Costco's member-only prices are between $50 and $200 lower than Apple's prices for select Macs. The base model 2018 MacBook Air with a 1.6GHz processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage starts at $999 at Costco, for example, compared to $1,199 on Apple.com. There is a limit of two per customer.
MacBook Air
The wholesale retailer is accepting pre-orders now, with shipments expected to begin the week of December 17. In-store pickup appears to be an option, but it's unclear if Costco warehouses will be selling Macs to walk-in customers.
An annual Costco membership starts at $60 in the United States.
B&H Photo has kicked off a new holiday sale on numerous Apple devices, including iMacs, iPads, HomePod, Mac mini, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and more. Many of the sales represent the lowest-ever prices for these models, so be sure to visit B&H Photo and check out the sale before it ends.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
2017 iMac
For iMac, B&H Photo is offering the current low prices available online for a few models, coming up to $200 below current prices at Adorama and Best Buy.
As you shop around this season, be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup, which includes today's Gold Box sale at Amazon that's discounting the $100 App Store and iTunes gift card down to $85.
Intel today introduced Sunny Cove, its next-generation processor microarchitecture designed to increase performance and power efficiency.
Sunny Cove microarchitecture, built on a 10nm process, will be the basis for Intel's next-generation Core and Xeon processors later next year according to the company, making them appropriate for potential 2019 models of the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, Mac Pro, and Mac mini.
Intel also unveiled new Gen11 integrated graphics with up to double the performance of its Gen9 graphics paired with Skylake-based processors. Gen11 graphics will support 4K video streams and 8K content creation in constrained power situations and feature Intel's Adaptive Sync technology for smoother gaming.
Intel did not provide a comparison of Gen11 and Gen10 graphics, paired with Cannon Lake-based processors.
For those who are ever-confused by Intel's roadmap, it is believed that Sunny Cove processors paired with Gen11 graphics will be called Ice Lake, which succeeds Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake, Amber Lake, and Cannon Lake.
Intel reaffirmed its plan to introduce a discrete graphics processor by 2020, providing Apple with another option beyond its current provider AMD and former provider Nvidia for future MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac Pro, and Mac Pro models.
Intel has essentially been iterating on its Skylake microarchitecture since 2015, so it is refreshing that the chipmaker is finally moving on to something new. But with rumors of Macs switching to custom ARM-based processors as early as 2020, it might not be long after Sunny Cove that Apple moves on too.
LumaForge today announced that its Jellyfish shared storage solutions are now available for purchase from Apple's online business store, with ultra-high capacities up to 200TB at ultra-high prices of up to $50,000 in the United States.
Jellyfish servers enable video production teams working on Macs to collaborate throughout the content creation process. Designed by professional filmmakers, editors, and colorists, LumaForge says the Jellyfish is compatible with major pro video and audio apps like Final Cut Pro X, Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve.
There are three shared storage solutions:
Jellyfish Mobile - 32TB for $11,995.95 or 80TB for $19,995.95: Portable enclosure designed for small teams or teams without a server room infrastructure. Four 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports. Four 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports. 2,300 MBps available bandwidth. Enough to power 4K-8K workflows.
Jellyfish Tower - 120TB for $39,995.95: Designed for teams that have larger capacity needs. It's the size of a large PC tower. Eight 10-Gigabit Ethernet ports. Eight 1-Gigabit Ethernet ports. 4,400 MBps available bandwidth.
Jellyfish Rack - 200TB for $49,995.95: Identical in functionality to the Tower, but designed to easily fit into existing server racks.
Macs can be connected directly to a Jellyfish server using standard 1- or 10-Gigabit Ethernet cables. Once connected, the Jellyfish Desktop App for macOS automatically completes the setup process. All three have RAID protection.
LumaForge said that more than 200 companies, including Activision, Adobe, BBC, CBS Interactive, Disney, Google, NASA, Pandora, Reuters, Sony, and WeWork, rely on Jellyfish servers for video storage and collaboration.
