Apple recently added a new Bluetooth speaker to its retail and online stores, called the "SoundLink Micro" and created by Bose. Spotted by Japanese blog Mac Otakara [Google Translate], the $109.95 speaker seems to have appeared on Apple's website around October 11, and has subsequently launched in some retail stores as well.
The SoundLink Micro is designed for durability and comes with an IPX7 waterproof rating, equivalent to the Apple Watch's rating and ability to withstand submersion up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. The speaker's durability can resist dents, cracks, and scratches, and the package also includes a tear-resistant strap to attach to a backpack or cooler.
In terms of music playback, the speaker can last up to six hours, and if you have two of them they can be paired together for stereo or "Party Mode" playback. When synced to an iPhone, the SoundLink Micro supports access to Siri and lets you take calls right from the speaker. Bose's speaker measures at 3.87 inches tall by 3.87 inches wide, and includes a Micro USB charging cable.
Two-day shipping is available as of writing for the SoundLink Micro, and it appears that the device has already arrived at most Apple retail stores. For the locations that don't have stock today, many list availability dates later this week, around October 18. Visit Apple.com to check out more information on the speaker, which also comes in Orange, Black, and Blue color options.
Mathy Vanhoef, a postdoctoral researcher at Belgian university KU Leuven, has discovered and disclosed major vulnerabilities in the WPA2 protocol that secures all modern protected Wi-Fi networks.
Vanhoef said an attacker within range of a victim can exploit these weaknesses using so-called KRACKs, or key reinstallation attacks, which can result in any data or information that the victim transmits being decrypted. Attackers can eavesdrop on network traffic on both private and public networks.
As explained by Ars Technica, the primary attack exploits a four-way handshake that is used to establish a key for encrypting traffic. During the third step, the key can be resent multiple times. When it's resent in certain ways, a cryptographic nonce can be reused in a way that completely undermines the encryption.
As a result, attackers can potentially intercept sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, passwords, emails, and photos. Depending on the network configuration, it is also possible to inject and manipulate data. For example, an attacker might be able to inject ransomware or other malware into websites.
Note that the attacks do not recover the password of any Wi-Fi network, according to Vanhoef. They also do not recover any parts of the fresh encryption key that is negotiated during the four-way handshake.
Websites properly configured with HTTPS have an additional layer of protection, but an improperly configured site can be exploited to drop this encryption, so Vanhoef warned that it is not reliable protection.
Since the vulnerabilities exist in the Wi-Fi standard itself, nearly any router and device that supports Wi-Fi is likely affected, including Macs and iOS devices. Android and Linux devices are particularly vulnerable since they can be tricked into installing an all-zero encryption key instead of reinstalling the real key.
This vulnerability appears to be caused by a remark in the Wi-Fi standard that suggests to clear the encryption key from memory once it has been installed for the first time. When the client now receives a retransmitted message 3 of the 4-way handshake, it will reinstall the now-cleared encryption key, effectively installing an all-zero key.
As a proof-of-concept, Vanhoef executed a key reinstallation attack against an Android smartphone. In the video demonstration below, the attacker is able to decrypt all data that the victim transmits.
iOS devices are vulnerable to attacks against the group key handshake, but they are not vulnerable to the key reinstallation attack.
Fortunately, the vulnerabilities can be patched, and in a backwards-compatible manner. In other words, a patched client like a smartphone can still communicate with an un-patched access point like a router.
Vanhoef said he began disclosing the vulnerabilities to vendors in July. US-CERT, short for the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team, sent out a broad notification to vendors in late August. It is now up to device and router manufacturers to release any necessary security or firmware updates.
Despite the vulnerabilities, Vanhoef says the public should still use WPA2 while waiting for patches. In the meantime, steps users can take to mitigate their threat level in the meantime include using a VPN, using a wired Ethernet connection where possible, and avoiding public Wi-Fi networks.
Vanhoef is presenting his research behind the attack at both the Black Hat Europe and Computer and Communications Security conferences in early November. His detailed research paper (PDF) is available today.
