MacRumors

Apple today uploaded a new Apple Watch Series 3 ad to its YouTube channel, highlighting the Apple Watch Series 3 and its upcoming Apple Music integration. The video was first shown on stage during Apple's iPhone-centric event earlier this week.

The ad features a skateboarder listening to music streamed from his Apple Watch to the AirPods while he performs a series of skateboard tricks.


With Apple Watch Series 3 models that feature cellular connectivity, Apple Music songs will be able to be streamed directly to the device over an LTE connection, no iPhone needed.

An Apple Music subscription and an iPhone 6 or later with the same service provider and wireless service plan are required to enable the Apple Music streaming feature on the Apple Watch Series 3.

Apple has not revealed how streaming music will affect the battery life on the Apple Watch. With most tasks over LTE, battery life is impacted. A phone call over LTE, for example, will drain the Apple Watch's battery in just an hour.

Apple says the Apple Music streaming feature is coming soon to the Apple Watch Series 3.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Face ID, Apple's new facial recognition feature in the iPhone X, has left users with a lot of questions about how it works. While Apple has offered detailed explanations of Face ID on its website, there continue to be questions and concerns given that this is a new biometric system.

To answer some of those questions, Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi did a telephone interview with TechCrunch, where he covered topics on privacy, security, and functionality.

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TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino, who spoke to Federighi, says he's heard Face ID is "incredibly reliable" and "very fast," worth noting because many people have wondered how quickly it works.

According to Federighi, Face ID needs to see your eyes, nose, and mouth, so there are some situations where it won't work and a passcode will need to be used instead. The limitations are similar to the limitations with Touch ID, which, for example, prevent it from being used with gloves.

"If you're a surgeon or someone who wears a garment that covers your face, it's not going to work," says Federighi. "But if you're wearing a helmet or scarf it works quite well."

Panzarino asked Federighi to expand on how the feature works with sunglasses and whether polarization is an issue, following confirmation earlier this week that Face ID is compatible with most pairs. Federighi says polarization isn't a problem, but there are some lenses that have a coating that blocks IR, and if that's the case, a customer will need to use a passcode or take them off.

Face ID will work from multiple angles and distances when a device is held at a natural angle, but it needs to see your face.

"It's quite similar to the ranges you'd be at if you put your phone in front facing camera mode [to take a picture]," says Federighi. Once your space from eyes to mouth come into view that would be the matching range - it can work at fairly extreme angles -- if it's down low because your phone is in your lap it can unlock it as long as it can see those features. Basically, If you're using your phone across a natural series of angles it can unlock it."

When it comes to security, Apple says that all Face ID processing is done on device with nothing uploaded to the cloud or Apple's servers, a point Federighi reiterated in the interview. Apple collects no data when the TrueDepth camera in the iPhone X scans your face, and the feature that allows Face ID to adapt to appearance changes is done entirely on device.

"We do not gather customer data when you enroll in Face ID, it stays on your device, we do not send it to the cloud for training data," he said.

When it comes to law enforcement requests for Face ID data, Apple has no data to provide. Your Face ID scan is converted into a mathematical model in the Secure Enclave on the iPhone X, and it can't be reverse engineered back into a face. As with Touch ID, none of that data is ever sent to Apple. Third-party developers don't have access, either.

Federighi also expanded a bit on the method Apple implemented to discreetly disable Face ID in a situation where someone might steal your phone and attempt to unlock it with your face. On the iPhone X, holding down on the buttons on either side of the device goes to the power down screen, which also disables Face ID. If someone demands your phone, squeeze the buttons to disable Face ID, Federighi suggests.

Face ID will also disable itself after five failed attempts at recognition. Earlier this week, Apple documentation suggested it would be disabled after two failed recognition attempts, but Federighi has clarified that it's five, just like Touch ID. Apple's documentation has now been updated accordingly. Also, when the iPhone reboots or Face ID hasn't been used in 48 hours, a passcode will be required. Additionally, if you haven't entered a passcode for 6.5 days and Face ID hasn't been used in the last four hours, Face ID will also be disabled until a passcode is entered.

