MacRumors

Apple's new first party iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case launched quietly overnight onto the company's online store, and now this morning a handful of sites around the web are publishing reviews for the new accessory. Most reviewers agree that it's time Apple acknowledged the lesser battery life of the 4.7 inch iPhone 6s, when in comparison to its 5.5 inch iPhone 6s Plus alternative, but some still aren't convinced that the case's design, power, and price point are justified.

The Verge appreciated Apple's attempts at expanding the case's functionality beyond a simple battery extension, like its built-in antennas to improve cellular performance or the iOS integration that showcases the accessory's current battery level. Still, the site had issues with the protruding lump on the back of the case and the fact that it doesn't fully charge a dead iPhone from 0 to 100 percent due to its slightly weaker (when in comparison to comparable third party cases) 1,877 mAh battery.

The Verge also noted that the Smart Battery Case doesn't allow users to choose when the case begins or ends charging, it just starts the moment you plug the iPhone 6s into the case's Lightning adapter, perhaps a downside for more intensive iPhone users. In the end, they noted that casual, passive users who want to stay within the Apple family will get what they need out of the case, but that there are cheaper alternatives with more battery life selling points on the market.

Apple’s smart battery case is good, then, if you want a softer case or a "passive" battery charging experience, with zero control over or understanding of how the case actually charges your phone. Maybe that’s what Apple is hoping: that buyers of this thing will slip it on and never take it off, charging their iPhones entirely through the case’s Lightning port going forward, forgetting about its big ol’ bump in the back. They will be pleased, finally, with their iPhone 6’s or 6S’s battery life, and the memory of spending an extra $99 for it, rather than having it just work that way in the first place, will eventually fade away.

It’s fine if you don’t want exterior indicator lights, or a even a case that gives you a 0 to 100 percent charge. After all, this one was designed for the iPhone, by the same company that made your iPhone. For some people, that’s a big draw.

As opposed to The Verge's dislike over any lack of outward LED indicator lights regarding the Smart Battery Case's charge level, The Wall Street Journal appreciated Apple's attempt at discreetness. The site was overall more positive on the new product, noting that while the case's fully charged battery only brought an iPhone from 0 to 83 percent, it still provided about 5 hours more use time in a standard looping video battery test and alleviated most battery life quibbles the reviewer had with the iPhone 6s previously.

After five days of living with the Smart Battery Case wrapped around my iPhone, I no longer feel so powerless. Even better, Apple fixes many of the issues I’ve had with cases over the years. It uses the same Lightning cable as the iPhone to charge, and it tells you how much power is remaining right on the phone’s screen. Besides, the case doesn’t feel like the stuff plastic forks are made of.

For all its virtues, the Smart Battery Case is still a Band-Aid for Apple’s iPhone battery problem. We need longer-lasting batteries and easier ways to charge them—not silly battery backpacks. I plan to spend the $99, but I hope one day the Smart Battery Case will just be an artifact from a time before iPhones could run for days.

Engadget admitted to disliking the design of the case's battery bump upon initially viewing it, but grew to become familiar with the battery protrusion. The site noted that while some may dislike the visual design of the accessory, it "isn't cumbersome" to hold for extended periods of time and is "actually pretty comfortable," although the usual stickiness of silicone in tight jean pockets will remain an issue for some. In a similar vein to other reviews, Engadget ended with stating that those tied into the Apple ecosystem will benefit from the Smart Battery Case's iOS integration, but most others can find cheaper alternatives.

Apple's first battery case works, and it works well. Here's the rub, though: There are plenty of cheaper, more capacious options, and some of those are prettier too. What the Smart Battery Case offers over its rivals is a sense of cohesiveness that stems from Apple controlling both the hardware and software experience. The convenience of a Lightning pass-through for easy data transfers and power reminders in iOS might make the case's $99 price worth it for some of you, but everyone else could spend half that on a third-party case.

Those interested in trying out the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case for themselves, or purchasing it for someone as a Christmas present, can visit the Apple online store to order the new accessory. Shipping estimates currently sit at 1-3 business days, and those who live near an Apple Store will be able to select a personal pickup option, as well.

Apple today quietly launched a new iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case that will prolong the smartphone's talk time and internet use up to a total of 25 and 18 hours respectively (via CNET). The case's outside material compares similarly to the company's previous line of silicone accessories, with an added hump sitting in the middle of the backside where the extra battery rests.

Charge your iPhone and battery case simultaneously for increased talk time up to 25 hours, Internet use up to 18 hours on LTE, and even longer audio and video playback.* With the Smart Battery Case on, the intelligent battery status is displayed on the iPhone Lock screen and in Notification Center, so you know exactly how much charge you have left.

