Well-known producer, writer, and show creator Jason Katims has departed Universal TV after inking a multi-year deal with Apple, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Under the exclusive deal, which kicks off this summer, Katims will create content for Apple under his True Jack Productions banner.
Katims has been responsible for many high-profile television shows, including "Parenthood," "Friday Night Lights," "Roswell," "Rise," and "About a Boy."
He will continue to work on "Away" and "Sisters," two projects that he has in the works with Universal TV, but future content will be exclusive to Apple.
Katims is rejoining Michelle Lee, who formerly served as head of development at True Jack before moving on to Apple's creative development team.
Apple has signed deals with multiple high-profile figures and companies in the TV industry for its upcoming streaming service. Apple is partnering with film studio A24, Oprah, and Sesame Workshop.
The company also already has multiple television shows in the works, with a full list available in our Apple TV roundup.
While reports today suggested that Apple's new Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have lower battery capacities than previous versions for iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 models, it turns out the new cases actually have larger capacities than the old ones when taking voltage into consideration.
The new iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max cases are rated at 1,369 mAh, lower than the iPhone 6/6s case at 1,877 mAh and iPhone 7 case at 2,365 mAh, but according to Rene Ritchie, there are actually two such cells in the case.
As a result, the new cases run at a higher voltage that yields a total of 10.1 Wh of energy compared to 7.13 Wh for the iPhone 6/6s case and 8.98 Wh for the iPhone 7 case.
Also, New Battery Cases have more/higher density batteries than previous generations.
They use 2 cells now instead of 1. So, you’re getting around 1.4 additional watt hours and almost 400 more milliamp hours.
BUT power efficiency is WAY more important than quantity these days. pic.twitter.com/VfZCaVWPz8
— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) January 16, 2019
Some more context: while the mAh rating is lower, the Wh rating (10.1 Wh) is higher because it’s operating at a higher voltage. 7.13 on 6, 8.98 on 7 (they didn’t list V).
My colleague @marksmirniotis goes into the differences between the measurements: https://t.co/BdqeWpLr3fhttps://t.co/rW9LYJzjzW
— Nick Guy (@thenickguy) January 16, 2019
Paired with Smart Battery Cases, Apple says the iPhone XS gets up to 33 hours of talk time, up to 21 hours of internet use, and up to 25 hours of video playback, while the iPhone XS Max gets up to 37 hours of talk time, up to 20 hours of internet use, and up to 25 hours of video playback.
Of course, real-world testing will prove more valuable than tech specs, so we'll see how the new cases truly stack up in the coming days.
Apple introduced Smart Battery Cases for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR yesterday. All three are priced at $129 in the United States, with deliveries and in-store availability slated to begin this week. Apple says the cases are not compatible with the iPhone X, but results have varied so far.
Sprint today announced that customers can now chat directly with its support representatives using Apple Business Chat.
Sprint customers can use Apple Business Chat to message an agent, learn about Sprint plans, and more at any time of the day or night, according to the carrier. Customers can start, stop, and resume conversations at any time.
Apple Business Chat launched in iOS 11.3 in March 2018, enabling iPhone and iPad users to ask for information, schedule appointments, make purchases, and complete other customer service tasks directly in the Messages app.
Business Chats must be initiated on an iPhone or iPad, but they can be continued on any other iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch signed into the same Apple ID. To use the feature with Sprint, visit the "Contact Us" page on Sprint.com, or search for a Sprint store using Siri, Safari, or Apple Maps, and tap the Messages icon.
Apple Business Chat uses features from the My Sprint Mobile app for easy account authentication and access, according to Sprint.
In related news, TD Ameritrade this week announced that individual investors can now instantly fund a brokerage account with Apple Pay through Apple Business Chat, an industry first. Dealerships that use the customer service platform Gubagoo can now use Apple Business Chat as well, it was announced.
Apple Business Chat is now available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The service has been adopted by over 30 companies, such as The Home Depot, Lowe's, Hilton, Wells Fargo, DISH Network, and Burberry.
Apple is in talks with at least three private Medicare plans in regards to subsidizing the Apple Watch for people over the age of 65. The news comes from a report today by CNBC, citing sources familiar with Apple's plans.
The discussions are centered around subsidizing the cost of an Apple Watch Series 3 or Series 4 -- which currently start at $279 for the Series 3 38mm Aluminum version -- for older Medicare users who can't afford the cost of the device. Series 4 models would be most beneficial for elderly users, thanks to the new fall detection and ECG features.
