Apple and the NBA today announced that they have partnered on a new Apple Music playlist, as noted by Bloomberg.
The report notes that the new Base:Line playlist will have about 40 songs with a hip-hop focus. The songs will also be available through the NBA's app and website, and will be featured in game highlights shared on social media.
Apple plans to refresh the playlist weekly, with the songs sourced from independent label UnitedMasters.
Best Buy's newest Apple Sale Event is discounting a trio of Beats by Dre wireless headphones, Mac notebooks, and the iPad Pro. This includes notable low prices on the Studio3 Wireless Headphones and Powerbeats Pro, as well as ongoing best deals on the iPad Pro in both 11-inch and 12.9-inch models.
Note: 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.
For the Powerbeats Pro, Best Buy's $199.99 price tag is a match for the lowest-ever price seen on these headphones (also available at Amazon). On sale, the Studio3 Wireless Headphones are typically around $200, so Best Buy's $189.99 is another notable discount going on this week.
We've also collected a few deals on the 15-inch MacBook Pro, old MacBook Air, and the iPad Pro. For the tablet, Best Buy is matching prices previously introduced on Amazon earlier this week, while also providing a few lowest-ever discounts not available anywhere else for high-end models with 1TB of storage and cellular support.
Beats
Macs
11-Inch iPad Pro
12.9-Inch iPad Pro
Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
iPhone 12 models will feature a "refreshed" front-facing TrueDepth system that benefits Apple supplier Lumentum, according to Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Thomas O'Malley, and Baylie Harri. This suggests that Face ID could be improved on iPhone 12 models, but no specific details were provided.
In a research note provided to MacRumors, the analysts added that the rear-facing camera system on iPhone 12 Pro models will feature 3D sensing based on a time-of-flight solution, as widely rumored. They also expect iPhone 12 Pro models to be equipped with 6GB of RAM, up from 4GB in iPhone 11 Pro models.
The biggest change of all could come next year, as the analysts said they see potential for Apple to remove the Lightning connector from at least one iPhone model in 2021, echoing a prediction shared by fellow analyst Ming-Chi Kuo last month. This could result in wired EarPods being removed from the box, they said.
Kuo has said that Apple plans to release five new iPhone models in 2020, including a lower-end "iPhone SE 2" or "iPhone 9" by the end of March and four higher-end, 5G-enabled models in the fall.
Correction: A previous version of this article listed Apple supplier Lite-On Semiconductor in the first paragraph. The supplier mentioned in the research note was actually Lumentum.
Apple's recent purchase of Seattle startup Xnor.ai, which specializes in on-device artificial intelligence, appears to have had a knock-on effect on home security cameras made by Wyze, another Seattle-based company.
The Verge reports that the Wyze Cam V2 and Wyze Cam Pan rely on Xnor.ai's on-device people detection, but now that Apple owns the company, the support has been pulled in a beta firmware update currently rolling out to Wyze customers' devices.
As it happens, Wyze issued a statement in November 2019 saying that Xnor.ai had terminated their contract, and that a firmware update rolling out in mid-January 2020 would remove the feature from its cameras. Whether Xnor.ai planned to be acquired by Apple in January, or it already had been acquired, remains unknown.
Despite the apparent forewarning, Wyze says it is still working on an in-house people detection replacement feature, but it promises to launch it as a free update sometime this year.
Given Apple's deep interest in personal privacy, an acquisition of technology for handling AI on device shouldn't raise any eyebrows. Xnor.ai's work could potentially be incorporated into future iPhones, improving Siri and other AI and machine learning-based tasks that are done on device.
New questions have been raised about the FBI's latest request that Apple break its iPhone encryption, after Forbes uncovered a search warrant strongly indicating that federal agents already have tools that can access data on Apple's latest iPhone models.
The report says that FBI investigators in Ohio recently used the GrayKey hardware box to unlock an iPhone 11 Pro Max. The iPhone belonged to Baris Ali Koch, who was accused of helping his convicted brother flee the country by providing him with his own ID documents and lying to the police. He has now entered a plea agreement and is awaiting sentencing.
Koch's lawyer confirmed to Forbes that the iPhone was locked with a passcode when it got in the hands of the FBI and that the code was never revealed to law enforcement, nor was the defendant forced to use his face to unlock the phone via Face ID.
Created by a company named Grayshift, GrayKey is a portable gray box that has previously been used by law enforcement to crack the passcode on iPhones. Complete details on how the latest GrayKey works are not known, although Apple continually works to fix the kinds of exploits used by such devices.
