Stockholm's newly elected city council has promised that plans will not proceed for a flagship Apple Store bordering Kungsträdgården, a public park in the city center, according to Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
A render of Apple Kungsträdgården by Foster + Partners
While the previous city council had approved the plans, the proposed store received some pushback from local residents, as the Kungsträdgården is a popular gathering space with concerts, events, and other activities. The new city council assured those residents that the store will not be built at a press conference today.
Earlier this year, Stockholm residents were invited to share their opinions about the proposed store during a consultation period, according to The Local. Swedish blog Teknikveckan's Peter Esse told MacRumors the city received nearly 1,800 comments about the plans, many containing negative feedback.
According to The Local, critics said the store would block the entrance to the north side of the park and change the environment from an open-air space for public use to a commercialized one. A TGI Fridays restaurant is already located on the spot, but the Apple Store was expected to be larger.
Apple had planned to host its own events and performances in the park, as part of its goal of having its stores double as "town squares."
Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts confirmed the company's plans to open a store in Stockholm in February 2016, in a statement provided to Swedish newspaper Expressen. That report said Apple hoped to open the store within two years, but construction never began due to a series of roadblocks and delays.
A model of Apple Kungsträdgården
Renders of the store released by Apple and architecture firm Foster + Partners indicated that it would be situated on the north side of the park, taking over the location of a TGI Fridays restaurant. The store's design would resemble the Apple Park Visitor Center and Apple Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
It's unclear if Apple will accept the decision or try to push forward with its plans, as it has with its proposed store at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment.
Apple's iPhone XR will go up for pre-order one week from today, and once the lower-cost smartphone is available customers will have the option of purchasing a see-through case sold by Apple. Spotted by Twitter user @ivanincanada and shared by 9to5Mac, iPhone XR press releases in countries like Canada mention "a clear case" priced at $55 CAD, or about $40 USD.
The iPhone XR will come in white, black, blue, coral, yellow, and (PRODUCT)RED, all made with glass bodies and matching anodized aluminum frames. Because of the colorful additions to Apple's iPhone lineup, a clear case makes sense, offering users the chance to show off which color option they've chosen while still protecting their iPhone XR.
Images via 9to5Mac
Similar to Apple's other first-party cases, the clear case has the usual cutouts for the rear-facing camera, and protrusions for the volume rockers, silence toggle, and lock button. No images shared today show off the front of the case, but it appears that there is a gap in the bottom of the case -- like the company's silicone and leather case options -- allowing for access to the Lightning port and more comfortable swipe-up gestures, which are crucial for navigating iOS on the iPhone X, XS, and XR.
Apple announced the iPhone XR alongside the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at an event in September. The latter two smartphones have already launched, and Apple has debuted a new line of silicone and leather cases for the devices, in as many as nine new colorways for each type of case. The iPhone XS and XS Max also have the folio case option, which protects the display of the device using a leather flap.
Those waiting to pre-order the iPhone XR can expect more case styles besides the clear case to debut on Apple.com, likely including these silicone and leather options. Apple is positioning the iPhone XR as the entry-level device in the 2018 iPhone lineup, pricing the device at $749 for the cheapest storage capacity. This means that the iPhone XR comes with a few trade-offs to get the price down (compared to the $999 iPhone XS and $1,099 iPhone XS Max), including an LCD display, aluminum frame, single lens camera, and "Haptic Touch" instead of 3D Touch.
Instagram is testing a new way of navigating through posts – by tapping through them, just like users tap through Stories.
The new navigation system sees users tapping the sides of the screen instead of scrolling up and down with their finger to advance forwards and backwards between posts, which can get tiring after a while.
By eliminating thumb swipe fatigue and ensuring the full post always appears on screen, testing tap-to-advance in Explore could get us spending more time on Instagram https://t.co/l2yIHAHUkCpic.twitter.com/Mr0khQQATH
— Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) October 11, 2018
It also means users always see media full-screen rather than having to adjust the view with a finger scroll to see the entire post. It's a navigation method that was first used by Snapchat, a platform Instagram isn't shy of taking cues from.
