MacRumors

Apple has urged the Trump administration not to proceed with tariffs of up to 25 percent on a fourth set of goods imported from China, which would impact nearly all of its products, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, Beats, HomePod, batteries, repair parts, and more.

In a letter sent to United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer [PDF] this week, Apple warned that the tariffs would reduce the company's contributions to the U.S. economy and weigh on its global competitiveness:

U.S. tariffs on Apple's products would result in a reduction of Apple's U.S. economic contribution.

U.S. tariffs would also weigh on Apple's global competitiveness. The Chinese producers we compete with in global markets do not have a significant presence in the U.S. market, and so would not be impacted by U.S. tariffs. Neither would our other major non-U.S. competitors. A U.S. tariff would, therefore, tilt the playing field in favor of our global competitors.

We urge you not to proceed with these tariffs. Thank you for your consideration of our comments.

Apple outlined many of its economic contributions in the letter, referring to itself as a "proud U.S. company" that is both the largest corporate taxpayer and one of the largest job creators in the country:

Apple is a proud U.S. company and one of the largest job creators in the United States. We are responsible for over 2 million jobs across all 50 states, including Apple's direct employees, employees at our manufacturing and retail partners, and Americans who make their living in the vibrant and growing app economy.

In 2018, after the passage of tax reform in the U.S., we announced our intention to make a total direct contribution to the U.S. economy of over $350 billion over 5 years and we are pleased to report that we are on track to achieve this contribution. We are opening several new sites and adding new jobs to our U.S. employee base.

Apple is also the largest U.S. corporate taxpayer to the U.S. Treasury and pays billions more each year in local property, sales, and employee taxes.

Finally, Apple's products are used by American families, students, businesses, government agencies, schools, and hospitals to communicate, teach, improve health outcomes, and enhance creativity and enterprise.

Last month, analysts at investment bank J.P. Morgan estimated that the tariffs could result in a 14 percent increase in the retail price of an iPhone XS, pushing the cost of the device from $999 to $1,142. However, the company could also choose to absorb the impact of the tariffs on a temporary basis.

The letter was earlier reported by CNBC.

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.

At WWDC 2018, Apple introduced a redesigned Mac App Store alongside changes to sandboxing parameters on macOS Mojave. Since then, several well-known apps have launched on or returned to the ‌Mac App Store‌, including the Microsoft Office suite, Microsoft To-Do, BBEdit, Transmit, and others.

Next up is Adobe Lightroom CC, which is available on the Mac App Store as of today. The professional photo editing software is free to download, but requires a $9.99 monthly subscription via Apple's in-app purchase system after a one-week trial. 1TB of cloud storage is included with a subscription.

As noted by The Verge, Lightroom was previously available on the ‌Mac App Store‌ for a one-time purchase of $149.99 in 2012:

This isn't the first time that you've been able to get Lightroom in the Mac App Store. Back in 2012, when Adobe sold its apps as standalone purchases before starting to push Creative Cloud subscriptions, Lightroom 4 was available for $149.99. Lightroom 5 never came to Apple's store, however, and even Adobe itself doesn't sell standalone versions of Lightroom today.

This news is a win-win for Apple and Adobe. Apple has landed another major app on the ‌Mac App Store‌, which faced years of criticism, and will generate revenue from its split of in-app purchases. Adobe, meanwhile, has made Lightroom available to a very broad audience of potential customers.

Lightroom CC remains available outside of the Mac App Store as well, with subscription pricing starting at the same $9.99 per month. One benefit of switching to the ‌Mac App Store‌ version is a more streamlined update process.

Apple and enterprise company Jamf recently teamed up to take a look at the drivers behind Mac adoption in the enterprise and the impact of device choice programs for employees on attracting talent.

For the survey, 1,285 employees from various-sized companies across the world were asked a series of questions about Macs in the workplace, with the results suggesting high levels of employee satisfaction from Mac users.

97 percent of survey respondents said that using a Mac increased their productivity, while 95 percent said their creativity levels were up. 94 percent said they were more self-sufficient, and 91 percent said collaboration was up.

According to the survey, 79 percent of respondents said that they would not be able to do their jobs as effectively without a Mac.

