MacRumors

Apple continues to defend its proposed data center in Galway County, Ireland, during an oral hearing brought together from an appeal by independent planning body An Bord Pleanála. This time, those against the company's site in Derrydonnell Forest argued that it is planning to build in a location that's too close to a local nuclear power plant (via Business Insider).

Oscar Gonzalez, who works in data center site selection at Apple, defended the company's west coast of Ireland location, stating that it meets Apple's goal of being at least 320km from the nearest nuclear facility. According to a few witnesses present at the oral hearing, however, the Derrydonnell Forest location was so desired by Apple that the company manufactured the arbitrary 320km rule of thumb to eliminate areas of Ireland that are specially designated for data center construction.

Apple Data Center

"Brenda McGuane and Others" suggest that Apple adopted the 320km radius to eliminate more suitable plots of land in other parts of Ireland. They say: "the selection of sites greater than 320km from nuclear facilities is not a criteria adopted by Apple for its data centres in the US. The criteria has not been adopted by other international corporations."

The fact that the likes of Google and Microsoft have built data centres near Dublin shows that other large tech companies are willing to put their server farms less than 320km away from UK nuclear sites.

The nearest nuclear facility to the proposed site - called Wylfa Nuclear Power Station - is located in Wales and is approximately 280km away, but it's been closed down for a few years, so its use as a violation of Apple's own rules didn't hold much water during the oral hearings. The second farthest site that is currently operating, located in Sellafield in the United Kingdom, is about 370km from Derrydonnel Forest.

Gonzalez said that Apple first and foremost attempts to "minimize the risk" of site selection, referring to the 320km rule, but when it has to accept compromises it does so "reluctantly." Engineer Allan Daly pointed out that Apple's ruleset for picking and choosing data center locations remains largely nebulous on a plot-by-plot basis, suggesting the company "picks and chooses" when it decides to meet them. "The distances to nuclear facilities, military installation and fuel distribution centers are arbitrary, and can be increased or decreased," Daly wrote.

In response, Gonzalez stuck to Apple's reluctant compromise point, explaining that as time passes, potential data center sites are evaluated by different rules and perspective as Apple's "huge growth in demand" changes the need for such sites. Other protestors of the Derrydonnel Forest location have attempted to use its negative impact on the population of local bats and badgers, and poor water maintenance that could flood a local golf course, as their main points of contention against Apple.

Google has updated its eponymous voice-recognition search app with speed improvements the company claims will save users "a combined 6.5 million hours" this year.

"Each time you open the app or do a search, everything will load just a bit quicker," said Google VP Tamar Yehoshua in a blog post.

Google Search iOSNot only should the app feel faster overall, says Yehoshua, news articles that show up in searches should load almost immediately, thanks to wider adoption of the company's open source Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project.

Introduced in February, the project aimed to make pages using AMP load four times as fast and use 10 times less data than traditional web pages. AMP-optimized stories are indicated by a lightning bolt icon and show up in the top stories section of search results.

In addition, the app now includes video highlights in select Google Now cards for NBA and NHL games.

Google for iOS is a free download on the App Store for iPad and iPhone. [Direct Link]

Apple-BondsApple is set to issue bonds in Taiwan with the aim of raising $1 billion, according to Reuters.

The news signals the company's first attempt to sell bonds on the island where many of its supply chain partners operate, such as iPhone manufacturer Foxconn, contract chipmaker TSM, and camera lens producer Largan Precision.

The move would place Apple alongside a number of big global names that have already sold billions of dollars on Taiwan's debt market. In December, for example, Intel sold $915 million of 30-year bonds with yields of 4.7 percent. Sales of bonds by global brewer Anheuser Busch InBev with the same maturity shortly followed to the tune of $1.47 billion, yielding 4.9 percent for the company.

"Taiwan insurance companies don't have enough good (quality) fixed-income investment targets," an unnamed securities house official told Reuters. "But their funds continue to grow because in this low rate macro-environment, consumers prefer to buy financial products offered by insurance companies rather than park money in a bank deposit."

Apple appears ready to take advantage of the current liquidity of Taiwan's flush bond market, where long-term buyers of debt continue to seek creditworthy names in a race for higher yields. Cash-rich investors have reportedly made the island a haven for debt financing, and Apple's planned entrance into the market is likely to help the company secure solid partnership with its suppliers.