Instagram confirmed to TechCrunch that it is testing tap-to-advance in the Explore tab with a small number of users, who were presented with a pop-up in the app explaining the change.
As for whether the system could be adopted for the main feed, a spokesperson for Instagram said that wasn't something it was actively thinking about at the moment.
In the two weeks following the launch of Dragalia Lost, Nintendo's newest title, the game has earned $16 million in revenue from the iOS App Store and Google Play, according to estimates from app analytics site Sensor Tower.
$13.5 million of the $16 million in revenue has come from Japan and the United States, with the game now ranking third when it comes to revenue earned by Nintendo mobile titles.
During the first two weeks of availability, Fire Emblem Heroes earned $34 million, Super Mario Run earned $15.6 million, and Animal Crossing earned $9.8 million.
Dragalia Lost, unsurprisingly, is performing best in Japan. 69 percent of total revenue has come from Japan, while 16 percent has come from the United States. The remaining 15 percent has come from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau.
Dragalia Lost is the 19th most popular iOS app in Japan at the current time, and the number 512th most popular app in Japan. In terms of revenue, it is ranked number 10 in Japan and number 62 in the United States.
Nintendo released Dragalia Lost two weeks ago on Thursday, September 27. The game is an original swipe-based action RPG developed in partnership with Cygames.
Dragalia Lost tasks players with conquering their enemies using powerful attacks and special skills, with players able to control characters who can transform into dragons to unleash their power on enemies.
In addition to battling monsters, players will also need to develop a holy citadel for dragon training. Limited time multiplayer raid battles are available for up to three players online, and an internet connection is required to play.
Like most of Nintendo's recent titles, Dragalia Lost is free to play and supported through in-app purchases.
Dragalia Lost can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Apple's flagship Covent Garden store in London is set to reopen on Friday, October 26 following a three month renovation period, Apple announced today in its Apple Store app.
Covent Garden is set to reopen on the same day that the colorful new iPhone XR debuts, and to celebrate the store's relaunch, Apple has designed a cheery reopening graphic.
The Covent Garden store closed on June 27 to be overhauled with the new store design first introduced at the Union Square location in San Francisco back in 2016.
Since Apple revamped its San Francisco Apple Store layout with the Genius Grove for getting help, The Avenue for shopping, a Forum for viewing presentations, and an area for Today at Apple classes, the company has been expanding the design to new and existing retail stores across the world.
Covent Garden is the latest store to be updated, and its unveiling follows the recent re-opening of Apple's Palo Alto flagship store in California, which has been updated with a living wall of greenery, a large television screen at the back, redesigned accessory walls, new tables, and indoor trees, all signature features of the new store design.
When it opened back in 2010, Covent Garden was Apple's largest retail location in the world, and it has always been one of the best-known Apple stores due to its unique interior with tall arched windows, stone columns and archways, and vaulted ceiling, design features Apple will retain.
Apple's Covent Garden store in 2015
Apple retail locations that debut on device launch days often open early, so while the Apple Store app doesn't yet list a specific time when the doors will open at Covent Garden, customers should be able to get in right around 8:00 a.m. local time for iPhone XR purchases. Apple will provide additional information as the launch date approaches.
Kaspersky Lab said the report "should be taken with a grain of salt" in its 14-page analysis of the alleged attack, obtained by MacRumors:
The stories published by Bloomberg in October 2018 had a significant impact. For Supermicro, it meant a 40% stock valuation loss. For businesses owning Supermicro hardware, this can be translated into a lot of frustration, wasted time, and resources. Considering the strong denials from Apple and Amazon, the history of inaccurate articles published by Bloomberg, including but not limited to the usage of Heartbleed by U.S. intelligence prior to the public disclosure, as well as other facts from these stories, we believe they should be taken with a grain of salt.
