Following a legal battle that's been ongoing between Apple and LTE chipmaker Qualcomm since early 2017, the latter company today announced an initiative aimed at defusing tensions with Apple. Specifically, Qualcomm says it will "broaden" its use of a lower-cost licensing model moving forward (via Reuters).
The move is a response to the FTC's original complaint that Qualcomm was engaging in anticompetitive patent licensing practices in order to remain the dominant supplier of LTE chips for smartphones. Soon after the FTC targeted Qualcomm, Apple sued the supplier, stating that Qualcomm "reinforces its dominance" through exclusionary tactics and high patent licensing fees.
Now, Qualcomm will receive a lower licensing rate when it does business with customers like Apple, Samsung, and Huawei. Qualcomm licensing division head Alex Rogers hopes that this move will eventually resolve its disputes with Apple and one other unnamed company, thought to be Huawei.
“It’s a good context for dealing with the two licensee issues we have now,” Alex Rogers, the head of Qualcomm’s licensing division, told Reuters in an interview, naming Apple but leaving Huawei unnamed as is the company’s policy when a dispute hasn’t become public through a court proceeding.
Rogers did not comment directly on the likelihood of resolving either customer dispute.
Rogers explains that Qualcomm is doing this by "including more technology" in its licensable patents without raising prices. Before, smartphone makers had the chance to buy two sets of Qualcomm patents, representing a "full suite" or a "standard essential" set. While most customers license both bundles to avoid lawsuits, Qualcomm is aiming to ease tensions by both making it easier for companies to license only the low-cost patent set, and by adding 5G wireless network patents to the sets at no additional cost.
“We have not lowered the rate. What we’re doing is including more technology, more (intellectual property) in the offering without increasing the price,” Rogers added
While Qualcomm has made its move at finally ending the long legal dispute with Apple, the Cupertino company has not yet responded to the announcement. Rogers says that both the Apple dispute and reportedly Huawei "are essentially now being handled within the framework of the current programme."
Given the legal dispute between the two companies, a rumor in late 2017 suggested Apple is considering eliminating Qualcomm chips from its future devices, instead relying on Intel and MediaTek. More recently, unnamed sources speaking with Fast Company stated that while Intel will supply Apple with a 70 percent majority of LTE chips for the 2018 iPhones, Qualcomm will still be sourced for the remaining supply.
Wall Street analysts forecast that Apple will report $60.9 billion revenue, meeting roughly the midpoint of its guidance, and earnings per share of $2.69, according to over 30 estimates averaged by Yahoo Finance.
MacRumors has compiled second quarter revenue and EPS estimates from a handful of Apple-focused analysts:
Key Takeaways and What to Look For
Apple is expected to report iPhone unit sales of 51.9 million, a roughly two percent increase over 50.8 million in the year-ago quarter, according to average analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
Apple doesn't break out iPhone sales on a model-by-model basis, but the iPhone's average selling price should reveal whether there's any truth to reports that iPhone X sales have slowed significantly. iPhone ASP was $796 last quarter, up from $695 a year earlier.
Of increasing importance is continued growth of Apple's services category, including the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud, iTunes, Apple Pay, and AppleCare. The average analyst estimate is around $8.3 billion, according to Gene Munster, up from $7.04 billion in the year-ago quarter.
With increasing competition from Huawei, Vivo, and Oppo, Apple's performance in Greater China will be a focus. Apple reported revenue of $10.4 billion in the region in the year-ago quarter.
Apple said it would provide an update on its capital return program during today's conference call, and many analysts expect significant increases, given the company's plans to repatriate an estimated $250+ billion in overseas cash under new tax laws in the United States.
Apple's third quarter guidance will set expectations for April-June, which has historically been the slowest period of the company's fiscal year. The average revenue estimate is currently $52.04 billion, according to Yahoo Finance, which would top $45.4 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will discuss the company's earnings results on a conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time today. MacRumors will loosely transcribe the one-hour call as it happens.
Available from the online Apple Store and in retail locations in the United States and Europe as of today, the $180 Lumos Helmet has integrated LEDs to keep you safe when riding at night and built-in gesture controlled turn signals.
