The Wi-Fi Alliance, dedicated to developing new wireless networking standards, is planning to make Wi-Fi naming simpler with the upcoming launch of the newest Wi-Fi standard, 802.11ax.
802.11ax will be known as "Wi-Fi 6," making it easier for Wi-Fi users to understand the difference between 802.11ax, 802.11ac, and 802.11n.
With the launch of Wi-Fi 6, 802.11ac will be known as "Wi-Fi 5," while 802.11n will be known as "Wi-Fi 4."
"For nearly two decades, Wi-Fi users have had to sort through technical naming conventions to determine if their devices support the latest Wi-Fi," said Edgar Figueroa, president and CEO of Wi-Fi Alliance. "Wi-Fi Alliance is excited to introduce Wi-Fi 6, and present a new naming scheme to help industry and Wi-Fi users easily understand the Wi-Fi generation supported by their device or connection."
Wi-Fi 6 will introduce higher data rates, increased capacity, better performance in dense environments like concerts and sporting events, and improved power efficiency so Wi-Fi won't eat up as much battery on future devices.
In 802.11ax tests, speeds of up to 4.8Gbit/s over the 5GHz band have been reached. In demonstrations at CES, speeds maxed out at 11Gbit/s.
The new capabilities being introduced are outlined below, as specified by the Wi-Fi Alliance.
Uplink and downlink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) increases efficiency and lowers latency for high demand environments
1024 quadrature amplitude modulation mode (1024-QAM) enables peak gigabit speeds for emerging, bandwidth-intensive use cases
Improved medium access control (MAC) control signaling increases throughput and capacity while reducing latency
Increased symbol durations make outdoor network operations more robust
Wi-Fi 6 is expected to provide performance improvements to smart home setups with multiple Internet of Things devices, as well as businesses and those running large-scale deployments. The Wi-Fi 6 standard is expected to be finalized next year.
Ten One Design is known for some useful Mac and iOS products, like the Blockhead that changes the orientation of your MacBook power adapter and the Mountie+ that transforms the iPad into a second screen for a Mac, but it's newest product, the Stella MacBook Power Cord, is perhaps the company's most interesting accessory to date.
Stella features a built-in LED that activates whenever it senses a faint electrical field next to an electrical receptacle like a power outlet, resulting in a bright light that comes on whenever you go to plug it in.
The idea behind the Stella is to provide a bit of light when attempting to plug your cord in while it's dark, which, admittedly, is not a situation that most people are likely to encounter on a regular basis.
Stella snaps onto a MacBook's power adapter where the extension cable would normally go, essentially replacing the standard Apple extension cable (or short prong portion). The part of the Stella that connects to the power adapter is white and it looks rather similar to the regular extension cable, so there are no surprises there.
The cord of the Stella is made from a nice, flexible braided material that looks great and is a less unwieldy than the Apple branded extension cable. The cable itself is 1.8m long, like the Apple extension cable.
I don't use an extension cable with my MacBook Pro power adapter because the USB-C cable is generally long enough for most places where I need to plug in, so I do wish that there was an option for a set of light up prongs sans extra cable.
Ten One Design accounted for extra cord, though, with a handy bi-directional slide out clip that can hold the additional wound up cable in place. There's so much cable that it doesn't work well on the 29W/30W MacBook adapter, but winds up nicely on the larger 87W MacBook Pro adapter. Because the cord is flexible, it stays wound up neatly.
The Stella website says the cord was designed with the 85/87W chargers in mind, wrapping around them eight times. It also works with the 61W chargers, but you'll need to wrap it around an additional time or two.
The plug part of the Stella is grooved and shaped in a way that's simple to grip, and it comes in either blue or aqua. The plug is smaller than the plug of the Apple extension cable, and it is two pronged instead of three pronged. It also takes up less space than a MacBook power adapter without an extension cable, so it's a good way to save outlet real estate if you have a lot of things plugged in.
The Stella's LED is located right above the two prongs, and in my testing, it reliably lit up every time it was next to a power outlet, providing sufficient light to find the outlet's holes even in the darkest room.
