Following the launch of Apple Pay in Australia and Canada earlier this week, Apple has shared a new Apple Pay Guided Tour video that walks users through how to use Apple Pay on their iPhones.
The video goes through the steps of making a payment at an NFC terminal with a finger on the Touch ID home button of an iPhone and it covers the security behind Apple Pay. Apple Pay shares no credit card numbers or personal information with cashiers during the checkout process.
There's also a walkthrough on how to set up Apple Pay through the Wallet app and details on using the payments service within an app.
Apple Pay is now available in the United States, the UK, Canada, and Australia, with the latter two countries receiving the service through a partnership with American Express. In 2016, Apple Pay will expand to Spain, Singapore, and Hong Kong through the same AMEX partnership.
Apple has previously published a number of Guided Tour videos, most recently sharing a video series that walks users through how to use the various features of Apple Music. In the past, Apple has also done quite a few Apple Watch Guided Tour videos to teach users how to unlock the full capabilities of the wrist-worn device.
For this week's giveaway, we've partnered again with Pad & Quill, the maker of premium MacBook, iPhone, and iPad cases and other accessories. Pad & Quill is kindly offering prizes from its lines of leather watch bands and iPhone cases to the lucky winners.
Pad & Quill's Lowry line of leather watch bands come in a cuff style and a standard band style. The Lowry Cuff is sized specifically for 42mm Apple Watch models while the Lowry Band is available for both 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch models. They're all made of full-grain vegetable tanned leather and feature nickel-finished hardware and 25-year leather warranties. The Cuff retails for $129.95 and the Band is $109.95.
The company's Classic Band, which Contributing Editor Mitchel Broussard found to be durable and professional-looking, is available for both 38mm and 42mm watch models in several colors with the choice between stainless steel and polished black for the metal hardware. The Classic Band retails for $99.95.
Pad & Quill makes several iPhone cases in various styles, including the wood-framed leather portfolio style Luxury Book for iPhone 6 Plus and 6s Plus, which costs $109.95, and the leather Bella Vida wallet case, which costs $74.95.
Four winners will be chosen. The first two winners can choose one Lowry Cuff or Band or Classic Band in the size and color of their choice. The second two winners can choose any one iPhone case from Pad & Quill's entire case line-up.
To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter your email address. Your email address will not be given to any third party and will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page. Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years of age or older are eligible to enter.
This contest will run from today (November 20) at 12:00 pm Pacific time through 12:00 pm Pacific time on November 27. The winners will be chosen randomly on November 30 and will be contacted by email. The winners have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address. The prizes will be shipped to the winners for free.
Sonnet this week announced the launch of its long-awaited Echo 15+ Thunderbolt 2 Dock, which is a 16-port docking station compatible with all Mac and Windows computers that feature Thunderbolt ports. It offers four USB 3.0 Ports, two 6Gb/s eSata ports, a FireWire 800 port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two 3.5mm audio inputs, two 3.5mm audio outputs, and two Thunderbolt 2 ports.
A drive bay with 6Gb/s interfaces for one 3.5 inch or two 2.5-inch internal SATA drives is included, with support for SSD speeds of up to 750 MB/s. The USB 3.0 ports included in the dock provide 7.5 watts of power each for charging iPads, iPhones, and other electronic devices even when a computer is turned off.
The Echo 15+ also includes a built-in optical drive, and users are able to choose from an 8x DVD+/-RW drive, a Blu-ray BD-ROM/8x DVD+/-RW drive with Blu-ray player software for OS X, or a Blu-ray burner 4x BD-R/8x DVD+/-RW drive. Using an optical Thunderbolt cable and Sonnet's Thunderbolt 2 expansion systems, the Echo 15+ can be connected to computer equipment located up to 60 meters away.
According to Sonnet, the Echo 15+'s aluminum case is sturdy enough to support the latest 27-inch iMac or a comparable display up to 34 inches.
"The Echo 15+ is the ultimate docking station for users to connect every device they need, including current and legacy devices -- even the latest Ultra HD 4K displays -- and expand their storage for backup or increased capacity in a single desktop device that connects to their computer with a Thunderbolt cable," said Greg LaPorte, vice president of sales and marketing, Sonnet Technologies. "With the option to add internal storage supporting data transfer rates of up to 750 MB/s, as well as the ability to read from and write to optical media including Blu-rayTM Disc, Sonnet's Echo 15+ Thunderbolt 2 Dock is the go-to station for flexible connectivity."