Apple's talks with the Medicare companies have not resulted in any official deals yet. The Cupertino company has paid visits to several large insurers in the market, as well as some smaller Medicare Advantage plans, but no specific names of the insurers were given.
“Avoiding one emergency room visit would more than pay for the device,” said Bob Sheehy, CEO of Bright Health, an insurance start-up with a Medicare Advantage plan and the former CEO of United Healthcare.
Apple Watch has been associated with insurance coverage a few times in the past, including discounted versions of the wearable offered to Aetna insurance customers. Apple's device was also integrated into the United Healthcare wellness program, providing participants access to an Apple Watch that they could use to earn up to $1,000 in incentives per year by meeting daily walking goals.
Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey will be the keynote speaker at TRANSACT, the world's largest payments technology event.
Bailey, who leads the Apple Pay team under Apple services chief Eddy Cue, will discuss how Apple is bringing customers and merchants an "easy, convenient, and secure payments experience," according to the announcement.
"I'm thrilled to talk to the payments industry at TRANSACT," said Bailey. "We have a great story to tell about how we are working to bring customers even better payment experiences in all aspects of their daily lives."
TRANSACT, hosted by the Electronic Transactions Association, runs April 30 through May 2 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
Apple Pay has been gradually expanding across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The service launched in Belgium and Kazakhstan in November, made its long-awaited debut in Germany last month, and is "coming soon" in Saudi Arabia. Reports suggest the service will also launch in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Slovenia soon.
Apple Pay first launched in the United States in October 2014 and has since expanded to many regions, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Switzerland, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, and Ukraine.
Warner Bros' Westworld mobile game, which bore a notable resemblance to Bethesda Softworks' Fallout Shelter game for smartphones, has been removed from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The removal comes seven months after Bethesda sued Warner Bros by calling the Westworld app a "blatant rip-off" of Bethesda's 2015 game Fallout Shelter.
Westworld on iOS
The lawsuit centered around Behaviour Interactive, the game developer that worked on both Fallout Shelter and Westworld, and who Bethesda accused of breach of contract, copyright infringement, unfair competition, and misappropriation of trade secrets. The dispute continued into the year, and in early January 2019 the companies released a simple one-line statement that said both parties "have amicably resolved" the lawsuit.
After all of this, the @WestworldMobile Twitter account this week released its own statement, noting that the game has been removed from the iOS App Store and Google Play Store as of January 15, 2019. This means players can no longer make in-app purchases. On April 16, 2019, the app will officially close and no longer be supported by the developers. The developers warn players to spend any in-game currency before that date.
In the original lawsuit, Bethesda requested the Westworld mobile game to be removed from distribution, so it appears that part of the amicable resolution to the case was the official discontinuation of Westworld on iOS and Android. Users on Twitter asked about potential refunds for the in-app purchases they've already made in the game, but the company has yet to respond regarding this matter.
For those unaware, the similarities between Fallout Shelter and Westworld were striking. Both games task the player with building an underground base of some kind, stocked with interactive characters from a well-known property, and micro-managing small tasks to keep their shelter/Delos facility up and running. Most damning for Westworld and Behaviour Interactive was the discovery that the developer appeared to use the same copyrighted computer code from Fallout Shelter inside of Westworld, down to both games having the same unique bug.
Fallout Shelter on iOS
Although Westworld has been removed from the iOS App Store, it still remains online for now, so players who already downloaded it have three months to play the game while it remains online through April 16.
The listing remains live as of Wednesday morning, noting that the Smart Battery Case is "compatible with AirPower Wireless Charging Mat and other Qi‑certified chargers." The case's description in the United States and other countries we checked only mentions compatibility with Qi-certified chargers.
For the sake of covering all bases, there is a possibility the report about mass production was inaccurate and that Apple prepared the Smart Battery Case product description before abandoning its AirPower plans, but simply forgot to scrub the word AirPower from a single product description in a few countries.
AirPower is not mentioned on any other Smart Battery Case product pages in Malaysia, the United States, or other countries we checked.
Back in October, however, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the AirPower may be released by the early first quarter of 2019, while developer Steve Troughton-Smith recently said he has heard Apple may have overcome technical challenges with the AirPower and could presumably move forward with a release.
