New iPad Mini in 2019?, Favorite Apps of 2018, Siri on HomePod Improving - MacRumors

Brought to you by: Apple Will Reportedly Launch iPad Mini 5 and Entry-Level 10-inch iPad Next Year Apple hasn't updated the iPad mini in over three years, but next year might finally be the year we see a new model if a new report and a leak are to be believed. According to China Times, Apple is preparing to launch a fifth-generation iPad mini in the first half of 2019, bringing the price down to help boost overall iPad sales. Notable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared similar thoughts a couple of months ago, so perhaps there's something to this rumor. A new photo leak even claims to show a third-party case for this updated iPad mini, with cutouts potentially pointing to a four-speaker array, a vertical rear camera/microphone layout, and the inclusion of a headphone jack. Beyond the iPad mini, China Times also claims Apple is planning to update its 9.7-inch iPad in the second half of next year, bumping the display to 10 inches with slightly slimmer bezels.   Read Full Article Sponsored Stories Xmas Freebie - Best iTunes Alternative to Back Up iPhone Data (Get Licensed MacX MediaTrans) Don’t forget to tidy up your iPhone and back up valuable iPhone contents at the end of the year. If you want a tool more convenient than iTunes, then MacX MediaTrans is the best choice to finish the tasks seamlessly. As the best iTunes alternative, this Mac app is able to transfer iPhone videos, photos, music, ebooks and other files with ease. During this time-limited Xmas promotion, all MacRumors subscribers can get the $59.95 valued MacX MediaTrans for free! What makes MacX MediaTrans the Best iTunes Alternative: 1. Supports two-way sync photos, videos, music, ebooks, podcasts, etc between iPhone/iPad and Mac. 2. Supports selective backup of iPhone photos, music, and videos on Mac. 3. Blazing fast file transfer speed. Transfer 100 4K photos in only 8 seconds. 4. The only iPhone manager to encrypt private iPhone/Mac files with the highest level of security. 5. Convert video/photo formats, remove iTunes DRM, make iPhone ringtones, turn iPhone into USB drive. 6. Intuitive interface, user-friendly operations, no annoying iTunes errors. In addition to the MacX MediaTrans giveaway, you are also invited to get involved in the MacXDVD Christmas contest to win an iPhone XR, Apple Watch and power bank. Enter to unlock your luck!   Visit Sponsor Popular Stories Dec 27, 2018 10 of the Best macOS and iOS Apps of 2018 Over on our YouTube channel, we occasionally featured some of our favorite iOS and Mac apps throughout 2018, and with the year drawing to a close, we decided to put together a highlight video showing off some of our absolute favorites from this year. We've featured five Mac and five iOS apps, ranging from utilities to drawing apps to games, so be sure to check out our video and let us know what your favorites are!   Read Full Article Useful Tips, Tricks, and Walkthroughs for New Apple Watch Series 4 Owners Did you get a new Apple product for the holidays? If so, you'll want to check out our guides offering links to tips, tricks, and walkthroughs that will help you get the most out of your new devices. We've got guides for the Apple Watch Series 4, iPad and iPad Pro, iPhone, and Mac. And if you got an iTunes/App Store gift card in your stocking and don't know what to spend it on, take a look at our suggestions.   Read Full Article Apple's Dan Riccio Says 2018 iPad Pro 'Meets or Exceeds' Quality Standards of Design and Precision, More Info to Come Following last week's controversy over Apple claiming that it was normal for some 2018 iPad Pro devices to ship with slight bends in the chassis, Apple executive Dan Riccio responded to a customer email, noting that the original report on Apple's stance did not include an official company statement. According to Riccio, the new iPad Pro "meets or exceeds" all of Apple's quality and precision standards, including an even tighter flatness standard than used on previous generations. Riccio said the company would be releasing additional information to the media later in the day, but we've yet to see any such release so far.   Read Full Article Siri on HomePod Asked 800 Questions and Answered 74% Correctly vs. Just 52% Earlier This Year Siri on HomePod has been criticized for its limited capabilities compared to Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant, but a new study suggests Siri on Apple's smart speaker is rapidly improving. Analyst Gene Munster tested the accuracy of Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana on four smart speakers, asking each assistant 800 questions and tracking whether the assistants were able to understand and provide proper responses to each query. Siri correctly responded to 74.6 percent of the queries, up from 52.3 percent a year ago. That still lagged behind Google Assistant's 87.9 percent accuracy rate but topped Alexa's 72.5 percent and Cortana's 63.4 percent rates.   Read Full Article B&H Photo and Expercom Offering Year-End Sales on Macs and iPads If you got some cash for the holidays or are perhaps trying to squeeze in some last-minute business purchases before the end of the year, B&H Photo and Expercom are both offering excellent year-end sales on Macs and iPads. B&H's sale ends this Friday, while Expercom's ends on December 31, so act quickly if you want to take advantage of the discounted prices! Also be sure to check out our Deals Roundup, which is regularly updated to help you find the best prices on a variety of Apple and general tech products.   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