LinkedIn has introduced a new voice messaging service that's built in to the latest version of its mobile app.
Called LinkedIn Messaging, the feature gives users the ability to record and send audio messages up to one minute long.
Voice messaging is rolling out now in the LinkedIn app on iOS and Android, and you can receive voice messages on mobile and on web. This feature will be available globally to all members in the next few weeks.
We hope this makes it easier than ever to communicate when you want, how you want with your professional community.
Voice messages are recorded by tapping the microphone icon on the mobile messaging keyboard. Users then tap and hold the microphone symbol in the circle to record their voice message and release their finger to send.
The business networking platform is touting voice messages as an easier way to communicate when you're on the go or multi-tasking, but many account holders will likely be wary of the feature given the already high volume of unsolicited messages sent over LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a free download for iPhone available on the App Store. [Direct Link]
The Apple Store app for iOS devices was today updated to version 5.1, introducing improvements for the search feature.
The new version of the app features a redesigned look for the search section, with both search suggestions and support for voice-based searches. You can tap on the microphone icon located in the search bar to conduct a search using speech rather than text.
Old search interface on left, new search interface on right
Some of the new search suggestions include options like "Stores near me," "Cases compatible with this device," "Sessions near me," "iPhone upgrade information," and more. Aside from the new search interface, the app is otherwise unchanged and uses the same design.
What's New Search has been updated with an enhanced design. And it's now powered with speech recognition technology for better search results.
The Apple Store app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Apple's newest flagship Apple Store, Piazza Liberty, opened in Milan, Italy today and to celebrate the occasion, Apple shared some images of the new location.
Piazza Liberty is the first Italian Apple Store to feature the updated Apple Store layout with areas that include Genius Grove, The Forum, and The Avenue, aka parts of the store dedicated to activities like support, classes, and shopping.
This new flagship location features a huge fountain with water cascading over glass walls that customers walk through to enter the store.
Piazza Liberty includes a public plaza where visitors to the store gathered ahead of its unveiling, and Apple plans to host Today at Apple sessions and performances all weekend at the new location. Milanese artist L I M was on hand to perform during the store's launch.
Customers who visited the store early received free tote bags and artist books, and Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts was on hand to greet guests. Ahead of the store's opening, Apple worked with 21 local artists to celebrate the creative community of Milan.
The store is home to 230 new Apple retail employees, many of whom Apple says came to Milan from Apple stores around the world. Counting the new store in Milan, Apple now has 17 retail locations across Italy.
Koogeek is one of the more interesting HomeKit accessory manufacturers, with an array of relatively low-cost and in some cases unusual products that can help users expand their Apple-focused smart home ecosystems.
The company offers HomeKit-compatible smart outlets, switches, bulbs, and sockets similar to other manufacturers, but also has some less common products like light strips, door/window sensors, environmental monitors, and even power strips.
LS1 Light Strip
One of Koogeek's more popular HomeKit accessories is the LS1 Light Strip, a 2-meter string of LED lights that lets you choose from 16 million dimmable colors, whether you're looking for bias lighting behind your television or monitor, accent lighting in a kitchen, or any of a number of other applications. While Koogeek offers its own app for setting up and managing the LS1 Light Strip, HomeKit support means you can access it from the centralized Home app on iOS (and soon macOS Mojave) or Siri, and you can integrate it with other HomeKit devices to activate as part of a scene or other automations.
Consisting of 60 LEDs, the LS1 is a 2-meter strip with some additional cord and a single-button controller that allows you to turn the lights on and off manually. The light strip is USB-powered, which can be a benefit as it gives you some interesting flexibility in terms of mounting locations when you can use a USB port on your TV, a computer, a dock, or a power bank to run them.
On the downside, Koogeek doesn't provide a power adapter in the box, so you'll need to provide your own if you want to power it from a wall outlet. The light strip is rated for 10-watt power draw, and Koogeek recommends a 2A power adapter for maximum brightness. The power cord isn't terribly long (about 0.5 meters), so that may also be an issue depending on where you want to install the light strip.
The LS1 Light Strip offers a total of 500 lumens of light output for the entire string, which is a decent amount of light but less than some competitors like Hue and LIFX Z that offer 1400–1600 lumens. Particularly for ambient lighting in darkened or semi-darkened rooms as many people are likely to use light strips, I found Koogeek's light strip plenty bright.
