A security vulnerability in T-Mobile's website let anyone gain access to the personal details of any T-Mobile customer using just a phone number, reports ZDNet.
An internal T-Mobile employee tool, promotool.t-mobile.com, had a hidden API that provided T-Mobile customer data when a customer's cell phone number was added to the end of the web address. Data that was available included full name, address, billing account number, and for some customers, tax identification numbers.
Account data, such as service status and billing status was also included, but it does not appear that credit card numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information was compromised. ZDNet says that there were "references to account PINs used by customers as a security question" which could be used to hijack T-Mobile accounts.
The API was used by T-Mobile staff to look up customer data, but it was accessible to the public and not protected by a password. T-Mobile rectified the issue in early April after it was disclosed by security researcher Ryan Stevenson, who ultimately earned $1,000.
In a statement provided to ZDNet, T-Mobile says that it does not appear customer data was accessed using the API, but research suggests the API had been exposed since at least October 2017.
A T-Mobile spokesperson said: "The bug bounty program exists so that researchers can alert us to vulnerabilities, which is what happened here, and we support this type of responsible and coordinated disclosure." "The bug was patched as soon as possible and we have no evidence that any customer information was accessed," the spokesperson added.
This is not the first unprotected API issue that T-Mobile has faced. Last year, a similar bug also exposed customer data to hackers.
T-Mobile has more than 74 million customers, and had this most recent bug been exploited, a simple script could have provided hackers with access to data on millions of people.
Since November 2017, AT&T has offered customers the chance to get the 32GB Apple TV 4K at no extra cost when they sign up and pay for either four months or three months of DirecTV Now. Since this means you pay just $105 for an Apple TV 4K (under the current offer), it's been the best deal available online for Apple's latest streaming box. According to our affiliate, an end date for this sale is set for one week from today, May 31, but AT&T has been known to extend these expiration dates in the past.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Still, it's worth a heads up about the potential end of a great offer. If you haven't yet taken advantage of the savings, follow these steps:
Select the "Live a Little" package to get the Apple TV at the lowest possible price
Choose if you want to add another stream and premium channels, or click "Skip for now"
Click "Add to plan" under the Apple TV 4K box in the Special offer section
Click "Continue" and go through the account creation and checkout processes
It's important to note that the deal is for new subscribers only, but existing subscribers can claim it by using an alternative email address from their original account, or by setting up an iCloud email alias. Once ordered, the Apple TV 4K arrives in the mail within a few weeks, and those who don't want to continue paying for DirecTV Now beyond the three months offered in this deal can cancel the service before the fourth month is billed and keep the Apple TV 4K.
There's also a pair of deals over at Costco kicking off this week, including $120 off Apple's 10.5-inch iPad from Mid 2017. With the savings, you can get the 256GB model for $649.99, down from $769.99. Additionally, Costco has the 3rd Generation Nest Learning Thermostat for $149.99, down from around $200 and one of the best prices currently available online.
Comparatively, Nest is selling the device directly on its storefront for $50 off for Memorial Day, priced at $199.99, and the Nest Thermostat E has been marked down by $20, to $149.99. Both come with a free Google Home Mini when purchased on Nest.com during the limited sale.
For those looking to discover new Mac gaming deals, The Wet Hot Aspyr Summer Sale has kicked off this May, with a series of notable discounts on many macOS- and iOS-compatible games available now and coming throughout May and June. The company says that it'll refresh its deals on the Thursday of every week, so be sure to check back with our Deals Roundup for the newest games on sale.
The game discounts listed below will expire on Thursday, May 31:
Mophie today announced the launch of the Charge Stream Travel Kit, which is a wireless charging kit that's designed for use while traveling, as the name suggests.
Designed for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus, as well as other Qi-enabled devices, the Charge Stream Travel Kit includes a 5W Charge Stream Pad Mini, which is a wireless charger that can also be purchased separately, paired with a 2.4A wall adapter, a 2.4A car adapter, and a 1.5-foot USB-A to micro-USB cable.
All of the components for the travel kit come in a handy case that keeps them all together and that can be easily stowed in a backpack or a car.
The Charge Stream Pad Mini is a 5W charger, which means it's not going to charge the iPhone X, 8, and 8 Plus at the faster 7.5W charging speed. Design wise, the Charge Stream Pad Mini is compact and slightly elevated with a low profile design that works anywhere. It includes a non-slip rubber grip to keep your iPhone in place.
Mophie is charging $49.95 for the Charge Stream Travel Kit on its website and the Charge Stream Mini Pad can also be purchased separately for $24.95.
First Alert has announced that its Onelink Safe & Sound smoke and carbon monoxide detector is now available to order.
Introduced at CES 2018, the Onelink Safe & Sound distinguishes itself from a traditional smoke detector with a built-in speaker and noice-canceling microphones, and support for Amazon Alexa, making it a ceiling-mounted assistant.
Homeowners can ask Alexa to stream music from Amazon Music, Pandora, and soon Spotify, read the news, check the weather, control other smart home devices, and more. Audio playback is also supported via Bluetooth.
Onelink Safe & Sound also supports HomeKit, enabling iPhone and iPad users to control the detector with Siri or Apple's Home app.
While its latest press release does not mention AirPlay 2, First Alert has informed MacRumors that the Safe & Sound's speaker will support the since-delayed Apple protocol as soon as it is available, enabling multi-room audio and Siri control for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users through the Home app.
