Apple today updated its website to introduce the 2019 holiday gift guide, something that the company debuts every year ahead of the winter holidays.
The gift guide is designed to recommend Apple products for people to purchase for friends and family this holiday season. This year's version focuses on bright colors and eye-catching circular designs that resemble snowflakes or holiday ornaments.
The iPhone 11, the Apple Watch Series 5, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the AirPods Pro are Apple's top gift recommendations for 2019. Apple also highlights the iPad Pro, seventh-generation iPad, and Apple Pencil, along with the HomePod and a selection of Macs like the MacBook Air and the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.
A small selection of accessories are included in the guide, like the Beats Solo Pro, Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Pad, PopSockets PopGrip, DJI Mavic Mini, the DJI Osmo 3 Gimbal, and an Xbox Wireless Controller.
Along with releasing the new gift guide, Apple today also confirmed that its annual holiday return period is active. Purchases made between November 15, 2019 and December 25, 2019 can be returned until January 8, 2020 in most countries.
Apple is offering two-day shipping on all purchases, and later in December the company is likely to offer faster shipping options for last minute shoppers.
Apple today updated its website to reflect that its annual extended holiday return policy is now active. Items purchased from the Apple Online Store received between November 15, 2019 and December 25, 2019 can be returned through January 8, 2020.
These dates apply to the United States and multiple other countries, but there are some countries where the return periods are different, so it's worth looking into if you plan to buy an Apple gift during the holidays.
In Spain, for example, Apple is allowing holiday returns until January 20, 2020 for items purchased between November 15, 2019 and January 6, 2020.
Items purchased at the Apple Online Store that are received between November 15, 2019 and December 25, 2019, may be returned through January 8, 2020. Please note that all other terms and conditions provided in the Apple Online Store Sales and Refunds Policy are still applicable with respect to such items purchased. All purchases made after December 25, 2019, are subject to the Standard Return Policy.
There are some items that are excluded from the return policy, such as Apple and App Store gift cards. Aside from that, most products can be returned, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and more. Purchased devices can be opened and used prior to being returned, but they must be in their original packaging.
With holiday purchases, it's a good idea to hold on to a receipt when buying from Apple.com or an Apple retail store to make sure that your purchase falls within the timeframe of the extended holiday period.
Purchases made prior to November 15, 2019 or after December 25, 2019 will be subject to the standard 14 day return policy.
Ubiquiti today launched an all-new router, the AmpliFi Alien, which is Ubiquiti's first Wi-Fi 6 router. The router is on sale now for $379.
According to the company, the AmpliFi Alien allows you to increase your network capacity by 4x and boost coverage by 2x, all while reducing battery drain on mobile devices. It's powered by 8x8 MIMO Wi-Fi 6 technology, so a single AmpliFi Alien router provides greater range and speeds than previous single AmpliFi routers.
The router includes 2.4 GHz/5 GHz Wi-Fi 6 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi 5 radios, delivering 7,685 Mbps total capacity and 16 spatial streams from one single AmpliFi Alien unit. Although the new router isn't specifically a mesh system, the company did note that you can mesh multiple Alien units together to extend coverage if you have a large home.
In terms of dimensions, the AmpliFi Alien is 9.84 inches tall and about 4.3 inches wide, weighing 2.65 lbs. It also includes a 4.7-inch diagonal display with touch controls and haptics. Similar to the AmpliFi HD router, this display shows the current time, upload/download speeds, network status, and more.
Additional technical specifications can be found below:
Max. TX Power - 2.4 GHz: 23 dBm per chain, 5 GHz 19 dBm per chain (low band)/ 20 dBm per chain (high band)
Networking Interface - Wi-Fi; Gigabit Ethernet: (1) WAN, (4) LAN
Max. Power Consumption - 35W
ESD/EMP Protection - ± 24kV Air/Contact
Antennas - (1) Internal Dual-Band Metal Stamp with 12 Polarity
Display - 110.38 mm (4.7") Diagonal, 274 x 1268, 279 ppi, G+F Touch, Full Color
Wi-Fi Standards - Up to Wi-Fi 6
Wireless Security - WPA2
On the back of the router are four Gigabit LAN Ethernet ports and one Gigabit WAN port, along with the power supply. Setup of the router takes place in the connected AmpliFi app, and can be done in under a minute, similar to previous AmpliFi devices with quick setups. Also in the app include parental controls, guest access, ISP and system performance stats, and more.
