MacRumors

Apple is speeding up development on its electric car project, reports The Wall Street Journal, giving it a "committed project" label and targeting 2019 as a prospective shipping date. To facilitate a faster launch, Apple will be greatly expanding the number of people working on the car.

The go-ahead came after the company spent more than a year investigating the feasibility of an Apple-branded car, including meetings with two groups of government officials in California. Leaders of the project, code-named Titan , have been given permission to triple the 600-person team, the people familiar with the matter said.

Apple has already been aggressively hiring for its car project, poaching employees from companies like Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Volkswagen, and more. Many of its recent hires have expertise in connected and autonomous vehicle systems.

Though there have been indications suggesting Apple is exploring autonomous vehicles as part of its car project, The Wall Street Journal's sources say the first car Apple releases will not be driverless, with that functionality perhaps coming at a later date.

There have been also other signs pointing towards expanded work on the car project. In May, Apple began looking into secure facilities in the Bay Area where a prototype could be tested, reportedly meeting up with officials at GoMentum Station, a secure test facility for connected and autonomous vehicles. Apple also met with DMV officials in August to discuss California's autonomous vehicle regulations.

It remains unclear if Apple will develop its "Apple Car" from the ground up or if it will team up with an existing auto manufacturer. Rumors have suggested Apple has held discussions with BMW over a potential partnership that would see the BMW i3 used as the basis for the Apple Car, but those talks have reportedly not progressed into a deal.

The Wall Street Journal warns that Apple's 2019 target date might not be the date in which Apple will actually ship the car, instead suggesting it could point towards the date that engineers confirm the main features of the product. It's also possible that given the scope of the project there could be delays, with "people familiar with the project" expressing skepticism that 2019 is a reasonable target date.

In an interview with Stephen Colbert last week, Tim Cook was asked about the car project, but he unsurprisingly avoided the question with a vague statement. "We look at a number of things along the way, and we decide to really put our energies on a few of those," he said.

With four days to go until the launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple is no longer offering launch-day delivery of any iPhone 6s or 6s Plus models ordered online and is no longer allowing customers to make reservations for in-store purchases, including through Apple's new iPhone Upgrade Program, on Friday.

While shipping estimates for iPhones 6s Plus models in particular quickly slipped to 2-3 weeks or longer following the start of pre-orders on September 12, many iPhone 6s models remained available for launch day delivery until today.

Customers looking to place online pre-orders for iPhone 6s models that had until recently remained available for launch day are now being quoted 1-2 week shipping with delivery in the range of September 29 through October 6 or later.

Apple's in-store reservation system has been shut down entirely for the remainder of this week and will reopen at 8:00 AM on Saturday, September 26 to allow customers to reserve from each store's daily shipments of iPhones. Apple does still invite customers without reservations on Friday to attempt to purchase an iPhone, but unreserved supplies will likely be tight and lines long.

Apple today released watchOS 2 to the public, making the first major update to the watchOS software available to all Apple Watch owners. The update requires iOS 9 and can be downloaded over-the-air through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update.

watchOS 2 was originally scheduled to launch on Wednesday, September 16 alongside iOS 9, but Apple delayed the launch in order to address a major bug that was found shortly before the software was set to debut.

As the first significant update to watchOS, watchOS 2 introduces a lot of new features to the Apple Watch, mainly through new developer tools. watchOS 2 brings native apps that run on the watch itself instead of the iPhone, and it lets developers access several sensors and hardware features including the Taptic Engine, heart rate monitor, microphone, and accelerometer.

Along with these features for developers, which will lead to more complex and full-featured third-party apps that run much more smoothly, watchOS 2 also includes new watch faces (photo album and time-lapse), third-party Complications, a tweak that makes the screen stay on for up to 70 seconds when activated, and Activation Lock.

There's also a new Time Travel feature for viewing past and upcoming events in a watch face Complication, and a Nightstand mode that's activated when the watch is charging, displaying the time.

More details on what's new in watchOS 2 can be found in our dedicated watchOS 2 roundup, which includes all of the features the update brings, big and small. Discussion on new features in watchOS 2 is also taking place in our dedicated Apple Watch forum, and we encourage all of our readers to join in with new discoveries and questions about the update.

