Sprint today announced a new offer as part of its iPhone Forever program, where customers can get the new 16GB version of the iPhone 6s for $1 per month and the iPhone 6s Plus for $5 per month, with the trade-in of an iPhone 6. The carrier noted that the new offer is a "limited time" deal for those users visiting Sprint's retail locations, with the official launch of the program coinciding with the new iPhone debut on Friday morning.
Just like T-Mobile's offering, the price required to pay each month will vary depending on the exact type of iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus model you purchase, and the quality of the iPhone 6 that is traded in. With that in mind, customers can expect to pay around $5.77/month (64GB) or $10.53 (128GB) when purchasing an iPhone 6s, and $9.77/month (64GB) or $14.53 (128GB) when buying an iPhone 6s Plus.
“Once again it is clear that the best place to get the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is Sprint,” said Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure. “New and existing customers who trade in their current iPhone 6 can now get a device for only $1/month, making it the best way to get the iPhone – and a yearly upgrade is included in this charge. We are certain that more people will continue to switch to Sprint because of the great service and value we offer.”
Those who trade in an iPhone 5s will also be able to participate in the offer, but can expect slightly higher monthly rates due to the older model of the iPhone. Preparations have begun for the launch of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The smartphones will officially go on sale tomorrow, September 25 in first-wave launch countries including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, and the United States.
Less than ten hours before the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch in Japan, at least one Apple Store in the country has begun setting up display models for customers to view. The new iPhones will go on sale in Japan at 8:00 AM local time on Friday just a few hours after the smartphones launch in Australia and New Zealand.
MacRumors reader Shawn DaSilva sent us a trio of photos and a video showing Apple retail employees installing the new iPhones at an Apple Store in Omotesando, Tokyo on Thursday evening. The new iPhones are also advertised on a digital banner spanning the length of the store.
Apple is no longer accepting pre-orders or in-store reservations in time for September 25, leaving lining up at an Apple Store as one of the only options to get a new iPhone on launch day. Apple is not allowing walk-in sales in China, Hong Kong, Japan and four tax-free U.S. states: Oregon, Delaware, New Hampshire and Alaska.
If you plan on waiting it out at an Apple Store, it is highly recommended that you reschedule any important plans tomorrow, as it can take several hours before you reach the front of the queue. In some cases, in-store stock of new iPhones may run out completely before you get a chance to buy one.
Apple has updated its XcodeGhost FAQ on its Chinese website with a list of the top 25 most popular App Store apps that were compromised by the malware. The list includes some notable apps such as WeChat, Heroes of Order & Chaos and a localized version of Angry Birds 2.
Apple advises that users should update the affected apps to fix the issue, noting that if a listed app is available on the App Store right now, it has already been updated. Apps with an asterisk are currently not available on the App Store, but Apple says they should be updated very soon.
WeChat
DiDi Taxi
58 Classified - Job, Used Cars, Rent
Gaode Map - Driving and Public Transportation
Railroad 12306
Flush
China Unicom Customer Service (Official Version)*
CarrotFantasy 2: Daily Battle*
Miraculous Warmth
Call Me MT 2 - Multi-server version
Angry Birds 2 - Yifeng Li’s Favorite*
Baidu Music - Music Player with Downloads, Ringtones, Music Videos, Radio & Karaoke
DuoDuo Ringtone
NetEase Music - An Essential for Radio and Song Download
Foreign Harbor - The Hottest Platform for Oversea Shopping*
Battle of Freedom (The MOBA mobile game)
One Piece - Embark (Officially Authorized)*
Let’s Cook - Receipes
Heroes of Order & Chaos - Multiplayer Online Game*
Dark Dawn - Under the Icing City (the first mobile game sponsored by Fan BingBing)*
I Like Being With You*
Himalaya FM (Audio Book Community)
CarrotFantasy*
Flush HD
Encounter - Local Chatting Tool
Apple has been working to remove all apps compromised by XcodeGhost from the App Store, but some affected apps may remain available for download. Apple has also outlined steps for developers to validate Xcode and said it would alert users to let them know if they have downloaded apps that could have been compromised.
