The Pokemon Direct that aired on June 5 showed off a new trailer and more details for Pokemon Sword and Shield. One of those new details was a bit unclear; the trailer and subsequent clips showed Pokemon roaming the overworld, similar to Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee, but we also saw a random-style encounter in the tall grass. So, are there going to be random encounters or not?
From what we can tell so far, it seems like random encounters are mostly, if not totally, gone. The Direct showed a variety of Pokemon roaming the overworld, much like in the Let's Go games. You encounter these wild Pokemon in something called the Wild Area, which refers to the expanse of nature between cities; in the Wild Area, you'll encounter different Pokemon based on your specific location and the weather. You initiate battles with these Pokemon by running into them, though some will chase you down once they spot you.
Click To Unmute
Pokemon Sword And Pokemon Shield - Official Reveal Trailer
Size:
Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?
The Direct also showed a more typical wild Pokemon encounter in the tall grass. As it turns out, you have some control over these encounters as well. A small exclamation point will appear in the grass, indicating that a Pokemon is there, and then you can initiate the battle by running into it--just like with the Pokemon that physically appear in the overworld. It's unclear if there are any occasions where Pokemon will attack you totally at random and as a surprise, but it seems like that's unlikely. We've reached out for clarification and will update this story once we hear more.
For more news from the Pokemon Direct, see our explanation of the new Dynamax mechanic and all the new Galar Pokemon. Pokemon Sword and Shield are set to release on November 15; you can learn more about that in our pre-order guide.
In the future, you might be able to ask Siri to play your Spotify music and podcasts. According to MacRumors, iOS 13 and iPadOS will open the SiriKit framework to third-party music, podcast, audiobook and radio apps. So, when it comes to playing DJ, Siri will be able to control more than your Apple Music, Podcast and TV apps -- formerly known as iTunes, RIP.
This could be good news for Apple customers who have, for instance, carefully crafted Spotify playlists. But, it's now up to third party developers to make their apps work with Siri. In March, Spotify filed a complaint claiming App Store rules give Apple an unfair advantage. According to MacRumors, Siri's inability to integrate with Spotify was one of the main issues.
Regardless of how that drama plays out, we'll have to wait for this new, more welcoming Siri. While the first iOS 13 and iPadOS betas were released Monday, the public betas won't launch until July, and we'll have to wait until September for the full software update to rollout.
Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., listens during an American Workforce Policy Advisory board meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, not pictured, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, March 6, 2019.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Apple is being sued by developers who claim it uses its "abusive monopoly" power to force them to pay a high commission rate for sales of apps through the App Store.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, comes as Apple and other big tech companies like Google and Facebook face mounting antitrust scrutiny, including a potential probe from the U.S. Department of Justice, according to Reuters. The Supreme Court recently ruled that consumers could bring a different lawsuit that argues the company inflates the price of iPhone software by taking a 30% commission on app sales.
In the new class-action complaint filed in the San Jose Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the developers complain they have "no choice" but to sell their apps on Apple's App Store.
"[F]rom the outset, Apple attained monopoly power in the U.S. market for iOS app and in-app-product distribution services by slamming the door shut on any and all potential competitors. And it has barred the door ever since," the complaint said.
The plaintiffs, iOS developers Donald R. Cameron and Pure Sweat Basketball Inc., said in the lawsuit that the 30% commission Apple takes on sales of paid apps and in-app products is "supra-competitive" and that developers have no choice but to pay the $99 annual developer fee to sell in Apple's marketplace.
The argument is similar to that of Spotify, which has filed its own complaint against Apple with European Union antitrust regulators. Spotify has accused Apple of anti-competitive behavior through the use of its commission fees, which it says helps favor Apple's own music streaming service over rivals'. Apple responded to Spotify's complaint by saying it creates a safe and secure marketplace for app developers, which is why it takes a cut of app sales.
In response to a request for comment on the lawsuit filed Tuesday, Apple pointed to the new website it launched touting the App Store's openness to competition. On the site, Apple calls the App Store, "A store that welcomes competition," and gives examples of several apps and services that compete with its own.
E3 2019 may be just around the corner, but for Pokemon fans, the most exciting news arrived today during a special Pokemon Direct. Unlike the broader E3 Direct set for next week, which will show off a number of Switch games releasing in 2019, the presentation was focus exclusively on the highly anticipated Pokemon Sword and Shield. During the Direct, Nintendo confirmed a release date, showed off new Pokemon, and detailed exciting new multiplayer features.
If you missed it, don't despair, you can rewatch the entire stream using the vide below. It's roughly 15 minutes long and packed with new information, so get yourself some snacks and settle in. We've also included all the biggest news that came out of the stream for you to read below. Once you've made your way to the end of this article, you'll be an expert on everything that has happened with Pokemon Sword and Shield so far. .
Pokemon Sword And Shield Release Date Confirmed
During the Nintendo Direct, Pokemon developer Game Freak confirmed that Pokemon Sword / Shield's release dates as on November 15. Better yet, it's a global release date, so no one will be feeling left out when Poke-fever hits later this year.
Pokemon Sword And Shield's Awesome New Legendaries
Nintendo introduced us to Pokemon Sword and Shield's new Legendary Pokemon. As you might expect, the two new Legendaries embody the "Sword" and "Shield" titles, with Zamazenta having a shield-like design and Zacian holding a sword-like item in its mouth.
