iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Rumors, New Intel Chips, One Billion iPhones Sold, Apple Car's New Leader - MacRumors

Brought to you by: iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Launch Predicted for September 16  We've long expected the iPhone 7 to debut in the usual September timeframe, but now we have a possible specific date for the launch, as prominent mobile phone leaker Evan Blass says the next iPhone will launch on Friday, September 16. He also says pre-orders will begin one week earlier on September 9, suggesting a media event on September 6 or 7 to unveil the device and perhaps make additional announcements. As for the iPhone 7 itself, we're continuing to hear rumors that it may ship with a Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone adapter rather than earphones that connect directly to the device's Lightning port in the absence of a traditional headphone jack. We've also seen some photos and video of what could be Apple's official adapter, although it could also be a third-party knockoff. We're also again hearing the iPhone 7 could include a flush, 3D Touch home button.   Read Full Article Sponsored Stories Hey Siri, Turn on My Lamp Comfort starts with having your home just the way you like it. With Eve Energy, switch your devices on or off using Siri or with a simple tap, and instantly see how much energy they are using. Taking advantage of Apple's revolutionary HomeKit technology, Eve Energy offers unparalleled ease of use, advanced security, and tight integration with Siri. Eve Energy makes your home smarter, not more complicated. Bluetooth low energy technology ensures reliable operation without impacting your already crowded WiFi setup. And since Eve Energy doesn't need to constantly interfere with your other wireless devices, you'll actually be able to consume less energy, not more.   Visit Sponsor Popular Stories Jul 28, 2016 Second-Generation Apple Watch Expected This Fall There have been rumblings about Apple planning to begin production on a second-generation Apple Watch for launch later this year, and DigiTimes is now saying component manufacturers are indeed gearing up for a launch in the fall, although orders so far appear to be "conservative." Apple Watch sales were estimated to have dropped 55% last quarter compared to the launch quarter a year ago, but Apple still holds nearly half of the smartwatch market. In other Apple Watch news, Apple is releasing a set of 14 country-themed nylon Apple Watch bands in conjunction with the Summer Olympics in Brazil. One catch though: you'll have to travel to Apple's VillageMall store in Rio to buy them or hope to score one on eBay for a hefty markup.   Read Full Article Intel Begins Shipping First Kaby Lake Processors, but Most Macs Won't Get Them Until 2017 We're still waiting for some of Apple's Macs to be upgraded to Intel's "Skylake" family of processors, but the next-generation "Kaby Lake" processors are already starting to ship to PC manufacturers. Granted, it likely won't be until early 2017 that Kaby Lake chips appropriate for most Macs become available, but that doesn't change the fact that nearly the entire Mac lineup is sorely in need of an update. On that topic, we're once again hearing that Apple is planning an update for the MacBook Air that will see the inclusion of USB-C ports as on the thinner MacBook. It would be a bit of a surprise considering many have predicted Apple will simply quietly phase out the MacBook Air, but perhaps Apple's cheapest notebook still has a bit of life left in it.   Read Full Article Apple Has Sold 1 Billion iPhones Apple this week announced it has reached a milestone in selling its one billionth iPhone since the device debuted in 2007. Tim Cook showed off the milestone iPhone at a company meeting this week, calling the iPhone "one of the most important, world-changing and successful products in history." While sales of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have struggled a bit due to difficult year-over-year comparisons to the monster iPhone 6 cycle that saw Apple move to larger screens, Cook is "optimistic" about the upcoming iPhone 7 sales cycle even though he as usual declined to discuss future product plans.    Read Full Article Apple Reports Q3 2016 Earnings of $7.8B on $42.4B in Revenue Apple has reported earnings for the April–June quarter, and as expected both revenue and iPhone unit sales were down year-over-year for the second consecutive quarter, while Apple is projecting a third straight quarter of revenue declines.  Despite the downward trend, the bottom may be nearing as we head into the iPhone 7 cycle, as overall performance was slightly better than analysts expected and guidance for the current quarter was also stronger than anticipated. Services in particular were a strong point for Apple last quarter, while Apple ended a nine-quarter streak of declining iPad revenue comparisons on the strength of its new, higher-priced iPad Pro models.   Read Full Article Apple Appoints Bob Mansfield to Oversee Electric Vehicle Team The Apple Car team has appeared to be struggling a bit recently, suffering from some leadership turnover and other issues, but it appears Apple is seeking to put the project back on the right track by bringing back Bob Mansfield to oversee things. Mansfield was a key senior executive for many years who announced his retirement in 2012 but ultimately only scaled back his day-to-day involvement to remain focused on "special projects" such as the Apple Watch. It'll be interesting to see what he can do to drive things forward. On a perhaps related note, Apple appears to be shifting the focus of its car project somewhat by putting some new emphasis on software for autonomous driving, a move that could give Apple some additional flexibility beyond building its own car. Notably, Apple has hired Dan Dodge, creator of the BlackBerry-owned QNX software platform that serves as the basis of in-vehicle systems for many car manufacturers.   Read Full Article