It starts lighting up when it's about a foot away from the outlet, which seems to be an ideal distance. Ten One Designs says this distance can vary, though, depending on the strength of the outlet and based on factors like the material covering the outlet.
Stella also lights up near other devices that are plugged in, so you'll see it light up if it's located near your MacBook, your toaster, your TV, or anything else. It needs to be in close proximity, though, so I never found the LED to be irritating.
I didn't run into any issues with Stella failing to light up, but Ten One Design says that if you hold it sideways against a receptacle it will always light up, which can be useful in situations where an outlet has low signal.
Once plugged in, the light on the Stella goes out within a few seconds, so it's not going to keep shining in a dark room.
Stella is compatible with all MacBook chargers, 10W and 12W iPad chargers, and PC laptop chargers, though there are different editions for PCs and Macs.
Bottom Line
Ten One Design's Stella is neat, but it's something of a novelty. At $34.95, it's rather expensive when you can just use the flashlight on your phone or a light switch.
Stella is undeniably useful when you might want to plug in your MacBook cable with the lights out, but I can't imagine that such a situation is a regular occurrence for most people.
Apple's USB-C MacBooks don't ship with an extension cable anymore, with Apple instead selling them for $19. Stella is priced at $34.95, which means it's a $15.95 premium over what you can get from Apple.
Whether that's worth it for the braided cable and the built-in light will depend on your needs. If you work in the dark a lot or travel often, the Stella is potentially worth the upgrade, but if you're not moving your power adapter on a regular basis, it's probably not worth the extra cost.
Ten One Design has said that it plans to license Stella technology to other manufacturers, so it's possible we may see more useful applications in the future with the light up functionality perhaps added to power adapters of other types, such as those meant for iPhones or iPads.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will be the keynote speaker at the 2018 International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, the European Data Protection Supervisor announced today.
Cook will give the keynote speech at "Debating Ethics: Dignity and Respect in Data Driven Life," a public session of the conference set to take place on Wednesday, October 24.
"We are delighted that Tim has agreed to speak at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners. Tim has been a strong voice in the debate around privacy, as the leader of a company which has taken a clear privacy position, we look forward to hearing his perspective. He joins an already superb line up of keynote speakers and panellists who want to be part of a discussion about technology serving humankind."
The session Cook is headlining is meant to start a global discussion on "right and wrong in the development and use of digital technology."
As TechCrunch points out, Cook's attendance at the conference comes as U.S. lawmakers are considering online data protection rules similar to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Europe implemented earlier this year.
Apple is a major advocate for privacy and the tech company that is the most invested in protecting consumer data. Cook and other Apple executives speak often on the importance of consumer data privacy.
In a June interview, for example, Cook said that privacy "from an American point of view" is one of the "key civil liberties" defining what it means to be American. He also often points out that Apple's customers are not its product.
"We could make a ton of money if we monetized our customers," Cook said in March. "If our customers were our product. We've elected not to do that. We're not going to traffic in your personal life."
Just yesterday, Cook spoke passionately about privacy and the need for government privacy protections in a VICE News Tonight interview.
I see privacy as one of the most important issues of the 21st century. We're at a stage now where more information is available about you online and on your phone than is in your house. Chances are, your phone knows what you've been browsing, knows your friends, knows your relationships, has all of your photos.
I mean, just think about this and the magnitude of information. We take that seriously. I'm not a pro regulation kind of person, I believe in a free market deeply when the free market doesn't produce a result that's great for society, you have to ask yourself what do we need to do? And I think some level of government is important to come out of it at this time.
Cook went on to explain that there's a need to work with Congress to make sure that tech companies are doing their jobs of helping regulators come up to speed on what's possible in terms of the data being collected and how it's being used.
Apple just recently sent longtime employee and Vice President of Software Technology Bud Tribble to a Senate Commerce Committee to offer support for federal privacy regulations, where he explained Apple's approach to privacy and the company's effort to minimize the amount of data collected.
