MacRumors

The developers behind popular third-party keyboard Fleksy today announced the debut of a new custom theme builder for a keyboard with deeper personalization. With the custom keyboard feature, the Fleksy keyboard can be customized with a range of unique colors, photos, and other effects.

Fleksy has long had different themes available in the app as additional in-app purchases, allowing users to adjust the look of the keyboard, but its new options take customization even further. As can be seen in the image below, a photo can be used underneath a keyboard for a one-of-a-kind look.

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The background color of the keyboard can be customized, and users can also select specific colors for things like keys, word suggestions, and autocorrected words. According to Fleksy, its built-in themes have been popular with users, so the idea was to allow them to create personalized content that can be changed and updated on a regular basis.

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Custom themes created by Fleksy users can be used on their own devices and also shared with friends. A sharing tool within the app makes it easy for themes to be shared with other users. Theme recipients who have the Fleksy app on their iOS devices can install new themes with a click, while those who are not current Fleksy users will be prompted to download the app.

Fleksy Keyboard can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released shipments forecasts for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch for upcoming fiscal quarters. Kuo estimates between 70-75 million iPhone and 3.5-4 million Apple Watch shipments during Q1 2016 of the fiscal year, which encompasses the busy holiday shopping season in the U.S., Australia, Canada, Europe and many other regions.

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In a research note, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, Kuo believes that iPhone sales momentum could gradually decline in the new year, possibly enough for the device to experience its first year-over-year shipments decline in the first quarter of a year in 2016.

We estimate iPhone shipments rose 2.1% QoQ and 23.6% YoY to 48.5mn units in 3Q15, of which 20-22mn units were iPhone 6s. We attribute the solid YoY growth to the inclusion of China as the first-launch market for iPhone 6s and to increased output of the new model (versus 14-15mn units of iPhone 6 in 3Q14).

However, as we do not expect overall demand for iPhone 6s to be significantly stronger than that for iPhone 6, we expect shipments momentum could gradually decline in 4Q15-1Q16F on a YoY basis. We expect iPhone may see its first YoY shipments decline in the first quarter of a year in 2016.

Kuo also forecasts between 14.5-15.5 million iPad shipments and 5.4-5.6 million Mac shipments in fiscal Q1 2016, which lines up with Q4 2015 of the calendar year, a three-month period ending December 31.

The analyst expects iPad Pro shipments to be around 2 million in fiscal Q1 2016, and believes the tablet's higher selling price will help offset an annual decline in iPad shipments, which could fall 16% to 40-42 million units in 2016.

We now expect shipments of iPad Pro to be around 2mn units in 4Q15, versus our previous forecast of 4-5mn units given quality issues with Sharp’s panel supply. However, thanks to a higher shipments weighting of iPad Pro, coupled with a lower mix of iPad mini, we anticipate the ASP of end-products and some components will trend up in 2016F (e.g. we estimate the ASP of backlight unit to rise 30-35% in 2016). This should be enough to offset total iPad shipments decline, which we estimate will fall 16% to 40-42mn units in 2016F.

Kuo expects that, amid lackluster sales for PCs, Mac sales will continue to be better than those of competitors. The well-informed analyst says the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro is Apple's most popular notebook, followed by the 12-inch MacBook, and expects the new iMacs with 4K and 5K Retina displays to account for at least 50-60% of total iMac shipments in Q1 2016 of the fiscal year.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 10, iPad Pro
Related Forum: iPhone

Following today's slew of software updates, including a golden master of tvOS for developers and a release of Xcode 7.1, Apple is now inviting developers to begin submitting their tvOS apps for App Store review. Apple will begin taking orders for the new Apple TV next Monday with shipping beginning later in the week, allowing a week or so of lead time for Apple to begin reviewing and approving apps for the new platform before customers begin receiving their set-top boxes.

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Alongside today's invitation to developers, Apple has also published a new overview giving developers an idea of what steps they need to take to ensure their tvOS apps are ready for submission. The company points developers to Xcode 7.1 and the latest version of the tvOS SDK, and reminds them that apps may be a maximum of 200 MB in the main app bundle with up to 20 GB of content to be downloaded on-demand as users need it.

Apple also includes reference to the company's Human Interface Guidelines for Apple TV to help developers ensure their designs are optimized for the big screen and that their apps will work with the new Apple TV Remote.

