The Cleveland Cavaliers and Aramark, a food and beverage vendor, today announced a new Apple Business Chat feature that will allow Cleveland Cavaliers fans to order drinks from their seats through iMessages.
Fans who attend games at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and sit in designated sections of Cavs and Cleveland Monsters games can use the Messages app to access a menu, order beer and water, and have those drinks delivered right to their seats.
Scanning a QR code on the seat back brings activates the iMessage bot, which allows fans to access a menu and place drink orders. After an order has been placed, payment is done through Apple Pay, and the drinks are delivered.
This will prevent attendees from having to leave their seats and miss key game moments in order to get refreshments.
The pilot program is being tested for the remainder of the season to allow Aramark, the stadium's food and beverage vendor, to evaluate how well it works and whether it's popular with fans.
"The intersection of technology, service and convenience continues to motivate us, and we're pleased to be working with our partners at Aramark on this innovative approach to ordering," said Nic Barlage, Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena President of Business Operations. "Finding a way to provide an enhanced game experience with much easier and faster ordering capability for our fans adds another convenient feature at The Q that we're proud to pilot for the remainder of the Cavs and Monsters season."
Aramark made a similar feature available at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, last year.
Apple's new iPad Air and fifth-generation iPad mini both work with the Apple Pencil, but are limited to the first-generation Apple Pencil rather than the second-generation model, which only works with 2018 iPad Pros.
If you're looking for a more affordable alternative, though, it turns out both new iPad models are compatible with the Logitech Crayon, an Apple Pencil-like stylus that previously was only compatible with the sixth-generation iPad.
Apple updated its online store listing for the Crayon following the launch of the new iPad models, noting compatibility with both.
Priced at $70, the Crayon is a lower-cost alternative to the Apple Pencil that works in the same way. It features a slim aluminum body and Pencil-like tip, with palm rejection and the same latency and tilt that you get with the Apple Pencil.
It does not, however, feature pressure sensitivity support, so that's one feature you'll miss out on choosing the Crayon over the Apple Pencil.
Logitech designed the Crayon for students (and schools can buy it for just $50), so it has a flat surface to prevent rolling, a tethered rubber end cap, a grip that's meant to be comfortable for small hands, and it's durable enough to withstand drops of up to four feet.
The Crayon charges using a built-in Lightning port, so you can use a standard Lightning cable to charge it up. The battery lasts for approximately 7 and a half hours before needing to be recharged. No Bluetooth pairing is needed to connect the Crayon to an iPad - it works automatically.
Effective today, the Apple Pencil no longer needs to be purchased at the same time as an iPad to be eligible for AppleCare+ coverage, according to an announcement shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers today.
This means that if a customer has AppleCare+ for iPad, coverage now extends to any first-generation or second-generation Apple Pencil the person may own even if purchased separately. AppleCare+ for iPad covers up to two incidents of accidental damage to the Apple Pencil, each subject to a fee of $29 plus tax.
AppleCare+ covers both the iPad and Apple Pencil for two years from the date the plan is purchased. AppleCare+ must be added within 60 days of purchasing an iPad, but when the Apple Pencil was purchased does not appear to matter.
Apple's new fifth-generation iPad mini and resurrected iPad Air were announced this morning, and both of the new tablets are equipped with Apple's latest A12 Bionic processors, initially introduced in the 2018 iPhones.
The first Geekbench benchmark of one of the new iPad models (11,2) surfaced shortly after Apple's announcement, confirming a 2.49GHz clock speed, identical to the iPhone's clock speed. The benchmarked iPad also features 3GB RAM, 1GB less than the iPad Pro and 1GB more than the 9.7-inch iPad. 3GB RAM is also the amount of RAM in the iPhone XR, while the XS and XS Max feature 4GB.
At this point in time, we don't know if iPad 11,2 is an iPad mini 5 or a 10.5-inch iPad Air, but given the similarity in specs between the two tablets, we suspect that both models are using the same clock speed and RAM.