To Apple, privacy means much more than having the right not to share your personal information. Privacy is about putting the user in control when it comes that information. That means that users can decide whether to share personal information and with whom. It means that they understand how that information will be used. Ultimately, privacy is about living in a world where you can trust that your decisions about how your personal information is shared and used are being respected. We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right, which should be supported by both social norms and the law.
Cook is likely to share many of the same sentiments again at the data protection conference he's attending later this month.
Other "Debating Ethics" panel attendees will include World Wide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee, philosopher Anita Allen, former chief justice of India Jagdish Singh, HKUST AI research director Pascale Fung, and computer philosophy writer Jaron Lanier.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple today revamped the BeatsX earphone lineup available from its online and retail stores, eliminating several colors and lowering the price.
The BeatsX Earphones are now available from Apple in black or silver, with all other colors, including space gray, gold, white, and blue, discontinued. Apple has also removed the Black/Red Defiant BeatsX collection.
Apple has also dropped the price of the BeatsX Earphones from $149.95 to $119.95, a discount of $30. Apple never offered competitive pricing on the BeatsX, which are often available at a deep discount from retailers like Best Buy.
Right now, for example, Best Buy is selling BeatsX in gray, blue, and black for $90, which is even lower than Apple's current baseline price.
While a price drop could indicate an upcoming refresh of the Beats headphone lineup, prices may have been lowered in an effort to better match the BeatsX pricing available from other big box retailers.
Apple has not tweaked the pricing of other Beats headphones options including the Powerbeats3, the Studio3 Wireless, or the Solo3 wireless.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
With last month's iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 event in the rearview mirror, we can now turn our attention to Apple's roadmap for the remainder of the 2018 calendar year. If rumors are any indication, we'll likely be headed back to Cupertino this month for an October event.
Apple has yet to announce any October event, to be clear, but it's always fun to speculate about possible dates based on years prior. Apple has hosted an October event in six of the past eight years, with 2015 and 2017 the exceptions.
All but one of the October events have focused on the Mac, iPad, or both. The sole exception is the October 4, 2011 event, when Apple introduced the iPhone 4S with Siri. Apple didn't host a September event in 2011, however, so the October 4 keynote can be viewed as a bit-late iPhone event that year.
2011 aside, October events have always fallen in the second half of the month, between October 16 and October 27. This year, there's a good chance that any potential event would take place in the latter half of the month as well.
A big reason is that Google is hosting an event next Tuesday, October 9 in New York City, where it is expected to unveil its Pixel 3 smartphones. Apple typically hosts events on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, but all of those days next week would be in close proximity to Google's event.
Apple certainly doesn't need to play friendly with Google's event, but it probably wouldn't want to wreak travel havoc on the media, who would be forced to fly from New York to Cupertino, some 3,000 miles away, on a tight schedule.
So, in all likelihood, we're looking at an event in the second or third full week of October, making the following dates possible:
Tuesday, October 16 or Tuesday, October 23
Wednesday, October 17 or Wednesday, October 24
Thursday, October 18 or Thursday, October 25
Apple typically invites the media to its October events seven or eight days beforehand, so invites could go out as early as next Tuesday.
It'll be interesting to see how the iPhone XR plays into the event. Apple already unveiled the colorful smartphone at its September event, but pre-orders don't begin until Friday, October 19, followed by in-store availability on Friday, October 26.
iPhone XR
One possibility is that Apple will host its event on Tuesday, October 16, and recap some of the iPhone XR's features to rejuvenate hype ahead of pre-orders on Friday, October 19. Other new iPad Pro and Mac products announced could also be made available to pre-order and/or launch in stores that Friday.
But with many other products expected to be announced — more on that below — it's uncertain if Apple would do that or have time to fit in the iPhone XR whatsoever. In that case, Apple could hold its event on Tuesday, October 23, but either way, new iPads and Macs could steal some of the iPhone XR's thunder.
Of course, Apple could choose to announce many of these products with press releases, but redesigned iPad Pro models, a long-awaited Mac mini refresh, and updates to other product lines seem like announcements worthy of some stage time.