Apple's iPhone 6s Plus includes a 2750 mAh battery, according to images shared by Taiwanese site AppleClub [Google Translate]. That means the battery in the iPhone 6s Plus is smaller than the 2915 mAh battery found in the existing iPhone 6 Plus.

We've already learned the iPhone 6s has a smaller 1715 mAh battery because it was spotted in a video Apple created to highlight 3D Touch, but there's been no visual confirmation on the iPhone 6s Plus battery until now.

Ahead of the debut of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, rumors suggested both devices would have smaller batteries, which turned out to be accurate. It appears Apple may have adopted smaller batteries in the new iPhones in order to make room for new internal parts like a dedicated Taptic Engine that enables haptic feedback whenever 3D Touch is used.

Though the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have smaller batteries, overall battery life has not been impacted due to optimizations in the A9 processor in the devices and software improvements. Both devices continue to offer the same battery life as the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will launch this Friday, September 25. Pre-order customers will begin receiving their devices at that time, and Apple retail stores in first wave launch countries will begin selling the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus at that time.

Apple's Retina MacBook uses a brand new USB-C connector for power, which means that it's able to be charged by external USB battery packs much like an iPhone or an iPad. But because of its higher 29 watt power requirements, there aren't any current battery packs that pump out enough power to charge the MacBook at full speed. Instead, most USB battery packs used with the MacBook today just keep the battery steady, without adding additional power. That's set to change, however, as companies are starting to debut accessories and battery packs that will let the Retina MacBook charge at its full 29 watt rate.

As of today, Hyper, known for its line of external battery packs designed for Apple's notebooks, is launching a Indiegogo project for the HyperJuice Magic Box. Available in two varieties, the Magic Box is an adapter that allows the 12-inch Retina MacBook to be charged at a full 29W speed using HyperJuice battery packs, or up to 12W using regular USB battery packs.

The 29W Magic Box adapter cable, which converts the DC output of a HyperJuice battery pack to a USB-C connection, uses a smart IC to enable "fast and safe" 29W charging, refilling the MacBook's battery just as its 29W Power Adapter would. The 12W Magic Box is a USB to USB-C adapter that will let any existing USB battery pack work with the new MacBook, but it won't be as powerful as a HyperJuice battery pack paired with the 29W adapter.

If you need faster charging at the same 29W speed as the original Apple USB-C Power Adapter, use Magic Box 29W adapter together with HyperJuice batteries. Only HyperJuice can safely and efficiently provide up to 29W (or even 100W) power via USB-C. This is something that regular USB battery packs cannot do.

The 29W Magic Box will be available for $35 while the 12W version is available for $25. Both can be ordered through Hyper's Indiegogo page, which also includes other purchasing options for Magic Box and external battery back combos at discounted prices, plus options that will make HyperJuice battery packs compatible with both MagSafe-based Macs and the Retina MacBook.

Hyper's existing HyperJuice battery packs can also be ordered from the Hyper website, with prices that range from $169.95 to $449.95. Ranging from 16,000 mAh to 61,000 mAh, the HyperJuice external batteries can add anywhere from 14 to 53 additional hours of battery life to a MacBook.

In the near future, there will also be other USB-C external battery pack options for the MacBook. At the end of this month, Maximas will introduce a crowdfunding campaign for the XTRON, a 13,400 mAh power bank (for 8 hours of extra battery life) designed specifically for USB-C devices like the MacBook.

It includes 4.2A USB charging ports that are compatible with both USB-C and USB-A so it can be used to charge multiple types of devices simultaneously, and though it's 13,400 mAh, it's able to fit in the palm of a hand. It will be available for $69 when the Indiegogo project launches.

Another company previously announced a similar product, the Reach Go battery pack. The Reach Go's original specs claim to have 15,000 mAh, offer two standard USB ports, and a single USB-C port, and cost $99. This battery has also not yet shipped, but the website claims an October, 2015 arrival.

Update 9/30: The Maximas XTRON external battery pack is now available via Indiegogo.

DisplayMate has tested the iPad mini 4 display and found that its colors and color accuracy are on par with the iPad Air 2, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with an improved 101% color gamut. All previous iPad mini models had 62% color gamut with poorer color saturation, according to the company's analysis.

iPad mini 4 also has a record-low 2% screen reflectance, compared to 6.5% reflectance for the iPad mini 3 and and 9% reflectance for the original iPad mini. This gives the iPad mini 4 a contrasting rating in high ambient light of 225, which in layman's terms means the tablet has improved readability in real-world viewing conditions.

