MacRumors

Alongside the launch of iOS 9 yesterday, Apple debuted a new Android app called "Move to iOS." The app is designed to help Android users transfer their content from an Android device to an iOS device. According to Phandroid, the app may not be developed by Apple and instead be a rebranded version of an existing app.

The app in question is Media Mushroom's Copy My Data, one of two Media Mushroom apps that specialize in transferring data between devices. The other app is Device Switch, and both are available in the App Store and Google Play. Phandroid took a look at the code of Move to iOS and noticed that it included references to Media Mushroom's Copy My Data app, like the tag android:name="com.mediamushroom.copymydata".

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. The two applications share a vast majority of code and functionality. In fact, all of the com.mediamushroom.copymydata strings were left inside Apple’s rebranded version. Essentially, the only differences between the two apps are Apple’s artwork being added, the inclusion of Apple’s licensing agreements, and Media Mushroom’s UI elements being removed. That’s really it.

As noted by Phandroid, it's likely Apple licensed the rights to use and rebrand Media Mushroom's app. Move to iOS is Apple's first Android app, and the app has gained numerous negative reviews in the Google Play Store. Of its 15,230 reviews, 12,184 are one-star reviews. Criticisms in the negative reviews include complaints about iOS, Apple, and that the app uses Apple's design philosophy rather than Google's Material Design. Apple's second Android app will be Apple Music.

At its "Hey Siri" event, Apple announced an updated iPad mini 4 but largely glossed over any details, focusing its time on the iPhones 6s and 6s Plus, the new Apple TV and the iPad Pro. Today, iFixit completed its teardown for the device, confirming that it comes with a smaller battery than the previous iPad mini as well as 2 GB of RAM.

While iFixit's teardown physically confirms that the iPad mini 4 has 2 GB of RAM, Ars Technica ran a GeekBench 3 test a couple days ago on the device, confirming that it runs a 1.5 GHz Apple A8 with 2 GB of RAM. This makes the iPad mini 4 faster than the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which run a 1.4 GHz A8, and both the iPad mini 2 and 3, which run 1.3 GHz A7's.

iFixit's teardown also confirmed that the device comes with a smaller, thinner single-cell battery. The iPad mini 4's battery is 5,124 mAh while the iPad mini 3's battery is 6,471 mAh. While the new battery is smaller, Apple claims the new iPad mini 4 retains the same battery life as the iPad mini 3.

Finally, Apple has also refined, slimmed down and moved around many of the new iPad mini 4's parts due to shrinking the device's thickness from 7.5 mm (iPad mini 3) to 6.1 mm (iPad mini 4). For instance, the FaceTime camera has slimmed down, the battery has shrunk, the LCD and front panel glass are fused together and antennas have been moved both to the top and bottom of the device. iFixit's full teardown provides additional details on all the nips and tucks in the device.

Earlier this week, Apple began allowing developers who won the lottery for an Apple TV Developer Kit to place orders for the devices, and shortly after, Apple began shipping Apple TVs out around the world. As of today, a large number of developers have begun receiving the Apple TVs according to reports on Twitter and images shared with MacRumors.

Developers were selected to receive an Apple TV using a lottery process that started shortly after the Apple TV was introduced on September 9, which has now wrapped up. Developers who won were able to obtain Apple TV Developer Kits at no cost, with a $1 fee being charged to verify billing and shipping addresses.

The new Apple TV includes a powerful A8 processor, 2GB RAM, and a new operating system, tvOS, which supports Siri voice control and a full App Store, allowing games and apps to be played on the device.

(Thanks, Tom!)

iOS users are installing Apple's latest operating system at roughly the same pace iOS 8 was installed last year, according to multiple analytics companies that are tracking iOS 9 adoption rates. iOS 9 has now been available for download for just over 24 hours.

Mixpanel's live iOS 9 tracking site suggests iOS 9 is now installed on approximately 12.60 percent of devices, which is in line with iOS 8 adoption rates in 2014.