AirPower would be able to inductively charge multiple Apple devices at once, including the iPhone 8 and newer, Apple Watch Series 3 and newer, and AirPods placed in an as-of-yet unreleased charging case listed as "currently unavailable." Apple unveiled the accessory at its September 2017 event alongside the iPhone X.
Update: AirPower does not appear to be referenced in the iPhone XS Smart Battery Case user guide, according to Rene Ritchie.
Update 2: Apple has now removed the AirPower reference from the Malaysian page.
Apple CEO Tim Cook today shared a story on Twitter of an Apple Watch that alerted its user to atrial fibrillation, potentially saving their life in the process.
Elissa Lombardo tweeted Cook with her husband's experience with Apple Watch that occurred just two days after he started wearing the device.
The smartwatch's ECG feature detected the case of A-Fib during an elevated heart rate, which led her husband to seek medical attention.
Medical professionals apparently discovered a "major blockage" in his arteries but were able to correct the problem, and two days later he was feeling fine again.
According to Lombardo, her husband presented with similar symptoms in the past, but on those occasions he never visited the emergency room to get them checked out.
Glad to hear your husband is feeling better, Elissa. Stories like yours inspire us — thanks for letting us know! https://t.co/A7eV4tgS4U
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) January 16, 2019
This isn't the first time an Apple Watch has potentially saved someone's life. When the ECG feature launched in December in the U.S., TIMEpublished a story about a 46-year-old Texas resident who was having trouble breathing normally.
Fortunately, since he was wearing an Apple Watch and participating in the recent Apple Heart Study, he was alerted to signs of an irregular heartbeat and went to the emergency room.
At the hospital, doctors hooked him up to an ECG machine and found signs of atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke and other potentially fatal complications. He spent the next few days in the hospital while doctors returned him to a normal sinus heart rhythm.
Anker is best known for its well-received power banks and mobile charging accessories, but the Chinese company has also been busy building its subsidiary Soundcore brand, under which it offers home audio products like smart Bluetooth speakers and wireless earphones.
Anker says its ethos of making quality electronic devices at an affordable price also extends to its audio accessory lineup, so I gave the company's new Soundcore Life 2 noise-canceling headphones a spin to test out this claim.
The latest addition to Anker's headset range costs $80 and replaces the company's first attempt at over-ear active noise-canceling (ANC) headphones, last year's Space NC cans. As with that pair, Anker is aiming to corner the sub-$100 noise-canceling market, so direct comparisons with premium ANC headphones offered by the likes of Bose and Sony wouldn't be fair. So how do they stack up on their own?
The ever-present Help menu in your Mac's menu bar is an easily overlooked aspect of macOS, but it's home to some surprising and extremely handy features that every user can benefit from.
Apart from being a useful first port of call for any queries you may have about the application in use or your Mac in general, it also serves as a menu navigator. Let's take a closer look.
How to Use the Mac Help Menu
You can use the keyboard shortcut Command-Shift-/ to quickly access the macOS Help Menu. At the top of the Help menu is a Search field for typing in the subject you need help with. Below this, you'll also see a direct link to the help documentation for the currently active application, which is useful for looking up topics manually.
If it's an Apple app you're using, search results come from the official macOS User Guide, while the direct help link below the search field takes you straight to the relevant section of the guide, or in the case of Finder, the main contents page.
It's important to remember that if the active app is a third-party one, the contents of the Help menu can differ depending on how much effort the developer has put into it. For example, some apps may include FAQs, manuals, or links to online help, while others may offer very little.
How to Use Help's Action Search Feature
Another neat built-in feature of the Help menu is its ability to point to available actions in other menus for the currently active app.
Next time you type into the Help menu's Search field, check to see if the results include any Menu Items. Hover over one of these with your mouse, and macOS will locate the action for you by pointing an arrow at it in the corresponding menu. Hit Enter, and the action will be performed for you.
Depending on the app, this feature can even extend to contextual menu functions. For instance, you can use Safari's Help field to search your bookmarks and recent browsing history for keywords to quickly navigate back to web pages. Next time you're in your favorite app, try out its Help menu functions to see how deeply they've been implemented.
Apple in 2017 introduced the AirPower as a flat charging bed capable of charging an iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch all at once, but technical problems prevented the AirPower from ever launching.
Apple canceled the project in 2019 after running into development bugs, but since then, rumors have suggested work on a multi-device charger has continued. This guide highlights the rumors that we know about the wireless charging work that Apple has conducted, and it also includes details on the now-discontinued AirPower.
