MacRumors

Apple Arcade is now available with an annual subscription option, priced at $49.99 per year in the United States, $59.99 per year in Canada, £49.99 per year in the UK, and €49.99 per year in many other European countries.

apple arcade devices
Until now, Apple Arcade was only available with a $4.99 per month subscription in the United States, totaling $59.88 in a year. In other words, the annual subscription effectively provides 12 months of Apple Arcade access for the price of 10 months in return for paying upfront — a savings of $9.89.

To switch to the annual subscription plan on an iOS device, open the App Store, tap on your profile photo in the top-right corner, tap on Subscriptions, tap on Apple Arcade, and select the one-year option.

Apple Arcade provides access to over 100 games across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, all without ads or in-app purchases.

The annual option was first spotted by German blog iFun.de.

Seven years after its original release on iPhone, TiVo's mobile app has finally been updated to support streaming over cellular networks.

tiVo mobile app
The TV entertainment service's mobile offering previously required users to find a Wi-Fi hotspot if they wanted to stream shows on mobile, but the company has finally decided to allow users to stream live and recorded shows over their cellular connection.

Tech blog Zatz Not Funny! has pointed out that TiVo's approach remains "a bit kludgey" when streaming content over mobile. For example, there's no way to skip ads like you can on TV, although the absence of pre-roll ads should mollify that lack.

Most users will likely just be happy to have the option of watching shows on the go without having to track down a decent Wi-Fi network.

The TiVo app is a free download for ‌iPhone‌ and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

(Via Engadget.)

Tag: TiVo

This week's big news was obviously the launch of the new Mac Pro, and we had tons of coverage about Apple's new professional desktop machine and accompanying display. The first orders will begin arriving next week, and we'll have much more coverage to come.

In other news, Apple launched its interest-free iPhone installment plan for Apple Card users in the United States, we saw the release of iOS 13.3 and other related updates for Apple's various platforms, and we may have at least a partial fix for some of the issues related to popping noises coming from the speakers of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.

New Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR Now Available to Order

After over two years of waiting, Apple is now accepting orders for its all-new Mac Pro, with pricing starting at $5,999 in the United States. With an impressive selection of upgrade options and optional $400 wheels, a fully maxed out Mac Pro runs over $52,000.

mac pro 2019 display trans
Apple says a rack-mounted version of the computer is also "coming soon," with pricing starting at $6,499.

The new Mac Pro is complemented by the Pro Display XDR, which is also now available to order for $4,999. Both products are in the process of shipping to customers, with deliveries expected to begin early next week.

New Mac Pro Accessories Added to Apple Store Along With Logitech 4K Webcam for Pro Display XDR

Apple has added a selection of accessories for the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR to its online store, including graphics and storage modules, a lock adapter, an AUX power cable kit, and more.

2019 mac pro accessories
For the Pro Display XDR, there is an optional $999 stand, a VESA mount adapter, and Logitech's new 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam for $199.95.

Meanwhile, on our YouTube channel this week, we've shared a video highlighting useful accessories for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube for new Apple-related videos every week!

Apple Card's 24-Month Interest-Free iPhone Installment Plan Now Available

Apple Card Monthly Installments are now available in the United States, allowing customers to purchase a new ‌iPhone‌ with ‌the Apple Card‌ and pay for it over 24 months with no interest.

iphone apple card monthly installments trans
For each iPhone purchased with the Apple Card, you will receive 3% Daily Cash. If the iPhone is purchased between December 10 and December 31, it is eligible for a doubled 6% Daily Cash as part of a holiday promotion.

We've put together an explainer on how Apple Card Monthly Installments work, including how to view and make monthly payments.

Apple Releases iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3

Apple this week released a series of software updates, including iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3, macOS 10.15.2, watchOS 6.1.1, tvOS 13.3 for the Apple TV, and an update for the HomePod speaker.

ryanscoolios13thumbnail
The latest iOS and iPadOS versions introduce Communication Limits for Screen Time, letting parents control who their children are able to contact, with the feature covering FaceTime, Phone, Messages, and iCloud Contacts.

iOS 13.3 and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.3 also add support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari. That means physical security keys like the Lightning-equipped YubiKey can be used for more secure two-factor authentication in place of a software-based two-factor authentication option.

In related news, MacRumors contributor Steve Moser has uncovered references of unreleased "Powerbeats4" headphones in iOS 13.3 code.