As the first official Apple-made iPhone battery case, the new product comes in Charcoal Gray and White color options and costs $99 on Apple's online store. A new feature will allow the case's battery life status to be displayed for users on both the lock screen and in Notification Center, so it's easy to determine how much life the accessory has left. The company also promised that the Smart Battery Case supports all Lightning products, including the iPhone's bundled-in Lightning cable and the official iPhone Lightning Dock.

The company's storefront doesn't specifically disclose the mAH capacity of the Smart Battery Case, aside from the estimated hours given to tasks like talking on the phone and browsing the internet. There's also no version for the iPhone 6s Plus currently announced, but users of last year's 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model may be able to use the new case due to its design similarities to the iPhone 6s.

When Apple Maps first debuted alongside iOS 6, it drew significant criticism for its inaccuracies in mapping data, errors when locating points of interest, lack of transit information and odd 3D mapping imagery. Many users opted not to upgrade to iOS 6 due to the app's flaws, and iOS 6 adoption jumped 29 percent once Google released a native Maps app for Apple's platform. Three years later, Apple tells the Associated Press that Apple Maps is now used three times more than Google Maps on iPhone.

Apple says its mapping service is now used more than three times as often as its next leading competitor on iPhones and iPads, with more than 5 billion map-related requests each week. Research firm comScore says Apple has a modest lead over Google on iPhones in the U.S., though comScore measures how many people use a service in a given month rather than how often.

While a lot of the usage gains for Apple Maps can be attributed to Apple Maps being a built-in app that's the default mapping solution for features like Siri and Mail and third-party apps like Yelp, the AP notes that many users who once spurned by Apple Maps have returned. Additionally, many new iPhone users did not experience the troubles of Apple Maps, instead using the newer, more improved version.

Although Apple now holds the lead in mapping on iOS, Google still dominates among all U.S. smartphone owners, with Google Maps having two times more users than Apple Maps. However, much of this is attributed to Apple Maps only being available on iOS while Google Maps is available on both Android and iOS.

In recent years, Apple has made numerous efforts to improve its mapping service. Apple has purchased companies like GPS firm Coherent Navigation and mapping company Placeable in addition to expanding its in-house teams and making data-sharing deals with companies like Foursquare. The Cupertino company has also beefed up Apple Maps with a fleet of mapping vehicles capturing data and introducing new features like Transit directions and, in the future, indoor mapping.

In total, Apple now gets data "from more than 3,000 sources" for business listings, traffic and more. For its new Transit features, Apple even sent out teams to map out subway entrances and signs.

After long promising to implement CarPlay support in its vehicles, Volvo recently announced that the new 2016 XC90 is the company's first CarPlay-enabled car in the United States, reports CNET.

The new vehicle is equipped with a 9-inch touchscreen in the center console, with the CarPlay interface featured on the bottom half of the screen. Volvo's Sensus Connect controls remain at the top of the screen, offering access to features like directions, media playing, temperature, and more.

A button on the steering wheel brings up Siri, allowing users to compose messages, place phone calls, and access built-in CarPlay apps.

Like most CarPlay vehicles, Volvo owners will need to connect their iPhones directly to the vehicle using the built-in Lightning connector. Volvo has said it will support wireless CarPlay features in the future, but wireless capabilities are not yet available.

All 2016 XC90 vehicles are eligible for CarPlay support. Those who already purchased a 2016 XC90 can make a service appointment with their dealer to get the update installed.

Though CarPlay was first announced in 2014, it's taken many months for car manufacturers to get on board. Late 2015 and early 2016 will see more than a dozen car makers releasing their first vehicles with CarPlay support, and we've compiled a comprehensive list of all upcoming CarPlay cars.

Each December, Apple provides its employees with a special holiday gift to thank them for their contributions to the company and to celebrate the holiday season.

Employees have begun receiving their 2015 holiday gift from Apple, which consists of a set of black and red urBeats earphones from the Beats by Dr. Dre product lineup. Employees were not able to pick a color for their gifted earphones, but the packaging does have special wording: "Thank You 2015."

Apple's black and red urBeats headphones have a retail value of $99.95 and are being distributed to all of its employees around the world.

Last year, Apple employees received a custom Apple-branded Incase backpack, and in the years before that, employees have been gifted things like blankets, water bottles, hoodies, free apps, discounted iTunes gift cards, and more.

Dropbox has announced that it will be shutting down popular email and photo sharing apps Mailbox and Carousel on February 26, 2016 and March 31, 2016 respectively.

Dropbox originally acquired Mailbox in March 2013, and launched Carousel in April 2014. The company says it will be communicating directly with users of both apps in the coming days.

