Thanks in part to Facebook's privacy blunders, concern over personal data security is growing. And we continue to find things gobbling up our info that we didn't know were doing so. The Wall Street Journal tested 80 iOS apps and discovered that a lot of them are tracking users in ways we aren't aware of. It's a topic that could be a focus during Monday's WWDC keynote.
Two iPhone privacy stories in one week? Yep! The Washington Post conducted its own tests and found 5,400 "hidden" app trackers swiping up data over the course of a week.
After several teases on social media from Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon, new gameplay has finally been revealed showing returning antagonist Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat 11. As the first character for the upcoming Kombat Pack, the soul-stealing sorcerer will be available early for current owners of the DLC on June 18 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. In addition to the new character, Kombat Pack owners will also get early access to Klassic Skins for Scorpion, Noob-Saibot, and Sub-Zero.
As the original antagonist for the Mortal Kombat series, before quickly being brushed aside in favor of big-bads Shao Khan and Shinnok, the sorcerer has gone through many changes throughout the series. However, his combat style has always focused on his abilities to steal men's souls and use their talents against them. In addition to copying his opponent's appearances and skills, the warlock also harnesses the souls of returning ninjas Rain, Smoke, and Ermac--who are interestingly enough found dead in MK11's Krypt. During the battle, he's able to call upon their abilities in mid-combo, allowing him to use Smoke's teleports, Ermac's telekinesis, and Rain's...water-based skills. His fatality, however, features his most gruesome callback, with the MKII mid-boss Kintaro making an unexpected and violent return.
For those who've already played Mortal Kombat 11, you'll know that Shang Tsung is presently in the game as a guide for MK11's Krypt. In the Krypt, you're able to explore his island fortress and uncover its secrets, with him taunting you for any untimely deaths that occur during your journey. Now that he's playable, the soul-stealing warlock looks right at home in Mortal Kombat 11's gruesome battles. For fans of the original live-action film, you'll notice that Shang Tsung is performed by Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa--the same actor from the movie.
The new trailer was all about Shang Tsung. However, it also teased what was to come. Towards the end, three other characters were briefly referenced--which included returning characters Nightwolf and Sindel, both of whom made their first appearances in Mortal Kombat 3. However, the last character to get a shoutout was Image Comics' Spawn--who is the first guest character to make it to MK11. This news will likely be no surprise to those who have been keeping up with certain leaks from the last month, which hinted at the return of these characters, along with Sheeva from MK3 and Ash Williams from the Evil Dead.
In total, the Kombat Pack--which is priced at $39.99--gives you access to six new characters and 19 additional skins for the roster. Just like the current characters, each new fighter will have their own suite of gear and skins to unlock. In 2015, Mortal Kombat X's roster expanded significantly with the influx of DLC fighters, so it'll be interesting to see how much MK11 will change over the course of its post-launch period. Curiously, though, mentions of the Switch version weren't present in the trailer. So it may seem likely that the Switch will receive its own release of the characters from the Kombat Pack at a later time.
For more on Mortal Kombat 11, along with details on when you can expect to learn more about the other characters, be sure to check back with GameSpot.
Actor Bruce Campbell apparently took notice of said new trailer and posted his own reaction to it online which appears to be teasing something fairly obvious for those who have been keeping tabs on leaks, rumors and the sounds found at the end of the latest video. Potential spoilers for the MK11 DLC roster ahead.
Posted on his Twitter account, Campbell retweeted Shang Tsung and the DLC's Mortal Kombat trailer simply stating, "Boy, looks like a swell game - I’ll have to check it out!"
The American-born actor has played many roles in his career including Elvis and Ronald Reagan, but there's only one character of his that would fit perfectly into the world of Mortal Kombat. That character is The Evil Dead's Ashley J. Williams — better known to most of us as the chainsaw-wielding Ash.
Ash was one of the many characters that appeared in Mortal Kombat 11's game files after it was data-mined on the Nintendo Switch, so many assumed that he would be coming as a guest character in the DLC. Campbell himself tried to throw a wrench into that theory, however.
