MacRumors

Alongside the launch of new MacBook Pro models, Apple today introduced a new Backlight Service Program for the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

According to Apple, a "very small percentage" of 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro displays can exhibit vertical bright areas along the bottom of the screen or a backlight that malfunctions entirely.

Apple will repair affected devices, which includes machines sold between October 2016 and February 2018, for free. Eligible models are listed below:

• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)

No other MacBook Pro models are included in the repair program at this time.

There have been ongoing complaints from MacBook Pro owners about uneven backlighting, though reports have covered machines beyond the 13-inch 2016 MacBook Pro. There has been speculation that the problem is caused by a delicate and easy-to-break flex cable.

Apple says that those with affected machines should find an Apple Authorized Service Provider, make an appointment at an Apple Retail Store, or contact Apple Support to arrange a mail-in repair.

The Backlight Service Program will be available to MacBook Pro owners for four years after the first retail sale of the unit, or two years from May 21, 2019, whichever is longer. According to internal Apple repair documents, displays with a confirmed backlight issue are eligible for LCD replacement at no charge, including displays that have accidental damage.

Apple today extended its Keyboard Service Program to all MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models equipped with any generation of its butterfly mechanism keyboard, not long after apologizing over the issues.

This means 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌, 2018 MacBook Pro, or just-announced 2019 MacBook Pro models that experience keyboard issues such as sticky or inconsistently responding keys now qualify for free repairs up to four years after the original purchase date worldwide, regardless of warranty status.

Eligible Models

• MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, Early 2015)
  

• MacBook (Retina, 12­-inch, Early 2016)
  

• MacBook (Retina, 12-­inch, 2017)
  

• ‌MacBook Air‌ (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
  

• MacBook Pro (13­-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  

• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  

• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  

• MacBook Pro (13-­inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  

• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2016)
  

• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2017)
  

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  

• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2018)
  

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
  

• MacBook Pro (15-­inch, 2019)

To address the underlying issues, Apple said it has changed the material in the 2019 MacBook Pro keyboard's butterfly mechanism to "substantially reduce problems that some users have seen," according to The Loop.

The new keyboard design on the 2019 MacBook Pro is still classified as "third generation" like the 2018 MacBook Pro and 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌. Owners of the 2018 MacBook Pro and 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ can have their keyboards replaced with ones that have the new materials during repair, according to The Verge.

To initiate a keyboard repair, visit the Get Support page on Apple's website to book a Genius Bar or Apple Authorized Service Provider appointment.

It has long been rumored that Apple plans to compete in the electric vehicle market in some capacity, ranging from supplying other automakers with underlying technologies to developing its own vehicle entirely, and new information suggests that Apple may have been eyeing a major acquisition to boost its efforts.

Namely, Apple is said to have made a "serious bid" for Tesla around 2013, offering around $240 per share. That's according to Craig Irwin, a senior analyst at investment firm Roth Capital Partners, who said he has "complete confidence" in this information, but he doesn't know if the bid reached a "formal paperwork stage."

"Around 2013, there was a serious bid from Apple, at around $240 a share," said Roth, speaking on a CNBC video highlighted by AppleInsider. "This is something we did multiple checks on. I have complete confidence this is accurate."

"I don't know if it got to a formal paperwork stage, but I know from multiple different sources that this was very credible," he added. "So, right now, Apple is building multiple, very large dry rooms in California… they're doing something interesting and exciting on the battery side… Project Titan is absolutely not dead."

Tesla had 114.5 million shares outstanding as of January 31, 2013, and that number increased throughout the year, so Apple's bid would have totaled at least $27.4 billion at the time. Now, the electric vehicle maker's shares are trading around the $203 mark, well below Apple's reported bid years ago.

Tesla's technologies and facilities, including its assembly plants in California and Nevada, certainly would have helped Apple's so-called "Project Titan" automotive ambitions in big ways, but the extent of Apple's plans are still unclear.

A recent report said Apple is seeking LiDAR units that are "smaller, cheaper and more easily mass produced" than current systems, which can cost over $100,000 and are considered "too bulky and prone to failure" for use in mass-produced vehicles. Apple is said to be "setting a high bar" with demands for a "revolutionary design."

