Tesla is notifying customers that it will soon restock its wireless phone charger at a discount, after the device quickly sold out when it was released late last month.
The Verge reports that emails are going out to customers informing them that the Tesla Wireless Charger, originally costing $65, will return to the electric car maker's online store at a roughly $15 discount, thanks to a higher production run this time around.
The battery-powered Qi-based charger features a sleek white or black enclosure, a 6,000 mAh battery for charging on the go, 5W of output, a built-in USB-C cable for Android devices, and a USB-A port that supports faster wired charging.
Tesla says customers who purchased the charger when it first went on sale in August will be refunded the $16 difference, but the company omitted to mention when the discounted version will be available. We'll update this post if we learn more.
Apple recently updated its Maps app to add transit directions and data for areas in Alaska, Wyoming, and Idaho.
Apple Maps users in select cities in these states can now select public transportation routes when getting directions between two locations. In Alaska, for example, there are bus routes and other transit options in cities that include Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks.
In Wyoming, transit options are available in areas that include Cheyenne and Jackson, and in Idaho, transit data is available in Victor.
Transit information appears to still be rolling out in these three states and could expand to additional cities over the course of the next few weeks.
Apple has not yet added Wyoming, Alaska, and Idaho to the website where it lists locations where transit directions are available, but it should be added in the near future.
Transit directions were first added to Apple Maps in 2015 with the launch of iOS 9. Maps initially only offered transit information in a handful of cities, but over the course of the last three years, Apple has worked to expand the feature to additional areas.
Transit information is now live in dozens of cities and countries around the world, with a full list available on Apple's iOS 11 Feature Availability website.
Apple this afternoon shared a new "Insights" video on its developer site that is designed to highlight the benefits of using App Store subscriptions as a payment method for apps.
The video focuses on the developers behind Elevate, Dropbox, Calm, and Bumble and how these apps "create great customer experiences by continuing to provide value throughout the subscription lifecycle."
"The value for a user is that you're not just buying this one thing at this one point in time, you're actually buying something that's evolving," said Elevate developer Jesse Germinario.
"If you're a subscription business, your incentives are actually perfectly aligned with your customers, because they need to continue to get value out of the product in order to keep subscribing, which means that you have to continue making the app better," said Calm developer Tyler Sheaffer.
Apple's efforts to push developers to embrace subscriptions were first highlighted last month when Business Insider shared details on a secret meeting held in April 2017.
At the meeting, Apple hosted more than 30 software developers and encouraged them to adopt subscription payment models.
Apple told developers that the app model is changing, with paid apps representing just 15 percent of total app sales, a number that is declining. Successful apps, Apple said, need to focus on subscriptions and regular engagement from users rather than one time sales.
7-Eleven today announced that Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted at nearly all of its 10,000+ locations across the United States, following a rollout that began in August.
While many 7-Eleven retail locations have already started accepting Apple Pay, the rollout will continue throughout the month of September until "most U.S. stores" support the payments service.
"The ability to pay with their smart device gives consumers one more reason to shop at 7-Eleven," said 7-Eleven CDO and CIO Gurmeet Singh of the Apple Pay launch.
7-Eleven also highlighted some of the technology improvements that it has introduced recently, including the 7-Eleven NOW app for placing on-demand orders with Apple Pay as a payment option, the 7Rewards loyalty program that allows customers to earn points for purchases, and the 7-Eleven Bot on Facebook Messenger to allow customers to get quick answers to questions.
Apple CEO Tim Cook first announced in July that Apple Pay support would be coming to 7-11 retail locations in the United States, and the wide availability of Apple Pay at 7-Eleven comes just in time for the launch of Apple's new 2018 iPhones.
To use Apple Pay at 7-Eleven stores, customers will need an iPhone 6, 6s, 6, 7, 8, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, 7 Plus, 8 Plus, SE, or X, and/or a compatible Apple Watch model.
Along with 7-Eleven, popular drugstore chain CVS, once an Apple Pay holdout, is also expected to begin accepting the payments service this fall.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced over two years ago in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 65 includes bug fixes and feature improvements for the Storage Access API, Media, Apple Pay, Payment Request, Shadow DOM, Fetch API, Service Workers, Web API, Web Inspector, WebGL 2, Web Assembly, and Safari Extensions.
