Apple has given a straight to series order for eight episodes of "Lisey's Story," a TV show based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Julianne Moore is set to star in the series, while Stephen King will write all eight episodes in addition to executive producing. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, King does not often write for TV shows, making "Lisey's Story" notable.
In the past, King has called "Lisey's Story" one of his favorite books, and one that he'd love to see turned into a television series.
The novel, which is a psychological horror with romance elements, is split between Lisey's life in the present time and her dead husband's life (a famous novelist) as she remembers it. Lisey begans to remember things about her husband that she had suppressed while being terrorized in the present by a former fan of her husband's.
Along with King and Moore, the series also boasts J.J. Abrams and Ben Stephenson of Bad Robot Productions as executive producers. This is the third series Abrams is working on for Apple, as he is also developing "Little Voice" with Sara Bareilles and "My Glory Was I Had Such Friends" with Jennifer Garner.
Julianne Moore has recently starred in movies that include "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," "Bel Canto," "Gloria Bell," and "Suburbicon," but she has not been in a television series since her stint on "As the World Turns" in the 80s, with the exception of a few appearances on "30 Rock."
Apple currently has more than two dozen television shows in the works for its upcoming Apple TV+ service, which is set to debut this fall. We have a running list of all of the TV shows and movies that Apple is working on available in our original content guide.
The HomeKit ecosystem may seem daunting and confusing if you're unfamiliar with smart home products, their functionality, and their benefits, but getting started is actually simple and straightforward. Learning the ins and outs of HomeKit after setup does take a bit of effort, but it's not a difficult process and having interlinked electronics that can interact with each other and be automated can save time and really streamline your life.
What is HomeKit?
HomeKit is Apple's smart home platform, which is designed to let you control various internet-connected home devices -- ranging from thermostats and plugs to window blinds, light bulbs, and more -- with Apple devices.
These days, more and more products are internet connected, which is why you've heard the phrase "Internet of Things." The Internet of Things is a confusing mix of "smart" products that connect to the internet and can be controlled by a range of different platforms, from Amazon's Alexa to Google Home to Samsung SmartThings.
HomeKit is Apple's "Internet of Things" solution that connects HomeKit-enabled smart accessories together in a way that lets you operate them using your Apple products.
What You Can Do With HomeKit
HomeKit isn't a product or software; it's a framework that links smart home products together and adds new capabilities to devices like lights, locks, cameras, thermostats, plugs, and more. HomeKit lets you control smart home products using apps on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, or simple Siri voice commands.
While controlling smart home products with Siri or with an iPhone is convenient, the real magic of HomeKit comes when you have multiple HomeKit-enabled products because you can control them all at once using scenes or set up automations so that they activate automatically.
You can, for example, create a "Good night" scene that makes sure the doors are locked, closes the garage, turns off the lights, lowers the thermostat, and then activates a night light whenever motion is detected. With automation, you can set individual HomeKit devices to come on or off at specific times, or you can set entire scenes, like the aforementioned "Good night" scene to come on at a set time.
HomeKit setups, scenes, and automations can be as complex or as simple as you like, and now that HomeKit is in its fifth year of availability, there are all kinds of HomeKit products you can purchase. With a bit of time and some money, you can have a whole smart home ecosystem that's streamlined, automated, and easy to control.
Setting It Up
Getting started with HomeKit is as simple as purchasing any HomeKit-enabled device, whether it be a smart plug, light bulb, AirPlay 2 speaker, Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini, thermostat, or something else.
From there, open up the "Home" app, which comes pre-installed on all iOS devices. Tap on the "Add Accessory" button that's on the main screen of the Home app, and then follow the steps after it opens up to the rear camera.
All HomeKit products come with a HomeKit QR code on them, which you need to scan with the camera. Scanning the HomeKit code adds a device to the HomeKit framework, and then you can follow a few additional steps to assign it to a room, a necessary step for organizing your HomeKit devices.