There are a number of wild cards for the October event as well. For instance, Apple said its AirPower charging mat would be released in 2018, before removing all but one reference to it on its website last month. Apple hasn't commented on the AirPower since, but perhaps it's still coming, and maybe in October if so.
AirPower with optional AirPods wireless charging case
If the AirPower finally launches, there's a good chance it would be accompanied by a new pair of AirPods with an optional wireless charging case, as Apple showed off last year. And while less likely, we can't rule out a lower-priced HomePod or an updated Apple Pencil sharing some stage time later this month.
MacRumors will have more details on what to expect closer to the event, should one take place, along with our usual live coverage of any announcements.
Update: Apple CEO Tim Cook will be in Brussels on Wednesday, October 24, likely ruling out an event that week. As noted by VentureBeat's Jeremy Horwitz, another option is Tuesday, October 30, which would avoid interfering with the iPhone XR launch and fall two days before Apple's Q4 earnings.
DxOMark today published the results of its in-depth analysis of the iPhone XS Max's rear camera. Apple's flagship smartphone achieved an overall score of 105 points, trailing only the Huawei P20 Pro at 109 in the site's all-time rankings.
Note that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have identical camera specs, so this review applies equally to the iPhone XS.
In its testing, DxOMark found the iPhone XS Max to have "excellent" photo and video quality in bright light, with a "very wide dynamic range and good detail." In terms of photo quality, they found exposure in outdoor images "tends to be spot on," with high levels of detail and pleasant colors.
The review adds that Apple's new Smart HDR feature generates images with "very good target exposure and a wide dynamic range in all conditions."
Backlit indoor scene shot on iPhone XS Max
Backlit indoor scene shot on iPhone X
Achieving a video score of 96, DxOMark said the iPhone XS Max shows "outstanding video quality in bright light."
DxOMark concludes that the iPhone XS Max has "one of the best mobile cameras" it has ever tested, with noticeable improvements in many areas over last year's iPhone X. Their review praises the iPhone XS Max camera as being "very reliable overall" and "consistently delivering good results."
In lower light, however, DxOMark found that noise becomes "a little more intrusive than with other high-end phones," adding that the iPhone XS Max's zoom capabilities lag somewhat behind the competition — specifically, the Huawei P20 Pro. Beyond that, they say the device is a "surefire option for any mobile photographer."
For scoring and analysis in its smartphone camera reviews, DxOMark says its engineers capture and evaluate over 1,500 test images and more than two hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera's default settings. More on their methodology here.
DxO is a well-known French image lab that has been reviewing smartphone cameras for many years, but they've attracted some criticism. At the end of the day, camera quality is subjective, at least to some extent.
Amazon today revealed its latest streaming TV device, the Fire TV Stick 4K, which includes support for Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10+. The device also comes shipped with a revamped Alexa Voice Remote, all packaged together for $49.99.
Amazon says the 4K stick is over 80 percent more powerful than the previous generation, with a new quad core, 1.7GHz processor for quicker load times and enhanced picture quality. With 4K support, users can watch Amazon's catalog of thousands of 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ titles. The company says this is the first time a streaming media stick has supported Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, the latter of which requires a compatible connected home audio system.
The Fire TV Stick 4K also provides access to the usual array of apps and Alexa skills that users expect, like Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Starz, Showtime, CBS All Access, and more. There's also over 500,000 movies and tv episodes available directly on Fire TV through Amazon Prime.
The company announced new apps are gaining in-app voice control on Fire TV, including A&E, AMC, Sony Crackle, Hallmark Movies Now, HBO Now, HISTORY, IFC, Lifetime, and VH1. These join Netflix, Prime Video, and others, and the feature allows users to call up Alexa to play, rewind, fast forward, and navigate through menus with just their voice.
“We’ve listened to our customers and pushed to deliver the complete 4K solution they are looking for, all within a compact stick form factor,” said Marc Whitten, Vice President, Amazon Fire TV.
