MacRumors

Charter Spectrum's long-promised app for the Apple TV launched today and can now be downloaded via the Apple TV App Store. The app is designed to give Spectrum TV users access to live channels and on demand titles right on the Apple TV.

The app works with the new Zero Sign-on feature, which means Charter Spectrum users will not need to sign in to use it when connected to accompanying Charter Spectrum internet services.

Apple first promised Zero Sign-on and a new Charter Spectrum app at the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference. At the time, Apple said the app would debut during 2018, but the feature was ultimately delayed until 2019.

The Charter Spectrum app only works when connected to a Charter Spectrum internet service, and it does not appear to allow logins when connected to a different third-party internet service.

Since the launch of the 2018 MacBook Air, we here at MacRumors have heard multiple complaints from MacRumors readers about the quality of the FaceTime HD camera housed in the device.

There have been multiple threads on the MacRumors forums and the Apple Support Communities complaining about the graininess of the camera so we decided to investigate to see if it's worse than recent MacBook Pro models or the older MacBook Air.

Many of the complaints that we saw suggested the camera was poor quality without offering direct comparisons, or with comparisons to FaceTime cameras like those in the iPhone, which are wildly better than the 720p "FaceTime HD" camera Apple uses in the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines.

In a direct comparison, photos taken from Photo Booth on a 2018 MacBook Air and a modern 15-inch Touch Bar MacBook Pro are almost identical, and both are pretty terrible. The MacBook Air photos are a bit darker, which can be interpreted as "worse," but all in all, both cameras are bad.

When comparing the new MacBook Air and the older 2015 MacBook Air, however, we found a more noticeable difference in quality. The FaceTime HD camera in the 2015 MacBook Air is a bit clearer and brighter, with the 2018 MacBook Air's camera letting in less light and producing an overall grainier, less clear result.

Even though we can clearly see a difference between the 2015 and the 2018 MacBook Air FaceTime HD cameras, it's not a huge gap. Both cameras are subpar, and that the FaceTime HD camera on the MacBook Air appears to have gotten worse over time rather than better is certainly disappointing.

On a modern machine with a Retina display, a 720p FaceTime HD camera just doesn't hold up, especially in comparison to devices like the iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and iPad Pro, which have much higher resolution cameras. FaceTime is limited to 720p on all devices, but the FaceTime HD camera does serve other purposes as well.

2018 MacBook Air owners are disappointed, and honestly, MacBook Pro owners should be too. 720p looks awful and it is outdated technology. Apple implemented a better 1080p FaceTime HD camera in the iMac Pro, and the quality is much better.

Hopefully future Mac notebook updates will feature higher-quality webcams as video quality has become an increasingly important feature that consumers look for when making a purchase.

Many of the complaint threads that suggested the MacBook Air camera is worse than other machines did not include comparison images, so we're still working with just a few data points here. If you have a MacBook Air and another machine, please feel free to post comparison images in the thread below so we can further investigate this issue.

Following the news that iPhone sales were down during the month of December leading Apple to cut its guidance for Q1 2019, the company is aiming to soften the blow with some positive news.

Apple today announced that App Store customers set new worldwide spending records over the holidays, with App Store purchases hitting $1.22 billion between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Day specifically, customers spent over $322 million on App Store purchases, setting a new single-day record.

"The App Store had a record-breaking holiday week and New Year's Day. The holiday week was our biggest week ever with more than $1.22 billion spent on apps and games, and New Year's Day set a new single-day record at more than $322 million," said Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Thanks to the inspiring work of our talented developers and the support of our incredible customers around the world, the App Store finished off an outstanding 2018 and kicked off 2019 with a bang."

Gaming and self-care were the most popular app downloads and purchases during the holidays. Fortnite and PUBG were some of the most downloaded games over the holiday period, along with Brawl Stars, Asphalt 9, and Monster Strike.

According to Apple, the App Store drove its services category revenue to a new all-time record during the holiday quarter, with multiple Apple services that include the App Store, Apple Music, Cloud Services, Apple Pay and the App Store's search ad business setting new records.

With Apple selling fewer iPhones, the company is hoping investors will shift focus to other areas of its business. Apple in November said that it will no longer provide unit sales data for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but yesterday said other information, such as gross margin of services, will be provided.