On the topic of self-sufficiency, 40 percent of respondents had no issues with their Mac over the course of the last 12 months, and 70 percent experienced two or fewer issues. Of those who did have issues, the leading problem was related to the network, rather than the device itself. 74% who previously used a PC said they have fewer issues now that they use a Mac.

When asked why they chose a Mac over a PC, most respondents cited a preference for Apple products, the ease of use and reliability of the Mac, and integration with the necessary apps needed for work. Design, familiarity, collaboration, and continuity between Mac, iPhone, and iPad were also cited as reasons.

89 percent overall said that Mac applications are easier to use than other computer devices, while 94 percent said that it's easy to find Mac applications and other resources on the Mac. 65 percent of employees say they go through the App Store to locate work-related applications.

97 percent of workers who have a choice of which device to use said it's important to their organization that an employee choice program exists. When asked why, employees cited productivity, creativity, and feeling valued by their employer as the top three reasons. 94 percent of all respondents said they're more likely to choose or stay with a company that offers a choice between Mac and PC.

Jamf's full survey results are available in an eBook downloadable from the Jamf website.

Apple appears to be working on full Project Catalyst versions of Messages and Shortcuts for Mac, according to hints of the new apps found by developer Steve Troughton-Smith.

Last, Troughton-Smith found that the Project Catalyst software on macOS Catalina includes Shortcuts frameworks suggesting a future Shortcuts for Mac app, and now it appears Apple is also working on a Catalyst version of the Messages app.

Much of the UIKit Messages app is functional on macOS, using the native Catalyst UI from the macOS Catalina system frameworks. iMessage Effects, for example, are functional.

Apple made no mention of an overhauled Messages app or bringing Shortcuts to Mac when introducing macOS Catalina, so these features could be reserved for a future Catalina release that's perhaps coming later in the year.

Ahead of the Apple Card's planned summer launch, Apple is now testing its upcoming Goldman Sachs credit card with thousands of retail workers, reports Bloomberg.

Apple was previously allowing its corporate employees to test the ‌Apple Card‌, but is now expanding testing to a much larger group through an internal beta program that launched this week.

Employees are able to sign up directly from their personal devices, with the Apple Pay portion of the card activated immediately and a card scheduled to be sent within two to three weeks. Employees are receiving APRs between 13.24 percent and 24.24 percent, the same APR range that will be provided to consumers.

With thousands of retail workers available, the expansion marks the first wide scale test, allowing Apple to find and address bugs and other problems before the ‌Apple Card‌ launches to the public.

Apple employees have been asked not to discuss the card, but they are allowed to use it in public to make purchases.

Screenshots of the employee beta of the Apple Card show that test versions of the card are fully functional and include the ability to receive daily cash back, pay bills, see an order status for a physical card and receive technical support via text messaging. Users can also schedule payments, access their credit limit and manage connected bank accounts, among other tasks. Users will also have the ability to set the Apple Card as the default payment method for Apple purchases.

The ‌Apple Card‌, created in partnership with Goldman Sachs, is deeply integrated into the iPhone and the Apple ecosystem. It offers 3% cash back on Apple purchases, 2% cash back on all ‌Apple Pay‌ transactions, and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

Purchases are tracked in the Wallet app on the ‌iPhone‌, providing a breakdown of spending across different categories like health, food, shopping, and more. While the ‌Apple Card‌ offers higher rewards for ‌Apple Pay‌ purchases, for instances where a traditional purchase is required, Apple is providing customers with a physical card made from titanium.

Apple is planning to launch the ‌Apple Card‌ in the United States this summer, and Bloomberg says Apple has already been discussing an expansion into Europe with financial regulators. The employees using the card are running iOS 12.4 on their devices, and the iOS 12.4 update is expected to bring ‌Apple Card‌ support.

We've had four betas of iOS 12.4 so far, so a launch may not be too far off.

For a look at the ‌Apple Card‌ and what to expect when it launches, make sure to check out our dedicated Apple Card guide.

The Apple News, Voice Memos, Home and Stocks apps on the Mac will be getting major updates and new designs to make them more Mac-like, Apple's software chief Craig Federighi told CNET in an interview.

