Oracle is currently negotiating to buy healthcare tech firm Cerner in a deal that could be worth approximately $ 30bn, reports have claimed.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said the potential deal will be Oracle’s biggest acquisition to date, almost three times bigger than the $ 10 billion acquisition of PeopleSoft that took place back in 2005.
Cerner, which specializes in digitalizing medical records, has a market value of around $ 23bn, but adding the usual takeover premiums could send the price up even higher.
Arms race heating up
Founded in 1979 and headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, Cerner currently has 26,400 employees and annual revenue of $ 5.5 billion, according to data from Datanyze.
Oracle was founded in 1977 by billionaire Larry Ellison, who still owns almost half of the company’s shares (42%). Ellison stepped down as company CEO in 2014, handing off the baton to Ms. Catz and the late Mark Hurd, but is still the company’s CTO and chairman.
The deal would only solidify Oracle’s already strong presence in the healthcare industry, as it currently offers software tech for health insurers, healthcare providers, and public health systems.
Buying Cerner would heat up the “arms race” with Microsoft, who is also showing increasing interest in digital healthcare tools. Back in April 2021, the Redmond software giants acquired AI company Nuance Communications for $ 16 billion.
Wall Street Journal also believes buying Cerner would help Oracle pivot more towards the cloud, a move that’s been getting plenty of praise from its investors and stakeholders.
We love our Macs, and we also love finding new things to do with them. Whether it’s using your iPad as a second screen, AirDropping funny things to family members, or finding faster ways to do everyday things, we’ve never met a Mac tip we didn’t like. And in this guide, we’re going to share our favorites with you.
Although the screenshots here were taken in macOS Monterey, all of our tips work on multiple versions of macOS – so if you’re using a relatively recent model, your Mac’s covered too.
1. Do conversions in Spotlight
Since High Sierra, Spotlight has been able to do unit conversions such as converting dollar values into British pounds, or kilograms into pounds. For example, type ‘$ 1,000 in GBP’ to convert dollars to Sterling.
(Image credit: Future)
2. Summon Siri
Press and hold Command+Space bar or click the Siri button in the Dock or menu bar and you have the same Siri service you’re used to on your iPhone. In addition to familiar tasks such as telling you the weather forecast, you can also ask Siri to locate specific files, toggle system functions or launch apps.
3. Run Windows
Intel Macs can run Windows natively via Boot Camp, but you can also use a virtualization app such as VMWare Fusion, VirtualBox or Parallels Desktop to run Windows apps on your Mac desktop – and now you can do it on M1 Macs too.
4. Use shortcuts for screenshots
Need a screengrab? Command+Shift+3 takes a full screen (or if you have multiple monitors, multiple full screens), while Command+Shift+4 enables you to capture a selection or, if you hit the spacebar, the window you click on. To capture the Touch Bar hit Command+Shift+6.
5. Show or hide the menu bar
You can auto-hide the menu bar just as you can with the Dock. The options live in System Preferences > Dock & menu bar.
(Image credit: Future)
6. Use exotic characters
In addition to the accent keyboard shortcut (Option+E before OS X 10.7 or press and hold the letter on later macOS versions) you can bring up a menu of emoji and other characters. In the most recent macOS versions you’ll usually find it within an app’s Edit menu, labeled Emoji & Symbols; on older Macs, it’s called Special Characters.
(Image credit: Future)
7. Sign PDFs in Mail
If you’re emailed a PDF to sign, you don't have to worry about printing it, signing it and scanning it back in: you can sign it right in Mail. Drag a PDF into the email you’re sending and hover over it – at the top-right you’ll see a little button appear. Click it and you get a range of Markup options, including one for signing documents. You can add your signature by either holding up a signed piece of paper to the webcam on your Mac (it does a fantastic job of cutting it out of the background) or by drawing it on the trackpad.
8. Annotate PDFs and images
Preview is an incredibly powerful tool. Beyond letting you, well, preview PDFs and images, Preview allows for a ton of annotations that are compatible with Adobe Acrobat – widely used by Windows users and many companies – making it easy to share annotated documents with colleagues, regardless of the platform they use.
Make sure the Edit Toolbar is visible (under the View menu) and you'll see options for drawing shapes, arrows, speech and thought bubbles, and more.
