The Verge has obtained never-before-seen photos of a development board for the original iPhone, providing an interesting look back at the measures Apple took to ensure the smartphone remained as much of a secret as possible.
The large circuit board contains nearly all of the original iPhone's components, including its processor, memory, storage, 30-pin dock connector, camera, home button, SIM card slot, and antennas for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. There are also some non-iPhone parts such as two Mini-USB connectors for accessing the baseband.
While this particular Engineering Validation Test (EVT) prototype has an iPhone display attached, the report notes that some boards were even supplied without the screen, meaning that many Apple engineers working on the original iPhone back in 2006-2007 had no idea what the handset would eventually look like.
The Verge's Tom Warren:
If an engineer inside Apple received a development board like this without a screen, component video and RCA connectors on the side of the board could be used to connect it to a display. Engineers could also test headphone connectivity, thanks to stereo line out ports on the side. Even the iPhone's main camera is mounted on the board for testing, and there's a giant space left to test the battery. If engineers didn't have a battery connected, a DC connector at the top can be used for external power. Apple also left room for what is marked as "prox flex" for proximity sensor testing.
Nowadays, Apple uses security shields for iPhone prototypes, but this early board is a fascinating look back at Apple's secrecy leading up to Steve Jobs' famous introduction of the iPhone. The full article is a worthwhile read.
Upgrading to 256GB of 2,666MHz DDR4 ECC memory will set you back a steep $5,200, more than the $4,999 price of the base iMac Pro itself. Radeon Pro Vega 64X graphics can be added for $700. Both are configure-to-order options.
Apple has also lowered the prices of some existing iMac Pro upgrade options. As examples, 64GB of RAM dropped from $800 to $400, 128GB of RAM dropped from $2,400 to $2,000, Radeon Vega Pro 64 graphics dropped from $600 to $550, and 4TB SSD storage dropped from $2,800 to $2,400 in the United States.
Nearly two years have passed since Apple last refreshed the iMac, but updates are finally here for both 4K and 5K models.
Apple today announced that its iMac lineup has been updated with Intel's latest 8th-gen and 9th-gen Core processors, including up to a 3.2GHz six-core 8th-gen Core i7 with Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz for the 21.5-inch 4K iMac and up to a 3.6GHz eight-core 9th-gen Core i9 with Turbo Boost up to 5.0GHz for the 27-inch 5K iMac.
You'll of course have to pay to get peak performance, as processors range from a 3.6GHz quad-core 8th-gen Core i3 to a 3.7GHz six-core 9th-gen Core i5 in standard configurations of the new 4K and 5K iMacs.
Apple says the new 21.5-inch iMac models deliver up to 60 percent faster performance than the previous generation, while the new 27-inch iMac models deliver up to 2.4 times faster performance than the previous generation, narrowing the gap between the high-end standard iMac and the iMac Pro workstation.
Following in the footsteps of the 2018 MacBook Pro, Radeon Pro Vega graphics options are now available across the new iMac lineup, including Vega 20 for 21.5-inch models and Vega 48 for 27-inch models. Apple advertises up to 80 percent faster graphics performance compared to the previous iMac lineup.
The new iMac lineup offers up to 64GB of faster 2,666MHz DDR4 memory and up to 2TB of SSD storage. The base model 21.5-inch 4K iMac in particular has new 32GB memory and 1TB SSD upgrade options for the first time.
Beyond the performance improvements, there is a lot of familiarity. The new iMac models have the same design used since 2012 and the same 4K and 5K displays as the previous generation. I/O also remains unchanged with two Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB 3 ports, a SD card slot, a headphone jack, and Gigabit Ethernet.
While the iMac Pro and the latest MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini models are equipped with Apple's T2 security chip, we've confirmed with Apple that the new iMac models do not have a T-series chip of any kind.
Unlike the iMac Pro in space gray, Apple says silver remains the sole color option for standard iMac models.
Pricing before upgrades remains unchanged. The new 21.5-inch 4K iMac models start at $1,299 and the new 27-inch 5K iMac models start at $1,799. Both are available to order starting today on Apple.com and the Apple Store app, with availability in Apple Stores and select resellers starting next week.
Apple's senior director of Mac product marketing Tom Boger:
Customers are going to love the huge boost in iMac performance. With up to 8-core processors and powerful Vega graphics, the iMac lineup is stronger than ever. With its stunning Retina display, amazing design, twice the performance, and macOS Mojave that our customers love, iMac is by far the best desktop in the world.
The non-4K entry-level model 21.5-inch iMac was not updated today and remains available from $1,099.