The iPad 11,2 earned a single-core Geekbench score of 4806 and a multi-core score of 11607, which, unsurprisingly, is right on par with iPhone Geekbench results, though a bit faster, perhaps due to improvements in iOS 12.2.
While the iPad Air and the iPad mini 5 appear to feature similar specs and may include the same amount of RAM, we'll need to wait for further Geekbench scores to confirm. We'll update this post when more information is available.
The new iPad Air and the iPad mini 5 are both available for purchase from Apple today and will arrive to customers at the end of March. The iPad Air, which features a 10.5-inch Retina display, Touch ID, a headphone jack, and Apple Pencil support, is priced starting at $499 for 64GB storage.
The fifth-generation iPad mini with a 7.9-inch Retina display, Apple Pencil support, Touch ID, 8-megapixel rear camera, and a headphone jack is priced starting at $399 for 64GB storage.
Pricing is key, with the new iPad Airstarting at $499 with Wi-Fi only and $629 with LTE connectivity in the United States. The 10.5-inch iPad Pro started at $649 with Wi-Fi and $779 with LTE connectivity until it was discontinued. Both have 64GB or 256GB of storage, but the new iPad Air lacks a 512GB option.
Design wise, the iPads have a lot of similarities, including dimensions, thinness, and overall appearance. Both have a Touch ID home button, a headphone jack, and a Lightning connector, but the new iPad Air has only two speakers along the bottom, whereas the 10.5-inch iPad Pro has four speakers.
The new iPad Air is available in Silver, Space Gray, and a newer Gold finish that essentially merges the previously separate Gold and Rose Gold finishes that were available for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Both iPads feature a fully laminated Retina display with a resolution of 2224×1668 pixels and 264 PPI, True Tone, and support for the P3 wide color space, but the new 10.5-inch iPad Air has a 60Hz refresh rate while the 10.5-inch iPad Pro has a so-called ProMotion display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate.
Processor wise, the new iPad Air sports Apple's A12 Bionic chip compared to a slower A10X Fusion chip in the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The new iPad Air also has dedicated hardware called the "Neural Engine" that handles artificial intelligence and machine learning tasks, while the 10.5-inch iPad Pro does not.
In terms of battery life, both iPads last up to 10 hours per charge, according to Apple's internal testing.
With its lower price point, the new iPad Air has a lower-end 8-megapixel rear camera, compared to a 12-megapixel sensor on the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. The rear camera on the new iPad Air also lacks LED flash, optical image stabilization, and Focus Pixels, but one benefit is that there is no camera bump.
The front FaceTime HD cameras are the same 7-megapixel sensors with Live Photos, Retina Flash, and other identical features on both iPads.
As for connectivity, both iPads have 802.11ac Wi-Fi, but the new iPad Air has Gigabit-class LTE versus the 10.5-inch iPad Pro's theoretically slower LTE Advanced support. The new iPad Air also gets a bump to Bluetooth 5.0 versus Bluetooth 4.2 out of the box for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
The new iPad Air starts at $150 less than the 10.5-inch iPad Pro and thus has some tradeoffs: two speakers versus four, no ProMotion display, and a lower-end 8-megapixel rear camera with no LED flash or optical image stabilization.
The new iPad Air has the same dimensions, thinness, and overall appearance as 10.5-inch iPad Pro.
Both iPads have a 10.5-inch Retina display with 264 PPI, headphone jack, Touch ID, Lightning connector, 7-megapixel front camera, up to 10 hours of battery life, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
The new iPad Air has some advantages: faster A12 Bionic chip vs. A10X Fusion, Gigabit-class LTE vs. LTE Advanced, and Bluetooth 5.0 vs 4.2.
The new iPad Air can be ordered starting today with in-store availability beginning next week in the United States and many other regions.
Sony today announced that its PlayStation Vue app for the Apple TV has been updated with multi-view support, allowing users to watch up to four live channels on one screen.
The new PlayStation Vue feature for Apple TV comes just ahead of the NCAA March Madness season, with the goal of letting sports fans keep an eye on all of the ongoing games or mix and match live games with news or other TV programs.
Multi-view has long been available on the PlayStation 4, but prior to today it wasn't an option on the Apple TV platform.
PlayStation Vue is Sony's streaming TV service, offering live and on-demand content at prices starting at $44.99 per month. Sports packages start at $49.99 per month.
PlayStation Vue works on PlayStation consoles, the Apple TV, iOS devices through the PS Vue app, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Android mobile devices, PC, and Mac.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta of iOS 12.2 and two months after the release of iOS 12.1.4.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.2 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
iOS 12.2 will see the launch of a new subscription service within Apple News, which Apple is planning to unveil at an upcoming March 25 event. Apple plans to offer unlimited access to magazines and paywalled news services for a single monthly fee, with all of the content available through the News app.
iOS 12.2 expands Apple News to Canada for the first time, with Canadian iPhone and iPad users able to read news stories in English, French, or both. Apple says that during the beta, content will be more limited than it will be when the update is released.
There are four new Animoji included the iOS 12.2 beta, including a boar, a shark, a giraffe, and an owl. Animoji can be used within the Messages and FaceTime apps.
The software introduces initial support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on third-party TVs in light of recent AirPlay 2 announcements, with a new option for limiting TV access joining the speaker access option in the Home app. There's also a redesigned TV remote in Control Center, and when paired with tvOS 12.2, you can ask Siri to play specific TV shows, movies, and music on your HomeKit devices like the Apple TV.
For some AT&T users, there's a new "5G E" icon for the cellular signal, replacing the standard LTE icon. This is a bit misleading of AT&T, because the iPhone does not support 5G, nor is the network AT&T calls 5G E actual 5G. Instead, it's an upgraded version of LTE, with more info available here.
The Wallet app's interface has been streamlined and tweaked because Apple is planning to introduce support for an Apple credit card that will be made available through a partnership with Goldman Sachs. The credit card could have unique features like rewards tracking, access to balance management tools, notifications about spending habits, and options to set spending limits.
The Downtime feature in Screen Time can be customized by day in iOS 12.2, Apple has made minor changes to some icons (including Apple News, AirPlay, and Remote in Control Center), audio messages are now better quality, and there are new Safari features, with a full list of changes introduced throughout the beta testing period available in our iOS 12.2 tidbits post.
Apple is improving Safari's privacy in iOS 12.2 through a new Motion & Orientation toggle located under Settings > Safari > Privacy >Security, which is disabled by default. The setting needs to be enabled on to allow websites to display content that relies on motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope in the iPhone and iPad.
iOS 12.2 confirms that Apple is planning to release second-generation AirPods with "Hey Siri" support, thanks to a hidden "Hey Siri" AirPods setup screen in the beta. The inclusion of the AirPods setup option in the beta indicates that Apple could perhaps be planning to release new AirPods when iOS 12.2 is released. There have also been hints of additional work on AirPower, suggesting that product is still coming.
Apple plans to introduce the Apple News service at an event that will take place on March 25, and it's likely the company plans to release iOS 12.2 shortly afterwards to provide iOS users with access to the new subscription options.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.4 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth macOS Mojave 10.14.4 beta and two months after releasing macOS Mojave 10.14.3.
The new macOS Mojave 10.14.4 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center.
macOS Mojave 10.14.4 brings Apple News to Canada for the first time, allowing Canadian Mac users to access news stories in French, English, or both.
The update also includes support for Safari AutoFill using Touch ID and automatic dark mode themes in Safari. That means if you have Dark Mode enabled, when you visit a website that has an option for a dark theme, it will be activated automatically. You can see a demo of the feature here.
We're expecting Apple to release macOS Mojave 10.14.4 alongside iOS 12.2, tvOS 12.2, and watchOS 5.2 following the company's services-focused March 25 event.
Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fifth beta and more than a month after releasing the tvOS 12.1.2 update.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.2 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Once the initial beta has been downloaded, subsequent betas can be installed over the air.
tvOS 12.2, paired with iOS 12.2, lets users ask Siri to play specific media on an Apple TV from an iOS device. You can, for example, ask Siri to play Modern Family on the TV in the living room, or Pitch Perfect on the TV in the bedroom. This works for music and TV shows, and movies.
No other new features were discovered in the tvOS 12.2 beta as of yet, and it can be difficult to determine what's new because Apple does not provide release notes for tvOS betas or releases. If additional features are discovered in tvOS 12.2, we'll update this post.
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.
The watchOS 5.2 update introduces a set of new Hermès watch faces. The watch faces are available in pink and blue, and feature a gradient-style design that changes much like other Hermès watch faces. There are customizable numbers and an option for a single complication.
There could be changes coming to the way the ECG feature works in other countries. In iOS 12.2 and watchOS 5.2, when setting up a new Apple Watch, Apple is using location to make sure the ECG feature is available in a particular region, suggesting the company may be planning to geofence ECG functionality and limit it to the United States.
This would potentially prevent customers who purchased a U.S. Apple Watch but live in another country from using the ECG feature. Location is verified via SIM card and can't be bypassed during Apple Watch setup.
We haven't seen any other major changes in watchOS during the beta testing period, but we'll get a better look at what's included when Apple releases watchOS 5.2 to the public complete with release notes. We're expecting Apple to release watchOS 5.2 alongside iOS 12.2, tvOS 12.2, and macOS 10.14.4 following the company's March 25 event.
The new NanoCell lineup is divided into the Nano 8 and Nano 9 series, with 11 models in total ranging in size from 49 inches to 86 inches. Seven models will be available starting in April, followed by one model in May and three in June. Prices range from $799 to $4,299 in the United States.
AirPlay 2 support will allow users to stream videos, music, photos, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, and Mac to compatible LG smart TVs, complete with lock screen controls. HomeKit support will enable users to easily control the TVs using Siri voice commands or the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
AppleCare+ is an optional warranty plan that extends the iPad Air's warranty period to two years from the original purchase date of the device, and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $49 plus applicable taxes in the United States. Prices vary elsewhere.
The plan also covers accidental damage to the Apple Pencil for up to two years with a $29 fee plus tax per incident.
AppleCare+ provides 24/7 priority access to support advisors via online chat or phone for up to two years after the iPad Air's original purchase date. Without the plan, iPad Air owners are covered by Apple's limited one-year warranty and an initial 90 days of complimentary telephone support.
AppleCare+ for the new iPad Air can also be financed with monthly payments of $3.49 for up to 24 months.
Apple will charge a fee of $249 for accidental damage to the new iPad Air without AppleCare+, so as with most forms of insurance, the plan can pay for itself if ever used. AppleCare+ must be added within 60 days of purchasing a device.
Alongside new iPad mini and a new 10.5-inch iPad Air, Apple today launched new Smart Covers for each device line. There's also one new color for the Smart Folio case that fits the third-generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
For the iPad mini and 10.5-inch iPad Air, you can get a Smart Cover in Papaya, Charcoal Gray, Pink Sand, and White. The iPad mini Smart Cover costs $39.00 and the 10.5-inch iPad Air Smart Cover costs $49.00.
Meanwhile, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's Smart Folio has gained a new Pink Sand color option. This is for the third-generation iPad Pro with Face ID and no home button. Other colors available include Charcoal Gray and White.
To find more information on the newly released tablets, visit our posts for the iPad mini and 10.5-inch iPad Air.
Apple today announced that its iWork suite of apps for iOS will be updated next week with enhanced Apple Pencil integration. Keynote, for example, will gain new animation options that let users draw an animation path for any object, and an all-new user interface for implementing build effects such as move, rotate, and scale.
iWork apps for iPhone and iPad include Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. All three apps are available for free on the App Store.
Other new features will include the ability to create and share animated GIFs by exporting one or more slides in Keynote on iOS and macOS, add vertical text in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages to the body of Pages documents on iOS, increase max zoom to 400 percent in Numbers on iOS, and more.
All three iWork apps for iOS will also gain:
Improvements to collaboration: edit grouped objects while collaborating. Maximum file size has increased to 2GB.
Save and sync shapes, templates, and themes: save custom shapes, templates, and themes on iOS. These will sync across macOS and iOS devices using iCloud.
Image placeholders: create image placeholders to replace images without affecting the formatting of your page, slide, or spreadsheet.
The news was shared alongside the launch of new iPad mini and iPad Air models today.
There are two noteworthy flash sales happening today only, with discounts that knock the price of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro and 12.9-inch iPad Pro to new all-time-low prices. As a note, the MacBook Pros on sale are the latest 2018 models, while the iPad Pro is the older model with a home button that launched in mid 2017.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
You'll find the MacBook Pro sale at Best Buy, with seven total configurations on sale that are up to $500 off. There are both 13-inch and 15-inch models on sale, and every version has a Touch Bar. Additionally, these MacBook Pros have a Retina display with True Tone, Touch ID, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, and up to 10 hours of battery life.
B&H Photo has the iPad Pro sale, marking the 512GB and Wi-Fi only model down to just $749.00. This price point is $400 off the original $1,149.00 price, and $50 below the previous low price among the major Apple resellers.
The 10.5-inch iPad Pro had remained available from $649 following the release of 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models in October 2018, but it has been replaced by the 10.5-inch iPad Air with a cheaper starting price of $499.
The new iPad Air is available to order on Apple.com starting today with 64GB and 256GB storage. Apple Store and reseller availability will begin next week. Prices start at $499 for Wi-Fi models and $629 for Wi-Fi + Cellular models in the United States.
Initial launch countries include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
More countries and regions will follow "soon," including Colombia, Greece, India, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey.
Apple also introduced a new iPad mini with the A12 Bionic chip and first-generation Apple Pencil support. The 9.7-inch iPad was not updated today.
Apple today launched a new fifth-generation iPad mini, featuring an upgraded A12 Bionic processor, first-generation Apple Pencil support, a new advanced Retina display panel, and the same $399 price tag as the previous model.
Apple says that with the new A12 Bionic chip, the iPad mini now delivers three times the performance and nine times faster graphics. Meanwhile the advanced Retina display with True Tone technology and wide color support is 25 percent brighter and has the highest pixel density (3 million) of any iPad.
Elsewhere, an 8-megapixel rear camera brings improved low-light performance and HD video recording, while the front facing camera has been bumped up to 7 megapixels for better-quality selfies and FaceTime HD.
The new iPad also benefits from the same Wi-Fi performance and Gigabit‑class LTE that's built into the latest iPad Pro models, and retains the headphone jack found in previous iPad mini models.
"iPad continues to provide magical new experiences for a growing range of uses where it is the absolute best device, from playing games in augmented reality to note-taking and drawing with Apple Pencil, from streaming HD movies and editing 4K films to learning to develop apps with Swift Playgrounds," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Today the iPad family takes two big leaps forward with an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Air that brings high-end size, features and performance at a breakthrough price, and a major upgrade to the 7.9-inch iPad mini, which also brings Apple Pencil, Retina display and the A12 Bionic chip to the many customers that love its compact size."
Available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold, and in 64 and 256GB storage capacities, the new iPad mini starts at $399 for the Wi-Fi model and $529 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model. An Apple Pencil (1st generation) is available for purchase separately for $99. Online orders for the new iPad mini begin today on the Apple website, with availability in Apple stores and select resellers starting next week.
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