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iPhone 7 Comparison Video, Software Updates, AirPods Trademark, New Intel Chips - MacRumors

New iPhone 7 Video Offers Side-by-Side Comparison With iPhone 6s We're seeing more and more iPhone 7 dummy units surfacing in China, and this weekend saw the release of a new video and some fairly high quality photos showing a side-by-side comparison of one of these units with an iPhone 6s. The dummy units are reportedly based on the actual design specs for the iPhone 7, and continue to show no headphone jack, a larger camera, and removed antenna bands across the rear of the device, as well as a possible addition of a second speaker along the bottom edge.  In other iPhone 7 rumors, another video has shown similar mockup units in gold, rose gold, and a dark "space black" color, while a separate set of photos has revived unlikely rumors of two different "Plus" and "Pro" 5.5-inch models. To get an idea of what Apple might be looking to do with the rumored dual-lens rear camera on the iPhone 7 Plus, we went hands-on with Huawei's new P9 smartphone, while Corning this week announced its new, stronger Gorilla Glass 5 that might appear on the iPhone 7.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 21, 2016 Apple Releases iOS 9.3.3 and OS X 10.11.6 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements It's been an incredibly busy week for software updates, led by the public releases of iOS 9.3.3, OS X 10.11.6, watchOS 2.2.2, and tvOS 9.2.2 after many weeks of testing. These updates appear to mostly be bug fixes and security updates, and with the official iOS 10 and macOS Sierra launches quickly approaching, it's possible these could be the last updates to the current major operating system versions. On the beta side, this week saw the release of the third developer builds of iOS 10, macOS Sierra, watchOS 3, and tvOS 10. Changes are becoming fewer as Apple begins firming things up leading into the public launches likely planned for around September, but we still found some interesting tweaks and tidbits in the new iOS 10 beta. Both iOS 10 and macOS Sierra also saw their second public beta versions released for broader testing.   Read Full Article Trademark Filings Seemingly Confirm Apple's Work on Upcoming 'AirPods' Last year, we discovered a trademark application for the name "AirPods" that we suspected was tied to Apple, and subsequent rumors of the company removing the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 have sparked speculation about new wireless earphones. We've since done some more digging related to the AirPods trademark filing and found some documents that seemingly confirm Apple is indeed the responsible party. The documents also confirm Apple's continued interest in protecting the name, as just last week the application was amended to comply with requests for clarification from the trademark examiner. Wireless AirPods would likely be sold separately from the iPhone 7, and it's not a certainty they'll launch at the same time, but the prospects of Apple-branded wireless earphones arriving at some point are certainly getting stronger.   Read Full Article Intel Begins Shipping First Kaby Lake Processors, but Most Macs Won't Get Them Until 2017 Almost all of Apple's Macs are in desperate need of updates, with many yet to be upgraded to Intel's current "Skylake" processors. Even so, Intel this week announced it has begun shipping the first of its next-generation "Kaby Lake" processors to computer manufacturers. We're still likely to see Skylake chips in most of Apple's next-generation Macs, however, as Kaby Lake will take some time to roll out and many of the chips appropriate for Macs won't be available until early 2017. And we really hope Apple isn't planning to wait that long for updates.   Read Full Article Apple Car's Rumored 2020 Launch Target May Have Slipped to 2021 Apple's internal timetable for the rumored "Apple Car" has always been nebulous, but previous rumors have mentioned 2020 as a target for the company. According to a new profile of three brothers who have all worked on the Apple Car team, however, technical challenges and leadership turnover have hampered progress and the company is now aiming for a 2021 debut. That's still five years in the future, so there's obviously plenty of time for that to continue shifting or for Apple to abandon the project entirely, but we'll continue to keep tabs on the company's plans and see where they lead.   Read Full Article Apple's New Music Royalty Proposal Would Make Streaming Costlier for Free Services Like Spotify Apple is continuing to try to shake up the streaming music industry, and its latest behind-the-scenes move is a controversial proposal to simplify the royalty rates paid to songwriters and music publishers each time a song is streamed. Apple's proposal, which wouldn't go into effect until 2018 even if it is adopted by regulators, would replace the current complex system for determining royalty rates with a flat rate of 9.1 cents per 100 plays. One major upside for Apple: it would make it more expensive for competing services such as Spotify to offer free streaming tiers as they currently do.   Read Full Article