Mailbox users will no longer be able to sign in starting February 26, and Dropbox will disable and delete "Auto-swipe" patterns, return "Snoozed" emails to inboxes and delete all email drafts on that day. Mailbox has posted a FAQ to assist users with the transition.

Carousel timeline photos will remain available in Dropbox, and an export tool will be released early next year to save conversations or shared albums. In the meantime, photos within shared albums can be saved to Dropbox directly from the Carousel app. Carousel has posted a FAQ to help users with the transition.

Dropbox:

The Carousel and Mailbox teams have built products that are loved by many people and their work will continue to have an impact. We’ll be taking key features from Carousel back to the place where your photos live—in the Dropbox app. We’ll also be using what we’ve learned from Mailbox to build new ways to communicate and collaborate on Dropbox (you can see early signs of this focus with Paper).

Mailbox:

…As we deepened our focus on collaboration, we realized there’s only so much an email app can do to fundamentally fix email. We’ve come to believe that the best way for us to improve people’s productivity going forward is to streamline the workflows that generate so much email in the first place.

Carousel:

When we introduced Carousel in April 2014, we believed a standalone app would be a better way to experience photos. We’re proud to have created a photo app that many of you use and love. However, over the past year and a half, we’ve learned the vast majority of our users prefer the convenience and simplicity of interacting with their photos directly inside of Dropbox.

Dropbox users who earned bonus space for using Mailbox or Carousel will retain that storage.

Apple supplier Japan Display plans to begin mass production of OLED displays for future iPhones in spring 2018, according to Japanese website Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun [Google Translate] (via GforGames).

Japan Display executives are reportedly in negotiations with Apple about securing OLED orders for future iPhones, in an effort to compete with existing OLED panel suppliers Samsung Electronics and LG Display.

Japan Display, a joint venture formed in 2012 by Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba, is one of two major LCD display suppliers for current iPhones alongside rival Japanese company Sharp. Apple has used LCD panels for iPhones since the original model launched in 2007.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported last month that iPhones are unlikely to have OLED displays for at least the next three years, and Japanese website Nikkei confirmed that Apple plans to switch to OLED displays for iPhones starting in 2018. Apple may continue to offer some iPhone models with LCD displays to fulfill demand.

OLED displays can provide sharper images, better color accuracy and brighter colors compared to LCD displays, but the technology generally has a shorter lifespan and higher manufacturing costs. Samsung's popular Galaxy-branded smartphones are equipped with AMOLED displays, as is the Apple Watch.

Should these supply chain rumors prove true, the so-called "iPhone 8" could be released in late 2018 as Apple's first smartphone equipped with an OLED display, based on the company's current naming and release cycle.

Over the past couple of days, MacRumors has received several reports from users who have been able to upload music libraries of greater than 25,000 tracks to iTunes Match or Apple Music's similar scan-and-match feature, and Macworld's iTunes expert Kirk McElhearn has also noted a number of reports on his personal blog.

Just ahead of the launch of Apple Music in late June, Eddy Cue revealed on Twitter that Apple was working to raise the matching limit from 25,000 tracks to 100,000 for iOS 9, but the increase did not occur in September when iOS 9 debuted.

MacRumors checked with Cue back in October for an update, and he indicated Apple was "definitely working on it" with the expectation the increase would go live "before the end of the year."

Apple has yet to update its support page on uploading music Apple Music to document the new limit.

Update 12:08 PM, December 6: Eddy Cue has confirmed to MacRumors that Apple has indeed "started rolling out support for 100k libraries."

Verizon yesterday announced that it will begin rolling out support for Wi-Fi Calling next week, starting on Monday with Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. iPhone users will need to wait a bit longer, with an update enabling the feature expected "early next year."

Wi-Fi Calling will initially be available on the Samsung Galaxy S 6 and Samsung Galaxy S 6 Edge and will be rolled out as a software update in phases. Additional Android and iOS devices will receive Wi-Fi Calling capabilities via future software updates expected early next year.

Wi-Fi Calling allows phone calls to be automatically placed over Wi-Fi connections in areas where cellular service is poor, seamlessly transitioning between cellular and Wi-Fi as needed.

Sprint and T-Mobile have supported the feature for some time, and AT&T launched its support in early October. AT&T made waves by claiming Sprint and T-Mobile have been offering the feature illegally, due to Federal Communications Commission requirements for supporting a teletypewriter (TTY) feature for deaf and hard-of-hearing users.

AT&T received its waiver from the FCC just days later, and Verizon followed with its own request, with the FCC approving it several weeks ago. Sprint and T-Mobile have not received waivers from the FCC, but continue to operate Wi-Fi Calling and believe no waiver is required.