A new "leaked" commercial ad for the so-called "iPhone 6s" has been shared today on YouTube, showing off a 30-second spot for the next-generation iPhone in an array of color options that more closely hues to an iPhone 5c-inspired look than the main line-up of colors available today with Space Gray, Gold, and Silver.
The ad is obviously fake, with no mention of the "iPhone 6s Plus" -- as a note, the two phones only appeared in commercials alongside one another last year and were never separated -- but still presents an interesting take on the new iPhones coming out in a few weeks.
Although well-edited, the false ad is more reminiscent of Apple's older iPod music-inspired ads than the somewhat downbeat and more feature-focused commercials from the past few years. The ad's suggestion of a line-up of next-generation iPhones without the now-expected Space Gray or Gold options -- backed by the tag "Be vibrant. Even faster." -- is perhaps the biggest tip-off of its mendacity.
News and rumors surrounding the "iPhone 6s" and "iPhone 6s Plus" have only gotten heavier as we move into September. Possible launch dates for the devices point towards September 18, with other stories suggesting Apple has fixed its "Bendgate" issues from last year and that users should see an increase in productivity and maneuverability on the new iPhone thanks to Force Touch shortcuts.
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.
iCandi Apps makes a series of popular star gazing apps designed to let iPhone owners discover constellations, stars, planets, satellites, and more just by pointing an iPhone at the sky. For kids and people interested in learning more about the night sky, these kind of apps are invaluable, and now iCandi Apps has released a new device for home astronomers -- the Night Sky MiniScope.
Night Sky MiniScope is a full portable telescope that attaches to your iPhone and pairs with the Night Sky app so you can capture photographs of stars, planets, the Moon, and more. Night Sky MiniScope is not cheap, priced at $349, but it's undeniably unique.
I want to make it clear that this review is written from a layperson's point of view. I have never owned a telescope, I don't do astrophotography, and I can't review the Night Sky MiniScope comparative to other similarly priced telescopes because I don't have a point of reference. I'm coming to this review as someone who has an iPhone, an interest in stargazing apps, and experience with photography, so testing the MiniScope is a new experience for me.
The Hardware
iCandi Apps packages the Night Sky MiniScope beautifully. It comes in a custom-designed box that houses the telescope itself, the miniature tripod, case adapters for six different iPhone models, lens caps, and a carry case.
The Night Sky MiniScope is made from a brushed aluminum that matches the aluminum finish on the iPhone. It's much smaller than a standard telescope and is compact enough to fit into a backpack or a large purse, so it can be taken along on a hike or a camping trip. It's not going to fit in a pocket or anything, but it's more portable than the average telescope.
Despite being announced just over two years ago, CarPlay is only now becoming a built-in option in select new 2015 and 2016 vehicles by Chevrolet, Honda, Volkswagen and other car manufacturers. The in-dash system enables drivers to use Siri for hands-free access to Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, Podcasts and third-party apps such as Spotify, Rdio, iHeartRadio and MLB At Bat.
CarPlay touchscreen on dashboard of 2016 Corvette Stingray (Image: WSJ)
With CarPlay starting to become a feature car buyers will be considering, Joanna Stern of The Wall Street Journal has published a timely review of CarPlay after testing the dashboard software inside a 2016 Corvette Stingray on a New York City road trip between midtown Manhattan and Rockaway Beach in Queens. Overall, she offered praise for CarPlay, but noted the service "isn’t a complete joyride" and lacks the useful functionality of some Google services.
Stern first noted a positive experience using Siri to control Apple Music and make requests:
But DJ Siri to the rescue! All week she has accurately taken my requests, playing them via Apple Music (but not Spotify or any other third-party apps). “Siri, Play ‘Little Red Corvette.’ ” “Siri, play me Madonna’s top songs.” “Siri, who sings this song?” She does it all—though I wouldn’t object if she were a tad faster.
She also gave high marks to CarPlay's messaging capabilities and Siri's accuracy at transcribing words:
Text-message integration is where CarPlay feels miles ahead of any competition from car makers or even Google. […] Siri was, surprisingly, better at helping me respond than Google’s built-in voice assistant. Siri accurately transcribed my words nearly every time. (She forgivably struggled a bit when I was driving with the roof down.)
On the contrary, Stern found Apple Maps to be inferior to Google Maps at providing routing based on traffic conditions:
When I got in the car to go to my friend’s baby naming, Apple Maps routed me through midtown Manhattan, showing a blissfully traffic-ignorant blue line all the way to the destination. Google Maps, however, knew that Park Avenue was closed. It routed me to the FDR Drive, on Manhattan’s east side. Ignoring Apple, and choosing Google’s route, I got there on time.
