MacRumors

Just hours ahead of when the iPhone X is set to be available in the United States, thieves made off with more than 300 iPhone X models that were snatched yesterday afternoon from the Stonestown Apple Store in San Francisco, California.

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Three men in hoodies driving a white Dodge van broke into a UPS truck outside of the Stonestown location on Wednesday morning between 11:15 and 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time, according to police report details shared by CNET. The truck was filled with iPhone X devices that were being shipped to the store.

As for the theft, the UPS driver had locked the cargo area after parking outside the Stonestown Galleria mall in the southwest Lakeside neighborhood of San Francisco, according to the police report. A janitor spotted the suspects unloading boxes from the UPS truck and into a Dodge van and snapped a photo.

"It's suspicious they were able to get that large a haul on that day," he said.

The iPhone X models stolen are worth an estimated $370,000, and the suspects have thus far not yet been caught. According to a person who spoke with CNET, customers who were planning on picking up pre-ordered devices at the Stonestown Apple Store will still get their orders. It is not clear, however, how this will impact walk-in sales at Stonestown.

Every iPhone stolen was catalogued and serial numbers have been provided to the police.

Related Forum: iPhone

As the launch of the iPhone X approaches in the United States, Apple has started sharing iPhone X support documents and tips that instruct users on how to operate the device.

The iPhone X is the first iPhone that doesn't feature a Home button, which means there are a range of new gestures to get used to, as well as several functions like Face ID and Animoji.

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Support documents, listed below, cover setting up and using Face ID, getting help with Face ID should it fail, creating and sending Animoji, and using gestures to navigate on iPhone X.

- Use Face ID on iPhone X
- Get help with Face ID on your iPhone X
- Use Animoji on your iPhone X
- Use gestures to navigate your iPhone X

Many of these support documents cover features that have been well-outlined in reviews, first impressions, and hands-on experiences with the iPhone X, but it's useful to have all of the information in one place.

As for Tips, Apple has several short GIFs and images on topics like turning the iPhone X off, using Face ID, Animoji, Tap to Wake, Apple Pay, Multitasking, using Siri, and accessing the Home screen.

iphonextips
The first iPhone X devices are already being delivered in Australia and New Zealand, and deliveries will expand to additional countries as November 3 rolls around across the globe. In the United States, iPhone X deliveries and in-store sales will kick off first on the east coast at 8:00 a.m. local time.

Related Forum: iPhone

iPhone X shipping estimates have now improved to 3 to 4 weeks in the United States and Canada, up from a previous shipping estimate of 5 to 6 weeks.

The updated 3 to 4 week shipping estimate applies to all carriers, colors, and capacities, and it means that orders placed today will arrive right around the beginning of December rather than later in the month.

iphonexshippingestimatesus
Earlier today, iPhone X shipping estimates improved to 3 to 4 weeks in countries Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East, while shipping estimates were still at 5 to 6 weeks in North America, but now the iPhone X lists the 3 to 4 week shipping estimate in all first wave launch countries.

With shipping estimates improving, customers who have already placed an order for the iPhone X are also seeing their prospective delivery dates bumped up in many cases, and as available supply grows, delivery estimates should continue to improve further.

Just this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple is working to increase production week by week to get the iPhone X to as many customers as possible as fast as possible.

As it's already November 3 in many countries around the world, the first iPhone X models are in the hands of customers. Apple's U.S. launch will kick off in the United States at 8:00 a.m. local time, with those on the east coast being the first to get the new devices.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple BondsApple today reported revenue of $52.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $10.7 billion, or $2.07 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of its 2017 fiscal year.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri discussed the results on a conference call today. MacRumors has prepared a complete transcript of the call ahead.

Tim Cook

Good afternoon and thanks to everyone for joining us. As we close the books on a very successful fiscal 2017, I have to say I couldn't be more excited about Apple's future.

This was our biggest year ever in most parts of the world, with all-time record revenue in the United States, Western Europe, Japan, Korea, the Middle East, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. We had a particularly strong finish this year, generating our highest September quarter revenue ever, as year-over-year growth accelerated for the fourth consecutive quarter.

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Tags: AAPL, Earnings

With Apple focusing heavily on augmented reality in iOS 11 through ARKit, Apple CEO Tim Cook received several questions about AR during today's fourth quarter earnings call. He was, of course, questioned about augmented reality hardware, a question he dodged by explaining that Apple's all about the experience.

augmentedreality

In terms of monetization of AR/VR, we focus first and foremost on customer experience. We're all about making sure the customer experience is great. We think if we get the experience right, revenue and profits will follow. We're very much focused on the experience right now.