News, Voice Memos, Home, and Stocks were all apps that were ported over to the Mac in 2018's macOS Mojave as part of the precursor to Project Catalyst, Apple's newly announced feature designed to let iOS developers easily adapt their apps for the Mac.

Since their Mac launch, the four apps have mirrored the style of an iOS app, offering little more in terms of design and functionality. Now that Project Catalyst has launched, though, Apple plans to revisit these early Mac app ports.

Federighi says that because the underlying technology has improved over the course of the last year, the apps will be "automatically" upgraded thanks to Project Catalyst's more unified, native Mac framework. Apple also plans to make additional improvements on top of that to create a Mac experience.

"We've looked at the design and features of some of those apps and said we can make this a bit more of a Mac experience through changes that are independent of the use of Catalyst, but are just design team decisions," Federighi said. "When I read some of the initial reviews of those apps, people were saying, 'Obviously this technology is causing them to do things that don't feel Mac-like.' Honestly, 90% of those were just decisions that designers made ... People took that as 'this feels iOS-y' and therefore they thought it was a technology thing. Actually, it was a designer preference. So part of [the upgrade] is we said we've got to co-evolve with our user base around the aesthetics of the Mac experience. And so we made some adjustments to the apps."

Federighi also explained that the iOS-like feel to the apps in macOS Mojave was more of a design decision than a result of porting them over to the Mac, but given complaints, Apple made an effort to "co-evolve" with the Mac user base to design a more Mac-like experience in macOS Catalina.

The new ‌Apple News‌, Voice Memos, Home, and Stocks apps aren't in the macOS Catalina beta at the current time, but Federighi said we can expect to see them when the public beta launches. "Wait for the public beta," Federighi told CNET. "We're still tuning everything up. That's where it gets really good."

Apple has said that iOS 13, macOS Catalina, and tvOS 13 betas will launch at some point in July, which is just two weeks away.

Apple today announced that every Best Buy store across the United States now offers certified repairs and service for Apple products.

The electronics retailer already serviced Apple products at about 225 stores and now does so at all of its 992 stores nationwide, according to Reuters, which is good news for customers who reside in states without any Apple Stores, including Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Apple's press release:

By expanding to every Best Buy store across the US, customers in cities including Yuma, Arizona; Sioux City, Iowa; Twin Falls, Idaho; Casper, Wyoming and Bismarck, North Dakota will have more convenient access to Apple repairs. Plus, Best Buy’s Geek Squad has nearly 7,600 newly Apple-certified technicians ready to make same-day iPhone repairs or to service other Apple products.

Apple-certified repairs at Best Buy and other Apple Authorized Service Providers are performed by trained technicians who use genuine Apple parts, and every repair is backed by Apple, according to the company.

Including all of Best Buy's nearly 1,000 locations that now offer Apple-certified repairs, Apple now has over 1,800 authorized third-party service providers in the United States, which it says is "three times as many locations as three years ago." Apple also has over 270 retail stores that facilitate repairs across the country.

Tara Bunch, Apple's vice president of AppleCare:

At Apple, we're dedicated to providing the best customer service in the world. If a customer ever needs to repair their products, we want them to feel confident those repairs are done safely and correctly. We're always looking at how we can reliably expand our network of trained technicians and we're excited to partner with every Best Buy store so it's even easier for our customers to find an authorized repair location near them.

Apple customers can initiate a repair on Apple's support website.

Apple Watch users will be able to delete stock apps from the Apple Watch starting in watchOS 6, according to TechCrunch.

This will make it possible to delete many of Apple's built-in apps on the Apple Watch, including Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Remote, Camera Remote, Radio, Walkie-Talkie, ECG, Breathe, Noise, Cycle Tracking, and others, the report indicates. A few core apps like Heart Rate and Messages will not be deletable.

Some of Apple's apps can already be removed from the Apple Watch, like Calendar, Stocks, and Weather, as deleting a built-in app on an iPhone also removes the app from a paired Apple Watch. However, this method does not work for watchOS apps that lack an iOS counterpart like Timer and Radio.

watchOS 6 will allow almost any built-in app to be deleted directly on the Apple Watch. As already possible with third-party apps, users will be able to delete built-in apps by pressing and holding to enter so-called "wiggle mode" and then tapping the "X" button that appears above an app icon.