Setup of the light strip is extremely simple, requiring you to download the Koogeek app, create an account, and grant permissions for Home and location access. From there, just plug in the light strip, scan the HomeKit code on the controller or instruction manual, allow it to connect to your Wi-Fi (requires a 2.4 GHz network), and give it a name and room location. Colors can be adjusted either in the Koogeek app or the Home app, but the Koogeek app is a bit more powerful in that regard.
Adding an accessory in the Koogeek app takes you straight to the HomeKit interface
Overall documentation is a little bit weak, and there are a few language issues here and there in written materials, the app, and Koogeek's website. They could certainly benefit from some polish by native English speakers, but it's clear enough to let you figure out what you're doing.
Mounting the light strip is fairly straightforward, with 3M adhesive running along the entire back of the light strip portion. It's very strong, so you shouldn't have to worry about your lights falling down, although it does give me pause about whether certain surfaces might be damaged in the removal process.
As with pretty much every light strip, it's a little tricky making the LS1 conform to the exact shape you want, as it's thick enough that bends and corners become tricky. The adhesive is strong enough to help secure the light strip, but you'll want to be careful not to bend the strip too much as Koogeek says you shouldn't bend to less than a 30-degree angle. The LED portion of the light strip is rated IP65 for water and dust resistance, but Koogeek says it shouldn't be used outdoors or in a bathroom or other humid environment.
The LS1 Light Strip can be cut to shorten it to a desired length, but obviously only the portion with the controller will be functional, so the removed pieces will need to be thrown away. Unlike some other light strip brands, the LS1 is also not extendable. Hue and LIFX Z, for example, come as 2-meter strips like the LS1, but you can purchase extensions in various lengths up to a total length of 10 meters with one controller and plug. With the LS1, you'll need to use separate strips if you want to go longer than 2 meters.
While the light strip will remember your selected color when you turn it on and off, if the strip is ever unplugged or completely loses power for any other reason, it will default back to white and you'll have to set your desired color again.
The Koogeek Home app can serve as a nearly full substitute for the Home app, as it shows all of your HomeKit devices and offers you quick access for controlling them, but I wouldn't recommend the app for regular use. While it's good enough to get your Light Strip set up, the design is certainly lacking and there are some bugs such as my thermostat's temperature being displayed in Celsius units despite Fahrenheit being selected in its options within the app. During the World Cup, the Automations tab also included an odd ad offering prizes and discounts for participating in Koogeek's contest related to the event.
General Koogeek Home app interface
For the light strip in particular, Koogeek's app offers quick access to a brightness slider, as well as a selection of favorite colors. But you can also dig in further to customize your colors using a color wheel or temperature wheel. You can even upload photos and let the app automatically select a single color that represents the photo, and you can configure Alexa and Google Assistant integration.
Color controls in Koogeek Home app
Controls in Apple's Home app are somewhat similar, with a quick tap on the light strip's tile toggling it on and off and a deeper press bringing up a brightness slider. From there, you can dive in further to choose from favorite colors or customize by color and temperature.
Color controls in Apple's Home app
While Koogeek's LS1 Light Strip comes up short in the feature department compared to other strips that are brighter, can be extended, and perhaps support multiple color zones (LIFX Z) or syncing with music and movies (Hue), where it wins out is in the price department, and that's a big one. The LS1 is currently available for $35 at Amazon, compared to $90 for Hue and LIFX and more like $55–60 for Sylvania's offering. Unlike Hue, Koogeek also doesn't require a hub, making for simpler installation and less clutter attached to your router.
So if price is a significant consideration for you, the Koogeek LS1 Light Strip is definitely worth checking out as a HomeKit light strip solution. It's not as full featured as some of the other available light strips on the market, and it lacks some polish in the app and documentation areas, but if those aren't deal-breakers for you it's hard to beat the value of Koogeek's LS1.
DW1 Door & Window Sensor
Among Koogeek's other products is the DW1 Door & Window Sensor, a simple magnet-based contact sensor for letting you know whether a door or window is open or closed. We looked at similar sensors as part of the Ring Alarm kit, but other companies like Koogeek also sell standalone sensors that with HomeKit support can send you notifications when there is a change in status of the monitored door or window. You can also check on the status at any time via Siri, the Home app, or Koogeek's app.