Federighi's full interview, which includes more details on how Apple trained Face ID and how it works, can be read over at TechCrunch.

Related Forum: iPhone

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus pre-orders began at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time or 3:01 a.m. Eastern Time today, and hours later, shipping estimates for select models have slipped to late September or early October for some models.

iphone 8 plus space gray
Fortunately, if you weren't willing to wake up at those hours or haven't yet pre-ordered for another reason, there's still a chance to get an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus in your hands when they launch next Friday.

In the United States and other countries where Apple retail stores operate, such as Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, many iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models remain available for in-store pickup on September 22.

Even if a particular iPhone model isn't estimated to be delivered on launch day, it appears some units will still be reserved for in-store pickup.

iphone 8 plus pickup
An iPhone 8 Plus in Space Gray with 64GB of storage on T-Mobile, for example, is currently estimated to ship in 3-4 weeks on Apple's online store. Yet, the device is available for pickup on September 22 at multiple Apple retail stores.

Once you proceed to the checkout and click the blue "check out" button, select "pick up" and change the store location if necessary. Then click "continue" and select a 30-minute check-in window for your pickup.

iphone 8 pickup
If you will be picking up the iPhone personally, enter your phone number. If someone else will be arranging the pickup, enter his or her contact information. The person making the pickup must be carrying a valid photo ID.

Then, proceed with the checkout process as usual. Once payment has been made, wait until you receive a pickup notification email or text message by September 22 before picking up the iPhone. If you don't receive one, call the store.

Since the iPhone is paid for ahead of time, the store should presumably hold the device in its back room until you arrive.

Of course, another option is to simply wait until next Friday and walk into an Apple store, preferably right when they open. You may have to wait in line, but the queues have typically been shorter in recent years.

You can use the pickup tool on Apple's website on launch day to check if stores in your local area have stock, or call the store directly.

All in all, there are more than a few days to ensure you get your new iPhone on launch day, even if you missed the pre-order boat. In fact, select color, storage, and carrier combinations are still available for delivery by September 22.

If you would rather wait for the iPhone X, pre-orders of that device start October 27.

Related Forum: iPhone

With the LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3 only available in a handful of countries at the current time, it might be tempting to purchase one in another country, but it won't work. Series 3 models appear to be limited to connectivity in their original country of purchase.

An Apple support representative who spoke to MacRumors reader Thomas said that an Apple Watch purchased in the U.S. online store will only work with the four carriers in the United States, perhaps due to hardware limitations.

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"If you purchased one (an Apple Watch S3 GPS + Cellular) through the US Apple Online Store, it'll only work for the 4 US carriers. It wouldn't work internationally unfortunately. I'm not entirely sure what type of error it would show if you took a US Watch to Germany, but it wouldn't be compatible with Telekom".

Additionally, Apple Watch Series 3 models do not support roaming outside of a provider's network coverage area, according to Apple's fine print, so roaming when traveling to another country is not supported.

Unlike iPhones, Apple Watch Series 3 models also support a limited number of LTE bands, another factor that contributes to no support between countries. In the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, for example, only bands 2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26, and 41 are supported.

LTE Apple Watch models are currently only available in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Puerto Rico, Switzerland, the UK, and the United States. Apple says availability will expand to other countries next year.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Last night, pre-orders opened up for the new Apple Watch Series 3, which has a 70 percent faster dual-core processor, new Apple W2 chip, a barometric altimeter, and LTE capabilities on supported models. The base Apple Watch Series 3 models without LTE are now $329 (38mm) and $359 (42mm), rising from there for Stainless Steel and Ceramic.

If you aren't interested in the speedier processor or cellular capabilities, B&H Photo has a sale going on right now that offers discounts on select models of last year's Apple Watch Series 2. In the lists below, Series 2 prices (bold) are compared to current prices of similar Series 3 collections on Apple.com.

