LaCie today announced its next-generation 2big professional 2-bay RAID storage solution, debuting the LaCie 2big Dock with Thunderbolt 3 connectivity for use alongside the new 2016 MacBook Pro, which supports Thunderbolt 3.
The LaCie 2big Dock is a docking station designed for media professionals, offering a wide range of ports for a streamlined creative workflow. There are front-facing SD and Compact Flash Card slots to pull images off of memory cards from cameras and drones, plus it can connect to 1080p and 4K displays.
There are dual Thunderbolt 3 ports for driving a compatible laptop while daisy-chaining up to five additional Thunderbolt or one USB-C drive, and included USB-C ports can charge an iPhone or other similar device. An adapter cable is included for use with USB-A devices.
LaCie's latest dock offers up to 20TB of storage, a 25 percent increase over the previous version, enabling it to store up to 650 hours of 4K 30fps footage or up to 200,000 RAW images. It supports transfer speeds of up to 440MB/s, for transferring the equivalent of an hour of 4K footage in a minute.
The dock features a stylish aluminum enclosure and a thermoregulated fan to keep it cool, and it supports Seagate IronWolf Pro enterprise-class devices and RAID optimization.
The LaCie 2big Dock will be available in 12TB, 16TB, and 20TB capacities through LaCie resellers starting this summer.
Apple is likely to pay out just one third of its current royalty rate to Imagination Technologies as it begins winding down its supply deal with the chipmaker over the next two years, according to analysts at UBS financial services (via Reuters).
The prediction includes the expectation that British-based Imagination will become loss-making by 2019 without any Apple royalties to fall back on, and that the firm will have to work out a cost-cutting strategy if it is to survive.
Earlier this month, shares in Imagination plunged after Apple informed the company that it plans to stop using its graphics technology in Apple consumer devices in up to two years' time.
The news delivered a huge blow to Imagination Technologies, which provides the PowerVR graphics architecture found in Apple's full range of iOS devices and receives a small royalty on every sale, amounting to up to half of the British firm's revenue.
Imagination said Apple had made the decision because the tech giant was developing its own independent graphics processing chips, which would reduce its reliance on the company.
Imagination is reportedly in talks with Apple over a new licensing deal, but UBS analysts forecast that Apple is likely to bring down the royalty rate, currently at around $0.30 per unit, to closer to $0.10, which is the rate Imagination currently charges customers such as MediaTek.
Valuing Imagination based on discounted cash flows, UBS estimated the company's Apple business is worth 75 pence per share. Without Apple, the stock tumbles to just 35 pence. That totals 110 pence, using a sum-of-the-parts valuation. Imagination has a market capitalization of $370 million – 2,000 times smaller than Apple's $741 billion valuation – while its stock currently trades at 103.19 pence.
This week the Internet Archive website announced it has curated a range of classic Macintosh software for interested users to download and emulate in their browser, allowing them to get a feel for Apple days of yesteryear.
The selection spans the period 1984-1989 in Macintosh history, and features classic applications like MacPaint and MacDraft, System Software 6, and games including Dark Castle, Airborne! and Lemmings.
If you've not experienced the original operating system for the Macintosh family of computers, it's an interesting combination of well-worn conventions in the modern world, along with choices that might seem strange or off-the-mark. At the time the machine was released, however, they landed new ideas in the hands of a worldwide audience and gained significant fans and followers almost immediately.
In addition, the compilation of System 7.0.1 includes a large variety of software programs and provides a vintage recreation of the later MacOS experience of 1991. Some features that System 7 boasted over its predecessor included virtual memory, personal file sharing, QuickTime, QuickDraw 3D, and an improved user interface.
The full range of software can be found in the Macintosh Collection. The emulator itself comes prepackaged in each listing and does not require a separate download.
Chinese mobile maker Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 6, its latest flagship smartphone, at a packed-out event in Beijing on Wednesday.
