The BBC Sounds mobile app has been updated with CarPlay support, meaning users can now listen to the broadcaster's extensive library of live and on-demand radio, music, and podcasts from their in-car infotainment systems and dashboards.
As noted by Pocket-lint.com, CarPlay and Android Auto support was originally available for iPlayer Radio, which the Sounds app replaced, but this version has extra options and an improved in-car experience.
Here's what you'll see in the new car-friendly view of the BBC Sounds app:
Browse: Have a look through our simplified Podcasts, Music Mixes and Recommended for You menus
Stations: Listen live to all of the BBC’s national and local radio stations across the UK
My Sounds: Easy access to all of the radio programmes, podcasts and music mixes you're subscribed to or added to your Bookmarks
Downloads: Offline playback of programmes you've downloaded onto the app BBC Sounds was launched in June last year to introduce a more personalized listening experience and bring a new look and feel to the site.
BBC Sounds was launched in June last year to introduce a more personalized listening experience and bring a new look and feel to the site.
The BBC app is designed to learn from the user's listening habits and introduce them to shows and podcasts that they might not otherwise know about.
Apple is celebrating the United States' women's national soccer team victory in the 2019 World Cup with a Memoji-themed tribute on its Apple.com website.
USA defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the World Cup Final on Sunday. The victory saw the holders retain the trophy and win it for the fourth time in the competition's history.
Apple's short animation appears briefly on the company's homepage, and features three Memoji heads – colored red, white, and blue – seen cheering the nation's victory, complete with iMessage-style confetti effect and bouncing soccer balls.
The animation finishes with the message of "Job well done," and then vanishes to return Apple's website to its usual style of showcasing the latest products.
In iOS 11, Apple introduced animated emoji characters called Animoji, which are designed to mimic your facial expressions. Later in iOS 12, Animoji grew to encompass Memoji, which are customizable humanoid Animoji characters that you can design to look just like you.
Animoji/Memoji stickers let you express yourself using classic emoji-like poses and faces, such as heart eyes, brain exploding, shushing face, laughing with tears, crying, shrugging, face palm, and more.
Memoji and Animoji are limited to Apple's iPhones with TrueDepth technology, but in iOS 13, coming in the fall, Apple has added several different Animoji and Memoji stickers that can be used on all Apple devices with an A9 chip or later.
To learn more about how you can use Animoji and Memoji stickers in iOS 13, click here.
Apple is testing a new way of signing into the iCloud website as part of its beta program for iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina.
A tipster informed MacRumors over the weekend that users running a beta version of one of the above operating systems can now sign in with their Apple ID accounts using Face ID or Touch ID, depending on the device being used.
A new Face ID sign-in screen for iCloud.com on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2018)
For instance, the screenshot above was taken in Safari browser on a 12.9-inch iPad Pro (3rd generation) running the latest iPadOS 13 Public Beta.
Visiting icloud.com, the user is redirected to beta.icloud.com and is then prompted to sign-in to the site using the Apple ID associated with the device.
Tapping "Continue" automatically signs in the user in a matter of seconds by activating the iPad Pro's Face ID authentication feature, meaning no Apple ID password input is necessary.
Users on devices with Touch ID, including the 2018 MacBook Air and Touch Bar-equipped MacBook Pro models, are being met with a similar sign-in process that uses their fingerprint to authenticate without requiring two-factor authentication.
Apple's testing of this simpler way of signing in to the iCloud website is likely related to its forthcoming Sign In with Apple feature, which allows users to sign in to apps and websites using their Apple ID.
The feature is being touted as a more secure alternative to similar sign-in services offered by Facebook, Google, and Twitter, since it authenticates the user with Face ID or Touch ID, and doesn't send personal information to app and website developers.
In an additional privacy boon, Sign In with Apple also lets users create a randomly-generated email address that hides their own email address when signing up for a third-party app or service.
The new sign-in feature is coming with Apple's new operating systems when they're released this fall and will be available across macOS, iOS, and through websites.
Following last week's big news that Jony Ive will be departing Apple, this week saw a slew of Mac-related rumors including evidence of an upcoming MacBook Pro model, word that Apple is abandoning the troublesome butterfly keyboard used on its notebooks for the past several years, and logic board problems with a "very small number" of MacBook Air units.
Read on for all of the biggest news of the week, including a clever new iOS 13 feature to make your FaceTime video calls feel more natural and another controversy surrounding Xiaomi copying Apple.
Apple Receives FCC Approval for Unreleased MacBook Pro
The A2159 model number was one of seven recently registered with the Eurasian Economic Commission, but this was the only one to appear at the FCC. Based on the machine's power requirements, it appears to be a 13-inch MacBook Pro, which could be a new version of the non-Touch Bar model that wasn't updated alongside the other MacBook Pro models in May.
New machines typically appear in the FCC's database just about at the moment of launch, which could mean a debut is imminent, although it appears to have been a premature publication by the FCC as Apple has yet to release the new model and the documents were quickly pulled from the FCC's website.
