MacRumors

As noted in our coverage yesterday of the latest Safari Technology Preview 99, Apple has removed all support for Adobe Flash. Safari Technology Preview is basically a beta of the next version of Safari proper, all but confirming that Apple is officially ditching support for Flash in the next version of its native Mac browser.

adobe flash logo
This means that when the next version of Safari is released, users will no longer be able to install or use Adobe Flash in the browser. The elimination of Flash support should not heavily impact users, given that most other popular browsers have already moved away from the format. Likewise, iPhone and iPad users won't be affected because Apple's mobile operating system has never supported Flash.

It was way back in July 2017 that Adobe announced plans to end-of-life its Flash browser plug-in. Adobe said it was ceasing development and distribution of the software at the end of 2020, and encouraged content creators to migrate flash content to HTML5, WebGL, and WebAssembly formats.

Adobe's Flash Player has always suffered from a seemingly never-ending stream of critical vulnerabilities that have exposed Mac and PC users to malware and other security risks. Vendors like Microsoft and Apple have had to work continually over the years to keep up with security fixes. Apple went so far as to stop selling Macs with Flash pre-installed, to ensure they weren't being shipped with outdated versions of the software and putting users at risk.

Some readers may fondly recall Steve Jobs' famous 2010 open letter offering his "Thoughts on Flash," in which the former Apple CEO railed against Adobe's software for its poor reliability, lack of openness, incompatibility with mobile sites and battery drain on mobile devices. Jobs also criticized Adobe for being "painfully slow" to adopt enhancements to Apple's platforms, and said that Apple refused to be at the mercy of a cross-platform development tool when it came innovation.

We don't know when the next version of Safari browser for Mac will be released to the public. In any case, it's safe to say that Flash will not be missed.

amazonmusicAmazon Music now has more than 55 million customers worldwide, according to a company press release. The announcement represents the first time Amazon has shared growth metrics for its streaming service, which is catching up to Apple Music's last subscriber count of over 60 million last June.

The figure is actually a tally of customers across several tiers that Amazon offers. Amazon Music Unlimited is the $9.99 a month plan that serves as a direct rival to Spotify and ‌Apple Music‌. According to Amazon, subscriptions numbers on this tier grew by more than 50 percent last year alone.

The other tiers include: Amazon Music Unlimited ($3.99 single-device plan) for customers who just want to listen on an Echo speaker; Amazon Music for Prime subscribers, which includes ad-free access to over 2 million songs; ad-sponsored Amazon Music, a free plan offering access to top playlists and thousands of music stations; and Amazon HD, a high-definition tier costing $14.99 a month.

Amazon says its streaming service has grown nearly 50 percent year-on-year across the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Japan, and has more than doubled in its newer markets like France, Italy, Spain, and Mexico

Despite the respectable growth across its range of tiers, Amazon Music has some way to go before it catches up to Spotify, which in September announced it had 113 million paying customers.

twitterlogoTwitter has announced support for emoji reactions in its direct messages. The new feature lets you respond to DMs without having to type anything, similar to the reactions available to iMessage users when they want to acknowledge messages without sending a proper reply.

To use the new emoji reactions in Twitter, either tap the small heart icon with the plus sign merging into it that appears to the right of each message bubble, or double-tap a message to reveal an emoji reactions menu.

There are seven emoji at present, including staple reactions like laughing face, sad face, thumbs up, and heart. All participants in a conversation get notified when you lay down an emoji, but you can also undo them at any time.


Twitter first started testing emoji reactions last year, but the feature has now rolled out on mobile and web. Twitter's support page notes that anyone using an older version of its official app will only see text instead of emoji.

Tag: Twitter

Svalt, known for its line of docks designed for Apple's Macs, today launched a whole new collection of 2020 docks and stands designed for Apple's latest notebook and desktop Macs.

The Cooling Stand S, designed for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and other Mac and PC laptops, features silent passive cooling, an ergonomic raised design, adjustable feet, and a design that hides accessories and cord clutter.

svaltcoolingstand
There's also a Cooling Stand S Pro, a variant of the Cooling Stand S that comes equipped with a fan for active cooling to complement the passive cooling features. The fan offers dual speeds depending on whether quiet operation or maximum cooling is preferred, and it is user upgradeable.

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For the Mac mini, Svalt has a Cooling Stand Mini that offers both passive and active cooling with a built-in dual-speed fan and a design that hides away cords and accessories.

