MacRumors

Apple is in the final stages of certifying flexible OLED panels produced by BOE Display for use in future iPhones, according to a new report out today.

The Nikkei Asian Review says Apple is "aggressively testing" screens made by the Chinese company, as it considers taking on BOE as an OLED supplier to cut costs and reduce its reliance on Samsung, which is believed to be Apple's primary supplier of OLED displays.

BOE is the world's top producer of large liquid crystal screens and already makes liquid crystal displays for Apple's iPads and MacBooks, but the firm has its sights set firmly on the expanding OLED panel market, which is expected to be worth more than $30 billion this year, up from $25.5 billion in 2018.

At the same time, Apple is seeking to diversify its supply chain as much as possible. The company often tries to secure at least two suppliers for any given component in order to reduce its supply chain risk and improve its bargaining position. Given that Samsung's OLED panel is the most expensive component in the iPhone XS and XS Max, bringing on board another supplier would be a significant coup for Apple.

According to today's report, Apple is currently testing flexible OLED displays from BOE's facility in Chengdu, Sichuan province, which is China's first site to produce the advanced displays. BOE is also building another facility in Sichuan province, which would be allocated to Apple if it places orders, Nikkei's sources said.

Two sources with knowledge of the situation said BOE was likely to supply the new iPhones next year if it wins certification. But it might first be asked to offer displays for repair purposes, as well as panels for older models of iPhones, one source suggested. That would still mark a significant milestone for BOE, the source said, as it would be Apple's first-ever purchase of Chinese-made OLED displays.

LG is believed to be the only other OLED supplier Apple is considering for future iPhones. LG already supplies OLED displays for the Apple Watch, but Apple will only order them for iPhones if the South Korean firm can meet the component's high quality control standards – LG reportedly temporarily halted one of its OLED display production lines due to manufacturing challenges earlier this year.

Rumors suggest Apple will complete its transition to an all-OLED lineup in 2020, releasing high-end 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch models with OLED displays and a lower-end 6.1-inch model with an OLED display, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple is delaying its plans to limit third-party tracking and ads in apps designed for children, reports The Washington Post.

The company's decision comes following an inquiry from The Washington Post about app developers who are unhappy with the changes and what it means for the way free apps for children function.

Earlier this year, there were reports suggesting Apple would limit third-party ad tracking in apps aimed at kids to better protect their privacy, and Apple formally announced changes in June. Apple initially planned to roll out these changes in September, but is now holding off to give developers more time to adjust to the new rules.

Following an inquiry from The Washington Post, Apple said Friday that it now plans to delay the rule changes. "We aren't backing off on this important issue, but we are working to help developers get there," Apple spokesman Fred Sainz wrote in an emailed statement. The statement said some developers had asked Apple to clarify the new rules, but that "generally we have heard from them that there is widespread support for what we are trying to do to protect kids."

Apple's new App Store guidelines prevent apps for kids from using third-party analytics services, which can collect a lot of data about usage habits. Apple is also "severely curtailing" ad sales in kids apps.

In order to help keep kids' data private, apps in the kids category and apps intended for kids cannot include third-party advertising or analytics software and may not transmit data to third parties. This guideline is now enforced for new apps. Existing apps must follow this guideline by September 3, 2019.

Gerald Youngblood, the developer behind the Tankee video gaming app for kids, told The Washington Post that Apple's new rules could limit Tankee's ability to show ads, thus impacting his decision to make the app free.

Tankee shouldn't be lumped in with the apps that are negligent and fail to protect children, Youngblood said. "We thought they were going to shut down these apps that are ignoring privacy and targeting kids," he said. "We were built with privacy as a foundation."

Several other app developers and creators echoed concerns about the changes, including Dylan Collins, the chief executive of SuperAwesome, a company designed to help developers navigate child-privacy laws. "This will simply kill the kids app category," he told The Washington Post.

Apple has not said how many children's apps collect personally identifiable information on children, making it unclear how widespread the issue is. Rather than blanket banning all tracking and cutting down on ads, developers want Apple to mandate that all kids apps use advertising and analytics vetted for safety.

Developers also take issue with the fact that the new rules don't prevent developers themselves from collecting data or showing ads, it simply limits third-party options. Developers say that Apple's new restrictions will simply incentivize them to start developing apps technically made for adults, even if the users end up being children.