"iOS 9 has received 12% adoption in the last 24 hours and is being adopted similar to iOS 8 last year. This kind of adoption took Android's latest operating system, Lollipop, in comparison 5 months to achieve. One huge advantage Apple got right this year over last year was that the update is much smaller than last year (3.5x smaller) < Apple has empathy for its users who have nearly maxed out the space on their phones. However, one issue for it being substantially slow compared to iOS 7 is that servers are having trouble keeping up right now as people update."

Because each analytics site tracks a different selection of iOS users based on app installs, iOS 9 installation numbers vary quite a bit across platforms. All of the sites tracking iOS 9 adoption agree that it is on pace with adoption numbers seen after iOS 8 was released last year, however. Tapjoy is seeing adoption rates spanning from 4 percent to 7 percent, based on device, while Fiksu is seeing 6 percent of its users running iOS 9.

According to GoSquared, iOS 9 users now represent 12 percent of total iOS traffic, a number that's on par with both Mixpanel's count and an 11.84 percent measurement from analytics company Paddle.

Two years ago, iOS 7 saw much quicker adoption rates than we're seeing with iOS 9, but that is not surprising as iOS 7 marked the last major design update to the operating system. iOS 8 and iOS 9 brought many new features, but few visual changes.

What is surprising is that iOS 9 adoption is not outpacing iOS 8 adoption because iOS 9 has a much smaller installation size. While iOS 8 required 4.58 GB to install, iOS 9 only requires 1.3 GB, making it much more accessible to users who have little space open on their devices.

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming OS X El Capitan update to developers, two weeks before OS X El Capitan will be released to the public on September 30.

The new beta, build 15B17c, is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center.

It is not clear what improvements the first update to OS X El Capitan will bring, but it's likely to include bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that have been encountered following the operating system's official release.

Update: OS X 10.11.1 includes support for Unicode 8 and a range of 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 currently in testing as well.

A U.S. federal appeals court has ruled that Apple was entitled to an injunction on multiple Samsung products that a lower court ruled to be infringing on the iPhone maker's patented technologies in an early 2014 trial.

As noted by Bloomberg, the ruling sets an important precedent, since it could have an impact on how damages are awarded in future trials involving patented inventions from large technology companies such as Apple, Samsung and Google.

The decision could have far-reaching consequences in how disputes are resolved when it comes to complex devices. The ability to block use of an invention is a powerful tool that increases the price tag when negotiating settlements.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington echoed that in its ruling:

“The right to exclude competitors from using one’s property rights is important,” the Federal Circuit ruled in a 2-1 decision. “And the right to maintain exclusivity -- a hallmark and crucial guarantee of patent rights deriving from the Constitution itself -— is likewise important.”

In May 2014, a jury in the lower court Apple vs. Samsung trial found that Samsung willfully infringed on three of the five patents involved in the lawsuit, related to technologies including slide to unlock and data syncing. Samsung was ordered to pay Apple a settlement of $119.6 million.

Samsung informed the appeals court in March that only one of its products currently for sale infringes upon a single Apple patent, so any potential injunction would not have much of an impact on the South Korean company's bottom line. Nevertheless, Samsung is in the process of appealing the lower court decision before the U.S. Federal Circuit.

Universal today launched the second official trailer for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender (via Coming Soon). Set backstage at three of Jobs' biggest product launches, the movie aims to showcase the personality of the former Apple CEO through some of the most intense and public moments of his life.

The film also stars Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, and Jeff Daniels as Steve Wozniak, Joanna Hoffman, and John Sculley, respectively. Since initial rumors began on the movie's production four years ago, it's faced multiple changes in directors and lead actors for the role of Steve Jobs.

Best Buy has accepted Apple Pay for in-app payments since April, and now the U.S. electronics retailer has begun rolling out the iPhone-based mobile payments service in stores.

A new YouTube video and Reddit thread confirm customers making successful debit and credit card purchases using both Apple Pay and Android Pay at separate Best Buy stores in California.

Best Buy is now permitted to support Apple Pay, Android Pay and other NFC payment services after its three-year exclusivity period with payment consortium Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) expired in August. MCX has developed its own mobile payments service called CurrentC, which some retailers began testing in August but may not see a broad launch until 2016.

(Thanks, Jarod!)

