MacRumors

Apple may have recently acquired UK-based motion capture company IKinema, based on evidence from company filings and information shared by a MacRumors reader.

IKinema offers animation technology that's used for games, virtual reality, and more. Earlier this year, for example, IKinema partnered with Ubisoft for IKinema's RunTime software for character creation. IKinema specialized in technology that allowed for real-time motion animation of virtual characters.

IKINEMA's technology is embraced by development teams the world over to bring their games to life through delivery of high fidelity results in natural character locomotion and greater player immersion within dynamic game worlds, including substantial cost reduction and accelerated production levels by a factor of five times or more to expedite the release of games to market.

Based on details from IKinema's mostly defunct website, the company considers itself a specialist in real-time procedural animation and whole body solving technology. IKinema has several videos on YouTube showing off its technology creating animated characters from real-life people, dogs, and more.

According to a document filed with the UK government, Apple lawyer Peter Denwood, who handles Apple's international affairs, was named the director of IKinema on September 12, 2019, with his address listed as One Apple Park Way.

The address of the company was also updated to 100 New Bridge Street in London on September 26, which is the address for Apple Europe Limited.

The IKinema website is no longer functional with the exception of a few technical documents, and the company's Twitter and Facebook accounts stopped being updated on August 19. MacRumors reader Peter, who is in the industry, told MacRumors that IKinema customers have been left in the dark "for weeks" and that the acquisition was confirmed in a private Facebook Motion Capture group this morning.

It's not clear what Apple will do with IKinema's technology, but Apple has delved into games with Apple Arcade, though the company does not develop its own game technology at this time.

Apple is also rumored to be working on various virtual and augmented reality projects, which could potentially benefit from IKinema's software, as could Animoji and Memoji, which animate based on facial expressions using the TrueDepth camera system.

Update October 4 7:55 a.m.: Apple has confirmed its acquisition of IKinema, giving Tim Bradshaw of Financial Times the company's usual boilerplate statement: "Apple buys smaller companies from time to time, and we generally don't discuss our purpose or plans."

Apple today seeded the golden master version of macOS 10.15 Catalina to developers, three days after seeding the tenth macOS Catalina beta and over three months after the new Mac operating system update was first unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

The golden master version of macOS Catalina represents the final version of the update that will be provided to the public at release. The new macOS Catalina software can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper profile from the Developer Center.

macOS Catalina eliminates the iTunes app, splitting it into Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. The three new apps offer similar functionality to iTunes, but are split up by feature. iOS device management is still available on the Mac, but it's now done through the Finder rather than iTunes.

With a new Sidecar feature, you can turn your iPad into a second display for your Mac with just the click of a button. The Apple Pencil works with ‌Sidecar‌, so you can turn your ‌iPad‌ into a drawing tablet in apps like Photoshop and Illustrator.

Your Apple Watch can be used to approve security prompts for passwords and other info in macOS Catalina, and Macs with a T2 chip now support Activation Lock, making them more secure. There's a new Find My that brings the ‌Find My‌ Mac app to the Mac for the first time and even lets you track your devices when they're offline, or, in the case of notebooks, closed.

Screen Time is available on the Mac as well as iOS devices, and Project Catalyst, a new Apple initiative, will let developers easily port their ‌iPad‌ apps over to the Mac to increase the number of Mac apps available.

There's a new Photos interface that surfaces your best photos organized by day, month, or year, there's a new start page in Safari, Mail has new tools for muting email threads and blocking senders, and the Reminders app has been overhauled.

32-bit apps no longer work in macOS Catalina, which is something to be aware of before installing the beta.

For more details on macOS Catalina, make sure to check out our macOS Catalina roundup. Apple is planning to release macOS Catalina sometime in October.

Apple plans to release a lower-priced "iPhone SE 2" in the first quarter of 2020, according to noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said the device will feature a similar form factor design and specifications as the ‌iPhone‌ 8, with a faster A13 chip and 3GB of RAM:

We forecast that Apple will launch the more affordable iPhone SE2 in 1Q20. For the most part, the form factor design and hardware spec are similar to iPhone 8's. The most significant hardware spec upgrade will be the adoption of the A13 processor and 3GB LPDDR4X. iPhone SE2 will likely increase iPhone's market share and benefit Apple's promotions for service and content. We expect that the iPhone SE2 shipment will reach 30–40mn units in 2020.

Kuo believes the "‌iPhone‌ SE 2" will be the "best upgrade choice" for an estimated 100 million remaining ‌iPhone‌ 6 and ‌iPhone‌ 6 Plus users, serving as a "key growth driver" for Apple in 2020. He believes these customers have low desire for new features like Face ID and multiple cameras, suggesting the "‌iPhone‌ SE 2" will stick with Touch ID and a single-lens rear camera.

Kuo's prediction lines up with multiple other sources that have claimed Apple plans to release a new lower-cost ‌iPhone‌ 8-esque device next year, including the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News, Japanese publication Nikkei Asian Review, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu.

