Apple this morning shared a new video on its YouTube channel highlighting Gwen Stefani's Christmas album "You Make it Feel Like Christmas."
The one minute animated short features a cartoon Gwen Stefani in an updated version of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas." Santa comes down the chimney and then asks Gwen Stefani to do a Christmas music performance.
Stefani's Christmas album was released in October of 2017 and it features 12 Christmas songs, including classics like Last Christmas, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, Santa Baby and Let It Snow. The album is available on Apple Music and iTunes, where it is priced at $7.99.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 4.2.2 update to developers, one week after seeding the first beta and two weeks after releasing watchOS 4.2, an update that introduced support for Apple Pay Cash.
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.
We don't yet know what features or improvements might be included in the watchOS 4.2.2 update, as no outward-facing changes were discovered in the first beta.
It's possible this update focuses mainly on bug fixes, and if that's the case, we won't know the extent of the changes until it sees a public release complete with release notes.
Should new features be discovered in the second watchOS 4.2.2 beta, we'll update this post.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 11.2.5 update to developers, one week after seeding the first beta and a week after releasing iOS 11.2.1, an update that introduced a fix for a HomeKit vulnerability.
Registered developers can download the iOS 11.2.5 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
It's not clear what new features, if any, will be included in the iOS 11.2.5 beta. We didn't discover any noticeable outward-facing changes in the first iOS 11.2.5 beta, so it's possible this update focuses mainly on bug fixes and security improvements.
If that's the case, we may not know the extent of what's in the update until it sees a public release. Apple is supposed to be releasing an iCloud Messages feature that was pulled from the iOS 11 release, but there has been no indication of when we can expect iCloud Messages to be reintroduced.
Should new features be found in the second iOS 11.2.5 beta, we'll update this post. Apple has also released new beta firmware for the HomePod, which will be available to employees currently testing the device.
Shazam today updated its iOS app [Direct Link] with a new way to save song snippets when your iPhone or iPad is offline, automatically identifying them once your device is back online. To try out the new feature, place your iOS device into Airplane Mode, open Shazam, tap the central button to start listening for a song that's playing, and then the app will prompt you with a message saying the Shazam has been saved.
Then, when Airplane Mode is deactivated and you open Shazam again, the app will automatically name the song and add it to the "My Shazam" section of the app. The company noted in the version 11.6.0 release notes that it will also send you a notification to let you know that the Shazam is ready when you are back online.
Shazam saves the song offline, then recognizes it and adds it to My Shazam when you're back online
Keep Shazaming, even when you’re offline! Next time the music's on but the WiFi isn't, simply tap the big blue button and we’ll name that song as soon as you're back online. Now we’ll notify you immediately, even it you don’t have the Shazam app open.
Shazam is continuing to be updated following Apple’s announcement last week that it intends to acquire the music recognition company. Although Apple did not disclose financial terms of the acquisition, a source speaking with TechCrunch said the deal could be worth around $400 million. Shazam is already integrated with Apple Music (saving songs you Shazam to a specific playlist) and it also has an iMessage app, so Apple is expected to further bolster its music services with the new acquisition.
Apple today launched a new iTunes Movies sale centering around 4K HDR bundles, allowing Apple TV 4K owners to further expand -- or start -- their 4K film collections at a cheaper price. The bundles are divided up by studios and further split into four main genre categories under each studio: Action and Adventure, Comedy, Drama, and Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
Most of the bundles are $19.99 for three movies, although some rise to $22.99 and $24.99 depending on the studio. For the most part, sale prices haven't hit the SD versions of each collection, with some SD price tags still as much as double the price of the 4K versions of each bundle. Below we've listed each collection and the movies you will find in each:
For the new sale, Apple said: "We're so excited about movies in 4K HDR on Apple TV 4K that we want to help kick-start your collections. Explore a variety of specialty priced bundles,divided by studio and genre, and start building your library in this amazing picture quality today."
iTunes Movies sales are frequent around the holidays, and there are also a few Christmas-themed movies in 4K being discounted right now, like Home Alone, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Holiday ($9.99 each). You can visit iTunes Movies on macOS or iOS and the new 4K HDR collections should start appearing on the store's carousel today.
