Weekend Wrap-Up: Apple Debuts New Music App in iOS 8.4 Beta; Samsung's Galaxy S6 is in High Demand

Those with an iOS device can get their mitts on Apple’s new Music app for the first time. Also, Samsung’s new Galaxy S6 smartphone is apparently in high demand. Netflix plans to charge less for its service in high-piracy countries, and Google is finding itself in some hot water with the EU. These stories are coming at you right below in our Weekend Wrap-Up.

New Music App Now Part of Apple’s iOS 8.4 Beta

The acquisition of Beats Music last year brought more than just some new hardware for Apple — it also gave the company the opportunity to revamp its Music app. In the latest beta of iOS, numbered 8.4, Apple has done just that. According to reports, the new Music app makes a lot of solid design decisions, and those decisions will hopefully result in a more user-friendly app for Apple fans. The new Music app is expected to be revealed at this year’s WWDC in June.

Samsung Says Demand for Galaxy S6 is Higher Than Expected

After ranting about artificial scarcity and how companies use it to fool us, I’m extremely skeptical about Samsung’s recent claims that the Samsung Galaxy S6 is experiencing higher-than-expected demand. The company is making that claim, however, and if you’re a consumer with your eye on Samsung’s latest smartphone, there is a very good chance you won’t be able to get one right away. This seems to be the norm now for a lot of products — you’ll either need to be quick on the credit card trigger when new shipments arrive, or you need to be patient. No word on how long it’ll take Samsung to meet demand.

Netflix Will Bring Cheaper Service to High-Piracy Countries

How do you sell a service to people who are accustomed to stealing? You make it really cheap — at least, that’s going to be Netflix’s plan for countries that have a high rate of piracy. Netflix CFO David Wells shared the strategy on an investor call this past week, stating that the subscription rate will be lowered with hopes that pirates will choose to pay a small sum rather than download content from the Internet for free. Will it work? That’s anyone’s guess. But it does send a message: you can get cheaper service if you steal a lot.

EU Files Antitrust Charges Against Google

Is Google monopolistic? The European Union thinks so, claiming that the company is stifling competition and, in the process, is harming consumers. In fact, the EU believes it so much that it’s actually filed antitrust charges against the search giant, accusing it of using its power as the world’s most popular search engine to artificially skew results toward its own products. Google is denying the EUs claims, and will undoubtedly push back against the charges, so we could have some very interesting litigation on our hands.