MacRumors

This week saw an interesting variety of Apple news and rumors, ranging from rumors about upcoming iPhone and iPad releases to Apple TV+ announcements to news that Adobe Flash support will finally be removed from Safari.

One of the quirkier stories of the week was also one of the most popular, as we learned a bit more about Apple CEO Tim Cook's multi-year investment in Nebia, the eco-friendly shower head that's looking to make a bigger splash with an updated model in partnership with Moen.

Apple May Launch Backlit Smart Keyboard Alongside 2020 iPad Pros

Apple may release a backlit Smart Keyboard with a scissor switch design for its next-generation iPad models, expected to be released in the second half of 2020, according to hit-or-miss website DigiTimes. The current Smart Keyboard has unlit butterfly keys covered with rubber domes.

The report also claims that a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a scissor switch Magic Keyboard is due for release in the first half of 2020, following in the footsteps of the 16-inch MacBook Pro last year.

Tim Cook Invested in Nebia Shower Head After Stepping Under a Prototype in His Local Gym

Back in 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook invested in a water-efficient shower head called Nebia.

This week, Nebia unveiled a new version of its shower system, and some of the interesting backstory behind Cook's arguably left-field investment choice has also come to light.

The short version of the story is that Nebia co-founder Philip Winter managed to persuade fitness centers in Silicon Valley to run pilot tests of the eco-shower, and after installing the prototypes he would wait outside locker rooms to get feedback. That's when he met Cook.

Winter said Cook invested a "significant" amount of his own money in the eco-shower head and advised Nebia on suppliers. He also pushed the startup to prioritize user experience, design, and sustainability.

iPhone 12 Lineup Rumored to Feature All-New Navy Blue Color Option

At least one iPhone 12 model will come in a new Navy Blue finish, according to XDA Developers writer and leaker 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, his Apple rumor track record is certainly not perfect.

In other iPhone rumors this week, we heard that the so-called "iPhone SE 2" or "iPhone 9" will enter mass production in February ahead of a potential March release, while a higher-end 6.7-inch iPhone expected in the fall could be thinner and have larger rear-facing camera sensors.

Apple Reportedly Dropped Plans for End-to-End Encrypted iCloud Backups After FBI Objected

More than two years ago, Apple informed the FBI that it planned to roll out end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups, according to Reuters. Apple ultimately dropped the plan at some point after the FBI objected, although the report notes that it is unclear if the federal agency was explicitly a factor in the decision.

A former Apple employee told Reuters that the company did not want to risk scrutiny from public officials for potentially protecting criminals, being sued for making previously accessible data out of reach, or encouraging new legislation against encryption.

Apple Likely to Drop Adobe Flash Support in Next Version of Safari

As noted in our coverage of 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.

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.

Back in July 2017, 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, so its removal from Safari was to be expected.

It's a good moment to reflect on the Steve Jobs letter "Thoughts on Flash."

Apple Shares Release Dates for Upcoming Apple TV+ Series

Apple this week shared release dates for several of its upcoming Apple TV+ shows that are set to launch during the spring and summer of 2020, such as the sci-fi anthology series "Amazing Stories," executive produced by Steven Spielberg.

It was a big week for Apple TV+ news, ranging from Apple reaching a multi-year agreement with actress and producer Julia Louis-Dreyfus to fellow actress Jennifer Aniston winning a SAG Award for her performance in the Apple TV+ drama series "The Morning Show."

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Models

Apple this week began selling refurbished iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models for the first time since the devices were released in September 2018.

Refurbished models are available in Space Gray, Silver, or Gold with 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage through Apple's online store in the United States. All of the models are unlocked, aka SIM-free.

Prices are discounted by $300 to $350 compared to September 2018. For example, the base model iPhone XS with 64GB of storage was $999 brand new and is now available refurbished for $699.

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Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Choetech to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a 61W USB-C power adapter and accompanying USB-C cable for charging a Mac or an iPad Pro.

