MacRumors

As of today, Apple has launched an in-store pickup feature in Canada and Australia allowing customers in those countries to order and pay for devices online and pick them up in retail Apple Stores. Personal Pickup has long been available in the United States, but this is the first time it's expanded to additional countries.

MacRumors reported on the possible expansion of Personal Pickup in early November after receiving word Apple was training retail employees in Australia, France, Canada, the UK, and other countries. While Personal Pickup has currently only expanded to Canada and Australia it may roll out to additional countries in the near future.

Personal Pickup is available for a number of Apple products, from Macs and Apple TVs to the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. When an order is placed for an in-stock item for Personal Pickup, Apple employees get it ready to go and then send an email to a customer whenever it's ready. Out of stock items are able to be shipped to a store for Personal Pickup.

This week has been big for both Australia and Canada. Along with the availability of Personal Pickup, both Canada and Australia have also gained Apple Pay through a partnership with American Express. Apple Pay is available in Canada as of today and will be available in Australia on Thursday.

Over the course of the last week, Apple appears to have ceased selling two popular smart lock products in its retail stores and online. Neither the August Smart Lock nor the Kwikset Kevo Wireless-Enabled Deadbolt Lock are listed on Apple's website, but both were still for sale on November 13.

The August Smart Lock and the Kwikset Kevo are both Bluetooth-enabled locks that allow users to unlock their doors using their iPhones. It is not clear why Apple has decided to stop selling the locks, but it could be in an effort to highlight only products that offer HomeKit compatibility. The Kwikset Kevo and the August Smart Lock are not HomeKit-enabled products and cannot be used with other HomeKit devices.

While Apple is no longer selling the Kwikset Kevo or the August Smart Lock, it is selling the Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt, another smart lock that does offer HomeKit compatibility. The Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt is in fact the only locking product that offers HomeKit integration thus far. August has debuted a second-generation product that includes HomeKit integration, and when that begins shipping to customers, it's possible Apple may continue offering the August Smart Lock in its stores.

Apple has also pulled the Belkin WeMo switch from its online store, suggesting it may be ceasing to offer several home-connected products that are not also offering HomeKit to avoid confusing its customers.

Apple sells quite a few HomeKit products in its retail stores and online, offering devices from Ecobee, Philips, Elgato, Lutron, and Schlage.

To promote the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Smart Keyboard, several Apple executives gave interviews to a number of media outlets ahead of the release of the tablet and its accessories. Last week we shared a Jony Ive interview from The Telegraph where he spoke on the Apple Pencil, and today, Wallpaper has published a second Ive interview with even more of the design chief's thoughts on the stylus accessory.

Speaking on the conception of the Apple Pencil, Ive said that while it was originally "fundamentally important" to develop a user interface that was based on fingers, Apple discovered there were people who would benefit from an instrument that would enable more precise interactions for drawing and writing. Ive said developing the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro in tandem was essential for a natural drawing experience.

It was important that we develop the UI based upon multi-touch, based on our fingers. The reasons are obvious. I think it is equally obvious that you're just not as dexterous as you are with a pen or a pencil for certain things.

What we found is that there's clearly a group of people that would value an instrument that would enable then to paint or draw in ways that you just can't with your finger. And I suspect that this isn't a small group of people. I don't think it's confined to those of us who went to art school.

Ive went on to talk about the naming of the Apple Pencil, explaining that he preferred "Pencil" to "stylus" because stylus "seems a product that's about technology," while Pencil "seems very analogue in its association."

Apple has a specific role in mind for the Apple Pencil, and that is not as a finger replacement. According to Ive, the Pencil is for making marks, while the finger is to be used for other user interface interactions. Each tool has its purpose, with the Pencil serving as a "far better" way to make marks on the iPad Pro.

I think there's a potential to confuse the role of the Pencil with the role of your finger in iOS, and I actually think it's very clear the Pencil is for making marks, and the finger is a fundamental point of interface for everything within the operating system. And those are two very different activities with two very different goals.

So we are very clear in our own minds that this will absolutely not replace the finger as a point of interface. But it is, and I don't think anybody would argue, a far better tool than your finger when your focus becomes exclusively making marks.

