FaceApp has added new age-based filters to their app, bringing it back into the public eye and back on to users' phones. However, if you want to keep your photos as your own, you probably shouldn't use the app.
Today is World Emoji Day, and in celebration of emojis, Adobe released its 2019 Emoji Trend Report, giving us some insight into the most popular emoji characters that people are using. For its report, Adobe surveyed 1,000 emoji users in the United States.
The most popular emoji was the laughing face with tears of joy (😂), while the heart (❤️) came in second and the face blowing a kiss (😘) was the third most popular emoji. Top pairings included heart eyes/face blowing a kiss (😍😘), laughing face with tears of joy/rolling on the floor laughing face (😂🤣), and face blowing a kiss/red heart (😘❤️).
Among emoji users, 62 percent said they use emoji to make conversations more fun, while 42 percent said they use them to better communicate thoughts and feelings. 31 percent said they use emoji to feel more connected to people, 31 percent said using emojis is faster than typing words, and 30 percent said they use emojis because they paint a clearer picture than words.
Women were most likely to use the 😂, ❤️, and 😘 emojis, respectively, while men favored 😂, 😁, and 😢. 93 percent of all emoji users said emojis lighten the mood of a conversation, while 91 percent said they use emojis to show support to people.
Specific emojis are used to represent different moods, as outlined in Adobe's graphic below:
81 percent of emoji users believe that people who use emojis are friendlier and more approachable, and when asked about the benefits of emoji 94 percent cited the ability to communicate across language barriers while 94 percent cited the usefulness of emojis to instantly share thoughts and ideas.
65 percent of emoji users said they were more comfortable expressing emotions via emoji rather than a phone call, something more prevalent among younger Generation Z individuals. Emoji users are most likely to include emojis in text messages, and among social networks, emoji usage is highest on Facebook.
When it comes to emoji at work, 61 percent said that they use emojis in a work context. 78 percent said emojis positively impact likability, 63 percent said emojis impact credibility, and 74 percent said emojis make positive news more sincere.
58 percent of emoji users said they're more likely to open up an email from a brand that uses emoji in the subject line, and 44 percent said that they're more likely to purchase products advertised using emojis.
76 percent of emoji users wish there were more emoji, specifically emojis representing food, drinks, and snacks. Emoji users also want more emojis related to animals and insects, emotions, and hand gestures, plus more representation/diversity.
Adobe's full emoji report, which includes additional details on how, when, and why people use emojis, can be accessed through Adobe's emoji blog.
Emojis have become an increasingly important part of the smartphone ecosystem in recent years, and Apple has embraced emoji, regularly adding new emoji characters following Unicode Consortium updates. Apple is set to add new emoji at some point in iOS 13 as earlier this year, the Unicode Consortium finalized its list of 2019 emojis.
Emojis we can expect to see in 2019 include flamingo, otter, waffle, butter, sloth, white heart, people holding hands, ice cube, snorkel, ballet shoe, orangutan, juice box, falafel, juice box, skunk, and more.
Note: Because emoji do not display properly on the MacRumors forums at the current time, please view this post on the MacRumors site to see the full emoji characters mentioned.
Apple will begin soon trial production of AirPods in Vietnam in an attempt to circumvent tariff fees imposed on Chinese-produced goods by Trump Administration.
It only took 12 years, but Apple Maps will finally get a feature that resembles Google’s Street View when iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 drop sometime later this year. (Unfortunately, it doesn’t work with macOS.) Look Around works a lot like Street View, but it comes with some attractions of its own, including smoother transition animations and photos that use parallax in order deliver a 3D-like depth you don’t find Google Maps.
It’s also really easy to use, as you can see below.
One catch: Look Around is currently a very limited feature, as you’ll only be able to use it in the United States, and even then you can only use it in places like the Hawaiian island of Oahu and California’s San Francisco Bay Area. Apple is steadily collecting imagery for other locations, though, and you can get an idea of its progress through this page.
Quebec Superior Court has allowed a lawsuit against Apple on the grounds that batteries in the iPhone and other products are not durable for a reasonable length of time.
Apple’s recent revamp of its MacBook lineup makes it a lot easier to understand the target audiences for Apple’s laptops. And with the release of the new 13-inch 1.4GHz Core i5 MacBook Pro, Apple also made it easier to pick a 13-inch model.
It’s easier now because you don’t have to decide if you’re willing to sacrifice any features when picking an entry-level model over the higher-end ones. Before the newly-updated base model was released, there was a division within the four 13-inch models. Apple offered two entry-level models without the Touch Bar, and two high-end models with it. (The entry-level models were missing some other features, as well, but the main missing feature was the Touch Bar). So when it came down to picking a 13-inch MacBook Pro, you had to consider whether you were willing to give up some features for the lower price.
After a preview at CES 2019, Withings now has a release window for the BPM Core -- which is capable of taking an ECG and detecting AFib -- as well as an updated version of its popular classic Connect blood pressure monitor.
Apple has asked one of its manufacturing partners to ready components for use in rear Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera lenses said to be coming to next year's iPhone lineup, according to DigiTimes.
Apple has reportedly asked its supply chain partner to supply VCSEL components for use in rear ToF camera lens in its mobile devices to be released in 2020, according to supply chain sources.
Multiple sources have claimed that Apple's 2020 iPhones will include a laser-powered time-of-flight 3D rear camera that will result in significant improvements to AR experiences, including Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
VCSELs, or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, are a key component of Apple's TrueDepth camera in the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, and power several flagship features like Face ID, Animoji and Portrait mode selfies, as well as the proximity-sensing capabilities of AirPods. However, a ToF camera system is a major step up from TrueDepth due to its more advanced use of laser.
