HomePod Orders Start Friday, iOS 11.3 Beta, iPhone and MacBook Rumors - MacRumors

HomePod Launches February 9, Available to Order Starting Friday in United States, UK, and Australia Apple this week announced that it will begin taking orders for its $349 HomePod smart speaker this Friday, January 26 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, with a launch following on February 9. If you're in a country where it isn't officially launching yet but can get your hands on one, it will work as long as you're okay with English as the language, and official launches in France and Germany will follow in the spring. Alongside the launch date, Apple also shared new tidbits on the HomePod including details on the gesture controls, support for multiple users and speakerphone functionality, and confirmation that a user's private information is not accessible from HomePod when they're not at home. While many have been eagerly awaiting the HomePod's launch, especially with Apple having pushed back the launch from the original December target date, potential customers may be disappointed to learn that two important features won't be available at launch. The ability to sync audio among multiple HomePods throughout the home or create a stereo pair of HomePods within a room will arrive in a software update later this year.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jan 25, 2018 Everything New in iOS 11.3: iCloud Messages, Animoji, Health Records, AirPlay 2 and More Apple is already looking forward to its next significant iOS 11 update, this week seeding the first beta of iOS 11.3 to developers and public beta testers. This is a major update, so be sure to check out our overview video covering what's new. The biggest new feature is Messages on iCloud, which syncs your messages and attachments across devices and saves space on your device. This feature was supposed to be in the first release of iOS 11, but was removed during beta testing. Other additions and enhancements include four new Animoji characters for iPhone X, improvements to ARKit for augmented reality experiences, AirPlay 2 support, centralized electronic health records across participating providers, and a life-saving feature that will automatically send your GPS location when you call emergency services. Future betas will also include previously promised features for viewing battery health and disabling Apple's power management, as well as Business Chat to allow companies to offer customer support right within the Messages app.  Alongside iOS 11.3, Apple has also begun seeding versions of macOS 10.13.4, watchOS 4.3, and tvOS 11.3 to developers.   Read Full Article KGI: Apple to Discontinue iPhone X Rather Than Sell at Lower Price When Second-Generation Model Launches According to relatively reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is planning to discontinue the iPhone X once its successor launches later this year, rather than continuing to sell the current model at a reduced price. The reason for this is likely the rumored new 6.1-inch LCD iPhone coming as part of this year's lineup, which we're starting to hear more about. Kuo says that phone will have Face ID, a single-lens rear camera, an aluminum frame, 3 GB of RAM, no 3D Touch (surprisingly), and come in at a price point around $700-800. A separate report claims this new iPhone could come with a 2160x1080 display. With a new second-generation iPhone X, a rumored larger "iPhone X Plus," and this new LCD model, there may just not be room in Apple's product lineup and pricing tiers for the current iPhone X to stick around.   Read Full Article Apple Said to Release New Entry-Level 13-inch MacBook This Year, Likely Replacing MacBook Air According to a new report out of Apple's supply chain in Asia, Apple is planning to launch a new entry-level 13-inch notebook later this year, replacing the MacBook Air that has been hanging around in the company's lineup in outdated form for several years. As is common with these supply chain reports, it's not clear whether this notebook would be positioned as a redesigned MacBook Air, an expansion of the MacBook line, or something different, so we'll have to wait and see what else we hear about this notebook in the coming months.   Read Full Article Everything New in iOS 11.2.5: Siri Audio News, HomePod Support, New Control Center Music Interface and More Just ahead of Apple's preview of iOS 11.3, the company pushed out the final version of iOS 11.2.5 to the public. In addition to support for the upcoming HomePod, iOS 11.2.5 brings several other improvements such as Siri audio news, a revamped Control Center music interface, and a fix for a malicious link that could freeze the Messages app, so make sure to check out our overview video to see what's new. Besides iOS 11.2.5, Apple also released macOS 10.13.3, watchOS 4.2.2, and tvOS 11.2.5, as well as special security updates for macOS Sierra and OS X El Capitan to address the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities in Intel chips for users still running those older operating system versions.   Read Full Article How to Get More Battery Life Out of Your Apple Watch The Apple Watch does a good job of making it through an entire day on a charge, even for heavy users, but for those looking to extend battery life even more, we've put together a guide sharing some tips on things you can do to help. From turning down the brightness to limiting the notifications that are pushed to the watch to turning off Hey Siri, there are a number of changes you can make that'll help you squeeze more use out of each charge. And if all of that still doesn't help and you think you might have an actual problem, we've also got some tips about ensuring your Bluetooth connection to your watch is working properly, resetting your watch to fix potential energy-sapping issues, and if necessary visiting an Apple Store for repair or a battery replacement.   Read Full Article