Kaspersky Lab added that the language in both Apple and Amazon statements denying the Bloomberg Businessweek report are "pretty strong" and "leaves little to no chance of retractions or denials at a later time." The firm added that the statements are regulated by the SEC in the United States.
On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, "hardware manipulations" or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident. We are not aware of any investigation by the FBI, nor are our contacts in law enforcement.
Referring to Apple's mid-2016 detection of malware-infected firmware in specific Supermicro servers that were used internally only, Kaspersky Lab said it believes it is "quite possible that the Bloomberg journalists misunderstood the incident and included it in the hardware supply chain attack story."
The analysis said hardware-based attacks like the one alleged in the Bloomberg Businessweek report are sophisticated, difficult to implement, and expensive. "For instance, even if a server board is compromised during manufacturing, it is complicated to ensure that it finds its way to a certain target."
Moreover, Apple's recently retired general counsel Bruce Sewell said he called the FBI's then-general counsel James Baker last year after being told by Bloomberg of an open investigation into Supermicro, and was told that nobody at the federal law enforcement agency knew what the story was about.
Bloomberg Businessweek continues to stand by its reporting, and has since followed up with a second story that claims a major U.S. telecommunications company discovered manipulated hardware from Supermicro in its network and removed it in August, citing a security expert working for the telecom company.
The original report, citing 17 unnamed sources, claimed that Chinese spies planted tiny chips the size of a pencil tip on server motherboards manufactured by Supermicro at its Chinese factories. The servers were then sold to companies such as Apple and Amazon for use in their respective data centers.
An unnamed government official cited in the report said China's goal was "long-term access to high-value corporate secrets and sensitive government networks," but no customer data is known to have been stolen.
The report claimed that Apple discovered the suspicious chips on the motherboards around May 2015, after detecting odd network activity and firmware problems. Two senior Apple insiders were cited as saying the company reported the incident to the FBI, but kept details about what it had detected tightly held.
Apple dropped Supermicro as a supplier in 2016, after the incident with the malware-infected firmware updates.
We've covered Bloomberg Businessweek's report in extensive detail over the past week, with all of our coverage available in our "The Big Hack" archive. At this point, it remains a stalemate between Apple and Bloomberg.
Kaspersky Lab itself has faced controversy, with several reports over the last year claiming its software was compromised by Russian intelligence. Nevertheless, Motherboard said the firm "continues to have a good reputation in the industry," particularly as it relates to its ability to discover malware.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Facebook today announced the launch of a new 3D photos feature that uses the Portrait Mode feature of the iPhone and other smartphones with dual lens cameras.
Facebook manipulates the Portrait Mode photo to display the scene in 3D, using the depth information between the subject in the foreground and the background.
Whether it's a shot of your pet, your friends, or a beautiful spot from your latest vacation, you just take a photo in Portrait mode using your compatible dual-lens smartphone, then share as a 3D photo on Facebook where you can scroll, pan and tilt to see the photo in realistic 3D--like you're looking through a window.
According to Facebook, 3D photos can be uploaded by starting a new post, tapping on the three dots for more options, and choosing the 3D photo option.
Facebook has several tips for creating ideal 3D photos using Portrait Mode, including choosing scenes with a clear difference in depth between the subject and the background, taking advantage of high contrast, and capturing images with some texture.
All Facebook users can view 3D photos in the News Feed and via VR starting today, with the ability to create and share 3D photos rolling out to all users over the coming weeks.
With Apple's AirPower still missing in action, accessory makers have started coming up with alternate solutions to allow the AirPods to charge using a Qi-based wireless charger.
Hyper's HyperJuice Wireless Charger Adapter is one such solution, adding wireless charging support to the AirPods for $50. The HyperJuice Adapter, which is made from a white plastic to match the AirPods, snaps on to the AirPods Charging Case.