New Wireless Charger
Though Apple canceled the AirPower, the Cupertino company is still developing a multi-device charging solution. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the charger that Apple has in development would work similarly to the AirPower, and would charge multiple devices at one time.
Apple wants to create a charging accessory that would let users charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at the same time.
Apple is testing charging solutions that are not inductive, including short and long range wireless charging options. Apple wants a future where all of its major devices can charge one another. "Imagine an iPad charging an iPhone, and then that iPhone charging AirPods or an Apple Watch," wrote Gurman.
Details are scarce on when a new charging product could come out and what Apple might call it, but if Apple is relying on device to device charging or a long range wireless charging solution that does not require contact, it may still be a few years off. Gurman said in 2022 that some kind of charging solution would come "well before a decade from now."
MagSafe Charger
Alongside the iPhone 12 models, Apple introduced a line of "MagSafe" accessories, reviving the name once used for the MacBook's charger. MagSafe products are designed to work with a ring of magnets built into the back of iPhone models starting with the iPhone 12. There are cases, wallet accessories, and a MagSafe Charger.
The MagSafe Charger snaps to the back of an iPhone using a magnetic connection and provides up to 15W of power when paired with a 20W power adapter from Apple, which is double the speed available with a standard 7.5W Qi wireless charger and equivalent to the 15W charging made available through Qi2 on supported devices.
Apple's MagSafe Charger is designed for the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15 models and it charges much slower with older iPhone models. MagSafe charging options will eventually allow Apple to develop a port-free iPhone, and MagSafe appears to be an alternative to AirPower.
Leaked AirPower Internal Photos
Photos allegedly from the now-discontinued AirPower started surfacing on social networks in August 2020, depicting a multi-coil design that would have been used to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods no matter where they're placed on the mat.
There's also a circuit board laden with chips that would have served as the brains of the device. We don't know if these photos actually depict the AirPower as there's nothing in the design that specifically ties them to Apple, but it can't be ruled out either.
The images are from the AirPower that was discontinued in 2019 rather than a new wireless charger that's in the works, and we've seen several examples of AirPower prototypes in the last few years.
What was AirPower?
AirPower was an Apple-designed charging mat designed to charge Qi-based iPhones, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods, using a specially designed AirPods Wireless Charging Case, which Apple introduced in March 2019.
Apple's AirPower was proprietary and intended to combine at least two different wireless charging methods -- Qi and then the Apple Watch charger, which is inductive and not Qi based.
It was designed so that you could place an iPhone, AirPods, or Apple Watch on any portion of the mat to have the device charge, which meant multiple overlapping chargers must be included.
The AirPower mat would have been big enough to charge all three devices at one time, with the AirPower itself connected to an external power source, perhaps using a USB-C cable.
In Apple's renderings, AirPower also had a feature that let the iPhone display the wireless charging level of all of the devices on the mat, including the iPhone itself, the Apple Watch, and the AirPods.
The AirPower's Missed Launch
AirPower missed its 2018 launch date, and while Apple was quiet on the reason why, rumors suggested there were serious manufacturing issues and kinks to be worked out.
Apple was forced to delay the AirPower after having trouble dealing with the complex multi-device charging circuitry, software bugs, and the potential for overheating.
Over the course of 2018, Apple was working out kinks including heat management, inter-device communication, and interference issues, and there were times during development where rumors suggested Apple could potentially be planning to nix the AirPower, but there were consistent mentions in 2018 iPhone packaging, and recently an image of the AirPower with an iPhone XS was spotted on Apple's website.
Unfortunately, those technical challenges proved to be too much, and Apple ultimately canceled the AirPower project in March 2019.
What Would AirPower Have Cost?
Apple never announced pricing for the AirPower, but there were some guesses. Chinese "industry insiders" in August 2018 suggested the AirPower could cost somewhere around $1,000 Chinese yuan, equivalent to right around $147.
Back in November 2017, a Polish website suggested the AirPower would cost around 999 złoty, equivalent to $199.
Given that both of these rumors came from well before the AirPower was even in production, neither were particularly reliable, but we thought it reasonable to expect a price tag in the neighborhood of $130 to $200 based on the price points of competing wireless charging devices and Apple's accessory pricing in general.
Apple today released new Smart Battery Cases designed for its 2018 iPhone lineup, including the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.