The U.S. dollar bonds will have a tenor of 30 years and be redeemable after the second year, sources told Reuters. Apple declined to comment, while the OTC exchange said it wasn't aware of any plan by Apple to issue bonds. However, bond issuers only need three days or less to notify the exchange before being listed.

Update: Apple will also be issuing bonds in Australia, and possibly Japan and Singapore, as part of broader plans to raise up to $4 billion in debt in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tag: Taiwan

BMO, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust, which make up three of the five largest banks in Canada, support Apple Pay starting today.

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Apple Pay currently works with MasterCard and Interac at BMO, Visa and Interac at TD Canada Trust, and Visa, American Express, and Interac at Scotiabank. Eligible cards can be scanned or added manually to Apple Pay by tapping the "Add Credit or Debit Card" option in the Wallet app on iOS 8.1 or later.

All three banks are now listed as participating issuers on the Apple Pay website in Canada. Meanwhile, ATB Financial and Canadian Tire Bank have added support for in-app purchases with Apple Pay on compatible iPhone and iPad models, expanding upon their existing support for in-store payments.

Apple Pay is now available at all of Canada's "Big Five" banks, which collectively cover more than 90 percent of Canadian banking customers, after CIBC and RBC began supporting the iPhone-based mobile payments service three weeks ago. The banks serve over 50 million customers combined worldwide.

Scotiabank direct banking subsidiary Tangerine will also support Apple Pay in the near future, according to its Twitter account.

The next largest Canadian banks and credit unions that would be suitable Apple Pay candidates in the future include Desjardins and National Bank of Canada, the two largest financial institutions in Québec, along with Vancity and Meridian. None have been listed as "coming soon" on the Apple Canada website.

Apple-Pay-accepted copyApple Pay can be used virtually anywhere contactless payments are already accepted in Canada, including at Apple Stores, Canadian Tire, Chapters, Coles, Indigo, London Drugs, Mark's, McDonald's, On The Go, Petro-Canada, Pizza Hut, Staples, Tim Hortons, and hundreds of other merchants nationwide.

Apple Pay support is also coming soon to Air Canada, Aldo, Domino's, Pizza Pizza, Zulily, and the TTC transit system in Toronto. Additionally, the payments service can be used in apps such as Apple, Delta, Etsy, Fancy, Groupon, Kickstarter, Priceline, Starbucks, Ticketmaster, Uber, and Zara starting in June.

Apple Pay is compatible with iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone SE, in addition to the Apple Watch when paired with an iPhone 5 or later, for in-store payments, while the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and iPad mini 3 support Apple Pay for in-app purchases only.

Apple Pay has been available for non-bank-issued American Express cardholders in Canada since last November.

Apple Pay launched in the U.S. in October 2014 and expanded to the U.K. in July 2015. The service is also available in Australia, China, and Singapore. Apple is "working rapidly" to expand Apple Pay to additional regions, including Hong Kong and Spain and possibly France, Brazil, Japan, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Last month, Google announced plans for its upcoming Amazon Echo rival, Google Home, a Wi-Fi enabled personal assistant that enables people to ask Google search queries, manage everyday tasks, enjoy music and entertainment, and more using hands-free "OK Google" voice commands.

Yesterday, a few more details emerged about Google Home, which will potentially go directly up against the smart device Apple is rumored to be working on.

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According to technology news site The Information, Google Home will share many of the hardware components of the company's popular internet-connected TV streaming device, Chromecast, relying on the same dual-core ARM-based microprocessor, 4GB of RAM, and a dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip.

The similarities are apparently so close between the two devices because the same team responsible for the Chromecast headed up development of the Google Home. As a result, it is being described as "dressed-up version" of the company's existing device, with the addition of a microphone, speaker, plastic top with LED lights, and a fabric or metal bottom. 

The Home is also expected to run the same Linux-based OS used on the Chromecast, though Google has discussed powering future versions with its Android mobile platform. 

The upshot of all this is that the device could be extremely inexpensive to produce, given that the Chromecast currently sells at $35. That would mean Google being able to significantly undercut the $179 Amazon Echo. Notably, the Chromecast is also one of Google's most successful hardware products, selling 3 million units in the past three years.

Apple's rumored smart home product is a Siri-based device that would include a speaker and microphone that could be used for features like listening to music, getting news headlines, and more. Apple is also planning to introduce an enhanced version of Siri, which the company will open up to outside developers to integrate with their own apps and services.