For more of Ive's opinions on the Apple Pencil, his full interview is worth checking out over at Wallpaper. The Apple Pencil can be ordered from the online Apple Store for $99, but shipping dates range into late December. Apple retail stores have begun receiving larger Apple Pencil shipments as of today, so customers hoping for an Apple Pencil may want to seek one out in a store.

Following the recent discovery that malicious app InstaAgent was stealing Instagram passwords from users, Instagram has instituted much stricter rules for accessing its API, effectively killing off a large number of apps that read Instagram feeds.

In a notice posted today on its developer site, Instagram explains it will no longer permit apps that access the Instagram feed API, as that API is being shut down. In the future, third-party Instagram apps will have much more limited capabilities.

We've updated our Platform Policy to explicitly list the use cases we will support moving forward. These include apps and services that:

Help individuals share their own content with 3rd party apps, such as apps that let you print your photos and import an Instagram photo as a profile picture.

Help brands and advertisers understand and manage their audience, develop their content strategy, and get digital rights to media. Established apps in this space may apply for our newly announced Instagram Partner Program.

Help broadcasters and publishers discover content, get digital rights to media, and share media using web embeds.

Starting today, Instagram is instituting a new review process and preventing new apps from using its APIs until it starts conducting reviews on December 3. Existing apps have until June 1, 2016 to comply with Instagram's new platform rules, and the users/self/feed and media/popular API endpoints will be available until the end of the review period. Instagram is also launching a new Sandbox Mode to allow developers to privately build and test apps using Instagram's APIs.

Instagram's new policy will put an end to dozens of questionable third-party Instagram apps that promised users new followers and the ability to track follows and unfollows. Apps are no longer able to use "like," "share," "comment," or "follower" exchange programs nor can they use follower information for "anything other than analytics" without Instagram's permission.

Unfortunately, as no apps will be able to access the full Instagram feed, it will also have an impact on legitimate Instagram clients for the iPad and the Mac, where Instagram is not natively available. As TechCrunch points out, this will affect apps like Retro, Flow, Padgram, Webstagram, Instagreat, and more.

With today's changes, Instagram says it plans to institute a "more sustainable environment built around authentic experiences on the platform" and give users more control over their content.

Apple has confirmed to AP that Apple Pay support is coming to pizza chain Domino's by year's end, followed by cinnamon roll chain Cinnabon next year. The news comes less than two months after Apple said Starbucks, KFC and Chili's locations will begin supporting Apple Pay starting next year.

Apple said Tuesday that Cinnabon will add Apple Pay to all its U.S. locations next year, while Domino's company-owned pizza stores will get it by year's end. Earlier, Apple said Starbucks will conduct a pilot this year, with a broader rollout next year, while KFC will launch next spring.

Apple Pay is accepted at more than 1 million locations in the U.S., and at over 250,000 more locations in the U.K. The mobile payments service launched in Canada for American Express cardholders earlier today, with participating retailers including Apple, Indigo, McDonald's, Tim Hortons, Staples and more.

While Cinnabon and Domino's also have Canadian subsidiaries, both chains will support Apple Pay at U.S. locations only at launch.

Apple also confirmed that Apple Pay will launch in Australia on Thursday, November 19, exclusively for American Express customers. Apple Pay will launch in partnership with American Express in Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong next year. Apple has not disclosed plans for other countries.

Apple Pay gained support for Tesco Bank and TSB in the U.K. today, in addition to nearly 100 new participating U.S. issuers.

While the iPad Pro launched nearly a week ago, many early adopters have been unable to get their hands on the companion Apple Pencil. With shipping estimates of 3-4 weeks or longer for the accessory on the Apple Online Store, some prospective buyers have been checking their local Apple Retail Stores for stock and tracking their results in our discussion forums.

Beginning early Tuesday, it appears that more Apple Retail Stores in the U.S. have begun receiving very limited Apple Pencil stock. MacRumors forum member JuanKr shared the above picture of Apple Pencil stock at the SoHo Apple Store in Manhattan, New York, while we have independently confirmed Apple Pencil stock as of writing at the Oakridge Apple Store in San Jose, California.

MacRumors forum members have shared a handful of other Apple Stores with Apple Pencil stock over the past 24 hours, listed below, although some have since sold out and we cannot guarantee stock remaining at every store due to the combination of limited supplies and strong demand. We recommend calling your local Apple Store prior to visiting, but some customers have had better luck in person.