There are 10 white LEDs on the front, 16 red LEDs on the back, and 11 amber/red LEDs on each side that can serve as the aforementioned turn signals. You control the turn signals built into the helmet with a connected Apple Watch, with the helmet able to interpret your hand gestures to activate the lights on the helmet.
Previously, the helmet's built-in turn signals were controlled via a remote attached to the handlebars of a bike, but the new Apple Watch integration makes it simpler than ever to signal your intentions to drivers on the road.
The Lumos Helmet also has a beta feature that's able to detect when you're braking hard on your bike, flashing the lights on the helmet to a bright red.
Through a Bluetooth connection to the iPhone, the Lumos Helmet records your bike riding activity and uploads it to the Apple Health or Strava app.
Design wise, the helmet is safety certified and meets gold standard safety certifications in the United States and Europe, and it has been created to be durable and weatherproof so it can be used in rain, snow, and fog. There's just a single size available, which can fit most adult head sizes in the range of 21.3 to 24.4 inches.
The Lumos Helmet can be purchased from the online Apple Store or through an Apple retail store for $179.95.
MacRumors is pleased to announce the Ninth Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2018. Our goal is to save lives by increasing the number of life-saving blood and platelet donations. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location, our blood drive is online and worldwide. MacRumors routinely reports on Apple's support for charity, as summarized in our Help Center. The MacRumors Blood Drive is our own community effort.
Over the past eight years, the MacRumors Blood Drives have recorded donations of 470 units of blood, platelets, and plasma, and celebrated new signups for organ donor and bone marrow registries. We've heard from many forum members whose lives were affected by blood, platelet, or bone marrow donations, including those whose lives were saved by strangers.
How to participate
1. If you are eligible, schedule a blood or platelet donation (see FAQ), in May if possible, at any donation center near you. Then post in the MacRumors 2018 Blood Drive! thread to tell us about it and to accept our thanks. We'd also like to hear from you if you register as an organ donor and/or register for the bone marrow registry (see FAQ).
2. If you aren't eligible to donate blood for reasons of age, health, height/weight, a recent donation, or because you are deferred as a donor, please encourage someone else to make a donation, and let us know. If they donate, you both belong on our Honor Roll! See our Blood donor eligibility thread for news about a change to the deferral policy for gay men in the U.K.
3. Share our message and help this cause by convincing friends and relatives to participate as well. The Honor Roll lists this year's donors. Please congratulate them for their generous acts on behalf of strangers.
Olloclip today announced an all-new mobile lens system that is designed exclusively for Apple's iPhone X. With the lens, iPhone X owners can enhance their field-of-view and shoot "wider and closer" than the iPhone's built-in camera.
The company said that the new iPhone X lens system maintains many of the features of previous Olloclip accessories, coming equipped with Connect X interchangeable lenses to help users adapt to every environment. In total, there are six lenses available for the iPhone X system:
Super-Wide: Four-element lens with more than 120° visibility. Ultra-Wide: A 155° action camera field-of-view. Fisheye + Macro 15x: Unique 180° wide-angle spherical effect + 15x increased magnification. Telephoto: 2x optical zoom to get twice as close to the action. Macro 14x + 7x: Get detail oriented and see beyond the naked eye. Macro 21x: Go in for the ultimate close-up.
There are numerous new features unique to the iPhone X system, including an expanding lens mount that allows for Olloclip to be screen protector compatible, as well as align with both the iPhone X's front and rear cameras. The system has a pendant stand designed to carry the set, also doubling as a pocket-sized tripod.
In addition to the iPhone X lens system announcement, Olloclip is updating its single lens system for the iPhone 7/8 and 7/8 Plus. The new products have a lower price point, interchangeable lenses, multi-element optics, and the ability for users to reach the front and rear cameras by quickly flipping the lens system. Six lenses are individually available: Super-Wide, Fisheye + Macro 15x, Telephoto 2x, Ultra-Wide, Macro 14x + 7x, and Macro 21x.
