Apple this week introduced Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones in a new Camo Collection, available in either Forest Green or Sand Dune.
The Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones in the Camo Collection are identical to prior Beats Studio3 headphones with Pure Adaptive Noise Canceling Technology, a built-in Apple-designed W1 chip, fast charging functionality, up to 22 hours battery life, and a $349 price point.
Along with the new Camo Beats Studio3 Wireless, Apple has brought back previously available colors of the BeatsX and Beats Solo3 headphones. The Beats X earphones in the Defiant collection are back, available in black and red for the standard $99.95 price point.
As for the Solo3 headphones, Apple is once again selling its Satin collection, offering the headphones in Satin Silver and Satin Gold right alongside the Red, Rose Gold, and Black options.
Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones include Apple's W1 chip for simple setup and device switching, fast charging, 40 hours of battery life, and a $199.95 price point.
Apple previously offered a Belkin branded Lightning to 3.5mm Audio Cable, but this new model is direct from Apple and also $5 more expensive than the Belkin version.
Apple Arcade gained a batch of new games today for the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac.
The latest titles available include real-time player-versus-player baseball game "Ballistic Baseball," gravity-based puzzle game "Manifold Garden," the classic "PAC-MAN Party Royale," and horror-themed game "Things That Go Bump." Ballistic Baseball is not yet available on the Mac, but should be soon.
Watch the trailers and gameplay videos below:
Gameloft sent us details about Ballistic Baseball:
Ballistic Baseball is a real-time multiplayer experience allowing to play against friends in Player versus Player online duels. Players see and react to their opponent’s actions, all in real time. Further expanding the field of players is robust cross-platform play, allowing players on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV to play against the other and to track progress as they switch devices. Unique achievements and balanced matchmaking have also been implemented to create a fun and competitive experience.
Including five new games added last week, Apple Arcade now has 84 games available for iOS and tvOS, and 76 on macOS.
Apple Arcade is Apple's new subscription-based gaming service, providing iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac users with access to dozens of games with no in-app purchases or ads for $4.99 per month, with a one-month free trial available. The service first launched September 19.
While the status of Apple's electric vehicle plans are unclear at this point, hit-or-miss DigiTimes reports that Taiwanese manufacturer Quanta Computer is currently supplying Apple with unspecified "autonomous driving solutions."
Tesla Autopilot illustration
An excerpt from the paywalled report, emphasis ours:
With the test of its autonomous vehicle, Quanta is now able to prove its ability in designing an autonomous driving platform, which is expected to assist the company to obtain more partnerships, said the sources, adding that Quanta is currently one of the suppliers of Google's and Apple's autonomous driving solutions.
Quanta recently confirmed that it has developed and tested its first autonomous vehicle on closed tracks in the United States, according to the report, allowing it to "prove its ability in designing an autonomous driving platform." Quanta did not reveal details of the vehicle or the tests.
The icon looks similar to the 15-inch MacBook Pro asset that is included in previous versions of macOS, but with slightly thinner bezels. The notebook is depicted in both Silver and Space Gray, with "16" in both filenames presumably referring to the larger 16-inch display expected for the rumored machine.
MacRumors can confirm the files exist in the second beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.1:
The icons also have a corresponding MacBookPro16,1 model identifier that Apple has never used. The latest 15-inch MacBook Pro has a MacBookPro15,1 identifier, according to a support document on Apple's website.
The 16-inch MacBook Pro is rumored to feature narrower bezels, as the icons above suggest, perhaps allowing the larger display to fit in a notebook with a similar physical size as the current 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of the 15-inch MacBook Pro icon (left) with the icon uncovered today (right):
Apple CEO Tim Cook this week tweeted in support of the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, urging the U.S. Senate to move quickly to pass the bipartisan bill, which would eliminate per-country limits on employment-based green cards and increase per-country limits for family-sponsored green cards.
"Immigrants make this country stronger and our economy more dynamic," said Cook. "As a first step toward needed comprehensive reform, I urge the Senate to move quickly to pass the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act. The contributions of these workers are critical to America's future."