President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr have also weighed in on the latest iPhone encryption stalemate between Apple and the FBI, with both urging the tech giant to assist in unlocking the iPhones used by the Pensacola shooter.
Justice department officials claim to need access to the iPhones to see messages from encrypted apps like Signal or WhatsApp to find out if the shooter discussed his plans or had help. Apple says it has already provided law enforcement officials with information from the shooter's iCloud account, which amounts to all the data in its possession.
Statements by Apple suggest it is gearing up for a battle similar to the one it faced in 2016 in the San Bernardino shooter case, indicating the company has no plans to create a backdoor in its software, regardless of the U.S. government's motives. Apple has previously said that doing so would create "new and dangerous weaknesses" and that weakening security "makes no sense."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple today shared a pair of videos from content creators who designed posters for Apple TV+ shows "Dickinson" and "For All Mankind."
Janice Sung, an illustrator and digital painter, said she created a poster for Apple TV+ series "Dickinson" using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, and she outlined some of her creative process.
Apple today announced that several upcoming Apple TV+ projects are going to debut at the SXSW Film Festival, set to take place from March 13 to March 21.
Newly acquired documentary "Beastie Boys Story" will be shown at the festival ahead of its Apple TV+ release on April 24, and Apple will also premiere upcoming TV shows "Central Park" and "Home."
Created by Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, both known for popular TV series "Bob's Burgers," "Central Park" is an animated musical series that tells the story of a family of caretakers who live and work in Central Park and end up saving the world.
The animated show features voice work from Josh Gad, Leslie Odom Jr., Tituss Burgess, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Daveed Diggs, and Kathryn Hahn.
"Home," made by the creators of Netflix series "Chef's Table," is a docuseries that's designed to provide viewers with a never-before-seen look inside the "world's most innovative homes."
The episode debuting at SXSW will focus on the home of lawyer and science fiction writer Christopher Brown, with the house being described as a "modern interpretation of Native American pit houses," which are huts that were traditionally constructed with mud and grass.
There's no word on when these two shows are going to debut on Apple TV+, but a launch could come not too long after their SXSW debut.
Designer Philip Lee, who makes a range of "Classicbot" toys based on classic Mac designs, this week unveiled a new huggable 12-inch Classicbot Plush.
The Classicbot Plush, priced at $67, is based on Apple's Macintosh Classic, which was sold in the early 90s. While expensive, the Classicbot Plush is highly detailed and has a few notable features worth pointing out.
All of the Classic Macintosh details are carefully embroidered, and the plush features articulated arms that can be put into different positions. The fabric the Classicbot Plush is made from has been chosen because it's "very soft" to the touch.
Along with articulated arms, the Classicbot Plush features interchangeable facial expressions thanks to velcro-backed pixel pieces that can be arranged in a multitude of ways.
The Classicbot Plush can be pre-ordered from the Classicbot website as of today, with orders set to ship out at the end of April 2020.
Apple and M. Night Shyamalan, producer of Apple TV+ show "Servant," are being targeted in a new lawsuit that accuses "Servant" of copying 2013 film "The Truth About Emanuel," according to The Blast.
"The Truth About Emanuel" director Francesca Gregorini claims that "Servant" appropriates the plot of her movie and uses the same "cinematic language," resulting in a "substantially similar feeling, mood, and theme."
Released in 2013 with Kaya Scoddelario and Jessica Biel, "The Truth About Emanuel" involves a 17-year-old babysitter who looks after a baby that turns out to be a doll replacing a baby that has died, which is indeed similar to the plot of "Servant."
"Defendants have arrogantly dismissed Ms. Gregorini's protests by vaguely claiming that Servant was in development long before Emanuel was made, and that any similarity is a coincidence. Indeed, Mr. Shyamalan and Mr. Basgallop implausibly claim they have never seen Emanuel--apparently not even curious enough to watch after hearing Ms. Gregorini's objections. Worse, Apple has brought stonewalling to a new level by simply referring inquiries to Mr. Shyamalan's lawyer (who in turns says he cannot speak for Apple)."
Gregorini is seeking unspecified damages, profits Apple made from the show, and an injunction to prevent "Servant" from being further distributed.
"Servant," which debuted on November 28, is wrapping up its first season with the final episode set to be released on Friday, January 17. Apple has already renewed the series for a second season. Given that the show is still in development and the last episode hasn't debuted, it's not yet known how similar it will end up being to the movie in question.
Based on the description of the film, there already seem to be significantly divergent plot elements, so it's not clear how the lawsuit will progress.