Pokemon Sword / Shield: Characters And Story Details Revealed
Nintendo and The Pokémon Company will reveal all-new details about the next game in the franchise, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield for Switch, in a new Pokémon Direct presentation on Wednesday, June 5. The Nintendo Direct-style presentation will be streamed at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT, and include “roughly 15 minutes of new information” on Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Pokémon Sword and Shield is set in the new, U.K.-inspired Galar region and will introduce eighth-generation Pokémon to the series. Those new Pokémon include Sword and Shield’s starters, Grookey, Scorbunny, and Sobble, who will be part of a brand-new story.
Beyond that, not much has been revealed about the next Pokémon games, but hopefully we’ll learn more about the new starters, moves, trainers, and evolutions, and get an official release date in today’s Pokémon Direct.
iPadOS adds some key features, including multiple windows in the same app.
Scott Stein/CNET
I'd love to take an iPad around as my main work machine. I've come close. But I haven't crossed over. The 11-inch iPad Pro is a fantastic piece of hardware. The limits? The software.
Apple's newly renamed iPadOS is a commitment to the iPad platform as a distinct thing from iOS on the iPhone. But it's already been that way: Many key iPad features aren't on the iPhone. With iPadOS, the distance between the two is growing. The iPad's getting some serious tools that will let it handle some of my biggest work needs.
"iPad is a growing platform again, which is pretty awesome," Apple's Greg Joswiak, said of the iPad platform right now. Craig Federighitold CNET, "It's become a truly distinct experience."
And yet, it's not entirely made the moves I expected.
Browsing in Safari in iPadOS promises to finally allow Google Docs to work properly.
Scott Stein/CNET
Desktop-class browser: Is it a Chromebook now?
A full page of Google Docs, menus and markups and everything intact is what I'd expect. Working in my company's CMS to file a story is important. I haven't been able to do this well on an iPad before, but Safari promises, at last, that web pages will look like real web pages.
This isn't magic: Chromebooks and Chrome tablets do it. Windows tablets do it. It's time for Apple to do it, too. This was one of the biggest things holding back the iPad for me. I can't wait to seriously give it a try.
But, to be clear, this still means I'd need to touch icons. Apple's solution for places where a mouse or trackpad "hovers" is to tap on an icon on the iPad, which will bring up a menu. Then you'll tap on it again. What if a menu is long, and needs to be scrolled through? Will it be easy? That remains to be seen. The iPadOS public beta in July will be the first great test run, and I can't wait to see how well it works.
Multi-touch gestures for editing: Will they make me forget a mouse?
There are some new pinching finger gestures in iPadOS that are made to help text editing feel better. In a document, you'd pinch some text to copy, and unpinch somewhere else to paste. Seeing these in action, they almost seemed like gestures I'd do with a HoloLens AR headset. On a tablet, will they feel intuitive, or weird?
Apple doesn't support a trackpad or a mouse in iPadOS yet, even though mouse support can be set up for basic clicking under Accessibility features. But Apple insists on fingers (and a Pencil) as the key editing tools for now. iPadOS is making a bet that I won't miss a mouse or trackpad. I bet I will.
And there's another problem with the odd gestures in iPadOS: as CNET's Stephen Shankland said to me in a conversation, they feel like "incantatory gestures." You have to know the special moves to pull them off.
More split-screen apps and easy-glance widgets, but with limits
Multitasking on an iPad looks to be better, thanks to apps now having multiple windows open at once. In theory, Google Docs could allow two windows, if Google Docs chooses to update its iPadOS app. But the number of windows, or split-pane apps, is still limited by the iPadOS design. It's still two panes or apps at once, plus a hovering extra pane on top of that (Side View).
Widgets can be pushed onto the home screen now, something I've wanted for a while. The grid of apps get moved aside a bit to allow for them. Why not allow a full home screen to be customized, though? I'd prefer the grid of apps to be pushed out of sight completely. Do what the Apple Watch does: Have them appear with a gesture or a button. Or search for apps instead, which is what I do most of the time.
Mouse and trackpad support: Clearly the next step
What I really want? I've stated it months ago: An iPad that will let me easily edit and control things with a trackpad. A full laptop-like experience, like what I can do on a Google Chromebook or a Microsoft Surface. The iPad is not far from this idea. But there's no official way to use a trackpad in 2019.
Unless, that is, I choose to enable the iPadOS accessibility mouse support, which is clearly not going to satisfy my needs. That feature is intended to help people who can't use the touch feature easily. The mouse cursor is a big fat circle, not a small pointer. It only works as a single-click tool.
And yet it shows that iPadOS can support a mouse, if Apple only worked that support into all apps and features at an OS-wide level. I don't want just a basic mouse, though: I want a trackpad with multi-touch gestures. I want what a MacBook has.
So, Scott, you want a MacBook, not an iPad, you say. No, I want both. Apple needs to solve for both problems in one device. And that's not an unreasonable request. In fact, it seems like an inevitability. With Apple's ARM-based processors becoming more powerful, USB-C in iPads, Macs getting iPad apps, and iPads acting as plug-in touchscreens for Macs using Sidecar, the overlaps are already everywhere.
Now playing:Watch this:
Everything Apple announced from its WWDC 2019 keynote
