MacRumors

The Apple TV was the fourth most popular streaming media device in the United States in 2014, according to new data compiled by Parks Associates. Sales of the Apple TV were eclipsed by sales of devices from Roku, Google, and Amazon.

Roku continues to be the most popular brand when it comes to streaming media devices, representing 34 percent of units sold, while Google and its Chromecast were responsible for 23 percent of device sales. Amazon's Fire TV was the third most popular choice, while Apple came in fourth. In 2013, the Apple TV was the third most popular streaming media device, but in 2014, it fell behind the newly introduced Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.

Combined, streaming media devices from Apple, Roku, Google, and Amazon were responsible for 86 percent of all streaming media device sales to U.S. broadband households.

According to the data, almost 20 percent of U.S. households now own one or more streaming media players. When it comes to ongoing usage, Roku devices are unsurprisingly at the top of the list. 37 percent of households regularly use a Roku device, 19 percent use a Google Chromecast, 17 percent use an Apple TV, and 14 percent use an Amazon Fire TV/Fire TV Stick.

With a new Apple TV on the horizon, the streaming media device market could shift in Apple's favor in 2015 and 2016. The new Apple TV is a radical departure from the existing Apple TV, which has not been updated for several years. It will include a full App Store that supports games and apps, Siri integration, a refreshed design and operating system, more storage space, and a touch-based remote control.

The Apple TV won't be able to compete with devices like the Google Chromecast or the Amazon Fire TV on price, but it will bring a host of features not offered by other products.

Apple today launched a new Apple Watch advertising effort in London, decorating the 24 windows of the Selfridges department store with a massive floral installation. Each window has flowers that were inspired by the flowers that can be found within the "Motion" face on the Apple Watch.

Design magazine Wallpaper has shared photos and details on the installation, which uses 3D flowers created through a range of methods from resin casting to 3D printing. Each window also displays an Apple Watch with a watch face that matches the flowers.

There are eight different flower variations decorating the windows, each of which was scaled, sculpted, and hand-painted by artists, a process Wallpaper describes as "painstaking and meticulous as the original photography."

Earlier this year, Apple Human Interface Chief Alan Dye explained the effort that went into each of Apple's "Motion" watch faces. Apple shot all of the animated flower, butterfly, and jellyfish photos used in the watch face. For the flowers in particular, Apple shot photos as they bloomed, with one single flower taking 285 hours and more than 24,000 shots.

For the window installation, artists created 24 large, 50 medium, 240 "small plus" and 5,525 small flowers, split across the aforementioned eight varieties. Paul Deneve, formerly the CEO of Yves Saint Laurent, had a hand in the window designs and gave a statement to Wallpaper.

We are thrilled that the flowers of the Apple Watch face have inspired such a beautiful design and to see it come to life in this amazing installation, reflected in all 24 of Selfridges' historic windows,' says Paul Deneve, Apple's vice president of special projects.

Apple's flower installation follows two other installations that have been used to decorate the Selfridges department store, including "Chromosphere," which displayed the Apple Watch in colored orbs of light, and "Butterflies," featuring a huge kaleidoscope of fluttering butterflies.

Selfridges in London is the home of the iconic Wonder Room, a section of the department store that sells luxury jewelry and watches. The Apple Watch is sold from a pop-up shop located towards the entrance of the Wonder Room, with all models from Sport to Edition available for purchase.

Taiwanese website DigiTimes today reported the "iPad Pro" will enter production by the end of the third quarter and go into mass production in the fourth quarter, corroborating a recent KGI report that said the rumored 12.9-inch tablet would enter mass production in September-October.

The report claims the "iPad Pro" will be released in the fourth quarter, with an estimated 4-5 million shipments in 2015. DigiTimes reported in July that the "iPad Pro" could launch in mid-November as Foxconn prepared to start supplying components at the time, but the release timeframe remains uncertain.

The report claims Sharp will be the main supplier of LCD displays for the tablet, while Foxconn subsidiary General Interface Solution (GIS) will provide touch panels. Samsung Display and TPK will be secondary suppliers of LCD assemblies and touch modules respectively, according to the report.