Sonnet first announced the Echo 15 Thunderbolt docking station in April of 2013 and began accepting pre-orders at that time. Following the launch of Thunderbolt 2, the dock was delayed in early 2014 as Sonnet decided to upgrade the device to support it, and nearly two years after that, the dock is finally ready.
Pricing on the Echo 15+ Thunderbolt 2 Dock starts at $469 for the version with a DVD+/-RW Drive and goes up to $999 for the version with a Blu-ray Burner and two included 500GB SSDs. The dock can be purchased from the Sonnet website.
Now that Apple Stores are beginning to receive more reliable Apple Pencil shipments, some early adopters of the iPad Pro have been able to purchase the accessory over the past week and put it to the test.
Many of those iPad Pro users have been sharing their work in the MacRumors discussion forums, and many of the drawings posted have been very creative. Below is a gallery of some of the sketches shared.
Best Buy has the in-demand Apple Pencil in stock and is accepting orders for the device as of today. Supplies may go quickly, but for the time being, Best Buy's site says orders will arrive as early as Tuesday, November 24 with express shipping, or Thursday, December 3 with standard shipping. Best Buy's stock may already be low as the site sometimes lists the Apple Pencil as unavailable before listing it as purchasable upon refresh.
Best Buy appears to be one of the only stores with actual stock of the Apple Pencil. At Staples, the Apple Pencil is listed as "Coming Soon" with stock arriving on November 25, which is the only other upcoming availability date. MacMall is accepting orders, but shipments won't arrive for three weeks, while B&H Photo is also accepting pre-orders without an estimated shipment timeline. At Adorama and Walmart, the Apple Pencil is listed as out of stock.
On Apple's own site, the Apple Pencil has an estimated shipping date of four to five weeks, with orders placed today arriving between December 23 and December 30 at the earliest. Apple retail stores have been receiving shipments of the Apple Pencil, so the best way to get one immediately may be to check in regularly at a local Apple Store.
Apple appears to be working on an iOS app that will provide customers with easy access to Apple support staff, troubleshooting tips, and repair options for their iPhones, iPads, and other Apple devices. A series of screenshots of the app were provided by Sonny Dickson to uSwitch Tech, revealing key details about the app and what it's capable of.
There are direct options for chatting with an advisor, scheduling an in-store visit (which lists the next available appointment at a local Apple Store), and sending a device in for service, along with a list of support documents and guides to solve common problems like using iTunes to do a restore, maximizing battery life, or upgrading to the latest version of iOS.
According to an "insider," the app is tied to an Apple ID and will automatically list all of the devices that each person owns, giving them direct access to pre-defined troubleshooting problems, much like Apple's support site does now. From there, it walks users through all of the available support options. It's said to be "highly interactive and well integrated."
Having a centralized spot to access support documents and repair options will be hugely useful for many users who may not know the extent of Apple's online support offerings. The app will also further streamline the repair and support process, taking some of the pressure off of in-store Genius employees who work on repairs and potentially cutting down on the number of people coming in to the store for small issues.
It is not clear if the app is a standalone support app that will be added to iOS devices in the future or if this is functionality that will be incorporated into the existing Apple Store app. At this time, the Apple Store app has limited functionality when it comes to support, only allowing users to schedule appointments with Geniuses at their local Apple Stores.
News aggregator app Zite last night announced that it will no longer be functional past December 7, with the company encouraging fans to migrate their information and preferences over to similar app Flipboard before the deadline (via VentureBeat).
Flipboard acquired Zite in 2014 after a competitive few years together in the social media and news aggregation app sphere, keeping it open but slowly appropriating Zite's features and services into Flipboard. Zite has been hinting at its impending closure for a few months, but kept silent on whether or not it would continue to run in the face of the Flipboard acquisition until now.
"We wanted to ensure that Zite’s key functionality was available in Flipboard before asking users to migrate. Now that we’ve integrated all the major parts of the technology such as the topic engine, collaborative filtering algorithms and thumbs up and down voting, Zite will soon stop being available as its own app. Zite users have a few more weeks to import their preferences into Flipboard. We hope many of them will do this.”