Although many consumer devices don't yet support Wi-Fi 6, Apple's iPhone 11 lineup does support the next generation standard. When in use, Wi-Fi 6 provides faster connection speeds to connected devices, particularly in crowded areas. The standard is just now beginning to roll out to routers and various smartphones and computers in late 2019, and is expected to be more widely available in the coming years.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with AmpliFi. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
As part of an antitrust probe, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Apple in September with questions about its policies for the App Store, product repairs, and more. Apple has since responded, and while many of the responses are predictable, the letter reveals a few noteworthy details.
For example, when asked to identify the total revenue that it has derived from repair services since 2009, Apple said "the costs of providing repair services has exceeded the revenue generated by repairs" in each year over that period.
Apple also said it has invested "billions of dollars" in Apple Maps since the app was released in 2012. Apple is currently in the process of revamping its Maps app with much more detailed mapping data, with the improvements now available in 27 states fully and another six states partially.
Apple defends many of its policies throughout the letter. For example, Apple says third-party web browsers on iOS devices must use its WebKit framework due to user privacy and security considerations. Apple gives a similar explanation for why third-party apps cannot be set as default on iOS devices.
Apple has been trialing a new version of Apple Music, dubbed Apple Music for Business, which will provide retail partners with access to streaming music for their stores. The company has been testing out Apple Music for Business for the last six months (via The Wall Street Journal).
Apple is partnering with PlayNetwork Inc. for the project, which specializes in providing music for commercial use by handling licensing and operating the service for Apple. In turn, Apple contributes by creating hundreds of unique playlists for each client.
Image via Harrods/WSJ
Special business contracts must be made to use certain pieces of music in retail areas because of the high cost of licensing fees. PlayNetwork tackles these issues for clients such as Starbucks and Estée Lauder.
In these retail spaces, there are currently a few streaming services that offer business contracts for retailers, including Soundtrack Your Brand (formerly Spotify Business), Sirius XM Holdings, and more. These services cost between $25 to $35 a month per retail location.
Apple Music for Business will now be a player in this space, but there is no indication yet as to how much Apple will charge for its service. In its six months of operation, Apple has landed 25 clients, which are estimated to deliver music to more than 10,000 store locations, including Apple's own retail stores.
One client includes Harrods in London, which had its own custom "Harrods Playlist" built by Apple. The retailer advertises this list of classical, ambient, and electronic music on screens in its stores, which users can search for and listen to in the consumer version of Apple Music.
“We were captivated by their proposition that we could have our brand reflected in our own curated playlist,” said Guy Cheston, Harrods’s director of partnerships.
Apple Music for Business has so far focused on retail chains with 100 stores or more. But it plans on expanding into small and midsize businesses.
On the regular version of Apple Music, the company just launched a "Replay" feature, which provides subscribers with a way to track the artists, albums, and songs they listen to the most every year. This has been a long-awaited feature on Apple Music, and one that many of the service's rivals, like Spotify, have been doing for years.
Apple Music still trails behind Spotify in terms of paid subscribers, with 60 million paid subscribers as of June 2019 compared to Spotify's 113 million Premium subscribers as of September 30, 2019.
A few weeks after the premiere of Apple TV+, the executive producers of "The Morning Show" have decided to respond to the show's more negative critics at the Recode Code Media conference in Los Angeles (via Recode).
According to Mimi Leder and Kerry Ehrin, many of the negative reviews came from writers who went into the show with the purpose of hating it, due to Apple. Leder summed this up by stating that some reviews "felt like an attack on Apple."
“When those reviews came in, I didn’t know what show they were watching. And I just kind of thought they were nuts,” said Leder, director and executive producer of the show, who is known for her previous work on shows like ER and The West Wing. “I just felt there were a lot of Apple haters and wanting Apple to fail.”
“We’re focused on the story we’re telling, the characters. We’re inside of it. So when you see reviews that are looking at it from the whole business aspect, like, ‘What is Apple doing?’ and, ‘They spent this much money on it’ — it’s kind of separate from us.”
"The Morning Show" has its fair share of both critics and fans, currently sitting at a 63 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with a more favorable 95 percent audience score. Leder referenced statistics like these and said, "The good news is that people love the show, and we love the show, and that's what matters."
At the same time, another Apple TV+ show is getting ready to launch on the service in just over a week. On November 28, Apple will debut the first three episodes of "Servant" from producer M. Night Shyamalan, and afterwards new episodes will debut every Friday, similar to the current release schedule of "The Morning Show," "See," and "For All Mankind."
