New MacBook Pro With Touch Bar and Touch ID Unveiled - MacRumors

Apple Unveils New 13-Inch and 15-Inch MacBook Pros With Retina 'Touch Bar' At its "Hello Again" media event today, Apple introduced the redesigned 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models. Sporting a slimmer and lighter design as well as a new "Touch Bar" across the top of the keyboard with Touch ID support, the new MacBook Pro also offers a brighter display, faster processors, and 10-hour battery life. Both sizes are available in Silver and Space Gray color options and include four USB-C ports with support for Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Gen 2. Apple is taking orders for the new MacBook Pro models today, with shipping beginning in 2-3 weeks. For a full summary of today's media event check out our recap post with links to all of our coverage and Apple's videos from the event.   Read Full Article Product Announcements Oct 27, 2016 Apple Unveils New 13-Inch Entry-Level MacBook Pro In addition to the new MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar support, Apple also introduced an entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro intended to be a step-up option for customers who might otherwise purchase a MacBook Air. The entry-level model starts at $1499, which is $300 less than the Touch Bar model, but lacks the Touch Bar and Touch ID and uses slower processor and graphics options while paring the number of Thunderbolt 3 ports from four to two. The new entry-level model begins shipping today.   Read Full Article Apple Teams Up With LG for 4K and 5K Displays Designed for New MacBook Pro Apple was rumored to be working with LG on a new 5K external display after Apple's own Thunderbolt Display was discontinued earlier this year, and the fruits of that partnership have now been revealed in the form of new LG-branded Thunderbolt 3 displays. The new offerings include a $700 21.5-inch 4K display shipping in 5-6 weeks and a $1300 27-inch 5K display shipping in December. The larger display includes three additional USB-C ports for downstream connectivity, as well as a built-in camera, microphone, and speakers, while the smaller display includes the three USB-C ports and the speakers.   Read Full Article Apple Still Offering 2015 13-inch MacBook Air, 11-inch MacBook Air Discontinued Rumors had suggested that Apple was planning to release a new MacBook Air with USB-C ports at today's event, but that device appears to have been the new entry-level MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar. What that means is that the MacBook Air indeed appears to be nearing the end of its life, with Apple discontinuing the 11-inch models and now offering only the 13-inch models. The 13-inch models did not receive any updates and are almost certainly only being kept around to satisfy budget-minded consumers who don't want to step up to the more expensive MacBook and MacBook Pro models.   Read Full Article Apple Announces Universal TV App for 'Unified TV Experience' Prior to unveiling the new MacBook Pro today, Apple spent some time on the Apple TV, introducing a new "TV" app for Apple TV and iOS devices that collects content from across various apps and services to help organize your TV watching. It works hand-in-hand with Siri and the upcoming single sign-on feature on the Apple TV to make it easy to jump straight to your content, regardless of what app it's being shown in. The new app will be coming in December.   Read Full Article

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New Macs at October 27 Event, Virtual iPhone Home Button, iOS 10.0.3 Bug Fix for iPhone 7 - MacRumors

