First Revenue Drop Since 2003 for Apple, iPhone and Apple Watch Rumors, 2016 MacBook Reviews - MacRumors

Apple Reports First Year-Over-Year Revenue Decline Since 2003 Apple this week released its earnings for the January–March quarter, and in line with expectations, the company reported its first year-over-year drop in quarterly revenue since 2003. It also marked the first time iPhone sales dropped year-over-year. Tough comparisons showed up with the iPhone in particular, with Apple citing the huge spike in iPhone 6 interest last year, as well as economic factors such as a strong U.S. dollar, for the drop in sales. Analysts are split on whether Apple's results are a sign of prolonged weakness or a temporary blip brought on by the massive iPhone 6 surge in 2015 that prompted many users to upgrade their phones earlier than usual. Apple remains optimistic, noting that the new iPhone SE, other products in the pipeline, strong switcher rates, untapped potential in China and India, and a massive installed base generating strong recurring services revenue all bode well for the future.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Apr 28, 2016 Analyst Predicts 2017 iPhone 8 'Mega Cycle' With OLED, Wireless Charging, and No Home Button Amid signs this year's iPhone 7 may see very little in the way of design changes compared to the iPhone 6/6s families, analysts are coming around to the idea that 2017 could see Apple jump to an all-new iPhone 8 rather than launching an iPhone 7s with yet another similar body style. The move to an all-new 2017 iPhone 8, potentially with an AMOLED display, wireless charging, and maybe even removal of the iconic home button, could drive a "mega cycle" when it comes to upgrades, much as the size changes of the iPhone 6 family did. In the nearer term, we're continuing to hear rumors about this year's iPhone 7, including a somewhat sketchy report that the home button could become entirely touch sensitive, doing away with the current physical clicking mechanism. We've also seen claimed design drawings for the larger iPhone 7 Plus or "iPhone Pro" depicting a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector on the rear of a device that would be identical in size to the iPhone 6s Plus.   Read Full Article Apple Watch 2 Rumored to Include Cellular Connectivity Amid Push for iPhone Independency Buried in a larger report about the first-year performance of the Apple Watch, The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is looking at adding cellular connectivity to the next-generation model. No timeframe for the device's launch is given, but previous rumors have suggested it could appear around the same September window as the iPhone. The new Apple Watch would of course also contain some other internal improvements such as a faster processor. On the occasion of the Apple Watch's one-year anniversary, Macworld also took some time to speak with Apple Watch game developers, who discussed some of the challenges and the successes and failures associated with gaming on the device's tiny screen. In addition, Apple announced that as of June 1, all new Apple Watch apps submitted to the App Store must be native apps, a move that should improve performance by lessening reliance on loading data from a paired iPhone.   Read Full Article 2016 MacBook Review Roundup: SSD Performance is Much Improved, Lack of Ports and 480p Camera Are Still Negatives Apple's updated Retina MacBook has been out for a little over a week now, and media outlets have for the most part published their reviews of the new machine. Among the positives are nice improvements in performance, including faster CPU and graphics, much improved flash storage speeds, and better battery life. On the downside, the 480p FaceTime camera from the original model was not upgraded for 2016, and many users continue to cite the MacBook's single USB-C port as a negative.   Read Full Article Demand for iPhone SE is 'Very Strong,' Exceeds Available Supply While the iPhone SE launched after the close of the March quarter and thus was not included in Apple's just-announced financial results, Tim Cook did talk a bit about the new 4-inch iPhone on the earnings conference call. Cook noted demand for the iPhone SE has been "very strong" and Apple has been unable to keep up with demand. Apple is working hard catching up to demand, and expects to do so this quarter. Cook highlighted how the iPhone SE opens up new demographics for Apple, such as those who have been unable to meet the previous entry-level price point for the latest devices. It also addresses demand from those users who simply prefer the smaller form factor but want to upgrade to the latest technology.   Read Full Article Logitech's 'Logi BASE' Stand Charges the iPad Pro Using the Smart Connector Accessory makers have been slow to adopt the new Smart Connector technology that debuted on the 12.9" iPad Pro late last year, with only Apple and Logitech having released keyboard cases that can be powered through connector. Logitech is now branching out a bit, however, with the launch of the new Logi BASE stand for the iPad Pro, which provides a convenient charging station for the iPad Pro that props up the device for use on a desk. At $99, it's certainly not a cheap stand, but that's unsurprising considering it builds in both a Lightning port and a Smart Connector, two technologies that need to be licensed from Apple.   Read Full Article