Apple has retained Lisa Ellman, a lawyer specializing in drone and aviation law, as a Washington lobbyist, reports Bloomberg.
Ellman, a partner at law firm Hogan Lovells, leads her firm's Unmanned Aircraft Systems practice and also co-founded the Commercial Drone Alliance. She has been doing lobbying work for Apple since December.
A DJI Mavic Pro drone
Apple since 2016 has been using drones for data collection purposes to boost the quality of Apple Maps. Apple's drones are able to capture and update mapping data faster than the LiDAR-equipped minivans that it has used to collect mapping information since 2015.
Apple in 2018 was also a participant in a pilot program that allows the company to operate drones in ways restricted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Apple partnered with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to use drones to capture aerial mapping data.
Bloomberg suggests that Apple's new lobbying efforts indicate a new push into the growing drone field. Apple also has a team working on satellites that Ellman could potentially assist with when it comes to regulations.
In addition to employing drones for mapping purposes, Apple also sells popular drones from DJI in its Apple retail stores and on its website.
Apple has purchased Seattle startup Xnor.ai, a company that specializes in on-device artificial intelligence, reports GeekWire, citing sources with knowledge of the acquisition.
Apple is said to have paid around $200 million for Xnor.ai, and while both Apple and Xnor.ai have declined to comment on the potential acquisition, much of the Xnor.ai website has been taken offline and GeekWire says that a move from the Xnor.ai offices is taking place in Seattle.
Xnor.ai's technology lets companies run deep learning algorithms locally on devices that include smartphones and wearables rather than requiring these computations to be done in the cloud. Xnor promised complete privacy of data along with reduced memory load and power demands.
Xnor.ai's work could potentially be incorporated into future iPhones, improving Siri and other AI and machine learning-based tasks that are done on device.
Update: Apple confirmed the acquisition of Xnor.ai to Axios with its standard acquisition statement: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."
More discounts on Apple's 10.5-inch iPad Air have appeared on Amazon this week, with lowest-ever prices now appearing for the 64GB Wi-Fi model and the 256GB cellular model. This iPad Air is the version that launched in March 2019 with a 10.5-inch Retina display and Touch ID.
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.
You can save up to $180 in the sale, with prices starting at $399.99 for the 64GB model with Wi-Fi. If you're shopping for a cellular iPad Air, note that both models listed below have delayed shipping estimates and will ship within 1-4 weeks at the time of writing.
Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.
Apple has acquired the rights to "Beastie Boys Story" a documentary about the band directed by Spike Jonze and penned by Beastie Boys members Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz, reports Deadline.
Under the terms of the deal, the film will be available in IMAX theaters in a limited release on April 3 before launching on Apple TV+ on April 24.
The release of the documentary comes ahead of the 26th anniversary of the release of "Ill Communication," the band's fourth album. Spike Jonze originally directed the music video for the hit song "Sabotage."
"Beastie Boys Story" is described as a live documentary experience that focuses on the history and the legacy of the group and its personal story. It's based on the "Beastie Boys Book," published in October 2018, and will feature Horovitz and Diamond discussing their long running friendship and rise to fame.
Microsoft today announced the first stable launch of its Edge browser built on the Google Chromium open source project. Microsoft Edge can be downloaded on both Windows machines and Macs.
A beta version of the Microsoft Edge browser has been available for several months ahead of the official, stable launch.
Microsoft's aim with the Edge browser is to provide better web compatibility with improved performance for customers while also making sure there's less fragmentation of the web for developers.
Edge for Mac has been designed to be similar to the Edge experience on Windows, but Microsoft has added optimizations to make it feel more Mac-like. Extensions can be added from the Microsoft Addons store or other Chromium-based web stores like the Chrome Web Store.
The browser includes tracking prevention (enabled by default), customization options, built-in search capabilities with Bing, an Internet Explorer mode for viewing older web pages, and a new wave-style logo that replaces the traditional "e" that past Microsoft browsers have used.
For Mac users who plan to use Edge, the browser is available cross platform and can be downloaded on Mac, Windows, and iOS devices with the Edge iOS app.
Microsoft is planning regular updates for the Edge browser, with Canary, Dev, and Beta updates on a daily, weekly, and multi-week basis. The next stable version of Edge will see an update sometime in February.
Anker is back this week with its latest round of discounts on useful charging and audio accessories. This time you can find sales on USB-C chargers, Eufy smart home products, Bluetooth speakers, and portable chargers.
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.
We've noted below if the accessory requires a discount code, but most items this time around have had their discounts automatically applied and do not require a code. A majority of the sale expires this Sunday, January 19, so be sure to browse and place your order before the end of the week.