Available in black or white, each Smart Battery Case is priced at $129 and is designed to add extra battery life to the iPhone. The cases are similar in design to the past battery case option Apple offered for the iPhone 7, with a bump at the back to house a battery pack.
Each case provides a varying amount of battery life depending on device. The iPhone XS Battery Case, when paired with the iPhone XS, offers up to 33 hours of talk time, up to 21 hours of internet use, and up to 25 hours of video playback.
The iPhone XS Max with the XS Max Smart Battery Case offers up to 37 hours of talk time, up to 20 hours of internet use, and up to 25 hours of video playback.
The iPhone XR with the XR Battery Case offers up to 39 hours of talk time, up to 22 hours of internet use, and up to 27 hours of video playback.
Apple has not offered a Smart Battery Case option for the iPhone since the introduction of the iPhone 7, presumably due to the wireless charging feature in the iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. There has also never been a battery case for larger iPhones, with prior cases limited to the iPhone 6/6s and iPhone 7.
Rumors in December, however, suggested that a version compatible with Qi-wireless charging was in the works, and Apple's product listings confirm that the new Smart Battery Cases are indeed compatible with Qi-certified wireless chargers.
As with the previous versions of the Smart Battery Case, the new options provide an intelligent battery status on the iPhone's Lock screen and in Notification Center so you're aware of the remaining charge of the device.
The cases charge wirelessly as mentioned above or via Lightning and Apple says faster charging is available using USB-PD compatible chargers. Lightning accessories, like the EarPods with Lightning Connector, are also compatible.
Apple in iOS 12 introduced a new Live Listen feature that's designed to turn the iPhone into a remote microphone for the AirPods.
Live Listen has been around for years for MFi-compatible hearing aids, but it's only with the addition of AirPods support that it became available for general iOS users.
As an enterprising individual discovered on Reddit, the AirPods Live Listen feature can be used as a spying device because it uses the iPhone as a microphone and relays what the iPhone picks up to the AirPods, even if the AirPods are in another room.
So, if you have AirPods (or any other Bluetooth headphones), you can enable Live Listen, leave your phone in one room, and then go into another room, with the iPhone available to relay any "secret" conversations. You do need to be in Bluetooth range, of course, but with AirPods, that can be a decent distance.
We're sure no MacRumors readers are going to use this feature for nefarious purposes, but it's certainly a useful tidbit to be aware of. Live Listen can be enabled in Control Center by following these steps:
Open the Settings app
Tap on Control Center
Tap Customize Controls
Tap the "+" button next to "Hearing."
Once that's enabled, open up the Control Center, tap on the little ear icon, and then tap Live Listen to turn it on. You'll be able to hear people who are speaking near your iPhone.
Live Listen with AirPods, hearing aids, or other Bluetooth headphones is an invaluable tool for those who have hearing issues, but everyone should be aware that any iPhone can be turned into a remote listening device.
Apple late last year teamed up with indie entertainment studio A24 to produce a series of films for its upcoming streaming service, and now the first film under that partnership is in the works.
According to Variety, Apple and A24's first movie will be directed by Sofia Coppola, known for directing movies like "The Virgin Suicides," "Lost in Translation," "Marie Antoinette," and "The Bling Ring."
Image credit: Guillaume Collet/Sipa/REX/Shutterstock, via Variety
The movie, "On the Rocks," will star Bill Murray, who often works with Coppola, and Rashida Jones, known for her roles in "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation."
"On the Rocks" will follow a young mother who reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York. Production on the movie is set to start next month.
Apple has more than a dozen television shows in the works, with many in the casting stages, but the filming schedule for "On the Rocks" suggests it will be Apple's first movie to be completed.
Rumors have suggested Apple is working on a streaming service that will provide access to Apple-produced TV shows and movies, with some content available for free. Apple is said to be aiming to launch the new service in 2019.
Multiple rumors have suggested at least one of the 2019 iPhone models will feature a triple-lens camera design, but smartphone leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks) believes Apple is still finalizing just what the triple-lens design will look like.
Earlier this month, Hemmerstoffer shared one possible prototype design featuring a square-shaped camera layout, and today, he's teamed up with Indian site CompareRaja to show us another design that Apple is allegedly working on.
The new renders feature an iPhone with a slimmed down notch for the front-facing camera and TrueDepth system, along with a triple-lens rear camera positioned in the center of the device.