An icon depicting what appears to be a Smart Battery Case for the iPhone XS has been spotted in action on an iPhone running iOS 12.1.2, providing yet another clue that Apple may be planning to release such an accessory.

The discovery was made by a Reddit user named Tom, who decided to significantly trim down Apple's Smart Battery Case for the iPhone 7 to fit his iPhone X. Not only did the case function, but it also revealed the iPhone X-esque Smart Battery Case icon with a slimmer design and a vertical camera cutout.

Apple discontinued the iPhone X in September, so the icon likely applies to the iPhone XS, which sports the same physical design.

The icon appears to be the same one discovered in watchOS code by 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo, although this time in action on an iPhone. The new case appears to have a Lightning connector, but no "chin" extending below the iPhone.

Rambo also uncovered references to three model identifiers for the case in iOS code, including A2070, A2071 and A2171, suggesting that Apple could release the case in three different sizes for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. Another identifier supposedly hinted at a 2018 release, which did not happen.

Images of possible iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max Smart Battery Cases were also uncovered in a Fall 2018 merchandising guide for Apple resellers.

Apple has never released a Smart Battery Case for a plus-sized iPhone, however, and the larger iPhone XR and iPhone XS Max already deliver longer battery life, so it's possible the new case could be for the iPhone XS only if released.

Apple's first Smart Battery Case was for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, and was equipped with a 1,877 mAh battery that protruded out of the back of the case. Apple later released an iPhone 7 version with a similar design but larger 2,365 mAh battery. Both remain available to purchase for $99 in the United States.

By now, there has been plenty of evidence to suggest that Apple has at least considered releasing a Smart Battery Case for the iPhone XS. Whether the plan comes to fruition remains to be seen — a release could certainly be soon.

Qualcomm today announced that it has posted €1.34 billion in security bonds required for the chipmaker to be able to enforce a preliminary injunction on select iPhone models in Germany, after a court in the country found Apple to be infringing Qualcomm patents related to power savings technology used in smartphones.

Last month, a German court ordered Apple to cease the import and sale of all infringing iPhone models in Germany. Apple was also ordered to recall those iPhone models from third-party resellers in Germany, according to Qualcomm.

In a statement, Apple said it is "disappointed" by the verdict and plans to appeal. The company also confirmed that the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR are not affected by the preliminary injunction, but it has temporarily halted sales of iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models at its 15 retail stores in Germany.

Apple's full statement:

Qualcomm's campaign is a desperate attempt to distract from the real issues between our companies. Their tactics, in the courts and in their everyday business, are harming innovation and harming consumers. Qualcomm insists on charging exorbitant fees based on work they didn't do and they are being investigated by governments all around the world for their behavior. We are of course disappointed by this verdict and we plan to appeal. All iPhone models remain available to customers through carriers and resellers in 4,300 locations across Germany. During the appeal process, iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models will not be available at Apple's 15 retail stores in Germany. iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will remain available in all our stores.

Qualcomm's general counsel Don Rosenberg issued the following statement to MacRumors following the verdict:

Two respected courts in two different jurisdictions just in the past two weeks have now confirmed the value of Qualcomm's patents and declared Apple an infringer, ordering a ban on iPhones in the important markets of Germany and China.

Apple and Qualcomm are engaged in a major legal battle spanning multiple countries, including China, where a court issued a similar preliminary injunction on select iPhones last month over two separate Qualcomm patents.

Apple continues to sell the affected iPhone models in China and believes it is in compliance with the ruling. Late last month, it made some minor changes in iOS 12.1.2 to address the Qualcomm patents in China, including introducing a new animation for force closing apps seen in the video below.

Apple sued Qualcomm in early 2017 over anticompetitive business practices related to chip-related licensing fees, while Qualcomm has accused Apple of sharing its trade secrets with Intel among other infractions. In the U.S., the FTC is also taking Qualcomm to court later this month over the alleged monopolistic behavior.

AAPL has opened at $144 today on the stock market, with share prices sliding roughly nine percent after Apple lowered its revenue guidance by up to $9 billion for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year.

AAPL is down just over 35 percent since closing at $222.22 on November 1, just prior to its last earnings report.

In a letter to shareholders on Wednesday, Apple disclosed that its revenue will be lower than its original guidance for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year, coming in at approximately $84 billion. Apple originally guided for revenue of $89 billion to $93 billion in the quarter on November 1.

The letter said lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounts for the entire revenue shortfall.