Honda on Wednesday at YouTube Space LA introduced the redesigned 2016 Civic with CarPlay and Android Auto support. The tenth-generation sedan will be the second Honda vehicle to support CarPlay alongside the 2016 Accord as the Japanese car maker continues its 2016 vehicle rollout.

Apple has listed Honda as a CarPlay partner on its website for quite some time, but the car maker waited until its 2016 lineup to introduce the iPhone-based dashboard system. GM is also supporting CarPlay and Android Auto in 2016 across its Chevrolet, Cadillac, Corvette, Buick and GMC vehicle brands.

CarPlay connects to iPhone and provides hands-free or eyes-free access to Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, Podcasts and third-party apps such as Spotify, Rdio, iHeartRadio, CBS Radio and MLB At Bat. The in-dash software uses Siri and also interfaces with your vehicle's knobs, dials and buttons.

While T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced last week that the carrier would begin selling the Apple Watch he did not provide a specific release date. MacRumors has learned that T-Mobile will begin selling the Apple Watch on September 25. Additionally, 9to5Mac reports that Sprint will also start selling the device on the same day.

With the iPhone 6s and 6 Plus launching on September 25, it's likely carriers want the ability to sell Apple's smartwatch as an accessory to the Cupertino company's new flagship smartphones. While it's unknown whether Verizon and AT&T will also sell Apple Watch on September 25, it's possible they will also sell the device.

Since launching in April, the Apple Watch has slowly been expanding to retailers like Best Buy in the U.S. and other countries. Initially, Apple Watch was limited to Apple Stores and select retail boutiques.

Update: Sprint has confirmed it will begin selling the Apple Watch on September 25.

(Thanks, Joey!)

The iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus have a new screen technology called 3D Touch, allowing the devices to support new gestures that are based on pressure, as well as touch. 3D Touch works through capacitive sensors embedded in the backlight of the devices, measuring microscopic changes in the distance between the glass cover of the display and the backlight, combining signals from the touch sensor and the accelerometer to respond to finger pressure.

Because of the way 3D Touch operates, there was some speculation that screen protectors might not work with the new devices, but Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller appears to have confirmed in an email to 3D Techtronics that screen protectors that comply with Apple's design guidelines will work with 3D Touch. "Yes. screen overlays that follow our guidelines will continue to work with 3D Touch," Schiller wrote.

Apple's design guidelines for iPhone cases say any screen overlay must be electrically conductive, must not exceed 0.3mm in thickness, and must not introduce air gaps between the touchscreen.

There are several Apple-approved screen protectors that are available for purchase from the online Apple Store and through Apple's retail locations, including products from companies like Tech21, Belkin, and 3M. Because the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s plus are similar in size to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, it's likely these screen protectors will fit Apple's newest devices, but customers concerned about fit should wait for confirmation from the manufacturers.

Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus with 3D Touch are currently available for pre-order from Apple's online store and in Apple retail stores. The two new iPhones will officially launch on September 25.

Apple has purchased mapping startup Mapsense, reports Re/code. Mapsense is a San Francisco-based startup that's able to sort through massive geotagged datasets to create quick geographical visualizations of location-based data points that can be embedded into apps.

According to its website, Mapsense built a cloud-based high-speed mapping engine that could ingest and index huge amounts of data with "lightning fast" search and filtering and simple visual analysis tools.

There are over 10 billion devices on the planet streaming location data on a daily basis. While collecting location data has become mainstream, the traditional tools to visualize, understand, and harness it have been hampered by the speed and scale of this massive and complex new datasource. Mapsense's platform and developer tools help organizations quickly ingest and analyze billions of rows of location data to make more intelligent, locally targeted business decisions across the organization.

Apple is said to have paid between $25 and $30 million for Mapsense, and its 12-person team will join Apple. Apple confirmed the acquisition to Re/code with its standard acquisition statement: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

It is not clear what Apple will use the Mapsense technology for, but this is just one of a long line of mapping companies Apple has purchased to improve its Maps app. Over the past several years, Apple has purchased companies like HopStop, Coherent Navigation, Locationary, WifiSLAM, Embark, and Broadmap.