Apple's Phil Schiller told The Washington Post that Apple initially tried contacting developers and advertising software operators to ask them to remove inappropriate ads, but that approach ultimately failed. Schiller went on to say that Apple spoke to some developer ahead of implementing the new rules. "We gathered enough data that we're doing the right thing," said Schiller.

It's not clear how and when Apple will ultimately implement the app changes that it outlined in June, and it's not known if the company plans to make alterations before rolling out new guidelines.

The Washington Post's full article has more detail on how the changes could impact apps designed for kids and it's well worth checking out if you're a developer or a parent.

Apple today added 13 and 15-inch 2019 MacBook Pro models to its online store for refurbished products in the United States, offering the updated machines at a discount for the first time.

The MacBook Pro section of Apple's refurbished store currently features several MacBook Pro models that were first released in May of 2019, with multiple configurations available at different price points. Both stock and custom configurations are available.

All of the refurbished MacBook Pro models are discounted by right around 15 percent. For the most affordable May 2019 13-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.4GHz processor and 256GB of storage, the discount drops the price from $1,799 to $1,529.

The new entry-level 1.4GHz 13-inch MacBook Pro models that were released in July are not yet available from the refurbished store, with only the higher-end May 2019 models discounted right now.

May 2019 MacBook Pro models feature Intel's 8th and 9th-generation processors with 8-core, 6-core and quad-core chip options. An upgraded butterfly mechanism is also included that's supposed to cut down on key failures, and there are updated graphics options.

Refurbished 2019 MacBook Pro models ship out right away, with next-day delivery available in some areas.

All of Apple's refurbished products go through a rigorous refurbishment process before being offered for sale, which includes inspection, repairs, cleaning, and repackaging. Like new purchases, refurbished Macs come with a one-year warranty that can be extended with an AppleCare+ purchase.

For tips on purchasing a refurbished product, make sure to check out our guide.

Apple Arcade is set to launch this fall, providing iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV users with access to a library of over 100 games on a subscription basis, with no ads or additional in-app purchases.

Last week, 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo managed to gain access to an internal early access program for Apple Arcade intended for Apple employees. This has led to many details about the service leaking out, including its likely price of $4.99 per month with a one-month free trial in the United States.

Now, 9to5Mac's Jeff Benjamin has shared a video in which he goes hands-on with six games coming to ‌Apple Arcade‌, including Way of the Turtle, Down in Bermuda, Hot Lava, Kings of the Castle, Sneaky Sasquatch, and Frogger in Toy Town. Note that these are pre-release beta versions of the games.

Apple's health team has faced a series of "high-profile departures" in the past year due to internal disagreements about direction, according to CNBC's Christina Farr, who cites multiple people familiar with the matter.

The report explains that some Apple employees feel the company could be taking on more ambitious health-related projects like a telemedicine service or simplified insurance billing, while others are satisfied with Apple's focus on wellness and prevention like its ECG app for the Apple Watch:

Tension has been increasing in the health care team in recent months, according to eight people familiar with the situation, although that undercurrent started several years ago. Some employees have become disillusioned with the group's culture, where some have thrived while others feel sidelined and unable to move their ideas forward. Four of the eight noted that some employees hoped to tackle bigger challenges with the health care system, such as medical devices, telemedicine and health payments. Instead the focus has been on features geared to a broad population of healthy users.

The report acknowledges that it is unclear if the attrition rate within the health team is higher than that of other teams at Apple, so part of this could be normal day-to-day differences in opinions and turnover that a large company faces.

When the ECG app for the Apple Watch was unveiled last year, the report claims that some employees were "frustrated" by the negative reaction from some doctors and others in the medical industry, as these employees are said to have pushed for a "small and focused product launch" that would have involved gathering feedback from the medical community to reduce any potential pushback.

Apple did, however, secretly invite cardiologists and other medical experts to its headquarters in California every six months or so while the ECG app was under development, according to the report.

A recent employee morale survey within Apple's health team apparently "showed signs of discontent," leading Apple COO Jeff Williams to speak with several employees to address their concerns. Williams has overseen the health team at Apple for several years, including development of the Apple Watch.

Leadership changes also may have contributed to some of the recent departures.

Below Williams, the health team's leadership is said to include former Adobe executive Kevin Lynch, who is said to oversee software projects like Apple Health Records; Eugene Kim, responsible for Apple Watch hardware, and Sumbul Desai, who oversees the ECG app, Apple Heart Study, and heart health strategy.