The review concluded that Apple's services are "stuck in the slow lane" compared to Google Maps and Google Now:
Siri also struggles when it comes to finding businesses. Sure, she can identify the closest gas stations, and she knows mega-retailers like Starbucks and Target. But when I told her to go to my favorite coffee shop in my New Jersey hometown, she found it… in Limerick, Ireland. Google knew what I was talking about right away.
Google Now might have even guessed I wanted to go there, even before I searched. Culling information from your email, calendar and Web searches, Google’s prediction-based assistant swings into action when you plug your Android phone into an Android Auto-equipped car. In addition to displaying core information like weather and reminders, it anticipates your next destination.
Nevertheless, Stern described CarPlay as the future of in-car technology and said that, if she were in the market for a car right now, she would add Apple's in-car software to her want list. The full-length review is a worthwhile read and provides a side-by-side comparison of CarPlay's maps, messaging, music, voice control and home screen features with Google's rival in-dash system Android Auto.
Apple today seeded the fifth beta of OS X El Capitan to public beta testers, two weeks after seeding the fourth beta and a month after providing the first OS X El Capitan beta to the public for testing purposes.
Today's beta has a build number of 15A262c. It is not clear what is included in the fifth public beta as Apple has not released a new seventh OS X El Capitan developer beta, breaking its pattern of seeding betas to developers ahead of public testers. Past betas have featured no outward-facing changes, so it's likely this beta also focuses on internal performance improvements and bug fixes to get the operating system ready for its public launch.
Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program and already have the public beta installed can update through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
OS X El Capitan is expected to be released to the public in the fall after the beta testing process is complete.
What's new in public beta 5:
Safari welcome screen - When opening Safari for the first time after installing the new public beta, users are seeing a new Safari welcome screen that highlights features in Safari like pinned sites, sharing links, and Smart Search for finding favorite websites.
About This Mac - The About This Mac screen has been updated with a new OS X El Capitan logo that is in color. Previously, the logo was gray.
Shake to locate mouse - In the System Preferences, there's a new Accessibility setting that lets the "Shake mouse pointer to locate" feature be disabled. This feature makes the mouse pointer bigger so it's easier to locate on the screen.
Update: It appears Apple may have pulled the beta update as many MacRumors readers are no longer able to download it.
A new study by consumer research firm MusicWatch finds that 77% of iOS users in the United States are aware of Apple Music, with 11% currently using the streaming music service. Additionally, among those that signed up for Apple Music's three-month trial, 48% said they are no longer using the service and 61% reported they have turned off the auto-renewal subscription option in iTunes.
Apple Music has attracted more users from Spotify Premium than ad-supported services such as Spotify Free and Pandora:
More than one quarter (28 percent) of Spotify Premium customers also use Apple Music, but the draw from popular ad-supported services is more modest: Just 11 percent of Spotify Free users, and 6 percent of Pandora users, now use Apple’s offering.
“In terms of benchmarking Apple Music, 40 percent of iOS users are buying digital downloads from iTunes, suggesting trial of Apple Music could be higher,” said Russ Crupnick, managing partner of MusicWatch. “That’s the disadvantage of not being the first mover in a market where very good services currently exist.”
While nearly half of iOS users that have tried Apple Music are no longer using the service, with some maintaining their loyalty to Spotify, Pandora and other rivals, the study finds that 64% of current users said they were "extremely" or "very likely" to pay for an Apple Music subscription following the free trial period, which concludes on September 30 for those that signed up on launch day.
The research study also claims that 30% of Apple Music users listen to Beats 1, while 27% use Apple Music Connect. MusicWatch's data is based on an August 2015 survey of 5,000 U.S. consumers age 13 and older, and the results were weighted to the U.S. population. The research firm has been cited by publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fortune.
Update: In a statement to The Verge regarding this survey, Apple said 79 percent of people who signed up for the Apple Music free trial are still using Apple Music.
The popular SwiftKey keyboard for iPhone was today updated to add a fun new tracking feature, Emoji Insights. Emoji Insights gives users a look into their personal emoji usage habits, offering up data on top emoji used, signature emoji, and emoji state, as detailed below.
My Signature Emoji - The emoji you use more than other people. This emoji is generated by the emoji you overuse compared to the average - this is not the emoji you use most often.
My Top Emoji - The emoji you use most often. This is a cloud-like visualization of the emoji you use the most - the bigger the emoji in the 'cloud', the more you use it.
Emoji State - The US state that most reflects your emoji use. We looked at how people use emoji in each state and compared your emoji use to that data to generate this stat. Do your emoji match up with your home state, or somewhere totally different?