The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave, the newest version of the Mac operating system that’s currently being beta tested by developers and public beta testers.
The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store (or in System Preferences in Mojave) to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.
Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Apple has recently been sending out surveys to customers who purchased an iMac Pro, asking them about which features drew them to the pro-level machine and what they like or dislike about the iMac Pro.
Some of the survey questions were shared on Twitter, with customers asked to point out some of the most important iMac Pro features, like Thunderbolt 3 ports, Xeon W processors, T2 chip, external display support, and more.
Apple is sending out a survey to iMac Pro buyers. Questions include whether you bought the iMac Pro because it had more ports, SD card slot, and what features you like or dislike.
This is a great chance to give Apple feedback! pic.twitter.com/igU25cH6ss
— a f waller (@afwaller) September 10, 2018
Apple regularly sends out surveys of this nature to customers, but this line of questioning on the iMac Pro suggests Apple is perhaps trying to suss out key features that pro-level users want to see in future pro machines, such as the Mac Pro machine that's in the works.
The iMac Pro was a precursor to a new Mac Pro, which Apple first announced in April 2017. Apple is working on a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro that will facilitate regular upgrades to meet the needs of Apple's pro user base.
Apple has a dedicated team working on the Mac Pro, and Apple executives have said that Apple is committed to making the machine the highest-end desktop system able to handle VR and high-end cinema production. Apple has even put together a "Pro Workflow Team" to tailor the Mac Pro and other Apple products to professional users, and that team could potentially be behind the iMac Pro survey.
Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi admitted last year that with the 2013 Mac Pro, Apple designed itself into "a bit of a thermal corner" given the restrictive size of the trash can-shaped Mac Pro and its inability to handle the thermal capacity needed for larger single GPUs. Apple learned from that mistake and is this time aiming for a machine that will better accommodate future upgrades and high-end hardware.
Apple plans to release the new Mac Pro at some point in 2019, so a launch is a ways off, but it's possible Apple will be ready to share additional details about the machine this year when new Macs are unveiled either in September or October.
If you've been waiting for a new sale on App Store and iTunes gift cards, PayPal on eBay is once again discounting the $100 gift card tier to $85 for United States users. While the sale lasts, anyone with a PayPal account can take advantage of the deal, and you should receive the code for the iTunes credit within a few hours after the purchase.
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As usual with email delivery sales on iTunes cards, you can either enter your own email address and send the code to yourself, or enter the email of a friend or family member to send it as a gift. The credit will only be valid on purchases made on the United States App and iTunes stores, however. These sales usually last for a few days, so head over to PayPal's Digital Gifts eBay store to place your order before the 15 percent discount expires.
iTunes gift card sales are a great way to stock up on iTunes credit at a cheaper price, which you can then use to rent and buy movies on iTunes, pay for your Apple Music and iCloud subscriptions, purchase a new app, expand your iBooks collection, and much more. Many people also use the credit to pay for third-party subscriptions, like Netflix and Hulu, essentially discounting the cost of these services thanks to the gift card sales.
Also on eBay, the retailer today kicked off another coupon code, this one aimed at preparing for the incoming fall season. With coupon code JUMPINTOFALL, you can save 20 percent on orders placed in categories like home, clothing and shoes, accessories, luggage, vacuums, and more. This means that the code is not a sitewide coupon, but those interested can still use it on orders of $25 or more before it expires Friday, September 14, and the discount will be capped at a max value of $50.
In other sales, ahead of the Apple event Rakuten has AirPods for $127.46 thanks to its newest sitewide discount code SAVE15. Comparatively, AirPods have been seeing discounts to around $144 (originally priced at $159.99) at retailers like Amazon and Adorama. While a nice discount on the wireless headphones, shoppers should note that upgraded AirPods with "Hey Siri" functionality and a wireless charging case are expected to be announced in two days.
For more details on this week's sales, head over to our full Deals Roundup.
Apple today alerted some developers about a temporary signing issue that prevents their apps from being installed on the Apple Watch.
The full text of Apple's email, obtained from a MacRumors reader:
We've discovered that there was a temporary issue with the App Store signature of your binaries that affects the ability of your app to install on Apple Watch. As a result, we're pushing an update with the proper signing to customers' devices.