TrueDepth relies on a structured-light technique that projects a pattern of 30,000 laser dots onto a user's face and measures the distortion to generate an accurate 3D image for authentication. By contrast, ToF calculates the time it takes for a laser to bounce off surrounding objects to create a 3D image of the environment. This allows for more accurate depth perception and better placement of virtual objects, and should also result in photos better able to capture depth.
Bloomberg says that the rear camera in Apple's 2020 iPhones will be able to scan areas up to 15 feet from the device. Apple's front-facing TrueDepth camera uses 3D technology but its structured-light system only works at distances of 25 to 50 centimeters.
Apple is said to have gained a two-year lead over its rivals in the smartphone industry in the area of 3D sensing technology, having secured the necessary hardware way in advance of competitors. Sony could be the ToF supplier that DigiTimes is referring to in the paywalled article, as Apple has reportedly been in talks with Sony over ToF sensor tests. Although in December 2017, Apple said it planned to invest $390 million in Finisar Corp, which currently supplies the components for VCSELs.
At the time, Apple said its Finisar investment would enable the supplier to exponentially increase its R&D spending and high-volume production of VCSELs. Apple initially sourced VCSELs for 2017's iPhone X chiefly from California-based Lumentum, but it was bottlenecks in production there that helped spur the $390 million deal with Finisar.
Lumentum subsequently ramped up additional manufacturing capacity for VCSELs and edge-emitting lasers in the first half of fiscal 2019. Another producer, Austria-based Ams, also makes VCSEL chips, and in March 2018 said it had won a large deal with an unnamed smartphone maker, so there are a few potential suppliers that Apple could be leaning on.
There were originally some rumors suggesting Apple would introduce a rear 3D camera system in its 2019 iPhones, but Kuo said that wouldn't happen because Apple needs 5G connectivity, augmented reality glasses, and a more powerful Apple Maps database to truly take advantage of the AR capabilities afforded by a ToF camera.
Bloomberg has since confirmed that Apple was aiming to put the 3D rear camera system in this year's iPhones, but ultimately had to delay its plans. Whether that decision is related to rumors that Apple has had to temporarily stop developing AR/VR headsets remains unclear.
The first real collaboration between V-Moda and majority stakeholder Roland delivers sonic refinements and performance improvements in just about every area.
The podcast industry has been flooded with big money over the last few years, as businesses and investors seek to get in on a rapidly growing media business that’s got a lot of room for audience and revenue growth. (Spotify alone is spending $500 million on podcast companies and exclusive content.)
And yet over all this time, the industry’s biggest player hasn’t made any big podcast business moves.
That player is Apple—its Podcasts app is the top podcast player, with 50 to 70 percent of the app market—and its time as a neutral supporter of the industry may be coming to an end. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Lucas Shaw report that Apple is talking to media companies about buying exclusive rights to podcasts.
Last year, Apple celebrated World Emoji Day (July 17) by giving us a preview of some of the emojis coming to iOS 12 and macOS Mojave in the fall of 2018. This year, Apple’s doing it again.
In February, the Unicode Consortium finalized the Emoji 12.0 list, approving 59 new emojis to be included in our operating systems this fall. Those 59 new emojis include over 170 variants of gender and skin tone to better represent the diversity of people and couples on the planet.
The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court to temporarily halt enforcement of an antitrust ruling against Qualcomm, citing the necessity of the company in 5G networking, and support from both the Energy Department and Defense Department.
In addition to instant savings of up to $200 off Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pros, Amazon is knocking an additional $50 to $150 off the current models with special discounts in cart. These price cuts, which may end at any time, deliver the lowest prices we've seen to date on the high-end tablets, with prices starting at just $799.
Two ads from Apple partner TBWAMedia Arts Lab were nominated for Outstanding Commercial Emmys on Tuesday, potentially marking the last year in which the company has no original TV shows up for awards.
Using World Emoji Day as the excuse, Apple on Tuesday previewed some of the emoji it will be adding to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS in supporting Unicode 12.0.
In celebration of World Emoji Day tomorrow, Apple has shared details on new emoji that are coming to iOS devices this fall following the Unicode 12 emoji release.
Unicode 12 brings 59 new emoji characters, 75 with gender variations, and 230 total emojis when gender variations and different skin tones are counted.
Orangutan, sloth, otter, skunk, and flamingo are the new animals included in the update, while new food items include garlic, onion, waffle, falafel, butter, oyster, beverage box, maté, and ice cube.
New faces, gestures, and poses include yawning face, pinching hand, person kneeling, person standing, and new people holding hands options that are both gender and skin tone inclusive.
To celebrate World Emoji Day, Apple is previewing a selection of new emoji coming this fall, revealing the newest designs that bring even more diversity to the keyboard, alongside fun and exciting additions to popular categories of food, animals, activities and smiley faces.
In a major update to the Holding Hands emoji typically used to represent couples and relationships, users will now be able to select any combination of skin tone, in addition to gender, to personalize the people holding hands, opening up more than 75 possible combinations.
Several new accessibility-related emojis are included, such as ear with hearing aid, deaf person, mechanical arm/leg, person with cane, person in wheelchair, guide dog, wheelchair (manual and motorized), and probing cane.
Following Apple’s proposal to the Unicode Consortium last year to introduce more disability-themed emoji, a new guide dog, an ear with a hearing aid, wheelchairs, a prosthetic arm and a prosthetic leg will be available in the emoji keyboard. Celebrating diversity in all its many forms is integral to Apple’s values and these new options help fill a significant gap in the emoji keyboard.