In related news, LumaForge announced that Steve Bayes has made a significant financial investment in LumaForge and will join its newly formed Board of Advisors. Bayes was the senior product manager of Final Cut Pro at Apple for more than 12 years before retiring from the company in July 2018.
Popular to-do list iOS app Things today has been updated to version 3.8, which introduces full support for a new Dark Mode. Specifically, users will be able to chose between three appearances for Things 3 on iPhone and iPad: Light, Dark, and Black.
These appearances can be set manually in settings, or users can choose to automatically switch between them based on the brightness of their iOS display. Things 3.7 for macOS gained support for Dark Mode this past September.
Things allows users to organize their goals with task management features that include daily breakdowns of incoming tasks to finish, as well as projects like getting ready for a vacation. Things 3 integrates with Apple's Calendar, Siri, Reminders, and the Today Widget, and supports Handoff, Notifications, and Apple Watch.
Things 3 can be downloaded from the iOS App Store for $9.99 [Direct Link].
Apple is actively building its own cellular modem chip for future iPhones, according to a paywalled report by The Information today.
The report, citing a person briefed on the plans, claims that Apple has engineers working on the project close to its headquarters in Northern California. For several months, Apple has also been actively hiring engineers in San Diego, where the company has an office with a growing Wireless Architecture team.
Due to the complexity of wireless modems, it could take Apple as long as three years to ship iPhones with them, according to analysts cited in the report. Apple is already rumored to debut its first 5G-enabled iPhone in 2020, with an Intel modem, so the first iPhone with an Apple-designed modem could launch in 2021.
The move would align with Apple's increasing shift towards in-house chip designs, including its best-in-class A-series processors in iPhones, S-series processors in Apple Watches, W-series wireless chips in AirPods and select Beats headphones, and T-series coprocessors in some of the latest Macs.
The shift wouldn't be all that surprising, as Apple is currently in a high-profile legal battle with its former modem supplier Qualcomm over chip-related licensing fees. Intel has since become the exclusive supplier of modems in the latest iPhones.
Qualcomm is based in San Diego, turning the city into a hotbed for wireless engineers, explaining Apple's presence there. One of the executives leading Apple's cellular modem effort is Bernd Adler, who joined the company in 2015 after serving as an executive on Intel's modem team, according to the report.
Algoriddim's djay apps for iOS and Mac have long been among Apple's favorite apps to show off at keynote events and in annual "best of" lists, with slick designs, demo-friendly interfaces, and utility that supports both fun and creativity with music and video.
With the release of the new djay, Algoriddim is consolidating a handful of previous iOS apps down to a single universal app available as a free download that includes features such as the Classic Mode turntable view, Automix Mode that uses Algoriddim's proprietary Automix AI engine to automatically identify optimal transition points and seamlessly transition between tracks with the touch of a button, iTunes and Spotify integration to pull from millions of available song titles, and hardware integration with select official controllers.
While today's update brings some of djay's most popular features to users free of charge for the first time, those who want more can look to the djay Pro subscription, which unlocks unlimited access to libraries of samples and loops, the Looper feature Apple demoed at the iPad Pro event in October, support for dozens of MIDI controllers, and much more.
With over 1 GB of audio and video loops and audio samples from a variety of genres available through the djay Pro subscription, the new Looper and sample pad functions allow DJs to build and sequence their own loops while mixing. The grid-based Looper supports up to 48 loops, automatically synchronized to the beat. And with new video loops, Algoriddim has brought its vjay app into djay, allowing users to mix synchronized video clips in real-time to add a visual aspect to their mixes.
The new djay is also one of the first apps to really take advantage of the USB-C port on the new iPad Pro models, allowing for multiple peripherals such as an external display and a MIDI controller to be connected simultaneously.
djay Pro is available with a seven-day free trial, after which it's priced at $4.99 per month or $39.99 per year. Existing djay users who previously purchased any version of djay are eligible for a discounted $9.99 djay Pro subscription for the first year. Algoriddim is far from the first company to shift a popular app from paid to subscription pricing, but it's certainly among the most prominent for those who have paid close attention to Apple's events, awards, and App Store features over the years.