This functionality has yet to be enabled as of the second developer beta of watchOS 6, but it's still very early. The report indicates it will be ready in time for the public release of the software update in September.

With the U.S.-China trade war seemingly showing no signs of slowing down, a new report claims that Apple is getting serious about diversifying its supply chain in an effort to reduce its reliance on Chinese manufacturing.

Specifically, Apple has asked several of its major suppliers to evaluate the cost implications of shifting 15 to 30 percent of their production capacity from China to Southeast Asia countries as it prepares for a "fundamental restructuring of its supply chain," according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

Key iPhone assemblers Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron, major MacBook maker Quanta Computer, iPad maker, Compal Electronics, and AirPods makers Inventec, Luxshare-ICT and Goertek all have been asked to evaluate options outside of China, multiple sources say. Many other Apple suppliers such as print circuit board and casing providers are closely monitoring where these major assemblers would shift their production.

The countries being considered for diversification include Mexico, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with India and Vietnam among the favorites for ‌iPhone‌ assembly, according to the report. Apple supplier Wistron already assembles a limited quantity of iPhones in India.

As part of the efforts, Apple reportedly has a so-called "capital expense studies team" tasked with negotiating with suppliers and governments.

While these plans are said to have been triggered by the trade war, the report claims that Apple has decided the risks of relying so heavily on manufacturing in China are "too great and even rising" even if the trade war is eventually resolved.

"A lower birthrate, higher labor costs and the risk of overly centralizing its production in one country. These adverse factors are not going anywhere," said one executive with knowledge of the situation. "With or without the final round of the $300 billion tariff, Apple is following the big trend [to diversify production]," giving itself more flexibility, the person added.

Apple currently relies on Chinese and Taiwanese companies for the vast majority of its manufacturing needs, so diversifying its supply chain would obviously take time. The report cites a source who believes it would take at least 18 months for production to begin in new locations.

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.

Dish Network is close to securing a deal to pay $6 billion for Sprint's Boost Mobile brand and wireless spectrum, reports Bloomberg.

Sprint is selling Boost Mobile in an effort to unload assets to gain regulatory approval for its upcoming merger with T-Mobile. The two companies have been aiming to sell Boost Mobile to appease U.S. regulators who believe the merger raises antitrust concerns.

The United States Justice Department wants Sprint and T-Mobile to ensure there continues to be a fourth major carrier in the country as the combined T-Mobile and Sprint company would leave just AT&T and Verizon as the other major carriers. Sprint and T-Mobile's combined company, set to be called T-Mobile and led by John Legere, would have close to 100 million customers.

Sprint and T-Mobile first announced a merger agreement in April 2018, but the completion of the deal requires government approval. As of May, U.S. regulators were said to be "leaning against" approving the merger unless some of T-Mobile and Sprint's assets were sold off.

Dish may be planning to announce a deal as soon as this week, according to sources who spoke to Bloomberg. The terms of the deal have not yet been finalized and it could still fall through, however.

Apple appears to be in the process of decoupling the iPhone from the watchOS update process on the Apple Watch.

In the first beta of watchOS 6, the Apple Watch gained its own over-the-air software update mechanism under Settings > General > Software Update. As on the ‌iPhone‌, the mechanism checks for any available watchOS update and, if prompted, downloads the update directly to the Apple Watch.

The mechanism became functional on Monday when Apple seeded the second beta of watchOS 6 to developers.

As noted by Jeremy Horwitz, however, users still must review and accept the watchOS terms and conditions using an ‌iPhone‌. Hopefully this is a temporary step that Apple removes before watchOS 6 is publicly released in September.

Updating an Apple Watch's software previously required using the Apple Watch app on an ‌iPhone‌ for the entire process.

This change is in line with the Apple Watch gradually becoming more independent from the ‌iPhone‌. In 2017, for example, Apple Watch Series 3 models launched with cellular capabilities for making phone calls and more without an ‌iPhone‌. And in watchOS 6, the Apple Watch received its own on-wrist App Store.