Other miscellaneous emoji include Hindu Temple, auto rickshaw, parachute, ringed planet, diving mask, yo-yo, kite, safety vest, sari, one-piece swimsuit, briefs, shorts, ballet shoes, banjo, diya lamp, axe, drop of blood, bandage, stethoscope, chair, razor, white heart, and circles and squares in various new colors.
A full list of the emoji included in Unicode 12 are listed on the Emojipedia site.
Last year, Apple released new emoji in an iOS 12.1 update released in October, and the launch of new 2019 emoji could follow a similar timeline. New emoji won't be included in iOS 13 at launch, but could come in one of the first major updates to the new operating system.
Apple introduced updates to many of the built-in iOS apps in iOS 13, and Maps is no exception. The updated version of Maps has a long list of new features that are designed to make the Apple Maps app better able to compete with mapping apps from other companies.
There's a new Look Around street view level feature, a Collections feature for aggregating lists of your favorite places, a Favorites option for getting to your most frequently traveled places quickly, and some other smaller updates that are worth knowing about.
In this guide, we've highlighted all of the new features that are in the Apple Maps app in iOS 13.
Maps Redesign
Apple in iOS 12 debuted a rebuilt, updated Maps app that uses an Apple-designed Maps engine to bring more detailed views of things like foliage, pools, buildings, pedestrian pathways, and more.
The work done in iOS 12 is continuing in iOS 13 as Apple expands the new Maps app to additional states in the U.S. in 2019 and new countries in 2020.
Apple on stage when introducing iOS 13 mentioned these map updates and promised improved detailing for roads, beaches, parks, buildings, and more. Maps in iOS 12 overall looks similar to iOS 13 in states where new Maps have already rolled out, but there could be more detail coming in the future and there are some small changes worth pointing out.
Road Hazards and Traffic Conditions
When viewing the main Maps interface, the app now displays road hazards and traffic conditions so you can see the route ahead at a glance. Previously, this information was available, but only when turn-by-turn directions were activated.
In iOS 13, traffic information is visible on the main map too.
Junction View
iOS 13 adds a Junction View option that's meant to help drivers avoid wrong turns and directional misses by lining them up in the correct lane before a turn or an elevated road.
Siri gives more natural directions in iOS 13. Instead of saying something like "in 1,000 feet turn left," Siri might instead choose to say "turn left at the next traffic light," which is an easier instruction to follow since there's no distance estimation involved.
Venue Navigation Improvements
When you're navigating to something like a concert at a large venue, Apple Maps now offers up improvements that are better suited towards getting you to your end-point destination.
Real-Time Transit Schedules
The Maps app now includes real-time transit schedules, arrival times, network stops, and system connections for transit directions to provide better overall route planning.
Real-time information like outages, cancellations, and other changes are also listed in the Apple Maps app.
ETA Sharing
There's a new option to share your estimated time of arrival with friends, family, and coworkers. Your ETA will update dynamically, changing even when there's a significant traffic delay.
Flight Status
Maps is now able to display up-to-the-minute information about flight terminals, gate locations, departure times, and more.
Place Cards for Businesses
Place Cards for businesses have been updated to be more helpful and easier to use. You'll see information like times of Today at Apple sessions when looking up an Apple Store, for example, or movie times when looking up a movie theater.
Look Around
Look Around is a new Apple Maps feature that's designed to be Apple's equivalent of Google Street View. Look Around offers up a street-level view of what's around you or a location you search for in the Maps app.
You can use Look Around in the main Apple Maps view whenever there's a pair of binoculars visible. Tapping on the binoculars icon delves into a close-up street level view of the location in a little card, which you can tap again to get to a full screen Look Around view.
Look Around can also be brought up when searching for specific supported locations by tapping on the Look Around card in the search results.
When in Look Around mode, tapping on the display lets you move through the Look Around area, and tapping a spot far off in the distance does a neat zoom in maneuver that's fun to watch.
In Look Around, all notable points of interest, like restaurants, businesses, parks, and more, are highlighted with identifying icons and place names so you can tell what's what.
Look Around is limited to areas where a car can go because it's using data captured from a 360-degree camera on a vehicle. That means you can't zoom into areas like parks or beaches, for example, but you can see what's visible from the street.
Right now, Look Around is limited to parts of California, Nevada, and Hawaii, but Apple plans to expand availability over the course of 2019.
Collections lets you search for and aggregate lists of different locations, such as restaurants you might want to try or places you might want to visit.
Collection lists can be shared, so you can make up lists of places for friends and family visiting you in your city and then share it with them, for example.
Favorites is a new Maps feature that lets you search for specific places and then add them to a list. Favorites are meant for places that you visit frequently, and Home and Work are already added by default.
You can add any place you go to often to the Favorites list, such as a favorite restaurant or coffee shop, or a friend's house. Tapping on one of your Favorites brings up directions to that spot right away, so think of it like a speed dial option for Maps.
Apple introduced a redesigned customer feedback interface in iOS 13, which is designed to make it easier for Apple Maps users to submit corrections for things like incorrect addresses, business locations, or operating hours.
All of the new features introduced in the Maps app in iOS 13, such as Favorites, Collections, and Junction View have been added to CarPlay. The Maps app in CarPlay also provides updated route planning, search, and navigation.
Guide Feedback
Have questions about Maps, know of an iOS 13 Maps feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.