Aside from simple status checks and updates, HomeKit support allows you to integrate Koogeek's Door & Window Sensor with other HomeKit products in the form of scenes and automations. For example, you can trigger a light to come on when a door is opened, either for security purposes or to simply provide light in a dark closet or room without needing to fumble for a light switch.
Setup of the DW1 is again very simple, with the Koogeek app pulling up a Home app interface to handle the addition. Pulling the battery protection tab on the sensor turns it on, allowing it to be automatically discovered by the app via Bluetooth. Once you've scanned the HomeKit code, it'll take a minute to get fully activated, and then you'll be able to give it a name and a room location for grouping and automation purposes.
Sensor installed on inside of door frame and magnet on door
Stick the sensor and the magnet on your door or window, and you're good to go. The two pieces must be within 2 cm of each other to register the closed state, and Koogeek recommends that the lighter magnet portion be mounted on the movable door or window while the larger sensor sits on the frame. Attachment is via adhesive included on the rear of the parts, and an extra set of adhesives is included in case the initial set wears out or you decide to change locations.
Once you're up and running, you can use Siri, the Home app, or the Koogeek app at any time to check on the status of the door or window, and you can configure notifications and see battery level in the Home app.
As with the LS1 Light Strip, the Koogeek app leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to managing the Door & Window Sensor. It similarly displays battery level and pertinent information like open/closed state and room location. It also has a section for "Logs Records" which shows a history of the last 100 open and close events, but date and time formatting are rudimentary and events are shown as non-intuitive "On" and "Off" states rather than "Open" and "Closed."
The DW1 Door & Window Sensor uses a replaceable CR2450 button battery, and should last up to a year on a single battery. The DW1 is currently available for $31.99 from Amazon and includes the sensor and magnet parts, an extra set of adhesives, and a SIM removal tool to access a pinhole reset button on the sensor if needed. That's a bit cheaper than the Eve Door & Window and significantly cheaper than Fibaro's Door/Window Sensor, so the Koogeek DW1 might be a good option for those looking to integrate this type of sensor into their HomeKit setups.
Note: Koogeek provided the LS1 light strip and DW1 door and window sensor to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.
Apple design chief Jony Ive will be one of the speakers at WIRED's upcoming 25th anniversary event that's set to take place in San Francisco, California from October 12 to October 15, the magazine announced today.
Ive does not often participate in public discussions, so WIRED's event represents a rare opportunity where he will speak on stage. Ive is set to participate in the event on Monday, October 15.
WIRED's summit features many high-profile speakers in addition to Ive, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and more.
There are no details on what Ive will discuss specifically, but the event is focused on "a day of smart, relevant business conversations." WIRED editor in chief Nicholas Thompson called the event "a great way to look back at everything that has changed, and to look ahead at what will change next too." From the event website:
In 1993, WIRED made a bold prediction--that technology would radically change our world. This year, the silver anniversary edition of our annual Business Conference will gather the titans of tech from the past 25 years on one stage. They'll reflect on the innovations that made the whole world WIRED and introduce you to the ideas and leaders who will shape the 25 years to come.
An all access pass to WIRED's event, which includes the discussion with tech leaders, a festival, and an event at WIRED's office is priced at $1,125. A ticket to the summit where Ive will speak is priced at $993. Pricing is valid until August 20, at which point the ticket cost will increase.
During the second quarter of 2018, Apple shipped an estimated 3.5 million Apple Watches worldwide, according to new data shared today by analytics firm Canalys.
At 3.5 million units shipped, Apple sold 30 percent more watches than it did a year ago during the second quarter of 2017, with the difference being the availability of the Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE connection, a feature that likely spurred many customers to upgrade or purchase one of the watches for the first time.
Apple's LTE Apple Watch was especially popular in Asia, accounting for 60 percent of the 250,000 units that were shipped to the region. The Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE was the best-shipping smartwatch in Asia in Q2 2018, according to Canalys.
While Apple's shipments were up, the company's share of the smartwatch market dropped to 34 percent from 43 percent in the first quarter of 2018. Canalys attributes this to competition in the smartwatch market, including strong performances from Fitbit and Garmin.
Total global smartwatch shipments reached 10 million units during the second quarter.
