Apple has made deals with the independent label's digital rights organization Merlin and with Martin Mills’ indie powerhouse Beggars Group, reports Billboard (http://bit.ly/1Rw1nhW). In a letter sent to Merlin members, CEO Charles Caldas writes, "I am pleased to say that Apple has made a decision to pay for all usage of Apple Music under the free trials on a per-play basis, as well as to modify a number of other terms that members had been communicating directly with Apple about. With these changes, we are happy to support the deal." On Tuesday Apple reversed course and said it will pay artists during the free three-month trial of its new Apple Music service. This happened after pop star Taylor Swift threatened to hold back her latest album “1989” from Apple Music. Apple's streaming music service launches June 30 for iOS and Mac OS X devices. Android is next, and Apple anticipates attracting 100 million paying subscribers.

 Zevrix Solutions (www.zevrix.com) has released Output Factory 1.5.30, a compatibility update to its professional solution to automate printing, exporting and post-processing from Adobe InDesign. Output Factory automates and simplifies workflows of printers, prepress bureaus, ad agencies and publishing houses worldwide by offering batch processing with powerful and time-saving output options. The new version makes Output Factory compatible with the recently announced 2015 release of InDesign CC, featured as part of Adobe Creative Cloud. The update is offered free of charge to Output Factory users. The same version of Output Factory can be used with any version of InDesign from CS3 and later. Output Factory can be purchased from Zevrix for US$169.95 (a "lite" version is available for $119.95), as well as from authorized resellers and Adobe Exchange. Trial is also available for download. BatchOutput users can upgrade to Output Factory for $84.97. Output Factory requires Mac OS X 10.6-...

If you've played games online you may have suffered from lags and kicks. Hasten (http://www.nspira.com/hasten) is a new, US$5.99 status bar app for Mac OS X designed to reduce your latency to remote servers. This helps to reduce your lag when playing online games and improve your performance by providing a smoother connection to the server. Hasten does this by optimizing your network performance to send vital data more quickly to the remote server, according to the app developers at Nspira. "One of the main causes of lag when playing online, is the result of the server waiting for data from your computer," they say. "Delays can be caused by congestion on the internet. If there is a delay in the server receiving data, its causes lag. Hasten helps to prevent this congestion by changing how your Mac transfers data over the Internet."

Apple is now a Promoter Member of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (https://www.bluetooth.org). Founded in 1998, it's a not-for-profit, non-stock corporation. The SIG owns the Bluetooth trademarks and oversees development of the Bluetooth standard. The Bluetooth SIG’s main tasks are to: publish Bluetooth specifications; administer the qualification program; protect the Bluetooth trademarks; and evangelize Bluetooth wireless technology. Promoter members get voting rights on Bluetooth corporate matters and a guaranteed seat on the board of directors. Other Promoter Members are Ericsson, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nokia and Toshiba. Apple will now have even more influence over the tech roadmap for Bluetooth.

Reggie Ashworth (www.reggieashworth.com) has released AppDelete 4.2.1, an update to his application deletion utility for Mac OS X (10.7 or higher). Via drag and drop, it will uninstall anything along with all of the associated items. Mac users will no longer have to hunt through their system to find and delete these items manually. AppDelete 4.2.1 is a Yosemite optimized version that includes an user interface refresh. AppDelete 4.2.1 costs US$7.99 for a single user license. Upgrades from version 2/AppDelete Lite are $3.99. A demo is available

Apple has changed its policy and now says it will pay artists during the free three-month trial of its new Apple Music service, after pop star Taylor Swift threatened to hold back her latest album "1989" from Apple Music, reports Reuters (http://tinyurl.com/nvfyeqg). "When I woke up this morning and read Taylor’s note, it really solidified that we need to make a change," Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, said in an interview with Reuters. Swift, 25, said in a Tumblr post (bit.ly/1eAa3Ys) on Sunday that she would hold back her album as she found Apple's policy of not paying artists during free trial shocking and disappointing as it would hurt young artists just starting out. After Apple reversed course, she turned to Twitter to thank both Apple and her supporters, telling her 59 million Twitter followers: "I am elated and relieved. Thank you for your words of support today. They listened to us." Want more? Sign up for the Apple Daily Report...