(Image credit: Future)
9. Crop, resize and tweak images
To crop an image in Preview, draw a selection with the regular Rectangular Selection tool then either hit Command+K or got to Tools > Crop. Alternatively, show the Edit Toolbar and make a more complex selection either with the Instant Alpha tool or the Smart Lasso.
10. Batch-rename files
In Yosemite onwards, you can simply select a group of files and choose ‘Rename’ from the right-click contextual menu or the drop-down button marked with a cog icon in Finder windows. Once you hit ‘Rename,’ you get the option of adding text, replacing text, or applying a format such as a name and an automatically incrementing counter.
(Image credit: Future)
11. Use Split Screen view
If you’re still on macOS Mojave or older, you can hold down a left-click on an app's green maximize button on the top-left corner, then drag it to your preferred position on the left-hand or right-hand side of the display.
If you have macOS Catalina or later, left-click and hold on the app window’s green maximize button to see a drop-down menu with the options ‘Enter Full Screen,’ ‘Tile Window to Left of Screen,’ or ‘Tile Window to Right of Screen.’ If you have a secondary screen this menu will also give you the option to move the active window to that screen.
12. Connect a camera with Image Capture
Image Capture enables you to import all of your camera’s photos at once to the folder of your choosing, or better yet, you can pick and choose which photos to store on your Mac while deciding whether to keep or delete the originals one by one.
What’s more, you can connect wirelessly to a scanner to import scanned documents or photos to your preferred directory. You can also link your camera to any macOS application that you want. So if you want Photoshop to open every time you connect your iPhone, Image Capture can be configured to make that happen.
Your Mac, your way
13. Change file and folder icons
Right-click the file or folder whose icon you want to copy, select ‘Get Info’ and copy the preview image. Now, right-click the file or folder whose icon you want to change, select ‘Get Info,’ click on its icon and press Control+V to paste it.
14. Use Shortcuts for speed
Apple brought Shortcuts to the Mac in macOS Monterey, and it’s a great way of automating common tasks. You can build your own from the Starter Shortcuts included, plus there’s a great gallery of shortcuts you can download.
15. Make keyboard macros
In System Preferences > Keyboard > Text you can create shortcuts that insert entire blocks of text and emoji. We use this feature for signatures, emoji strings and even document skeleton structures.
(Image credit: Future)
16. Tame notifications with Focus
The new macOS Focus (System Preferences > Notifications & Focus) enables you to create different scenarios and change what, and who, can send you notifications when you’re in it. So, for example, you might have a work focus and a personal focus, with different settings for each.
17. Change the default format for screenshots
If you want to save your screenshots as JPEGs, open Terminal and type ‘defaults write com.apple.screencapture type JPG’ then hit Enter. The change will go into effect once you restart your Mac.
18. Edit the sidebar
You can customize the Finder sidebar by dragging folders onto it. You can also toggle items by opening Finder’s preferences and clicking the Sidebar tab.
(Image credit: Future)
19. Change your Mac’s name
You can change the name that appears on other connected devices, and other people’s AirDrop, in System Preferences > Sharing > Computer Name.
20. Open apps automatically at login
Right-click an app in the Dock and select Options > Open At Login.
Sharing is caring
21. Add a guest account to your Mac
If you want to let others use your Mac without seeing any of your stuff, create a Guest account in System Preferences > Users & Groups. When your guest logs out, all information and files in their account are erased.
(Image credit: Future)
22. Get Wi-Fi passwords you can’t remember
If you ever find yourself in an unfamiliar place, or you’ve just forgotten your Wi-Fi password, you can use Keychain Access on your Mac to find it. The process is straightforward: open Keychain Access by searching for it in Spotlight, search the name of the connection, and double-click the iCloud Keychain corresponding to the SSID you’re looking for. Tap ‘Show Password’ and enter your Keychain passcode.
23. Share anything with anyone
The Share Sheet in Finder windows, Safari and apps such as Maps and Notes is customizable: go to System Preferences > Extensions > Share Menu to personalize yours.