Both the iPhone X and iPhone 7/8/Plus accessories are available to purchase now on Olloclip.com, ranging in price from $59.99 to $79.99. There's also a bundle called the Mobile Photography Box Set for iPhone X with Super-Wide, Fisheye, and Macro 15x lenses priced at $99.99. Apple retail locations worldwide will begin selling the bundle in June.
Microsoft is rolling out several new features for Outlook users this week and in the next couple of months. The announcement comes hot on the heels of Google's recently launched Gmail redesign, and promises changes to the company's Outlook desktop and mobile apps, as well as its webmail service.
First up is new support for synced draft folders, which will allow Outlook users to draft a message on their mobile device and finish it on their desktop computer, or vice versa. Another addition is a new chat-like Quick Reply box at the bottom of the screen, for quickly responding to messages while keeping their content in view.
Microsoft is also introducing a "Favorite people" feature to go with its existing support for identifying groups and email folders in Outlook. It's a lot like the way VIPs work in Apple Mail, but uses tags rather than stars.
Elsewhere, the company is adding the ability to view Office 365 Group events in Outlook, as well as access to a group's OneNote Notebook. Events will be trackable in the group's contact card, while the Notebook access relies on the OneNote app being installed.
Other business-focused features coming to the mobile app include the ability to add organization directories to your Outlook contact information, and proxy support for companies who choose to block direct access to the internet from mobile devices.
Improvements to Outlook Calendar have also been announced, including bill pay reminders for Outlook.com that appear as calendar items if a bill is identified in a received email (similar to how travel reservations are recognized by the webmail service), as well as location support and meeting room booking options for iOS. Lastly, Outlook for Mac is getting time zone support for calendar entries that involve travel across different time zones.
The updates start this week and are part of a phased rollout for iOS, webmail, and Mac over May and June, with more features planned for Outlook in the near future, as detailed in Microsoft's Office 365 roadmap.
Last Thursday, Apple announced the discontinuation of its AirPort lineup of wireless routers, marking the end of an era that at times saw the company push the boundaries of wireless networking. Apple says it will continue selling the existing AirPort products until supplies are gone, which leaves the Velop mesh system from Linksys as the sole Wi-Fi router product sold by Apple.
Linksys debuted its tri-band Velop system last year, and Apple began selling it around the beginning of this year, priced at $350 for a two-pack or $480 for a three-pack. With a mesh Wi-Fi system, multiple nodes work seamlessly together to provide greater coverage than a traditional access point.
The tri-band Velop system is a bit pricey compared to some other options on the market, but it works well, providing strong coverage throughout your home and offering features such as guest networking, parental controls, and device prioritization.
Original tri-band (left) and new dual-band (right) Velop systems from Linksys
While the original Linksys Velop remains a highly rated router option and Apple's third-party system of choice, the fairly high price can be a barrier to entry, and so users who have so far held back from taking the plunge into mesh Wi-Fi networking may be interested to know that Linksys today is launching its lower-cost dual-band Velop system. I've had a brief opportunity to try out the new dual-band system, and while it doesn't have quite the high-end specs of the original tri-band system, it still appears to be a solid option for many users as long as your house isn't too large, and it comes with a much lower price tag.
I have Google Fiber with a 100/100 Mbps connection in my 1800 square foot home, but my office is at the farthest point from the fiber jack and my Wi-Fi speeds suffer significantly at that distance. Upon activating my Google Fiber service earlier this year, I quickly found that my AirPort Time Capsule provided a stronger signal than Google's router, so I initially used the Time Capsule to provide my Wi-Fi but even that offered inconsistent performance in my office, occasionally reaching 90/90 Mbps speeds but frequently managing only in the range of 5–10 Mbps despite typically showing full signal bars.
When I moved from the single AirPort access point to the tri-band Velop, I immediately saw full coverage throughout my home using a three-node system including a node in my office, giving me essentially full speed from anywhere in my home.
Linksys touts the tri-band Velop system as covering up to 6,000 square feet at 2,000 square feet per node, so there was plenty of range to spare in my home. The tri-band system offers one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi radios, as well as MU-MIMO and beamforming support for maximum throughput of up to a theoretical 2200 Mbps.