Finally, Apple gives an overview of the requirements for App Store product pages on Apple TV, including tips on app naming, icons, descriptions, keywords, screenshots, and universal purchases to support both iOS and tvOS. Apple notes it will review tvOS apps according to the company's App Review Guidelines, and app submissions set for automatic release could go live at any time and immediately become available to developers and testers who already have the new Apple TV.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Apple today announced two clean energy programs aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its manufacturing partners in China. Apple says the programs will avoid over 20 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution in China between now and 2020, which is equivalent to taking 4 million cars off the road for a year.

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“Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for action is now,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose. We believe passionately in leaving the world better than we found it and hope that many other suppliers, partners and other companies join us in this important effort.”

The first program is aimed at expanding Apple's clean-energy investments in the country. Apple will build more than 200 megawatts of solar projects in the northern, eastern and southern regions of China. The projects will generate energy equivalent to the amount of energy used by 265,000 Chinese homes in a year. The Cupertino company also says the project will "begin to offset" the energy used in Apple's supply chain.

The second program is a new initiative aimed at driving Apple's manufacturing partners to become more energy efficient. Apple and its suppliers will install more than 2 gigawatts of new clean energy in the next couple of years. Apple will share strategies for procuring clean energy and building high-quality energy projects with its suppliers while also providing energy efficiency audits, regulatory guidance and more.

Apple's most well-known manufacturing partner, Foxconn, will construct 400 megawatts of solar energy in the Henan Province by 2018, with the manufacturer committing to generate as much clean energy as its Zhengzhou factory consumes in final production of the iPhone.

Finally, Apple announced that it has completed construction on 40 megawatts of solar energy in the Sichuan Province, which means that the company is powering 100 percent of its operations in China and is carbon neutral in the country.

Apple today released a new series of short 15 second ads, all of which highlight different Apple Watch features like Siri, Apple Music, Apple Pay, notifications, fitness tracking, and more.

In the ad titled "Skate," a group of skaters use Apple Pay to buy ice cream, while in "Travel," the Apple Watch's Wallet app is used to display a boarding pass.


In the "Play" ad, the Apple Watch is used to make a bid on eBay while its wearer is also playing the piano, and in "Kiss," two people about to kiss are interrupted by a notification for an Uber arrival, which is dismissed so the moment can quickly continue.


"Dance" showcases Siri and Apple Music, depicting a guy dancing around after asking Siri to play 80s music, while "Move" highlights the activity tracking capabilities of the Apple Watch.


"Style" is the sole ad that stands out from the other ads that show the Apple Watch in action, as it focuses on the different band options for the Apple Watch.


All of the videos depict the Apple Watch in use while on the go or performing other tasks, giving examples of how it fits into daily life in an unobtrusive way to make mundane tasks easier. The seven new ads that have been released today are the second wave in the latest Apple Watch ad series, which previously featured six similar short ads that were released two weeks after watchOS 2 launched. The full set of ads is available on Apple's YouTube channel.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Apple today added a web-based Find My Friends app to its iCloud.com site (via 9to5Mac), allowing users to locate their friends on a Mac or PC through the web. Find My Friends has long been available on iPhones and iPads through an iOS app, but this is the first time the feature has been made available on all platforms through a universal web app.

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Find My Friends will display the location of each friend on a map, and it will also let users know which friends are located nearby. Today's addition of Find My Friends to iCloud.com comes following its promotion to a default app within iOS 9, which means it comes pre-installed on all iOS devices and cannot be deleted.

Find My Friends joins Find My iPhone and several other iCloud apps, including Mail, Calendar, Photos, Contacts, Notes, Reminders, iCloud Drive, and the iWork suite of apps,

wificallingsprintAlongside the launch of iOS 9.1, Sprint has implemented an enhanced Wi-Fi calling feature for its users, allowing them to make and receive calls on multiple iOS and Mac devices over Wi-Fi or a cellular connection.

Prior to today, it was possible for Sprint users to make and receive calls from iPads and Macs using an iPhone's cellular connection, but that functionality did not extend to calls placed over Wi-Fi when cellular signal was low.

The iOS call forwarding feature implemented with iOS 8 that allowed users to make and receive calls from multiple devices required Wi-Fi calling to be turned off, but that is no longer the case. Calls placed or received on devices other than an iPhone will now work over a cellular connection and when connected to Wi-Fi with Wi-Fi calling in use.

Receiving calls on multiple devices with the call forwarding feature also required devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network as an iPhone, but with enhanced Wi-Fi calling, that's no longer necessary. In fact, an iPad or a Mac can still receive a call when an iPhone is in another location entirely or turned off.

