Updated MacBook Pros Arrive, Yosemite Public Beta in Progress, iPhone 6 Likely in September - MacRumors

Apple Launches Retina MacBook Pros with Faster Haswell Processors, More RAM Standard As expected, Apple today released updated models of the 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, bringing processor speed boosts across the board, increased RAM on entry-level models, and a $100 price cut for the high-end 15-inch model. The entry-level 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro has already been spotted in Geekbench benchmarking results, showing a roughly 8% performance improvement over its predecessor. The first hints of a possible imminent update for the line came last week when Intel announced new Haswell processors that appeared to be a perfect fit for upgraded MacBook Pros. Then over the weekend, digital in-store signage at an Apple retail store in China revealed several of the new models, and that news was quickly followed by reports that the new models would indeed launch today. In addition to the Retina MacBook Pro, the aging 13-inch non-Retina model also continues to hang around despite no updates since June 2012, but the machine did receive a $100 price cut today.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 29, 2014 OS X Yosemite Public Beta Now Available via Mac App Store Redemption Codes Apple last week kicked off the public beta phase of OS X Yosemite development, giving non-developers their first opportunity to test drive the next Mac operating system. First impressions of Yosemite have been mixed, and users are continuing to point out bugs and other issues (including download problems) that Apple should address before the public launch, which is expected in late October. Apple had announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June that Yosemite would include a public beta program and allowed users to sign up for it, but it wasn't until the day before debut that Apple announced the launch date for the beta period. The beta has proven popular with users, as Yosemite's share of Mac traffic quickly doubled once access was extended beyond developers to include public beta testers.   Read Full Article Apple Planning Mid-September Event for 4.7-Inch iPhone 6, Timing of 5.5-Inch Model Unclear Apple is reportedly planning a mid-September event to introduce the iPhone 6, but the company is said to still be weighing whether it wants to introduce both the rumored 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models or only the smaller model at the event. Mass production on the 4.7-inch model is said to be underway, with the 5.5-inch model following in September. Parts for the two iPhone 6 models continue to leak, including a pair of photo leaks in recent days showing two different logic boards that are similar to but distinct from versions found in previous iPhones. Other internal parts said to be from the 5.5-inch model have also surfaced recently, providing more evidence the device is indeed in the works.   Read Full Article Apple's iWatch Already a Hit, Even When It's a $20 Casio Watch Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel aired a segment on Apple's rumored iPhone 6 and iWatch last week, featuring on-street interviews in which people were told that a cheap Casio watch with an Apple logo on it was the iWatch and asked for their impressions of the device. Their reactions were priceless.   Read Full Article Microsoft Launches New Cortana vs. Siri Ad Showing Off Context-Aware Reminders If it's not Samsung, it's Microsoft, which this week is airing a new ad for its Cortana virtual assistant, pitting it against Apple's Siri. Microsoft touts Cortana's context-aware functionality that helps handle reminders based on people and location as a distinct advantage for Cortana over Siri.   Read Full Article Kwikset's Kevo Smart Door Lock Adds Free Guest eKeys, Scheduling for Standard eKeys Our article on an update to Kwikset's Kevo smart door lock system was surprisingly popular this week, perhaps demonstrating growing interest in connected home security systems. A number of companies have announced similar deadbolt products such as Lockitron and August, but Kwikset has been the first major one on the market for the past nine months, and last week's updates bring several user-requested features.    Read Full Article

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New iOS 8, Yosemite and iTunes 12 Betas, Big iPhone 6 Production Plans, New Haswell Chips Could Go in MacBook Pros - MacRumors