Initial Reports Suggest macOS Catalina 10.15.2 May Fix 16-Inch MacBook Pro Popping Sound Bug for Some Users

Following last week's news that Apple was investigating a popping sound issue with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, it looks like Apple might have made some progress in addressing the problem.

macbook pro 16 hands on
Some users have suggested the just-released macOS 10.15.2 update may resolve the issues, although not everyone agrees. Apple's original support document about the issue did state that a fix would come in future software updates — plural.

MacRumors Newsletter

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.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Apple today updated its iTunes Remote app with support for Apple Music and the Apple TV apps in macOS Catalina, enabling a feature that was first introduced earlier this week in macOS Catalina 10.15.2.

Following today's iOS update and the macOS 10.15.2 update, the iTunes Remote app can be used to control playback in the Music and TV apps in macOS Catalina.

itunesremoteapp
The new version of the iTunes Remote app also supports Dark Mode in iOS 13 and later, enabling a darker theme when ‌Dark Mode‌ is turned on.

iTunes Remote is a free app for controlling music libraries and other content on the Mac with the iPhone. It can be downloaded from the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Fuse to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a set of cable organizers for Apple device cables from Fuse.

Fuse in November added to its Mac cable wrangling options with a whole set of cable organizers designed for Apple's entire iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup.

fuseorganizedcables
From the Side Winder for keeping the MacBook Pro's USB-C cable organized to the Watch Side Winder for rolling up the Apple Watch cord, Fuse has something for everyone. Below is a quick overview of all that Fuse has to offer.

Snap Backs for iPhone, iPad, and MacBook

Priced at $13.99, the Snap Backs are available for the 12W ‌iPad‌ charger, the 18W iPad Pro/‌iPhone‌ charger, the 5W ‌iPhone‌ charger, and the 29/30W MacBook charger.

fusesnapback
Each Snap Back fits over one of Apple's chargers and then the reel at the bottom can be used to wind up the cord, so you can use as much cord as you need with no excess. It's also ideal for travel because you can roll up the entire cord to keep it organized.

Side Winders for Cables of All Sizes

Priced starting at $9.99, Fuse makes little Side Winders for ‌iPhone‌ cables, headphone cables, ‌iPad‌ cables, and more. The Side Winder is donut shaped and lets you roll the cord around it before securing the end using the included groove.

sidewindermax
The Side Winder Mini ($9.99) is perfect for ‌iPhone‌ cables, micro-USB cables, corded headphones, and more. It can be used with cables one foot to five feet in length.

The Side Winder Max ($10.99) is identical to the Side Winder Mini but it's bigger in size so it works with USB-C cables and can wrap up cables between one foot and 10 feet in length.

sidewindermax 1
The Side Winder Watch ($12.99) is designed specifically for the Apple Watch. It wraps up the Apple Watch cable and has a cutout in the center for the watch so it can be used as a charging base for the Apple Watch.

sidewinderwatch

The Side Kick

The Side Kick, priced at $19.99, is designed to work with Apple's MacBook, MacBook Air, and ‌MacBook Pro‌ chargers. It's a little socket that attaches to the side of a MacBook power adapter using adhesive.

sidekick
When popped out, it can be used to wrap up a MacBook's cord neatly, allowing it to be transported with no cable mess. When you're using the cord, the Side Kick pops back in so it adds little bulk to a power adapter.

The Side Winder

Priced at $29.99, the Side Winder is designed for the ‌MacBook Air‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌ models, and it's meant to wind up both the USB-C (or MagSafe) cable of a MacBook along with the extension cable.

sidewindertable
The MacBook's power adapter goes in the center and the two cables wrap up in the reel around it. You can pull out just the right amount of cable so you never have excess cable to deal with.

Make sure to check out our review of Fuse's product lineup for more info on all the cable organizing options that are available. 15 winners will be able to choose any three products from Fuse for the giveaway.

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.

The contest will run from today (December 13) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on December 20. The winners will be chosen randomly on December 20 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

With Christmas under two weeks away, we're now entering last-minute holiday shopping season. Although some of the best deals may have already come and gone this year, many brands and retailers still offer solid discounts online and in stores, giving shoppers a chance to finish off their shopping lists just in time.

Holiday Deals 1Note: 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.

For this reason, in this article we've accumulated as many notable Apple-related sales we could find across the internet, ranging from accessory brands like Mophie and Twelve South, to discounts on Apple products like the HomePod. Of course, shipping estimates and costs will vary greatly from store to store, but if you place an order soon, most of these retailers are still ensuring delivery by Christmas day.