AirPlay 2 support will allow a homeowner to install multiple detectors around the house and control audio on a room-by-room basis.
In terms of the detector itself, an alarm alerts homeowners on their smartphones in the event of a smoke or carbon monoxide emergency, whether home or away. With exclusive voice and location technology by First Alert, the Safe & Sound alerts users to the type of danger and its location within the home.
Beyond its smart alarm capabilities, the Safe & Sound also features a customizable night light with multiple colors and brightness levels.
The Onelink Safe & Sound is currently available for $249.99 from Amazon and First Alert's online store in the United States, but a regular price of $299.99 is listed. It's unclear when the $50 off introductory offer will end.
As part of an ongoing lawsuit over the "Touch Disease" manufacturing issue affecting iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, Apple was required to provide the court with internal testing documents that suggest the company knew about iPhone 6 and 6 Plus design problems before the two devices launched.
The full scope of the internal documents remain under seal, but the judge presiding over the case, Lucy Koh, made some of the information public when she published an opinion on the case earlier this month, and Motherboard shared the details she offered up about the case.
Apple knew that the iPhone 6 was 3.3 times more likely to bend than the iPhone 5s, while the iPhone 6 Plus was 7.2 times more likely to bend ahead of the release of the two devices. Publicly, though, Apple said that the two devices had been "thoroughly tested" and evaluated for "strength and durability." Bending, according to Apple, was "extremely rare" and only happened to a small number of customers.
At the heart of the Touch Disease problem is an earlier issue that received widespread attention -- bendgate.
Bendgate was the first and most visible issue affecting the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but the malleability of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is also what led to Touch Disease, which occurs when the chip that detects touch input becomes unseated from the logic board from bending or as Apple claims, multiple drops. Apple quietly addressed Touch Disease in an engineering change implemented in May 2016, but did not launch a repair program until months later after the problem received significant attention. From Judge Koh:
After internal investigation, Apple determined underfill was necessary to resolve the problems caused by the touchscreen defect. As the Plaintiffs explain, "[u]nderfill is a bead of epoxy encapsulant that is placed on a circuit chip to reinforce its attachment to the board substrate and to stiffen the surrounding assembly. ... Underfill is used to prevent the manifestation of chip defects induced by bending because it reinforces the connections and prevents them from bending away from the substrate."
As part of the repair program that Apple eventually put in place, the company is replacing devices affected by Touch Disease with a replacement device for a service fee of $149.
The Touch Disease lawsuit is still ongoing and not all documentation has been made public. Judge Koh recently denied the plantiffs' attempt to get class certification, but an appeal is in the works. The full court document covering the denial for class certification is available from Motherboard.
In March 2017, a report from Bloomberg stated that Verizon Communications was preparing to launch its own live streaming television service, entering as a competitor to DirecTV Now, Sling TV, PS Vue, and more. Later in October, the service was delayed to 2018, and now company CEO Lowell McAdam has hinted that plans for the OTT platform will shift to a partnership-focused model.
Speaking with Yahoo Finance this week, McAdam said that he believes the "linear" model of TV is dead, referencing how viewers traditionally received their content via a strict live schedule, in contrast to on-demand streaming. Reporting on the interview, Multichannel News stated McAdam is looking into integrating Oath's content (a subsidiary of Verizon) with an existing over-the-top provider.
McAdam is believed to have a partner for this picked out soon, and the plan is to launch in the fourth quarter of 2018. Back in October, McAdam stated that the company was giving itself six months to decide whether to offer the service as stand-alone or through a partnership -- a decision that now appears to be made.
Well by the time we launch in fourth quarter we will have a partner picked out, and we'll integrate our Oath assets into the linear assets that they have and bring the full package to customers. We think that's gonna be a big hit from a customer perspective.
It's uncertain which platform Verizon might choose with the growing stable of live TV streaming services on the market. Least likely candidates are DirecTV Now due to AT&T's ownership of the service, and T-Mobile's own upcoming OTT service. Other popular services include YouTube TV, Hulu With Live TV, and fuboTV. All of these include options to watch linear live tv, as well as check out content at any time on demand.
At the time of the initial rumor, Verizon's platform was reported to launch with "dozens" of channels and run between $20/month and $35/month, which are Sling TV's and DirecTV Now's starting prices, respectively. At the time of the delay, people close to the company referenced staff shuffling, negotiations for streaming rights, and technology reboots as contributing factors to the postponed launch, and likely affected the company's decision to partner with an existing service instead.
At one point Apple was hoping to become a competitor in the live-streaming service field with its own dedicated cord-cutting bundle, but rumors of that service died down after news came out that the company was "frustrated" by its repeated inability to reach mutually beneficial terms with network programmers. Now, Apple is focusing on launching an on-demand streaming service along the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
A selection of 8-core, 10-core, and 18-core configurations are available with various storage, memory, and graphics options, priced between $4,249 and $8,159 in the United States, reflecting savings of 15 percent. All of the refurbished configurations are currently available with next-day delivery.
The base model iMac Pro with a 3.2GHz eight-core Intel Xeon W processor, 32GB of DDR4 ECC memory, 1TB of SSD storage, and Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics is available for $4,249, for example, compared to $4,999 brand new.
Apple released the iMac Pro in December 2017 as a powerful, top-of-the-line workstation designed for professional users with demanding workflows, such as advanced video and graphics editing, virtual reality content creation, and real-time 3D rendering. Benchmarks have proven it is by far the fastest Mac ever.