It's unclear what went wrong, but Apple is pushing server-side updates with the proper signing to the devices of affected customers.
Sphero today announced the "Bolt" robotic ball, which is aimed at teaching kids basic programming with its advanced sensors, LED matrix, and infrared communication that lets it interact with other Bolt devices (via Gizmodo).
The Bolt is the same size as previous Sphero balls, but has an increased runtime of two full hours thanks to a bigger battery. The device connects to the Sphero Edu app, allowing users to discover community-created activities, build their own program, analyze sensor data, and more.
One of the device's biggest updates is an 8x8 LED matrix that can be seen through the Bolt's translucent shell. This matrix displays helpful prompts like a lightning bolt when Bolt is charging on its inductive cradle, but users can fully program the matrix to display a wide variety of icons connected to certain actions, like a smiley face when a program is completed.
Infrared sensors allow the Bolt to detect other nearby Bolts, and users can program specific interactions if they have multiple devices. According to Sphero, this means that the Bolts can join up and create a swarm of robotic balls, or avoid one another. Gizmodo gives an example: "So imagine a real-life version of Pac-Man where you're controlling one Bolt and escape other Bolts programmed as ghosts perpetually giving chase."
The connected Sphero Edu app includes the ability for users to learn to code by drawing on an iOS device's screen, using Scratch blocks, or writing JavaScript text programs. Written programs can affect the Bolt's speed, acceleration, and direction. If users simply want to play with Bolt, the robot can also connect to the Sphero Play app.
The Sphero Bolt is available to purchase today for $149.99 on the company's website.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a new research note today, obtained by MacRumors, that outlines several predictions about Apple's upcoming products, including new iPhone, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, and MacBook models.
Kuo expects Apple to replace Lightning with a USB-C interface on 2018 iPad Pro models, with an 18W power adapter in the box. That sure sounds like the next iPad Pro will have a USB-C port, instead of a Lightning connector, but to play devil's advocate, there's a chance he is just referring to a USB-C charger.
In addition to Face ID support, we expect the new iPad Pro models' main upgrade to include replacing Lightning with a USB-C interface and bundling with a new unibody design 18W power adapter, which cancels the removable plug design…
Kuo adds that 2018 iPhone models will retain the Lightning connector and remain bundled with a 5W power adapter, not the widely rumored 18W power adapter with a USB-C port, which could be for 2018 iPad Pro models after all.
His research note with TF International Securities adds that Apple's widely anticipated lower-priced MacBook may replace the current 12-inch MacBook. Again, the wording is somewhat ambiguous, so it's unclear if Kuo means the 12-inch MacBook will be refreshed, or if it will be entirely replaced.
Kuo expects the new lower-priced MacBook to support Touch ID fingerprint authentication, but without a full-out Touch Bar, which remains exclusive to select 13- and 15-inch models of the 2016 and later MacBook Pro:
The new low-price MacBook may replace the position of the current 12" MacBook. We expect this new model to support the Touch ID but it will not have the Touch Bar. Everwin Precision is the main beneficiary because it is the first time this company will enter the Mac casing supply chain and its shipments account for 20% of the new MacBook model's D parts.
As far as the Apple Watch Series 4 lineup is concerned, Kuo believes all models will feature ceramic backs, whereas GPS-only Series 3 have composite backs. Kuo also believes Series 4 models will have electrocardiography (ECG/EKG) functionality.
The new Apple Watch models will have narrower bezels, support electrocardiography (ECG), and all be equipped with ceramic backs (currently, some models are equipped with composite backs). We believe the new Apple Watch models will attract more users on supporting ECG. The ECG supplier is Osram (LED design)…
Kuo also said production of the rumored 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD has been postponed to late September to early October due to quality issues with the assembly and display, echoing a report from Mark Gurman earlier today.
Last, Kuo still expects Apple's long-awaited AirPower charging mat and new AirPods to be released by the end of the year.
The iOS App Store Twitter account over the weekend revealed that the 2007 Nintendo DS game Professor Layton and the Curious Village will be making its way to the App Store in the United States in the near future (via Engadget). Japan received a port of the puzzle game on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store this past June.