Zite users will recieve a notification within the app, or a personalized email, of the impending closure, along with a step-by-step guide of how to migrate their data to Flipboard. All the app requires is the entry of Flipboard login information into Zite -- a Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ login will work as well -- to begin the migration process.
Similar to the newly launched Apple News, Flipboard provides customers a one-stop shop of all their prioritized daily news services. Flipboard [Direct Link] allows a bit more personalization, however, letting users construct digital magazines of favorite stories, pictures, and breaking news and share them on social media. The app was recently updated to bring full support of the larger screen on the iPad Pro, as well.
Following the launch of Personal Pickup in Australia and Canada earlier this week, Apple today expanded the in-store pickup service to the United Kingdom. Personal Pickup allows customers to place an order on the Apple Online Store or Apple Store app and pick it up at a nearby Apple Retail Store, generally within an hour.
Personal Pickup launched in the U.S. in 2011, but was unavailable elsewhere until this week. The service is offered for several Apple products, including Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and the Apple Watch. Apple notifies customers via email or text message when their order is available for in-store pickup with a valid photo ID.
MacRumors broke the news earlier this month that Apple was planning an international expansion of Personal Pickup in Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom, and the service is now live in three of those four countries. The service will likely launch in at least a few more countries in the near future.
Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts has been working to bridge the gap between Apple's online and retail store shopping experiences, and the international expansion of Personal Pickup fits within those plans. Apple has opened 463 retail stores in 17 countries since May 2001, with nearly 200 located outside the U.S.
Apple recently debuted a new Apple Music ad, starring singer Mary J. Blige and actresses Taraji P. Henson and Kerry Washington, during the 2015 Emmy Awards.
In the one-minute spot, focused on Apple Music playlists, Washington says that Apple's curated playlists are like having "a boyfriend who creates you a mixtape -- in your laptop."
Jimmy Iovine, who joined Apple in 2014 following the company's acquisition of Beats Electronics, has made headlines today following controversial comments he made about women on CBS This Morning today in relation to the ad.
In particular, when asked to explain his thinking behind the Emmy ad, Iovine said that "women find it very difficult at times -- some women -- to find music, …and [Apple Music] helps makes it easier with playlists curated by real people." He proceeded to mention the problem of girls "sitting around" and "talking about boys."
CBS has made the video clip unavailable to viewers outside the U.S. — Mirror
"I just thought of a problem, you know: girls are sitting around, you know, talking about boys. Or complaining about boys, you know, when they're heartbroken or whatever. And they need music for that, right? So it's hard to find the right music, you know. Not everybody has the right lists, or knows a DJ or something."
Update: Jimmy Iovine has provided BuzzFeed with an apology, saying "I could have chosen my words better."
Jimmy Iovine told BuzzFeed News, "we created Apple Music to make finding the right music easier for everyone -- men and women, young and old. Our new ad focuses on women, which is why I answered the way I did, but of course the same applies equally for men. I could have chosen my words better, and I apologize."
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.
More than an estimated 100 million iPhones are being used in the United States, according to new data shared by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners [PDF]. At the end of the September 2015 quarter, more than 101 million iPhones were in use, and two-thirds of those iPhones were newer iPhones that have been released in 2014 and 2015.
An estimated 58 million of the 101 million iPhones in use were the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, while four million were iPhone 6s and 6s Plus models. The iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus, and 6s Plus are the four iPhones that have larger 4.7 and 5.5 inch screens, and the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 appears to be the most popular model. CIRP's data was gathered in September, shortly after the iPhone 6s launch. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus numbers are likely much higher now.
"The analysis shows the continued strength of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, now one year old," said Mike Levin, Partner and Co-Founder of CIRP. "We estimate a combined 60 million of these flagship phones sold in the US from the September 2014 launch through September 30, 2015. For comparison, the iPhone 5S sold about 28 million in the same period in 2013-2014. With only a weekend of availability in the quarter, we estimate 4 million of the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus sold in the US."