Those earlier reports indicated the device will sport a 4.7-inch display and a ‌Touch ID‌ home button like the ‌iPhone‌ 8. Apple continues to sell the ‌iPhone‌ 8 from $449, while the ‌iPhone‌ SE was $349 prior to being discontinued. When new, the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and ‌iPhone‌ SE started at $699 and $399 respectively.

Epistar president Chin-Yung Fan said his company's clients are developing notebooks, tablets, smartphones, and monitors with Mini-LED backlighting systems, which will naturally boost demand for Mini-LEDs in the second half of 2020, according to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.

Epistar is an Apple supplier, leading to the possibility that the iPhone maker is one of the unnamed clients working on Mini-LED products, as previously rumored, but Epistar declined to comment on any specific clients.

Last week, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of investor firm TF International Securities said Apple plans to release an iPad with a Mini-LED display between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, followed by a MacBook with a Mini-LED display in the first or second quarter of 2021.

Kuo said Epistar will be one of Apple's suppliers for those iPad and MacBook models. Epistar is the largest LED manufacturer in Taiwan.

Kuo expects the iPad and MacBook to be positioned at the high end of their respective product lines due to costly Mini-LED display components, suggesting they will be iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models. He previously said the iPad will have a 10-12 inch screen and the MacBook will fall in the 15-17 inch range.

Kuo added that the Mini-LED backlit displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks.

The future iPad and MacBook displays will each use approximately 10,000 LEDs, compared to 576 in Apple's upcoming Pro Display XDR, according to Kuo. Each LED is said to be very small — below 200 microns in size.

Apple continues to use traditional LCDs across its entire iPad and Mac lineups for now, but if this rumor proves to be accurate, we can expect the first Mini-LED models within the next 12 to 18 months or so. Prices will likely start on the higher side, but the technology should shuffle its way down the lineup over the years.

Microsoft today held an event in New York City to show off both new Surface devices and some new dual screen devices that are coming in the future.

MacRumors videographer Dan was in attendance at the event and was able to capture some footage of the newly announced products for an overview that can be watched over on our YouTube channel.

Microsoft's most exciting unveil was the Surface Neo and the Surface Duo, two foldable dual display devices. The Neo is tablet sized while the Duo is phone sized, and both have two displays that aren't connected together into one display but are instead displayed side by side with a hinge.

The Surface Neo features two nine inch displays that can fold out into a larger 13-inch form factor, while the Duo has two 5.6-inch displays that fold out into an 8.3-inch tablet.

You can hold these devices like a book, using one side for one app and the other side for another app, or you can fold them up into a more traditional form factor. They can also be unfolded into a laptop shape if desired.

The Surface Neo (the larger of the two) has a detachable Bluetooth keyboard and a Wonder Bar that's similar to the Touch Bar on Apple's laptops but larger and with more functionality.

Windows 10X, new custom software based on Windows 10 but designed for dual displays runs on the Neo, while the Duo, which is in fact Microsoft's first smartphone since the Windows Phone in 2017, runs a heavily skinned version of Android.

These two devices were by far the most interesting devices Microsoft had to show off, but unfortunately, they're not launching until the holiday season in 2020 and Microsoft didn't even have prototypes available for attendees to test out.

As for what's available now, Microsoft overhauled its Surface lineup. The new Surface Pro X, designed to compete with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, features a 13-inch display and it's super slim and light. It has a cover that integrates with a new Surface Slim Pen, and there's an SSD that's user accessible.

The Surface Pro X features an SQ1 processor, LTE connectivity, 13 hours of battery life, and 2 USB-C ports. It's priced starting at $999 and will be available in early November.

Microsoft also unveiled a new version of its Surface Laptop 3, which comes in new colors and finishes, has a larger trackpad, and is equipped with a USB-C port. There's a standard 13-inch model and a new larger 15-inch model that uses AMD Ryzen Surface Edition chips.

Pricing on the Surface Laptop 3 starts at $999 for the 13-inch model and $1199 for the 15-inch model, with Microsoft planning to release both later this month.

Microsoft's final product of note is the new Surface Earbuds, which are wire-free earbuds that are designed to compete with Apple's AirPods. The Surface Earbuds have an unusual look, with an in-ear piece that fits into the ear and a circular disk that's quite large and sits in the outer part of the ear.

The disk supports gestures for controlling playback and live transcription for communicating across multiple languages. Microsoft is charging $249 for its Surface Earbuds, and they'll be available later in the year.

Apple today filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy. Apple has filed many briefs before the Court, but this is the first time that Apple's CEO Tim Cook and Vice President of Retail and People Deirdre O'Brien are named too.

DACA provides around 800,000 individuals who entered the U.S. at age 16 or younger with a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation, and eligibility for a work permit in the country. Many of these individuals, known as Dreamers, have lived in the U.S. for the majority of their lives.