The all-in-one desktop workstation has a 27-inch Retina 5K display within a sleek Space Gray enclosure, and can be configured with up to an 18-core Intel Xeon processor, up to 4TB of SSD storage, up to 128GB of ECC RAM, and up to an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics processor with 16GB of HBM2 memory.
Apple says all refurbished iMac Pro models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned, and repackaged with a new box and all manuals and accessories, including a Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad and Magic Mouse 2 in Space Gray. Apple's refurbished products are generally indistinguishable from brand new ones.
Any refurbished iMac Pro model comes with Apple's standard one-year warranty effective on the date the computer is delivered. The warranty can be extended to up to three years from the original purchase date with AppleCare+ for iMac, at a cost of $169 in the United States, but the plan is unavailable in Canada.
All in all, customers can save between $750 and $1,440 on an iMac Pro, but better deals are sometimes offered by third-party resellers. Micro Center stores, for example, have twiceoffered $1,000 off the base model iMac Pro.
Music video platform Vevo has confirmed that it will be shutting down all of its mobile apps and consumer-facing video hosting website, signaling a shift in its business to focus on YouTube (via Variety). Apps affected include those for iOS and Android, but as of now "select" smart TV apps, potentially including Apple TV, will continue to run.
Vevo is well known for being a platform that users can go to watch the latest music videos, but many viewers simply use the company's YouTube channel, leading Vevo's iOS, Android, Apple TV, and other apps to struggle with growth. After the discontinuation of its apps and website, Vevo's YouTube channel will become the primary source of its music video distribution.
Major-label owned Vevo is giving up on plans to build its own music video platform outside of YouTube’s control: Vevo is shutting down its mobile apps and consumer-facing website, the company announced Thursday morning.
“We will phase out elements of our owned and operated platforms,” the company said in a blog post Thursday. “Going forward, Vevo will remain focused on engaging the biggest audiences and pursuing growth opportunities.”
To ensure a smooth transition, Vevo will provide a playlist tool to its mobile app users so they can import their Vevo playlists over to YouTube. In the iOS app [Direct Link] for iPhone and iPad, Vevo offers its users personalized recommendations, user profiles to follow, specific notifications about new videos and live performances, and more -- all of which will now go away.
The announcement comes a few weeks after it was revealed that YouTube and Vevo have a new deal that lets YouTube sell the music video platform's clips directly to advertisers, in an effort to boost ad sales. The sunsetting of Vevo apps also follows months of shakeups at the company, with former CEO Erik Huggers leaving in December, head of product Mark Hall leaving in January, chief technology officer Alex Nunes departing in the spring, and "significant" layoffs to Vevo's product and engineering teams at the same time.
Apple has also been increasing its focus on music videos within its Music app, launching a dedicated "Music Videos" section inside of Apple Music this spring. In the new area, subscribers can find new weekly playlists for various genres, browse through the latest videos, watch exclusive content, and more.
Pioneer has joined Alpine as the second electronics maker to release wireless CarPlay systems for aftermarket installation.
AVH-W4400NEX
Introduced at CES 2018 in January, product listings have since confirmed that Pioneer's latest AVH-W4400NEX and AVIC-W8400NEX receivers are capable of not only wired and wireless Android Auto, but also wired and wireless CarPlay, enabling drivers to connect an iPhone to either receiver via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Receivers with wired implementations require connecting an iPhone with a Lightning to USB cable to access CarPlay functionality.
The lower-end AVH-W4400NEX features a double-DIN design with a seven-inch resistive touchscreen. The receiver has a suggested price of $699.99 in the United States through resellers such as Crutchfield and Sound of Tri-State. It's also available for C$899.99 in Canada via Best Buy's online store.
The higher-end AVH-W8400NEX features a double-DIN design with a seven-inch capacitive touchscreen. The receiver has a suggested price of $1,199.99 in the United States through resellers such as Crutchfield and Sound of Tri-State. It's also available for C$1,399.99 in Canada via Best Buy's online store.
AVH-W8400NEX
The $500 price difference between the two receivers largely relates to the type of touchscreen used. Capacitive touchscreens—think of an iPhone—rely on the electrical charge of a finger, and are generally considered to be better than resistive touchscreens, which rely on the physical pressure of a finger or stylus.
Both receivers feature CD/DVD drives, AM/FM, HD Radio, SiriusXM compatibility, two rear USB-A ports, SD card readers, and hands-free phone calls and music playback via Bluetooth in standard AppRadio Mode.
Following in the footsteps of companies like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, YouTube this week confirmed that it is "experimenting" with a way to organize its users Subscription Feeds that removes reverse chronological order and uses algorithms to "personalize" the video order. The news came from the @TeamYouTube Twitter account after it responded to a disgruntled user (via iGeneration).
YouTube's Subscription Feed traditionally begins with a "Today" banner, presenting users with a reverse chronological list of every video that has been posted by the YouTubers they subscribe to, going back to "Yesterday," "This Week," "This Month," etc. For those in the experiment, this order is replaced with what Team YouTube calls a "personalized order," which appears to use a viewer's watch history and other factors to recommend videos from their subscriptions that the company thinks the user will want to watch.
Just to clarify. We are currently experimenting with how to show content in the subs feed. We find that some viewers are able to more easily find the videos they want to watch when we order the subs feed in a personalized order vs always showing most recent video first.
