New evidence compels true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell, played by Octavia Spencer, to reopen a murder case that made her a media sensation. "Breaking Bad" star Aaron Paul plays the man she may have wrongfully put behind bars. The series is based on the novel "Are You Sleeping" by Kathleen Barber.
"Hala" was also released on Apple TV+ today. Written and directed by Minhal Baig, Apple says the film follows a high school senior struggling to balance being a suburban teenager with her traditional Muslim upbringing.
Apple has also released the eighth episodes of "The Morning Show," "See," and "For All Mankind," as well as the fourth episode of "Servant."
Apple TV+ is available through the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and select smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio, as well as online at tv.apple.com. The streaming service costs $4.99 per month in the United States, with a seven-day free trial available.
Its upcoming Galaxy S11 will sport a 108-megapixel sensor for the main camera -- versus the iPhone 11's 12 -- flanked by three more on the back of the device including an ultrawide-angle lens and 5x optical zoom, they said. The marquee device will also adopt a time-of-flight sensor for depth detection similar to one already in the Note 10+, a feature that can aid portrait photos and augmented-reality applications, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing specifications that haven’t been made public.
The high-resolution sensor and 5x zoom camera will also feature in its second Galaxy Fold device, which is expected to be unveiled in February, around the same time as the launch of the Galaxy S11 launch, according to Bloomberg. Affiliate Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. developed the 5x zoom module, which went into production earlier this year.
The arsenal of lenses planned for the rear of the S11 are said to be a key part of Samsung's bid to outshine Apple in next year's smartphone stakes, with 5G connectivity and foldable devices forming the other core pillars of its head-start hardware strategy. Apple's next generation of flagship smartphones aren't expected to arrive until several months later in the fall.
Apple made major changes to the rear camera system in the 2019 iPhone lineup with the new triple-lens setup of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, and 2020 is expected to bring even more camera improvements.
Rumors suggest Apple will add a laser-powered time-of-flight 3D rear camera to the iPhone 12 Pro, which will bring significant improvements in augmented reality experiences.
The camera is said to be able to scan areas up to 15 feet from the device. Apple's front-facing TrueDepth camera uses similar 3D technology but because it's infrared and not laser-powered, it only works at distances of 25 to 50 centimeters.
Apple plans to release an all-OLED lineup in 2020 consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year, according to the latest prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The 6.1-inch "iPhone 12 Pro" and 6.7-inch "iPhone 12 Pro Max" are expected to feature a triple-lens rear camera. So far, rumors indicate these two higher-end iPhones will use the new time-of-flight rear camera, so it may not be available in the lower-end iPhones that are going to have a lower price tag.
We're hearing multiple reports worldwide from subscribers to Apple TV+, Apple's video streaming service, about the loss of support for watching shows in Dolby Vision HDR on Apple TV 4K set-top boxes connected to compatible 4K TVs.
Over the past two weeks, more and more users have taken to the MacRumors forums, Twitter, Reddit and Apple's discussion pages to highlight the problem, which appears to be affecting not only new show episodes as they're made available, but existing episodes hosted on the service that previously worked in Dolby Vision HDR.
For example, early episodes of "See," "The Morning Show" and "For All Mankind" are no longer being streamed in dynamic Dolby Vision HDR, but revert back to static HDR in HDR10 format on TVs that officially support Dolby Vision. The same goes for brand new episodes of these shows that were released today, despite the fact that they still carry the Dolby Vision HDR support label on the summary screens.
Compared to static HDR10 which works uniformly across content, Dolby Vision HDR use dynamic image metadata that enables Dolby Vision-capable TVs to adapt the extended color gamut and increased contrast range of HDR on a scene-by-scene and even frame-by-frame basis. Losing the DV HDR support can result in scenes that look too dark, appear like a negative image, or have an odd tint to them.
@UHD4k I don’t know if it’s just me but today on my Apple TV 4K when I watch an Apple TV+ show (See and Morning show) it’s in HDR instead of Dolby vision. Used to work fine. Weird.