XcodeGhost is a new iOS malware that arose from malicious versions of Xcode, Apple's official tool for developing iOS and OS X apps, downloaded by some developers in China. Chinese developers then unknowingly compiled iOS apps using the modified Xcode IDE and distributed those infected apps through the App Store.
MacRumors posted a detailed XcodeGhost FAQ over the weekend that explains more about the malware, who is affected and how to keep yourself protected, although Apple has since downplayed the severity of XcodeGhost compared to what some security firms initially reported.
We have no information to suggest that the malware has been used to do anything malicious or that this exploit would have delivered any personally identifiable information had it been used.
We’re not aware of personally identifiable customer data being impacted and the code also did not have the ability to request customer credentials to gain iCloud and other service passwords.
Chinese developers initially disclosed XcodeGhost on microblogging service Sina Weibo last Wednesday.
There are no changes to the hardware or the pricing of the three sets of headphones, and the Active Collection joins the existing range of color options for each product. Apple will likely begin offering the new Active Collection in its retail stores in the near future, and each of the three products is available immediately from the online store.
Both the Active Collection Solo2 Wireless Headphones and the Powerbeats2 Wireless In-Ear Headphones will ship out to customers immediately with next day shipping, but the Tour2 In-Ear Headphones lists a delivery date of Tuesday, September 29.
Pricing for the Active Collection starts at $129.95 for the Tour2, with the PowerBeats2 priced at $199.95 and the Solo2 priced at $299.95.
Apple has designed a keyboard for its larger-screened 12.9-inch iPad Pro, but for other iPads, such as the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 4, customers looking for a keyboard solution will need to stick with keyboards created by third-party manufacturers.
Zagg is often a popular choice among iPad users who need a keyboard, so we went hands-on with the Zagg Folio Keyboard Case for the iPad Air 2 in our latest video review. The Folio is a thin case that has a built-in keyboard, turning the iPad into a mini laptop.
We weren't fans of the construction of the case. It's made of plastic, with a leather texture added to the top and bottom, but its plastic design makes it fragile. We ended up cracking our review unit when attempting to get the iPad in and out of the case. While Zagg has a replacement program in place for faulty products, we wish this case was made of better materials.
The Folio allows the iPad to be angled into several different viewing positions, and it leaves all of the ports on iPad accessible. It includes a keyboard with backlighting, and while the keyboard is not full-sized, it doesn't take long to adjust to the smaller keys. The keys felt similar to the keys on a MacBook Pro keyboard and weren't too mushy or too clicky.
Pebble today updated its smart watch lineup with its first-ever smart watch that includes a round face, the Pebble Time Round. The new watch is an iteration of its existing Pebble Time device, which first debuted on Kickstarter earlier this year.
Pebble says its new round smart watch is the "thinnest and lightest smart watch in the world," measuring in at 7.5mm thick and weighing 28 grams. Comparatively, the Apple Watch is 10.5mm thick with weights between 25 grams (38mm Apple Watch Sport) and 69 grams (Gold Edition Apple Watch).
The Pebble Time Round is available in Black, Silver, and for the first time, Rose Gold, with band sizes of 20mm or 14mm. Pebble plans to sell several quick-change leather bands for the watch, with metal band options to come later in 2015.
While the Pebble Time's battery lasted for seven days and the Pebble Time Steel had a 10 day battery life, the small size of the Pebble Time Round means more frequent charging is required. Battery life is around two days, but there is a quick-charge battery option that gives a day of power in 15 minutes.
Like all of the Pebble watches, the Pebble Time Round includes an e-paper screen, but it does not offer full water resistance, with Pebble instead stating that it's able to withstand splashes.
Customers who ordered a Pebble Time Steel have an option to purchase a Pebble Time Round at a $50 discount. Customers can keep both watches or use the Pebble Time Round on a trial basis, returning one of the two watches at the end of 30 days for a full refund.
