MacRumors

Apple this week updated its entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar and Intel's latest 8th-generation Core quad-core processors, and benchmarks for the 2019 model are now beginning to surface.

Geekbench 4 scores indicate the base 2019 model with an 8th-generation 1.4GHz quad-core Core i5 processor has up to a 6.8 percent increase in single-core performance, and up to 83.4 percent faster multi-core performance, compared to the base 2017 model with a 7th-generation 2.3GHz dual-core Core i5 processor.

Specifically, the 2019 model has average single-core and multi-core scores of 4,639 and 16,665 respectively based on eight Geekbench results, while the 2017 model averages 4,341 for single-core and 9,084 for multi-core.

The new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro is powered by Intel's Core i5-8257U processor, which appears to be a custom variation of its Core i5-8250U processor designed for Apple. The 15W chip is part of the Coffee Lake family and has a max Turbo Boost frequency of up to 3.9GHz.

The notebook can also be upgraded to an 8th-generation 1.7GHz quad-core Core i7 processor. This configuration uses Intel's Core i7-8557U, which is likewise believed to be a custom variation of its Core i7-8550U processor, with a TDP of 15W and a max Turbo Boost frequency of up to 4.5GHz.

Only one Geekbench result is available for the 1.7GHz configuration so far with single-core and multi-core scores of 4,835 and 15,515 respectively. There is room for variance here as more results come in, but this would be a performance increase of up to around 60 percent compared to the equivalent 2017 model.

Apple advertises the new entry-level 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ as "two times more powerful" than the previous generation. The benchmarks approach this at up to 83 percent, but performance in real-world usage will vary.

Apple did not update the entry-level 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ in 2018, which is why 2017 models serve as the previous-generation comparisons.

Update: As noted by Jeremy Horwitz, more details are now available on DigiTimes Taiwan, which reports that Apple has "temporarily stopped developing AR/VR headsets." The report claims the team working on them was disbanded in May and reassigned to other product developments. Original story below.

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Apple has reportedly "terminated" development of its widely rumored augmented reality glasses project, according to DigiTimes.

Multiple sources have claimed that Apple plans to release augmented reality glasses as early as 2020, including well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and CNET, so the DigiTimes report if accurate reflects a cancellation of a major hardware project on Apple's roadmap.

DigiTimes has a mixed track record in relation to reporting on Apple's future plans, but it appears to be citing another report in this case. However, the DigiTimes story is currently paywalled behind its "Before Going to Press" section, so we'll have to wait for specific details to be made public.

Kuo said Apple's glasses would be marketed as an iPhone accessory and primarily take a display role while wirelessly offloading computing, networking, and positioning to the iPhone. He believed mass production could begin at some point between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2020.

In November 2017, Gurman reported that Apple's headset would run a custom iOS-based operating system dubbed "rOS" for "reality operating system." At the time, he said Apple had not finalized how users would control the headset, but possibilities included touchscreens, Siri voice activation, and head gestures.

In April 2018, CNET said Apple was developing an augmented reality headset that features an 8K display for each eye and would be untethered from either a computer or a smartphone. The report claimed the headset would instead connect to a "dedicated box" using high-speed short-range 60GHz WiGig technology.

Gurman and other sources previously reported that Apple was working on several different wearable augmented reality prototypes under the umbrella code name of "T288," so it is still possible that a product of some kind could be released.

Apple has been exploring virtual reality and augmented reality technologies for more than 10 years based on patent filings. The company is also rumored to have a secretive research unit comprising hundreds of employees working on AR and VR, exploring ways the technologies could be used in future Apple products.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked up the prospect of augmented reality several times, saying he views AR as "profound" because the technology "amplifies human performance instead of isolating humans."

The first official photos of Samsung's flagship Galaxy Note 10 device appear to have been leaked onto the web, courtesy of MySmartPrice's Ishan Agarwal. After the Galaxy S10 and S10+, the Galaxy Note line is Samsung's larger smartphone equipped with a stylus. The Note 10's unveiling will come on August 7, so about a month ahead of when we're expecting to see Apple's 2019 iPhone lineup.

