MacBook Pro and iPhone 7 Rumors, Apple's Amazon Echo Competitor, Schools Replacing iPad 'Toys' With MacBooks - MacRumors

2016 MacBook Pro May Include OLED Display Touch Bar and Touch ID MacBook Pro fans have been waiting for news of an update, and a new report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the next update will indeed be a big one. Kuo says the next-generation MacBook Pro will include a thinner and lighter design, Touch ID, an OLED touch display bar above the keyboard in place of the traditional function keys, and USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 support. On the downside, Kuo says we'll need to wait until the fourth quarter of this year for the new models, while many had been hoping for a debut at WWDC next month.   Read Full Article Popular Stories May 26, 2016 Alleged iPhone 7 Prototype Case Leak Shows Four Separate Speakers We're continuing to see conflicting information and leaks about the upcoming iPhone 7, and the latest is a sketchy-looking rear casing that includes holes for four separate speakers, two each on the top and bottom edges of the device. Other rumors have said the iPhone 7 will include only the current single speaker or perhaps two, with the second speaker being in place of the current headphone jack. Other iPhone 7 rumors this week included a few other part leaks such as a casing showing a protruding rear camera lens and alleged molds and schematics supporting rumored camera layouts and a lack of a Smart Connector on both sizes of the upcoming iPhone. We're also seeing conflicting rumors on whether Apple's suppliers are planning for strong or weak demand for the iPhone 7, while LG is reportedly picking up the slack as Sony is having trouble producing dual-lens cameras for the larger iPhone 7 Plus models.   Read Full Article Apple Working on Amazon Echo Competitor, Opening Siri Up to Developers Apple is reportedly planning to open up Siri to third-party developers at WWDC next month, with a longer term goal of launching an Amazon Echo-like device for the home that could handle search queries, playing music, and controlling other smart devices around the house. Another report says Apple's Echo competitor could arrive in the form of an upgraded Apple TV with integrated microphone and speaker and improved internals.   Read Full Article Apple Releases Firmware Update 7.6.7 and 7.7.7 for AirPort Base Stations For the first time in two years, Apple has issued firmware updates for its AirPort wireless base stations. The updates fix a small handful of bugs, but it's still unclear if it also fixes issues many users have been having with the next-generation IPv6 protocol, as users are reporting mixed results in the short time the new firmware has been out.   Read Full Article Apple Offers to Replace iPads With MacBooks in Maine State Classrooms With teachers calling iPads in the classroom a "disaster" and "toys" offering "no educational function," the state of Maine and Apple are offering to switch the tablets out for new MacBook Air models. It's naturally generating a lot of discussion about the utility of iPads in education and where the blame should be placed if results aren't meeting expectations. Many blame the school districts for not being prepared well enough for the technology, but even so it's a bump in the road for Apple as it tries to emphasize the iPad as an educational tool.   Read Full Article Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 9.3.3 to Developers Just a week after releasing iOS 9.3.2 to the public, Apple this week seeded the first beta version of iOS 9.3.3 to developers and public beta testers. Initial betas of OS X 10.11.6 and tvOS 9.2.2 have also been released, but updates across all of the new versions have been pretty much limited to under-the-hood improvements. After several days of complaints from owners of the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro who found their devices bricked after updating to iOS 9.3.2, Apple did pull the update to prevent additional users from running into the problem. Apple is evidently still investigating the problem, however, as it has yet to release a patched version of iOS 9.3.2 and in fact hasn't even released a version of the iOS 9.3.3 beta for the affected models.   Read Full Article

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Siri for Mac Icon, iOS 9.3.2 and iTunes 12.4, Touch ID Mystery Solved, New San Francisco Store - MacRumors

