Apple, continuing its aggressive retail expansion in China, has announced that it will be opening its 26th retail store in the country in Chengdu, a major city in Sichuan Province, on Saturday, November 21 at 10:00 AM local time. The new store is slated to open less than a month after the grand opening of the 25th Apple Store in China in the major port city of Dalian on October 24.
Taikoo Li shops in Chengdu, China, where an Apple Store will open November 21
The new Chengdu store will be located in the upscale Taikoo Li shopping plaza at 8 Middle Shamao Street in the Jinjiang District, where several high-end retailers such as Gucci, Omega and Zara are located. The store will be open 10 AM-10 PM local time everyday and offer traditional Apple Store services, including the Genius Bar, Workshops, JointVenture, events and seminars.
Apple is now hiring for its first retail store in Singapore, expected to open in 2016
Apple has also posted new job listings for its first retail store in Singapore, which is rumored to open in late 2016 at the Knightsbridge four-story luxury shopping center. The company is looking for Specialists, Geniuses, Creatives, Business Specialists and other traditional Apple Store positions.
Apple does not currently have an official retail presence in Singapore, a large city-state and country south of Malaysia in Southeast Asia, but the Apple Online Store and dozens of Apple Authorized Resellers operate in the region. The closest physical Apple Stores are located several hours away by plane in Australia and Hong Kong.
Apple's former Beats Music streaming service will be officially shuttered on November 30, 2015, according to a new support document posted today on the Beats Music support site. All existing Beats Music subscriptions will be canceled at that time, with any remaining customers being encouraged to switch over to Apple Music.
Beats Music ends on November 30. Your subscription will be cancelled, but you can move your picks and preferences over to Apple Music right now.
All the pros that curated music for you are still crafting more amazing experiences. Plus, on Apple Music, you'll get even better recommendations based on music you already listen to and love, 24/7 global radio with Beats 1, exciting material from your favorite artist, and more.
Sonos is also sending out emails to customers letting them know the Beats Music service is ending on November 30. Apple Music currently does not work with the Sonos system, but support is in the works and slated to launch before the end of 2015. Sonos is advising its users to move their Beats Music accounts to Apple Music to save their playlists.
Beats Music subscribers on iOS were largely transitioned to Apple Music when the Apple Music service first launched, and with the launch of the Apple Music app for Android devices, Android users can also transition to a fully functional Apple Music app.
The final closure of Beats Music comes as no surprise now that it's been folded into Apple Music. The Beats Music service has not accepted new subscribers since Apple Music launched in June.
First Alert has created the first HomeKit-enabled smoke alarm, today introducing the Onelink Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm with HomeKit integration (via The Verge). Similar to the Nest Protect, the Onelink Smoke Alarm is able to detect smoke and carbon monoxide, sending alerts to a user's iPhone.
Through the iPhone app, the Onelink Smoke Alarm is able to test the viability of a smoke detector, notify users when an alarm goes off while they're away, and silence alarms that have been set off accidentally. It's also able to toggle a built-in nightlight (hardwire version only) on and off and each connected alarm will go off whenever one detects something harmful, directing users towards the problem with voice alerts.
With HomeKit integration, users can ask Siri to dim the nightlight or check for smoke or carbon monoxide alerts. The Onelink Smoke Alarm comes with a built-in battery that cannot be replaced and lasts for 10 years, putting an end to low battery alerts in home smoke alarms. There's also a hardwire version with a battery backup.
The Onelink Smoke Alarm works over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and does not require a central hub. According to The Verge, First Alert will be introducing additional HomeKit-enabled devices in 2016, including a safe and a combo carbon monoxide, temperature, and humidity sensor.
The battery-powered Onelink Smoke Alarm is priced at $109 and does not include a nightlight feature, while the hardwired version with a nightlight is priced at $119. The Onelink Smoke Alarm can currently be purchased from the Lowe's website and will later be available on Amazon and in Apple retail stores.