The Mi 5's successor features curved "four-sided 3D glass" and a front that isn't bezel-free like the company's Mi MIX, but the phone does boast a lot of tech for a device that starts at 2499 RMB, or $360 – about half of what a base iPhone 7 goes for in China.
Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the new 5.15-inch Mi 6 includes a 12-megapixel rear dual lens camera combining a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. It also matches Apple's latest smartphone with 10x digital zoom, 2x lossless zoom, image stabilization, and depth of field effects.
Similar to the Mi 5s, the Mi 6 features a Qualcomm-based ultrasonic fingerprint reader built under the glass at the bottom of the phone. The "button-less" technology is said to recognize a 3D map of each user's fingerprint through ultrasonic waves, although it only works within the bezel's concave indentation that marks out the home button.
The Mi 6 includes 2x2 Wi-Fi, which is meant to improve connectivity speed, and does away with the headphone jack, settling for a single USB-C port instead. Elsewhere the handset features the latest Snapdragon 835 processor (also found in the S8), 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage memory on the entry model, dual stereo speakers, a 3,350mAh battery, a new "night display" screen mode, and water resistance.
The Mi 6 with 128 GB option costs 2899 RMB ($420) while a special Ceramic edition goes for 2999 RMB ($435). It's unclear at this time whether the phone will become available in Europe or the U.S.
The announcement of a new flagship phone comes at a particularly important time for Xiaomi, which suffered its first sales slump last year. The company's former VP of Global Efforts Hugo Barra left in February, while CEO Lei Jun recently admitted the firm had grown too fast and was now entering a transitional period, as it focuses on its main markets in China and India.
Blizzard Entertainment today made wildly popular real-time strategy game StarCraft a free download for Mac and PC, nearly two decades after its original release.
The RTS hit was universally acclaimed when it launched in 1998, and went on to become an e-sport phenomenon in South Korea, where big-prize tournaments and TV channels drew legions of fans to the game.
The free download is the game's first in eight years and includes the Brood War expansion pack. The patch 1.18 download also sports a handful of new features, including windowed mode, a better online game search engine, and improved response times during multiplayer battles.
Blizzard's decision to make the title freely available comes ahead of this summer's Remastered edition of StarCraft, which promises enhanced 4K graphics, better audio, high-quality cinematics, and a redesigned matchmaking system.
Making vintage StarCraft free also offers a unique opportunity for getting in some practice before the new version is released: Blizzard says owners of the original game and the remastered edition will be able to play each other online. Nostalgic gamers can find the free download of the original StarCrafthere.
Apple CEO Tim Cook attended the Newseum's Free Expression Awards in Washington, D.C., last night to accept the institution's 2017 Free Expression Award.
Cook was named in February as the recipient of the award in the Free Speech category, which recognized the Apple CEO for having a "profound impact" on communication and for using his position to "take a public stand" on issues like racial equality, privacy, the environment, LGBT rights, and more.
According to AppleInsider, Cook used his acceptance speech to highlight the challenges involved in ensuring First Amendment rights remain a fundamental cornerstone in an increasingly technology-driven world.
"We know that these freedoms require protection," Cook said of First Amendment rights. "Not just the forms of speech that entertain us, but the ones that challenge us. The ones that unnerve and even displease us. They're the ones that need protection the most. It's no accident that these freedoms are enshrined and protected in the First Amendment. They are the foundation to so many of our rights."
"This is a responsibility that Apple takes very seriously," Cook said. "First we defend, we work to defend these freedoms by enabling people around the world to speak up. And second, we do it by speaking up ourselves. Because companies can, and should have values."
Other winners on the night included U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who received an Arts and Entertainment Award shared with Hatch Beauty chairman Christie Hefner.
The Newseum aims to explain and defend free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment through a range of interactive museum exhibits. Its annual awards ceremony is used to celebrate positive work achieved by individuals across the occupational spectrum, including government, civil rights, and journalism.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Spotify today expanded its half-price student subscription plan to 31 more countries around the world.