Siri for Mac’s Colorful Waveform Dock Icon Revealed Ahead of OS X 10.12 Unveiling With OS X 10.12 all but certain to make its first public appearance at WWDC next month, we're starting to hear a few tidbits about what we might expect with the next version of Apple's Mac operating system. Perhaps most interestingly, we've gotten a glimpse at the colorful waveform Dock icon that will allow users to access Siri on the Mac for the first time. We've also seen a more generic "Siri" icon for the menu bar, but this is likely to be a placeholder for the time being. Separately, we've heard Apple is working on a feature to unlock your Mac using Touch ID on your iPhone. The feature would use Bluetooth LE to communicate wirelessly over short range between your iPhone and your Mac to allow for unlocking. Similar technology could be behind rumored Apple Pay support on Macs via an iPhone.   Read Full Article Popular Stories May 20, 2016 Apple Releases iOS 9.3.2 With Support for Simultaneous Night Shift/Low Power Mode Usage Apple this week released iOS 9.3.2 to the public, bringing a number of fixes and improvements including support for simultaneous use of Night Shift and Low Power Mode, as well as fixes for Bluetooth audio issues on the iPhone SE. The update itself is causing some problems, however, with Apple pulling the update for the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro amid complaints it is bricking some devices.  In addition to iOS 9.3.2, Apple's other operating systems all received updates this week, with OS X 10.11.5, tvOS 9.2.1, and watchOS 2.2.1 all being released to the public. Changes are minor with these updates, however, primarily focusing on security and bug fixes.   Read Full Article Apple Releases iTunes 12.4 With Design Tweaks and Protection Against Music Deletion Issue Earlier this month, we detailed some design tweaks coming in iTunes 12.4 intended to improve usability across various types of content, and this week Apple released the update to the public. It includes a persistent sidebar, back/forward navigation buttons, and a dropdown menu to select between media types. The update also provides some safeguards against a highly publicized bug that was resulting in some users' owned music libraries being deleted after merging with Apple Music. Apple did confirm a bug is present, but has had a hard time replicating it. The company sent two engineers across the country to meet with the user who first reported the problem, and has been working to find the root cause.   Read Full Article Apple Quietly Added New Passcode Requirement for Touch ID in iOS 9 Apple has finally documented a new Touch ID and passcode requirement it put into place with iOS 9 last year, a change that has been frustrating users who haven't been able to figure out why their devices are requesting passcodes instead of Touch ID in certain circumstances. While Apple has traditionally required a passcode instead of Touch ID any time an iOS device has been restarted or when the device has been idle for at least 48 hours, the change with iOS 9 adds a new restriction: If a device has not been unlocked via passcode within the past six days and is then left idle for eight hours or more, a passcode will be required instead of Touch ID.   Read Full Article Apple Previews New Flagship Union Square Store in San Francisco as Apple's Retail Stores Turn 15 Years Old This week marked the 15th anniversary of the opening of the first two Apple retail stores in Tysons Corner, Virginia and Glendale, California, and Apple honored the occasion by offering a press preview of the new flagship store in San Francisco, which opens to the public on Saturday, May 21. The store includes a number of new features, including massive glass doors at the front and rear that open the store to the outdoors, a new "Genius Grove" to tone down the hustle and bustle of the Genius Bar, and a new "Avenue" where various types of accessories and other products will be showcased by Apple store staff.   Read Full Article Apple to Hire 4,000 Employees in Hyderabad, India to Work on Maps Development Tim Cook and several other Apple executives including Jeff Williams and Lisa Jackson are touring China and India this week, making a number of significant announcements. The one receiving the most attention has been the launch of a new development center in Hyderabad, India that will see Apple partnering with RMSI to hire up to 4,000 employees focused on Maps development. Apple also announced the early 2017 debut of an iOS app development accelerator in Bangalore, intended to help Indian app developers get up to speed with Apple's new Swift programming language and to consult on app design and review. Finally, while Apple has not officially announced anything on the retail front, sources have indicated Apple is moving to open its first retail stores in India within the next 18 months.   Read Full Article

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iPhone 7 and Beyond Rumors, iTunes 12.4 Leak, Lightning Headphones, Apple Music News - MacRumors

