Actor Hank Azaria has signed on to play Apple CEO Tim Cook in upcoming Showtime series "Super Pumped," reports Variety. "Super Pumped" is a series set in Silicon Valley that details the rise of ride-sharing company Uber.
Image via Variety. Image credit: Rob Latour/Variety; Sipa USA via AP
Hank Azaria is known for his roles in movies like "Mystery Men," "Godzilla," "The Smurfs," and "America's Sweethearts." He has also starred in TV shows that include "Ray Donovan," "Huff," "Mad About You," and "Brockmire."
"Super Pumped" is planned as an anthology, and the first season will focus on Uber. The show is based on Mike Isaac's "Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber" book that focuses on Uber founder Travis Kalanick and the "roller-coaster ride of the upstart transportation company."
In the series, Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play Travis Kalanick, and Kyle Chandler will play his mentor Bill Gurley.
Nanoleaf today announced the addition of Thread Border Router technology to the Nanoleaf Shapes and Elements Controllers, with the functionality available through a firmware update in the Nanoleaf app.
With the Nanoleaf Border Router, Nanoleaf Essentials devices will be able to connect to the Thread network automatically when the Shapes or Elements Controller is connected to WiFi.
Nanoleaf is also partnering with Eero for similar capabilities. The Eero Pro, Eero Beacon, Eero Pro 6, and Eero 6 will function as Border Routers with the Nanoleaf Essentials line. Eero will expand compatibility with other products in the future.
Nanoleaf is one of the first companies bringing Thread Border Routers to the HomeKit network, making Thread technology available to other Thread-based smart home devices.
Thread technology is designed to improve the smart home networking and usage experience. Thread is a networking protocol designed for smart home products, and it offers improved connectivity, reliability, and range compared to the single connection points of Bluetooth and WiFi. Border Router technology connects a Thread network to another network like WiFi and is essential for the Thread system.
With Thread Border Router functionality built into the Nanoleaf Shapes Controller, Elements Controller, and Eero routers, there is no need for an extra hub because these devices serve as a bridge to connect the WiFi network and the Thread network together.
Apple is researching a MacBook keyboard that features a removable key to be used as a precision mouse, according to a newly published patent application.
The patent application, first spotted by Patently Apple, is titled "Deployable Key Mouse" and was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The filing envisages a standard-looking MacBook scissor-system keyboard that features a hidden removable key. This key would contain a position sensor to be used as a pointing device. Apple describes the system as providing a "comfortable, portable, and precise pointer input for a computer input system."
The filing explains that some precise tasks, such as graphic design, computer-assisted design and modeling, and editing large and complex documents, are better suited to a handheld mouse than a trackpad. Apple acknowledged that carrying a separate mouse with the computer can be a burden and may be "redundant when the computer already has built-in pointing devices."
The removable key is a viable solution to this issue, according to Apple. In some embodiments, the key would be able to work as normal on the keyboard when it is not deployed and feature a small battery.
Apple outlined various mechanical systems to facilitate the removable key, including sliding a single or set of multiple keys out of the housing vertically, as well as sliding a key out from the side of the machine horizontally. The patent's illustrations showed the deployable key located toward the edge of the keyboard so that it would not be a key that sees frequent use.
Patent filings cannot be taken as evidence of Apple's immediate plans, but they do indicate areas of interest for the company and what it is considering developing behind the scenes. While the prospect of a removable key may seem like an outlandish potential MacBook feature, it may be less obtrusive than other unusual features such as the Touch Bar and could appeal to certain pro-users who require maximum portability but could still benefit from occasional precise input.
More sales have emerged today on numerous Apple products, including all-time low prices on the Apple TV, iPad Air, iPad mini 5, and Apple Pencil.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple TV
Low prices on the Apple TV start at $129.98 for the Apple TV HD bundled with the new Siri Remote on Amazon. This is a match of the lowest price we've ever seen on this model, and it first appeared online earlier in August.
This version is the same fourth generation Apple TV HD device that was released in 2015, but now it's bundled with the revamped Siri Remote. The new accessory features a one-piece aluminum body, tactile clickpad with five-way navigtation, and rearranged buttons.