On augmented reality in general, Cook said there are "fantastic" people at Apple who are working on incredible things, and that Apple is in a "unique position" to lead when it comes to augmented reality.

I view AR as profound. Not today, not the app you'll see on the App Store today, but what it will be, what it can be, I think it's profound, and I think Apple is in a really unique position to lead in this area.

Augmented reality "amplifies human performance instead of isolating humans," Cook explained. "It's a help for humanity, not an isolation kind of thing for humanity." He said the "very cool thing" about augmented reality apps is that they're "all over the place." There are more than 1,000 ARKit apps in the App Store now, across a wide range of categories like shopping, gaming, entertainment, and business.

"I see apps that make me want to go to K-12 again and repeat my schooling because it changes the game in the classroom," said Cook. "The real beauty is that [AR] is mainstream and, of course, Apple is the only company that could have brought this because it requires hardware/software integration." He went on to compare ARKit to the launch of the App Store in 2008 and its subsequent growth.

This is very much like in 2008 when we fired the gun in the App Store. That's what it feels like to me and I think it will just get bigger from here.

Though Cook focused heavily on software and Apple's existing augmented reality experiences during the call, rumors have suggested that Apple is exploring augmented reality hardware solutions that go beyond the iPhone, like a set of augmented reality smart glasses. Work on the smart glasses is said to be in the early stages, with many technical hurdles still to overcome, so a launch is not expected for quite some time.

The entirety of Apple's conference call is now available from Apple's website.

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During today's earnings call for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on iPhone X demand. While he was unable to predict when Apple would reach supply/demand balance for the device, he said that Apple is ramping up output week by week and aiming to get the new smartphone out to customers "as soon as possible."

iphone x angled

The ramp for the iPhone X is going well, especially considering that the iPhone X is the most advanced iPhone we've ever created and it has lots of new technology in it. So we're really happy that we're able to increase week by week what we're outputting and we're going to get as many of them as possible to customers as soon as possible.

Cook went on to say that iPhone X orders are "very strong" for both direct customers and the company's channel partners throughout the world and Apple is excited for the device to get into the hands of its customers.

"I'm told we had several hundred people waiting in Sydney," Cook said. "We're getting similar reports across that region."

Cook also commented on iPhone 8 and 8 Plus sales. He refused to talk about mix, but he said that when the two devices launched, they instantly became Apple's top two selling products. When it comes to the iPhone 8 Plus, for the period of time Apple can measure to date, it saw the fastest start of any Plus model. "That for us was a bit of a surprise," said Cook. "A positive surprise, obviously."

Cook said that it's difficult to predict how iPhone 8 and iPhone X sales will ultimately pan out because this is the first time Apple has offered three iPhones at the same time, and with the iPhone X just launching, it's just today that customers are able to take a look at all three products. "We'll see what happens there," said Cook.

On the topic of iPhone X pricing elasticity, Cook pointed out that many people pay for the iPhone month by month. At carrier prices that start somewhere around $33 per month, that's "less than a coffee a day at one of these nice coffee places." Customers are also increasingly trading in their devices, which offsets the cost of the device.

"It's important to put it in that context," Cook said. "We price for the value we're providing. We're not trying to charge the highest price we can get or anything, we're just trying to price it for what we're delivering."

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple's financial earnings results for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2017 were announced today, and on the subsequent call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said revenue from the company's wearables unit was up 75% during the quarter compared to Q4 2016.

Apple's wearables business for all of fiscal 2017 was the size of a Fortune 400 company. "Apple Watch is the best-selling and most loved smart watch in the world," Cook said during the call.

apple watch series 3 trio
In 4Q 2017, the Apple Watch saw unit growth of 50 percent for the third consecutive quarter thanks to strong sales of the Apple Watch Series 3. "Customers love the freedom of Apple Watch Series 3 cellular," said Cook.

Apple does not break out Apple Watch sales, instead lumping the device into its "Other Products" category that includes Apple TV, Beats products, iPod touch, and Apple-branded and third-party accessories.

In 4Q 2017, the "Other Products" category brought in $3.23 billion, up from $2.37 billion in the year-ago quarter, a year-over-year revenue increase in 36%.

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newappstorelogoApple's services category, which includes the App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, AppleCare, iCloud, licensing, and other services, set an all-time quarterly record revenue in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2017.