Kuo: Apple to Use New Scissor Switch Keyboard in Future MacBooks, Starting With 2019 MacBook Air Refresh
Apple's much-maligned butterfly keyboard on its notebooks may be headed out the door, with prominent analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claiming Apple will be including a new scissor-style keyboard on future models, starting with a MacBook Air refresh later this year.
Kuo says the scissor style keyboard is likely to be a bit thicker than the butterfly design, but would be cheaper and could offer a better user experience including greater key travel and a glass fiber-reinforced structure that's more durable and less sensitive to dust and debris preventing keys from working.
Attention Correction Feature in iOS 13 Beta Enables Appearance of Eye Contact During FaceTime Calls
The feature uses ARKit to capture a depth map of your face during FaceTime video calls and adjusts the position of your eyes to make it seem like you're looking at your device's camera when you're actually looking at the screen.
We went hands-on with the feature, which is only available for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, as well as the latest iPad Pro models, and can be toggled off in Settings if you prefer not to use it.
Apple Identifies Logic Board Issue With 'Very Small Number' of 2018 MacBook Airs, Will Fix Free of Charge
Apple this week notified its retail stores and authorized repair centers that it has identified a logic board issue affecting a "very small number" of 2018 MacBook Air units and will repair affected computers free of charge for up to four years from the date of purchase.
The program hasn't been announced publicly, so it seems that it should affect only a limited number of machines, and Apple will be notifying users with affected machines.
The internal repair program for the latest MacBook Air comes shortly after a more significant recall and repair program for 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro units that could experience overheating and even fire safety issues with their batteries. Dramatic photos showing the aftermath of one of these incidents demonstrate why owners of affected machines should take this recall seriously.
Xiaomi Clones Apple's Memoji With New 'Mimoji' Avatars
These 3D avatars are incredibly similar to Apple's Memoji introduced with iOS 12, with even the Mimoji name bearing a remarkable similarity to Apple's feature. Incredibly, Xioami was even caught using Apple's own Memoji ads to promote the Mimoji feature, allegedly by accident.
This isn't the first time Xiamoi has been accused of cloning a feature from Apple, as the company's animated emoji from last year were similar to Apple's Animoji, and they debuted on a phone that looked nearly identical to Apple's iPhone X. Xiaomi has also released wireless earphones that have some strong similarities to Apple's AirPods.
Five Mac Apps Worth Checking Out - July 2019
Over on our YouTube channel, we've released the latest installment of our popular series looking at some of our favorite third-party Mac apps.
This month's list includes Pock for customizing your MacBook Pro's Touch Bar, One Switch for adding toggles for various options and settings to your menu bar, Microsoft To-Do for keeping track of tasks across your devices, Flotato for turning some of your favorite websites into web apps, and Spotmenu for accessing information on your Spotify and iTunes content from the menu bar.
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
Apple in iOS 13 and iPadOS merged the Find My Friends and the Find My iPhone apps into one app that's just called "Find My," because it's used for finding whatever you need to find. Since then, Apple has made continual improvements to the Find My app, adding features like tracking when an iPhone has no connection, when an iPhone is powered off, and when an iPhone has been erased.
This guide is designed to walk through all of the Find My features on iPhone and iPad, including those introduced with the iOS 15 update.
Locating Lost Devices
The Find My app is organized into several sections, accessible by tapping the tabs at the bottom. On the left, you can find people, in the middle, you can find your own devices, AirTags, and Find My-enabled Bluetooth items, and on the right, there's a "Me" tab with all of your settings and info.
As with the prior Find My iPhone app, all of your Apple products are listed. Devices where you're signed into iCloud and have the Find My feature enabled are locatable through the Find My app.
All of your devices are displayed on a map, and you can zoom in or out to get a better picture of their location. Tapping on a single device provides you with options to get directions to its location in Apple Maps, Play a Sound for locating a nearby lost device, or get a notification when it's found if it's offline.
There's an option to mark a device as lost, which locks the lost device, disables Apple Pay, and allows contact information to be put right on the lock screen, and as a last resort, there's a tool for deleting all of your data.
Almost all Apple products are Find My compatible, including iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple Watch, AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and the MagSafe Wallet.
Separation Alerts
Apple in iOS 15 added Separation Alerts to the Find My app, which are designed to let you know if you leave an Apple device, a device attached to an AirTag, or a Find My-enabled third-party device behind.
You can set up Separation Alerts in the Find My app, so if you want to make sure your iPhone is always with you or that you don't leave the house without the keys, this is the feature to use.
If you have Family Sharing enabled, all of your family's devices are listed in Find My right alongside your own, so you can also find devices from your partner or children through the Find My app.
Locating Friends
The Find My app allows you to locate friends and family members that have shared their location with you. You can view their location using the "People" tab within the Find My app.
The Find My app lists people who have shared their location with you and, if you haven't shared your own location, offers up an option to do so.