New iPhone 7 and 7 Plus Drawings: Dual Camera and Smart Connector Exclusive to 5.5-Inch Model iPhone 7 rumors are starting to kick into high gear, with this week seeing some new design drawings reportedly sourced directly from Apple's casing partner Catcher Technology and showing the overall looks of both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. In line with previous rumors, the phones appear very similar to the iPhone 6/6s family, with the notable exception of a dual-lens camera and a rumored Smart Connector on the larger 5.5-inch model. The Smart Connector in particular has been a source of dispute among rumors with Japanese site Mac Otakara backpedaling on its previous claims of the feature's inclusion to say Apple has decided not to offer the Smart Connector on its upcoming phones. But with the latest drawings showing the feature perhaps as an exclusive for the larger phone, that may explain some of the confusion. Relatively reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also backtracked on his earlier claims a bit, stating Apple will include the dual-lens camera on all 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus devices, along with 3 GB of RAM to help handle the complicated image processing. Previously, he had suggested Apple might offer the iPhone 7 Plus in both single-lens and dual-lens variants. Several other design drawing and dummy unit leaks have also surfaced in recent days, while Apple's supply chain appears to be anticipating fairly weak demand for the upcoming iPhone 7, citing a "lack of innovation."   Read Full Article Popular Stories May 12, 2016 iTunes 12.4 Update to Feature Minor Redesign With New Sidebar, Improved Navigation Apple's been working on an update for iTunes to help address usability complaints, and this week we got a look at the upcoming iTunes 12.4 that appears to be ready for release at any time. The new version will have several minor visual tweaks, including a persistent sidebar for managing content, a new dropdown media type selector, and a few other changes. A more significant redesign could come as part of OS X 10.12 later this year.   Read Full Article Lightning Headphones: Are They Better or Just an Inconvenience? With Apple rumored to be getting rid of the traditional 3.5 mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 later this year, we took a look at what that means for those who want to continue using wired headphones over the Lightning connector. We tested three sets of Lightning headphones priced from $45 to $800 and found that all offered better sound quality than headphones connected to 3.5 mm jacks, but some users may find that doesn't outweigh some of the disadvantages like not being able to charge and use wired headphones at the same time and needing headphones that work only with iOS devices.   Read Full Article Debate Rages Over Whether Apple Music Automatically Deletes Users' Owned Music Collections The internet erupted last week with a debate over whether Apple Music has been deleting users' owned music on their computers, following a blog post highlighting how an Apple support representative said this was the intended behavior of the service. It certainly isn't supposed to be an intended feature, so it appears some combination of support misinformation, confusing dialog boxes for users on Apple Music, and perhaps even some bugs are contributing to issues some users are experiencing. In other Apple Music news, Apple last week rolled out half-price student memberships, bringing the monthly cost of the service down to $4.99 in the United States for eligible users. And Apple moved quickly to debunk a report claiming the company is looking to cease offering purchased iTunes Store music downloads in as soon as two years, calling the claim "not true."   Read Full Article 2017 iPhone May Feature Edge-to-Edge Display With Embedded Touch ID Sensor, Front-Facing Camera Prominent Apple blogger John Gruber doesn't weigh in with rumor tidbits as often as he used to, but on this week's episode of his podcast The Talk Show, he shared some "scuttlebutt" he's been hearing about the iPhone to be introduced in 2017. Gruber says he's heard the display will take up the entire front of the device, with all of the other current features like Touch ID, FaceTime camera, and speaker somehow being embedded within the display. Rumors have been pointing to a major upgrade for the iPhone in 2017, including a shift to OLED display technology, a new glass casing, and perhaps wireless charging.   Read Full Article Siri Creators Offer First Demo of 'Viv', the Self-Coding Voice Assistant While Siri is a helpful assistant for many people, others have criticized its functionality as a stripped-down version of the technology Apple originally acquired. Siri's creators have long since moved on from Apple, and this week they showed off "Viv," their next-generation voice assistant that uses "dynamic program generation" to remain context-aware while engaging in increasingly complex conversations. The open-ended nature of Viv allows it to "self code" responses as it learns and engages in conversation, rather than hard coding in all necessary responses to queries.   Read Full Article

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Tim Cook Teases 'Great Innovation,' iPhone 7 and Apple Music Rumors, Apple Watch Runs Windows 95 - MacRumors

