MacRumors

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has been working to bring its OMNY contactless fare payment system to all buses and subway stations throughout the city, but the rollout of the system has been delayed due to the ongoing public health crisis, reports The Wall Street Journal.

OMNY tap-and-go fare payments with Apple Pay Express Transit support became available at one of New York City's major transportation hubs, Penn Station, back in December 2019, followed by several more stations in early 2020. The rollout was meant to continue on in March and the following months, but installation of digital readers was stopped in late March.

Installation work resumed at the beginning of May, but the completion of OMNY has been delayed by about two months. It was supposed to be finished by October 2020, but now the full system won't be available until the end of December.

While work on OMNY subway support was paused for a couple of months, the bus rollout of the system was accelerated. The MTA now expects to offer contactless payment support on all Manhattan buses by the end of July, and citywide by the end of the year.

At the current time, Staten Island bus stations and about half of the 472 subway stations in New York support ‌Apple Pay‌ through OMNY.

With the OMNY contactless payment system, riders are able to hold an iPhone or Apple Watch near a contactless reader to pay their fare with no authentication necessary, allowing for speedy passage through public transit hubs.

The New York MTA's goal is to bring contactless payment options to all of its subway stations and bus routes. MetroCards, which predate the OMNY system, will continue to work on subway and bus systems until 2023.

Right now, OMNY is limited to full-fare, pay-per-ride usage. Support for 7-day and 30-day fares won't be available until early 2021.

Google today announced native support for the W3C WebAuthn implementation for Google Accounts on Apple devices running iOS 13.3 and above, which improves the security key experience on iOS and allows more security key types to be used with Google accounts and Google's Advanced Protection Program.

With the change, iOS users are able to use Google's Titan Security Keys with NFC, tapping the key on the back of the iPhone when signing in as a security measure.

Lightning or USB security keys like the YubiKey 5Ci can be used with Google accounts if you have an Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. USB-C security keys can be plugged directly into iOS devices with a USB-C port, such as Apple's iPad Pro models.

Google says that it recommends users install the Smart Lock app to use Bluetooth security keys and the ‌iPhone‌'s built-in security key, as this provides a way for the ‌iPhone‌ to function as additional protection for a Google Account.

Google also recommends that Google users who are at higher risk of targeted attacks utilize security keys and enroll in its Advanced Protection Program, which is the feature that allows for extra account protection with physical security keys.

Using a physical security key provides more protection than two-factor verification because it requires you to have the physical key (or the ‌iPhone‌ Key with the Smart Lock app) to sign in to your Google accounts rather than just a digitally generated code.

U.S. federal judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers this week ruled that a class action lawsuit accusing Apple of fraudulently concealing weakening demand for iPhones between August 2017 and January 2019 can proceed in part, as reported by Reuters.

In January 2019, Apple lowered its revenue guidance to $84 billion for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year, down from its original forecast of $89 billion to $93 billion. In a letter to shareholders, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounted for the entire revenue shortfall.

On an earnings call in November 2018, a few months earlier, Cook touted the "very successful launch of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max" and also noted that iPhone demand in China was particularly strong during the fourth quarter of its 2018 fiscal year. Apple made no mention of potential iPhone or China weakness on the horizon.

In her order, however, judge Rogers wrote that "absent some natural disaster or other intervening reason, it is simply implausible that Cook would not have known that iPhone demand in China was falling mere days before cutting production lines," likely referring to a Wall Street Journal report that claimed Apple slashed production orders for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR just days after its earnings call.

"It is also implausible that Cook was unaware of emerging market issues in China despite admitting two months later that the Company observed worrying signs throughout the quarter," added Rogers.

On its November 2018 earnings call, Apple also announced that it would no longer be disclosing iPhone, iPad, and Mac unit sales going forward. Rogers said this decision "plausibly suggests that defendants expected unit sales to decline."

Apple's stock price dropped up to 10 percent in the hours after it lowered its revenue guidance, resulting in losses for shareholders. The complaint is led by the Employees' Retirement System of the State of Rhode Island.

At StackSocial this week you can get the Limited Edition Mac Bundle featuring Parallels Desktop for a low price of $54 with the promo code RUMORS10. This new bundle features 11 total apps for macOS, including Parallels Desktop, TextExpander, PDF Expert, and more.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with StackSocial. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

To get the bundle at a discount, head to StackSocial and add it to your cart. At the checkout screen, enter the promo code RUMORS10 to get the entire bundle of 11 apps for $54, down from $59.99.

You'll need to create a free StackSocial account to use the promo code, and this sale will only last for a few days, so be sure to check it out soon if you're interested.