Emoji Insights within SwiftKey are accessible to all users who use SwiftKey Cloud, the feature that allows user preferences and learned language data to be backed up and synced across several different devices. Emoji data can be accessed and shared with family and friends via social networks through the My Profile option in the SwiftKey app.
SwiftKey has aimed to distinguish itself from other third-party keyboards through the inclusion of typing statistics and inside information on how the app works for each individual user. In April, the SwiftKey keyboard was updated with usage statistics, letting users get a look at words typed, distance Flow-ed, words predicted, words corrected, and more.
Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 18 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has over 400 participating issuers nationwide, and several more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future.
The newly added Apple Pay participating issuers are reflected below, although it's worth noting that some banks, credit unions and financial institutions listed may have already had support for the contactless payments service and are only now being reflected on Apple's website.
The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers:
Arlington Community Federal Credit Union
Bank of Idaho
BankFirst
Charter Bank
Community Bank
Community Bank of Oak Park River Forest
Corporate America Family CU
Credit Union of New Jersey
Del Norte Credit Union
Empower FCU
FORUM Credit Union
Gesa Credit Union
Institution for Savings
Mid-Missouri Bank
Owen County State Bank
Pacific Service Credit Union
Statewide Credit Union
Vinton County National Bank
Apple Pay remains limited to the United States and United Kingdom, although Apple is committed to an international rollout of the mobile payments service in additional countries such as Canada and China in the future. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Apple is planning a November launch of Apple Pay in Canada.
Square today announced that its money transferring app "Square Cash" is making the leap to Apple Watch, allowing users to make and receive money transfers on Apple's new wearable device (via TechCrunch). The original iOS and Android app allows users to send money to family and friends for free (business transactions are charged a 1.9% fee) by linking a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover debit card within the app.
The company promises a more streamlined money exchange with the new Apple Watch app that prioritizes favorite contacts and presents users with accept or deny transfer messages right on their wrists. After choosing a contact on the app's home screen, users can input their desired amount using a combination of six values: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, and $100.
Square also lets users collect money from others without the need of doling out personal information they're only comfortable with family and friends knowing. Called a "Cashtag," the service essentially lets each user claim a unique username -- all beginning with a "$" -- and share it with the person from which they want money.
Those with the Square Cash iOS app already installed -- and automatic downloads turned on -- can expect to see the Apple Watch app on their smartwatch starting today. Everyone else can download the app for free on the App Store [Direct Link].
Misfit today announced the launch of the "Speedo Shine," a new activity tracker that's been designed in partnership with Speedo, a company known for its swimwear and swimming accessories. Like Misfit's other products, the device tracks steps taken, various exercises, and sleep, but it also is able to track swimming activity.
The Speedo Shine is waterproof and features proprietary lap counting algorithms to measure laps taken when in the pool. According to Misfit and Speedo, the lap tracking capabilities feature "industry-leading accuracy" and have been tested at Speedo's Aqualab.
Lap counting works for all stroke types, and the data that's collected is displayed in the Misfit app for iOS. The app collects information on swim distance, lap count, calories burned, and fitness points earned. In the near future, the Speedo Shine will also sync with the Speedo Fit swim tracking app.
As with the existing Misfit Shine, the new Speedo Shine is a circular activity tracker worn on the wrist. It's crafted from aluminum and available in a new light silver color the company calls "Pure" with a black or white band.
The Speedo Shine with swim tracking capabilities will launch on September 1 and it will be sold in Apple retail stores, on Misfit's website, and on Speedo's website. It is priced at $79.99.
Apple Pay on iPhone is a convenient and secure way to make payments without taking a debit or credit card out of your wallet, but you still need to take the smartphone out of your pocket to make a purchase. For that reason, Apple Pay has proven more transformative on Apple Watch, since the device is worn on the wrist and readily available for contactless payments.
Apple Pay with a phone is still just taking something out of your pocket. Not transformative. With a watch it's amazing. End of friction
— Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) June 28, 2015
The latest data from research firm Wristly supports that notion, with 80% of the over 1,000 respondents surveyed in the U.S. and U.K. claiming they have used Apple Pay on an Apple Watch at least once. The remaining 20% of respondents indicated they "do not perceive a benefit" to Apple Pay, have security concerns or believe their payment needs are already being met.
Just over half (51%) of respondents described using Apple Pay on the Apple Watch as "magical," an adjective often used by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, while 42% indicated that the service is "convenient." An additional 3% of respondents said Apple Pay is "good," but with some areas of concern, and the remaining 4% of users found Apple Pay "not that useful."
