MacRumors

Apple began shipping iPhone 6s and 6s Plus pre-orders on Saturday and now FlightAware, a site that offers live flight tracking, has once again begun offering a tool that allows users to track the flights carrying their iPhones after they receive their tracking number. FlightAware also offered the tool last year.

FlightAware says that users who have their UPS tracking number can use their tool to match their "departure scan" with one of the departure times listed in their tool to determine which flight their iPhone is on. The tool will be updated as FlightAware learns more about Apple's shipping strategy for the new phones.

Currently, many flights are on their way to Louisville, Kentucky's Worldport, which is UPS' worldwide air hub. Additional flights are on the way to Ontario, California.

Those who have not received their UPS tracking numbers can track their packages by reference on UPS' website. To do so, users have to fill out the "track by reference" form and input the phone number listed on their Apple account, the zip code its shipping to and country. This tactic may only work with pre-orders made through Apple.

The first iPhone 6s and 6s Plus shipments are expected to arrive Friday, September 25. However, sometimes lucky customers receive their phones early due to shipping errors. Apple has ended launch-day pre-orders and in-store reservations for the two new phones and will not offer walk-in sales for them at Apple Stores in Delaware, Hawaii, Alaska, New Hampshire, Oregon, China, Hong Kong and Japan.

MacRumors readers may also want to join in on the dedicated pre-order threads on the forums, where users are sharing tracking information and socializing while waiting for their new iPhones.

While Apple has ended launch-day pre-orders and in-store reservations for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, the company is suggesting that those customers still intent on purchasing one on launch day visit an Apple retail store Friday for a chance at scoring some of the remaining launch-day stock at those locations. But for customers in four U.S. states, China, Japan, and Hong Kong, these walk-in sales are not an option, notes The Oregonian.

The disclosure was made in a footnote on Apple's press release this morning making a final announcement about Friday's launch plans and reporting record adoption of iOS 9: "iPhone is available by reservation only in China, Hong Kong, Japan and US stores in tax-free states."

The four U.S. states with Apple retail stores that are affected by this policy include Oregon, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Alaska. Montana is the fifth U.S. state without a statewide sales tax, but Apple does not have any retail stores located in the state.

The reason behind the ban on walk-in sales in these states is likely their attractiveness to scalpers.

Because Apple limits the number of unlocked phones, the brokers – sometimes called "sharks" – recruit homeless people and the elderly to wait in line and buy phones on their behalf. The phenomenon lasted for months outside Apple's downtown Portland Apple Store after last year's September launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

While sharks patrol Apple stores all over the country, they are especially visible in Portland. That may be because Oregon doesn't have a sales tax, so sharks operating here can add several percentage points to their profits by getting their phones.

Hong Kong has long been a popular location for iPhone scalpers to operate as they attempt to move gray-market phones into China, but with China having taken on increased importance for Apple and in fact being included in the first wave of iPhone 6s launches, both countries are likely in Apple's crosshairs this time around as it hopes to limit those snapping up limited supplies of the new devices to resell for significant profits.

Apple today seeded the first beta of OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan to public beta testers, just days after first releasing the beta to developers and roughly a week and a half before OS X El Capitan will be released to the public on September 30.

The new beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.

The first beta of OS X 10.11.1 introduced support for Unicode 8 and new emoji like taco, burrito, cheese wedge, hot dog, middle finger, and unicorn head. The emoji are also included in iOS 9.1, which is also in testing.

Beyond new emoji, there have been no other outward-facing changes discovered, suggesting OS X 10.11.1 is a minor update that will bring bug fixes and performance enhancements. According to Apple's release notes, the beta offers stability, compatibility, and security improvements.

Apple is speeding up development on its electric car project, reports The Wall Street Journal, giving it a "committed project" label and targeting 2019 as a prospective shipping date. To facilitate a faster launch, Apple will be greatly expanding the number of people working on the car.

The go-ahead came after the company spent more than a year investigating the feasibility of an Apple-branded car, including meetings with two groups of government officials in California. Leaders of the project, code-named Titan , have been given permission to triple the 600-person team, the people familiar with the matter said.

Apple has already been aggressively hiring for its car project, poaching employees from companies like Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Volkswagen, and more. Many of its recent hires have expertise in connected and autonomous vehicle systems.

Though there have been indications suggesting Apple is exploring autonomous vehicles as part of its car project, The Wall Street Journal's sources say the first car Apple releases will not be driverless, with that functionality perhaps coming at a later date.