Brydge, a company that sells high-quality keyboards for the iPad, has expanded its keyboard lineup with a new BrydgeMini model designed to work with the iPad mini 1, 2, and 3. With the BrydgeMini, which has been modeled after a MacBook keyboard, the iPad mini turns into a miniature MacBook - albeit with a much more cramped typing surface.
Like all Brydge keyboards, the BrydgeMini is made from aluminum that matches the finish of the iPad. It's available in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold, and the build quality is excellent. Brydge charges a lot for its keyboards, but they're almost always worth the cost. The BrydgeMini isn't a keyboard case - it's just a keyboard, with two silicone-lined tabs that hold the iPad mini in place. The BrydgeMini has a limited number of viewing angles as the tabs can be angled forwards or backwards slightly, but due to the design, it can't be used with the iPad in portrait mode.
The BrydgeMini is identical to the BrydgeAir but has been shrunk down, so if you've used a BrydgeAir keyboard, the BrydgeMini will be familiar.
It doesn't fold backwards to allow the iPad to be used in tablet mode while the keyboard is attached, but it's easy enough to remove the iPad mini from the tabs. It does fold forward into a clamshell-style design for travel, but in this mode, it's going to add a lot of bulk to Apple's littlest tablet. It weighs in at 300 grams or .66 pounds, essentially doubling the weight of the iPad mini. The iPad mini weighs 331 grams or 0.73 pounds.
The BrydgeMini is also quite thick, so when in clamshell mode, it's going to double the thickness of the iPad mini. It'll still fit comfortably in a bag or backpack, but it's definitely negating the slim profile of the iPad.
F.lux, a popular app for the Mac that allows users to adjust the color of their screen based on the time of day, yesterday expanded to iOS with a beta app, but as of today, the app is no longer available.
Because iOS does not have the necessary documented APIs to allow f.lux to function, f.lux was skirting the App Store with private APIs and asking users to install its iOS app through Xcode, using a technique called side-loading. Apple has now informed f.lux that asking people to side-load apps onto their iOS devices violates the Developer Program Agreement, so f.lux can no longer be installed on iOS devices using Xcode.
Apple has contacted us to say that the f.lux for iOS download (previously available on this page) is in violation of the Developer Program Agreement, so this method of install is no longer available.
We understood that the new Xcode signing was designed to allow such use, but Apple has indicated that this should not continue.
For those unfamiliar with f.lux, it's an app that adjusts the blue light of a screen based on the time of day to avoid interfering with the body's circadian rhythm. During the day, f.lux mimics natural daylight, but at as the sun sets, it cuts down on the amount of blue light and makes the screen more yellow, which is said to encourage better sleep.
F.lux is a popular Mac app that's been downloaded 15 million times, but with side-loading no longer available, f.lux for iOS is non-existant. F.lux's developers are urging customers who want f.lux for iOS to send feedback to Apple, as the company would need new documented APIs to introduce the app through official channels.
Apple's larger-screened iPad Pro includes a Lightning port that's capable of supporting USB 3.0 speeds, according to both an iFixit teardown and several sources that have spoken with Apple. When taking apart the iPad Pro, iFixit discovered a Fresco Logic FL1100 4-port USB 3.0 Host Controller, pointing towards support for USB 3.0 transfer speeds.
In its recent iPad Pro review, CNET also mentioned the tablet will support "USB 3-level speeds with forthcoming adapters," which reviewer Scott Stein confirmed was information that came directly from Apple. Photographer Jeff Carlson also claims a source has told him the Lightning port on the iPad Pro is capable of transferring data at USB 3.0 speeds.
Support for USB 3.0 speeds is notable because the Lightning port on current iPads and iPhones can only transfer data at around 25 to 35MB/s, which is USB 2.0 speed. At USB 3.0 speeds, data transfers would be upwards of 60MB/s and up to 625MB/s. USB 3.0-style speeds for data transfers over Lightning have been rumored to be coming to Apple devices for several years now, but have thus far not materialized.