DisplayMate Technologies President Ray Soneira:

But in terms of real-world viewing conditions, the record low 2.0% screen Reflectance actually makes a bigger visual difference for the image colors and image contrast that you actually see because ambient light washes out and degrades the displayed images and reduces screen readability - so [the iPad mini 4's] record low Reflectance actually makes a bigger difference!

DisplayMate says the iPad mini 4 has between 2.5x and 3.5x higher contrast in ambient light than the iPad mini 3 and most other tablets, which mainly fall in the range of 5.0% to 6.5% screen reflectance. iPad Air 2 was the previous record holder with 2.5% screen reflectance, but the iPad mini 4 was 36% better per this test.

DisplayMate will provide in-depth analysis of the iPad mini 4 display when the iPad Pro launches in November.

Apple has announced that iOS 9 is the fastest adopted software update ever, with more than 50% of active devices running the latest version as measured by the App Store on September 19.

“Customer response to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been incredibly positive, we can't wait to get our most advanced iPhones ever into customers’ hands starting this Friday,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iOS 9 is also off to an amazing start, on pace to be downloaded by more users than any other software release in Apple’s history.”

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller says that iOS 9 is on pace to be downloaded by more users than any other iOS version ever released. He also said that response to the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been "incredibly positive," but no specific sales figures were disclosed.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch on September 25 in the U.S., Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the U.K. Last week, Apple said pre-orders for the new iPhones are "on pace to beat" last year's record-breaking 10 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch weekend.

Apple debuted a brand new Apple Music ad during the Emmys tonight. The ad features actresses Taraji P. Henson and Kerry Washington hanging out and enjoying Apple Music with singer Mary J. Blige. The ad has a focus on Apple Music's playlists.

The ad, which was directed by Selma director Ava Duvernay, features Washington, Blige and Henson hanging out at a home and remembering mixtapes before Blige interrupts them to tell them about Apple Music playlists, which she compares to mixtapes.

Washington goes a step further and says that Apple's curated playlists are like having a boyfriend creating you a mixtape. The rest of the ad features the three having fun listening to the curated playlists before revealing the $9.99 monthly subscription cost to sign up for Apple Music.

In early August, Apple launched a worldwide advertising campaign featuring billboards and posters. Shortly after that, they debuted three artist-focused ads highlighting the Apple Music's ability to introduce people to new artists and music. Additionally, Apple released a two-part ad featuring The Weeknd during the MTV VMAs.

Earlier this week, Chinese developers disclosed new iOS malware called XcodeGhost on microblogging service Sina Weibo. U.S. cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks has since published details about the malware.

MacRumors has created a FAQ so you can learn more about XcodeGhost and how to keep your iOS devices protected.

What is XcodeGhost?
XcodeGhost is a new iOS malware arising from a malicious version of Xcode, Apple's official tool for developing iOS and OS X apps.

How is XcodeGhost distributed?
A malicious version of Xcode was uploaded to Chinese cloud file sharing service Baidu and downloaded by some iOS developers in China.

Chinese developers then unknowingly compiled iOS apps using the modified Xcode IDE and distributed those infected apps through the App Store.

Those apps then managed to pass through Apple's code review process, enabling iOS users to install or update the infected apps on their devices.

Which devices are affected?
iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models running an iOS version compatible with any of the infected apps. The malware affects both stock and jailbroken devices.

Which apps are affected?
Palo Alto Networks has shared a full list of over 50 infected iOS apps, including WeChat, NetEase Cloud Music, WinZip, Didi Chuxing, Railway 12306, China Unicom Mobile Office and Tonghuashun.

How many users are affected?
XcodeGhost potentially affects more than 500 million iOS users, primarily because messaging app WeChat is very popular in China and the Asia-Pacific region.

Which unofficial versions of Xcode are affected?
All unofficial versions between Xcode 6.1 and Xcode 6.4.