The Pebble Time Round can be pre-ordered from Pebble.com beginning today for $249. It will ship out in the United States in early November, expanding to the UK later in 2015 and other EU retailers in early 2016.
Apple today released iOS 9.0.1, a minor update that introduces several bug fixes for iOS 9. The iOS 9.0.1 update comes just one week after iOS 9 was released to the public on September 16.
iOS 9.0.1 is available to all iOS 9 users as an over-the-air update.
iOS 9.0.1 is a minor update that introduces bug fixes and performance enhancements to iOS 9. iOS 9 is Apple's latest operating system, which focuses on proactivity and intelligence with updates to Siri and Search. It also includes a split-screen multitasking feature for the iPad and updates to several Apple-branded apps.
Today's iOS 9.0.1 release precedes iOS 9.1, which will mark the first significant update to iOS 9. iOS 9.1 includes new emoji and settings for acclimating the "Hey Siri" activation feature to an individual user's voice.
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 9.1 to registered developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the first iOS 9.1 beta following its fall "Hey Siri" event and one week after releasing the first version of iOS 9 to the public.
The new beta of iOS 9.1, build 13B5119e, is available as an over-the-air update and through the Apple Developer Center. Apple has also released a second beta of tvOS, build 13T5365h.
iOS 9.1 includes new features for the iPad Pro, adding support for accessories like the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil, both of which are deeply integrated into the operating system. It also includes features that will allow the iPhone to interact with the new Apple TV.
iOS 9.1 also includes Unicode 8, adding support for some long-awaited emoji like the taco, burrito, cheese wedge, middle finger, unicorn head, and more, plus it includes a new "Hey Siri" Settings feature that lets the "Hey Siri" command be customized for an individual user's voice. On-demand voice activation for Siri using the "Hey Siri" command is a new feature in the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. On older devices, "Hey Siri" only activates Siri when plugged into a power source.
It is not clear when iOS 9.1 will be released to the public, but it's likely it will come in November, alongside the launch of the iPad Pro.
What's new in iOS 9.1 beta 2:
Messages - There's a new Messages option in the Settings app that allows users to disable contact photos.
Sony Pictures and Rovio today revealed the first full-length trailer for next summer's film adaptation of the popular iOS game Angry Birds (via Coming Soon). First announced back in 2012, the movie stars Jason Sudeikis as Red, Josh Gad as Chuck, Danny McBride as Bomb, and Bill Hader as the villainous pig Leonard. According to the film's producer John Cohen, the movie aims to answer the question posed most to Rovio by the game's fans, "Why are these birds so angry?"
The movie is set to debut in theaters on July 1, 2016. When it opens, The Angry Birds Movie will premiere about seven years after the release of the original game. Earlier in the year, developer Rovio reported its first major profit decline since the debut of the first Angry Birds, and even began laying off employees last month.
Announced alongside the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus at Apple's "Hey Siri" event earlier in September, the iPad Pro has seen a little less coverage than the company's new smartphone line thanks to its less immediate launch date of November. All the same, a few companies have confirmed accessory support for the 12.9-inch tablet, with detailed information and pre-orders already up for some of the third-party cases.
First is Waterfield's zippered iPad Travel Express case, which the company has offered for the iPad Air 2 in the past, and will now provide versions for the iPad Mini 4 ($64) and all-new iPad Pro ($89). Waterfield promises that the durable case will store charging cables, power bricks, the new Apple Pencil, and can even fit the full iPad Pro alongside the Smart Keyboard accessory Apple also introduced on September 9.
The Travel Express case comes with an optional shoulder strap accessory, sold separately, that customers can purchase to carry their iPad Pro hands-free. Waterfield's iPad Pro case is up for pre-order now, but the company notes that those who order now can expect a shipping date of about a week-and-a-half after Apple begins shipping the iPad Pro units to customers.
Brenthaven's BX² Sleeve Plus acts as sort of an active-lifestyle counterpart to Waterfield's more classically designed case, with a "patent-pending Secure Grip handle" to provide users with a strengthened hold on the case alongside the company's "Xtreme Foam" outer layer providing drop protection from all sides. The $49.95 case -- available for purchase today -- also has a smaller outer pocket to fit a smartphone or charging cable, and comes in both blue/black and red/black color options.