The freemium model opens up djay to many more potential users who previously might have balked at an upfront purchase price, and Algoriddim clearly hopes that some of those free-tier users will want access to more features and sign up for the Pro subscription plan. And shifting to a subscription model also gives Algoriddim greater flexibility such as the ability to offer free trials.
The new version of djay is rolling out now [App Store] as a free download.
Now, Bloomberg News reports that the Apple News subscription service could be introduced as early as spring 2019. As we heard back in September, Apple is said to have held talks with major newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post about joining the service.
Texture offers unlimited access to around 200 digital magazines for $9.99 per month in the United States, including People, Vogue, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, GQ, Sports Illustrated, Wired, Maxim, Men's Health, GQ, Bloomberg Businessweek, ESPN The Magazine, and Entertainment Weekly.
Apple's subscription news service is expected to be a "premium product," but the report claims that some publishing industry executives fear the service could steal some of their subscribers, especially if it is affordably priced. Apple's services chief Eddy Cue has reportedly met with some publishers to alleviate these concerns.
On the other hand, Apple News could be a lifeline for the industry. A subscription service would instantly reach hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads, providing publications with exposure that would be very hard to achieve on their own.
Apple has held a special event in March in three of the past four years, so perhaps we'll hear more about these services in around three months from now.
Apple this morning began offering promo codes to Apple Music subscribers that allow them to buy a HomePod at a discounted price for a limited time, in a holiday-themed promotion.
As of writing, customers in the UK have received codes for £50 off a new HomePod, bringing the price down to £269, with the offer available until December 16.
The discount is being offered via an email from Apple that includes a button-style link to 'Get Your Promo Code', which sends customers to the official Apple website with the promotional offer applied.
HomePod brings out the best in Apple Music. To celebrate the holidays, we're giving only Apple Music subscribers £50 off HomePod now through December 16. Claim your special promo code now.
The £50 discount narrowly beats the price of HomePod from John Lewis and Currys PC World, both of which are currently selling Apple's smart speaker for £279.
As yet, it's not clear whether Apple intends to extend similar discounts to other regions, but we'll update this article as soon as we hear anything.
Microsoft today updated its suite of Office for Mac apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, with support for Dark Mode on macOS Mojave and several other new features. The updates are available to both Office 365 subscribers and to users who purchased Office 2019 for Mac as a one-time purchase.
The update also makes it easier to insert a photo from an iPhone or iPad into a PowerPoint slide using Apple's new Continuity Camera feature. This allows users to control-click in a PowerPoint window where you want the photo to appear, quickly take a photo on a nearby iPhone or iPad, and import it into a slide.
And with v16.20 some customers will see our Ribbon Visual Refresh with new icons and styling in Office 365 for Mac, as we begin rolling out and getting your feedback! On macOS Mojave, the new icons adapt to Light and Dark Mode as well! #Office365pic.twitter.com/2iLdWNx7qD
— Derek Snook (@derek_snook) December 11, 2018
Office for Mac apps can be updated via the Microsoft AutoUpdate mechanism by navigating to Help > Check for Updates in each app. For a full list of new features, read the Office for Mac version 16.20 release notes.
It is now possible to use the My Verizon app to activate eSIM service on an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, or iPhone XR in the United States.
The app was updated today to allow Verizon customers to purchase a cellular plan for the eSIM line of an iPhone without needing to visit a Verizon store. The in-app process should be more straightforward and convenient.
Other carriers offering eSIM service include Bell, Fido, Rogers, Virgin Mobile, and Lucky Mobile in Canada, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone in Germany, T-Mobile in Austria and Czech Republic, Hrvatski Telekom in Croatia, 3 in Denmark and Sweden, Telia in Finland and Estonia, EE in the United Kingdom, and many others.