Sprint users can access the new enhanced Wi-Fi calling feature by downloading iOS 9.1, watchOS 2, or OS X 10.11.1 on their devices and making sure Wi-Fi calling is enabled on an iPhone by going to Settings --> Phone --> Wi-Fi Calling. Other devices can be set up to receive calls by going to Settings --> FaceTime --> Calls from iPhone. All devices must use the same Apple ID and they must be signed into iCloud.

These advanced Wi-Fi calling features, which are outlined in an updated Apple Support document on Wi-Fi calling, are also available to T-Mobile users in the United States. While AT&T and several other international carriers have implemented support for Wi-Fi calling, it does not extend to the enhanced Wi-Fi calling feature available to Sprint and T-Mobile users.

Google today announced YouTube Red, a new subscription service that provides unlimited ad-free access to YouTube videos for $9.99 per month on Android, desktop and the mobile web, and $12.99 per month on iOS due to Apple's in-app purchase tax (via TechCrunch). The membership also includes several other benefits.

YouTube_Red
YouTube Red features the option to save videos for offline playback and to play videos in the background on smartphones and tablets. In early 2016, the subscription service will also take on Netflix by introducing member-only access to Original series and movies by some of YouTube's most popular creators.

YouTube Red launches in the U.S. on October 28, and will expand to other major markets over the course of the next year. The service works across all devices and anywhere you can sign into YouTube, including its new Gaming and Family apps. A free 14-day trial will be available in the U.S., which can be extended to 30 days with a credit card.


Google has also bundled a Play Music subscription into YouTube Red on iOS and Android, providing access to both services for a combined $9.99 or $12.99 monthly payment. YouTube Red's unlimited access to both streaming music, videos and more makes it an attractive competitor alongside rivals like Apple Music and Spotify.

The Verge published an exclusive in-depth article and hands-on video about YouTube Red:


Google also announced YouTube Music, an all-new app for discovering, watching and listening to music videos. The app is coming soon in the U.S., followed by additional countries in 2016. YouTube Red members gain additional features such as no ads and other background and offline member benefits.

The Verge also published an exclusive hands-on video for YouTube Music:


YouTube will continue to be available in its traditional ad-supported format on the web and mobile devices. Google says today's ad-supported experience will not change for users who aren't interested in paying, while the majority of revenue collected from YouTube Red will be distributed to partners.

At its Twitter Flight developer conference, Twitter today announced plans for a redesigned and updated Twitter for Mac client, reports TechCrunch. The new Twitter for Mac app will include support for several newer Twitter features such as in-line Vine, video, and GIF playback, group Direct Messages, photo Direct Messages, and in-line replies.

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Image via TechCrunch

The app, which will be optimized for El Capitan, will show interaction highlights within the OS X Notification Center, and it has a built-in dark mode for users who prefer a darker interface.


Twitter for Mac has never been a focal point for Twitter, and the app has often gone for months without updates and new feature additions. From June of 2011 to April of 2013 it received zero updates, and in 2014 and 2015, it's only been updated twice. With the revamped version, it's possible Twitter plans to invest more of its resources into the Mac app to allow it to better compete with third-party products like Tweetbot.

Twitter plans to release its updated Mac app in a few months, with no concrete launch date set at the current time.

newitunes122logoAlong with updates for iOS, OS X, and watchOS 2, Apple today released a new version of iTunes, iTunes 12.3.1. The update is a minor one, with the release notes only saying it improves overall stability and performance.

The iTunes update can be downloaded from the software update function in the Mac App Store.

iTunes 12.3.1 comes just over a month after the release of iTunes 12.3, which brought support for iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. iTunes 12, which brought a major redesign to the iTunes software, was initially released in 2014 alongside OS X Yosemite.

Tag: iTunes
Related Forum: Mac Apps

applewatch2Apple today released a new software update for the Apple Watch, upgrading watchOS 2 to version 2.0.1. The update comes one month after Apple first released watchOS 2 to the public with new features like Nightstand mode, native apps, new watch faces, and more.

The 2.0.1 update can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update. To install the update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. watchOS 2.0.1 requires iOS 9.1 or iOS 9.0.2 to be installed on the iPhone.