Catalyst touts its upcoming case for the iPad Pro as "the world's first fully-waterproof case" for the new Apple tablet, with a waterproof rating of IP68 that can submerge up to 2m. The company says that full functionality of the iPad Pro is kept in check thanks to an "integrated touchscreen film," allowing users access to Touch ID and all the promised nuances of the Apple Pencil.
The case will also provide unobstructed acoustic emissions from the iPad Pro's four speakers, thanks to the location of a handful of "acoustic membranes" on the case. The Catalyst Case for iPad Pro is the only option not up for immediate purchase or pre-order today, with the company encouraging users to follow them on various social media platforms and sign up for their mailing list to be updated on its availability.
As with any major product launch, there are also a handful of cheaper knock-off options for customers to consider. On Amazon alone the cheapest alternative for an iPad Pro case is $6.99, with a few other, more intricate cases going up to around $29.99. With a launch in November, customers who plan to purchase Apple's new big-screen tablet have plenty of time to shop around for a suitable case option, and should probably keep in mind that Apple will introduce its own first-party options into the mix as we get closer to the device's launch.
Fantastical 2 for Mac received a significant update today, adding support for OS X El Capitan and several interface tweaks to improve the Fantastical for Mac experience. Today's 2.1 update adds a huge list of new features that were requested by Fantastical 2 users since the app first launched in March.
For users running OS X El Capitan, it's now possible to swipe an event in a list to delete it. All users will be able to scroll to a specific day or week in the Week and Month views with a trackpad, and arrow keys now navigate in Day, Week, and Month views.
When working with Reminders, it's now possible to organize them by list. They'll also show up in Day, Week, and Month views, and there are shortcuts for cutting, copying, and pasting events and Reminders.
There are several new preferences options for the Menu bar icon and there are new font options. Flexibits has also fixed several bugs and improved overall performance when loading events with a lot of invitees. A full list of changes added in today's update can be seen below:
- Full support for OS X El Capitan - Ability to scroll to a specific day or week in the Week and Month views when using a trackpad - Reminders now appear in the Day, Week, and Month views - Reminders can now be organized by list - Cut, copy, and paste events and reminders - Added Dock app icon badge preference - Additional options for Menu bar icon preference - Text size setting now adjusts the text size in the Day, Week, and Month views - Added Extra Small and Huge text size options - Arrow keys can now navigate in the Day, Week, and Month views - Invitee autocomplete now includes other users on CalDAV servers that support user lookup - Improved drag-and-drop when dragging events or reminders to the Finder - Use a pinch-and-zoom gesture to change the number of hours in the Day and Week views - All-day section in Day and Week views now shows more events - Added Message with Sound alerts for birthdays - Swipe an event in the list to delete (OS X El Capitan only) - Drag-and-drop URLs or text on event or reminder details to change the URL or note - Added preference to disable going to today after adding new items - Performance improvements when loading events with huge numbers of invitees - Fixed an issue where the incorrect date would sometimes be shown when opening Fantastical - Fixed an issue where times could appear shifted in the Day and Week views - Fixed an issue where alerts couldn't be removed on Google Calendar - Fixed an issue where a single instance of a recurring invitation wouldn't appear in the pending invitations section - Fixed an issue where some invitations imported from .ics files didn't allow responding to them - Various fixes and improvements
T-Mobile has shared the full details of its new JUMP! On Demand promotion that offers the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus for as low as $5 and $9 per month respectively with a qualifying smartphone trade in. The exact monthly payment is calculated based on both the iPhone model purchased and smartphone model traded in.
A base 16GB iPhone 6s starts at $5 per month with zero due upfront when trading in an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note 5. The price rises to $10 per month with an iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5 or Galaxy Note 4 trade in, or to $15 per month with the trade in of most other smartphones.