- SanTan Village in Gilbert, AZ
- Arrowhead in Glendale, AZ
- Burlingame Avenue in Burlingame, CA
- Los Cerritos in Cerritos, CA
- South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA
- Century City in Los Angeles, CA
- Manhattan Village in Manhattan Beach, CA
- UTC in San Diego, CA
- Union Square in San Francisco, CA
- Oakridge in San Jose, CA
- Valley Fair in Santa Clara, CA
- Park Meadows in Lone Tree, CO
- Evergreen Walk in South Windsor, CT
- Stamford Town Center in Stamford, CT
- Lenox Square in Atlanta, GA
- Boylston Street in Boston, MA
- CambridgeSide in Cambridge, MA
- Derby Street in Hingham, MA
- Bethesda Row in Bethesda, MD
- Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, NC
- King Street in Charleston, SC
- Haywood Mall in Greenville, SC
- Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, NY
- Grand Central in Manhattan, NY
- West 14th Street in Manhattan, NY
- Easton Town Center in Columbus, OH
- Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA
- Pentagon City in Arlington, VA
- Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, VA
- Bellevue Square in Bellevue, WA
- University Village in Seattle, WA
- Georgetown in Washington D.C.

The first batch of Apple Pencil online orders began shifting to "Preparing for Shipment" status earlier this week, while Smart Keyboards remain scarce both online and in stores. Most Apple Stores have plenty of Logitech Create keyboards available for the iPad Pro as an alternative.

Apple today shared five new ads for the fourth-generation Apple TV on its YouTube channel, highlighting a handful of notable and popular apps that are available for the new device. These mark some of the first Apple TV ads Apple has released since the fourth-generation Apple TV launched in late October.

Each ad is just sixteen seconds in length and depicts one of five Apple TV apps and games, including Crossy Road, Netflix, HBO NOW, Disney Infinity 3.0, and Asphalt 8. The videos show a brief glance at each app before cutting to an overall view of the new interface of the Apple TV.

The fourth-generation Apple TV features both an entirely new operating system and a full App Store for the first time, letting users access apps and games on the device. These new Apple TV ads, which will help with app discovery, will likely start showing up on TV over the course of the next few days.

Update 11/18: Apple has added one more Apple TV video to YouTube, this time highlighting the ABC app.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan update to developers and public beta testers, just one week after seeding the third beta and a full month after releasing OS X 10.11.1, the first OS X El Capitan update, to the public.

The fourth beta, build 15C47a, is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center. Public beta testers can download the beta through the Mac App Store.

We don't know exactly what improvements the 10.11.2 update will bring to OS X El Capitan, because the betas seem to be focused on under-the-hood upgrades with no apparent outward-facing changes. It’s likely to include bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements to address problems that have popped up since the release of OS X 10.11.1.

Apple's release notes for OS X 10.11.2 have asked developers to focus on Networking, Graphics, Mail, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos, and Spotlight.

Apple is developing its own in-house docking solution for charging the Apple Watch, reports French site iGeneration [Google Translate]. Citing sources with knowledge of Apple's plans, iGeneration says the dock will be called simply the "Magnetic Charging Dock," a name also seen in alleged packaging photos below.

Circular in shape, the dock appears to support the Apple Watch in two orientations, both laid flat over the top in portrait mode and on its side in landscape mode, useful for Nightstand mode. The charging puck within the dock seems to adjust from flat to upright to accommodate both orientations.

The Magnetic Charging Dock is said to come with a Lightning cable that will be used to charge the Apple Watch through the dock, but it does not include a USB power adapter. The packaging for the dock lists a price of €89, which likely means it will be priced at $79 in the United States.

At $79, the Magnetic Charging Dock is significantly more expensive than Apple's dock for the iPhone, but it appears to have a more complicated design with the ability to support both portrait and landscape charging. It is not known when the dock might go on sale, but the completed packaging signals an imminent release date.

Update: German site Grobgebloggt.de (via Apfelpage.de) has shared photos of the Magnetic Apple Watch dock. It ships with a 2M Lightning cable.

In its latest display shoot-out, DisplayMate Technologies compared the displays of Apple's current iPad lineup: the 2015 iPad mini 4, the 2015 iPad Pro, and the 2014 iPad Air 2 to see how the three tablets measure up against each other. The iPad mini 4 came out on top in most of DisplayMate's tests, which used a variety of calibrated lab measurements and image/photo viewing tests to compare display quality.