“The team invented an entirely new antenna technology and combined that with a powerful 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip that optimizes for the best possible 4K UHD streaming experience, even in congested network environments. Our new quad-core processor delivers a fast and fluid experience and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ provides an amazing picture. Plus, the all-new Alexa Voice Remote lets you control your complete entertainment experience and use your voice to quickly find the content you want. Just say, ‘Find 4K movies.’”
The Fire TV Stick 4K can be paired with an Echo device and Alexa to control streaming content with far-field voice recognition. Customers can also opt to use the bundled-in Alexa Voice Remote, which combines Bluetooth and multidirectional infrared technology to power on compatible TV and AV equipment, switch inputs, or even tune to a channel on a cable box. The new remote also has dedicated power, volume, and mute buttons, and users can speak directly to Alexa by holding down the microphone button.
Roku has also recently cut down the cost of entry-level 4K streaming devices, announcing the Roku Premiere with 4K support at $39.99 in the U.S. Comparatively, the Apple TV 4K is $179.99 in its cheapest 32GB option, although it has dipped down to as low as $105 in previous sales.
Today's news comes a few weeks after Amazon announced a long list of new products at an event in Seattle, including new Echo speakers and Alexa-enabled subwoofers, amplifiers, a microwave, wall clock, and more. In total, senior vice president of Amazon Devices Dave Limp said that the event marked the largest number of devices and features that Amazon has ever debuted in one day.
Amazon has put the Fire TV Stick 4K up for pre-order today for $49.99, and the device will start shipping on October 31 in the United States and Canada. The United Kingdom, Germany, and India will see a launch in November, and Japan will get the 4K stick by the end of the year. Customers can also pre-order the new Alexa Voice Remote separately for $29.99, and it will launch on October 31 as well.
Plex today announced that it is adding a new Plex Web Shows beta feature to the Plex service, allowing Plex users to watch web shows for free without a media server or a Plex subscription.
Plex Web Shows provides unlimited on-demand streaming of a curated selection of web shows on any device where Plex content can be accessed.
At launch, Plex plans to offer access to web shows across a range of interests, such as food, home and garden, science and tech, entertainment, and more. Web shows available at launch include Epic Meal Time, ASAPscience, Household Hacker, People are Awesome, and The Pet Collective, along with content from brands like GQ, Pitchfork, and Epicurious.
Plex already provides access to free content that includes news shows and podcasts, and the web shows will expand the content that cord cutters can get for free with no cable subscription.
According to Plex, Web Shows, like Plex News and Plex Podcasts, will get better through use, with the service able to offer up recommendations based on your interests and what you've previously watched.
The new Web Shows feature, the Plex News options, and the Plex Podcasts are available alongside personal media collections that Plex users can add to the Plex service.
The Philips Hue app for iOS this week updated with support for Siri Shortcuts, allowing users to add their lights to a Shortcut to turn on scenes like "Movie Time." Siri will also now learn when people are using their favorite scenes and suggest them for quick activation on the iOS lock screen, in Siri search, and on the Siri Apple Watch face (via 9to5Mac).
The Shortcuts app launched to the public within iOS 12 in September, allowing users to create multi-step shortcuts using first and third-party apps that can be activated by Siri voice command. Shortcuts are deeply customizable, and third party apps like the Hue app are able to develop quick actions for Siri that can be incorporated into Shortcuts recipes.
During the original announcement, the company explained how Hue shortcuts are compatible with other shortcuts, so you can have a whole "Dinner Time" setup that not only changes the lights, but also does things like turn on music and text family members that the food is ready.
The launch of Shortcuts for Hue lights comes after the company revealed new light fixtures last August, aimed at providing light for an entertainment area. These include the Hue Play (seen above) and Hue Signe lights. Philips Hue also now sells a range of outdoor lights, including an Outdoor Lightstrip, spotlight, and path light.
For the new Siri Shortcuts integration, Philips Hue version 3.6.0 is available to download now on the iOS App Store.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sat down for an interview with VICE News Tonight on HBO's Elle Reeve, and the footage from the interview aired tonight on HBO.