If you press the "Share My Location" button, you can share your own location with any of your contacts even if they haven't shared a location with you. Tapping on a person's name in the list provides an option to bring up their Contacts card for sending a message or an option to get directions to their location.
You'll also find tools for removing friends and turning off your own location sharing with the person if it's a mutual location sharing contact. You can opt to share your own location permanently, for an hour, or until the end of the day.
For any person who's sharing a location with you, you can turn on notifications to get notifications when they leave or arrive at a specific location. There's also an option to notify your friend when you leave or arrive at a specific notification.
The "Me" tab in the Find My app displays your current location and includes toggles for sharing location, allowing friend requests, choosing who to receive location updates from, and naming a specific place.
Locating Devices Without a Connection
Apple in iOS 13 added a Find My Network option that lets your lost devices be located even when not connected to WiFi or LTE by leveraging Bluetooth and proximity to other nearby Apple devices.
When your lost device is offline but close to another device, it's able to connect to that other device over Bluetooth and relay its location. That means that your devices are more trackable than ever, and there's a better chance you can find a device that's been lost.
The iPad Pro and MacBook in this screenshot are locatable without a connection. The iPad Pro has WiFi turned off while the MacBook was closed.
Tracking a device in this way requires Bluetooth to be enabled because location is shared with another device using Bluetooth. Turning off Bluetooth or power makes your device untrackable, but if it's on, has Bluetooth, and is near another Apple device, it can be tracked even if it can't connect to WiFi or LTE.
You're not going to notice a difference in the Find My app when tracking a device over Bluetooth rather than a cellular or WiFi connection -- it simply shows up in the list of devices like any other device that does have a standard connection. Offline devices do have their distance from you listed in gray instead of blue, and you can tell when the location data was last updated by the time listed.
In testing, setting an iPad into Airplane mode and enabling Bluetooth continued to allow the iPad to be tracked thanks to another nearby iPhone, but turning off Bluetooth prevented it from being found even from a device to device connection.
Enabling/Disabling Offline Mode
Offline Finding is enabled on your devices by default, but you can disable it in the Settings app. Open up Settings, tap on "Find My," select "Find My iPhone" and then choose the "Enable Offline Finding" option.
How It Works
Implementing the device to device location feature while preserving privacy was quite a feat and the technical details of how it works are quite complicated, but Apple has given a high level overview of how it functions.
Basically, it's been designed with an encryption system that prevents people from abusing the feature for doing things like tracking you. That encryption system makes your personal location unavailable to people aiming to intercept your device's Bluetooth signal and from Apple itself.
Find My requires Apple users to have at least two devices. Each of your devices emits a constantly changing public key that nearby Apple devices pick up, encrypt, and upload with your geolocation data.
To decrypt that location signal, you need a second Apple device logged in with your Apple ID credentials and protected with two-factor authentication. Essentially, only your own devices can decrypt the encrypted location signal that's being sent from a lost device, no one, not even Apple, can intercept it and locate you or your devices.
As an example scenario, if you were on an airplane, had your iPhone in Airplane Mode with Bluetooth on, and then left it behind on the plane accidentally, it would potentially still be trackable. In this situation, a flight attendant or an airport worker with an iPhone might come across it. The flight attendant's own iPhone would connect to your lost iPhone over Bluetooth by picking up your public key.
The flight attendant's iPhone would then upload your device's encrypted location and a hash of your public key (for identification purposes) to Apple's servers, where one of your own devices can receive the encrypted info and decrypt it to make the offline device able to be tracked.
Because the entire Find My system is end-to-end encrypted, other people can't get the location of your devices using Bluetooth, nor can Apple. Lost devices are trackable only by you.
Device Impact
According to Apple, Find My's background Bluetooth location tracking feature uses just tiny bits of data piggybacked on existing network traffic so there's no impact on device battery life, data usage, or privacy.
Locate Lost Devices That Are Off
Devices that have been turned off can still be tracked by the Find My network starting in iOS 15. If a device was low on battery power or turned off by a thief, it can still be found when it's close to another Apple device.
The Find My network is a feature that Apple introduced with iOS 13, and it enabled Apple devices to be located even without a WiFi or cellular connection by leveraging other nearby iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
In iOS 15, Apple has extended the Find My network to work with devices that are turned off as well. Apple has not outlined just how this feature works, but either the U1 chip, Bluetooth, or NFC continues to be powered in the background even when your device is off or out of battery, though in the case of battery, tracking may last a limited number of hours.
Apple has a similar feature for Car Keys that uses NFC, and it lasts for about five hours after an iPhone's battery dies. In this case, it lets you continue to unlock your car if your iPhone is dead.
For this feature to work, the Find My network feature must be enabled. It's on by default, but you can double check by going to your profile, tapping on Find My, selecting Find My iPhone, and then making sure "Find My network" is toggled on.
Tracking Devices That Have Been Erased
If someone steals your iPhone and then erases it, in iOS 15, it's still going to show up in the Find My app, and it will be trackable even after it's been wiped.