We also have a few exclusive discounts mixed into the sales below, letting our readers save a little extra at places like Mophie, Twelve South, Pad & Quill, Nimble, and more. These sales allow our readers to save on portable chargers, iPhone battery cases, screen protectors, and much more. Be sure to check out all of these deals in the lists below.

Pad & Quill

MacRumors has partnered with Pad & Quill to give our readers a chance to save on Apple accessories all the way through Christmas day. With our first discount code, you can save 20 percent on any Apple related product, including those for iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad and MacBook. Enter the code MR20 to access this sale.

pad and quill holiday
Otherwise, you can use the code MR15 to take 15 percent off Pad & Quill's other products, like its premium leather bags, wallets, and desk accessories. These two codes essentially cover the entirety of Pad & Quill's website, and are a perfect opportunity to shop for anyone on your holiday list who loves high-quality accessories for their Apple devices.

Nimble

Eco-friendly brand Nimble is offering our readers 30 percent off sitewide this holiday season with the exclusive promo code MACRUMORS30. With this promotion you can save on Nimble's portable chargers, wireless chargers, iPhone cases, and more.

nimble holidays
Nimble's products are made from highly sustainable materials and come inside plastic-free packaging. The company also runs a one-for-one tech recovery project, placing a disposable bag with every product it sells. In these bags, customers can send back their old or unused tech so that it can be recycled responsibly.

In terms of shipping, Nimble offers free two-day shipping and returns, so be sure to browse the retailer's website soon to place your order in enough time before Christmas.

Twelve South

At Twelve South, you can get 15 percent off your entire order with the promo code MacRumors15. This promo code will last through December 31 at 11:59 p.m. ET for users in the United States.

twelve south holidays
Twelve South has numerous accessories that are specifically made for Apple products, like AirSnap for AirPods, HiRise Wireless for iPhone, and BookBook Vol. 2 for iPad Pro. You can browse for some holiday shopping ideas of your own in Twelve South's gift guide.

Mujjo

At Mujjo, MacRumors readers can save 15 percent by using the coupon code MacRumors15. This code will last through December 19. Mujjo offers a collection of leather Apple accessories, including iPhone cases and iPad sleeves, so be sure to head to Mujjo.com to check out their products before Thursday.

Best Buy

Best Buy still has Apple's HomePod at its current best price of $199.99, down from $299.99. This is the discount we previously saw on Black Friday last month, and Best Buy has brought the sale back just in time for Christmas.

HomePod
The retailer also has some discounts on Beats headphones, Apple Watch Series 4, and more in its ongoing 12 Days of Discounts sale event. More information on the event can be found on BestBuy.com.

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

Repair site iFixit managed to get a Mac Pro on Friday, and has kicked off its traditional teardown with an uncasing and first impressions video.

The video shows the process of removing the ‌Mac Pro‌'s aluminum case and it takes a look at some of the internal components.


For those interested in a quick look at what's inside the ‌Mac Pro‌ and how the different components work, the video is worth checking out.

iFixit plans to share a full ‌Mac Pro‌ teardown next week, likely on Tuesday.

Related Roundup: Mac Pro
Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac Pro

Through Apple's AC Wellness services that offer health benefits to Cupertino employees, Apple has begun providing its staff with free genetic testing, reports CNBC.

AC Wellness operates on-site health clinics on and near Apple's Cupertino campuses, and through a partnership with Color Genomics, employees are able to get genetic screenings for diseases.

colorgenetictesting
Genetic testing is expected to help employees uncover health problems that could turn into risks later in time, allowing patients to take preventative steps. Color's test is able to look for gene mutations associated with cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The test created by Color is not sold directly to consumers and is instead ordered by clinicians at AC Wellness, with a follow up appointment required to discuss the health results.

A year to the day after Apple announced plans to spend $1 billion on a new corporate campus in Austin, Texas, to initially support 5,000 employees with the potential to grow to 15,000, television station WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina, has shared an update and a few new details related to North Carolina's attempts to attract the new campus.

apple austin new campus

Rendering of Apple's upcoming Austin campus

While it didn't conduct a public competition like Amazon, Apple was open about its plans to construct a new corporate campus, announcing its intentions in January 2018. A number of cities emerged as top contenders to land Apple's new campus, but by May 2018, sources were reporting that it was all but a "done deal" that the new campus would be located in North Carolina's Research Triangle Park (RTP) near Raleigh and Durham, with a temporary location for up to 1,000 employees planned for an existing office building in nearby Cary.