One side of the HyperJuice Adapter is shorter than the other, and this side is meant to be positioned at the back of the case to leave the Bluetooth button on the back of the AirPods accessible. The front side of the adapter is longer and comes up close to the lid of the AirPods.
I guess one side of the HyperJuice had to be longer to house the wireless charging coil, but with the long side of the HyperJuice Adapter positioned right at the lid of the case, it's a little bit harder to open the lid one handed with a thumb.
Having the longer side at the front also made the whole setup feel backwards to me, especially because the front of the HyperJuice features the HyperJuice logo and FCC regulatory information.
Inside of the adapter, there's a Lightning connector that plugs into the Lightning port of the AirPods Charging Case, which is how the wireless charging works. On the bottom of the adapter, there's a small green LED that lets you know when the HyperJuice Adapter is successfully charging with a wireless adapter.
iOS installation rates are being broken down in a new way. The 53 percent statistic applies only to devices released in the last four years. Amid all devices, 50 percent are running iOS 12.
Of devices released in the last four years, 40 percent are running iOS 11 and 7 percent are running an earlier version of iOS. Among all devices, 39 percent continue to run iOS 11 while 11 percent use an earlier version of the operating system.
Apple's data is in line with iOS 12 adoption rates that we've been monitoring from analytics site Mixpanel. A week ago, Mixpanel suggested right around 46 percent of devices were running iOS 12.
iOS 12 adoption has outpaced iOS 11 adoption rates at the same time last year. In early October of 2017, iOS 11 was only installed on approximately 38.5 percent of devices. It took until early November for iOS 11 adoption to hit 50 percent, based on Apple's official numbers.
iOS 12 adoption rates are in line with iOS 10 adoption rates in 2016. On October 11, 2016, iOS 10 was installed on 54 percent of active devices.
It is not a surprise that customers are choosing to install iOS 12 at a more rapid pace given the speed improvements introduced with the update. On older devices, performance enhancements can make iPhones and iPads feel much faster.
On the iPhone 6 Plus, for example, apps launch up to 40 percent faster, while the keyboard can appear up to 50 percent faster. Opening the camera on the Lock screen to take a photo can be done 70 percent faster.
Apple has made animations smoother and more responsive across the operating system, so accessing Control Center, scrolling in apps, or swiping up when multitasking feels more fluid.
iOS 12 also includes optimizations for when the operating system is under load. Apps launch up to twice as fast under a heavy load, as does the Share Sheet.
iOS 12 adoption is likely to see a decent bump with the launch of iOS 12.1, an update that is being beta tested. iOS 12.1 introduces eSIM functionality on the iPhone XS and XS Max, brings Group FaceTime, a feature that was removed before iOS 12 launched, and includes new emoji.
Apple in late September registered new iPad models and a new Bluetooth device with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which hints at an imminent release for new iPad Pro models and perhaps a new Apple Pencil.
According to MySmartPrice, Apple registered iPad model numbers A1876, A1980, and A1993 which correspond to previous iPad registrations that we saw Apple file in July with the Eurasian Economic Commission. The exception is A1993, which has not been seen in a prior filing.
iPad Pro mockup by Álvaro Pabesio
The new model numbers do not correspond to any existing devices and likely represent unreleased iPad Pro models. Back in July, Apple also registered A1934, A1979, A2013, A2014, and A1985 with the ECC, representing new iPad Pro models set to be sold in countries that include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
That Apple is registering the previously spotted iPad models in a new country suggests a release could be imminent. With both new iPad models and new Macs on the horizon, we are expecting Apple to hold an October event, which could perhaps take place during the last week of the month based on the release date of the iPhone XR and what we know of past Apple events.
Rumors have suggested the new iPad Pro models could be sold alongside a second-generation Apple Pencil with AirPods-style no-contact pairing, and there is an unknown Bluetooth device in the MIIT filing.
The Bluetooth device, listed as just "Bluetooth device," features a model number of A2051, with no additional information available. It's not known what it is, but it could indeed be a new Apple Pencil based on the rumors we've heard.