Most of the employees who left the health team worked under Desai, per the report:

Other high-level departures from the group over the past few years are Robin Goldstein, who was at Apple for more than two decades and most recently worked on the regulatory side of health before leaving in late 2017; Anil Sethi, a former Apple Health director who left to form a health-tech start-up in late 2017; Stephen Friend, a top Apple researcher who departed at the end of 2017; Charles Schlaff, who worked on Apple Watch before moving over to special projects and left in November of 2018, according to LinkedIn; Craig Mermel, who was in engineering at Apple Health and left to join Google Brain this February; and Yoky Matsouka, who was brought in to lead health but left after less than a year in 2016 and is now a vice president at Google.

Despite the reported struggles, Apple's health team has accomplished a lot over the past few years, including the potentially life saving ECG app for the Apple Watch and Apple Health Records. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said these health efforts will be the company's "greatest contribution to mankind."

Timed with the Apple Card launching widely in the United States today, Apple has announced that customers will now receive three percent Daily Cash when they use the Apple Card with Apple Pay for Uber and Uber Eats purchases.

Apple says additional merchants and apps will begin to offer three percent Daily Cash in the coming months.

The three percent reward was initially limited to purchases made directly with Apple, including at Apple Stores, Apple.com, the App Store, the iTunes Store, and for services like Apple Music and iCloud storage subscriptions.

All other purchases made with the ‌Apple Card‌ via ‌Apple Pay‌ will continue to receive two percent Daily Cash, while purchases made with the physical, titanium ‌Apple Card‌ qualify for one percent Daily Cash.

To apply for an ‌Apple Card‌, simply open the Wallet app on an iPhone running iOS 12.4 or later, tap the plus button in the top-right corner, and follow the on-screen steps. The process takes just a few minutes, and if approved, your digital ‌Apple Card‌ will be ready for purchases immediately.

Daily Cash is unlimited and paid out daily to your Apple Cash account. For more details, make sure to check out our Apple Card guide.

Apple Card, the Apple-branded credit card that Apple is launching in partnership with Goldman Sachs, is available for everyone in the U.S. starting today following a preview period that launched a few weeks ago for some customers.

Potential customers can apply for the ‌Apple Card‌ using the Wallet app, and after approval, can begin using the digital portion of the card for online and Apple Pay purchases immediately.

‌Apple Card‌ availability is subject to approval, and customers need to qualify for ‌Apple Card‌ similar to any other credit card. ‌Apple Card‌ offers an APR between 12.99 and 23.99 percent based on credit score.

Apple will ship a physical titanium credit card to ‌Apple Card‌ users within a few days, providing an actual card for traditional credit card purchases. The titanium card is engraved with the cardholder's name, but features no card number, expiration date, or CVV for privacy purposes.

This information is still available, but it is accessible through the Wallet app. The card features a traditional magstripe along with a built-in chip for making purchases within stores.

‌Apple Card‌ can be used for both standard purchases and ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases, with Apple providing rewards for both. Customers will get 3 percent cash back for purchases made at an Apple Store, 2 percent cash back for all ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases, and 1 percent cash back for all other purchases.

Cash back is provided in the form of "Daily Cash" that, as the name suggests, is paid out to customers on a daily basis. Daily Cash is added to the Apple Cash card in Wallet and can be used for purchases, sent to friends, or transferred to a bank account.

‌Apple Card‌ is deeply integrated into the Wallet app and Apple is offering spend tracking and budgeting tools. Color-coded categories will give users an idea of how much money they're spending on food, activities, shopping, health care, entertainment, and more.

Apple will send notifications every time a purchase is made so users can monitor for fraudulent activity, and Apple is using machine learning and Apple Maps to make sure every single transaction made is clearly identified.

The Wallet app also helps out with payments, offering up multiple payment options and ways to minimize interest through higher, more regular payments. ‌Apple Card‌ will encourage customers to pay a bit more than the minimum each month to cut down on interest fees. Payments can be scheduled weekly, biweekly, and monthly, and can be made using a bank account just like any other credit card.

‌Apple Card‌ is limited to the United States at the current time, but may expand to additional countries in the near future. Apple is already in talks with European regulators, and has trademarked ‌Apple Card‌ in Europe, Hong Kong, and Canada.

‌Apple Card‌ is a no fee credit card. There are no annual fees, international fees, fees for making a late payment, or fees for exceeding your credit limit, which means there are no penalty rates for missing a payment. For more details on the ‌Apple Card‌, make sure to check out our Apple Card guide.