Months went by without an official announcement from Apple, and with Apple ultimately revealing the campus would be built in Austin, many have wondered what went wrong in what appeared to be late-stage negotiations between Apple and North Carolina.

The December announcement seemed to surprise the governor and state legislative leaders, who hours later released a joint statement touting economic growth in North Carolina and pledging to "keep doing everything we can" to attract jobs. [...]

Since then, there's been little explanation about how or why the deal dissolved by year's end.

But given the company's notorious penchant for secrecy, [North Carolina Senate Majority Leader Harry] Brown said, media coverage of the potential plans for North Carolina didn't help.

"Apple and companies like it are very sensitive to information getting out, and there's a possibility that could have hurt the negotiations with Apple a year ago," he said.

Even since the Austin announcement, there have been some curious developments in North Carolina that have hinted Apple may still have plans for the area. Most notably, in December 2018 just weeks after the Austin announcement, a mysterious entity known as Acute Investments purchased several tracts of land in RTP totaling around 280 acres, a massive investment that did not come with any public announcements. The Acute Investments representative listed on the deeds for the properties is local attorney Bruce Thompson, who is registered as a lobbyist for Apple, among other companies.

apple rtp land

Assemblage of seven properties in Research Triangle Park owned by Acute Investments and "controlled by Apple"

As a result, Apple has long been suspected of being the mystery buyer in RTP, and today's report from WRAL indicates that North Carolina Commerce Secretary Tony Copeland has finally confirmed that the land is indeed "controlled by Apple."

In an interview with WRAL News last week, Commerce Secretary Tony Copeland declined to provide specifics about the state's active recruitment of Apple. But he did point to a purchase of about 280 acres of Wake County land in Research Triangle Park for almost $50 million in late December 2018, just weeks after Apple's Austin announcement. [...]

Reached this week by phone, Thompson declined to comment.

But Copeland confirmed in the interview that the land is "controlled by Apple."

In addition, the state of North Carolina continues to refuse to release any information regarding its negotiations with Apple for the new campus, claiming that the project remains "open." Governmental authorities are typically required to release information to the public about their corporate recruitment efforts once a given project has ended, but North Carolina continues to insist the Apple project, known by its code name of "Project Bear," has not been closed.

So given that the new campus has been announced for Austin and ground has now been broken there, it's unclear what Apple's plans are for North Carolina. Are negotiations actually still underway for yet another Apple campus to be located in RTP, or is the continued "open" status of the project simply a ploy by Apple to try to keep its negotiations secret for as long as possible? And why spend tens of millions of dollars on RTP land when Austin had already been chosen?

Is Apple looking at yet another significant campus in the near future, or is it banking land and leaving negotiations with North Carolina open as a backup plan or to provide options for much further down the road? It's not clear when we'll have answers to these questions, but given Apple's appetite for office space, it would not be surprising if the company finds itself looking to expand again in the not too distant future.

Apple Podcasts are now available on Alexa-enabled devices as of today. Amazon announced the news earlier this morning, confirming that Alexa device owners in the United States can now ask the smart assistant to play ‌Apple Podcasts‌.

newecho3
Customers can link their Amazon accounts in the Alexa app to their Apple ID, and afterwards any progress they make on an Apple Podcast will be synced with their Amazon devices.

Pause the subscribed episode you’re listening to in the Apple Podcasts app on your commute, and continue listening with your Alexa device at home by asking Alexa to resume the podcast.

It’s easy to find and play your favorite podcasts with Alexa—all you have to do is ask for the episode you want to hear.

‌Apple Podcasts‌ can also be set as the preferred podcast provider within the Alexa app. Users can visit Settings > Music and Podcasts > Link/Manage New Services to find this setting.

On Apple devices, ‌Apple Podcasts‌ can be listened to on iPhone, Mac, HomePod, and more. The service houses more than 750,000 shows and lets users download episodes to watch later on ‌iPhone‌, with listening history synced across devices, now including Amazon products.