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The Svalt Cooling Stand S sells for $179, the S Pro sells for $279, and the S Mini sells for $269, with purchases available now from the Svalt website. All of the stands are modular and can be converted to accommodate other devices with additional add-on accessories.

svaltcoolingdock
Svalt also has a new Cooling Dock Model D, which is designed to be used with a MacBook Pro in clamshell mode. It features a sculpted aluminum heat sink and a flexible leaning design for optimized silent passive cooling. The Svalt Dock D can be purchased from the Svalt website for $169, though adding a fan will raise the price.

One of the issues that Apple Card users sometimes raise is that while the Wallet app offers plenty of well-organized information about spending, there's no option to directly share transaction data from the card with many third-party money management apps like Mint or Lunch Money.

Fortunately, Apple has provided a solution – you can now download a CSV/OFX spreadsheet from the Wallet app that contains all your ‌Apple Card‌ data, which you can then import into most budgeting apps and get a more complete picture of your finances.

Alternatively, if you're a Quicken or QuickBooks users, you can directly export into the appropriate QFX/QBO formats. The following steps show you how it's done.

  1. Launch the Wallet app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Card Balance panel under your ‌Apple Card‌.
  3. Scroll down to the Statements section and tap on the month you wish to export transactions from.
    Apple Card
  4. Tap Export Transactions at the bottom.
  5. Select CSV, OFX, QFX, or QBO from the pop-up menu.
    apple card export how to
  6. To save the data as a CSV/OFX/QFX/QBO file, tap the Share icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, where you can opt to AirDrop it to another device such as your Mac, print it, or Save to Files to save it your iCloud folders or on your ‌iPhone‌.

Note that some budgeting apps accept imported transaction data, but may need file format conversions prior to import.

safari iconGoogle researchers discovered multiple security flaws in Apple's Safari web browser that let users' browsing habits be tracked despite Apple's Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature.

Google plans to publish details on the security flaws in the near future, and a preview of Google's discovery was seen by Financial Times, with the publication sharing information on the vulnerabilities this morning.

The security flaws were first found by Google in the summer of 2019, and were disclosed to Apple in August. There were five types of potential attacks that could allow third parties to learn "sensitive private information about the user's browsing habits."

Google researchers say that Safari left personal data exposed because the Intelligent Tracking Prevention List "implicitly stores information about the websites visited by the user." Malicious entities could use these flaws to create a "persistent fingerprint" that would follow a user around the web or see what individual users were searching for on search engine pages.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which Apple began implementing in 2017, is a privacy-focused feature meant to make it harder for sites to track users across the web, preventing browsing profiles and histories from being created.

Lukasz Olejnik, a security researcher who saw Google's paper, said that if exploited, the vulnerabilities "would allow unsanctioned and uncontrollable user tracking." Olejnik said that such privacy vulnerabilities are rare, and "issues in mechanisms designed to improve privacy are unexpected and highly counter-intuitive."

Apple appears to have addressed these Safari security flaws in a December update, based on a release update that thanked Google for its "responsible disclosure practice," though full security credit has not yet been provided by Apple so there's a chance that there's still some behind-the-scenes fixing to be done.

Tags: Google, Safari

Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3.1 updates to developers, one week after seeding the second betas and more than a month after the release of iOS 13.3 with Communication Limits for Screen Time.

iOS and iPadOS 13.3.1 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed.

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iOS 13.3.1 includes a "Networking & Wireless" toggle that turns off the U1 Ultra Wideband chip in the latest iPhones. The feature, located in the Privacy > Location Services section of the Settings app, turns off location for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Ultra Wideband.

Apple added this location toggle after it was discovered that the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max continue to track user location even when location services options are disabled. This is because there are international regulatory requirements that mandate the U1 chip be disabled in certain locations.

The new toggle makes sure location tracking is off for the U1 chip at all times. Apple has also added a new "Play Again" button when replaying content that you've already watched in the TV app.

Along with these features, the iOS 13.3.1 update also likely includes bug fixes for issues unable to be addressed in the iOS 13.3 update. Specifically, it could address some issues with Communication Limits, fixing a workaround with the Contacts app that allowed children text someone who contacted them from an unknown number.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 6.1.2 update to developers, one week after releasing the second beta and more than a month after releasing the watchOS 6.1.1 update with bug fixes.

Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

watchos6ewatchfaces
To install the update, the ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌.

There's no word yet on what features are included in the watchOS 6.1.2 beta, and there were no new features discovered in the first two betas, but we'll update this article should anything new be found in the third beta.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 13.3.1 update to developers, one week after seeding the second beta and over a month after releasing the tvOS 13.3 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 13.3.1 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

appletv4k2
tvOS updates are typically minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. Apple provides little to no information on what's included in tvOS beta updates, so we may not discover anything new after installing the software.

While we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

safaripreviewiconApple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.