• Parallels Desktop (1-Year Subscription, $79.99 value) - Run thousands of windows apps without compromising on performance.
• PDF Expert ($79.99 value) - Helps you edit text, images, and links on PDFs.
• iMazing 2 ($89.99 value) - Manage and transfer all your iOS data between devices in one app.
• Aurora HDR 2019 ($99.99 value) - Create stunning professional HDR photos in seconds.
• NetSpot Pro ($149 value) - Optimize your Wi-Fi connection (visualize, manage, troubleshoot, audit, plan and deploy wireless networks).
• Disk Drill PRO ($89 value) - Recover accidentally deleted files from your Mac.
• Windscribe VPN Pro ($216 value) - Privately browse the internet and protect your online data.
• RapidWeaver 8 ($84.99 value) - Design your own website with zero code.
• TextExpander ($49.92 value) - Save time and keystrokes by creating shortcut auto-fill snippets.
• DeltaWalker Pro ($59.95 value) - Compare, edit-in place, and merge text files side by side.
• xMind 8 Pro ($129 value) - Organize your ideas with multiple mind mapping charts in one map.

If you're shopping around for an iMac or MacBook to use these apps, our dedicated guides should be helpful. We track the Best Deals on iMac and Best Deals on MacBook Pro and MacBook Air each week. You can also keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Apple plans to launch new iPad Pro models with an A14X chip, 5G connectivity, and a Mini-LED display in the first or second quarter of 2021, according to the increasingly reliable Twitter account L0vetodream.

The leaker claims that the new iPad Pro models will be equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 modem, which supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz. mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, ideal for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas.

iPhone 12 models are also expected to use the X55 modem, but beyond that, Apple is reportedly developing its own 5G baseband technology for future devices. Apple acquired Intel's smartphone modem business last year to bolster that effort.

While multiple sources initially pointed towards a late 2020 refresh of the iPad Pro, including Ming-Chi Kuo and Jon Prosser, there have now been several reports indicating that the new A14X/5G/Mini-LED models are likely to debut in 2021. This would make sense given that Apple just refreshed the iPad Pro in March, and even though that was a relatively minor update, another refresh later this year would seem rather quick.

New features on the latest iPad Pro models include an A12Z Bionic chip that is very similar to the A12X chip, an Ultra Wide camera that enables 0.5x zoom, a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality, and better sounding microphones.

L0vetodream accurately revealed several details about the new iPhone SE before any other leakers that we know of, including that the device would launch in the second week of April and come in three storage capacities. Likewise, the account accurately claimed that new iPad Pro models would launch in the third week of March.

Eve Cam, a new home security camera with HomeKit Secure Video support, is available for pre-order as of today, with purchases set to begin shipping on June 23.

First unveiled at CES in January, the Eve Cam features a 1080p resolution, a 150 degree field of view, an infrared motion sensor, and night vision support up to five meters away. An integrated microphone and speaker are included for two-way communication, and the magnetic camera base is adjustable.

With ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ support, the Eve Cam securely captures footage and stores it in iCloud, with no paid storage plan required. Using HomeKit secure video does, however, require a 200GB or 1TB ‌iCloud‌ storage plan from Apple.

Video feeds are end-to-end encrypted and motion detection and video analysis is done on device. Recorded video is stored in ‌iCloud‌ for 10 days, with footage able to be viewed in the Home app. The Home app is able to deliver rich notifications when motion is detected, and the Eve Cam's motion detection features can be used in ‌HomeKit‌ automations for activating other HomeKit-enabled devices.

Eve Cam is available for pre-order from the Eve website for $149.95 starting today, with orders to ship out later in June. Amazon and Apple will also be offering the Eve Cam in July.

Apple Maps vehicles will begin surveying Belgium and the Netherlands during June, according to a list of locations maintained on Apple's website.

The data collected will be used to improve Apple Maps and to expand its Look Around feature, which remains limited to a handful of U.S. cities. Introduced in iOS 13, Look Around is similar to Google's Street View, providing a street-level view of supported locations with high-resolution 3D imagery that can be zoomed and panned.

One advantage of Look Around over Street View is smoother panning when moving around the map for a more immersive experience. As with Street View, Apple blurs faces and license plates in all of the 3D imagery that it makes available.

Apple Maps‌ vehicles have also surveyed parts of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, Slovenia, Portugal, Croatia, Japan, Andorra, and Puerto Rico since data collection began in 2015. In some areas where streets are not easily accessible, Apple uses employees wearing a backpack system to collect data.

