MacRumors

We've heard rumors that Apple plans to release refreshed versions of the iPad Pro this fall, and a new alleged leak today is fueling speculation that a triple-camera system similar to the iPhone 11 Pro is coming to Apple's most advanced iPads.

The website of tech leaker and Apple blogger Sonny Dickson has posted an image of a "final design mockup" of Apple's upcoming ‌iPad Pro‌, coming from a source that has apparently been "repeatedly reliable about previous iPad hardware." The photo clearly shows a triple-lens array housed in a square bump in the rear top-corner of the device.

Author of the post, J Glenn Künzler, notes that the camera bump lacks the glass surface covering found on Apple's latest Pro smartphones, which could indicate something unique about the ‌iPad‌'s version of the new camera hardware or "just a minor omission in a device intended to showcase the final physical form of the device remains to be seen."

Japanese site Mac Otakara has previously claimed that Apple will introduce a triple-lens camera in the 2019 ‌iPad Pro‌. Mac Otakara's information was said to come from a source in the Chinese supply chain, with the source also citing October as a launch date.

‌Mac Otakara‌ has a mixed record when it comes to Apple rumors, but Dickson has proven reliable at times in the past, and presumably he signs off on what gets posted on his blog.

Dickson had early line of sight on the AirPower's development challenges, and the wireless charging mat was eventually canceled. His sources also recently claimed the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and 11 Pro include hardware for bilateral charging that has been software-disabled, although we'll have to wait for device teardowns to corroborate that.

Taking out an ‌iPad‌ to shoot photos and video is sometimes frowned upon, and users who do so have often found themselves the butt of online jokes.

On the flip side, Künzler's argument for the inclusion of a triple-lens camera system on the ‌iPad Pro‌ is that Apple wants creative video professionals to be able to shoot and edit 4K quality video all from the one device, so they don't have to bring along extra hardware.

The existing ‌iPad Pro‌ models use a similar single-lens camera system to the 2018 ‌iPhone‌ XR, so adding a triple-lens camera would also bring them in line with Apple's latest ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Still, other rumors have suggested no significant updates will be included in the 2019 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, so it's worth taking this leak with a grain of salt, at least for now.

Apple today announced it is awarding its longtime iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch glass supplier Corning an additional $250 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, building on its $200 million award in 2017.

The combined $450 million investment will support Corning's research and development into "state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment and materials integral to the delivery of next-generation consumer devices," including the upcoming ‌iPhone‌ 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro lineup, according to Apple.

Apple COO Jeff Williams:

Apple and Corning's rich history dates back more than a decade, and our partnership revolutionized glass and transformed the technology industry with the first iPhone. This award underscores Apple and Corning's shared belief in the vital role that ingenuity plays in creating industry-leading products, and the pride that both companies take in applying American innovation and advanced manufacturing to solve some of the world's toughest technology challenges.

Apple says it Advanced Manufacturing Fund was designed to "foster and support the innovative production and high-skill jobs that will help fuel a new era of technology-driven manufacturing" in the United States. To date, Apple has invested over $1 billion in American companies from the fund.

In addition to the $450 million now awarded to Corning, other commitments already announced include $390 million to Finisar and $10 million to the joint venture Elysis working towards carbon-free aluminum smelting.

Apple says it spent a collective $60 billion with 9,000 American suppliers in 2018, supporting 450,000 jobs in all 50 states and manufacturing locations in 36 states. ‌iPhone‌ 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max use glass manufactured at Corning's factory in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

Corning has partnered with Apple since 2007 to provide glass for every generation of the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch, and many generations of the ‌iPad‌, all manufactured in the Harrodsburg facility. Since the ‌iPhone‌ launched in 2007, Apple has spent nearly $3 billion with Corning on the glass used in those devices.

Apple has begun shipping out iPhone 11, ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, and Apple Watch Series 5 orders ahead of Friday's launch date, ensuring customers will receive their devices on time.

