*By Alisha Haridasani*
Apple plans to introduce software that will reportedly help habitual iPhone users spend less time glued to their smartphones, a shift away from the company’s efforts to keep people more reliant on its hardware.
The company is expected to unveil its Digital Health initiative at the annual Worldwide Developers Conference next week in San Jose, [Bloomberg reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-31/apple-to-tout-digital-health-ar-features-at-software-conference). The tools, bundled with the new iOS mobile operating system, help monitor how much time people spend on their phones.
The Digital Health tools are likely a response to concerns raised by two of the company's shareholders in January about the possibly addictive nature of some smartphone apps, particularly among children. “We believe there is a clear need for Apple to offer parents more choices and tools to help them ensure that young consumers are using their products in an optimal manner,” the shareholders said in an [open letter](https://thinkdifferentlyaboutkids.com/).
Apple’s decision to encourage people to put down the company’s most popular product may seem counterintuitive, but it may also point towards a future business strategy for Apple that is more reliant on its services business, which includes Apple Music and iCloud.
The iPhone accounted for more than 60 percent of Apple's revenue in [Q2](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/pdfs/Q2_FY18_Data_Summary.pdf), but growth in sales have slowed in the past few years. Apple’s services, however, are starting to generate more revenue, surpassing revenue from iPads, Macs, and other accessories, such as Apple Watch and Apple TV.
Apple has tried to boost subscriptions for its Music service and has invested in producing original content, as competition with Spotify and Netflix heats up.
Educators have announced plans to increase security in response to TikTok posts warning of shooting and bomb threats at schools around the country Friday as officials assured parents the viral posts were not considered credible.
Despite the hype and headlines earlier this year around meme stocks and Robinhood, the SEC and FINRA have made few concrete changes around retail investing.
The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs held a hotly debated hearing regarding fiat-backed stablecoins on Tuesday that still led to a conclusion the space needed some form of regulation.
Chalkboard is the first platform for sports bettors fueled by real betting data with a unique social platform that provides seamless real-time bet tracking, score updates, and social interaction between sports fans. Ted Mauze, co-founder & CEO of Chalkboard, and Saniyah Lawson, NBA sports betting influencer & Chalkboard NBA community manager, join Cheddar News.
Cheddar senior reporter Michelle Castillo looks into the peer-to-peer fashion rental platform Wardrobe and how the service is helping to cut down on waste.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Sports streaming giants, such as Disney Plus and ESPN, have expressed interest and intent in adding sports betting features to their platform. As sports betting has increasingly become more mainstream, it's no surprise that businesses want to get in on the benefits these betting features have to offer. Alan Wolk, the co-founder of TVREV, joins Cheddar News.
NASA’s newest X-ray observatory is circling the world after launching from Kennedy Space Center.
Congress got a crash course in crypto on Wednesday, as six executives from companies representing a cross-section of the digital economy answered questions from the House Financial Services Committee.
In the spirit of the holidays, Cheddar presents the 12 days of the top terms of 2021.