Apple faces a growing threat from competitors, which have started to pass the million quarterly shipments mark," said Canalys Research Analyst Vincent Thielke. "Vendors are trying to differentiate their products with advanced heart-rate metrics, smart coaching and mapping, and consumers now have a much wider range of smartwatches to choose from than they did a year ago. Amid further competition from Samsung and Google, rumored to be launching Galaxy and Pixel watches respectively, Apple needs to work out how to drive refreshes in markets such as the US, where its penetration into the existing iPhone installed base has started to level off."
Canalys' Apple Watch shipment numbers are estimates, as Apple does not report the number of Apple Watches that it has sold and specific numbers are not available. Apple Watch sales are lumped into the company's "Other" category, which also includes AirPods, Apple TV, HomePod, Beats products, iPod touch, and other Apple-branded and third-party accessories.
Last quarter, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the Apple Watch saw strong revenue growth "in the double digits," setting a March quarter revenue record. Apple plans to report its fiscal third quarter earnings results next week, which should give us a bit more insight into the performance of the Apple Watch from April to June.
As Canalys points out, with Apple facing competition from other vendors, updates to the Apple Watch are needed. Apple has not changed the design of the device since it was introduced in 2015, but this year, rumors suggest it will feature a larger display (1.57 inches and 1.78 inches) perhaps implemented through a reduction in bezel size, a higher-capacity battery, and enhanced heart rate detection features.
Best Buy has opened up its new "Black Friday in July" sale with early access for its My Best Buy members, ending later tonight at 11:59 p.m. CT. Afterwards, the deals will expand to all customers shopping on the retailer's website.
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.
Savings in the sale include $150 off MacBook Air, $125 off iPad Pro, up to $75 off Apple Watch Series 3, $55 off BeatsX, $10 off the fourth generation 32GB Apple TV, and more. We've listed some of these sales below, but be sure to head to Best Buy's landing page for the Black Friday in July sale for more information.
MacBook Air - Save $150 on select models / as low as $699.99 with Student Deals
Smart home products - Save $10-$40 on devices like the Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm Smarter Kit, WeMo Mini Smart Plug (with HomeKit), and more
Other than Apple products, Best Buy has a large selection of items discounted in its new sale, including up to $20 off select video games, up to $100 off select laptops from HP and Dell, and savings on a variety of 4K UHD televisions, beginning as low as $299.99 for brands like Hisense and TCL.
For other sales and discounts happening this week, head over to our full Deals Roundup.
Update 7/27: Best Buy's Black Friday in July sale is live today for all shoppers, and the retailer is now offering 15 percent discounts on $25, $30 $50, and $100 App Store and iTunes gift cards. Options include both physical and e-mail delivery gift cards, so head over to Best Buy to load up on iTunes credit before the sale ends.
Samsung this morning shared three new ads in its "Ingenius" series that's designed to make fun of the Apple Genius Bar while highlighting features that Samsung believes will lure people to its Galaxy S9 devices instead of one of Apple's iPhones.
The first ad makes fun of the notch on the iPhone X, with a customer who comes into the "Ingenius" bar asking the employee about the notch on the device, pointing out that it covers a portion of the display when watching a movie.
"It does still cover up some of the movie," says customer. "It takes time to get used to it," the employee responds before the ad cuts away to a family with notch-style haircuts.
While the Samsung Galaxy S9 has no notch, it does have top and bottom bezels, with the top bezel housing the camera, microphone, and ambient light sensor. Samsung has preferred to keep the two bezels rather than using the notch design that many Android smartphones have adopted from Apple.
In the second ad, "Storage," a customer asks the Ingenius Bar employee where the microSD slot is on the iPhone. "I can't find the microSD slot," she laments. "Yeah, that's because it doesn't have one," the employee replies. "Oh, Galaxy S9 has one," she responds before explaining that she doesn't want to store her content in the cloud.
In the third and final ad, a customer asks how to run two apps at once on the iPhone's display, something that's not possible. "I wanna know how to do the split screen because my sister was doing it on her Galaxy S9," she explains as the tech tells her that's not possible.
Multitasking on iOS devices is limited to the iPad, and while customers have asked for it to be ported to the larger screened phones, this is not something that Apple has implemented at the current time.
Samsung started sharing its new Ingenius ad campaign last week, in a video touting the Galaxy S9's faster LTE download speeds.
Samsung followed that initial ad with additional spots mocking the iPhone's lack of a headphone jack, the fact that it doesn't ship with the equipment necessary for fast charging, and that the iPhone received a lower DxOMark score than the Galaxy S9 for its camera capabilities.