Series 2 Aluminum

deals apple watch series 2

Series 2 Stainless Steel

deals series 2 ss

If you're willing to buy refurbished, Best Buy has a few Series 2 models sold at a discount. Some of the notable mark downs include $94 off the 38mm Silver Aluminum Case & White Sport Band ($274.99), $99 off the same model in 42mm ($299.99), $129 off the 42mm Space Black Stainless Steel Case & Space Black Sport Band ($469.99), and $144 off the 38mm Stainless Steel Case & Milanese Loop ($504.99).

deals pad and quill beats
A few other discounts this week include $10 off any orders from Pad & Quill that exceed $50 with the promo code ThankYou10. Gazelle is automatically marking down all certified pre-owned MacBooks by $50 on its reseller storefront, but the offer only lasts until Sunday, September 17. There are a few Beats on sale at Best Buy, including BeatsX for $109.99, down from $149.99.

If you're looking for some new gaming apps, there have been a few sales this week on the iOS App Store. Here are the most recent:

Additionally, this week MacRumors has partnered with RAVPower to offer our readers an exclusive 20 percent off discount code on a 22,000mAh Power Bank for charging iPhones, iPads, the Apple Watch, and more. When ordering from Amazon, use promo code MacRumo1 to get it for just over $30.

Our Deals Roundup has even more information on the latest sales currently running for Apple products and accessories, so be sure to check back frequently for more updates. If you're preparing for the wireless charging features of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone X, our recent roundup of the best (and cheapest) Qi inductive chargers on the market should help out.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 10, Apple Deals
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

tsmc logo newAt the Open Innovation Platform Ecosystem Forum in Santa Clara on Wednesday, chip foundry TSMC provided an update (via EE Times) on the progress of its forthcoming technology nodes, several of which would be candidates for upcoming Apple chips. Most notably, the company's first 7-nanometer process node has already had several tape-outs (finalized designs) and expects to reach volume capacity in 2018.

TSMC's 10 nm node, which first showed up in Apple's A10X chip in the iPad Pro, followed by the A11, has been fraught with issues (paid link) such as low chip yield and performance short of initial expectations. TSMC looks to change its fortune with the new 7 nm node, which would be suitable for the successor to the A11 chip given current timelines.

In addition to the 7 nm node, TSMC also shared information on the follow-up revision to this node, dubbed, N7+. Featuring the long-beleaguered Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV), the revision would promise 20 percent better density, around 10 percent higher speeds, or 15 percent lower power with other factors held constant.

While EUV has faced delays for over a decade at this point, it seems to finally be coming to fruition, and a 2019 volume availability update would allow Apple to update its chip process in subsequent years yet again. Apple had previously updated process nodes with every iPhone since the transition to 3GS before being forced to use TSMC's 16 nm node in consecutive years with the A9 and A10. Moving forward, that annual cadence is again in jeopardy as chip foundries deal with the realities of physics and minimum transistor geometry sizes.

TSMC also unveiled some low power and low leakage processes that are suitable for Apple's other custom designs, such as its line of wireless chips like the W1 and successor W2. TSMC is targeting availability next year of a 22 nm ultra low leakage node, which is suitable for analog and RF designs such as cellular basebands or Wi-Fi chips.

This will ultimately help Apple further lower power consumption on the Apple Watch and headphones featuring the W line of wireless chips. It is also likely to be adopted by Qualcomm for its line of modem products. The W1 and W2 manufacturing processes are not currently publicly known, but it is likely that one of TSMC's RF-focused processes powers the Apple chips.

Finally, TSMC announced a revision of its integrated fan-out packaging process (InFO) that is targeted at integrating high bandwidth memory (HBM) into the assembly, dubbed InFO-MS. HBM has generated a lot of interest from applications where very high sustained memory bandwidths are desired, such as consumer graphics cards.