Ahead of the streaming launch, "Servant" premiered at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York, where stars Toby Kebbell, Lauren Ambrose, Nell Tiger Free, and Rupert Grint were in attendance. The show's writer and creator Tony Basgallop was also at the premiere, as well as Shyamalan, who will direct the series.
The first full trailer for "Servant" premiered a few weeks ago. The show follows a Philadelphia couple who are in mourning after a tragedy strikes their family. Soon after, they hire a young nanny to take care of their child and unknowingly set a series of strange events into motion.
Head to the MacRumors Apple TV+ forum to join in discussions for all of the new shows that have launched, and will soon launch, on Apple's streaming service.
Notably, Apple says the Mac Pro units in production in Austin will soon ship to customers "across the Americas," suggesting that the Mac Pro units assembled in Texas will only be shipped to customers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other countries across North and South America.
It is possible that Apple plans to assemble the Mac Pro in China for orders placed outside of the Americas, but the company has not commented.
Apple and its manufacturing partners have invested over $200 million in the Mac Pro facility in Austin. The manufacturing plant is UL Zero Waste to Landfill Gold certified, and has been recognized by Austin Water for Excellence in Water Conservation and Excellence in Environmental Stewardship.
The new Mac Pro contains hundreds of components from suppliers in 19 states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, and Washington.
In a press release, Apple CEO Tim Cook said "building the Mac Pro, Apple's most powerful device ever, in Austin is both a point of pride and a testament to the enduring power of American ingenuity."
The new Mac Pro will be the fastest Mac ever, with up to 28-core Intel Xeon processors, up to 1.5TB of ECC RAM, up to 8TB of SSD storage, and up to AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo graphics with 64GB of HBM2 memory. The computer also has eight PCIe expansion slots for maximum performance, expansion, and configurability.
Apple has yet to announce a specific release date for the new Mac Pro in December. Pricing will start at $5,999.
Apple says the campus will initially house 5,000 employees, with the capacity to grow to 15,000, and is expected to open in 2022.
In partnership with Austin-based Bartlett Tree Experts, Apple said it will plant thousands of trees spanning over 20 varieties native to Texas on the campus. Apple says landscaping will cover over 60 percent of the property, including a 50-acre nature and wildlife preserve that will be open to the public.
The new campus in Austin, Texas is part of Apple's commitment to increase its investment in manufacturing, engineering, and other jobs across the United States. Apple says it is on track to contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy between 2018 and 2023 and hire an additional 20,000 employees over that time.
Apple says it has grown to approximately 7,000 employees in Austin, more than a 50 percent increase in the past five years.
With the construction of our new campus in Austin now underway, Apple is deepening our close bond with the city and the talented and diverse workforce that calls it home. Responsible for 2.4 million American jobs and counting, Apple is eager to write our next chapter here and to keep contributing to America's innovation story.
Apple last week removed all vaping-related apps from the App Store and updated App Store guidelines to prohibit apps that facilitate or encourage the use of vape-related devices.
Apple never allowed apps that sold vape cartridges, but it did allow apps that offered up vape-related news or provided controls for vape devices. Some companies, such as PAX, relied heavily on Apple's App Store to add technology to vaporizer devices and those companies are unhappy with Apple's recent ban.
PAX today penned a missive calling on Apple to rethink its decision as PAX creates several vaporizers that are designed to be controlled and customized through iOS and Android apps. The now-banned PAX Mobile app, for example, let PAX vaporizer users do things like adjust the vaporizer temperature, set parental controls, verify the authenticity of cartridges, and change the colors of the lights on the devices.
PAX says that while it respects Apple's leadership, it is concerned with Apple's ban because it prevents consumers in legal stages from "having access to important information and the ability to better control their cannabis experience."
Apple decided to ban all vaping-related apps after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,172 lung injury cases linked to e-cigarette or vape products containing vitamin E acetate, found primarily in products "informally" sourced from friends, family, or in-person or online dealers.
In a statement, Apple said that it agrees with the CDC's opinion that the spread of vaping devices is a "public health crisis and youth epidemic," which is why the apps were pulled.
We take great care to curate the App Store as a trusted place for customers, particularly youth, to download apps. We're constantly evaluating apps, and consulting the latest evidence, to determine risks to users' health and well-being.
Recently, experts ranging from the CDC to the American Heart Association have attributed a variety of lung injuries and fatalities to e-cigarette and vaping products, going so far as to call the spread of these devices a public health crisis and a youth epidemic.