CIRP's data suggests that while the larger-screened iPhones make up a large chunk of the iPhones in use in the United States, iPhone adoption is slowing as the U.S. market matures. For the past eight quarters, the iPhone installed base grew an estimated average of eight percent, but the installed base grew four percent in the September 2015 quarter and six percent in the September 2014 quarter. Growth numbers were as high as 17 percent in the December 2013 quarter following the launch of the iPhone 5s and 5c.
As the U.S. market becomes saturated with smartphone owners, Apple has increasingly focused its attention on luring customers from Android and other competing platforms. Apple has introduced a new "Move to iOS" Android app, an Android-switching microsite, and a trade-in program for Android users looking to switch to an iPhone.
Apple's efforts have been successful, and in October, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple saw the highest rate of Android switchers it had ever measured in the fourth quarter of 2015. 30 percent of customers who were upgrading from an existing smartphone to an iPhone were former Android users.
CIRP's numbers are extrapolated from a September 2015 survey of 500 U.S. Apple customers who purchased an Apple product in the preceding quarter. CIRP analyzes data on iPhone buyers, their new model selection, and their prior phones and compares that to iPhone sales data adjusted to the U.S. market.
Following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift, Adele is opting to restrict her upcoming album from streaming music services. "25," Adele's highly anticipated album set to release tomorrow, will not be available on Apple Music, Spotify, or other Internet-based streaming music services, reports The New York Times.
Citing three sources with knowledge of the album release plans, The New York Times says Adele was involved in the decision not to share her album on streaming music services. "25" is Adele's first album in nearly five years and has been preceded by "Hello," a single that's already extremely popular, so the decision to restrict the album from streaming services may make fans unhappy.
Taylor Swift was one of the first major artists to take a stand against streaming music, opting to pull her songs from services like Spotify that offered a free listening tier. According to Swift, she did so because "music should not be free" and artists should value their work. It's likely Adele has similar motives, as restricting Swift's latest album "1989" from music sites did not significantly impact its popularity. "1989" sold upwards of 1.2 million copies during its first week of availability, and its believed Adele's new album could sell 2.5 million copies.
Swift initially refused to share her songs on Apple Music because Apple executives did not intend to pay artists during the Apple Music free trial period, but after the company reversed course, she too changed her mind and allowed Apple Music to stream "1989" and her other albums.
While Adele's new music will not be available on Apple Music, customers interested in obtaining the album will be able to purchase it through iTunes.
Adele had also asked Apple to stock her new album in its retail stores, but Apple declined the offer. It's not likely the refusal impacted Adele's decision not to offer her music on streaming sites, and Adele and Apple have also reportedly discussed a possible $30 million tour sponsorship. The status of that potential deal is not known.
Shortly after the launch of the iPad Pro, buyers began complaining about an issue that caused the iPad Pro to become unresponsive after charging, requiring a hard restart to restore functionality.
Apple has now responded to those complaints with a support document letting customers know it's looking into the problem and recommending the aforementioned hard restart as an interim fix.
To get back to using your iPad Pro, force restart it by pressing and holding both the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons for at least ten seconds, until you see the Apple logo.
Apple is aware of this issue and is investigating.
After being charged, affected iPad Pros appear to be completely frozen, unresponsive to touch and other interactions. The screen remains dark until a reset is performed. The issue appears to be quite widespread, with complaints on the Apple Support Communities, the MacRumors forums, and reddit.
Both 32 and 128GB (Wi-Fi and LTE) iPad Pro models on iOS 9.1 have been affected, and it is not clear if the problem is related to hardware or software. Software is a strong possibility, as iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users started seeing a similar issue with their smartphones randomly powering off and becoming unresponsive last month.
Apple released the iPad Pro last week as a direct competitor to Microsoft's new Surface Pro 4. The high-end tablets are primarily targeted at creative professionals, with the companion Apple Pencil and Surface Pen available as precise input tools to complement your finger.
iMore has shared a new video that compares sketching with the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro to the Surface Pen on Microsoft's new Surface Book, which has equivalent display technology as the Surface Pro 4.
Editor Serenity Caldwell found the Surface Pen to be "about as responsive" as the Apple Pencil, but said Microsoft's stylus pressure was slightly harder to control and had more trouble at writing small type.
The Verge has created a similar video that provides more of a high-level comparison of the iPad Pro vs. Surface Pro 4, while also touching upon the Apple Pencil and Surface Pen and showing some limited usage of each accessory.