DisplayMate called the iPad mini "unquestionably the best and most accurate LCD tablet display we've ever tested," giving it higher marks than the 2732 x 2048 resolution iPad Pro. The iPad Pro also scored well, earning all "very good" to "excellent" marks on tests, and while the iPad Air 2 did well enough to rank as a top tier display, its performance was somewhat behind the iPad mini 4 and the iPad Pro, unsurprising as it was last updated in the fall of 2014 while the mini and the Pro were both released in the fall of 2015.

All three tablets use the same IPS LCDs, but the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Pro have photo aligned LCDs with higher contrast ratios while the iPad mini 4 uses standard mechanical alignment. The iPad Pro also uses a metal oxide TFT backplane for better light throughput and power efficiency, a must for such a large and power hungry display.

Each of the iPads has a similar max brightness, measuring in at 415 cd/m2 (nits) for the iPad Air 2, 424 nits for the iPad Pro, and 450 nits for the iPad mini 4. On maximum contrast ratio, the difference between peak white brightness and the darkest black, all of the iPads had high True Contrast Ratios, but the iPad Pro won at this test. The iPad mini 4 had a True Contrast Ratio of 967, while the iPad Air 2 ranked at 1,064 and the iPad Pro measured in at 1,631, the highest DisplayMate has measured for an LCD tablet display.

On color gamut, the iPad mini had the most accurate score at 101 percent (100 percent is best). The iPad Air 2 had a 105 percent color gamut, while the iPad Pro had a 107 percent color gamut, with the larger two tablets displaying oversaturated blues. On color accuracy, the iPad mini also won, but the iPad Pro was a relatively close second. The iPad Air 2 earned much lower Absolute Color Accuracy marks.

The iPad mini 4 has a very impressive Absolute Color Accuracy with Average/Maximum Color Errors of 1.9 and 4.2 JNCD - tied for first place in Absolute Color Accuracy with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4. The iPad Pro is somewhat less accurate, but still (just barely) Very Good, with Average/Maximum Color Errors of 2.6 and 6.6 JNCD. The iPad Air 2 has noticeably lower Absolute Color Accuracy with Average/Maximum Color Errors of 3.9 and 8.8 JNCD, which are visually noticeable and could be unacceptable for some color critical applications (like medical imaging, high-end digital photography, product sales demonstrations, and advertising proofs, for example).

When it comes to screen reflectance, DisplayMate called all three iPads "unrivaled record holders" for performance in ambient light. The iPad mini had a 2.0 percent Reflectance, while the iPad Air 2 had 2.5 percent and the iPad Pro had 2.6 percent. A test measuring contrast in high ambient light saw the iPad mini perform best, with a Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light of 225. Comparatively, the iPad Air 2 scored 166 and the iPad Pro scored 163.

Due to the inclusion of the metal oxide backplane in the iPad Pro, it earned the award for most power efficient. The backplane increases light throughput and the iPad Pro's display uses a lower refresh rate when there are static images on the screen.

While the iPad mini 4 is the best iPad display based on DisplayMate's test, the site calls all of the iPads in Apple's current lineup "unrivaled" when it comes to screen Reflectance, giving them an edge over competing tablets. Due to their low Reflectance, the iPads have "by far" the highest image Contrast in ambient light and the highest Contrast Rating for High Ambient Light of all current tablets.

The full results of the display shoot-out, available from DisplayMate, are well worth checking out for those interested in getting an in-depth look at how the displays of the iPad mini 4, iPad Pro, and iPad Air 2 compare.

Apple has expanded Postmates same-day delivery to Manhattan for most products ordered through the Apple Online Store and Apple Store app. The service is available for Mac, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, cables, accessories and many other items in stock at local Apple Stores for a $19 flat rate fee.

Most products are guaranteed to be delivered within a two-hour window, but select products may have longer same-day wait times. Customers that order through the Apple Store app are provided with estimated delivery times and tracking information as the product is transported from the Apple Store to the delivery location.

Apple's new Postmates same-day delivery option is available in most areas of Manhattan, including 37 of 43 zip codes based on our limited spot check. The service has limited coverage in northern neighborhoods such as Inwood and Washington Heights, and is unavailable on Roosevelt Island and in the other New York City boroughs of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.