Cook covered topics that include the importance of privacy, Apple's relationship with China, and why Apple blocked conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars app and podcast. The full VICE News Tonight on HBO interview can be watched below.
On privacy and its impact on Siri, Cook said that Apple doesn't believe that personal data is needed to make services better. "Whoever's telling you that -- it's a bunch of bonk," he said.
Cook also said Apple has not made it easier for the Chinese government to get data from Chinese customers because the company uses the same encryption everywhere.
It's not easy for anybody to get it. I mean it's it's encrypted like it is everywhere. And so no, I wouldn't I wouldn't get caught up in the, 'Where's the location of it?' I mean, we have servers located in many different countries in the world. They are not easier to get data from being in one country versus the next.
On the topic of Alex Jones, Cook said that the removal of the Infowars show from Apple podcasts is an example of the importance of human curation. Cook also said that Apple does not lean one way or the other politically, and it wasn't taking a political stance removing Jones' offensive content.
What users want from us and what we've always provided them is a curated platform. We think the what the user wants is someone that does review these apps, someone that does review the podcasts, someone that on like Apple news, where a human is selecting the top stories. And that's what we do. We don't take a political stand. We're not leaning one way or the other. You can tell that from the stuff on the App Store and in podcasts etc. You'll see everything from very conservative to very liberal. And that's the way I think it should be.
Cook went on to explain that there was no coordination between tech companies after Facebook and Twitter both removed Infowars content after Apple did. "I've never even had a conversation about [Alex Jones] with other tech companies," he said. "We make our decisions independently and I think that's important."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple today updated its investor relations page to announce that it will share its earnings results for the fourth fiscal quarter (third calendar quarter) of 2018 on Thursday, November 1.
The earnings release will provide a look at sales of the new iPhone XS and XS Max during their first week of availability, and we may hear some details on how well the Apple Watch Series 4 sold.
Apple has not provided launch weekend sales for the iPhone XS and XS Max, so earnings will mark the first look at how well the updated devices sold compared to the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X.
Apple's guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 includes expected revenue of $60 to $62 billion and gross margin between 38 and 38.5 percent. In 4Q 2017, Apple posted revenue of $52.6 billion and gross margin of 37.9 percent.
The quarterly earnings statement will be released at 1:30 PM Pacific/4:30 PM Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 PM Pacific/5:00 PM Eastern. MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings release and conference call on November 1.
Apple today updated its Apple Store app with support for Siri Shortcuts, which the company says can be used to make pre-ordering the upcoming iPhone XR with the iPhone Upgrade Program faster than ever.
When getting pre-approved for an iPhone XR, iPhone Upgrade Program members will see a new "Add to Siri" button that can be used to record a custom phrase like "pre-order my iPhone."
Once pre-orders are available on October 19, customers can say the custom-made phrase and Siri will pull up their pre-approvals in the Apple Store app, allowing for quick order completion.
Other than the Siri Shortcut outlined by Apple, there do not appear to be other Apple Store Shortcut options available at this time. Full release notes for the update are below:
What's New iPhone Upgrade Program members can now use Siri Shortcuts for an even faster way to complete their iPhone XR pre-order on 10.19. Look for the 'Add to Siri' button while getting pre-approved, and record your own voice command, like "pre-order my iPhone." Say your phrase when pre-order begins, and let Siri pull up your pre-approval in the Apple Store app so you can quickly complete your order.
The Apple Store app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
The iOS 12 update brought a major new feature, Siri Shortcuts, which is designed to let you create voice and tap-activated automations that can complete multiple complex tasks in just a few seconds.
In our latest YouTube video, we've rounded up five Siri Shortcut options that we think most people will find interesting. These are a great place to start if you're new to Shortcuts.
Siri Shortcuts are available in the Shortcuts section of the Settings app (Settings > Siri & Search) and through the dedicated Shortcuts app, but you can also find great options on Reddit and other websites. The Shortcuts below have been sourced from multiple places.
