MacRumors

Apple is recruiting automotive technology and vehicle design experts to work in a new "top-secret research lab," according to Financial Times. The report adds that a number of Apple designers working under design chief Jonathan Ive have also been regularly meeting with automotive executives and creators in recent months, and even trying to hire them in some cases.

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A team of Apple employees, led by experienced managers from Apple's iPhone unit, are said to be researching automotive products at a secretive location outside of the Cupertino-based company's One Infinite Loop headquarters. The new research lab was allegedly set up late last year, shortly after the unveiling of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.

Financial Times claims that Apple may be developing an advanced software platform that builds upon the CarPlay dashboard system, although its sources claim that the background of the individuals that the iPhone maker is hiring suggests that the company may also be in the early stages of working on a car to compete with the likes of Tesla and Google.

But people familiar with the company said that the background of the people Apple is hiring — including automotive designers and vehicle dynamics engineers — and the seniority of the executives involved suggest a car could be in the works.

“Three months ago I would have said it was CarPlay,” said one person who has worked closely with Apple for many years, referring to Apple’s infotainment system. “Today I think it’s a car.”

Last September, Apple hired former Mercedes-Benz R&D President and CEO Johann Jungwirth. He is listed as Director of Mac Systems Engineering at Apple, although he has a history of working on connected cars, autonomous driving, testing and regulatory affairs and more at Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler, where he had worked since October 1997.
Johann Jungwirth Apple
An increasing amount of speculation has surfaced in recent months about Apple working on a car after a mysterious van leased to the company was spotted in California and a subsequent report claimed that Apple is working on a project that "will give Tesla a run for its money." While the exact focus of Apple's automotive initiative remains unknown, it appears that the company is still in the early stages of research and development.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection which is occurring now, and he is expected to speak for approximately 10 minutes beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, ahead of a presidential address set to take place at 11:15.

The summit is being streamed live on YouTube and can be watched below.


The White House is expected to unveil its next executive action on cybersecurity at today's summit. The event includes tech executives, academics, government officials, with several panels on topics like payment security, and improving cybersecurity practices at consumer oriented businesses.

Update: During his speech at the Summit, Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted Apple's commitment to privacy and security, once again pointing out that Apple makes its money by selling products and services, not by selling personal data.

"Our customer's trust means everything to us," said Cook. "We spent decades working to earn that trust. Privacy and security are built into every one of our products and services." He went on to detail Apple's use of encryption across hardware and software, and its security monitoring, which goes on 24/7. "We set the industry's highest standards," he said. "And we are deeply committed to living up to them."

Apple Pay was a major focal point of the speech, and Cook described how it's far more secure than a plastic card with a magnetic stripe. He also once again pointed out that Apple does not track Apple Pay data and he announced a partnership with the federal government that will see Apple Pay available for many government-related transactions in September, such as admission into a national park. Federal cards issued to veterans and for Social Security payments will also be compatible with Apple Pay.

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Cook also spoke on the importance of government, business, and citizens working together to provide greater privacy and security.

Security and convenience can work in harmony. This is a world of greater privacy and a world where criminals find it much more difficult to carry out their crimes. No single company or organization can accomplish this on its own. We are committed to engaging with the White House and Congress and putting things into action.

When it comes to the rights of customers and citizens, we're all talking about the same people. People have entrusted us with their most personal and precious information and we owe them nothing less than the best protections we can possibly provide by harnessing the technology at our disposal.

We must get this right. History has shown us that sacrificing our right to privacy can have dire consequences.

Cook's speech has ended but can still be viewed via YouTube at the 2:23 mark in the video.

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.

While the Grammy Awards happened last weekend, information on a few Apple-related conversations happening at and around Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party are just now beginning to emerge, reports Billboard. Representing Apple at the gala were Tim Cook, Eddy Cue, Jimmy Iovine and iTunes VP Robert Kondrk, with the Apple executives chatting with a number of music industry representatives during the event.