Choetech's new 61W Wall Charger uses gallium nitride technology, which allows it to be manufactured in a smaller casing than a standard power adapter. It's 50 percent smaller than the original 61W MacBook charger.

Priced at $35, the 61W power adapter is slim, portable, and perfect for use at home or travel thanks to the foldable prongs that tuck into the body of the accessory.

There's a single USB-C port on the charger that can be paired with a USB-C to USB-C cable or a USB-C to Lightning cable for charging up your Apple devices. 61W is ideal for the MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it's also suitable for the more powerful 15 and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models when not doing system intensive tasks.

Choetech says that the charger is equipped with a built-in "smart identification chip" that's able to identify the voltage and current required by a device, providing the right amount of power. It can charge a 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ to full in two hours or a ‌MacBook Air‌ to full in 1.6 hours.

The power adapter features a design made from a fire retardant PC material with over-current, over-voltage, and short-circuit protection for safety purposes.

Along with the 61W GaN charger, Choetech also offers a $15 6-foot USB-C to USB-C cable that supports 100W high-speed charging for all USB-C devices.

The cable, which is sold in a set of two, features a braided design along with reinforcing at the ends to make sure it won't fray or degrade with use, and it also cuts down on tangling. Choetech says that the cable supports data transfer speeds of 480MB/s, and that it has been tested through 5,000 bends and 30,000 plugs and unplugs.

We have 61W GaN power adapter and USB-C cable sets for 10 MacRumors readers. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

Alongside the giveaway, Choetech is offering several deals for MacRumors readers. The 61W GaN USB-C Power Adapter can be purchased for $28 with the promo code KD8ZFFJ3, and the USB-C to USB-C cable two-pack can be purchased for $9.50 with the promo code USBC100W.

Choetech is also offering a big discount on its standard 60W USB-C charger, dropping the price to $13.59 with promo code IV935S86.

Best Buy has kicked off a new 3-day sale as we head into the weekend, with discounts on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Beats products, and iPhone cases. This sale lasts through Sunday, January 26 at 11:59 p.m. CT, and for some products you'll need to be a My Best Buy member to see the discounts.

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

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks are seeing discounts that match the current best prices on select models in many cases. You can get the 128GB 2019 MacBook Air for $949.99 (down from $1,099.99), or the 512GB 16-inch MacBook Pro for $2,199.99 (down from $2,399.99).

Also included in the sale is a handful of discounts on iPhone cases, including ongoing solid deals on the iPhone 11 Smart Battery Case line. You can get this accessory for $103.99 in Black (down from $129.99), and there are also numerous discounts on Leather Cases, Silicone Cases, and Clear Cases.

• MacBook Air - Save up to $200 on select models / Starting at $949.99
• MacBook Pro - Save up to $200 on select models / Starting at $1,199.99
• iPhone 11 - Save up to $350 with qualified activation and store trade-in
• iPhone cases - Save up to 25% / Including Smart Battery Cases on sale
• Powerbeats Pro - $199.99, down from $249.99
• Beats Solo Pro - $249.99, down from $299.99
• Beats Studio3 Headphones - $184.99, down from $349.99
• Powerbeats3 Wireless Headphones - $94.99, down from $199.99

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

The App Store is experiencing a temporary outage that started at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time, according to Apple's System Status website. Apple's site says that there's an unspecified ongoing issue that's affecting some users.

Part of the problem appears to be linked to in-app purchases, based on a tweet from a Fortnite Twitter account, which says that in-app ‌App Store‌ purchases are unable to be completed at this time.

Other users have complained about not being able to make purchases from the ‌App Store‌, receiving an unable to connect message.

There's no word on when the ‌App Store‌ problems will be resolved, but we'll update this article when the issues have been addressed.

Update: Apple is no longer listing an outage on the System Status website, suggesting the issue has been fixed.

The Powerbeats Pro have returned to their lowest-ever price of $199.95 on Amazon, down from $249.95. This sale is the same one we've been tracking for the Powerbeats Pro since last fall, offering a solid $50 discount off the original price of the wireless headphones, and it usually only lasts for a few days.

Note: 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.

