Product Hunt, the site that specializes in surfacing new technology products, books, games, and podcasts, is today launching a dedicated Mac app. The Product Hunt Mac app adds a menu bar widget to Macs, giving users a way to stay updated with new site content throughout the day.
Once installed, Product Hunt for Mac adds a "P" icon to the Mac's menu bar, which can be clicked to display a list of the day's stories. It's a simple app that has few bells and whistles, but it offers Product Hunt fans a quick way to access posts. The app updates on a regular basis and is set up to display a notification badge whenever an unread story is available.
In the app, users will see a list of the most highly upvoted products, games, podcasts, and books, with trending posts at the top of the feed. Clicking on a story headline opens the Product Hunt website in the default browser, where users can read more about a particular product.
Settings allow for a small bit of customization, with filters for only displaying posts that have a certain number of votes to limit the content that's offered up. There are also built-in FAQs and help documents for users who are new to Product Hunt.
Product Hunt for Mac is open source and available on GitHub, allowing Product Hunt users to help improve it. Product Hunt also offers an API for developers to create third-party apps for the web, iPhone, and Android. The new Mac app can be downloaded from the Product Hunt website for free.
SanDisk's iXpand Flash Drive, which is able to transfer files between an iPhone and a PC, has been around since 2014, giving iPhone and iPad users a simple way to back up their photos, offload extra content, and expand the storage space on their devices.
Today, SanDisk is ready to debut a second-generation iXpand Flash Drive, introducing the same file transfer functionality in a smaller package with faster USB 3.0 transfer speeds and a revamped app that makes it easier to use. Available in 16, 32, 64, and 128GB capacities, the iXpand can back up a full photo library and store a wide range of media files that can be viewed directly from the drive.
Design
The new iXpand Flash Drive, made of metal and a flexible rubber, material, has a curved design with a Lightning connector on one end and a USB connector on the other end. When plugged into an iPhone, the USB connector wraps around the back, allowing the iPhone to be used as normal while it's plugged in.
Design wise, the iXpand Flash Drive works well. When plugged in, the iXpand sticks out from the Lightning connector about an inch, but it doesn't seem to interfere with normal usage. It makes it more awkward to hold an iPhone or stick it in a pocket with the dongle plugged in, but it's not difficult to adjust to.
The launch of the iPhone SE in China has squeezed market share from local brands causing handset makers to rein in their inventory stockpiling for future component shipments, according to sources in the supply chain (via DigiTimes).
The introduction of the relatively low-priced iPhone SE into the Chinese market has reportedly affected the performance of brands including Huawei, Xiaomi Technology, Vivo, and Oppo. The intensified competition means handset makers are reluctant to build up inventories based on what they now perceive as over-confident shipment prospects, said the sources.
The conservatism follows similar trends last year when shipment numbers failed to meet expectations. Camera module makers in particular were exposed to a high level of inventories in 2015 after optimistic shipment projections, but ended up shipping only 70 to 80 percent of their stockpiles. As a result, camera module suppliers have grown skeptical of prospects from vendors marketing smartphones with dual lenses.
Sources also noted that Apple's efforts to upgrade the internal voltage of its power supply devices from 15 volts to 20 volts to improve charging efficiency has left power supply makers with excessive inventories.
Apple is expected to include a dual-lens camera in the iPhone 7, set to be released in the fall of this year. However, according to respected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the dual camera will be exclusive to Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an Apple patent today that describes a hybrid analog/digital stereo headphone system capable of switching seamlessly between wired and wireless audio modes (via AppleInsider).
The patent for "Audio class-compliant charging accessories for wireless headphones and headsets" distinguishes the system from traditional headphones by its use of an electrical connector capable of transmitting both digital and analog signals, which would make it compatible with Apple's proprietary Lightning connector protocol.
The wired contacts in the connector utilize "differential signaling" that enable it to transfer power and audio data through a single cable without compromising sound quality, while the wireless component of the headphones comprises an internal battery, processor, memory, and antenna for communicating with a source device such as an iPhone.