During the quarter, the services category brought in $8.5 billion, up from $6.3 billion in the year-ago quarter for an impressive 34 percent growth.

Apple's services category is the size of a Fortune 100 company, a milestone Apple hit earlier this year. Apple often attributes much of the growth of its services category to the App Store, and that continues to be the case this quarter.

iOS 11 brought an entirely new App Store experience that splits Games and Apps into separate tabs and introduces a new "Today" section that allows Apple to better highlight the wide variety of apps that are available in the App Store, offering up a range of editorial picks to improve app discovery. Apple says the new design has increased customer visits, the number of apps downloaded, and the amount of time customers spend in the store.

The iOS 11 update also introduced ARKit, making the iPhone and the iPad the largest augmented reality platform in the world. There are already more than 1,000 ARKit apps available for download from the App Store.

Apple Music revenue also "grew strongly" during the quarter, with 75% growth in subscribers year-over-year, and iCloud also saw "double-digit growth" when it comes to monthly average users and revenue. Apple has 210 million paid subscriptions across all its services category, up 25 million in 4Q 2017 alone.

Apple is aiming to double its 2016 services revenue by 2020, and Apple CEO Tim Cook this afternoon said the company is well on its way to hitting that goal.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Apple today announced financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter (third calendar quarter) of 2017, unveiling impressive Mac sales.

Apple sold 5.39 million Macs during the quarter, up from 4.89 million in the year-ago quarter, marking an 10 percent increase in shipments.

macbookpromodelssideview
Mac revenue came in at $7.17 billion, up from $5.74 billion in the year-ago quarter, marking 25 percent growth. Overall revenue is likely up thanks to an increased price tag for the MacBook Pro, which saw prices raised in 2016 with the debut of Touch Bar models.

Apple this summer refreshed much of its Mac lineup, introducing new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac models with Kaby Lake processors. At the end of this year, Apple plans to introduce the iMac Pro for its professional user base, and there are future plans to unveil a modular high-end Mac Pro, both of which should further boost Mac sales in the years to come.

aapl 2017 logoApple today announced financial results for the third calendar quarter and fourth fiscal quarter of 2017.

For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $52.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $10.7 billion, or $2.07 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $46.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $9 billion, or $1.67 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. The revenue and earnings per share numbers were company records for the fourth fiscal quarter, although the total profit fell short of the 2015 figure.

Gross margin for the quarter was 37.9 percent, compared to 38 percent in the year-ago quarter, with international sales accounting for 62 percent of revenue. Apple also declared an upcoming dividend payment of $0.63 per share, payable November 16 to shareholders of record as of November 13.

Screen Shot 2017 11 02 at 4
For the quarter, Apple sold 46.7 million iPhones, up from 45.5 million in the year-ago quarter. iPad sales were up to 10.3 million from 9.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, and Mac sales rose to 5.4 million from 4.9 million.

For the full fiscal year, Apple generated $229.2 billion in sales with $48.4 billion in net income, up from $215.6 billion in sales and $45.7 billion in net income for fiscal 2016.

“We’re happy to report a very strong finish to a great fiscal 2017, with record fourth quarter revenue, year-over-year growth for all our product categories, and our best quarter ever for Services,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “With fantastic new products including iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple TV 4K joining our product lineup, we’re looking forward to a great holiday season, and with the launch of iPhone X getting underway right now, we couldn’t be more excited as we begin to deliver our vision for the future with this stunning device.”

Apple's guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2018 includes expected revenue of $84-87 billion and gross margin between 38 and 38.5 percent.

Screen Shot 2017 11 02 at 4
Apple will provide live streaming of its fiscal Q4 2017 financial results conference call at 2:00 PM Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.

A complete transcript of Apple's fourth quarter earnings call is ahead.

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Apple customers in Australia and New Zealand are always the first to get their hands on new devices on launch day because of time zone differences, and the iPhone X is no exception.

It's nearly 9:00 a.m. in New Zealand, and customers who pre-ordered an iPhone X are beginning to receive their shipments and have started sharing the first customer photos of the new device on Twitter, Instagram, reddit, and the MacRumors forums.

iphonexnewzealand

Image via reddit user ekalb22

There are no Apple Stores in New Zealand, so customers in Australia will be the first to be able to purchase devices from an Apple retail location. Available stock in Australia should give us an idea of what we can expect as it rolls around to November 3 across the globe.