Every color of the Powerbeats Pro are being discounted as well, so you can get the Black, Ivory, Moss, or Navy for $199.95 today. All models include secure-fit ear hooks, are sweat and water resistant, and support up to nine hours of listening time on a single charge.

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

Samsung is said to be working on its own answer to AirDrop, Apple's ad-hoc service that lets users transfer files among Macs and iOS devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

According to XDA Developers, "Quick Share" will work similarly to AirDrop, enabling files to be sent "instantly" between two Galaxy phones in close proximity, so long as both devices have the feature turned on.

Like AirDrop, Galaxy users will be able to restrict who can send them files (Everyone or Contacts Only). When users set Quick Share to Everyone, it's not clear if the service will present unsolicited file shares in the same way as AirDrop.

• How to Prevent Unsolicited AirDrops to Your Apple Device

Unlike AirDrop, Quick Share is expected to have a temporary cloud-storage component that will allow users to transfer data to SmartThings connected home devices. The maximum size of these files will be up to 1GB with a total of 2GBs being sent per day.

AirDrop was introduced with iOS 7, so it might surprise some Apple users that Samsung is only getting round to finalizing its own alternative. Android used to have an NFC-based equivalent called Android Beam, but it was discontinued with Android 10. Users have had to resort to third-party alternatives like Google's Files Go app since.

China's big three mobile vendors Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo are also working collectively on an AirDrop-style peer-to-peer transfer protocol that is expected to launch next month.

Samsung's Quick Share service is expected to arrive with the launch of Galaxy S20+, which is slated for February 11, with the sharing service likely to come to older Samsung devices later on.

(Via The Verge.)

Since the launch of iOS 13 last fall, third-party access to users' background location data has reportedly declined by 68 percent, according to Location Sciences, a firm that analyzes location data for marketers (via Fast Company).

The firm also found that foreground data sharing, which occurs only while an app is open, has fallen by 24 percent.

According to a separate report by Digiday, third-party apps are now seeing opt-in rates under 50 percent for collecting location data when they're not in use.

The shortage of GPS data has been put down to Apple's recently introduction of pop-up options that let users selectively control background location tracking on the fly.

In iOS 13, iPhone and iPad users are periodically reminded about apps that are continuously tracking their location, complete with a map of those locations and options to "Change to Only While Using," "Always Allow," and "Just Once."

"As those particular options were made available to users, we do attribute that to the decrease in sharing," Jason Smith, Location Sciences' chief business officer, told Fast Company.

While the report indicates that Apple's new background location tracking options are having their intended effect, a recent report by The Wall Street Journal suggests that some developers are concerned that frequent location tracking reminders will hurt adoption of their apps.

Apple responded to the report by insisting that the changes were made to further safeguard user privacy.

"Apple has not built a business model around knowing a customer's location or the location of their device," an Apple spokesperson told WSJ, adding that Apple builds its hardware and software with privacy in mind.

Apple this afternoon sent out emails advertising its latest Apple Pay promotion, which offers 10 percent off of a purchase from the StubHub app.

StubHub is an online ticketing company that lets users purchase tickets for concerts, sporting events, and more.

To get the 10 percent discount, customers can enter the code APPLEPAY2020 when checking out in the StubHub app and using ‌Apple Pay‌ as the payment method.

Apple's promotion allows customers in the United States to get a maximum discount of $100, and the promotion will be available until January 29, 2020

Longtime Apple supplier Broadcom today announced that it has signed two multi-year deals with Apple that cover a "range of specified high-performance wireless components and modules" that Apple will use in its products.

According to Broadcom, these new agreements are in addition to a prior agreement it established with Apple in June 2019 for RF components and modules. The new agreements will last for three and a half years beginning in January 2020.

Broadcom says that the two new deals combined with its existing 2019 deal could generate aggregate total future revenue of approximately $15 billion.

As pointed out by Bloomberg, Broadcom's announcement allows potential purchasers to know that they're getting an established business relationship with Apple. Broadcom has been exploring a sale of its radio frequency chip unit since last year.