MacRumors

The next-generation Apple Watch is scheduled to be released in the second half of 2017, according to supply chain newspaper DigiTimes.

The timeline matches a Chinese-language Economic Daily News report that claimed new Apple Watch models will be unveiled in the third quarter of 2017, aka fall, with battery life and performance improvements.

Apple Watch Series 2 models and slightly upgraded Series 1 models launched in September alongside the iPhone 7, so it is reasonable to assume that Series 3 models could launch in September as well. The original Apple Watch, now dubbed Series 0, launched in April 2015.

In addition to a faster processor and longer battery life, cellular connectivity has been a long-rumored addition to the Apple Watch, and SIG analyst Christopher Rolland believes LTE capabilities could be included in Series 3 models. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also said LTE could be added as early as 2017.

With a cellular connection, Apple Watch owners would not need a paired iPhone nearby to do things like make phone calls or stream Apple Music content, but a separate data plan from a carrier would likely be needed.

Apple is also expected to switch to a glass-film touchscreen this year in place of the current touch-on-lens solution, but it is unclear if this change would have any obvious consumer-facing benefits.

The overall design of the Apple Watch has not changed since the original models launched in April 2015, but one report yet to be substantiated claims Series 3 models will have few if any significant hardware changes. Apple has instead introduced new bands each season to offer a fresh look and feel.

Few other details are known about the next Apple Watch at this point, and no parts have leaked from the supply chain yet.

Apple has filed patents for a number of ideas that could eventually be included in an Apple Watch, such as a heart rate identification system, modular bands, haptic feedback band, and a band with a built-in charger. More significant health and fitness features could be added pending further FDA approvals.

Quanta Computer is expected to remain the primary manufacturer of the Apple Watch, with some production reportedly shifting to Compal Electronics.

Apple could delay its rumored high-end iPhone with a 5.8-inch edge-to-edge OLED display until October or even November, according to a new report out on Wednesday.

In recent years, Apple has released its iPhone updates in September, but according to Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN), suppliers are encountering "technical issues" in the production of the upcoming "iPhone 8" because of differences in the display lamination process and challenges involved in integrating the 3D sensing front camera system.

The report tallies with a rumor that circulated last month suggesting the iPhone 8 may go on sale later than usual, due to the switch to an OLED display and the new technology needed. In such a scenario, the launch of an iPhone 7s and 7s Plus would go ahead in September as scheduled, with the higher-end iPhone 8 coming later in the year.

Such a staggered release would be highly untypical of Apple, and it's hard to imagine the company holding a September launch event for "S" cycle iPhones with no mention of the highly rumored OLED device. However, it is possible the higher-end phone could be revealed at the same time but launched in limited quantities or at a later date. Barclays analysts recently claimed that Apple will launch its "10th anniversary iPhone" in the usual September timeframe, albeit in short supply until a full stock arrives in the fourth quarter.

Earlier this week it was reported that Apple has placed an order for 70 million OLED panels from Samsung, anticipating high demand. Samsung is preparing to be able to produce up to 95 million panels in 2017, said the sources.

Market watchers are said to be analyzing the pull-in of orders for passive components from the iPhone's supply chain to see whether production of the new iPhone devices is on track, according to EDN. Apart from the edge-to-edge OLED display, the "iPhone 8" is expected to include wireless charging, no physical Home button, and perhaps 3D facial recognition and/or iris scanning. In addition, rumors suggest that Touch ID could be embedded in or under a True Tone display.

(Via DigiTimes.)

Apple's widely rumored high-end iPhone with an OLED display is expected to cost upwards of $1,000, but UBS analyst Steven Milunovich believes that a base 64GB model could start at $850 to $900 in the United States. That price point would be similar to Samsung's new Galaxy S8+, which starts at $840 to $850.

Milunovich said the flagship iPhone could start at under $1,000 as part of Apple's "mainstream luxury" pricing strategy. He also believes the 5.8-inch device will be competing at a screen size disadvantage compared to the 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+, leading him to predict Apple will adopt similar pricing as Samsung.