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the High-Skilled Immigrants Act in July, but the Senate has so far blocked the bill.
Apple and Cook frequently back pro-immigration legislation. Earlier this month, for example, Cook lent his name to Apple's amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy that protects "Dreamers" from deportation.
Immigrants make this country stronger and our economy more dynamic. As a first step toward needed comprehensive reform, I urge the Senate to move quickly to pass the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act. The contributions of these workers are critical to America’s future.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) October 17, 2019
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.
Created, written, and executive produced by Alena Smith, the 19th-century coming-of-age story explores the constraints of society, gender, and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet Emily Dickinson. The series stars Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actresses Hailee Steinfeld and Jane Krakowski.
Apple says the complete 10-episode first season of "Dickinson" will be available to stream on Apple TV+ starting November 1, the day the service launches, in over 100 countries and regions around the world.
In other Apple TV+ news, Variety reports that screenwriter and producer Monica Beletsky has reached a multi-year deal with Apple to develop and produce television series exclusively for Apple's streaming video service. Her previous credits include "Fargo," "Friday Night Lights," and "Parenthood."
Apple TV+ will be available in the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Roku, select smart TVs, and other devices, including online at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial.
Google has ignited security concerns over the facial authentication system in its new Pixel 4 smartphone by admitting that it will unlock the device even when the user's eyes are shut.
Google unveiled the Pixel 4 this week to mostly positive reviews, many of which praised the phone for its super-fast new face unlock system, which replaces the fingerprint sensor and works much the same as Apple's Face ID on iPhones, except for one key security feature.
The BBC has discovered that the Pixel 4 can be unlocked even with the user's face even if they're sleeping (or pretending to be asleep). That contrasts with Apple's Face ID system, which engages by default an "Attention Aware" feature that requires the user's eyes to be open for the iPhone to be unlocked. Attention Aware can be disabled for convenience, but the Pixel 4 lacks an equivalent security feature entirely.
To its credit though, Google isn't hiding this fact. A Google support page reads: "Your phone can also be unlocked by someone else if it's held up to your face, even if your eyes are closed. Keep your phone in a safe place, like your front pocket or handbag."
To "prepare for unsafe situations," Google recommends holding the power button for a couple of seconds and tapping Lockdown, which turns off notifications and face recognition unlocking.
In early leaks of the Pixel 4, screenshots revealed a "require eyes to be open" setting for face unlock, so it looks as if Google tried to implement a similar feature to Apple's Attention Aware, but couldn't get it working in time for the device's launch.
Speaking before the launch, Pixel product manager Sherry Lin said: "There are actually only two face [authorisation] solutions that meet the bar for being super-secure. So, you know, for payments, that level - it's ours and Apple's."
Cyber-security experts disagree.
"If someone can unlock your phone while you're asleep, it's a big security problem," security blogger Graham Cluley told the BBC. "Someone unauthorized - a child or partner? - could unlock the phone without your permission by putting it in front of your face while you're asleep."
In a statement given to the BBC, Google said it would "continue to improve Face Unlock over time."
Apple's rumored next-generation noise-canceling AirPods will launch at the end of this month with a new "Pro" moniker and a price tag of around $260, claims a new Chinese-language report this morning.
According to China Economic Daily, Apple's third-generation AirPods will adopt a new in-ear design to support the new noise-canceling feature and enhance the listening experience. The paper claims the "Pro" suffix, which Apple recently adopted for its most expensive iPhone 11 models, will help to differentiate the new wireless earbuds from Apple's existing AirPods and underscores the marketing rationale justifying the higher $260 price tag.
According to a separate report on Friday from the same Chinese-language financial media outlet, the AirPods Pro will also feature a new metal design that increases heat dissipation. Apple AirPods supplier Inventec is said to be cooperating with Chinese manufacturer Lixun to undertake the new orders.
In April, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said two new AirPods models would likely go into mass production between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, with Luxshare, Goertek, and Amkor serving as primary suppliers.