Both Stein and Carlson have pointed towards the upcoming release of new adapters that will enable the faster file transfers, but a release timeline is not yet clear. It is also not known if Apple plans on introducing new Lightning cables that will enable USB 3.0 speeds when transferring files from a computer to an iPad Pro.
Tests conducted by readers on the MacRumors forums and on Reddit with existing Lightning cables and accessories are only transferring files to the iPad Pro at USB 2.0 speeds, indicating new hardware is required to take advantage of the iPad Pro's updated Lightning Port.
Apple originally debuted Live Photos for iPhones in 2015, touting them as an enhanced mode of photography that lets you take pictures which move when you press on them. Since then, Live Photos have become a standard feature available on iPhones and most iPads, and Apple has added some extra tricks in successive versions of iOS.
Basically, a Live Photo is a combination of a video clip and a still image that results in something akin to an animated GIF when long pressed. With the feature enabled, your iPhone or iPad grabs up to 1.5 seconds of video before and up to 1.5 seconds of video after you tap the shutter button.
Live Photos are made possible thanks to a background feature built into Apple's camera app, which automatically starts recording the moment you open it on your device. After you tap the shutter button with Live Photos on, the app saves only the 1.5 seconds beforehand and discards the rest.
That means, if you open your camera app and leave it open for a few minutes, your device will be recording video the whole time. However, once you tap that shutter button, everything recorded prior to 1.5 seconds beforehand will be deleted.
This guide will help you make the most of Live Photos by showing you what you can do with them. You can click the links below to jump to the sections that most interest you.
Live Photos can be taken on iPhone 6s and later, iPad (5th generation) or later, iPad Air (3rd generation), iPad mini (5th generation), iPad Pro (all models), and iPod touch (7th generation). The Live Photo feature may be on or off by default; you can control it by following the steps below.
Open the Camera app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap the Live Photos icon (it looks like a set of concentric circles).
You will know when Live Photos is on when the icon is highlighted in yellow.
The word "Live" will also appear at the top of the screen. This label will remain on until 1.5 seconds after you tap the shutter button. It signifies that the video recording is complete.
On iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models, the Camera app has an additional Live Auto option that lets the phone decide whether a shot has enough action either side of it to warrant taking a Live Photo. You can find it by swiping up from the bottom of the viewfinder.
Live Photos are automatically stored in the Photos app, just like traditional photos. However, when you long press or 3D Touch on the screen, they come to life.
How to Get the Best Live Photo Shot
Keep in mind when taking a Live Photo that the camera is already recording beforehand, so you don't want to jerk your iPhone or iPad around right before taking a picture. Instead, make sure you have a steady hand just before taking the shot, and don't immediately put your device down immediately afterward, either – the camera will be recording for just a couple more seconds.
The Camera app automatically senses if the device is being raised or lowered during the 1.5 seconds of video before or after a Live Photo is taken, and omits any video taken during that time. The feature results in potentially shorter Live Photo videos, but keeps the final product looking good by not including blurry footage taken by a device in motion.
Live Photos also record audio, so keep that in mind when trying to grab a candid shot of your friends having drinks. Their conversation will be heard in the Live Photo, and all but three seconds of it will be cut off.
How to Edit Live Photos
In iOS 13 and later, Live Photos can be edited on your iPhone or iPad just like any other photo.
Launch the Photos app.
Tap the Live Photo that you want to edit.
Tap the Edit button, then make your adjustments.
When you're finished, tap Done.
How to Change the Key Image in a Live Photo
If you take a Live Photo and the still image is blurry, you can open it up and see if other frames you captured are clearer. Then you can choose a new "key photo" – aka the main photo that you see in your camera roll. Here's how.
Open up the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
Choose a Live Photo.