(Image credit: Future)
24. View someone’s screen remotely
One easy way to view someone else’s screen or control their Mac over the internet – which is invaluable if you’re trying to help a relative troubleshoot their computer problems – is to launch Screen Sharing by searching for it with Spotlight then entering the Apple ID of the person you’re trying to contact. If you or they don’t know it, just have them look in the iCloud pane of System Preferences. And, while you’re in that screen, make sure they have ‘Screen Sharing’ enabled in the Sharing pane of System Preferences.
25. Share your media with other devices
Go to System Preferences > Sharing > Media Sharing and enable ‘Home Sharing.’ This enables you to share your media library with all devices signed in with your Apple ID.
26. Send SMS messages and more from your Mac
The Messages app can access your iPhone SMS texts so you can also send and receive SMS texts from your Mac. Simply go into your iPhone’s Settings > Messages and select your Mac in Text Message Forwarding.
27. Share purchases with your family
Up to six people in the same family can share purchases through the macOS Family Sharing feature.
(Image credit: Future)
28. Use your iPad as a secondary Mac display
In Big Sur or later, go to Control Center > Display and choose your iPad from the ‘Connect To’ section; in Catalina, you’ll use the AirPlay icon instead. Your iPad will then act as a separate display. To change to screen mirroring go back into Display or AirPlay and choose the mirror option.
29. Throw files from your Mac
Provided AirDrop is turned on on the destination device, you can AirDrop a file to it by right-clicking on your Mac and choosing Share > AirDrop.
(Image credit: Future)
30. Rename group chats in Messages
From OS X Yosemite onwards, you can name group chats by clicking Details at the top-right, then typing a name at the top.
31. Share a printer between multiple Macs
Go to System Preferences > Sharing and check the ‘Printer Sharing’ service. This will bring up a screen where you can select the printer to share and specify who can use it, if necessary. Once this is set up, any Mac on the network can access that printer from the print dialog, though the Mac to which the printer is connected must be turned on.
32. Use Screen Time with your family
In System Preferences > Family Sharing, scroll down until you see ‘Screen Time.’ This enables you to set time and app limits for family members, so, for example, you can limit gaming time but not educational apps. You can use it for you too if you’re trying to break your social media habit.
(Image credit: Future)
33. Email massive files
From Yosemite onwards, Mail will upload really big files to the cloud and send the recipient a link, rather than a file that may be too big for their mailbox. You can send files up to 5GB with a total storage limit of 1TB. Files are deleted after 30 days.
34. Decide what to share about yourself
In Contacts' Preferences, click on the vCard tab and check ‘Enable private me card.’ Now, when you go to your Me card in Contacts – you might have to define one first – and click Edit, you get a series of checkboxes next to each field to show whether it would be included when you share a card.
(Image credit: Future)
Sound and vision
35. Adjust audio volume in smaller increments
When you use the volume up and down keys on your Mac's keyboard the difference between one tap and the next can be pretty big – especially if you're driving some meaty external speakers. Hold down Option+Shift as you tap those keys, though, and the increments become much smaller.
36. Record your iPhone or iPad’s screen
Connect the iOS device to your Mac using its cable, then launch QuickTime Player. Choose ‘New Movie Recording’ from the File menu and then, if it's not already selected for you, select your connected iOS device as the camera source from the drop-down menu next to the record button. Choose if you want to record sound (either from a built-in or external mic or the audio the iOS device itself is producing) from the same drop-down menu and then click the record button.
37. Change audio settings from the menu bar
Hold down Option and click the volume adjuster in the menu bar (or press one of the volume buttons on your keyboard). This will bring up a list of audio inputs and outputs. You can then select the one you want.
(Image credit: Future)
38. Stream to other devices with AirPlay
For basic AirPlay output from Apple Music and TV you just need to click its symbol – the rectangle with the triangle cutting into it – and choose where you want to send the music. If you want all your system audio to come from the speakers, not just music, hold Option and press a volume control key to open the Sound preferences. Here you can choose an output (or use the menu bar tip we already mentioned).
If you have an Apple TV or AirPlay-compatible TV, the AirPlay icon will appear automatically in the menu bar or Control Center. To start mirroring your screen, select it and click on the name of your Apple TV or smart TV.
Everyday improvements
39. Make the most of iCloud Drive
In High Sierra or later, anything you store on the desktop or in your Documents folder can be synced with iCloud Drive. We’ve found that invaluable because we keep current documents on the desktop – so with no effort they’re available in Files on iPhone and iPad as well as on iCloud.com.