Kuo also claimed one of the new AirPods models will feature an "all-new form factor design" and a "higher price" than the second-generation AirPods, which cost $159 with a standard charging case and $199 with a wireless charging case. The other model is expected to be a more iterative update with the same pricing, although it's unclear what any new features would be.
Previously, the AirPods expected to launch later this year were thought to be the more iterative pair that Kuo refers to. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he expects the higher-priced AirPods with water resistance and noise cancelation to launch as early as 2020. However, today's report suggests they could come sooner.
According to industry sources previously cited by DigiTimes, Apple's suppliers are gearing up to assemble the next-generation AirPods as early as October, suggesting an updated version of the earphones could arrive in time for the holiday shopping season.
In the beta version of iOS 13.2 there's an icon showing redesigned AirPods that appear to have rubber ear tips that would likely be needed as part of a noise cancelation feature. The image is contained in the Accessibility Settings folder, suggesting the new AirPods will contain a new accessibility feature such as being able to use them as hearing aids, or it could be related to existing Live Listen capabilities.
No specific date has been given for when the new AirPods could debut, but Apple has a number of rumored pending announcements that could point toward an October media event.
Apple today sent out emails for a new Apple Pay promotion, offering a $5 discount on groceries when you spend $35 or more through Instacart. To get the discount, you'll need to use Apple Pay and shop in the Instacart app.
The discount will be applied automatically during the checkout process and will be available until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on October 20, 2019. Apple says there may some restrictions on geographic availability and the offer can not be applied to alcohol products.
Apple's promotion also provides links to other grocery delivery apps including ACME, Cub, Publix, Safeway, Shaw's, and Star Market.
On Tuesday, Apple's Beats brand introduced the new Beats Solo Pro headphones, the company's first on-ear headphones with active noise cancellation. The new $300 headphones don't launch until October 30, but we've already had a chance to test them out so check out our video below for our early impressions.
Starting with the unboxing experience, you'll find that the Beats Solo Pro headphones come with a new soft case covered in a nice felt-like material, as well as a few accessories such as a Lightning to USB-A cable for recharging the headphones. While USB-C rather than Lightning might have been a bit more universal, at least you can charge your headphones with the same cable you use for your iPhone.
The Solo Pro headphones come in six colors including Black, Gray, and Ivory, and then three colors from the "More Matte Collection" being promoted by Pharrell Williams: Light Blue, Dark Blue, and Red. We have the Dark Blue ones on hand, and they are made of a nice matte plastic with an inside metal adjustment band for durability and a premium feel.
Apple's new Beats Solo Pro automatically turn on and off when you unfold or fold them, so there's no power button on the headphones. Pairing via Bluetooth is a simple process, and thanks to the Apple H1 chip inside they can automatically pair with and switch between all devices tied to your iCloud account. The H1 also provides hands-free "Hey Siri" support.
While there's no power button, there are still a few controls located on the Solo Pro headphones, including playback controls on the right ear cup. Tapping above or below the Beats logo on the ear cup adjusts the volume, while tapping on the logo itself will play/pause or skip tracks.
On the bottom of the left ear cup is a button for toggling through three listening modes: Apple's proprietary "Pure ANC" noise cancellation mode that debuted on the Beats Studio3 headphones, a new Transparency mode that activates external microphones to draw in ambient sound, and an extended battery life mode where ANC and Transparency are turned off.
We really liked the new Transparency mode, as it will come in handy in lots of everyday situations where you need to hear a quick conversation or airplane announcement, for example, and don't want to take off your headphones.
Sound quality on the new Solo Pro headphones is solid, and it's about what you'd expect from a set of Beats cans. They sound a bit better than the Solo3 headphones and are right up there with the Studio lineup, although not quite as immersive due to the on-ear rather than over-ear style. The audio comes through warmly and with above-average low-end, which is typical for Beats headphones.
Battery life on the Solo Pro headphones is pegged at 22 hours with Pure ANC and Transparency turned on, and extends to 40 hours with those features turned off. A fast fuel charging feature will give you about three hours of listening time with a 10-minute charge. We haven't had time to thoroughly test these battery life specs yet, but they've traditionally been pretty accurate on other models.