A 16GB iPhone 6s Plus starts at $9 per month with zero due upfront with an iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 or Galaxy Note 5 trade in. The price rises to $14 per month with an iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5 or Galaxy Note 4 trade in, or to $19 per month with the trade in of most other smartphones.
The promotion also offers the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in larger storage capacities, but upfront payments of $99.99 or $199.99 are required for 64GB or 128GB models respectively. The monthly payments for the new iPhones are $1 cheaper for 64GB models and $2 cheaper for 128GB models compared to 16GB pricing.
Each payment must be made for 18 months, at which point the iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus must be returned in good condition. T-Mobile offers the option to pay an additional $164 to keep the iPhone, bringing the total cost to $524 for a 16GB iPhone 6s -- a savings of $125 over the device's full retail price through Apple.
T-Mobile also has a non-trade-in JUMP! On Demand promotion that offers the 16GB iPhone 6s for $20 per month, or 16GB iPhone 6s Plus for $24 per month, for 18 months with zero dollars paid upfront. As with the new trade-in promotion, 64GB and 128GB models are available with upfront payments of $99.99 or $199.99 respectively.
T-Mobile will honor these deals for customers who already pre-ordered an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus with a trade in by issuing an upfront bill credit.
Pixelmator for iOS was today updated with full support for iOS 9, enabling split-screen multitasking when used on an iPad. Pixelmator supports full Split View, which will allow the Pixelmator app to be used side-by-side with other apps on the iPad mini 4 and the iPad Air 2. On older iPads, split-screen multitasking will be limited to Slide Over.
"Pixelmator always takes advantage of the latest iOS features and technologies, and today we're thrilled to bring Pixelmator for iOS 2.1, which includes full support for iOS 9, 8K image support, and the ability for iPad users to work in Pixelmator and any other app at the same time with Split View and Slide Over." said Aidas Dailide, one of the founders of the Pixelmator Team. "With the new features in Pixelmator for iOS, it is even easier and more fun to edit images on the go."
Today's update also includes support for 8K resolution images, letting users edit photos that are up to 64 megapixels on their iPhone or iPad, and Spotlight Search on the iPhone and iPad will now index Pixelmator documents so they'll show up in search results.
There's a new "Open in Place" feature to open images from anywhere and save edits in the same place, and the "Save to Photos" feature will now open images from Photos and save edits onto the same image without creating a duplicate image.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere has announced on Twitter that it will offer the iPhone 6s for as low as $5 per month through JUMP! On Demand with an iPhone 6 trade in, or as low as $10 per month with an iPhone 5s trade in. The exact monthly payment will range between $5 and $15 per month depending on the iPhone 6s model you purchase and older iPhone model traded in.
If you do not want to trade in your current iPhone, T-Mobile has a JUMP! On Demand promotion that offers the 16GB iPhone 6s for $20 per month for 18 months with zero dollars paid upfront, totaling $360 under the agreement the device is returned in good condition. To keep the iPhone, you must pay an additional $164, bringing the total cost to $524 -- a savings of $125 and the best deal for those willing to join T-Mobile.
6/ YES – you read it right! Trade-in an iPhone6 & get a new #iPhone6s for $5/mth or trade-in your iPhone5s & get a new one for $10/mth!
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) September 22, 2015
T-Mobile will begin selling the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on September 25. The smartphones will support T-Mobile's Extended Range LTE on the 700MHz spectrum, which extends the network's LTE signal twice as far from its cellular towers and works four times better in buildings. T-Mobile Extended Range LTE is live in 175 markets and covers more than half of the American population.
T-Mobile will honor this deal for customers who already pre-ordered an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus.
Apple has started sending emails to customers who may be affected by shipping delays caused by Pope Francis' visit to the United States, letting them know that they may not be able to receive their iPhone 6s and 6s pre-orders on launch day.
Based on an image shared by Sam Biddle on Twitter, Apple is informing customers that while there may be delivery issues on Friday in restricted areas, Saturday deliveries will be available in most areas. Any customer in an affected area can expect to receive an email from Apple and from UPS or FedEX.