The music streaming service has offered the discounted premium subscriptions to students based in the U.S., the U.K., and Germany for some time, but starting today Spotify is adding several more countries to the list of eligible nations.
The list now includes Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Latvia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey.
The student plan includes all premium features, such as ad-free listening, improved audio quality options, and downloadable tracks for offline listening. To qualify, students must attend an accredited institution. The discounted plan can be used for the entirety of the subscriber's student life.
In the U.S., users get at least a one-year discount, that can be renewed up to three times for a total of four years, but regional variations may apply. Students can head over to Spotify.com/student to sign up to the offer.
Google today announced that its popular Timeline feature for Google Maps on Android has expanded to Google Maps for iOS, making it available to iPhone and iPad users for the first time.
With Timeline, Google Maps keeps track of all of the places that have been visited, so users can have a past account of where they’ve been and what they were doing.
What was the name of that antique store I popped into the other day? Where was that coffee shop we discovered on our last vacation? Did I drop off the dry cleaning on Tuesday or Wednesday? Answering questions like these used to take some guesswork (and a great memory). But with Your Timeline on Google Maps, Android and desktop users could quickly revisit the things they’ve done and places they’ve been. Starting today, Google Maps users on iOS can join in on the fun and see a daily snapshot of their life as well.
The Timeline is fully editable, with users able to delete a day, date range, or complete location history at any time. It’s also customizable with different activity types, so users can mark what they were doing and what mode of transportation was being used.
Place cards of locations or businesses that are searched for in Google Maps will include the dates of past visits and can be used to quickly access Timeline information, plus Google also includes an option to receive monthly emails summarizing all of the places that have been visited.
The new Timeline features are available to iOS users starting today.
Facebook today announced plans to integrate both Spotify and Apple Music into Facebook Messenger, allowing Messenger users to link to Apple Music or Spotify content for sharing songs and playlists directly within the Facebook Messenger app.
Apple has not shared details on how its chat extension will work, but Spotify published a blog post detailing the Spotify chat extension, which will undoubtedly share similarities with Apple Music.
Using the Spotify chat extension, users can search and share Spotify songs, albums, and playlists. Song links will play 30 second clips, with users able to tap on a link to open the Spotify app to listen to a full song.
The Spotify bot, in addition to allowing songs to be shared, will offer up playlist recommendations to users based on mood, activity, and genre. It's not clear if Apple will introduce a similar feature.
Apple has made an effort to make Apple Music widely available on multiple platforms and services. It already integrates with the main Facebook app, and there's also an Android app and an iMessage extension.
Spotify is available in Facebook Messenger first, with Apple Music integration coming at a later date.
Apple today updated several of its Mac and iOS apps, making them available for all Mac and iOS users for free.
iMovie, Numbers, Keynote, Pages, and GarageBand for both Mac and iOS devices have been updated and are now listed in the App Store for free.
Previously, all of these apps were provided for free to customers who purchased a new Mac or iOS device, but now that purchase is not required to get the software. Many Apple customers were already likely eligible to download the software at no cost if they had made a device purchase in the last few years.
Apple's iWork page has not yet been updated and continues to say that customers will only be able to download Pages, Keynote, and Numbers after purchasing an eligible Mac or iOS device, but new wording may be added shortly following the price drop. Apple's apps have also been removed from the Top Free app charts in the App Store.
Apple has been offering these apps for free to new Mac and iOS device owners since 2013, but dropping the price to free for all users makes it less confusing and opens up downloads for those who have not recently made a new device purchase.
Update: According to a support document, today's app changes will make it easier for business and educational institutions to download Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand, and iMovie through the Volume Purchase Program store.
Display repair components for the iPhone SE are in short supply at Apple Stores right now, so customers who need their iPhone SE display fixed may receive a replacement device instead.