Apple has reportedly been working on its rival device since before the Amazon Echo debuted in November 2014. Google Home will be available later this year, but it is not known when Apple will be ready to debut its home accessory or how it will fit into the company's existing product lineup.

But given Apple's tendency to place its hardware products at premium price points, consumers are unlikely to see a device as inexpensive as Google appears to be readying for the home.

At Recode's Code Conference today, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was asked why the online retailer does not sell either the Apple TV or Google Chromecast. Bezos reiterated that Amazon chooses not to sell video streaming devices that do not include Prime Video capability and that the company wants "acceptable business terms" before bringing the the app to devices.

Apple-TV-Amazon-Prime-Video

We sell Roku, we sell Xbox, we sell PlayStation. We're happy to sell competitive products on Amazon and we do it all day. We sell Nest thermostats. When we sell those devices, we want our Prime Video player to be on the device and we want it to be on the device with acceptable business terms. We can always get the player on the device, the question is whether you can get it on with acceptable business terms. And if you can't, we don't want to sell it to our customers because they're going to be buying it thinking you can watch Prime Video and then they're going to be disappointed and then they're going to return it.

When pressed by The Verge's Nilay Patel on whether "acceptable business terms" meant paying Apple's 30 percent cut on in-app purchases and subscriptions, Bezos declined to answer, only stating that he wanted to keep private business discussions private.

Amazon ceased selling the Apple TV and Google Chromecast last October, saying that it was important for Prime Video to interact with streaming devices it sells to avoid customer confusion. In November, Amazon confirmed to engineer Dan Bostonweeks that a Prime Video app was in development, with the company saying that it hoped to launch the app by the end of 2015.


While the app didn't launch for Apple TV, Amazon did debut a standalone Prime Video streaming service for $8.99 a month, allowing users to subscribe to the service without signing up for the annual $99 Amazon Prime bundle, which includes free shipping from the company's retail store, unlimited streaming music and more.

Amazon Prime Video for iOS is available in the App Store for free and accessible by Amazon Prime members. The service is also available on Android, Fire OS, Amazon Fire TV, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U, the web and select TVs and Blu-ray players from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Vizio.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

facebook-messenger-logoFacebook is planning to introduce an optional end-to-end encryption mode for its Facebook Messenger chat platform, currently used by more than 900 million people, reports The Guardian.

Citing sources "close to the project," The Guardian says the encryption will be an opt-in feature because turning it on will impact some of the new machine learning features being built into the Messenger app like chat bots. Google's upcoming "Allo" messaging app also offers an opt-in end-to-end encryption option it calls "incognito mode."

Many major technology companies have taken a stronger stance on privacy, embracing end-to-end encryption following Apple's standoff with the FBI. Earlier this year, the FBI demanded Apple unlock the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook by bypassing Apple's own passcode security features.

Apple refused, and the FBI eventually found an alternate way to access the iPhone, but the dispute has scared technology companies into bolstering security. Dozens of major technology companies supported Apple during its fight with the FBI, all of whom were concerned about the precedent the FBI's demand could set.

Popular Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp enabled full end-to-end encryption in April, and in March, Swiss software developer Proton Technologies released ProtonMail, an email app offering end-to-end encryption. Apple is also rumored to be working on enhanced security measures for its software and hardware, and apps like Telegram Messenger have grown in popularity.

It is not clear exactly when Facebook might introduce new encryption options for Messenger, but the feature is said to be planned "in the coming months." Facebook declined to comment on the rumor, saying it does not respond to rumor and speculation.

Photos have leaked depicting alleged components destined for the rumored redesigned MacBook Pro, giving us a look at the thin body of the device, the space where a rumored OLED touch panel will be positioned, and its possible ports.

Shared by Cult of Mac, the photos came from an anonymous source who claimed to work for Apple's manufacturing partner in China.

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The images feature the body of what appears to be a MacBook Pro, which, based on size, seems to be the 13-inch model. The trackpad and the keys have not yet been put in place, but noticeably absent is a function row at the top of the keyboard, which rumors say will be replaced with an OLED touch panel.