Square Enix today released a long-awaited port of Final Fantasy VII for iOS devices. Originally released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the Final Fantasy series created for PlayStation and it continues to be one of the most popular Final Fantasy games.

At E3, Square Enix promised to launch Final Fantasy VII before the end of the summer in 2015, so with tonight's release, the company is living up to its word. Square Enix has previously made the first six Final Fantasy games available on iOS devices, but Final Fantasy VII for iOS marks the first Final Fantasy port from a PlayStation game.

According to Square Enix, the iOS version of Final Fantasy VII is a port of the PC version, with no changes or additions to the storyline.

With its unshakeable monopoly over Mako energy production, the evil Shinra Electric Power Company holds tight to the reigns of wold power. One day, a Mako reactor serving the sprawling metropolis of Midgar is attacked and destroyed in a bombing raid by a revolutionary group calling themselves Avalanche. Cloud Strife, a former member of Shinra's elite "Soldier" unit takes part in the raid as a mercenary hired by Avalanche and sets events in motion that will draw him and his friends into an epic struggle for the fate of the planet itself...

The iOS port of the game includes a virtual on-screen controller that's "designed not to obscure the action." It offers virtual analog or fixed 4-way digital control pad options and the opacity of the on-screen controls is adjustable. Also new to the iOS version of the game is an option to turn off enemy encounters in area maps and a Max Stats command to "become all-powerful in the blink of an eye."

It's taken several years for Square Enix to bring Final Fantasy VII to the iOS App Store, largely due to space constraints. In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said that a release of Final Fantasy VII was years away because of space limitations. "It's that currently, space will be an issue," he said. "Phones won't be able to contain the space it takes. It's over a gigabyte. People are probably going to have to wait for a few years."

In February of 2015, Apple expanded the size limitation on apps from 2GB to 4GB, paving the way for apps like Final Fantasy VII. According to the App Store description of the game, it takes 1.66GB of storage space, but requires more than 4GB of free space to download.

Final Fantasy VII is compatible with the iPhone 5s or later, the third-generation iPad or later, and the iPad mini 2 or later, with Square Enix warning that the game may not perform well on earlier devices. iOS 8 or later is also required.

Final Fantasy VII can be downloaded from the App Store for $15.99. [Direct Link]

Samsung is planning to take its ongoing patent war with Apple to the United States Surpreme Court, reports the San Jose Mercury News. In court papers filed today, Samsung said that by November it would ask the Supreme Court to hear its latest appeal.

"The questions present issues of enormous importance to patent litigation and the scope of innovation, especially in high-technology industries," Samsung's legal team wrote in a bid to hold off paying Apple hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for the patent violations.

Samsung's decision comes following a rejection from the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals last week, where the court refused Samsung's request for a new trial. Samsung had asked the court to reconsider a decision earlier this year that left the company on the hook for a $548 million payout to Apple.

Samsung and Apple have been battling over patent infringement issues since 2012, when a jury ruled Samsung willfully violated several Apple patents, resulting in $1 billion in damages. Since then, Samsung has been fighting the ruling, and over the course of several appeals and a partial retrial, has gotten the damages reduced to the aforementioned $548 million total. If Samsung is successful, the Supreme Court could throw out another $400 million in damages.

Earlier this week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office invalidated a key iPhone design patent that was used in the Apple v. Samsung lawsuit, handing down a non-final rejection that Samsung could use in its appeal to the Supreme Court. Samsung also has the backing of technology companies like Facebook, Google, eBay, HP, and Dell, who have claimed the ruling against Samsung would "lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies."

Samsung may, however, have difficulty getting the Supreme Court to hear its case. Of the thousands of cases that the Supreme Court is asked to review each year, it agrees to hear approximately 100 to 150.

Apple today released the seventh beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the sixth El Capitan beta and more than two months after unveiling the new operating system at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has also re-seeded the fifth public beta of OS X El Capitan to public beta testers after accidentally releasing it yesterday and then pulling it.

The update, build number 15A263e for developers and 15A262e for public beta testers, is available through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center.

In recent weeks, Apple has been pushing rapid updates for OS X El Capitan, all of which have focused on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes to optimize the operating system ahead of its public debut. Few design changes have been made in the most recent betas, but beta 7 includes some minor tweaks like a new Safari welcome screen, a new color for the El Capitan logo in "About This Mac," and a setting to disable the "Shake mouse pointer to locate" feature.