The feature is tied to Activation Lock, which prevents someone from using your iPhone without your Apple ID and password. In iOS 14 and prior iOS updates, erasing a device would leave Activation Lock on so no one could use your iPhone without your password, but erasing a device did prevent Find My from functioning.
A wiped iPhone would not show up in the Find My app, but now, erasing an iPhone no longer works that way. If Activation Lock is on (i.e., it wasn't wiped using your username and password to disable Activation Lock), it's tied to your account and locatable using Find My. Combined with the feature for tracking a device that's turned off, the Find My app serves as a much stronger theft deterrent.
To prevent someone from being tricked into purchasing a device that's tied to your account, the Hello screen on a newly erased iPhone makes it clear that the device is locked, locatable using Find My, and the property of someone else.
Help a Friend Find a Lost Device
To help a friend find a lost device, you can tap on the "Help a Friend" option under the "Me" tab. This opens up iCloud.com on the web, where a friend can sign into their account using iCloud. There is no option to sign out of Find My to let another person sign in like you could with Find My iPhone.
Apple in April 2021 introduced AirTags, which are small, circular, Bluetooth-enabled item trackers designed to be attached to items like keys and wallets to allow them to be tracked right alongside Apple devices in the Find My app.
AirTags can be tracked through the "Items" tab and have all of the tracking features available to Apple devices like iPhones and iPads. There's a Lost Mode, and AirTags can also take advantage of the Find My network that allows them to be tracked by billions of iPhones, iPads, and Macs when they're out of range of your own devices.
For everything you need to know about AirTags and how they work, we have a dedicated AirTags guide.
Tracking Third-Party Bluetooth Devices
In iOS 14, Apple introduced Find My support for third-party Bluetooth products. Bluetooth devices that use Apple's Find My Network Accessory Program can be tracked right alongside Apple devices using the Find My app.
The Find My Network Accessory Program launched in April, and the first three devices include Belkin earbuds, Chipolo item tags, and VanMoof electric bikes. These items can be added to the Find My app and tracked on the Find My map, with other features like Lost Mode and Play a Sound also available.
The Find My Network Accessory Program is separate from AirTags, but it will allow third-party accessories to be tracked in the same way as AirTags.
With the release of the Find My Network Accessory Program and AirTags, Apple added an "Items" tab to the Find My app. The Items tab is designed for AirTags and products that participate in the Find My Network Accessory Program. Bluetooth items that have Find My integration can be tracked using this Items tab, as can the AirTags.
Find My Tracking Safety and Anti-Stalking Measures
To prevent AirTags and other Find My-compatible Bluetooth accessories from being used to stalk or track a person, the Find My app has a feature that lets you know if there's a Bluetooth item near you. You will receive a notification when an unknown item is found and moving with you, so you can make sure no one slips an AirTag or other Find My Bluetooth device into your things to track you.
Lost or misplaced AirTags will also play a sound when they are nearby you, so if you hear a mysterious chirping, it could be an AirTag that can be located using an iPhone or iPad.
Tracker Detect for Android
In December 2021, Apple released "Tracker Detect" in the Google Play Store, with the app designed to allow Android users to scan for AirTags and other Find My-enabled items.
With this app, Android users can make sure that no AirTags or Find My-enabled accessories are being used to track them. The app will locate any nearby AirTags, and Android users will be able to cause the AirTag or Find My-enabled accessory to play a sound so it can be located. The app also provides instructions on how to disable an AirTag by removing the battery.
If You Find a Lost Item
If you come across an item that has an AirTag attached to it, the person who owns it can likely see its location. You can scan the AirTag with any smartphone to see information on who it belongs to, and iPhone users can open up the Find My app to find an "Identify Lost Item" scanning option in the Items tab.
Guide Feedback
Have questions about Find My, know of a feature we left out, or want to offer feedback on this guide? Send us an email here.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Nomad to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company's Battery Cables, which combines a Lightning cable with a battery pack.
Priced at $49.99, the Battery Cable combines a high-quality Lightning cable made from braided 500D nylon woven in a ballistic weave pattern with a 2,800mAh battery that's built right into the cord.
The built-in battery is meant to allow the cable to work even when you don't have a power source, and it's convenient because you don't need to have a separate battery pack -- it's all one device that you can bring with you.
At 2,800mAh, the Battery Cable won't quite charge your iPhone to full if it's an XS, XS Max, or XR, but it will give you some extra juice in a pinch.
A light on the Battery Cable will let you know what the charge level is, and for traveling, there's an integrated silicone cable tie to keep it from getting tangled up.
When charging your iPhone with the Battery Cable, it will charge up your iPhone before charging up the included battery pack. The battery pack itself is made from a durable aluminum while the kevlar construction of the cable will ensure that the Battery Cable lasts for a long time to come.
We have 10 of the Battery Cables from Nomad to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (July 5) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on July 12. The winners will be chosen randomly on July 12 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Earlier this week, Xiaomi revealed a new digital avatar feature called "Mimoji," and the parallels to Apple's own Memoji feature were abundantly evident. Although Xiaomi sent out a press release refuting claims that it copied Apple, the company is in hot water again today for going so far as to use Apple's own ads on its website to promote Mimoji (via CX Live and Daring Fireball).