Milunovich thinks that a 256GB model could cost between $950 and $1,000, so the iPhone could very well be the first mainstream smartphone in the United States to have a four-digit price tag. He also predicted that the tentatively named iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will start at around $649 and $749 respectively.

An excerpt from Milunovich's latest research note obtained by MacRumors:

Contrary to some perceptions, Apple prices quite competitively. Apple likes to position its entry-level products at the mid-market with "Pro/Plus" products close to competitors at the high end. Therefore, we do not think Apple will stray far from the price point of Samsung's most expensive model at $840-850 and will keep the entry OLED model at $850-900. Apple's 256GB OLED model could be $950-1,000, but the 256GB 7 Plus already is $970.

The research note cites UBS Asia hardware analyst Arthur Hsieh, who estimates the factory cost of the tentatively named iPhone 8 could be $70 to $90 higher than the iPhone 7 Plus, which starts at $769. Milunovich's prices appear to be merely predictions based on this information, rather than inside sources.

In addition to an edge-to-edge OLED display with narrow bezels, the iPhone 8 is expected to resemble the Galaxy S8 in many ways, including wireless charging, no physical Home button, and potentially 3D facial recognition and/or iris scanning. Touch ID might be embedded in or under the True Tone display.

Milunovich maintains a "buy" rating for AAPL with a $151 price target. AAPL closed at an all-time high of $144.77 on Tuesday.

Apple today sent out emails to a small number of iCloud users, warning them that a bug in iOS 10.3 may have caused some iCloud services that had been disabled to be mistakenly re-enabled.

The email asks iCloud users to revisit their iCloud settings to make sure to turn off any service that might have been turned on through the iOS 10.3 update.

It's not entirely clear which iCloud services might have been affected, but MacRumors reader Karl, who sent us the email, said that he typically disables iCloud Mail. Following the update, he found the Mail option turned back on.

We discovered a bug in the recent iOS 10.3 software update that impacted a small number of iCloud users. This may have inadvertently reenabled some iCloud services that you had previously disabled on your device.

We suggest you go to iCloud settings on your iOS device to make sure that only the services you'd like to use are enabled.
Learn more about how to manage your iCloud settings or contact AppleCare with any questions.

The iCloud team

iOS 10.3, released on March 27, introduced a new Apple Filesystem among other major features like Find My AirPods, plus it included an overhauled iCloud storage breakdown, which may explain why some iCloud services were mistakenly turned back on.

To check which iCloud services are enabled on your iOS device, open the Settings app and scroll down to the "iCloud" section. A list of apps and services using iCloud is front and center, and anything that was enabled via iOS 10.3 can be turned off using the toggle buttons.

A wide range of first and third-party apps and services use Apple's iCloud feature, including Photos, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Notes, Safari, News, and more.

Update: According to Apple, iCloud Photo Library, iCloud Keychain, and Find My iPhone were not affected by the issue. The bug has been fixed in the iOS 10.3.1 update, so those who have not yet updated to iOS 10.3 but choose to update to iOS 10.3.1 will not be impacted by the bug. Apple has not shared how many users were affected by the bug but says not everyone who updated to iOS 10.3 will experience it.

Apple today announced that it will be opening its second retail location in Dubai, the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates.

The store will be located at The Dubai Mall in downtown Dubai, opposite the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world. As we reported in February, the store will be split into two floors inside the shopping mall. Apple said the grand opening will be "soon," but it did not provide a specific date or time.

Apple is celebrating the upcoming grand opening with an artistic display on its website and on the construction barrier covering the storefront.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Apple continues to renovate a number of its older stores with its newer retail design introduced in 2015.

Apple has announced that its stores in Burlingame, California and Canoga Park in Los Angeles temporarily closed for renovations on Sunday. Apple also temporarily closed its store at The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on March 25 for renovations. All three stores will likely reopen by the end of the year.

Apple also announced that its current North Point Mall store in Alpharetta, Georgia will be closing and relocating to Avalon, a new mixed-use development in the Atlanta suburb. The grand opening is April 13 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

Elsewhere, construction continues for Apple's upcoming flagship store near the historic Michigan Avenue Bridge in downtown Chicago.