Of course, with just a single tweet there isn't much additional information about the iOS release for the original Professor Layton game in the United States. Given that this will be a direct port of the game, it appears that Professor Layton and the Curious Village will not be one of Nintendo's mainline apps that are taking established characters and franchises and making them into mobile-friendly titles, like Super Mario Run and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
That's because the puzzle-based gameplay of the Professor Layton games should already be an easy transition to smartphones. In the first game, players take on the role of Professor Layton and his young assistant Luke as they navigate around a small village named St. Mystere. Originally developed by Level-5 and published by Nintendo worldwide, the game is mostly centered on solving puzzles and brainteasers presented by characters around the village.
Since the first game, the Professor Layton series has seen numerous sequels over the years, with the last game coming out in 2017. That game, Layton's Mystery Journey, was the first sequel in the series to debut on mobile [iOS Direct Link] alongside the release on Nintendo 3DS. Otherwise, the original Professor Layton games had yet to make it to the iOS App Store before now.
Just two days before Apple is expected to unveil new iPhones at Steve Jobs Theater, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has outlined the potential names of the devices, along with his other expectations for the media event.
Gurman believes Apple will introduce three new iPhones, as widely rumored, including a 5.8-inch model named "iPhone Xs," a larger 6.5-inch model named "iPhone Xs Max," and a lower-priced 6.1-inch model that Apple has considered naming "iPhone Xr," according to his sources familiar with the company's plans.
Those three names have already surfaced in various reports over the past few weeks, and now that they've been corroborated by Gurman, who has a very reliable track record, there is an especially good chance they are accurate.
Apple has used "s" branding for several iPhone models over the years, including the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 6s, which were iterative versions of the iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and iPhone 6 respectively. iPhone Xs would keep with this trend, as the device is expected to closely resemble the iPhone X.
Gurman doesn't specify why Apple will apparently ditch its "Plus" branding for its largest iPhone, although "Max" certainly sounds fresher, and emphasizes that the 6.5-inch model would easily be Apple's largest iPhone ever.
Meanwhile, some Twitter users have speculated that "Xr" could be short for "X Reality," a mix of augmented reality and virtual reality, but it could also be short for something as simple as "regular"—we may never find out. Other speculated names for the 6.1-inch model include "iPhone Xc," à la iPhone 5c, and "iPhone 9."
Apple has routinely expressed a "profound interest" in augmented reality in particular, but it seems unlikely the company would emphasize the technology in the 6.1-inch iPhone, especially if it has only a single-lens rear camera.
Gurman also expects the 6.1-inch model to have an LCD screen, rather than an OLED display; an aluminum frame, instead of stainless steel edges; and a wider range of color options, with some reports mentioning blue, red, and orange. Like the current iPhone X, it should have a notched display and Face ID.
Many analysts expect the iPhone Xs to be priced from $899, with the iPhone Xs Max starting at $999 and the iPhone Xr priced anywhere from $699 to $849 in the United States. These would be the prices for the base models with 64GB of storage, with configurations up to 512GB expected to be available.
Last year, the iPhone X was released November 3, six weeks after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launched. This year, Gurman expects all three new iPhones to be available for purchase much closer to their announcement date, but he cautions that the 6.1-inch model could be available in limited quantities initially.
Apple may elect to delay availability of the 6.1-inch model entirely, according to some analysts, including JP Morgan's Rod Hall:
Still, Apple has faced tight supply of the new low-cost model due to minor complications fitting backlights for the LCD screen, according to people familiar with the matter. That could mean the lower-cost device ships in limited quantities initially, they said. Apple may be tempted to delay availability of the LCD version to gauge demand for the more expensive largest new iPhone, Goldman's Hall said.
Our guess is that AirPower availability may finally be confirmed at Wednesday's event, alongside a new pair of AirPods with "Hey Siri" support, while new Macs and iPad Pro models with Face ID could be enough for an October event.
Many of these details have been rumored numerous times leading up to September, so fortunately there is just over 48 hours to go until the real deal. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of Apple's event from Steve Jobs Theater on Wednesday, starting around 8:15 a.m. Pacific Time.
Following the addition of 116 global "Daily Top 100" charts that display the most-streamed songs on Apple Music, the service has now introduced another long-requested update: separating an artist's main albums from various singles and EPs (via Reddit).