According to a retail source that shared the news with MacRumors, employees have been told that display parts are constrained until further notice, and it's not known how long it will be until display components are more widely available. Stores that have no display repair components on hand will outright replace iPhone SE models in need of repair.
The reason behind the component constraint is unclear, as Apple did not provide details to employees.
Supply constraints are not likely indicative of an imminent refresh because no new iPhone SE model is expected. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often shares reliable information on upcoming Apple products, Apple will not introduce a new iPhone SE during the first half of 2017.
Apple also recently bumped up the storage space in the iPhone SE, offering the iPhone SE in 32 and 128GB capacities for $399 and $499, respectively.
It isn't yet clear if Apple is planning on introducing another 4-inch device, or if the SE was the last 4-inch phone Apple plans to produce. Kuo's information only covered the first half of 2017, so if another 4-inch phone is in the works, it could come later in the year.
Update: According to a second source, the serial numbers for the displays weren't added to Apple's system correctly, so the displays were unable to be validated. All affected displays were pulled and sent back to Apple, impacting much of the stock at most retail stores.
Some flagship stores have been getting rerouted shipments and will be able to offer repairs.
In honor of Earth Day, which takes place on Saturday, April 22, Apple employees will transition from their standard blue shirts to green Earth Day shirts starting on Thursday, April 20.
Apple also celebrates Earth Day by updating the logos on its retail stores around the world, adding a green leaf accent to the traditional white Apple. Earth Day represents one of the few days a year Apple alters its logo.
Apple often uses Earth Day as a way to highlight its environmental efforts and reaffirm its commitment to recycling, renewable energy, and other initiatives. According to a recent interview with Apple's VP of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson, 96 percent of the energy Apple uses around the world now comes from renewable sources like wind and solar.
Last year, Apple released a host of earth-inspired Apple Music playlists, launched a "Siri and Liam" ad outlining its recycling practices, and launched an "Apps for Earth" promotion, with proceeds donated to the World Wildlife Fund. Similar promotions could take place this year, with announcements coming this week ahead of April 22.
Snapchat today expanded its set of available Lenses, introducing new ways to use the feature. Starting this morning, Snapchat users can access World Lenses, which are 3D objects that can be rotated and manipulated when taking a photo.
Objects like a rainbow, a multi-colored "hello" sign, or flowers can be positioned anywhere within a photo before it's taken, with gestures available for resizing and changing its location to the ideal spot in an image.
We launched Lenses over a year ago as a whole new way to express ourselves on Snapchat. Since then, we've become puppies, puked rainbows, face-swapped with our best friends -- and begun to explore how Lenses can change the world around us.
Today, we're adding new ways to use Lenses.
While Snapping with the rear-facing camera, simply tap the camera screen to find new Lenses that can paint the world around you with new 3D experiences!
Snapchat has supported augmented reality live filters that alter a person's face since last year, but the new lenses mark the first time that Snapchat's made efforts to take advantage of the rear camera for augmented reality purposes.
Reviews of Samsung's new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ hit the web today, and given each smartphone's potential similarities to Apple's rumored iPhone with an OLED display, we have rounded up some of the impressions below.
Galaxy S8's Infinity Display (Image: The Verge)
The vast majority of reviews praised Samsung's so-called Infinity Display, which takes up over 80 percent of the front of the smartphones. The design results in smartphones with large 5.8-inch or 6.2-inch screens that are still easy to hold in one hand or put in your pocket, according to reviews.
… I’m a fan of the new shape and the fact that it lets me have a much larger display without making the Galaxy S8 too unwieldy to use. On top of that, the Quad HD Super AMOLED panel is wonderfully vibrant and sharp, and it’s very bright, even outdoors under direct sunlight. It’s no exaggeration to say this is the best smartphone display I’ve ever seen.
I’ve been carrying the Galaxy S8+ around for a few days now, and it fits in my pocket every bit as comfortably as the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus. And you’re able to operate that phone with a single hand, so this device will be no problem.