The camera features three lenses in a horizontal arrangement, with a flash located around the middle of the three lenses. A microphone is located below, while the volume buttons are on the left side of the device and the power button is on the right, in line with current devices.
According to Hemmerstoffer and CompareRaja, this set of renderings, along with the previous set that featured a larger square-shaped camera layout are both "100% legit prototypes."
The three iPhones planned for 2019 are "still in the EVT stage," aka the Engineering Validation Test, with Apple allegedly having yet to decide on a design. The site suggests either both leaked prototypes will be used and marketed as different models, or one of the leaked prototypes will be axed.
Current rumors sourced from The Wall Street Journal suggest only one iPhone will feature a triple-lens camera setup - the next-generation iPhone XS Max. The next-generation iPhone XS and the next-generation iPhone XR will continue to use dual-lens cameras, with Apple reserving the triple-lens setup for its highest-end device.
It's not clear if these renderings are accurate depictions of the iPhone design Apple might use in 2019, nor do we know if Apple is still attempting to decide on a final look, but Hemmerstoffer has a track record of sourcing accurate information from Apple's supply chain.
At this point in time, no other source has commented on the triple-lens camera layout Apple might use, so we'll need to wait for further leaks to get a clearer picture of how Apple plans to implement a three-lens design.
Apple must pay VirnetX $440 million after an appeals court upheld an earlier judgement in favor of the patent holding company, reports Reuters.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today denied Apple's appeal of a 2016 verdict that awarded VirnetX $302 million, which increased to $439.7 million when taking into account damages and interest calculated during retrials.
VirnetX first sued Apple in 2010, accusing FaceTime of infringing on patents held by VirnetX. The two companies have been fighting in court since then, and Apple in 2017 said it would appeal the final $440 million judgement.
In a separate case that is also still unsettled, VirnetX was awarded an additional $502.6 million from Apple after a court found that Apple's FaceTime, iMessage, and VPN on Demand features infringe on four VirnetX patents related to communications security.
Apple in total owes VirnetX $942 million, but is likely to continue to fight both rulings, as the patents in question have been ruled invalid by a separate court. Apple said it is disappointed with the ruling and will once again appeal.
Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo today announced that it is using Apple's MapKit JS framework to power the map and address-related searches that its users conduct on both mobile and desktop.
MapKit JS allows DuckDuckGo to provide users with improved address searches, new visual features, enhanced satellite imagery, and continually updated maps without sacrificing privacy.
DuckDuckGo says that Apple Maps will be available embedded within private search results for relevant queries and from the Maps tab on any of the search result pages.
To bring up a map option, users can search for an address, a geographical place, a local business, a type of business, or places nearby.
DuckDuckGo does not collect or share any personal information from DuckDuckGo users, a policy that extends to the Apple Maps integration. Identifiable info like IP address is not provided to Apple, and for searches where approximate location is gathered by the browser, it is discarded immediately after it's used.
This week is seeing notable discounts hit Pad & Quill's leather iPhone cases, Apple Watch Series 3 at Best Buy, brand-new 4K films on iTunes, and much more.
At Pad & Quill this month, you can save some money on the company's leather iPhone cases. The sale takes as much as $25 off accessories like the Heritage Bella Fino Leather iPhone XS Case, and you can also use Pad & Quill's ongoing PQ16 code to take an additional $10 off your order. Check out all of the cases on sale in the list below (note that these prices are before the $10 off code), and head to Pad & Quill to place your order before the sale ends at the end of January.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
On iTunes, a new crop of 4K films debuted on sale today for just $9.99, including recent releases like A Simple Favor, Bad Times at the El Royale, and Book Club. Below we've made a full list of all the 4K films on sale, and be sure to check out iTunes Movies on tvOS, macOS, or iOS to download the movies before the discounts end next week.
Best Buy has also kicked off a new sale on Apple Watch, offering the Apple Watch Series 3 for as low as $229.00 in 38mm Aluminum and $259.00 in 42mm Aluminum. Cellular and other band options are also available, starting at $279.00. The retailer also has a sale on Philips Hue lights happening this week, where you can save as much as 20 percent on the HomeKit-compatible accessories. This marks the price of the Philips Hue White Ambiance A19 LED Starter Kit down to $109.99, from $149.99.
Below we've listed a few other quick-mention discounts that you can nab today on Amazon:
Well-known producer, writer, and show creator Jason Katims has departed Universal TV after inking a multi-year deal with Apple, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey will be the keynote speaker at 
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