— Djems (@Djems94) December 6, 2019
Some users have suggested that the affected episodes may still be encoded in Dolby Vision and it's actually a bug in Apple TV's Match Dynamic Range feature that's preventing the set-top box from outputting the source content correctly. However, it seems more likely that Apple has removed support from the source content while it resolves a problem streaming shows in Dolby Vision.
It's worth noting that the problem doesn't currently seem to affect all shows on Apple TV+ for at least some users. There are scattered reports that "The Elephant Mother" documentary and Apple's "Dickinson" show still appear to be streaming in full Dolby Vision HDR, as do some kids shows like "Snoopy in Space."
We've contacted Apple for comment on the issue and will update this article if we learn anything more.
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On our YouTube channel, we have an ongoing video series that's designed to highlight new, interesting, and useful iOS apps that we think are worth downloading and checking out.
There are so many apps in the iOS App Store that it can be difficult to find new apps to download, plus it's easy to overlook great apps that are a bit older. Our app lists include both new and old apps that we recommend and have tested out.
What the Golf? (Free, but requires Apple Arcade) - Apple Arcade, which offers tons of games for $4.99 per month, is a great deal, and we've come across quite a few games that make the subscription price worth it. One such game is What the Golf, a fun action game that takes golf to new places. What the Golf is described as the game for people who hate golf, so don't let the name fool you - this is a fun little game where the goal is to get an object (not always a golf ball) to a hole. There are fun puns, silly levels, ragdoll mechanics, and genuinely difficult content to contend with. It's the perfect game to pick up for a few minutes when waiting in line.
1.1.1.1 (Free) - Created by Cloudflare, 1.1.1.1 is a free app that uses WARP, which is technically a type of VPN, but it's simpler than other VPN apps. 1.1.1.1 doesn't hide your IP like a traditional VPN, but it does encrypt all of your traffic and employ Cloudflare's DNS service to make your internet usage more private and secure. Once you toggle it on, 1.1.1.1 works in the background to replace the connection between your phone and your internet, preventing anyone from seeing what you're doing on the internet. It's free and collects no data, but there is a WARP+ option that promises faster internet speeds for $4.99 per month.
Noto (Free) - Noto is simple note taking app that makes it easy to create and organize your notes, plus it has a Mac app counterpart so you can use it cross device. Noto has a slick, straightforward design, but it also features powerful editing tools, a dark mode, a checklist for to-do items, a useful search tool, and more. Noto is free to use, but there is a paid option to unlock features like attachments and exports.
Enlight Pixaloop (Free) - Enlight Pixaloop is a fun little app that lets you add movement to your photos, bringing them to life. You can select parts of your photos to animate, and doing so takes just a few taps and swipes. You can, for example, animate water or the sky for neat effects, or add movement to objects like towers, umbrellas, and more. Pixaloop is free to download, but unlocking all of the app's features requires a $3.99 per month subscription fee or a $60 one time purchase.
Microsoft Math Solver (Free) - For our readers still in school, we wanted to highlight Microsoft Math Solver, which is a super handy app that can help you with math problems. Microsoft Math Solver lets you write a math problem on screen or use the camera to snap a photo of a problem and it provides you with a step-by-step explanation on how to solve it. The app can also generate similar math problems so you can practice. It works with elementary math, pre-algebra, algebra, word problems, basic calculus, and statistics.
Have a favorite iOS app? Let us know in the comments. We're always looking for new iOS app ideas for this series, and we'll check out suggestions from MacRumors readers. You can see our recommendations from previous months here, and don't miss our Mac app series featuring great Mac apps worth downloading.
Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3 updates to developers and public beta testers, two weeks after seeding third betas and over a month after the release of iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 with new emoji, Siri privacy controls, Deep Fusion for iPhone 11, and more.
iOS and iPadOS 13.3 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.
iOS 13.3 introduces Communication Limits for Screen Time, a feature that Apple promised would be coming in an iOS 13 update. Communication Limits allow parents to control who their children are able to contact both during downtime and during Screen Time.
