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ExtraBITS for 1 April 2015

What?! Does something about this article seem odd, not as you remember, or too good to be true? Check the date it was published!

In today’s collection of ExtraBITS, the Apple TV gets more channels, Adobe announces Flash for the Apple Watch, Apple is considering rebranding iCloud once again, and Apple’s next big thing hits a regulatory wall.

Apple TV Gains More Channels — Apple has added ten more channels to the Apple TV, including TED, Tastemade, Young Hollywood, CNNGo, The Home Shopping Network, QVC, The Game Show Network, SQUIRREL TV, The Indonesian Plumbing Channel, and Extreme Curling. All require activation with a cable or satellite provider; however, Comcast is not currently supported.

Adobe Announces Flash for Apple Watch — In a surprise move, Adobe has announced that its beleaguered Flash platform will be supported by the Apple Watch at launch. Despite Flash being publicly rejected on iOS by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen said that Apple was welcoming Flash to its new device “with open arms.” Apple Vice President of Technology Kevin Lynch, who oversaw development of the Apple Watch, said, “Apple Watch users are going to love being able to play Flash games and watch Flash movies on their wrists.” Before joining Apple in 2013, Lynch was Chief Technology Officer at Adobe and a vocal proponent of Flash.

Apple Considering Rebranding iCloud as eWorld — Rumor sites are abuzz with the news that Apple is reportedly considering rebranding its iCloud suite of online services as eWorld. Some of you may remember the original eWorld as Apple’s first foray into the online world back in the mid-1990s (see “An Electronic World,” 7 February 1994). Reportedly, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been concerned that the iCloud brand has been tarnished by unreliability and security problems (see “iCloud Flaw Not Source of Celebrity Photo Theft,” 2 September 2014). Apple hopes to bring everything full circle, with the company convinced that it has finally gotten online services right.

Apple Car Air Delayed by FAA — Red tape from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has reportedly delayed the still-unannounced Apple Car Air, currently being developed under a different name by a small company seemingly unaffiliated with Apple. While Apple wants the Apple Car Air to be flyable by anyone with a sport pilot license, the FAA is insisting that purchasers obtain at least a recreational pilot license, given that the Apple Car Air will be heavier than regulations allow for light sport aircraft. Originally slated for a debut in 2020, rumors suggest the Apple Car Air has been pushed off until 2025, pending
successful lobbying efforts.

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