Apple gets patent for software allowing socially distant group selfies

Apple received a patent for a software that allows socially distant group selfies. The patent comes as the world reopens gradually with social distancing recommendations.

The US Patent and Trademark Office recently awarded Apple a patent for the software that would generate "synthetic group selfies" or social group selfies taken with physical distancing.

Through this software, a user could invite others to join a group selfie that would allow multiple people to fit into a single image. The software would remove the background image from the selfies of other users and move them into the user's photo.

Apple originally filed for the patent in 2018 and won it on June 2.

Weather app

Another significant move of Apple Inc. took place last April: its acquisition of the popular weather app Dark Sky.

With the tech giant's acquisition, it would become the exclusive provider of minute-by-minute weather updates.

The deal was confirmed by Dark Sky via a blog post but terms of the deal were not disclosed. The mobile app started as a Kickstarter campaign in 2011. It promised predictive forecasts that were accurate down to the minute and based on users’ exact locations.

Dark Sky is run by artificial intelligence and uses radar data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The app has demonstrated the ability to predict when it was going to rain within the next hour, allowing users to adjust accordingly.

The company claimed that by 2015, it was serving 8 million forecasts daily. The weather app has been downloaded over a million times as of Tuesday.

However, Apple announced that it will shut down those apps on July 1, indicating that it plans to make Dark Sky exclusive to iOS users.

Not only will Android users lose access to Dark Sky, third-party app developers will also lose access as the company will discontinue its application programming interface late next year.

Reopening retail stores

Apple Inc. announced its plan to reopen 100 more retail stores in the US in the last week of May after it was forced to temporarily shut down due to social distancing measures. These measures are implemented across the US to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Several Apple stores will only provide curbside or storefront services. This means customers can go to the Genius Bar for appointments or purchase a product online and pick up at the stores, according to the company.

Walk-in customers are allowed to go to around 40 stores across Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Apple (AAPL) started reopening its retail outlets in the US early May. It began with a few stores in Idaho, Alabama, South Carolina, and Alaska. The company will carry out temperature checks and face coverings for staff and guests. Stores will also impose limits on how many customers can go inside the store at a time.

“We are committed to reopening our stores in a very thoughtful manner with the health and safety of our customers and teams as our top priority, and we look forward to seeing our customers again soon,” Apple said in a statement.

With 510 stores worldwide, of which 271 are in the US, Apple has reopened around 100 stores around the world to date. These include Austria, China, Germany, Australia, and South Korea.