Dual-band Velop node
Competitively priced at $129 for a one-pack, $199 for a two-pack, or $299 for a three-pack, the new dual-band Velop system drops one of the 5 GHz radios, reducing theoretical throughput to 1300 Mbps. Range is also slightly less, with each node covering up to 1500 square feet for a maximum of 4500 square feet with the three-pack system. The dual-band Velop nodes also come in slightly smaller than the tri-band models, measuring about two inches shorter and the same 3.1 inches square in the base.
Screenshots from Velop setup process in iOS app
In my brief testing of the new dual-band Velop, I was definitely able to see the reduced coverage, as I did run into a couple of issues during the setup process where I was unable to add additional nodes due to various Wi-Fi connection issues. I eventually did get everything configured with blue status lights indicating solid Wi-Fi signals on all nodes.
Speeds were also not as fast through the dual-band system, as I consistently saw download and upload speeds around 30 Mbps from my office. It definitely appears to be an issue with pushing the range of the dual-band system despite the modest size of my home, as moving my devices closer to the primary node delivers fast speeds in excess of 90 Mbps.
Wi-Fi download and upload speeds on dual-band Velop at farthest reaches of my home
As with the tri-band model, all nodes in the dual-band Velop system are designed to work together to optimize coverage of your floor plan, making the most efficient use of bands and channels based on your usage habits. The network is also self-healing, with nodes able to reconnect to each other and the network if one of the nodes goes offline for some reason.
Linksys iOS app with main dashboard, parental controls, and device prioritization
Each node has a pair of Ethernet ports that automatically configure themselves as one WAN and one LAN on the first node, and two LAN ports on other nodes. If you have a wired network in your home, Velop nodes can be connected via Ethernet for wired backhaul that leaves more of the wireless network available for general data transmission.
Cable management is a bit different on the dual-band model, with the power and Ethernet ports located on the rear of each node. On the tri-band models, the ports are located on the bottom of the nodes with some extra space underneath and a cable management guide to help keep everything neat and tidy.
Ports on bottom of tri-band Velop (left) vs. rear of dual-band system (right)
Velop also works with Amazon Alexa, with skills allowing you to activate Velop's guest network and read network credentials aloud.
Linksys certainly isn't the only vendor in the mesh network game, with notable competitors like eero, AmpliFi, Netgear's Orbi, and Google Wifi all proving popular. But with Linksys proving to be Apple's partner of choice so far, the Velop systems undoubtedly have some advantages when it comes to visibility for Apple users. Pricing on the new dual-band Velop is also competitive, which will likely attract new potential customers who don't need everything the tri-band system offers.
The dual-band Linksys Velop launches May 15 with pre-orders going up through Amazon at $130 for a one-pack, $200 for a two-pack, or $300 for a three-pack, and it will be available from a variety of other retailers as of the launch date. Apple has not yet committed to selling the new dual-band system, but Linksys tells me discussions about carrying the dual-band Velop are ongoing.
The tri-band Velop system is available from a number of retailers such as Amazon in one-pack ($200), two-pack ($338), and three-pack ($450) options. The tri-band and dual-band Velop nodes are also interchangeable, so if you've already got some in the house you can mix and match types.
Note: Linksys provided the Velop systems to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this news coverage. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and Linksys and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.
Rumored cross-platform functionality that will allow Macs to run iPhone and iPad apps is planned for macOS 10.15 and iOS 13 rather than macOS 10.14 and iOS 12, according to well-known Apple journalist John Gruber.
Gruber shared the tidbit in a blog post covering "scuttlebutt" he's heard about the cross-platform UI project, which he says is indeed in the works at Apple.
News of support for universal apps able to run on iPhone, iPad, and Mac was first shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in December. At the time, Gurman said Apple would introduce the functionality in iOS 12 and macOS 10.14, with an announcement likely to happen at the Worldwide Developer's Conference in June.