40. Search within websites
If you’ve visited a site on your Mac, Safari can search within it – so if you type ‘Amazon Mac’ you’ll see an option to search your usual Amazon site for the keyword Mac. Click that to see the results.
(Image credit: Future)
41. Close open tabs on other devices
In Safari, click the icon that looks like two overlapping squares (or choose Show All Tabs from the View menu) and you'll see all the open tabs on all your devices. Hover over each one and you'll see a close button you can click. Note that the arrival of Tab Groups appears to have broken this feature in macOS Monterey.
42. Use your iPhone to get online
To begin, go to the Personal Hotspot option in the iPhone's Settings menu, and turn it on. If you want to connect over Wi-Fi, find the Wi-Fi network created by the iPhone in your Mac's Wi-Fi options, select it, and enter the password shown in the iPhone.
(Image credit: Future)
43. Print to the next available printer
In System Preferences > Print & Fax (or Printers & Scanners on recent versions of macOS), you can select multiple printers and create a Printer Pool.
You can then select this Pool from the print dialogue in apps instead of the individual printers. If one printer is in use, your Mac will automatically send the document to one that's free instead – no waiting!
44. Cover your tracks in Safari
You can remove some or all of your browsing history in Safari by opening History and clicking on the Clear History button. This can delete the last hour, the last day, the last two days, or all history not just on your Mac but on other devices signed into your iCloud account too.
45. Find menu items fast with Help
Some apps have massive menus, so if you can’t remember where the particular command you need is just click Help and type the option you’re looking for.
(Image credit: Future)
46. Control resizing with your keyboard
Hold down Option when you resize a window and it’ll resize both sides equally. Hold down Shift instead and the window resizes proportionally to the opposite edge. Hold down both to resize the window proportionally around its center.
47. Move background windows
Want to move a window without bringing it to the front? Hold down Command and then you can drag it.
48. Paste text without the formatting
To paste text without any formatting, press Option+Shift at the same time as Command+V.
(Image credit: Future)
49. Change the refresh rate for an external display
In System Preferences, select Displays and then Option-click on Scaled. You’ll now see a drop-down with options to change the monitor’s refresh rate.
50. Use the same external drive for Mac and PC
In Disk Utility, divide the drive into two volumes and format the one you want to use with a Windows PC as ExFAT. You can then reformat that in Windows as NTFS to get the best data speeds.
Troubleshooting tips
51. Find forgotten passwords in Safari
Safari stores the passwords not just from your Mac, but from your iPhone and iPad too. You can access them by going to Safari > Preferences > Passwords. It’ll also warn you if any of your passwords have been compromised and need to be changed.
(Image credit: Future)
52. Cure an insomniac Mac
Ever since OS X Yosemite, you can go to View > Column when you’re on Activity Monitor’s CPU tab to show a column of processes that are preventing sleep. Click this column header to sort by it, and you can easily find which apps are keeping your Mac awake, then quit them if necessary.
53. Troubleshoot apps with Activity Monitor
Launch Activity Monitor to see current processes and the resources they take up. The columns show you things such as the CPU usage of a process or the RAM it's taking up. If there's a process that's hogging resources and you're confident it's not needed, you can end it by selecting it and clicking ‘Quit Process’.
(Image credit: Future)
54. Make sure Spotlight isn’t skipping anything important
If Spotlight isn’t finding files you know are there, the folder or category that they’re in may be excluded from its indexing. You can check in System Preferences > Spotlight: unchecked categories don’t show up in search results. Click on Privacy to see any excluded drives or folders.
55. Back up your Mac
Ever since OS X 10.5, Apple has made it easy to back up using Time Machine. Ideally, you should be doing other things to back up data as well, but at the very least use Time Machine.
According to a new blog post, co-founder and GM of Qaya, Nathaniel Naddaff-Hafrey came up with the idea while working from home during the pandemic after spending time with creators who said it was difficult and time consuming to build an online business around their content.
This led to the creation of a new product called Qaya which provides web storefronts for creators that want to sell products and services directly to their audiences.
The company has a small and agile team that believes creators are the next generation of entrepreneurs. As the CEOs of their own businesses, they require the same commercial tools as any successful founder.