Editor Jacob Kastrenakes called the Apple Pencil "one of the best" he has ever used, adding that the Surface Pen "can be a little less natural" but benefits from having a hardware eraser -- which the Apple Pencil doesn't have.
Kastrenakes said the Apple Pencil is "really responsive" and has "amazing palm rejection," and he offered similar accolades for the Surface Pen, although quality will vary from app to app on both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4.
Apple Pencil online orders began to see movement earlier this week, while Apple retail stores started receiving more reliable Apple Pencil shipments on Tuesday for in-store purchase. The accessory is available to ship in 4-5 weeks online.
iFixit has completed an Apple Pencil teardown, removing the outer plastic casing to reveal the pencil's inner metal cylinder. The teardown provides a closer look at several Apple Pencil components, including the antenna, battery, pencil nib, Lightning connector and miniature folded logic board.
Apple Pencil has two emitters in the tip that enable the iPad Pro to determine the pencil nib's angle and orientation relative to the display, and adjust the pen stroke accordingly, explains iFixit. iPad Pro has a digitizer that likely determines the distance from each emitter to the screen.
At the core of the Apple Pencil is a tiny 0.329 Wh lithium-ion rechargeable battery that holds just 5% of the charge of an iPhone 6s battery, next to a small cylindrical black and gold antenna. There is also a small ribbon cable that connects the Apple Pencil's battery with its Lightning connector for charging.
On the other side of the battery is the Apple Pencil's tiny folded logic board that weighs just one gram, yet houses more than five components, including an ST Microelectronics low-power 32-bit ARM-based Cortex-M3 microcontroller and Qualcomm Bluetooth 4.1 chip from Cambridge Silicon Radio.
- Red: ST Microelectronics STML151UCY6 Ultra-low-power 32-bit RISC ARM-based Cortex-M3 MCU - Orange: ST Microelectronics AS5C Y533 (also found in the 2015 Apple TV) - Yellow: L05286 QS4 VG Z SGP 528 - Green: EWX 01129 - Not shown: Cambridge Silicon Radio Qualcomm CSR1012A05 Bluetooth Smart IC
iFixit awarded the Apple Pencil its lowest repairability score of 1 out of 10. While the pen nib and cap can be replaced if worn out or lost, iFixit says you can't get inside the Apple Pencil without destroying the device. It says the 12-hour battery is not replaceable, giving the Apple Pencil a limited lifespan.
Apple is currently searching for an additional supplier of next year's rumored Apple Watch 2, according to a new report from supply chain sources (via DigiTimes). The company is speaking with Inventec, Wistron and Foxconn Electronics to join Quanta Computer in the manufacturing of the next generation of the Apple Watch. The report cites a "weaker than expected" profit return for Quanta in regards to the first generation Apple Watch, which is causing a few of the targeted manufacturers to voice concern about supporting the long-term investment in the future device.
Quanta has invested heavily in equipment for Apple Watch's manufacturing, but its profit return from the device has been weaker than expected. This is a concern for the ODMs that have been approached as a secondary supply partner, the paper added.
Also mentioned in the report is Apple's ordering of 4 million Apple Watch units for the fourth quarter of 2015, slightly down from the original 6 million planned in preparation for the holiday season since demand is "not as strong as expected." Still, the company expects sales for the wearable device to surpass 10 million units by the end of the year, before leading into the rumored launch period of the Apple Watch 2 sometime in the second quarter of 2016.
Today's news comes after Quanta Computer's chairman Barry Lam was reported to have commented on the impending manufacturing process of the Apple Watch 2, giving the device a launch window sometime late in Q2 2016 and higher volume shipments beginning in Q3. Little is known about the second generation Apple Watch, besides a few rumors that pointed to the possibility of a thinner device, integrated FaceTime camera, and a growing independence from the iPhone.
The Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones, $299.95, were released in November 2014 as the first Beats product since Apple's acquisition of the company officially closed. Beats launched new Solo2 Wireless headphones in Gold, Silver and Space Gray, colors that match several Apple products, last April.
Beats urBeats In-Ear Headphones, $99.95, were first released long before Apple acquired the company in 2014.