"Consider this my finishing move against a certain internet rumor," said Campbell in a tweet that featured an image of him performing a Fatality on the rumor that Ash was going to be in the game specifically stating that it wasn't going to happen.
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Shang Tsung's trailer, on the other hand, appeared to pretty much confirm Ash's inclusion as one of the two additional guest fighters yet to be revealed thanks to the familiar sound of a chainsaw at the very end of the cast reveal.
Characters like Nightwolf, Sindel and Spawn were also unveiled as part of the Kombat Pack during the ending reveal who were part of the previous data-mines as well though there still remains four fighters from the files yet to be confirmed — the Terminator, DC's Joker, Sheeva and Fujin.
With E3 right around the corner, we could be seeing the rest of the guest characters in Mortal Kombat 11 shown off in the very near future, but NetherRealm Studios will likely hold them back for a while more to build up the hype for their true unveiling.
Apple's annual developer conference, WWDC, kicks off Monday, June 3. Apple uses the conference to announce upcoming changes to its suite of operating systems. That means we can expect iOS 13, MacOS 10.15, WatchOS 6 and TVOS 13. (Here's how to watch WWDC live.)
We do anticipate we'll get additional info about Apple's plans to bring more iOS apps to the Mac, through a project currently called Project Marzipan. The idea of being able to install and use your favorite iPhone apps on your Mac is incredibly appealing and downright convenient, but it isn't going to happen overnight. Let's take a look at what Marzipan is exactly, as well as a potential name, timing and why you should even care.
Apple News on the Mac is the same Apple News app on your iPhone, thanks to Marzipan.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
What is Project Marzipan?
As far as Apple is concerned, Marzipan isn't a dessert, it's an internal code name. Specifically, it's a code name for Apple's initiative to give developers the tools to bring iOS apps to the Mac. To be clear, Apple hasn't ever directly called the initiative Marzipan; it's a name that's been leaked in various reports.
We got our first look at Marzipan apps when MacOS Mojave launched with the addition of Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home.
Previously, it hasn't been possible for iOS apps to run on a Mac (or vice versa) due to differences in the underlying frameworks -- or software code required for apps to work on a platform. Up until now, iOS has relied solely on UIKit, while MacOS has used AppKit.
With Marzipan, Apple is adding elements of UIKit to MacOS, making it possible for an iOS app to run on a Mac.
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Will it really be called Marzipan?
We doubt it. We don't know what Apple will ultimately call these types of apps, but we have a good guess. Right now Apple refers to iOS apps that are built for the iPhone ($1,000 at Amazon) and the iPad ($249 at Walmart) as "Universal" apps, so it's possible we'll see Apple use that same name for apps built to work with the iPhone, the iPad and the Mac.
At WWDC 2018, Apple made it clear it has no plans to merge iOS and MacOS.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Wait, don't we already have Universal Apple apps?
Yes, but those apps are limited to the iPhone and iPad right now. We do have features like Continuity for using your iPhone to place phone calls on your Mac, or sharing clipboard contents between your iPad and Macbook. Looking back, it becomes clear features such as hand-off (for things like opening an email you're viewing on your iPad on your Mac) have been precursors to true universal apps in Apple's ecosystem.
When will more iOS apps come to the Mac?
At Apple's WWDC conference last year, the company announced that iOS apps coming to the Mac would roll out in two phases. The first was the release of Apple's own apps on MacOS. Then Apple promised the second phase would give developers the tools to begin porting their iOS apps to MacOS in 2019.
Apple's annual developer conference starts Monday, and we expect to hear a lot more about how Marzipan will work, what it'll really be called and any limitations that iOS developers will have to keep in mind.
Whatever Apple announces Monday will be available only to developers until a public release later this year, possibly in September, when such Apple releases typically happen.
Why should you care?
Take a look at the difference between the iOS App Store and Mac App Store in terms of quality and quantity and it quickly becomes apparent the Mac App Store is lacking all around. Developers just don't invest their time into developing apps for the Mac.
But if Apple can provide developers with a simple tool so that it takes only a few minutes to create a Mac version of their iOS app, we're likely to see the number of high-quality Mac apps increase.