Update 7/16: Apple has issued two more silent updates to macOS that address other apps that may be using Zoom's localhost server.
Apple is taking further action to shut down Zoom servers that may be running on your Mac without your knowledge . A week after Zoom released a patch for its Mac app that removes a localhost web server from your Mac and allows users to manually uninstall the app from the menubar (you can download that patch here), Apple has issued its second and third updates to shut down servers running in the background.
YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips has launched a project to beat Apple's modular Mac Pro by producing a hackintosh with better performance, but the otherwise impressive hardware project shouldn't really be compared to a real Mac Pro, especially in a working environment.
Apple may be expanding its original content efforts into podcasts, with a report claiming the iPhone maker will be funding productions of audio-based shows that it will offer its customers exclusively via the Podcasts app, taking a similar strategy to Spotify.
Apple's 2019 MacBook Air and new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar have just been announced, but Adorama is already offering readers exclusive promo code savings on the new products. Save $50 to $100 instantly on top of bonus perks, such as free shipping and no interest financing, when you pre-order the portable systems ahead of Prime Day.
Apple has a plan to start funding original podcasts in order to better compete with Spotify, according to a new report from Bloomberg. Apple executives have been reaching out to media companies to discuss exclusive buying rights for podcasts, which would be exclusive to Apple.
While Apple has yet to outline a clear strategy for its plans, the company will be pursuing "the kind of deals it didn't make before," according to Bloomberg. Apple has also been funding original content for its upcoming Apple TV+ series, which could account for its decision to also bankroll other kinds of exclusive content.
Apple does not make money from its Podcasts app, but has previously expressed interest in exclusive content as a way to draw and retain customers. Apple has used such exclusives for Apple Music, its music streaming service.
The news has caused Spotify's stock to fall 2 percent so far as any effort on Apple's part to delve deeper into podcasts could impact Spotify's efforts to become a major source for podcast content.
Apple's Podcasts app is installed on iOS devices by default, and starting with macOS Catalina, the Podcasts app is a standalone app. Apple's decision to split Podcasts out into its own app makes more sense if the company is indeed planning to invest money into original and exclusive podcasts.
Two years ago, Spotify said it was "coming after" Apple with a strong push into podcasting content, and this year, Spotify made a serious effort to become a premium podcast destination.
Spotify launched several podcast-related initiatives and acquired several podcast companies, including Gimlet Media, Anchor, and Parcast, boosting its catalog of exclusive podcast content and its available podcasting tools.
The lowest price ever on Apple's 2017 27-inch iMac 5K bundled with an AppleCare protection plan is in effect now exclusively for AI readers. Save $579 on the kit with free expedited shipping and a sales tax refund in select states.
Two of Apple's ads are in the running to receive the 2019 Outstanding Commercial Emmy. Both of the ads were created by TBWA/Media Arts Lab, Apple's longtime advertising partner.
The first ad nominated for the award is Apple's "Make Something Wonderful" MacBook ad, released late last year. In the spot, which is in black and white, various creative personalities and people are shown with their Mac devices.
The second ad nominated for the award is one of Apple's "Shot on iPhone" spots, specifically "Don't Mess With Mother," an April 2019 video featuring imagery of nature from around the world set to the song "Last Rites" by Megadeth.
Apple will be competing with ad spots from Netflix (A Great Day in Hollywood), Nike (Dream Crazy), and and the "Point of View" video from Sandy Hook Promise, a non-profit organization.
In 2018, Apple was nominated for an Outstanding Commercial Emmy for its "Earth: Shot on iPhone" ad, but ultimately lost to an ad from P&G.
Apple released iOS 12.3 in the second week of May, bringing us its new TV app with Channels subscriptions. Just days later, it started releasing betas to developers for another point release, iOS 12.4.
Those who are part of Apple’s developer program can register a device for developer betas by heading to developer.apple.com/download. Those who are not in the developer program can register their devices for public beta releases by visiting beta.apple.com while using the device on which they wish to run the beta software. While many beta releases are stable and even include new bug fixes, we suggest you do not run beta releases on your primary device.
Moment recently took the wraps off its new line of bags and we've been taking them with us on our mobile photo shoots to try them out. Here's what we thought.
Apple today pushed a second silent security update to Macs to address further vulnerabilities related to the Zoom video conferencing app for macOS, reports The Verge.
Apple removed software that was installed by RingCentral and Zhumu, two video conferencing apps that relied on technology from Zoom and were also found to have the same vulnerabilities as Zoom earlier this week.
These two apps installed software able to respond to commands that could potentially allow websites to open up your webcam during a video conference without permission. Removing the apps did not remove the secondary software that was vulnerable to exploitation, which is also how Zoom worked.
Discovered last week, the Zoom vulnerability let a website forcibly initiate a video call on a Mac with the Zoom app installed, due to a web server that Zoom installed in the background.
When the vulnerability was first discovered, Zoom said that it used a local web server as a workaround to Safari changes that Apple introduced in Safari 12, calling it a "legitimate solution" to an otherwise "poor user experience" that allowed users to access "seamless, one-click-to-join meetings."
At issue was a new popup Apple implemented to require user approval when launching a third-party app, which Zoom wanted to avoid. Zoom did so through the aforementioned web server, which was designed to wait for calls to open up Zoom conferences automatically.
Zoom eventually released a patch to address the issue, and Apple also took the step of removing web server software that was not initially removed from the Mac when uninstalling the Zoom app. Zoom has since made it so uninstalling the Zoom app will remove the web server, and has made other changes.