Sprint today launched its LTE Plus network, which is available today in 77 major markets in the U.S. To celebrate, the carrier is announcing what its calling "the biggest wireless offer in U.S. history", offering 50 percent off of T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T rate plans. The offer runs from November 20 to January 7, 2016 and the pricing remains in place until January 8, 2018.
“We’ve made tremendous strides with our network because we know consumers want wireless service that provides consistent speed and reliability,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “We are so confident that customers will have an amazing experience that we are encouraging them to give us a try with the biggest wireless offer in the history of our industry. Customers switching to Sprint will never need to look elsewhere. They will learn what our 58 million customers already know – Sprint offers the best value and an award-winning network.”
T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T customers who want to switch to the network will get Sprint plans that mirror their old plans, only for half the price. For example, a T-Mobile customer with four lines and 10 GB of data per line pays $180 per month at T-Mobile, but will only pay $90 at Sprint. An AT&T family who pays $100 for 15 GB data will get the same thing at Sprint for $50. Verizon customers paying $80 for 12 GB will get the same for $40. Verizon and AT&T customers will also get 50 percent off access fees.
The discounts are only available to consumer plans for Verizon's 1 GB, 3 GB, 6 GB, 12 GB, 18 GB, 20 GB and 25 GB shared data plans, T-Mobile's Simple Choice 2 GB, 6 GB and 10 GB plans and AT&T's 300 MB, 2 GB, 5 GB, 15 GB, 20 GB and 25 GB shared data plans. Specific carrier features like unlimited music and video, data rollover and cloud options do not carryover to Sprint.
Customers switching over to Sprint can also take advantage of iPhone Forever, Sprint's plan that allows customers to upgrade to a new iPhone every year. It's also a "worry-free" offer, with customers having 28 days to try out Sprint's service. If they're not happy, they can return it without incurring a restocking fee. Sprint will also pay any switching fees up to $650 per line with an American Express Reward Card after online registration and phone turn-in.
Sprint says its new LTE Plus network is faster than Verizon's and AT&T's networks, citing Nielsen Mobile Performance data. NMP uses crowdsourced data from Android users in 44 of the largest markets in the U.S., and it found that in 20 of the 44 markets, users downloading files over 5 MB did it fastest on Sprint. The carrier says the new network can reach up to 100 Mbps, includes stronger service with an extended 2.5 GHz signal and more reliable service with three bands of spectrum: 1.9 GHz for broad coverage, 800 MHz for indoor coverage and 2.5 GHz for faster speeds.
Current Sprint customers will get a free tablet with one year of free service while supplies last. Sprint says this offer is a $360 value.
Today at Inter BEE 2015 in Japan, CalDigit announced two new lines of USB Type-C docks, two new USB-C adapters and more. The new accessories give owners of USB-C computers like the new MacBook more flexibility in how they use their device.
CalDigit USB-C Dock
The USB-C Dock comes in five colors and features a silicon cover that CalDigit says adds a layer of protection to the dock's aluminum case. The dock includes 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a Display Port, an Ethernet port, Audio in and out and AC power. The dock allows users to charge their computer while connecting all a user's devices at the same time.
The smaller USB-C mini Dock has 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a VGA port and a Gigabit Ethernet port. Unlike the larger dock, the more portable version does not charge the computer at the same time. Instead, it draws power from the computer.
CalDigit also announced the FASTA-6GU3 Plus, a dual interface PCIe card that adds 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A and 2 eSATA ports to any Mac desktop computer. Finally, the company also announced USB-C to HDMI and USB-C to VGA adapters.
CalDigit USB-C mini Dock
All the new products are available for pre-order on CalDigit's website. The USB-C Dock has a special pre-order price of $149.99, but will retail for $159.99 and ship in February 2016. The mini Dock has a special pre-order price of $89.99, but will retail for $99.99 and ship in late January 2016. The FASTA-6Gu3 Plus also ships in January 2016 and will retail for $169.99. Both adapters will ship in December 2015, with the HDMI adapter retailing for $29.99 while the VGA adapter will retail for $24.99.
Apple recently debuted a 
- Red: ST Microelectronics STML151UCY6 Ultra-low-power 32-bit RISC ARM-based Cortex-M3 MCU