Size wise, the MacBook model in the photos appears to be slightly thinner than existing MacBook Pros, and in pictures of the sides of the device, a total of four USB-C ports are available, with two on the left side and two on the right side. A headphone jack is also included, as are thin speaker grilles on either side of the keyboard.

macbook_pro_2016_case_sides
Rumors have suggested Apple is working on completely revamped 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models with a thinner and lighter form factor and a dedicated OLED display touch bar that replaces physical function keys. A dedicated Touch ID button is expected to be built into the bar, as is support for USB-C and Thunderbolt 3.

According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new MacBook Pros will feature the "most significant upgrade ever undertaken by Apple," with the machines set to be released during the fourth quarter of 2016. Many were hoping for a WWDC launch, which early rumors hinted at, but if Kuo's information is accurate, we will need to wait until the fall months to see the launch of the new devices.

Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Samsung today announced that mass production has begun on a new NVMe PCIe solid state drive in a ball grid array package, the first of its kind to be available in large quantities. The SSD, called the PM971-NVMe, is tiny, merging all SSD components into a package that's smaller than a standard U.S. postage stamp.

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Designed for next-generation PCs and ultra-slim notebooks, the PM971-NVMe measures in at 20mm x 16mm x 1.5mm and weighs approximately a gram. Its volume is about a hundredth of a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD, and it offers performance able to surpass a SATA 6Gb/s interface with sequential read/write speeds of up to 1500MB/s and 900MB/s, respectively.

According to Samsung, it takes 3 seconds to transfer a 5GB-equivalent full-HD movie and is up to 1500 times faster than a standard hard drive when it comes to random read/write input output operations per second (190K and 150K, respectively). Samsung plans to offer the SSD in 128, 256, and 512GB configurations.

samsungnvmebgassd2

"Samsung's new BGA NVMe SSD triples the performance of a typical SATA SSD, in the smallest form factor available, with storage capacity reaching up to 512GB," said Jung-bae Lee, senior vice president, Memory Product Planning & Application Engineering Team, Samsung Electronics. "The introduction of this small-scale SSD will help global PC companies to make timely launches of slimmer, more stylish computing devices, while offering consumers a more satisfactory computing environment."

Apple has used Samsung SSDs in its Mac machines in the past, and it stands to reason that the company could adopt Samsung's newest technology in the future. There's no guarantee that will happen, but Apple often likes to include cutting-edge technology in its products.

Apple has been using a faster NVM Express interface for the SSDs of its most recent machines, starting with the 12-inch Retina MacBook. Intel is also developing next-generation 3D Xpoint SSD technology that's set to launch in 2016 in its forthcoming Optane solid state drives, another hardware option that may be of interest to Apple.

Tag: Samsung

The Photos app for iOS allows users to zoom into images using pinch gestures, but the zooming capabilities are limited and don't let users to zoom all the way in to a photo. There is, however, a bug in iOS that allows zooming beyond the current limit, shared this morning by iDownloadBlog.

In the iOS Photos app, opening a photo and then using the "Edit" feature and the "Crop" tool to rotate the photo by 90 degrees appears to remove the zooming limit. After rotating the photo sideways, a second edit can be done to rotate it back to the correct angle, leaving the bug intact and allowing for further zooming.

ioszoomcapabilities

Max normal zoom in Photos on left, extra zoom through Photos bug on right

Unlimited zooming is only available on a photo that's been rotated through the Crop tool, and exiting the Photos app or switching over to another image resets the photo so the zoom bug no longer works. A video demonstration is below.


Zooming in beyond the current thresholds in the Photos app is of little practical use in most cases, because the image becomes extremely pixellated, but it could be useful to people who want to zoom into a specific area of an photo just a bit further.

The zooming bug works on iPads and iPhones running iOS 9.3.2 and the iOS 9.3.3 beta. It is not clear when it will be fixed as it's likely a bug that's not a main priority.

In an effort to further improve app discoverability, Apple recently implemented a change to the way Top Charts work on the Apple TV. When viewing the Top Paid, Free, and Grossing Charts in the tvOS App Store, Apple TV users no longer see entries for apps they've already downloaded and installed on their set-top box.

Individualized, custom Top Chart rankings are now available for all Apple TV users, allowing them to see a dynamic list that changes with each app they download. This behavior is exclusive to the Apple TV App Store and is not reflective of how Top Charts work for iOS devices and Macs.