Apple Maps has added public transit directions for Ireland, as pointed out by developer Steven Troughton-Smith on Twitter. With the updated directions, users in Ireland can now choose from a few different public transportation routes when traveling around Ireland.
Transit directions are available in a few cities like Dublin and Cork, including transportation provided by Bus Éirann, Aircoach, and more. There's also support for city-specific transit options like Dublin's electric rail system the DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) and Dublin Bus.
Unfortunately, most of the transit options in Ireland are facing service cancellations in the face of Hurricane Ophelia, which made landfall around 1 p.m. local time. Many transit advisories listed in Apple Maps mention cancellations lasting from 10 a.m. to at least 7 p.m. local time in Ireland.
Apple has been adding public transit directions to new cities around the world since the feature first debuted in iOS 9 in 2015. Some of the latest areas to get the feature include Taiwan, Ottawa, Edmonton, Québec City, and Hungary.
Apple Park is officially nearing completion as 2017 winds down, according to a new drone video that has captured footage of the company's campus. Shared by Matthew Roberts, the video comes nearly one month after an update in late September showed off Apple Park at sunset, and almost one year after "major landscaping changes" appeared around the campus.
Now, according to Roberts, Apple Park is "nearly complete," with fewer pieces of construction equipment dotting the site. Landscaping remains a focus for the remaining work, and paths are being paved throughout the campus to connect buildings and areas of Apple Park for its employees. In terms of complete buildings, the new video showcases the finalized Visitor's Center, which members of the media got to visit during the iPhone X event in September.
Roberts' drone video also shared progress made on the sporting areas at Apple Park that the company has built for workers to unwind, including an outdoor spot for basketball and tennis courts currently in the middle of construction. Elsewhere on the campus, there's also a 100,000 square foot fitness center for employees to work out in.
Although Apple Park isn't yet officially finished with construction, some workers have already moved in to offices on the campus, and Apple hosted its iPhone X event at the Steve Jobs Theater last month. Once it is finally completed and all employees are moved in, Apple Park will house 12,000 workers across its 2.8 million square foot campus.
Apple manufacturer Foxconn has started shipping the first iPhone X units to countries in Europe and the Middle East, according to a Chinese report on Monday.
China-based Xinhuanet said the first batch of 46,500 units have already been shipped out from Zhengzhou and Shanghai to the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. However, the initial shipments of iPhone X units were much lower than previous iPhone models, according to the Chinese-language Commercial Times.
Although Foxconn has ramped up its output of iPhone X to 400,000 units a week recently from the previous 100,000 units, the increased production still cannot meet market demand, said the report, citing data from Rosenblatt.
Forecasts for iPhone X production have consistently pointed to lower-than-average numbers in the run-up to the smartphone's launch on Friday, November 3. Last week an analyst with Taipei-based Yuanta Investment Consulting lowered his production estimate for the iPhone X to 36 million units, down from 40 million.
The revised forecast followed earlier warnings that Apple's TrueDepth camera may be the main production bottleneck of the iPhone X ramp. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said the facial recognition system is "far more complex" than those on competing devices, which is making it challenging for Apple to achieve mass production.
Kuo said shipments of iPhone X components will likely ramp up in mid to late October. Meanwhile, customer pre-orders begin October 27, with the potential for them to exceed 40-50 million units, according to Kuo, further suggesting the phone could be hard to come by for some time. Lower adoption of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus also indicate that many customers may be waiting for the iPhone X.
Starting in early October, Apple corporate employees in the United States began testing Apple Pay Cash internally in the iOS 11.1 beta, suggesting the person-to-person Apple Pay feature could be introduced in iOS 11.1 despite its current absence from the iOS 11.1 developer beta.
Apple has now expanded its internal Apple Pay Cash feature to its retail employees, making it available to a much wider range of people for testing purposes.
Retail employees gained access to the feature today and have been asked to install both the iOS 11.1 beta and an additional internal-only beta profile to unlock the Apple Pay Cash feature. According to the retail employee who spoke to MacRumors, Apple is also requiring iCloud accounts to be whitelisted to use Apple Pay Cash.