As MacRumorsreported over the weekend, Pope Francis will be visiting New York City and Philadelphia this week, with all of the major shipping companies planning to shut down deliveries in select areas during his visit. UPS, FedEX, and USPS will all be following security protocols that will delay package deliveries in the following ZIP codes:
Package pick ups and deliveries will be unavailable in areas of New York City on Thursday and Friday, and in areas of Philadelphia on Friday and Saturday. With Saturday delivery available, many who are not able to get their phones on Friday may be able to have them delivered on Saturday instead, and both UPS and FedEX may allow customers to route packages to an area where deliveries are available.
For customers outside of New York and Philadelphia, the first iPhone 6s and 6s Plus pre-order shipments will be arriving on Friday, September 25.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus include several new camera features that have been highly popular in reviews thus far, but there's also a fantastic update to the way photos are displayed on the two devices. With Live Photos, exclusive to the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, a bit of motion is captured alongside each photo, enabling short animations that bring each image to life.
To enable Live Photos, the iPhone captures 1.5 seconds before every picture is taken and 1.5 seconds afterwards. The motion is then displayed whenever a 3D Touch force press is used on a photo, activating the animation to add a bit of context.
With iPhone 6s reviews coming out today, we've learned several interesting details about the Live Photos feature, including some negative aspects that Apple's working to improve. We're also able to get an in-depth look at what the reviewers thought of the feature, giving us an idea of whether it's truly useful or more of a gimmick.
Apple has been quick to point out that a Live Photo is not a video, and it appears the feature is enabled by combining a 12-megapixel JPG with a MOV file. TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino reports (in his full review of the new iPhones) that a Live Photo consists of a JPG combined with a MOV file that contains 45 frames playing back at around 15 frames per second. Combining a JPG with a MOV file means Live Photos take up twice the space of a normal image. Panzarino also shared some tips on getting good Live Photos shots, but said he believes the best use cases are still undiscovered.
In my experience, Live Photos work best when capturing ambience, not action. Because the frame rate is relatively low, moving the camera a ton while you shoot them or having a subject move will display a bit of jitter. If, however, you're shooting a still image with some moving elements, the effect is extraordinary.
According to The New York Times' Brian X. Chen, there's a "short learning curve" for Live Photos, because moving a camera immediately after taking a photo will ruin the Live Photo, something Apple says it will fix in an upcoming software update. There's also no way to remove audio, and editing a Live Photo only applies edits to the still frame.
Two other items that I'd like to see addressed in future software updates: One, when Live Photos are captured, they include audio. I'd like the option to disable that because images alone can speak loudly enough. You also can't edit Live Photos. You can only apply an edit to the still frame, but not the motion frames. It would be ideal to at least be able to make minor adjustments to Live Photos, like increasing brightness or contrast.
The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern calls Live Photos "the phone's best new feature," in her review, and shares a selection of example images that give a good look at how Live Photos look.
Live Photos File Details
Because of the way Live Photos work, combining a MOV file with a JPG file, the full Live Photo experience will only be viewable on iOS devices that run iOS 9, the Apple Watch with watchOS 2, and Macs running OS X El Capitan. Sending a Live Photo by email or directly to non-supported devices, the Live Photo will be stripped of the MOV component and sent as a regular JPG.
However, when importing Live Photos to your Mac in Yosemite's Photos app, they're imported as a separate JPG and MOV file. When TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino sent a Live Photo to our iPhone 6 running iOS 9, the Live Photo was viewable (with motion) in iOS 9. When imported into Yosemite's Photos, the image was split into the JPG and MOV components. Importing into Photos on OS X El Capitan generates a single photo in the library, and double clicking it plays the video portion of the Live Photo.
As you can see, the JPG and MOV components took up 2.5MB and 1.7MB of space, respectively, for this Live Photo taken with the iPhone 6s back camera. Meanwhile, the front camera took a lower resolution 1MB image, but with the same size 1.7MB MOV file. The MOV resolution was 960x720 at ~12FPS for both sample Live Photos.