Fourth Developer Betas of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite (and iTunes 12 Beta) Now Available Two weeks after the last round of developer betas, Apple yesterday released the fourth beta versions of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. iOS 8 continues to see a number of tweaks and improvements, including a new look for Control Center, real-time text display during dictation, and more. Also included is a new Tips app that offers tips for new users on a weekly basis. On the OS X side, the release notably includes the first developer seed of iTunes 12, which brings a streamlined design, a new icon, and support for the Family Sharing feature that will let family members share apps and other media between Apple IDs.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 22, 2014 Apple Placing Orders for Record 70-80 Million iPhone 6 Units in 2014 Many observers are expecting the iPhone 6 to be a big seller for Apple given the rumored larger screen sizes, and it looks Apple is making plans with similar thoughts in mind. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is placing orders for a total of 70-80 million units through the end of the year, split between 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models. That's up from a combined 50-60 million order for the iPhone 5s/5c launch. And of course leaks and rumors about the iPhone 6 continue to circulate, including rigorous scratch tests on the 4.7-inch front panel suggesting it may not be made of sapphire. We've also seen the completed rear shell with an embedded Apple logo, a battery with a slightly higher capacity than seen on the iPhone 5s, a claimed Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and the Lightning/headphone flex cable part. Apple has also been reported to be using a new 13-megapixel Sony camera sensor for the iPhone 6, although other reports have stated Apple will stick with an 8-megapixel sensor and focus its improvements on other aspects of the camera.   Read Full Article Intel Launches New Haswell Chips, Could Appear in Upcoming Retina MacBook Pro Refresh While everyone is waiting for Intel to launch its much-delayed next-generation Broadwell family of processors, the company this week announced several new "Haswell refresh" processors to help tide folks over. A portion of the list looks custom-tailored for a Retina MacBook Pro refresh, with three new dual-core chips and three quad-core chips arriving as direct successors to the chips currently used in those machines. The new chips, which are each 200 MHz faster than those used in current Retina MacBook Pros, finally give Apple a complete set of chips for an interim Retina MacBook Pro upgrade while the wait for Broadwell continues. Those Broadwell delays may also be affecting Apple's plans for a rumored 12-inch Retina MacBook, which now may not launch until very late this year or early next year.   Read Full Article Samsung Takes on iPhone 6 Rumors with 'Screen Envy' TV Ad Rumors of a larger display for the iPhone 6 are all over the news, and that means it's time for Samsung to point out that it's had that feature for years. In a new TV ad entitled "Screen Envy", Samsung acknowledges the iPhone hype before pointing out "it's been here this whole time. But maybe you just like waiting."   Read Full Article Apple and IBM Team Up For Major Enterprise Mobility Partnership Apple has had a decent amount of success getting the iPhone and iPad into businesses, but those efforts are set to take a big step forward with the announcement of a new partnership with IBM. Under the deal, IBM will begin selling iOS devices to corporate customers while helping build more than 100 industry-specific native apps for the platform and integrating with its own cloud services. Apple will also provide special enterprise AppleCare support for the devices, including telephone and email support and onsite repair.   Read Full Article This Week's Deals Include Up to $150 Off Retina MacBook Pro, Discounts on AppleCare and Pegasus RAID Storage  There are a good number of deals on tap this week, and we summarized a bunch of them for Mac, iPhone, and accessories last Friday, but a few are worth highlighting, including deals of up to $150 off Retina MacBook Pro models from several retailers. B&H Photo is also offering good deals on AppleCare for Macs. Finally on the Mac side, for those looking for a good option for RAID hard drive storage arrays, several configurations of Promise's previous-generation Pegasus R4 and R6 Thunderbolt arrays are available at a nice discount from B&H Photo. While they don't support the faster Thunderbolt 2 standard used on the newer Pegasus2 line, they are likely sufficient for many users, particularly at these prices.   Read Full Article

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New iPhone 6 Rear Shell Pics and Video, No Broadwell Chips for Macs Until 2015, iTunes Extras - MacRumors

4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Rear Shell Shown in High-Quality Photos and Video Yielding the best look yet at the claimed rear shell of the iPhone 6, a pair of sources shared last week some high-quality photos and even a video of the part with MacRumors. The photos reveal a complex internal structure similar to other iPhones, along with a new cutout for the Apple logo. While the cutout is likely simply to allow for a high-quality embedded logo as seen on iPads (rather than the printed logos used on current iPhones), it has sparked speculation about Apple using it to increase radio transparency not just for current wireless technology but potentially for near field communications (NFC). If a new proposal takes effect, Apple may not even have to print regulatory information on the device's rear shell, although it's not clear how quickly Apple would be able to put that change into effect as it gears up what is said to be an unprecedented initial batch of orders.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 15, 2014 Intel's Broadwell Chips for Most Macs Not Shipping Until Early to Mid 2015   It feels like we've been waiting forever for Intel to launch its next-generation Broadwell chips that will power future Macs, but the finish line isn't yet in sight. While an interim release of "Haswell refresh" chips that enabled a minor update to the MacBook Air earlier this year and could show up in other Macs may help tide us over a bit, the Broadwell chips expected to be used in next-generation Macs are not scheduled to arrive until early or even the middle of next year. Chips for the MacBook Air and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro are currently slated to begin shipping in February, while more powerful chips for the 15-inch MacBook Pro and perhaps the iMac wouldn't launch until July or August of 2015.   Read Full Article Apple Brings iTunes Extras Back to Apple TV, Coming to iPhone and iPad in iOS 8 Apple has long offered "iTunes Extras" bonus content with some iTunes Store movie purchases, giving users access to behind-the-scenes videos, image galleries, and more, but compatibility has generally been limited to viewing on computers. In fact, initial compatibility on the first-generation Apple TV was not continued when Apple redesigned its set-top box in 2010. That's now changing, with Apple bringing support to the current Apple TV and announcing plans to include iTunes Extras support for iPhone, iPad, and iPod with the public release of iOS 8 later this year. iTunes Extras are also going HD, and a new iTunes 11.3 has been released to help with rolling out the enhanced content.   Read Full Article Siri 'Just Thrilled' About iOS 8, but Sad About Lack of Stage Time at WWDC Over the past several years, Apple has been working to improve the functionality of Siri while also injecting some wit into its responses, and that's carrying over to iOS 8. Users running the beta version of the operating system can ask Siri what it thinks about iOS 8 and receive one of several witty responses.   Read Full Article Apple May Part Ways With Ad Agency TBWA, Plans to Tap Beats' Jimmy Iovine for Marketing Revamp According to advertising industry insiders, Apple is becoming serious about parting ways with longtime ad agency TBWA after several years of sub-par performance. In fact, insiders believe that one of Apple's motivations for acquiring Beats Electronics and Beats Music was to bring music industry legend Jimmy Iovine on board to help with marketing. Beats is well-known for its marketing, and Apple may be looking to tap Iovine and his staff for help even as Apple reportedly builds out its own 1,000-member team focused on advertising.   Read Full Article Apple Facing Production Issues with iPhone 6 as 5.5-Inch Version May Be Delayed Until 2015 While we've seen plenty of leaks of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, information on the even larger 5.5-inch model has remained relatively scant. A new report from relatively reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, however, put things into context, claiming that production bottlenecks on the display and metal casing of the iPhone 6 will prove more pronounced on the larger model. As a result, the 5.5-inch model may not launch until very late this year or perhaps even early next year. As for hardware details, the rear shell wasn't the only iPhone 6 news this week, as a slew of other rumors also made the rounds. According to one report, the iPhone 6 will include haptic feedback, providing subtle vibrations based on app activity or screen touches. Another one claims the A8 chip that will drive the iPhone 6 will remain dual-core but be much faster at 2 GHz or higher. On the sapphire front, one materials expert believes that recent photos and videos showing stress tests of the claimed iPhone 6 front panel may indeed show a part made of sapphire, even as other smartphone manufacturers continue to believe the material is too impractical to use in mass-produced devices.    Read Full Article