Installing Zoom no longer installs a local web server on Mac devices, and there is a new setting to save the "Always turn off my video" preference that disables video in Zoom by default until it is manually enabled.
As with the original Zoom patch, the new patch for RingCentral and Zhumu is deployed automatically so that users are not required to apply it manually for it to take effect. Apple told The Verge that it plans to fix the vulnerability for all of Zoom's partner apps.
Continuing the current testing round from yesterday's macOS 10.14.6 build, Apple has issued more builds to developers, this time a seventh build of iOS 12.4 and a sixth build of watchOS 5.3.
Apple on Tuesday has issued its fourth of developer beta for macOS 10.15 Catalina, with new developer releases of iOS 13 and the others still waiting in the wings.
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of macOS 10.15 Catalina for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the third macOS Catalina beta and over a month after the new Mac operating system update was first unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
The new macOS Catalina beta can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences. As with all new betas, macOS Catalina should not be installed on a primary machine because it is early release software and has bugs.
macOS Catalina eliminates the iTunes app, splitting it into Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. The Apple Music and Apple Podcasts apps are available now, while the Apple TV app is coming later this year.
The three new apps offer similar functionality to iTunes, but are split up by feature. iOS device management is still available on the Mac, but it's now done through the Finder rather than iTunes.
With a new Sidecar feature, you can turn your iPad into a second display for your Mac with just the click of a button. The Apple Pencil works with Sidecar, so you can turn your iPad into a drawing tablet in apps like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Your Apple Watch can be used to approve security prompts for passwords and other info in macOS Catalina, and Macs with a T2 chip now support Activation Lock, making them more secure. There's a new Find My that brings the Find My Mac app to the Mac for the first time and even lets you track your devices when they're offline, or, in the case of notebooks, closed.
Screen Time is available on the Mac as well as iOS devices, and Project Catalyst, a new Apple initiative, will let developers easily port their iPad apps over to the Mac to increase the number of Mac apps available.
There's a new Photos interface that surfaces your best photos organized by day, month, or year, there's a new start page in Safari, Mail has new tools for muting email threads and blocking senders, and the Reminders app has been overhauled.
32-bit apps no longer work in macOS Catalina, which is something to be aware of before installing the beta.
Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming iOS 12.4 update to developers, one week after seeding the sixth iOS 12.4 beta, and two months after releasing iOS 12.3, a major update that introduced a revamped TV app.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.4 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over the air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center. Public Beta testers can download the beta over the air.
There were no new features discovered in the first six iOS 12.4 betas, so it's not entirely clear what's coming in the update. As a more significant 12.x update, it's possible that the update is focusing on a feature that's not yet available -- the Apple Card.
Apple is planning to release the Apple Card in the summer, so iOS 12.4 could be the update that prepares the iOS operating system for that launch, adding hidden features that will be unlocked when the update becomes available to the public. If we find new features in the seventh beta of iOS 12.4, we'll update this post.
iOS 12.4 may be one of the last updates to the iOS 12 operating system as Apple transitions to iOS 13, set to launch this September, and as we are now at beta seven, the update could see a release in the very near future.
With macOS Catalina, Apple is providing a tool for developers (called Catalyst) that makes it really easy to take an existing iPad app over to the Mac. Apple started testing the technology in macOS Mojave last year, by porting over some of its own iOS apps—News, Home, Voice Memos, and Stocks.
This year, Apple expands its list of iOS apps on Mac with Music, Podcasts, TV, Screen Time, and the new Find My app. Those first four apps introduced last year are getting an upgrade, too.
While these are welcome changes, I can’t help but think Apple is missing a huge opportunity. Two of macOS’s most important apps—Maps and Messages—are so far behind their iOS counterparts that we would all be better-served by Apple just porting the iOS app in the same fashion.
“Why, it seems a clever person might take the name of the company, ‘Apple,’ and use it to great metaphoric effect by comparing it to an actual apple. I believe I am the first to discover this.”
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Apple this afternoon shared a new video featuring clips from its upcoming Apple TV+ show "For All Mankind" along with commentary from show creator Ronald D. Moore and others who have worked on the series.
"For All Mankind," which stars Joel Kinnaman, features an alternate history that explores what might have happened had the global space race never ended and had the USSR landed the first humans on the moon. In the series, the U.S. will race to get astronauts on Mars and Saturn.
In the new spot highlighting "For All Mankind," Moore says that the space program "captured the world's imagination" when it first happened. "There's something about putting people in spaceships and going places. It's an idea of this optimistic feature where we not only travel in space, but it's been a good thing for all of mankind," he said about the show.
"For All Mankind" was inspired by the Apollo 11 mission and the space race, according to executive producer Matt Wolpert.
In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, watch as the executive producers of For All Mankind discuss the incredible human achievement of landing on the moon. For All Mankind, an Apple Original drama series, is coming this fall to Apple TV+. Get notified when Apple TV+ premieres on the Apple TV app: https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-plus
Acknowledging the bold and daring human spirit that got us to the moon and continues to inspire one generation after the next, "Remembering Apollo 11" highlights the collaboration, the intelligence, and the imagination it took.
Along with the new video, Ronald D. Moore and other show creators, engineers, and advisors did a series of interviews with various publications. Speaking to Inverse, Moore said that Apollo 11 was the catalyst that got him interested in science fiction. He decided to work with Apple because of an existing relationship with Zack Van Amburg, a former Sony executive and now one of the co-presidents running Apple TV+.
"I said to Zack, that the more exciting thing to me, was to do the space program that I felt we were promised and we never got. And that's how the journey to the alternate history version was born. So that's why it's at Apple, it came out of our personal relationship," Moore says.