We agree, and we've updated our App Store Review Guidelines to reflect that apps encouraging or facilitating the use of these products are not permitted. As of today, these apps are no longer available to download.
According to PAX, it aims to deliver technology to allow adults to make "educated, informed choices." The company cites its new PodID feature, which is designed to offer consumers "unprecedented access" to the information about what is in vape pods, including strain information, cannabinoid and terpene profiles, and access to state regulated test results, which could ultimately help vaporizer users avoid illicit and dangerous cartridges.
PAX says that it is hoping to work in partnership with Apple to reconsider the decision and make the PAX Mobile app available once again "in the interest of public health and safety."
Those who have already downloaded the PAX Mobile app on iOS can continue to use it for the time being, and it's still available on Android devices. PAX says that all PAX devices can be used without the app and temperature can be changed on the device alone.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues 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 is looking for software engineers to build "the next generation of media apps for Windows" according to a new Apple job listing shared earlier today by Microsoft-focused site Neowin.
In macOS Catalina, Apple eliminated the iTunes app and replaced it with new Music, Podcasts, and TV apps, but similar changes were not made to Apple's iTunes for Windows app. Windows 10 users currently need to access services like Apple TV+ and Apple Music on the web, which is not ideal.
Apple's existing iTunes and iCloud apps are quite old and could benefit from being overhauled. The job listing suggests Apple may be aiming to introduce Windows apps that are similar to what's offered on Mac.
The Media Apps team is looking for a creative Senior Software Engineer to work on the next generation of media apps for Windows. You will help build innovative features that will delight millions of customers around the world.
You possess strong skills in the areas of application design, solid API design principles and have a strong understanding of customer and workflow issues. You have a history of shipping large volume consumer product successfully. You are a well-rounded developer who is not afraid to question assumptions. You have an excellent written and oral skills. You love collaborating under tight deadlines.
If you love music and you are passionate about writing code, and want to work with world-class engineering teams that ship to millions of users, the Media Apps team is the place for you.
The job listing says that experience with UWP is a "big plus," with UWP standing for Universal Windows Platform. With UWP support, Apple could create apps that would work on Xbox One and various Windows 10 platforms.
An Apple TV+ app built using the Universal Windows Platform would allow the service to be accessed on the Xbox One, expanding Apple TV+ to platforms beyond smart TVs, Apple devices, and set-top boxes.
Apple's new 16-inch MacBook Pro came out last week, and the new machine features a larger display, more maximum RAM, and higher maximum storage, all features designed for Apple's pro user base.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is using the same 9th-generation Intel processors that were used in the 15-inch MacBook Pro models released in May, but there's a new thermal architecture that Apple says boosts performance. We went hands-on with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro to test those claims, putting it through real world tests and benchmarks.
We tested the base 8-core model, which is the higher-end model priced at $2,799. It has a 2.3GHz Intel Core i9 processor (turbo boost up to 4.8GHz), an AMD Radeon Pro 5500M GPU with 4GB GDDR6 memory, a 1TB SSD, and 16GB 2666MHz DDR4 RAM.
Starting off with Geekbench 5 testing, the 16-inch MacBook Pro outshined the similarly specced 15-inch model that was released earlier this year when it came to multi-core performance.
The 16-inch machine earned a single core score of 989 and a multi-core score of 6733, while the 15-inch machine scored 972 in the single-core test and 5781 in the multi-core test. That's an increase of 16.5 percent, which is a decent performance boost considering these machines have the same processor.
There are even more significant gains with the new 5500M GPU. In an OpenCL test, the 16-inch MacBook Pro scored 30608, compared to the 15-inch MacBook Pro's score of 17904, and in a Metal test, the 16-inch MacBook Pro scored a 29840 vs. the 15-inch MacBook Pro's score of 19065.
Combined, the updated GPU and the new thermal architecture of the 16-inch MacBook Pro have brought some notable performance improvements. Of course, benchmarks aren't reflective of real world usage, so we also did some testing of apps pro users might take advantage of.
In Final Cut Pro X, we exported a five minute 4K video while also running other apps at the same time to test export conditions under heavy RAM usage. The export took two minutes and 35 seconds, half the time of the video.
Conducting the same test in Premiere Pro (with apps like Safari and QuickTime running) the five minute video took three minutes and five seconds to export. These times are similar to what we see with a baseline 2017 iMac Pro.
We also tested Photoshop with multiple other apps open in the background, including Safari with a ton of tabs. The machine was using upwards of 70 percent of the 16GB RAM, but performance was solid with no issues. The fans kicked in of course, but that's to be expected.