How HomeKit Devices Connect
HomeKit devices connect to your HomeKit setup through Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Thread, or a hub that connects to Wi-Fi. Many HomeKit devices in the United States use WiFi or connect to a hub over WiFi. Hue light bulbs, for example, use a hub, while smart lights from other brands like LIFX use WiFi.
There are some devices that connect over Bluetooth, and with Bluetooth devices, it's worth noting that you're going to need home hubs to extend connectivity, otherwise connection range can be rather limited. Home hubs include the Apple TV, HomePod, and HomePod mini. There's also the new "Thread" protocol that's emerging that more seamlessly connects your devices without the need for the delays of WiFi or Bluetooth.
Types of HomeKit Devices
There are all kinds of HomeKit devices on the market, some that are more capable than others. The following HomeKit categories are available:
Lights
Switches
Outlets
Thermostats
Window Blinds
Fans
Air Conditioners
Humidifiers
Air Purifiers
Sensors
Locks
Cameras
Doorbells
Garage Doors
Sprinklers
Speakers
Routers
TVs
Apple maintains a full list of HomeKit-compatible devices on its website, complete with links, so this is the best place to get an overview of all of the different HomeKit devices that you can put in your home.
Smart home devices that are compatible with HomeKit will have "Works with Apple Homekit" labeling on the packaging to make it clear that they support HomeKit.
Using HomeKit requires an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running the latest version of iOS, along with at least one HomeKit-enabled device.
Using the Home app on the Mac requires macOS Mojave or later, and to control devices when away from home, an Apple TV, iPad, HomePod, or HomePod mini is required to serve as a Home Hub.
Ways to Control Your HomeKit Devices
The great thing about HomeKit is the myriad ways that you can control your HomeKit compatible devices.
You can use Siri voice commands on the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Watch, HomePod, or Apple TV to ask Siri to complete HomeKit tasks.
Devices can be controlled manually in the Home app, or in the app that comes with the device. Each HomeKit device will have an app downloadable from the iOS App Store that offers a way to control it.
You can also purchase HomeKit-enabled button-type devices that serve as remotes to activate HomeKit scenes physically, and there are switches for controlling HomeKit products such as lights.
HomeKit Secure Video
Apple in iOS 13 introduced HomeKit Secure Video, an API that uses the iPad, Apple TV, or HomePod to analyze video captured by compatible smart home cameras right in your home.
Video feeds are encrypted end-to-end and uploaded to iCloud, which means you alone can see the video footage without the risk of hackers accessing it. Multiple camera manufacturers, including Eufy, Eve, and Logitech have debuted HomeKit Secure Video cameras.
Using HomeKit Secure Video requires a paid iCloud plan, priced starting at $0.99 per month. The 50GB $0.99 plan allows you to connect one HomeKit Secure Video camera, while the $2.99 per month plan allows for up to five cameras. With the $9.99 per month plan, you can connect an unlimited number of HomeKit Secure Video Cameras, and with all of these plans, none of the stored video footage counts against your iCloud storage.
Security and privacy are topics that Apple takes seriously, and thus every manufacturer that creates a HomeKit-compatible device has to follow Apple's security guidelines, better ensuring your devices are safe from hackers.
Apple's commitment to privacy and demand that HomeKit products be secure is reassuring at a time when our homes are filled with smart devices that can hear us and see us.
For a long time, Apple required all HomeKit products to include a hardware-based HomeKit authentication coprocessor for HomeKit certification, and many HomeKit devices continue to offer this. In 2017, Apple began allowing manufacturers to obtain HomeKit certification with software-based authentication, but HomeKit is no less secure as a result.
All HomeKit devices use the same security features, including end-to-end encryption, non-reusable encryption keys, and two-way authentication (Apple verifies your HomeKit device and your HomeKit device verifies your Apple device) when connecting to a HomeKit setup.
A HomeKit camera, for example, sends video and audio streams directly to an iOS device and those streams are encrypted using randomly generated keys to prevent someone from intercepting your video feed.