Last year, Apple rehired its former VP of Mac hardware engineering Doug Field to work on Project Titan after a five-year stint as Tesla's engineering chief. Apple has a team of about 1,200 employees working on the project, according to court documents, but recent restructuring led to 190 layoffs.

Apple has been developing and testing autonomous driving software out on the streets of Cupertino, California using Lexus SUVs since early 2017. It's still unclear if we'll ever see a so-called Apple Car, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes a release wouldn't be until 2023 to 2025 either way.

Vizio today announced that its 2019 smart TV models with forthcoming AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support are now available at various retailers in the United States, including Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart.

The lineup includes high-end P-Series, mid-range M-Series, and lower-priced V-Series models. All of the TVs are 4K HDR, with prices ranging from $259.99 for a 40-inch model with under 400 nits brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate to $3,499.99 for a 75-inch model with 2,700 nits brightness and a 240Hz refresh rate.

Vizio says AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support will roll out "in the coming weeks" in line with its promised "summer 2019" timeframe, but both of the features have been available for participating beta testers since last month. Support will extend back to select Vizio smart TVs released in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

‌AirPlay‌ 2 support will allow users to stream videos, music, photos, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, and Mac to supported Vizio smart TVs, complete with lock screen controls. ‌HomeKit‌ support will enable users to easily control the TVs using Siri voice commands or the Home app on ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and Mac.

Vizio's entire 2019 lineup comes equipped with SmartCast 3.0 software, providing access to services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Vudu, iHeartRadio, Xumo, CBS All Access, NBC, and more. SmartCast 3.0 also includes Chromecast, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa integration.

‌AirPlay‌ 2 support was also added to Samsung's latest smart TVs last week, with LG and Sony planning to add support later this year.

While the highlight of last week's iOS 12.3 release was a revamped TV app with a new "Channels" feature, the release notes also mentioned a minor change to the Apple News+ interface that did not receive as much attention.

Ensuring the feature gains some awareness, Apple in a press release today highlighted the ability for ‌Apple News‌+ subscribers to follow publications directly from the ‌Apple News‌+ catalog view in iOS 12.3 and macOS 10.14.5. New issues from followed titles are automatically downloaded and available offline.

Apple added that it has received "a lot of great feedback from hundreds of publishers" available in ‌Apple News‌+, with quotes featured from editors of publications such as Vox, People, Harper's Bazaar, and Popular Science.

Apple's services chief Eddy Cue:

We've heard a lot of great feedback from the hundreds of publishers available in Apple News+. The latest updates to Apple News+ aim to best showcase their incredible journalism and put the most trusted news sources at readers' fingertips. Apple News+ customers are very engaged readers, with most visiting the News app daily. Hundreds of people at Apple, across editorial, engineering, marketing and design teams, are working to make Apple News+ the best experience for people who love reading their favorite titles and discovering new stories.

The feedback from editors can be read on the Apple Newsroom.

Health Canada has cleared the ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications on the Apple Watch Series 4, suggesting that both features will make their much-anticipated debut in Canada in the near future.

As spotted by the blog iPhone in Canada and confirmed by MacRumors, Health Canada issued active licenses for both features on May 16. The regulatory agency classifies the Apple Watch Series 4 as a Class II medical device, placing it in a "low-to-medium risk" category alongside the likes of contact lenses.

To view the licenses, navigate to the Health Canada search page and search for Apple based on company name.

The ECG app first launched in the United States last December as part of watchOS 5.1.2. The feature expanded to 19 European countries and Hong Kong in watchOS 5.2 in March and to five more European countries in watchOS 5.2.1 last week.

With clearance from Health Canada, Apple could expand the ECG app to Canada in either watchOS 5.3 or watchOS 6, the latter of which should be unveiled at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

Apple Watch Series 4 users can generate an ECG waveform in just 30 seconds by placing their finger on the Digital Crown.

Electrodes built into the Digital Crown and the back crystal work together with the ECG app to read your heart's electrical signals. Simply touch the Digital Crown to generate an ECG waveform in just 30 seconds. The ECG app can indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation — a serious form of irregular heart rhythm — or sinus rhythm, which means your heart is beating in a normal pattern.