As highlighted by Digital Trends and VentureBeat, a small number of users have turned to the Apple Support Communities to report incidents of kernel panicking on the new MacBook Pro, possibly linked to Apple's T2 chip. The issue has also been highlighted by some of our own readers in the MacRumors forums.
Image Credit: iFixit
Many of the crash logs shared by users mention bridgeOS, which is the device firmware on the logic board that controls many functions, including the T2, fueling speculation that the chip is the root cause of the problem.
Similar reports of kernel panicking began last year with the iMac Pro, which is also equipped with the T2, so this does seem to be a potential issue with the chip, or the bridgeOS firmware that manages it, rather than an entirely new MacBook Pro controversy like the since-fixed excessive throttling.
Apple's custom T2 chip integrates several previously separate components, including the system management controller, image signal processor, audio controller, and SSD controller. It also features a Secure Enclave coprocessor for secure boot, encrypted storage, and authenticating Touch ID.
Apple support representatives appear to have provided a wide variety of solutions, ranging from disabling FileVault to turning off Power Nap, but none of the advice customers received suggests there is a permanent fix.
MacRumors reached out to Apple, which told us that this is not a widespread issue, nor one that it has received any direct reports about. Nevertheless, Apple said it has relevant teams looking into the matter and, unsurprisingly, is always aiming to improve the stability and reliability of its products.
According to at least one user, the Supplemental Update has not resolved the kernel panicking. Hopefully, whatever is causing the issue can be identified and promptly fixed in a future software update.
Dashlane today announced the release of Dashlane 6, which the company describes as an "all-in-one solution for online risk prevention," beefing up the password manager's suite of features with a collection of online privacy and security additions.
The first new feature introduced is an "Identity Dashboard," which provides each user with a complete picture of their online security, as well as steps toward how they can improve it. The dashboard includes features like Dark Web Monitoring, credit score monitoring, identity restoration support, and Identity Theft Insurance so that users are "in complete control of their digital identities."
Of course, Dashlane still provides in-depth password management tools, and the new update includes an "enhanced" password health section with real-time analysis of how secure each password is. The company says that this helps users better understand which of their accounts are really secure and which could use a little more attention, and if they want to update their passwords Dashlane provides tools to easily randomize and strengthen each one.
"Managing digital identity has become too complex for almost everyone," says Emmanuel Schalit, CEO of Dashlane.
"Massive breaches and data abuses—like the ones at Facebook, Equifax, and Exactis—affect us all, and while protecting accounts with unique and complex passwords is a critical step, it is no longer enough. People must be able to easily manage and monitor all aspects of their digital footprint, whether it's monitoring credit reports for fraudulent activity or personal information for sale on the dark web. That's why we created Dashlane 6—to solve that very problem."
Dashlane 6 also has 1GB of storage across devices for Premium and Premium Plus users, secure sharing with friends and family members, and an included VPN for Wi-Fi protection. The VPN is available for Premium and Premium Plus users as well, and the company says it can be operated on an unlimited number of devices with unlimited data use.
Dashlane has three plan tiers: free, Premium at $4.99/month, and a new Premium Plus option at $9.99/month (both billed annually). Premium includes unlimited passwords (the free tier has only 50) on unlimited devices, Dark Web Monitoring, the secure VPN, and secure file storage. Premium Plus adds these features plus the new credit monitoring, identity restoration support, and Identity Theft Insurance coverage.
In its Q2 2018 earnings report shared today -- the second since filing for an IPO -- Spotify revealed that it has grown to 83 million paid subscribers globally and 180 million total monthly active users (including the free tier) as of the end of June 2018 (via TechCrunch). This is an increase from 75 million paid subscribers and 170 million total users that Spotify had in Q1 2018.
Spotify is in a heated battle for new subscribers with Apple Music, which has been growing fast over the last few quarters. While Spotify still has more than double Apple Music's global paid subscriber count (Apple Music was last counted to have about 40 million), recent reports have suggested Apple's streaming service could be beating Spotify in terms of paid subscribers in the United States.
Spotify didn't specify U.S. paid subscriber numbers, but it says that 31 percent of its total 180 million monthly active users are located in North America. This places around 56 million paid and free tier Spotify users across regions including the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Spotify attributes its subscriber growth to strong performance and lower churn rate of its Family Plan, as well as partnerships like the Spotify + Hulu bundle.