Apple is expected to introduce new iPad Pro models in sizes similar to 10.5 and 12.9-inches, with larger displays featuring slimmer bezels and no Home button. All new iPad Pro models are expected to adopt Face ID and a TrueDepth camera system along with improved processors, better camera capabilities, and perhaps a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port.
New next-generation Apple Maps vehicles have been seen on the streets of Los Angeles, according to Business Insider. While Apple has previously been using minivans to collect mapping data, the new vehicles are Subaru Impreza wagons.
The Subarus feature new LIDAR equipment that we have not previously seen either on Apple's Maps minivans or on the Lexus SUVs that it is using to test self-driving capabilities in Northern California.
Apple has been collecting street-level data from vehicles equipped with multiple cameras and advanced LIDAR systems since 2015. In fact, its original minivans sparked speculation about work on an autonomous vehicle, which turned out to be true, but the minivans from 2015 on were always dedicated to maps.
Apple is using the data that it has gathered from its mapping vehicles in iOS 12, with the revamped Maps app that's been rebuilt from the ground up for better accuracy and more detail.
Apple is no longer relying on a third-party Maps provider, instead using the information it has collected over the past three years from vehicles driving across the United States and other countries.
The new Maps app, available in California at the current time, offers up improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, road systems, new construction, and changes in pedestrian walkways along with more detail and accuracy when it comes to displaying foliage like grass and trees, parking lots, building shapes, and more.
It's not clear why Apple has switched to a new type of mapping vehicle, nor what new equipment it is using, but prior setups have included four LIDAR arrays, eight cameras, a GPS rig, a measurement tool attached to a rear wheel for precise distance tracking and image capture, and inside, a Mac Pro for storing all the data.
The new vehicles appear to be limited to Los Angeles at this time, but a similar setup was spotted in San Francisco in an unmarked white Subaru. If Apple is using a new type of mapping vehicle, we could see them in additional areas in the United States soon.
Apple maintains a full list of all of the locations where it is gathering mapping data at any given time for "future Apple Maps updates" on its website.
Apple paid $4.2 million for a one-story, 24,400-square-foot building at 2216 Kausen Drive, one block from the campus, according to property records reviewed by the publication. A spokesperson for Apple confirmed the building is part of the ongoing expansion and development of its Elk Grove operations.
The report, citing a city official, says the building is zoned for office use, suggesting that it could be used as additional space for AppleCare support representatives. Apple also has a large distribution center in Elk Grove, along with a repair and refurbishment facility for iPhones and other products.
Apple has been expanding its Elk Grove campus since 2011, and now has over 5,000 employees working there, the report claims. Apple has had a presence in the city, just south of Sacramento, since the early 1990s.
Beyond its headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple also has a campus in Austin, Texas that handles AppleCare support.
Apple Music and lyric database Genius today announced a partnership, allowing Apple Music subscribers to visit Genius and play any song in full on the song's lyric page. This will work both on the Genius website and in its iOS app.
The partnership will also beef up Apple Music's own lyric database with Genius's information, providing the music streaming service with lyrics to "thousands" of songs. Apple first introduced lyrics in Apple Music with the launch of iOS 10 in 2016, and now the feature will be enhanced with Genius.
“Being able to read lyrics and annotations on Genius while you listen along on Apple Music is a dream Genius experience,” said Ben Gross, Genius’s Chief Strategy Officer. “We’re proud to make Apple Music our official music player, and we’re doubly excited to bring Genius lyrics to their amazing platform.”
To use the Apple Music player on Genius, search for any song, and then tap "connect account" when the player pops up. This process will require you to allow Genius to access your Apple Music, media library, and listening activity, and once you accept you'll be able to listen to full tracks within Genius on the web (desktop and iOS mobile web) and in the iOS app.