The image shown above reveals the Galaxy Note 10 will come in a pearlescent silvery-blue color, while a second leaked image reveals an additional black version will also be available. Otherwise, as per previous rumors, the Galaxy Note 10 adopts the same curved-screen, glass-body design used in previous Note devices, but the front now features an edge-to-edge display with a single center hole punch camera.

Over on the back of the device we can see a triple-camera array. This suggests either that rumors of a quad-camera setup – including a fourth time-of-flight (ToF) 3D depth camera – are wide of the mark, or that what we're looking at is the smaller 6.28-inch model, as claimed by WinFuture's Roland Quandt.

Samsung is said to be releasing a second, larger 6.75-inch Note 10 next month. If that model does include the quad-camera array with ToF, the company will be debuting the world-facing 3D depth-sensing tech a full year in advance of Apple, which is rumored to be introducing it in its 2020 ‌iPhone‌ line-up. If the bigger device additionally features 5G support (also rumored), that will be two tech flags that Samsung can raise at least one year ahead of Apple.

There's no visible fingerprint sensor in these images, suggesting the Note 10 will inherit an under-display fingerprint sensor from the Galaxy S10. Another notable change is that this device has one less button than the Note 9, suggesting either a relocated power button below the volume rockers or a lack of a Bixby button.

We can't see from these leaked images if the Note 10 is ditching the headphone jack, as has also been rumored. If so, users will have to decide for themselves whether that jives with Samsung's claim that these new devices are "designed to take the Galaxy ecosystem's connectivity to the next level." (Samsung famously killed the headphone jack in 2018's Galaxy A8s after years of mocking Apple for doing the same thing.)

In addition to debuting the Note 10, Samsung may also use its upcoming August event to provide more detail on when we can expect the delayed Galaxy Fold to launch. Samsung planned to release it earlier this year but then canceled its debut after multiple poor reviews from media sites.

We don't know exactly when Apple will unveil its own 2019 smartphone lineup, but based on past years, we can expect the Cupertino-based company to hold an event somewhere around the first or second week of September, with September 9 or September 10 being likely possible candidates.

Apple plans to offer its 2019 iPhones in three sizes, identical to the current ‌iPhone‌ lineup. The two higher-end devices will continue to use OLED, while the ‌iPhone‌ XR successor will feature an LCD and a cheaper price tag.

The ‌iPhone‌ XS and XS Max successors will use triple-lens cameras, while the XR successor will feature a dual-lens camera. The camera updates will be the biggest changes to the iPhones in 2019. As suggested, no 5G connectivity is coming this year, but faster WiFi and LTE is expected. For more on the 2019 iPhones, make sure to check out our roundup.

Apple has disabled the Walkie-Talkie app for Apple Watch due to a bug that could allow users to eavesdrop on others, reports TechCrunch.

The company issued a statement noting that it was just notified about the vulnerability and has temporarily disabled the Walkie-Talkie functionality while a fix is developed. The Walkie-Talkie app will remain installed on users' Apple Watches, but it will not be functional until the fix is deployed.

Apple's statement:

We were just made aware of a vulnerability related to the Walkie-Talkie app on the Apple Watch and have disabled the function as we quickly fix the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and will restore the functionality as soon as possible. Although we are not aware of any use of the vulnerability against a customer and specific conditions and sequences of events are required to exploit it, we take the security and privacy of our customers extremely seriously. We concluded that disabling the app was the right course of action as this bug could allow someone to listen through another customer’s iPhone without consent. We apologize again for this issue and the inconvenience.

Walkie-Talkie debuted last fall in watchOS 5, and it allows users to easily communicate with each other via voice from their wrists using a push-to-talk function.

As TechCrunch points out, the issue is reminiscent of a serious Group FaceTime bug discovered early this year that could allow callers to hear a user's audio without the call being accepted. In that scenario, Apple remotely disabled Group FaceTime once the issue was discovered, and pushed out an emergency bug fix a week and a half later as part of iOS 12.1.4.

