Apple Eyes Old Magic with Latest Products
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2014 technology World of Warcraft pays tribute to Robin Williams WASHINGTON: Hollywood star Robin Williams, who announced the find on fan site Wowhead. of the game, which comes out November 13. on the @Warcraft account. who died August 11 and was a devoted video The fan also gave details of other apparent Blizzard Entertainment did not immediately The actor’s love of video games was evident game fan, has made a subtle cameo in “World tributes to Williams: a character in suspenders respond to a request for comment. But three in the choice of his daughter’s name: Zelda, in of Warcraft,” as promised by gamemaker like Williams’ Mork from the sitcom “Mork & days after the actor’s death by apparent sui- reference to the Nintendo classic “The Legend Blizzard Entertainment. In a test version of Mindy” as well as a woman who resembles Mrs cide, Blizzard had said it would memorialize of Zelda.” The death of Williams, one of “Warlords of Draenor,” a futuristic character Doubtfire, from the 1993 movie in which the beloved actor in the game. “.@robin- Hollywood’s brightest stars, sparked world- named Robin emerges from a lamp to quote Williams cross-dressed as an elderly nanny. williams Thank you. You gave us so much joy in wide mourning. He suffered from severe two lines from Disney’s “Aladdin” genie, who According to specialist website The Verge, our lives, and we hope you enjoyed your time depression and early signs of Parkinson’s dis- was voiced by Williams. It was a game devotee other tributes may appear in the final version in our world. We’ll see you in-game,” they wrote ease. — AFP Apple eyes old magic with latest products Apple likely to unveil the iWatch SAN FRANCISCO: With its highly awaited prod- uct launch next week, Apple is aiming for a new “big thing” as the iconic gadget-maker finds itself under pressure over a celebrity photo theft scandal. Apple has been customarily tight- lipped ahead of its Tuesday event at a perform- ing arts center where late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer This photo shows a scene from the video game, “Republique.” — AP 30 years ago. But those who follow Apple are expecting bigger versions of the iPhone and perhaps more significantly-an entry into wear- Game creators seek ables with an “iWatch” at the event led by Apple chief Tim Cook. mature storytelling The choice of venue has fueled talk that Apple will crash the wearable computing party SEATTLE: For many of the game designers “My end goal is to not only make enough with a health-themed smartwatch, in a bid to showing off their latest creations at the recent money to keep the business going and our 25 dominate the segment the same way it ruled Penny Arcade video game expo in Seattle, the employees well fed,” said Payton. “It’s also that I smartphones, tablets and MP3 players with push to feature more mature storytelling has know, through our game, we could touch mil- iPhones, iPads and iPods.”This is probably the been one of their most significant challenges. lions - if not possibly tens of millions - of people last major thing that Steve personally will give “We are changing as a medium,” said Richard in all parts of the world and get them to think us,” Creative Strategies president Tim Bajarin Dansky, a writer who has worked on several seriously about surveillance infrastructures, said. “It is Tim Cook’s design, but the genesis “Tom Clancy” games, in a talk called “You’re So whether they’re corporate or governmental.” began with Steve’s journey through health Mature! Is Storytelling in Games Coming of While indie games have long been the biggest issues.” Age?” While recognizing there have been seri- sector of the industry to tackle sociopolitical ous-minded games going back to the days of topics like diversity, personal freedom, mental Bigger than music 1980s text-based adventures, Dansky said an health and sexual identity, developers at PAX Bajarin says the impetus for a wearable Apple unstoppable evolution is afoot in the industry - Prime said that line of thinking has come to device came from Jobs and his frustration with SAN FRANCISCO: The Apple logo is seen in file photo at the Yerba Buena Center for Arts in San an evolution that has sparked recent online many mainstream games in recent years, point- the health care system while battling the illness Francisco. — AFP feuding between fans, bloggers and developers. ing to “The Last of Us” and “The Walking Dead: that took his life in late 2011. Apple could use its “We are throwing open new doors and The Game” as examples of titles that took such services such as online data storage locker design to entice software developers to tailor Google Wallet. exploring new territory in ways that are advanc- risks. iCloud to aggregate health information and act applications for hardware that won’t be available ing faster and obviously making some people Toiya Kristen Finley, a writer who recently as a mediator with the health care industry. “You for months. “I believe it will be another historic Black eye for Apple unhappy,” he said. “We can’t just say, ‘They have worked on a mobile game called “Fat Chicken,” could see this being bigger for Apple than the product for Apple,” Bajarin said. Apple would be asking people to trust it with to deal with it.’ They’re letting us know they’re which light-heartedly looks at the issue of facto- music industry,” Bajarin said, referring to the health and more financial data after taking a unhappy in ways that are reprehensible. It’s up ry farming, said the most difficult topic for game company’s prosperous iTunes store. “Money iPhone goes phablet bruising over the release of nude photos of to us to keep reinforcing and pushing for designers to confront has been sexual abuse. spent on health care makes the money spent in Confidence is high, and timing is right, for celebrities including Oscar winner Jennifer change.” Over the past 50 years, the interactive She chastised the PlayStation 3 game “Beyond: the music industry look like peanuts.” Apple to introduce new-generation iPhone 6 Lawrence from its cloud. Apple says there was medium once considered merely child’s play has Two Souls” for limiting interactivity during a Cook has stated that wearable computing models with screen sizes stretched to tap into no breach of its iCloud and that the celebrities gained both financial and cultural significance, scene that dealt with a sexual assault at a bar. makes more sense on the wrist than in eyewear love for “phablets” combining features of smart- had their accounts hacked by using easy-to- but a disparity persists, as evidenced on the floor such as Google Glass. Apple is fine-tuning a new phones and tablets. “Frankly that’s one of the guess passwords, or by giving up their personal of the Seattle expo, known as PAX Prime. There, Storytelling in games mobile operating system that could allow for things they need to do to improve their standing data to cybercriminals posing as Apple. the likes of the kid-friendly, cartoony “Pokemon” “I’m not saying you can’t have that content, mobile payments and includes a health plat- in the market,” Forrester analyst Frank Gillett said Cook told the Wall Street Journal that Apple icon Pikachu loomed over gamers firing virtual but I think it’s a problem when it’s shortcut char- form, which could mesh nicely with an “iWatch” of iPhones getting bigger. “Much of the market would step up its iCloud security by sending guns and slashing virtual throats in “Far Cry 4” acter development,” said Finely. “It’s often used to for tracking activity, sleep, pulse and more and popularity of smartphones has been driven by alerts when attempts are made to change pass- and “Assassin’s Creed.” toughen a character up, but it just doesn’t work connecting to an iPhone or iPad. large screens.” Apple has seen sales growth for words or access iCloud data on new devices. that way. When you experience trauma, it can While Apple is not the first to dive into the iPhones, but slower than its rivals like Samsung. Jack Gold, analyst with J Gold Associates, argues Indie games take years of healing. It’s a long process. It’s disre- business of building brains into wearable The iPhone has a leading share in the US market that “this will go away, unless it happens again in “I think it’s important not to lose track that specting to the character and players who’ve devices, the company is likely to set its offering of some 40 percent, but its worldwide share of the near term. But it is certainly a black eye for games tackling serious subjects have been been through that, as well.” apart with a trademark blend of style and inno- the smartphone market is less than 12 percent, Apple.” woven into the DNA of the industry since the Ultimately, designers like Qais Fulton, who vation. “Apple did not introduce the MP3 player, according to surveys. Gartner analyst Van Baker If Apple delivers on expectations Tuesday, it beginning,” said Dansky. “We’ve always had peo- has worked on such games as “Crimson Dragon” they made it better; they didn’t invent the smart- predicts Apple will unveil an iPhone 6 with a could regain some of the shine rubbed off by ple who’ve attempted to use this medium for and “Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death,” phone, they made it better; they didn’t invent screen increased to 4.7 inches, and that odds are the celebrity photo hacking.