All HomeKit data stored on your devices is fully encrypted, and HomeKit syncing between devices is done via iCloud and iCloud Keychain, both of which have their own security. Apple also must approve each and every device that gets the HomeKit labeling. In a nutshell, Apple has worked to make HomeKit a secure smart home platform that people can trust.
HomeKit is not without its bugs, though, and there have been some security snafus. In December 2017, there was a bug that left HomeKit accessories vulnerable to unauthorized access, but Apple was quick to fix it.
For those interested, the nitty gritty details about HomeKit security are available in Apple's iOS Security Guide and are well worth checking out if you have security concerns about using smart home devices. [PDF]
Solving HomeKit Connectivity Problems
When using HomeKit devices, you might sometimes see an error that a device is unreachable in the Home app or have other problems connecting to a HomeKit product.
The Home app, and most HomeKit apps that accompany HomeKit products, provide very little info on why a HomeKit product isn't working properly or connecting to your network, which can make troubleshooting HomeKit issues frustrating.
There are a few basic steps you can follow that will sometimes solve connectivity issues.
Make sure the HomeKit device has power, is turned on, and is in range of your router if it's a Wi-Fi device.
Turn the HomeKit device off, wait a good 10 seconds, and turn it back on. Do the same thing with your iPhone or other device you're attempting to use with HomeKit.
Check the Wi-Fi connection and reset your router. Make sure your iOS device is up to date, connected to the internet, and that you're signed into iCloud.
Make sure your HomeKit device is on the right Wi-Fi band. There are a lot of HomeKit devices that are 2.4GHz while most devices connect to 5GHz networks, and that can sometimes cause problems. If you have a 2.4GHz accessory, make sure it's on the 2.4GHz network. Steps for this will vary based on your setup.
Remove the device from HomeKit in the Home app and then re-add it by scanning it. For some HomeKit products, this is probably a last resort step because it eliminates scenes and automations.
Remove the device from HomeKit and reset it. This is a step that's necessary when removing some HomeKit devices from a HomeKit setup. You're going to need to consult the manual of your device because resetting is different on every product.
If none of these steps work, you're going to want to contact the support staff for whichever product you're having problems with to get further information on what to do for troubleshooting purposes.
Many HomeKit manufacturers have online troubleshooting databases, so in some cases, you can just Google for a solution.
There are more drastic steps to take, such as logging in and out of iCloud or resetting your entire HomeKit setup, but we recommend contacting a manufacturer before trying these last resort options just because of the hassle involved.
Discuss HomeKit
Have a setup question or a HomeKit issue you just can't figure out? You might want to check out the HomeKit forums on the MacRumors site for additional help. There are quite a few HomeKit users on the forums, and most people are happy to help.
Guide Feedback
Want to offer feedback on this guide, ask for feature additions, or point out an error? Send us an email here.
Apple today released updated developer documentation letting developers know that as of macOS 10.14.5, all new software distributed with a new Developer ID must be notarized in order to run.
Apple plans to make notarization a default requirement for all software in the future.
Beginning in macOS 10.14.5, all new or updated kernel extensions and all software from developers new to distributing with Developer ID must be notarized in order to run. In a future version of macOS, notarization will be required by default for all software.
Notarization is a new concept introduced in macOS Mojave for apps distributed outside of the Mac App Store with the aim of protecting users from malicious Mac apps.
Mac app developers are encouraged to submit their apps to Apple to be notarized, and an Apple-notarized app includes a more streamlined Gatekeeper dialog to reassure users that an app is not known malware.
Apple provides trusted non Mac App Store developers with Developer IDs that are required to allow the Gatekeeper function on macOS to install non Mac App Store apps without extra warnings, but notarization takes it one step further.
With the new requirement in macOS 10.14.5, developers who are new to distributing Mac apps with a Developer ID will need to go through the notarization process for their apps to work on the Mac.
Apple late last year said that it would begin highlighting notarization status "more prominently" starting in spring 2019, and macOS 10.14.5 is apparently the update where that will begin happening.