Apple hasn't updated its own order system and many orders will say "Preparing to Ship" until later in the week, but customers in the United States who are receiving their devices via UPS can use the UPS My Choice feature for tracking purposes or track via reference number, such as an order number or a phone number.

Signing up for UPS My Choice is free and well worth it for those who want to keep an eye on their upcoming shipments.

If you've ordered a new device, shipment details should already be available, with iPhones and Apple Watches shipping from China and arriving in the United States.

Many iPhones and Apple Watch models have just recently shipped from China so there aren't a lot of tracking details available. In some cases, the date of arrival is listed as tentative, but in our experience, these tentative dates firm up later in the week and those who pre-ordered early can count on a September 20 arrival date.

Some ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and Pro Max models, especially in the Midnight Green color, sold out quick and even those who pre-ordered early weren't able to get launch day arrival. Apple often ends up managing to ship devices earlier than promised, so those expecting October arrivals could get their iPhones earlier.

The ‌iPhone‌ 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max will be officially available on September 20, and those who weren't able to get one may be able to pick up a new ‌iPhone‌ in store on that date.

Apple this morning started rolling out access to Apple Arcade, giving a handful of people early access to the $4.99 per month service.

‌Apple Arcade‌ isn't launching with the more than 100 titles Apple has said are in development, but there are over 50 games to download across a wide range of categories. All of the games are listed below.

• Assemble With Care (usTwo)
• Shantae and the Seven Sirens (WayForward Technologies)
• Grindstone (Capybara Games)
• WHAT THE GOLF? (The Label)
• Card of Darkness (Zach Gage)
• LEGO Brawls (LEGO)
• Patterned (Borderleap)
• Stellar Commanders (Blindflug Studios)
• Where Cards Fall (Snowman)
• Overland (Finji)
• Exit the Gungeon (Devolver Digital)
• Rayman Mini (Ubisoft)
• Spaceland (Tortuga Team)
• Agent Intercept (PikPok)
• Punch Planet (Block Zero Games)
• Sneaky Sasquatch (Rac7 Games)
• Operator 41 (Shifty Eye Games)
• Frogger in Toy Town (Konami)
• Red Reign (Ninja Kiwi)
• Various Daylife (Square Enix)
• Mini Motorways (Dinosaur Polo Club)
• Don't Bug Me! (Frosty Pop)
• Oceanhorn 2 (Cornfox & Bros)
• King's League II (Kurechii)
• Explottens (Werplay Priv.)
• Spelldrifter (Free Range Games)
• The Get Out Kids (Frosty Pop)
• Spek. (Rac7 Games)
• Way of the Turtle (Illusion Labs)
• Lifeslide (Block Zero Games)
• Neo Cab (Surprise Attack Games)
• Skate City (Snowman)
• Tint. (Lykke Studios)
• The Enchanted World (Noodlecake Studios)
• Over the Alps (Stave Studios)
• Hot Lava (Klei Entertainment)
• The Pinball Wizard (Frosty Pop)
• Shinsekai Into the Depths (Capcom)
• Word Laces (Minimega)
• Dear Reader (Local No. 12)
• Projection: First Light (Blowfish Studios)
• ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree (Wildboy Studios)
• Big Time Sports (Frosty Pop)
• Tangle Tower (SFB Games)
• Dread Nautical (Zen Studios)
• Mutazione (Die Gute Fabrik)
• Bleak Sword (Devolver Digital)
• Sayonara Wild Hearts (Annapurna)
• Dead End Job (Headup)
• Cat Quest II (The Gentlebros)
• Dodo Peak (Moving Pieces)
• Cricket Through the Ages (Devolver Digital)
• Speed Demons (Radiangames)

According to Apple, new ‌Apple Arcade‌ games will be added to the service on a weekly basis, so there are plenty of additional games that will be coming soon.