The party came as Iovine has reportedly been meeting with senior executives from many record labels in recent weeks, and while Billboard reports "a nondisclosure agreement preceded every sit-down," details on some of the discussions are beginning to trickle out. One of the main takeaways appears to be a targeted spring/summer launch window for the revamped Beats Music streaming service the company is said to be integrating with iOS and OS X.

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Left to right: Al Gore, Eddy Cue, Tim Cook, Jimmy Iovine, Nancy Pelosi at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party (Photo via Mashable)

An insider speaking to Billboard claims the Cupertino-based company isn't content just to be in the music business but "to be the music business; it's not to compete with Spotify." Billboard points out that, with new iOS updates in development possibly bringing Beats Music support and the booming popularity of streaming services, the company appears to already be lining up to deal with its digital music problems head-on.

The proof is in the 800 million credit cards it already has on file -- comparably, Spotify has 15 million subscriptions and 60 million monthly users, although the service is growing, headed to an initial public offering.

In fact, integration has begun. Apple TV features a Beats logo, an update to Apple's iOS will include streaming and creative is in the works for new ads starring artists recruited by Iovine. But that may be the extent of Beats' involvement as Kondrk takes the lead on music. Like the Apple-centric design of its offices, the look and feel of Beats is likely to mirror Apple's aesthetic, not the other way around.

Other news out of the talks points to a bit of housecleaning in dealing with iTunes itself, with Apple supposedly planning to rid the store of many covers, soundalikes, and re-recordings. Billboard also reports that the featured ticker seen on the iTunes storefront may lose its editorial-chosen feature and become more sales-based.

Additionally, featured-artist sliders, previously chosen editorially, may now be determined by sales velocity, leaving some to wonder if iTunes is becoming less like a Tower Records and more of a Target -- limited selection and a focus on hit titles. "Until now, iTunes has been good to the indies," contends one vet. Conversely, an Apple source says such case-by-case house-cleaning to eliminate duplicative and deceptive versions is routine.

Despite Apple's challenges in a market where third-party music services can operate fairly freely on Apple's platforms, insiders remain optimistic about Apple's plans, with Davis' son Doug pointing out the company's already hugely popular ecosystem of devices and operating systems helping to launch the new service with a bang. "Their streaming service will see a seamless integration that's cross-platform and convenient, as Spotify has become," Davis said. "As a fan of all-you-can-eat, the industry in general is excited to have more market players."

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Apple introduced an additional layer of security for iPhone, iPad and Mac users in 2013 by rolling out two-step verification for Apple ID accounts. Two-step verification prevents anyone but you from accessing your Apple ID account, even if they know the password, by requiring a four-digit verification code sent via SMS or Find My iPhone on trusted devices. When you enable two-step verification, you must register at least one trusted device capable of receiving SMS text messages.

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Once activated, two-step authentication is required when managing your Apple ID through My Apple ID, signing into iCloud, or making iTunes, iBooks or App Store purchases from a new device. Apple has also expanded two-step authentication to iMessage and FaceTime, requiring users to input an authentication code from a verified device on accounts that have two-factor verification enabled to prevent unauthorized entry attempts through both services.

➜ Click here to read more...

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Candy Crush Saga may have reached peak popularity, with quarterly spending declining over the past eighteen months, but that hasn't stopped the sweet-swapping puzzle game from raking in the cash. Candy Crush Saga players still spent over $1.3 billion on the game in 2014 alone, according to The Guardian, with dollars being used towards in-app purchases such as extra lives, extra moves, color bombs, lollipop hammers and gold bars.

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Candy Crush Saga continues to be the third-highest grossing app in the United States, closely trailed by Candy Crush Soda Saga at sixth overall. The game has gained a cult-like following since launching on the App Store in June 2013, following in the footsteps of other smash-hit games such as Infinity Blade and Angry Birds. The game was most lucrative when it pulled in $551 million during the third quarter of 2013.