Communication Limits include FaceTime, Phone, and Messages, along with iCloud contacts. Calls to emergency numbers are always allowed and will turn off communication limits for 24 hours when placed.
The update features support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari. That means physical security keys like the Lightning-equipped YubiKey can be used for more secure two-factor authentication in place of a software-based two-factor authentication option.
In the Keyboards section of the Settings app (under General), there's a new toggle that prevents Animoji and Memoji stickers from being displayed as an option on the Emoji Keyboard, and when editing a video, there's an option to save the edited version as a new clip rather than saving over the original. Apple has also tweaked the Apple Watch app icon, changing the color of the Digital Crown from black to gray.
Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.
To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.
watchOS 6.1.1 appears to be a minor update focusing on performance improvements and bug fixes that weren't able to be addressed in watchOS 6.1.
No new features were found in the first three betas of watchOS 6.1.1, but we'll update this article should new features be found in the fourth beta.
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming tvOS 13.3 update to developers and public beta testers, two weeks after seeding the third beta and over a month after releasing the tvOS 13.2 update.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 13.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.
tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, focusing on under-the-hood bug fixes and improvements rather than major outward-facing changes. Apple provides little to no information on what's included in tvOS beta updates, so we may not discover any major changes after installing the software.
The update does, however, include a useful new setting that's designed to let you change the main banner interface in the TV+ app from What to Watch to Up Next, which shows content from shows that you're already watching instead of show suggestions.
The option can be accessed by going to the Settings app, choosing Apps, and selecting the TV app. From there, select Home Screen and choose "Up Next" in the "Top Shelf" section.
While we don't often know full details about what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
Apple today updated its Clips app designed for the iPhone and the iPad, introducing Animoji and Memoji support for the first time. With the Animoji and Memoji addition, video recordings can be made with the Animoji and Memoji characters.
Users can share personal video messages, slideshows, school projects and more, with Animoji and Memoji able to follow the movement of a user's face for "fun selfie videos" using the front-facing camera. Prior to now, Animoji and Memoji were limited to FaceTime and Messages.
Memoji created and customized in the Messages app will be integrated automatically into clips, and Animoji and Memoji video clips can be layered with existing Clips features like filters, animated text, and music.
For those unfamiliar with the Clips app, it's a video editing app that lets users combine video clips, images, and photos with voice-based titles, stickers, music, filters, and graphics to create unique videos that can be shared on social media.
Today's update also introduces new stickers featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, along with a new winter-themed poster. Using Animoji and Memoji in Clips requires a device with a TrueDepth camera.
Clips was last updated in April 2019 before today's major Animoji and Memoji addition. The app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Earlier this week, security researcher Brian Krebs found that the new iPhone 11 Pro models access user location data even when all apps and system services on the iPhone are set to not request the data.
Krebs told Apple that he had found a possible privacy bug as this presumably should not happen, but Apple told him that there were no concerns and the iPhone was operating as designed. "It is expected behavior that the Location Services icon appears in the status bar when Location Services is enabled. The icon appears for system services that do not have a switch in Settings," Apple said.
Krebs came to the conclusion that Apple has certain system services that check for location regardless of whether the setting has been disabled individually for apps and system services, which, as it turns out, is accurate.
Apple today provided more context in a statement to TechCrunch, explaining that the new iPhone models that have a U1 ultra wideband chip are using location data to make sure they're not in restricted areas.
As Apple explains, there are some areas where ultra wideband technology is not allowed because of international regulations, so the iPhone must make sure it is not in these locations.
Ultra wideband technology is an industry standard technology and is subject to international regulatory requirements that require it to be turned off in certain locations. iOS uses Location Services to help determine if iPhone is in these prohibited locations in order to disable ultra wideband and comply with regulations.
The management of ultra wideband compliance and its use of location data is done entirely on the device and Apple is not collecting user location data.
Apple says that the location checks are done on device and no data about location is being sent to Apple's servers.
In the future, Apple plans to provide a dedicated toggle that will turn off the ultra wideband technology and thus disallow the background location tracking that's currently going on.
Apple Watch models with cellular connectivity are now available in New Zealand for the first time ever.