OS X El Capitan is designed to improve features introduced with OS X Yosemite, focusing on performance and user experience. A number of apps and processes on the Mac are much faster with El Capitan, and the introduction of Metal for Mac brings system-level graphics rendering that's 40 percent more efficient.

As for user experience, El Capitan includes a new systemwide San Francisco font, a revamped Mission Control feature, a new Split View feature for using two full-screen apps at once, deeper functionality for Spotlight, and several new features for Safari, including Pinned Sites for housing frequently visited websites and a universal mute button that quiets all tabs.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is available to both registered developers and public beta testers. Apple plans to release El Capitan to the public in the fall.

Intel has shared new details about its faster, more power-efficient Skylake processors at IDF 2015 in San Francisco. PCWorld reports that Intel engineers have suggested the sixth-generation Core processors could launch in around "two weeks," setting the stage for a possible announcement of new chips appropriate for Macs at the IFA Berlin trade show on September 4-9.

Skylake processors will feature improved Iris Pro integrated graphics capable of driving up to three 4K monitors at 60Hz, whereas Haswell architecture could drive a single 4K monitor at 30Hz and Broadwell architecture could handle a single 4K monitor at 60Hz. Skylake will also have fixed-function support for 4K video processing in hardware and support for the latest APIs: DirectX 12, OpenCL 2 and OpenGL 4.4.

PC World:

That means Intel has dedicated transistors directly to the job of decoding and encoding 4K. In one demonstration showing playback of a 4K RAW video stream from a Canon video camera, playback was smooth using the Skylake graphics chip, while using just the CPU, it would constantly drop frames.

Skylake architecture is also more power efficient thanks to a new power-saving feature called Speed Shift, which allows the CPU to intelligently adjust its power state for extended battery life. Skylake CPUs are also more efficient overall and feature eDRAM+, which can cache information, for increased performance.

In June, Intel introduced Thunderbolt 3 with a USB Type-C connector and support for USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2 and PCI Express 3.0. The new spec, rumored to launch alongside Intel's next-generation Skylake chips, is capable of driving up to two 4K external displays at 60Hz or a single 5K display at 60Hz running off a single cable.

Last month, a leaked Intel slide deck revealed that Skylake processors will provide a 10%-20% CPU performance boost in single and multi-threaded applications, with lower power consumption, and 30% faster Intel HD integrated graphics performance on average compared to current-generation Broadwell processors. The improved energy efficiency will also result in up to 30% longer battery life.

Intel's Skylake processors appropriate for the MacBook Air were also leaked last week.

Earlier this week, we saw hints of Apple's work on iOS 9.1 in the MacRumors visitor logs, speculating Apple had begun work on the update as a way to test features on the much-rumored 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" or the iPad mini 4 ahead of production. As it turns out, we were correct.

This morning, analytics company AppSee found an "iPad6,8" with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 in its logs. We asked AppSee to check what version of iOS the iPad had installed on it, and as it turns out, it's running iOS 9.1, suggesting Apple's work on iOS 9.1 coincides with the development of the iPad Pro.

iOS 9.1 on the large-screened tablet in AppSee's logs suggests that's the operating system the iPad Pro will ship with, which rules out the possibility of a launch in September alongside the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Both iOS 9.1 and the iPad Pro will likely be unveiled at a separate event later in the year.

Rumors this morning have also suggested the iPad Pro will be entering mass production in September or October, pointing towards a late October or November launch date. It's possible Apple plans to stick to the same October iPad unveiling timeline it's used for the past several years, introducing the iPad Pro in mid-October and shipping it at the end of the month.

It is not clear what will be introduced in iOS 9.1, but the iPad Pro includes several features that could require a dedicated update, such as a pressure sensitive Force Touch display, a stylus, and a USB-C port that could support peripheral devices.

Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be the first major new addition to the iPad lineup since the iPad mini was unveiled in 2012. At 12.9 inches, it's significantly larger than the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2, and could bring a much-needed boost to Apple's flagging iPad sales.