For newer models, the 32GB Apple TV 4K from 2021 is priced at $169.00 ($10 off) and the 64GB model is priced at $189.98 ($9 off), both on Amazon. Although the 64GB has seen a better deal, the price tag on the 32GB is the lowest price we've tracked to date.
iPad Air
You can get the entry level 64GB Wi-Fi iPad Air for $499.99, down from $599.00 on Best Buy. This is an all-time low price on this model, and it is being matched at Amazon, but as of writing only Best Buy has stock in every color.
Additionally, Best Buy has every other model of the 2020 iPad Air on sale, which we've rounded up below. All prices on these iPad Air models represent all-time low prices across the board, and $99 in savings.
Amazon has the 256GB Wi-Fi model of Apple's iPad mini 5 at a new record low price of $449.00, down from $549.00. All three colors of Space Gray, Silver, and Gold are available at this price.
At $100 off, this is the best price we've ever seen on this model of the iPad mini 5, and it's one of the steepest discounts on the line in a year. The 64GB Wi-Fi model isn't seeing a discount at this time.
Apple Pencil 2
Best Buy also has the Apple Pencil 2 at its lowest-ever price, available for $99.00, down from $129.00. This beats Verizon's ongoing 2021 discount on the accessory by about $4, and is the current best price online.
An email from Steve Jobs surfaced as part of evidence of Apple's ongoing legal battle with Epic Games, has confirmed that in 2010, the company had internal plans of working on an "iPhone nano," a possible miniature version of the iPhone 4.
The email, spotted in a trove of evidence by The Verge, was sent by late Apple CEO Steve Jobs to fellow executives in October of 2010, months after the company had released the iPhone 4. The email consists of several different business plans for 2011, including Jobs wanting Apple to find its identity, its best selling points, and Apple's "Holy War with Google."
One section of the email, labeled "iPhone - Joz & Bob," referring to current Apple executive Greg Joswiak and former Apple executive Bob Mansfield, aimed to lay out the roadmap for the iPhone. Jobs notes in the email that for 2011, Apple would want to release a "plus" version of the iPhone 4 with improved antennas, a point likely inspired by antennagate, improved performance, camera, and software. Apple did ultimately follow through with that plan with the iPhone 4S.
The last point of the email is perhaps the most interesting, where Jobs lists "iPhone nano plan," with a "cost goal" and "show model (and/or renderings) - Jony" sub-bullet points. Rumors were swirling between 2009 and 2011 about Apple planning to release an "iPhone nano," which never came to fruition.
In the email, Jobs also listed wanting to create a "low-cost iPhone model based on iPod touch to replace 3GS". However, as The Verge notes, it's unclear if the iPhone nano referenced in the email is that low-cost iPhone Jobs was envisioning or an entirely different device.
Apple, up until 2014, had only offered one sized iPhone. With the iPhone 6 in 2014, the company introduced the iPhone 6 Plus, introducing the "Plus" nomenclature into the iPhone for the first time. The company has since drastically altered its iPhone strategy, offering a wide range of iPhone sizes, hoping to target customers who enjoy larger and smaller handsets.
Apple is scaling back its work on a critical internal initiative within its health department, possibly presenting a significant setback to the company's long-term health goals, as well as the departure of multiple staff members, according to a report from Business Insider.
The initiative in question is an internal app used by employees called "HealthHabit" that allowed them to monitor and log a wide range of health metrics, such as fitness goals, management of hypertension, and gain direct access to clinicians in the AC Wellness group, a doctors group that has Apple has partnered with.
According to Business Insider, Apple is "scaling back" HealthHabit, which had a dedicated team of 50 employees working on the app. The report notes that employees who previously worked on the app will be dismissed unless they find another role within the company.
More than 50 employees were spending a significant amount of time working on the app. Some of them will be laid off with severance if they're unable to find other roles inside Apple in the next few weeks, two of the people said. The people requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press. Their identities are known to Insider.
At its original inception, Apple had hoped that HealthHabit would allow for experimentation of possible new health services. HealthHabit is one project part of Apple Health, a division within Apple that consists of hundreds of engineers, scientists, doctors, designers, and more that oversee Apple's health features, such as the ones inside the Apple Watch.