In an internal memo, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he will host an all-hands meeting with employees today at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time at Apple's Town Hall auditorium on its Infinite Loop campus to answer questions about the shortfall.

AAPL was already dragged down by Apple's recent announcement that it will no longer disclose iPhone, iPad, and Mac unit sales starting with its next quarterly earnings report. The move sparked fears among some investors and analysts that Apple had something to hide, particularly regarding slowing iPhone sales.

Apple yesterday announced that it will report its earnings for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year on January 29.

In a memo to employees obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple CEO Tim Cook provided additional commentary about the company's reduced revenue forecast for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year.

Cook said Apple is "disappointed" that its quarterly revenue will fall up to $9 billion short of its initial guidance, entirely due to the iPhone, but touted revenue records from other product categories including the Mac, services like the App Store and iCloud, and wearables like the Apple Watch and AirPods.

iPhone activations also set new Christmas Day records in the United States and Canada, according to Cook.

In a letter to shareholders on Wednesday, Apple disclosed that its revenue will be lower than its original guidance for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year, coming in at approximately $84 billion. Apple originally guided for revenue of $89 billion to $93 billion in the quarter on November 1.

The letter said lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounts for the entire shortfall.

In his memo, Cook said "this moment gives us an opportunity to learn and to take action," starting with an all-hands meeting with employees today at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time at Apple's Town Hall auditorium on its Infinite Loop campus.

The full memo:

Team,

Happy New Year — I hope everyone was able to rest and enjoy time with loved ones over the holidays.

This afternoon we issued a letter to Apple investors explaining that we are revising our financial guidance for the holiday quarter. I encourage you to read it. As you will see, our revenue shortfall in Q1 is from iPhone, primarily in Greater China.

While we are disappointed to be falling short of our quarterly revenue goal, our fiscal first quarter was also a record setter for revenue from Services, Wearables and the Mac. iPad revenue grew double-digits over the year-ago quarter, and iPhone activations in the U.S. and Canada set new Christmas Day records. We expect to set all-time revenue records in key markets including the US, Canada and Mexico, Western European countries including Germany and Italy, and countries across the Asia-Pacific region like Korea and Vietnam. Our worldwide installed base of active devices also hit a new all-time high, reflecting the loyalty of our customers and their appreciation for the work you do.

We are tremendously proud of the innovations we're delivering to our customers with iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. These are, without a doubt, the best iPhones we've ever made. We did not set a new record for iPhone sales in Q1, however, due to a number of factors — some macroeconomic, and some specific to Apple and the smartphone industry.

External forces may push us around a bit, but we are not going to use them as an excuse. Nor will we just wait around until they get better. This moment gives us an opportunity to learn and to take action, to focus on our strengths and on Apple's mission — delivering the best products on earth for our customers and providing them with an unmatched level of service. We manage Apple for the long term, and in challenging times we have always come out stronger.

With that in mind, please join me for an all-hands meeting on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. PT. Be sure to check AppleWeb for more details. Due to construction at Apple Park, we'll be gathering at Town Hall on the Infinite Loop campus. Join us there in person, or via live stream through AppleWeb. I'll have more details about the quarter, and I'm looking forward to your thoughts and questions.

Hope to see you there.

Tim

AAPL shares are currently down around eight percent to $145 in pre-market trading following the disappointing news.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today plans to hold an "all-hands meeting" with employees to alleviate any fears surrounding the company's revision to its Q1 2019 earnings expectations.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who spoke to a person familiar with the matter, Cook plans to address concerns from Apple staff by taking questions from workers during Thursday's meeting.

Further details on the meeting have yet to be disclosed, but Cook will likely seek to dampen internal worries about what the revised earnings guidance means for the company's plans as it gears up for another year.

In his earnings call on Wednesday, Cook revealed that Apple expected to end the first quarter of 2019 with $84 billion in revenue, which is down over 7 percent from the $89 billion to $93 billion forecast the company predicted at the end of the last fiscal quarter 2018.

In interview with CNBC, Cook said trade tensions with the U.S. put additional pressure on the Chinese economy, which led to less traffic in stores and lower sales. He also blamed fewer carrier subsidies, a stronger dollar, and the $29 battery replacement program, suggesting that those factors led to fewer iPhone upgrades than expected.