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New Retina MacBooks, WWDC Announced, Minor MacBook Air Upgrade, iPhone and Apple Car Rumors - MacRumors

Apple Updates 12-Inch MacBook With Skylake Processors, Faster Graphics, Longer Battery Life, and Rose Gold Apple this week updated its 12-inch Retina MacBook for the first time since its debut almost exactly a year ago. The new update brings a number of improvements including Intel's latest Skylake processors with improved graphics capabilities, faster RAM and flash storage, an extra hour of battery life, and a new Rose Gold color option. Apple's retail stores and third-party resellers are just getting stock of the new MacBooks, so check around before you run out to try to buy one. While some potential customers were disappointed at the lack of Thunderbolt 3 support and had held out hope for a second USB-C port that did not come to fruition, the upgrade is a solid one for Apple's ultraportable notebook. Check out our tidbits post for a roundup of some of the lesser-known changes, and if you've already bought one, you should know there's already a software update for it. And for those MacBook users who miss the handy MagSafe charging solution Apple got rid of in favor of the all-in-one USB-C port, Griffin has impeccable timing and will begin shipping its BreakSafe magnetic USB-C charging cable on Monday.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Apr 21, 2016 WWDC to Be Held June 13 to June 17 in San Francisco Less than two months ahead of time, Apple has officially confirmed this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco will take place June 13–17. That week had long been presumed to be the WWDC window based on the Moscone West convention center's event calendar, but interestingly it was Siri that first officially confirmed Apple's plans this week. Just a few hours later, Apple opened the lottery for registered developers to apply for tickets to the conference. For the first time, Apple will be holding the opening keynote and other first-day events at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, which offers a larger space than the main room at Moscone West. The auditorium, located about a mile away from Moscone West, was the site of Apple's September 2015 "Hey Siri" event that saw the introduction of the iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, and new Apple TV.   Read Full Article 13-Inch MacBook Air Models Now Have 8GB RAM Standard Alongside the updated MacBook, Apple this week also made a minor update to its 13-inch MacBook Air models, upgrading them to 8 GB of RAM standard. The machines had previously shipped with 4 GB of RAM standard, with 8 GB available as a $100 upgrade. The 11-inch MacBook Air continues to ship with 4 GB standard. The slight tweak suggests a full update for the MacBook Air is unlikely at WWDC just two months from now, and it's unclear what Apple's plans are for the line with the Retina MacBook now playing the role of Apple's ultraportable notebook. The MacBook Air continues to be a budget alternative, but as pricing on the Retina MacBook comes down over time and Apple perhaps launches thinner Retina MacBook Pro models, the MacBook Air will likely be discontinued.   Read Full Article Apple to Release iPhone With Glass Casing and AMOLED Screen in 2017 Following up on his report last month claiming Apple is looking to launch a new OLED iPhone with a glass casing in 2017, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo this past weekend released a clarifying report sharing a few more thoughts on the rumored shift. Kuo believes a glass casing will "enhance the competitiveness" of the 2017 iPhone, and concerns over fragility of the material are overblown. In other iPhone rumors, Samsung is said to be preparing to re-enter Apple's supply chain for flash memory used in the iPhone and other iOS devices. Apple stopped using Samsung's flash memory back in 2013, but new technologies mean Samsung will reportedly rejoin the list of suppliers in 2017. Meanwhile, in the nearer term, recent comments from Qualcomm's CEO appear to support rumors that Apple will be shifting to Intel to supply at least some of the LTE modems for the upcoming iPhone 7.   Read Full Article AMD's New 400-Series 'Polaris' Graphics Chips Headed for 2016 Macs With graphics firms Nvidia and AMD both launching vastly improved chips this year, we've been expecting to see some nice improvements for the high-end 27-inch iMac, 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro models that use these discrete graphics processors. A new report indeed claims Apple will be using AMD's new "Polaris" chips that could in some situations offer nearly double the performance of their predecessors. Almost all of Apple's Mac lineup is sorely in need of an update, and we're hoping to see some of those announcements at WWDC in June.   Read Full Article Apple Car Talks With Daimler and BMW Fell Apart Over Leadership Issues, iCloud Rumors about Apple's car project have died down a bit in recent months, but they saw a brief flurry of attention this week, led by a report claiming negotiations between Apple and both Daimler and BMW fell apart amid disputes over leadership and how data would be managed. Given a lack of expertise in car manufacturing, Apple is reportedly looking to partner with an established car manufacturer for the project, but Apple's strict demands for control are proving difficult for the negotiations. Other news about the "Apple Car" has included word that Apple has a small team of engineers working in a "secret lab" in Berlin, while a leadership vacuum left by the departure of Steve Zadesky last year may have been quickly filled when Apple hired Tesla's engineering vice president Chris Porritt away, presumably for a key role on Apple's car project.   Read Full Article