Instagram today is rolling out a new shopping feature within its iOS and Android apps, allowing users to complete purchases without having to leave Instagram (via The Verge).
Before the update, shopping links on Instagram opened up a pop-up web window on the retailer's site, which lacked stored payment information and likely caused many people to close the window. Now, Instagram users will be able to store their payment information in Instagram to use for many purchases on the social network.
In return, Instagram is charging all retailers a selling fee, but the amount of the fee wasn't disclosed. Checkout on Instagram is starting with around 20 brands, including Nike, Dior, H&M, MAC Cosmetics, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Uniqlo, Warby Parker, and Zara. More brands are said to be coming down the line.
Items eligible for the new feature will have a "Checkout on Instagram" button below their post. The first time that users tap this, they will be asked for a name, email, billing information, and shipping address. After the first order, the information is securely stored in Instagram.
Instagram hopes that allowing people to complete their purchases inside the app will inspire them to shop more — and to create a big new business for parent company Facebook, which has recently signaled that it expects commerce and payments to represent the future of the company.
According to Instagram, payment information stored in the app will only be used on Instagram, and not on Facebook. Instagram will also send notifications about shipment and delivery inside the app, to keep users updated on their orders.
Checkout on Instagram is rolling out in the social network's mobile apps starting today.
Apple today updated its Events app for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV in preparation for the March 25th "Show Time" event that's expected to focus on the company's upcoming TV and Apple News services.
The updated Events app can be downloaded from the tvOS App Store, and features the same darkened movie theater style from the media invites that were sent out last week.
In terms of event announcements, Apple is known to be working on a $9.99 per month subscription news and magazine service that would give Apple News users unlimited access to stories from paywalled sites like The New York Times and the Washington Post.
Apple is also working on a streaming TV service that will include the more than two dozen TV shows and movies that it has in the works, along with access to subscription content from other cable providers.
We're still expecting minor updates for a number of Apple products, including the AirPods and iPod touch, and potentially the launch of new iMacs and the long-awaited AirPower, although given that Apple announced new iPads on Monday, it's likely any further hardware launches will come separately before or after the event via press release.
Apple's Events app, along with the Events section of Apple's website, will be used to live stream the unveiling of the new services. The March 25 event will take place at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 5.00 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time) at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus.
For those who are unable to watch Apple's live stream, MacRumors will have live coverage of the event on MacRumors.com and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.
Google will shut down its "Inbox by Gmail" app on April 2, the company has confirmed to users of the email app.
Google announced in September that it would be shuttering the app toward the end of March 2019, but didn't give a set date for when that would happen.
However, as noted on Reddit, users of the app yesterday began being notified that the app would be "going away in 15 days," which points to April 2 as the end date.
Inbox by Gmail was an experimental email app, offering users features like snoozing emails to check later, Smart Reply, high-priority notifications, and more.
Google says that in the four years of the app's life it "learned a lot about how to make email better," adding some of the most popular Inbox features directly into its main Gmail client, to which the company is directing existing Inbox users.
To help users transition from Inbox to Gmail, Google has set up a guide on its support website. Google says the new Gmail app, launched in April 2018, will be a good home for former Inbox users as it incorporates many of the same features as Inbox, in addition to new ones.
Apple is set to unveil its long-rumored TV service next Monday, and ahead of the event, Netflix has confirmed that it won't be participating in Apple's streaming offering.
At a briefing at the company's headquarters in Hollywood, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that while Apple is a "great company," Netflix isn't interested in offering its content on other platforms. "We want to have people watch our shows on our services," he said, according to Recode.
Netflix has never embraced Apple TV features like "Up Next" designed to allow Apple TV users to see all of their watched TV shows at a glance, so it's no surprise to hear that Netflix does not plan to offer its content through Apple's upcoming streaming service.
Set to be launched next week, Apple's TV offering will feature both its original content and add-on content from other cable providers like Showtime and HBO. Apple will allow customers to sign up for subscriptions to third-party services like HBO right within the TV app, which will serve as Apple's TV content hub.
Apple's video hub will be similar to what Amazon offers through its Prime Video app. Amazon provides original TV shows along with options to subscribe to premium content through a Channels feature.
In response to a question about how Netflix will compete with Apple and Amazon going forward, Hastings said the company will do so "with difficulty," though he pointed out that Netflix has already been competing with Amazon for years.
"You do your best job when you have great competitors," he said, before admitting that the increased competition has led to higher prices when sourcing content.
Apple is going to give us a first look at its video service on Monday, March 25, at an event set to be held at its Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. Multiple celebrities that are starring in Apple shows, like Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon, will be present.