Previously, when you navigated to an artist's profile on Apple Music, you would find a scrollable list of their entire body of work, combining albums, singles, and EPs all in one place. Now, Apple Music has separated these into multiple sections.
First, there is a new "Essential Album" list that showcases the artist's most influential albums (some artists don't have this), and below that is "Albums," where every studio album can be found by that artist. Below that are areas for music videos and artist playlists, and then you'll find "Singles & EPs," "Live Albums," "Compilations," and "Appears On."
As with the "Essential Album" area, the appearance of these sections depends on the artist, so while some have an "Appears On" section, some will not. To check out the new artist profiles, navigate to Apple Music on iOS or macOS, and search for an artist in the search tab.
Over the weekend, mobile leaker Benjamin Geskin reposted a series of images supposedly showing "prototypes" of Apple's forthcoming 6.1-inch LCD iPhone in three colors. The images were in fact first shared by Slashleaks on September 6, when they were described as "clones" of Apple's upcoming mid-tier LCD iPhone.
Despite that, on Sunday Geskin re-shared an earlier tweet of his linking to the original Slashleaks page, and claimed the dummy/clone images were in fact "the real deal", without offering any evidence to substantiate the new claim.
Whatever the truth is behind these images, they've become a topic of online discussion, so we're covering them here for completion.
Rumors have been running for some time that Apple's more budget-friendly LCD iPhone will launch in several colors, with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicting in July that gray, white, blue, red, and orange colors would be available.
Speculation surrounding possible color options was also reignited on Sunday when an alleged Chinese mobile carrier leak referred to the lower-spec LCD iPhone as "iPhone XC". The last time Apple used "C" nomenclature in its smartphones was for its budget-friendly iPhone 5c, which featured a plastic rear case available in blue, green, yellow, white, and pink colors.
The red color shown in the images appears similar to Apple's special PRODUCT(RED) iPhone editions, which for the last two years have only become available for select models midway through their first year of availability.
One of the images of the alleged "prototypes" also shows the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone with a dual-SIM card slot. Again, previous rumors have suggested that a dual-SIM version of the LCD iPhone will be available in select regions.
Lastly, the cases in the images look to have glass backs surrounded by aluminum edges, in contrast to the more expensive-to-manufacture stainless steel finish used in last year's iPhone X.
It's not long now before we'll know for sure what Apple has planned for its 2018 iPhone lineup. Apple's "Gather Round" media event takes place on Wednesday, September 12, and you can find all the coverage here on MacRumors.
Apple on Sunday won its first Primetime Emmy for original content, landing the accolade for Apple Music's Carpool Karaoke, which won Outstanding Short Form Variety Series at this year's Creative Arts Emmy Awards (via Deadline).
Carpool Karaoke began as a viral segment on CBS' The Late Late Show With James Corden, before Apple acquired the rights in 2016 to develop an offshoot that it would initially make available in 2017 for Apple Music subscribers to watch. This year Apple added the series to the iOS TV app and the Apple TV, making it free to watch for device owners.
"To try and do a Carpool Karaoke series without James Corden was a tricky thing," Carpool Karaoke executive producer Ben Winston said as he accepted the award on stage. "I think this might be Apple’s first Emmy!"
Corden has appeared in a couple of episodes produced for Apple Music, but Apple's version mainly features celebrities in the driver's seat originally occupied by Corden, with other celebrities coming along for the ride. Guest pairings have included Shakira and Trevor Noah, Shaquille O'Neal and WWE star John Cena, and Game of Thrones stars Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.
Last year, the series made headlines when an episode featuring the Linkin Park crew was recorded just a week before lead singer Chester Bennington's death. Apple renewed the series for a second season in February and has since aired a few new episodes with the cast of the movie TAG and Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden from Westworld.
The show was one of Apple's first efforts at an original series, along with the ill-fated Planet of the Apps, which did not get renewed for a second season following rather mixed reviews.
Instagram has added an emoji shortcut bar to its mobile app that places the user's most-used emojis above the keyboard whenever they start to comment on a post (via The Verge).
The new emoji bar doesn't appear on other occasions in the app that call for the use of the onscreen keyboard, such as when a user creates a post or comments on a Story.
