MacRumors

iOS 12.2 and macOS Mojave 10.14.4, available in a beta capacity for developers as of this morning, expands the availability of Apple News app to Canada for the first time.

Canadian iPhone, iPad, and Mac owners can use ‌Apple News‌ in both English and French, with Apple's release notes indicating a bilingual experience is available when following a channel in a second language.

Apple says that publications available during the beta testing period do not reflect all of the content that will be available, and Top Stories and Digests are not updated as frequently as they will be when the feature officially launches.

‌Apple News‌ first launched in iOS 9 in 2015, and initially, it was only available in the United States. It later launched in Australia and the UK, and those countries, along with Canada, are the only countries where the app can be accessed without adjusting the region location.

Canadians who are using ‌Apple News‌ for the first time (and U.S. readers) can access MacRumors content by following this link.

‌Apple News‌ in Canada is limited to developers at the current time, but will be available to public beta testers as well when Apple releases public betas. iOS 12.2 and macOS Mojave 10.14.4 should see an official launch after several weeks of beta testing.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to developers, just a couple of days after the release of iOS 12.1.3, a minor update that introduced bug fixes for Messages, Photos, the iPad Pro, and the HomePod.

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.

As a 12.x update, the new software may include more significant features than the prior 12.x.x updates that we've had recently. iOS 12.2 will mark the second major update to iOS 12 after iOS 12.1, an update that brought eSIM support and Group FaceTime.

We don't yet know what's new in iOS 12.2, but once we've installed the software, we'll update this post with any new features that are discovered.

What's new in iOS 12.2: Today's update expands the availability of Apple News to Canada for the first time. It also brings support for TVs in HomeKit and adds an updated AirPlay icon.

The TV Remote feature in Control Center has been redesigned with a more streamlined look that takes advantage of the entire display and does away with the large Home button.

According to Apple's release notes for the update, there are some known issues. Users may be unable to authenticate in Apple Pay within Wallet after selecting a card, and users may be unable to purchase prepaid data plans using cellular data. Siri does not work in iOS simulators.

High and low heart rate notifications and irregular heart rhythm notifications are available as read-only category samples in HealthKit.

Last June at WWDC, Apple revealed that Microsoft Office and its suite of apps would finally be launching on the Mac App Store, without giving a specific launch date. That launch now appears imminent as iOS App Stores in select countries have updated with a new feature referencing the availability of Microsoft Office on the ‌Mac App Store‌.

Specifically, in Switzerland and France, the iOS App Store has a feature that states the following:

We are proud to announce that Microsoft Office 365 is now on the Mac App Store. Your subscription to Office 365 gives you access to all functions on all platforms. To subscribe, sign up for any Office Suite app and update your subscription. Discover all the apps in the suite, and start creating and collaborating!

Microsoft Office apps have been available on Mac for years, but users have had to download them from the web or in physical retail boxes since Apple has never offered them directly in its ‌Mac App Store‌. This should make the process of getting programs like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel much easier for Mac owners.

Like other versions of Office, you'll need a subscription to Office 365 to gain access to the full features of each app.

Although the launch appears to be very soon, we're still unsure on when exactly Microsoft Office will be ready to download in the ‌Mac App Store‌. When it is, we'll update this post accordingly.

Update: Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint are now live on the ‌Mac App Store‌.

Update 2: Apple has published a press release about the launch of Microsoft Office on the ‌Mac App Store‌. The company notes that Office 365 for Mac has been designed to support Mac-unique features, like Dark Mode, Continuity Camera, and Touch Bar on MacBook Pro.

“We are excited to welcome Microsoft Office 365 to the all new Mac App Store in macOS Mojave,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple and Microsoft have worked together to bring great Office productivity to Mac users from the very beginning. Now, with Office 365 on the Mac App Store, it's easier than ever to get the latest and best version of Office 365 for Mac, iPad and iPhone.”

You can also download a bundle of all the new Office 365 apps on the ‌Mac App Store‌, including OneDrive and OneNote.