In Apple Music, you can check on a song's lyrics by tapping the ellipsis icon at the bottom right of the player screen on iOS, then tapping "Lyrics." Not every song supports lyrics, and it's unclear how soon the Genius encyclopedia of lyrics will be added to Apple Music.
Discover today announced that its Cashback Debit card can now be used with Apple Pay.
Discover Cashback Debit cards are issued to customers with a Discover online checking account. Cardholders will continue to receive 1% cashback on up to $3,000 in qualifying debit card purchases each month when paying with Apple Pay.
To use the card with Apple Pay, simply open the Wallet app on a compatible iPhone and tap on the plus symbol in the top-right corner. Then, position the card within the camera viewfinder, or tap on Enter Card Details Manually.
CVS Pharmacy has officially launched support for Apple Pay nationwide this week, a few months after Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the retailer would be accepting Apple Pay later in the year. CVS has been gradually rolling out support for Apple Pay at its stores in recent weeks, and now it appears to be officially complete.
Using Apple Pay, CVS customers can now pay for their items on compatible iPhones and Apple Watches, by placing the devices close to a near field communication (NFC) payment terminal at checkout. In a marketing email being sent out to customers, Apple encourages shoppers to check out at CVS with its mobile wallet:
Get your essentials in a flash. Buying snacks, vitamins, personal care, and prescriptions from CVS Pharmacy just got faster and more secure.
At the launch of Apple Pay in 2014, CVS disabled NFC payment terminals at some of its locations in order to stop the use of Apple Pay. A few years later, the company debuted "CVS Pay," which used a barcode-based system to allow customers to check out using their smartphone and the CVS Pharmacy app.
Now that CVS has turned around and rolled out Apple Pay support, there are just a few remaining large retail chains refraining from supporting Apple's mobile wallet. This includes Target, which previously said it has no plans to accept Apple Pay in its stores and instead launched a "Wallet" feature in the Target iOS app, allowing customers to pay for their groceries and other items with their smartphone at checkout.
Another is Walmart, which has followed a similar trajectory as Target: the company confirmed it has no plans to support Apple Pay in its retail stores, instead pushing its own "Walmart Pay" mobile wallet checkout option. As with CVS, these companies could eventually decide to accept Apple Pay as a checkout option for customers, but as of now it doesn't appear like this will happen anytime soon.
Apple Pay launched in the United States in October 2014, providing tap-to-pay functionality with a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch after setting up a supported credit or debit card in the Wallet app. Apple Pay is now available in more than 20 countries, and now also supports a person-to-person payment feature called Apple Pay Cash.
Setapp, a company that offers a subscription service for Mac apps, today published the results of an annual survey querying Mac app developers on the state of the Mac App Store.
Many Mac developers continue to be unhappy with the Mac App Store and fewer are choosing it for app distribution, but Apple's efforts to improve the Mac App Store in Mojave have improved opinions in some cases. To get the data for this survey, Setapp queried a total of 814 developers.
Just 22 percent of Mac app developers choose to distribute their apps exclusively through the Mac App Store. 32 percent, up from 30 percent last year, distribute their apps outside of the Mac App Store entirely, while 46 percent sell their apps both in the Mac App Store and outside of the Mac App Store.
Developers continue to make more money outside of the Mac App Store for the most part, with 59 percent earning more revenue without the Mac App Store and 41 percent earning more money through the Mac App Store.
Despite the fact that fewer Mac developers are using the Mac App Store, among those who do exclusively sell through the Mac App Store, overall opinion has improved. Those who sell outside of the Mac App Store and both through the Mac App Store and outside of it also had a higher overall opinion, though it still trends toward the negative.
Mac App Store developers happy with the Mac App Store
51 percent of developers surveyed said that providing Apple with a 30 percent cut of revenue is worth it, an impressive jump from the 31 percent that said the same thing in 2017.
Compared to 2017, when developers were upset with Apple's sandboxing practices and named it as a key reason for avoiding the Mac App Store, opinions have improved. Sandboxing is no longer seen as a critical issue.