The Apple Pay Cash setup process can be seen in the screenshot below -- it asks customers to verify their identity with name, address, and social security number.
Apple Pay Cash works through the Messages app and is designed to allow for quick person-to-person money transfers, much like Square Cash or Venmo. It's available as a dedicated iMessage app in the built-in Messages app, with cash transferred through iMessage transactions. Though most Apple Pay Cash coverage has focused on the iPhone, money can also be sent using an Apple Watch.
When sending cash, it can be sent from a linked debit or credit card, while received cash is stored in an Apple Pay Cash card in Wallet that can be used for purchases or sent to a bank account. Sending cash through a credit card incurs a 3% fee, while sending cash from a debit card is free.
The Apple Pay Cash card available in Wallet is being made available through a partnership with Green Dot, a company that offers prepaid Discover cards.
For Apple Pay Cash to work, both parties need to have the feature enabled and activated. Money can only be sent in a one-on-one message, with Apple Pay Cash not available in group messages.
On the Apple Watch, the interface requires you to scroll past the Scribble icon in the Messages app to access the Apple Pay button. Tapping on it allows users to enter a dollar amount using the Digital Crown or on-screen buttons. Payment is then confirmed via a double click on the Digital Crown, but scrolling down allows for users to choose a different payment source than the default.
Apple first announced person-to-person Apple Pay as an iOS 11 feature at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June, but it was not implemented in any of the iOS 11 betas and towards the end of the beta testing period, Apple confirmed it would be coming in a future iOS 11 update.
Apple Pay Cash is not present in the current iOS 11.1 beta available to developers and public beta testers, but given the expanded internal beta test, it appears Apple is nearly finished with the feature and is gearing up to release it as part of the iOS 11.1 update.
T-Mobile this week quietly announced plans to tweak the way its "Mobile Without Borders" feature works, adding a 5GB data cap.
Introduced in 2015 as an Un-carrier initiative, Mobile Without Borders is a T-Mobile feature that's designed to extend LTE coverage and calling to Mexico and Canada at no additional charge. It was designed to use a customer's normal voice, message, and LTE data allotments while roaming in Mexico or Canada.
With an unlimited data plan, customers using Mobile Without Borders had access to "unlimited" 4G LTE data up to the standard cap of 50GB while in Canada or Mexico.
Starting on November 12, T-Mobile is limiting LTE data usage for Mobile Without Borders to a maximum of 5GB. After 5GB of data has been used in Mexico or Canada, or a high-speed data allotment has been reached, data speeds will be downgraded to Simple Global speeds (128kb/s for most T-Mobile plans, or 256kb/s for T-Mobile ONE Plus).
T-Mobile says that less than 1 percent of people who travel to Canada or Mexico use over 5GB in a month, and that the change is being implemented to "prevent usage beyond the intent of the product."
Customers who need more than 5GB of LTE data in Mexico or Canada can sign up for the T-Mobile ONE Plus International plan, which is an additional $25 per month on top of the cost of a T-Mobile ONE plan.
Apple's Macs aren't optimized for gaming and often don't have powerful enough GPUs to run the latest gaming titles, a problem that Nvidia is aiming to solve with its GeForce NOW service designed for Macs.
GeForce NOW for Mac, currently in beta testing in North America, lets you use a virtual GeForce GTX gaming PC in the cloud to run games that otherwise may not be possible to play on a Mac. The only requirement is a good internet connection, with the virtual gaming PC handling all of the GPU and CPU requirements.
Since Macs aren't known for being gaming machines, PC makers don't typically design new titles to run on Macs. That's also an issue that can be solved with GeForce NOW, because it can stream PC-only games too. So if you've been wanting to play Player Unknown's Battlegrounds on a Mac, for example, you can do so with GeForce NOW.
GeForce NOW integrates with Steam and works with the games you already own, so it's not a gaming service that provides access to games. You need to purchase the games you play, with GeForce NOW providing the power to play them.