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Apple Watch 2 and iPhone 7 Rumors, Adobe Flash Issues, iPhone SE Bluetooth Audio Problems - MacRumors

Apple Watch 2 Expected to Focus on Internal Upgrades Rather Than External Changes, Launch in Late 2016 Late last week, a report from analyst Brian White generated quite a bit of excitement for its claims of a new Apple Watch coming as soon as WWDC in June with a design up to 40 percent thinner than the current Apple Watch. White has a mixed track record, however, and skepticism over his claims was bolstered by a subsequent report from Ming-Chi Kuo predicting a late 2016 launch and minimal design changes for the second-generation Apple Watch. Apple's supply chain is said to be gearing up for production of the Apple Watch 2, although Apple is of course continuing to push the current model with new bands and a price drop on the Sport model just last month. Apple has also just released a number of new short TV ads for the current Apple Watch, featuring celebrities such as Nick Jonas, Alice Cooper, Chloë Sevigny, and Jon Batiste.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Apr 15, 2016 iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Again Rumored to Feature Smart Connector, but No Stereo Speakers or Thinner Design Japanese site Mac Otakara, which has a decent track record with product rumors, has come out in support of previously leaked photos and design graphics claimed to be for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The new report supports claims of a Smart Connector on the next iPhones but indicates that while Apple will do away with the headphone jack, it will not be replaced by a second speaker. Conflicting with other rumors that the iPhone 7 could approach the iPod touch's 6.1 mm thickness, the site also claims there will be virtually no change in thickness compared to the iPhone 6s. In other iPhone news, rumors of a major shift to OLED technology for the 2017 iPhone continue to gain steam, with a new report claiming Apple has struck or is in talks for a deal with Samsung to provide 100 million 5.5-inch OLED display panels annually starting in mid-2017.   Read Full Article Adobe Issues 'Emergency' Flash Player Security Update for OS X to Address Ransomware Attacks One of our most popular stories this week addressed yet another security flaw in Adobe Flash, with Adobe releasing an "emergency" patch to fix the problem that could allow users' systems to be hijacked and held for ransom under threat of encrypting the users' files. Adobe is not alone, however, as Apple has revealed it will no longer be updating QuickTime for Windows, even though two security issues have recently been identified in the software. As a result, security experts are recommending that Windows users uninstall QuickTime from their systems.   Read Full Article Many iPhone SE Users Experiencing Bluetooth Phone Call Audio Issues Apple's new 4-inch iPhone has been out for a couple of weeks now, and an increasing number of users are reporting problems with Bluetooth audio connections, particularly with phone calls and GPS navigation. At least one user has reported that Apple's support team is working hard on the problem, with the issue being "on the top of the list" for Apple's issue tracking. No specific cause or timeline for a fix has been announced.   Read Full Article Mac Update Cycle Faces Uncertainty as Intel Abandons Tick-Tock Strategy Intel has been struggling to maintain its pace of annual "Tick-Tock" processor upgrades in recent years, and the company recently officially announced that it will be moving away from that cadence to a new three-step cycle known as "Process-Architecture-Optimization." The move will come with the debut of the new Kaby Lake processor family later this year, which will be the Optimization step of the cycle that has included the Broadwell and Skylake families. The shift in cadence could mean a return to shorter and more reliable upgrade cycles for Macs based on Intel's chips, although uncertainty remains. Significant upgrades are also in store on the dedicated graphics front, with both Nvidia and AMD preparing to launch major upgrades in the coming months, although it may yet be a while before they make it into Apple's Mac Pro, 27-inch iMac, and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro products. Virtually all of Apple's Mac products are in need of updates, with new Retina MacBooks perhaps arriving as soon as later this month. A new report also claims Apple will be releasing "ultra-thin" MacBooks with new hinge designs later this year, although the report likely refers to MacBook Pro or perhaps MacBook Air models.   Read Full Article HTC 10 is the First Android Smartphone to Support Apple AirPlay Out of the Box HTC this week unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the HTC 10, and it includes an interesting distinction of being the first Android smartphone to support Apple's AirPlay wireless streaming protocol right out of the box. With AirPlay support, users will be able to directly stream audio and video from their phones to Apple devices including the Apple TV, as well as AirPlay-enabled speaker systems. Alongside the HTC 10 announcement, JBL also announced new noise-canceling earphones that connect via USB-C, which the HTC 10 uses for connectivity. Apple's Retina MacBook is the only Mac so far to support USB-C, but the new standard should be making its way to the entire Mac lineup.   Read Full Article