Shortly after the Pro Display XDR became available to order this week, Stephen Hackett of Relay FM noted that the iMac Pro was not included in the list of Mac models compatible with the display on Apple's website.

apple pro display xdr roundup header
Fortunately, video editor Thomas Grove Carter has since demonstrated that the iMac Pro can in fact drive the Pro Display XDR, but only at a 5K resolution. This is likely because the iMac Pro uses Intel's older "Alpine Ridge" Thunderbolt 3 controller without enough bandwidth to drive a 6K display.


To use the Pro Display XDR at its full 6K resolution, the display must be connected to the new Mac Pro with MPX Module GPUs, a 2018 or later 15-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch MacBook Pro, or a 2019 iMac. To our best knowledge, all of these models are equipped with Intel's newer "Titan Ridge" Thunderbolt 3 controller.

The Pro Display XDR also works at full 6K resolution with any Mac with Thunderbolt 3 ports paired with a Blackmagic eGPU or Blackmagic eGPU Pro. Those external GPUs are equipped with the "Titan Ridge" controller as well.

The Pro Display XDR is aimed at professional users, with a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a peak brightness of 1,600 nits. It is priced at $4,999 and up.

(Hat tip to Myke Hurley!)

Related Forums: iMac, Mac Accessories

AT&T today announced that it has launched its 5G network in its first ten markets: Birmingham, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rochester, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose. AT&T has PDF maps of coverage areas within these cities in its press release, and the carrier is aiming for nationwide 5G coverage in the first half of next year.

att 5g cities
For the time being, customers with the new Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G will be able to access AT&T's 5G network, with more devices coming in the future. Apple is expected to launch its first 5G iPhones next year, likely in its usual September timeframe.

The 5G network AT&T is launching today is for the sub-6GHz spectrum, which offers broad coverage at speeds that are a step up from LTE. A separate flavor of 5G operates on the mmWave spectrum and offers even faster speeds but with shorter range, and is thus best suited for very dense, highly trafficked areas. AT&T refers to its mmWave 5G service as 5G+, and it launched in pockets of 12 markets almost exactly a year ago.

Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes there will be four flagship 2020 iPhones next September, with all of them capable of supporting both sub-6Hz and mmWave 5G technology in select markets such the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Other countries will see only sub-6Hz support, while 5G may be disabled entirely in other countries where 5G isn't widely available, in order to reduce Apple's costs.

AT&T was of course notorious for branding some of its enhanced 4G LTE network as "5G Evolution" or "5GE," which began appearing in the iPhone status bar with iOS 12.2, confusing some users who thought they were able to access true 5G networks.

Tags: 5G, AT&T

Tim Cook continued his tour of Asia this week with a trip to Bangkok, Thailand. The Apple CEO has been documenting the journey on his Twitter account.

tim cook bangkok
Cook kicked things off with a visit to the Wat Arun Buddhist temple on the Thonburi west bank of the Chao Phraya River.


In a tweet, Cook thanked Thai photographer Jirasak Panpiansin for showing him the historic seventeenth century temple "through your lens." Jirasak's iPhone photography has previously been highlighted in Apple's annual World Gallery.

Following his visit to the Temple of Dawn, Cook traveled to Satit-Chula school to meet students using Apple's Everyone Can Create curriculum, which lets teachers integrate iOS device-driven drawing, music, filmmaking or photography into their lesson plans for a variety of subjects.


After that, Cook met up with the Thai women's gold medal-winning national volleyball team to witness how they use iPad and Apple Watch in their training.

Also today, cook spent time with two WWDC scholarship winners, and then met "studygrammer" Peanut Butter, "who brings intricate Thai handwriting to life on ‌iPad‌."

During his Asia trip, Cook has stopped in Tokyo, Japan and Singapore to meet with local employees, developers, healthcare experts, plane pilots, and others. We'll keep this post updated as Cook continues his tour in Asia.

Last week, Apple started taking pre-orders for Apple Watch models with cellular connectivity in New Zealand. Those orders are now arriving into the hands of customers, and New Zealand carrier Spark is taking its service for LTE models of Apple Watch live.

apple watch lte duo
Apple is selling Series 3 and Series 5 models with Wi-Fi and Cellular through its online store in New Zealand, with pricing starting at NZ$549 for Series 3 models and NZ$929 for Series 5 models.

Spark is currently the only carrier that offers service for the Apple Watch in New Zealand. For $12.99 a month, Spark's wearable plan lets you share your iPhone plan's minutes and texts and get unlimited data on the Watch. And until June 6, 2020, Spark is offering the first three months free.