Building your creator businesses
Qaya first began live testing its new service in early 2021 and since that time, the company has learned a lot from the creators on its platform, their fans and other creator economy projects.
Creators on Qaya can sell everything from workout guides to photo filters, productivity templates, knitting patterns and more. The company currently supports both pay-gated and free products with new features like tipping, subscriptions and other monetization types coming soon.
By signing up for Qaya, creators can use the service as the hub for all of their business activity across the web. Many link to their storefronts from their social media bios and showcase digital products they upload or products and services hosted on other sites. The company provides all of its users with a custom yourname.channel or qaya.store/your-name domain with payment functionality built-in.
At the same time though, Qaya has also developed customer management and analytics tools that creators can use to connect with their fans and understand sales and content performance. The company has also started to integrate with other Google products including YouTube's Merch Shelf and eligible YouTube creators can now promote products from Qaya directly below videos on their YouTube channels.
Qaya is currently in beta in the US though the company hopes to expand to other countries soon.
Microsoft has taken aggressive steps to drive users towards its web browser Edge as it looks to close the gap on established rivals.
Last month, we reported that members of the Windows 11 early-access program were finding the operating system would no longer allow links with a custom Microsoft Edge URI scheme to open in any other browser.
As part of the last round of Patch Tuesday updates of 2021, it appears Microsoft has quietly extended this policy to all Windows 10 and Windows 11 installations.
Although the firm has not gone as far as to force all web links to launch in Edge (only those housed within its own services, like the Start menu), the move is unlikely to prove popular with Windows users, the majority of whom use a third-party browser as their daily driver.
Microsoft Edge backlash
Until now, Windows users have been able to rely on a free service called EdgeDeflector to counteract the Edge URI scheme, and rival browsers Firefox and Brave feature similar in-built workarounds. However, following the latest update, none of these solutions remain viable.
When hints of a crackdown first emerged, the creator of EdgeDeflector was openly critical of Microsoft, which he believes has strayed the wrong side of antitrust law.
“These aren’t the actions of an attentive company that cares about its products any more,” he wrote in a blog post. “Microsoft isn’t a good steward of the Windows operating system. [It’s] prioritizing ads, bundleware, and service subscriptions over their own productivity.”
“For users, the best action is to complain to their local antitrust regulator or switch to Linux. Your web browser is probably the most important – if not the only – app you regularly use. Microsoft has made it clear that its priorities for Windows don’t align with its users’.”
Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, also voiced its concerns about the forcefulness with which Microsoft is pushing its service on Windows users.
“People deserve choice. They should have the ability to and easily set defaults, and their choice of default browser should be respected,” said a Mozilla spokesperson.
“We have worked on code that launches Firefox when the microsoft-edge protocol is used for those users that have already chosen Firefox as their default browser. Following the recent change to Windows 11, this planned implementation will no longer be possible.”
However, as reported by ghacks, there remains one viable workaround in the form of an open source tool called MSEdgeRedirect, which gets around the Edge URI scheme in a different fashion to EdgeDeflector and Firefox.
It remains to be seen whether Microsoft will move to block this bypass as well.
Far from just allowing users to stay in touch with family and friends around the globe, Zoom now also wants to tackle online terrorism.
The video conferencing giant has announced it is joining the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism (GIFCT) alongside the likes of Microsoft, Amazon and Meta.
“It is our responsibility to support our users and protect them against online threats,” Josh Parecki, Zoom's associate general counsel for trust and safety, told Reuters. “By collaborating with other leaders across the industry, sharing key learnings and advancing research, we aspire to make the digital world a safer place for all.”
Zoom GIFCT
Formed by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and YouTube in 2017 following a spate of deadly terrorist attacks across Europe, GIFCT says its mission is “to prevent terrorists and violent extremists from exploiting digital platforms.”
Now numbering 18 companies following Zoom's addition, the NGO was initially focused on sharing technical collaboration to combat online extremism, but has since expanded to managing a hash-sharing database.
This allows members to share unique “hashes” – records of original content that have had to be removed from their platforms or services following extremism concerns.
These hashes are then used by other GIFCT members to identify if similar content has been uploaded to their platforms.
