MacRumors

T-Mobile today announced that it has completed its merger with Sprint, with the merged company to operate under the T-Mobile brand. Effective immediately, T-Mobile's former COO Mike Sievert will assume the role of CEO, with John Legere stepping down.

T-Mobile said it plans to focus on creating a "transformational" nationwide 5G network. Within six years, the carrier promises to provide 5G to 99 percent of the U.S. population and average 5G speeds in excess of 100 Mbps to 90 percent of the U.S. population. T-Mobile also plans to provide 90 percent of rural Americans with average 5G speeds of 50 Mbps.

The "new" T-Mobile has committed to delivering the same or better rate plans for at least three years, including access to 5G. Rate plans are not changing today.

For now, the merged company says all customers will stay with the same Sprint and T-Mobile network, stores, and service they have been using. Over time, Sprint assets will simply begin to be rebranded as T-Mobile.

In a private conference call with investors this week, Apple supplier Foxconn suggested that there is still a possibility that 5G-enabled iPhones will launch on time this year despite pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, according to Bloomberg.

Of course, Foxconn did not mention Apple or the iPhone specifically:

"We and the customer's engineers are trying to catch up the missing gap, after we lost some days due to travel ban. There's opportunity and possibility that we might catch up," Yang said. "But if there's a further delay in the next few weeks, months, then you probably have to reconsider launching time. It's still possible."

The report claims that trial assembly of new iPhones typically begins in early June ahead of mass production of the devices in August, so there are still several months for Apple to catch up should pandemic restrictions begin to be eased.

With hundreds of suppliers of iPhone components, however, Apple will have to rely on more than Foxconn to ensure an on-time launch.

Prior to the pandemic, it was rumored that Apple planned to introduce four high-end iPhone 12 models with notched OLED displays and 5G support in the fall, including a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a 6.7-inch model. Following in the footsteps of the new iPad Pro, some or all of the models are expected to gain a LiDAR scanner for augmented reality.

Newer devices running Apple's recently released iOS 13.4 and macOS 10.15.4 software updates are currently unable to make FaceTime audio and video calls with older devices running iOS 9.3.5 or iOS 9.3.6, according to numerous users across the Apple Support Communities, MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and Twitter.

Apple normally recommends that users who cannot make or receive FaceTime calls update their devices to the latest software version, but iOS 9.3.5 or iOS 9.3.6 are the last supported software versions for several older devices, including the iPad 2, third-generation iPad, iPhone 4S, the first-generation iPad mini, and the fifth-generation iPod touch.

Devices running iOS 13.3.1 or macOS 10.15.3 can still make FaceTime calls with older devices, so it is unclear if this is a bug introduced with iOS 13.4 and macOS Catalina 10.15.4 or if this was an intentional decision. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment, but we will update this story if we hear back.

In any case, the timing of this is unfortunate due to the ongoing pandemic. Many affected users have mentioned being unable to reach a grandparent who still uses an older iPad, for example, during a time when social distancing is strongly recommended.

Hopefully this proves to be a simple bug that is resolved in short order.

44 years ago today, on April 1, 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne signed a contract founding the Apple Computer Company.

Days later, Ronald Wayne bowed out and received $800, leaving Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to launch the Apple I that led to Apple revolutionizing the personal computer industry before moving on to other markets and becoming one of the most successful companies in modern history.

Steve Wozniak left Apple in 1985, leaving Steve Jobs at the helm. Under Jobs' leadership, and after weathering a few hiccups like Jobs' time at NeXT, Apple launched iconic products like the iMac G3, the MacBook, the iPod, the original iPhone, and the iPad, along with services like the App Store and iTunes.

After Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, Tim Cook took over and kept Jobs' legacy alive, launching new iPhones and iPads and new product lines, such as the Apple Watch, HomePod, and AirPods. Cook also oversaw Apple's deep foray into services with the launches of Apple News+, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple Music.

Today Apple is weathering a storm and has temporarily shuttered its stores outside of China, and device sales are seeing a drastic dip as a result. It will take Apple some time to recover, but there are many innovative products on the horizon, such as the 5G iPhones, Macs with Apple designed Arm-based processors, AR glasses, and more, some of which will come this year and some of which are slated to launch over the course of the next few years. As it has in the past, Apple will bounce back.