Discovered by a Weibo user earlier today, Xiaomi's product page for its upcoming Mi CC9 smartphone showcased the Apple Music Memoji ad that had Khalid's dancing avatar singing "Talk." These ads were found on e-commerce sites including JD.com and Suning, alongside Xiaomi's official Mimoji graphics.
According to Xiaomi's public relations general manager, Xu Jieyun, this was all an accident. Xiaomi staff "uploaded the wrong content" to the sites, Xu Jieyun said on Weibo.
Both Memoji and Mimoji are 3D avatars that the user can customize to make them look as similar - or dissimilar - to their own likeness as possible. Xiaomi's version includes similar art style to Apple's Memoji, as well as accessories and eyewear that all look just like Memoji.
Xiaomi has made a name for itself when it comes to copying Apple products and features. It launched the equivalent of Apple's Animojis on the Mi 8 smartphone in 2018; a device that strongly resembled the iPhone X. Earlier in 2019, it released a device that looked and functioned similarly to AirPods.
It's been well over a year since HQ Trivia spiked in popularity, but now that interest in the game is dwindling and downloads per month are down 92 percent year-over-year, the company has begun laying off employees.
According to sources speaking to TechCrunch, about 20 percent of staff was let go, amounting to six or seven people. Although the app became immensely popular, HQ Trivia only ever staffed about 35 people, so it will now be down to under 30 employees.
In the wake of its dwindling popularity, HQ Trivia's spin-off game HQ Words is launching a monthly subscription model that will cost $9.99 per month. The Wheel of Fortune-style game will introduce the new model in August, along with bigger prizes and more ways to win, for those who pay the subscription fee.
HQ Words Everyday. Coming next month.
🗓 Play HQ Words every day. 💰 Bigger prizes. 🕹 More ways to win. 🔥 $9.99/mo. subscription.
RT and reply with your username for a chance to win a free year. #wordseveryday
— HQ Words (@hqwords) June 26, 2019
HQ Trivia is said to have had a rocky first half of 2019, with co-founder and CEO Colin Kroll's death in December 2018 leading into co-founder Rus Yusupov gaining control. Staff apparently disliked Yusupov's leadership, as he allegedly "allowed the product to stagnate and popularity to decline," so many employees got behind a petition to have him removed as CEO.
Yusupov learned of the petition and fired two of its leaders, further sinking morale at the company. The board is reportedly still looking for a new CEO.
When Jony Ive announced that he is leaving Apple to start his own design firm, Apple confirmed that chief operating officer Jeff Williams is set to oversee many of the product design responsibilities previously held by Ive. In a new profile today by The Wall Street Journal, Williams' history at Apple is highlighted, including his potential as a future successor to CEO Tim Cook.
According to people who work closely with Williams, he has been "more visible" in the development of Apple products than Cook. Williams has displayed interest in the look and feel of certain products, and helped pivot the Apple Watch away from its fashion-focused launch to one predominantly concerned with health and fitness features that can be achieved without a connected iPhone.
Additionally, Williams was on the product development team that was responsible for the iPhone 4, and his contributions reportedly "quieted doubters" within Apple about his ability to contribute to the design stage. One unnamed source described Williams' knowledge in a thermal-engineering meeting: "It was impressive for a negotiator, and spreadsheet guy, and it just came naturally to him."
Yet, some people wonder if Williams' executive skills are enough to lead Apple product design, and live up to Ive's legacy.
Mr. Williams is an operations executive at his core, the people said, and his skills at logistics and planning make him more implementer than inventor. “He sees where we are, not where we need to be in years to come,” said a former colleague, who also praised Mr. Williams’s leadership, versatility and encyclopedic memory.
Apple chose to promote from within instead of finding outside blood to replace Ive, which analyst Bob O'Donnell said would have been almost impossible anyway. "What they're doing is saying, 'let's reallocate how we think about this and put someone else overseeing a few young designers to give them leeway.' It’s time for fresh blood. The last few iPhones have looked really similar."
Many of WSJ's sources wondered about Apple's future and what its next major product invention will be, and how that will be achieved without Ive's leadership. "You could have looked at Jony and said: 'He's the soul of Steve Jobs,'" said Ensemble Capital president Sean Stannard-Stockton. "I just wonder about their ability to invent the future now."
Ive is set to leave Apple sometime later this year.
Apple is working on a new iPad with a foldable display to be launched as soon as 2020, according to a sketchy new rumor by IHS Markit analyst Jeff Lin, citing supply chain sources (via Economic Daily News). Many reports have suggested Apple could be interested in foldable devices, but this is one of the first times we've heard of a potential foldable iPad.
According to Lin, the 2020 iPad's screen size will be nearly equal to the current MacBook line, suggesting another iPad in the 12-inch range, similar to the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Lin goes on to state that this foldable iPad will also be the first with 5G, creating a tablet with many "business-friendly" features.