- Calculate Tip - Perhaps one of the simplest Shortcuts available, Calculate Tip is available in the Shortcuts Gallery. When you activate this Shortcut, it will ask you the total bill and the amount that you want to tip (12%, 15%, 18%, or 20%) before providing you with the tip amount and the total bill with tip included.
- Convert Burst to GIF - With Convert Burst to GIF, sourced from Reddit, you can take a series of burst photos with the iPhone camera by holding down on the capture button and then convert them into a GIF. There are also shortcuts for doing the same thing with a Live Photo in the Shortcuts Gallery.
- Watch Music Video - The Watch Music Video Shortcut, also from Reddit, lets you detect the currently playing Apple Music song and then search for the accompanying music video on Apple Music. If a music video is found, it will open it up in the Apple Music app so you can watch it.
- What's Happening on Twitter - If you have the Twitter app installed, you can create a "See What's Happening" Shortcut that will allow you to view Twitter's Moments section with a Siri voice command. You can access this option by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Twitter > See All.
- Dark Sky Weather - With Dark Sky installed, you can see a weather forecast with information pulled from Dark Sky through a Siri voice command. As with Twitter, you can get to this option through the Siri & Search section of the Settings app. Assigning a command like "What's the weather today" to this third-party Shortcut will let you get weather data from Dark Sky rather than the built-in weather app when you ask Siri about the weather.
Many of the Shortcuts listed above can be tweaked and customized after you have downloaded them if desired, and you can assign Siri voice commands to activate them. For app-based Shortcuts, you can do this in the Settings app, and for longer Shortcuts that have multiple steps, you can add a Siri command in the Shortcuts app.
Do you have favorite Shortcuts that you've been using in iOS 12? Let us know in the comments and we may feature them in a future video.
Apple has established an exclusive playlist deal with the Ministry of Sound label, an Apple representative told Variety this afternoon.
Under the terms of the partnership, Ministry of Sound-created playlists will be available on Apple Music starting on Thursday, October 4.
Owned by Sony, Ministry of Sound currently offers several popular playlists on Spotify, such as "Dance Nation," "Rave Nation," and "R&B Mixtape."
Because of the new deal with Apple Music, these playlists, some of which have hundreds of thousands of followers, will be pulled from Spotify and other non-Apple services over the course of the next few days.
Ministry of Sound, founded in 1993, is one of the largest dance-music recording companies and describes itself as "The Home of Dance Music." Ministry of Sound represents artists that include London Grammar, DJ Fresh, Sigala, Marshmello, Yogi, and more.
As Variety points out, this is not Apple's first exclusive playlist deal, and playlists are yet another area where Apple Music, Spotify, and other services can attempt to one up another.
Spotify is well-known for its selection of algorithmic and mood-based playlists, which many believe to be superior to those provided by Apple, but Apple may be able to draw more subscribers by offering exclusive curated playlist content unavailable anywhere else.
Apple has also worked to provide customers with other exclusives, including early album releases, albums unavailable anywhere else, music videos, documentaries, and more.
Eve Systems has been offering HomeKit-connected devices since 2015, and the Eve Room, able to measure temperature, humidity, and air quality, is the newest Eve product available for purchase.
The new Eve Room is actually an upgraded version of an original Eve Room that was one of Eve's first product releases back in 2015, but the new version has been overhauled with a redesigned enclosure that's both sleeker and more informative.
While the original Eve Room was just a little white plastic block, the Eve Room adopts the new aluminum and e-ink design that was first introduced with the Eve Degree, Eve's more affordable temperature and humidity monitor that does not offer air quality monitoring.
Eve Room (left) next to Eve Degree
Like the Eve Degree, the Eve Room is palm sized and tiny enough that it's unobtrusive on a shelf, on a table, on a kitchen counter, or on a bedside table. It measures in at 2.1 x 2.1 x 0.6 inches, which is quite a bit smaller than the 3.1 x 3.1 x 1.3 inch measurements of the original Eve Room. Eve Room is an indoor product and should not be used outdoors.