Apple has yet to mention the ECG functionality on the Apple Watch health and fitness page on its Canadian website.

Apple and other tech firms are being sued for piracy by the estate of composer Harold Arlen for offering unauthorized copies of his songs, reports the BBC. Arlen's son, Sam Arlen, says he has found more than 6,000 unauthorized copies of his father's songs on Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft's services.

According to legal papers filed in Los Angeles and shared by AppleInsider, streaming services and download stores like iTunes are flooded with "bootleg" copies of Arlen's songs, robbing his estate of royalties. Arlen's work includes several American songbook classics like Over The Rainbow and Get Happy.

The 148-page filing claims the firms are engaged in "massive piracy operations" and provides several examples of alleged piracy. For instance, the official recording of Ethel Ennis' version of Arlen's song "For Every Man, There Is A Woman" is available on the RCA Victor label for $1.29 on iTunes. However, a separate version on the Stardust Records label - with the same cover art but the RCA Victor Logo edited out - is available for $0.89.

Some of the alleged pirate copies are said to contain the signature "skips, pops and crackles" of vinyl, indicating they've been duplicated from a record, rather than the original master tapes.

Arlen's estate is also suing dozens of record labels, which it claims have "continued to work with" alleged pirates despite having knowledge of copyright infringement "for several years".

"It is hard to imagine that a person walking into Tower Records, off the street, with arms full of CDs and vinyl records and claiming to be the record label for Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald, could succeed in having that store sell their copies directly next to the same albums released by legendary record labels, Capitol, RCA, and Columbia, and at a lower price," stated Arlen's lawyers.

"Yet, this exact practice occurs every day in the digital music business where there is... a complete willingness by the digital music stores and services to seek popular and iconic recordings from any source, legitimate or not, provided they participate in sharing the proceeds."

According to the BBC, part of the dispute stem from the differences in copyright law between the US and Europe. In the US, copyright for sound recordings made after 1923 and before 1972 is generally 95 years. But in the UK and Europe, copyright expires after 70 years, after which sound recordings enter the public domain.

Nevertheless, some of the recordings names in Arlen's court papers are still protected by copyright in Europe, and the actual compositions are not in the public domain (a writer's copyright continues for 70 years after their death).

The estate argues that songs like "It's Only A Paper Moon" and "Stormy Weather" are "monumental works of art" that are "national treasures," and is seeking around $4.5 million in damages. Apple and other companies named in the court papers have yet to comment.

Apple Pay officially launched in Hungary and Luxembourg today, enabling bank card holders there to use Apple's mobile payment system for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch wherever they see the contactless logo.

In Luxembourg, BGL BNP Paribas is currently the sole bank supporting Apple's digital wallet, while OTP Bank is supporting ‌Apple Pay‌ in Hungary. Apple's regional websites for Luxembourg and Hungary both highlight 12 major retail chains that accept the mobile payment system, including Apple resellers in the two countries.

The expansion within Europe follows the launch of ‌Apple Pay‌ in Iceland earlier this month. Elsewhere, regional banks in The Netherlands and Portugal have teased that Apple's contactless payment system is "coming soon."

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in March that ‌Apple Pay‌ would be available in more than 40 countries and regions by the end of 2019, so the rollout is well on track, although Apple's website has yet to be updated with the full list. ‌Apple Pay‌ first launched in the United States in October 2014.

A database that contained contact information for millions of Instagram influencers, celebrities, and brand accounts was recently leaked online, reports TechCrunch.

The database, which was hosted by Amazon Web Services and contains more than 49 million records, was accessible without a password or other credentials according to the security researcher who informed TechCrunch about the leak.

Records include public data pulled from Instagram, such as profile picture, biography, and follower numbers, but also private contact information like phone numbers and email addresses.

Records also calculated the "worth" of each account based on follower count, engagement, reach, likes, and shares.

The database was initially uploaded and shared by Mumbai-based social media marketing firm Chtrbox, a company that pays Instagram influencers to share sponsored content. Though uploaded by Chtrbox, the database includes info from influencers who have never worked with the company.