Apple is planning its own over-ear headphones for as early as the second half of 2019, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Gurman briefly mentioned the more specific timeframe in a report claiming that Sonos is also developing a high-end pair of wireless, over-the-ear headphones that could be launched by next year. He previously said the Apple headphones could debut as early as this year, so the "second half" distinction is new.

Gurman previously reported that the headphones will use Apple branding and be positioned as a higher-end alternative to the company's line of Beats headphones. He also said Apple originally intended to introduce the headphones by the end of 2018, but faced development challenges causing a delay.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to report about Apple's plans to release high-end over-ear headphones that are "as convenient as AirPods with better sound quality." They are also said to feature noise cancellation.

Verizon-owned network Visible today announced it has started selling iPhones with zero-percent-interest financing in partnership with Affirm.

The available models include the iPhone 6s, ‌iPhone‌ 6s Plus, ‌iPhone‌ 7, ‌iPhone‌ 7 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ 8, ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus, ‌iPhone‌ X, ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ XS, ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, and iPhone SE, with device payments ranging from $10 to $60 per month.

Visible also supports Android devices now, starting with the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The network previously operated on a bring-your-own-iPhone basis.

Last, the network has launched a new Visible Protect plan with access to AppleCare. Available in select markets, starting at $10 per month, the plan provides protection against accidental damage, loss, theft, and out-of-warranty hardware failure, with the option for same-day service for new ‌iPhone‌ devices.

Verizon quietly launched Visible in May 2018 as a digital, app-based carrier that offers unlimited text, talk, and data with speeds up to 5 Mbps for $40 per month, inclusive of taxes and fees. The mobile virtual network operator relies on Verizon's nationwide 4G LTE network in the United States.

Today marks the 35th anniversary of Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs unveiling the original Macintosh.

Jobs pulled the Macintosh out of a bag during Apple's annual shareholders meeting on January 24, 1984 at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California, grinning from ear to ear as the crowd erupted in applause.

Macintosh's very first words:

Hello, I'm Macintosh. It sure is great to get out of that bag.

Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking, I'd like to share with you a maxim I thought of the first time I met an IBM mainframe: NEVER TRUST A COMPUTER YOU CAN'T LIFT!

Obviously, I can talk, but right now I'd like to sit back and listen. So, it is with considerable pride that I introduce a man who's been like a father to me… STEVE JOBS.

Two days earlier, Apple teased the Macintosh's introduction with its iconic "1984" ad during Super Bowl XVIII on CBS:

And here's a lesser-known video of Jobs introducing the Macintosh to the Boston Computer Society on January 30, 1984:

The original Macintosh was priced at $2,495 in the United States, equivalent to just over $6,000 today, and was a big deal because of its graphical user interface rather than command-line interface. Tech specs included an 8 MHz Motorola 68000 processor, 128 KB of RAM, and a 400 KB floppy disk drive.

Update: Apple CEO Tim Cook has tweeted in celebration of the Macintosh turning 35.

Apple this week removed more than 200 employees from its autonomous car team, known internally as "Project Titan," reports CNBC.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed the layoffs to CNBC, but said that Apple continues to believe there is a "huge opportunity" with autonomous systems. According to the statement provided, some of the former Project Titan employees have been moved to other parts of the company.

"We have an incredibly talented team working on autonomous systems and associated technologies at Apple. As the team focuses their work on several key areas for 2019, some groups are being moved to projects in other parts of the company, where they will support machine learning and other initiatives, across all of Apple," the spokesperson said.

"We continue to believe there is a huge opportunity with autonomous systems, that Apple has unique capabilities to contribute, and that this is the most ambitious machine learning project ever," they added.

In August, Apple hired former Tesla lead engineer Doug Field to lead Project Titan alongside Bob Mansfield, and the employee dismissals this week were reportedly not a surprise, but rather expected restructuring under the new leadership.

Apple began work on Project Titan in 2014, and at the time, rumors suggested the company was working to develop an electric vehicle at a secret location near its Cupertino headquarters.

Leadership issues, internal strife, and other problems impacted the development of the car, and in 2016, new information suggested Apple had shelved its plans for a car to instead focus on an autonomous driving system.

The hiring of Field, who was once Apple's VP of Mac hardware before he went to Tesla, has, however, been seen as a sign that Apple is again developing a full autonomous vehicle.