Apple has started selling Series 3 and Series 5 models with Wi-Fi and Cellular through its online store in New Zealand this week, with pricing starting at NZ$549 for Series 3 models and NZ$929 for Series 5 models.
Spark is the only carrier that offers service for the Apple Watch in New Zealand right now. For $12.99 a month, Spark's wearable plan lets you share your iPhone plan's minutes and texts and get unlimited data on the Watch. And until June 6, 2020, Spark is offering the first three months free.
Apple plans to release five new iPhone models in 2020, according to the latest prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo outlined his expectations for a so-called iPhone SE 2 with a 4.7-inch LCD display in the first half of 2020, followed by a higher-end all-OLED lineup consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year.
Kuo expects all four higher-end models to support 5G with a Qualcomm X55 modem, adding that availability of models with Sub-6G-only or Sub-6G-plus-mmWave types of 5G will vary by country.
Kuo expects the iPhone models with mmWave to be available in five markets, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom, while Apple may disable 5G functionality in countries that do not offer 5G service or have a shallow 5G penetration rate to reduce production costs.
The so-called iPhone SE 2 is expected to resemble the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display with bezels and a Touch ID home button, but with a faster A13 chip and 3GB of RAM. The device will continue to have a single-lens rear camera, according to Kuo, like the original iPhone SE and the iPhone 8.
The four higher-end iPhones are expected to resemble the iPhone 4, including a new metal frame that will likely sport flatter edges.
All in all, we can expect the following iPhone lineup in 2020 if Kuo is accurate:
4.7-inch iPhone SE 2: LCD display, single-lens rear camera, no 5G support
5.4-inch iPhone 12: OLED display, dual-lens rear camera, 5G support
6.1-inch iPhone 12: OLED display, dual-lens rear camera, 5G support
Apple plans to launch a high-end iPhone without a Lightning connector in the second half of 2021, according to a new prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The device will supposedly offer a "completely wireless experience," suggesting that Apple is not switching to USB-C, but rather dropping the port entirely.
An excerpt from Kuo's research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors:
Apple will create more differentiation between the highest-end and high- end models. It will benefit the shipment of the highest-end model and iPhone ASP. Among new 2H21 iPhone models, we expect that the highest-end model would cancel the [Lightning] port and provide the completely wireless experience.
Earlier in 2021, Kuo expects Apple will launch a so-called "iPhone SE 2 Plus" with a full-screen design but no Face ID, resulting in only a small notch. Instead, Touch ID will be built into the power button, according to Kuo:
Apple will launch the iPhone SE2 Plus in 1H21. We predict that the display size will be 5.5 or 6.1-inch. This model will adopt a full-screen design. The notch area will be smaller because of no Face ID support. The Touch ID will be integrated with the power button, which is located on the side.
A report from JPMorgan analysts earlier this week said that Apple will be moving toward a biannual iPhone release cycle to help smooth out sales. Coupled with Kuo's report, it does look like Apple may be moving towards a trend of lower-end iPhones each spring and higher-end iPhones each fall.
In May 2018, Apple announced that it had helped facilitate a collaboration between two of the world's largest aluminum producers, Alcoa and Rio Tinto, on a new carbon-free aluminum smelting process. Together, the companies formed a joint venture called Elysis, working to develop the patented technology further.
Today, Apple said it has now bought the first-ever commercial batch of carbon-free aluminum from Elysis, according to Reuters. The aluminum will be shipped from a Pittsburgh facility and used in unspecified Apple products. iPhones, iPads, Macs, and many other Apple products use aluminum.
"For more than 130 years, aluminum - a material common to so many products consumers use daily - has been produced the same way. That's about to change," said Apple's environmental chief Lisa Jackson.
Alcoa and Rio Tinto aim to commercialize and license the carbon-free smelting process beginning in 2024. If fully developed and implemented, it will eliminate direct greenhouse gas emissions from the traditional aluminum smelting process developed over 130 years ago, according to Apple.