In a separate interview with Syfy, "For All Mankind" technical advisors Garrett Reisman and Gerry Griffin, both of whom worked for NASA, said that they aimed to make the show as accurate as possible, even when it was difficult.
Getting cathode-ray tube displays, for example, was a nightmare that the production team cheated by using flat-screen TVs and putting a piece of curved glass to simulate the old-school screens. The NASA logo was another difficulty. In watching the trailer, fans may notice the logo is just a little off, like the Bizarro version of the real-life NASA symbol. That's because, as the trio explained, NASA has a policy to only lend support and use of emblems if the piece of media portrays the events of the space program exactly as they happened. Not really a possibility for an alt-history show.
"For All Mankind" is one of the TV shows that Apple is working on for its upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service, set to launch this fall. Apple has dozens of shows in the works, and a recap of everything that Apple is working on is available in our Apple TV+ show guide.
Though the first season of the series has yet to debut, Moore says that a second season is already being discussed. The team is getting stories and scripts ready, but Apple hasn't yet officially picked it up for a second season. "We're already moving ahead with planning in case they do," Moore told Syfy.
Over on our YouTube channel, we have a series that highlights new, interesting, fun, and useful apps that we think are worth downloading and checking out.
For today's video, we've decided to focus on games, highlighting both new and old titles that we personally recommend and have spent some time playing.
- Dr. Mario World (Free) - Dr. Mario World is Nintendo's newest iOS app, which launched just last week. Dr. Mario World, like the classic title, is a match three game where the goal is to clear viruses off of the board by matching them with colored capsules. Players are tasked with using strategy to clear the viruses with the fewest number of moves, as capsules are limited, which is a deviation from the original gameplay. Dr. Mario World is a freemium game and while it's free to play, there are optional in-app purchases. Dr. Mario World, like other Nintendo titles, requires a persistent internet connection to play.
- Walk Master - (Free) - Walk Master is a free arcade-style game where players are tasked with controlling animals on stilts. The goal of the game is to traverse obstacles and terrain using precision timing. There are multiple challenging levels to beat, along with 26 characters to collect. There are in-app purchases to remove ads and to get coins. Walk Master was our sister site TouchArcade's game of the week last week due to its excellent controls and challenging but fun gameplay.
- Beat the Intro (Free) - Beat the Intro is a music trivia app that's designed to test your music knowledge. The aim of the game is to guess the artist based on a music clip, and answering faster earns you more points. Every music genre is offered, with thousands of officially licensed music tracks included. The game is free, but a $2.49 weekly VIP pass unlocks all song packs, removes ads, and provides infinite gameplay energy. There are also in-app purchases for coins to buy new music packs. We don't recommend the subscription, but there's some free gameplay to be had that's worthwhile.
- LEGO Tower (Free) - LEGO Tower from NimbleBit is like the hit game Tiny Tower but with LEGO, as the name suggests. The goal is to build up a LEGO tower floor by floor to create apartments and businesses for the Minifigure residents. There are hundreds of unique Minifigures to collect, and tons of different businesses and areas to unlock. The game is free to play, but you can purchase Bux to speed up building times and other gameplay elements.
- Rescue Wings (Free) - Rescue Wings is a flying game where the goal is to take on the role of Scruffy the dog, flying through the outdoors to put out forest fires. You'll need to dive into lakes to fill up your water reservoir, and then dump that water onto fires. The ultimate goal is to fly as far as you can without crashing or missing a fire, and as you play, you can unlock new planes and skill boosts. The game is free, but there are in-app purchases for additional fuel, coins for unlocking items, and a $7.49 per week "Fire Chief" subscription that gives unlimited fuel. We don't recommend the subscription option because of its incredibly high price, but gameplay is fun and there's a decent amount of ad-supported free play.
Have a favorite iOS game? Let us know down in the comments. We're always looking for new iOS game and app ideas for this video series, and we'll check out all of your recommendations. You can also check out our recommendations from previous months here, and don't miss our similar Mac app series featuring some great Mac apps.
Apple's Apple Store online site is currently down when attempting to make a purchase of an Apple device or accessory, but it's not quite clear why the site is unavailable.
Sometimes the Apple online store goes down due to an imminent product refresh, but at other times, the store becomes unavailable for routine maintenance purposes.
Apple last week introduced refreshed MacBook Air models and a new 13-inch entry-level MacBook Pro to coincide with this year's Back to School promotion, but there's no word on whether another new product is on the horizon.
Apple could potentially be planning an iPad refresh as five new iPad models recently popped up in the Eurasian Economic Commission database, which could be a new 7th-generation low-cost iPad, but it's not known when that device is set to launch. It may not be coming until later this year, and this could potentially be a situation where Apple is doing site maintenance.
We'll update this post with more info when the store comes back up.
Update: The Apple Store website is back up and there doesn't appear to be anything immediately new, suggesting this was a maintenance update.
The 2019 MacBook Air, refreshed last week, appears to have a slower SSD than the 2018 MacBook Air, according to testing by French site Consomac. Using testing with the Blackmagic Disk Speed benchmarking test, the site found that the read speeds of the new SSD are lower.
A test of the 2019 MacBook Air with 256GB of storage demonstrated write speeds of 1GB/s and read speeds of 1.3GB/s. An equivalent model released in 2018 featured write speeds of 920MB/s and read speeds of 2GB/s. While write speeds are on par with the older machine (and are even slightly better), read speeds have dropped 35 percent.