— Team YouTube (@TeamYouTube) May 23, 2018
YouTube already presents "Recommended" videos on its homepage and in the sidebar of other videos, leading many YouTubers to respond negatively to the change of the last chronological list of videos that could be found on the service. It's unclear what platforms the experiment is currently taking place on, but if it launches for all users it would likely affect YouTube across mobile, desktop, TV, and more.
Using algorithms to surface content has long been popular among social media networks. Facebook's News Feed has done this for years, and Instagram followed in March 2016 stating that as it's grown its users "often don’t see the posts [they] might care about the most," although the company has made slight tweaks to the algorithms since then. For its part, Twitter as a whole still shows tweets from new to old, but it does choose to surface non-chronological content with features like "In case you missed it," displaying followers' liked tweets among your own, ads, and more.
Apple Pay is launching a new promo today, offering new Postmates customers the chance to get their first delivery free when they check out with Apple Pay. This summer promotion is a bit lengthier than previous offers from Apple, running through 11:59 p.m. on June 30.
Apple notes in the fine print of the deal that the offer is only applicable to new customers who have not previously made an order on Postmates. Otherwise, you can place your first order, use Apple Pay to check out, and wave the delivery fee. No promo code is required.
The summer-themed e-mail promotion also highlights other stores where Apple Pay is accepted, like Whole Foods, Gap, and Crate and Barrel, where Apple says you can "find all you'll need to entertain" for summertime parties. In apps, the company encourages you to pay using Apple Pay in Overstock, Jet, and Kohl's.
Apple previously partnered with Postmates in one of these promotions during the holidays last year, offering free deliveries on all orders over $20 if you used Apple Pay to sign up for Postmates Unlimited. More recently, the company has promoted Hayneedle, 1-800-Flowers, and Instacart.
Popular read-it-later service Instapaper has temporarily suspended user access across Europe as it comes to terms with the EU's impending General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws.
In a message sent to users yesterday – subsequently shared via Twitter courtesy of tech reporter Owen Williams - the bookmarking service said it needs extra time to make necessary changes to comply with GDPR before the deadline on Friday, May 25.
Starting tomorrow May 24, 2018, access to the Instapaper service will be temporarily unavailable for residents in Europe as we continue to make changes in light of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which goes into effect May 25, 2018. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we intend to restore access as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about your account, would like us to generate an export of your saves, or want to check in on our progress, please let us know at support@help.instapaper.com. We look forward to having the same Instapaper service you know and love accessible in Europe in the very near future. Thanks for your patience.
Instapaper gave no indication how long the service would be suspended, and offered no further details on why it has waited until now to take action, almost two years after companies were informed of the GDPR timeline.
Created by Marco Arment in 2008, Instapaper was one of the first apps that implemented read-it-later functionality, and it was certainly one of the most widely used and well-known apps in the genre. The service was acquired by Pinterest in 2016, which may have complicated efforts for GDPR compliance given the potential for data sharing between the parent company and its subsidiary.
Businesses that interact with users in the EU must comply with the GDPR law, which sets out requirements on the collection, storage, and handling of personal data. Companies who fail to do so by the deadline risk heavy fines.
On Wednesday, Apple launched a new Data & Privacy website, which provides customers in the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland with the ability to download all the personal information tied to their Apple ID account.
Apple has signed a deal with Volkswagen to use Volkswagen vans as self-driving shuttles designed to transport employees around its various campuses and office buildings in the San Francisco Bay Area, reports The New York Times.
Apple has been working on developing the shuttle program, called "PAIL" or Palo Alto to Infinite Loop, since last summer. At the time news of Apple's work on the program first surfaced, the company was said to be planning to install its own self-driving software in a commercial vehicle from an automaker, which has turned out to be Volkswagen.
One of the Lexus SUVs Apple uses to test its autonomous driving software
Under the terms of the deal, T6 Transporter vans from Volkswagen will be turned into self-driving shuttles for employees.
Apple's self-driving shuttle program is said to be behind schedule and "consuming nearly all of the Apple car team's attention," hinting at ongoing problems on its car-related project, which has already been scaled back.
Apple originally had grander plans for autonomous vehicles and over the course of the past several years, attempted to ink deals with companies like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, which would have led to the development of an all-electric autonomous vehicle.
According to today's report, no deal was able to be established because Apple was asking potential partner companies to "hand over control" of data and design, something no car manufacturer was prepared to do.
Apple is now working on its shuttle program and has been testing several Lexus SUVs equipped with self-driving hardware and software out on the streets of Cupertino and surrounding areas. Beyond the shuttle plan, Apple is said to have no clear idea of what it's going to do with its autonomous driving project.
Apple is expected to preview the next-generation version of macOS, macOS 10.14, at the keynote event for the Worldwide Developers Conference, set to be held on June 4. Though the keynote is less than two weeks away, we've heard little about what we might expect to see in the new version of macOS aside from the possibility of cross-compatible Mac and iOS apps.
With so few rumors about macOS 10.14 available, we turned to the MacRumors community to ask our readers what they would like to see the most in the next version of macOS.
Unified macOS and iOS design - With rumors of apps compatible with both iOS devices and Macs, MacRumors reader Glmnet1 would also like to see a more unified design between Macs and iOS devices. What that might look like is unclear, and while it could happen at some point, it's not likely for this year as we're not expecting major design changes with iOS 12 or macOS 10.14.