Apple launched Postmates same-day delivery in the San Francisco Bay Area in May. Customers who do not live in an area where Postmates delivers will not see same-day delivery options for Apple products, instead receiving only standard shipment delivery times without an option for courier delivery.

Postmates operates in several other major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C., Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Atlanta, Denver, San Diego, Portland, Phoenix, Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Minneapolis and Charlotte, but same-day deliveries for Apple Online Store and Apple Store app orders appear to be limited to the Bay Area and Manhattan.

Apple products can also be ordered through the Postmates app in select U.S. cities.

Apple Pay is now available in Canada exclusively for American Express customers, allowing newer iPhone and Apple Watch owners to make contactless payments at stores like Indigo, McDonald's, Sport Chek, Tim Hortons and others that have NFC-equipped payment terminals and accept American Express.

Apple Pay should now be live in the Wallet app on iOS 9.1 for Canadian users. American Express cards can be scanned or added manually by tapping the "Add Credit or Debit Card" option.

American Express, an independent credit card issuer in Canada, is not nearly as popular or widely accepted as MasterCard or Visa credit cards in the country, and Apple notes that bank-issued American Express cards like those in partnership with Scotiabank are not accepted at launch.

Apple has reportedly been in talks with six large Canadian banks about launching Apple Pay north of the U.S. border, including the Royal Bank of Canada, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, CIBC and National Bank of Canada, but negotiations have reportedly been dragging.

TD Canada Trust prematurely leaked an Apple Pay splash page last month, suggesting that Canadian banks may eventually support the mobile payments platform. High interchange fees and potential security issues have reportedly been sticking points in negotiations between Apple and banks.

Canada has been well prepared for Apple Pay, as many retailers and businesses across the country are equipped with NFC payment terminals required for contactless payments. The country was one of the earlier adopters of Chip-and-PIN debit and credit cards that can be tapped against a payment terminal when making a purchase, and Apple Pay is a natural extension of that functionality.

Canada's largest credit and debit card payment processor Moneris announced Apple Pay support for American Express cards earlier today.

Apple Pay launched in the U.S. in October 2014 and expanded to the U.K. last July, making Canada the third country with support for the service. Beyond Canada, Apple is also partnering with American Express to bring Apple Pay to four additional markets by the end of 2016.

Apple has confirmed with the Financial Post that Apple Pay will support American Express in Australia later this week, with AMEX customer service representatives suggesting a tentative November 19 launch date. Apple Pay will launch with American Express in Spain, Singapore and Hong Kong next year.

Update: Apple has published a list of Apple Pay participating retailers and apps on its Apple Pay page in Canada. Notable stores include Apple, Indigo, McDonald's, Petro Canada, Staples and Tim Hortons.

Though the iPad Pro has been widely available in Apple retail stores since its launch last Wednesday, supplies of the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard have been much more limited. At launch, there were no Apple Pencils or Smart Keyboards available for purchase in the U.S. with in-store pickup, and the first online orders listed delivery dates of November 19 at the earliest, more than a week after the iPad Pro became available.

As of today, pre-order customers with some of the earliest upcoming estimated delivery dates are seeing some movement with their orders, receiving notifications that their Apple Pencils are now preparing for shipment. MacRumors reader Jose's Apple Pencil is preparing to ship with an estimated delivery date of November 20 to November 24, and there are a few other reports of Apple Pencil shipment changes on Twitter.

With orders already preparing for shipment, it's likely customers who managed to pre-order right around midnight on November 11 will start receiving their shipments later this week. A few customers in the United Kingdom have already received their Apple Pencil orders.

Customers who order an Apple Pencil online right now will not be able to receive the device until mid-to-late December, and the same goes for the Smart Keyboard, which is equally scarce. After the iPad Pro's midnight launch, delivery estimates for the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard quickly slipped from late November into December.

Some Apple retail stores around the country have been receiving small Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard shipments on a daily basis, but as Apple is not allowing in-store pickup for the Apple Pencil, it's not possible to use Apple's website or app to determine which stores have stock. Instead, customers hoping to get an Apple Pencil before December are having to visit their local Apple Stores on a daily basis hoping to get lucky with shipment timing.

The Apple Pencil, which enables pressure sensitive drawing on the iPad Pro, retails for $99. The Smart Keyboard is priced at $169.