Following New Zealand and Australia, iPhone X sales will kick off in Asia, Europe, and finally, North America. Apple Stores globally are opening at 8:00 a.m. local time to allow customers to pick up reserved devices and make walk-in purchases.


Apple has promised that its retail locations have stock available for walk-in customers, but supplies are believed to be limited. In countries where the iPhone X launch is approaching, lines are growing longer and longer. In the United States, customers hoping for a device should try to get to Apple Stores early.

Along with Apple Stores, other retailers are offering the iPhone X for purchase, but supplies may be even tighter at these locations. For U.S. customers, we've heard rumors suggesting some retailers like Target and AT&T may not have any iPhone X stock at some locations.

First wave iPhone X launch countries where the device is available starting on November 3 include Andorra, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, the UK, the US and the US Virgin Islands.

In the United States, the first iPhone X deliveries will take place on the east coast starting at 8:00 a.m. iPhone X pricing starts at $999 for the 64GB model, with the 256GB model priced at $1,149.

Make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors both tomorrow and throughout next week, because we'll have plenty of iPhone X coverage to share.

Related Forum: iPhone

An increasing number of developers have updated their apps over the past few days with support for the iPhone X's new screen dimensions. We've rounded up some of the more popular titles below ahead of the device's launch tomorrow.

iphone x apps

Apple has highlighted many other apps ready for the device in a "Great on iPhone X" section on the App Store, including Afterlight 2, Citymapper, Launch Center Pro, Netflix, Twitter, CARROT Weather, Wikipedia, and Yelp.

Apple has been encouraging developers to optimize their apps for the iPhone X for weeks, so there are likely dozens if not hundreds of other apps ready for the device. If you know of any others, be sure to share them in the comments section.

Related Forum: iPhone

Google is updating its YouTube Kids app for iOS devices today to introduce profiles and a dynamic app design that changes based on a child's age.

With kid profiles, each child who uses the YouTube Kids app on an iOS device can have their own profile, which allows for the custom design feature. When entering a date of birth, the YouTube Kids app will adapt the look of the app to be age appropriate.

youtubekids
Younger children will see less text when using the app, while older children will see additional content on their home screens. Kids can also set their own secret passcodes for their profiles, which can be overridden by parents.

Along with kid profiles, YouTube Kids is gaining a new setup process with clearer parental controls that offer up more detailed information.

Today's new profile feature is available in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, and Zimbabwe.

The YouTube Kids app is designed to give children a way to watch kid-appropriate YouTube content while filtering out mature content that's not suitable for younger audiences.

YouTube Kids can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: YouTube

Qualcomm on Wednesday filed yet another lawsuit against Apple, this time accusing the company of breaching software licensing terms and using Qualcomm code to help Intel, reports Bloomberg.

According to Qualcomm, Apple breached a contract that dictates the use of software that's designed to make Qualcomm chips work with other iPhone components. Qualcomm also believes Apple may have used its access to that software to help Intel with its own modem chip development.

qualcomm iphone 7
Since 2016, Apple has been using LTE chips from both Intel and Qualcomm in an effort to diversify its supply chain and move some production away from Qualcomm. The iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, and 8 Plus all use a mix of Qualcomm and Intel chips.

In light of the ongoing legal battle with Qualcomm, Apple is said to be considering eliminating Qualcomm chips from its devices all together, instead adopting chips from Intel and possibly MediaTek. Rumors suggest Qualcomm has been withholding software from Apple that Apple needs to test prototype devices for next year, forcing Apple's hand.

Qualcomm and Apple have been involved in an escalating legal fight since the beginning of the year after Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion. Apple has accused Qualcomm of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with" and failing to pay for quarterly rebates.

Apple has since stopped paying royalties to Qualcomm until new licensing fees have been worked out, as have Apple suppliers, significantly impacting Qualcomm's profits.

Qualcomm has since levied several lawsuits against Apple, accusing the company of patent infringement and asking both the United States and China to block imports and exports of some iPhone models.

As the launch of Apple's iPhone X approaches tomorrow, eager users are set to enjoy battery life normally reserved for Apple's Plus-size form factors in a phone more closely resembling a non-Plus variant in its dimensions. The reason for this advancement is not an energy density development, but rather a smaller printed circuit board (PCB) inside the iPhone X, according to a February report from KGI Securities.