Given the choice, 79% of respondents preferred to use Apple Pay on the Apple Watch and 9% preferred to use the mobile payments service on an iPhone. The survey panel most commonly used Apple Pay for everyday shopping (81%), in addition to recurring services such as Starbucks (60%), bigger purchases (35%), in-app purchases (29%) and other purchases (11%)…
Apple today announced its 2015 Apple Music Festival lineup for next month, a free concert series that will bring Pharrell, One Direction, Florence + The Machine, and more to London's Roundhouse. A revamped version of the previous iTunes Festival, the 2015 version will see a scaled-down lineup with ten dates from September 19–28, down from the usual 30 nights extending throughout the month.
Apple will broadcast performances to music fans around the world for free, which can be viewed live and on-demand on Apple Music. The Apple Music Festival lets fans get even closer to their favorite performers with coverage on Beats 1℠ alongside backstage news and footage straight from the artists on Apple Music Connect.
“We wanted to do something really special for music fans this year,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “The Apple Music Festival is a greatest hits set of ten unbelievable nights featuring some of the best performers on the planet appearing live and interacting directly with their fans on Connect and Beats 1.”
With only a handful of artists announced so far, the remainder of the concert schedule will be filled out in the coming weeks. MacRumors has heard Take That will be part of the lineup, but Apple did not include the band in its initial round of announcements.
Admission for all concerts is free, but only UK residents can apply to win tickets with additional passes being made available through media partner giveaways.
FOSS Patents reported tonight that the Central Reexamination Division of the United States Patent and Trademark Office has reexamined one of the key iPhone design patents in the Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit. The validity of one of the patents (618,677) has received a non-final rejection:
The problem the D'677 patent faces here is that the USPTO has determined (for now) that this patent "is not entitled to benefit of the filing date" of two previous Apple design patent applications because the design at issue was not disclosed in those earlier applications. As a result, certain prior art is eligible now, and against the background of that additional prior art, the USPTO believes the patent shouldn't have been granted.
Apple was originally awarded over $1 billion from the original lawsuit, but that amount has been reduced substantially to about $548 million in damages. Aside from this particular design patent, Apple still has other claims that have not been reduced or invalidated from the previous decision.
Samsung was most recently denied their latest appeal attempt, leaving them with the only option of turning to the U.S. Supreme Court. It appears this invalidation has no direct impact on the current standing of the lawsuit, but may help Samsung in their appeal to the Supreme Court.
Just days after Apple patched the DYLD_PRINT_TO_FILE security hole with the release of OS X 10.10.5, a developer has found a similar unpatched exploit that could allow attackers to gain root-level access to a Mac.
Luca Todesco shared information (via AppleInsider) on the "tpwn" exploit on GitHub over the weekend. It affects all versions of OS X Yosemite, including OS X 10.10.5, but does not affect OS X El Capitan.
Todesco did not give Apple a heads up on the vulnerability before sharing it publicly, so it is not clear when Apple will release a patch for machines running OS X Yosemite. As noted by AppleInsider, it is standard procedure (and a courtesy) for security researchers and developers to provide Apple with details on vulnerabilities before publicizing them to prevent hackers from using security holes for nefarious purposes.
According to Todesco, who has also shared what he says is a third-party fix, releasing details on the exploit is no different than releasing an iOS jailbreak, but as Engadget explains, Todesco's actions have the potential to be somewhat more harmful than a jailbreak.
Those are technically true, but they downplay the practical dangers of publishing this info. Many people aren't knowledgeable enough to try third-party safeguards or deal with the possible side effects, and jailbreaks are at least intended for semi-innocuous purposes. A 'surprise' exploit for the Mac only really serves to give attackers time that they wouldn't otherwise have.
It took Apple less than a month to release OS X 10.10.5 to fix the DYLD_PRINT_TO_ACCESS vulnerability after it was first publicized, but during the time between its discovery and the launch of the fix, an exploit using the vulnerability was discovered in the wild.
Ahead of a fix for this latest vulnerability, OS X Yosemite users can protect themselves by downloading apps solely from the Mac App Store and from trusted developers.
We've been experimenting with Apple Music for over a month now, but there are still a few important questions that pop up with the new music streaming service, the first being "How can I import my playlists from Spotify?"
The short answer is that you can't without using third-party software. After much research, we've found there are two fairly reliable third-party services that work well. One is called STAMP, and the other is called Move to Apple Music. Both automatically search for and add tracks from Spotify to Apple Music so you don't have to manually go through your entire collection song-by-song. While the end result is pretty much the same, each app offers different features.
Before you get started, make sure you are logged into iTunes with your Apple ID and subscribed to Apple Music.
With both STAMP and Move to Apple Music, you can download the program from each company's website. Both apps must be given special permission to control your computer.
Apple updated its 