Consomac also saw write speeds of 500MB/s in the 128GB 2019 MacBook Air and read speeds of 1.3GB/s, but this is similar to the performance of the 128GB 2018 MacBook Air as that machine also featured large differences between read and write performance. Higher capacity SSDs were not tested, but may display the same slight decline in performance.
The 2019 MacBook Air features an updated True Tone display and a price drop, starting at $1,099 instead of $1,199. Students are able to get the new machine even cheaper, with the MacBook Air now priced at $999 with educational pricing.
It's possible Apple went with slower SSD performance in order to drop the MacBook Air's price to a more affordable level, and it's not a change that most MacBook Air users are likely to notice in day to day usage of the machine, especially those upgrading from a much older model.
Roku Streaming Stick vs. Amazon Fire Stick vs. Chromecast vs. Apple TV, and more. Which streaming device is best for cord cutters? Our buying guide will help you pick the right accessories for your TV.
It's the middle of July, which means it's time for Amazon's annual Prime Day shopping event, offering Amazon Prime customers the chance to save money on a vast array of items across the retailer's online storefront.
Like we did last year, today we've launched a live blog that will track notable Prime Day discounts across Amazon, most of which will relate to Apple products and accessories. You can expect great discounts from companies like Anker, iOttie, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Prime Day 2019 kicked off earlier this morning at 12:00 a.m. PT, and it will continue through tomorrow, Tuesday July 16 at 11:59 p.m. PT. This makes Prime Day 2019 the longest event so far at a total of 48 hours.
In contrast to deals that last for a majority of the event, there will also be limited-time lightning deals that appear at different times throughout Monday and Tuesday, and only last for an hour or so. According to Amazon, new deals will launch as often as every five minutes throughout the event.
In this live blog, we'll be tracking lightning deals and longer-lasting discounts as products get marked down throughout Prime Day, as well as competitor sales since retailers like Best Buy, eBay and Target have all been known to launch anti-Prime Day deals. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back for new bargains as Amazon's mid-year shopping event continues into Tuesday night.
With the public beta out for macOS 10.15 Catalina, you might be a thrill seeker and want to test out the in-progress version. But maybe you’d like to hedge your bets. In the past, you’d need to partition your startup drive, which could turn into a lot of effort, or get an external drive—preferably SSD—and install and boot from that.
With Apple’s not-quite-so-new APFS filesystem that replaces the long-running HFS+, drives are no longer organized into partitions, but volumes and containers. A container gets a pool of a fixed amount of storage on a drive when it’s configured, but containers can have multiple volumes. Volumes share all available free space within the container without requiring any other rejiggering—they grow and shrink automatically.
As you’ve probably heard, Apple is finally eliminating support for 32-bit Mac applications this fall. That means older software which hasn’t moved to 64-bit code won’t work on the latest macOS Catalina and although Cupertino has provided guidance on the impending “app-ocalypse,” identifying and taking action on affected apps is a hassle.
A free (donations accepted) Mac utility called Go64 aims to ease the 64-bit transition by performing a quick scan of your applications and creating an inventory of those where 32-bit code is still present. It’s fast and painless—Go64 took less than 45 seconds to scan 1,586 apps (?!) on my iMac Retina 5K startup disk.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has voted to approve a settlement with Facebook that will see the social media giant hit with a roughly $5 billion fine over the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The matter has been moved to the Justice Department’s civil division and it is unclear how long it will take to finalize, the person said. Justice Department reviews are part of the FTC’s procedure but typically don’t change the outcome of an FTC decision.
A settlement is expected to include other government restrictions on how Facebook treats user privacy. The additional terms of the settlement couldn’t immediately be learned.
The scandal revolved around data firm Cambridge Analytica, which improperly collected information on tens of millions of Facebook users without their consent to create targeted political advertisements during the 2016 campaign.
The data collection came through an app called "This Is Your Digital Life," which requested that Facebook users complete a survey for academic use. In reality, the app's permissions allowed it to collect personal information on not just the Facebook users who took the survey but also their friends.
Facebook revamped its privacy practices in the wake of the scandal, but the company still faced investigations by regulators over multiple security lapses and marked a significant moment in efforts to raise awareness about digital privacy.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple's iPad Air, which was resurrected in March as essentially a tweaked version of the previous 10.5-inch iPad Pro, offers a significant amount of utility at a solid $499 price point, but how does it compare to other competitors in the market?
In his latest video, MacRumors videographer Dan compared the iPad Air to Microsoft's Surface Go to determine which one he liked better for on-the-go computing.
For this comparison, Dan decided to focus on using the iPad Air and the Surface Go as somewhat of a laptop replacement. The iPad Air starts at $499 while the Surface Go comes in at a $399 base price, but in an effort to look at these as potential laptop replacements Dan opted to consider the devices equipped with first-party keyboard accessories, which pushes the iPad Air up to $659 and the Surface Go to $529.
In his video, Dan shares his impressions on the design and features of each, including important productivity accessories like respective keyboards and styluses.
As potential laptop replacements, performance is really where the rubber meets the road, and Dan came away somewhat unimpressed with the Surface Go. He wanted to like its relatively full-fledged Windows 10 operating system, and it was fine for basic tasks like emails, web browsing, and document writing, but he found things bogging down a bit when trying to multitask.
With the iPad Air, you don't really get a desktop-class operating system, at least for now, but it generally works very well when you need to multitask, switching easily among Safari, Messages, Notes, Mail, iWork and more with no performance issues. And with iPadOS 13 coming later this year, the iPad will become even more powerful.