In a statement, GIFCT Executive Director Nicholas Rasmussen said it was delighted to have Zoom as a partner. He noted that the group's mission “requires we work with a diverse range of companies …to develop cross-platform solutions that render terrorists and violent extremists ineffective across the Internet”.
After an initial surge in popularity and an explosion in user numbers at the start of the pandemic, Zoom came under heavy criticism for failing to secure its platform.
Following several high-profile “Zoombombing” incidents where outside parties were able to gain access to Zoom calls without permission, the company carried out a major upheaval of its security protections.
The original Sonic games are being ported to systems as often as Doom these days, and the blue blur has now come to Tesla's cars.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that Sonic 1, released in June of 1991 for the Sega Genesis console, is coming to its fleet of cars. But Musk didn't give a date as to when you'd be able to play through Green Hill Zone in your car.
With the huge screens that every Tesla has, it makes sense for games alongside Netflix to be loaded on, especially if you have kids sitting in the back.
But there's already some games that you can currently play before Sonic arrives.
What else can you play on your Tesla?
There's a few games currently available that can help the long drive if you're able to go somewhere for the Christmas holidays.
The USB port near the screen can also accept a controller with a USB port, so an 8BitDo Pro 2 or DualSense controller can be plugged in to play the following:
All five are great games that can pass the time it takes to get from one destination to another, but there's something unique about playing a classic Sonic game in the car.
The original Sonic game is a classic, and while there's been some faults in the series over the years, running through Spring Yard Zone is always a pleasure, and never a chore, over 30 years on.
While you can already load the game up on a Switch if you're sat in the back, having another way of playing the game is always welcome.
But there are other Sonic games that would also be perfect for a Tesla if Sega and Musk are listening.
Analysis: What about Sonic Adventure on a Tesla?
While Switch owners rejoiced when N64 games were confirmed to be coming to the Switch Online service in an Expansion Pack, there's other players who want to see Dreamcast games appear.
Below are a few examples of what we'd love to see on either the Nintendo Switch, or a Tesla (or even both):
Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure 2
Crazy Taxi 2
Shenmue
Trickstyle
Metropolis Street Racer
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Apart from the above, seeing Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 from the Sega Genesis days would also be welcome, especially as both games include a two-player mode.
However, now that Sonic 1 is confirmed to be on its way to Tesla cars, we may see other games from developers coming to the Tesla fleet.
Perhaps Crash Team Racing or Spyro the Dragon next?
Keeping your work and personal lives seperate should soon be easier than ever thanks to a new update to GoogleCalendar on mobile.
The company has revealed it will be adding account profile pictures in the top corner of Google Calendar on mobile, whether you're on Android or iOS.
This should mean that users are able to quickly and easily spot which account you’re currently using and easily toggle between accounts – and hopefully not spam your work calendar with birthday parties and hospital appointments.
Google Calendar accounts
In a blog post announcing the update, Google said the change should also make it easier to work out which account you're using when creating an event – and you can switch easily by clicking the profile picture displayed, much like in other Google apps.
It adds that users will still be able to see events for all accounts you’re logged into in your calendar, as well as still seeing events in any other calendar account you may have added.
Your active account will always be listed at the top of the accounts in the overflow menu, hopefully minimizing any possible confusion.
(Image credit: Google)
The update is rolling out now to iOS and Android users, with all Google Workspace customers, G Suite Basic and Business customers, and users with personal Google Accounts able to download.
The news is the latest update to Google Calendar as the company looks to help employees embracing hybrid working that are splitting their time between the office and home.
Recently, it revealed a tool that means Gmail users will now be able to specify whether they will be attending a meeting either virtually or in-person in their email RSVP.
The news comes shortly after the launch of a new “Focus time” feature in Google Calendar that will allow users to block out periods of time where they can avoid meetings and get their heads down for actual work.
Setting such a marker in your Google Calendar will also allow users to automatically decline meetings, meaning no last-minute rush to finish off work.
The Disney Plus streaming service now supports Apple SharePlay, meaning subscribers can sync up TV shows and films on the platform through a host of different Apple devices.
This latest update to the Disney Plus app has come into effect on iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS, meaning anyone watching on their iPhones, iPads or Apple TV 4K streaming devices can benefit. You will need to be running version 15.1 or above on these operating systems, though.