In its brief, Apple notes that it employs 443 Dreamers who come from more than 25 different countries spanning four continents. Dreamers at Apple run the gamut of roles within the company, including hardware engineering, software engineering, retail, customer support, and operations across 36 states.

Apple says it would "quite literally not exist without a brilliant and driven population of immigrants," including Dreamers, adding that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs's father immigrated from Syria himself. Apple also mentions several studies that link a diverse workforce to a company's growth and success.

The introduction of Apple's brief:

Since 1976, Apple has made its name by designing, developing, selling, and maintaining cutting-edge consumer electronics including mobile communications devices, personal computers, and related software and services. Apple's success stems from its people. They shape and embody Apple's culture of innovation. Apple employs a diverse workforce of over 90,000 employees in the United States alone.

Among those people are hundreds of DACA recipients who had no say in the decision to travel to this country and have known no other home. Apple employs DACA recipients who embody Apple's commitment to innovation in a wide variety of positions. As we explain below, they, and immigrants like them, are vital to Apple's success. They spark creativity and help drive innovation. They are among our most driven and selfless colleagues.

And the conclusion:

This is an issue where one's head and heart lead to the same conclusion. We collectively owe it to the Dreamers to hold up our end of the bargain. It is not just a legal requirement. It is the moral thing to do. Who are we as a country if we renege? What does it say about us as a people to turn our backs on the Dreamers now?

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider the legality of DACA during its 2019 term, which begins Monday, October 7.

Apple's full amicus brief is embedded below.

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

Along with Deep Fusion for the new iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro models, the iOS 13.2 developer beta that Apple released today also includes a few other major changes and updates that are worth noting.

Below, we've rounded up all of the changes that we've found in iOS 13.2 so far.

- Announce Messages With Siri - The feature that's designed to allow Siri to announce incoming messages has been reenabled in iOS 13.2, and can be turned on by going to Settings > ‌Siri‌ > Search and toggling on Announce Messages.

- Research Privacy Settings - iOS 13.2 has a new Research option in the Privacy section of the Settings app, which is for Apple's upcoming Research app. The Research app is not yet available, but the presence of the setting in iOS 13.2 suggests it may come when iOS 13.2 is released.

- AirPlay & Handoff - The Handoff section of the Settings app (under General) is now AirPlay & Handoff with a new "Transfer to HomePod" option and an option to turn off automatic ‌AirPlay‌ to TVs.

- Volume in Control Center - When you have AirPods, Beats Pro, BeatsX, or other Beats headphones connected to your ‌iPhone‌ or iPad, the volume control bar in Control Center will display an appropriate icon.

- HomeKit Grouping - In the ‌HomeKit‌ app, there's a new option to group or ungroup accessories that have multiple functions, showing them either as a single tile or as multiple tiles. Multiple tiles was the pre-iOS 13 default, while Single Tile is the iOS 13 default.

- New AirPods - As we reported earlier today, the iOS 13.2 beta contains images that unveil an upcoming AirPods design for the third-generation AirPods, which are rumored to have active noise canceling functionality.

Know of a feature that's new in iOS 13.2 that we left out? Make sure to let us know in the comments and we'll update this article.

Apple has been rumored to be working on a third generation of AirPods with active noise control (ANC), also known as noise cancellation, or active noise reduction (ANR). Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested the updated AirPods could launch late this year or early next year with an "all-new design."

Today's iOS 13.2 beta release includes an icon showing redesigned AirPods that appear to have rubber ear tips that would likely be needed as part of a noise cancelation feature.

The file name includes reference to a B298 code name, and the image is contained in the Accessibility Settings folder. This could suggest these new AirPods will contain a new accessibility feature such as being able to use them as hearing aids, or it could be related to existing Live Listen capabilities.

There's no specific word on when the new AirPods could debut, but Apple has a number of rumored pending announcements that could point toward an October media event.

Update 11:55 AM: As noted by a MacRumors reader, a claimed photo leak last month from 52 Audio bears a strong resemblance to the image found in iOS 13.2, suggesting the leak may be accurate.

Apple today released the first betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.2 updates to developers, just a week after the release of iOS 13.1 and two weeks after the iOS 13 update first debuted.

iOS and iPadOS 13.2 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

As announced yesterday, the iOS 13.2 update introduces Deep Fusion for the cameras in the iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro models. Deep Fusion is a new image processing system that uses the A13 Bionic and the Neural Engine. Deep Fusion takes advantage of machine learning techniques to do pixel-by-pixel processing of photos, optimizing for texture, details, and noise in each part of the image.

The feature is aimed at improving indoor photos and photos taken in medium lighting, and it's a feature that will automatically activate based on the lens being used and the light level in the room.

Today's update also reintroduces the Announce with Siri feature for Messages, brings new Privacy controls for Apple's upcoming research app, and it even leaked an upcoming AirPods design. For a list of everything new in iOS 13.2, make sure to check out our article outlining the new features.

Update: Apple has also seeded the iOS and iPadOS 13.2 betas to its public beta testing group.