Instagram has obviously identified post comments as the place where emoji are most frequently used on the platform, and naturally wants to make the interaction as easy as possible.
The feature has been in limited testing since May, but only recently became available to everyone on the image-led social network with the latest mobile app update.
The use of emoji in digital communications has skyrocketed ever since Apple introduced the emoji keyboard to iOS back in October 2011. In the month following the introduction, Instagram revealed that 10 percent of text on the social network included the use of emoji.
By March 2015, nearly half of all text on the platform contained the ubiquitous expressive characters, leading Instagram to employ machine learning to recognize long-term emoji trends. This latest update might be regarded as an inevitable outcome of its extensive analysis.
A photo of an alleged slide from an internal Chinese mobile carrier presentation appeared on Weibo today that potentially reveals the naming convention for Apple's imminent iPhone lineup as well as possible pricing details.
Alleged slide from China Mobile internal company meeting
First spotted by Japanese tech blog MacOtakara, the China Mobile slide refers to the larger 6.5-inch OLED iPhone as "iPhone XS Plus", casting doubt on earlier claims that the larger OLED iPhone will take the moniker "iPhone XS Max". Meanwhile, the lower-spec 6.1-inch LCD iPhone is referred to as "iPhone XC".
The last time Apple used "C" nomenclature in its smartphones was for 2013's iPhone 5c, which was priced below the flagship iPhone 5 series and featured a plastic rear case available in blue, green, yellow, white, and pink colors.
Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the 6.1-inch iPhone to be available in red, blue, orange, gray, and white, while the 5.8 and 6.5-inch iPhone models will be available in just three colors – presumably silver, space gray, and gold.
As for the slide's pricing, which includes 17 percent Chinese sales tax, the "iPhone XS" is 7388 yuan ($1079), the "iPhone XS Plus" is 8388 yuan ($1225), and the lower-spec "iPhone XC" is 5888 yuan ($860). Minus tax, the "iPhone XS", "iPhone XS Plus", and "iPhone XC" prices approximately convert to $900, $1015, and $700, respectively.
Those figures roughly line up with Kuo's expectation that the 6.5-inch OLED device will be priced at $900 to $1,000, while the 5.8-inch OLED second-generation iPhone X will be $800 to $900, and the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will be $600 to $700.
Lastly, the slide mentions that a dual-sim version of the "iPhone XS" and "iPhone XS Plus" will be available, but at a later date than the standard models.
Similar leaks allegedly sourced from China Mobile have been accurate in the past, but at present it's impossible to verify that this one is legitimate. Suffice to say we'll know for sure on Wednesday, September 12, when Apple's "Gather Round" media event takes place. Aside from new iPhones, redesigned iPad Pro and Apple Watch models are also expected to be announced. Stay tuned to MacRumors for all the coverage.
Apple has acquired the global rights to "The Elephant Queen," a feature-length documentary about an elephant matriarch who leads her herd in search of a new watering hole to call home, according to Deadline.
Athena is a mother who will do everything in her power to protect her herd when they are forced to leave their waterhole. This epic journey, narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, takes audiences across the African savannah, and into the heart of an elephant family. A tale of love, loss and coming home.
"The Elephant Queen" was screened Saturday at the Toronto International Film Festival, where top executives from Apple's Worldwide Video Programming division are believed to be scouting out films. The documentary is directed by award-winning wildlife filmmakers Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble.
Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, two former Sony Pictures Television executives who lead Worldwide Video at Apple, reportedly led negotiations to pick up the documentary from Endeavor Content and Mister Smith Entertainment.
In addition, prior to TIFF, Apple obtained rights to animated film "Wolfwalkers" from Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions, according to Deadline. The film, directed by two-time Oscar nominee Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, centers on a young apprentice hunter named Robyn in a world of superstition.
In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn, comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when Robyn saves a wild native girl, Mebh, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
Apple has been steadily expanding its slate of original content in the pipeline, but these deals are particularly notable, as they represent the first two films the company has acquired, complementing nearly two dozen TV series.
Apple is expected to distribute its original content through a new streaming video service, along the lines of Netflix, starting in 2019.
Apple this afternoon shared a 
Apple today 
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Instagram has added an emoji shortcut bar to its mobile app that places the user's most-used emojis above the keyboard whenever they start to comment on a post (via 