Econ Technologies (www.econtechnologies.com) has updated ChronoSync to version 4.6.2 and ChronoAgent to version 1.5.3. Both updates contain several fixes and, as always, whether it’s a minor or major update all existing users update for free. For new users ChronoSync costs US$49.99and ChronoAgent costs $14.99. ChronoSync automated synchronization and backup application for Mac OS X that can synchronize, backup, and create bootable backups. ChronoAgent is a utility that runs on a destination Mac and communicates directly with ChronoSync running on another Mac. 

The original iPad mini is no longer listed onApple’s web site, nor can you buy it from Apple's online store, notes 9to5Mac.com. Introduced in October 2012, the first iPad mini established the industrial design that was subsequently used in the iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3, as well as the larger iPad Air and iPad Air 2, the article notes. Apple continued to sell the 16GB iPad mini as an entry-level model alongside two of its sequels, dropping its price to US$299 in October 2013, then $249 in October 2014.

Eltima Software has announced Typeeto 1.1 (http://tinyurl.com/pl4arjk), an update to their keyboard controller for Mac OS X 10.9 and higher. Typeeto provides real-time access to a full-scale Mac keyboard for easier interaction and typing on other devices, such as iOS, Android, game consoles and other gadgets. You can connect as many devices as you need to your Mac and switch between them in one click. Version 1.1 release boasts a number of improvements. Typeeto 1.1 costs US$9.99 and is available worldwide exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Utilities category.

A group of local citizens is opposing Apple's proposed €850 million data center near Athenry, Co Galway, Ireland, according to The Irish Times (http://tinyurl.com/olvyfw2). Energy use concerns, impact of noise on a local primary school and on bird life, and the potential for a "greenway" cycle route are among the issues raised in a number of submissions on the project lodged with the Galway County Council by residents of Lisheenkyle, near Oranmore in Co Galway. The governing body was supposed to reach a decision on Apple's application on Thursday, but is now seeking "further information." The residents are critical of the environmental impact statement (EIS) accompanying Apple’s planning application, which seeks approval for a 24,505 square meter, single-story data center building, along with logistics, administration, maintenance and security buildings in the townland of Palmerstown and Toberroe near Athenry, notes The Irish Times. Apple's application includes proposals for 18...

DxO has introduced the DxO ONE, a compact camera that delivers DSLR image quality and which attaches directly to an iPhone. At 3.8 ounces and 2.65 inches tall, the DxO ONE fits in a pocket, yet features a f/1.8, 32mm equivalent aspherical lens with a variable 6-blade iris and a 1-inch 20.2MP CMOS BSI sensor. Made of aluminum, the DxO ONE that has been engineered with the iPhone and iPad in mind; it attaches via the Lightning connector, turning the Apple smartphone display into the camera's viewfinder. The camera swivels 60 degrees in either direction/ The DxO ONE achieves a DxOMark Sensor Score of 70, and up to 85 when using the SuperRAW technology, on par with full frame DSLRs and dramatically higher than any smartphone, according to Jerome Meniere, CEO and founder of DxO. A SuperRAW file is the result of four RAW frames captured in quick succession. "It's possible to shoot crystal-clear images under moonlight, which is incredible for a camera this small," Meniere adds. "The shallow...