Earlier this week, a serious vulnerability with the Zoom video conferencing app for macOS was disclosed, with attackers potentially able to hijack users' webcams.

The vulnerability was particularly notable because Zoom had installed a hidden web server on users' computers in order to allow for automatic answering of incoming calls, and that web server was not only the weak point that could be exploited, but it also was not removed upon deletion of the app. As a result, users who had previously deleted Zoom might not even realize they were vulnerable to this potential attack.

After initially defending the decision to install a web server on users' machines to work around changes in Safari 12 that would have required users to click to accept incoming calls, Zoom later backtracked and released a patch to remove the web server from users' computers.

Apple has now taken things one step further and pushed out a silent macOS update that removes the web server, reports TechCrunch. The update is deployed automatically, so users don't have to manually apply it in order for it to take effect.

Although Zoom released a fixed app version on Tuesday, Apple said its actions will protect users both past and present from the undocumented web server vulnerability without affecting or hindering the functionality of the Zoom app itself.

The update will now prompt users if they want to open the app, whereas before it would open automatically.

Zoom told TechCrunch it was "happy to have worked with Apple on testing this update" and that it should resolve all issues with the web server.

In a blog post, Zoom says it will take further action this weekend by automatically having first-time users who select "Always turn off my video" default to having video off for all future meetings. In addition, Zoom will be improving its bug bounty program and security-related issue escalation process.

Apple may be gearing up to slim down and then completely remove the notch from iPhones over the next two years.

First, reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new research note today via Chinese website MyDrivers in which he claims that at least one new iPhone in 2020 will be equipped with a smaller front camera lens for an improved screen-to-bezel ratio, suggesting the notch will be slimmer.

Second, the China Times cites an analyst at investment firm Credit Suisse in Asia who believes Apple plans to release one new ‌iPhone‌ model without a notch or Face ID in 2020. The analyst claims the ‌iPhone‌ will instead feature an under-screen front camera and full-screen acoustic fingerprint authentication, which sounds like a version of Touch ID that would work anywhere on the ‌iPhone‌'s display.

The analyst believes all three new iPhones will be notch-less in 2021, completing the transition to under-screen front cameras and full-screen fingerprint authentication. The report claims Apple is likely to develop its own under-screen fingerprinting technology rather than rely on a third-party provider.

Together, these rumors paint the following timeline:

• 2019: Three new iPhones with ‌Face ID‌ and no changes to notch
  

• 2020: Two new iPhones with ‌Face ID‌ and slimmer notches, one new notch-less ‌iPhone‌ with full-screen fingerprint authentication
  

• 2021: Three new notch-less iPhones with full-screen fingerprint authentication

Just last week, a report claimed that Apple plans to launch a new ‌iPhone‌ with under-screen fingerprint technology, but the report suggested the device will be limited to the budget-conscious Chinese market, with the under-screen fingerprint technology thought to cost less than ‌Face ID‌ sensors.

Likewise, following meetings with suppliers in Apple's Asian supply chain in May, Barclays analysts claimed that 2020 iPhone models will have acoustic fingerprint technology that could allow for full-screen ‌Touch ID‌.

The notch has been a controversial design decision since it debuted on the ‌iPhone‌ X in 2017, and it has always felt like a stopgap on the way to an ‌iPhone‌ with a truly edge-to-edge display, so these rumors certainly have some plausibility. However, these reports should still be viewed with some skepticism until they are corroborated by other sources. It is also early, so these plans could change.

The possibility of a notch-less ‌iPhone‌ does look increasingly promising. In January, for example, Apple supplier AMS launched new under-screen ambient light and proximity sensors, while Chinese smartphone makers Oppo and Xiaomi have recently showcased smartphones with under-screen front cameras.

Samsung has so far taken a different approach to avoid the notch, with its Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ smartphones featuring circular and pill-shaped front camera cutouts respectively in the top-right corner of the display.

Apple's exact approach if any remains to be seen, but it is certainly starting to sound like the notch might not be around for too much longer.