The latest financial numbers from King, the developer of the game, reveal that Candy Crush Saga represented 45% of spending on the company's games during the final quarter of 2014, the first quarter in a long time that the iconic title did not make up the majority of its revenue. King has been working to diversify its gaming portfolio so that it relies less on Candy Crush Saga to remain profitable. The company had 356 million monthly unique users playing its games last quarter.

Earlier this week, Apple introduced a new category on the App Store to promote games without in-app purchases. The "Pay Once & Play" section offers a range of titles that are organized into the following categories: Recent Releases, Blockbuster Games, and App Store Originals. Some of the featured titles include Thomas Was Alone, Minecraft - Pocket Edition, Hero Emblems, Threes, Blek, and Goblin Sword.

Fleksy yesterday announced an update to its popular, and record-breaking, third-party iOS keyboard that brings along a slew of new customizable Extensions and Themes, including a few that tie in with the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday this weekend.

The specific Valentine's Day theme will be free to all Fleksy users on February 14, and Fleksy is also introducing a "Heartpops" extension that animates a colorful heart with every keypress.

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In the 5.2 update, the company is also making a few broader additions to expand the Fleksy experience. The most notable additions include a new "Energy Theme Pack" with three brand new themes, a Hotkey Extension that allows users to customize a row of seven keys with their own desired emojis, custom phrases or email addresses, and of course general bug fixes and performance improvements.

FEATURING

- The Energy Theme Pack! Breathe more life into your keyboard with these animated themes.
- The Hotkey Extension! Add a row of customizable keys for things you type often like emojis, symbols or email addresses.
- Heart Pops! Make your keys pop with hearts with this lovely Extension.
- Magic Button! Replace the globe with emoji, a comma, or a dismiss keyboard button in settings. Also, long-press the globe button for more options.
- Case-sensitive layout. Enable this feature in Settings.
- iCloud Sync. Now your dictionary words will sync automatically across your devices.
- More keys have been added to landscape orientation on iPhone (portrait for iPad). You can disable this layout in Settings.

Following the launch of iOS 8 last September and its system-wide support of alternative keyboards, a handful of third-party keyboard apps rocketed to the top of the App Store charts. Fleksy has remained one of the more popular options, with the latest December update bringing a big overhaul to customization options and the introduction of Extensions into the experience.

Fleksy Keyboard can be downloaded from the App Store for $0.99. [Direct Link]

Tag: Fleksy

Apple on Thursday made Pages, Numbers and Keynote accessible to users without an Apple device through iCloud Beta. Starting last night, anyone can sign up for an Apple ID to access the trio of iWork for iCloud beta apps for free. Each account comes with 1GB of complimentary iCloud storage for use with the productivity software.

iCloud iWork Beta
While the offer is currently limited to the iCloud Beta website, it is likely that Apple will rollout the feature to the regular version in the future. To create a free Apple ID account, navigate to iCloud Beta and click on the get started link in the top banner to begin the signup process.

Apple introduced iWork for iCloud at WWDC 2013, bringing Pages, Numbers and Keynote to the web. After receiving "overwhelming response," Apple eventually opened the service to all users a few months later. iWork for iCloud has been steadily improved since then with interactive charts, an updated design, expanded language support and more.

Months after Apple pulled marijuana user social app MassRoots from the App Store on November 4, 2014, the Cupertino company has reversed course and allowed the app in the App Store as long as its geo-restricted to the 23 states where marijuana is legal, MassRoots founder Isaac Dietrich told the San Francisco Chronicle.

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Photo via MassRoots

“A few hours ago, an Apple representative called to notify us that our efforts were successful: the App Store is permitting cannabis social apps that are geo-restricted to the 23 states that have legalized medicinal cannabis. MassRoots is available for download in the App Store,” Dietrich said.

In a blog post on its website, MassRoots notes that it will be "implementing new features to strengthen our compliance even beyond what is currently required."

Currently, the app requires users to login to their account to use the app. When a user registers a new account within the app, it requires location access to verify that the user is in one of the 23 states where marijuana is legal. However, users who register for a MassRoots account on its website and then log into the app do not undergo the state check, opening the possibility for users to lie about which state they're residing in.

