MacRumors

The Apple Watch Series 4, launched last week, features a new dual-core S4 chip that's significantly faster than the S3 chip in the Series 3, and, of course, the chips used in older Apple Watch models.

We did a side-by-side comparison of the Apple Watch Series 4 to the original Apple Watch, the Series 1 models, the Series 2 models, and the Apple Watch Series 3 to see how far the Apple Watch has come since it was first introduced in 2015.

In our testing, we compared Apple Watch tasks like booting up, opening apps, and activating Siri to demonstrate the speed differences between each generation.

Unsurprisingly, the Series 4 was the fastest, but for a lot of tasks, there weren't huge speed differences between the Series 4 and the Series 3.

When comparing the Series 4 to the Series 2 and older, though, you can see the impressive improvements Apple has made to the processor over the course of the last three years. While it took the Apple Watch Series 4 40 seconds to boot up, it took the Series 2 almost four minutes, the Series 1 three minutes, and the Series 0 five minutes.

When opening up apps, we didn't see a huge difference between the Series 3 and Series 4 for most tests, but the Series 4 was always just a little bit faster. On Series 2 and older, apps took a good deal longer to open, and in some cases, like with the original Apple Watch, apps took so long we gave up.

So, what can we learn from this? You may not see major speed changes when upgrading to Series 4 from Series 3, though everything will feel snappier.

You will, however, notice an incredible difference upgrading from an original Apple Watch, Series 1 model, or Series 2 model, which makes upgrading from one of these older devices worthwhile.

In our opinion, if you're considering upgrading from a Series 2 or earlier to the Series 4, do it. The speed changes are so drastic that using the Apple Watch Series 4 is an entirely different experience than using an older Apple Watch.

Have you upgraded to a Series 4 from an older Apple Watch model? Let us know what you think about the new device in the comments below.

Over the course of the last week, the front-facing camera in the iPhone XS and XS Max has been receiving a lot of attention because the selfies captured on the new devices are drastically different from those captured with the iPhone X or earlier iPhone models.

In a MacRumors forum thread and on Reddit, Apple has been accused of using a skin-smoothing feature or a "beauty filter" for prettier selfies from the front-facing camera. The effect was demoed by a Reddit user in the image below:

We covered the issue in our recent iPhone XS Max vs. iPhone X camera comparison, where we did see the smoothing effect, but the front-facing camera's performance has garnered so much attention since then that we wanted to more prominently highlight the problem.

When taking a selfie in a situation where lighting is less than ideal, such as indoors or outdoors in areas with lower lighting, the iPhone XS Max appears to be applying a drastic smoothing effect that can hide freckles, blemishes, and other issues.

In full outdoor lighting the problem is less apparent, which has led to speculation that the skin smoothing is actually a result of some heavy-handed noise reduction techniques.

You can test the new camera yourself with an iPhone XS or XS Max and an older iPhone like an iPhone X model by taking selfies indoors and outdoors and comparing the differences between the two. In almost all cases where the lighting is low or uneven, photos captured with an iPhone XS Max look dramatically different.

It makes sense that we'd see differences between the iPhone XS and say, an iPhone 8 because the front-facing cameras are different, but as far as we know, the iPhone X and XS are using the same 7-megapixel front-facing camera. Apple detailed several changes to the rear-facing camera in the iPhone XS models, but beyond a new Neural Engine, there were no announced changes to the TrueDepth camera system.

Because the camera is the same, Apple is doing something different with the way photos are processed after being captured, which could be related to the new HDR features that have been implemented. Apple has a new A12 chip and next-generation Neural Engine that are aiding in photo processing to enable a Smart HDR feature that applies to both the rear and front-facing cameras.

Turning off HDR does not remove the smoothing effect, nor does tweaking any other camera setting, so if the ultra skin smoothing is a result of something like unintentional excessive noise reduction, it needs to be tweaked on Apple's end through a software update. YouTuber Unbox Therapy recently demoed the issue with a series of selfies.

There has been speculation that Apple intentionally implemented the skin smoothing feature to mimic the beauty mode that's popular in Asia and common on some other smartphones, but it's not clear if that was Apple's intention.

Many MacRumors readers and Reddit users have reported the issue to Apple, and given that this issue has received so much attention, we may see front-facing camera tweaks in a future iOS update.

The United States International Trade Commission will not be blocking imports of the iPhone in the ongoing Apple v. Qualcomm case, reports Reuters.

Qualcomm had asked the ITC to ban imports of the AT&T and T-Mobile iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models that use chips from Intel, citing multiple patent violations.

Qualcomm did not ask for a ban on iPhones that use Qualcomm LTE chips, with the reasoning that a more limited exclusion order was more likely to be granted.