HBM and similar standards such as Wide I/O promise not only to improve memory bandwidth, but also improve power consumption for a given bandwidth, making it a suitable evolution for mobile SoC designs. This type of memory interface has yet to appear in a mobile design, though it should be considered a near-term eventuality. Despite advances in mobile memory, it still lags behind desktop and laptop systems in total bandwidth, which can be important in some tasks such as graphics rendering.

Tags: A12, TSMC, W1, W2
Related Forum: iPhone

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with RAVPower to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a 22,000mAh Power Bank for charging iPhones, iPads, the Apple Watch, and more.

In addition to offering several Power Banks for us to give away, RAVPower has also provided MacRumors with an exclusive 20 percent off discount code on the power bank. When ordering from Amazon, use promo code MacRumo1 to get it for just over $30.

RAVPower is mainly known for a whole line of power banks that are known for being reliable, affordable, and fast.

ravpowerpowerbank
The 22,000mAh Power Bank features three 2.4A USB-A ports that are capable of charging three devices at the same time. At 2.4A, an iPhone will charge more quickly than with a standard 1A power adapter. There's a total current output of 5.8A, and RAVPower says its Power Bank detects the connected devices and adjusts output accordingly to provide adequate power to each one, and there's an "iSmart 2.0" feature that adjusts voltage to minimize charging time.

ravpowerpowerbank2
RAVPower says that the Power Bank can be fully recharged in approximately 11 to 12 hours using a the 2.4A input. It comes with microUSB charging cables and a carry pouch, but to charge iOS devices, you'll need to supply your own cables.

Power banks are generally built for functionality over looks, and the RAVPower model is a simple black (or white) rectangular power bank that is about as tall as an iPhone 7 Plus and as wide as an iPhone 7. It measures in at 6.5 inches by 2.8 inches. It's not quite pocketable, but ideal for a purse or a backpack. Four LEDs on the front let you see power level at a glance.

ravpowerpowerbank3
22,000mAh is enough to charge an iPhone 7 to full approximately eight times and an iPhone 7 Plus approximately four and a half times.

RAVPower normally charges $40 for the Power Bank, but we have six to give away to MacRumors readers. 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 winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook 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 (September 15) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 22. The winners will be chosen randomly on September 22 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Apple's new Apple Watch Series 3 models support LTE and UMTS connectivity, but on T-Mobile, LTE connection speeds won't be available. The carrier is limiting the Apple Watch to a maximum speed of 512kb/s, which is more like a 3G connection than an LTE connection.

The speed limitation is noted in T-Mobile's fine print, which says the maximum wearables speed is 512kb/s. It's also noted on the pre-order page when adding an Apple Watch Series 3 to your cart.

tmobileapplewatchlimitedspeeds
At issue is T-Mobile's ONE plan, which limits both tethering and all wearable devices to 512kb/s. While most users are unlikely to be streaming video or doing other tasks that require high connectivity speeds on the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch is also unlikely to be a data hog, so it's unclear why T-Mobile has this limitation in place.

A T-Mobile representative told MacRumors reader Tony that its "High Speed Data with paired DIGITS" plan would provide 4G LTE data. DIGITS is priced at $25 per month without autopay, and $20 per month with Autopay.

No other major carrier in the United States, including Sprint, Verizon, or AT&T appears to be throttling Apple Watch speeds with their standard unlimited plans.

All four of the carriers are charging the same $10 per month fee to add an Apple Watch to an existing iPhone plan, and each one is offering a limited time promotion that waives monthly fees for the first three months.

The LTE Apple Watch Series 3 models became available for pre-order early this morning, with new devices slated to arrive on Friday, September 22, the official launch date for the device.