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Pokémon Go's a Hit, iPhone 7 Photos, Mac Sales Slumping, MacRumors Gets a Mention in New Lenovo Ad - MacRumors

'Pokémon Go' Becomes a Smash Hit, but Faces Privacy Concerns and Other Issues Last week saw the highly anticipated launch of augmented reality game "Pokémon Go,"and despite a limited geographic rollout it has become a phenomenon, rapidly becoming the "biggest mobile game in U.S. history." The game's popularity drove a massive spike in Nintendo's stock price, but its social nature and real-world environment have also raised some issues and skepticism over the prospect of retailer sponsorships. There have also been privacy concerns, as those using their Google sign-ins on the app were originally granting the developers full access to their Google accounts, an issue that was quickly rectified with an update to the app.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 14, 2016 Clearest Shot Yet of iPhone 7 Case Confirms Subtle Design Tweaks As we get closer to the official unveiling of the iPhone 7, the quality of the leaks we're seeing is starting to increase, led this week by a very clear shot of an alleged iPhone 7 rear casing. The photo shows off the enlarged rear camera and the lack of antenna bands across the rear of the shell, and a separate photo set claims to show the rear casing in all four of the current iPhone colors. Other photos, likely showing mockups, have reignited claims of a Smart Connector on the rear of the larger iPhone 7 Plus, although rumors have cooled on this detail in recent weeks. And finally, a short video shows off several possible casings with no headphone jack and a second speaker, another detail rumors have been split on. One final rumor claims the iPhone 7's battery could have about 14 percent higher capacity than the iPhone 6s battery. We don't know, however, whether that will translate to longer battery life or if the iPhone 7 will require the larger battery just to maintain the current battery life.   Read Full Article Apple's PC Sales Fall Behind ASUS as Buyers Await Next-Generation MacBook Pro and Other New Models Our Buyer's Guide shows almost all red for Apple's Mac lineup, and that's the likely reason for a decline in Apple's Mac shipments during the second quarter that saw the company drop to fifth place behind ASUS in worldwide PC sales. We're expecting some Mac updates in the second half of the year, led by a redesigned MacBook Pro with a thinner chassis and an OLED "touch bar" replacing the function keys, and that will likely help boost Mac sales in the coming quarters.   Read Full Article Lenovo Ad Pokes Fun at Apple Fans, MacRumors Gets a Mention Lenovo recently released a new ad for its Yoga 900S 2-in-1 notebook, using a stereotypical "iGuy" Apple fan to compare the MacBook to Lenovo's device. The iGuy touts Apple innovation and design, but consistently finds his MacBook falling short in comparison to the Yoga 900S with its reversible hinge, higher-resolution touchscreen display, and multiple ports. Amusingly, MacRumors even gets a mention in the ad, with the Apple fan saying "I think I read" on MacRumors that the next MacBook will have a reversible hinge like the Yoga 900S. The next MacBook won't, but we appreciate the mention!   Read Full Article iOS Device Ransom Attacks Continue to Target Users in U.S. and Europe In yet another example of why it's important to use strong, unique passwords, there's apparently been a resurgence in hackers using compromised iCloud accounts to remotely lock users' devices and hold their contents for ransom. There's no evidence of a direct breach of Apple's systems, but users with weak passwords or passwords that have been used elsewhere and then compromised are at risk of having criminals take over their iCloud accounts. Apple's Find My iPhone feature then lets those criminals lock the devices and display messages on their screens to demand payment in order to release the phones. Beyond strong passwords, users should also employ two-factor authentication when possible to ensure that a password alone is not enough to gain access to an account.   Read Full Article Apple's Dedication to Accessibility Highlighted by Story of Blind Engineer Apple has long garnered praise for its efforts in ensuring its devices are accessible for those with disabilities, and over the weekend Mashable published an inspiring look at blind engineer Jordyn Castor, who started as an intern with Apple before moving into a full-time role with Apple's accessibility team. As an intern, Castor worked on VoiceOver capabilities, but she has since moved on to help ensure Apple's forthcoming Swift Playgrounds app designed to teach children and even adults how to program will be accessible to the blind.   Read Full Article