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models have both a physical SIM and an eSIM that allows for dual SIM, dual standby. This means you can have two lines of service on one iPhone, which is useful for purchasing data-only plans while traveling or having personal and business lines on a single iPhone.
Update: This process appears to be limited to customers of other carriers who are looking to add Verizon service via the eSIM.
iPhone and iPad users enrolled in the free Apple Beta Software Program will receive the iOS 12.1.2 beta over-the-air in Settings > General > Software Update after installing the necessary configuration profile from Apple's beta site.
iOS 12.1.2 looks to be a minor update focused on "bug fixes and improvements," according to Apple's release notes.
Apple also seeded the first betas of macOS Mojave 10.14.3 and tvOS 12.1.2 to public beta testers today. The macOS beta can be installed using Apple's macOS Public Beta Access Utility, while the tvOS beta can be installed by navigating to Settings > System > Software Updates > Get Public Beta Updates.
Apple says macOS Mojave 10.14.3 contains "bug fixes and improvements," while the tvOS 12.1.2 is likely a very minor update.
Giphy today announced an update for its iOS app, bringing its GIF-sharing keyboard extension to any app that supports multimedia, including Mail, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, and more. The update also introduces a "Sticker Maker" feature exclusive to iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR devices that have Apple's TrueDepth Camera system (via Engadget).
Sticker Maker allows iPhone X owners to turn selfies into custom animated GIF stickers, which you can then share in Apple iMessage and any other texting app. In the Giphy app this feature can be found in the "Plus" symbol tab, tap "Sticker", and then you can take your photo. The image has to be uploaded to a Giphy account so you can use it across Giphy's connected apps and keyboard extension.
Giphy's own GIF features have powered other apps before, including GIF sticker search in Instagram. The company's keyboard extension also works with Apple iMessage, similar to apps like GIF Keyboard. Although Apple's iMessage App Store introduced app-based alternatives, many keyboard extensions like these have remained popular over the years.
Designed for the new iPad Pro with a USB-C port, the hub features a HDMI output, one USB-C port with Power Delivery, one USB-A port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, enabling the tablet to be connected to a wide variety of peripherals, such as a 4K display via HDMI, a wired keyboard via USB, and wired headphones.
Satechi is currently offering 20 percent off with code MPH20%OFF at checkout, lowering the price of its USB-C hub to $48 for a limited time.
For comparison, accessory maker Hyper has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a USB-C hub that features six connectivity options: a 4K HDMI output, a 3.5mm headphone jack, SD and microSD card slots, one USB-A port, and one USB-C port with Power Delivery. The early bird price is $49 and the regular price will be $99.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Satechi. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
In October, a report by Bloomberg claimed that spies working for the Chinese government had inserted microchips on Supermicro server motherboards to spy on customers, which Bloomberg reported as affecting Apple and nearly 30 companies in total. Today, the outside investigations firm hired by Supermicro reported its findings, confirming that there is no evidence of any malicious hardware in current or old Supermicro server motherboards, including those used by Apple for iCloud (via Reuters).
Supermicro denied the allegations made in the Bloomberg report when it came out, and in today's letter to its customers said it was not surprised by the new findings. The investigation was performed by global firm Nardello & Co., which tested samples of motherboards in current production, as well as versions that were specifically sold to Apple and Amazon since both of those companies were mentioned directly by Bloomberg.
Nardello & Co. also examined software and design files, and didn't find any unauthorized components or signals being sent out from Supermicro. Customers interested will be able to ask for more details about the investigation, and Supermicro as of now is still reviewing its legal options following the investigation.
The day that "The Big Hack" article came out, Apple quickly released a statement, denying all claims made about the microchips spying on customers. "On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, "hardware manipulations" or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server," Apple said in its statement.
Eventually both Apple CEO Tim Cook and Supermicro CEO Charles Liang called on Bloomberg to retract the story. Talking to BuzzFeed News, Cook said there is "no truth" to Bloomberg's claims about Apple. As of today, the story remains online.