Hubs
Audio
Smart Home
Wireless Chargers
Portable Charger
Chargers
Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.
As a reminder for anyone who may have missed the announcement during the holidays, Apple revealed that it will share its earnings results for the first quarter of its 2020 fiscal year on Tuesday, January 28.
The financial report should be released at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time on that day as usual, followed by a conference call with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time that will be streamed live on Apple's website. Cook and Maestri will discuss the results and field questions from analysts.
Apple's guidance for the quarter, which ran September 29 through December 28 of 2019:
By comparison, Apple brought in revenue of $84.3 billion in Q1 2019, despite issuing a rare earnings warning due to declining iPhone sales at the time. The company's all-time quarterly revenue record is $88 billion in Q1 2018.
Apple's earnings results will provide some insight into how well the latest iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max models sold during the holiday shopping season. The devices became available to purchase in stores on September 20 in many countries, nine days before the quarter began.
Apple's services and wearables categories have also been growing for several quarters, so investors will look to see if that trend continues.
(Thanks, Leonard!)
CloudApp, a Mac app designed for visual collaboration and content sharing, today launched a new iOS app that expands CloudApp's capabilities to the iPhone and the iPad. The app has been in testing with a soft launch since December, but is now being officially announced.
CloudApp for iOS mirrors what CloudApp for Mac is able to do, allowing customers to upload images, videos, and files from an iPhone or download CloudApp "drops" that include screenshots, videos, screen recordings, and GIFs to the iPhone. Uploading to CloudApp can be done from other iOS apps, such as the Photos app.
The new iOS app supports screen recording of the iPhone for creating tutorials or collaborating regardless of location, and there are options for previewing and sharing files, screenshots, screen recordings, and more.
There's a customized thumbnail view for quickly scrolling through available files, and key content can be favorited for easy access. Collections can also be created, letting users sort their content into different folders for better organization.
CloudApp for iPhone can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Spotify today announced "Pet Playlists," which builds custom playlists for a cat, dog, iguana, hamster, or bird (via The Verge). The playlist generator combines your pet's personality traits with your own listening history on Spotify, building a list of songs that the company says both you and your pet can enjoy.
To get your Pet Playlist, visit Spotify's new Pet Playlist website, choose an animal, and then answer questions about their personality and temperament. Spotify will combine this information with your listening habits to create a Pet Playlist that's automatically added to your library, filled with about 30 songs.
While music for pets isn’t an exact science, we consulted with experts in the pet industry for the best approximation for what might work best for our featured animals. Incidentally, we only use the information you provide us to create your Pet Playlist. The information is not stored and is not used for any other purpose.
When subscribers were last counted, Spotify had 113 million Premium subscribers as of October 2019, compared to Apple Music's 60 million as of June 2019. According to Spotify, the streaming service is growing twice as fast as Apple Music.
Apple Music finally caught up to Spotify in one area in 2019, introducing a "Replay" feature that let its users track their most-played songs from the previous year, as well as every single year since they started using Apple Music.
Priority Notifications, visual intelligence for iPhone 15 Pro, new emoji, and more.
Apple Intelligence is what Apple is calling its artificial intelligence feature set. Here's everything we know.
Image Playground is Apple's dedicated image creation app that can build cartoon-like pictures based on text descriptions.
If you're experiencing issues with iPhone Mirroring, follow these steps to get it working again.
Apple's annual developer conference where it will unveil iOS 19, macOS 16, and more.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7, new Apple Intelligence features, and more.
Apple's next-generation iPhone models with a new "Air" or "Slim" model replacing the current Plus model.
3 days ago by Joe Rossignol
3 days ago by Joe Rossignol
3 days ago by Tim Hardwick
3 days ago by Tim Hardwick
3 days ago by Tim Hardwick
Priority Notifications, visual intelligence for iPhone 15 Pro, new emoji, and more.
Apple Intelligence is what Apple is calling its artificial intelligence feature set. Here's everything we know.
Image Playground is Apple's dedicated image creation app that can build cartoon-like pictures based on text descriptions.
If you're experiencing issues with iPhone Mirroring, follow these steps to get it working again.
Apple's annual developer conference where it will unveil iOS 19, macOS 16, and more.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7, new Apple Intelligence features, and more.
Apple's next-generation iPhone models with a new "Air" or "Slim" model replacing the current Plus model.
3 days ago by Joe Rossignol
3 days ago by Joe Rossignol
3 days ago by Tim Hardwick
3 days ago by Tim Hardwick
3 days ago by Tim Hardwick