HomePod Launch, Battery Health in iOS 11.3 Beta, New Products in March? - MacRumors

HomePod Reviews: Outstanding Sound Quality, but Siri 'Struggles at Smart' HomePod, Apple's smart speaker, is launching on Friday in the US, UK, and Australia, and this week we saw the first early press reviews of the device. Reviewers generally raved about the sound quality, but most feel that Siri's capabilities are underwhelming at this point. The first HomePod orders have shipped out, and Australian customers should start receiving them within hours, while US and UK customers have another night's sleep until their deliveries. Supplies have tightened as the release day has approached, with Apple no longer taking orders for delivery or in-store pickup for Friday. It's possible, however, that retail stores may have some unclaimed stock on hand for launch day. We've also continued to learn more about HomePod, including that support for its stereo-like pairing when placing two HomePods in the same room will be coming "soon" while multi-room syncing will follow later in the year. Music streams on HomePod from Apple Music or iTunes Match also won't count against your streaming or device limits.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Feb 08, 2018 iOS 11.3 Beta 2 Introduces New 'Battery Health' Feature Apple this week seeded the second beta of iOS 11.3 to developers and public beta testers, and the new version includes the promised "Battery Health" feature that lets you view the relative capacity of your battery, see whether performance is being throttled, and turn off that throttling if you wish. For now, the throttling affects iPhone 6, 6s, 7, and SE series models, and while Apple could introduce similar interventions for the iPhone 8 and X as they age, the company says a more advanced hardware and software design in the newest models should lessen any performance impact. Apple is offering users of affected models who need new batteries discounted $29 pricing on replacements, but the company is reportedly looking into the possibility of offering rebates to those who previously paid the normal $79 price. In addition to iOS 11.3, this week also saw the releases of second betas for macOS 10.13.4, watchOS 4.3, and tvOS 11.3.   Read Full Article DigiTimes Predicts Apple's First New Products of 2018 Could Debut Starting in March Like Last Year Hit-or-miss supply chain rumor source DigiTimes is claiming that Apple's first new product introductions of the year could come in March, which is right around the corner. The report doesn't specify which products would be launching that soon, but with the main iPhone refresh likely targeted for the usual September timeframe and rumors of updated iPad Pros suggesting a similar launch window, it's likely DigiTimes is referring to updated Macs. Much of Apple's Mac lineup could use a refresh, as we haven't seen anything other than the new iMac Pro since last June, so there are lots of candidates for an early 2018 update. Another candidate could be an updated iPhone SE, but rumors are split on whether such a product is in the works. Last March saw the launch of the fifth-generation iPad and it's also possible that could see an update next month, although Apple's low-end models tend to stick around for more than a year between updates.   Read Full Article Apple Launches Official Repair Program for iPhone 7 Models Affected by 'No Service' Issue Apple has launched a new repair program for iPhone 7 users who have been affected by an issue that results in a "No Service" message even when a cellular network is available. The issue is caused by a failed part on the logic board, so Apple will repair affected devices free of charge. In a separate issue, Apple is "looking into" limited reports of incoming call delays affecting some iPhone X users. Users experiencing the problem are seeing delays of up to ten seconds before the display wakes up as a phone call comes in, preventing them from accepting calls.   Read Full Article Apple Reports Record Results for 1Q 2018: $20B Profit on $88B Revenue, 77.3M iPhones Apple last week reported record revenue and profits for the holiday quarter. iPhone sales fell just short of the 78.3 million from the year-ago quarter, but due to calendar adjustments this year's quarter was only 13 weeks while the comparison period included 14 weeks. iPhone X was the top-selling iPhone every week since its launch in early November, which helped raise the average selling price for iPhones by $100 and drive the record revenue despite no growth in unit sales.   Read Full Article New Study Suggests Apple Watch Heart Rate Sensor Can Detect Early Signs of Diabetes Apple has been pushing the Apple Watch's health and fitness capabilities, including an ongoing heart study from Apple and Stanford designed to determine whether the device can detect abnormal heart rhythms. Another study conducted by the firm Cardiogram in partnership with researchers at UC San Francisco has determined that heart rate data from the Apple Watch can even help detect early signs of diabetes. Heart rate variability is linked to early symptoms of diabetes, and Cardiogram's study was 85 percent accurate at distinguishing between users with and without diabetes.   Read Full Article

This email was sent to dasdisdusonline.apple@blogger.com Click here to unsubscribe or Update subscription preferences View in Browser | Subscribe to this mailing list. MacRumors.com, LLC 4870 Sadler Rd. Suite #300 Glen Allen, VA 23060 USA