Following the release of iOS 12.1.4 on February 7, Apple has stopped signing iOS 12.1.3, the previous version of iOS that was available to consumers.
iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners who have upgraded to iOS 12.1.4 will no longer be able to downgrade to iOS 12.1.3.
iOS 12.1.4, available on all devices able to run iOS 12, was a bug fix update that addressed a serious Group FaceTime security vulnerability.
Apple routinely stops signing older versions of software updates after new releases come out in order to encourage customers to keep their operating systems up to date.
iOS 12.1.4 is now the only version of iOS that can be installed on iPhones and iPads, but developers and public beta testers can download iOS 12.2, a major update that's currently being beta tested and is expected to be released next week.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Aramark, a food and beverage vendor, today announced a new Apple Business Chat feature that will allow Cleveland Cavaliers fans to order drinks from their seats through iMessages.
Fans who attend games at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and sit in designated sections of Cavs and Cleveland Monsters games can use the Messages app to access a menu, order beer and water, and have those drinks delivered right to their seats.
Scanning a QR code on the seat back brings activates the iMessage bot, which allows fans to access a menu and place drink orders. After an order has been placed, payment is done through Apple Pay, and the drinks are delivered.
This will prevent attendees from having to leave their seats and miss key game moments in order to get refreshments.
The pilot program is being tested for the remainder of the season to allow Aramark, the stadium's food and beverage vendor, to evaluate how well it works and whether it's popular with fans.
"The intersection of technology, service and convenience continues to motivate us, and we're pleased to be working with our partners at Aramark on this innovative approach to ordering," said Nic Barlage, Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena President of Business Operations. "Finding a way to provide an enhanced game experience with much easier and faster ordering capability for our fans adds another convenient feature at The Q that we're proud to pilot for the remainder of the Cavs and Monsters season."
Aramark made a similar feature available at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, last year.
Apple's new iPad Air and fifth-generation iPad mini both work with the Apple Pencil, but are limited to the first-generation Apple Pencil rather than the second-generation model, which only works with 2018 iPad Pros.
If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, though, it turns out both new iPad models are compatible with the Logitech Crayon, an Apple Pencil-like stylus that previously was only compatible with the sixth-generation iPad.
Apple updated its online store listing for the Crayon following the launch of the new iPad models, noting compatibility with both.
Priced at $70, the Crayon is a lower-cost alternative to the Apple Pencil that works in the same way. It features a slim aluminum body and Pencil-like tip, with palm rejection and the same latency and tilt that you get with the Apple Pencil.
It does not, however, feature pressure sensitivity support, so that's one feature you'll miss out on choosing the Crayon over the Apple Pencil.
Logitech designed the Crayon for students (and schools can buy it for just $50), so it has a flat surface to prevent rolling, a tethered rubber end cap, a grip that's meant to be comfortable for small hands, and it's durable enough to withstand drops of up to four feet.
The Crayon charges using a built-in Lightning port, so you can use a standard Lightning cable to charge it up. The battery lasts for approximately 7 and a half hours before needing to be recharged. No Bluetooth pairing is needed to connect the Crayon to an iPad - it works automatically.
Effective today, the Apple Pencil no longer needs to be purchased at the same time as an iPad to be eligible for AppleCare+ coverage, according to an announcement shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers today.
This means that if a customer has AppleCare+ for iPad, coverage now extends to any first-generation or second-generation Apple Pencil the person may own even if purchased separately. AppleCare+ for iPad covers up to two incidents of accidental damage to the Apple Pencil, each subject to a fee of $29 plus tax.
AppleCare+ covers both the iPad and Apple Pencil for two years from the date the plan is purchased. AppleCare+ must be added within 60 days of purchasing an iPad, but when the Apple Pencil was purchased does not appear to matter.
Apple's new fifth-generation iPad mini and resurrected iPad Air were announced this morning, and both of the new tablets are equipped with Apple's latest A12 Bionic processors, initially introduced in the 2018 iPhones.
The first Geekbench benchmark of one of the new iPad models (11,2) surfaced shortly after Apple's announcement, confirming a 2.49GHz clock speed, identical to the iPhone's clock speed. The benchmarked iPad also features 3GB RAM, 1GB less than the iPad Pro and 1GB more than the 9.7-inch iPad. 3GB RAM is also the amount of RAM in the iPhone XR, while the XS and XS Max feature 4GB.
At this point in time, we don't know if iPad 11,2 is an iPad mini 5 or a 10.5-inch iPad Air, but given the similarity in specs between the two tablets, we suspect that both models are using the same clock speed and RAM.