The notarization process is designed for non Mac App Store apps and is not required for those that are submitted to the Mac App Store. More information on notarization can be found on Apple's developer site.
Apple News+ includes a full subscription to all content from The Wall Street Journal, but because Apple restricts the WSJ articles that are shown in Apple News+, it can be hard to access certain paywalled content.
Luckily, a Reddit user recently shared a useful solution that gives you a straightforward way to read any WSJ article on your iPhone or iPad, though you'll need to use Safari to get to content.
Find a paywalled article on The Wall Street Journal that you want to read using your Apple News+ subscription.
Tap on the "Share" icon at the top of the browser. Make sure to tap the share icon native to Safari, and not the one in the article itself.
Choose the "Open in News" option.
That's all you have to do. Once you tap "Open in News," the full article from The Wall Street Journal is accessible and can be read in its entirety through your included Apple News+ subscription. There's also the option of searching for the title of an article that you want to read, though that's a bit more of a hassle than simply tapping on the share sheet.
The Apple News+ section of Apple News and the Apple News app will surface some WSJ content independently, but Apple is sharing general interest stories rather than financial or other content, so this browser workaround method will need to be used for those stories as Apple News+ does not include a WSJ web login.
Apple News+ subscribers should also be aware that older content from The Wall Street Journal is only accessible for a period of three days before it is no longer available. The steps listed here for The Wall Street Journal will also work for other publications with paywalled stories that participate in Apple News+.
Note: This method only works on the iPhone and the iPad as there is no Open in Apple News option when browsing on the Mac.
For more on Apple News+, make sure to check out our dedicated Apple News+ guide. Apple News users can follow MacRumors on Apple News using this link.
Apple in iOS 12.2 introduced Apple News+, a subscription service that provides access to hundreds of magazines and some paywalled news content for $9.99 per month.
Apple has some work to do with the Apple News+ interface, and it's not obvious how to do simple things like add a magazine to "My Magazines" to make sure you receive new issues of your favorites. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps you need to follow to get a magazine to show up in My Magazines.
In iOS 12.3 or macOS 10.14.5
As of iOS 12.3 and macOS Mojave 10.14.5, you can also subscribe to a publication to follow directly from the Apple News+ catalog view by tapping on the "Follow" button in the main Apple News+ view. If you're still using an earlier version of iOS or macOS, you won't see the Follow button.
While Reading a Magazine
With the News+ app on iPhone or iPad, open up the magazine you want to add to My Magazines.
Tap on the title of the magazine at the top of the navigation bar.
Tap on the icon shaped like a heart.
Through Search
On iPhone or iPad, search for the name of the magazine that you want to add to favorites.
To do so, on iPhone tap on the "Following" tab to get to the search interface and on iPad, open up the side bar and use the search bar at the top.
Type in the name of the magazine you want to add to My Magazines.
Tap on the heart icon in the search results to add it to My Magazines.
Any magazine that you've favorited with a heart will be listed in the My Magazines interface, and new issues will automatically be downloaded for offline reading when available. You'll also be notified whenever a new issue becomes available to read.
Note that My Magazines will also show recently read magazines and magazines that you're reading now, though these will not stay in your My Magazines feed permanently.
Favoriting a magazine will also cause content from that source to show up more frequently in Apple News and Apple News+.
Removing a Magazine From My Magazines
To remove a magazine from My Magazines, follow the above instructions and make sure to tap the heart again to remove it from your list. A heart that's filled in means that it's been favorited, while an outline means that it has not.
Blocking a Magazine from Apple News
You'll also notice an icon that's a heart with a slash through it. Tapping on this icon will block it from Apple News and you will no longer see content from that magazine in your Apple News+ feed.