The ‌Apple Arcade‌ interface is like a mini App Store itself, with various game categories, gaming tips, and more.

Of the above list, Apple is highlighting many of the games in different categories like "Start Your Adventure," "New Arrivals," "You Have to Hear This," "No Time to Blink," and more.

Ahead of ‌Apple Arcade‌'s debut, Apple has taken a deeper glimpse into some of the games that are coming, including developer commentary and gameplay details in an Apple Newsroom article. Games covered include The Enchanted World, Patterned, Overland, and Card of Darkness.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is set to launch officially on Thursday, September 19, right alongside the rollout of iOS 13. The service is $4.99 per month for the entire family, with a free one-month trial available.

Apple Arcade appears to be rolling out to a handful of users ahead of its planned September 19 release date, based on a few tweets and emails sent to MacRumors.

We've also received access on one of our devices, and it appears those who are able to use ‌Apple Arcade‌ at this time are running either iOS 13 or the latest iOS 13.1 beta.

We were able to sign up for a complete ‌Apple Arcade‌ subscription, which comes with a one-month free trial. After that, ‌Apple Arcade‌ will be priced at $4.99 per month.

There appear to be right around 54 games available at launch, and we'll have a full list of titles coming soon. Games run the gamut from puzzle titles to action titles to RPGs and multiplayer games. Apple says new games will be added regularly.

Installing ‌Apple Arcade‌ games after subscribing is as simple as browsing the available game catalog, choosing a game, and tapping on the "Get" button.

Games can be downloaded and played fully offline, with no internet access required, and there appears to be no limit on the number of ‌Apple Arcade‌ games that can be installed at one time.

‌Apple Arcade‌ is set to launch in an official capacity this Thursday, and it's possible Apple will continue rolling out access ahead of that date.

Have questions about ‌Apple Arcade‌? Let us know in the comments and we'll try to answer.

Ahead of the launch of Apple Arcade this Thursday, Apple has allowed YouTubers and media sites to go hands-on with the service, and reviews are now available letting us know what we can expect.

Below, we've rounded up some highlights from the reviews, which will be of interest to anyone thinking of subscribing to ‌Apple Arcade‌.

According to Engadget's Devindra Hardawar, the demo games that Apple allowed testers to play each had unique gaming elements. "It's clear that Apple is trying to build a service that shows off what its devices can do with truly innovative games," writes Hardawar.

He went on to call the service a "no brainer subscription" for anyone who owns an Apple device, and called ‌Apple Arcade‌ "one of the best deals in gaming."

iMore's Rene Ritchie said that it felt like Apple spent "a lot of time" making sure there was a wide range of diversity in its launch catalogs and shared his thoughts in a hands-on video.

Sure, there are stealth games, but maybe you're not a sniper... you're a Sasquatch. There are puzzle games, but maybe not to climb a tower but to delve into your childhood memories.

There's Frogger and Chu Chu Rocket and Lego Brawls, but there's also Skate City, Projection: First Light, and Way of the Turtle. One of the biggest, oldest knocks against Apple has been that they don't get gaming.

It's usually made by studios and players who want a hardcore, PC-like, even console-like experience on the Mac or iOS.

The Verge's Chaim Gartenberg called ‌Apple Arcade‌'s launch lineup "surprisingly deep" that goes beyond the lackluster Frogger debut we saw on September 10.

My colleague Dieter Bohn got to try out a few of the upcoming games, and his take is: "All the games are good." Even that Frogger game has more to it than first thought. It's made by Q-Games, which previously made PixelJunk Monsters, and it's almost indicative of the entire Arcade reveal: lackluster at first, until you look closer and see that there's actually a lot happening.

Gizmodo's Alex Cranz said that ‌Apple Arcade‌ "probably isn't going to suck," and that after sampling some of the games, he's "tentatively excited." He wasn't a fan of some of the gameplay on the iPad, though, and he thought that several of the games "looked really similar."