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New iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite Betas, iPhone and iWatch Rumors, Mac Pro Security Lock - MacRumors

Third Betas of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite Arrive with Tweaks and Improvements Nearly three weeks after the release of the second betas, Apple this week released the third beta versions of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite to developers. The new version of iOS 8 contains a number of tweaks and improvements, including new settings for managing iCloud Drive, Handoff, and QuickType, some visual changes, and some changes to the handling of photos and audio/video messages. The latest OS X Yosemite beta enables official support for "dark mode", some changes to the handling of Continuity/Handoff settings, and various visual tweaks throughout the operating system.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 08, 2014 iPhone 6 Shipments Into U.S. Scheduled for Late August Ahead of September Launch iPhone 6 rumors continue to circulate with roughly two months to go until the device's expected introduction, and various reports from China and elsewhere claiming a launch around the 19th or 25th of September. MacRumors' own sources report that shipments of the device into the United States are scheduled to begin in late August, supporting notions of an early September media event ahead of a launch later in the month. According to some reports, the iPhone 6 will see only a modest increase in battery capacity compared to the iPhone 5s, and when considered alongside a more power-hungry, larger display, the iPhone 6 may not see a significant increase in battery life. The front panel of the iPhone 6 has also received significant attention over the past week, with a video of the part surfacing last week, followed by more recent videos showing the part being bent and subjected to other scratch and stress tests. Several other claimed parts have also leaked, including SIM card trays in the same space gray, silver, and gold colors used for the iPhone 5s.   Read Full Article Apple Launches $49 Mac Pro Security Lock Adapter in Online Store Some six months after the debut of the new Mac Pro, Apple has quietly released a $49 security adapter that allows users to lock their machines to sturdy objects and prevent unauthorized access to their machines' internals. The bracket locks the outer sleeve of the Mac Pro to the base and can be secured with a standard Kensington-style lock, sold separately. The adapter is available through Apple's online store, but is not yet being stocked in the company's retail stores.   Read Full Article 2.5-Inch iWatch Shown in New Concept as Apple Hires Sales Manager from TAG Heuer A new concept demoing a 2.5-inch rectangular iWatch was popular this week, offering one vision matching earlier claims from Reuters that the iWatch might be much larger than previously rumored. The concept comes as Apple has hired Patrick Pruniaux, sales director at luxury watch maker TAG Heuer, marking Apple's latest watch-related hire in the lead up to the device's launch rumored for October of this year. Finally, recent comments by Tim Cook about the importance of voice messaging are leading to analyst speculation about the feature being a key to the iWatch. Voice input and Siri have been seen as logical features for the iWatch given the relatively small screen size available on a watch.   Read Full Article Samsung Bashes iPhone Battery Life, Calls Users 'Wall Huggers' in New Galaxy S5 Ad Samsung has rolled out yet another television ad bashing the iPhone, this time focusing on battery life in calling iPhone users "wall huggers" for needing to hang out near electric outlets to constantly charge their phones. Samsung touts the long battery life, easy replaceability of its batteries, and a power-saving mode that lets users shut down non-critical functions to conserve energy on a low battery as examples of the Galaxy S5's superiority.   Read Full Article Apple Moving 'Find My iPhone' Web Maps from Google to Apple as Key Maps Engineer Departs Users of Apple's iCloud.com beta site have begun seeing the Find My iPhone feature using Apple's own maps rather than Google-based maps. While many of Apple's mapping features on iOS and OS X have transitioned to Apple's in-house maps over the past two years, the web-based iCloud.com has been one of the few holdouts still on Google Maps. The move comes as Chris Blumenberg, a key Apple engineering manager who famously built the original Maps app in two weeks ahead of the January 2007 iPhone unveiling and has overseen a Maps team of 40 employees, is leaving the company to join car service Uber.   Read Full Article