SplashData today published its annual list of the worst passwords of the year, using data pulled from over five million passwords that were leaked across 2017 by hackers.
Despite many well-publicized major data leaks in 2016 and 2017, many people continue to use weak passwords that are easily guessed. "123456" and "Password," for example, were the two most popular passwords SplashData came across, as they have been for several years running.
Other passwords in the top 10 of the worst passwords list included "12345678," "qwerty," "12345," "123456789," "letmein," "1234567," "football," and "iloveyou." "Monkey," "123123," and "starwars" also made the list this year, as new easily guessable passwords people have adopted. Passwords made up of a single word or consecutive number string are dangerous because they're so easy to guess.
"Unfortunately, while the newest episode may be a fantastic addition to the Star Wars franchise, 'starwars' is a dangerous password to use," said Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData, Inc. "Hackers are using common terms from pop culture and sports to break into accounts online because they know many people are using those easy-to-remember words."
With data breaches from major companies so common, a strong password that consists of multiple random words or multiple numbers, letters, and characters is essential, and it's also important not to use the same password for more than one account.
Safari has built-in password generating features, and passwords can also be stored in the Keychain and accessed on all of your iOS and Mac devices. Password management apps like 1Password, LastPass, or SplashID can also make remembering and managing multiple passwords simple.
SplashData publishes its annual list to encourage people to use stronger passwords. This year, the company's data came primarily from North America and Western Europe, culled from data leaks. Yahoo data and data from adult websites was not included.
In 2017, there were several major data leaks from companies that included Verizon, Saks Fifth Avenue, Deloitte, and Uber, along with a huge Equifax breach that exposed the personal information of millions of people.
YouTube has delayed its YouTube TV apps for Apple TV and Roku devices until the first quarter of 2018, a company representative told CNET today. The over-the-top service's Apple TV app was initially planned for a launch before the end of 2017, so with less than two weeks left in the year the company has officially pushed back the app's launch to next year.
Around the same Q1 2018 window, YouTube will also debut apps for older models of Samsung's smart TVs, as well as Sony TVs using Linux-based operating systems. YouTube TV launched earlier this year on the web, iOS, and Android in five U.S. cities. The app eventually expanded to Chromecast, Xbox One, Android TV, and newer Samsung and LG smart TVs across more than 80 cities.
The $35/month service offers subscribers the ability to stream cable network television shows on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW, Disney, ESPN, FX, USA, and dozens of other major channels. YouTube TV is a competitor to similar services like Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV Now, and Playstation Vue, all of which can be viewed on the fourth and fifth generation Apple TV models. In addition to streaming live TV, YouTube TV includes content from the $9.99/month YouTube Red service.
Apple will release an upgraded version of AirPods in the second half of 2018, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
An excerpt from Kuo's latest research note, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors:
Media reports over the past few days on brisk AirPods demand and Apple struggling to keep up with holiday season demand align with our findings and positive predictions on AirPods in several previous reports. […]
In 2018, we predict AirPods shipments will grow 100% YoY to 26-28mn units. We forecast the ASP of RFPCB for upgraded AirPods in 2H18 may increase, further benefiting business momentum of Unitech and Compeq.
Kuo said one internal change on the second-generation AirPods will include a "smaller quartz component," but he didn't provide any further details about new outward-facing features or improvements to expect.
Kuo said the new AirPods will continue to be assembled by Taiwanese manufacturer Inventec, with individual components supplied by fellow Taiwanese companies such as Unitech, Compeq, TXC, and HLJ.
Apple teased the AirPower mat at its iPhone X event back in September. It will be able to charge the Apple Watch Series 3, an iPhone X or iPhone 8 model, and AirPods inside the new charging case simultaneously.
As for the current AirPods, Kuo said Apple's suppliers are unable to make them quick enough to fully satisfy what he believes is robust holiday season demand, which likely explains why AirPods are sold out until January.
Kuo, who keeps a close eye on Apple's supply chain in Asia, said Apple has recruited Luxshare to help make AirPods, but RF printed-circuit boards for AirPods batteries are proving to be a key production bottleneck.