I've been testing GeForce NOW this week and while it's not perfect, it's promising. Setup is as simple as downloading the GeForce NOW for Mac app and then connecting a Steam account. Since you're essentially streaming the gameplay from the cloud, when you choose a free-to-play game or a game you've purchased on Steam, you don't need to install it because it's already installed and ready to go.
With Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, I bought it on Steam, logged into GeForce NOW, and had it up and running on my 2013 iMac in about 30 seconds. GeForce NOW runs a system check when you launch it so you can tell if your connection is going to be good enough for optimal streaming.
GeForce NOW is heavily reliant on a fast internet connection, requiring a 25Mb/s download speed at a minimum and a 5GHz wireless router. Nvidia recommends a 50Mb/s connection or higher to account for other potential internet traffic. Even with a Wi-Fi connection that met those demands, I ran into some problems with frame loss that made the game unplayable a couple of times.
When switching over to a hardwired ethernet connection, the game ran more smoothly, so if you don't have a Wi-Fi connection that's robust enough, a physical connection might be necessary to use the service. I was able to successfully play over WiFi for most of my testing, though, as I didn't see the frame loss issue consistently. To ensure players get a low ping, Nvidia has servers located across the United States.
Playing PUBG using GeForce NOW was just like playing it on a PC. I was able to play right alongside PC gamers, and while there was still a bit of stuttering and lag, it worked. I was using a late 2013 iMac, but GeForce NOW is supported on a long list of machines manufactured in 2008 and beyond.
Along with PUBG, GeForce NOW supports a number of other popular games, and Nvidia is adding support for more on a regular basis. Some of the supported titles include League of Legends, Fallout 4, Overwatch, Path of Exile, World of Warcraft, The Witcher 3, Rocket League, Destiny 2, and Middle-earth: Shadow of War.
Nvidia will be beta testing GeForce NOW for Mac through the end of the year, so it's free to download and use for the time being. A launch is planned for 2018, and final pricing for the service has yet to be announced. The beta is limited to the United States and Canada.
As I mentioned on last week's roundup, I spent the previous weekend at EVE Vegas, which is one of the many fan events that CCP puts on throughout the world for EVE Online players. It turns out that what they revealed is a game with the working title of Project Aurora. EVE Online is a MMORPG where players fly around virtual spaceships, wage war against other corporations (EVE's equivalent of guilds or social groups), and all sorts of other stuff.
While it definitely disappointed a few people that Project Aurora isn't a direct port mobile client to EVE Online proper, it is really cool what a great job they did distilling the EVE experience down into an idle game where you slowly gather resources, upgrade everything, and slowly take over a hex grid space map with the rest of your corporation.
At the event we were able to play a test version of the game for the weekend and it was a ton of fun. I'm always a huge sucker for these kinds of eternally upgrade idle progress games, so I couldn't get enough. There are still no solid public plans on when Project Omega is coming, but it seems likely they'll do more testing and an eventual soft launch in the not too distant future.
Arena of Valor is an interesting mobile MOBA to follow because in China it is so unbelievably popular that it's even drawn the eye of the Chinese government. Arena of Valor in China has become the source of debates on whether teenagers should be allowed to play it for long and whether the game is pretty much a threat to social order and cohesion.
In the North American market, few people have even heard of it. Well, US players can now pre-register to get some freebies in the game when it eventually launches in November. I'm super excited to see how it does here, it's hard to imagine the game becoming as huge as it is in China, but, who knows.
Following right along with the release of The Witness when it comes to surprising but remarkably full-featured "real" games to hit the App Store is The Talos Principle. This is a full port of the console and PC puzzle game, which can be played by either a set of virtual joysticks or a tap to move movement scheme.
Our forum community has weighed in on the quality of the port — it runs well on older iOS devices, and folks have even mentioned the iPad as the best platform (among all the ones the game is on) to play it, which is some pretty high praise. The game itself sports an 88 on Metacritic and explores a story that surrounds sentient robots. If you're into premium games, don't miss this one.