It's worth noting that in these tests, the MacBook Pro got just as hot as other i9 MacBook Pros that experienced thermal issues in the past, but power and performance were not throttled per the Intel Power app.
All in all, the new 16-inch MacBook Pro is performing well, and the updated thermal architecture has indeed had a significant positive effect on power management and thermal regulation. The 16-inch MacBook Pro is speedy, stable, and a solid option for the pro user base these machines are designed for.
What do you think of the 16-inch MacBook Pro's performance? Let us know in the comments.
Apple CEO Tim Cook this afternoon attended the Salesforce Dreamforce 2019 event, where he sat down with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to discuss how Apple and Salesforce "ignite productivity" on mobile devices.
During the talk, Cook did share some of the ways that Apple and Salesforce work together, but he also covered many of his favorite talking points on Apple's values, environmental efforts, privacy focus, and his memories of Steve Jobs.
On innovation, Cook said that many people confuse with innovation change, and Apple's focus on innovation is its secret.
So many people confuse innovation with change and they become convinced that innovation is just change, but we [Benioff and Cook] and our companies recognize that innovation is about making things better, not just changing them. That requires a depth of thought beyond change. That's Apple's secret.
Cook said that Apple's goal is to make the best products and enrich people's lives. "If we can't do both of those, we pass and go to the next thing," said Cook, explaining that Apple works on just a few things, but tries to do those well.
We've never set the objective to be first, we've always set an objective to be the best. We never set out to make the most, but to be the best. Make the best. That north star has helped guide us through the temptations of going for market share and other kinds of things. We just want to make the best products.
Cook then asked who in the audience owns an iPhone, and made a joke: "If you own an Android," he said, "We recycle those at the Apple Store."
The discussion turned to Steve Jobs, as Jobs unveiled multiple products at the venue where the Dreamforce event is taking place. "I can feel him and his presence whenever I come here," said Cook. "A lot of memories here."
When people think of Steve, they think about products. But I really think of the simple things that he did. Every day, he left the office before I did, but he would always stop by my office before he left and exchange notes on the day. It's the simple things like that - the friendship - that I hold. I remember him more than once rehearsing on the stage and sort of going way off script in a way that only he could do and making people laugh along the way.
Cook went on to discuss Apple's values, emphasizing the company's privacy efforts, DACA advocacy, use of 100 percent renewable energy, efforts to get its suppliers to also use renewable energy, and an "audacious goal" of using only recyclable materials. "We stretch ourselves well beyond what we're currently able do to and we want to leave the world better than we found it," said Cook. "That's very important to us.
The thing that we needed to do at Apple was keep innovating while staying true to our values. It's not simply enough to just innovate, we have to stay true to our values. We care deeply enough that we embed privacy in all of our products. [...]
We've doubled down on this many, many times. We've looked in the mirror hard because we want to be a steward of the earth. We didn't want to do the things you're legally required to do, we wanted to go way beyond that.
Cook said that Apple wants to be the "ripple in the pond" when it comes to taking on goals like improving the environment and advocating for equality and human rights. "We don't want to market, we want to do," he said. "We want to make a difference." He went on to say that Apple doesn't want other companies to copy Apple products, but Apple does want people to "copy us this way."
He also explained that the well-known "Think Different" slogan is still a major part of Apple's culture.
Think different is still embedded in Apple very deeply. We don't want to play the game as it's been designed for decades or centuries, we want to play a new game. People are so smart you can generally believe that you can do things in the same manner and you're not going to get a better result than people have gotten for decades - you have to come up with a new way of thinking.
Cook also unveiled his own personal purpose and what he believes people should strive for.
At some point, you recognize the reason we are all here is to help somebody else. That is the sole reason we are here. Once you get that in your head, as it turns out, life gets so much simpler. So much simpler. And that's how I view it.
Using that as a north star, you can make a lot of decisions that can be very complex, and you can make them pretty simple. That you're here in the service of other people. That it's not about you. I very much deeply believe that.
Cook's full discussion with Mark Benioff is available on the Salesforce website with additional insight into Apple's work with Salesforce, its values, and more.
If you're a student or a teacher, you should know that Apple offers educational discounts on a variety of Apple products, along with cheaper Apple Music subscriptions and more.
This guide provides details on the educational benefits that you can get from Apple as a student or a teacher along with eligibility requirements.