Writing for Bloomberg, Gurman claims that stagnating smartphone sales mean Apple needs to look beyond the iPhone as its core product, but that the company shouldn't rely on its AirPods or Apple Watch lines because they're exclusively tied to iPhone use.

Likewise, Apple's services business is providing an increasingly sizable income, but the long-term success of its services also relies heavily on iPhone usage. In other words, Apple may need to look at new product categories if it is to successully reverse the damage of its iPhone sales problem, which is currently limited to China. The issue however is that potential major launches like AR-glasses and self-driving car technology still seem years away.

For now, it appears Apple's iPhone sales problem is China-focused. According to analyst Shannon Cross of Cross Research, as long as the problem doesn't spread to other regions, Cook can weather the storm.

"It's going to rely on understanding the supply chains, how to make sure costs are efficient and effective," which are Cook's strengths, Cross said.

Apple plans to discuss its final earnings results during the company's first quarter 2019 conference call on Tuesday, January 29.

HMD Global's next smartphone, the Nokia 9 PureView, may come equipped with an interesting-looking five camera setup, according to an alleged leaked launch video of the device shared by rumor site MySmartPrice and leaker Evan Blass.

The video depicts a Nokia device with seven rear circles, dedicated to five ZEISS cameras, a flash, and other sensors.

According to the promo video, the five camera setup allows for five simultaneous shots to be captured at once and then combined, allowing for features that include "10x more light," "incredible texture and detail," and "stunning crisp HDR photography."

Like many other smartphones, the new Nokia device supports refocusing the depth of field after a shot, but the specifications for the device don't go into detail about the benefit (if any) of five cameras other than improved crispness, texture, and low light performance.

The device also features a 5.99-inch display with bezels at the top and bottom, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and support for Android One, an unmodified version of Android created by Google for a more consistent Android usage experience.

Since Apple and other manufacturers introduced a dual-camera design, smartphone manufacturers have been aiming to one up each other with more and more cameras.

LG and Huawei have both introduced three camera rear setups on their most recent smartphones. LG's triple cameras allow for different perspectives because there's a wide-angle lens, a super wide-angle lens, and a telephoto zoom, along with 3D lighting effects and HDR features. Samsung too has been increasing its camera count with the four camera system in the Galaxy A9.

Rumors suggest that Apple is planning to up the number of rear cameras in the next-generation iPhone, perhaps introducing a three camera system with features like improved low-light performance and 3x optical zoom.

HMD Global is said to be planning to unveil the new five camera Nokia smartphone sometime around the end of January.

Apple is already working on the next-generation version of iOS, iOS 13. Based on visits to the MacRumors website from Apple IP addresses on devices running iOS 13, work on the update has been picking up over the course of the last few months.

We first spotted devices running iOS 13 in October, and in November and December, visits from iPhones with iOS 13 installed have increased. Visits slowed during late December, but should pick up again now that the holidays are over and work is continuing.

Apple often starts work on new versions of iOS many months in advance, and we've already learned some details about what we can expect in iOS 13. There were several iOS 12 features that were delayed to allow Apple to work on bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements, and we're expecting to see these delayed features introduced in iOS 13.

Rumors have suggested iOS 13 will include new features aimed at iPad owners, such as a revamped Files app, in-app tabs for opening multiple windows of the same app, support for using the same app side-by-side in Split View multitasking mode, and more.

Other delayed iOS 12 features include a revamped Home screen app grid for the iPhone and iPad, and expanded photo management features.

More details on what we can expect to see in iOS 13 will undoubtedly leak out in the coming months as Apple continues to ramp up testing of the update.

MacRumors readers have shared a list of features that they're hoping to see introduced in iOS 13, including a Messages hub, dark mode, an option to hide or remove the Dock, settings to select default Mail, Maps, and Messages apps, and more. If you have iOS 13 features you're hoping for, feel free to share them on our forums.

Apple will give us a first look at iOS 13 when it hosts its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which, historically, has taken place during the first few weeks of June.

Apple today published a letter from Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed to Apple investors announcing changes to the guidance for the first fiscal quarter of 2019.

Apple is expecting revenue of approximately $84 billion and gross margin of 38 percent, which is quite a bit lower than the estimate provided in November when fourth quarter earnings were revealed.

