Olympic athletes ordered to cover Apple logos during the games? and other news for Feb. 6. 2014
Update: The story regarding the "request to cover Apple logos" during the Olympics turns out to be a miscommunication, and not an overall instruction. Macworld has the story.
The International Olympic Committee is telling all athletes to cover Apple logos on any mobile devices they use throughout the 2014 Winter Olympics. You see, Samsung is a sponsor, and its agreement guarantees that athletes may not mention competitors or display competitors' logos during Winter Olympics.
Samsung's request is nothing new. Virtually every Olympic sponsor has similar clauses in their sponsorship contracts. The official Olympic Charter states that athletes must comply or else risk "removal of accreditation and financial penalties" or even disqualifications. The specific clause is known as "Rule 40" and, needless to say, is quite controversial. The International Olympic Committee, however, says Rule 40 is a necessity because without sponsors, the games could not take place.
In other news:
Square-Enix has launched Final Fantasy VI for iOS devices. Square-Enix says that all the graphics were "painstakingly recreated" for mobile devices. The game costs US$15.99.
Apple has removed the popular Blockchain Bitcoin app from the App Store. Blockchain allowed users to send and receive Bitcoins to each other. The developer says Apple told him it was withdrawn "due to an unresolved issue," but notes that Apple did not specify what the issue was and that the app has been in the App Store for two years already.
Apple has posted a new video called "On The Runway" on its iPhone page. The video uses re-edited footage that was shot using the iPhone 5s at the Burberry Fashion Show in London last fall.
Apple has confirmed on its website that it will open its first retail store in Brazil on February 15. The store will be in the VillageMall luxury shopping center located in the Barra da Tijuca borough of Rio de Janeiro.