The iPad 11,2 earned a single-core Geekbench score of 4806 and a multi-core score of 11607, which, unsurprisingly, is right on par with iPhone Geekbench results, though a bit faster, perhaps due to improvements in iOS 12.2.
While the iPad Air and the iPad mini 5 appear to feature similar specs and may include the same amount of RAM, we'll need to wait for further Geekbench scores to confirm. We'll update this post when more information is available.
The new iPad Air and the iPad mini 5 are both available for purchase from Apple today and will arrive to customers at the end of March. The iPad Air, which features a 10.5-inch Retina display, Touch ID, a headphone jack, and Apple Pencil support, is priced starting at $499 for 64GB storage.
The fifth-generation iPad mini with a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple Pencil support, Touch ID, 8-megapixel rear camera, and a headphone jack is priced starting at $399 for 64GB storage.
Pricing is key, with the new iPad Airstarting at $499 with Wi-Fi only and $629 with LTE connectivity in the United States. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro started at $649 with Wi-Fi and $779 with LTE connectivity until it was discontinued. Both have 64GB or 256GB of storage, but the new iPad Air lacks a 512GB option.
Design wise, the iPads have a lot of similarities, including dimensions, thinness, and overall appearance. Both have a Touch ID home button, a headphone jack, and a Lightning connector, but the new iPad Air has only two speakers along the bottom, whereas the 10.5-inch iPad Pro has four speakers.
The new iPad Air is available in Silver, Space Gray, and a newer Gold finish that essentially merges the previously separate Gold and Rose Gold finishes that were available for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Both iPads feature a fully laminated Retina display with a resolution of 2224×1668 pixels and 264 PPI, True Tone, and support for the P3 wide color space, but the new 10.5-inch iPad Air has a 60Hz refresh rate while the 10.5-inch iPad Pro has a so-called ProMotion display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate.
Processor wise, the new iPad Air sports Apple's A12 Bionic chip compared to a slower A10X Fusion chip in the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The new iPad Air also has dedicated hardware called the "Neural Engine" that handles artificial intelligence and machine learning tasks, while the 10.5-inch iPad Pro does not.
In terms of battery life, both iPads last up to 10 hours per charge, according to Apple's internal testing.
With its lower price point, the new iPad Air has a lower-end 8-megapixel rear camera, compared to a 12-megapixel sensor on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The rear camera on the new iPad Air also lacks LED flash, optical image stabilization, and Focus Pixels, but one benefit is that there is no camera bump.
The front FaceTime HD cameras are the same 7-megapixel sensors with Live Photos, Retina Flash, and other identical features on both iPads.
As for connectivity, both iPads have 802.11ac Wi-Fi, but the new iPad Air has Gigabit-class LTE versus the 10.5-inch iPad Pro's theoretically slower LTE Advanced support. The new iPad Air also gets a bump to Bluetooth 5.0 versus Bluetooth 4.2 out of the box for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
The new iPad Air starts at $150 less than the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and thus has some tradeoffs: two speakers versus four, no ProMotion display, and a lower-end 8-megapixel rear camera with no LED flash or optical image stabilization.
The new iPad Air has the same dimensions, thinness, and overall appearance as 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Both iPads have a 10.5-inch Retina display with 264 PPI, headphone jack, Touch ID, Lightning connector, 7-megapixel front camera, up to 10 hours of battery life, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The new iPad Air has some advantages: faster A12 Bionic chip vs. A10X Fusion, Gigabit-class LTE vs. LTE Advanced, and Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.2.
The new iPad Air can be ordered starting today with in-store availability beginning next week in the United States and many other regions.
Sony today announced that its PlayStation Vue app for the Apple TV has been updated with multi-view support, allowing users to watch up to four live channels on one screen.
The new PlayStation Vue feature for Apple TV comes just ahead of the NCAA March Madness season, with the goal of letting sports fans keep an eye on all of the ongoing games or mix and match live games with news or other TV programs.
Multi-view has long been available on the PlayStation 4, but prior to today it wasn't an option on the Apple TV platform.
PlayStation Vue is Sony's streaming TV service, offering live and on-demand content at prices starting at $44.99 per month. Sports packages start at $49.99 per month.
PlayStation Vue works on PlayStation consoles, the Apple TV, iOS devices through the PS Vue app, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Android mobile devices, PC, and Mac.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta of iOS 12.2 and two months after the release of iOS 12.1.4.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.2 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
iOS 12.2 will see the launch of a new subscription service within Apple News, which Apple is planning to unveil at an upcoming March 25 event. Apple plans to offer unlimited access to magazines and paywalled news services for a single monthly fee, with all of the content available through the News app.
iOS 12.2 expands Apple News to Canada for the first time, with Canadian iPhone and iPad users able to read news stories in English, French, or both. Apple says that during the beta, content will be more limited than it will be when the update is released.