As of now, rumors suggest that next-generation iPad Pro models will be released in early 2020, potentially with a time-of-flight rear-facing camera system. This would allow for 3D models to be captured using the tablet and edited with Apple Pencil. Although Apple has been linked to foldable display rumors in the past, the launch of an iPad with a foldable screen as soon as next year appears unlikely.
Reports suggest that Apple's 2020 iPhones will support 5G networks, and it's likely the iPhone would get 5G features before the iPad. Prior to Apple's support of 5G in its hardware, all of the majorcellular companies have begun launching 5G test networks in many cities around the country.
In regards to the foldable display, we've seen recently that Apple will have to contend with many potential issues if it does release a device with a screen that folds, if Samsung's Galaxy Fold is any indication. When that device became available to reviewers in April, many serious issues came to light, all sourced from the smartphone's folding feature.
Samsung eventually decided to delay the launch of the Galaxy Fold and this week finished the redesign of the device, although a final launch date is still unknown.
Sony today announced the WF-1000XM3 earbuds, a new set of true wireless earbuds that will launch this August for $229.99.
The new earbuds come with advanced noise cancellation, powered by a dual noise sensor that catches more of the ambient sounds from your surroundings. This is paired with a dedicated HD noise-cancelling processor, the QN1e, which cancels more noise across all frequencies while using less power.
All of the noise cancellation features can be customized in settings, and you can choose to hear more or less ambient noise at any time. There are a few gesture-based features as well, allowing users to place a finger over the earbud to turn the volume down and let in ambient sounds.
In terms of audio quality, Sony promises high-resolution audio powered by a small 0.24" driver unit and the company's Digital Sound Enhancement Engine HX. The earbuds also have a new Bluetooth chip and an optimized antenna design for wider coverage and uninterrupted streaming.
The earbuds offer six hours of power on one full charge, and the included charging case provides three charges. Users can also opt to turn noise-cancelling features off to boost listening time to eight hours per charge. A quick 10-minute charge in the charging case offers up to 90 minutes of play time.
The Verge has hands-on coverage of the earbuds, noting one major downside: they aren't sweat or water-resistant, so any gym-goers may do better looking into other wireless headphones.
Apple reimbursed Samsung 800 billion won ($683 million) to cover the cost of OLED panels after Apple missed a sales target both companies had agreed upon.
Apple originally said it would buy a certain number of the display panels from the South Korean company, but disappointing iPhone sales meant it was unable to live up to the agreement. The payment was made in the second quarter of this year.
The figure, quoted by Reuters, came as Samsung on Friday forecast a plunge in its second-quarter operating profits, but one-off gains like the payment from Apple helped it beat analyst expectations.
Samsung's April-June operating profit likely fell 56 percent to 6.5 trillion won ($5.6 billion), the company revealed in a regulatory filing ahead of the release of its detailed earnings figures in late July. Revenue probably fell 4.2 percent from a year earlier to 56 trillion won ($48 billion).
Samsung is on track to post year-on-year profit declines for a third consecutive quarter, mainly due to a combination of falling chip prices because of a supply glut and U.S. sanctions on Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei, which has become a key Samsung client.
The U.S.-China trade war is also impacting global chip and smartphone markets, with rising tariffs hitting demand for electronics. In a striking example of the ongoing feud between the two countries, Seoul also cut its annual economic growth target to a seven-year low as exports continued to slump.
Apple today is experiencing problems with a host of iCloud-related services, as outlined on the company's system status page. Affected services include all of the basic iCloud services, as well as services like Find My Friends, Find My iPhone, Game Center, Photos, and Screen Time.
The company says only that "some" users are affected, but social media reports suggest the outage is fairly widespread.
Apple is also having problems with its retail store systems, with a number of users reporting that employees are unable to complete customer purchases or support requests.
The awkward moment you go into the Apple store and they say every store in the world right now can’t sell anything.
Systems down and they don’t know how long for. #FirstWorldProblems#Apple
— Elliott Cantor (@ElliottCantor) July 4, 2019
Systems are down completely @apple store international plaza Tampa, Fl. Can’t even get my watch fixed
— wakaidev (@wakaidev) July 4, 2019
Update: Apple Cash, Apple Pay card management, and Mail Drop are now also affected.
Update 2: According to Apple's system status page, all issues have been resolved.
Today is Independence Day in the United States, and as people around the country celebrate the holiday, many retailers have kicked off notable sales that can help those shopping around today save some money.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
In this article we've highlighted some of the best sales for Apple products and compatible accessories, offered by companies like Speck, Twelve South, JBL, Anker, CalDigit, OWC, and many more.
iPad Pro Deals
Amazon has introduced a series of notable discounts on Apple's 11-inch iPad Pro from 2018, including a few new all-time-low prices on the tablet. Discounts include both Wi-Fi and cellular models, and reach to as much as $250 off original prices.
