AirPort Lineup Discontinued, VR Headset Rumors, Strong Q2 Earnings, Fast iPhone Charging in the Box? - MacRumors

Brought to you by: Apple Officially Discontinues AirPort Wireless Router Lineup It shouldn't come as a major surprise, but Apple late last week announced that it is discontinuing its AirPort lineup of wireless routers. Once remaining stock of the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule has sold out, that will be the end of Apple's first-party Wi-Fi router hardware. None of the AirPort products had been updated in a number of years, and it was reported a year and a half ago that Apple had ceased development on the product segment. With the rising popularity of mesh Wi-Fi systems that use multiple nodes to provide seamless coverage over large areas, Apple has elected to allow third-party companies to provide that hardware for Apple users. Apple's partner of choice so far has been Linksys, which this week launched a cheaper dual-band version of its Velop mesh Wi-Fi system. Apple currently sells the more expensive tri-band Velop system in its retail stores and online.   Read Full Article Sponsored Stories Check for Malware on Your Mac MacScan 3 is the easy, down to earth, very affordable way to check your Mac to make sure it is malware-free. We check for all of the different kinds of threats targeting Macs: from keystroke loggers to Trojan horses to ransomware. On top of that, MacScan 3 also cleans up your Internet clutter, and can clean over 28,000 tracking cookies. This security app includes 12 months of updates to keep you protected against the latest threats — for only $49.99/year! No in-app ads, up-sales, or gimmicks. That is less than $5.00 a month! Start protecting your Mac with MacScan 3 as quickly as you can say DEAL! Interested in learning more about security and privacy listen to the free podcast The Checklist by SecureMac on iTunes & Spotify. Visit Sponsor Popular Stories May 03, 2018 Apple Working on AR/VR Headset With 8K Displays and No Smartphone or Computer Tether We've been hearing for some time about Apple's work on a virtual reality headset, but a new report from CNET sheds some additional light on the project. According to the report, Apple's current version of the headset features an 8K display for each eye and tethers wirelessly to a dedicated hardware box that provides the processing power. The box will reportedly use a cutting-edge 5-nanometer chip designed by Apple, and the whole system could launch as soon as 2020.   Read Full Article 2018 iPhones Could Ship With New 18W USB-C Power Adapters, USB-C to Lightning Cables for Fast Charging This year's iPhones could include support for faster wired charging right in the box, if a new report shared on Chinese microblogging site Weibo is accurate. According to the report, Apple will include a new 18-watt charger and a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box, meaning users won't have to shell out extra cash if they want the fastest available charging. While Apple may giveth, it can also taketh away, as analysts from Barclays are speculating that Apple may not include a Lightning to 3.5 mm headphone adapter in the box with the 2018 iPhones. Since eliminating the headphone jack in 2016 with the iPhone 7 family, Apple has included the adapter to help bridge the gap for those still using traditional headphones. With the popularity of wireless headphones taking off thanks in large part to Apple's AirPods and more Lightning headphone options available, Apple may have decided the adapter is no longer needed as an included accessory.   Read Full Article Apple Reports Q2 2018 Results: $13.8B Profit on $61.1B Revenue, 52.2M iPhones Apple this week announced financial results for the January–March quarter, exceeding expectations that had been tempered by concerns over potentially weak iPhone X sales. Those concerns turned out to be unfounded, with the iPhone X being the top-selling iPhone model each week during the quarter. Among other earnings-related tidbits, Apple announced a new $100 billion share buyback program and revealed that its Services segment set a new quarterly revenue record while its wearables business (Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats) is now the size of a Fortune 300 company by itself. Finally, Apple announced that Apple Pay will be coming to Norway, Poland, and Ukraine in the near future.   Read Full Article Apple Said to Delay Production of New MacBook Air With Retina Display to Second Half of 2018 Apple has been rumored to be working on a new entry-level notebook that could arrive as either a MacBook Air or a MacBook, but the timing for its release remains unclear. Some had speculated it might appear at Apple's March education event, but last-minute rumors indicated it wasn't ready. Speculation naturally then turned to WWDC in June as an opportunity for an introduction, but a new rumor claims that production of the new machine won't start until the second half of the year. What that means in terms of launch timing still isn't clear, as it could come around the October timeframe Apple sometimes uses for Mac updates, or perhaps on its own at some other time.   Read Full Article Kuo Again Predicts No 3D Touch for 2018 6.1-Inch LCD iPhone Relatively reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last week reiterated his belief that the new 6.1-inch LCD iPhone scheduled to launch around the usual September timeframe will not include support for 3D Touch. Apple is reportedly removing the 3D Touch layer of the display in the phone and replacing it with a new thin-film sensor, but it's unclear whether this sensor will be some sort of replacement for traditional 3D Touch or if the feature will disappear entirely. Speaking of Ming-Chi Kuo, news broke this week that Kuo left his position at KGI Securities and will be transitioning to a new job that will focus more on emerging companies and less on Apple. Less Apple coverage from Kuo would be a blow for the Apple rumor mill, as he has consistently been the most accurate analyst covering the company based on his supply chain contacts.   Read Full Article

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