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often accurately predicts the company's product plans, also believes that an Apple Car is in development with a targeted launch date between 2023 and 2025. With the new restructuring of the project, though, Apple's ultimate autonomous driving plans are unclear, and this could be a sign that a full Apple Car is once again off the table.

Apple has been testing autonomous driving software out on the roads of Cupertino since early 2017, and it has developed a self-driving shuttle service to transport Apple employees between various office locations in Silicon Valley.

In June 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed Apple's work on autonomous driving software, an unusual step as Apple does not often share details on products that are still under development.

"We're focusing on autonomous systems," said Cook. "It's a core technology that we view as very important. We sort of see it as the mother of all AI projects."

Apple recently hired a Samsung battery executive as its new global head of battery developments, reports Bloomberg. Soonho Ahn, who previously worked for Samsung SDI, joined Apple in December.

Samsung SDI is a Samsung affiliate company that develops the lithium-on batteries used in smartphones. According to his LinkedIn profile, Ahn was Samsung's senior vice president of "next-generation batteries and materials innovation."

Before joining Apple, Ahn spent three years at Samsung leading lithium ion battery cell and pack developments. Prior to that, he worked at Next Generation Batteries R&D and LG Chem, plus he served as a professor in the energy & chemical engineering department of Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea.

While Samsung is Samsung SDI's largest customer, Apple has used Samsung batteries in the past. Apple is continually working to lower its reliance on third-party companies by making device components in house, and Bloomberg believes Ahn's hiring perhaps suggests Apple is aiming to do the same thing with batteries.

Apple in 2018 was also in talks to purchase supplies of cobalt directly from miners, which would allow it to produce its own batteries.

Prior rumors have indicated Apple is working on developing its own MicroLED displays, LTE chips, and processors for its Mac lineup. Apple already makes its own A-series chips for iPhones, S-series chips for Apple Watches, and W-series chips for use in AirPods and Beats headphones.

Samsung made headlines for its batteries in 2016 after the Galaxy Note7 had to be recalled following multiple battery explosions that led to injuries and an airline ban. Samsung ultimately determined that there were multiple flaws that impacted the Note7 batteries, including a design flaw that could lead to short circuiting, missing insulation tape, and a welding defect.

It's not clear if Ahn was involved in the Samsung battery situation, but Samsung SDI was one of the Note7 battery suppliers. Since the Note7 incident, Samsung has introduced more comprehensive battery safety checks, and later Samsung devices have not had battery problems.

Apple is once again offering the iPhone SE on its clearance site, making the now-discontinued device available for $249 to $299.

You can purchase the 32GB ‌iPhone SE‌ in Gold, Space Gray, Silver, or Rose Gold for $249, and the 128GB ‌iPhone SE‌ is also available for $299 in all colors.

The ‌iPhone SE‌ models Apple has available are discounted by $100 for 32GB of storage and $150 for 128GB of storage. The iPhones for sale are unlocked and brand new in box.

Apple originally discontinued the iPhone SE in September 2018 when the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR were announced. Apple's ‌iPhone‌ lineup now starts with the ‌iPhone‌ 7 and 7 Plus as its entry level devices.

The ‌iPhone SE‌, first announced in March 2016, was the last 4-inch smartphone that Apple offered, with the 4.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 7 and ‌iPhone‌ 8 models now the smallest that Apple officially sells in retail stores.

Apple added discounted iPhone SE models to its clearance store on January 19, but available stock quickly sold out. Apple refreshed the store this afternoon to add additional supply, though what's in stock now could also potentially sell out quickly.

We don't know for sure why Apple is selling the ‌iPhone SE‌ again, but it's likely that Apple is clearing out remaining ‌iPhone SE‌ stock.

In 2018, there were rumors suggesting Apple was working on an iPhone SE 2, but in hindsight, some of the rumors were conflated with ‌iPhone‌ XR rumors and no second-generation 4-inch device materialized.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often provides accurate insight into Apple's plans, said in early 2018 that an ‌iPhone SE‌ 2 was unlikely, and other analysts have also suggested Apple no longer has plans to produce a new 4-inch model.