Amazon is also continuing sales on the 12.9-inch iPad Pro models this week, offering up to $250 off the larger-screen devices. iPad Pros that are seeing lowest-ever prices have been marked in the lists below.
11-Inch
Wi-Fi, 512 GB - $949.00, down from $1,149.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)
Wi-Fi, 1 TB - $1,299.00, down from $1,549.00 ($250 off)
Cellular, 512 GB - $1,099.00, down from $1,299.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)
Cellular, 1 TB - $1,449.00, down from $1,699.00 ($250 off, lowest ever)
12.9-Inch
Wi-Fi, 512 GB - $1,149.00, down from $1,349.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)
Wi-Fi, 1 TB - $1,499.00, down from $1,749.00 ($250 off)
Cellular, 64 GB - $949.99, down from $1,149.00 ($199 off, lowest ever)
Cellular, 512 GB - $1,299.00, down from $1,499.00 ($200 off, lowest ever)
Anker
Anker typically has sales running on its accessories, and today is no different. With these discounts, you can save on portable battery packs, a power strip, Lightning cables, Bluetooth speakers, wireless chargers, wireless earphones, and more.
All of the sales listed below will expire on July 10, and none of them require a promo code. Be sure to head to Amazon and place your order soon if you're interested.
Today is the last day that you can get 25 percent off sitewide on Speck's website. With this sale, you can save on iPhone cases, iPad cases, and other accessories.
Head to SpeckProducts.com, add a product to your cart, and enter the code JULY4TH during checkout to get 25 percent off. Exclusions to the sitewide sale include MacBook covers, accessories for the Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL, and previously marked down products.
Twelve South
Popular Apple accessory maker Twelve South is offering up to 60 percent off its devices through July 5 at 12:01 p.m. ET. During the "Tent Sale," you can save on items like the BackPack for iMac, Journal for iPhone, Fermata stand, PlugBug World, and many more.
We've highlighted a few notable accessories on sale in the list below, but be sure to head to TwelveSouth.com for the full collection.
Accessory maker Olloclip is offering a discount on a variety of its iPhone camera accessories. You can get a few of the Olloclip iPhone cases for $19.99 ($10 off), Ultra-Wide and Super-Wide lenses for $35.99 ($9 off), and the Filmer's Kit for $219.99 ($20 off).
There are also various clips, bundles, and standalone lenses on sale, so be sure to visit Olloclip.com to browse the full sale.
You can get a HomePod for $228.88, discounted power adapters for the MacBook, Thunderbolt 3 docks, and more during the sale.
CalDigit
CalDigit is providing 15 percent off your entire order from the CalDigit Online Store with the coupon code HAPPY4TH. This promotion is only valid in the United States and United Kingdom, and will end on July 7.
CalDigit is a great place to purchase storage devices for Mac that use Thunderbolt and USB-C, but the company also sells accessories like USB-C adapters and docking stations.
Other Sales
JBL - Save up to 60 percent on portable speakers, headphones, and more
Apple has debuted two new billboards in Canada that underline the company's privacy stance, following a similar privacy-focused marketing campaign in Las Vegas during the Consumer Electronics Show back in January.
New Apple billboard outside Sidewalk Toronto HQ: “We’re in the business of staying out of yours.” pic.twitter.com/I24iAxkXzZ
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) 3 July 2019
The new billboards were spotted in Toronto and shared on Twitter by Matt Elliot and Josh McConnell. The first one has been put up right outside of Sidewalk Labs – a Google-owned company – and includes a slogan which reads: "We're in the business of staying out of your business."
The second billboard located in King Street simply reads "Privacy is King."
This year, Apple has been heavily promoting its privacy focus compared to other tech companies like Google. Apple's Las Vegas billboard, put up ahead of CES 2019, played on the well-known tourism saying: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." The sign read, "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone." Apple was reminding the tech industry of its heavy emphasis on privacy, with the billboard offering up a link to Apple's dedicated privacy website.
Apple has also made privacy-focused iPhone ads that have been aired on various TV markets globally. For example, one ad starts with the tagline "privacy matters" and then shows a variety of humorous if not slightly awkward situations where people would want their privacy protected in everyday life.
Apple has long said it believes privacy is a "fundamental human right," and as part of that, it aims to minimize its collection of customer data and disassociate it from an individual user when it does.
Samsung is in hot water with Australia's consumer watchdog for allegedly misleading consumers about the level of water resistance its Galaxy smartphones offer.
Samsung Galaxy advertisement
Reuters reports that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is suing the South Korean firm for falsely representing its Galaxy phones as suitable for use underwater, following ads that show the devices being submerged in swimming pools and used in ocean water.
Samsung did not know or sufficiently test the effects of pool or saltwater exposure on its phones when ads showed them fully submerged, claims the ACCC lawsuit.
"The ACCC alleges Samsung's advertisements falsely and misleadingly represented Galaxy phones would be suitable for use in, or for exposure to, all types of water, including in ocean water and swimming pools, and would not be affected by such exposure to water for the life of the phone, when this was not the case," ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement.