321Soft (www.321soft.com) has released EasySplitMerge 2.0.1, an update of the file splitter and merger for Mac OS X. It lets you split a large file into multiple chunks, then rejoin them. EasySplitMerge supports most types of files.   A demo version is available for download. A single user license is available for US$19.95. EasySplitMerge requires Mac OS X 10.6 and higher

Six university researchers claim to have revealed deadly zero-day flaws in Apple's iOS and OS X, saying it's possible to crack Apple's Keychain, break app sandboxes and bypass its App Store security checks so that attackers can steal passwords from any installed app including the native email client without being detected, reports The Register (http://tinyurl.com/o4y4wja). The team says it was able to upload malware to the Apple app store, passing the vetting process without triggering alerts that could raid the keychain to steal passwords for services including iCloud and the Mail app, and all those store within Google Chrome. Lead researcher says he and his team complied with Apple's request to withhold publication of the research for six months, but had not heard back as of the time of writing. They say the holes are still present in the Apple operating systems, says The Register.

MacAppware (http://www.macappware.com) has updated Candy Apple, a vector based graphic design and illustration app designed for Mac OS X. It lets you create drawings, logos, banners, buttons, icons and more. Version 1.7 adds support for exporting in Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) format, adds video tutorials to the MacAppware website, and fixes a couple bugs reported by users. Candy Apple is supported on Mac OS X 10.6.8 and higher. It's available on both the Mac App Store and the MacAppware website, for a limited time discount of US$14.99, a savings of 50% off the full price of $29.99.

CS Odessa (www.conceptdraw.com) has announced a new addition to ConceptDraw Solution Park designed to document Microsoft Azure cloud implementations. The collection of library objects, templates, and example drawings for ConceptDraw Pro are designed to make make short work of describing any business' cloud implementation. The ConceptDraw Pro Azure Architecture Solution is available at no charge to users of ConceptDraw Pro 10 and ConceptDraw Office 3, via ConceptDraw Solution Park. The Azure Architecture Solution for ConceptDraw PRO includes six libraries with 242 scalable objects that can be used to describe Azure management, Azure storage, and Azure services. They can be used to illustrate diagrams with any level of detail desired. ConceptDraw Pro retails for US$199 per end user license. ConceptDraw Pro 10, ConceptDraw Office 3 includes ConceptDraw MindMap 8, ConceptDraw Project 7 and the ConceptDraw Solution Park and retails for $499.

Adobe (www.adobe.com) has launched the 2015 upgrade of its Adobe Creative Cloud tools and services, which updates Photoshop CC, Illustrator CC, Premiere Pro CC and InDesign CC, as well as new connected mobile apps for iOS and Android. The company also shipped Adobe Stock, a stock content service to be integrated directly into the creative process and the tools creatives use every day. In addition, Adobe announced an expanded Creative Cloud enterprise offering that includes enterprise-grade administration, security, collaboration and publishing services for design-driven brands, businesses and large organizations. According to David Wadhwani, senior vice president, Digital Media, Adobe, with the 2015 release of Creative Cloud, Adobe magic and Mercury performance provide speed and technology breakthroughs across 15 CC desktop applications, including: ° Photoshop CC introduces Artboards, a way to design cross-device user experiences in a single Photoshop document and quickly preview...

Robert Kondrk, the Apple executive who negotiates music deals along with media boss Eddy Cue, says that, in the U.S., Apple will pay music owners 71.5% of Apple Music’s subscription revenue. The average among other streaming services is around 70%. Outside the U.S., the number will fluctuate, but will average around 73%, he told Re/code (http://on.recode.net/1Bi1T0O). The article says these totals include payments to the people who own the sound recordings Apple Music will play, as well as the people who own the publishing rights to songs’ underlying compositions. That doesn’t mean the money will necessarily go to the musicians who recorded or wrote the songs, since their payouts are governed by often-byzantine contracts with music labels and publishers, notes Re/code. Also, these payments aren't in effect for the three-month free trial period Apple offers. In fact, during that time period, there are no payments to anyone. Apple Music launches June 30 for iOS and Mac OS X devices....