Apple's Educational Site
Apple has an entire separate site that's dedicated to students and teachers who are interested in buying Apple products at a discount, with the products listed at their educational pricing.
The EDU store offers a discount on all Mac and all iPad models. With the EDU discount, for example, the entry-level MacBook Air is available for $999 instead of $1099, a discount of $100, and the iPad is available for $309 instead of $329.
Discounts available vary based on price point, but are right around the 10 percent mark. You'll see the biggest discounts on Apple's most expensive items, such as the iMac Pro, which is marked down by $400.
Apple does not offer educational discounts on the iPhone, Apple Watch, HomePod, Apple TV, AirPods, or Apple accessories.
Eligibility
According to Apple's EDU sales policies in the United States, the following people are eligible to make a purchase from the EDU store:
Students attending a higher education institution, such as a university.
Faculty and staff of higher education institutions.
Any employee of a public or private K-12 institution in the United States, including school board members or appointed members (like PTA or PTO executives).
Homeschool teachers.
Parents who have a student attending a public or private higher education institution.
In reality, in the United States, there is no hard check for making a purchase from the educational store. There's no need to verify school attendance or place of employment, so technically, anyone can make a purchase from the EDU store.
Apple does, however, require customers to check a box that confirms they're a member of one of the defined groups and eligible to make a purchase, so there could potentially be consequences for those who are not, in fact, eligible and attempt to make a purchase.
Purchase Limits
Faculty, staff, and students making a qualified purchase from the EDU store can purchase the following discounted products each academic school year:
Apple offers educational discounts outside of the United States, and the method of verification varies by country.
In the UK, for example, enrollment must be verified using the UNiDAYS service or through Apple using a student ID or university acceptance letter. Not all countries require this level of verification, so it's best to look at the educational site for the country where you live.
Discounted Apple Music
Students who are enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities can join Apple Music for $4.99 per month for up to 48 months in total.
Getting a discounted Apple Music subscription requires validation through UNiDAYS, a validation service that makes sure you're actually a student.
Discounted Apple Music subscriptions are available in more than 80 countries.
Continuing an Apple Music subscription will require yearly verification through the UNiDAYS service. At the end of 48 months or when student status expires, a student Apple Music subscription will become an individual subscription at $9.99 per month.
Free Apple TV+ (Apple Music Required)
All students who have a verified student subscription to Apple Music will also get free access to Apple TV+, Apple's streaming television service.
Apple TV+ is normally priced at $4.99 per month. Student access can't be shared with Family Sharing and is for the student only. A list of countries where Apple TV+ is available can be found on Apple's website.
Discounted Software
Students, teachers, and school faculty members can get a software bundle that includes all of Apple's pro apps for video and audio editing.
That includes Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4, and MainStage 3. Restrictions are the same as when making an iPad or Mac purchase through the EDU store in the United States.
Verification is not required in the U.S. to purchase the bundle, but it may be required in other countries.
Back to School Events
Apple holds Back to School promotions every year for multiple countries, with the promotion typically offering free Beats headphones with the purchase of a Mac or iPad.
The Back to School promotion usually takes place in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and multiple countries in Europe right around July, while Back to School Apple sales in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Brazil happen in January.
Guide Feedback
Have questions about Apple's educational discounts, notice something we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.
As it turns out, there is one more change. In an internal document to Apple Authorized Service Providers, obtained by MacRumors, Apple indicates the 16-inch MacBook Pro includes a new "lid angle sensor" that presumably monitors the opening and closing of the notebook and the precise position of the lid.
MacRumors reached out to iFixit to investigate, leading them to uncover a small sensor facing the left-side hinge of the notebook. There is also a magnet embedded in the hinge itself, with an arrow indicating polarity. iFixit has updated its teardown with photos of the sensor, which we've shared below.
Photo: iFixit
While previous-generation MacBook Pro models have a Hall effect sensor that determines when the lid is closed for sleep/wake purposes, the lid angle sensor in the 16-inch MacBook Pro appears to be more sophisticated.
Apple's service document does not provide any clues as to why the sensor was redesigned, but iFixit speculates that it could provide a clever way for Apple to track how often the lid was opened, closed, or adjusted in cases where the display or frayed flex cables need to be repaired — think "Flexgate."
Photo: iFixit
The lid angle sensor could also be for an unannounced macOS feature, although again, this is merely speculation.
Of note, in the event of a display repair, Apple's service document indicates that technicians must calibrate both the display and the lid angle sensor in order for the repair to be considered complete. If we learn any additional information about the sensor, we will be sure to provide an update.