Apple plans to launch a trio of new products with Mini-LED backlights over the next two years, including a 31.6" display in the second or third quarter of 2019, a 10-12" iPad in late 2020 or early 2021, and a 15-17" MacBook in the first half of 2021, according to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple's discontinued Thunderbolt Display
An excerpt from Kuo's research note, obtained by MacRumors:
We believe that mini LED, compared to OLED, will be a more suitable solution to offer wide-color gamut (WCG)/high-contrast/high dynamic range (HDR)/local dimming features because of its longer life and no burn-in issues for Apple's medium- and large-size products targeting at productivity positions.
We forecast that Apple will respectively launch an all-new design 31.6-inch monitor, a 10–12 inch iPad and a 15–17 inch MacBook equipped with a mini LED backlight unit (BLU) in 2–3Q19, 4Q20–1Q21 and 1–2Q21.
Kuo believes that the 31.6-inch display "will target a very high-end position" and feature an "all-new design."
In a previous research note, Kuo predicted that Apple would launch both a 31.6-inch display and a 16-16.5" MacBook Pro in 2019, so it's not entirely clear if the 15-17" MacBook refers to a separate notebook or if Kuo now believes the 16-16.5" MacBook Pro is coming a few years later than he originally expected.
Chinese company Huawei develops its own processors and modem chips, but might be interested in selling them to Apple, reports Engadget.
Huawei has developed a 5G Balong 5000 chipset, but, as with the company's processors, it has previously refused to supply its components to third-party companies. A source that spoke to Engadget, however, says that Huawei is now "open" to selling the 5G chips, but only to Apple.
Rumors have suggested Apple is struggling with the rollout of 5G. The company is said to be planning to introduce iPhones that support 5G technology in 2020, but there's a problem - Intel, Apple's current chip partner, might not be able to get its 5G LTE chips ready by then.
Apple is also embroiled in a tense legal battle with Qualcomm and is unlikely to use Qualcomm chips for that reason, putting it in a difficult spot. Apple has been speaking with Samsung and Mediatek about 5G chips for 2020 iPhones, but it's not clear if that will pan out.
Apple is also working on its own LTE chip designs for future iPhones, but that technology is not expected to be ready to ship until 2021.
As Engadget points out, Huawei isn't known for its chip sales, and earlier this year, a Huawei representative said the 5G Balong chips are meant for Huawei's internal use only. Huawei also sees Apple as a major competitor.
Huawei's Balong 5000 would potentially be suitable for Apple devices with support for sub-6 and mmWave 5G networks along with backwards compatibility with LTE networks, but there has been no word that Apple has expressed interest in Huawei's technology.
Huawei and Apple don't exactly have a friendly relationship, and Huawei is in hot water with the U.S. government, which makes the likelihood of a partnership low. Huawei has been accused of using "dubious tactics" to steal trade secrets from U.S. companies, including Apple.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 12.3 update to developers, a week and a half after releasing the first beta and two weeks after the launch of iOS 12.2, an update that introduced Apple News+, new Animoji, and more.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 introduce a new version of Apple's TV app, which has been updated with a new look and fresh functionality.
In the new TV app, Watch Now and Up Next are still front and center for keeping track of what you're watching, but there's a new machine learning-based recommendation engine that will suggest content based on what you like to watch.
The app's interface has been streamlined with sections for movies, TV shows, sports, and kids content, and on iOS, there's a separate bottom bar for the library, search, and Watch Now options.
There's a new "Channels" feature in the TV app, which is one of the major new components. Channels are subscription services that you can sign up for and watch within the TV app without having to open up another app.
So, for example, if you come across a show you want to watch on your iPhone or Apple TV that's on Showtime, you can tap to subscribe to Showtime right in the TV app, and then you can watch that show without leaving the app.
Some of the new Channels that will be supported include CBS All Access, Starz, Showtime, HBO, Nickelodeon, Mubi, The History Channel Vault, and Comedy Central Now. During the beta, though, users can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, and Tastemade.