Design details are sparse, but the patent notes that the hardware would fit into in-ear, on-ear and over-ear styles of headphones.
As with all Apple patents, the usual caveat applies in that the invention may not see the light of day in any future product. That said, the system it describes is consistent with rumors that Apple plans to ditch the headphone jack for the fall 2016 iPhone 7 in favor of a Lightning-equipped headphone accessory or Bluetooth-based wireless listening solution similar to the Bragi Dash headphones.
Norway-based company Opera Software has integrated a virtual private network (VPN) feature into the latest developer version of its free Opera web browser for OS X.
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel from the user's computer to the VPN server, hiding browsing activity from other users on the local network and enhancing security and privacy online. A VPN shields a user's real IP address, allowing them to bypass firewalls, block tracking cookies, and access geo-restricted content regardless of their true location.
VPNs usually come in the form of separate plug-ins or apps that require a paid subscription, making Opera one the first major browsers to include one as standard. The launch of the feature comes after Opera's acquisition of U.S. VPN company SurfEasy last March.
Currently Opera's built-in VPN allows users to choose virtual locations in the US, Canada, and Germany. Opera says more countries will be available when the feature makes it to the stable public release of the browser.
Mac users can download Opera 38 developer release and give the free, unlimited VPN a try. After installation, simply click "Opera" in the menu bar, select "Preferences" and toggle the VPN switch on.
According to Global Web Index, more than half a billion people (24 percent of the world’s online population) have tried or are currently using VPN services. According to the research, the primary reasons people use a VPN are for better access to entertainment content, browser anonymity, and the ability to access sites restricted by their workplace or country.
In January, Netflix began blocking users who try to bypass country-based content restrictions by using a VPN. Canadian subscribers to the streaming service appear to have been the latest targets of the crackdown after VPN-tunnelled users in the country began seeing error messages on their screens over the weekend when trying to access the service's much larger U.S. catalogue of movies and TV series.
Apple today updated its investor relations page to note the earnings announcement for the second fiscal quarter (first calendar quarter) of 2016 will take place on Tuesday, April 26 instead of Monday, April 25 as was previously announced last month.
It is not clear why Apple has moved the date of the earnings call by a single day, but it will now take place next Tuesday instead of next Monday.
The earnings release will provide a look at sales of the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and SE following Apple's record first quarter, which saw the company announce 74.8 million iPhone sales and $18.4 billion profit on $75.9 billion in revenue.
Apple has warned that iPhone sales will decline in the March quarter and has provided Q2 2016 guidance of $50 to $53 billion in revenue and gross margin between 39 and 39.5 percent. Should Apple only take in $50 to $53 billion, the company will see its first year-over-year revenue drop in 13 years.
The quarterly earnings statement will be released at 1:30 PM Pacific/4:30 PM Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 PM Pacific/5:00 PM Eastern. MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings release and conference call on April 26.
Stanford University this week launched its latest iOS development course on iTunes U, which was once again created by Paul Hegarty. For the last several years, Stanford has provided its iOS development courses on iTunes U free of charge to those who wish to learn to create apps for iOS devices.
The 2016 course has been updated with iOS 9 and Swift, with course prerequisites listed as C language and object-oriented programming experience exceeding Programming Abstractions level and completion of Programming Paradigms.
Updated for iOS 9 and Swift. Tools and APIs required to build applications for the iPhone and iPad platforms using the iOS SDK. User interface design for mobile devices and unique user interactions using multi-touch technologies. Object-oriented design using model-view-controller paradigm, memory management, Swift programming language. Other topics include: animation, mobile device power management, multi-threading, networking and performance considerations.
Stanford's "Developing iOS 9 Apps With Swift" can be subscribed to through iTunes or through the iTunes U app on the iPhone or iPad. Sessions will be released on a regular basis, with the first introductory lecture available now. [Direct Link]
Apple has been unable to establish a deal with Daimler and BMW over a possible manufacturing deal for the Apple Car, reports German news site Handelsblatt. Apple is said to be seeking a partner that could potentially help it produce the Apple Car, as Apple has no experience with vehicle production.
