Apple and Parisian fashion boutique Colette are preparing a "one day only experience" on September 30, reports French blog Macplus [Google Translate]. Showcased on Colette's website, the event will be held from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM local time at the retailer's gallery on rue Saint-Honoré in Paris.
Information on what will be shown during the one-day event has not been revealed, but hints from the invitation and Colette's own fashion focus suggest the Apple Watch will be the highlight. The pattern of dots on the promotional image appears very similar to the zoomed-out home screen of the Apple Watch, with each dot representing an app icon.
Apple unveiled the Apple Watch earlier this month alongside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The smartwatch will be available in a variety of configurations, including a high-fashion Edition collection that features an 18-karat gold casing and sapphire crystal display and a Sport collection for fitness enthusiasts. Apple is targeting an early 2015 launch, but the company will reportedly be hard-pressed to make the device available to the public in time for February's Valentine's Day holiday.
Update 8:55 AM: As noted by forum member Rogifan, Apple industrial design team member Mikael Silvanto has posted several photos on his Instagram account yesterday documenting his trip to Paris for Paris Fashion Week. In one photo, a member of the team is shown wearing Apple Watch at a meal, while another photo taken onboard the plane en route to Paris may show Jony Ive and Marc Newson in the background.
Update: Silvanto has made his Instagram photos private.
Last month, it was reported that Apple was in talks with health insurers about its HealthKit tools that officially launched to the public with iOS 8 earlier this month. The report suggested Apple may have been looking to partner with insurers on programs to reward users for maintaining healthy lifestyles and reaching fitness goals as tracked by HealthKit.
One of the insurers mentioned in the report was Humana, which today officially announced integration between its HumanaVitality rewards program and HealthKit. Under the program, members can receive wellness points redeemable for a variety of rewards including fitness equipment, electronics, and movie tickets.
Recent updates to the HumanaVitality app have added HealthKit support to pull in data from wearable devices and Apple's own fitness-oriented tracking features, making it easy for users to document their progress.
The HumanaVitality App, designed to make it easy and simple for consumers to engage with their health, enables users to create and measure specific, personal wellness goals (get active, eat better, lose weight or reduce stress). HumanaVitality rewards members for meeting these goals and for other healthy behaviors, from getting a biometrics screening to taking 10,000 physician-recommended steps a day.
HumanaVitality members who use the HumanaVitality App can upload fitness data from their favorite wearables into Apple Health and earn Vitality Points for hitting their health and fitness milestones.
Following several recent reports on Apple's long-rumored ultra-thin 12-inch notebook, Jack March is now reporting that Apple is indeed working on a 27-inch "5K" Retina iMac with a resolution of 5120 x 2880. According to the report, which MacRumors has reason to believe is based on legitimate information, the machine could launch as soon as next month.
A source familiar with Apple’s plans tells me that Apple is indeed planning to launch a Retina iMac at their next press event, however the 27″ Model will be the only model that gets this feature. The source says the new 27″ iMac will use a 5120 x 2880 panel as leaked in the OSX Yosemite code a few months ago. This resolution is double the current resolution of the 27″ iMac which is 2560×1440.
This new 27-inch Retina iMac would continue to use Haswell processors, topping out at the 4.0 GHz Core i7-4790K, as Intel's next-generation Broadwell processors will not be ready until possibly the middle of next year. The report also claims Apple will be switching to AMD graphics for this new iMac, while the overall design and port configuration would remain the same as the current model.
The report's sources suggest the move to Retina will be limited to the larger 27-inch iMac at this time, with the 21.5-inch model continuing to use the current 1920 x 1080 display.
Rumors of a 27-inch Retina display or iMac from Apple have been circulating for some time, but have picked up steam in recent weeks with a specific claim of a 5K Apple display launching before the end of the year, as well as Dell's own announcement of such a display. With finalization of the DisplayPort 1.3 specification, connectivity will also become easier as that standard rolls out, allowing for single-cable uncompressed video at 5K resolutions.
Update 6:46 AM: 9to5Mac is hearing similar information about Retina iMacs being in "late testing stages" at Apple.