Gurman and Axios' Ina Fried later confirmed in January that the combined app framework was on the table for 2018 despite other planned iOS 12 and macOS 10.14 features being pushed back, but Gruber says he's "nearly certain" it's a 2019 project for macOS 10.15 and iOS 13, which could also be part of an updated UI for iOS said to be coming next year. "I would set your expectations accordingly for this year's WWDC," he writes.
According to Gruber, from what he's heard through first and second-hand sources, Apple appears to be working on declarative control APIs for iOS and macOS, which suggests Apple wants to make it easy for developers to create modern cross-platform user interfaces. Gruber's info is not as definitive as outright support for cross-platform iOS and macOS apps as has been previously reported, but it is an indication that Apple is working towards that goal.
There's nothing inherently cross-platform about a declarative control API. But it makes sense that if Apple believes that (a) iOS and MacOS should have declarative control APIs, and (b) they should address the problem of abstracting the API differences between UIKit (iOS) and AppKit (MacOS), that they would tackle them at the same time. Or perhaps the logic is simply that if they're going to create a cross-platform UI framework, the basis for that framework should be a declarative user interface.
It's not clear who is correct on the timing of the universal app project given the conflicting information, but we don't have long to wait to find out. macOS 10.14 and iOS 12 will be introduced at the keynote event of the Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set to take place on June 4.
Gruber's full writeup with additional details on the project can be found over at Daring Fireball.
A Tehran-based court today ordered Iranian telecommunications providers to block popular messaging app Telegram, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Iran has been concerned about Telegram's role in recent protests and unrest in the country, which has led to the ban.
The order said Telegram gave Islamic State "safe ground" in an attack in Tehran last year and also blamed its role in protests in December and January, the biggest in Iran in almost a decade. It ordered telecommunications providers to block the service.
As of now, the Telegram app continues to be available for use without the need for a VPN or another method of circumventing the ban, and it is not clear if and when it will be rendered unavailable in the country.
According to The Wall Street Journal, approximately 40 million Iranians use Telegram, accounting for one-fifth of Telegram's user base. Telegram is popular in the country as it offers end-to-end encrypted communication that's inaccessible to the government.
Iran's move to ban Telegram comes just a few weeks after a Russian court ordered Russian telecommunications providers to block Telegram in Russia after Telegram refused to comply with government demands for access to users' messages.
Due to U.S. sanctions, Apple does not sell its products in Iran nor is there an Iranian App Store, but there are millions of iPhones in the country that have been smuggled from places like Dubai and Hong Kong.
Apple in March blocked access to the App Store in Iran, preventing Iranians from accessing apps by setting their devices to other regions.
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.
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum today announced plans to leave the company, which is owned by parent company Facebook. Koum has worked with Facebook and served on the company's board since Facebook acquired WhatsApp for over $19 billion in February of 2014.
WhatsApp is the largest messaging service in the world with more than 1.5 billion monthly users. It is highly popular in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and several countries in Europe.
In a Facebook post, Koum said that it's "time for [him] to move on" and that he'll be taking time off to pursue non-technology related interests.
It's been almost a decade since Brian and I started WhatsApp, and it's been an amazing journey with some of the best people. But it is time for me to move on. I've been blessed to work with such an incredibly small team and see how a crazy amount of focus can produce an app used by so many people all over the world.
I'm leaving at a time when people are using WhatsApp in more ways than I could have imagined. The team is stronger than ever and it'll continue to do amazing things. I'm taking some time off to do things I enjoy outside of technology, such as collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee. And I'll still be cheering WhatsApp on - just from the outside. Thanks to everyone who has made this journey possible.
Koum did not detail his reasons for leaving Facebook, but The Washington Post says he is departing because he has clashed with Facebook executives over the messaging service's strategy and Facebook's attempts to use WhatsApp personal data, monetize the service, and weaken its encryption.
In addition to leaving WhatsApp, Koum is also said to be planning to step down from Facebook's board of directors.
Koum's disagreement with Facebook is said to have heightened following the Cambridge Analytica scandal where Facebook allowed data from millions of Facebook users to be collected by a third-party app, with that data then used to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Koum did, however, plan to leave Facebook before the Cambridge Analytica scandal came to light, as there have reportedly been tensions between the two companies since Facebook first purchased WhatsApp.
