Apple Watch and iPhone 8 Rumors, New Betas, Intel's Ice Lake Chips - MacRumors

Apple Watch 3 Won't Have 'Obvious Change' to Form Factor, LTE to Be Main Selling Point While the iPhone will undoubtedly be the highlight of a likely September media event, signs are pointing toward the launch of an updated Apple Watch as well. Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a couple of reports about the "Series 3" model in recent days, saying there will be no "obvious change" to the form factor compared to current models. Kuo also says LTE cellular connectivity will be the main selling point, although it is unlikely users will be able to make direct phone calls from the watch. There is a possibility that VoIP services like FaceTime or Skype could work though. The updated Apple Watch is said to be in the "final testing phase," with mass production likely starting soon. One interesting question about this likely September event is where it will be held. The Steve Jobs Theater at the new Apple Park campus would seem to be the clear first-choice location, but the campus remains under construction, so it's unclear if it will be ready in time to host an event. The latest drone video does show a newly paved walkway to the theater, so perhaps there's still a chance.     Read Full Article Popular Stories Aug 17, 2017 New Blurry Videos Potentially Show iPhone 8 on Production Line at Factory Excitement about the iPhone 8 continues to build, and this week we got a look at a couple of short blurry videos that allegedly show rear shells for the device being produced in a Chinese factory. A separate leak shows claimed photos of the internals of the induction charging pad accessory rumored to be launching alongside or somewhat after the iPhone 8. Finally, designer Maksim Petriv has mocked up what some high-profile apps like Netflix and Spotify, as well as the App Store, could look like on the iPhone 8, taking advantage of the much taller display and either embracing or hiding the notch at the top for the camera and sensors.   Read Full Article Apple Seeds Sixth Beta of iOS 11 to Developers and Public Beta Testers Apple is picking up the pace on seeding new versions of its upcoming operating systems, releasing the sixth betas of iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, tvOS 11, and watchOS 4 to developers, and the corresponding fifth public beta versions of iOS, macOS, and tvOS. The new set of releases comes just a week after the previous group and while we're continuing to see some improvements and tweaks like new icons for Maps and the App Store, Apple seems to be in the final push to lock everything down and polish up these releases for their official launches next month.   Read Full Article Lack of iPad Pro Smart Connector Accessories Blamed on Long Wait Times for Components Coming up on two years since the debut of the Smart Connector on the original iPad Pro, there are still very few accessories on the market supporting the connector. In fact, Logitech is still the only third-party company offering accessories for it. A new report outlines some of the challenges accessory makers are facing in bringing Smart Connector-compatible products to market, including long wait times and high costs for the required components, a desire to differentiate themselves with unique product designs that take time to implement, and a general satisfaction with the more commonly used Bluetooth technology featured in these types of products.    Read Full Article Intel Shares Details on Upcoming 'Ice Lake' Chips to Follow Coffee Lake and Cannon Lake It feels like we just got Intel's latest Kaby Lake chips, but the chipmaker is already sharing information several generations ahead, this week revealing the roadmap for future "Ice Lake" chips that will be manufactured on a 10nm+ process. More imminently, we're looking forward to Coffee Lake chips being introduced starting next week, with a shift to Cannon Lake chips for notebooks likely in early 2018. Ice Lake for desktops and notebooks should follow in late 2018 or early 2019 as Intel continues its cadence of shrinking and optimizing its chip manufacturing processes.   Read Full Article A Ten-Minute Silent Song Is Soaring Up the iTunes Charts On the lighter side of Apple news, this week saw the release of a ten-minute song on iTunes and Apple Music that features nothing but silence. Created by Samir Mezrahi to address the problem of iPhones automatically playing the first song alphabetically in the user's library when plugging into a car stereo, the 99-cent track entitled "A a a a a Very Good Song" gives you an opportunity to cue up your desired playlist without having to hear the exact same song every time you plug in your iPhone in the car. The song rose into the top 50 on the U.S. iTunes Store charts, and it's still just barely hanging in the top 100.   Read Full Article

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