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App developer Equinux noticed the change last week, after discovering one of their popular apps was no longer listed in the Top Charts. Equinux thought the app had fallen from the charts at first, before noticing it was simply hidden on Apple TV devices where it was already installed.

In turns out, Apple now hides an app in the charts once you've installed it. Give it a try: Go install TV Pro Mediathek (VOD for German TV content) from the App Store (currently #3 Top Grossing in Germany) and then go back in to the App Store: boom - it's gone from the charts and the next-placed app has moved up.

This tvOS top charts algorithm change even affects featured apps on the start page: TV Pro Mediathek no longer shows up in its featured slot on the start page of the German App Store once you've installed it.

Apple's intention with the change is presumably to make the charts appear 'fresher' and users see more apps that they haven't installed yet.

When the Apple TV first launched in October, app discovery was a major issue. Apple has since made an effort to make it easier for Apple TV users to find apps through the implementation of app categories, Top Charts, and web previews.

Since late 2015, Apple's App Stores have been under the control of Phil Schiller, who took over from Eddy Cue. Schiller now oversees the app ecosystem across iOS devices, Macs, the Apple TV, and the Apple Watch, while Cue focuses on other software and services. Under Schiller's leadership, Apple has improved search algorithms and sped up app review times.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Thunderbolt Display stock is limited or unavailable at several Apple Stores in North America, Europe, Australia, and other regions ahead of new product announcements expected at WWDC 2016 in two weeks.

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A spot check of Apple Stores in the U.S., for example, reveals that the Thunderbolt Display is available on a ship-to-store basis only at all or select locations in Albany, Buffalo, Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, San Antonio, San Diego, Syracuse, and many other mid-sized cities and their surrounding areas.

Thunderbolt Displays do remain available in some major cities, including most stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco.

Meanwhile, in Canada, the Thunderbolt Display is only available at more prominent store locations such as the Eaton Centre and Yorkdale in Toronto, Sainte-Catherine in Montréal, and the Pacific Centre in Vancouver. Thunderbolt Display stock in the U.K. is even more scarce, with Apple's web-based Personal Pickup tool showing that Regent Street is the only location with in-store stock within 100 miles of London.

A reliable retail source informed us that the Thunderbolt Display has been out of stock for a month at all central and surrounding London stores, while a tipster claims that the 27-inch monitor has been pulled from sale, with stock "returned to warehouse," at at least one U.K. retail store. A similar tip originating from Australia was received about Thunderbolt Display stock not being replenished.

With WWDC 2016 around the corner, limited in-store availability of the Thunderbolt Display will naturally stir speculation about a possible refresh to the standalone monitor. As always, however, the stock outage could simply amount to regular fluctuations within Apple's inventory channels, or Apple could be making room for ongoing store renovations. Rumors about a Thunderbolt Display refresh have slowed since late 2014.

AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule Wi-Fi base stations are also at least temporarily out of stock at many Apple Stores, although only at U.S. locations and possibly because of a recent firmware update or FCC compliance.

Apple began shipping the five-year-old Thunderbolt Display in September 2011. In terms of prospective updates, the 27" Retina 5K iMac could be the basis for a corresponding 5K Thunderbolt Display, which could feature the same 5,120×2,880 pixels resolution, USB-C ports for connecting Thunderbolt 3 peripherals, and possibly an ultra-thin design resembling the latest iMacs.

Only the late 2013 Mac Pro, late 2014 or newer 27" Retina 5K iMac, and mid 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro with AMD Radeon R9 M370X graphics are capable of driving 5K external displays, however, and each setup requires using two Thunderbolt cables per display. The lack of support is due to bandwidth limitations of the DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4 specs on current Macs.

DisplayPort 1.3 has increased bandwidth, but Skylake-based Macs with Thunderbolt 3 will not support the spec and Intel's next-generation Kaby Lake processors on track for a late 2016 launch will not as well. Apple could opt to release a 4K Thunderbolt Display instead, but supply chain considerations make this unlikely, so the company's exact plans for the future of its standalone display remain to be seen.

Update: Apple is rumored to be working on a 5K external display with a dedicated graphics card, which would feasibly allow the display to be used with almost any Mac because it would be driven by an internal graphics card rather than the machine it is connected to. A future software update like OS X 10.12 would be required.