Kuo also reiterated his estimate that AirPods shipments will double in 2018 to 26-28 million units on a year-over-year basis, suggesting Apple will have sold around 13-14 million AirPods worldwide by the end of this year.
This week Plex announced Plex Labs, a new internal section of the company that focuses on sharing in-depth Medium posts, community ideas, and passion projects created by Plex engineers. The first such project is called "Plexamp," a macOS and Windows app that pulls from your existing Plex music library and accumulates it all into one miniaturized interface (via The Next Web).
The Winamp-inspired app works similar to a native Mac app (so media keys and notifications are supported), plays "just about any music format," can remote control other Plex players and vice-versa, and supports offline playback. More in-depth features include Spotlight-like search for your entire Plex music library, gapless playback, soft transitions when pausing, resuming and changing tracks, and loudness leveling to normalize playback volume across different albums.
In terms of the interface, the app's default setting appears to be around the size of a miniaturized iTunes player, and it features four different sizes in total "including one that hides the app entirely." Plexamp's minimalism extends into its buttons, which appear when needed and otherwise stay hidden. Plex co-founder Elan Feingold mentioned that the Plexamp team forced itself to think small in terms of the app's footprint, so it could act as a miniature companion to Plex's larger apps.
It all started over a beer — as most great things do — re-envisioning what a tiny and powerful music player might look like in 2017. The most classic and beloved small audio player, Winamp, was first released almost exactly TWENTY years ago. Written in a low-level language, it ran on Windows, and was limited to playing files on the local (or networked) filesystem.
Plex, on the other hand, provides a best-in-class client/server model, an extremely metadata rich library, is highly portable, and gives you access to your entire music collection from anywhere in the world; we wanted to pair this with a similarly excellent music player. Literally the only requirement we had was “small”; Plex has plenty of bigger apps already, but nothing that sits unobtrusively on a desktop, beguiling and delighting. We even forced ourselves to limit the design to a single simple window.
The app also turns albums into art with SoundPrints and visualizers, which change with each album played. The main focus of the app is said to be the discovery of songs within your existing music library, with library stations that track popularity, rating, and listening history to curate music.
These stations include "Library Radio" that picks songs across your entire song catalog, and "Time Travel Radio" that begins with the earliest released music in your library and works its way forward. "Artist Radio" starts with a specific artist and then "explores more corners of your library" within similar genres as the original musician.
Those interested can download Plexamp for free on the Plex Labs webpage, but to use the app you'll need to sign up for a Plex account. Feingold noted that the app might have a few "rough edges" due to its creation by just a handful of Plex employees in their spare time.
Filament bulbs are often preferred to standard bulbs in lights where the design of the bulb itself is featured. The new Sylvania bulb allows customers who are looking for a retro filament bulb to get that look without sacrificing smart functionality.
The Sylvania Smart+ Soft White A19 Filament Bulb provides up to 650 lumens of 2700K light, equivalent to a 40W bulb, and it can be dimmed.
Sylvania's HomeKit-enabled light bulbs work with the Home app and can integrate with other HomeKit-enabled products. They also respond to Siri commands and can be added to scenes and other automations.
The new Sylvania Smart+ Soft White A19 Filament Bulb can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com for $31.99 starting today, with orders set to ship out in the spring of 2018.
LEDVANCE's Sylvania Smart+ Indoor Flex Strip Full Color ($59.99) and the Soft White A19 Bulb ($25.99), both of which feature HomeKit support, are also now available for purchase on Amazon.
Drone videographer Matthew Roberts is continuing to capture footage of Apple's new headquarters, Apple Park, as construction on the campus grows nearer to completion. The latest video showcases a few finished amenities, like the dining terrace outside of the spaceship's atrium where employees can eat lunch.
Within the spaceship building, landscaping is said to be "nearly complete" and rows of trees can be seen surrounding the courtyard's finished central pond. The new video also captures a glimpse at the Visitor's Center, which was completed for the press to visit in September during the iPhone X event, and opened to the public this past November.