Update: MassRoots founder Isaac Dietrich has contacted MacRumors, telling us the company is working on a hard geofence for both its website and Android version of its app. It should be live tomorrow.

The Chronicle notes that MassRoots is one of a dozen marijuana-related companies to see their social media apps pulled from the App Store. While MassRoots was able to reach a deal with the Cupertino company, the others are still in discussions.

MassRoots for iPhone is available in the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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.

Apple has been rejecting a number of apps with screenshots that depict violence or guns from being released or updated on the App Store, as reported by Pocket Gamer. As a result, developers have been forced to modify their app screenshots to either completely remove or blur any violent materials in order to get through the approval process.

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Tempo [Direct Link] screenshot with a blurred gun to adhere to Apple's guidelines

Apple has long required developers to ensure all front-facing App Store materials are appropriate for children, although it has been more aggressively enforcing its stance against violent screenshots in recent weeks. Earlier today, Instapaper developer Marco Arment pointed towards language in the App Store Review Guidelines that clearly spells out Apple's kid-friendly requirements.

"The App Store has parental controls and requires all apps to bear age-appropriate content ratings. While violence, etc. has always been permitted in apps, Apple has always required that all app metadata — title, description, icon, and screenshots — be kid-proof with the lowest rating. [...] It’s right there in the rules: 3.6 Apps with App icons, screenshots, and previews that do not adhere to the 4+ age rating will be rejected"

Despite cracking down on violent imagery, Apple told The Loop that it is being more liberal as of late in terms of what images and screenshots it permits to be shown on the App Store.

"I spoke with Apple about this today and they told me the company is being more liberal lately with what it allows in the App Store for images and screenshots. I don’t know the specifics of individual games, but overall, Apple is being more lenient of late."

Nevertheless, it is clear that Apple has been quite inconsistent with enforcing its App Store review guidelines over the years. Look no further than Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour [Direct Link], which heavily features violence in its promotional images. Developers have expressed frustration over strict guidelines since the App Store launched in 2008, but Apple remains committed to exercising fine-tuned control over the storefront to ensure the best experience possible for all users.

"We're really trying our best to create the best platform in the world for you to express your talents and make a living too. If it sounds like we're control freaks, well, maybe it's because we're so committed to our users and making sure they have a quality experience with our products. Just like almost all of you are, too."

The tighter enforcement comes on the heels of Apple increasing the maximum app size from 2GB to 4GB. Developers that have apps rejected for sensitive content are permitted to resubmit for approval after making the necessary changes.

Seagate debuted several new products at CES this year, including the candy-colored Seagate Wireless portable hard drive and the Seagate Personal Cloud, a NAS (network attached storage) option for home users, but the company's most attention-grabbing offering was the Seagate Seven.

Described as the world's thinnest 500GB portable hard drive, the USB 3.0 Seagate Seven is only 7mm thick, as its name implies, which means it easily fits into a pocket or purse, and it's fairly affordable at $99.

What's in the Box?

The Seagate Seven ships in a slim, padded box that contains the hard drive, a black fabric-covered USB cord to connect the drive to a computer, and a Quick Start Guide.

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Design

Seagate describes the Seven as the culmination of 35 years of experience creating hard drives. Inside the Seven is Seagate's ultra thin 5mm hard drive, which is encased in 2mm of 100 percent stainless steel for protection.

At first glance the Seagate Seven might be mistaken for an internal drive due to its slimness and its industrial design, but it is a standalone portable drive. Without touching the Seven, it can be hard to imagine just how thin it is, but if you own an iPhone 6 or an iPhone 6 Plus, that is a good approximation of thickness.

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At 7mm, the Seven is slightly thicker than the 6.9mm iPhone 6 and slightly thinner than the 7.1mm iPhone 6 Plus. It weighs 6.3 ounces (178 grams), which makes it just about the same weight as the 6.07 ounce iPhone 6 Plus (172 grams).

