AirPower Canceled, Powerbeats Pro Unveiled, HomePod Price Cut - MacRumors

Brought to you by: Apple Officially Cancels AirPower While many tech companies came up with silly hoaxes for April Fool's Day this week, Apple was not kidding around when it announced that its long-awaited wireless charging mat AirPower has been canceled. "After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards and we have cancelled the project. We apologize to those customers who were looking forward to this launch," said Dan Riccio, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. Apple first previewed the AirPower alongside the iPhone X in September 2017, and targeted a 2018 release date at the time, but reports suggest that insurmountable development challenges arose related to excessive heat and electromagnetic interference. In the AirPower's absence, we've put together a list of the best multi-device wireless charging mat alternatives available today.   Read Full Article Support Our Sponsor Slope - Magical Universal Tablet Stand With Micro-suction Pads Slope is a unique universal table stand with a patented design that allows it to work with virtually any tablet that has a flat metal back. It has the same brushed and anodized finish as an iMac or MacBook and blends in perfectly with the Apple ecosystem. Slope employs a unique suction technology. Its two pads are composed of a special type of foam with thousands of microscopic air pockets across its surface that act like tiny suction cups. Pressing an object with a flat surface against the nanofoam forces air out of the pockets, creating a vacuum and strong grip. The micro suction pads can be cleaned with water if and when they lose grip. Hear what users are saying: “So good that I bought two. I usually don't buy little tech trinkets like this but I heard from a friend that these are legit, and I will be passing the word on.” – “We were looking for a nice, minimal stand for our iPad in the kitchen and this is perfect. It has a very small footprint so you basically can't see it behind the iPad.” Visit Sponsor Popular Stories Apr 04, 2019 Apple Announces Powerbeats Pro, Launching Soon for $250 Powerbeats Pro are Apple's first totally wireless Beats earphones, powered by the same H1 chip as the second-generation AirPods. That means hands-free "Hey Siri" support and faster connection speeds between devices like the iPhone and Apple Watch. Like the existing Powerbeats3, the Powerbeats Pro feature adjustable, secure-fit ear hooks and earbud tips with four size options. They're essentially AirPods for a fitness-oriented lifestyle, complete with a durable design and sweat resistance. They'll last up to 9 hours per charge, with additional battery life via an included charging case. Powerbeats Pro launch in May priced at $249.95 in the United States. Available colors include Ivory, Moss, Navy, and Black. Watch our video to see how the Powerbeats Pro compare to the AirPods 2.   Read Full Article Two-Way Wireless Charging and Larger Batteries Expected for 2019 iPhones We're about five months away from new iPhones and rumors are beginning to ramp up. The latest comes from well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says that 2019 iPhones will feature larger batteries to accommodate new two-way charging functionality. This feature, already available on Samsung's Galaxy S10, should allow you to place devices like the Apple Watch or AirPods on the back of the iPhone to charge them inductively. Looking farther ahead, we're already hearing that Apple might be going all-in with OLED with its 2020 lineup of iPhones, which may include a smaller 5.4-inch model along with larger 6-inch and 6.7-inch models.    Read Full Article Apple Drops HomePod Price to $299, Down From $349 While the HomePod has seen frequent discounts at third-party resellers like Best Buy, Apple has now lowered the price of its smart speaker to $299 in the United States, down from $349. That's still considerably more expensive than Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers, which were priced as low as $25 during the holiday season. Apple doesn't disclose HomePod unit sales, but the speaker is estimated to have just 4% market share worldwide as of last quarter. Price is one factor, but another big issue is that critics find Siri just isn't that smart. Apple has also lowered the prices of iPhones and other products in India and China.   Read Full Article Hands-On With Apple's New iPad Air 3 and iPad Mini 5 After launching new iPad Pro models with Face ID in October 2018, Apple delivered on rumors with a refreshed iPad mini last month. More surprisingly, we saw the return of the iPad Air with a new 10.5-inch model. The new iPad mini and iPad Air are very similar. Both tablets feature Apple's recent A12 Bionic chip, Retina displays with True Tone, first-generation Apple Pencil support, Touch ID, up to 10 hours of battery life, and more. Watch our hands-on video of the iPad Mini 5 and iPad Air 3. Apple's iPad lineup has become quite complex, so be sure to consult our guide on Picking the Best iPad to Buy in 2019 for help. We also have a hands-on video and buyer's guide for the new 27-inch 5K iMac.   Read Full Article Apple Sued Over Swollen Batteries in Apple Watches New Jersey resident Gina Priano-Keyser has filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Apple this week over swollen batteries in Apple Watches. The lawsuit alleges that all Apple Watch models are prone to a defect where the battery swells up and causes the screen to detach from the body of the watch, oftentimes only "days or weeks after purchase." Apple has acknowledged the issue internally and offered free repairs for select Apple Watch models in the past, but the woman alleges that Apple often attributes the issue to "accidental damage" and thus "refuses to cover repairs" under warranty. So, she's turned to the courtroom to seek damages.   Read Full Article

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