Some progress has been made on the entrance and exit road leading to the campus, with a security checkpoint added to the Wolfe Road entrance to Apple Park, placed in front of the underground tunnel.
Despite all of the finished buildings, areas of the campus are still riddled with construction equipment and dirt mounds, proving that Apple Park's long construction period isn't quite over yet. One of the main unfinished locations appears to be a large, empty area in front of the fitness center where landscaping needs to be completed.
When construction on Apple Park began in 2013, a completion date of Summer 2017 was set. Although employees began moving into the campus earlier in spring, it now appears that construction will finally be finished sometime in the early part of 2018.
Third party sleep tracking app AutoSleep reached version 5.0 on Tuesday, introducing a slew of new features and improvements, including iPhone X support and live sleep tracking on Apple Watch.
With later models of Apple Watch benefiting from major improvements in battery life, many Watch owners now wear their device to bed. Despite this, Apple still doesn't provide a native sleep tracking feature in watchOS, which has allowed third-party apps like AutoSleep to step in and fill the void.
While AutoSleep can track sleep quality and duration using just an iPhone, one of the app's biggest draws has been its Apple Watch component. Up until now, users had to sync the app to their iPhone to review calculated sleep metrics, but with AutoSleep 5, the Apple Watch app can now automatically track sleep without needing any help from an iPhone.
With sleep independently calculated on their wrist, users have the ability to scroll through sleep quality rings, deep sleep stats, and recharge summaries using the Digital Crown or by scrolling with a finger.
The Watch-based Lights Off feature, which lets users track how long it takes them to fall asleep, has also been rewritten. The progress display now has muted colors for viewing at night, and shows how much time the user has actually been asleep versus time spent just lying in bed.
Back on the iPhone app, sleep detection is now considerably faster, while motion detection has been discontinued for users who wear their Watch to sleep, but remains an option for non-Watch wearers.
The information screens have also been unified, so instead of metrics and graphs being on a separate tab, everything now appears on one scrollable screen. In addition, sleep quality rings have been redesigned and are now more clearly labeled, making key information more easily available at a glance.
The sleep analysis graph has been moved to just below the sleep clock, and reveals different data points such as sleep zones and heart rate as the user scrolls. Elsewhere, the configuration and troubleshooting sections of the app have been modified to be easier to use, and AutoSleep now has additional share options for sleep recording notetakers and social media users.
In addition to iPhone X layout optimization, several other improvements have been made under the hood, according to the developer. More information can be found in the release notes for AutoSleep 5, which costs $2.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Apple has appointed one of its longest serving executives as its new head of sales in India, as the company goes in search of a bigger share of the country's massive smartphone market.
Michel Coulomb will replace Sanjay Kaul as lead of sales operations, according to Reuters. Coulomb has worked with Apple since 2003, and was most recently Apple's managing director in South Asia, according to details available on his LinkedIn profile.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Economic Times reported that Kaul would be leaving after six years with Apple, citing people familiar with the matter.
Rumors of the new appointment followed news on Monday that Apple has increased retail prices for most of its iPhones in India, after the government last week raised taxes on imported phones in an effort to boost local manufacturing.
In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Made in India initiative, customs duty on phones increased to 15 percent from 10 percent. Apart from iPhone SE units which are assembled in Apple's Bengaluru-based plant, the price of iPhone models rose by about 3.5 percent across the board. The most expensive model, a 256GB iPhone X, now costs 105,720 rupees ($1,646), up from 102,000 rupees ($1,593).
Apple has been pursuing a range of tax and policy changes in recent months to help build out its iPhone assembly infrastructure in India, as it seeks to grab a bigger share of the world's third-largest smartphone market.
Earlier this month, Reuters reported that Apple had asked the Indian government to defer a planned increase in import taxes on mobile phone parts, in order to give the company time to expand its manufacturing in the country, but that plea appears to have fallen on deaf ears.
Apple's sales in India rose 17 percent to $1.81 billion in the fiscal year to March 2017, but that's a lot slower than the 50 percent growth in the previous year. Apple's market share in the country remains at around 2 percent.
That hardware includes up to a 12-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, 64GB of ECC RAM, 1TB of SSD storage, and dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs, with prices topping out at $6,999.