So where do we come down on the iPad Air versus the Surface Go? It's a challenging comparison considering they have some significant spec differences and everyone's use case is different. Overall, Dan found the iPad Air to offer a more enjoyable user experience, although it's not quite a laptop replacement. But neither is the Surface Go in his experience, and he wonders whether it isn't better to just point someone toward a Chromebook or more traditional Windows notebook if they're looking for a cheap laptop experience.
Apple is teaming up with the BBC to co-produce an eight-part comedy-drama series with a working title of "Alabama," according to a report from British comedy website Chortle highlighted by Engadget.
Imelda Staunton
Written by former stand-up Andy Wolton, the show will reportedly star Imelda Staunton, who is best known for her performance in the British comedy television series "Up the Garden Path" and for playing Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies "Order of the Phoenix" and part one of "Deathly Hallows."
The series is reportedly in production and is slated to air worldwide next year on Apple's upcoming streaming video service, Apple TV+. Apple and BBC declined to comment on the series, and plot details have yet to be revealed.
Apple TV+ will feature dozens of original TV shows and movies with stars such as Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah Winfrey. The service is set to launch in over 100 countries in the fall within the Apple TV app on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, and Mac.
The teardown reveals a larger battery with a 58.2 Wh capacity, which slightly exceeds the 54.5 Wh battery found in the previous-generation function key model. iFixit guesses this is how the 2019 model manages to power the Touch Bar, Touch ID, and T2 chip while keeping the same 10-hour battery life.
To make room for the Touch ID sensor alongside the Touch Bar, iFixit notes that Apple appears to be using a slightly smaller heat sink. The speaker opposite the fan also looks to have been shrunk in size.
While the previous-generation entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro had a modular SSD, storage is soldered down in the 2019 model. However, there are some newly modular components, including the Thunderbolt board and the speakers. This configuration is in line with other modern MacBook Pro designs.
As we confirmed earlier this week, the notebook has the same third-generation butterfly keyboard with updated material as the higher-end 2019 MacBook Pro models introduced in May, with Apple promising improved reliability.
Like most other modern MacBooks, this model earned a low repairability score from iFixit due to the usual concerns, such as Apple's use of proprietary pentalobe screws, a glued-in battery, and soldered-down storage and RAM. One positive is that the trackpad can be replaced without touching the battery.
As in other countries, the headphones are only available in black at launch. Ivory, moss, and navy colors will be released later this year.
Powerbeats Pro first launched in the United States and Canada in early May, followed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, and China later in the month. The headphones have faced tight availability, with orders placed today estimated for delivery in between 10 and 20 days in many countries.
Powerbeats Pro are Apple's first totally wireless Beats earphones, equipped with the same H1 chip as the second-generation AirPods for hands-free "Hey Siri" and faster connection speeds between the iPhone, Apple Watch, and other devices.
Like the Powerbeats3, the Powerbeats Pro feature adjustable, secure-fit ear hooks and earbud tips with four size options. They're essentially sportier AirPods, complete with a durable design and sweat resistance. They'll last up to nine hours per charge, with more battery life via an included charging case.
Powerbeats Pro are priced at $249.95 in the United States and at €249.95 in many European countries.
Apple has several original TV shows in the works for its upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service, and a new report by The Wall Street Journal looks at the big budgets involved in these productions as competition hots up among rival streaming services eager to win over audiences in a market dominated by the likes of Netflix and HBO.
According to the report, Amazon and Netflix have increased budgets for original content in the last few years. Netflix originally spent $4.5 million per episode on "House of Cards," but now many newcomers are having to spend between $8 million and $15 million per episode on original content to compete with established services.
For example, Disney's Star Wars spinoff "The Mandalorian" costs nearly $15 million per episode, according to people who spoke to WSJ. As for Apple, it is said to be spending nearly $15 million per episode to produce sci-fi drama "See," which stars Jason Momoa of "Game of Thrones" and Aquaman fame.
In the case of Apple's "See," the cost has neared $15 million for each roughly 60-minute episode, according to a person familiar with the matter. That is more than the cost of a typical independent feature film.
"See," set centuries in the future after a virus has wiped out much of Earth's population and left survivors blind, appears to be taking cues from the "Game of Thrones" playbook of cinematic world-building. Footage shown at Apple’s programming event featured Mr. Momoa ready-set for battle alongside dozens of actors in sweeping vistas filmed in the fields and forests of British Columbia.
These kinds of figures per episode mean shows can easily exceed $150 million per season – or as much as a typical big-budget movie. One driving factor, according to the report, is that high-profile TV shows are offered up next to theatrical films available to stream on the same service, so "original programming can't risk looking like B-material next to the movies."
Apple is working on dozens of original TV shows and movies with high-profile directors, producers, and actors. The company was reported to have a budget of about $1 billion for its original content and TV shows in 2017.
It's unclear if Apple's budget has risen since that time, but as the WSJ report concludes, a certain power comes with paying big money for A-list actors, since it signals to other top actors and directors that Apple is committed to writing big checks for its top shows.
For example, Apple has signed a deal for two seasons of morning talk show drama "The Morning Show," starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston. According to a report in January 2018, the two key stars are set to earn $1.25 million per episode.
Apple TV+, Apple's new streaming television service, is coming this fall. It will be available on all devices where the TV app is available, which includes iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV, along with the Mac. There's no TV app for Mac right now, but Apple plans to introduce one later this year.
Apple has not yet announced pricing for the service, but it is ad free and shows will be available to watch on demand. For more information on Apple TV+, make sure to check out our Apple TV+ guide.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