How does XcodeGhost put my iOS devices at risk?
iOS apps infected with XcodeGhost malware can and do collect information about devices and then encrypt and upload that data to command and control (C2) servers run by attackers through the HTTP protocol. The system and app information that can be collected includes:

Current time

Current infected app’s name

The app’s bundle identifier

Current device’s name and type

Current system’s language and country

Current device’s UUID

Network type

Palo Alto Networks also discovered that infected iOS apps can receive commands from the attacker through the C2 server to perform the following actions:

Prompt a fake alert dialog to phish user credentials;

Hijack opening specific URLs based on their scheme, which could allow for exploitation of vulnerabilities in the iOS system or other iOS apps;

Read and write data in the user’s clipboard, which could be used to read the user’s password if that password is copied from a password management tool.

Can XcodeGhost affect users outside of China?
Yes. Some of the iOS apps infected with XcodeGhost malware are available on the App Store in countries outside of China. CamCard, for example, is a popular business card reader and scanner app available in the United States and several other countries, while WeChat is a popular messaging app in the Asia-Pacific region.

Why would some Chinese developers download Xcode from Baidu?
Xcode is a large file that can take a long time to download from Apple's servers in China, leading some developers to download Xcode from unofficial sources.

How are Apple and Chinese developers dealing with XcodeGhost?
Palo Alto Networks claims that it is cooperating with Apple on the issue, while multiple developers have updated their apps to remove the malware.

Apple has since issued the following statement to Reuters:

"We’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software. We are working with the developers to make sure they’re using the proper version of Xcode to rebuild their apps."

How do I protect myself against XcodeGhost?
iOS users should immediately uninstall any infected iOS app listed here on their devices, or update to a newer version that has removed the malware. Resetting your iCloud password, and any other passwords inputted on your iOS device, is also strongly recommended as a precautionary measure.

Developers should install official versions of Xcode 7 or Xcode 7.1 beta from Apple's website for free and avoid downloading the software from unofficial sources.

Tags: China, Palo Alto Networks, Xcode, XcodeGhost

Just days after iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders began shifting to "Preparing for Shipment" status on the Apple Online Store, several customers in the United States and abroad have received notice that the smartphones are now shipping from China for estimated delivery on September 25.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders have been shipped by both Apple and carriers such as Verizon and T-Mobile. Most devices are scheduled for overnight shipping next Thursday, meaning that customers should begin receiving their new iPhones on Friday morning, the same day the smartphones launch in twelve countries.

Apple requires that couriers such as UPS and FedEx in the United States hold iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus deliveries until September 25, but in years past some lucky customers have received their device slightly earlier. Meanwhile, New York City and Philadelphia residents could face delays due to Pope Francis visiting next week.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders began on September 12 at 12:01 AM Pacific in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Most iPhone 6s Plus and Rose Gold models are now estimated to ship in 3-4 weeks or later.

There still remains the option of standing in line at an Apple Store for a chance to purchase a specific iPhone model on launch day, but expect long lines at most locations. The new iPhones go on sale September 25 at 8:00 AM local time on a first come, first served basis for customers without reservations.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Pre-Order Discussion

Apple.com pre-orders

AT&T pre-orders

Verizon pre-orders

Sprint pre-orders

T-Mobile pre-orders

Canada pre-orders

UK pre-orders

Launch Day Meetups

Find others in your area

(Thanks, Alvin and Raquel!)

Tag: UPS

Related Forum: iPhone

After being closed since June for a complete overhaul, Apple today re-opened its Infinite Loop Campus Store in Cupertino, California. The store is located on its famous campus, and it is the only Apple Store that sells Apple-branded products like t-shirts, notebooks, and coffee mugs in addition to standard Apple Store fare like MacBooks and iPhones.

Hundreds of people visited the new store today, waiting in long lines to get inside to see the new design. Apple employees were on hand to give out umbrellas to block out the sun and water to beat the 90 degree heat. Customers who waited in line received a free shirt that plays on the Apple Watch and Apple Music, reading just " Shirt."

Before it was redesigned, the campus store only sold items like T-shirts and coffee mugs, but after the revamp, it is a full Apple Store that lacks only a Genius Bar for device repairs. The store now sells iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple Watches, Beats headphones, and related accessories like cases and bands, but it does not offer third-party accessories.

All available products are widely spaced out to place focus on each individual item, and as employees at the store opening pointed out, this is the first Apple Store in the U.S. to sport this particular internal design.

While Apple has cut down on the number of Apple-branded swag products that are offered at the store, the company is selling a selection of notebooks, coffee mugs, water bottles, and pens that are designed to match its MacBook lineup in shades of Silver, Space Gray, and Gold.