Update: T-Mobile CEO John Legere says T-Mobile has changed its policy. The company will now offer unlimited 4G LTE on the Apple Watch Series 3.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Virgin Mobile USA today announced that it will begin shipping iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus pre-orders on Friday, September 29, the same day the devices launch in 29 additional countries around the world.

virgin mobile usa iphone 8
Virgin said its Inner Circle members will be able to pre-order the devices on Friday, September 22, but it's unclear if Apple will be accepting pre-orders on that date as well in the second wave of launch countries.

Apple began accepting iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus pre-orders at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time for major carriers AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, in addition to SIM-free models. Virgin's date is one week later, but for the iPhone X, it will accept pre-orders starting Friday, October 27, the same day as Apple.

The next countries include Andorra, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, India, Isle of Man, Israel, Jersey, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Apple's online store doesn't operate in all of those countries, but iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus should be available in limited quantities through authorized resellers and carrier partners where available.

Virgin operates on the Sprint network. Inner Circle members get unlimited talk, text, and data for $50 per month, with a few caveats: video quality is limited to up to 480p, music streams at up to 500 kbps, and games stream at up to 2 Mbps. Virgin promises 4G LTE speeds for "practically everything else."

Customers who use more than 23GB of data in a billing cycle will be de-prioritized during times and places where the network is constrained.

Until September 28, customers who buy a new iPhone, or bring their existing iPhone and transfer their phone number from another carrier, will receive one year of unlimited talk, text, and data for just $1 with AutoPay enabled. The device must be a CDMA model, and the same caveats mentioned above apply.

Update: Sprint subsidiary Boost Mobile has also announced that it will launch the iPhone 8 on September 29, although the carrier is accepting pre-registrations as of today.

Related Forum: iPhone

Johny Srouji, Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies at Apple, will speak at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh next week.

johny srouji
The university's School of Computer Science today announced that Srouji will attend a distinguished industry lecture on Monday, September 18 at the Rashid Auditorium, where he will speak at 5:00 p.m. local time.

Carnegie Mellon didn't reveal what Srouji will be talking about, but at Apple, he leads the team responsible for custom silicon and hardware technologies like batteries, storage controllers, and application processors, including its new A11 Bionic chip in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.

An excerpt from his executive profile on Apple's website:

Johny has built one of the world’s strongest and most innovative teams of silicon and technology engineers, overseeing breakthrough custom silicon and hardware technologies including batteries, application processors, storage controllers, sensors silicon, display silicon and other chipsets across Apple's entire product line.

Johny joined Apple in 2008 to lead development of the A4, the first Apple-designed system on a chip. Prior to Apple, Johny held senior positions at Intel and IBM in the area of processor development and design. He earned both a bachelor's and master's degree in Computer Science from Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology.

In a recent interview with Mashable, Srouji revealed that Apple began exploring and developing the core technologies in the A11 chip three years ago, when the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launched with A8 chips.

The A11 Bionic is a six-core chip with two performance cores that are 25 percent faster, and four high-efficiency cores that are 70 percent faster, than the A10 chip in iPhone 7 models. Geekbench scores suggest the A11 Bionic is even on par with the performance of Apple's latest 13-inch MacBook Pro models.

(Thanks, Benedict Evans!)

While the iPhone X launches November 3, with pre-orders beginning October 27, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple's high-end smartphone won't achieve complete supply-demand equilibrium until next year.

iphonexcameradesign
In his latest research note with KGI Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said customer demand for the iPhone X won't be fully met until at least the first half of 2018 due to supply constraints.

We believe the fullscreen design and facial recognition features will drive replacement demand for the iPhone X. However, due to supply constraints, we expect market demand won't be fully met before 1H18. We revise down our forecast for 2017F iPhone X shipments from 45-50 million to around 40 million units, but we therefore revise up our 2018 iPhone X shipment estimate to 80-90 million units.

In fewer words, getting an iPhone X in your hands may prove especially challenging this holiday shopping season.

In addition to supply constraints, Kuo said the reason why iPhone X pre-orders won't begin for another six weeks is likely because Apple doesn't want to cannibalize sales of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus pre-orders began at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time today. The devices launch Friday, September 22.