At that time, Apple said its guidance included expected revenue of $89 to $93 billion and gross margin between 38 and 38.5 percent. From Cook's letter:

Today we are revising our guidance for Apple's fiscal 2019 first quarter, which ended on December 29. We now expect the following:
- Revenue of approximately $84 billion
- Gross margin of approximately 38 percent
- Operating expenses of approximately $8.7 billion
- Other income/(expense) of approximately $550 million
- Tax rate of approximately 16.5 percent before discrete items

At $84 billion, Apple will see a year-over-year revenue drop in 2019 after pulling in $88.3 billion during the first fiscal quarter of 2018.

Cook offered up a number of explanations for the decline, some of which were mentioned during the fourth quarter earnings call.

Cook says that the timing of the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR launch compared to the timing of the iPhone X launch last year will impact year-over-year comparisons, as will the strength of the U.S. dollar.

Apple Watch Series 4, iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and AirPods were constrained during the holiday season, leading to an inability to keep up with demand, as did economic weakness in emerging markets played a major role in the guidance change.

Cook says that customers taking advantage of "significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements" is also a factor that led to fewer upgrades in 2018. Starting in January 2018, Apple began offering battery replacements for $29 after a snafu that saw the company quietly introducing software that throttled the iPhone's performance without letting customers know. Apple faced multiple accusations that it deliberately slows down iPhones to encourage people to buy new devices, and while that may not be the case, offering cheaper battery replacements does appear to have impacted sales of new devices.

In China specifically, Apple saw a significant decline in sales, especially during the second half of 2018, which Cook says was in part due to rising trade tensions with the United States.

While we anticipated some challenges in key emerging markets, we did not foresee the magnitude of the economic deceleration, particularly in Greater China. In fact, most of our revenue shortfall to our guidance, and over 100 percent of our year-over-year worldwide revenue decline, occurred in Greater China across iPhone, Mac and iPad.

Cook says that Apple saw "fewer iPhone upgrades" than anticipated as a result of the aforementioned factors, requiring the company to lower its expected revenue estimates.

Lower than anticipated iPhone revenue, primarily in Greater China, accounts for all of our revenue shortfall to our guidance and for much more than our entire year-over-year revenue decline. In fact, categories outside of iPhone (Services, Mac, iPad, Wearables/Home/Accessories) combined to grow almost 19 percent year-over-year.

While Greater China and other emerging markets accounted for the vast majority of the year-over-year iPhone revenue decline, in some developed markets, iPhone upgrades also were not as strong as we thought they would be. While macroeconomic challenges in some markets were a key contributor to this trend, we believe there are other factors broadly impacting our iPhone performance, including consumers adapting to a world with fewer carrier subsidies, US dollar strength-related price increases, and some customers taking advantage of significantly reduced pricing for iPhone battery replacements.

At the end of his letter, Cook highlights positive results from the December quarter, such as a growth in active devices, and increased revenue outside of the iPhone business in areas that include services and wearables. Apple, says Cook, is confident in its business and the "pipeline of future products and services."

vMost importantly, we are confident and excited about our pipeline of future products and services. Apple innovates like no other company on earth, and we are not taking our foot off the gas.

We can't change macroeconomic conditions, but we are undertaking and accelerating other initiatives to improve our results. One such initiative is making it simple to trade in a phone in our stores, finance the purchase over time, and get help transferring data from the current to the new phone. This is not only great for the environment, it is great for the customer, as their existing phone acts as a subsidy for their new phone, and it is great for developers, as it can help grow our installed base.

This is one of a number of steps we are taking to respond. We can make these adjustments because Apple's strength is in our resilience, the talent and creativity of our team, and the deeply held passion for the work we do every day.

Expectations are high for Apple because they should be. We are committed to exceeding those expectations every day.

Cook's full letter to investors can be read on Apple's Newsroom site.

Update: Apple CEO Tim Cook sat down for an exclusive interview with CNBC, where he further explained the guidance revision. He said the shortfall is over 100 percent from iPhone and primarily from Greater China due to a slowing economy during the second half of 2018.

Cook says trade tensions with the U.S. put additional pressure on the Chinese economy, leading to less traffic in stores and lower sales. Cook also blamed fewer carrier subsidies, a stronger dollar, and the $29 battery replacement program, suggesting that those factors led to fewer iPhone upgrades than expected. Going forward, Cook says Apple will focus "really deeply" on things it can control, boosting future sales through trade-in program marketing, monthly pricing options, and more focus on in-store services such as data transfer.