Tap Edit in the upper right hand corner of the display.
Using the photo navigation bar at the bottom of the image, tap the thumbnails to browse through the frames captured for the Live Photo.
If you find a better still, tap Make Key Photo to select it.
If you like your original still image best, tap Cancel to exit out of the editing interface.
Once you've selected a new frame and tapped Make Key Photo, the new still image selected from the photo will be the main image that you see in your camera roll and the image that's sent if you share the photo with someone else.
How to Save a Live Photo as a Video
Apple recently added the facility to save a Live Photo as a standard video, which is useful if a Live Photo doesn't do justice to your captured clip. It's also handy if you want to share your Live Photo over a service or platform that doesn't natively support Live Photos. Here's how it's done.
Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap a Live Photo.
Tap the Share icon (the square with an arrow pointing out).
Tap Save Video.
The video clip will be automatically saved to your Photo library.
How to Merge Multiple Live Photos into a Video
If you take several Live Photos in succession, you might decide that they'd work better as one continuous video. Or maybe you'd just like to combine various Live Photos into one long clip for easier sharing. Either way, it's a simple procedure, as the following steps show.
Launch the Photos app on your iPhone or iPad.
View your photos, then tap Select in the top-right corner of the screen.
Tap several Live Photos so that a blue tick appears in the corner of each thumbnail.
Tap the Share icon (the square with an arrow pointing out).
Tap Save as Video.
The selected Live Photos will be automatically saved to your Photo library as a single continuous video clip.
How to Add a Live Photo to the Lock Screen
You can set a Live Photo as your Lock Screen wallpaper, and use a long press or 3D Touch to activate it at any time. You can add one just as you would add a traditional wallpaper, but with a couple of added steps.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and select Wallpaper from the list.
Tap All Photos to choose a Live Photo that you've created.
Select the Live Photo you wish to use and select Set as Lock Screen.
When prompted, you can choose to set the image as a still, perspective, or Live Photo. Select Live Photo.
When prompted to set the image as your Lock Screen, Home Screen, or both, select Lock Screen. (The animation of the Live Photo only works on the Lock Screen.)
How to Share Live Photos
You can share your Live Photos with anyone that owns a compatible iPhone or iPad. Live Photos are also supported on Macs running OS X El Capitan and later.
Sharing Live Photos is similar to sharing traditional ones. Tap on the Live Photo to select it and then tap the Share icon (the square with an arrow pointing out of it). Then select the method for sharing, such as Messages or AirDrop.
Live Photos are not supported on non-Apple services like Twitter and Facebook, but you can always save them as a video and then share them that way.
How to View Live Photos on Different Devices
Live Photos were introduced with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which were the first devices to sport 3D Touch. Recently, Apple began phasing out 3D Touch in its smartphones, replacing the feature with Haptic Touch. This means activating a Live Photo on newer iPhones is similar to doing so on an iPad – instead of hard-pressing the screen, simply touch and hold the screen while the video plays. Keep your finger on the screen for the duration of the video.
How to View Live Photos on a Mac
Live Photos can only be viewed in Apple's Photos app on Mac computers running OS X El Capitan and later.
If you receive a Live Photo through AirDrop or something, you first need to import it to the Photos app on Mac to view it. The Live Photo will automatically play when you click on it.
Apple launched the iPad Pro yesterday online and in stores, and early adopters are now receiving their deliveries around the world. The trio of videos below provide a closer look at the iPad Pro, Smart Cover and Silicone Case accessories and a comparison between Apple Pencil and Surface Pen tracking.
YouTube creator Jonathan Morrison shared a video called My First Day with the iPad Pro, proving how powerful the iPad Pro's A9X processor and 4GB of RAM are by exporting 30 seconds of 4K video in around only 38 seconds. He also provided a quick rundown of the 12.9-inch tablet's tech specs, benchmarks and camera.