World of Tanks Blitz has been a surprisingly popular mobile spinoff of the global sensation World of Tanks where you collect a bunch of different tanks and battle online against other players. Meanwhile, it's kind of felt like Games Workshop has been way too liberal with who they'll license the Warhammer 40K universe to. This time around, the licensing deal makes sense as soon you'll be able to unlock Warhammer tanks inside of World of Tanks Blitz. Details are still vague on when all this is going to be happening, but I'd be way more interested in jumping in with World of Tanks Blitz if I could pilot some giant ork tank.
Last, but not least, Discord this week announced "verified servers" which will serve as the official community chat hubs for developers like Mojang, Supercell, and others. Discord has grown to have a huge community of gamers through constant feature improvements over the years. Recently they added full video chat and screensharing to their existing suite of voice and chat communication systems.
Discord is targeted at gamers, but has all the features of the premium version of Slack. If you're looking for a Discord server to fiddle around in, come join ours. It's filled with people talking about iOS gaming 24/7.
That's about it this week. For way more iOS gaming news, reviews, and all sorts of other things that we cover around the clock, be sure to visit TouchArcade.
Apple in May purchased Beddit, a company that develops health-related hardware. It was an unusual acquisition because Apple continued to sell the company's Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor on Apple.com, and collected sleep data from the device.
As of early October, though, the Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor has been listed as "Sold Out" on Apple's website, suggesting it has perhaps been quietly retired. When an Apple product is sold out, that typically means it's not going to be restocked. Since the Apple acquisition, the device has only been sold at Apple.com and is not available elsewhere either.
With the Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor no longer available, it's not known what Apple will do with the Beddit sleep technology in the future. Apple could be planning to use the data it's collected to add more advanced health tracking and sleep monitoring into the Apple Watch, or it could roll the technology into some other kind of wearable device or hardware product similar in design to the Beddit 3.
Sleep tracking could be a planned feature for a future Apple Watch, but it remains to be seen if Apple thinks a wrist-worn sleep tracking device is the optimal solution. It is also not clear how Apple would overcome charging and battery life issues in that scenario, as Apple currently expects the device to be charged overnight. Given those limitations, other hardware solutions could be under consideration.
Apple is presumably continuing to collect, analyze, and utilize sleep-related data from the existing Beddit 3 sleep tracking devices that are in the hands of consumers, even if no additional devices will be sold.
Priced at $149 when it was available, the Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor pairs a thin, pliable under-sheet sleep sensor with an app that's designed to help users analyze and improve their sleeping habits.
It uses ballistocardiography (BCG) to measure the mechanical activity of the heart, lungs, and other body functions, a non-invasive monitoring technology that's similar to the light-based photoplethysmography the Apple Watch uses to monitor heart rate. BCG is able to measure the mechanical impulse generated by the acceleration of blood through the circulatory system, providing a wealth of data about the body.
The sleep monitor is able to track metrics like sleep time, sleep efficiency, heart rate, respiration rate, movement, snoring, room temperature, and room humidity. Following Apple's Beddit acquisition, we did an in-depth review of the Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor and concluded that there are still many hurdles Apple needs to overcome to create a sleep tracking device that's truly accurate, if a hardware solution is the ultimate goal of the purchase.
We've contacted Apple for comment on the availability of the Beddit 3 Sleep Monitor and will update this post should we hear back.
This week Target has a $100 discount on Apple's 128GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 4, with the caveat of no online shipping available. If you have a local Target with stock on the 7.9-inch iPad, however, you can get the latest iPad mini for $299.99, down from $399.99 in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold.
If you want some accessories to go with your iPad mini 4, Target has also discounted two first party Apple accessories. There's the iPad mini 4 Smart Cover with discounts between 10 and 40 percent, and the iPad mini 4 Silicone Case with discounts between 10 and 50 percent. The savings depend on your choice of color, and some models do have shipping options. When paired together, the accessories provide full front and back protection to the iPad mini 4.
For those interested in the iPhone 8, Sprint has a $350 discount on Apple's latest iPhone, with a few stipulations. You'll have to trade in an eligible smartphone towards the new iPhone 8, as well as sign up for the Sprint Flex leasing program. If you do, Sprint will mark monthly installments down to $9.72/month for the 64GB model, with an initial payment of $0. The 256GB model requires $150 down but retains the $9.72/month price.