The Seven is 4.8 inches tall and 3.2 inches wide, which means it fits in a pocket as well as the iPhone 6 Plus. In the simplest of terms, it's really, really thin.

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Its stainless steel design is simple but may not be appealing to all people due to its minimal, unfinished look, and it's worth noting that the casing has a tendency to attract fingerprints. The drive itself feels well-built and it can withstand scratches and wear and tear, but it's still susceptible to drops.

➜ Click here to read more...

Apple's two-step verification system now covers FaceTime and iMessage, reports The Guardian. Signing into an iMessage or FaceTime account protected by two-step verification will ask users to input an app specific password, which can only be obtained by logging in to an Apple ID account on the web with an authentication code, thereby preventing any unauthorized login attempts.

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Two-factor verification is an opt-in system that was first introduced in March of 2013 to increase the security of Apple ID accounts. Prior to today, a verification code was only required for making changes to an account, signing into iCloud, or making iTunes/App Store purchases from a new device.

Two-factor authentication for iCloud is a recent addition that was implemented in September following the breach of several celebrity iCloud accounts, leading to a slew of leaked photos. The hacking incident led Apple to improve the security of iCloud and it also prompted the company to send out security emails when a device is restored, iCloud is accessed, or a password change is attempted.

Last month, a Medium post highlighting some of the remaining shortcomings of two-factor authentication was shared by several technology sites, which may have inspired Apple to update the service to protect iMessage and FaceTime accounts. The post pointed out that it was still possible to log into iMessage, FaceTime, iTunes, the App Store, and into the website using an account with two-factor authentication enabled without being asked for a verification code.

It seems two-factor authentication for iMessage and FaceTime may still be rolling out to users, as MacRumors was able to log into iMessage and FaceTime accounts with two-factor authentication enabled without a code.

Update: Two-factor authentication for iMessage and FaceTime seems to be more widely available now, and it appears that logging into an account requires an app specific password rather than a code to prevent unauthorized entry attempts.

Apple today made one of its weekly updates to the App Store, adding a new featured category that highlights "Pay Once & Play" games in the App Store. As noted by MacStories, the section includes a list of popular game titles that do not include in-app purchases. The new feature has appeared in European App Stores already and should be making its way to other countries as the weekly update propagates.

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"Pay Once & Play" offers a range of titles that are organized into the following categories: Recent Releases, Blockbuster Games, and App Store Originals. Some of the featured titles include Thomas Was Alone, Minecraft - Pocket Edition, Hero Emblems, Threes, Blek, and Goblin Sword.

Games and apps with in-app purchases have gotten Apple into trouble on multiple occasions over the past few years, leading to a 2011 lawsuit and a $32 million settlement with the FTC after children racked up hundreds of dollars in purchases without parental knowledge.

Apple has made several changes to the App Store since the original lawsuit was filed. Apps with in-app purchases are clearly labeled, Apple obtains express permission for an in-app purchase in the form of a pop up, and it notifies users that making an in-app purchase authorizes additional in-app purchases for 15 minutes.

Most recently, Apple changed the "Free" wording on purchase buttons to "Get" to make it clear that apps with in-app purchases are not truly free.

Update 1:37 PM: The new feature has hit the U.S. App Store and includes a slightly different set of apps. A few titles such as Threes! and Thomas Was Alone that are featured in Europe are not on the U.S. version, while U.S. users will see other titles such as Dark Echo and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

testflightApple on Thursday announced TestFlight Groups, a new feature that gives developers more control over organizing external beta testers into groups. TestFlight Groups enables developers to distribute specific builds of pre-release apps, deliver separate instructions for focus areas and apply an action to multiple testers at once

Now it’s easier than ever to manage external testers in TestFlight. Organize your testers into groups to quickly send specific builds, provide separate instructions on where to focus, and apply an action to several testers at once in TestFlight.