Apple Invites Media to 'Hello Again' October 27th Mac-Centric Event It's the moment Mac fans feel like they've been waiting for forever: Apple has announced it will be holding a media event on Thursday, October 27 at the company's headquarters in Cupertino. The event is expected to be a Mac-focused affair, headlined by a redesigned MacBook Pro with a slimmer body, an OLED touch bar (perhaps called a "Magic Toolbar") replacing the row of function keys across the top of the keyboard, and Touch ID support. We may see some other Mac announcements at the event, with updated iMac and MacBook Air models being the most likely, and perhaps we'll hear something about a 5K external display Apple's been rumored to be working on with LG. Other Macs including the Mac Pro and Mac mini are also sorely in need of upgrades, but we haven't heard whether those will also be seeing updates next week.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Oct 20, 2016 Apple's Virtual Home Button in iPhone 7 Troubleshooting Mode Offers a Glimpse at the Future Amid rumors that next year's iPhone will drop the iconic home button altogether, one MacRumors forum user stumbled upon what might be a glimpse of that future in the form of a virtual onscreen home button that appeared on his screen when his iPhone 7 sensed that the new haptic home button was not working properly. An official implementation of an onscreen home button for everyday use would likely operate a bit differently from this troubleshooting mode, but it's interesting to see how Apple may be thinking about what removing the physical button might entail.   Read Full Article Apple Releases iOS 10.0.3 for iPhone 7 With Cellular Connectivity Bug Fix Apple this week released a minor iOS 10.0.3 update for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, addressing cellular connectivity issues that have plagued customers of Verizon and some other carriers. Reactions are split on whether the update addresses all of the problems users have been seeing, but it does appear to be helping at least somewhat. iOS 10.1 also remains in beta testing, most significantly bringing the new Portrait mode to the dual-camera iPhone 7 Plus. We're expecting a public release of iOS 10.1 very shortly.   Read Full Article Full-Device Skins Causing 'iPhone' and Regulatory Labels to Peel Off Back of Jet Black iPhones Apple's new glossy Jet Black color for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is experiencing an interesting issue related to full-device protective skins, with users discovering that when the skins are removed much of the "iPhone" and regulatory text on the back of the phone is transferred to the skin. The phenomenon results in the remaining text on the phone becoming faded, and multiple skin applications and removals could potentially remove it entirely. The issue affects other iPhone colors not nearly as much, if at all, and is almost certainly related to a different printing technique needed for the glossy surface relative to the matte finishes Apple has traditionally used.   Read Full Article Sonder's Customizable E-Ink Keyboard Rumored for 2018 MacBooks as CEO Denies Reports of Meeting Tim Cook There have been some curious rumors floating around regarding Sonder Design, an Australian company developing keyboards that use e-ink technology to allow the keys to be customized. Multiple sources have reported that Sonder is in discussions with Apple about the technology and that the company's CEO met with Tim Cook while he was in China last week, but Sonder's CEO has denied that he met with Cook on the rumored date.   Read Full Article Apple Abandons Car Plans 'For Now,' Sets Late 2017 Deadline to Decide Fate of Self-Driving System There have been signs for a few months now that Apple's rumored car project is at a crossroads, with the company waffling between developing an actual car with self-driving capabilities and taking a more modest approach and working on system that other automakers could use for such purposes. A new report claims Apple has abandoned its car manufacturing plans "for now" and is giving the entire project a deadline of late next year to determine its feasibility.   Read Full Article

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Mac Sales Still Dropping, Apple's Siri Turns 5 Years Old, Samsung's Note 7 Woes to Benefit Apple - MacRumors

Mac Sales Continue to Slide Amid Lack of Updates The vast majority of Apple's Mac lineup is in significant need of an update, with our Buyer's Guide issuing "Don't Buy" recommendations on all but the MacBook due to the age of the current models. We're expecting some updates as soon as later this month, but in the meantime Mac sales are being hit hard as consumers hold off on making purchases. New estimates from research firms Gartner and IDC suggest Mac sales were down 13 percent year-over-year in the July–September quarter, which has long been Apple's best-performing quarter due to the company's strength in the education market.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Oct 13, 2016 Walt Mossberg Calls Siri 'Too Limited and Unreliable' to Compete in 'Coming AI Wars' Five years after its introduction on the iPhone 4s, Siri still has some glaring deficiencies in its capabilities, leading longtime tech columnist Walt Mossberg to pen a piece for The Verge entitled "Why does Siri seem so dumb?" Mossberg gives several examples of query sequences where Siri fell short in his testing, while Google Now was generally able to provide the requested information. Apple is continually improving Siri, but Mossberg argues that ongoing failures to accurately handle various queries will only drive users to become frustrated to the point that they stop using Siri altogether.   Read Full Article 'Dash' App Removed From App Store for Alleged Review Manipulation There has been a considerable amount of debate and speculation over the past week regarding the case of "Dash," a popular Mac and iOS documentation browser that was pulled from Apple's App Stores after the developer's account was canceled due to alleged review manipulation. The move has generated split opinions on whether Apple or the developer is in the wrong, with Apple arguing it has proof of fraudulent reviews from a second account linked to Dash's developer. The developer, however, claims that he only assisted his mother in setting up a developer account and later transferred some of his old apps to her, while he had no knowledge of any improper activity on that account.   Read Full Article Apple Shares Hit New High for 2016 as Samsung Scraps the Galaxy Note 7 The fast-moving saga of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 reached a climax this week with the company officially discontinuing the new phone and recalling all original and replacement devices after continued reports of the devices smoking or catching on fire. The move has benefited Apple as a number of Note 7 users have decided to make the switch to an iPhone in the wake of the incident, driving optimistic stock traders to boost Apple's share price to its highest levels of 2016.   Read Full Article Jimmy Iovine on the Future of Apple Music: 'We're Building the Right Hybrid' Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine is continuing to speak out on where the company sees the streaming music service to be heading, amid some recent controversy over Apple's strong push into exclusives that some view as hurting the industry. In a new interview with Billboard, Iovine discusses how Apple is working to develop "the right hybrid" that is "technologically and culturally adept." Seeking to position Apple Music as an "adjunct to labels and artists", Iovine says his hand-picked team will do "whatever we believe is great."   Read Full Article Apple Seeds Third Beta of iOS 10.1 to Developers and Public Testers Apple is likely wrapping up work on its next set of software updates, issuing its third beta of iOS 10.1 to developers and public beta testers. The update will bring the new "Portrait" camera mode to the iPhone 7 Plus and deliver some additional tweaks and fixes for devices across the board. We've also seen new betas of macOS Sierra 10.12.1, watchOS 3.1, and tvOS 10.0.1, all of which should be seeing public releases in the relatively near future.   Read Full Article