There are four new Animoji included the iOS 12.2 beta, including a boar, a shark, a giraffe, and an owl. Animoji can be used within the Messages and FaceTime apps.
The software introduces initial support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on third-party TVs in light of recent AirPlay 2 announcements, with a new option for limiting TV access joining the speaker access option in the Home app. There's also a redesigned TV remote in Control Center, and when paired with tvOS 12.2, you can ask Siri to play specific TV shows, movies, and music on your HomeKit devices like the Apple TV.
For some AT&T users, there's a new "5G E" icon for the cellular signal, replacing the standard LTE icon. This is a bit misleading of AT&T, because the iPhone does not support 5G, nor is the network AT&T calls 5G E actual 5G. Instead, it's an upgraded version of LTE, with more info available here.
The Wallet app's interface has been streamlined and tweaked because Apple is planning to introduce support for an Apple credit card that will be made available through a partnership with Goldman Sachs. The credit card could have unique features like rewards tracking, access to balance management tools, notifications about spending habits, and options to set spending limits.
The Downtime feature in Screen Time can be customized by day in iOS 12.2, Apple has made minor changes to some icons (including Apple News, AirPlay, and Remote in Control Center), audio messages are now better quality, and there are new Safari features, with a full list of changes introduced throughout the beta testing period available in our iOS 12.2 tidbits post.
Apple is improving Safari's privacy in iOS 12.2 through a new Motion & Orientation toggle located under Settings > Safari > Privacy >Security, which is disabled by default. The setting needs to be enabled on to allow websites to display content that relies on motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope in the iPhone and iPad.
iOS 12.2 confirms that Apple is planning to release second-generation AirPods with "Hey Siri" support, thanks to a hidden "Hey Siri" AirPods setup screen in the beta. The inclusion of the AirPods setup option in the beta indicates that Apple could perhaps be planning to release new AirPods when iOS 12.2 is released. There have also been hints of additional work on AirPower, suggesting that product is still coming.
Apple plans to introduce the Apple News service at an event that will take place on March 25, and it's likely the company plans to release iOS 12.2 shortly afterwards to provide iOS users with access to the new subscription options.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.4 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth macOS Mojave 10.14.4 beta and two months after releasing macOS Mojave 10.14.3.
The new macOS Mojave 10.14.4 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center.
macOS Mojave 10.14.4 brings Apple News to Canada for the first time, allowing Canadian Mac users to access news stories in French, English, or both.
The update also includes support for Safari AutoFill using Touch ID and automatic dark mode themes in Safari. That means if you have Dark Mode enabled, when you visit a website that has an option for a dark theme, it will be activated automatically. You can see a demo of the feature here.
We're expecting Apple to release macOS Mojave 10.14.4 alongside iOS 12.2, tvOS 12.2, and watchOS 5.2 following the company's services-focused March 25 event.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta and more than a month after releasing the tvOS 12.1.2 update.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.2 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Once the initial beta has been downloaded, subsequent betas can be installed over the air.
tvOS 12.2, paired with iOS 12.2, lets users ask Siri to play specific media on an Apple TV from an iOS device. You can, for example, ask Siri to play Modern Family on the TV in the living room, or Pitch Perfect on the TV in the bedroom. This works for music and TV shows, and movies.
No other new features were discovered in the tvOS 12.2 beta as of yet, and it can be difficult to determine what's new because Apple does not provide release notes for tvOS betas or releases. If additional features are discovered in tvOS 12.2, we'll update this post.
Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.
To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.
The watchOS 5.2 update introduces a set of new Hermès watch faces. The watch faces are available in pink and blue, and feature a gradient-style design that changes much like other Hermès watch faces. There are customizable numbers and an option for a single complication.
There could be changes coming to the way the ECG feature works in other countries. In iOS 12.2 and watchOS 5.2, when setting up a new Apple Watch, Apple is using location to make sure the ECG feature is available in a particular region, suggesting the company may be planning to geofence ECG functionality and limit it to the United States.
This would potentially prevent customers who purchased a U.S. Apple Watch but live in another country from using the ECG feature. Location is verified via SIM card and can't be bypassed during Apple Watch setup.
We haven't seen any other major changes in watchOS during the beta testing period, but we'll get a better look at what's included when Apple releases watchOS 5.2 to the public complete with release notes. We're expecting Apple to release watchOS 5.2 alongside iOS 12.2, tvOS 12.2, and macOS 10.14.4 following the company's March 25 event.
Following the release of 