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HomePod Launch Soon?, Malicious Link Could Break Messages App, Smaller Notch in 2019 iPhones? - MacRumors

Brought to you by: HomePod Should Launch 'Soon' as Inventec Begins Shipments to Apple We're already more than halfway through January, but with Apple's revised launch timeframe for the HomePod of "early 2018," there's still a fairly large window in which we could see a release. It does indeed look like we may be getting pretty close to a launch, however, as Apple's manufacturing partner Inventec is said to be shipping its first batch of one million units of the smart speaker over to Apple. As with many new Apple products, supplies of the HomePod could be rather tight at launch, and it could take a few months for shortages to ease as production ramps up.   Read Full Article Sponsored Stories Fancy iPhone X Corner Protectors - The Minimalistic and Lightweight Mobile Case Alternative Unlike many other bumper covers or even other corner protectors, Rmour’s products are elegantly designed. The covers are made of 925 sterling silver and are plated with gold and premium enamel. They look like page corner protectors on books and they allow your $999 iPhone X to look more unique and sophisticated. Being a minimally designed and lightweight phone case that optimizes your mobile experience, Rmour gold-plated silver corners do more than shield your iPhone exterior from damage — they transform your handheld device into a distinctive yet versatile fashion accessory. Rmour’s sophisticated design works like a classic wardrobe piece that stays in sync with your active life, whether you're meeting clients at a posh restaurant, enjoying a relaxing outing with friends, or attending a formal weekend event. Check out the 4 new intricate designs for iPhone X. Visit Sponsor Popular Stories Jan 18, 2018 Apple Confirms Fix is Coming Next Week for Malicious Link That Freezes Messages App Earlier this week, a new malicious link was revealed that can cause the Messages app on Macs and iOS devices to freeze up, even without the recipient having to manually open the link. Apple tells us a fix for the issue will be coming in a software update next week, which will likely be iOS 11.2.5 and macOS 10.13.3, as the latest beta of iOS 11.2.5 seeded to testers yesterday is not affected. In addition to iOS 11.2.5 and macOS 10.13.3, we should also be seeing watchOS 4.2.2 and tvOS 11.2.5 updates next week.   Read Full Article 2019 iPhones Could Have Smaller Notch as Apple 'Looking Into' Combining Face ID and Front Camera Rumors suggest that the controversial "notch" at the top of the iPhone X will be making its way across the iPhone lineup later this year with an updated version of the iPhone X, a larger "iPhone X Plus" and even a lower-end LCD-based iPhone. Looking forward to 2019, however, it seems Apple may be working hard on shrinking the size of that notch by combining some of the components. The notch currently contains not only the normal FaceTime camera, earpiece, and proximity and ambient light sensors, but also a trio of components working in the infrared spectrum to enable Face ID and TrueDepth features. By combining the Face ID and camera components, Apple could shrink that notch.   Read Full Article MacBook Pro Reportedly Won't See Any Major Upgrades in 2018 After a major redesign in 2016 that saw a thinner profile and the addition of the Touch Bar, the MacBook received only minor internal upgrades in 2017. It looks like that may be the case again in 2018, according to a new report from DigiTimes. Apple typically overhauls its MacBook Pro designs about every four years, so we weren't necessarily expecting any radical form factor changes this year, but this new report hints we again might not see much more than processor and graphics bumps in the next update.   Read Full Article Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Power Management Feature in Older iPhones Will Be Able to Be Turned Off in Future Update The controversy over Apple's move to throttle performance of iPhones with degraded batteries in order to avoid unexpected shutdowns continues to churn, with Apple now facing over 45 lawsuits related to the issue even as it is offering $29 battery replacements. While Apple previously noted it will be more transparent about the throttling and battery status with an upcoming software update, Tim Cook in an interview this week also revealed that the update will allow users to turn off that power management throttling entirely if they so desire.  He says Apple doesn't recommend turning it off, however, as that would increase the chances of the user's iPhone unexpectedly shutting down when it demands more power than the degraded battery can provide.   Read Full Article Toyota and Lexus to Offer CarPlay in Select 2019 Vehicles and Beyond in United States With the North American International Auto Show taking place in Detroit this week, we've seen a number of CarPlay-related announcements, highlighted by Toyota and its luxury brand Lexus announcing they will finally offer support for the feature, marking the end of one of the most significant holdouts. Mazda has been another major CarPlay holdout, but while the company tells us it "remains committed" to supporting CarPlay, it's still unwilling to announce timing. Finally, BMW created quite a stir this week by revealing that it plans to turn CarPlay support into a subscription-based service later this year, with pricing set at $80 per year following a free introductory year. This seems pretty ridiculous considering the user's iPhone is providing most of the CarPlay functionality, but it's possible BMW could change its mind based on customer feedback.   Read Full Article