This smaller PCB is thanks to a technology referred to as substrate-like PCBs, or SLP. Depictions from the report show a PCB with more layers than a traditional iPhone PCB thanks to application processor and RF signal-chain dedicated PCBs married via an interposer, creating a layer stackup nearly twice that of a conventional iPhone PCB.

kgi iphone stacked logic board
However, this doesn't come close to telling the whole story. While a new PCB stackup may offer some more flexibility in component placement, it's important to remember that the opposite side of the board from the A11 isn't empty in an iPhone 8. There are plenty of components there too — the NFC chip, display drivers, Wi-Fi combo chips, and power management ICs have all often found their homes directly opposite the workhorse application processor.

After all, 4.7-inch iPhones and their 5.5-inch "Plus" siblings have similarly sized PCBs, with battery capacity suffering as a direct result in the smaller phones. Herein lies the real problem in trying to improve battery life in these smaller form factors.

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Related Forum: iPhone

iPhone X shipping estimates have improved to 3 to 4 weeks in many countries around the world, including the UK, Australia, Japan, China, and more.

In fact, shipping estimates are better in what appears to be all first wave launch countries in Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East.

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At three to four weeks, customers in those countries who place an order today will be able to get their hands on an iPhone X right around the beginning of December. Customers who have already placed an order should also see their arrival times improve, and MacRumors readers are already reporting decreased wait times.

The new shipping estimates are an improvement from the 5 to 6 week estimates we saw just after pre-orders sold out. Estimates have not yet improved in North America, so we're still seeing 5 to 6 week wait times in the United States, but the better shipping estimates should soon expand to all launch countries.

Apple's iPhone X is on the verge of launching, and the first orders will arrive to customers in New Zealand and Australia in just a few hours. Apple Stores will be opening at 8:00 a.m. local time across the globe for in-store sales.

Related Forum: iPhone

As the launch of the iPhone X approaches, customers who are hoping to get one of the new devices on November 3 are lining up at Apple Stores around the world. Lines at many major stores started forming earlier this week, and some people have already been waiting for days to purchase an iPhone X.

apple west 14th

Apple Store on West 14th Street in Manhattan with a line on Wednesday night via Instagram user checo7xdp

Apple has said that Apple retail stores will have the iPhone X available for walk-in customers, but the company has encouraged people to line up early as the device is in short supply. If pre-orders are any indication, available supply at stores could go quickly.

iphonexsydney

Apple Store in Sydney, Australia via Instagram user hanskristensen1980

While we still have just under 24 hours to go before launch in the United States, customers in Australia will be getting their devices not too long from now, followed by those in Asia and Europe, so lines are longer in those countries.

iphone x singapore line

Apple's Orchard Road store in Singapore via Yahoo Singapore

As it gets later in the day, lines, especially in the United States, will continue to grow. Once the first stores open in Australia, we'll get hint at how much stock might be available, but it's looking like supplies are going to be tight.

If you're planning to wait in line to get an iPhone X, make sure to check out our guide for some tips on what to bring and how to choose a store.

Related Forum: iPhone

Grammarly this week announced the launch of the Grammarly Keyboard app for iOS devices, which is available on the iOS App Store right now. Once added as a new keyboard in Settings, the app will then use Grammarly's grammar-checking software to proofread text you send in essentially any app that uses a keyboard.

Grammarly Keyboard will catch context-specific mistakes related to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and Grammarly Premium users will be able to choose from various style improvements as well as gain more advanced word choice options. Above each correction is a short and clear explanation as to why Grammarly chose to fix the error, which the company says will help you "understand your mistakes and avoid them in the future."

grammarly ios keyboard
In the company's blog post, examples are given of using Grammarly Keyboard in apps like Facebook, Twitter, Messages, Mail, Tinder, and more. The app can even warn you of when an auto-correct message has been typed and fix it before you send the message.

The keyboard integrates seamlessly with all your mobile apps and your mobile browser, so you’ll always look polished and professional, even on your phone.

Developed by some of the world’s leading authorities on linguistic technology, Grammarly’s algorithms not only catch context-specific grammar and spelling mistakes, but also the kind of confusing sentences that leave your colleagues (or worse, your boss) wondering what you’re talking about. For Grammarly Premium users, the keyboard will also improve word choice and suggest style improvements so the need for “Sent from my iPhone” can become a relic of the past.

After downloading Grammarly Keyboard for free [Direct Link], you'll have to allow the app to have full access to your keyboard in the iOS Settings app. Then, just tap the globe icon to cycle through your keyboards until you see Grammarly.