TechCrunch found several high-profile influencers in the exposed database, including prominent food bloggers, celebrities and other social media influencers.

We contacted several people at random whose information was found in the database and provided them their phone numbers. Two of the people responded and confirmed their email address and phone number found in the database was used to set up their Instagram accounts. Neither had any involvement with Chtrbox, they said.

After hearing from TechCrunch, Chtrbox took the database offline, but the company's CEO did not respond to a request for comment on how the data was obtained.

Instagram parent company Facebook said that it was looking into the issue and aiming to determine whether the data was from Instagram or other sources. "We're also inquiring with Chtrbox to understand where this data came from and how it became publicly available," said Facebook.

The United States Justice Department is "leaning against" approving the merger between T-Mobile and Sprint, reports Bloomberg.

The merger might not be approved because the two companies "don't go far enough" to resolve antitrust concerns raised by the U.S. government.

Bloomberg's report comes shortly after United States Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai said that he would recommend approval of the merger between Sprint and T-Mobile.

T-Mobile and Sprint have implemented changes to their merger to allay concerns, including the sale of Boost Mobile, a three-year buildout of a 5G network, and a pledge not to raise prices while the network is being built, but these steps may not be enough to earn approval.

Back in April, there were reports suggesting the DoJ had told Sprint and T-Mobile that the merger would not be approved as it was originally structured, which prompted the plans to sell Boost Mobile.

Sprint and T-Mobile first announced a merger agreement in April 2018, but the completion of the merger requires the government to approve the deal. A merger between Sprint and T-Mobile would combine two of the four major carriers in the U.S., and it would use the T-Mobile name.

The two companies would have close to 100 million customers, putting it second only to Verizon. The U.S. DoJ is concerned the deal would be a major threat to competition.

Sprint and T-Mobile planned to have the merger completed no later than the first half of 2019, but that date was pushed back to late July earlier this year.

Google today announced the launch of a new enterprise-focused Google Glass headset, the Glass Enterprise Edition 2.

The Glass Enterprise Edition 2 looks more like a traditional pair of glasses than a futuristic headset thanks to safety frames designed in partnership with Smith Optics, but for those who don't need safety glasses features, there's also a standard version that looks like the original.

Both versions feature a 640 x 380 Optical Display Module that displays augmented reality content over the real world view, while also offering up a smart voice assistant for getting tasks done.

Inside, there's an updated, faster Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 processor, an improved 8-megapixel camera, USB-C port for faster charging, and a larger battery.

Google says the Snapdragon XR1 features a significantly more powerful multicore CPU and a new artificial intelligence engine for "significant power savings," improved performance, and support for computer vision and more advanced machine learning capabilities.

Google Glass 2 runs Android Oreo, which is meant to make it easier for businesses to develop for and deploy.

The new version of Google Glass is priced at $999, down from $1,599 for the original version, and like the prior Enterprise Glass option, it is not available directly to consumers.

Google originally released Google Glass in 2013 as a mass market product, but it wasn't well-received due to privacy and functionality concerns. Google then relaunched it as an Enterprise product for businesses in 2017, with the redesigned version available as of today.

Apple is rumored to be working on its own augmented reality smart glasses, which could be somewhat similar in design to Google's version. Apple has had AR smart glasses in development for several years now, and rumors have suggested we could see a launch in 2020.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 12.4 update to developers, almost one week after seeding the first iOS 12.4 beta, and two weeks after releasing iOS 12.3, a major update that introduced a revamped TV app.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.4 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

There were no new features discovered in the first iOS 12.4 beta, so it's not entirely clear what's coming in the update. As a more significant 12.x update, it's possible that the update is focusing on a feature that's not yet available - the Apple Card.

Apple is planning to release the ‌Apple Card‌ in the summer, so iOS 12.4 could be the update that prepares the iOS operating system for that launch, adding hidden features that will be unlocked when the update becomes available to the public.

If we find new features in the second beta of iOS 12.4, we'll update this post.

iOS 12.4 may be one of the last updates to the iOS 12 operating system as Apple transitions to iOS 13, which is expected to be introduced at WWDC in June.

Update: The second beta of iOS 12.4 is also available for public beta testers.