Talks with Daimler and BMW reportedly ended because there were questions over who would lead the project and which company would have ownership over data. Apple is said to be holding out for deep iCloud integration.
A Magna Steyr conceptual vehicle from 2012
Apple wants the car to be closely built into its own cloud software, while the German carmakers have made customer data protection a key element of their future strategy.
The talks with BMW collapsed last year, while those with Daimler collapsed more recently, the sources said.
Rumors last year suggested Apple was considering using the BMW i3 as the basis for its electric car project, but as was mentioned today and in past rumors, Apple's talks with BMW fell apart after just a few months. Additional rumors have speculated Apple and BMW could resume talks at a later date, and Apple is also said to be in talks with Magna Steyr. Apple executives have visited Austria to speak with Magna Steyr and there's not yet any indication that those talks have come to an end. Today's report suggests Magna Steyr is the frontrunner to work with Apple on manufacturing the so-called Apple Car.
Apple's car project is focused on creating an electric car, which may or may not include self-driving capabilities. Such a vehicle will likely interface with the iPhone and other Apple services, but beyond the fact that a car is in development, little is known about the project.
Hundreds of employees are working on the car, at secret locations rumored to be located in Sunnyvale, California and Berlin, Germany. Apple is said to be aiming to complete work on the car in 2019 or 2020.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 2.2.1 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the first watchOS 2.2.1 beta and a month after releasing watchOS 2.2, a significant watchOS 2 update that introduced new features like multi-watch support for iPhones and Maps improvements.
The second watchOS 2.2.1 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on an iPhone by going to General --> Software update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone.
It's not yet clear what is included in watchOS 2.2.1, information provided by Apple in the first beta suggests it focuses on bug fixes and performance improvements, likely to address issues discovered since the release of watchOS 2.2. No obvious outward-facing changes were found in the first watchOS 2.2.1 beta, but we'll update this post should any new features be found in the second beta.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.5 El Capitan update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the first OS X 10.11.5 beta and a month after releasing OS X 10.11.4, the fourth update to the OS X 10.11 operating system.
The new OS X 10.11.5 update, build 15F24b, can be downloaded through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store or through the Apple Developer Center.
Like prior OS X El Capitan updates, the fifth update is likely to focus on security enhancements, performance improvements, and bug fixes to address issues that have been discovered since the release of OS X 10.11.4. No obvious outward-facing changes were found in the first OS X 10.11.5 beta, but we will update this post with any changes discovered in the second beta.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3.2 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after the release of the first iOS 9.3.2 beta. iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 comes nearly a month after the launch of iOS 9.3, a major update that introduced Night Shift mode and other feature improvements, and three weeks after the iOS 9.3.1 bug fix update.
The second iOS 9.3.2 beta is available for download over-the-air or from the Apple Developer Center.
Like iOS 9.3.1, iOS 9.3.2 is a minor update that appears to focus mainly on under-the-hood performance improvements and fixes for bugs that have been discovered since the release of iOS 9.3. According to Apple's release notes, the beta features "bug fixes and improvements," including a possible fix for a major Game Center bug that has plagued iOS users for months. No outward-facing changes were found in the first beta, but we'll update this post with anything new discovered in the second beta.
What's new in iOS 9.3.2 beta 2:
Night Shift and Low Power Mode - iOS 9.3.2 beta 2 brings the return of a much desired feature, re-enabling the ability to use Low Power Mode and Night Shift at the same time. Early iOS 9.3 betas allowed Night Shift and Low Power Mode to work simultaneously, but it was removed in iOS 9.3 beta 4. With iOS 9.3.2 beta 2, you can turn on Low Power Mode when Night Shift is on.
Federico Vittici of MacStories has teamed up with Sam Beckett to create an iOS 10 concept video covering "wishlist" features Vittici hopes to see in the next version of iOS. Most concept videos we see are fanciful and filled with features unlikely to make it into iOS, but Vittici's vision of the future of iOS is logical and well thought out.