While the company grew its revenue 26 percent year-over-year to €1.27 billion, it still isn't making a profit and saw an operating loss of €91 million and net loss of €394 million this quarter. It's believed that the company's spending on marketing campaigns to stay ahead of Apple Music and the high royalty payments to record labels and artists continue to be a barrier to profitability for Spotify.
The company also pointed towards the new GDPR rules set in Europe this past May as a "disruptor" across its European markets during Q2. The rules were said to have slowed down subscriber growth where 37 percent of its total user base resides (its biggest region), but Spotify says it "seems to be largely past that now."
Looking into Q3 2018, Spotify expects paid subscribers to rise to 85-88 million and total users to rise to 188-193 million.
eBay this week announced a new feature coming to its iOS and Android apps, which will give customers the ability to discover more items by dragging and dropping images while they're shopping. This drag-and-drop feature is one of the latest additions to eBay's AI-powered initiative, beginning with last year's "Image Search."
Instead of searching using images of items in the real world, like Image Search, the new feature surfaces results based on existing digital images found in eBay. The feature works by first requiring customers to begin a normal search on eBay, and the company gives the example of searching for a purse. When you see an image of a purse you like, you can search for more listings that include products visually similar to it by dragging and dropping the image of the purse into the search bar.
This populates a new search of visually similar results for you to browse, and the company says it should make it easier to find the items you're looking for. eBay's last few iOS updates have been focused on this idea of streamlining the shopping experience and making it easier for customers to sort through the vast amount of items being sold, including a recent Apple Music-inspired "Interests" feature.
Our new visual shopping feature is powered by artificial intelligence. We use deep learning networks known as convolutional neural networks to process your images. Behind the scenes, when you submit your image in the search field, the neural network converts your image into a vector representation. Then, the vector representation of the image that you submit is compared against more than 1.1 billion live listings in eBay’s marketplace, using nearest neighbor search. Finally, we surface the best-matched items, ranked by visual similarity.
The company also just announced this week that it will begin accepting Apple Pay as a payment method later this year. The addition of Apple Pay will hit as eBay undergoes a major payments overhaul beginning in the second half of 2018, kicking off a "small scale" expansion of new payments company Adyen as its primary partner for global payments processing. Adyen will eventually replace PayPal in this role by 2021.
eBay's new visual shopping feature will be available on iOS and Android this August in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia.
Google today updated its Street View app for iOS, finally adding support for the iPhone X's display eight months after the device's launch.
Google Street View is designed to allow users to explore different locations and landmarks around the world using the Street View feature. The app also allows users to create photo spheres with the iPhone's camera, and today's update also improves support for rendering 360 degree panos.
What's New - Support for iPhone X - Improvements for rendering 360 panos
Google had been slow to update some of its apps for the iPhone X, but made progress this month first with Inbox by Gmail and now Street View.
Many of Google's most popular apps now work properly with the iPhone X, two months ahead of when Apple is expected to release new iPhone models that will use the same notched design and taller display.
Apple's iPhone 8 Plus was the number one selling iPhone in the United States during the second quarter of 2018 according to new data shared today by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X accounted for 54 percent of US iPhone sales during the quarter, with the iPhone 8 making up 13 percent of sales, the iPhone 8 Plus making up 24 percent of sales, and the iPhone X making up 17 percent of sales.
Older iPhones continued to be popular as well, with the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, SE, 6s Plus and 6s making up 46 percent of sales. Apple's Q2 2018 sales are a deviation from its Q2 2017 sales, where the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the flagship phones at that time, made up more than 80 percent of sales.
In what is usually a quieter quarter for iPhone sales, the model breakdown is interesting, as older models persisted in popularity," said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. "The latest iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X models accounted for a little more than half of sales, yet last year at this time the then-latest iPhone 7 and 7 Plus accounted for over 80%. And, the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus, and SE grabbed 20% in the past quarter, virtually the same as in the June 2017 quarter, though at lower price points. So, it looks like two-year old legacy iPhones have squeezed the newer models. Still, because Apple increased base storage and boosted prices, we expect Average Selling Price to increase nicely over the June 2017 quarter."
Combined, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus made up 37 percent of purchases, far exceeding purchases of the iPhone X, according to CIRP's data.