Facebook originally promised not to share WhatsApp data with Facebook, but that changed less than two years after the acquisition, leading to ongoing disagreements over data sharing as Facebook has pushed for more and more crossover between the two companies.
According to The Washington Post, other WhatsApp employees are demoralized by the disagreements between Facebook and WhatsApp and are planning to leave in November when their stock options vest.
The Bank of Ireland, the last major bank in the country that does not offer support for Apple Pay, is working on implementing Apple Pay for its customers, according to information shared with Irish news site Independent.ie.
"We expect to integrate phone payments in the future," said a spokesperson. "However we are not in a position to confirm timings." When asked by Independent.ie to clarify what "phone payments" meant, the bank representative said "Apple and Android Pay."
Apple Pay has been available in Ireland since March of 2017, and the payments service works with Mastercard, Visa, AIB, Boon, KBC, and Ulster Bank, leaving Bank of Ireland as the one significant holdout.
Apple Pay is available on all of Apple's modern devices, including the iPhone 6 and later, Apple Watch models, and the newest Macs with Touch ID support.
Apple Pay in Ireland can be used wherever contactless payments are accepted, with Apple listing specific Apple Pay partners that include Aldi, Boots, Burger King, Dunnes, iConnect, Harvey Normal, Lidl, and more on its Apple Pay Ireland website.
Apple today updated its Swift Playgrounds app to version 2.1, introducing new features to the iPad coding app designed to teach children and adults to code through several interactive "Learn to Code" lessons.
The updated app includes a new "What's Next" feature that offers up other playground suggestions to try based on current progress in the Swift Playgrounds app, providing users with a clearer path for learning new coding skills.
Today's update also introduces support for macOS content caching in order to speed up downloads in networks that have multiple Swift Playgrounds users.
Swift Playgrounds 2.1 comes three months after Apple introduced version 2.0 of Swift Playgrounds, an update that added support for subscribing to playgrounds from third-party creators and browsing and downloading third-party content.
The 2.0 update also brought support for robots like IBM's TJbBot and Mekamon, and a new gallery view was added to make it easier to see all available playgrounds you're subscribed to.
Swift Playgrounds can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Final Cut Pro, Apple's video editing software aimed at professionals, today received a minor update to address a few bugs that have been discovered since the release of the 10.4.1 version of the app.
According to Apple's notes, the update fixes a bug that caused clips you didn't mean to select to be included when selecting multiple clips using the Shift key, and it addresses issues related to XML import and export. Full notes:
What's New - Fixes an issue in which selecting multiple clips using the Shift key or marquee selection could inadvertently select other clips in the timeline - Fixes issues related to XML import and export
Today's update comes three weeks after the release of Final Cut Pro 10.4.1, a major update that introduced a new ProRes RAW format, new closed captioning tools, and enhanced tools for exporting files.
Final Cut Pro can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $299.99. [Direct Link]
Apple Maps vehicles equipped with LiDAR equipment have now surveyed at least 41 states in the United States, with recent areas including Maine and Iowa, as the fleet of vans continue to collect mapping data across the country.
Image via MacRumors forum member AngerDanger
The vehicles first took to the streets in major American cities like New York in 2015, and they have since traveled to Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Apple periodically updates a list of locations where the vehicles will be collecting data on its website.
Apple's page notes that it will "blur faces and license plates on collected images prior to publication," suggesting that the company is working on a feature similar to Google's Street View for Apple Maps.
Back in 2015, Mark Gurman reported that Apple planned to launch a 3D street view feature, based on a combination of its existing Flyover mode with street-level data. He also said the data would help Apple shift to an in-house mapping database by 2018, reducing its reliance on third-party sources like TomTom.
At the time, Gurman said Apple did not believe that Google's classic Street View interfaces were intuitive to users, and as a result, he said the company was exploring new ways to present that kind of imagery.
Google launched Street View way back in 2007, so if Apple is truly working on its own competing feature, then it will presumably have points of differences. Otherwise, it is certainly possible that the vehicle-collected data will only be used for storefront imagery or other underlying mapping improvements.