Additionally, the 64GB iPhone 8 Plus is available for $0 today and $13.89/month installments, and the 256GB Plus model requires $150 when purchased and $13.89/month afterwards. All savings appear after a $19.45/month bill credit is applied to your account. iPhone models eligible for trade-in include: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus. Visit Sprint's deals page here for more information.
There are even more discounts to discover in our Deals Roundup, today including savings on the Philips Hue White Ambiance Smart Bulb Starter Kit, an Insignia USB wall outlet, and a combination USB 3.0 and Lightning flash drive. Also be sure to check out our giveaway post this week, where you have a chance to win some MagicGrips for your Magic Mouse, made by Elevation Lab.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Elevation Lab to give MacRumors readers a chance to win some MagicGrips that are designed for Apple's Magic Mouse.
MagicGrips, made from a solid silicone rubber, are designed to make the Magic Mouse a lot more comfortable to work with by making it wider and giving you more to hold onto. MagicGrips cover 75 percent of the sides of the Magic Mouse, but don't interfere with click travel thanks to a precise fit.
Elevation Lab says the MagicGrips are designed to create a big concave surface for your fingers, for a more relaxed grip that makes the mouse easier to use for long periods of time. When the MagicGrips were in development, the company tested more than 100 prototypes to find the ideal design that was most comfortable for the widest number of users.
MagicGrips work with all hand sizes and for both left and right-handed users, and they're compatible with both Magic Mouse 1 and 2 models. There's also an XL thumb grip for an even wider grip if desired.
The MagicGrips attach to the sides of a Magic Mouse using 3M adhesive that can be removed at any time.
Elevation Lab normally charges $12.95 for the MagicGrips, but we have 50 of them to give away, so we'll have a lot of winners for this giveaway. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (October 13) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on October 20. The winners will be chosen randomly on October 20 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Qualcomm recently filed lawsuits in China in an attempt to stop Apple from selling and manufacturing iPhones in the country, reports Bloomberg. Much of Apple's iPhone assembly process takes place in China, as does the manufacturing of many iPhone components. China is also an important market for Apple, accounting for 22.5 percent of Apple's sales in 2016.
In a filing with the Beijing intellectual property court on September 29, Qualcomm claimed patent infringement and requested injunctive relief. "Apple employs technologies invented by Qualcomm without paying for them," said a Qualcomm spokesperson about the filing.
According to Qualcomm, the lawsuits are based on three non-standard essential patents covering power management and the Force Touch technology that Apple uses in its touch screens.
Qualcomm and Apple have been embroiled in an escalating legal battle since the beginning of this year after the FTC complained that Qualcomm engaged in anticompetitive licensing practices. Shortly after, Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion and accused the company of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with" and failing to pay for quarterly rebates.
Apple stopped paying licensing fees to Qualcomm at that time, as did Apple suppliers. Apple maintains that Qualcomm charges excessive licensing fees by requesting a percentage of an iPhone's entire value, while Qualcomm says its technology is "at the heart of every iPhone."
Qualcomm has since countersued and filed several patent infringement lawsuits against Apple. Qualcomm has also asked the United States International Trade Commission to block imports of some iPhone and iPad models.
Qualcomm is also facing an FTC lawsuit in the U.S. for using anticompetitive tactics to remain the dominant supplier of baseband processors for smartphones and was recently fined $773 million in Taiwan for violating antitrust rules.
Western Digital's My Cloud Home is a network-attached personal cloud storage solution, designed to combine the convenience of cloud storage with the privacy and security of local storage.
It's available in capacities ranging from 2TB to 16TB, to meet the needs of both families and small businesses, and with apps for the Mac, PC, iOS devices, and a cloud website, content can be accessed from anywhere.
On the surface, the My Cloud Home sounds great, but there are some definite problems with the device, mostly concerning the apps that are used to access and upload your content.