There have been also other signs pointing towards expanded work on the car project. In May, Apple began looking into secure facilities in the Bay Area where a prototype could be tested, reportedly meeting up with officials at GoMentum Station, a secure test facility for connected and autonomous vehicles. Apple also met with DMV officials in August to discuss California's autonomous vehicle regulations.

It remains unclear if Apple will develop its "Apple Car" from the ground up or if it will team up with an existing auto manufacturer. Rumors have suggested Apple has held discussions with BMW over a potential partnership that would see the BMW i3 used as the basis for the Apple Car, but those talks have reportedly not progressed into a deal.

The Wall Street Journal warns that Apple's 2019 target date might not be the date in which Apple will actually ship the car, instead suggesting it could point towards the date that engineers confirm the main features of the product. It's also possible that given the scope of the project there could be delays, with "people familiar with the project" expressing skepticism that 2019 is a reasonable target date.

In an interview with Stephen Colbert last week, Tim Cook was asked about the car project, but he unsurprisingly avoided the question with a vague statement. "We look at a number of things along the way, and we decide to really put our energies on a few of those," he said.

With four days to go until the launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple is no longer offering launch-day delivery of any iPhone 6s or 6s Plus models ordered online and is no longer allowing customers to make reservations for in-store purchases, including through Apple's new iPhone Upgrade Program, on Friday.

While shipping estimates for iPhones 6s Plus models in particular quickly slipped to 2-3 weeks or longer following the start of pre-orders on September 12, many iPhone 6s models remained available for launch day delivery until today.

Customers looking to place online pre-orders for iPhone 6s models that had until recently remained available for launch day are now being quoted 1-2 week shipping with delivery in the range of September 29 through October 6 or later.

Apple's in-store reservation system has been shut down entirely for the remainder of this week and will reopen at 8:00 AM on Saturday, September 26 to allow customers to reserve from each store's daily shipments of iPhones. Apple does still invite customers without reservations on Friday to attempt to purchase an iPhone, but unreserved supplies will likely be tight and lines long.

Apple today released watchOS 2 to the public, making the first major update to the watchOS software available to all Apple Watch owners. The update requires iOS 9 and can be downloaded over-the-air through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update.

watchOS 2 was originally scheduled to launch on Wednesday, September 16 alongside iOS 9, but Apple delayed the launch in order to address a major bug that was found shortly before the software was set to debut.

As the first significant update to watchOS, watchOS 2 introduces a lot of new features to the Apple Watch, mainly through new developer tools. watchOS 2 brings native apps that run on the watch itself instead of the iPhone, and it lets developers access several sensors and hardware features including the Taptic Engine, heart rate monitor, microphone, and accelerometer.

Along with these features for developers, which will lead to more complex and full-featured third-party apps that run much more smoothly, watchOS 2 also includes new watch faces (photo album and time-lapse), third-party Complications, a tweak that makes the screen stay on for up to 70 seconds when activated, and Activation Lock.

There's also a new Time Travel feature for viewing past and upcoming events in a watch face Complication, and a Nightstand mode that's activated when the watch is charging, displaying the time.

More details on what's new in watchOS 2 can be found in our dedicated watchOS 2 roundup, which includes all of the features the update brings, big and small. Discussion on new features in watchOS 2 is also taking place in our dedicated Apple Watch forum, and we encourage all of our readers to join in with new discoveries and questions about the update.

Apple's iPhone 6s Plus includes a 2750 mAh battery, according to images shared by Taiwanese site AppleClub [Google Translate]. That means the battery in the iPhone 6s Plus is smaller than the 2915 mAh battery found in the existing iPhone 6 Plus.

We've already learned the iPhone 6s has a smaller 1715 mAh battery because it was spotted in a video Apple created to highlight 3D Touch, but there's been no visual confirmation on the iPhone 6s Plus battery until now.

Ahead of the debut of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, rumors suggested both devices would have smaller batteries, which turned out to be accurate. It appears Apple may have adopted smaller batteries in the new iPhones in order to make room for new internal parts like a dedicated Taptic Engine that enables haptic feedback whenever 3D Touch is used.

Though the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have smaller batteries, overall battery life has not been impacted due to optimizations in the A9 processor in the devices and software improvements. Both devices continue to offer the same battery life as the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will launch this Friday, September 25. Pre-order customers will begin receiving their devices at that time, and Apple retail stores in first wave launch countries will begin selling the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus at that time.