Apple iOS apps for Mac - In the same vein, based on cross platform app rumors, several MacRumors readers would like to see iOS-exclusive apps like Apple News, Health, Activity, and Home made available on the Mac. A dedicated Apple Music app that's separate from iTunes is also on at least one reader's wishlist, as is an improved version of iTunes.
HomeKit - A way to control HomeKit devices on Mac is a highly requested feature, either through the aforementioned Home app for the Mac or through Siri. At the current time, while Siri is available on macOS, the personal assistant can't control HomeKit devices from the Mac.
Complications as Menu Bar items - Complications are limited to the Apple Watch, but since the device's debut, Apple Watch users have been hoping for their expansion to other platforms, including macOS and iOS. MacRumors reader ButteryScrollin would like Apple Watch-style complications to be added to the Mac's Menu Bar, introducing new quick-access shortcuts.
Split-Screen improvements - MacRumors reader bmac89 would like some iPad-like improvements to the Mac's split-screen functionality, with options for dragging to resize or dismiss a split-screen view, opening apps into a split-screen view from the Dock or Spotlight, and initiating split-screen in the same way.
APFS improvements - With macOS High Sierra, Apple introduced a new Apple Filesystem. The rollout of APFS was something of a nightmare for Apple customers who have Fusion drives that combine SSDs with traditional hard drives, and to this day, Apple has not implemented APFS support for Fusion drives. MacRumors reader Ncrypt would also like to see Apple use APFS to allow for macOS updates to install in the background to cut down on installation times.
Group FaceTime - Group FaceTime is on both the macOS 10.14 and iOS 12 wishlists, and while it's something Apple is rumored to be working on, it's not clear if this is a feature that's ready for debut.
As with iOS 12, many readers listed performance and stability improvements at the top of their wishlists for macOS 10.14, and it's likely this is on Apple's to-do list as well. Apple is rumored to have delayed some macOS 10.14 and iOS 12 features to 2019 in order to focus on internal improvements following a slew of high-profile bugs that have impacted iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra.
What new features are you hoping Apple adds to macOS 10.14? Let us know in the comments. Make sure you check out our macOS 10.14 roundup for more on what we might see in the update, including possible naming choices. We've also got a separate iOS 12 wishlist that has a list of what MacRumors readers are hoping will come to iOS in 2018.
Hadoro, a Parisian company that specializes in high-priced upscale iPhone cases, custom iPhones, and Apple Watch bands, today released a new lineup of custom iPhone X models made from a range of luxury materials including wood, sapphire glass, carbon fiber, marble, and alligator leather set in anodized stainless steel frames.
It's not cheap to replace the entire casing of an iPhone with a new shell crafted from expensive, rare materials, so these iPhones, priced at 4,500 to 8,900 euros ($5,250 - $10,400) are not designed for the average Apple customer.
The most expensive of the devices replace the glass body of the iPhone X with a gold-plated frame covered in alligator leather complete with a diamond Apple logo, while some of the more affordable options are made from anodized, gold plated stainless steel covered with Karelian birch, sourced from a small forest in Finland.
Several other iPhones feature back panels made from durable, scratch proof sapphire glass, which as we know, Apple at one point explored as a material for the iPhone. The Moire Gold iPhone X, for example, features sapphire glass with a silkscreen printed moiré design nestled in a frame made from black anodized stainless steel and carbon fiber.
The craziest of Hadoro's iPhone X models is a carbon fiber model that has a 3D image of a skeleton with glowing eye sockets. The eyes of the skeleton light up whenever the iPhone is turned on, and the color can be customized in the device settings.
All of these modified iPhones start out as the 256GB iPhone X and then have the housing, buttons, and Apple logo replaced with new materials. In many cases, the logos on these devices light up thanks to the modifications put in place. Core functionality remains intact, but for devices where the glass has been replaced by other materials, wireless charging is likely to be affected.
The aforementioned light up Apple logos glow whenever the iPhone is turned on or when an incoming call or text message is received, and the settings can be tweaked on the phone itself.
Replacing the casing of the iPhone naturally voids the standard Apple warranty, but people able to shell out thousands of dollars for a fancy iPhone aren't likely too concerned about that. Hadoro does, however, include a one-year warranty with purchase.
If you have $5,000+ earmarked for a new iPhone, you can check out Hadoro's full custom iPhone X collection on its website.
There's been a market for insanely priced custom iPhone models for years now, and Hadoro isn't the only one selling crazy custom devices. Caviar, another manufacturer known for creating iPhones from custom materials, recently debuted the iPhone X Tesla, an iPhone inspired by Tesla vehicles that is able to charge using solar power.
The iPhone X Tesla is is priced at just over $4,600, and for that price, you get the aforementioned solar charger with shock resistant panel and a custom carbon fiber frame. Caviar also has a range of other custom iPhone X models for those seeking the most ostentatious designs available.
Earlier this month, smart bike helmet Lumos debuted at Apple retail stores and online, leveraging technology to help make your ride safer. Outfitted with a total of 48 LEDs on the front and back in red, white, and yellow, the Lumos helmet significantly increases your visibility to drivers and pedestrians while also allowing you to signal upcoming turns.
Since its Kickstarter launch, Lumos has supported bike helmet turn signals using a two-button remote mounted on the handlebars, lighting up yellow LEDs on the corresponding side of the helmet at the front and rear. A brand-new feature adds Apple Watch gesture support, letting you calibrate the system to detect bicycle arm signals based on watch orientation and automatically turn on the left or right signals on the helmet accordingly.
My wife Laura is an avid cyclist, so she was a good test subject for the Lumos helmet, which she has taken out on several group rides over the past few weeks. She came away impressed with some of the helmet's features and the comforting feeling of being more visible as it became darker in the evening, but other aspects still need some tweaking.
Installation
Mounting the turn signal remote is a relatively simple affair, using a pair of rubber rings to wrap around the handlebars and secure the remote base, and then the remote itself simply twists onto the base to lock it in. It's an easy installation process that fits a variety of handlebar diameters, although if you've already got a headlight and bike computer mounted on your handlebars you might find yourself running out of room to mount the Lumos remote.
Remote base attached on left side of handlebars
In fact, given the other items already on her handlebars, Laura's only option was to mount the remote base on her grip tape, which made securing it a bit tricky with the uneven and somewhat squishy surface. She would have preferred some sort of stem mounting option to keep it within easy reach on her crowded handlebars. But depending on the style of bike you ride and the accessories you have, the crowding may not be an issue for you.
Remote attached to base
Crowding issues aside, the simple installation process is a benefit for commuter cyclists in particular, making it easy to take the remote with you so that it doesn't get stolen from your parked bike. The remote also needs to be recharged periodically, so easy installation and removal are key.
Getting on the Road and Signaling
Pairing everything up is also simple, just holding some buttons on the helmet and remote and coordinating with the iPhone app and then you're good to go. It's easy to use the remote to signal left and right turns, with large, easy-to-press buttons that light up while a turn is being signaled, although you do have to manually press the button again to turn off the signaling.
Gesture-based Apple Watch signaling should make life significantly easier while also encouraging riders to use arm signals that help make drivers aware of upcoming movements, although Laura had a bit of trouble getting it to work consistently at first. There is a calibration process that walks you through holding your left arm straight out to signal a left turn and then pointed upward to signal a right turn.
Yellow lights in chevron shape flash when signaling a left turn
The calibration process is quick, requiring you to hold your arm in a neutral position on the handlebars and then while signaling left and right, but once she was out on the road for her first ride, Laura found that gesture recognition was rather finicky. Initially, it would register only one direction, and after she stopped and recalibrated only the other direction would register. Several recalibrations during that ride failed to result in consistent signaling.
On her second ride, however, she apparently found a sweet spot in the calibration, as it was much more consistent in recognizing her arm movements and properly signaling. On the downside, limitations in the movements the watch's accelerometer can detect did result in some unintended signaling. Waving to a friend or even scratching her nose activated the turn signals, and with your hands frequently moving around on the bike to adjust grip, wipe away sweat, or grab a drink of water, it's easy to unintentionally activate the turn signals.
When using the Apple Watch to initiate turn signals on Lumos, you have to shake your wrist to turn off the signal once you've completed your turn, and Laura found that she had to shake rather vigorously to get the signals to turn off.
The helmet also beeps while the turn signal is activated, which gives you some important feedback considering you can't see the lights on your head. The beeping is clearly audible to others around you, which can be a benefit or annoying depending on your environment and your biking companions, although you can adjust the frequency of the beeping.
The beeping is also nondirectional, as it comes from the main electronics center in the rear of the helmet. It would be nice if Lumos had a speaker on each side near your ears to give you audible confirmation of which signal is flashing. At the very least, different beeping tones or patterns for each direction would be helpful.
It would also be nice if the remote and Apple Watch worked better together, such as allowing either one to deactivate the turn signal regardless of which method was used to activate it, or having the appropriate button on the remote flash when the signal has been activated via Apple Watch. As it stands, the two methods of triggering the turn signal work essentially independently.
One interesting benefit to using Lumos is that it encourages more consistent use of arm signals in general. With many riders not adequately signaling their turning intentions, tying those signals into the watch on your wrist and your helmet gives you extra motivation to use those arm signals. Some of that is undoubtedly a novelty effect that will wear off with regular usage, but it still provides a bit of incentive to signal.
Lighting Modes
Lumos offers three distinct lighting modes, steady, rapid flash, and slow flash. Which one you use is largely personal preference based which one you believe will make you most visible, but it's worth noting that the helmet's battery will last significantly longer if you use one of the flashing modes rather than steady mode. Switching between modes is accomplished by short presses on the single power button at the rear of the helmet. It's easy to do unless the helmet is on your head, so make sure you decide which mode you want before you start riding, or else pull over to a safe place to change it. For the most part, however, it's simply going to be "set it and forget it" at the beginning of your ride.
Rear lights at dusk
Laura felt that all three modes were sufficiently bright, offering a comforting feeling that she could be easily seen on the road, particularly as it started to get darker out in the evening. The lights appeared roughly as bright as the taillight she uses on her road bike, although Lumos advises that the helmet should not be used as a substitute for mounted bike lights.
The front helmet lights in particular are only intended to make you more visible, and you're still going to want a more focused headlight for your bike to help you see where you're going and make you even more visible at dusk or at night.
Front lights in daylight
As with regular bike lights, Lumos really won't do much for you during the day, particularly in bright sunlight.
Braking
Lumos has rolled out a new beta feature that illuminates extra red lights on the rear of the helmet to signal that you're coming to a stop. The feature is intended to automatically sense hard braking using an accelerometer inside the remote control.