Major features covered in the video include a customizable Control Center with icons that can be rearranged and third-party app integration, a Siri API for third-party apps, and a system-wide dark mode.
Smaller tweaks include searchable emoji and rich previews in Messages, a document picker for iCloud Drive, and features to make Split View multitasking more useful on the iPad.
iOS 10 isn't expected to be released until the fall of 2016 alongside new iPhones, but we'll get our first look at it in just two months when Apple debuts the operating system update at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Little detail has leaked out so far, but we may learn more as we grow closer to its official announcement.
Our forum members are also discussing features they would like to see in iOS 10, with a long wishlist thread highlighting desired additions like a revamped UI for iPads, user profiles, lock screen widgets, and more. Join in on the discussion here.
Apple's intention to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack from this year's iPhone 7 has been a well-publicized rumor since last November, with the widespread belief that the company would use a Lightning port to provide both charging and as a source for audio output on 2016's iPhone. Today, however, Chinese company LeEco announced a line of smartphones that will beat Apple's rumored removal of the 3.5mm headphone port, instead opting for a USB-C input (via Engadget).
LeEco also has its hands in product categories like smart TVs and electric cars, with offices in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley, but the company keeps most of its smartphone business focused locally in China. The new line of smartphones -- dubbed the Le 2, Le 2 Pro, and Le Max 2 -- will run the Android operating system, and users will be able to purchase either in-ear or over-ear USB-C headphones to go with the new phones. No specific plans were divulged, but LeEco noted that it intends to bring "at least one" of the devices stateside in 2016.
Image via Engadget
Similar to other Android devices like the Nexus 6P and the Huawei Mate S, all three of LeEco's new devices have a rear-facing fingerprint scanner to allow access into the smartphone. Each version has a slightly curved backside that flows into chamfered edges and an edge-to-edge, "borderless" display, all housed in a metallic body.
The Le 2 and Le 2 Pro are analogues of the iPhone 6s Plus, featuring 5.5 inch, 1080p displays, but coming in slightly above Apple's 2750 mAh battery at 3000 mAh. Understandably, the Le 2 Pro stacks up better against the Le 2 in a few categories: it has a 21-megapixel rear-facing Sony IMX230 sensor and 4GB of RAM, whereas the Le 2 packs a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and 3GB of RAM. The Le 2 will cost 1,099 yuan ($170), while the Pro version will run for 1,499 yuan ($230).
The Le Max 2 has a bigger screen than the other two devices at 5.7 inches, and includes Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 820 processor, a more "advanced ultrasonic" fingerprint scanner, and a bigger 3100 mAh battery. That's in addition to optical image stabalization, increased storage capacity options, and a total of 6GB of RAM. A 32GB storage option of the Le Max 2 (with a lesser 4GB of RAM) will cost users 2,099 yuan ($325), while the increased storage of 64GB (and 6GB of RAM) will sell for 2,499 yuan ($390). Pre-orders for all three smartphones began today in China.
Although nothing has been confirmed this far out from the iPhone 7 event, which will most likely take place in September, recent rumors have suggested Apple could ship Lightning-enabled EarPods with the smartphone to ready users for a new shift in headphone inputs. One report suggested recently that the company might even adopt Bluetooth-enabled headphones for the iPhone 7 to free up the Lightning port when listening to music, but still be able to charge the wireless EarPods through the iPhone when they run low on battery.
Samsung is once again set to begin supplying Apple with NAND flash memory chips in 2017, ending a five-year hiatus dating back to the debut of the iPhone 5 in 2012, according to ETNews. The reason for the dissolution of the original supplier relationship is given as Samsung's unwillingness to comply with Apple's electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding requirements via packaging changes or special coatings on the memory packages themselves.
This new claim comes on the heels of an report earlier report, also by ETNews, suggesting Apple was looking to individually shield more parts inside its devices for performance and EMI compliance reasons.