Despite his 4K video test, Morrison concludes that the iPad Pro's hardware is mostly unutilized, due to the lack of true professional apps like Final Cut Pro X that take advantage of the processing power. Those apps could arrive in the future, but in the meantime the iPad Pro is essentially a bigger and better iPad Air 2.
YouTube channel DarGadgetZ went hands-on with the new Smart Cover and Silicone Case for the iPad Pro, available for $59 and $79 respectively in Charcoal Gray and White. The Smart Cover has its usual magnetic hinge and doubles as a stand, and can be paired with the Silicone Case for full front-and-back coverage.
The last video is an Apple Pencil vs. Surface Pen tracking comparison shared with us by GforGames. The 15-second test, slowed down from 120 FPS, shows the Apple Pencil has slightly less input lag compared to the Surface Pen on the Surface Pro 4 when sketching swirls with each stylus.
Limited quantities of the iPad Pro are available at select Apple Retail Stores in multiple countries, with Personal Pickup available at U.S. locations. Smart Covers and Silicone Cases are well stocked, but the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard are out of stock or in very limited quantities at most stores.
YouTube today unveiled YouTube Music, a streaming music service and app designed to compete with existing streaming music offerings like Apple Music and Spotify. YouTube Music is part of YouTube Red, the ad-free subscription service YouTube announced last month.
The new YouTube Music app is available for both iOS and Android devices, bringing the YouTube Music service to a wide range of smartphones and tablets. YouTube Music, which offers both songs and accompanying music videos, includes both an ad-supported free tier and a paid ad-free version that's tied to a user's YouTube Red subscription. YouTube Red costs $9.99 per month (or $12.99 in the iOS app to account for Apple's 30 percent cut), but users can sign up for a free14-day YouTube Music trial when downloading the app.
Paying for YouTube Music via YouTube Red allows listeners to and stream songs on-demand, create playlists, and listen without ads. Music can also be saved and listened to offline. Without a subscription, users can still listen to songs and watch videos, but the service will include ads.
Like other streaming music services, YouTube Music lets users search for content, but it also includes curated lists of the top songs of the week and a section on music that's trending. It also has dedicated artist pages with additional album recommendations as a way to discover content, and it offers a music library that includes classic videos, concert footage, live recordings, and other content that's not available on other services.
A growing number of MacRumors readers and Twitter users have been experiencing an issue with some Mac App Store apps displaying a "damaged" error when opened since late Wednesday. The issue has affected popular apps such as 1Password, Acorn, Byword, DaisyDisk and Tweetbot.
Mac App Store apps with a "damaged" error (Image: Graham/Twitter)
Mac users are prompted with this error message when opening Mac App Store apps:
“App Name” is damaged and can’t be opened. Delete “App Name” and download it again from the App Store.
Tweetbot developer Paul Haddad tweeted that the issue appears to be related to security certificates that expired on November 11, 2015, and he further speculated that the receipts now using SHA256 encryption may be causing problems with older OS X versions.
The issue, however, also appears to affect some users running OS X El Capitan, leading Haddad to believe that Mac App Store apps contacting Apple's servers simultaneously may be causing a "self inflicted DDOS on Apple’s receipt generation service."
Haddad says that rebooting your Mac on OS X 10.10 or later may resolve the issue, while some users have been forced to reinstall apps from the Mac App Store, disconnect from and reopen the Mac App Store or simply reenter their Apple ID password.
It appears that Apple has since set a new 2035 expiration date for the security certificates, per The Guardian, at least some for apps, but the issues are persisting for some. Apple did not respond to request for comment.
Following a soft launch and months of testing, Mozilla has released Firefox for iOS on the App Store for free. The WebKit-based web browser for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch features a Firefox-like design, Intelligent Search, Firefox Accounts, Visual Tabs, Private Browsing mode on iOS 9 or later and more.