The 200x200 e-ink display of the Eve Room displays the current temperature, humidity, and air quality in the room, with air quality pictured as a series of stars from one to five. If you press on the arrows next to the display, you can cycle through several display options that focus on temperature, humidity, or both.
I like the addition of the e-ink screen in the Eve Room because I can check the room conditions at a glance without needing to open up an app or ask Siri, something that was necessary with the previous version of the Eve Room. You do need a little bit of force to change the display output, but it's nice having the option to focus on the parameter most important to you.
The second beta of iOS 12.1, which was released this morning, includes a fix for a charging issue affecting the iPhone XS, XS Max, and other iOS devices.
Discovered following the launch of the two new iPhones and highlighted over the weekend, the charging bug causes some iPhone and iPad devices to refuse to charge over a Lightning connection when the screen is not activated.
According to iMore's Rene Ritchie, the new iOS 12.1 beta fixes the issue so iOS users will no longer need to double check to make sure their devices are charging after being plugged in.
Today’s iOS 12.1 beta includes a fix for the charging issue some people were experiencing with iPhone and iPad.
With it, no more delay or uncertainty about charging. You’ll be back to just plugging it in and getting power.
(Pretty much what I said in my video yesterday.)
— Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) October 2, 2018
The bug does not affect all iPhones and iPads, but those who are impacted have seen their devices fail to charge over Lightning when plugged in while the iPhone is asleep.
Tapping the iPhone to wake it up in this situation resumes charging, but an iPhone that is affected and plugged in with the screen deactivated can refuse to charge, resulting in uncertainty over whether or not a device is actually charging.
While this issue originally came to light because of complaints from iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max owners, it appears it was widespread and affected many devices running iOS 12.
Apple first promised new emoji were coming on World Emoji Day back in July, but the new characters were not included in the original iOS 12 update.
Apple plans to introduce more than 70 new emoji characters, with options for red hair, gray hair, curly hair, and no hair, along with smiley faces that include cold face, party face, pleading face, and face with hearts.
Super heroes, an eye-shaped nazar amulet, and an infinity symbol will be added, along with new animals such as kangaroo, peacock, parrot, and lobster. New food items include mango, lettuce, cupcake, and moon cake, with a full list of new Unicode 11 emoji available from Emojipedia.
Apple says that it is working with the Unicode Consortium to add additional disability-themed emoji to Unicode 12, which is set to be released in 2019.
Developers can get the new emoji right now by downloading the iOS 12.1 update, and Apple says the software will also be available for public beta testers later in the day.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 12.1 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the first beta and a little over two weeks after releasing iOS 12, a major new version of the iOS software.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.1 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
iOS 12.1 introduces several new features that Apple promised would come to the new iPhone XS and XS Max devices. The beta introduces support for the eSIM, which is a digital SIM that lets you activate a cellular plan from a carrier without the need to use a physical SIM card.
Carriers will need to implement support for eSIM, which is likely to happen after iOS 12.1 launches. In the U.S., AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile will support eSIM.
The iOS 12.1 update brings a new real-time Depth Control feature, which lets you adjust the depth of field of your Portrait Mode photos before you capture them. Right now, in iOS 12, Depth Control is only available for post-capture editing.
If you tap on the "F" icon at the top of the screen while capturing a photo you use Depth Control to adjust the amount of background blur in an image.
In addition to these iPhone XS and XS Max features, iOS 12.1 reintroduces the Group FaceTime feature that was removed from iOS 12 during the beta testing period. Group FaceTime was present in many early betas but was ultimately removed because Apple needed more time to test it.
Group FaceTime is designed to let iPhone and Mac users conduct video and audio chats with up to 32 participants at one time, with new camera effects features included.
Apple today announced that new emoji are coming in the iOS 12.1 beta, with options to include red hair, gray hair, curly hair, and no hair, along with smiley faces that include cold face, party face, pleading face, face with hearts, and tons more.
If any additional new features are found in the second iOS 12.1 beta, we'll update this post with details. Apple today also released a second beta version of Xcode 10.1.
Update: Apple has also seeded the second beta of iOS 12.1 to public beta testers.