You'll still get recommendations for content from services that aren't a part of Channels, you'll just need to watch non-channel content in a third-party app. When Apple debuts its Apple TV+ service this fall, all of the company's original TV shows and movies will be accessible in the TV app.
iOS 12.3 will be in beta testing for the next few weeks ahead of a May launch, the month when Apple said the new TV app will be released.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.3 update to developers, a week and a half after seeding the first beta and two weeks after releasing tvOS 12.2).
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.
tvOS 12.3 brings a newly updated TV app that was first shown off at Apple's March services event. The TV app is a revised version of the original TV app, providing access to TV shows, movies, sports, news, and more, along with a dedicated section for children's programming.
The TV app features a refined interface with an updated look and feel that's more modern. It keeps the "Watch Now" section with the "Up Next" feature for keeping track of the TV shows and movies you're watching, and there's a new machine-learning based "For You" feature that surfaces content based on what you've previously watched.
There's a new "Channels" feature built in to the app, which is a major part of Apple's new services push. Channels are subscription services that you can subscribe to and watch right in the TV app without having to swap over to a third-party app.
During the beta, you can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, and Tastemade, but additional Channels will be available when the new TV app launches.
In the future, Apple plans to add its new TV+ subscription service to the TV app, with TV+ offering all of Apple's original TV shows and movies. The TV app is available on the Apple TV and iOS devices so you can pick up whatever you're watching no matter which device you're on.
The new TV app is set to be released in May, so tvOS 12.3 will be in beta testing until then.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.2.1 update to developers, a week and a half after seeding the first beta and almost two weeks after the release of the watchOS 5.2 update, which introduced AirPods 2 support and expanded the ECG feature to Europe.
Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.
To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.
It's not yet clear what features will be introduced in the watchOS 5.2.1 update, but as 5.x.x software, it's likely to focus on bug fixes and other under-the-hood performance improvements.
No changes were found in the first watchOS 5.2.1 beta, but should we find new features in the second watchOS 5.2.1 beta, we'll update this post with details.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.5 update to developers for testing purposes, a week and a half after launching the first beta and two weeks after the launch of macOS Mojave 10.14.4.
The new macOS Mojave 10.14.5 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center.
It's not yet clear if there are new features in macOS Mojave 10.14.5, but it likely includes bug fixes and performance improvements to address issues that weren't able to be fixed in the macOS Mojave 10.14.4 update.
There were no major changes discovered in the first macOS Mojave 10.14.5 beta, but if we discover anything new in this beta, we'll update this post.
The prior update, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, brought the Apple News+ subscription service, expanded Apple News to Canada, and introduced a new automatic Safari Dark Mode feature for websites.
Ikea today revealed more information about its upcoming line of Sonos smart speakers, which the Swedish furniture company has dubbed "Symfonisk" (via The Verge). There will be two products in the line: The Symfonisk Table Lamp with Wi-Fi Speaker ($179) and Symfonisk Bookshelf with Wi-Fi Speaker ($99).
Each device will be controlled through the Sonos app, and Sonos CEO Patrick Spence suggested that the Table Lamp's audio quality will be similar to the Sonos One speaker. It has two class-D digital amplifiers, one tweeter, one mid-woofer, and a sealed enclosure. The Table Lamp and Bookshelf can also be stereo paired, used for multiroom audio, and they both support Apple's AirPlay 2.
A brief ad on Ikea's Italian YouTube channel shows off both products. The Symfonisk line aims to produce Wi-Fi smart speakers that also perform some kind of secondary furnishing purpose, such as an extra shelf on a wall and lighting in a room.
The ad showcases two people dancing around to music playing from the speaker, with bright and colorful lights strobing from the Symfonisk Table Lamp. As with any other standard lamp, users will be able to place a smart light bulb into the Symfonisk (such as Philips Hue) and connect the bulbs to their existing ecosystem of lights.
More information about the Symfonisk smart speaker line from Ikea and Sonos is expected to come out of the Milan Furniture Fair, which takes place April 9 through April 14 this year. The products will then go on sale in August 2019.