Global Payments (https://www.globalpaymentsinc.com), a worldwide provider of payment technology services, says it will offer its merchants in the UK the ability to accept Apple Pay. "Global Payments is delighted to offer Apple Pay to merchants in another of our major markets, clearly demonstrating our ability to effectively leverage our global infrastructure and market position," says said David Mangum, Global Payments president and chief operating officer. "Just as our U.S. merchants have experienced the simplified checkout process and enhanced customer experience, including privacy and security, that come with Apple Pay, our UK merchants will soon enjoy the same benefits." When you add a credit or debit card to Apple Pay, the actual card numbers aren't stored on the device, or on Apple servers. Instead, a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and securely stored in the Secure Element on your device. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security...

MacDaddy (http://macdaddy.io) has launched Mac Backup Guru 5.0, an update to their backup app for Mac OS X. Mac Backup Guru offers direct drive cloning, synchronization, and incremental snapshots of data. Users can backup small amounts of files and data, or entire drives full of data. Version 5.0 offers an improved interface, faster and more stable cloning ability, more intuitive scheduling, improved incremental snapshots, and better performing background synchronization. Mac Backup Guru 5.0 requires Mac OS X 10.9 or later and costs US$39. It's available directly from the MacDaddy website. A free trial download is also available.

Apple has posted the spoof video that opened this week's Worldwide Developer Conference on YouTube. Dubbed "Backstage," it features Saturday Night Live alumnis Bill Hader as a director tasked with producing an opening musical number for the developer event. The parody features celebrity cameos, an elevator full of Tim Cook look-a-likes, nodes to popular apps such as Angry Birds, and more.

Synium Software (www.syniumsoftware.com) has launched MacFamilyTree 7.5, an upgrade of their genealogy application for Mac OS X. The new version allows you to create Family tree books, browse places of your family history in Apple Maps or access original documents through FamilySearch. You can now create, share and print family books. Family books include all important data contained in your family tree and supplements it with informative and graphically impressive charts, statistics, and reports. Numerous templates and styles are available to help you create family books quickly. MacFamilyTree 7.5 also supports Apple's new Photos app for access to images and videos. The app comes with full integration of FamilySearch, which is a free research service that lets you search not only billions of ancestral data sets but also original documents such as certificates, immigration and church registers, and many more official documents. Until June 21, MacFamilyTree is available for US$24.99...

At least two Apple retail store workers complained directly to CEO Tim Cook that the company's policy of checking retail employees' bags as a security precaution was "embarrassing and demeaning," according to a court filing made public on Wednesday — as noted by Reuters (http://tinyurl.com/ofdvfp3). The employee complaints, which a judge ordered unsealed, are part of a 2013 lawsuit alleging Apple should compensate employees for the time it takes to conduct the searches. One worker, whose name was blacked out of the court filing, told Cook in a 2012 message that Apple managers "are required to treat 'valued' employees as criminals." Cook forwarded it to top retail and human resources executives with the query: "Is this true?" Reuters says the court filing doesn't include what responses the CEO received.

YAWMOO (http://www.yawmoo.com ) has released CPPlay 1.1, an update to its C and C++ interpreted environment for Mac OS X Yosemite. CPPlay allows developers to enter code and immediately see the results, much like Apple's Swift Playground feature in Xcode. Its environment allows customization of the window layout, with available views that include the Source Code view to create, edit and remove source code files; the Web view to browse the web for tutorials and other documentation without ever leaving CPPlay; the Console view for standard input/output; the Notes view for taking notes about their project; and the OpenGL view for viewing any drawing or animation they create with CPPlay. CPPlay 1.1 requires Mac OS X Yosemite and costs US$6.99. It's available worldwide exclusively through the Mac App Store in the Developer Tools

9to5Mac.com notes that Apple has changed its policy regarding permissions required to build and run apps on devices. Until now, Apple required users to pay US$99/year to become a member of Apple’s Developer Program in order to run code on physical iPhone and iPads. As part of the new Developer Program (https://developer.apple.com), this is no longer necessary. Apps can be tested on devices, no purchase necessary.