Update 9:00 AM: Re/code's John Paczkowski is also hearing similar word.
Update 10:22 AM: Paczkowski has now included a blurb on the topic in his latest column, quoting a source saying "expect a fall release."
Since it opened in 2006, Apple's iconic glass cube Fifth Avenue retail store in New York has been praised for its design and its ability to attract a large amount of customers daily. Now, author Vicky Ward (via ifoAppleStore) has shared new details about the store's beginnings on the plaza of the General Motors Building in her book The Liar's Ball: The Extraordinary Saga of How One Building Broke the World's Toughest Tycoons.
Ideas for a store on Fifth Avenue originally began in November 2003 when former Apple CEO Steve Jobs met with property mogul Harry Macklowe after being connected through Apple's former Vice President of Real Estate George Blankenship. Jobs initially wanted a store that "would be open 24/7", and worked with architects from architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson who designed Apple's store in SoHo, Manhattan.
It was at that point where Jobs, Macklowe, and the designers thought of placing a square glass cube in an unused basement within the GM Building's Plaza:
What happened next has long been the subject of speculation and some dispute: Who came up the idea of placing a 30‐foot square glass cube — the world’s “smallest skyscraper” — in the middle of the GM Building plaza? In that lightbulb moment, an unused basement that had caused headaches for its owners for more than 40 years morphed into what is arguably the most famous retail space in the world.
Said Macklowe: “[Jobs] presented to me and I presented to him. He had this cube, which was quite different from what you see there today, and I had a cube that was quite different from what we see today as well. It took us half an hour to make a deal.”
Jobs initially wanted a 40-foot cube, leading the designers to set up a scaffolding mockup of the building. However, once Jobs and other Apple executives went to go see the mockup, all agreed that it was too big and obscured the vision for the store. However, Macklowe also showed off a 30-foot cube built secretly underneath, which caused Jobs and the Apple executives to agree to the size.
From there, Macklowe convinced retailers and a CBS studio residing in the area to move, as construction began while Jobs waited. The store eventually opened on May 19, 2006 to much public attention, and went on to become one of Apple's busiest and most iconic stores.
Macklowe's real estate attorney also later regretted not negotiating a higher "percentage rent" with Apple, which saw his client receiving a portion of the store's profits. Macklowe called the negotiations "horrendously low," and claims that Apple had no idea just how well the store was going to do in business per year.
Jawbone has launched its new Up app for the iPhone, which utilizes Apple's Health app and HealthKit to track and deliver advice based on a user's diet and physical activity. Not to be confused with Jawbone's other Up app, this newest app does not require the company's fitness tracker and works with over a hundred apps and devices, including MyFitnessPal, Strava Running and Cycling, IFTTT, and more.
Information from meals logged throughout the day can be used to help generate nutritional advice, while data from workouts can be used to help set goals for the future. The Up app also allows users to log their sleep, which can be analyzed and used to provide advice on future sleep adjustments. All of the advice generated is powered by Jawbone's Insight Engine, which works with both recorded data and data from the Internet to deliver information on a variety of fitness-related subjects.
The app also includes a number of social functions, including the ability to add friends to a "team" to compare and track fitness scores and goals. Users can also set their own goals within a team and receive notifications when progress is being made. Insights generated by the Up app can also be shared through email, message, Facebook, and Twitter.
Up by Jawbone is a free app for the iPhone and can be downloaded in the App Store. [Direct Link]
With the release of iOS 8, Safari has gained the ability to display Animated PNGs (APNGs). Originally proposed in 2004 as a replacement to animated GIF images, APNGs offers more color and transparency support over GIFs.
The Animated Portable Network Graphics (APNG) file format is a non-standard extension to the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) specification. It allows for animated PNG files that work similarly to animated GIF files, while supporting 24-bit images and 8-bit transparency not available for GIFs. It also retains backward compatibility with non-animated PNG files.
The APNG specification, however, was rejected by the PNG group in 2007, so support for the format has been rather limited. In fact, the format has been declared dead due to the lack of official adoption. Firefox was the only major browser that provided standard support for APNG, until iOS 8.