Despite the cutback on staff and resources, the report notes that HealthHabit may continue internally at a much smaller scale or possibly shut down entirely. A report in June by The Wall Street Journal detailed how Apple has piloted the idea of launching a healthcare service based on a subscription model with "Apple Doctors." That project, spearheaded by Dr. Sumbul Desai of Stanford University, has, however, stalled.
Over the past few years, Apple has continued to build health features into the iPhone and Apple Watch. In the years to come, Apple is looking to expand the capability of the Apple Watch itself by adding new sensors, such as temperature, blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood alcohol monitoring.
Apple TV+ today shared the official trailer for highly-anticipated sci-fi series "Foundation" ahead of its premiere on September 24.
Based on the best-selling novels by Isaac Asimov, Apple says "Foundation" is an epic saga chronicling a band of exiles on their monumental journey to save humanity and rebuild civilization amid the fall of the Galactic Empire.
When revolutionary Dr. Hari Seldon predicts the impending fall of the Empire, he and a band of loyal followers venture to the far reaches of the galaxy to establish The Foundation in an attempt to rebuild and preserve the future of civilization. Enraged by Hari's claims, the ruling Cleons – a long line of emperor clones – fear their grasp on the galaxy may be weakening as they're forced to reckon with the potential reality of losing their legacy forever.
"Foundation" stars Emmy Award nominees Jared Harris and Lee Pace, alongside Lou Llobell, Leah Harvey, Laura Birn, Terrence Mann, Cassian Bilton, and Alfred Enoch.
The first episode of "Foundation" will be released on Apple TV+ on September 24, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday. Series writer and showrunner David Goyer hopes to tell the story over the course of 80 episodes.
Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month, with a free seven-day trial available, or a longer trial available with the purchase of select new Apple products.
Today we're tracking a pair of deals offered by OtterBox and Adobe. At OtterBox, you'll find a 20 percent off sitewide flash sale happening today only, and at Adobe there's a special discount available for students and teachers heading into a new school year.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
OtterBox
OtterBox today kicked off a new flash sale, taking 20 percent off sitewide for one day only. This covers everything on OtterBox's website except its Viva Series, Gaming, and Kids, and you won't need a coupon code to access the sale.
Adobe this week introduced a new discount for students and teachers returning to school soon, offering first-time members the chance to save almost 70 percent on Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps. This offer will expire on September 3.
To get the deal, head to Adobe's website and click "Buy now" under the students and teachers banner. This will take you to the pricing screen, and if you are an eligible education customer, you can get Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps for $15.99 per month for the first year, down from $52.99 per month.
A twelve month commitment is required for the deal, and after your first year the price will go up to $29.99 per month if you choose to renew. You can also opt to pay for the full year upfront, which would total to $191.88 for your first year, down from $599.88 per year.
Adobe Creative Cloud includes: Photoshop, Acrobat Pro, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, InDesign, Lightroom, After Effects, XD, Animate, Lightroom Classic, Dreamweaver, Dimension, Audition, InCopy, Character Animator, Capture, Fresco, Bridge, Adobe Spark, Premiere Rush, Photoshop Express, Photoshop Camera, Media Encoder, Aero, Prelude, Lightroom Web, Scan, Fill & Sign, and Acrobat Reader.
Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.
Apple today highlighted that the Apple Card and Goldman Sachs has been ranked top for customer satisfaction in the midsized issuer credit card segment, according to J.D. Power.
The J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study showed that the Apple Card ranked highest with a score of 864.1, across all of the surveyed categories including interaction, credit card terms, communication, benefits and services, rewards, and key moments. Apple's vice president of Apple Pay, Jennifer Bailey, said:
It is exciting to be recognized with this first J.D. Power win, just two years after introducing Apple Card in 2019 and the first time being included in this study. We designed Apple Card to help our customers lead healthier financial lives, so it's incredibly meaningful to see that our customers are valuing this. Being recognized as the leader in this category this year is an honor, and we look forward to continuing to deliver this product, service, and support with our award-winning issuer as Apple Card expands to more and more customers across the U.S.