Developers are, however, concerned with a lack of pricing upgrade options, no analytics, and an inability to offer trials.
Developers who do not choose the Mac App Store said they avoided it because of the unclear app review process, 30 percent revenue share, and lack of trials.
This year, 20 percent of developers decided to switch to a subscription model for their apps, and 52 percent of those said that it had an overall positive impact on their business. Of those using subscription models, increased revenue and an active growing user base were cited as positives.
Full details and comparisons between data collected in 2016 and 2017 can be viewed on Setapp's survey website, which also includes details on how developers view the Setapp service.
In a research note obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said cumulative smartphone shipments from four major brands on the Chinese market, including Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi, declined 10 percent on a year-over-year basis during China's Golden Week, a national holiday and major sales period.
iPhone XR in (PRODUCT)RED
Kuo, writing on behalf of research firm TF International Securities, said the estimated 6.5-7 million shipments during Golden Week were "lower than expected." He called Huawei the "major winner" as the only brand with a year-over-year increase in shipments during the October 1-7 holiday.
The well-known analyst attributed the year-over-year decline to a lack of innovative selling points among Chinese-brand smartphones. Kuo is positive on the trends of triple-lens cameras and fingerprint sensors under the display in smartphones, but said only limited models currently support both functions.
Kuo also cautioned that the US-China trade war "may be affecting consumer confidence, which makes the replacement cycle longer."
A third reason is that some consumers—particularly existing iPhone owners—will opt for more affordable legacy iPhone models or wait for the iPhone XR, according to Kuo, who expects replacement demands for the iPhone XR in China will be better than last year's demand for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
Extrapolating from Golden Week, Kuo said smartphone shipments in China in 2018 as a whole may be "lower than expected." He estimates shipments may decline 10-15 percent to 410 million units on a year-over-year basis.
Chinese brands have to rely on overseas markets for further growth, according to the research note, shared with investors Thursday. Kuo remains confident about Huawei's future shipment momentum because the brand has "the best competitiveness among Chinese brands in overseas markets," the note said.
As for Apple, the iPhone XR represents an opportunity for the company to increase its market share and revenue in the Greater China region, where it has faced increasing competition from the likes of Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi.
With a lower starting price of $749 in the United States, the iPhone XR lacks some of the bells and whistles of the flagship iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, including an OLED display and glass rear casing, but it has many identical tech specs and longer battery life than both of the more expensive models.
iPhone XR pre-orders begin Friday, October 19 in more than 50 countries, followed by in-store availability on Friday, October 26.
Read-it-later app Pocket has announced a few new features coming to the iOS and Android versions of the app today, including an updated text-to-speech ability and a new design.
After updating to Pocket 7.0, users will be able to listen to text-based articles that they've saved in their Pocket list more easily. With the "Listen" feature, articles can be saved into Pocket from around the internet, opened in the app, and played in their entirety through text-to-speech. The updated feature is now more easily accessed through a dedicated headphone icon right on the Pocket main screen.
Pocket's Listen feature is now also more human sounding thanks to Amazon Polly, a cloud service that can convert text into lifelike speech. Because of this, Pocket says that Listen is not limited to any specific publishers or articles, but can be applied to any text articles viewed inside of the Pocket app.
Your Pocket list just became your own personal podcast, curated by you. Our new listen feature frees the content you’ve saved to fit into your busy life. It enables you to absorb articles whenever and wherever, whether you are driving, or walking, working out, cooking, or on the train.
The new update also brings a fresh design to Pocket, which the company says is tailored to ensure that readers can focus on their saved articles. There's a new and cleaner article view right when the app is opened, a new app-wide dark theme and sepia theme, and updated fonts and typography so reading is more comfortable overall.
Earlier in the year, Pocket introduced time estimates for articles and videos into the iOS app, allowing users to see exactly how long it will take them to read each piece of content. The new additions to the app follow Mozilla's acquisition of Pocket in February 2017.