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iPhone SE and 9.7" iPad Pro First Impressions, Dual-Camera iPhone 7 Rumors, Apple's 40th Anniversary - MacRumors

iPhone SE First Impressions: Small Size is Perfect and Performance is Impressive With the new 4-inch iPhone SE now in the hands of consumers, members of the MacRumors forums have been sharing their impressions of the device, finding performance to be impressive while many appreciate the smaller size compared to Apple's flagship devices. Criticisms have been relatively few, although some users have complained about the power button rattling on occasion, an issue that can impact recorded audio and which also affected the iPhone 5 and 5s with essentially the same body design. Stress tests have found the iPhone SE to be less durable than the iPhone 6s series, which is not necessarily surprising considering it lacks some of the newer design elements like strong Series 7000 aluminum and enhanced water resistance found in the larger devices. Early data suggested consumer response to the iPhone SE was "lackluster," although it is difficult to compare a mid-cycle upgrade of an older form factor to a flagship iPhone launch. Following the initial surge of orders and rapid expansion into new countries, supplies of the iPhone SE have been tightening, with many retail stores showing low stock of some models and Apple's online store quoting delivery times of up to several weeks.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Apr 08, 2016 9.7-Inch iPad Pro First Impressions: Major Improvement Over iPad Air 2, True Tone Display is Great In addition to the iPhone SE, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro also has now been officially launched, and users are similarly impressed with the new tablet. It's a major upgrade over the iPad Air 2, with features such as the four-speaker system and the unique True Tone display that automatically picks up on the color temperature of the ambient light for a better viewing experience receiving strong reviews. The protruding rear camera has been a cause for concern for some, but users report it does not cause the iPad Pro to rock when placed on a flat surface. iFixit has also performed one of its traditional teardowns on the new iPad Pro, finding a densely packed interior held together by "gobs of adhesive" that will make repairs difficult. Still, it's an interesting look at how Apple managed to fit in all of the upgrades over the iPad Air 2.   Read Full Article Dual Camera Again Said to Be Exclusive to 5.5-Inch iPhone 7 Rumors of a dual-lens rear camera for the next iPhone have been split on whether the feature will be included on both iPhone 7 models or only the larger iPhone 7 Plus, but several new reports have come down on the side of it being a Plus-exclusive feature. Relatively reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo continues to believe only the iPhone 7 Plus will include the feature, while analyst Brian White is hearing similar information on his current "China-Taiwan Tech Tour." Speaking of dual-camera smartphones, Huawei just this week unveiled its P9 phone which sports dual 12-megapixel cameras, so it will be interesting to see how that performs. In addition to his mention of the dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus, White also shared some tidbits he's hearing suggesting the Apple Watch may see an update around WWDC in June, with the updated hardware being up to 40 percent thinner than the current model. We're skeptical of both that amount of size reduction and the rumored timeframe, however, and we think an update later in the year is more likely.   Read Full Article Apple Turns 40: Reflecting on Four Decades of History Apple celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 1, with the company marking the occasion by flying a version of the "pirate flag" at its Cupertino campus in homage to the symbol used by the early Macintosh team. A special Apple Music playlist highlighting forty tracks used in Apple ads over the years is also being featured. While unrelated to Apple's anniversary, the company did also use the day to release a new Apple Music ad featuring Taylor Swift falling off a treadmill.   Read Full Article Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 9.3.2 With Bug Fixes and Improvements Following a quick iOS 9.3.1 update to address a critical bug, Apple is back into its beta testing program this week, pushing out iOS 9.3.2 to developers and public beta testers. Changes observed so far appear to be minor and focused on bug fixes and performance improvements, with some users reporting smoother Quick Action menu activation in landscape mode on the iPhone 6s Plus, for example. In addition to iOS 9.3.2, Apple has also provided testers with the first builds of OS X 10.11.5, tvOS 9.2.1, and watchOS 2.2.1.   Read Full Article Walmart Offering $100 Discount on All iPhones, Including New iPhone SE Walmart has launched a new in-store promotion offering $100 off on all iPhone models, including the just-released iPhone SE, a fantastic deal on a brand-new model. Make sure to check out our regularly updated Apple Deals roundup for even more deals like Best Buy knocking $300 off of the Retina MacBook. (Just be warned...updated MacBooks could be coming any day now.) T-Mobile has also launched a promo offering $200 off any iPad when you also purchase a flagship model iPhone on an installment plan.   Read Full Article

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