The Apple Card launched in 2019 as a no-fee credit card designed for the iPhone and supported by Goldman Sachs, featuring Apple Wallet integration and Daily Cash rewards with up to three percent cashback. The card is only available in the United States.
Images of an aluminum cutout allegedly based on the upcoming sixth-generation iPad mini have surfaced online. The cutout is largely in line with rumors of what we can expect in the iPad mini 6, including a larger display in lieu of a Home button, a thinner body, and flat edges.
The images originated from the website techordo.com in cooperation with a leaker named xleaks7, whose track record for accurate leaks isn't very well established. The cutout showcases a design much in line with renders of the upcoming iPad mini shared by Apple leaker Jon Prosser earlier in June.
One interesting new change the images depict is the relocation of the volume buttons. The volume buttons on iPads have always been on the right side, however, the images show the buttons relocated to the top, on the opposite side of the power button.
The new iPad mini will take inspiration from the updated iPad Air and iPad Pro by ditching the Home Button in favor of an all-screen design. Apple is unlikely to provide users with Face ID embedded into the bezel and is expected instead to integrate Touch ID into the power button, similar to the iPad Air. It's also expected to feature a faster processor and possibly USB-C.
"Though these capabilities are intended to protect children and to reduce the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), we are concerned that they will be used to censor protected speech, threaten the privacy and security of people around the world, and have disastrous consequences for many children," the groups wrote in the letter.
Some signatories of the letter, organized by the U.S.-based nonprofit Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), are concerned that Apple's on-device CSAM scanning system could be subverted in nations with different legal systems to search for political or other sensitive content.
"Once this backdoor feature is built in, governments could compel Apple to extend notification to other accounts, and to detect images that are objectionable for reasons other than being sexually explicit," reads the letter.
The letter also calls on Apple to abandon planned changes to iMessage in family accounts, which would try to identify and blur nudity in children's messages, letting them view it only if parents are notified. The signatories claim that not only could the step endanger children in intolerant homes or those seeking educational material, it would also break end-to-end encryption for iMessage.
Some signatories come from countries in which there are already heated legal battles over digital encryption and privacy rights, such as Brazil, where WhatsApp has been repeatedly blocked for failing to decrypt messages in criminal probes. Other signers are based in India, Mexico, Germany, Argentina, Ghana and Tanzania. Groups that have also signed include the American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Access Now, Privacy International, and the Tor Project.
Apple's plan to detect known CSAM images stored in iCloud Photos has been particularly controversial and has prompted concerns from security researchers, academics, privacy groups, and others about the system potentially being abused by governments as a form of mass surveillance. The company has tried to address concerns by publishing additional documents and a FAQ page explaining how the image-detection system will work and arguing that the risk of false detections is low.
Apple has also said it would refuse demands to expand the image-detection system beyond pictures of children flagged by recognized databases of child sex abuse material, although as Reuters points out, it has not said that it would pull out of a market rather than obeying a court order.
As the back-to-school season kicks in, Apple plans to update its baseline iPad this fall with a new ninth-generation model tailored towards students, sporting a thinner design and an improved processor, according toBloomberg'sMark Gurman.
In September of last year, Apple updated the baseline iPad with the faster and more powerful A12 Bionic chip starting at $329, or $299 for education customers. The baseline update sits at the lower end of the iPad lineup and is tailored for customers needing an affordable iPad for day-to-day use.
For the 9th generation model, Apple is likely to continue with the current design featuring Touch ID and a Home Button. The updated model will feature a faster processor with improved performance and graphics and a thinner form factor.
The updated iPad joins a busy fall season for Apple, as the company is also expected to be preparing a more significant update to the iPad mini. The new iPad mini is rumored to feature a larger display with smaller bezels, improved performance, and an updated overall design. Apple is also preparing new iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and MacBook Pros for launch in the coming months.
Apple this evening began offering refurbished versions of the 24-inch M1iMac in its U.S. online store, one day after starting to sell refurbished M1 iMacs in the UK.