April 1st, in addition to being the day Apple was founded, is also April Fools' Day. Given the current situation, MacRumors will not be sharing the April Fools' pranks that typically circulate, and many companies, such as Google, have bowed out of jokes this year. We wanted MacRumors readers to be aware of the date to avoid falling for any ill-timed pranks or joke products.

Contract workers at Apple's Silicon Valley campuses will continue to be paid their normal wages while Santa Clara County's shelter in place order is in effect, an Apple spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal today.

The announcement was a departure from Apple's original plans. Over the last few days, hundreds of contract workers were told that their jobs would be suspended without pay, but Apple appears to have reversed course on that decision.

Apple's contract workers include janitors, bus drivers, and other individuals who perform similar functions on its Apple Park and Infinite Loop locations.

On Monday, in response to an inquiry from The Wall Street Journal, a spokeswoman said the janitors' pay would continue. "We're working with all of our suppliers to ensure hourly workers such as janitorial staff are being paid during this difficult time," spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said after the Journal's inquiry about the job elimination notices.

It appears that many contractors were mistakenly informed that their jobs would be suspended, and it's not clear why. One janitor at Apple's campus, Patricia Cortez, was called into an Apple office on Sunday alongside colleagues and told that her job had been eliminated.

Bus drivers were also concerned about payment as Apple had not told WeDriveU and Hallcon Corp, two companies who manage Apple's shuttle service, whether contracts would be paid.

Apple previously said that it is paying all of its hourly workers, such as retail employees and cafeteria staff, but had not previously confirmed that it was going to continue paying contractors.

Apple's Silicon Valley campuses will be shut down until at least May 3 due to the extension of the shelter in place order in the Bay Area. Apple's retail stores in the United States and other countries outside of China also remain closed, though some could begin opening as soon as the first half of April.

Apple today updated Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, its iWork apps designed for the Mac, to version 10.0 with a new set of features. The updates add support for iCloud Folder Sharing for collaborative files with macOS 10.15.4 installed, plus there are options to edit shared documents offline.

There are also new templates and editable shapes to work with, a redesigned template chooser, and an option to add color, gradients, and images to the background of any document. Each app's release notes are below.

Pages Release Notes

• Select from a variety of gorgeous new templates to help you get started.
• Add a Pages document to a shared iCloud Drive folder to automatically start collaborating. Requires macOS 10.15.4.
• Add a drop cap to make a paragraph stand out with a large, decorative first letter.
• Apply a color, gradient, or image to the background of any document.
• Easily access your recently used templates in a redesigned template chooser.
• Print or export a PDF of your document with comments included.
• Edit shared documents while offline and your changes will upload when you're back online.
• Enhance your documents with a variety of new, editable shapes.

Numbers Release Notes

• Create spreadsheets with more rows and columns than ever before.
• Apply a color to a background of a sheet.
• Add a Numbers spreadsheet to a shared ‌iCloud Drive‌ to automatically start collaborating. Requires macOS 10.15.4.
• Edit shared spreadsheets while offline and your changes will upload when you're back online.
• Easily access your recently used templates in a redesigned template chooser.
• Print or export a PDF of your spreadsheet with comments included.
• Add a drop cap to text in a shape.
• Enhance your spreadsheets with a variety of new, editable shapes.

Keynote Release Notes

• Add a Keynote presentation to a shared ‌iCloud Drive‌ to automatically start collaborating. Requires macOS 10.15.4.
• Edit shared presentations while offline and your changes will upload when you're back online.
• Select from a variety of gorgeous new themes to help you get started.
• Easily access your recently used themes in a redesigned template chooser.
• Print or export a PDF of your presentation with comments included.
• Add a drop cap to make text stand out with a large, decorative first letter.
• Enhance your presentations with a variety of new, editable shapes.
• New "Keyboard" text build in and build out animation

Apple does not appear to have released updates to its iWork for iOS apps, so the new features are limited to the Mac versions at this time. All of the new updates can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.

• Pages for macOS [Direct Link]
• Keynote for macOS [Direct Link]
• Numbers for macOS [Direct Link]

Apple's iWork for Mac apps are all free downloads.

Apple today released the first betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 updates, and while the new software appears to focus primarily on bug fixes, there's at least one new feature.