The beach ball image in this article is animated when viewed in iOS 8 or Firefox. Edit: and OS X Yosemite.
AT&T today announced that it is launching a new limited-time promotion for its Mobile Share Value Plans, offering double the amount of data for new and existing customers with monthly data plans of 15GB or more.
Under the promotion, customers with monthly shared data plans of 15GB will now be receiving 30GB of data, while those on 20GB, 30GB, 40GB, and 50GB plans will see an increase to 40GB, 60GB, 80GB, and 100GB of data, respectively. In order to receive the promotion, new and existing customers must sign up by October 31.
The promotional pricing applies to new and existing customers who buy a phone under the AT&T Next early upgrade program, and also includes those who bring their own smartphone or purchase one at full price. In addition to data, the plans include unlimited talk, text, and international messaging.
The move follows an announcement from Sprint last month that offers 20GB of shared data plus an additional 2GB of data per line for $100 a month to new customers switching from other carriers. Additionally, Sprint is offering up to $350 (via Visa Prepaid Card) to cover early termination fees for users switching from other carriers.
Apple may be looking to launch the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in China on October 10, according to an internal Apple retail employee memo shared by Techweb (Google Translate). The memo also states that "prototype" iPhone 6 units will be put on store shelves starting October 7, allowing customers to experience both models before their launch three days later.
It was reported earlier this month that Apple received one out of the two regulatory licenses needed to sell the iPhone 6 in China. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is said to be performing the review, and would need to give Apple a critical regulatory license before the device goes on sale
Meanwhile, a report from Bloomberg states that the country's largest carrier, China Mobile, would be taking steps to eliminate $2 billion in smartphone subsidies for customers. The move would double the total cost of handsets like the iPhone over two years, with the up-front cost of the device decreasing while service contracts increase
China has become a growing market for Apple throughout the past few years, as the company has opened a variety of newstores and pushed iPhone sales through China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, which are country's three biggest carriers. An October launch for the iPhone 6 in China would also be positive for Apple's important holiday quarter, which usually sees the company pushing to increase its sales in all of its markets before the end of the year.
Just a day after Apple issued its first statement regarding the ongoing complaints that the iPhone 6 Plus bends in user pockets, Consumer Reports has released its test results for how "bendable" Apple's new phones are. In summary, the results show that the new phones are far stronger than what some testimonies have suggested in the past few days.
To test the phones, Consumer Reports put them through the "three-point flexural test", which has the phone supported at two ends and has pressure applied at a third point, alongside competitors like the HTC One (m8), Samsung Galaxy Note 3, LG G3 and iPhone 5.
Consumer Reports' tests pushed the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus much further than [Apple's test of 55 pounds of force]. We started light, applying 10 pounds of force for 30 seconds, then releasing the force. Then we upped the force in 10-pound increments, noted when the phones first started to deform (that's what our engineers call it) and stopped the test for each phone when we saw the screen come loose from the case.
The results showed that the 6 Plus was actually stronger than the iPhone 6, starting to deform at 90 pounds of force and having its screen and case separate at 110 pounds of force. The iPhone 6 started to deform at 70 pounds of force and started coming apart at 100 pounds of force. The HTC One (m8) performed the worst in Consumer Reports' test, deforming at 70 pounds of force and coming apart at 90 pounds of force.
iPhone 6 Plus after Consumer Reports' test
The LG G3 deformed even at low levels of force and started to come apart at 130 pound, while the iPhone 5 deformed at 130 pounds of force and came apart at 150 pounds. Similar to the LG G3, the Galaxy Note 3, deformed under even low levels of force and came apart at 150 pounds. Consumer Reports notes that while other phones, like the iPhone 6 and HTC One, were still functioning after deforming and coming apart, the Note 3 stopped working right away.
Overall, the magazine notes that while none of the phones they tested were indestructible, all devices tested should hold up fine under everyday use.
Apple has opted to equip the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus with two separate accelerometers, as discovered in Chipworks' comprehensive iPhone 6 and 6 Plus teardown. There's a three-axis Bosch BMA280 accelerometer and what Chipworks believes is a MPU-6700 six-axis accelerometer from InvenSense.