Across the board, most of the games were a drag on the iPad. Quite a few of the games like to use the device itself to mimic a controller when played on touch devices. That works with a phone, which is roughly the same size as a controller from Sony or Microsoft. But using the iPad as a giant controller was really uncomfortable. My hands were too damn small to pretend a 10.2-inch iPad had joysticks on either side of the display.

Lifewire's Lance Ulanoff said that ‌Apple Arcade‌ games don't "break any new ground" beyond what's already in the App Store, but the promise of "all you can eat games" across Apple devices without in-app purchases for just $4.99 per month is "compelling."

Other Reviews: VentureBeat, Mashable, MobileSyrup, BGR, Digital Trends, and CNET.

Video Reviews and Game Demos:

At launch, ‌Apple Arcade‌ will be priced at $4.99 per month. That $4.99 fee will allow an entire family of up to 6 people (that uses Family Sharing) to access games.

Apple is planning to offer a free one month trial of ‌Apple Arcade‌, which is launching in more than 150 countries and regions. There will be dozens of new and exclusive games available, with additional games coming in the future.

Google is hosting an October 15 event in New York City, where it is expected to unveil its next-generation smartphone, the Google Pixel 4, reports Axios.

Like Apple's newest iPhones, the Google Pixel 4 will feature a square-shaped rear camera bump, which Google itself confirmed.

Ahead of the Pixel 4 launch, there were multiple leaks, so Google shared its own images of the upcoming device and also highlighted some of the smartphone's new features.

Rumors suggest Google's rear camera setup will include two lenses, a microphone, a flash, and a "spectral sensor" that's designed to account for light flicker when filming an LCD display.

Apple's iPhone camera setup positions three lenses in a triangle shape in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro and Pro Max, and two lenses vertically in the ‌iPhone‌ 11. Google's setup has the two lenses of the Pixel 4 arranged horizontally with the flash located at the bottom.

Google has already highlighted some of the other features coming to the Pixel 4, including a new Face Unlock feature that is equivalent to Face ID, using 3D facial scans.

Unlike prior implementation of facial recognition on Android devices, Google's version will support secure payments and app authentication. Google claims its facial recognition system will be a more fluid experience than Apple's, working in any orientation.

Google's facial recognition feature will also enable motion-based gestures called Motion Sense, allowing users to do things like skip songs, snooze alarms, and silence phone calls by waving a hand in front of the phone.

Google's Pixel 4 smartphone will be a major ‌iPhone‌ 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max competitor alongside Samsung's new Galaxy Note 10.

Apple this week is set to challenge the European Commission's order to repay 13 billion euros in Irish back taxes, according to Reuters.

The report claims Apple is expected to send a six-person delegation led by its CFO Luca Maestri to a two-day court hearing in Luxembourg on Tuesday and Wednesday. Apple will likely argue many of the same points that Apple CEO Tim Cook penned in a public letter about the tax ruling three years ago.

In a nutshell, Apple believes it follows the law and pays all the taxes it owes in every country where it operates, including Ireland. Apple has also said nearly all of its research and development takes place in the United States, so that is where the company should and does pay the majority of its taxes.

An excerpt from Cook's letter:

The Commission's move is unprecedented and it has serious, wide-reaching implications. It is effectively proposing to replace Irish tax laws with a view of what the Commission thinks the law should have been. This would strike a devastating blow to the sovereignty of EU member states over their own tax matters, and to the principle of certainty of law in Europe.

Ireland is also appealing the ruling, but Apple has finished paying back the 13 billion euros in the meantime, with the funds stored in an escrow account. If the order is overturned, the money would be returned to Apple.

In 2016, following a three-year investigation, the European Commission found Apple received illegal state aid from Ireland. Apple allegedly paid between 0.005 percent and one percent in taxes in Ireland between 2003 and 2014, compared to the the country's headline 12.5 percent corporate tax rate at the time.