The lack of a Mac Pro refresh in several years generated concerns that Apple was less focused on professional users, eventually prompting the company to respond.
Apple briefly reiterated that promise at the bottom of its press release about iMac Pro availability last week, noting that the new Mac Pro will be not only upgradeable, but also a high-performance, high-throughput system.
In addition to the new iMac Pro, Apple is working on a completely redesigned, next-generation Mac Pro architected for pro customers who need the highest performance, high-throughput system in a modular, upgradeable design, as well as a new high-end pro display.
Apple hasn't provided any additional details, including tech specs or a release date, but fingers are crossed for a 2018 launch. As we discussed in our story last week, Apple could return to a similar design as the 2006 to 2012 tower Mac Pro, but its exact definition of modular remains to be seen.
Apple still hasn't provided any word about when if ever we can expect a new Mac mini, which hasn't been updated in over 1,150 days, according to the MacRumors Buyer's Guide. The current Mac mini launched in October 2014.
Apple today updated its website for investors to note that its 2018 Annual Meeting of the shareholders will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park on February 13, 2018.
The record date for the meeting is December 15, 2017, and Apple plans to publish additional details about the upcoming meeting in the near future when the proxy statement is filed.
Apple says it expects more shareholders to want to attend than there are seats available, and so advance registration is required using a unique control number that will be issued following the filing of the proxy statement.
Once our proxy statement is filed, the bank, broker, or other organization that holds your Apple shares will be issuing proxy materials to you that will include a unique control number. You'll need that number to register for the meeting at proxyvote.com beginning at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 22, 2018, and registrations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
To ensure you receive your proxy materials in a timely way, please make sure that your contact information is current at the organization that holds your shares.
Shareholders can register to attend the meeting at Proxyvote.com starting at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 22, 2018. Apple plans to accept registrations on a first-come, first-served basis.
Apple earlier this month asked the SEC for permission to skip shareholder proposals involving issues like greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, and human rights. Apple says these topics do not need to be addressed as they are areas that it "routinely reviews" and are not representative of "significant policy issues" requiring a shareholder vote.
When the Apple Watch Series 3 first launched, carriers in the United States and other countries where the LTE version of the device is available offered three free months of service and waived activation fees.
That fee-free grace period is coming to an end, and customers are getting their first bills that include the $10 per month service charge.
If you have an Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE functionality, you've probably already learned that $10 is not all it's going to cost per month. On carriers like AT&T and Verizon, there are additional service charges and fees, which means it's not $10 per month for an Apple Watch, it's more like $12-$14.
On Verizon in California, for example, there's an additional $1.55 in fees on top of the $10 per month charge.
On AT&T in North Carolina, fees and surcharges add an additional $4.39 to the $10 per month charge, bringing the total to almost $15 per month for an Apple Watch. In some states, these fees on Verizon and AT&T are even higher.
If you're planning to avoid fees by deactivating service and activating again when it's needed, that may not be the best plan of action. As Macworld's Michael Simon points out, line activation fees that come with reactivation can be hefty.
Though the Apple Watch Series 3 is linked to the cellular number of the iPhone on a given carrier, it requires adding an additional line to a cellular service account. When you cancel and re-add a line, there's an activation fee involved. On Verizon, for example, if you deactivate the Apple Watch Series 3 and then want to activate it again at a later date, there's a $25 charge. Suspending service doesn't work, as it requires a $10/month fee, aside from a one-time 30 day free suspension on Verizon. From Macworld:
Because Apple Watch uses NumberShare on Verizon, it's not considered a month-to-month or prepaid device, so it's not so easy to skip a month of service. According to the Verizon representative I spoke to, I have two options:
- Suspend my Apple Watch service for up to 90 days at a time. This will cost me $10 a month, so that's not really an option.
- De-activate the watch completely. That will wipe it from my account and bill. However, I will need to pay a $25 activation fee once I decide to reinstate service. That's a recurring change. That means Verizon will essentially charge me for two and half months service every time I turn it off and on again.
Like Verizon, AT&T charges $25, while Sprint charges $30. T-Mobile no longer charges activation fees, so it may be more affordable to cancel and reinstate service if you're a T-Mobile subscriber.