This is likely attributable to the high price of the iPhone X, with pricing that starts at $999 vs. the iPhone 8's $699 starting price. Given the popularity of the two lower-cost devices, Apple plans to continue offering consumers an affordable option in 2018 with the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone that rumors suggest will be sold alongside more expensive 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED models.
As for iPads, the low-cost iPad continues to be the best selling tablet, with CIRP lumping the 5th and 6th-generation models together. 31 percent of customers bought a low-cost iPad during the quarter, but the iPad Pro was also popular with a combined 40 percent of sales for the 10.5 and 12.9-inch models.
While CIRP's data can provide an interesting look at the iPhones customers in the United States are choosing to purchase, it's worth keeping in mind that CIRP's numbers are aggregated from surveys that encompass just 500 customers who purchased an iPhone, iPad, or Mac during the second quarter of 2018, which spans from April to June.
Samsung Display today announced an unbreakable OLED smartphone panel that's been certified by Underwriters Laboratory (UL), an official testing company for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor.
The UL test indicates that Samsung's unbreakable display withstood 26 drops from 1.2 meters (4 feet) with no damage and held up to extreme temperature testing. Samsung says that the display was also subjected to a drop of six feet with no sign of damage.
According to UL, the unbreakable display developed by Samsung Display passed the rigorous real-time durability test that is based on military standards set by the U.S. Department of Defense. After a drop test administered at 1.2 meters (nearly 4 feet) above the ground 26 times in succession, and accompanying high (71 degrees) and low (-32 degrees) temperature tests, the Samsung unbreakable panel continued to function normally with no damage to its front, sides or edges.
According to Samsung, its flexible OLED panel uses an unbreakable substrate that's adhered to an overlay window, a deviation from other, more breakable flexible OLED panels that use a glass-covered window.
Samsung says that the unbreakable panels are being developed for use on smartphones but are likely to find viable markets with other products like display consoles for automobiles, mobile military devices, portable game consoles, and tablet PCs.
"The fortified plastic window is especially suitable for portable electronic devices not only because of its unbreakable characteristics, but also because of its lightweight, transmissivity and hardness, which are all very similar to glass," said Hojung Kim, general manager of the Communication Team, Samsung Display Company.
While UL-certification for the panel is being announced today, Samsung first showed off its technology at DisplayWeek in May, in the form of a 6.22-inch display that was targeted at automotive customers. Samsung has been developing flexible display technology for years.
As CNET's Shara Tibken points out, Samsung's announcement comes just two weeks ahead of when it plans to unveil the Galaxy Note 9, so it's possible Samsung's upcoming flagship smartphone could use this new display technology. With UL certification, the panel is ready to be used in consumer products.
Apple uses displays sourced from Samsung in its iPhone lineup, so it's not unreasonable to think that the Cupertino company could potentially adopt this technology in the future, should it meet Apple's demands for quality.
Apple sources its OLED displays for the iPhone X from Samsung and is expected to continue using Samsung as a supplier for the foreseeable future, though the company is working on securing additional display suppliers for diversification purposes.
Apple does not have plans to use Qualcomm's LTE chips in its next-generation devices, Qualcomm's CFO said today during Qualcomm's second quarter earnings call.
As relayed by CNBC, Qualcomm CFO George Davis told investors Apple will use a competitor's chips in its 2018 iPhones, likely speaking of Intel.
"We believe Apple intends to solely use our competitors' modems rather than our modems in its next iPhone release. We will continue to provide modems for Apple legacy devices," said Davis.
Over the course of the last few months, there have been mixed reports about Apple's LTE chip plans given the legal disagreement between the two companies. Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in February that Intel would be the supplier of LTE modems for all 2018 iPhones, with Apple using no Qualcomm chips.
Kuo's report was called into question in April when Fast Company said that Intel would supply Apple with 70 percent of the LTE chips needed for the 2018 iPhones while Qualcomm would provide the rest, but it appears that report was inaccurate.
Qualcomm's statement today is also in line with an October report from The Wall Street Journal suggesting Apple would eliminate Qualcomm chips from its 2018 iPhone and iPad lineup, instead using chips from Intel and perhaps MediaTek.
Apple's decision not to use Qualcomm chips in its latest crop of iPhones is understandable given the increasingly bitter legal battle the two companies have been embroiled in for more than a year.