According to Chipworks, Apple may have decided to incorporate two accelerometers into the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to both minimize power consumption and "improve the overall user experience."
The InvenSense accelerometer has a range of functions, allowing it to operate in several different modes, but it can draw more power than the Bosch accelerometer due to its higher sensitivity. The maximum sensitivity of the InvenSense is at 16684 LSB/g, much higher than the Bosch's 4096.
The InvenSense device can operate as a six axis inertial sensor, or as either a three-axis gyroscope or a three-axis accelerometer. It is rated to consume 3.4 mA in the six-axis mode, 3.2 mA in the gyroscope mode and 450 µA in the accelerometer normal mode. By contrast, the Bosch device operates as a 3-axis accelerometer only and it consumes 130 µA of current in the accelerometer normal mode. Both devices offer two low power levels of operation for the accelerometer function. The InvenSense device actually consumes less current in its lowest power mode, with a 1 Hz update rate.
The main benefit of the InvenSense is full six-axis integration of the data by the on-chip digital motion processor (DMP). This will provide a direct benefit for gaming and other applications that need sophisticated inertial sensing capabilities. In addition the InvenSense provides significantly higher sensitivity than the Bosch device. The price however, is higher power consumption.
The Bosch accelerometer is able to operate at a lower power than the InvenSense and it has a "much faster" cold start up time, at 3ms compared to 30ms, allowing it to be used when complete six-axis integration is unnecessary. Chipworks speculates that it may be used for tasks where higher sensitivity is unneeded, perhaps for rotating the screen from landscape to portrait mode or for pedometer functionality.
According to Chipworks, the inclusion of two accelerometers in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is an example of Apple's "elegant engineering." A single InvenSense accelerometer would have enabled the device to work perfectly well, but the addition of the Bosch accelerometer allows for lower power consumption in the appropriate situations.
Apple Pay is Apple's new mobile payments service, which it first debuted in September alongside the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch. Apple Pay is expected to become widely available to consumers beginning in October, and ahead of its official release, we've gathered everything that's currently known about the service into a roundup so users can get an idea of what to expect.
With Apple Pay, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners will be able to make payments for goods and services with their iPhones, both in stores and within participating apps, using the NFC chip built into the devices. While Apple Pay will initially be restricted to iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners, iPhone 5, 5c, and 5s users will also be able to take advantage of the service if they purchase an Apple Watch after it is released.
Apple has described Apple Pay as the most secure payment solution available, as it uses Device Account Numbers rather than storing credit card numbers and keeps all payment information in a dedicated chip on the iPhone, called the Secure Element.
All payments are verified using Touch ID, which prevents someone who has stolen a device to make unauthorized purchases. Furthermore, if an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus is stolen, its ability to make payments can be disabled through Find My iPhone.
Apple has said that Apple Pay will be available beginning in October, enabled through an upcoming update to iOS 8.
The Apple Pay roundup, like all of our other roundups is accessible through a dedicated index page that shows a full list of all available roundups ordered by most recent update. The roundup is also accessible directly through the "Roundups" tab in the top navigation bar on all MacRumors pages.
As of today, Apple has stopped signing the iOS 7.1.2 firmware, which will prevent users from downgrading from iOS 8 back to iOS 7 (via iClarified). This means that users who are unhappy with the changes that iOS 8 have brought or unsatisfied with bugs introduced with the update will be unable to downgrade back to iOS 7.1.2.
Apple's decision to stop signing iOS 7.1.2 is not unusual, as the company often stops signing prior versions of iOS shortly after the release of a new version of iOS. iOS 8, the latest Apple mobile operating system, was released to the public on September 17.
iOS 7.1.2 does, however, remain available for iPhone 4 users, as the iOS 8 operating system can only be installed on the iPhone 4s and later.
Released on June 30, iOS 7.1.2 is the latest version of iOS 7, which included minor bug fixes, security improvements, and a fix for an email attachment encryption issue.
We've partnered with GameAgent this week to offer MacRumors readers a great deal on one of the best Mac games around -- Civilization V. From now until Sunday, readers can get Sid Meier's Civilization V: The Complete Edition for just $12.50, which is 75% off the standard price of $49.99.