When Apple's fleet of vans first hit the streets, it was speculated they could be the basis of an Apple Car. But those rumors quieted down after the vans were labeled with Apple Maps decals, and because Apple has shifted towards testing self-driving software with Lexus 450h SUVs near its headquarters in California.
It's too early to say when Apple will fully take advantage of the data it has collected, but with parts of at least 80 percent of the United States now surveyed, the fruits of the labor could be witnessed sooner rather than later.
Popular photo taking app Halide Camera was today updated to version 1.8, introducing several major new features, like an Apple Watch companion app, new Accessibility options, and a self-timer.
Halide for Apple Watch is designed to complement the Halide app on the iPhone, offering access to tools for framing shots, setting timers, and triggering the camera shutter on the iPhone for hands-free photos.
Halide says the Apple Watch app has been designed to be "blazing fast," and like the official Apple Watch camera app that accompanies the built-in iPhone camera, the Halide app on Apple Watch offers real-time previews so you can see what you're shooting right on your wrist.
While the new Apple Watch app has a timer mode, if you don't have an Apple Watch, you can now access a timer mode within the Halide app on iPhone. You can set a timer for 3, 10, or 30 seconds, and when the timer is active, the shutter button stays depressed and offers up a countdown so you can see how much longer you have until a photo is taken. When used for rear camera shots, the iPhone flash is able to show the progress of the timer.
In addition to these significant new features, Halide 1.8 offers a revamped photo reviewer with a grid-style view that lets Halide users scroll through a grid of shots while also being able to go back to the camera view with a simple flick gesture.
Other improvements in the new version of Halide include support for Dynamic and Bold Type and VoiceOver support for Accessibility purposes, plus enhancements to privacy. In Halide 1.8, you'll find a new top-level location toggle that lets you turn off the feature that embeds your location information in each and every photo. There are also options to limit location sharing with Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
Finally, Halide 1.8 brings under-the-hood bug fixes, enhancement, and overall "polish" for a faster, more streamlined photo-taking experrience.
Halide Camera can be downloaded from the App Store for $5.99, and the update is free for customers who have previously purchased Halide. [Direct Link]
Apple's widely rumored trio of new iPhone models expected to launch in September might not include a Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter in the box, according to Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis and his associates.
"We currently model no dongle this year," the analysts predicted, in a research note obtained by MacRumors today.
Cirrus Logic would be the primary loser within Apple's supply chain, as a supplier of audio-related components inside of the adapter. Barclays has lowered its quarterly and yearly revenue guidance for the company by up to five percent, for the time being, but that could change if they hear otherwise.
At this point, it appears that the Barclays analysts are merely guessing that the adapter will no longer be bundled, as in previous research notes, they have mentioned it may take until May or June to find out for certain.
"We believe it stays this year but goes away at some point, potentially in the 2018 model," the analysts said back in April 2017.
Apple eliminating the headphone jack starting with the iPhone 7 was a controversial decision, but the adapter has at least helped ease the transition. Its inclusion has always felt temporary, and as AirPods and other wireless headphone become more widespread, Apple may no longer feel the need to bundle the dongle.
Apple still sells the Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter for $9 as a standalone accessory, which is cheap by its standards, so customers that prefer to use wired headphones won't be forced to pay too much extra whether the adapter is removed from the iPhone box this year or at a later time.
A pair of reports out this morning highlight Apple's ongoing struggles in India and China ahead of the company's Q2 2018 earnings results coming tomorrow, May 1. Within India, Apple has been dethroned as the country's top selling high-end smartphone maker in the January-March period, losing out to Samsung.
Specifically looking at India's "premium price segment" (devices priced above 30,000 rupees, or $452), Apple's market share was at 18 percent in the first calendar quarter of 2018, compared to 45 percent in the year-ago quarter. Apple not only lost out to Samsung for the quarter (50 percent), but also to OnePlus (25 percent), according to numbers reported by Counterpoint Research (via Nikkei).