The earlier article claimed the impetus for this change was the use of multiple diverse systems such as 3D Touch along with the presence of various high-speed interfaces, all of which can contribute to and be affected by EMI. Individual shielding would also allow Apple to dispense with discrete metal shielding components, which could ultimately save on logic board space and allow more room for other components inside the devices.
The new report notes that Samsung's use of ball grid array (BGA) packaging places it at a disadvantage to competing products that use land grid array (LGA) package contacts, which allow the package to sit flush with the printed circuit board.
LGA type lead (left) compared to BGA type lead (right)
It appears Samsung's existing sputter coat EMI shielding technologies were insufficient for Apple's performance requirements, given the shielding gaps created by the raised BGA contacts. The emergence of new, cheaper spray techniques for ultra-thin coats of metal shielding seems to be one development that has changed the dynamic of this relationship, as have Samsung's concerns about a weakening flash memory market.
Samsung remains a leader in NAND type memory solutions, with its 3D V-NAND memories offering up to 256 Gb densities on the market currently. While this development seems most likely to affect the memories used in Apple's iPhone and iPad products, there would also be an opportunity for Samsung to show up in the entire line of Mac computers, which have become heavily reliant on flash storage. Along with the recent news that Samsung will supply Apple with OLED panels for future iPhones, it appears Samsung very much remains in play as a supplier for Apple devices.
In the U.S., the models are now available in Bellevue, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Portland, and Washington D.C. In Europe, the new cities include Barcelona, Brussels, Florence, Madrid, and Manchester.
Apple Watch Hermès has also expanded to Guangzhou, Macau, and Shenzhen in China, in addition to Melbourne, Australia and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
First making its name as the go-to app for music recognition software, Shazam has expanded into other media content like TV commercials, movie trailers, and radio ads in the past. This week, however, the company is officially announcing its push into brand-specific advertisement with a new initiative called "Shazam for Brands" (via AdAge).
Using data accumulated from how users interact with the app, and a company's integrated brand advertisement, Shazam will attempt to pick out which artists and musical genre each brand should use to attract the widest swath of their particular audience. Before the official launch of Shazam for Brands, some of Shazam's past partners have included Marvel Studios, Nike and Clinique. Those partners provided fans with experiences like Shazamable movie posters and interactive music videos.
"Advertising had always been secondary, but now we are putting it front and center," said Greg Glenday, chief revenue officer at Shazam. "We are taking advertising seriously by adding stock and people. We sold ourselves short with the advertising industry by just selling banner ads and being transactional."
With such data, a brand will be able to purchase the landing page of a specific Shazam, called "clickable listening screens," so that their products can be displayed in conjunction with the a particular artist's song. Glenday said the new ad-push for the company won't bring any noticeable changes on the user side of things, and that all of Shazam's fans "will still receive the results they want without interruption."
Shazam for Brands will also allow the company's partners to incorporate Shazam's technology -- using the same, traditional Shazam app -- into their own marketing materials. For example, earlier in the month Coca-Cola introduced a Shazamable bottle design that prompted users to film a video of themselves lip-syncing to one of a handful of songs displayed on the drink's label.
Furthermore, the company is looking to get into the live-event business, in a festival centered around up-and-coming artists set to open later in the year. Shazam intends to use beacon technology to create an event where each performer will be able to be discovered by the app. Following today's launch, the company hasn't said who its next major advertising and brand partner will be, but it has created a new Shazam for Brands Twitter account so users can follow its progress on the social network.
Shazam is available on the App Store for free [Direct Link]. Users can also download Shazam Encore for $6.99 [Direct Link], negating all of the company's attempted advertisements.
Intel has announced a major corporate restructuring that will see 11 percent of its workforce laid off as the company intensifies its focus on its data center and smart connected computing businesses.
The move is being billed as a profitable and efficient evolution of the company away from its traditional PC sector base toward more high-growth areas, broadly defined as its cloud-powering hardware and Internet of Things businesses. These areas reportedly made Intel $2.2 billion in revenue growth last year, making up 40 percent of its operating profit and offsetting its decline in the PC market.