It’s an impressive feat of engineering. At 5.8 inches, the Galaxy S8’s screen is larger than the iPhone 7 Plus screen, but packed on a slimmer and more attractive body. The iPhone looks chunky and outdated by comparison. We’re getting closer and closer to the dream of having a phone that’s all display on the front.
A 6.2-inch smartphone sounds comically large. However, the Galaxy S8+ is unusually narrow, with a screen aspect ratio of 18.5:9. Plus, the edges are tapered — front and back — much in the same way the Galaxy S7’s back edge was. The result is a phone that looks a bit long but is comfortable to hold and, at least to my hands, doesn’t feel large at all.
Samsung has drastically altered the rule that big screens mean huge phones. Even this smaller of the new Galaxy S models has a larger screen than the biggest iPhone, but it’s much narrower and easier to hold and to slip into a pocket.
In order to achieve the larger display without significantly increasing the physical size of the smartphone, Samsung removed the home button from the front of the Galaxy S8. Samsung then relocated the fingerprint scanner to the back of the phone, positioning it next to the camera.
Galaxy S8's rear fingerprint sensor (Image: The Verge)
Unfortunately, many reviews found the fingerprint scanner to be hard to reach and awkwardly positioned next to the camera.
The fingerprint unlock feature has traditionally been programmed into the device’s home button. Seeing as the S8 ditched the button, it’s now on the back of the phone. The S8’s fingerprint sensor and the camera feel basically the same, which means I kept smudging the camera lens and unlocking the phone at the same time.
Dan Seifert, reporting for The Verge:
The high placement of the scanner makes it difficult and awkward to reach with my index finger, even on the smaller Galaxy S8. I have to practically perform finger stretches before I can reach it with any sort of regularity on the Galaxy S8+. Second, because it is right next to the camera and has a similar shape and feel to the camera module, I frequently touch the camera lens instead of the fingerprint scanner, smearing the lens with all of my lovely finger oils.
Apple is rumored to be working on a completely overhauled iPhone, and a display taking up nearly the entire front of the smartphone is a widely expected feature. Apple is also expected to remove the Home button, so it may too relocate Touch ID to the rear if it can't integrate it under the display.
Apple will continue to include a Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter with the trio of new iPhone models rumored to launch later this year, according to Barclays.
"We believe it stays this year but goes away at some point, potentially in the 2018 model," said Barclays analyst Blayne Curtis, and his associates, in a research note distributed today.
Cirrus Logic would remain the primary beneficiary within Apple's supply chain, as it's believed to provide some of the tiny audio-related components inside of the adapter.
Barclays contradicts Japanese blog Mac Otakara, which said Apple will no longer include the adapter in the box with the so-called iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and iPhone Edition.
Apple eliminating the 3.5mm headphone jack on the iPhone 7 was a controversial decision, so it's easy to see why it might want to include the adapter in the box for at least another year. But, unlike when that iPhone launched last year, Apple's wireless AirPods and BeatsX earphones are now available.
Apple sells the Lightning to 3.5mm Headphone Jack Adapter for $9 as a standalone accessory, which is cheap by its standards, so customers that still prefer to use wired headphones won't be forced to pay too much extra whether the adapter is removed from the iPhone box this year or later.
Food magazine Bon Appétit has used an iPhone to shoot the cover photography for its latest travel issue. The Condé Nast-owned publication follows in the footsteps of magazines like Billboard and Condé Nast Traveler, both of which have recently run covers shot on iPhones.
Bon Appètit has used iPhone-shot photos in the past – including in last year's Culture issue – but this is the first time photography shot using Apple's smartphone camera has graced the cover. The image, taken by Peden + Munk on an iPhone 7 Plus, shows a woman holding a strawberry Paleta, on location in the Tlacoula Market of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Peden told TechCrunch that the iPhone's portability and the "comfortability [of] not having some humungous lens in your face" allowed them to work with a tiny crew, so it felt like a "throwback to the early days" of their career.