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CES 2018, iPhone Battery Replacements, Meltdown and Spectre Vulnerability Fixes - MacRumors

Brought to you by: The Best of CES: The Connected Home Comes to the Forefront CES is always a crazy mix of practical and off-the-wall products, some of which are ready to ship immediately and others that end up being more fanciful prototypes that may or may not make it to market. One of the major themes of this year's CES has been connected homes, with Alexa, Google Home, and HomeKit all making strong appearances. There's much more than that, however, so take a look at our highlight videos from media preview events Unveiled, Pepcom, and ShowStoppers, as well as all of the rest of our coverage hosted on our CES news hub, where you'll find coverage of announcements on all kinds of products, even the kitchen sink.   Read Full Article Sponsored Stories Get an App Collection for Any Task at Hand Setapp is a new way of getting things done on your Mac. A collection of over 100 curated apps to cross out your to-do list every single day. We mixed your favorite apps with exciting up-and-comers to help you write, focus, screencast, photo-edit, stay organized — you name it. All apps are pro versions, ad-free, and always up to date. A collection worth thousands for just $9.99 a month. Start your free, full-featured trial and see how convenient it is to never google things like “best app for youtube downloads” ever again. Visit Sponsor Popular Stories Jan 11, 2018 Apple Delays iPhone 6 Plus Battery Replacements Until March-April Due to Limited Supply Back when Apple announced its discounted battery replacement plan for older iPhones last month, the company initially intended to hold back the launch until late January in effort to boost supplies of the replacement batteries, but later accelerated the program to let it launch with whatever supplies were on hand at the time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the rush on replacement batteries is resulting in delays for customers, with Apple advising its service partners that iPhone 6 Plus batteries in particular are in short supply with many replacements needing to wait until March or April. Other models are seeing better battery availability, with iPhone 6 and 6s Plus seeing around two-week waits while other phones should see near immediate battery availability. In addition, for those looking to take advantage of the discounted $29 battery replacements, Apple has clarified that it's one-per-phone, so don't expect to get a new battery now and then replace it again late in the year near the end of the program. In other news related to the battery issue, Apple is coming under scrutiny from government officials in the United States and France, while consumers have filed more than two dozen lawsuits over the issue.   Read Full Article Apple Releases iOS and macOS Updates With Additional Security Fixes to Address Spectre Vulnerability The technology world was shaken last week with the disclosure of significant vulnerabilities in chips from a number of companies including Intel, AMD, and ARM, with some of the vulnerabilities inherent in the way modern chips are designed. Vendors have been working hard to mitigate the risks of these vulnerabilities, known as "Meltdown" and "Spectre,"with Apple noting it had already addressed some of the issues in iOS 11.2, macOS 10.13.2, and tvOS 11.2. Apple this week released a few more updates in the form of iOS 11.2.2 and a macOS 10.13.2 Supplemental Update to address some of the Spectre-related issues by making tweaks to Safari.   Read Full Article macOS High Sierra's App Store System Preferences Can Be Unlocked With Any Password It's not as serious as the bug that allowed unauthorized access to the root superuser on Macs that was discovered a few weeks ago, but there's another permissions-based issue with System Preferences in macOS High Sierra that lets users unlock access to Mac App Store preferences without a password. The bug has been fixed in beta builds of macOS 10.13.3, so a fix will be rolling out to all users as soon as Apple releases the next High Sierra maintenance update, which could come relatively soon.   Read Full Article Apple Begins Selling Refurbished 10.5-Inch iPad Pro Models It's been over six months since Apple released the 10.5-inch iPad Pro, and the company is finally offering configurations of the device in its online store for refurbished products. Refurbished devices carry about a 15 percent discount and come with a full Apple warranty and new battery and outer shell. If you still prefer to pick up a brand-new unit, check out our deals roundup to make sure you're getting the best price.   Read Full Article Apple Now Selling Linksys Velop Mesh Wi-Fi System But Will Continue Offering AirPort Line Apple's lineup of AirPort Wi-Fi networking products hasn't been updated in years and we heard over a year ago that Apple had halted development on Wi-Fi routers, so it's interesting that Apple has begun selling the Velop Mesh Wi-Fi System from Linksys online and in its stores. Apple says it will continue selling its own AirPort products, but has given no indication on whether it plans to discontinue them, and if so, when.   Read Full Article