An ITC judge said on Friday that while Apple's iPhones infringe on a patent related to power management technology, a ban will not be put in place. The judge cited "public interest factors" as one of the reasons why the court ruled against Qualcomm.

Neither Apple nor Qualcomm have commented on the decision as of yet, but it marks a major victory for Apple in its months-long legal battle with Qualcomm.

The two companies have been embroiled in an increasingly tense legal feud that kicked off in January 2017. Qualcomm and Apple have filed several more than a dozen lawsuits against one another since then.

Apple has accused Qualcomm of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with," while Qualcomm claims that its inventions form the "very core" of modern mobile communication.

Earlier this week, Qualcomm further escalated the dispute by accusing Apple of providing confidential trade information and trade secrets stolen from Qualcomm to Intel.

Apple this afternoon shared a new iPhone XS and XS Max ad called "Growth Spurt," which is a nod to the larger screen size of the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max.

In the minute-long spot, everything that's photographed with the new iPhone XS Max grows to an enormous size, including a cat, an avocado toast, a corgi, a woman, a golf ball, a pot sticker, a cookie, a fish, and more.

Since the launch of the iPhone XS and XS Max, Apple has shared several videos showing off the two new devices, including a guided tour, a feature video, a video focused on photography, and more.

Apple's two new devices, which feature an upgraded A12 chip, better photography capabilities, Face ID, and more, launched last week and are now available for purchase online and in Apple retail stores.

Facebook this morning announced that its engineering team on Tuesday discovered that hackers have exploited a vulnerability in its code, allowing hackers to steal Facebook access tokens for almost 50 million accounts.

According to Facebook, hackers took advantage of security flaws in its "View As" code, which is a feature designed to let people see what their profile looks like to someone else. The Facebook access tokens that were stolen are digital keys that allow people to stay logged in to Facebook.

This attack exploited the complex interaction of multiple issues in our code. It stemmed from a change we made to our video uploading feature in July 2017, which impacted "View As." The attackers not only needed to find this vulnerability and use it to get an access token, they then had to pivot from that account to others to steal more tokens.

It is not clear whether the accounts affected were misused or have had information accessed at this time, and Facebook does not know who executed the attacks.

Facebook says that the vulnerability has been patched at this time, and authorities have been informed. Facebook has reset the access tokens of the nearly 50 million accounts that were affected along with another 40 million accounts that have been subject to a "View As" lookup in the last year.

Customers who have been logged out of their apps will receive a message about what happened once they log back in.

While a security review is conducted, Facebook is turning off the "View As" feature that was used for the hack.

Facebook says that it is "sorry this happened" and that people's privacy and security "is incredibly important." No one needs to change their passwords, according to Facebook, but those concerned can visit the "Security and Login" section in settings to log out of all devices at once.

Today's Facebook hack comes just a day after Facebook was found to be using phone numbers that customers provided for 2-factor authentication for ad targeting purposes and shadow contact building.

iPhone camera lens supplier Largan Precision is developing a special black coating for front-facing smartphone camera lenses, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst at Chinese investment firm GF Securities.

Pu's research note, shared by Taiwanese publications Economic Daily News and MoneyDJ, claims that one or two smartphone makers could adopt the technology as early as 2020. Given that Largan already has a relationship with Apple, it is speculated that the special coating could be applied to future iPhones.

A translated version of the Economic Daily News report says the special coating would allow the front camera lens to "completely disappear." A translation of the MoneyDJ report says the coating will be "pure black," eliminating the "small spots" like those visible in the notch on the iPhone X and newer.

The front camera lens already blends into the notch pretty well on iPhones, but it is visible from certain angles and lighting conditions. The special coating would presumably make the lens completely invisible to the eye.

Apple design chief Jony Ive has long dreamed of an iPhone that resembles a single sheet of glass, and hiding the front camera lens would be yet another step towards that goal, even if it sounds like an insignificant change. This is the first time we've heard this rumor, however, so treat it with some skepticism.

Authorities have issued arrest warrants for 17 people who were running an Apple Store theft ring across California, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced today.

The individuals involved robbed Apple retail stores in 19 different counties, including several in the Bay Area, where Apple's headquarters are located. More than $1 million worth of Apple goods were stolen.

The robbers were known for wearing hoodies and storming Apple Stores in large groups to snatch up products that were on display "in a matter of seconds."

Law enforcement agencies in Oakland and San Luis Obispo handled the investigation, but multiple law enforcement agencies across the state were involved in capturing the criminals. "The successful collaborative efforts of law enforcement has resulted in dismantling a large criminal ring," said Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick.

According to Attorney General Becerra, organized theft rings like the one apprehended this week "cost California business owners millions" and ultimately lead to consumers paying the cost.