This update contains new emoji characters, performance improvements, and bug fixes, including:

- Fixes an issue that could cause software updates to stall
- Fixes issues that were impacting battery performance
- Resolves an issue that prevented a managed iPhone from syncing iOS Calendar events to Apple Watch
- Addresses an issue that could prevent location information from properly updating
- Fixes an issue that could cause Digital Touch to send from an email address instead of a phone number
- Addresses an issue that could cause instability when using a Live Photo as a watch face
- Resolves an issue that allows the sensors to stay on indefinitely when using Siri to measure heart rate

The watchOS 2.0.1 update includes a whole slew of bug fixes, as listed above, and it also includes support for the new emoji also made available in OS X with 10.11.1 El Capitan and iOS with iOS 9.1.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Apple today released iOS 9.1 to the public, marking the first major update to the iOS 9 operating system that launched in September. In testing since before iOS 9 was even released, iOS 9.1 was beta tested for more than a month before its launch, with developers and public beta testers receiving five betas in total.

Today's iOS 9.1 update is available as an over-the-air update to all iOS 9 users. It is the third update to iOS 9 so far, with Apple having previously released iOS 9.0.1 and iOS 9.0.2. Apple has also released Xcode 7.1 and the tvOS golden master (GM), which represents the final version of the software that will be available when the new Apple TV launches next week.

iOS 9.1 has a limited number of outward facing changes. It includes support for Unicode 7 and 8, introducing a range of new emoji like taco, burrito, cheese wedge, middle finger, champagne bottle, unicorn head, and more.

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A selection of the new emoji in iOS 9.1, via Emojipedia

iOS 9.1 includes an update for Live Photos, which now sense when the iPhone is raised or lowered to refrain from recording unnecessary movements. The update also introduces a new Messages option in the Settings app that is designed to allow users to disable photos for contacts, and it brings Apple News to the UK and Australia for the first time.

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This release includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:

- Live Photos now intelligently senses when you raise or lower your iPhone, so that Live Photos will automatically not record these movements
- Over 150 new emoji characters with full support for Unicode 7.0 and 8.0 emojis

Aside from these changes, iOS 9.1 includes new features and compatibility updates for upcoming Apple products like the fourth-generation Apple TV and the iPad Pro The new Apple TV requires iOS 9.1 to be set up using an iOS device.

iOS 9.1 also includes bug fixes for a number of issues that iOS users have been experiencing, and as with most iOS updates, it enhances performance and introduces important security fixes.

Update: iOS 9.1 includes security updates that break the recent iOS 9 Pangu jailbreak.

Tag: iOS 9.1
Related Forum: iOS 9

Apple today released OS X 10.11.1, which is the first update to the new El Capitan operating system that was launched to the public on September 30. In testing since mid-September, OS X 10.11.1 is a minor performance update that focuses on fixing bugs found in the first version of El Capitan.

The OS X 10.11.1 update can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and it is available to all users who are running OS X El Capitan.

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According to the release notes, OS X 10.11.1 fixes several major bugs that El Capitan users have been experiencing since the software was released. It improves compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016, addressing ongoing crashing issues that Office 2016 users have run into. There are also two fixes for Mail issues.

This update:
- Improves installer reliability when upgrading to OS X El Capitan
- Improves compatibility with Microsoft Office 2016
- Fixes an issue where outgoing server information may be missing from Mail
- Resolves an issue that prevented display of messages and mailboxes in Mail
- Resolves an issue that prevents certain Audio Unit plug-ins from functioning properly
- Improves VoiceOver reliability
- Adds over 150 new emoji characters with full Unicode 7.0 and 8.0 support

OS X 10.11.1 also introduces support for Unicode 7 and 8, adding new emoji that include taco, burrito, cheese wedge, middle finger, hot dog, popcorn, and unicorn head. These emoji are also included in iOS 9.1.

Related Forum: OS X El Capitan

Apple has honored "Back to the Future" day by updating Siri with at least ten humorous responses related to the popular movie Back to the Future II, released in 1989. iPhone and iPad users can invoke Siri and say "happy Back to the Future day" to receive one of the responses below at random.

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Today is "Back to the Future" day because October 21, 2015 is the date that Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown travel to in the movie. The classic film makes several fictional predictions about the future, including hoverboards, flying cars, remote-control dog walkers and the Chicago Cubs winning the 2015 World Series.

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Apple has updated Siri with humorous responses in the past for its September 9, 2015 event, WWDC 2014, "Okay Glass" and more.

Twitter announced today that a feature it has tested with a few users on a small scale -- the ability to add customized polls to a tweet -- will officially be coming to everyone over the next few days. The company hopes that the new add-on will further expand its users' interaction with their followers, by streamlining a function that would have previously taken extensive measures of reading replies and re-tweets to successfully follow.