Apple in January 2017 sued Qualcomm for $1 billion, accusing Qualcomm of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with" and failing to pay quarterly rebates. Apple and its suppliers stopped paying licensing fees at that time.
While Apple insists Qualcomm charges unfair royalties, Qualcomm claims that its technology "is at the heart of every iPhone."
It didn't take long for Qualcomm to file a countersuit claiming that Apple had infringed on several of its patents. Since then, both companies have filed multiple lawsuits against one another, and Qualcomm has also sought import and export bans on some iPhones in the United States and China.
Apple has used Qualcomm chips in its iPhones for years, but until the legal dispute is resolved, the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus could be the last iPhones with Qualcomm chips.
Apple is rumored to be working on its own Apple-designed modem chips for future iPhones, but until its own technology is ready, Apple devices may be equipped with Intel technology.
Rumors suggest that Apple's 2018 iPhones will use Intel's XMM 7560 modems, which support both GSM and CDMA networks. Apple is said to be planning to introduce improved antenna technology for faster connection speeds and dual-SIM dual standby functionality.
Qualcomm today reported better-than-expected quarterly results with $5.6 billion in revenue and earnings of $1.01 per share. Qualcomm saw "strong demand" from Chinese device makers amid "lower demand" from Apple.
Following the launch of the App Store in 2008, Apple CEO Steve Jobs sat down for an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
In celebration of the recent 10th anniversary of the App Store, The Wall Street Journal today published both the audio and transcript of that interview, where Jobs shares his view on the future of the App Store and the future of Apple.
The interview took place in August of 2008, a month after the launch of the App Store. Even back then, just after its debut, the App Store's success surprised Jobs, who said Apple hadn't expected the App Store to "be this big." "The mobile industry's never seen anything like this," he said.
Within 30 days, users had downloaded 30 percent as many apps as everybody in the world downloaded songs from iTunes during the same period of time. Jobs said he could not even predict how many new apps would be uploaded by a particular date given the App Store's wildly popular debut.
I would not trust any of our predictions because reality has so far exceeded them by such a great degree that we've been reduced to spectators just like you, watching this amazing phenomenon and just doing our best to try to help everybody get their apps done and get them on the store.
In the early days of the App Store, Apple was criticized for high app prices. "It's a competition," said Jobs. "Who knew what to price things at?" According to Jobs, Apple didn't have advice for developers on pricing either. "Our opinions are no better than yours because this is so new."
Jobs went on to mull how the App Store could grow in the future as people adopted the iPhone and the iPod touch, speculating that it could be a billion dollar marketplace, which Apple has significantly exceeded. As of July 2018, developers have earned more than $100 billion from the App Store.
Who knows? Maybe it'll be a billion dollar marketplace at some point in time. This doesn't happen very often. A whole new billion dollar market opens up. 360 million in the first 30 days, I've never seen anything like this in my career for software.
Jobs said that he didn't expect the App Store would be a big profit generator, with Apple instead launching it to add value to the iPhone. Jobs was wrong, though, and Apple's services category is the size of a Fortune 100 company, largely on the strength of the App Store. In Q2 2018, for example, services brought in $9.19 billion and the App Store set an all time revenue record.
While Jobs was surprised by the success of the App Store, it didn't stop him from declaring that the "phone of the future will be differentiated by software," a prediction that has largely come true. Today, many high-end smartphones share similar features and designs, with software - iOS and Android - as one of the main factors that people take into consideration when choosing a device.
The entire interview with Steve Jobs is well worth listening to and can be found over at The Wall Street Journal.
There are hundreds of Qi wireless charging options available on the market, many of which feature the same no-frills plain black circle or square design. You can, for example, find dozens of inexpensive wireless chargers on Amazon at prices as low as $10, but if you're looking for a more thoughtful, unique design you may need to spend a bit more.
iON Mini in gray on left, iON Plus in beige on right
Both the iON and the iON Mini are rectangle-shaped wireless chargers that are about as wide as the iPhone X. The Mini is about an inch shorter than the standard iON, and it's also thinner because the iON has an extra cutout in the middle that's meant to allow for better airflow.
Neither charger takes up too much space on a desk given the rectangular shape that can fit easily against a flat surface or in a corner, but the larger iON does take up more area, both horizontally and vertically.
Apple design chief Jony Ive will be one of the speakers at WIRED's 
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