"It didn't feel like a big magazine cover shoot where there were a bunch of assistants and light reflectors," Peden said. "It felt very comfortable and natural."
The photographers also said the VSCO app allowed them to edit photos while at their favorite bar or brunch spot, rather than having to drag out their laptop.
Creative director Alex Grossman said it made sense to lead with an iPhone picture for the May travel issue, given the close connection between photography and travel. The iPhone 7 "works really well picking up people and places", said Grossman, and while it's not completely comparable to "a $25,000 DSLR", when shot in the right conditions, "99.9 percent of people out there" are unlikely to notice the difference.
Apple is a Bon Appétit advertiser, and an Apple ad on the back cover of the May issue highlights the fact that the cover photo was taken on an iPhone.
Bloomberg today has published a detailed report about what it expects from the tentatively named iPhone 8.
"iPhone Edition" render by Japanese blog Mac Otakara
The report, citing people familiar with the matter, claims Apple's latest prototype features a stainless steel frame sandwiched between symmetrical glass on the front and the back. That design, one of several that Apple has tested, would be similar conceptually to the iPhone 4 launched in 2010.
The overhauled iPhone will also adopt an OLED display that covers almost the entire front of the device, according to the report. The display itself will be flat, while the cover glass curves into the stainless steel frame along the edges. The cover glass will have similar 2.5D curvature as the iPhone 7.
The report backs rumors of Apple testing at least one high-end iPhone prototype with a rear dual-lens camera positioned vertically, instead of horizontally like on iPhone 7 Plus. Apple is also said to be testing dual lenses for a revamped front camera, compared to a single lens on current iPhones.
Apple has experimented with integrating the iPhone's fingerprint scanner into the screen, as previously known. The report said it's a technical challenge, so it's unclear if the feature will make it into the final product. Earlier research said Apple is facing yield issues with the under-display solution.
Apple also tested a prototype with a glass back that had more dramatic curves on the top and bottom like the original iPhone from 2007, perhaps alluding to a previous water drop design rumor, but the report says Apple is more likely to ship the version with more subdued curves due to mass production considerations.
Bloomberg believes that supply constraints could mean the high-end iPhone isn't readily available until one or two months after Apple's typical September event, where it is also expected to announce updated 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone models. All three new iPhones will run iOS 11 and could have faster Apple A11 chips.
Today's report corroborates several "iPhone 8" design rumors that have surfaced in recent months, while the existence of multiple prototypes explains why some rumors have been conflicting so far.
The Ecobee4 will come with a built-in microphone for issuing Alexa-based voice commands, according to leaked marketing materials for the upcoming smart wireless thermostat (via The Verge).
Ecobee3 owners with supporting Amazon hardware have been able to use Alexa to control their devices since the thermostat maker added support in December, but it looks as if the next iteration of the product will include the virtual assistant as a built-in feature.
Apple initially leaked the existence of the Ecobee4 last month when it issued a list of HomeKit-compatible thermostats, while recent FCC filings showed what appeared to be a small rear-firing speaker on the upcoming device's enclosure, hinting at Alexa voice integration.
That now looks to have been confirmed, courtesy of blogger Dave Zatz, who revealed on Monday the leaked promotional material. Users of the Ecobee4 will be able to not only adjust the temperature via their voice, but also "leverage many if not all of Amazon's voice assistant capabilities" by speaking to the device, which features a signature blue Alexa light bar along the top.
Apart from Alexa integration, the ecobee4 is said to be sleeker than the existing ecobee3 thermostat, and will retain the latter's HomeKit support; Ecobee3 devices received a software update back in January that added the feature. The number of leaks combined with steep discounts on existing Ecobee3 devices suggests the Ecobee4 will launch within the next couple of months.
Apple will continue to include a 