Unfortunately, Laura was unable to get the feature to activate properly during her on-road testing. The feature seemed to work in simulated stopping scenarios holding the remote in the hand off the bike, and it briefly worked during some testing on the bike when the helmet stopped registering gestures from her Apple Watch, so maybe there was some conflict between the watch and the remote. Hopefully this is something Lumos can continue to refine to make it perform more consistently, and as noted it is still considered a beta feature.
App Tracking
The Lumos iPhone app includes a variety of features, including battery status of the helmet and remote, as well as advanced tracking for your rides. With GPS tracking, the Lumos app will map your rides and break down various statistics like calories burned, watts generated, and more.
The app can also be set to automatically start tracking when the helmet senses you've begun riding, so you can't forget to hit the start button on your tracking. Lumos also supports Strava and Apple Health, making it easy to integrate with your other exercise and health tracking.
Battery Life
Lumos says the battery on the helmet last about six hours in flashing mode or about three hours in steady mode. That's pretty accurate based on Laura's testing, which saw a fully charged helmet drop to 46 percent at the end of a ride that lasted about an hour and 45 minutes with the helmet in steady lighted mode. The remote should last anywhere from a week to a month on a single charge, depending on use.
Both the helmet and the handlebar remote charge using a USB-A cable with a proprietary magnetic connector on the other end. The connector allows for low-profile ports on the helmet and remote, but the magnetic connection isn't the strongest. On the helmet in particular, Laura had to be very careful to make sure it was connected properly and then be extremely gentle when moving the helmet at all during charging to prevent the cable from coming loose. Fully charging the helmet takes a couple of hours, while the remote is a bit faster.
Wrap-up
A decent bike helmet can cost $100 or more, and lights for your bike quickly add up as well, so $180 for a helmet with a bright array of lighting mounted high on your front and back doesn't seem out of line, not to mention the added safety factor of turn signals and potentially brake lights. If you don't need the turn signals and brake light capabilities, Lumos offers a cheaper "Lite" version of the helmet for $140 that only has the front and rear lights for visibility.
The regular Lumos helmet is offered in Pearl White, Charcoal Black, and Cobalt Blue, while the Lite version is available in Polar White and Charcoal Black. The regular and Lite versions are also available through Amazon.
Lumos has also just launched pre-orders for a version that includes the increasingly popular MIPS technology that can lessen forces experienced in certain types of impacts. The MIPS Lumos helmet in black will begin shipping in mid-July and is available for pre-order at a discounted price of $199.99, down from the regular $219.99 pricing.
Laura was impressed with the fit of Lumos, as she frequently has trouble finding helmets that fit well and that was certainly not the case with Lumos, even though it's designed as a one-size-fits-all helmet for head sizes of 54–62 cm (21.3–24.4 inches).
Lumos is really aimed at commuter cyclists, where frequent turns in congested urban environments and relatively short rides are the norm. It's a bit less useful for road cyclists who take fewer turns and for whom longer rides might exceed the battery life of the helmet, although those rides are typically in daylight when lights are less important. Even for road cyclists, the bright lights mounted on your head offer great visibility to vehicles around you, and it's comforting to know the most important part of your body is most visible.
There are a few quirks with Lumos, most of which should be able to be fixed via software updates, so hopefully Lumos will continue to refine performance based on user feedback and data collected from testing.
Even with those quirks, the safety factor Lumos brings is a tremendous benefit that makes the helmet worth considering, and the Apple Watch turn signal gestures are a clever way to make the technology integration feel more natural. Overall though, Lumos does seem to require a decent bit of fiddling to keep things working properly, which might be okay if you're into the latest tech gadgetry, but if you just want to hop on your bike and go, you might not get as much fun out of it.
Note: Lumos provided the bike helmet to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.
A second class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple over problematic keyboards in recent MacBook and MacBook Pro models.
Like the first lawsuit last week, this complaint alleges that small amounts of dust or debris accumulating on 2015-and-later MacBook and 2016-and-later MacBook Pro keyboards can render the butterfly switch mechanism underneath individual keys non-functional, according to court documents obtained by MacRumors.
In some cases, the butterfly switches can also break entirely, resulting in the affected key becoming detached from the keyboard.
MacRumors first highlighted customer complaints about the 2016 MacBook Pro keyboard over a year ago, including non-functional keys, strange high-pitched sounds on some keys, and keys with a non-uniform feel. An excerpt from the complaint, filed on Tuesday by law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe in Northern California district court:
Butterfly switch keyboards, which Apple began to use in 2015 on MacBooks and in 2016 on MacBook Pros, are even lower profile than scissor switch keyboards. They still prop up the keys with two intersecting pieces of plastic, but their profile is so low that the key barely "travels" at all when it is depressed. True to the name, butterfly switches are also extremely delicate, held in place by four tiny threads of brittle plastic.
Because of their very low profile, butterfly switch keyboards are resistant to the accumulation of debris underneath the keys. However, when dust or other tiny particles do get beneath the keys, they are capable of rendering the butterfly switches nonfunctional. Further, the keys cannot be removed without risk of damage to the keyboard, which may void Apple's warranty.
Much of this second lawsuit echoes the first, including the proposed class:
This action is brought on behalf of all persons in the United States who purchased, other than for resale, a model year 2015 or later Apple MacBook or a model year 2016 or later MacBook Pro laptop, which are equipped with "butterfly switch" keyboards.