On AT&T and Verizon, though, that $25 re-activation fee is the cost of two months of service, or close to it, when taxes and fees are included, meaning it's not really worthwhile to start and stop service if you're going to do it more than once or twice a year.
Macworld was also told that if he stopped and started service he could run into problems when attempting to reactivate the watch, but it's not entirely clear why.
With the three-month grace period, most Apple Watch owners have likely learned whether or not the $10-$15 per month fees are worth the freedom of an always-on wrist-worn cellular connection. Neither Apple nor the carriers in the United States were fully upfront about the additional service fees and taxes and the hassle involved with deactivation/reactivation, though, so there are bound to be some users who will feel tricked when the first full Series 3 bill comes in.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 update to developers, one week after seeding the first beta and almost two weeks after releasing macOS High Sierra 10.13.2, the second major update to the macOS High Sierra operating system.
The macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 beta can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store with the proper profile installed.
It's not yet clear what improvements the third update to macOS High Sierra will bring, but it's likely to include bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that weren't addressed in macOS High Sierra 10.13.2.
No major outward-facing changes were discovered in the first beta of macOS High Sierra 10.13.3, but we'll update this post should new features be found in the second beta.
The previous macOS High Sierra 10.13.2 update focused solely on security fixes and performance improvements, with no new features introduced.
Primate Labs founder John Poole has plotted the kernel density of Geekbench 4 scores for iPhone 6s models running iOS 10.2, iOS 10.2.1, and iOS 11.2, visualizing an apparent link between lower performance and degraded battery health.
The charts show that on iOS 10.2, the vast majority of iPhone 6s devices benchmarked similarly in performance. However, Poole explains that the distribution of iPhone 6s scores for iOS 10.2.1 appears multimodal, with one large peak around the average and several smaller peaks around lower scores.
In other words, after iOS 10.2.1 was released last January, the performance of a percentage of iPhone 6s devices began to suffer.
In a statement, Apple said it made improvements in iOS 10.2.1 to reduce occurrences of unexpected iPhone shutdowns that a small number of users were experiencing. The shutdowns were reportedly caused by uneven power delivery from older batteries, which could cause an emergency shutdown of the devices.
While at least one report suggested that Apple tweaked its power management system in iPhone 6s devices, the company never disclosed what specific improvements it made to reduce the unexpected shutdowns.
A recent Reddit discussion, however, has reignited speculation that Apple is intentionally slowing down older iPhones to maximize power efficiency and stability when battery capacity has degraded, and reduce voltage-related shutdowns, and the Geekbench charts and Poole himself lend credit to that theory being true.
"The difference between iOS 10.2 and 10.2.1 is too abrupt to be just a function of battery condition," he said. "I believe … that Apple introduced a change to limit performance when battery condition decreases past a certain point."
The charts show that the number of iPhone 6s devices with lower Geekbench scores was even more pronounced on iOS 11.2, which is likely because the software update is around one year newer, which means that the battery capacity of many iPhone 6s devices has likely continued to deplete as expected.
Interestingly, even the iPhone 7 may be starting to be affected. While the distribution of Geekbench scores for the device on iOS 10.2, iOS 10.2.1, and iOS 11.1.2 appear identical, the results change with iOS 11.2 and start to resemble the iPhone 6s' degraded performance starting on iOS 10.2.1.
What this all means is that Apple may be intentionally slowing down older iPhones to maximize power efficiency and stability when battery capacity has degraded, as speculated, seemingly without publicly acknowledging so.
It's important to remember that all lithium-ion batteries naturally lose some of their ability to hold a charge over the course of a few years. Given the iPhone 6s was released in September 2015, the device has been available long enough that some users should consider replacing their battery regardless.
Apple charges an out-of-warranty fee of $79 to replace the battery of all eligible iPhone models in the United States. iPhone 6s users can contact AppleCare or schedule a Genius Bar appointment at a local Apple Store using the Apple Support app.
Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment about the Geekbench findings. We'll update this article if we hear back.
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Apple last updating the Mac Pro.