The Civilization V Complete Edition includes the original game plus two expansion packs: Gods & Kings and Brave New World, along with the released add-on content.
As for Macs, there are a few limited deals this week, including a low price on the newest low-cost 21.5-inch iMac and some ongoing deals for the 2013 Retina MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. There are also some discounts on select models of the iPad Air and the Retina iPad mini from Best Buy, and finally, we have an array of iPhone 6 cases that can be purchased at low prices, along with a few other iPhone accessories.
iMac
The 1.4GHz/8GB/500GB iMac, which is Apple's newest iMac, is available from Best Buy for $979.99, down from the original price of $1,099. Best Buy has some modest discounts on other iMacs, including the 21.5-inch 2.7Ghz/8GB/1TB model, which is priced at$1,179.99, and the 21.5-inch 2.9Ghz/8GB/1TB model, priced at$1,379.99.
The 27-inch 3.2Ghz/8GB/1TB iMac is available from Best Buy for $1,679.99 and the higher-end 27-inch 3.4Ghz/8GB/1TB iMac is available from Best Buy and Amazon for $1,879.99.
iPad Air and Retina iPad mini
Best Buy is currently offering $100 off all of its Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Air models (with a new two-year contract), and $50 off all of some of its higher-capacity Wi-Fi only iPad Air models. the 32GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air is available for $549.99, while the 64GB Wi-Fi only model is available for $649.99.
Similar to the iPad Air, Best Buy is also offering $50 off of its higher capacity Wi-Fi only Retina iPad mini models, and $100 off all cellular models with a two-year contract. The 32GB Wi-Fi only Retina iPad mini can be purchased for $449.99, and the 64GB version is available for $549.99.
Best Buy is also currently running a promotion that lets customers trade in older iPads (except for the first-generation model) for a $150 gift card.
Mac Mall has a small selection of Retina iPad minis on sale, offering the 32GB Wi-Fi only model in silver for $399.99, and the 64GB Wi-Fi only model in space gray for $499.99.
MacBook Air
B&H Photo is continuing to offer rock bottom prices on remaining inventory of the 2013 MacBook Air. The 1.3Ghz/4GB/128GB 11-inch MacBook Air is available for $819, while the 1.3Ghz/4GB/256GB 11-inch MacBook Air is available for $889 and the 1.3Ghz/4GB/256GB 13-inch MacBook Air is available for $999.
Retina MacBook Pro
There are some deals on remaining 2013 Retina MacBook Pros. The 2.4Ghz/4GB/128GB 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is available for $1,099 from Adorama and B&H Photo. The 2.6Ghz/8GB/512GB 13-inch model is available for $1,549 from Adorama and B&H Photo. The 2.0Ghz/8GB/256GB 15-inch model is available for $1,599Amazon, Adorama, and B&H Photo. The 2.0Ghz/16GB/512GB 15-inch model is available for $2,199 from Amazon, Adorama, and B&H Photo.
The non-Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro is also on sale for $999 from Best Buy, Adorama, and B&H Photo.
Mac Pro
Stock configurations of Apple's Mac Pro desktop computer are available at slightly discounted prices from several retailers this week. The 6-core 3.5Ghz/16GB/256GB machine can be purchased for $3,739.99 from Best Buy, Adorama, and B&H Photo, while the 4-core 3.7Ghz/12GB/256GB machine for $2,839.99 from Best Buy, Adorama, and B&H Photo.
B&H and Adorama, as always, are a good choice for buyers who live outside of New York and New Jersey, as the sites only charge sales tax in those states.
Groupon has pre-orders available for a range of different iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cases at very low prices. The MogoLife Protective case for iPhone 6 or 6 Plus can be purchased for $9.99 or $11.99, down from $29.95. The Abyss Tough Armor Rugged Case for the iPhone 6 can be purchased for $11.99, down from $29.99. The Prolix Slim Armor Protective Case for the iPhone 6 is also available for $11.99, down from its normal price of $29.99.