A security flaw in Android smartphones from companies like Google and Samsung allowed malicious apps to record video, take photos, and capture audio, uploading the content to a remote server sans user permission.
The vulnerability was discovered by security firm Checkmarx, and was highlighted today by Ars Technica. The flaw had the potential to leave high-value targets open to having their surroundings illicitly recorded by their smartphones.
Android is meant to prevent apps from accessing the camera and the microphone on a smartphone without user permission, but with this particular exploit, an app could use the camera and the microphone to capture video and audio without express user consent. All an app needed to do was get permission to access a device's storage, which is commonly granted as most apps ask for this.
To demonstrate how the flaw worked, Checkmarx created a proof-of-concept app that appeared to be a weather app on the surface but was scooping up copious amounts of data in the background.
The app was able to take pictures and record videos even when the phone's screen was off or the app was closed, as well as access location data from the photos. It was able to operate in stealth mode, eliminating the camera shutter sound, and it could also record two-way phone conversations. All of the data was able to be uploaded to a remote server.
When the exploit was used, the screen of the smartphone being attacked would display the camera when recording video or taking a photo, which would let affected users know what was going on. It could be used secretly when a smartphone display was out of sight or when a device was placed screen down, and there was a feature for using the proximity sensor to determine when a smartphone was facedown.
Google addressed the vulnerability in its Pixel phones through a camera update that was launched back in July, and Samsung has also fixed the vulnerability, though it's not known when. From Google:
"We appreciate Checkmarx bringing this to our attention and working with Google and Android partners to coordinate disclosure. The issue was addressed on impacted Google devices via a Play Store update to the Google Camera Application in July 2019. A patch has also been made available to all partners."
From Samsung:
"Since being notified of this issue by Google, we have subsequently released patches to address all Samsung device models that may be affected. We value our partnership with the Android team that allowed us to identify and address this matter directly."
According to Checkmarx, Google has said that Android phones from other manufacturers could also be vulnerable, so there may still be some devices out there that are open to attack. Google has not disclosed specific makers and models.
Since this is an Android bug, Apple's iOS devices are not affected by the security flaw.
It's not known why apps were able to access the camera without user permission. In an email to Ars Technica, Checkmarx speculated that it could potentially be related to Google's decision to make the camera work with Google Assistant, a feature that other manufacturers may have also implemented.
Mophie is known for its smartphone battery cases, which provide you with a way to keep an iPhone battery topped off while not having to worry about carrying around a large portable USB battery. Continuing this trend, Mophie recently launched Juice Pack Access cases for the the latest iPhones: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
I've had a chance to check out the Juice Pack Access case for my iPhone 11 Pro Max for the past few weeks, and if you've ever used an iPhone battery case you'll know what to expect. The Juice Pack Access cases use wireless charging to fuel up your iPhone in lieu of the traditional Lightning connector.
The Juice Pack Access case snaps apart in two pieces like previous Mophie cases, allowing you to slide your iPhone 11 Pro Max into the bottom of the case and then slide the top portion of the case over your iPhone. Assembly is as easy as ever, but the seam between the two pieces of the case is still visible.
Apple's Smart Battery Case for iPhone X (left), Mophie Juice Pack Air for iPhone XS (middle), and Mophie Juice Pack Access for iPhone 11 Pro Max (right)
On the bottom rear of the case you'll find a button that activates the case and tells you how much charge is left in it with Mophie's traditional 4-LED system. While sufficient, this remains one of my least favorite aspect of Mophie's cases, mainly due to how little actual information you're given about the case's charge level. You can go from 4 LEDs to 2 with no indication of how fast the battery dropped between the two or how much is left until it's dead, making it hard to really tell how much battery is left in the case, and to an extent, how much is left for your iPhone.
Instead of direct Lightning charging through a built-in Lightning connector inside of a "chin" on the case's bottom (seen on the Juice Pack Air line), Juice Pack Access cases are entirely open at the bottom and lack a chin. Mophie is able to do this by using wireless charging, so you can not only charge the case and your iPhone by placing them on a Qi-compatible mat, but when out and about the Juice Pack Access itself is wirelessly charging your iPhone.
The Juice Pack Access case for the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 2,200 mAh battery, which is slightly over half the size of the battery of the iPhone 11 Pro Max at 3,900 mAh. As a note, the Juice Pack Access cases for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro both have 2,000 mAh batteries, compared to 3,100 mAh and 3,046 mAh batteries in each respective iPhone. This means that the Mophie cases for the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro might prove to be slightly more beneficial than the iPhone 11 Pro Max thanks to the smaller iPhone batteries.