The store will include a "grand flight of stairs" going from street level to a walkway alongside the Chicago River's north bank. At street level, the store will have an entry pavilion that's 14-feet high. Pedestrians entering from North Michigan Avenue can reach the sales floor by stairs or elevator.

MacRumors has also received a tip from reader David about Apple possibly expanding its retail store at the Providence Place shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island. David sent us a photo of what appears to be Apple's typical black construction barrier taking up four units on the lower level of the Macy's wing of the mall.

The tipster said he confirmed with multiple employees that the construction is indeed for a new Apple Store in the mall, which will replace its much smaller one down the hall. The tipster has heard that Apple is aiming to complete construction by June, and the store will likely open at some point in the summer.

Apple's newer retail layout often includes wider open spaces with some combination of large glass doors, touch-sensitive sequoia wood tables and shelves, seating areas for community events, large 6K resolution video screens, indoor trees, and light boxes extending the length of the ceiling.

Apple is similarly expanding its retail stores at Danbury Fair Mall in Danbury, Connecticut and Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Update: Apple is also putting the finishes touches on its first store in Singapore, expected to open at some point in the next few months.

Apple today announced price drops for its Mac Pro lineup ahead of a major revamp coming in the future, dropping the 4-core option and significantly lowering the prices of its new baseline 6-core and 8-core machines.

Apple has also made Mac Pro build-to-order processor and GPU upgrades much more affordable for pro users who need higher-end specs than the base machines provide.

Upgrading the new 3.5GHz entry-level 6-core Mac Pro to the 3.0GHz 8-core processor now costs $800, while upgrading to the 2.7GHz 12-core machine costs $2,000. Prior to today, the 8-core upgrade was priced at $1,500, and the 12-core upgrade was priced at $3,000.

GPU upgrades are also more affordable. With the 6-core machine, upgrading from the stock dual AMD FirePro D500 to the FirePro D700 now costs $200, an upgrade that was previously priced at $600. The GPU upgrade isn't necessary on the new stock 8-core machine, as it ships with the D700s.

RAM and flash storage upgrade pricing has not changed, however. It continues to cost $400 to upgrade to 32GB RAM and $1,200 to upgrade to 64GB RAM. 512GB flash storage is available for $200, and the 1TB flash storage upgrade costs $600. Prices on flash storage were lowered back in October alongside the launch of the new MacBook Pro.

All in all, a maxed out Mac Pro machine with a 12-core processor, 64GB RAM, 1TB flash storage, and dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs will now cost $6,999 instead of $9,599.

The Mac Pro lineup has not gained any refreshed or updated hardware -- all that's changed is configuration and price. The machines continue to use Ivy Bridge E Xeon processors, dual AMD FirePro GPUs, and Thunderbolt 2.

Apple's reconfigured Mac Pros are available starting today from the online Apple Store and Apple retail stores. The 6-core model can be purchased immediately, but the 8-core model is listed as "currently unavailable."

Today's price drops come ahead of a promised overhauled Mac Pro that will be introduced sometime after this year. Apple is working on a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro system that will facilitate regular upgrades to meet the needs of Apple's pro user base.

Following a surprise Mac Pro update today, Apple has now listed the repriced models on its online store. Essentially, this is just a pricing adjustment: the former $3,999 model is now the $2,999 base model, while the previously built-to-order 8-core model with dual D700 GPUs is now the high-end stock configuration.

The base model Mac Pro with a 3.5GHz 6-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs, and 16GB of RAM is available to purchase now for $2,999 online and at select Apple Stores in the United States, Canada, Europe, and select other regions. Online orders ship in as little as one business day.

The higher-end model with a 3.0GHz 8-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs, and 16GB of RAM is listed as "currently unavailable" online, with no purchase button yet. Just moments ago, the model was listed as available in "30 business days," but Apple has removed that timeframe.