We'll learn a lot more about Live Photos this Friday, when the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus become available to the public.
Apple has added an XcodeGhost question and answer page to its Chinese website today that explains what the malware is, how some users may be affected and next steps the company is taking to ensure that developers and end users alike are protected against malicious software going forward.
Apple claims that it has no evidence to suggest that XcodeGhost has been used for anything malicious, such as the transmission of personally identifiable information, stipulating that the code is only able to deliver some general information about apps and system information.
Nevertheless, Apple says it is working closely with developers and will soon list the top 25 most popular apps impacted by XcodeGhost on its Chinese website. The company will also be alerting users to let them know if they have downloaded apps that could have been compromised. Many affected apps have since been updated and are no longer infected by XcodeGhost.
Relevant portions of the Apple FAQ for users:
How does this affect me? How do I know if my device has been compromised? We have no information to suggest that the malware has been used to do anything malicious or that this exploit would have delivered any personally identifiable information had it been used.
We’re not aware of personally identifiable customer data being impacted and the code also did not have the ability to request customer credentials to gain iCloud and other service passwords.
As soon as we recognized these apps were using potentially malicious code we took them down. Developers are quickly updating their apps for users.
Malicious code could only have been able to deliver some general information such as the apps and general system information.
Is it safe for me to download apps from App Store? We have removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software and are blocking submissions of new apps that contain this malware from entering the App Store.
We’re working closely with developers to get impacted apps back on the App Store as quickly as possible for customers to enjoy.
A list of the top 25 most popular apps impacted will be listed soon so users can easily verify if they have downloaded the latest versions of these apps. After the top 25 impacted apps, the number of impacted users drops significantly.
Customers will be receiving more information letting them know if they’ve downloaded an app/apps that could have been compromised. Once a developer updates their app, that will fix the issue on the user’s device once they apply that update.
We’re working to make it faster for developers in China to download Xcode betas. To verify that their version of Xcode has not been altered, they can take the following steps posted at
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users should also read our XcodeGhost FAQ to learn more about the malware and how to keep yourself protected.
Apple also outlined steps for developers to validate Xcode using Terminal on OS X.
Apple has been putting a significant focus on health-related topics in recent months, led by the Apple Watch's health and fitness sensors and associated app functionality. In fact, just a few weeks ago at its "Hey Siri" media event, the company showed off some Apple Watch apps that could help doctors keep track of patients and even read the heartbeat of a baby still in its mother's womb.
Now, the Apple Watch is becoming known as a lifesaver, as well, with a story emerging over the weekend about a teenage football player's abnormal after-practice heartrate and his Apple Watch's tracking that led him to determine something was seriously wrong.
Paul Houle Jr., a 17-year-old Tabor Academy senior in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, discovered after practice one day that he had pain in his chest and back when taking deep breaths, along with a rapid heart rate.
“After practice I went and took a nap, my heart rate was still at 145.” He went to the hospital, where he learned he had heart, liver and kidney failure, which could have been fatal if not for his watch.
“If my Apple Watch hadn’t shown me it was 145, I would have done nothing about it.”
Houle was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition that occurs after intense exercise results in the leaking of enzymes and proteins into the blood from muscle cells. Some cases can lead to kidney failure and can be fatal and when Houle arrived at the hospital he was suffering from simultaneous heart, liver, and kidney failure.
Although initially a skeptic of the Apple Watch, Houle's father is now a convert and has recently purchased Apple Watches for both himself and his wife, thankful for the lifesaving intervention of Apple's product in his son's life.
Since Houle's story surfaced late last week, word of the ordeal reached Apple CEO Tim Cook, who contacted Houle with a personal phone call a few days after his diagnosis and recovery. "I got a phone call from a California number," said Houle. "And he said 'Hello, my name is Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.'" Cook proceeded to offer the Cape Cod teenager a brand-new iPhone and a summer internship at the company's corporate headquarters in Cupertino next year.
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 9.1 to registered developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the 
Apple has added an 