Apple has faced ongoing struggles over iPhone prices in India, with the Indian government raising the custom duty on imported mobile phones twice in under two months in an effort to get smartphone makers to build products locally. While Apple has set up an iPhone SE assembly in India, and is looking into doing the same for the iPhone 6s, the continued tax hikes have greatly hindered its expansion in the country.
Samsung, on the other hand, has been manufacturing its smartphones locally in India for almost ten years, and got a boost in Q1 thanks to interest in the Galaxy S9, S9 Plus, and A8 Plus.
"Apple is likely to continue facing trouble in India in the near to mid-term, until it has a relatively cheaper product," said Neil Shah, research director at Counterpoint.
Apple will have to partner with a local manufacturing company to bring down the price of its devices, Shah said. "It will have to introduce devices in the 50,000 rupees to 60,000 rupees range to lure Indian customers."
The fear of Apple's "excessive prices" also extends to China, where researchers forecast Apple will see continued weakness during its second fiscal quarter results this week (via Business Insider). UBS analysts Steven Milunovich and Benjamin Wilson predict iPhone sales to decline to as low as 47 million in fiscal 2018, dropping from a peak of 71 million during a "stellar" year of sales for the iPhone 6s in 2015. In 2015 Apple owned a 54 percent share of the Chinese smartphone market, which is predicted to decline to 37 percent this year.
Similar to India, Apple's problem in China is that local brands offer far cheaper alternatives for customers to purchase. Apple is also lacking distributors and promoters outside China's "Tier 1" and "Tier 2" cities (Shanghai or Beijing), where "local brands make extensive use of promoters to influence consumer decisions," Milunovich explained. He continued: "Oppo, Vivo, and Huawei have over 100,000 promoters each versus Apple with only 4,000."
“We think it’s doubtful China returns to its 2015 peak as local brands have caught up and upgrade cycles are lengthening; we expect a flattish market, give or take a few points of growth depending on the overall market and product cycle,” the UBS team told clients recently. “At the peak in 2015, we believe Apple likely had 40-50% share with Tier 1 and 2 consumers; we think that figure is closer to 20-30% today.”
Analysts are now waiting for a "supercycle" of user upgrades, meaning that a vast majority of Chinese iPhone owners would finally ditch their old models for a new update because of hardware additions that convince them it's time for the switch. As GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives pointed out, this expected supercycle "keeps not happening" because users are holding onto their iPhones for longer periods of time, and also because recent iPhone generations lack compelling enough reasons to pay for the new version.
Now, researchers are looking toward the 2018 trio of iPhones to potentially become the catalyst for the supercycle. "Patience is wearing thin among investors on this elusive upgrade cycle with China playing a major role in the success or failure Apple will see over the coming year around this key product upgrade cycle," Ives said.
Ming-Chi Kuo, widely considered to be one of the best analysts covering Apple, might no longer focus his research on the iPhone maker.
Kuo speaking on behalf of DigiTimes
China Times reports that Kuo resigned from Taiwanese research firm KGI Securities on Friday and, while his next move is uncertain, the publication suggests he will focus less on Apple and more on other emerging industries.
Kuo has been one of the most prolific sources of rumors about Apple's unreleased products and services since as early as 2010, when he was a senior analyst at industry publication DigiTimes. He briefly covered Apple for Concord Securities in 2011, before moving to KGI Securities in early 2012.
Congratulations to Ming Chi-Kuo (the best analyst covering Apple) who is leaving KGI for another firm, and reportedly moving on to cover innovative non-Apple companies. https://t.co/m55yUVQSGG
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) April 30, 2018
Kuo's research notes typically relayed information gathered from Apple's supply chain partners in Taiwan and other Asian countries. This information frequently allowed Kuo to accurately predict upcoming products on Apple's roadmap, although specific details and release dates were occasionally inaccurate.
While speculation has mounted about whether Apple had anything to do with Kuo's decision to step down, given the company's culture of secrecy, it is believed that his departure was a move planned several months ago.
Kuo has yet to publicly comment on the report, and it's possible he may continue to cover Apple to at least some extent in the future.
Apple is set to report its earnings results for the second quarter of its 2018 fiscal year at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time today.