TestFlight is a beta testing service provided through iTunes Connect, allowing for registered developers to iron out any significant bugs or issues in their apps before making them available on the App Store. Following the integration of TestFlight into iTunes Connect last September, Apple recently confirmed that it will be shutting down the standalone TestFlight website on February 26.

appstoreApple today announced that it is increasing the maximum app size from 2GB to 4GB, letting developers release apps that are up to 4GB in size. The extended limits will likely be useful for high-quality game titles that need the extra space to introduce improved graphical effects or longer playtimes.

The size limit of an app package submitted through iTunes Connect has increased from 2 GB to 4 GB, so you can include more media in your submission and provide a more complete, rich user experience upon installation. Please keep in mind that this change does not affect the cellular network delivery size limit of 100 MB.

Apple's 2GB size limit has been in place since the App Store first launched, so today's new 4GB limit marks the first-ever size increase. The 2GB size limitation has prevented some games from being available on the App Store, such as Final Fantasy VII. In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said that a version of Final Fantasy VII was "years away" due to the 2GB iOS app size limit.

Over the last several years, as iPhone and iPad displays have improved in quality, developers have needed to increase the size of app assets to create content suitable for Retina screens. The new 4GB limit will give developers more freedom when it comes to content creation and it also paves the way for higher-resolution displays that may require even larger apps.

Though the maximum app size has increased to 4GB, Apple is still enforcing the 100MB over-the-air download limit introduced in 2013.

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, retailers are offering some decent discounts on the iPad and the iPhone, and there are some deals on the MacBook Air and the Retina MacBook Pro.

Many online sites are also giving customers limited time site wide deals on a range of Apple accessories in honor of the holiday, so if you need a last minute gift, make sure to check out this week's Buyer's Guide.

iPhone

Target is offering a $30 discount on its stock of Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, dropping the price of the entry-level 16GB iPhone 6 to $169.99 (with 2-year contract).

All iPhone 6 and 6 Plus purchases will also come with an additional $30 Target gift card. The promotion expires on February 14.

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iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3

Target is offering a $50 Target gift card with the purchase of any iPad Air 2 or iPad mini 3, along with a $20 discount on the purchase of MS Office 365. iPad Air 2 prices start at $499 and iPad mini 3 prices start at $399.

The gift card with purchase deal will be available until 11:59 PM PT on February 14.

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Best Buy is offering a straight $50 discount on its entire stock of iPad Air 2 models dropping the price of the entry-level Wi-Fi only 16GB iPad Air 2 to $449. Best Buy is also offering $50 off its 16GB iPad mini 3 models, both cellular and Wi-Fi, dropping the price of the entry-level Wi-Fi only model to $349.

B&H Photo is also offering discounts of up to $50 on its stock of iPad Air 2 models and discounts of $10 to $30 on its stock of iPad mini 2 and iPad mini 3 tablets.

Retina MacBook Pro

- 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/128GB (Adorama) - $1,189, $100 off
- 13-inch 2.6GHz/8GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (B&H Photo) (Adorama) - $1,399, $100 off
- 13-inch 2.8GHz/8GB/512GB (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,599, $200 off
- 15-inch 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB (Adorama) - $1,769.99, $230 off
- 15-inch 2.5GHz/16GB/512GB - (Adorama) - $2,219.99, $280 off

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MacBook Air

- 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama)- $819, $50 off
- 11-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) - $999, $100 off
- 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/128GB (B&H Photo (Adorama) - $919, $80 off
- 13-inch 1.4GHz/4GB/256GB (B&H Photo) (Adorama) - $1,099, $100 off

macbook_air_yosemite_roundup

Non-Retina iMac

- 21.5-inch 1.4Ghz/8GB/500GB (Adorama) - $1,019, $80 off
- 21.5-inch 2.7GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) - $1,189, $110 off
- 21.5-inch 2.9GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) - $1,389, $100 off
- 27-inch 3.2GHz/8GB/1TB (Adorama) - $1,689, $110 off
- 27-inch 3.4GHz/8GB/1TB (Amazon) (B&H Photo) - $1,799, $200 off

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Mac Pro

- 8-core 3.0GHz/32GB/512GB/FirePro D700 Mac Pro (MacMall) - $6,149, $650 off

Apps

As always, there are quite a few apps that are on sale at discounted prices or available for free for a limited time. We'll highlight a few here, but make sure to check out our sister site AppShopper for a complete list.