Alcoa said it has been producing aluminum at its facility near Pittsburgh with the new process, to varying degrees, since 2009. The process resulted from decades of research and is described by Apple as the most significant innovation in the aluminum industry in more than a century.
Elysis also plans to manufacture the carbon-free aluminum at a CA$50 million research facility under construction in Saguenay, Quebec, which is slated to open in the second half of 2020, according to the report.
Apple today announced that its flagship store in Sydney, Australia will be temporarily closed starting January 5, 2020 to receive "creative updates." As noted by 9to5Mac, this will likely include a Forum and Video Wall for Today at Apple sessions, and the Genius Bar could be replaced with a more casual Genius Grove area.
Apple Sydney was the company's first store in Australia, opened June 2008. During the closure, customers can shop at Apple's nearby Bondi or Broadway locations. Apple has not indicated when the renovations will be completed.
Nearly four months after rolling out in the United States, the Apple Card is now beginning to appear on credit reports.
Goldman Sachs has confirmed that it is working with credit bureau TransUnion to begin reporting Apple Card information, informing cardholders that they will see full details on their credit report within the next five days. This includes the date the Apple Card account is opened, credit balance, payment status, and more.
In other words, like any other credit card, the way you use your Apple Card can now have an impact on your credit score.
To apply for an Apple Card, simply open the Wallet app on an iPhone running iOS 12.4 or later, tap the plus button in the top-right corner, and follow the on-screen steps. The process takes just a few minutes, and if approved, your digital Apple Card will be ready for purchases immediately.
We have been working with TransUnion to begin reporting your Apple Card information. Within the next 5 days, you will see the full details on your credit report.
— GS Bank Support (@gsbanksupport) December 5, 2019
Apple Card offers 3% cashback at a growing number of merchants, including Apple, Nike, Uber, Uber Eats, Walgreens, Duane Reade, and T-Mobile.
Update: Apple Card's variable APR range has been lowered to 12.49%-23.49% based on creditworthiness as of December 1, 2019, down from 12.74%-23.74% as of October 1, 2019, according to fine print on Apple's website. Thanks to MacRumors reader Scott Overfield for the tip.
In a new entry to its Machine Learning Journal, Apple said its product teams are "engaged in state of the art research in machine hearing, speech recognition, natural language processing, machine translation, text-to-speech, and artificial intelligence, improving the lives of millions of customers every day."
Apple employees will be making a series of presentations at the conference. A schedule is provided in Apple's Machine Learning Journal.
Machine learning algorithms play a role in virtually every Apple product and service, ranging from Apple Maps and Apple News to Siri and the QuickType keyboard on iPhone and iPad. Apple has machine learning jobs available in areas such as artificial intelligence, computer vision, data science, and deep learning.
"There are an estimated 600,000 to 1 million cases of Parkinson's Disease in the United States and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year," reads the filing, which goes on to describe the symptoms sufferers have to live with. "Symptoms of PD include... tremor and dyskinesia. Dyskinesia is an uncontrollable and involuntary movement that can resemble twitching, fidgeting, swaying or bobbing."
The patent states that dyskinesia and tremors can occur when all of the other features of Parkinson's Disease are being managed through medication. Unfortunately, the dopamine replacement therapy can also cause more pronounced side effects, and doctors have to rely on in-clinic tests and patient reports to regulate their treatment effectively.
"A patient's quality of life is largely dependent on how precisely clinicians titrate and schedule the patient's medications to minimize the patient's symptoms. This is a challenge for clinicians because each patient has a different combination of symptoms that can change and become more severe over time. Also, in any given day the symptoms may fluctuate based on medications, food intake, sleep, stress, exercise, etc."
The feature uses motion sensors to monitor the wearer's movement and the data gathered is analyzed on the device using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). According to Apple, this allows the data to be collected more reliably and means the sufferer doesn't need to keep close track of their symptoms and can better plan activities around symptom patterns.
The image above shows a patient wearing an Apple Watch, but the patient doesn't specify that the feature would be limited to a wrist-based device, suggesting it could make its way into an iPhone, or perhaps even an electronic finger ring.