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$29 iPhone Battery Replacements, What to Expect in 2018, Chip Design Flaw Vulnerabilities - MacRumors

Apple Makes $29 Battery Replacements Available Immediately for iPhone 6 and Newer Following last week's announcement that it would begin offering battery replacements for iPhone 6 and newer at a reduced price of $29 starting in late January, Apple accelerated its plan and began offering the discounted price immediately, although supplies may be limited initially. Apple also clarified that it will replace batteries at the discounted rate even if the battery passes diagnostic tests. The battery controversy arose earlier this month when it was discovered that Apple has been throttling the performance of iPhones with degraded batteries in order to prevent them from unexpectedly shutting down.  For more on the situation, check out our FAQ and our how-to outlining the steps to get a battery replacement from Apple.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Jan 04, 2018 What to Expect From Apple in 2018: Three New iPhones and iPad Pro With Face ID, HomePod, Refreshed Macs, and More With the calendar flipping over to 2018, we've put together an extensive overview of what we're expecting to see from Apple this year. We know the HomePod is coming early in the year, but we're also seeing rumors of at least three new iPhones as Apple continues its transition to the iPhone X design. Face ID should expand to new products, including not only new iPhones but also the iPad Pro. And of course we should be seeing a number of updated Macs, hopefully including the completely redesigned Mac Pro Apple has said it's working on. As always, we're interested in hearing what our readers think, so let us know your thoughts on what you hope to see in 2018!   Read Full Article Chips From Intel and Others Have Memory Access Design Flaw and Fixes Could Lead to Performance Drop In a blockbuster release, researchers and chip companies this week announced the discovery of several vulnerabilities associated with chip design flaws that could allow hackers to access sensitive information such as passwords stored in memory. At least some aspects of the design flaw are present in nearly all modern chips, including those from Intel, AMD, and ARM. Apple has already addressed some of the issues in macOS 10.13.2, with more fixes on the way in macOS 10.13.3.   Read Full Article Apple's 2018 iPhone Lineup May Include Second-Generation iPhone SE Fans of Apple's smallest iPhone form factor rejoice — it looks like the iPhone SE might be getting an update in the first half of this year. We don't know many details on it, but the current iPhone SE is nearly two years old and based largely on iPhone 6s internals, so hopefully we'll get something along the lines of iPhone 8 internals paired with a 4-inch display. Later in the year we're of course expecting the usual annual update to the larger iPhones, with rumors pointing toward an updated version of the iPhone X, a larger "iPhone X Plus," and a mid-sized LCD-based model that may include Face ID.   Read Full Article LG Display Could Supply OLED Displays for This Year's 'iPhone X Plus' Speaking of those new larger iPhones, another rumor claims that LG may enter Apple's OLED display supply chain for the 6.5-inch so-called "iPhone X Plus" coming late this year. Samsung has been the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the iPhone X, but Apple has reportedly been assisting LG in advancing its OLED capabilities to diversify and expand supplies as Apple expands OLED across its iPhone lineup over the next few years.   Read Full Article CES 2018: All the Latest News From Las Vegas Next week is CES, the massive electronics trade show in Las Vegas. Apple won't be making any announcements at the show, but plenty of other companies will be and we'll have a full slate of coverage. Make sure to keep with our CES 2018 news hub where we'll have all of our coverage centralized in one place. The conference officially kicks off for the public on Tuesday, January 9, but companies have already started making CES-related announcements and they'll ramp up significantly in the coming days.   Read Full Article

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