In theory, apps like Netflix, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube could wind up on the Mac. The longterm goal of Marzipan is to combine iOS and Mac apps so developers don't have to pick and choose which hardware to support. They build an app once, and it works across all your Apple devices. It's a scenario that benefits users and developers alike.
Not to mention that learning how to use one version of the app, or finding and sticking with an app you love across all your devices, is superconvenient.
With any luck, we'll learn a lot more about Marzipan on Monday during the WWDC opening keynote presentation, which starts at 10 a.m. PT. The keynote event will be livestreamed, should you want to tune in and see all the new feature announcements as they happen.
Apple will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 3, where it's expected to unveil new software features for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac computers.
It will be an important moment for the company as its App Store and its relationship with developers has been in the spotlight in recent months.
In addition to revealing new software for its product lineup, we will also likely hear Apple address hot-button topics such as user privacy and its relationship with developers and consumers.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is always an important event for the iPhone maker, but this year's gathering is likely to be watched particularly closely.
That's because the conference comes just as Apple's widely popular App Store and its relationship with developers have been in the spotlight for a couple of reasons. Earlier this month, a Supreme Court ruling allowed iPhone owners to pursue a lawsuit against the App Store, in which the Apple customers argued that the 30% fee Apple charges developers makes apps more expensive for consumers.
Some app developers are also concerned that the company is unfairly using its position as the operator of the App Store to gain a competitive advantage. Spotify, for example, filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission over Apple's App Store policies, which it says gives the iPhone maker an unfair edge.
Several developers behind screen-time-management apps also interpreted Apple's decision to pull their programs from the App Store following the launch of Apple's own similar feature to be a targeted move, as The New York Times reported. (Apple says it removed these apps to protect consumer privacy).
As such, it wouldn't be surprising to hear Apple tackle these topics in some way on stage during its opening keynote, possibly by discussing how it prioritizes the interests of its customers and developer community.
Privacy has also been a prominent topic for Apple as well as other big tech firms such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon in recent months. Apple has been very vocal about its privacy efforts through a slew of ads and public comments as of late, and we're likely to hear more about this at its upcoming conference.
And, of course, among the most anticipated announcements are the new features coming to Apple's line of products, from its iPhones to the Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV, which the company will preview on stage.
Mortal Kombat 11 managed to survive its launch, despite a few problems tied to the reward system and a number of reports about the toxic workplace culture at NetherRealm Studios. Brushing aside these launch issues, the team behind the game has now shown off the first Kombat Pack character and confirmed the majority of additional fighters coming to the game.
Fans of this overly violent release can look forward to Shang Tsung, Sindel, Nightwolf along with the guest Spawn and two other special characters, believed to be Ash from Evil Dead series and the Terminator. This pack also throws in "skin and gear" with each character, along with extra skins for existing fighters. Below is a trailer confirming all of this information and an extended look at the skilled sorcerer, Shang Tsung:
As you can see in the above trailer, Shang Tsung, who first appeared in the original Mortal Kombat game as a boss, is a demonic shapeshifter who has the ability to absorb souls and transform into other characters. In this clip, he takes on the form of Rain, Reptile, Smoke, Ermac, Noob Saibot, Sub-Zero, Scorpion and calls on Kintaro for his fatality. Kombat Pack owners get early access to Shang Tsung on 18th June. As previously confirmed, this fighter is voiced by the Japanese-American actor, martial artist and stuntman Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who starred as the character in the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie.
In addition to this to the DLC reveal, the game has also received an absolutely massive update on the Switch, adjusting and fixing multiple issues. View the full patches notes over on the Mortal Kombat subreddit.
Are you still enjoying Mortal Kombat 11 on the Switch? What are your thoughts about the confirmed fighters? Tell us down in the comments.
“The record companies are in a difficult situation because people want to buy their music online, but there’s no real way to do it, so they steal it,” Jobs said. “The users are in a bad situation because most of them don’t want to steal music online, but there’s no other way to get it that’s any good.” Jobs proposed iTunes as “a middle way, a middle path out of this.”