Design and Features
Western Digital's My Cloud Home has a simple white and silver design with a diamond-shaped pattern at the bottom of the device and a small Western Digital logo at the front. At the back, there's a USB 3.0 port for attaching peripheral devices or attaching the My Cloud Home to a computer over USB, a spot for the power source to plug in, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. A white LED on the front lets you know when the My Cloud Home is powered on, and it will also blink if there is an issue.
The body of the My Cloud Home measures in at 7 inches tall, 5.5 inches wide, and 2 inches thick, similar in size to other network-attached storage solutions. The My Cloud Home Duo, which has double the hard drives for mirrored backup functionality, is twice as thick, but I tested the single hard drive version.
The My Cloud Home is meant to be plugged in next to a router and tucked away on a shelf, and its unassuming design works well for that purpose. Mine's hidden behind a TV on my entertainment unit because that's where my router is, so it's not visible, but I wouldn't mind if it were.
Apple is "aware of" an issue preventing the GarageBand app from opening on iOS 11 for some users, and "investigating solutions," according to a new support document published on its website on Thursday.
If the GarageBand app won't open after updating your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to iOS 11, Apple says to turn off iCloud for GarageBand on the device in Settings > Apple ID, iCloud, iTunes & App Store > iCloud.
After toggling off the feature, you won't be able to access any GarageBand songs stored in iCloud Drive until this issue is fixed, but they won't be removed from iCloud. New songs will be saved to your device locally.
Several users have reported the app crashing upon being opened on Twitter and the MacRumors discussion forums, but it doesn't affect everyone. MacRumors hasn't been able to reproduce the problem on multiple devices.
If you own a 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display released in Mid 2012 or Early 2013, and your notebook qualifies for battery service, the repair should be free if you are willing to wait for around one month.
Apple has advised Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers to offer these customers a free battery repair if they are willing to wait until at least November 15 for the service to be completed.
Apple has offered this option since August 25 due to a continued shortage of the aluminum enclosure that the battery is glued into on the aforementioned MacBook Pro models, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors.
Top case with glued-in battery for Mid 2012 15-inch MacBook Pro via iFixit
If a customer does not wish to delay the repair, Apple says that standard out-of-warranty prices for battery service apply: $199 in the United States, £199 in the United Kingdom, $289 in Australia, or $259 in Canada.
The policy doesn't apply to any other Mac, including the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 12-inch MacBook, MacBook Air, or models without Retina displays.
To check if your qualifying MacBook Pro needs battery service, click on the Apple logo in the menu bar. Then, click on About This Mac > System Report > Power. In the Health Information section, the condition should say "Service Battery."
Apple will confirm if the MacBook Pro qualifies for battery service by performing a diagnostic test at the Genius Bar at most Apple Stores. Repairs are allowed for failed, consumed, and swollen batteries.
Apple is no longer offering customers the option to exchange their MacBook Pro for a functionally equivalent model, as it did for repairs initiated between March 2 and July 25 due to the same part shortage.
During that time, many customers were able to exchange a 2012 MacBook Pro for a much newer model, such as a maxed-out refurbished 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, for just the cost of an out-of-warranty battery repair.
Update: There's been some confusion about Apple's battery replacement options in the forums. There is no official repair program or free replacement policy for 15-inch MacBook Pro batteries.
Apple will let you pay to replace a faulty battery in any MacBook Pro, but because of part constraints for 15-inch MacBook Pro models, some users have been offered a free replacement due to the wait. It appears some users have been able to successfully get a free battery replacement while others have not, so though Genius Bar employees have been advised to offer free battery repairs in situations where parts are constrained, some Apple Stores may not provide the option.
Facebook today announced that you can now order food directly from within the Facebook app on iOS. Alex Himel, Facebook's vice president of local, explained that food ordering and delivery has "gotten complicated" within other apps and services, so the company aims to streamline that process by adding it to Facebook.
Like other newly added services -- including local weather and jobs search -- "Order Food" will now be on the Explore tab of the Facebook iOS app. Facebook said this section of its app combines options from "a number of food ordering services" and accumulates them into one place. This way, you'll be able to browse restaurants near you that take orders from EatStreet, Zuppler, Slice, Delivery.com, DoorDash, ChowNow, and Olo.