Apple's Infinite Loop Store will be open to the public from Monday to Friday, and going forward, the store will also be open on Saturdays, something that's new for this particular location.

While many customers around the world anticipate receiving their brand new iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus when the smartphones launch on September 25, pre-order deliveries in areas of New York City and Philadelphia could be delayed as Pope Francis prepares to visit both of those cities next week.

UPS, a courier service that frequently delivers Apple pre-orders, has posted a temporary service notice on its website that states no pickups and deliveries will be available in the following ZIP code areas of NYC and Philadelphia this Thursday-Friday and Friday-Saturday respectively due to security measures.

Affected ZIP Code Areas

New York City: 10001, 10007, 10017, 10021, 10022, 10023, 10029

Philadelphia: 19102, 19103, 19104, 19106, 19107, 19109, 19123, 19130, 19146, 19147

The affected areas in New York City are all in Manhattan, including parts of Chelsea, Civic Center, East Harlem, Midtown, Tribeca and the Upper East Side and Upper West Side. Pope Francis will be making appearances in those areas at St. Patrick's Cathedral, United Nations headquarters, 9/11 Museum, Central Park, Madison Square Garden and elsewhere next Thursday and Friday.

The affected areas in Philadelphia include parts of Bella Vista, Callowhill, Center City, Devil's Pocket, Fairmount, Grays Ferry, Logan Square, Mantua, Northern Liberties, Passyunk Square, Pennsport, Point Breeze, Poplar, Powelton Village, Rittenhouse Square, Society Hill, Southwark, Spring Garden, Spruce Hill, University City, Washington Square West, West Philadelphia and West Powelton.

UPS typically offers the option of personal pickup at a holding facility, so there remains a possibility that some New York City and Philadelphia residents will be able to receive their iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus deliveries on launch day. For others, however, it may mean waiting until Monday to get that shiny new iPhone.

FedEx and USPS have since confirmed they will be following similar security procedures.

Update: A UPS spokesperson told MacRumors that it has been in communication with customers ahead of the Pope's visit.

UPS has been in communication with customers ahead of time about the impacts of the Pope’s visit through handouts, placards on drop boxes and phone, personal and email contact.

This is very typical for large events like this where there is a lot of security requirements and limitations. UPS has worked through these types of events on multiple occasions. For those ZIP codes that are affected, other alternatives include routing deliveries through UPS My Choice to another location.

Note: Due to the 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.

Tags: New York City, Philadelphia, Pope Francis, UPS

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple has posted several job listings today for an upcoming retail store in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China. The store is looking to fill Specialist, Creative, Genius, Store Leader and Manager positions, in addition to hiring for the Apple Store Leader Program and multiple business-related positions.

Chinese-language newspaper Macao Daily reported in June that Apple is planning to open a flagship store in Macau, which is located across from Hong Kong, but the news went largely uncovered by mainstream media. At the time, the report claimed that Apple had not finalized a location for the upcoming store.

Apple celebrated the grand opening of its Apple Store in Brussels today, while two new Apple Stores also open in Nanjing, China and Florence, Italy today and September 26 respectively. Apple now operates over 460 retail stores worldwide.

Apple celebrated the grand opening of its newly designed Apple Store in Brussels today with much fanfare, ranging from CEO Tim Cook tweeting to long lineups and media forming around the entrance prior to the doors opening. The store is the first located in Belgium at Avenue de la Toison d'Or in a busy shopping area.

The new Apple Store is the first to feature a next-generation Jony Ive-inspired design with large and virtually seamless curved glass panels on the facade, light boxes extending the length of the ceiling, indoor trees, touch-sensitive sequoia wood tables, new wooden shelves for Beats headphones and other accessories, and a massive digital screen at the back of the store for product marketing.

Apple blog One More Thing was on hand for the Apple Store grand opening in Brussels today and recorded some exciting footage as the doors opened. As with many other grand openings, the day started with a countdown among the hundreds of people lined up outside the store, at which point the doors opened and customers were cheered on by retail employees as they entered.

Apple recently shared a new video that highlights the work of several comic artists in Brussels, which is known for its tradition of comic art, to celebrate the grand opening. The store is open on Monday-Saturday between 10 AM and 7 PM local time and offers a Genius Bar, Workshops and other regular services.

(Thanks, Jan!)