Apple could also elect to use Multi-Stream Transport (MST), a technology that stitches two halves of a display together to make a single seamless display in software. By using both of the DisplayPort 1.2 streams, forthcoming Macs with Thunderbolt 3 ports would be able to drive a 5K display over MST without the need for an external GPU.

Related Forum: Mac Accessories

intelIntel's next-generation Kaby Lake processors are still on track for a late 2016 launch and are set to enter production by the end of this quarter, according to an announcement made by Intel at Computex.

Earlier this year, Intel announced it was no longer adhering to its "tick-tock" processor release cycle, which saw it alternating between shrinking chip fabrication processes and building new architectures each year. Kaby Lake, rather than being built on a smaller process, will be the third member of the 14-nanometer family after Broadwell and Skylake, and is the successor to Skylake.

Kaby Lake is considered a semi-tock with optimized microarchitecture. It supports Thunderbolt 3 and native USB 3.1, but it will not feature support for DisplayPort 1.3, so Macs with Kaby Lake chips will remain unable to drive 5K displays over a single-stream cable. According to Intel, Kaby Lake will feature advancements in performance, battery, and media capabilities.

Intel's last two chip releases were plagued with delay after delay, which is likely the reason why the company decided to move away from its long-running tick-tock policy. Several of Apple's Macs, including the Retina MacBook Pro, have been impacted by Intel's chip delays over the last few years with unusual update cycles and long periods of time between updates.

With Kaby Lake chips set to debut in late 2016, it is possible refreshed Macs released late in the year could take advantage of the new processors, depending on when Kaby Lake chips appropriate for each Mac launch. iMacs, for example, are likely to be refreshed in the later months of 2016, and recent rumors have also suggested we won't be seeing a refreshed Retina MacBook Pro until the fourth calendar quarter of the year.

Intel is also beginning production on entry-level Apollo Lake processors, also set to launch before the end of the year. Apollo Lake is designed for Atom-based notebooks like all-in-one machines and tablet PCs.

In a report corroborating details about Apple moving towards an elongated three-year period between major iPhone refreshes, or a tick-tock-tock cycle, Japanese website Nikkei claimed that 2017 models will be equipped with a "high-performance motor" able to "create more complex tactile vibrations."

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The report does not provide additional details about the new motor, but it is reasonable to assume that Apple could upgrade the Taptic Engine in the 2017 iPhone. The new motor could allow for improvements to both 3D Touch and broader haptic feedback when interacting with the smartphone's display.

The so-called iPhone 8 is expected to have enough major changes, including an edge-to-edge OLED display and glass casing, that at least one analyst predicts Apple will skip the iPhone 7s name entirely as a point of emphasis. The already much rumored device could also have wireless charging and no physical home button.

If rumors predicting Apple will integrate Touch ID into the display on the iPhone 8 prove true, a new Taptic Engine could provide the necessary haptic feedback to simulate pressing the home button, and possibly also for virtual volume, mute, and power buttons made possible by a curved or wraparound display.

The rest of the report corroborates well-known details about the iPhone 7 series due in 2016, reiterating that the next-generation smartphones will retain a similar design as the iPhone 6s series sans a 3.5mm headphone jack. Water resistance and camera and battery improvements should be some of the headline features.

Related Forum: iPhone

Mophie today introduced a new line of iPhone battery cases that support wireless charging through a bundled-in charging pad. Called the "Charge Force," Mophie's new wireless charging ecosystem begins fueling up a device the moment it's set down on a compatible charge pad, and prioritizes an iPhone's charge before moving over to the battery case.

mophie charge force 2
The new Charge Force-compatible cases aren't limited to Mophie's pad, either, giving users the ability to charge up their iPhone anywhere that supports Qi and "virtually all wireless charging standards." The company also announced its own series of charging pads, including a vertical one for an office desk, a vent mount for the car, and a basic flat model for the home. Powerful magnets hold the iPhone in place securely at any angle, even on a bumpy road trip in a vehicle.

“Wireless charging is being integrated into our lives at coffee shops, restaurants, airports, in furniture, cars and so on,” said Shawn Dougherty, mophie COO and Co-Founder. “By providing a diverse range of wireless charging options, we’ve taken the performance and convenience of mobile power even further.”

On the iPhone battery case side of things, Mophie said that all of the latest juice pack products support Charge Force so users can take advantage of wireless charging with juice pack's "compact design." There aren't any differing design options to choose from at launch, however, with a simple black colorway available for those interested who have either an iPhone 6/6 Plus or iPhone 6s/6s Plus.