The Incase Hammered Hardshell Case for the 11-inch MacBook Air is available for $12.99 from Groupon, down from $59.95. Groupon is also offering the Jawbone Jambox Wireless Bluetooth Speaker for $89.99, down from $150. The LifeProof frē Case for the iPad mini is available for $32.99, down from $99.
Earlier this year, Apple was rumored to be adding support for high-definition audio playback in iOS 8 and shipping new EarPods with the iPhone 6 in order to support this 24bit/96kHz standard. Apple ultimately made no such announcements for iOS 8 or the iPhone 6, and Mashable has now confirmed with some testing that Apple's latest iPhone 6 does not currently support high definition audio playback.
With the help of audio testing expert David Ranada, Mashable tested several sample .wav files encoded at a 96kHz sampling rate with 24 bits per sample. The tracks were played using third-party apps such as Onkyo's HF music player and recordings were made through the headphone jack to determine the quality of the audio output.
The results show that iPhone 6 does not yet support HD audio playback, even though the audio hardware inside the phone may be capable of 24bit/96kHz output. According to teardown analyses, Apple's iPhone 6 includes the custom made Cirrus Logic 338S1201 chip, which is likely the successor to the Cirrus Logic CS42L61 chip used in previous iPhone models. Though also a custom build, the older CS42L61 chip is part of Cirrus Logic's CS42L51 family, which supports 24bit/96kHz HD audio.
It's hard to conceive of Apple either creating a custom chip that's less capable than the equivalent off-the-shelf component, let alone downgrading the audio capabilities of the iPhone's DAC in subsequent generations. So it stands to reason the DAC on board the iPhone 6 is capable of sampling 24-bit/96kHz audio.
It's possible, however, that Apple could later update iOS 8 with support for HD audio and enable the playback of hi-res music through the iPhone's headphone jack. Apple is accepting 24bit/96kHz uploads from musicians and is allegedly preparing to enable high-definition 24-bit downloads from iTunes.
Customers who want HD audio sooner will have to look at Lightning-equipped audio devices such as the recently announced Fidelio M2L headphones from Philips. The Fidelio M2Ls will connect to an iPhone or iPad via the Lightning port and will support 24-bit audio using an internal DAC and amplifier built into the headphone unit.
Just before the public launch of iOS 8 earlier this month, Apple removed all HealthKit-enabled apps from the iOS App Store due to an last-minute issue with the service. Addressing the issue, Apple promised it was working on a fix with the goal to "have HealthKit apps available by the end of the month". As spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple is now allowing apps with HealthKit features back into the iOS App Store.
One of the first apps to debut with HealthKit today is FitPort [Direct Link], a replacement for the iOS 8 Health app. The fitness dashboard allows users both to view health stats pulled from Apple's Health database and to enter new data manually. Now that Apple is approving these apps, there should be a deluge of new HealthKit-capable apps appearing in the App Store in the coming days.
Apple planned to fix the HealthKit issue with iOS 8.0.1, but problems with cellular connectivity and Touch ID functionality on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices forced Apple to pull the update shortly after release. The company fixed these iOS problems and updated HealthKit in iOS 8.0.2, which was released late Thursday.
Yesterday, it was revealed that security researchers from Red Hat uncovered a major exploit in the "Bash" command shell found in OS X and Linux. Named "Shellshock" by security experts, the exploit allows hackers to gain access to web connected devices and services through the use of malicious code.
Now, an Apple spokesperson (via iMore) has commented on the matter, stating that the majority of OS X users are safe from the exploits and that the company is working to provide a software update for advanced UNIX users:
The vast majority of OS X users are not at risk to recently reported bash vulnerabilities," an Apple spokesperson told iMore. "Bash, a UNIX command shell and language included in OS X, has a weakness that could allow unauthorized users to remotely gain control of vulnerable systems. With OS X, systems are safe by default and not exposed to remote exploits of bash unless users configure advanced UNIX services. We are working to quickly provide a software update for our advanced UNIX users.
The exploit was called "as big as Heartbleed" by security researcher Robert Graham, who was referring to a flaw discovered in the popular open-source software OpenSSL that affected 66% of the Internet earlier this year. Apple eventually announced that Heartbleed did not affect its software or key services, and also released updates for AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule. It is likely that a fix for the Bash exploit will arrive relatively soon for users.