Apple has registered five unreleased iPad models in the Eurasian Economic Commission database today, including A2068, A2197, A2198, A2228, A2230, according to listings uncovered by MySmartPrice and confirmed by MacRumors.

All of the ‌iPad‌ models are listed as running iPadOS:

On the more imminent front, a recent rumor suggested that mass production of a new 10.2-inch iPad was set to begin this month, so a launch could be near. The 10.2-inch model, dubbed the ‌iPad‌ 7, is expected to be a slightly larger, slimmer bezel successor to the low-cost 9.7-inch ‌iPad‌, which was last updated in March 2018.

The source of the 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ rumor, CoinX, has an accurate track record. The mystery account previously tweeted the iPhone XS, ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, and ‌iPhone‌ XR names of the 2018 iPhones before anyone else, and also accurately revealed the 10.5-inch iPad Air, the 2018 iPad Pro being 5.9mm thick, and more.

Looking farther out, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that two new iPad Pro models will enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2019 or the first quarter of 2020. The current ‌iPad Pro‌ models were released in October 2018.

Eurasian Economic Commission filings like these have foreshadowed the release of new Apple products on numerous occasions, including multiple ‌iPad‌, ‌iPad Pro‌, ‌iPhone‌, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods models. The filings are legally required for any encrypted devices sold in Russia and select other countries.

Just weeks after Intel reportedly put around 8,500 wireless patents up for auction, the chipmaker has now taken the portfolio off the market and entered into a period of exclusivity with an unnamed buyer for a substantial portion of the assets up for sale, according to IAM.

While the hopeful buyer has not been disclosed, the report speculates it could be Apple:

Intel gave no indication of who the interested bidder might be; whether, for example, it is an operating company acting on its own, a consortium or an investor play. However, given the reports of Apple's interest in the chipmaker's overall smartphone modem business, the iPhone giant must be seen as among the most likely bidders.

Intel is reportedly aiming to sell off 8,500 assets from its patent portfolio, including 6,000 patents related to 3G, 4G, and 5G cellular standards and an additional 1,700 patents on wireless implementation technologies.

The portfolio would obviously be tremendously valuable to Apple as rumors suggest the iPhone maker is developing its own cellular modems that could be ready by 2022 or 2023, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple is also widely expected to release its first 5G-enabled ‌iPhone‌ next year.

In April, Intel announced that it is exiting the 5G smartphone business, not long after Apple and Qualcomm reached a settlement and a multi-year supply agreement that will see Qualcomm providing 5G modems for future iPhones.

Apple is reportedly interested in purchasing parts of Intel's smartphone modem business following its exit, possibly including its German division. Together with the 8,500 patents, this would give Apple a significant amount of 5G-related intellectual property to advance its wireless technologies.

On a recent episode of the RBC Disruptors podcast with host John Stackhouse, Apple's former retail chief Angela Ahrendts revealed that Apple's retail employee retention rate rose from 61 percent to a "historic high" of "nearly 89 percent" during her five-year tenure at the company.

"I don't feel that Apple retail is facing near the headwinds that maybe a lot of other retailers are because we've spent the last five years almost changing and evolving, and refocusing if you will," added Ahrendts, citing strong retention rates, redesigned stores, improved communication tools, and more.

Of course, with Apple being one of the world's largest companies, Ahrendts admitted that "there's a challenge a day."

"I think when you run a business that big and that global, and nearly 70,000 employees when I left, there's a challenge a day. I think that if it is a challenge, it's your job to fix the challenge. So when I came in, there were a lot of systems that weren't connected, there wasn't a way to communicate."

Under Ahrendts, Apple introduced new communication tools for its retail employees, including a "Hello" app that provides a daily summary of "need to know" information and a "Loop" app that allows retail employees to share useful tips and tricks amongst each other to help do their jobs better.

Ahrendts also reflected on being recruited by Apple CEO Tim Cook, her early days at Apple, her vision of the retail industry as a whole, and much more. The full interview can be listened to on SoundCloud or Apple Podcasts.

Ahrendts left Apple in April. Her position was filled by Apple's longtime human resources chief Deirdre O'Brien, who now oversees both HR and retail.