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If you want the public’s opinion on anything — what to name your dog, who will win tonight’s game, which election issue people care most about — there’s no better place to get answers than on Twitter. For poll creators, it’s a new way to engage with Twitter’s massive audience and understand exactly what people think. For those participating, it’s a very easy way to make your voice heard.

Twitter users will be able to create a poll from the compose box of the Twitter desktop site or in any of the company's official mobile apps. Unfortunately, the feature won't be available in third-party Twitter apps, so those using clients like Tweetbot won't be able to see the polls or vote on them. Each poll will remain live for twenty-four hours from the time it is posted, and the company ensures that your name is kept anonymous from both the poster and the public when voting on other polls.

The company promises that polls will be available "over the next few days," and users should simply keep an eye out for the circular pie graph poll icon in their compose box to know when they can begin using the feature. The introduction of polls follows the launch of "Moments" earlier in the month, which gave users of the social network a simplified discovery tool to follow the news and accounts they care about.

Twitter [Direct Link] is available to download from the App Store for free.

Tag: Twitter

itunes-card-hero-xl-2015Ruben Profit, a 24-year-old employee at an Apple Store in New York's Queens Center Mall, has been charged with grand larceny and faces up to fifteen years in prison for an illegal scheme he ran while using his privileges as an Apple retail employee (via NBC).

Profit used re-coded Visa and American Express debit, credit, or gift cards to purchase numerous Apple gift cards, which he would then sell to other individuals at highly discounted prices.

Profit told police that he was paid $200 for each $2,000 Apple gift card he provided to another individual, according to prosecutors. Profit faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He was arraigned Friday and is being held on $20,000 bail.

The 24-year-old began working with the company in December of 2013, but transferred to the Queens location when it opened its doors this past July. He began purchasing the gift cards soon after -- the total coming in at $997,000 -- with receipts dating his purchases between August and October of 2015. When arrested, Profit was said to be in possession of 51 of the re-coded Visa and American Express cards, along with seven Apple gift cards with $2,000 on each.

Apple has leased Tech Place on 101, a 202,000-square-foot building under construction at 2509 Orchard Parkway in north San Jose, California, according to the San Jose Mercury News. The new building is located next to a large parcel of vacant land, owned by realty firm Steelwave, where up to two more office buildings could be built to accommodate around 3,000 workers.

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Steelwave render of Tech Place on 101 building in north San Jose

Apple, headquartered in nearby Cupertino, has been steadily expanding its presence in the Bay Area. In north San Jose, it owns or leases multiple properties along Orchard Parkway, between North First Street and U.S. Highway 101, including the 296,000-square-foot 101 Tech R&D building and a massive 43-acre development site approved for up to 2.8 million square feet of office space.

Apple's north San Jose campus could potentially employ up to 20,000 workers.

"They are taking this building to control that entire neighborhood," said David Vanoncini, a managing partner with Kidder Mathews, a commercial realty firm.

If all the sites were built out to their full capacity, over time, Apple potentially could employ up to 20,000 workers on the north San Jose properties.

The company also reportedly expanded into San Francisco for the first time in July, leasing a 76,000-square-foot office space in the popular South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, and further bolstered its Bay Area presence by acquiring a 770,000-square-foot property in Sunnyvale.

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Apple now has real estate in five Bay Area cities, including Cupertino, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale. In addition to its One Infinite Loop headquarters, the iPhone maker continues development on its nearby "Campus 2" project, which remains scheduled for completion in late 2016.

Misfit today debuted its second-generation Shine activity tracker, which has been redesigned to incorporate new technology. The Shine 2 is thinner than the original Shine and it includes more accurate activity and sleep tracking capabilities along with improved LEDs, longer Bluetooth range, and better touch responsiveness.

There are now several multicolor LEDs built into the face of the Shine, which, along with a vibration motor, allow users to see their progress towards their daily goals and get reminders to get up and move. The Shine 2 also works with Misfit Link, so it can be used to do things like take selfies, receive call notifications, control music, control home products, and more.

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The Shine 2, like the original Shine, is made of aluminum, and it measures in at just 3.3mm thick at the edge. Its built-in LEDs are able to display more than 6 million colors and their greater brightness makes it easier to tell the time and see progress towards a movement goal.

Misfit's newest device continues to operate on a standard watch battery, so it lasts up to six months on a single charge, and it's water resistant up to 50 meters, making it suitable for swim tracking.

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The Shine 2 comes in Rose Gold and Carbon Black, with each of the Shine 2 trackers shipping with a sport band and a clasp. The Shine 2, priced at $99.99, is available for purchase from the Misfit website and it will be in retail stores beginning on November 1.