Apple CEO Tim Cook Teases 'Great Innovation' in Product Pipeline on CNBC's Mad Money Following a relatively weak earnings report last week that saw the first year-over-year revenue decline for Apple since 2003, Tim Cook made an appearance on CNBC's "Mad Money" with Jim Cramer to talk about the company. In part one of the interview, Cook covered a number of topics while teasing "great innovation" in Apple's pipeline that has yet to see the light of day. He also addressed recent stock weakness and concerns over the company's performance in China, developments that led activist investor Carl Icahn to recently sell his entire stake in Apple. In part two of the interview, discussion turned more personal, with Cook highlighting how Apple wants to "change the world" with its products and touching on the encryption debate that has been a major news topic in recent months.    Read Full Article Popular Stories May 05, 2016 Possible iPhone 7 Headphone Jack Depicted in New Image Rumors have been consistently pointing toward the removal of the traditional 3.5 mm headphone jack in the iPhone 7 later this year, but a newly leaked part has all of a sudden cast some uncertainty on that assumption. The new part, claimed to be for the iPhone 7, is a complicated assembly of the Lightning port, microphone, and other components, and as on parts for previous iPhone generations, it includes a headphone jack. With roughly four months to go until the unveiling of the iPhone 7, we'll undoubtedly hear more either way as we get closer to the debut.   Read Full Article Apple Music Set for Design Overhaul in Time for WWDC in June Apple is said to be planning a major overhaul of its Apple Music service, to be unveiled at WWDC next month. The changes are said to be focused on making the year-old service more intuitive for users with a simpler design on iOS. Apple is also said to be working to more closely integrate its streaming and download businesses, and will launch a major new marketing campaign to promote Apple Music.   Read Full Article Developer Gets Apple Watch to Run Windows 95 It's only a proof of concept, but it's still pretty cool to see one developer manage to get Windows 95 up and running through an emulator on his Apple Watch. It takes an hour to boot up and is basically unusable due to significant lag making it unresponsive, but who cares – it's Windows running on an Apple Watch!   Read Full Article TIME Names iPhone Most Influential Gadget of All Time TIME this week released its list of the 50 most influential gadgets of all time, and the iPhone topped the list for its impact on information consumption, the rise of mobile apps, and hardware design. The Macintosh at #3 and the iPod at #9 also made the top 10, while the iPad at #25 and original iBook at #38 gave Apple a full 10 percent of the list. In other iPhone news, Apple lost a trademark battle in China that will allow a leather accessory manufacturer to continue using the "iPhone" name on its products (although Apple is appealing the decision to the Supreme Court in China). Privacy rights were also in the news again after it was revealed that a court earlier this year issued a warrant requiring a suspect to provide her fingerprint to unlock a Touch ID-protected iPhone. Finally, Apple said it would assist in analyzing a badly damaged iPhone used by two Florida teenagers who were lost at sea last year, with Apple hoping to obtain more information about what might have happened to the pair.   Read Full Article Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS 9.3.2, OS X 10.11.5, and tvOS 9.2.1 Apple appears to be getting close to releasing the next minor updates for its operating systems across all platforms, with a fresh set of betas arriving this week with few outstanding issues remaining to be addressed. The new betas include the fourth betas of iOS 9.3.2, OS X 10.11.5, and tvOS 9.2.1. Apple has also been testing betas of watchOS 2.2.1, but hasn't released any builds in several weeks, suggesting the update may already be finished and awaiting a simultaneous release alongside the other platforms.   Read Full Article

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First Revenue Drop Since 2003 for Apple, iPhone and Apple Watch Rumors, 2016 MacBook Reviews - MacRumors