‌Safari Technology Preview‌ release 99 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Web Inspector, Web API, Cookies, CSS, Media, WebRTC, Payment Request, Web Animations, JavaScript, Web Share API, WebDriver, and IndexedDB. Today's update also removes support for Adobe Flash.

The new ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available for both macOS Mojave and MacOS Catalina, the newest version of the Mac operating system that was released in October.

The ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple's aim with ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. ‌Safari Technology Preview‌ can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

At least one iPhone 12 model will come in a new Navy Blue finish, according to XDA Developers writer and leaker Max Weinbach, who shared his information with YouTube channel EverythingApplePro.

Weinbach believes that Navy Blue could replace the Midnight Green finish available for iPhone 11 Pro models. In line with this, EverythingApplePro created a mockup of what the iPhone 12 Pro in Navy Blue could look like.

iphone 12 pro navy blue

iPhone 12 Pro in Navy Blue concept via EverythingApplePro/Max Weinbach

Weinbach has accurately revealed a new iPhone color in the past. In May 2019, through his Twitter account PineLeaks, he said the successor to the iPhone XR would come in a new light green color. However, he said the green option would replace yellow, and the iPhone 11 is available in both green and yellow.

Weinbach also accurately predicted that the volume HUD would become less obtrusive in iOS 13, but he has also shared several Apple-related rumors that did not pan out, including the iPad getting a native Calculator app in iOS 13 and the HomePod launching in Austria and Italy within 2019.


Weinbach has a more established track record with Android-related rumors, most recently including alleged Samsung Galaxy S20 leaks.

Watch this EverythingApplePro video for a closer look at the Navy Blue concept:


Apple plans to release five new iPhone models in 2020, including the so-called "iPhone 9" or "iPhone SE 2" with a 4.7-inch display in the spring and a higher-end, OLED-and-5G lineup with one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model in the fall, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple today added a variety of charging solutions and other products to its online store from brands such as OtterBox, Mophie, Belkin, Ubio Labs, Native Union, STM, and Promise Technology.

OtterBox's stackable wireless charging system OtterSpot includes a base that can charge up to three disc-shaped 5,000 mAh batteries and an iPhone, AirPods case, or other device on the top simultaneously. The idea is that you can quickly pick up one of the batteries from the stack and charge any Qi-enabled device on the go.

otterspot
Introduced in August 2019, the OtterSpot system comes with a 36W USB-C power adapter and offers fast charging up to 10 watts. The base and one battery are available as a combo for $129.95, or the base and standalone batteries can be purchased separately for $69.95 each.

Available exclusively at Apple is Mophie's latest Powerstation Plus XL battery pack with an 8,000 mAh capacity for $99.95, as well as braided USB-C to Mini DisplayPort and USB-C to Micro-B cables.

mophie powerstation xl 8000mah
6,000 mAh and 10,000 mAh battery packs from Ubio Labs are also available for $59.95 and $79.95, respectively.

Apple has added two BOOST↑CHARGE power adapters from Belkin, including one with a single 18W USB-C port for $39.95 and one with dual 18W USB-C and 12W USB-A ports for $44.95 for charging devices like iPhones and iPads. Each power adapter includes a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box.

Three more RAID storage systems are available from Promise Technology, including R4/16TB, R6/24TB, and R8/32TB options.

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Last, there are new cases from Native Union and STM for the 10.2-inch iPad.

B&H Photo is offering a discount on a custom configuration of Apple's new 16-inch MacBook Pro in Space Gray. This model has 16GB RAM, a 1TB SSD, a 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 6-Core processor, and AMD Radeon Pro 5500M GPU (with 4GB GDDR6), priced at $2,399.00, down from $2,699.00 ($300 off).

16inchmacbookpromainNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This is an upgrade on the base model of the 16-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, so it'll offer you more storage and improved graphics. Currently on Amazon, the base model is going for $2,187.92, down from $2,399.00 ($211 off).

Amazon also has the model with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD, and a 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 8-Core processor for $2,499.00, down from $2,799.00 ($300 off). For this high-end model, Amazon's price is the lowest we've ever tracked and the best discount found online among the major Apple resellers.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Amazon today is discounting the 2019 MacBook Air to notable low prices, including savings on the 128GB and 256GB models. The centerpiece of the sale is the 128GB model in Gold and Space Gray, which Amazon has for $149 off, along with an extra $50 savings when you reach the checkout screen.

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

This will result in a total of $199 off the original price of the notebook, priced at $899.99, down from $1,099.00. Currently, this is the best sale price on this version of the 2019 MacBook Air among the major Apple resellers online. The sale also extends to the 256GB model in a few colors, but you won't find an extra discount at checkout for these configurations.