Earlier this week, Kuo said Apple's iPhone X production was less than 10,000 units per day, but the yield may be increasing as Apple ramps up mass production. He anticipated the iPhone X will remain in "severe short supply for a while."

Kuo also anticipated that a gold iPhone X would encounter some production problems and initially be available only in "extremely low volume," or launch at a later date, but Apple said the iPhone X comes only in Silver and Space Gray.

In today's research note, he said the lack of a gold color echoes his production concerns, but he didn't elaborate if he still thinks the iPhone X will eventually be released in gold like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Related Forum: iPhone

Shortly after Apple's iPhone X event this week, the company's silicon chief Johny Srouji and marketing chief Phil Schiller sat down for an interview about its new A11 Bionic chip with Mashable's editor-at-large Lance Ulanoff.

a11 bionic iphone x
One interesting tidbit mentioned was that Apple began exploring and developing the core technologies in the A11 chip at least three years ago, when the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launched with A8 chips.

Srouji told me that when Apple architects silicon, they start by looking three years out, which means the A11 Bionic was under development when Apple was shipping the iPhone 6 and its A8 chip. Back then we weren't even talking about AI and machine learning at a mobile level and, yet, Srouji said, "The neural engine embed, it’s a bet we made three years ahead."

Apple's three-year roadmap can change if new features are planned, like the Super Retina HD Display in iPhone X.

"The process is flexible to changes," said Srouji, who’s been with Apple since the first iPhone. If a team comes in with a request that wasn't part of the original plan, "We need to make that happen. We don't say, 'No, let me get back to my road map and, five years later, I'll give you something."

johny srouji phil schiller

Apple senior executives Phil Schiller, left, and Johny Srouji

In fact, Schiller praised Srouji's team for its ability to "move heaven and earth" when the roadmap suddenly changes.

"There have been some critical things in the past few years, where we've asked Johny's team to do something on a different schedule, on a different plan than they had in place for years, and they moved heaven and earth and done it, and it's remarkable to see."

A11 Bionic six-core chip has two performance cores that are 25 percent faster, and four high-efficiency cores that are 70 percent faster, than the A10 chip in iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Early benchmarks suggest the A11 Bionic is even on par with the performance of Apple's latest 13-inch MacBook Pro models.

The A11 chip is more efficient at multi-threaded tasks thanks to a second-generation performance controller that is able to access all six of the cores simultaneously if a particular task demands it.

Gaming might use more cores, said Srouji, but something as simple as predictive texting, where the system suggests the next word to type, can tap into the high-performance CPUs, as well.

The A11 chip also has an Apple-designed neural engine that handles facial recognition for Face ID and Animoji, and other machine learning algorithms. The dual-core engine recognizes people, places, and objects, and processes machine learning tasks at up to 600 billion operations per second, according to Apple.

“When you look at applications and software, there are certain algorithms that are better off using a functional programming model,” said Srouji.

This includes the iPhone X’s new face tracking and Face ID as well as the augmented-reality-related object detection. All of them use neural networks, machine learning or deep learning (which is part of machine learning). This kind of neural processing could run on a CPU or, preferably, a GPU. “But for these neural networking kinds of programming models, implementing custom silicon that’s targeted for that application, that will perform the exact same tasks, is much more energy efficient than a graphics engine,” said Srouji.

Apple's new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X are all equipped with an A11 chip.

In related news, Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science has announced that Srouji will take part in a distinguished industry lecture on Monday, September 18 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. local time.

Full Interview: The Inside Story of the iPhone X 'Brain,' the A11 Bionic Chip

Related Forum: iPhone

safari iconIn the upcoming version of Safari 11 on macOS High Sierra, Apple will implement a new "Intelligent Tracking Prevention" feature that builds upon Safari's default blocking of third-party cookies. ITP will greatly limit advertiser reach by placing new safeguards into Safari that use machine learning to suppress cross-site tracking and purge ad retargeting data after 24 hours.

