EV charging stations are available in the Maps app in the UK.


In the United States, electric vehicle charging stations have been listed in Maps since December of 2016, through a partnership with ChargePoint.

"We think that consistent, live information of the growing charger infrastructure increases the confidence of EV drivers and, especially with Apple Maps, attracts new user groups to sustainable mobility offerings like EV cars," said Arne Meusel, CEO and co-founder of Cirrantic. "In the U.K. we started with supporting the major charger operators, including Podpoint, CYC, Ecotricity, NPower and NewMotion. Any interested operator is welcome to set up a connection with us."

Apple is also introducing public bicycle rental and drop-off points in London, Paris, and New York, an addition that's meant to bring Apple Maps in line with Google Maps, which also lists public bicycle rental locations.

Additional Maps improvements are likely on the horizon as Apple works to open a new Apple Maps development center in Hyderabad, India, which will employ more than 4,000 people. Apple is also employing a team of robotics and data collection experts who will use drones to further bolster Apple Maps.

A number of MacRumors readers received an email from Apple today stating that their 50GB iCloud storage plan subscription has been "discontinued" and will no longer automatically renew. Several users on Reddit and Twitter have also reported receiving the email, which may have been sent mistakenly.


Relatedly, some iCloud storage plans were unavailable for purchase on iOS and macOS Sierra. When we checked the "Upgrade iCloud Storage" menu on an iPhone, both the 50GB and 200GB tiers were no longer listed. Later, the 1TB tier disappeared as well. On another iPhone, the menu wouldn't load at all.

Apple has not announced any changes to its iCloud storage plans, and it has not recently updated its iCloud storage plans and pricing support document, so this was likely simply a server-related issue on Apple's backend. Apple's System Status page does not reflect any ongoing iCloud-related issues.

Apple has not indicated why the "discontinued" emails were sent, but all four of the 50GB, 200GB, 1TB, and 2TB tiers appear to be available for purchase again for most users. We'll update this article if we hear anything else, particularly if Apple does have surprise changes to its iCloud storage plans in the works.

AlwaysOnline Wireless, one of the data providers for the Apple SIM built into newer iPads, today announced that it is expanding to 14 additional countries, making it available in a total of 88 places around the world.

New countries where AlwaysOnline Wireless is available include Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Jordan, Morocco, and Uruguay.

"AOW was designed for people on the go - people who want and need the freedom to connect anytime, anywhere, right when they need it," explained Emir Aboulhosn, CEO and Founder of Otono. "This announcement means that iPad users now have more options for staying in touch in more places worldwide, something that is increasingly important in today's connected world."

Data plans in most countries have also dropped in price by more than 40 percent, with the price adjustments coming after significant price cuts in the UK earlier this year.

A full list of countries and accompanying rate plans can be found on the AlwaysOnline Wireless website. Prices start at 11 cents per hour but vary based on country.

Apple SIM and AlwaysOnline Wireless service works with the new iPad (5th generation), the 9.7 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the iPad mini 4, the iPad Air 2, and the iPad mini 3.

Apple is likely to pay out just one third of its current royalty rate to Imagination Technologies as it begins winding down its supply deal with the chipmaker over the next two years, according to analysts at UBS financial services (via Reuters).

The prediction includes the expectation that British-based Imagination will become loss-making by 2019 without any Apple royalties to fall back on, and that the firm will have to work out a cost-cutting strategy if it is to survive.


Earlier this month, shares in Imagination plunged after Apple informed the company that it plans to stop using its graphics technology in Apple consumer devices in up to two years' time.

The news delivered a huge blow to Imagination Technologies, which provides the PowerVR graphics architecture found in Apple's full range of iOS devices and receives a small royalty on every sale, amounting to up to half of the British firm's revenue.

Imagination said Apple had made the decision because the tech giant was developing its own independent graphics processing chips, which would reduce its reliance on the company.

Imagination is reportedly in talks with Apple over a new licensing deal, but UBS analysts forecast that Apple is likely to bring down the royalty rate, currently at around $0.30 per unit, to closer to $0.10, which is the rate Imagination currently charges customers such as MediaTek.

Valuing Imagination based on discounted cash flows, UBS estimated the company's Apple business is worth 75 pence per share. Without Apple, the stock tumbles to just 35 pence. That totals 110 pence, using a sum-of-the-parts valuation. Imagination has a market capitalization of $370 million – 2,000 times smaller than Apple's $741 billion valuation – while its stock currently trades at 103.19 pence.