Today's reshuffling raises the entry-level Mac Pro to a 6-core processor with 16GB of RAM for $2,999, compared to the former base model with a quad-core processor and 12GB of RAM. Likewise, Apple used to sell a high-end 6-core Mac Pro for $3,999, but has today bumped that model to 8-cores for the same price.

There are no other hardware changes to either model, but upgrade pricing for built-to-order configurations is now cheaper. Upgrading from 6-core to 8-core or 12-core, for example, used to be $1500 or $3000 respectively, but it is now $800 or $2000 respectively. AMD FirePro graphics upgrades are likewise cheaper.

The news came today in a collection of announcements that Apple unveiled to journalists near its headquarters in Cupertino, including a confirmation of new pro-level iMac models coming later in 2017 and a promise that the Mac Mini is still "important."

Apple also announced that it is working on a "completely rethought" version of the Mac Pro, as well as a pro display that works with the system, but Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller admitted that "you won't see any of those products this year."

Apple invited a small group of reporters to Cupertino on Monday for a roundtable discussion about the future of the Mac.

Apple revealed to them reshuffled Mac Pro configurations and pricing, but the bigger news was that it's working on a "completely rethought" Mac Pro that will feature a modular design. The all-new Mac Pro, which won't launch until at least next year, will be Apple's highest-end, highest-throughput system.

Apple said the new Mac Pro will be accompanied by an Apple-branded external display geared towards pro users. Apple appears to be reversing course after discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display, and reportedly exiting the display business. It most recently partnered with LG on the UltraFine 4K and 5K displays.

Apple also said that it's working on new iMac models that will be unveiled later this year, but it remained tight-lipped about what to expect. Meanwhile, Apple said the Mac mini remains an "important" product in its lineup, and one that it will continue to sell, but it did not reveal any plans for future updates.

It isn't often that Apple pre-announces new products in its pipeline, but there were growing concerns that Apple no longer cared about professional users, and this is Apple's way of proving otherwise. Apple stressed that it remains committed to the Mac and pro users throughout its entire media briefing.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller apologized about the "pause in upgrades and updates" to the Mac Pro, and promised that Apple will have "something great" to replace it, according to TechCrunch. The Mac Pro went 1,202 days without any update prior to today, per the MacRumors Buyer's Guide.

"If we've had a pause in upgrades and updates, we're sorry for that — what happened with the Mac Pro — and we're going to come out with something great to replace it."

Schiller also apologized about the current Mac Pro's lack of upgradability and expandability, per Daring Fireball:

We're not going to get into exactly what stage we’re in, just that we told the team to take the time to do something really great. To do something that can be supported for a long time with customers with updates and upgrades throughout the years. We’ll take the time it takes to do that. The current Mac Pro, as we’ve said a few times, was constrained thermally and it restricted our ability to upgrade it. And for that, we’re sorry to disappoint customers who wanted that, and we’ve asked the team to go and re-architect and design something great for the future that those Mac Pro customers who want more expandability, more upgradability in the future. It’ll meet more of those needs.

Schiller said Apple chose to be more transparent with today's news because it "cares deeply" about pro users that "invest so much" in the Mac:

“We’ll talk about what’s going on and frankly be a little more transparent with some of the things we’re doing, some of the places we’re going, because our pro users desire that and we care deeply about them and we’re dedicated to communicating well with them and helping them understand what we’re doing and what we’re up to. We want to be as transparent as we can, for our pro users, and help them as they make their buying decisions. They invest so much in the Mac, we want to support them, and we care deeply about them. So that’s why we’re here.”

The overall tone was that Apple is committed to the Mac, even if the iPhone accounts for some two-thirds of Apple's revenue.

We’re committed to the Mac, we’ve got great talent on the Mac, both hardware and software, we’ve got great products planned for the future, and as far as our horizon line can see, the Mac is a core component of the things Apple delivers, including to our pro customers.

In the end, the comparatively small but vocal community of pro users was loud enough that Apple likely felt it needed to respond now, rather than keep its plans for new products under wraps until later. It's exciting news for Apple's pro customers, even if some patience is still required until Apple's roadmap materializes.