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iOS 10 and macOS Sierra Public Betas, iPhone 7 to Start at 32 GB, Pokemon GO, Spotify's Dispute With Apple - MacRumors

Public Betas of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra Now Available Apple this week launched its public beta program for iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, giving non-developers their first opportunity to try out the upcoming operating system updates. If you're interested in giving iOS 10 a try, check out our "Should you?" video, and many of the same considerations apply to macOS Sierra as well. We've also got a how-to video for installing the iOS 10 public beta. The public betas of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra parallel the second developer betas released earlier this week alongside new developer betas of watchOS 3 and tvOS 10. Check out our walkthrough video of the changes between the first and second developer betas of iOS 10, and head over to our YouTube channel for a full series of videos highlighting what's new in iOS 10, macOS Sierra, and more.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jul 07, 2016 iPhone 7 to Start at 32GB of Storage, Replacing 16GB Base Model We've been hearing for several months that Apple might be bumping the base amount of storage on the iPhone 7 to 32 GB from the current 16 GB, and now The Wall Street Journal is lending its weight to those claims. There's a chance that at least the larger iPhone 7 Plus could also see a bump to 256 GB at the high end. Still up for debate is whether the loss of the headphone jack in the iPhone 7 will mean the addition of a second speaker in its place. Rumors and leaks have been split on that detail, with the latest design renderings showing speaker grilles on both sides of the Lightning port, suggesting stereo speakers could be included.   Read Full Article 'Pokemon GO' Launches in the App Store The Pokemon franchise has made its first major entry into the App Store this week in the form of Pokemon GO, an augmented reality game in which players seek to collect Pokemon by venturing to real-world locations. Collected Pokemon can then be traded, leveled up, and used in battles with other players. The game quickly shot to the top of the App Store charts, proving the continued popularity of the franchise.   Read Full Article Apple Accuses Spotify of 'Resorting to Rumors and Half-Truths', Sets Record Straight on App Rejection Last week, Senator Elizabeth Warren accused Apple of trying to "snuff out competition," comments apparently triggered by complaints from Spotify about Apple recently rejecting an update to Spotify's iOS app in a dispute over in-app subscriptions for Spotify's premium service. In a letter from its legal team to Apple, Spotify argued Apple was using the App Store as a "weapon to harm competitors," but Apple struck back with its own letter accusing Spotify of "resorting to rumors and half-truths," claiming the music service is seeking a special exemption to circumvent App Store rules in order to benefit from the iOS platform without having to share any of its subscription revenue.   Read Full Article What You Need to Know About Mac Malware 'Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor' Malware for the Mac is rare, but a new threat posing as a file converter app has emerged that could allow attackers to gain full access to users' machines. Apple's Gatekeeper anti-malware tools protect against the malware, but users should also be aware of threat and make sure they do not download the "EasyDoc Converter" app to install on their Macs. Popular anti-virus software tools have also been updated to protect against the threat.   Read Full Article Apple Campus 2 Drone Video Shows Progress on Ring-Shaped Main Building, Research Facilities Employees are expected to start moving into Apple's massive new Campus 2 in about six months, so the buildings and other features are starting to round into shape. Drone pilots have been providing regular updates of the construction progress, and this month's videos offer some excellent views of exterior glass and wall installation moving right along, solar panels going in on the roof, heavy equipment arriving to handle landscaping the site, and more.    Read Full Article

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