Back in April, we first heard rumors about Apple planning to use 7000 Series aluminum alloys for the upcoming "iPhone 6s," taking advantage of some of the expertise gained in using the material for the Apple Watch Sport to make for a stronger iPhone body compared to the 6000 Series aluminum used on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. That device received significant "Bendgate" attention after some early users found the device bending slightly under pressure in their pockets.

Increasingly reliable reports of 7000 Series aluminum for the iPhone 6s followed by hands-on impressions of a "stronger body" and ultimately some measurements showing thickening of the shell's weak points have all pointed toward Apple making some changes to improve the strength and durability of the next iPhone.

MacRumors has recently received data on the elemental composition of the iPhone 6s shell, revealing that the aluminum alloy being used by Apple does indeed include roughly 5 percent zinc, which is in line with many 7000 Series alloys and not found in the iPhone 6 shell. A just-published video from Unbox Therapy is showing similar results, as well as test results showing a significantly stronger body more resistant to bending.

Interestingly, the data we received showed high iron levels of around 8 percent on average, although the iron composition varies significantly among test samples. Unbox Therapy, however, is not seeing particularly high levels of iron in its sample.

We've been told that some iron can be introduced into the shell during the milling process, which can account for some of the variability in measurements shared with MacRumors. The small quantities of iron at levels seen by Unbox Therapy can be used to enhance durability and make the material easier to work with during the casting process.

As shown in electron microscope images shared with MacRumors, the iPhone 6s shell is covered with a roughly 10-micron thick anodized aluminum oxide layer to help protect against corrosion. The anodization layer also enables Apple to introduce dyes for various color options.

Unbox Therapy also subjected the iPhone 6 and 6s shells to bending tests, finding that while the iPhone 6 shell began experiencing significant bending at roughly 30 pounds of pressure, the iPhone 6s shell withstood at least twice as much pressure before bending.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus at a media event on September 9. If tradition holds, the company would begin taking pre-orders a few days later and officially launch the new phone on Friday, September 18. The iPhone 6s should appear largely identical to the iPhone 6 but contain a number of hardware upgrades including Force Touch support, a new A9 chip with 2 GB of RAM, camera improvements, and more. A new rose gold or pink color option has also been rumored.

Mobile analytics firm AppSee reports that an iPad with model identifier "iPad6,8" and a resolution of 2,732×2,048 pixels -- likely the 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" -- has appeared within its analytics logs. The firm is also seeing the "iPhone8,1" and "iPhone8,2" in its logs, as others have, which are likely the model identifiers for the so-called "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus."

A few months ago, Taiwanese iOS developer Hiraku Wang shared iOS 9 beta code that suggested the 12.93-inch "iPad Pro" could have a 2,732×2,048 pixels resolution at 264 PPI based on Apple's @2x high-resolution modifier. Research firm DisplaySearch also reported in January that Apple had a tablet display with a resolution of 2,732×2,048 pixels and 265 PPI under development.

With new devices beginning to show up in analytics, it is likely that Apple is nearing the final stages of testing new iPhone and iPad models that are expected to be announced in the near future. Apple is rumored to hold a media event on September 9 to unveil the "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus," but it remains unclear if the "iPad Pro" will also be announced or held back until later in 2015 or early 2016.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo issued a note to investors today that claims the "iPad Pro" will have a Force Touch-enabled stylus and enter mass production in September or October. Kuo expects that Force Touch will become a standard feature on all Apple products, similar to how Siri, Touch ID, Retina displays and other features were released on one device before expanding to others.

Apple's long-rumored 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" will enter mass production sometime in September or October, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The analyst also believes that the larger-screened iPad will come with a Force Touch-enabled stylus accessory for users to more easily navigate the increased surface area of the tablet.

Kuo believes manufacturer Cheng Uei will receive the exclusive assembly rights of the stylus. The analyst also points to recent market feedback of Force Touch on products like the Apple Watch and MacBook as reasons that the technology wouldn't exclusively drive big hardware sales, but Apple's commitment to the consistency of its devices will see Force Touch implemented on all of the company's products in the future.