In response, six trade and marketing organizations have written an open letter to Apple asking for the Cupertino company to "rethink" its plan to launch Safari with these new "arbitrary" cookie standards (via AdWeek).

The organizations argue that the Internet's infrastructure depends on consistent standards for cookies, saying that Apple's new ruleset could "sabotage the economic model for the Internet."

On the consumer side of things, the organizations stated that the blocking of cookies in Apple's manner will result in ads that are "more generic" for users, while also being "less timely and useful." The signed organizations include: American Association of Advertising Agencies, American Advertising Federation, Association of National Advertisers, Data & Marketing Association, Interactive Advertising Bureau, and Network Advertising Initiative.

We are deeply concerned about the Safari 11 browser update that Apple plans to release, as it overrides and replaces existing user-controlled cookie preferences with Apple’s own set of opaque and arbitrary standards for cookie handling.

Apple’s unilateral and heavy-handed approach is bad for consumer choice and bad for the ad-supported online content and services consumers love. Blocking cookies in this manner will drive a wedge between brands and their customers, and it will make advertising more generic and less timely and useful. Put simply, machine-driven cookie choices do not represent user choice; they represent browser-manufacturer choice. As organizations devoted to innovation and growth in the consumer economy, we will actively oppose any actions like this by companies that harm consumers by distorting the digital advertising ecosystem and undermining its operations.

On Apple's WebKit site, the company explains that Intelligent Tracking Prevention is meant to ensure user trust is kept during the web browsing experience on Safari, because "the success of the web as a platform relies on user trust." Also coming in Safari on High Sierra is an autoplay blocking feature, which will prevent videos from automatically playing when you open up a web page. This morning, Google announced a similar feature is coming to Chrome in January 2018.

The new Safari will launch when macOS High Sierra becomes available for download on Monday, September 25.

Tag: Safari

Apple has updated its website to indicate that Emirates NBD, the largest bank in Dubai, will soon offer Apple Pay.

apple pay uae
Emirates NBD has confirmed Apple Pay is coming soon in a recent email to customers, including MacRumors reader Hafez. ‏


Last month, Apple announced that Apple Pay will expand to Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates by the end of the year.

The new page on Apple's regional website for the United Arab Emirates now lists Apple Pay as "coming soon" in the country, suggesting a launch is imminent. The page has yet to go live in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.

Other participating banks in the United Arab Emirates will include Mashreq Bank, Emirates Islamic Bank, Rakbank, Standard Chartered, and HSBC.

MasterCard and Visa credit and debit cards will be supported at launch.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple TV 4K, and Apple Watch Series 3 models became available for pre-order at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time today, and many of the new products remain available for launch day delivery over five hours later.

iphone 8 apple watch series 3 apple tv 4k
iPhone 8 is slated for September 22 delivery in every color and storage size on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint, for example, while only a few T-Mobile and SIM-free configurations have slipped to up to 3-4 week shipping estimates.

iPhone 8 Plus supplies are slightly more constrained, but even the larger smartphone remains estimated for September 22 delivery in several colors and storage sizes on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.

Supplies may vary by model, but based on shipping estimates, demand may be skewing towards T-Mobile or SIM-free models in Space Gray or Gold. Silver and Sprint appear to be least the popular color and carrier respectively at this point.

Quite a few models remain available for launch day delivery in other countries too, such as Australia, Canada, Spain, and Singapore.

Back in the United States, customers can still order an Apple TV 4K with 32GB storage with September 22 delivery. The 64GB model has slipped to a 2-3 week shipping estimate on Apple.com.

Apple Watch Series 3 is the most constrained new product of all. Shipping estimates for many case and band combinations with GPS + Cellular have slipped to up to 4-5 weeks in the United States and elsewhere. Quite a few Wi-Fi and GPS only versions, including some Nike+ models, remain available for launch day delivery.

iPhone X pre-orders begin Friday, October 27.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 10, Apple TV

Chinese ride-hailing company Didi has added Apple Pay as a payment option to the full range of its personal mobility services (via TechCrunch).