The web browser's features are best suited for users that also use Firefox on Mac or PC:
Intelligent Search: Suggested search results and list of search options, including Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Twitter, Amazon and WordPress
Firefox Accounts: Firefox browser history, passwords and open tabs synced between Firefox on the desktop and your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
Visual Tabs: A card-based grid of intuitive visual and numbered tabs easily let you find content for future reference
Private Browsing: Firefox won’t remember any of your history or cookies, but new bookmarks will be saved
Mozilla Firefox was once a leading desktop web browser for PCs and Macs, but it has lost significant market share since Google launched its own Chrome web browser in late 2008. Firefox is now the fourth most popular desktop browser in many countries, trailing behind Chrome, Internet Explorer and Safari.
Mozilla was initially opposed to releasing Firefox on iOS because of Apple's policy that requires third-party browsers to use its own WebKit framework and JavaScript engine, but the company eventually reversed course and announced plans to release an iOS app in December 2014.
Firefox for iOS is free on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and requires iOS 8.2 or later. The app is written in Swift 2.0 and open source on GitHub.
Those who have signed up to participate in Apple's beta testing program can download the third OS X 10.11.2 beta using the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store. Non beta testers who want to participate can sign up on Apple's beta testing website.
The first two OS X 10.11.2 betas did not appear to offer any obvious outward-facing changes, and the minor .2 update likely includes bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements to address issues discovered since the release of OS X 10.11.1. Apple's release notes for the developer betas asks testers to focus on Graphics, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos, and Spotlight, giving some insight into areas where improvements might be made.
iFixit is in the process of tearing down the iPad Pro, providing a closer look at how Apple organized the internals of the larger iPad. While the majority of the internal layout is similar to the iPad Air 2, there are some significant differences, including the inclusion of a brand new four-speaker audio setup.
Each corner of the iPad Pro has a speaker driver sitting next to a capped resonance chamber. Each speaker is designed identically, as the iPad Pro shifts the speaker's function depending on the orientation of the device. The two speakers on top provide higher frequencies while the bottom speakers provide lower frequencies.
Once it removed the speaker drivers, iFixit uncapped the volume chambers, which Apple says gives the iPad Pro's speakers 61 percent more "back volume" than previous iPads. Underneath the carbon fiber caps are enclosures filled with foam, which are used to amplify the speaker's sound. However, iFixit notes that the speakers take up a significant amount space that could have been used to increase battery capacity by 50 percent. Previous iPads, due to the lack of premium speakers, were able to dedicate a greater proportion of space to battery capacity.
One of the first changes the team at iFixit noticed was that the logic board has moved to the center of the device, unlike previous iPads where it was off to the side. Additionally, the logic board's shielding had to be removed before iFixit was able to remove the logic board itself, unlike previous iPads.
The teardown also found that the iPad Pro uses the DP695 Timing Controller, which may be an iteration of the DP665 LCD timing controller found in the 5K Retina iMac. However, as noted by iFixit, the iPad Pro's timing controller is likely modified to better use the display's refresh rate. Also, the teardown experts found that Apple has added adhesive pull tabs under the iPad's batteries, making them easier to remove.
Finally, iFixit's teardown offers physical confirmation that the iPad Pro includes 4 GB of RAM, which was confirmed by Apple's own Xcode tools in mid-September.
iFixit's teardown is ongoing, and this post will be updated if any other significant discoveries are made.
Update: iFixit has discovered that the iPad Pro has a 10307 mAh battery.
Update 2: iFixit has given the iPad Pro a repairability score of 3 out of 10, noting that the Smart Connector is unlikely to fail given its lack of moving parts and despite it being "virtually impossible to replace." The main issue is that the iPad Pro uses a lot of adhesive to hold everything together, making things difficult to replace.
Apple is in talks with U.S. banks over a potential person-to-person mobile payments service, reportsThe Wall Street Journal. Such a service would perhaps be positioned as an expansion to Apple Pay, and it would allow people to send each other payments, much like PayPal's Venmo or Square's Square Cash service.