Rumors about a first-party Apple-built stylus accessory began swirling earlier in the year, coming again from Kuo. Late last year, the first bit of news surrounding the iPad Pro pointed towards a 12.2-inch display, but subsequent stories have pushed the 12.9-inch rumor that's been heavily circulated ever since. Now, the latest rumors for the iPad Pro suggest the device is an unlikely candidate for next month's iPhone-centered media event, with a mid-to-late fall launch date somewhat lining up with Kuo's prediction today.

Parallels today announced the release of Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac with dual support for OS X El Capitan, Windows 10 and always-on access to Microsoft's intelligent personal assistant Cortana. Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Business Edition and Parallels Desktop for Mac Pro Edition were also released for business customers, developers, designers and power users.

Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac is virtualization software that enables users to use OS X El Capitan and Windows 10 side by side without rebooting, including full support for Windows and Mac apps. The software includes a setup assistant for switching from PC to Mac, one-click optimization settings, Linux and Google Chrome support, advanced security features and more.

The latest version of Parallels Desktop also features Quick Look for Windows documents, Travel Mode for temporarily shutting down resource-intensive services to extend battery life, location services in Windows apps and easy upgrading from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. Performance improvements include up to 50% faster boot and shut down times, up to 15% longer battery life and up to 20% faster tasks.

Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac is $79.99 with a free 14-day trial available, while customers with Parallels Desktop 9 or newer can upgrade for $49.99. Parallels Desktop 11 for Mac Business Edition and Pro Edition both retail for $99.99 per year with faster 64GB virtual RAM / 16 vCPUs for each virtual machine and extended premium 24/7 phone and email support.

Apple will relocate iPod stock from the sales floor and back storage area to the accessory shelves and remove the iPad-based Smart Signs that sit next to many display devices starting on Wednesday, according to a new report from 9to5Mac. The changes are an effort by Apple to simplify the shopping experience in its retail stores.

Apple is preparing to make significant changes to its stores to simplify the experience by relocating iPod stock to accessory shelves and removing iPad-based Smart Signs, according to several Apple Retail managers briefed today on the plans. Apple will begin rolling out these notable changes overnight on Tuesday to stores in the United States so that customers who begin coming in on Wednesday see the refreshed look.

Apple's signature products, the iPad, Mac, iPhone, iPod and Apple Watch, have typically been stored in the back storage area of an Apple Store. A customer would have to talk to an Apple Store employee and tell them which model they would like to purchase and wait as their product was retrieved from the back. Apple's non-signature products, like Apple TV and Time Capsule, are available on the accessory shelves and are easily accessible by customers without having to consult with a retail employee.

Now, customers will be able to simply walk up and pull their iPod of choice off of the store shelves. The demotion of the iPod from the main floor to the shelves is likely reflective of the iPod's decreased sales, as the device has become an increasingly minor business for Apple. The Cupertino company has also decreased the iPod's presence on its website, removing the iPod section from the website's top banner.

Additionally, Apple is removing the iPad 2-based Smart Signs intended to educate customers about Apple products. Sources tell 9to5Mac that some customers would get confused using the Smart Signs, expecting them to be fully usable iPad demo units rather than simple ways to learn about a product. Instead, Apple will begin loading product information directly on the iPads, iPhones and Macs starting next week. With less clutter on the product tables, Apple plans to install more devices for customers to test on the sales floor.

The changes to the retail stores follow Apple's move to merge its website and online store, also creating a more simplified shopping experience for customers.

Apple doesn't allow developers to create custom watch faces for the Apple Watch, preferring to maintain control over the general look of the device, but that hasn't stopped iOS developer Hamza Sood from tinkering with the Apple Watch and getting a custom watch face uploaded onto the device.

In a tweet posted this afternoon, Sood shared a video of a custom animated watch face with multiple color options.

The watch face source code that was used to create the custom watch face has been made available on GitHub and will require watchOS 2. Earlier this summer, Sood also joined several other developers in efforts to hack watchOS 2 to run truly native apps like Canabalt and a Flappy Bird clone.

It is not clear if Apple has plans to allow third-party developers to create watch faces for the Apple Watch in the future, but it's possible that as watchOS and the Apple Watch mature, Apple will be less restrictive. For now, hacks like Sood's are the only way to get custom watch faces on the device.