Board game Ticket to Ride is available for $2.99 this week, down from $6.99. Note Rocket sketchpad is available for free, down from $1.99. WeatherPro is available for $0.99, down from $2.99. Pomodoro Time is available for free this week, down from $1.99. Those Days is available for free, down from $2.99.

Apple Accessories

Groupon is selling the Griffin GuitarConnect Cable for iOS devices for $19.99, down from $29.99. The 'Prep Pad' Smart Food Scale and Nutrition Tracker is available from StackSocial for $112, down from $149.

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Beats by Dre Solo2 headphones are available for $159.99 from Groupon, down from $199. StackSocial is selling the Sesame 2 Wireless Auto-Lock for Mac for $29.99, $10 off the regular price. A refurbished Mophie powerstation duo or PRO is available for $39.99 from Groupon, down from $99.

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MacMall is selling a refurbished LaCie Rugged 1TB Thunderbolt hard drive for $89.99, $110 off the regular price. MacMall also has a refurbished 2TB Quadra LaCie hard drive for $119.99, $80 off the regular price.

Fluxmob, a site that sells super portable Bolt 3,000 mAh portable batteries is offering 20 percent off site wide through February 15. iPhone accessory maker Speck is offering 20 percent off site wide through today with the promo code SWEETHEART.

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Incase is offering a 40 percent off coupon code for its online store when signing up for the company newsletter. Cablejive, a site with a range of iPhone chargers and cables, is offering 20 percent off site wide with the coupon code LOVE.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.

NBC Entertainment today launched a "Saturday Night Live" app which allows fans to browse a catalog of the show's entire forty season-run, eventually learning each user's particular tastes and favorites and subsequently curating videos and sketches for them to view (via Entertainment Weekly).

The app launches a few days before the show's big 40th season premiere this Sunday, and NBC promises the impressive app contains nearly every single sketch the show has done over the decades it's been on the air, amounting to about 5,500 sketches from 800 episodes. The network also says it'll keep the app updated beyond the 40th season premiere with new skits and moments from the newest episodes being uploaded to the app following each new episode of the season.

NBC
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the app is that, once it gets a feel for the kind of sketches, music videos, and parody commercials a user enjoys watching, it'll begin personalizing the experience for each user. Those wanting to search for particular sketches, actors, or characters can do just that, too, if looking for a particular aspect of the long-running sketch comedy show.

One of the current cast members, Kyle Mooney, voiced behind-the-scenes support of the app, telling Entertainment Weekly the cast and crew plans to use the app to more efficiently research past sketches when working on new material for the show. As a plus, the SNL app also comes with a keyboard that, when granted access within an iPhone's General settings tab, allows users to send SNL-themed emojis to friends.

SNL can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Update: As several readers have pointed out, the app appears to be U.S.-only.

Tags: NBC, SNL

tim_cook_headshot_glassesA new report out of Israel-based business newspaper Calcalist [Google Translate] claims Apple CEO Tim Cook is planning to make a trip to Israel next week to coincide with the grand opening of the company's newest office space in the country. The plans are, however, yet to be finalized.

The project, housed in the beachfront district of Herzliya Pituach, has been ongoing since the middle of 2013, when Apple signed a contract to lease 12,500 square meters of office space in the district.

With the project now completed, Apple is set to house 800 employees in an expanded footprint of 17,000 square meters (183,000 square feet). According to Haaretz, the company's R&D centers in Israel are focused on "storage space, processors and communications chips," so the new Herzliya offices are likely to be tied into those areas.

Apple has two other office spaces in Israel: one much farther out from Herzliya in Haifa and another within walking distance of the new building in nearby Ra'anana. For that reason, Apple is expected to consolidate the Ra'anana offices into the new building once it's up and running.