2019 13-inch MacBook Air

Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

A collection of iPad discounts have appeared this week at retailers including Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo, and MacMall. You'll have a chance to save on Apple's 10.2-inch iPad, 10.5-inch iPad Air, and the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

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

Sales start with $50 off the newest entry-level iPads, where you can get the 32GB Wi-Fi model for $279.00. Additionally, Amazon has up to $160 off the latest iPad Air models with both Wi-Fi and cellular support, and notable markdowns have appeared at numerous retailers for the iPad Pro, particularly related to the 12.9-inch model.

iPad Discounts

10.2-inch iPad

10.5-inch iPad Air

iPad Pro

Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Apple's main iPhone manufacturer in India is set to significantly boost its overall production capacity, following the construction of a third plant in the country.

iphones india flag
Wistron won approval to build the new smartphone factory in March 2019 and has already completed trial production at the plant, thanks to collaborative efforts by the Taiwanese firm's local team.

According to Wistron company chairman Simon Lin, local talent will fill the top- to mid-tier management roles at the plant, which will undertake production of lower-priced iPhones initially, possibly starting with the ‌iPhone‌ 8.

Wistron has two other plants in India, both in Bengaluru, that have been producing iPhone SE and ‌iPhone‌ 6s devices for sale in the local market.

Meanwhile, DigiTimes reports that Apple has continued expanding its mid-tier ‌iPhone‌ production in India, with partner Foxconn already manufacturing ‌iPhone‌ XR devices there.

Apple has been setting up ‌‌iPhone‌‌ manufacturing hubs in India ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi began promoting his "Made in India" initiative, which requires that 30 percent of products sold by foreign companies be manufactured or produced within the country.

India is the world's second largest smartphone market, but just one in four Indians are said to own a smartphone, providing Apple with an opportunity to sell iPhones to millions of new customers in the country.

Tags: India, Wistron

Apple has asked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to increase production of the A-series chips that are used in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max due to higher-than-expected demand, reports Bloomberg.

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‌iPhone‌ 11 and 11 Pro demand has been outperforming Apple's expectations, and sales have been especially strong in China, a welcome change from the drop in sales that Apple saw with the 2018 ‌iPhone‌ models. Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 11, priced starting at $700, has been a "particular driver" for the increased demand.

Apple's TSMC A13 chip orders are set to increase again in just a few months as Apple prepares to launch a new low-cost iPhone, which will be a successor to the popular iPhone SE.

The upcoming ‌iPhone‌, which could launch as early as March, is said to feature an affordable price tag. The device is rumored to feature a 4.7-inch display, thick top and bottom bezels with a Touch ID Home button, and a single-lens camera, but it will be equipped with the same A13 chip used in the 11 and 11 Pro.

During a recent earnings call, TSMC reported earnings above most analyst expectations and forecasted a strong quarter ahead.

Tag: TSMC

Apple will start mass production on the rumored low-cost iPhone that's in the works starting in February, reports Bloomberg. The new ‌iPhone‌ could launch as soon as March after production begins.

Rumors suggest the new ‌iPhone‌ will be similar in design to an ‌iPhone‌ 8, offering up a 4.7-inch LCD display, thick top and bottom bezels, a Touch ID Home button instead of Face ID, and a single-lens rear camera, but it will be equipped with a modern A13 chip and 3GB RAM.

iphone se and iphone 8

iPhone SE and ‌iPhone‌ 8

The ‌iPhone‌ will be the first truly low-cost ‌iPhone‌ Apple has introduced since the ‌iPhone SE‌, which has led to the device being called the "‌iPhone SE‌ 2" in some rumors, even though it's not expected to be as small as the original ‌iPhone SE‌. There has been some speculation that Apple could call it the "‌iPhone‌ 9," a number that was skipped with the 2017 unveiling of the ‌iPhone‌ X, but it's not clear what it will be named.

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Render of what the low-cost ‌iPhone‌ could look like, via OnLeaks

Given the $399 pricing of the original ‌iPhone SE‌, which was also positioned as a more affordable ‌iPhone‌ option, the new low-cost device could potentially be sold at the same $399 price point, making it Apple's most affordable ‌iPhone‌. The ‌iPhone‌ 8 is currently the lowest priced ‌iPhone‌ Apple sells at $449.

The low-cost ‌iPhone‌ will be Apple's first ‌iPhone‌ in 2020, with additional ‌iPhone‌ models slated for release in the fall of 2020 with higher-end all-glass designs like current flagship iPhones, 5G technology, and rear 3D cameras. For full details on what to expect from the low-cost ‌iPhone‌, make sure to check out our roundup.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPhone