Apple's preliminary disengagement data for its self-driving car project surfaced yesterday pointing towards a high number of disengagements, and today, the DMV has shared the full disengagement reports from the company, providing more insight into Apple's autonomous car testing.
A disengagement report tracks the number of times an autonomous vehicle disengages and gives control back to a safety driver or the number of times the safety driver in the vehicle interferes.
Yesterday's information suggested Apple had the worst rank when it came to disengagements, but Apple has now provided details [PDF] explaining its disengagement reporting procedures and some changes that were made mid-year.
For the period between April 2017 and June 2018, Apple vehicles drove 24,604 miles autonomously and experienced 40,198 manual takeovers and 36,359 software disengagements, a number that is comparatively high based on disengagement reports from other companies.
As of July 2018, however, Apple stopped reporting its total number of disengagements and instead began focusing on "Important Disengagements," aka disengagements that might have resulted in a safety-related event (aka accident) or a violation of the rules of the road.
Using this metric, Apple vehicles have driven 56,135 miles since July 2018, with only 28 "Important Disengagements" reported. Two of these "Important Disengagements" were indeed minor collisions that weren't the fault of Apple's vehicles. One accident took place in August 2018 and the other was in October 2018.
Under Apple’s revised reporting threshold, the company’s cars experienced only one important disengagement every 2005 miles, compared to every 1.1 miles if the full data is counted. If other companies use similar thresholds to Apple’s new standard, Apple would rank much better.
Making direct comparisons between Apple's disengagement report and the results from other companies is difficult because there is no standard for reporting disengagements. It's up to each individual company to decide what constitutes a disengagement and what disengagements need to be reported.
It is clear, though, that Apple's vehicles are in the early stages of testing, as the company says itself in a DMV cover letter.
According to Apple, safety is its "highest priority" and its approach to disengagements is "conservative" because its system is not yet able to operate in "all conditions and situations."
Apple's testing parameters require drivers to proactively take manual control of a vehicle any time the system encounters a scenario beyond its current capabilities. The vehicle itself also self-monitors and returns control back to the driver when errors or issues are encountered.
Situations where drivers take over include the appearance of emergency vehicles, construction zones, or unexpected objects in the road, as Apple's vehicles cannot self-navigate these obstacles.
The autonomous software hands over control when it can't sufficiently track an object, is unable to generate a motion plan using the path planning system, when the vehicle systems don't respond as expected, and when there are communication issues.
Apple now has more than 62 vehicles out on the road, a number that will likely ramp up in 2019 as autonomous software testing continues. Apple is required to provide annual disengagement reports to the DMV, so we'll see the company's 2019 performance in early 2020, and will be able to look for improvements.
Apple is planning to launch its rumored streaming television service in April or May, but some cable content providers won't be participating, reports CNBC.
Recent rumors have suggested that along with Apple's own original content, which will be provided to Apple users for free, the service will allow Apple customers to subscribe to additional add-on subscription services on top of Apple's own offering. Customers will be able to sign up for existing digital services like Showtime and watch that content within the TV app, so long as those services are partnered with Apple.
According to CNBC, as Apple prepares to launch the service, some content providers are still not on board. HBO may not be participating because of disagreements over data sharing and revenue splits, for example, and Hulu and Netflix are not expected to participate.
Starz, Showtime, and Viacom are all expected to offer subscription streaming services through Apple's platform, though, and HBO may also join up if the disagreements can be settled.
Apple is requesting a 30 percent cut on every subscription that originates from its TV service, higher than the 15 percent cut that Apple takes when customers sign up for services like Netflix through the App Store.
The April or May target launch date is in line with past details from The Information, which suggested Apple was telling content partners to be prepared for a launch by mid-April.
Pixelmator Pro for Mac, Pixelmator's higher-end editing software, was today updated with support for masks from Portrait Mode photos.
When you open up a photo taken with an iPhone that offers Portrait Mode, Pixelmator Pro will open the photo itself along with a useful layer mask for doing things like swapping out the background in just a few minutes.
The portrait mask uses the depth information from the iPhone to isolate the subject of a photo, making it easy to remove background elements with little effort.
The Portrait mask feature is limited to the Pixelmator Pro software, and it is not available on the standard version of Pixelmator or the Pixelmator app for iOS devices.
Pixelmator Pro has been around since late 2017 and it has seen several major updates since then with the Pixelmator team introducing useful new functionality on a regular basis. Pixelmator Pro can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $39.99, and there is a free trial available on the Pixelmator website. [Direct Link]
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Apple's former vice president of corporate law Gene Levoff with insider trading, according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for New Jersey on Wednesday.
The complaint alleges that Levoff had access to Apple's earnings results before they were publicly announced and used this information to buy Apple shares in advance of better-than-expected earnings results and to sell shares ahead of weaker-than-expected earnings results between 2011 and 2016.
Through his illegal insider trading in 2015-2016, the complaint alleges that Levoff profited and avoided losses of approximately $382,000:
For example, in July 2015 Levoff received material nonpublic financial data that showed Apple would miss analysts' third quarter estimates for iPhone unit sales. Between July 17 and the public release of Apple's quarterly earnings information on July 21, Levoff sold approximately $10 million dollars of Apple stock – virtually all of his Apple holdings – from his personal brokerage accounts. Apple's stock dropped more than four percent when it publicly disclosed its quarterly financial data.
Levoff also served on Apple's Disclosure Committee from September 2008 to July 2018. In this position, he was ironically responsible for ensuring that other Apple employees were compliant with Apple's insider trading policies, including enforcement of "blackout periods" around the time of Apple's earnings reports.
Update: Apple issued the following statement per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman: "After being contacted by authorities last summer we conducted a thorough investigation with the help of outside legal experts, which resulted in termination."
The advisory board's recommendations will help guide the National Council for the American Worker's efforts to establish a strategy to ensure that American students and workers have access to "affordable, relevant, and innovative education and job training that will equip them to compete and win in the global economy."
The board, co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, is expected to help address a "skills crisis" due to the rapidly increasing use of technology, automation, and artificial intelligence that is shaping many industries across the United States.
The full list of members:
Jay Box, President, Kentucky Community and Technical College System
Walter Bumphus, President & CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
Jim Clark, President & CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Juanita Duggan, President & CEO, National Federation for Independent Business
Elizabeth Goettl, President & CEO, Cristo Rey Network
Marillyn Hewson, Chairman, President, & CEO, Lockheed Martin
Eric Holcomb, Governor, Indiana
Barbara Humpton, CEO, Siemens USA
Al Kelly, CEO, Visa
Vi Lyles, Mayor, Charlotte, North Carolina
Bill McDermott, CEO, SAP America
Sean McGarvey, President, North America’s Building and Trades Unions
Doug McMillon, President & CEO, Walmart
Craig Menear, Chairman, President, & CEO, Home Depot
Michael Piwowar, Executive Director, Milken Institute
Scott Pulsipher, President, Western Governors University
Kim Reynolds, Governor, Iowa
Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President, & CEO, IBM
Scott Sanders, Executive Director, National Association of State Workforce Agencies
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President & CEO, Society for Human Resource Management
Jay Timmons, President & CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
Sheree Utash, President, WSU Tech
Marianne Wanamaker, Professor, University of Tennessee
President Trump established the National Council for the American Worker in July 2018 to "create and promote workforce development strategies that provide evidence-based, affordable education and skills-based training for youth and adults to prepare them for the jobs of today and of the future."
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.
Sleep fitness company Eight Sleep today announced "The Pod," a smart bed that lets users control the temperature of their side of the bed through their iPhone. Not only that, but The Pod will dynamically warm or cool you (55 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit) as you sleep based on settings you enter in the app.
The Pod does not support HomeKit and Eight Sleep has no plans to do so as of now. When we asked about HomeKit integration, the company pointed out that The Pod does support IFTTT, which opens up many smart home connection possibilities. The Pod also integrates with Alexa devices, Google Home, Philips Hue, Wemo products, and more. With these integrations, you can say things like "Alexa, cool down my bed" to prepare for nighttime.
This "smart temperature mode" is powered by machine learning and biofeedback, and is accompanied by a thermo alarm that leverages temperature to wake you up more naturally, without disturbing a sleep partner and without the need of a noisy alarm. This mode gradually cools your side of the bed in the minutes prior to the wake-up time you set on your iPhone.
In addition, The Pod includes biometric tracking to monitor time slept, time to fall asleep, time of wake up, respiratory rate, heart rate, heart rate variability, temperature in bed, sleep breaks, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep. All of this is fed into Eight Sleep's AI engine to calculate your "sleep fitness score" and rate your sleep each night.
You can then take this score to adjust your next night of sleep as needed, change settings in The Pod, and even compare scores with friends.
Sleep monitoring has become a popular market over the past few years, and even Apple has shown interest in the technology by acquiring sleep tracking company Beddit in May 2017. Beddit is a slim sensor strip that you place over your existing mattress to monitor sleep stats like sleep time and efficiency, heart rate, respiration, temperature, movement, snoring, room temperature, and room humidity.
You can reserve Eight Sleep's Pod for $95 beginning today, and the remaining balance will be due at the time of shipping in April 2019. The Pod is available in Full ($1,995), Queen ($2,195), King ($2,495), and Cali King ($2,495), and each mattress will have a 100 night trial period with free returns.
Over the past 24 hours, we've seen a handful of reports talking about a new update to the speaking voice of Siri on HomePod in a few regions. These reports are mostly located in the United Kingdom and Australia, and mention the British (Male and Female) and Australian (Male and Female) speaking voices for the assistant, specifically on Apple's HomePod smart speaker.
The change appears to be very subtle. MacRumors readers described the Australian Female and British Male voices as "more natural" and "much clearer," and similar reports have emerged about other voices. Although there are many different descriptions for each voice, the consensus appears to be that the tweaks make Siri sound more human-like.
HomePod users can choose any Siri voice no matter the region they are located in, but as of now the vast majority of these reports appear to be located in the same regions as the voice they represent. This may be the beginning of a wider rollout, but that's still unclear at this point.
Twitter user @callumjcoe recorded the difference between the current iteration of the Australian Female voice (on an iPad) and the updated voice (on HomePod). Of course, distortion and muddled sound quality from a recording don't provide a perfect example, but there is a slight change between the two heard in the video, which is likely much more pronounced in person.
As of writing, MacRumors hasn't noticed any similar updates to Siri on HomePod (for any voices) in the United States. Apple has updated Siri over the past year with improvements to the assistant's ability to recognize local businesses and destinations, as well as new jokes, but many Apple users remain frustrated with the technology. One of the last major updates to Siri came in iOS 11 in 2017, when Apple gave Siri a more natural voice that had better pronunciation and different inflection depending on what's being said.
In early 2018, Siri creator, co-founder, and former board member Norman Winarsky talked about the origins of Siri and the company's intentions for the assistant before Apple acquired it. According to the co-founder, Siri was originally meant to be incredibly intelligent in just a few key areas -- travel and entertainment -- and then "gradually extend to related areas" once it mastered each. Apple's acquisition pivoted Siri to an all-encompassing life assistant, and Winarsky said that this decision has likely led Apple to search "for a level of perfection they can't get."
Although unconfirmed, the new voice changes to Siri may be Apple's latest attempt to make the voice assistant more personable and easy to talk to, in the wake of ongoing user complaints. If the changes roll out to other regions, we'll update this article.
Apple recently introduced an easier way to manage subscriptions via the App Store, as spotted by MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci.
Apple recently made a change (seems iOS 12.1.4 and 12.2 beta) to make it easier to manage subscriptions for iOS apps.
Now you just need to open the App Store, tap your profile, and choose 'Manage Subscriptions'. pic.twitter.com/4PtxvAQjTm
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) February 13, 2019
iPhone and iPad users running iOS 12.1.4 or iOS 12.2 beta can now simply open the App Store, tap on their profile picture in the top-right corner, and tap on Manage Subscriptions to view and edit App Store, Apple Music, and Apple News subscriptions.
We've confirmed this Manage Subscriptions shortcut is not in earlier iOS versions.
iOS 12.1.2
Managing subscriptions previously required an extra step of tapping on the box with your Apple ID name and email address via the App Store or Settings.
Further cementing its status as Nintendo's most successful mobile game to date, Fire Emblem Heroes has officially crossed the half-a-billion-dollar revenue mark, which it hit just after the two-year anniversary of its launch in early February 2017. The game's $500 million in player spending includes players on both iOS and Android (via Sensor Tower).
Fire Emblem Heroes is a free-to-play game that lets players spend real money inside the app once they download it. Most of Nintendo's apps have followed this structure, except Super Mario Run, which requires players to pay $9.99 to see the full game. In total, Fire Emblem Heroes has brought in "more than seven times the revenue" of Super Mario Run, and grossed more than twice the combined earnings of all of Nintendo's other mobile games, according to Sensor Tower.
To date these include Miitomo (now defunct), Super Mario Run, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Dragalia Lost. Released just last September, Dragalia Lost has already become Nintendo's second most lucrative mobile game, surpassing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Super Mario Run.
In terms of platforms for Fire Emblem Heroes, players on Google Play/Android accounted for the majority of spending at 54 percent, while the iOS App Store made up 46 percent of player spending. Most players are located in Japan, which accounted for 56 percent of the game's $500 million total, while the United States is the game's second largest market at 31 percent of player spending.
Despite Super Mario Run performing poorly in comparison to the free-to-play games, Shigeru Miyamoto has stated that Nintendo will "continue pushing" for pay-once mobile games over freemium experiences. One senior official at Nintendo called the F2P structure of Fire Emblem Heroes as "an outlier" in the grand scheme of Nintendo's mobile strategy, claiming that Nintendo "prefers" Super Mario Run's payment model.
Despite this, Nintendo's next two mobile game releases will be free-to-play: Mario Kart Tour will launch this summer and Dr. Mario World is set to release later in 2019.
Apple is offering a special $70 promotional discount on its "Skyline Collection" of Beats Studio 3 Wireless Headphones on its online store.
The Skyline Studio 3 Wireless Headphones come in Crystal Blue, Desert Sand, Midnight Black, and Shadow Grey. All of the colors feature gold accents with a gold beats logo and gold band.
The collection was originally launched online in October for $349.99, but Apple is currently offering them for $279.99 online and via Apple Store pickup, presumably for a limited time.
Studio 3 Wireless Headphones feature Apple's Pure Adaptive Noise Canceling technology, designed to block external noise when listening.
They're also equipped with an Apple W1 chip, designed to make it easy to switch between devices when listening. The power efficiency of the chip also means the headphones last for 22 hours on one charge.
Apple Watch is the "clear market leader" in the burgeoning U.S. smartwatch market, according to a new report from consumer research firm The NPD Group.
Market data shows U.S. smartwatch sales showed strong growth in the 12 months ending November 2018 when compared to the same timeframe a year ago. Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit made up 88 percent of smartwatch unit sales in that time.
The report found dollar sales of the devices were up 51 percent, amounting to nearly $5 billion in sales, while unit sales experienced a 61 percent increase, indicating an impressive acceleration in demand for the wearables.
"Over the last 18 months smartwatch sales gained strong momentum, proving the naysayers, who didn't think the category could achieve mainstream acceptance, had potentially judged too soon," said Weston Henderek, director, industry analyst for NPD Connected Intelligence. "The ability to be truly connected via built-in LTE without the need to have a smartphone nearby proved to be a tipping point for consumers, as they now recognize the value in being able to complete a wide range of tasks on the device including receiving notifications, messaging, accessing smart home controls, and more."
According to the report, 16 percent of U.S. adults now own a smartwatch, which is up from 12 percent in December of 2017. Interest from the younger 18-34 age demographic is said to be responsible for the overall growth in the smartwatch market, but NPD analysts expect Apple Watch will continue to entice older consumers thanks to health features like Fall Detection and ECG and greater control over home automation.
Apple doesn't break out Apple Watch unit sales from its overall earnings. However in its recent earnings call for the first quarter of the 2019 fiscal year, CEO Tim Cook said the company's wearables revenue was being driven by the "amazing popularity" of Apple Watch and AirPods, and that the category alone was "approaching the size of a Fortune 200 company."
Apple has been testing Lexus SUVs equipped with its autonomous driving software out on the roads around Cupertino since April 2017, and for the first time, the company has filed a disengagement report with the DMV.
A disengagement report tracks the number of times an autonomous vehicle disengages and gives control back to a safety driver or the number of times the safety driver in the vehicle interferes. All of Apple's self-driving SUVs have safety drivers able to take over in the event of an emergency.
The DMV will be publishing the full reports later this week, but they appeared briefly on the website and The Last Driver License Holder was able to get a brief look at some of the data. The information covers the period from December 2017 to November 2018 for all companies operating self-driving vehicles in California, including Apple.
Image via The Last Driver License Holder
According to the data, Apple registered 871.65 disengagements per 1000 miles, with a disengagement approximately every 1.1 mile. For comparison's sake, Waymo, Google's autonomous vehicle arm, had 0.09 disengagements per 1000 miles with 11,154.3 miles per disengagement.
Apple's total number of disengagements was higher than any other company doing autonomous vehicle testing, suggesting Apple drivers need to take over for the self-driving vehicle more frequently than other companies as it works out kinks in the software. This could be because Apple is driving more challenging routes, Apple drivers are abundantly cautious, or it could be because its self-driving software is less evolved.
There are likely multiple factors at play when it comes to Apple's performance, and it's worth noting that Apple has not been testing self-driving vehicles for as long as other companies.
Disengagements are self-reported numbers and companies are able to take some liberties with how this data is reported and just what counts as a disengagement, so the data should be viewed with that in mind.
Image via The Last Driver License Holder
According to the data, Apple has 62 self-driving vehicles out on the road, though earlier reports have suggested that number is a little low. As of November, Apple reportedly had 72 vehicles on the road.
Apple's self-driving vehicles were involved in two minor collisions in 2018, one in August and one in October, though neither collision was Apple's fault. In the August collision, the vehicle was in self-driving mode, while in the October collision, it was in manual mode.
More detail on Apple's self-driving car performance will be available later this week when the full reports are released.
Our guide to upcoming products provides an overview of all of the new devices that we're expecting to see in 2025, based on the most current rumors.
The dates listed here are not always concrete, but we update this guide as new information comes out. The upcoming products guide is the go-to place to see all of the Apple products that are upcoming at a glance. For more information, make sure to click on the included links to visit our individual product roundups.
October to December 2025
Apple's main fall event may be over and we've already got new Macs and iPads, but there could still be some product refreshes planned for the two months of 2025. Rumors suggest that Apple is working on new versions of the Apple TV and HomePod mini, and we could see them launch before the year ends.
AirTag 2 - The AirTag 2 that's coming in 2025 could have a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for improved range, allowing the AirTag to be located from further away. Apple may also make the speaker harder to remove so it can't be used to secretly track people.
Apple TV 4K - The Apple TV will get a new Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, along with a faster A17 Pro processor that will add support for console-quality games. No design changes are expected.
HomePod mini - Apple will refresh the HomePod mini in late 2025, adding a faster S-series chip and an Apple-designed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip. New color options are also likely.
Coming in Early 2026
iPhone 17e - The iPhone 16e could get an update as soon as 2026, with Apple rumored to be working on the iPhone 17e. The iPhone 17e could have an updated A19 chip, the C1X modem that Apple introduced in the iPhone Air, and the N1 Apple-designed networking chip.
MacBook Air - New 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models are planned for early 2026. The updated notebooks will have Apple's next-generation M5 chip, but no other changes have been rumored so far.
iPad Air - Apple is planning an iPad Air refresh for early 2026, and the updated tablet is likely to get the M4 chip.
Low-Cost iPad - Apple's most affordable iPad will be updated with a new A-series chip.
Products With Unknown Release Dates
Mac mini - There are no specific rumors of a Mac mini refresh, but if the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are getting M5 chips, the Mac mini is likely to see an update too.
Mac Studio - As with the Mac mini, there aren't rumors about a new Mac Studio, but it could get the M5 Max chip.
Mac Pro - The Mac Pro is getting an update in 2026. Rumors suggest it will feature the highest-end version of the M4 chip, but Apple might also upgrade it to an M5 chip at this point.
Apple Display - A new Apple display could come out alongside the MacBook Air and perhaps new Mac Studio and Mac mini models. Rumors suggest it will have a mini-LED display and an A19 Pro chip.
Low-Cost Mac Notebook - Apple is rumored to be working on a version of the MacBook that has an A-series iPhone chip instead of an M-series Mac chip. It's supposed to be around 13 inches in size, and it will have a lower price tag than the MacBook Air.
Smart Home Command Center - Rumors suggest Apple is working on a smart home display that would serve as a central hub for controlling smart home products. It will also run Apple apps, and it can be used for FaceTime calls. The Command Center was initially expected in the spring, but with delays to Siri Apple Intelligence features, it could instead come in late 2025 or early 2026.
2025 Updates That Already Happened
October AnnouncementsM
On October 15, Apple launched the M5 chip in new MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro models.
There were no other major changes to the devices, but the MacBook Pro and iPad Pro feature faster SSDs, and the Vision Pro comes with a new Dual Knit Band.
September 2025
Apple refreshed the iPhone and Apple Watch lineups in September, and debuted a new version of the AirPods Pro, the AirPods Pro 3.
For the iPhone, Apple introduced the $799 iPhone 17, the $999 ultra slim iPhone Air, the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro, and the $1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max.
New Apple Watch models include the Apple Watch Series 11, the Apple Watch SE 3, and the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
WWDC
Apple held the 2025 Worldwide Developers Conference in June. No new products were announced, but Apple introduced iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, visionOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.
Apple opted to change its numbering scheme for its software updates to make the different numbers less confusing. All OS updates will be numbered with the year going forward, so the "26" in iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 represents the September 2025 to September 2026 release season.
February and March Releases
In late February, Apple released the iPhone 16e, a $599 iPhone that replaces the iPhone SE 3. It has an A18 chip, a single-lens rear camera, and an all-display design with a 6.1-inch OLED display.
Then in March, Apple refreshed the MacBook Air with M4 chips and the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips. There were no design changes, with the focus on performance updates.
Apple also updated the low-cost iPad with an A16 chip and the iPad Air with the M3 chip, again with no design change.
Further in the Future
iMac Pro - Apple could introduce a larger 32-inch iMac, replacing the previously discontinued 27-inch iMac and iMac Pro at some point. Apple's plans continue to be unclear, and it's not clear if and when a larger iMac will see a launch.
New Display - There have been multiple rumors of a Pro Display XDR successor, but there's no word on when an update might come.
Foldable iPhone - Apple is allegedly working on a foldable iPhone that might be between 7.5 and 8 inches, with a launch date slated for 2027 at the earliest.
Foldable iPad/Mac - Before we ever get a foldable iPhone, Apple will introduce some kind of foldable notebook and perhaps a foldable iPad. Current rumors suggest that Apple is working on a 17-to-20-inch MacBook that has a foldable display, but it won't come out for several years yet.
Apple is planning to hold an event on March 25, its first of 2019, according to a new report from BuzzFeed. The event will reportedly take place at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus.
Apple will use the event to unveil its rumored news service, which will add paid subscription options to Apple News.
While Apple has many products in the works that are rumored to be debuting in the spring, BuzzFeed says not to expect the company to unveil a new iPad mini or second-generation AirPods, as their appearance at the event is "unlikely."
Instead, the event will be "subscription services focused," though it is unclear if it will also include details on the upcoming TV news service that Apple has in the works. That service is expected to launch as early as April, so it's certainly possible.
Recent rumors suggest Apple is planning to offer a $9.99 per month subscription for Apple News that would allow users unlimited access to paywalled content on sites like The New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal.
Apple is, however, said to be still negotiating financial terms, as it is requesting 50 percent of revenue from the service, with the rest to be split among publications. News sites are said to be wary to enter into this deal with Apple due both to pricing issues and Apple's desire to control email addresses and credit card information.
There have been rumors suggesting that Apple will bundle the news service with iCloud storage tiers and its television service, providing all-in-one Apple services package, which could mean both the news and TV services will be introduced all at once. The news subscription service could also include magazines, as Apple is said to be working on a $9.99 per month service that would offer magazine access much like the Texture app that it acquired last year.
With the event reportedly focused on services, it sounds like we also won't be seeing an upgraded iPad, a new 7th-generation iPod touch, or the AirPower at the event, along with the lack of a new iPad mini and new AirPods.
If March isn't the planned launch target for these items, it's not known when we might see them. Apple could plan a second spring event, though it has never done so, or opt to introduce them later in the year at WWDC. Eventless launches are also a possibility, so Apple could release these products via press release without highlighting them at an event.
Apple has held events in March in 2015, 2016, and 2018, so it makes since that the company is planning a 2019 March event as well. There is always a chance that BuzzFeed is wrong and Apple will debut these new devices at the event, but the site often provides accurate information on Apple's plans.
There's nothing wrong with the stock Camera app that comes on every iPhone, but there are many third-party camera apps available in the App Store that add additional functionality, filters, and other effects that are worth checking out.
For our latest YouTube video, we asked MacRumors readers for their favorite camera apps, and compiled a list of the best and most popular options. If you're looking to take your iPhone photography up a notch, make sure to check these out.
Halide, priced at $5.99, was the top pick when we asked for preferred camera apps. More MacRumors readers chose it than any other camera app, which is no surprise because Halide offers a rich feature set.
Halide offers up full manual controls for shutter speed, ISO, and white balance, along with a live histogram for perfecting exposure. The swipe-based interface is easy to use, and you can capture photos in RAW, JPG, TIFF, or HEIC formats.
There are depth controls for newer iPhones, manual and autofocus tools, and for iPhone XR, there's a Depth Capture feature that works with pets, food, and other items, unlike the native Depth Control feature. Halide just added a new color histogram, which is a nifty option that lets you make sure you have the right exposure to preserve color detail and make colors pop. Halide has a new app coming out in the near future, so keep an eye out for that.
ProCam 6
ProCam 6, priced at $5.99, was also a popular choice with MacRumors readers. ProCam offers full manual control options for shutter speed, ISO, focus, and white balance, along with tap-based manual focus assist, built-in warnings for overexposure, and live values for metrics like ISO and shutter speed.
You can choose your video frame rate and resolution when taking video, or choose from multiple shooting modes like Night Mode, Burst Mode, Slow Shutter, and 3D Photos. Like most of the camera apps on this list, ProCam 6 lets you capture RAW, JPG, TIFF, and HEIF images, and there's a live light level histogram.
For editing after capturing a photo, ProCam 6 includes 60 filters, 17 lenses for fun effects, multiple adjustment tools, and video editing capabilities. There are custom profiles for saving your favorite shooting modes and camera settings, and Siri Shortcuts are supported.
Obscura 2
Priced at $4.99, Obscura has a simple swipe-based interface that puts the tools you need right at your fingertips, and it's ideal for one-handed use.
You can capture photos in RAW, HEIC, and JPG formats, take Live Photos, and capture images with depth on newer iPhones. There are tools for adjusting white balance, exposure, and focus, as well as ISO and shutter speed, plus there's a histogram for adjusting exposure.
There are 19 included filters available, which can be used in post processing or with live previews, and there are additional filter packs available for purchase in the app. Swiping down from the top of the app gives you access to your Photo Library, and swiping up on a selected photo shows all the metadata you might need to know.
Focos
Focos is a free download, but charges a fee for pro tools. It costs $0.99 per month or $11.99 for lifetime access. Focos offers full manual controls for capturing images, along with options for depth control, portraits, adjustable bokeh, and more.
You can import your Portrait Photos and adjust the bokeh (aka background blurring) effect, and there are options to simulate lens effects like creamy, bilinear, swirly, and reflex effects. There are also options to add lighting and edit depth maps.
Moment
Moment, like Focos, is a free download but requires a $4.99 purchase to unlock Pro tools. Moment offers options for manually adjusting exposure, ISO, shutter speed, focus, white balance, and image format, which lets you customize the look of your photos beyond what you can do with the stock Camera app.
RAW shooting is supported, as are HEIF and HEVC, Apple's newest photo and video formats, and there's a live histogram. Moment's app is designed to work with Moment's lenses, available separately on the Moment website, but it also works without them.
You have to pay for manual controls and advanced video tools, but it's worth the $4.99 if you want full control over how your iPhone photos turn out.
Conclusion
All of these camera apps are fantastic, but they're just a small sampling of the photography-oriented app options in the App Store. If we missed your favorite camera app, make sure to let us know which one you prefer in the comments.
Please feel free to share your favorite photo editing apps too, because we'll be covering that in an upcoming video and article.
Since debuting CarPlay in the 2017 Maxima, Nissan has been gradually expanding support for Apple's in-car platform throughout much of the carmaker's lineup, integrating with its NissanConnect infotainment system.
I've had an opportunity to spend some time testing out CarPlay and NissanConnect on a new 2019 Nissan Altima, one of the most popular midsize sedans on the market, and I've found it to be a solid combination.
For the redesigned Altima, Nissan is offering CarPlay standard across all trims, meaning that even the base model starting at $23,900 will support it. That's a welcome distinction from many other vehicles where a higher-level trim or a special package is needed in order to get CarPlay. Not all Nissans include CarPlay on the base trims, but the company tells me that it's moving in that direction and the Altima redesign for 2019 was a good opportunity to make it a priority.
My tester was an Altima SR with front-wheel drive, which represents the model's second-level trim and starts at $25,250. It includes a spacious 8-inch touchscreen display atop the center stack that's standard across the lineup. The SR trim does not include built-in navigation or more advanced NissanConnect subscription services, but it offers a good idea of what you can get at a relatively low-level trim that minimizes the hit to your pocketbook.
NissanConnect
The Altima comes with a standard 8-inch touchscreen and an updated version of NissanConnect that is similar to versions found in other recent Altima models but includes some improvements in visual appeal and performance, although some of the screens do appear a bit busy and cluttered.
The 8-inch touchscreen is large enough that it's easy to hit most icons on the touchscreen, whether it be in CarPlay or in NissanConnect, and you can customize some of the NissanConnect screens to make it easy to jump to your favorite audio sources or other functions. Nissan has also provided some hardware buttons in a strip below the touchscreen, as well as a volume knob at the left side and a tune/scroll knob at the right side.
Those buttons offer convenient access to some features, such as a prominent Home button to take you back to the NissanConnect home screen, a Phone button to jump into the phone app (either NissanConnect or CarPlay), an Audio button to select sources or see the main audio screen, buttons for switching audio tracks or presets, and of course a Back button to get you out of whatever you're currently doing.
One of three available home screens – clock widget in particular could use an improved design
There's also a dedicated Camera button that on my tester simply allowed for adjusting picture quality for the rear camera but is more useful on higher-level trims that include features such as a front camera or a surround-view camera system.
As in many other vehicles, the Altima's touchscreen can attract some fingerprints that are most visible in direct sunlight, but there's a little bit of a matte finish to help reduce fingerprints and glare.
One of the home screens with shortcuts surrounding a central audio widget
On the software side, the Altima's implementation of NissanConnect actually includes three different home screens, all of which are customizable with various widgets and shortcuts. Widgets can share live bits of information like clock, phone, and audio apps, while shortcuts are simply icons that let you hop into a specific function or audio source.
Each home screen is based around a 4x2 grid of spaces, and you can fill up those spaces with whatever combination of widgets and shortcuts will fit in your layout. Widgets can take up larger spaces such as 2x1 or 2x2, and then you can scatter 1x1 shortcut icons in any remaining spaces.
Once you have your home screens set up, you can easily swipe between them, so it's convenient to have something like a central home screen with your most used functions and then a swipe to the left or right can access more focused home screens, but the choice is yours.
CarPlay
Unsurprisingly, the Altima's CarPlay implementation is a wired one, and you can use either the USB-A or USB-C port up front to connect to the system. CarPlay setup was seamless, as CarPlay popped up on the car's display the instant I plugged my phone in, without having to jump through any hoops other than granting permission on my phone to allow CarPlay to function while the phone was locked.
CarPlay appears big and bright on the large 8-inch screen with a traditional aspect ratio that includes the usual 4x2 grid of icons on the home screen. In addition to all of your Apple apps and CarPlay-compatible third-party apps, the home screen also includes a Nissan app icon that makes it easy to jump back to the NissanConnect system. You can also use the hardware home button centered under the screen if you prefer a more tactile method.
CarPlay icon at left side of launch bar at bottom of main audio screen
Going in the other direction, the NissanConnect audio screens by default place an icon at the lower left that will take you to functions for a paired phone or, if an iPhone is connected via USB, into CarPlay.
My preference for infotainment systems is for there to be some way to display information from the native system alongside CarPlay, whether it be a split widescreen or portrait display or even something like FCA's Uconnect system with status and menu bars that can display a little bit of information for increased integration. The Altima doesn't offer that, but it does make it fairly easy to jump back and forth.
Fortunately, car manufacturers are also moving toward digital driver's displays that can display some additional information and be customized to suit your preferences. On the Altima, the driver's display can be set to show full audio track information, or if you choose a digital speedometer, for example, you can have audio information displayed at the bottom of the screen. Unfortunately, only the channel name is shown for SiriusXM, but for other sources (Bluetooth, USB, FM radio when track data is broadcast) it will display the song name.
Driver's display with digital speedometer and SiriusXM channel shown below
As is nearly universal among car manufacturers, the voice control button on the Altima's steering wheel serves dual duty, with a short press bringing up the Nissan assistant and a long press activating Siri. The hardware Tune/Scroll knob can also be used to control the CarPlay interface if you prefer a more tactile feel than the touchscreen, but its location at the far side of the display from the driver makes it a bit inconvenient, so you're pretty much going to want to use either the touchscreen or Siri to control CarPlay.
Siri/voice control at bottom center of right cluster
Ports and Connectivity
The 2019 Altima is among the growing number of vehicles offering USB-C ports for connecting devices. At the base of the center stack is a smartphone storage tray (which is a bit too small for an iPhone XS Max with a Lightning cable sticking out the bottom) and a pair of USB ports: one USB-A and one USB-C.
It's certainly nice to see USB-C starting to make its way into vehicles, as even though USB-A is still common, cars are designed to last ten years or more and it's good future-proofing to include these newer ports even though they're still just starting to gain traction with consumers.
iPhone XS Max in phone tray putting strain on Lightning cable
There is a second set of USB-A/USB-C ports on the back of the center console for rear passengers, but these are only for charging, not for connecting media devices to the NissanConnect system for playback. Nissan does not offer wireless charging or Wi-Fi hotspot functionality as options on the Altima.
Rear USB-A and USB-C ports
Wrap-up
The Altima along with the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord remain the most popular midsize models in a shrinking sedan market, with those top manufacturers seeking to maintain some momentum while others scale back or even eliminate their sedan models in favor of crossovers that are dominating sales growth. As a result, the redesigned 2019 Altima brings some nice enhancements across the board, and the in-car technology is no exception.
I appreciate the spacious 8-inch touchscreen and CarPlay support across the board on Altima trims, giving everyone easy access to the ecosystems they're already familiar with on their phones. If anything, CarPlay is even more important to have on lower-level trims where built-in navigation isn't available, so it's great to see Nissan going all-in on CarPlay with the Altima and other models as their redesign cycles allow.
The native NissanConnect infotainment system is intuitive with a customizable interface, and the display is bright with vivid colors to help the interface elements stand out. Some of the pages can get a bit cluttered, and I'd like to see a little more modernization of some of the user interface elements, particularly the home screen widgets and shortcut icons.
For a mainstream midsize sedan intended for mass market appeal, the Altima does a solid job of presenting a clean and useful experience with NissanConnect and offering convenient integration with CarPlay.
The 2019 Nissan Altima starts at $23,900 with CarPlay included standard. A new all-wheel drive option is available for a $1,350 charge on all trims other than the high-end ones equipped with the VC-Turbo engine, and you can push pricing all the way to over $37,000 if you choose to max things out with an Edition ONE VC-Turbo trim.
The Pixelmator app for iOS devices received a major update today, adding support for Apple's newest iPad Pro models.
The app's interface has been optimized for the 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, and the double tap gesture introduced with the Apple Pencil 2 can now be used in Pixelmator.
Pixelmator on 11-inch iPad Pro before update on left, after update on right
According to the release notes for the update, Pixelmator will respect the user's global settings for the double tap gesture, so if it's set to switch to the erase tool, for example, it will be set that way in Pixelmator as well.
In addition to iPad Pro optimization, the new version of Pixelmator addresses several bugs, as outlined in the full release notes:
- The Pixelmator interface has now been optimized for the newest iPad Pro. - The double-tap gesture of the new Apple Pencil is now supported. - Wherever possible, Pixelmator will respect your global settings for the double-tap gesture. - The Noise, Hue, Miniaturize, and Hue effects were not working in the Photos extension. Fixed. - The canvas was being incorrectly centered in both the app and the Pixelmator Photos extension. Fixed. - After making a selection and moving it, tapping a part of the selection outside the bounds of the original layer would deselect the layer. Fixed.
Pixelmator for the iPad can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]
Apple is having trouble negotiating financial terms with publishers for its planned subscription news service, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Said to be like "Netflix for news," the planned subscription news service is designed to let users read unlimited content from participating publishers for one monthly fee, set at about $10 per month.
Major publishers are said to be resisting Apple's proposed revenue split, which would provide Apple with half of the revenue from the service. The other half of the revenue would be split among publishers "according to the amount of time users spend engaged with their articles."
Apple does not want to provide credit card information or email addresses to publishers, details that news sites use to create customer databases and market their products.
The New York Times and the Washington Post, two major publications with paywalls and subscription offerings, have not inked deals with Apple because of concerns over the terms at the current time. The Wall Street Journal reportedly also has concerns, but its conversations with Apple have been described as "productive."
Most sites charge $9.99 or more per month for access to their articles. The New York Times prices its basic subscriptions at $15 per month, while The Washington Post charges $10 per month and The Wall Street Journal charges $39 per month. Providing subscriptions through Apple could cause current subscribers to swap over, leading to lower revenue.
All three sites already offer some content on Apple News and are allowed to offer up subscriptions. News organizations are able to keep 70 percent of subscription fees for the first year for customers who sign up for Apple News, while Apple keeps 30 percent. After a year, Apple's cut drops to 15 percent.
Apple is planning to launch the subscription news service later this year as a paid option in the Apple News app. Other rumors have suggested that Apple is also planning to provide access to a number of popular magazines for $9.99 per month as it incorporates its Texture acquisition into Apple News.
It's possible that the one $9.99 per month fee would include access to both news content and magazines, though these could also be separate payments.
With the news service, and a planned television service that's also coming in 2019, Apple is aiming to boost its overall services revenue. With flagging iPhone sales, services has become an increasingly important category for Apple, allowing the company to generate revenue from its huge active install base.
Apple has discussed bundling its news service with iCloud storage tiers and its television service, so an all-in-one package from Apple could be on the horizon.