A bundle with a juice pack case and Charge Force charging base for the smaller, 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 6s costs $99.95, while the same bundle for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus will run users $129.95. Those bundles come with the basic home charging base, which is sold separately for $39.95. Alternative pads for a desk and a car vent are available for $59.95 each.

Tag: Mophie

TMobile-Tourist-PlanT-Mobile has announced a new $30 prepaid Tourist Plan for international visitors to the U.S. that offers 1,000 minutes of domestic calling, unlimited domestic and international texting to over 140 countries and regions, and unlimited 2G data with the first 2GB at 4G LTE speeds.

Tourists visiting the U.S. can visit a T-Mobile store with an unlocked GSM smartphone, sign up and pay for the plan, and receive a free SIM card to access the carrier's network. The one-time, one-line plan lasts 3 weeks and cannot be renewed after automatically expiring at 11:59 p.m. on the 21st day of service.

International phone numbers cannot be ported to the U.S., so T-Mobile will assign customers a new U.S. number when they sign up for the Tourist Plan. International calling from the U.S. to other countries is not included in the plan and cannot be added as an additional feature, but customers can use Wi-Fi-based calling services.

The Tourist Plan includes 200MB of U.S. data roaming, but other T-Mobile perks such as Mobile Without Borders, Binge On, and Music Freedom are not included. The plan permits tethering, with Mobile Hotspot using data from the 2GB allotment of 4G LTE data, followed by slower speeds afterwards.

The new plan is available June 12. Postpaid and T-Mobile@Work customers are ineligible.

According to supply chain research conducted by an analyst in China, Apple's upcoming iPhone 7 might finally drop the base 16GB storage model from the lineup when it launches in the fall (via 9to5Mac). The IHS Technology analyst claims that the new introductory storage level for the iPhone 7 will be 32GB for $199, an option that is currently not available on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices.

This change could alter the iPhone line's storage tier offerings from 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB currently available to possibly 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB. Earlier in the year, it was rumored that the iPhone 7 Plus could gain a high-end 256GB storage capacity option for users, but that it would be limited to the 5.5-inch version of the device and not available on the smaller smartphone.

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Although the removal of the 16GB tier seems inconsequential to those who have long since moved onto higher storage capacity iPhone models, it's no doubt been a suitable enough solution for lower-capacity users who take advantage of Apple's iCloud system. Anyone who signs up for iCloud automatically gets 5GB of free storage, but users can upgrade to an impressive 50GB/month for $0.99 to massively offset the limitations of a smaller storage iPhone device.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are rumored to include a handful of upgraded specs and features this year, but for the first time in Apple's tick-tock cycle the new devices are believed to keep their designs largely similar to that of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. A new report out of Nikkei today corroborates previous rumors that Apple is moving to a three year mega cycle release for the iPhone, "largely due to smartphone functions having little room left for major enhancements," not to mention "a slowing market" in the industry hampering iPhone sales this year.

As such, the iPhone 7 is believed to have a design largely similar to the iPhone 6s, with no major visual overhaul expected in this year's device. The biggest differences will come in changes like the possible removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack, introduction of a Smart Connector, and a dual-lens camera. Similar to the 256GB storage option, there's also potential for some of these features to be limited to the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus device.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular automation app Workflow has been updated with a number of new features and now provides added support for over 20 new actions.

For anyone not familiar with the app, Workflow is an automation tool that lets users create a variety of workflows to accomplish tasks like creating GIFs from a series of photos, pulling images from a web page, translating an article, calculating a tip, and more.

Workflow 1.5
Users can create their own workflows or download them from the Workflow gallery and other third-party sites.

With the release of Workflow 1.5, the Workflow Composer has been optimized, a search function has been included, and a number of new app actions have been added, introducing enhanced support for integration with the iTunes and App Stores, Safari browser, Ulysses, and more.

For example, the dedicated "Search App Store" action lets users search the App Store and scrape details of selected iOS apps (such as price, release date, and artwork), which can then be passed into subsequent actions inside a workflow.

Additionally, Workflow includes new Apple Music actions that enable users to create playlists and add songs to an existing playlist in their Apple Music library. Support for project management tool Trello has also been included in the latest version.

Workflow 1.5 costs $2.99 and is available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link]