Other carriers in New Zealand like Vodafone NZ and 2degrees say they're working to bring eSIM support to customers in New Zealand, but haven't offered a roadmap or any fixed dates indicating when that might happen.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Apple today announced the addition of "Ultimate Rivals" from Bit Fry Game Studios to its Apple Arcade gaming service.

Ultimate Rivals is a sports game franchise that brings athletes from hockey, basketball, football, and soccer into one video game, which Apple says is a first in sports gaming.

ultimaterivals
The first title in the franchise, "Ultimate Rivals: The Rink," allows players to choose from more than 50 athletes to compete in two-on-two hockey matches. There are licensed athletes from the NHL, NBA, NFL Players Association (NFLPA), MLB, WNBA and the US Women's National Soccer Team Players Association (USWNTPA), plus retired legends like Wayne Gretzky.


Different combinations of players will unlock unique ways to play and win against the AI or other gamers in online multiplayer matches. According to Apple, the game features 60 frames-per-second graphics, tight controls, leading-edge visuals, and sound design.

"With Apple Arcade, we are committed to delivering a curated catalog where every title offers players a new, innovative experience that pushes the boundaries of what a game can be. The 'Ultimate Rivals' franchise does just that," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "'Ultimate Rivals: The Rink' is a great new addition to Apple Arcade and we are excited for everyone to try it out."

Ultimate Rivals: The Rink is available today on ‌Apple Arcade‌, and it will be followed by an NBA licensed basketball game "Ultimate Rivals: The Court" in the spring of 2020.

Apple won't be hit with hefty tariffs on the iPhone, iPad, and MacBooks as U.S. President Donald Trump this afternoon signed off on a trade deal with China.

Speaking in a note to investors shared by Bloomberg, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said that the new tariffs could have added approximately $150 to the price of iPhones during the holiday season.

iphone11pinwheel

"Trump delivered an early Christmas present to Apple. If this tariff went through it would have been a major gut punch for semi players/Apple and could have thrown a major wrench into the supply chain and demand for the holiday season."

If Apple absorbed the cost of the tariffs, the company's earnings per share would have shrunk by approximately four percent, according to Ives. Raising prices could have caused ‌iPhone‌ demand to shrink by an estimated six to eight percent in 2020.

Apple is paying tariffs on the Apple Watch, AirPods, iMac components, and HomePod speaker, which could potentially be eliminated now that a deal has been reached. Apple in November also applied for tariff waivers on these items.

The tariffs that were avoided today were originally set to be put in place in August, but were delayed until December 15 to give the U.S. and China more time to reach an agreement.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been speaking with Trump about the tariffs, and in August reportedly made a "good case" arguing that tariffs would put Apple at a disadvantage with rivals like Samsung. Apple earlier this year also sent a letter urging the Trump administration not to proceed with the tariffs.

Cook in late October said that he was confident the United States and China would resolve the trade dispute. "I don't know every chapter of the book, but I think that will eventually happen," said Cook.

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 in iOS 13 added a Voice Control feature as an Accessibility option designed for those who need to use their iPhones and iPads without their hands. It allows for complete control of the operating system using voice commands.

Voice Control is designed for people who need an alternative to physical control, but it has the potential to be useful even for those can use their devices with their hands. Check out our latest YouTube video below to see Voice Control in action, and read on to see how to enable it and what it can do.

How to Enable Voice Control

Voice Control can be turned on in the Settings app by following these instructions:

  1. Open up the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down to Accessibility and tap it.
  3. Select the Voice Control option.
  4. Tap on Set Up Voice Control.

The setup screen for Voice Control will walk you through the different things you can do with your voice, which ranges from opening apps and adjusting settings to tapping buttons and dictating and editing text.

After tapping on Set Up and checking out the various options, Voice Control will be toggled on.

What Voice Control Can Do

With Voice Control enabled, there's a little microphone icon that's active and visible on the iPhone's display. When Voice Control is active, you don't need to invoke Siri or use any other kind of wake word to navigate the ‌iPhone‌.

Simple commands like "Open Settings" work to open up an app, and then you can navigate by saying things like "Go Back." You do need to learn the specific commands for control, which can take some time. Selecting an item in the Settings app, for example, requires saying "Tap Accessibility" rather than "Select" or "Choose."