Sphero last summer acquired a company called Specdrums, which made finger-worn rings that are designed to turn colors into music. Specdrums are now being sold under the Sphero brand, and are now available in Apple retail stores.
Specdrums fit on an index finger and are meant to allow kids and adults alike to play a musical note when tapping one of the rings against a specific color, creating music by using different colored notes. We tested out the Specdrums ahead of their Apple Store release to see if they're worth the $65 asking price.
Design
Specdrums are small, silicone rings that have optical sensors embedded into the front. The silicone is stretchy, so it can fit a small finger or a larger finger without issue.
I have relatively small fingers and the Specdrums fit comfortably and snugly, and it was not a problem to wear it for a long period of music making. There's a slit at the bottom that allows the ring to expand if necessary.
Specdrums are meant to be worn on an index finger with the optical sensor in the front facing downwards so that you can tap it on various colored surfaces to make sounds.
On the side of the Specdrums, there's a micro-USB port that's used for charging through the included micro-USB cable that comes with it. At the top of the silicone ring, there's a Sphero logo, and at the bottom, the Sphero name.
The optical sensor built into the Specdrums will light up when tapped against a surface, and the rectangular front of the sensor takes up most of the ring. It's comfortable to tap on things and was very responsive, easily recognizing different colors.
TSMC's continued packaging advancements coupled with Apple's industry-leading mobile chip designs is beneficial for the performance, battery life, and thermal management of future iPhones. That will continue with the 5nm process:
Compared with TSMC's 7nm process, its innovative scaling features deliver 1.8X logic density and 15% speed gain on an ARM® Cortex®-A72 core, along with superior SRAM and analog area reduction enabled by the process architecture. The 5nm process enjoys the benefits of process simplification provided by EUV lithography, and is making excellent progress in yield learning, achieving the best technology maturity at the same corresponding stage as compared to TSMC's previous nodes.
TSMC has been Apple's exclusive supplier of A-series chips since 2016, fulfilling all orders for the A10 Fusion chip in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the A11 Bionic chip in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, and the A12 Bionic chip in the latest iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.
TSMC's packaging offerings are widely considered to be superior to that of other chipmakers, including Samsung and Intel, so it's not surprising that its exclusivity is poised to continue with A13 chips in 2019 and A14 chips in 2020.
TSMC has been gradually shrinking the size of its dies over the years as it continues to refine its manufacturing process: the A10 Fusion is 16nm, the A11 Bionic is 10nm, and the A12 Bionic is 7nm. A13 chips will likely be 7nm+, benefitting from the process simplification of EUV lithography.
Vimeo today updated its macOS app with automatic uploading, giving its users a way to quickly and securely back up and bulk upload video files directly to Vimeo.
To do this, Vimeo users on Mac can create a synced folder on the Mac desktop and drop files into the folder, which automatically uploads them to Vimeo. The company says that if the Mac ever disconnects from Wi-Fi, the upload will pick up where it left off once connection is restored.
Automatic uploading cuts a ton of unnecessary steps out of your process. No more opening up Vimeo in your browser and dragging your files in one by one. No more sitting next to the computer and watching as the status bar creeps forward. No more losing track of which videos have been added. With automatic uploading, you can drop files in a synced folder and get on with your life.
Vimeo first launched an app for macOS one year ago this week, aimed at creators who use Apple's Final Cut Pro video editing software. The macOS app allows creators to export ProRes videos, adjust privacy settings and descriptions of videos, access video links and embed codes, and receive notifications about video activity.
iPhone continues to be the most popular smartphone among American teenagers based on a recent survey.
Shutterstock
A record 83 percent of U.S. teens own an iPhone as of spring 2019, according to investment bank Piper Jaffray's semiannual "Taking Stock With Teens" survey of around 8,000 high school students. Respondents were roughly 54 percent male and 46 percent female with an average age of 16.3 years.