You'll also be able to order food directly from Jack in the Box, Five Guys, Papa John's, Wingstop, TGI Friday's, Denny's, El Pollo Loco, Chipotle, Jimmy John's, and Panera, as well as some "local spots."
Ordering food for takeout or delivery is supposed to be simple. That’s the point. But somehow it’s gotten complicated. First you need to decide what to eat, then you have to sift through a bunch of options and services.
Today, we’re taking the time out of finding what you want to eat by officially launching the ability to order food for pick-up or delivery, directly on Facebook. People already go to Facebook to figure out what to eat by reading about nearby restaurants, and seeing what their friends say about them. So, we’re making it even easier.
Using Facebook's social aspects, you can check out restaurant reviews on their pages, and see if your own friends have left reviews before you order. Once you find the restaurant you want to order from, it'll say if it has takeout or delivery, and from there you can choose which of the food ordering services that the location supports.
Facebook said existing accounts with these services will be supported, and if you don't yet have an account you can sign up for Delivery.com, DoorDash, or any of the previously listed services without leaving Facebook.
Facebook's Order Food option in the Explore tab is rolling out now to everyone in the United States on iOS, Android, and desktop.
Apple's portion of the mobile ecosystem market increased in eight major territories in the three months ending August 2017, according to new data collected and shared by Kantar Worldpanel. Over the summer of 2017, iOS saw growth in the following territories compared to the same year-ago period: Spain (4.4 percentage point increase), followed by China (4.3), the United States (3.7), Germany (2.3), France (1.7), the European Union (1.2), Australia (0.9), and Italy (0.4).
Specifically, iOS grew from 31.3 to 35 percentage points year-over-year in the U.S., and although Android still dominates the U.S. smartphone OS market at 63.2 percentage points, it has dipped slightly from its hold of 66.1 percentage points in the same year-ago period. Dominic Sunnebo, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech's Global Business Unit Director, said that "Apple maintained strong momentum in the US one month before the release of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus," so iOS should continue to see positive growth in future data that measures the holiday months.
Galaxy S8 compared with iPhone 8
However, Apple's iOS decreased slightly in the United Kingdom/Great Britain in the summer months this year. The drop in iOS market share is said to be due to Samsung's "significant" promotional activity for its Galaxy S8 and J3 smartphones eating into Apple's pre-iPhone 8 sales. In total, Apple devices running iOS accounted for 33.9 percentage points during this summer period in the UK, dropping 2 percentage points from 35.9 one year prior.
Although this was "offset slightly" by strong sales of the iPhone SE, Samsung itself saw a 6.4 percentage point increase in the June-August 2017 period in the UK. Overall, Android OS grew from 58.9 in 2016 to capture 65.3 percentage points in the three month period. Of course, once Apple's sales of new iPhones are accounted for in future data by Kantar Worldpanel, iOS should see a resurgence.
A few Galaxy S8 owners mentioned both promotional materials put out by Samsung and a "good deal" on the device as key factors to their purchases. At the time of its launch, Samsung said the S8 marked its "best ever" pre-order period for a smartphone.
“Samsung took full advantage of the weeks just before the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were released in Great Britain, with significant promotional activity that helped drive its overall share to a three-year high of 38.4% for the three months ending August 2017,” explained Dominic Sunnebo, Global Business Unit Director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. “More than one in four Galaxy S8 buyers cited a specific promotion as a key purchase influencer, and almost half said that a good deal on the price of the phone was key to their purchase. Both of these metrics experienced a large increase over the last two months of the period.”
Otherwise, the only other regression centered in Japan and accounted for just 0.1 percentage points lost by iOS between 2016 and 2017.
iOS market share is expected to see another boost thanks to the launch of the iPhone X, which has caused many people to put off ordering the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in anticipation of Apple's greatly redesigned smartphone. Pre-orders for the device go up two weeks from today on October 27, while the official launch date will come three weeks from today on November 3.
For more data on the global market shares of smartphone operating systems, check out Kantar Worldpanel's research right here.