In testing, when I would activate the Mophie case and my iPhone had about 10 percent of battery remaining, I would get my iPhone back up to between 30 and 50 percent (very much depending on how heavy my iPhone usage was during that time). Meanwhile, if I activated the Mophie case first thing in the morning, it kept my iPhone topped off at 100 percent for about five hours.
This aligns with the intended purpose of the case, which is only meant to provide you with a small amount of battery to get you to the end of the day, not fully refill your iPhone 11. As Mophie says on its website, "The juice pack access battery is not designed to charge the phone up to 100% when empty. Rather, it is meant to provide a quick top off to help you get you through your day until you can reach a wireless charging pad or charging outlet."
Because of the already stellar battery of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, Mophie's Juice Pack Access case ended up feeling somewhat unnecessary most days. When I let my iPhone 11 Pro Max die before I activated the case, it took two full days to kill the smartphone with regular, light usage. It was a nice benefit to squeeze out a few more hours from my iPhone, but far from necessary for my personal use.
Due to the small benefit provided by the case, I'm not sure that I'm willing to live with its downsides. This Mophie case adds a noticeable heft to the iPhone 11 Pro Max, resulting in a device that's more unruly to handle when texting or checking email, and more cumbersome to carry around in a pocket. When it's charging it also gets quite warm, which Mophie says is normal (and is typical of wireless charging).
Wireless charging in the Juice Pack Access line also comes with pros and cons. While the overall design of the Juice Pack Access is sleeker thanks to the lack of a chin (and direct access to the Lightning port is nice), wireless charging is aimed more at trickle charging your iPhone over long periods of time. This makes it perfect for placing your iPhone on a Qi mat at night, but less than ideal when you're looking to get a big burst of battery on your iPhone in the middle of a workday.
Bottom Line
Mophie's Juice Pack Access case is as sturdy and well-designed as any of the company's previous accessories, and for someone looking to own an iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max that can truly become a 3 day-long battery powerhouse, it gets the job done.
But, for anyone happy with the battery life of their fresh iPhone 11, an $80 battery case is entirely unnecessary.
How to Buy
Mophie's Juice Pack Access Case for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max can be purchased on Zagg.com for $79.95. With the MacRumors exclusive promo code RUMORS20, you can get the cases at a 20 percent discount for $63.96. They're available in Black, Blush Pink, and (Product)Red.
Note: Mophie provided MacRumors with one Juice Pack Access Case in Black for the purposes of this review, and no other compensation was received. 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.
Apple this fall partnered with 100cameras, a nonprofit organization that aims to teach photography to adolescents, providing participating students at DRW College Prep in Chicago with the new iPhone 11.
100cameras teaches the students how to use photography to tell their own stories about growing up in Chicago, using the iPhone 11 to capture photos. Angela Popplewell, 100cameras' co-founder, said that students were excited to use the new iPhone 11, and it was "incredible" seeing how they used the wide-angle and Portrait modes to "really capture their point of view."
"As the residents of a neighborhood in Chicago that is often overlooked, being given the new iPhone that had been released just a few weeks prior felt like a momentous opportunity," says Angela Popplewell, 100cameras' co-founder and CEO. Earlier this year, Popplewell, 100cameras' director of program operations Lydia Billings and the team started contemplating how their curriculum could be adapted to be more forward-thinking, relevant and accessible for young people in the US. ForPopplewell and her team, the new iPhone, with its built-in sophisticated camera features, was an important tool.
Apple's vice president of iPhone Worldwide Product Marketing Kaiann Drance said that it was "amazing" to collaborate with 100cameras on the project.
"It was amazing to collaborate with 100cameras and the talented and creative students at DRW," said Kaiann Drance, Apple's vice president of iPhone Worldwide Product Marketing. "The iPhone 11 camera with all its intuitive capabilities right there in your hand is such a powerful storytelling tool. To see the photos the students captured of the ways they see the world around them was truly inspiring."
Following each program, the photos that students have captured are sold through 100cameras with 100 percent of the proceeds going back to the local community partner organizations that 100cameras visits.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues 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.
The six ports include a USB-C data port, three USB 3.0 ports, micro/SD card readers, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The accessory also has built-in air vents that regulate temperature of the Mac mini.
Satechi is selling the Type-C Aluminum Stand and Hub for Mac mini at $79.99 on its website and on Amazon.
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.