When listening to a song in Apple Music, tapping on the Share button and then selecting Instagram generates a Story with the song title and album name, plus a matching animated background.

9to5Mac says that once a song is shared on Instagram, other people should be able to tap on the song name and then listen to it in the ‌Apple Music‌ app, but we were unable to get this feature to work, perhaps because the feature is still being beta tested.

Spotify has a similar feature where song titles can be shared on Instagram in a Story that displays album artwork and a matching background, but no music plays and there's a very small clickable link to open a song in Spotify, so it's possible the ‌Apple Music‌ feature will work similarly.

The same steps listed above can be used to share songs on Facebook by choosing the Facebook app instead of the Instagram app.

Apple has recently contacted some of its retail employees in the U.S. with an opportunity to work from home as a support advisor on a temporary basis due to the ongoing pandemic, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Retail employees who accept this offer will receive the necessary equipment from Apple to offer support to customers by phone or online chat, as well as a small cash incentive, one source noted. It is unclear how long this at-home role will last, how many employees have been offered this opportunity, or if it is being offered in any other countries.

Jon Prosser of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech has also relayed this news today, noting that participating employees each receive an iMac.

With thousands of Apple retail employees that are already well experienced with sales and support currently sitting at home, this move makes sense, and will help alleviate the workload of Apple's existing at-home advisors.

Update: Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has confirmed this news, noting that employees in the program are not being asked to work beyond their regular hours.

Update 2: MacRumors has learned that the at-home work program appears to be available to all Apple retail employees, not just Geniuses and Technical Specialists. Participating employees must be able to accept delivery of a 27-inch iMac delivered by courier and are required to participate in virtual training.

Apple is temporarily sold out of the Blackmagic eGPU Pro, an eGPU option that it offers alongside its Mac machines.

Priced at $1,199, the Blackmagic eGPU Pro first came out in October 2018 alongside refreshed Mac mini and MacBook Air models, and it has been sold by Apple since then.

Blackmagic told MacRumors that the eGPU Pro is temporarily out of stock and has not been discontinued. The company provided no details on why the device is unavailable at this time, but supply shortages and production disruptions are a likely cause.

At this time, the standard $699 Blackmagic eGPU remains available for purchase, and it's just the higher-end Pro model that is temporarily unavailable.

Other Apple products like select iPads and custom configured Macs are also experiencing longer than normal shipping times.

Apple has acquired weather app Dark Sky, Dark Sky's developers announced today. Dark Sky is one of the most popular weather apps on the App Store, known for its accuracy and storm warnings.

Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy.

There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone.

There will be no changes to the Dark Sky for iOS app, and it will continue to be available for purchase in the ‌App Store‌. Apple does not appear to be making the app free at this time, and it continues to be priced at $3.99.

In the future, Apple could be planning to build Dark Sky into its own weather app, which relies on data from The Weather Channel at this time.

Dark Sky features include minute-by-minute weather predictions based on precise location, hour-by-hour weather forecasts for the next day and week, detailed weather animations, and advanced notification updates that include down-to-the-minute alerts before rain starts and severe weather alerts. The app also includes a Today Widget, a Time Machine feature so you can see weather in the past or present, and an Apple Watch app.

Dark Sky for Android and Wear OS is being discontinued on July 1, 2020. The website's weather forecasts, maps, and embeds will be available until July 1, 2020, and the website itself will remain available in support of API and iOS app customers.

Dark Sky says its API service for existing customers is not changing, but new signups will no longer be accepted. The API will work through the end of 2021, but after that time, developers will need to find another solution. The end of Dark Sky's API will impact other popular weather apps like Carrot, which uses the Dark Sky API.

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.4.5 updates to developers, one week after releasing iOS and iPadOS 13.4 with iCloud Folder Sharing, iPad trackpad support, and more.

iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.4.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air once the proper developer profile has been installed. There's no word on why Apple decided to use iOS 13.4.5 as the beta update number instead of iOS 13.4.1.

We don't yet know what's included in the iOS 13.4.5 update, but it likely focuses on bug fixes for issues unable to be addressed in the iOS 13.4 update.

Specifically, it could address an issue with Personal Hotspot that prevents it from working properly for some users, or a privacy bug with VPNs. Apple said it would fix both of these problem in upcoming updates.

Once we download the update and take a look at what's new, we'll update this article.