Apple has just released iOS 8.0.2, its second update to iOS 8 designed to fix major issues introduced with iOS 8.0.1, which went out to iPhone owners on Wednesday.
iOS 8.0.2 is available immediately as an over-the-air download and in addition to fixing the cellular issue introduced with iOS 8.0.1, it also includes the bug fixes that were included in the original iOS 8.0.1 update.
After installing iOS 8.0.1 yesterday, many iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users found that their cellular service was disabled and that Touch ID was non-functional. Apple pulled the iOS 8.0.1 update approximately an hour and fifteen minutes after it was first released, but not before numerous iPhone users were able to download the software. The company announced an investigation in the afternoon, and in the evening, released a support document saying iOS 8.0.2 was in the works and directing users to fix the problem via an iTunes restore to iOS 8.
iOS 8.0.1 contained a fix for a major HealthKit issue that was discovered just before the public release of iOS 8, prompting Apple to remove all HealthKit enabled apps from the App Store. Following iOS 8.0.1 and iOS 8.0.2, these apps will be able to return to the App Store. The updates also bring fixes for third-party keyboards, Reachability, Photo Library, SMS/MMS messages, and more.
"iOS 8.0.2 is now available for users, it fixes an issue that affected iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who downloaded iOS 8.0.1, and includes improvements and bug fixes originally in iOS 8.0.1. We apologize for inconveniencing the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who were impacted by the bug in iOS 8.0.1."
Update 2: Multiple users in Australia are still reporting both Touch ID and cellular connection issues after installing iOS 8.0.2.
Apple's recent iOS 8.0.1 issue, which saw the update disable the cellular connection and Touch ID functionality on numerous iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, may have links to Apple's 2012 Maps debacle, reports Bloomberg.
According to "people familiar with Apple's management structure," the same mid-level manager was in charge of overseeing quality assurance for both projects, having been moved to the iOS team after being removed from the Maps team.
[The manager] was removed from the maps team after the software gave users unreliable directions and mislabeled landmarks, though he remained in charge of testing for iOS, said one person, who asked not to be identified since the information isn't public.
The employee in question, who has worked at Apple since 2000, is in charge of a team of more than "100 people around the world" responsible for testing the software before it reaches consumers, says Bloomberg.
According to the Bloomberg report, engineers who test the new software often are unable to get the latest iPhones until they are available to customers, "resulting in updates that may not have gone through tests that are are rigorous as those for the latest handsets," and internal issues can also impact Apple's testing, which may explain how such a significant bug got through the testing process.
Internal turf battles also can impact quality testing, according to a former senior manager. Teams responsible for testing cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity will sometimes sign off on a product release, then [the manager's] team will discover later that it’s not compatible with another feature, the person said.
Released yesterday, iOS 8.0.1 contained a critical bug that caused the cellular service and Touch ID on iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices to malfunction. Though the update was pulled after approximately an hour and fifteen minutes after it was first released, numerous iPhone users were able to download the software, which effectively disabled their phones.
Apple announced that it was investigating the situation in the afternoon, and yesterday evening, the company released a support document saying iOS 8.0.2 was in the works and directing users to fix the problem via an iTunes restore to iOS 8.
Apple has seen several issues with iOS 8 in recent weeks, including a major bug with HealthKit that caused the company to pull all HealthKit-enabled apps from the App Store ahead of the public release of iOS 8. Apple promised a quick fix, and iOS 8.0.1 was supposed to repair the issue and allow apps that use HealthKit back into the App Store.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Following several recent reports on Apple's long-rumored ultra-thin 12-inch notebook, Jack March is 
With the release of iOS 8, Safari has gained the ability to display 
As of today, Apple has stopped signing the iOS 7.1.2 firmware, which will prevent users from downgrading from iOS 8 back to iOS 7 (via 
Yesterday, it was 
Apple's recent iOS 8.0.1 issue, which saw the update disable the cellular connection and Touch ID functionality on numerous iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, may have links to Apple's 