Apple's Retina MacBook uses a brand new USB-C connector for power, which means that it's able to be charged by external USB battery packs much like an iPhone or an iPad. But because of its higher 29 watt power requirements, there aren't any current battery packs that pump out enough power to charge the MacBook at full speed. Instead, most USB battery packs used with the MacBook today just keep the battery steady, without adding additional power. That's set to change, however, as companies are starting to debut accessories and battery packs that will let the Retina MacBook charge at its full 29 watt rate.

As of today, Hyper, known for its line of external battery packs designed for Apple's notebooks, is launching a Indiegogo project for the HyperJuice Magic Box. Available in two varieties, the Magic Box is an adapter that allows the 12-inch Retina MacBook to be charged at a full 29W speed using HyperJuice battery packs, or up to 12W using regular USB battery packs.

The 29W Magic Box adapter cable, which converts the DC output of a HyperJuice battery pack to a USB-C connection, uses a smart IC to enable "fast and safe" 29W charging, refilling the MacBook's battery just as its 29W Power Adapter would. The 12W Magic Box is a USB to USB-C adapter that will let any existing USB battery pack work with the new MacBook, but it won't be as powerful as a HyperJuice battery pack paired with the 29W adapter.

If you need faster charging at the same 29W speed as the original Apple USB-C Power Adapter, use Magic Box 29W adapter together with HyperJuice batteries. Only HyperJuice can safely and efficiently provide up to 29W (or even 100W) power via USB-C. This is something that regular USB battery packs cannot do.

The 29W Magic Box will be available for $35 while the 12W version is available for $25. Both can be ordered through Hyper's Indiegogo page, which also includes other purchasing options for Magic Box and external battery back combos at discounted prices, plus options that will make HyperJuice battery packs compatible with both MagSafe-based Macs and the Retina MacBook.

Hyper's existing HyperJuice battery packs can also be ordered from the Hyper website, with prices that range from $169.95 to $449.95. Ranging from 16,000 mAh to 61,000 mAh, the HyperJuice external batteries can add anywhere from 14 to 53 additional hours of battery life to a MacBook.

In the near future, there will also be other USB-C external battery pack options for the MacBook. At the end of this month, Maximas will introduce a crowdfunding campaign for the XTRON, a 13,400 mAh power bank (for 8 hours of extra battery life) designed specifically for USB-C devices like the MacBook.

It includes 4.2A USB charging ports that are compatible with both USB-C and USB-A so it can be used to charge multiple types of devices simultaneously, and though it's 13,400 mAh, it's able to fit in the palm of a hand. It will be available for $69 when the Indiegogo project launches.

Another company previously announced a similar product, the Reach Go battery pack. The Reach Go's original specs claim to have 15,000 mAh, offer two standard USB ports, and a single USB-C port, and cost $99. This battery has also not yet shipped, but the website claims an October, 2015 arrival.

Update 9/30: The Maximas XTRON external battery pack is now available via Indiegogo.

DisplayMate has tested the iPad mini 4 display and found that its colors and color accuracy are on par with the iPad Air 2, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with an improved 101% color gamut. All previous iPad mini models had 62% color gamut with poorer color saturation, according to the company's analysis.

iPad mini 4 also has a record-low 2% screen reflectance, compared to 6.5% reflectance for the iPad mini 3 and and 9% reflectance for the original iPad mini. This gives the iPad mini 4 a contrasting rating in high ambient light of 225, which in layman's terms means the tablet has improved readability in real-world viewing conditions.

DisplayMate Technologies President Ray Soneira:

But in terms of real-world viewing conditions, the record low 2.0% screen Reflectance actually makes a bigger visual difference for the image colors and image contrast that you actually see because ambient light washes out and degrades the displayed images and reduces screen readability - so [the iPad mini 4's] record low Reflectance actually makes a bigger difference!

DisplayMate says the iPad mini 4 has between 2.5x and 3.5x higher contrast in ambient light than the iPad mini 3 and most other tablets, which mainly fall in the range of 5.0% to 6.5% screen reflectance. iPad Air 2 was the previous record holder with 2.5% screen reflectance, but the iPad mini 4 was 36% better per this test.

DisplayMate will provide in-depth analysis of the iPad mini 4 display when the iPad Pro launches in November.

Apple has announced that iOS 9 is the fastest adopted software update ever, with more than 50% of active devices running the latest version as measured by the App Store on September 19.

“Customer response to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been incredibly positive, we can't wait to get our most advanced iPhones ever into customers’ hands starting this Friday,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iOS 9 is also off to an amazing start, on pace to be downloaded by more users than any other software release in Apple’s history.”

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller says that iOS 9 is on pace to be downloaded by more users than any other iOS version ever released. He also said that response to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been "incredibly positive," but no specific sales figures were disclosed.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch on September 25 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the U.K. Last week, Apple said pre-orders for the new iPhones are "on pace to beat" last year's record-breaking 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch weekend.