As Haaretz noted back in 2013, many believe Apple's continued expansion overseas highlights the company's deep appreciation of foreign markets and its desire to keep the manufacturing of Apple products under as much of its own control as possible.

“Apple is preparing to drop external suppliers and to control its entire production process,” [Explace chairman Shlomo] Gradman said. “This is a company that maintains its secrecy and they’re currently exposed to information going every which way. So it’s buying companies and improving its abilities in the field of microelectronics so that it can control the production process from beginning to end."

“Even though Apple has been active in Israel for only a short time, the company has been impressed by the abilities here."

Apple first began making headway into Israel after purchasing flash memory firm Anobit to gather a few key components of the manufacturing of the iPhone and iPad - namely flash memory performance and reliability - under its own roof. A meeting last year between Cook and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed towards the company's continued interest in Israel's market, despite the specifics of the conversation being kept private.

(Thanks, Hagai!)

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For the last several years, Tactus Technology has been working on displays that take advantage of microfluidic technology, with buttons that raise up and disappear on demand for a superior touchscreen typing experience.

As of today, the company is ready to unveil its first product to the world, an iPad mini case called "Phorm." An all-in-one case, keyboard, and screen protector, Phorm can dynamically add and remove tactile buttons on the iPad mini's screen to add texture to the on-screen keyboard.


As seen in the video above, sliding the bar on the back of the Phorm case to the right causes small fluid-filled physical buttons to pop up on the screen protector portion of the case, giving users a tactile typing experience while still allowing them to use the default iOS keyboard. Shifting the bar to the left causes the buttons to disappear again, allowing the touchscreen to be used as normal.

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Here's how it works: there are a series of small channels filled with fluid behind an elastomeric panel (aka the screen protector portion of the case) and when activated by the slider, pressure is introduced, causing the fluid to come up through the channels and into holes, where it presses against the elastomer, physically changing and morphing the display portion of the case to create buttons. In the opposite slider position, the pressure is released and the buttons disappear as the liquid is dispersed back into the channels.

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According to Tactus Technology CEO Craig Ciesla and CTO Micah Yairi, who spoke to MacRumors ahead of Phorm's launch, the case uses a tiny amount of fluid that poses no harm to an iPad should it be dropped or damaged in some way. In fact, the Tactus team extensively tested the Phorm, performing drop tests, scratch tests, and more, and found that the case and its protective front panel provide solid protection for an iPad and can potentially keep the glass from shattering if dropped.

Ciesla and Yairi said that usability was one of the most important aspects Tactus considered when developing the Phorm case. In internal and third-party testing with people aged 19-70 with a wide range of hand sizes, 70 percent preferred the Tactus solution to a touchscreen.

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The Phorm case is meant to stay on an iPad all the time, alleviating the need to switch cases and accessories regularly to accommodate different tasks. As Ciesla and Yairi pointed out, the Phorm offers several benefits over a Bluetooth keyboard -- there's no battery drain, there's no need to charge it, and it provides access to all built-in iOS keyboard features like word prediction and spell correction, with the addition of tactile feedback for faster typing.

"We built Phorm so tablet users will never again have to choose between thin stylish devices with touchscreens and amazing usability," said Dr. Craig Ciesla, CEO and co-founder of Tactus. "Typing on a flat touchscreen is still a really unnatural user experience. Adding a tactile dimension to an otherwise flat surface changes the way we will interact with all the screens in our lives. This is just the beginning."

The Phorm case for the iPad mini can be pre-ordered today from the Phorm website for the introductory price of $99, and orders are expected to ship in the summer of 2015. There are two colors available -- slate gray, designed for the space gray iPad mini, and sky gray, designed for the silver iPad mini.

Currently, Phorm is only available for the iPad mini, but the Tactus Technology team has plans to launch an Phone 6 Plus Phorm case in the near future. Phorm cases for iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 are also in the product pipeline.

Tag: Phorm