Seven of those involved were arrested on Tuesday and booked into the Alameda County Jail, while another person is in custody in Sonoma County. The remaining nine suspects have yet to be arrested, but will be when located. Charges include plotting to commit grand theft against individuals.

Apple today released a new software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading watchOS 5 to watchOS 5.0.1. The new watchOS 5.0.1 release comes 10 days after Apple released the watchOS 5 update.

watchOS 5.0.1 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update.

To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.

The watchOS 5.0.1 update is minor in scale and focuses on fixing bugs that have been discovered since the watchOS 5 update. According to Apple's release notes, watchOS 5.0.1 addresses an issue that caused a "small number of users" to see increased exercise minutes, fixes a bug that caused some users not to receive stand credit in the afternoon, and solves a problem that could prevent the Apple Watch from charging.

watchOS 5, the latest major watchOS update, brought a slew of new features to the operating system. It includes Activity Competitions for challenging friends, a Walkie-Talkie mode with real-time push-to-talk communication, support for Siri shortcuts, new watch faces, and tons more.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.1 update to its public beta testing group, two days after seeding the first beta to developers and three days after releasing the macOS Mojave update.

macOS Mojave introduces a new method of installing software updates, so after the initial beta has been installed using the appropriate profile from Apple, additional betas can be downloaded through opening up System Preferences and choosing the "Software Update" option.

The 10.14.1 update re-introduces support for Group FaceTime, a feature that was removed during the beta testing period. Group FaceTime, which lets you chat with up to 32 people at once, is also present in the iOS 12.1 beta.

It's not clear what other improvements the first update to macOS Mojave will bring, but it likely includes performance improvements and bug fixes for issues that weren't addressed in the first release of macOS Mojave.

macOS Mojave is a major update that brings features like a systemwide Dark Mode, stacks for organizing messy desktops, new Finder capabilities, new tools for taking screenshots, a Continuity Camera option for easily transferring photo scans and documents from iPhone to Mac, and more. For more on macOS Mojave, make sure to check out our roundup.

Apple received approval from the FCC today to sell the iPhone XR in the United States, ahead of pre-orders next month.

Apple can now remove the following fine print from the iPhone XR product page on its website, although it has yet to do so:

iPhone XR has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. iPhone XR is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.

iPhone XR pre-orders begin Friday, October 19, with the first deliveries to customers and in-store availability starting a week later, on Friday, October 26. The colorful device starts at $749 in the United States.

With a $250 lower price point, the iPhone XR doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max. Some of the trade-offs include an LCD rather than OLED display, an aluminum instead of stainless steel frame, and a single rather than dual rear camera. Read our full comparison.

Nevertheless, the iPhone XR has the same A12 Bionic chip as the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, and its advertised battery life is longer than both of those devices. It also has a nearly edge-to-edge display with a notch, Face ID, a glass back, wireless charging, Portrait Mode with Depth Control, and Smart HDR.

Given its many similarities to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, priced from $999 and $1,099 respectively, many tech reviewers have suggested waiting for the less-expensive iPhone XR. Orders begin in three weeks.

As far as FCC approval is concerned, it is a routine step before the launch of any new iPhone. However, Apple usually waits until the last minute to receive approval from the necessary regulatory agencies, whereas the iPhone XR has been somewhat surprisingly approved nearly a month ahead of sale.

Apple has announced that five of its retail stores across the United States and Australia will reopen this Saturday, September 29. Four of the stores have moved to new locations, while one has been renovated.

• Apple Lehigh Valley: An expanded Apple Store is opening in the outdoor section of Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, near Allentown, on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. local time.
  

• Apple Deer Park: An expanded Apple Store is opening in the outdoor Deer Park Town Center shopping complex in Deer Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. local time.
  

• Apple Scottsdale Fashion Square: A new Apple Store opens at the Scottsdale Fashion Square shopping mall in Scottsdale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix, on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. local time. Apple's nearby store at Biltmore Fashion Park will be permanently closed after Friday.
  

• Apple Green Hills: Apple has renovated its store at The Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Tennessee. The store reopens in its existing location on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. local time.
  

• Apple Robina: A new Apple Store is opening in the Robina Town Centre shopping mall in Robina, Australia, roughly 50 miles south of Brisbane along the Gold Coast, on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. local time. Apple's existing location in the mall will be permanently closed after Friday.

Apple has been modernizing its chain of over 500 retail stores since 2015, as part of an initiative led by Apple's retail chief Angela Ahrendts and design chief Jony Ive. The remodeled stores often gain additional square footage, which many locations desperately need due to ever-increasing customer traffic.

Apple's latest retail design typically includes large glass doors, large video screens for product marketing and in-store events, and wall-mounted sequoia wood shelves called Avenues for smaller products and accessories.

These reopenings will occur eight days after the launch of the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4.