So what do you think about the new Solo Pro headphones? Are you thinking about picking some up when they launch on October 30, or are there options you think you like better? Let us know in the comments.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.1 update to developers, a little under a week after seeding the first beta and a week and a half after releasing macOS Catalina to the public.
The new macOS Catalina beta can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper software from the Developer Center.
The first update to macOS Catalina is minor in scale and appears to focus on performance improvements and fixes for bugs that weren't able to be addressed in the first version of Catalina. An interim supplemental update was released just two days ago with some other bug fixes that needed to be addressed before 10.15.1 was ready.
Apple's release notes for the first beta said that the update introduces support for the AMD Navi RDNA eGPU architecture and brings some changes to Photos.
You can now filter by Favorites, Edited, Photos, Videos, or Keywords in the All Photos view, and you can choose View > Metadata > Titles to enable titles and filenames in the All Photos View.
macOS Catalina is a major update that eliminates iTunes in favor of new Music, Podcasts, and TV apps, nixes support for 32-bit apps, adds a new Find My app, brings a new Photos interface, and includes multiple privacy enhancements and other app refinements.
Luna Display today introduced a new Mac-to-Mac mode that allows any Mac released within the last decade to be used as a second display for another Mac. This includes any combination of Macs, ranging from a MacBook Pro and an iMac to a MacBook Air being used as the primary display for a Mac mini.
To use Mac-to-Mac mode, users must purchase a Luna Display dongle that plugs in to the second Mac. USB-C and DisplayPort options are available for $69.99 each, and Luna is offering 25 percent off through Friday.
The primary Mac must be running OS X El Capitan or later, while the secondary Mac requires OS X Mountain Lion or later. In addition, both Macs must be connected to the same network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and each require the free Luna Display app available to download on the Luna Display website.
"With all of the hype around Sidecar, one of the biggest gripes we've heard is that it only works with a limited range of Mac models," wrote Luna Display co-founder Giovanni Donelli in an email. "That got us thinking about how we can push Luna Display to bring even more value to our Mac devices."
Apple also has a feature called Target Display Mode that allows late 2009 to mid 2014 iMacs to be used as as external display for another Mac.
Luna Display's solution includes full keyboard, trackpad, and mouse support on both Macs. The company has shared complete step-by-step instructions on how to set up Mac-to-Mac mode on its website.
Apple has released a third trailer for the upcoming comedy series "Dickinson" ahead of its November 1 premiere on Apple TV+.
Dickinson is a half-hour comedy series starring Oscar-nominated actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld. Created, written, and executive produced by Alena Smith, the series explores the constraints of society, gender, and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet Emily Dickinson, according to Apple.
Apple TV+ is Apple's upcoming subscription-based streaming video service, launching November 1 in over 100 countries and regions. The platform will eventually offer dozens of original TV shows and movies, such as "The Morning Show," "See," "For All Mankind," "Snoopy in Space," and "The Elephant Queen."
Here are the previous two trailers for Dickinson:
Apple TV+ will be available on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, and other platforms, including online at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. Since September 10, customers who purchase any iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, or Mac can get one year of Apple TV+ for free.
Adobe remains committed to releasing Photoshop CC for the iPad by the end of 2019, and plans to provide an update on the app at its Adobe MAX creative conference in early November, according to Bloomberg.
Adobe has been testing Photoshop CC for iPad with a small group of beta testers since earlier this year, with the report noting that some beta testers have noticed limited or missing features related to core functionality like filters, the pen tool, custom paintbrushes, vector drawing, RAW editing, and layer styles.
Adobe Creative Cloud chief product officer Scott Belsky confirmed that Photoshop CC for iPad will lack some familiar features at launch, but he ensured that the iPad version will gain expanded capabilities over time.
Photoshop CC for iPad will let users open and edit native PSD files and will feature the familiar Photoshop layers panel. With cross-platform availability, users will be able to start their work on an iPad and continue a project with Photoshop CC on the desktop via Creative Cloud if they prefer.