Apple debuted a brand new Apple Music ad during the Emmys tonight. The ad features actresses Taraji P. Henson and Kerry Washington hanging out and enjoying Apple Music with singer Mary J. Blige. The ad has a focus on Apple Music's playlists.

The ad, which was directed by Selma director Ava Duvernay, features Washington, Blige and Henson hanging out at a home and remembering mixtapes before Blige interrupts them to tell them about Apple Music playlists, which she compares to mixtapes.

Washington goes a step further and says that Apple's curated playlists are like having a boyfriend creating you a mixtape. The rest of the ad features the three having fun listening to the curated playlists before revealing the $9.99 monthly subscription cost to sign up for Apple Music.

In early August, Apple launched a worldwide advertising campaign featuring billboards and posters. Shortly after that, they debuted three artist-focused ads highlighting the Apple Music's ability to introduce people to new artists and music. Additionally, Apple released a two-part ad featuring The Weeknd during the MTV VMAs.

Earlier this week, Chinese developers disclosed new iOS malware called XcodeGhost on microblogging service Sina Weibo. U.S. cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks has since published details about the malware.

MacRumors has created a FAQ so you can learn more about XcodeGhost and how to keep your iOS devices protected.

What is XcodeGhost?
XcodeGhost is a new iOS malware arising from a malicious version of Xcode, Apple's official tool for developing iOS and OS X apps.

How is XcodeGhost distributed?
A malicious version of Xcode was uploaded to Chinese cloud file sharing service Baidu and downloaded by some iOS developers in China.

Chinese developers then unknowingly compiled iOS apps using the modified Xcode IDE and distributed those infected apps through the App Store.

Those apps then managed to pass through Apple's code review process, enabling iOS users to install or update the infected apps on their devices.

Which devices are affected?
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models running an iOS version compatible with any of the infected apps. The malware affects both stock and jailbroken devices.

Which apps are affected?
Palo Alto Networks has shared a full list of over 50 infected iOS apps, including WeChat, NetEase Cloud Music, WinZip, Didi Chuxing, Railway 12306, China Unicom Mobile Office and Tonghuashun.

How many users are affected?
XcodeGhost potentially affects more than 500 million iOS users, primarily because messaging app WeChat is very popular in China and the Asia-Pacific region.

Which unofficial versions of Xcode are affected?
All unofficial versions between Xcode 6.1 and Xcode 6.4.

How does XcodeGhost put my iOS devices at risk?
iOS apps infected with XcodeGhost malware can and do collect information about devices and then encrypt and upload that data to command and control (C2) servers run by attackers through the HTTP protocol. The system and app information that can be collected includes:

Current time

Current infected app’s name

The app’s bundle identifier

Current device’s name and type

Current system’s language and country

Current device’s UUID

Network type

Palo Alto Networks also discovered that infected iOS apps can receive commands from the attacker through the C2 server to perform the following actions:

Prompt a fake alert dialog to phish user credentials;

Hijack opening specific URLs based on their scheme, which could allow for exploitation of vulnerabilities in the iOS system or other iOS apps;

Read and write data in the user’s clipboard, which could be used to read the user’s password if that password is copied from a password management tool.

Can XcodeGhost affect users outside of China?
Yes. Some of the iOS apps infected with XcodeGhost malware are available on the App Store in countries outside of China. CamCard, for example, is a popular business card reader and scanner app available in the United States and several other countries, while WeChat is a popular messaging app in the Asia-Pacific region.

Why would some Chinese developers download Xcode from Baidu?
Xcode is a large file that can take a long time to download from Apple's servers in China, leading some developers to download Xcode from unofficial sources.

How are Apple and Chinese developers dealing with XcodeGhost?
Palo Alto Networks claims that it is cooperating with Apple on the issue, while multiple developers have updated their apps to remove the malware.

Apple has since issued the following statement to Reuters:

"We’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software. We are working with the developers to make sure they’re using the proper version of Xcode to rebuild their apps."

How do I protect myself against XcodeGhost?
iOS users should immediately uninstall any infected iOS app listed here on their devices, or update to a newer version that has removed the malware. Resetting your iCloud password, and any other passwords inputted on your iOS device, is also strongly recommended as a precautionary measure.

Developers should install official versions of Xcode 7 or Xcode 7.1 beta from Apple's website for free and avoid downloading the software from unofficial sources.

Tags: China, Palo Alto Networks, Xcode, XcodeGhost