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End of the Road for Aperture, iPhone 6 Rumors, iOS 7.1.2 and OS X 10.9.4 Released - MacRumors

End of the Road for Aperture as Apple Works on New Photos App for Yosemite Last Friday, Apple announced that it is ending development on Aperture, the company's professional photo editing and management software. While Apple will be making a few tweaks to make sure Aperture will continue to run on OS X Yosemite, no further enhancements will be made. The news comes as Apple is working on a brand-new Photos app for Yosemite that will replace iPhoto and appears set to gain at least some of the more advanced features from Aperture. Apple briefly demoed the new app at WWDC last month, but it won't be ready for public release until early next year, several months after Yosemite's launch. In the wake of Apple's move to discontinue Aperture, competitors are making sure users are aware of other options on the market. Adobe quickly announced it is "doubling down" on Lightroom development as it continues to push users towards Creative Cloud subscription plans, while Corel is touting its AfterShot Pro 2 as an Aperture alternative.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 01, 2014 iPhone 6 to Launch September 19 with Some Features Exclusive to 5.5-Inch Model? Several sources have now claimed the iPhone 6 will launch on September 19, with Apple perhaps eliminating 16 GB models and sliding 32 GB and 64 GB models down a pricing tier each. Such a move with the rumored 4.7-inch iPhone 6 could make room for the 5.5-inch models to be slotted in at the high end. While there have been rumors that a sapphire crystal display might be exclusive to the 5.5-inch model, rumors are now suggesting that other features such as a 128 GB storage option and optical image stabilization for the rear camera maybe also be limited to the larger models. Part leaks including front panels with tapered edges and perhaps a rear shell are continuing to appear, but a new report claims mockups showing thick antenna breaks may not be quite representative of the actual design.   Read Full Article Apple Patches Bugs with iOS 7.1.2 and OS X 10.9.4 Releases Apple this week released minor operating system updates for its iOS and OS X platforms, bringing several bug fixes and other enhancements. iOS 7.1.2 brings a handful of fixes, addressing a problem with encryption of Mail attachments and improving iBeacon performance. OS X 10.9.4 similarly brings a relatively small set of fixes related to Wi-Fi and wake from sleep issues, but they are no doubt welcome improvements for those Mac users who have been running into problems in those areas.   Read Full Article Apple Launches New 16GB iPod Touch for $199, Drops 32/64GB Models to $249/$299 Following a last-minute tip from a source, Apple last Thursday launched a new 16 GB iPod touch priced at $199, adding the rear camera and support for the Loop wrist strap found on larger-capacity models. Along with the new model, which replaces the previous stripped-down 16 GB model that was priced at $229, Apple also lowered prices on the 32 GB and 64 GB models. The 32 GB iPod touch drops from $299 to $249 and the 64 GB model moves from $399 to $299. A teardown of the new 16 GB model shows that the internals are essentially identical to those of the larger-capacity models with the exception of the flash storage.   Read Full Article No iOS 8 Beta 3 Until Tuesday, July 8? The next developer build of iOS 8 will reportedly not arrive until next Tuesday, July 8, marking a three-week interval since the previous seed. With Apple's usual Tuesday release time having already passed for this week, the rumored July 8 is looking more likely.   Read Full Article Apple Adds Several New CarPlay Partners, Including Fiat Chrysler Brands and Mazda Apple has announced a number of new partners for its CarPlay initiative to make certain iPhone functions accessible through the in-dash display included on an increasing number of cars. A total of nine new brands have been added to Apple's roster in recent days, beginning with Audi last week and continuing this week with Mazda and a range of Fiat Chrysler brands including Dodge and Jeep. With the new additions, Apple has nearly 30 brands on board as CarPlay partners, and Alpine and Pioneer are also participating with their aftermarket in-dash units.   Read Full Article

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