Smart camera brand Arlo has launched a new internet connected Video Doorbell that's "designed to capture what traditional video doorbells can't."
Arlo says the Video Doorbell manages this thanks to an "industry-leading" vertical field-of-view that allows users to get a bigger, more precise picture of their front porch.
Along with the optimized 1:1 aspect ratio front entry view, the HDR video doorbell features motion detection alerts, smartphone video call and quick-reply pre-recorded messages for interacting with visitors, night vision, live zoom, and a silent mode that disables push notifications and mutes the chime.
In addition, the doorbell has a weather-resistant design that enables it to withstand heat, cold, rain, and sun, while built-in tamper detection triggers a siren if someone attempts to remove the doorbell.
The Video Doorbell works with Arlo Smart Plans, the company's subscription services that start with the Arlo Smart plan offering 30-day video history, advanced AI detection, custom activity zones, and lock screen notifications, priced at $2.99 per month per camera. For $9.99 per month, the Arlo Smart Premier plan adds e911 emergency call service and covers up to ten cameras for one price, while the Arlo Smart Elite plan at $14.99 per month covers up to 20 cameras and extends video history to 60 days.
We asked Arlo whether the company plans to support HomeKit on the Video Doorbell, and Arlo said only that while it's aiming to make as many of its cameras as possible compatible with HomeKit, there's nothing to announce with regard to the Video Doorbell and HomeKit at this time.
With a retail price of $149.99, the Video Doorbell is available now for pre-order at Best Buy and other authorized Arlo resellers.
A major flaw in Samsung's Galaxy S10 smartphone has been discovered that basically means any fingerprint can unlock the device with the help of a cheap screen protector.
According to the BBC, a British woman discovered the authentication flaw after she applied a cheap gel screen protector bought off eBay to her Galaxy S10.
She soon discovered that she was able to authenticate as the owner by pressing her left thumbprint against the phone's onscreen fingerprint sensor – the problem being that she hadn't registered her thumb with the device's biometric authenticaton system.
Her suspicions were confirmed when her husband was also able to unlock the phone by pressing either one of his thumbs on the screen's built-in sensor. The screen protector was then applied to another relative's Galaxy S10 and the same thing occurred.
Responding to the incident, Samsung said it was "aware of the case of S10's malfunctioning fingerprint recognition and will soon issue a software patch."
Previous reports have suggested that certain screen protectors are "incompatible" with Samsung's fingerprint sensor because they leave a small air gap that can interfere with the scanning. The sensor relies on ultrasound to detect the microscopic ridges that make every fingerprint unique.
The Galaxy S10 is the latest in Samsung's flagship S series, which is usually regarded as the iPhone's annual rival. The Korean company launched the phone in March and referred to its under-screen fingerprint authentication system as "revolutionary."
Apple has posted the first stats for iOS 13 adoption since its launch on September 19th for iPhone.
Apple shared the statistics on the App Store Developers page which was updated today. Apple reports that iOS 13 is installed on 55% of all iPhones introduced in the past four years, and 50% of all iPhone devices, as measured by App Store activity. The pace puts iOS 13 approximately on par with iOS 12 adoption last year which hit 53% of active devices in a slightly shorter timeframe and a different device breakdown.
This year, Apple has broken down the stats between both iOS 13 and iPadOS which were launched at different times this year. According to Apple, 41% of iPads from the past four years have upgraded to iPadOS, while 33% of all active iPads are on iPadOS.
Meanwhile, here on MacRumors, our analytics show an 84% iOS 13 adoption by our visitors on the same day that Apple measured -- October 15th.
While not yet reflected on Apple's system status page, a number of Apple services are currently experiencing downtime or slow performance, including the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, and the iTunes Store. Apple's website is also experiencing some issues, including its developer portal being unavailable right now.
The issues span multiple countries and extend to Apple's Mail and TV apps. Not every user is affected, so your mileage may vary as Apple works through its server issues. We'll update as the situation unfolds.
Update - 10:45 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple's services and developer portal appear to be functional again.