An Australian man has been fined AU$5,000 and given an 18-month "recognizance," after he was found guilty of extracting employee details from Apple's servers and posting them on Twitter.

According to Bega District News, 24-year-old Abe Crannaford appeared in Eden Local Court on Wednesday for sentencing, after pleading guilty in February to two counts of unauthorized access or modification of restricted data.

In mid-2017 and early 2018, Crannaford extracted restricted information meant for employees only from the large US-based corporation.

The hacking culminated in January 2018 when Crannaford published employee details on his Twitter account and allegedly provided links to the corporation's firmware on GitHub.

The potential maximum sentence for the offences committed is two years' imprisonment and fines of $10,000 or more for each matter.

Magistrate Doug Dick fined him $5,000, however he did not impose a sentence on Crannaford, instead giving him an 18-month period of "recognizance," or good behavior, that if breached would result in an additional $5,000 penalty.

"It's pleasing to see you've made changes to you life and it's clear from the submissions that it has weighed heavily on your mind, which is punishment in itself.

"It may well be you're now subjected to online ridicule and contempt, but no-one in this court room escapes that - not even me," Magistrate Dick said.

"What you did strikes at the heart of modern society - people rightly worry about their privacy."

Ines Chiumento, Crannaford's defence solicitor, tried to argue that Apple "in some sense" promotes hacking, by awarding hackers through its bounty program for finding exploits and bugs.

"With that ability being treasured and sought out, it's difficult to send a message to young people (about the illegality and punitive measures) if the companies don't send the same message," said Chiumento.

The prosecutor acknowledged the existence of Apple's bounty program, but said Crannaford's "intrusions into websites and restricted data" occurred on multiple occasions and were shared with others, "so the concept of a bounty is contrary to his actions."

A proposed class action lawsuit in the U.S. has accused Google of violating federal wiretap laws by tracking the online activities of users when in Incognito mode.

According to Reuters, the class action argues that by surreptitiously collecting information about what people view online and where they browse when they use Chrome's private browsing mode, Google has been intentionally deceiving customers into believing that they have control over the information they share with the company.

According to the complaint filed in the federal court in San Jose, California, Google gathers data through Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager and other applications and website plug-ins, including smartphone apps, regardless of whether users click on Google-supported ads.

This helps Google learn about users' friends, hobbies, favorite foods, shopping habits, and even the "most intimate and potentially embarrassing things" they search for online, the complaint said.

Google "cannot continue to engage in the covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone," the complaint said.

Google has said it will defend itself "vigorously' against the claims.

"Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device," said Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda. "As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity."

The three plaintiffs argue that the lawsuit likely covers "millions" of Google users who since June 1, 2016 browsed the internet using Incognito mode. The proposed class action therefore seeks $5,000 in damages per user for violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws, amounting to at least $5 billion.

Market research firm Canalys has forecast a sharp drop in PC and tablet sales in 2020 due to the economic recession brought on by the global health crisis.

PC shipments fell by approximately 9 percent in the first quarter, and Canalys predicts a marginal recovery in the second and third quarters, with shipments projected to be down year on year.

According to the report, PC and tablet shipments are expected to reach 367.8 million units by the end of this year, down 7 percent from 395.6 million units in 2019. Apple in particular could see lower shipments of iPads if consumers consider them "non-esential" purchases.

If the economy does not show major signs of recovery by Q4, Canalys expects that consumers will move away from discretionary spending on non-essential devices, such as Apple tablets, at the end of the year. We expect the recovery in the US to be delayed until 2022, when the market will grow 4% year on year.

The report follows data shared by Gartner on Monday indicating iPhone sales dropped eight percent in the first quarter of 2020, although other smartphone manufacturers saw much steeper drops in sales.

WhatsApp has been updated to allow users to create group video chats with up to 50 people on the social platform, thanks to an integration with Facebook's recently announced Messenger Rooms feature.

Facebook unveiled Messenger Rooms as an alternative to Zoom and Group FaceTime in April, releasing it to a small trial group of users. Facebook said part of its plan was to extend the capability to its WhatsApp and Instagram platforms, and now both apps have been updated to support the integration.

The following steps walk you through the process of setting up a Messenger Room. Bear in mind that you'll need Facebook Messenger installed on your device as well, as WhatsApp hands over to Facebook's messaging app when creating a new room. A Facebook account is not required to participate in these chats, but you can only create a group video chat with a Facebook account.

1. Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone.
2. Create a new group chat from the Chat tab by tapping the note icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Alternately, select an existing group chat room and skip to step 6.
3. Select New Group.
4. Select people in your contacts to add to the group, then tap Next.
5. Give your new group a subject name, then tap Create.
6. Once you're in the new group, tap the plus (+) button and select Room.
7. In the card that appears, tap Continue in Messenger.
8. Wait for the others to join your room. From here, you can also share a link to the room with others so they can join.

Messenger Rooms aren't end-to-end encrypted like ‌FaceTime‌ or WhatsApp group video chats, so it's meant to be used on a more casual basis, but Messenger does allow you to lock a room to limit the amount of people who have joined the room.

The fourth-generation iPad Air may be equipped with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, according to a new report from Japanese site Mac Otakara that says the information comes from a Chinese supplier.

Apple transitioned to USB-C for its iPad Pro models in 2018, but other iPads have continued to feature a Lightning port for charging purposes. Mac Otakara says that the new ‌iPad Air‌ will be based on the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, which is in line with prior rumors that we've heard.

Rumors earlier this year suggested that Apple is working on an 11-inch ‌iPad Air‌, which could launch in the second half of 2020. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said that Apple is working on a 10.8-inch iPad, and while he didn't say it was an "Air" model, it fits in with other rumors about a new ‌iPad Air‌.

One rumor from leaker L0vetodream has indicated the upcoming ‌iPad Air‌ could feature a mini-LED display with an under-display version of Touch ID instead of Face ID, but it remains to be seen if that info will turn out to be accurate as it hasn't yet been backed up with a second source.

‌Mac Otakara‌ also mentions the upcoming iPad mini, which Kuo previously said would measure in at 8.5 to 9 inches. This new ‌iPad mini‌, coming in 2021, is expected to continue to feature a Lightning port rather than a USB-C port.

iCloud appears to be down for many people at the current time, based on complaints from MacRumors readers and Twitter users.

Apple's system status page was not initially displaying an error when the problems started, but has been updated to confirm an issue with ‌iCloud‌ account sign ins. The support site says that some users may be unable to sign in to their ‌iCloud‌ accounts and may also be unable to access ‌iCloud‌ web apps and ‌iCloud‌ Mail.

Some users are seeing a message about needing to verify their ‌iCloud‌ accounts, and when attempting to sign in, are getting an error message that says "The application you have selected does not exist." Other iCloud-based services such as Apple Pay are also not working properly, and app specific passwords are failing.

There's no word on when the ‌iCloud‌ problem will be fixed, but we'll update this article when Apple addresses it.

Update: According to Apple's System Status page, the ‌iCloud‌ issue has been fixed.

Apps developed for the Mac often don't receive as much coverage as apps designed for iPhones and iPads, so we have a series at MacRumors that highlights interesting Mac apps that are worth taking a look at. This month's apps are designed to make working from home a little bit easier.

• Meeter (Free) - Working from home often involves a lot of video meetings, and right now, most personal events are also being held online with apps like Zoom and Google Hangouts. Meeter is an app that manages all of your upcoming calls, so you can see what's happening at a glance and keep track of which app you're supposed to be using. Meeter automatically picks up upcoming calls when connected to a calendar, and it supports all kinds of meeting platforms.
• Mic Drop ($6.99) - Mic Drop is a simple little menu bar app that lets you quickly mute your microphone, which is great when you have an emergency during a meeting and need to cut the sound quick. Along with working from the menu bar, it can also be activated with a global shortcut. Mic Drop works with all meeting apps, including Zoom, Slack, FaceTime, Houseparty, and more.
• Paletro ($6.99) - Paletro shows you all of the shortcuts for the app you have open. So if you're running Apple's Mail app and tap Shift-Command-P, you can see all a list of shortcuts that work with the app. It has a handy search interface so you can search for the command you're looking for, and it's a useful way to get more familiar with keyboard shortcuts. Paletro costs $6.99, but there's a 14-day free trial so you can see if it works for you before purchasing.
• Weather mini ($4.99) - Most of us aren't spending a lot of time outside right now, but if you're planning a hike or a walk, it's still useful to be able to check the weather. Weather mini adds a compact weather app to the Dock on your Mac, which displays current weather conditions and the temperature at a glance. Clicking it provides more weather information, including hourly and daily forecasts.
• Command E (Free) - Command E connects to your cloud apps and lets you search through them quickly and easily with a simple Command-E keyboard shortcut. It works with all kinds of cloud services like Dropbox, Box, G Suite, Trello, Asana, Evernote, Zendesk, Slack, and more, making it faster to find specific files and entries that you're looking for.

Know of a must-have Mac app that we haven't highlighted yet? Let us know in the comments below and we might feature it in a future video. For more of our Mac app picks, check out our essential Mac apps archive.