Apple's mobile payment platform can now be used to fund Didi Express, Didi Luxe, Didi Premier, and ofo, a partner bicycle rental service embedded into the main Didi app.

屏幕快照 2017 09 15 下午2

Image via Technode

Support of the digital wallet adds another Apple feature to the Didi service, with customers already able to use Siri to hail a ride and book one from within the Maps app and on their Apple Watch.

In addition to Apple Pay support, the company is also adding an English language service for Didi Luxe to offer luxury limousine services through the ride-hailing platform. Didi Luxe operates in Beijing and is expected to arrive in Shanghai in the next few months.

Last year, Apple made a much-publicized $1 billion investment in Didi, earning it a place on the company's board, so the gradual inclusion of Apple services is to be expected.

The further support of Apple Pay also comes at a good time for Apple, which is seeking to boost use of the mobile payment platform in China and fend off popular rivals like Alipay and WeChat Pay.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Apple has quietly included support for playback of FLAC audio files on the 4K Apple TV, iPhone 8, and iPhone X, with compatibility also added retroactively to the iPhone 7 when iOS 11 gets its public release.

Support for the lossless compression codec now appears in the technical specifications on Apple's website for all of the above devices. However, as it stands, Apple's Music app does not currently support the format, so device owners who want to listen to the higher quality audio files will have to use the native Files app or a third-party app specifically made for FLAC playback, such as VLC or Plex.

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Apple's support for the FLAC codec doesn't officially extend to the iPhone 6s or iPhone SE, which may be because an A10 processor is a minimum requirement for hardware decoding and Apple is not satisfied with the power consumption tradeoffs of FLAC software decoding.

That said, Apple's latest iPad Pro range should also be capable of FLAC playback thanks to their high performance A10X Fusion chips, yet Apple hasn't updated its iPad Pro tech specs to indicate they will also support the standard.

It's possible that Apple is still testing FLAC support for its range of mobile devices, and may even have plans to offer the lossless compression standard as a download option in iTunes and playback in the Music app further down the line. However, it's worth noting that mobile users would only get the full benefits of FLAC by listening using Lightning-connected wired headphones, since a Bluetooth audio connection doesn't offer enough bandwidth to make the experience worthwhile.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
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Google Chrome Material Icon 450x450Google will follow Apple's lead by adding an autoplay blocking feature to its desktop web browser in an update set to arrive in January, the company announced on Thursday.

One of the most common irritations of web browsing is unexpected media playback, which can eat up data allowance, consume more power, and cause unwanted noise.

When Safari 11 is released as part of macOS High Sierra, Mac users will be able to control media playback settings on a per-site basis, ending the frustration of auto-playing media while browsing.

Starting in Chrome 64, Google's desktop browser will feature a customization option along the same lines. In a post on its Chromium blog, Google said that with the new settings, autoplay will only be allowed if the media on a website doesn't play sound, or if the user has frequently chosen to play media on the site before.

This will allow autoplay to occur when users want media to play, and respect users' wishes when they don't. These changes will also unify desktop and mobile web behavior, making web media development more predictable across platforms and browsers.

Since not all users have the same preferences for autoplaying media, Google said it would add a new user option in Chrome 63 to completely disable audio for individual sites that will persist between browsing sessions.

Based on the available evidence, Chrome's autoplay blocking options won't actually be as granular as Safari's, which will enable users to mute autoplaying media with sound, or block all autoplaying media completely, both for individual sites and globally.

According to Google's roadmap, Chrome's new autoplay policies will be rolled out by January 2018. macOS High Sierra – which includes Safari 11 – gets its public launch on September 25.

Tag: Chrome
Related Forum: macOS High Sierra