The update is a godsend for large families, or those hoping to connect virtually with friends and relatives over the holidays, supporting up to 32 simultaneous viewers.
Each viewer will need to subscribe to Disney Plus separately, though, and obviously own a compatible Apple device. For those outside the Apple ecosystem, there's still a way to gain similar functionality.
Gather round, everyone
Disney Plus launched its own GroupWatch feature earlier in the year, which lets up to seven subscribers (or four profiles on the same account) co-watch a title at the same time – and it even works on non-Apple products.
The rise of co-watching has been a fascinating development in the world of TV streaming services. Platforms are increasingly offering their own official functionality, having seen after a surge in third-party browser add-ons that let users sync up their Netflix accounts and even message in a sidebar during streams.
Not everyone is catching up, though. Netflix has yet to support Apple SharePlay, despite no doubt being the most desirable place to get this kind of functionality. For big virtual gatherings, Disney Plus Christmas movies may have the advantage over Netflix Christmas movies.
Instagram recently shared a social trends prediction report that provided insights on how the company perceives its target audience behaving in 2022. Possibly it was in this light that the Meta-owned video and photo sharing platform came up with some tweaks to the way users interacted with the app.
Firstly it reverted to the chronological order of showcasing content and followed it up with a unique way of generating nostalgia among users. The latest in this series is an update that would allow users to upload videos of up to 60 seconds on their Stories. The current length happens to be just 15 seconds.
A report in9to5Mac quoted a post from an Instagram user Turkey to indicate that the social network app has indeed begun notifying select users about this change. At this point in time, videos going beyond 15 seconds gets automatically split into more than one post on Stories. Alternatively, the user could opt for uploading the video on to Reels and then showcasing a clip on Stories.
“Discover longer stories. Videos up to 60 seconds will no longer be segmented,” says the message from Instagram in what appears to be a concerted effort on the part of Meta to regain users from other platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok.
The change comes barely a couple of days after Instagram announced that users can now use the “Reels Visual Replies” feature to post responses on comments around their posts done via Reels. Users will see a new option that allows them to select the Reels button to create a video reply, which will appear as a sticker.
Besides these changes, the report said Instagram was testing a revamped interface for posting Stories that simplifies the process of adding mentions or locations to a post. Of course, there is no information whether these changes would see the light of the day or when it would happen.
The company is also testing a revamped interface for posting Stories that will make it easier to mention other accounts or add a location to a post. It’s unclear when or if Instagram will make these changes available to all users around the world, as right now only a few users can post longer Stories.
Readers would be aware that TikTok has grown in popularity in recent times in spite of a ban in some countries with Snapchat coming up with a new standalone app for creators to edit and post videos. Thus, it is hardly surprising that Instagram is also in the fray to create innovative features that will keep its audience happy.
Salesforce has announced that it has acquired the data storytelling company and Tableau partner Narrative Science for an undisclosed sum.
For those unfamiliar, Narrative Science's journey started a decade ago with the simple mission “to help everyone understand and act on data through the power of data storytelling”.
In addition to being some of the best in the industry, the company's natural language capabilities automate the analysis, build and communication of insights from data in a modern, narrative format that's easier for people to understand.
By integrating Narrative Science with Tableau, Salesforce aims to scale this capability across its entire ecosystem and help customers deliver data insights to even more people in the form of easy-to-understand stories.
Narrative data storytelling
Salesforce's acquisition of Narrative Science comes at a time when data has never been more important with many companies accelerating their digital transformation efforts due to the pandemic.
In an increasingly digital-first world, more data is being created than ever before. According to a recent IDC Study, over 64 zettabytes of data were generated in 2020 and global data creation and replication is set to grow by 23 percent through 2025. While organizations now have more data, analytic capabilities like those offered by Narrative Sciences and Tableau, allow them to find and use insights from their data to drive the success of their business.
In a new blog post, Tableau president and CEO Mark Nelson points out that one of the easiest ways for organizations to become data driven is to incorporate narrative data storytelling. According to Gartner, data stories “will be the most widespread way of consuming analytics” by 2025 and “75% of stories will be automatically generated using augmented analytics techniques”.
Salesforce will be able to reach millions of more people who are underserved with data and help close the data literacy gap by bringing Narrative Science and its award-winning AI to Tableau.
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