Samsung Galaxy phones are marketed as having IP68 water resistance, defined as resistant to water 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes. The ACCC's point is the IP68 rating doesn't cover all types of water. However, Samsung told Reuters it stood by its advertising, complied with Australian law, and would defend the case.
The smartphone maker has invested heavily in advertising to rebuild its reputation in the public eye, following its 2016 global recall of fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 devices.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will do away with its controversial butterfly mechanism keyboard in future MacBooks, beginning with a refreshed MacBook Air later this year.
In a report obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says Apple will instead use a new keyboard design based on scissor switches, which should provide better key travel and durability than the more failure-prone butterfly keyboard.
There have been successful developments in the new scissor keyboard. The new keyboard could improve the typing experience by offering longer key travel and durability by adopting glass fiber to reinforce the keys' structure.
Kuo believes a new scissor switch keyboard will also be used in the MacBook Pro, but not until 2020. Perhaps tellingly, Kuo made no mention of the 16-inch MacBook Pro he has previously suggested Apple will launch later this year.
We believe the partially refreshed MacBook Pro models will also adopt a new scissor keyboard in 2020; shipments of MacBook models equipped with a new scissor keyboard will grow 500–700% YoY in 2020. Though the butterfly keyboard is still thinner than the new scissor keyboard, we think most users can't tell the difference. Furthermore, the new scissor keyboard could offer a better user experience and benefit Apple's profits; therefore, we predict that the butterfly keyboard may finally disappear in the long term.
Apple's butterfly keyboards are highly controversial and have been called out as one of the company's worst design decisions due to their penchant for failure due to small particulates like crumbs or heat issues.
Following years of anecdotal complaints from customers, and a few class action lawsuits, Apple initiated a worldwide service program, offering free repairs of 2015-and-later MacBook and 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro keyboards, which are equipped with low-profile butterfly switch mechanisms.
Apple in 2018 debuted MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models that use an updated third-generation butterfly keyboard. The third-generation keyboard has a thin silicone barrier behind each key, which was put in place as an ingress-proofing measure to prevent dust from getting in the keys.
Clearly the hope was that the updated keyboard would cut down on failures, but the 2018 MacBook Pro is still prone to keyboard issues, and Apple acknowledged as much in March.
Kuo says the new replacement keyboard will be supplied solely by specialist laptop keyboard maker Sunrex rather than Wistron, which currently makes the butterfly keyboards for Apple. The analyst expects the new Sunrex keyboard will go to mass production in 2020 and will make the Taiwan-based firm Apple's most important keyboard supplier.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Catalina update to its public beta testing group, one week after seeding the first public beta and a day after seeding the third developer beta.
Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will be able to download the macOS Catalina beta through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile. Those who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.
Potential beta testers should make a full Time Machine backup before installing macOS Catalina, and it may not be wise to install it on a primary machine because betas can be unstable and often have many bugs.
macOS Catalina eliminates the iTunes app, which has been a key Mac feature since 2001. In Catalina, iTunes has been replaced by Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. The new apps can do everything that iTunes can do, so Mac users aren't going to be losing any functionality, and device management capabilities are now handled by the Finder app.
macOS Catalina has a useful new Sidecar feature, designed to turn the iPad into a secondary display for the Mac. It can work as a traditional second display or with a mirroring feature. Apple Pencil support works with Sidecar, so you can turn your iPad into a drawing tablet using apps like Photoshop.
For those with an Apple Watch set up to unlock the Mac, there's now an option to approve security prompts in Catalina by tapping on the side button of the watch. Macs with a T2 chip in them also support Activation Lock, making them useless to thieves much as it does on the iPhone.
There's a new Find My app that lets you track your lost devices, and previously, this functionality was only available via iCloud on the Mac. There's even a new option to find your devices even when they're offline by leveraging Bluetooth connections to other nearby devices, something that's particularly handy on the Mac because it doesn't have a cellular connection.
Apple is expanding Screen Time to the Mac in Catalina, letting Apple users track their device usage across Mac, iOS, and iPad for a better overall picture of time spent using electronics.
For developers, a "Project Catalyst" feature lets apps designed for the iPad be ported over to the Mac with just a few clicks in Xcode and some minor tweaks. Apple's ultimate goal with Project Catalyst is to bring more apps to the Mac.
Photos features an updated interface that better highlights your best pictures, Safari includes a new start page with Siri Suggestions, Mail has a new feature for blocking emails and another new option for muting threads, and the Reminders app has been overhauled and is now more useful.
Before installing macOS Catalina, be aware that it does away with 32-bit app support, so some older apps that have not been updated in some time may stop working. For more on macOS Catalina, make sure to check out our macOS Catalina roundup.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
The BBC Sounds mobile app has been updated with CarPlay support, meaning users can now listen to the broadcaster's extensive library of live and on-demand radio, music, and podcasts from their in-car infotainment systems and dashboards. 
When Jony Ive announced that he is 
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