The complaint alleges that "thousands of consumers" have suffered from these issues, with customer complaints prevalent across blog posts, tweets, comments on forums like MacRumors, an ongoing Change.org petition that has received over 27,000 signatures, and even a satirical song and video.
The complaint adds that Apple is "aware of" or "should have known" about the defect through either pre-release product testing, customer complaints, or a combination of the two, but has "at all times failed to disclose that the keyboard is defective" because repairs and replacements prove to be costly.
Apple knew or should have known of the butterfly keyboard defects before the Laptops were ever sold to the public, as a result of standard pre-release product testing. Further… Apple knew or should have known that that the Laptops were defective shortly after the 12-inch MacBooks were initially launched in 2015, and shortly after the MacBook Pros were launched in 2016, because, shortly after each launch, the keyboard was the subject of numerous consumer complaints published on the Company's website and a variety of internet message boards, such as MacRumors, social and traditional media, and retailer websites. Apple continuously monitors its own website as well as other web pages, including MacRumors…
This complaint, like the first, acknowledges that Apple provides a support document with instructions to clean the keyboard of a MacBook or MacBook Pro with "an unresponsive key or "a key that feels different than the other keys," but notes that the steps "will not permanently repair the defect."
Instead, many customers have to resort to the Genius Bar. In the United States, Apple charges an out-of-warranty fee of $700 to replace the keyboard on affected MacBook Pro models, as the process requires replacing the entire top case assembly, the aluminum enclosure housing the keyboard, trackpad, and speaker grilles.
The complaint shares an experience had by Joey Baruch, one of three named plaintiffs alongside Remy Turner and Christopher Martin:
On July 21, 2017, plaintiff Joey Baruch purchased a MacBook Pro 13 inch from an Apple Store in Sherman Oaks, California, and paid $1,974.91. Following his purchase, Mr. Baruch set up his Laptop for use pursuant to the instructions provided. Shortly after his purchase, Mr. Baruch noticed the sporadic failure of certain keys, including the space bar, and the "R", "T" and "Enter" keys. This problem impaired Mr. Baruch's ability to use the Laptop.
Once the problem began, Mr. Baruch tried to clean the keyboard using compressed air or a cloth to improve its performance, but the problem progressively got worse. By early 2018, the keyboard performance became so bad that Mr. Baruch needed to take his Laptop in for repair. He brought it to the Apple Store in Sherman Oaks, California. Mr. Baruch is informed and believes his keyboard was replaced. The repair occurred at or about the end of March 2018, and took approximately 5 days.
Shortly thereafter, however, the issue resumed on the new keyboard, including the space bar sticking. The Laptop’s poor performance has become a substantial distraction for Mr. Baruch. Mr. Baruch continues to experience repeated failures with the functionality of the keyboard on his MacBook Pro.
Apple is accused of, among other things, violating California's Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, and breach of express warranty.
The complaint demands that Apple pays punitive damages in an amount to be proven at trial, publicly discloses the defect, and reimburses customers for all costs attributable to the defective MacBook or MacBook Pro keyboards. A jury trial has been demanded in Northern California district court.
Given the overlapping claims, it is likely that the complaints regarding the keyboards will eventually be consolidated into one class action lawsuit.
Apple is providing a $50 credit to all customers who paid for an out-of warranty battery replacement for an iPhone 6 or later between the dates of January 1, 2017 and December 28, 2017, the company announced today.
The $50 credit is an extension of Apple's $29 battery replacement program, which went into effect in December of 2017 to provide lower-cost battery replacement options to customers potentially affected by performance throttling due to battery degradation.
All customers who had a battery replacement from an Apple Store, Apple Repair Center, or an Apple Authorized Service Provider are eligible for the $50 credit, which will be provided as an electronic funds transfer or a credit on the credit card used to pay for the battery replacement.
Apple is only issuing refunds for replacements completed at an Apple authorized service location, so those who may have received repairs from a third-party repair outlet will not be eligible for a refund.
The program is available to customers who paid the full $79 price for an out-of-warranty battery replacement on an iPhone 6, 6 Plus, SE, 6s, 6s Plus, 7, or 7 Plus. The $50 credit will bring the price paid for the replacement down to $29, the same price Apple is charging for replacement batteries through the end of 2018. While Apple is offering $50 in the United States, battery replacement credits in other countries will vary based on the original price of the out-of-warranty replacement.
Those who paid for an out-of-warranty battery replacement will be contacted by Apple via email between May 23 and July 27 with instructions on how to receive the credit. Customers who believe they are eligible for a credit but have not received an email by August 1 should contact Apple support for assistance.
Apple has been offering lower-cost batteries following controversy over power management features quietly introduced in older iPhones with the iOS 10.2.1 update in early 2017.
The power management options were introduced to prevent unexpected shutdowns during times of peak power draw on devices with degraded batteries, but Apple faced heavy criticism for not disclosing the fact that the power management features throttled the processor on older iPhones with less than optimal batteries, resulting in slower performance.
The throttling was discovered in late 2017 and many customers were left feeling deceived by Apple. To make up for the disclosure oversight, Apple apologized, introduced a $29 battery replacement program, disabled throttling by default in iOS 11.3, and added new features to iOS to introduce more detailed information about battery health so customers will know when a degraded battery is impacting performance.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
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