Little is known about the talks at this early date, but The Wall Street Journal says communication between Apple and the banks is ongoing and it's not known if Apple has inked any concrete deals. Apple is said to be speaking to Chase, Capital One, Wells Fargo, and U.S. Bank, but key details "remain in flux" and the technical details still need to be worked out.
It isn't clear how Apple intends to make money from the service. Indeed, the company may view a person-to-person offering mostly as a way to get more consumers to convert to its phones.
Under the current discussions, Apple wouldn’t charge the banks for participating in its person-to-person payment service, said the person familiar with the talks. That is different from Apple Pay in which the banks pay Apple for each transaction
Person-to-person services like Venmo and Square Cash are used for personal payments and are useful for things like paying back a friend who bought dinner or splitting a rent payment. With Apple's system, iPhone and iPad owners could perhaps use Apple Pay to send secure payments to one another from a checking account.
A launch date for the service is unclear as of yet, but Apple may be targeting a 2016 debut.
Apple released the iPad Pro on the Apple Online Store and at select Apple Retail Stores and resellers earlier today, and we have rounded up some interesting facts and news announcements surrounding the 12.9-inch tablet.
iPad Pro Delivers Notebook-Level Performance Geekbench results show that the iPad Pro's A9X processor is a dual-core chip running at about 2.25 GHz, as reported by Ars Technica.
The A9X chip had a 3,233 single-core score and 5,498 multi-score score in browser-based CPU tests, outperforming the iPad Air 2 and other recent iPhones and iPads by a significant margin.
iPad Pro also outperformed the 12-inch Retina MacBook, equipped with an Intel Core M dual-core processor clocked at 1.1 to 1.2 GHz, but the A9X chip's CPU performance falls short of devices like the 2015 MacBook Air and Surface Pro 4 with Intel's latest Broadwell or Skylake U-series processors.
The iPad Pro's GPU performance is much more impressive, with GFXBench OpenGL test results showing the A9X chip outperformed the 2015 15" Retina MacBook Pro with Intel Iris 5200 integrated graphics, in addition to the 12-inch MacBook, 2015 MacBook Air, 2015 13" Retina MacBook Pro, Surface Pro 4 and all recent iPads.
We’re looking at MacBook Air-class CPU performance and MacBook Pro-class GPU performance, so the iPad Pro ought to be able to handle more multitasking features with aplomb as Apple sees fit to add them. Professional 3D apps like AutoCAD and the Complete Anatomy app Apple showed off in September all seem to run just fine, too.
But the Pencil is just plain fun. It is indeed Apple white, and there are Apple-y things about it — for example, the fact that it is weighted, and won’t roll away on a table top, and always stops rolling with the word "Pencil" facing upward on its metal band.
T-Mobile has announced the iPad Pro will be available November 18. Eligible customers can finance their iPad Pro purchase through the carrier's JUMP! On Demand program, starting at $199.99 upfront with $34/month payments.
T-Mobile has a sign-up page to receive an email alert when orders can be placed. Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will also be available on T-Mobile for $99 and $169 respectively starting November 18.
Apple Store Availability
iPad Pro launched today with limited in-store stock at select Apple Retail Stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and some other countries. Personal Pickup is available in U.S. stores.
Most Apple Stores have not received stock of the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, while online shipping estimates currently range between 3-4 weeks in the U.S. and many other countries for the accessories.
Mr Cook had some sharp words for competitors. Despite saying that Apple’s relationship with Microsoft as “really good”, he described the software giant’s new Surface Book laptop as “deluded”.
“It’s a product that tries too hard to do too much,” he said. “It’s trying to be a tablet and a notebook and it really succeeds at being neither. It’s sort of deluded.”
Update: Apple says Cook meant "diluted," not "deluded," in reference to the above comment.
Apple says that CEO Tim Cook meant 'diluted', not 'deluded'. Makes sense. Consider this a correction.