Apple Reports First Year-Over-Year Revenue Decline Since 2003 Apple this week released its earnings for the January–March quarter, and in line with expectations, the company reported its first year-over-year drop in quarterly revenue since 2003. It also marked the first time iPhone sales dropped year-over-year. Tough comparisons showed up with the iPhone in particular, with Apple citing the huge spike in iPhone 6 interest last year, as well as economic factors such as a strong U.S. dollar, for the drop in sales. Analysts are split on whether Apple's results are a sign of prolonged weakness or a temporary blip brought on by the massive iPhone 6 surge in 2015 that prompted many users to upgrade their phones earlier than usual. Apple remains optimistic, noting that the new iPhone SE, other products in the pipeline, strong switcher rates, untapped potential in China and India, and a massive installed base generating strong recurring services revenue all bode well for the future.   Read Full Article Popular Stories Apr 28, 2016 Analyst Predicts 2017 iPhone 8 'Mega Cycle' With OLED, Wireless Charging, and No Home Button Amid signs this year's iPhone 7 may see very little in the way of design changes compared to the iPhone 6/6s families, analysts are coming around to the idea that 2017 could see Apple jump to an all-new iPhone 8 rather than launching an iPhone 7s with yet another similar body style. The move to an all-new 2017 iPhone 8, potentially with an AMOLED display, wireless charging, and maybe even removal of the iconic home button, could drive a "mega cycle" when it comes to upgrades, much as the size changes of the iPhone 6 family did. In the nearer term, we're continuing to hear rumors about this year's iPhone 7, including a somewhat sketchy report that the home button could become entirely touch sensitive, doing away with the current physical clicking mechanism. We've also seen claimed design drawings for the larger iPhone 7 Plus or "iPhone Pro" depicting a dual-lens camera and a Smart Connector on the rear of a device that would be identical in size to the iPhone 6s Plus.   Read Full Article Apple Watch 2 Rumored to Include Cellular Connectivity Amid Push for iPhone Independency Buried in a larger report about the first-year performance of the Apple Watch, The Wall Street Journal reports Apple is looking at adding cellular connectivity to the next-generation model. No timeframe for the device's launch is given, but previous rumors have suggested it could appear around the same September window as the iPhone. The new Apple Watch would of course also contain some other internal improvements such as a faster processor. On the occasion of the Apple Watch's one-year anniversary, Macworld also took some time to speak with Apple Watch game developers, who discussed some of the challenges and the successes and failures associated with gaming on the device's tiny screen. In addition, Apple announced that as of June 1, all new Apple Watch apps submitted to the App Store must be native apps, a move that should improve performance by lessening reliance on loading data from a paired iPhone.   Read Full Article 2016 MacBook Review Roundup: SSD Performance is Much Improved, Lack of Ports and 480p Camera Are Still Negatives Apple's updated Retina MacBook has been out for a little over a week now, and media outlets have for the most part published their reviews of the new machine. Among the positives are nice improvements in performance, including faster CPU and graphics, much improved flash storage speeds, and better battery life. On the downside, the 480p FaceTime camera from the original model was not upgraded for 2016, and many users continue to cite the MacBook's single USB-C port as a negative.   Read Full Article Demand for iPhone SE is 'Very Strong,' Exceeds Available Supply While the iPhone SE launched after the close of the March quarter and thus was not included in Apple's just-announced financial results, Tim Cook did talk a bit about the new 4-inch iPhone on the earnings conference call. Cook noted demand for the iPhone SE has been "very strong" and Apple has been unable to keep up with demand. Apple is working hard catching up to demand, and expects to do so this quarter. Cook highlighted how the iPhone SE opens up new demographics for Apple, such as those who have been unable to meet the previous entry-level price point for the latest devices. It also addresses demand from those users who simply prefer the smaller form factor but want to upgrade to the latest technology.   Read Full Article Logitech's 'Logi BASE' Stand Charges the iPad Pro Using the Smart Connector Accessory makers have been slow to adopt the new Smart Connector technology that debuted on the 12.9" iPad Pro late last year, with only Apple and Logitech having released keyboard cases that can be powered through connector. Logitech is now branching out a bit, however, with the launch of the new Logi BASE stand for the iPad Pro, which provides a convenient charging station for the iPad Pro that props up the device for use on a desk. At $99, it's certainly not a cheap stand, but that's unsurprising considering it builds in both a Lightning port and a Smart Connector, two technologies that need to be licensed from Apple.   Read Full Article

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