Voice Control is a powerful tool and it can do almost anything that you can do with physical access. A sample list is below:

  • Swipe left, right, up, or down on the screen
  • Zoom, scroll, rotate, two finger tap, long press, pan up/down, double tap
  • Tap items on the screen
  • Open Control Center
  • Open Notification Center
  • Open third-party apps like Twitter
  • Start a new tweet, add text, and send the tweet
  • Show numbers (to add little numbers to items in a list)
  • Tap number (to tap one of the numbered items - you can also just say the number without tap)
  • Show grid (adds a grid to the screen with numbers so you can tap a specific spot on the screen)
  • Show names (displays app or item names)
  • Open Notes
  • Tap New Note
  • Select that/all/[specific phrase]
  • Copy [text]/Paste [text]
  • Drag and drop
  • Tap and hold
  • Type [phrase]
  • Go Home
  • Go back
  • Open ‌Siri‌
  • Search web for [phrase]
  • Go to sleep
  • Take screenshot
  • Reboot
  • Open Apple Pay

You can do specific sequences within apps for things that would normally require hand control. Here's an example Voice Control sequence in the Messages app:

  1. Open Messages
  2. Tap [person's name]
  3. Tap iMessage
  4. Speak your text (whenever a keyboard is showing on the screen, whatever you speak will be typed in)
  5. Tap emoji
  6. Show numbers
  7. Tap 25 (heart eyes emoji)
  8. Tap Send

That's the entire Voice Control sequence to type out a message with an included emoji and send it out to someone. The "Show numbers" command is super useful in situations where there are a lot of options on the screen (such as the emoji list) and you need to choose one.

Here's a similar sequence in the Notes app, using voice commands:

  1. Open Notes
  2. Tap new Note
  3. Speak your title
  4. Tap return
  5. Speak your text
  6. Period

For editing in Notes:

  1. Select [phrase]
  2. Copy selection
  3. Show grid
  4. Tap number (where the cursor should be)
  5. Paste that
  6. Tap done
  7. Go Home

There are tons of Voice Control commands to work with, which can all be seen by going to Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > Customize Commands or simply saying "Show Commands" with Voice Control turned on. Apple also has a support document that's worth checking out if you want to get deeper into using Voice Control.

It will take some time to learn all of the appropriate commands and then to create custom commands that fill in the missing gaps that are needed when it comes to control, but the effort will be well worth it for those who need this functionality.

Voice Control Options

There are several customization options for Voice Control, located in the Voice Control section of the Settings app as outlined above.

You can create custom commands, selecting an activation phrase, an action such as insert text or run a Shortcut, and an app for that custom phrase to work with. Voice Control integrates with Shortcuts, which means it's highly customizable and extremely powerful for those who need to use it for most ‌iPhone‌ and iPad functions.

For the insert text customization, for example, you can create a "home address" option that enters your home address whenever the phrase is spoken, useful for filling out forms.

There are also options to turn off various functions if something specific needs to be turned off or if you want to enable features not turned on by default such as music controls or making phone calls.

Through the "Vocabulary" section" you can teach Voice Control new words simply by tapping the "+" button and adding a phrase that Voice Control should recognize.

Settings for confirmation, playing sounds when a command is recognized, and showing usage hints can also be toggled on or off, with the latter option being particularly useful for those who are new to Voice Control.

Availability

Voice Control is an iOS 13 feature available on iPhones and iPads, but it's also available in macOS Catalina for those who want to control their Macs with their voice.

People who are able to control their iPhones with their hands or another physical manner may find Voice Control to be difficult and tedious to use, but it is an incredibly powerful and thorough option for those who have limited dexterity or mobility.

Related Forum: iOS 13

Apple has purchased UK-based photography company Spectral Edge, reports Bloomberg. The Spectral Edge website is now defunct, but the company had developed a mathematical technique for improving photographic imagery in real-time.

Created in 2014 from academic research at the University of East Anglia, Spectral Edge's algorithm is able to enhance low-light smartphone images, something that could be potentially useful for Night Mode and other photographic capabilities in future iPhones.

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Spectral Edge's technology captures an infrared shot and then blends it with a standard photo to make images crisper and to improve color accuracy. Bloomberg suggests that Apple could use Spectral Edge's machine learning techniques to further improve the quality of iPhone photos.

In court filings, Apple corporate lawyer Peter Denwood has been named a director of Spectral Edge, with other advisors and board members now terminated. According to Bloomberg, the documents indicate that Apple is now in control of the company.

There is no word on what Apple paid for Spectral Edge, and Apple did not respond to Bloomberg's requests for comment.