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Three New iPad Pros in Spring 2017, iPhone 7 Battery Life, Apple TV 3 Discontinued - MacRumors

Apple to Launch Trio of iPad Pros in Spring 2017, Including 7.9-Inch Mini Model We're starting to hear a bit more about Apple's plans for the iPad lineup, although updates still are not expected until early next year. The latest rumor claims the iPad mini will be the next to receive the "iPad Pro" treatment, with Apple moving to standardize many features across all three iPad sizes to include True Tone displays, quad speakers, and 12-megapixel rear cameras. In addition to a new 7.9-inch "iPad Pro mini" and an updated 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it looks like the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be getting a bit larger, with this rumor claiming it will become a 10.1-inch model while an earlier report indicated it will move to 10.5 inches.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Oct 06, 2016 Which? Magazine Claims iPhone 7 Has 'Poor Battery Life' Compared to Rival Smartphones A new study by UK consumer testing magazine Which? has generated some controversy for its finding that the iPhone 7 has considerably lower battery life than many competing smartphones. The 4.7-inch iPhone is, however, compared to larger rivals with displays measuring 5.1–5.3 inches, which means they are able to fit larger batteries. The 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus was not included in the study. In other iPhone 7 news, Apple has confirmed that the device's rear camera cover is indeed made of sapphire as on the past several iPhone generations. A number of "tests" in recent weeks had raised some questions about whether this was the case as users found they were able to damage the cover using supposedly softer materials.   Read Full Article Apple Discontinues Third-Generation Apple TV Nearly a year after Apple launched the fourth-generation Apple TV with App Store support, the company has quietly discontinued the previous third-generation set-top box. Apple had been keeping the third-generation model available as a $69 entry-level option for those who did not want to step up to the new $149–$199 box. The discontinuation has been rather gradual, with Apple moving to reduce the prominence of the third-generation model on its website in recent months before completely removing it from sale this week.   Read Full Article macOS Sierra Now Available as an Automatic Download Two weeks after its public release, Apple has started making macOS Sierra available as an automatic download for those who have the option enabled on their Macs. The change means that those who have yet to upgrade to Sierra may see the new operating system downloaded to their machines in the background so that it's ready to be installed whenever the user decides to upgrade. Apple is trying to be intelligent about the process, initiating the download only on machines that can be upgraded to Sierra and which have sufficient free space, while ensuring the download process itself doesn't affect regular usage of the Mac. Some users are unhappy with the move, however, considering the download is rather large and not all users are planning to upgrade in the foreseeable future.   Read Full Article Google Unveils Pixel Phone, Smart Home Hub, and More at AI-Focused Event One of our most popular stories this week wasn't even about Apple, instead focusing on Google's latest hardware announcements. The headliner was the new Pixel and Pixel XL phones, new flagship devices that include Google's most advanced "Assistant" artificial intelligence features yet. Google's other announcements include the new Google Home smart home hub that will compete with Amazon's Echo, a new Google Daydream virtual reality headset, Google Wi-Fi mesh networking base stations to provide Wi-Fi throughout users' homes without dead spots, and an upgraded Chromecast Ultra media streaming device.   Read Full Article Apple Moves Q4 2016 Earnings Call to October 25 Due to 'Scheduling Conflict' Apple this week announced it is moving its quarterly earnings release and conference call to October 25 from the previously announced October 27 date due to an unspecified "scheduling conflict." On the surface, it's a pretty mundane change, but it's leading to speculation of an announcement about Mac updates sometime during that week. We're expecting to see redesigned MacBook Pro models around that timeframe, and Apple is supposedly working on updated MacBook Air and iMac lineups that could debut at or around the same time.   Read Full Article

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