Combined with its gaming, home gateway, memory and connectivity businesses, the initiative will fuel a "virtuous cycle of growth", said Intel, but the move comes at the cost of up to 12,000 jobs globally. The company said the layoffs will be completed by mid-2017 through a combination of voluntary and involuntary departures as it re-evaluates its programs and consolidates its sites worldwide.
Intel forecasts that the initiative will deliver $750 million in savings in 2016 and annual run rate savings of $1.4 billion by the middle of the following year.
While Intel's press release makes no mention of its latest microprocessor uptake in the PC market, the company did recently confirm the end of its highly successful decade-long "tick-tock" strategy of annually delivering new processors, after chip updates stretched beyond the yearly cycle in recent generations and began affecting Apple's product launch cycles. The launch of Intel's Kaby Lake 14-nm microarchitecture was delayed to the second half of 2016 after Skylake suffered similar setbacks in 2015.
Semiconductor foundries have had increasingly tough times creating smaller process nodes as fabrication of smaller transistors has become increasingly expensive and complex. Intel has said it will now move to a new "Process-Architecture-Optimization" model for its current 14-nm node and next-generation 10-nm node family of chips.
An open letter expressing "deep concerns" about a U.S. draft encryption bill that would force smartphone makers to decrypt data at the behest of the government was published yesterday, signed by four coalitions representing Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and other major tech companies.
The letter is addressed to the bill's sponsors, Senators Richard Burr and Dianne Feinstein, and warns of the legislation's "unintended consequences", calling its requirements of technology companies "well-intentioned but ultimately unworkable" (via The Verge).
Any mandatory decryption requirement, such as that included in the discussion draft of the bill that you authored, will to lead to unintended consequences. The effect of such a requirement will force companies to prioritize government access over other considerations, including digital security. As a result, when designing products or services, technology companies could be forced to make decisions that would create opportunities for exploitation by bad actors seeking to harm our customers and whom we all want to stop. The bill would force those providing digital communication and storage to ensure that digital data can be obtained in "intelligible" form by the government, pursuant to a court order. This mandate would mean that when a company or user has decided to use some encryption technologies, those technologies will have to be built to allow some third party to potentially have access. This access could, in turn, be exploited by bad actors.
It is also important to remember that such a technological mandate fails to account for the global nature of today’s technology. For example, no accessibility requirement can be limited to U.S. law enforcement; once it is required by the U.S., other governments will surely follow. In addition, the U.S. has no monopoly on these security measures. A law passed by Congress trying to restrict the use of data security measures will not prevent their use. It will only serve to push users to non-U.S. companies, in turn undermining the global competitiveness of the technology industry in the U.S. and resulting in more and more data being stored in other countries.
We support making sure that law enforcement has the legal authorities, resources, and training it needs to solve crime, prevent terrorism, and protect the public. However, those things must be carefully balanced to preserve our customers’ security and digital information. We are ready and willing to engage in dialogue about how to strike that balance, but remain concerned about efforts to prioritize one type of security over all others in a way that leads to unintended, negative consequences for the safety of our networks and our customers.
The letter is signed by Reform Government Surveillance, the Computer and Communications Industry Association, the Entertainment Software Association, and the Internet Infrastructure Coalition. Facebook, Netflix, eBay, and Dropbox are among other companies represented by the groups.
The news follows heavy criticism of the bill from security experts after a draft titled "The Compliance with Court Orders Act 2016" was circulated earlier this month following Apple's standoff with the FBI over access to an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terrorist attack. The draft states that all providers of communication services and products must respect the "rule of law" and comply with legal requirements and court orders to provide information stored either on devices or remotely.
Without detailing specific technical demands, the wording of the act itself makes end-to-end encryption impossible. Experts said it was "absurd", "dangerous", and "bad legislation in every way", amounting to a government-mandated back door.
The White House remains deeply divided on the issue and has so far decided not to offer public support for the legislation. Language in the draft bill is subject to changes based on input from stakeholders, although an official draft was released one week ago with few changes from the earlier version. Senators Burr and Feinstein have yet to respond to the letter.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.