Chinese mobile maker Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 6, its latest flagship smartphone, at a packed-out event in Beijing on Wednesday.

The Mi 5's successor features curved "four-sided 3D glass" and a front that isn't bezel-free like the company's Mi MIX, but the phone does boast a lot of tech for a device that starts at 2499 RMB, or $360 – about half of what a base iPhone 7 goes for in China.


Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the new 5.15-inch Mi 6 includes a 12-megapixel rear dual lens camera combining a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. It also matches Apple's latest smartphone with 10x digital zoom, 2x lossless zoom, image stabilization, and depth of field effects.

Similar to the Mi 5s, the Mi 6 features a Qualcomm-based ultrasonic fingerprint reader built under the glass at the bottom of the phone. The "button-less" technology is said to recognize a 3D map of each user's fingerprint through ultrasonic waves, although it only works within the bezel's concave indentation that marks out the home button.


The Mi 6 includes 2x2 Wi-Fi, which is meant to improve connectivity speed, and does away with the headphone jack, settling for a single USB-C port instead. Elsewhere the handset features the latest Snapdragon 835 processor (also found in the S8), 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage memory on the entry model, dual stereo speakers, a 3,350mAh battery, a new "night display" screen mode, and water resistance.


The Mi 6 with 128 GB option costs 2899 RMB ($420) while a special Ceramic edition goes for 2999 RMB ($435). It's unclear at this time whether the phone will become available in Europe or the U.S.


The announcement of a new flagship phone comes at a particularly important time for Xiaomi, which suffered its first sales slump last year. The company's former VP of Global Efforts Hugo Barra left in February, while CEO Lei Jun recently admitted the firm had grown too fast and was now entering a transitional period, as it focuses on its main markets in China and India.

Spotify today expanded its half-price student subscription plan to 31 more countries around the world.

The music streaming service has offered the discounted premium subscriptions to students based in the U.S., the U.K., and Germany for some time, but starting today Spotify is adding several more countries to the list of eligible nations.


The list now includes Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.

The student plan includes all premium features, such as ad-free listening, improved audio quality options, and downloadable tracks for offline listening. To qualify, students must attend an accredited institution. The discounted plan can be used for the entirety of the subscriber's student life.

In the U.S., users get at least a one-year discount, that can be renewed up to three times for a total of four years, but regional variations may apply. Students can head over to Spotify.com/student to sign up to the offer.

Google today announced that its popular Timeline feature for Google Maps on Android has expanded to Google Maps for iOS, making it available to iPhone and iPad users for the first time.

With Timeline, Google Maps keeps track of all of the places that have been visited, so users can have a past account of where they’ve been and what they were doing.

What was the name of that antique store I popped into the other day? Where was that coffee shop we discovered on our last vacation? Did I drop off the dry cleaning on Tuesday or Wednesday? Answering questions like these used to take some guesswork (and a great memory). But with Your Timeline on Google Maps, Android and desktop users could quickly revisit the things they’ve done and places they’ve been. Starting today, Google Maps users on iOS can join in on the fun and see a daily snapshot of their life as well.

The Timeline is fully editable, with users able to delete a day, date range, or complete location history at any time. It’s also customizable with different activity types, so users can mark what they were doing and what mode of transportation was being used.

Place cards of locations or businesses that are searched for in Google Maps will include the dates of past visits and can be used to quickly access Timeline information, plus Google also includes an option to receive monthly emails summarizing all of the places that have been visited.

The new Timeline features are available to iOS users starting today.

Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Facebook today announced plans to integrate both Spotify and Apple Music into Facebook Messenger, allowing Messenger users to link to Apple Music or Spotify content for sharing songs and playlists directly within the Facebook Messenger app.

Apple has not shared details on how its chat extension will work, but Spotify published a blog post detailing the Spotify chat extension, which will undoubtedly share similarities with Apple Music.


Using the Spotify chat extension, users can search and share Spotify songs, albums, and playlists. Song links will play 30 second clips, with users able to tap on a link to open the Spotify app to listen to a full song.

The Spotify bot, in addition to allowing songs to be shared, will offer up playlist recommendations to users based on mood, activity, and genre. It's not clear if Apple will introduce a similar feature.

Apple has made an effort to make Apple Music widely available on multiple platforms and services. It already integrates with the main Facebook app, and there's also an Android app and an iMessage extension.

Spotify is available in Facebook Messenger first, with Apple Music integration coming at a later date.