Two of Apple's largest suppliers have reported healthy jumps in monthly revenue, suggesting fears of weak iPhone demand may be overblown (via Bloomberg).
Asian firms TSMC and Foxconn (Hon Hai) both posted a 5.6 percent rise in November sales, reversing a recent trend of Apple suppliers reducing production or revenue outlooks to reflect lowering demand for Apple's smartphones.
Foxconn posted NT$601.4 billion ($19.5 billion) in revenue, a record for the month of November, which puts the iPhone assembler on track for its fastest pace of annual growth in years.
TSMC, maker of Apple's system-on-chips like the A12 processor, reported revenue of $3.1 billion, a lower figure than the previous month but still considered strong overall. Executives at the chipmaker have said they expect demand for premium devices to help offset lethargy in the crypto-mining market, which it has heavily invested in.
Apple accounts for close to half of main iPhone-assembler Hon Hai's revenue and about a fifth of TSMC's, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The figures offer something of a riposte to the narrative that sales of Apple's iPhone XR and XS have been weaker than expected. For example, last week it was reported that Apple moved marketing staff off other projects to focus on bolstering sales of the latest iPhone lineup in late October.
Apple's next earnings call is in January, when investors will get an idea of how the company did over the holiday season, although Apple recently stopped reporting real unit numbers for its major product categories, so investors will have to rely on revenue and gross margin figures alone to assess performance.
Apple Pay made its long-awaited debut in Germany this evening, allowing iPhone and Apple Watch users in the country to finally take advantage of the contactless mobile payments service if their card issuer supports it.
At launch, Apple Pay partners in Germany include American Express, Deutsche Bank, Hanseatic Bank, HypoVereinsbank, Edenred, Comdirect, Fidor Bank, and mobile banks and payment services o2, N26, boon, bunq, and VIMpay. It may take until the end of the day before the rollout is fully completed.
MacRumors readers and Twitter users are starting to share screenshots of their Apple Pay cards in the Wallet app on iPhone.
Apple Pay first launched in the United States in October 2014 and has since expanded to many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, China, Singapore, Switzerland, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Russia, New Zealand, Brazil, Poland, Ireland, and Ukraine.
Samsung today introduced its latest smartphone, the Galaxy A8s. It is Samsung's first smartphone with an Infinity-O display, which has a nearly edge-to-edge, uninterrupted design beyond a small hole for the front-facing camera.
It is also Samsung's first smartphone without a headphone jack, much to the amusement of iPhone users, as Samsung has mocked Apple for over two years over its decision to remove the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in 2016, a trend that has continued through to the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.
While on stage unveiling the new Galaxy Note7 in 2016, for example, Samsung executive Justin Denison made sure to point out that the device came with a headphone jack. "Want to know what else it comes with?" he asked. "An audio jack. I'm just saying," he answered, smirking as the audience laughed.
And earlier this year, Samsung mocked the iPhone X's lack of a headphone jack in one of its "Ingenius" ads promoting the Galaxy S9.
In the ad, a customer at an Apple Store asks if he can use his wired headphones with the iPhone X, and the employee informs him that he will need a dongle. The customer then inquires about charging at the same time, and the employee says he'll need another dongle. "So, a double dongle," the customer says.
To use wired headphones with the Galaxy A8s, a mid-range device for the Chinese market, users must use a USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter.
While rumors suggest Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S10 will continue to feature a headphone jack, it could be the company's last flagship handset to have one. In October, Korean website ETNews said Samsung is considering removing the headphone jack from the Galaxy Note10 in 2019 and Galaxy S11 in 2020.
Samsung isn't the first tech giant to mock Apple's decision to remove the headphone jack, only to follow suit. Google poked fun at the iPhone 7's lack of headphone jack while unveiling its original Pixel smartphone in 2016, and then the Pixel 2 launched without one just a year later. Well, well, well. How the turntables…
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