Meanwhile, 86 percent of U.S. teens expect their next smartphone to be an iPhone, matching an all-time high set in fall 2018. This metric has steadily grown in Apple's favor over the years, rising from 75 percent in spring 2016.
iPhone popularity among teens is a good sign for Apple, as many of them could stick with the iPhone as an adult. Teens also become locked into the Apple ecosystem at an early age, becoming accustomed to services like iMessage, Apple Music, and iCloud as well as accessories like the AirPods and Apple Watch.
The survey found that 27 percent of U.S. teens own a smartwatch, while 22 percent of respondents plan to purchase an Apple Watch within the next six months. By comparison, 20 percent of teens said they plan to purchase an Apple Watch in the next six months in the year-ago survey.
Piper Jaffray divided its survey into two distinct income groups: "upper-income" with household incomes approximating $100,000 and "average-income" with household incomes approximating $55,000 based on zip code and census data.
In a fresh twist on recent iPhone rumors, Japanese tech blog Mac Otakara today reported that Apple plans to launch two entirely new 2019 iPhone models with triple-lens cameras, which would debut alongside internally updated versions of the current iPhone XR/XS/XS Max lineup.
Citing reliable sources in the Chinese supply chain, the report claims that the two new iPhone models would come with 6.1-inch and 6.5-inch OLED displays and the previously heavily rumored triple-lens camera system.
The report goes on to suggest the two new models will have a thicker body to compensate for the larger camera module, so the 6.1-inch model will be around 0.15mm thicker than the existing iPhone XS, while the camera bump will see a 0.5mm reduction in protrusion.
Likewise, the body of the 6.5-inch model will supposedly be 0.4mm thicker with a camera bump reduced by 0.25mm, which equates to an overall 0.2mm thickness increase over the current iPhone XS Max.
Mac Otakara claims the two new models will come with a USB-C to Lightning cable and an 18 Watt USB-C power adapter, with an ability for the rear of the phone to wirelessly charge Qi-compatible devices like Apple Watch and AirPods 2 "likely."
In general, the rumor mill narrative suggests triple lens camera systems are a given this year, but most other leaks – from OnLeaks in particular – have implied that the three-lens camera won't be exclusive to any one iPhone, and certainly don't suggest it will be a unique feature of additional models in Apple's lineup.
Given the leftfield claims, today's report should be taken with a grain of salt, although Mac Otakara has provided accurate information on unreleased iPhones in the past, so it's possible there's something to it.
According to Netflix, AirPlay is no longer supported on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch due to "technical limitations." There are no details from Netflix on what those technical limitations might be.
Several MacRumors readers have attempted to use AirPlay with the Netflix app over the course of the last few days and have run into issues doing so from the Netflix app.
AirPlay can still be initiated using the Control Center on an iOS device, but when attempting to test the feature, we were unable to get Netflix content to play and received an error message.
It's not clear why AirPlay support has been removed from the Netflix app. The feature has been available since 2013 and it was working up until this week.
Netflix apps are available on the Apple TV, consoles, smart TVs, iOS devices, and more, so there's not a real need to use AirPlay to watch Netflix content, but there were instances where it was convenient to use.
Netflix has in recent months been making efforts to better protect its content. In December, Netflix stopped allowing customers to sign up for Netflix within the iOS app, and Netflix has never opted to participate in Apple's TV app, making it unavailable in the "Up Next" feature of Watch Now.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently confirmed that Netflix had no plans to be a part of Apple's TV plans and said that Netflix isn't interested in offering its content in alternate ways. "We want to have people watch our shows on our services," he said.
Update: A Netflix spokesperson provided further explanation on the company's decision to discontinue support for AirPlay on iOS devices, attributing it to the rollout of AirPlay support on third party devices and an inability to distinguish between them:
"We want to make sure our members have a great Netflix experience on any device they use. With AirPlay support rolling out to third-party devices, there isn't a way for us to distinguish between devices (what is an Apple TV vs. what isn't) or certify these experiences. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue Netflix AirPlay support to ensure our standard of quality for viewing is being met. Members can continue to access Netflix on the built-in app across Apple TV and other devices."
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