— Adrian Weckler (@adrianweckler) November 11, 2015
Follow our iPad Pro timeline for the latest news about the 12.9-inch tablet.
Disney today launched a new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack for the fourth-generation Apple TV, bundling a SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller and a Bluetooth-enabled Disney Infinity Base in a package that's now available for purchase directly from Apple retail stores.
The new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition game for the Apple TV is available on the device as of today, and in addition to the controller and the base, the bundle Disney is offering is Star Wars-themed with the Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic Play Set piece and the Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures. The figures will unlock a comprehensive Star Wars gaming experience with both new and classic Star Wars characters and storylines.
Earlier figures and Power Discs from the 1.0 and 2.0 versions of Disney Infinity are compatible with the new Disney Infinity 3.0 version of the game on the Apple TV. Disney Infinity has largely been limited to console-only platforms from Xbox, Nintendo, and Playstation, but in recent months, the franchise has expanded to PC, Android, and iOS devices.
With gaming now available on the Apple TV, Disney has delivered the first full console style experience to Apple's set-top box with the launch of Disney Infinity 3.0. For those unfamiliar with the Disney Infinity line, it's a sandbox-style action adventure world where gamers can unlock new characters and gameplay experiences using real-world collectible figurines.
Continuing its recent moves to embrace renewable energy sources, Apple has agreed to fund a €1 million initiative through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to support research into harnessing wave energy.
Ocean Energy Test Site in Galway Bay, Ireland
“We're excited by the potential of ocean energy to someday serve as a source of clean power for the data centre we are building in Athenry, County Galway," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. "We are deeply committed to powering all our facilities with 100 percent renewable energy and believe investing in innovative projects will make reaching our goal easier."
The initiative funded by Apple will help fund researchers testing their wave harnessing technologies at the Galway Bay Ocean Energy Test Site.
Wave energy is just one renewable energy source Apple has supported in an effort to become more environmentally friendly. Solar energy has been a major component of Apple's initiative, although the company has also embraced wind, biogas fuel cell, hydroelectric, and geothermal solutions to help power its data centers and other facilities as it seeks to move to 100% renewable energy for its own facilities and even help its suppliers make similar transitions.
Mophie today announced the debut of a new lineup of Powerstation external batteries, which can be used to charge a range of different electronic devices, including Apple's iPhone and iPad. The new Powerstation battery packs are Mophie's thinnest and lightest yet, with an aluminum finish designed to mesh well with iOS devices and 15W fast charging capabilities.
Mophie's new Powerstation products follow in the footsteps of its previous Powerstation line, with Mophie offering several different battery capacities at varying prices and sizes. Available sizes include 1X (2,000 mAh), 2X (4,000 mAh), 3X (6,000 mAh), 5X (10,000 mAh), and 8X, with the 8X size offering a capacity of 15,000 mAh, which Mophie says is equivalent to an additional 54 hours of talk time, 59 hours of web browsing, 59 hours of video playback, and 272 hours of audio time.
The smallest Powerstation, the 1X, measures in at 6.9mm thick and 95.5mm (3.76 inches) long, while the largest 8X Powerstation is 12.1mm thick and 183.9mm (7.24 inches) long, with other sizes fitting in between the two extremes.
The higher-end 5X and 8X models include support for a Mophie Power app that lets users see the remaining battery life in the Powerstation and how long it will take to charge a device to full. The app is also able to send custom notifications when batteries are low or fully charged.
All models except for the 1X version also support pass-through charging, which will charge an iOS device before charging the Powerstation. On the 3X, 5X, and 8X models, there are also two ports for charging multiple devices at one time.
Mophie's new Powerstation lineup is available for purchase from the Mophie website, Apple.com, and Apple retail stores. Pricing starts at $39.95 for the Powerstation 1X and goes up to $149.95 for the Powerstation 8X.
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