Apple has over a dozen M1 iMacs available at the current time, and this is the first time the M1 iMacs have been available through the refurbished store in the U.S. since the machines launched in April.
The entry-level model with 8-core GPU, 7-core GPU, and 256GB SSD is available for $1,099, which is a $200 discount from the regular price of $1,299.
Apple also has higher-end refurbished models available for purchase, up to an 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU option with a 1TB SSD and 16GB RAM, which is available for $1,779. At full price, the machine would cost $2,099.
There are multiple color options and configurations available at the current time, though stock will fluctuate going forward based on the machines that people are sending Apple for repairs and returns.
Apple's refurbished M1 iMacs are sold with the same one-year warranty offered with a new iMac, plus they come with all manuals and accessories. Apple uses a rigorous testing, repair, repackaging, and cleaning process to ensure refurbished devices are identical to new devices.
Back in November, Universal Electronics announced the launch of a third-party Apple TV Remote that was meant to be provided to cable, satellite, and MVPD customers. At the time, there was no word on which cable companies might offer the remote, but now it appears that it's available through T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom.
According to Universal Electronics, Deutsche Telekom will be providing the remote to German customers who subscribe to its MagentaTV service, which comes with an Apple TV 4K. Deutsche Telekom allows customers to get the Apple TV 4K as either a rental or purchase device to access the MagentaTV service.
Deutsche Telekom's website for MagentaTV says that the remote control was "developed for MagentaTV" and has been certified by Apple. The Bluetooth-enabled remote can be used to get directly to MagentaTV's content, and it offers similar functionality as Apple's own Siri Remote.
The MagentaTV button goes to the electronic content guide for the service, and there are dedicated channel up/down buttons for browsing. A Siri button activates Siri on the Apple TV, and there are also buttons for controlling content playback.
Universal Electronics says that its remote features an ergonomic form factor with hard-capped keys for enhanced tactile feedback, along with an accelerometer and ambient light sensor to power backlit keys in low light environments. It includes Apple's Made for iPhone authentication chip to ensure secure connectivity to the Apple TV.
There is no way to purchase the Universal Electronics remote on a standalone basis, though Universal Electronics does offer it to other cable providers. Spectrum offers a similar version of the remote, as does France's Free internet provider.
This is not the first time that an alternative Apple TV remote has been made available for cable customers. Swiss telco Salt in 2019 launched a third-party remote control option for the Apple TV, for example.
Apple in April 2021 refreshed the Apple TV 4K and introduced a revamped version of the Siri Remote that's larger and thicker, with an aluminum body. The new version of the remote does away with the touch surface that was at the top of the prior remote and instead adopts a touch-enabled clickpad that has gesture support.
Tim Robbins is set to star in upcoming Apple TV+ dystopian drama series "Wool," reports Variety. Robbins will play the role of Bernard, who serves as head of IT for the Silo, and he will star alongside Rebecca Ferguson, who is set to play main character Juliette.
"Wool" is based on the Hugh Howey novel of the same name. "Wool" is set in the distant future, where the post-apocalyptic earth has become toxic and unable to sustain life. People live in subterranean silos that extend 140 stories below the earth, with silo inhabitants subject to restrictive rules and regulations that they think are keeping them safe.
Tim Robbins has previously starred in "Mystic River," "Here and Now," "The Shawshank Redemption," and "Jacob's Ladder."
Casting for the rest of the series has not yet been announced at this time, and there is no word yet on when "Wool" will premiere on Apple TV+.
Netflix is rolling out support for Spatial Audio on the iPhone and the iPad, based on reports shared byMacRumorsreaders and on Reddit. A Netflix spokesperson also confirmed to MacRumors that the rollout is underway.
When playing compatible content in Netflix, Spatial Audio will be available as an option in the Control Center on iPhone and iPad for those running iOS 14 and iOS 15.
Watching Netflix content with Spatial Audio requires the AirPods Pro or the AirPods Max.
Spatial Audio may not be immediately available to all users as it is still in the process of being released. Available for music and video content, Spatial Audio is designed to create an immersive audio experience by using directional filters to make sound feel as if it's coming from multiple directions at once.
Apple says that Spatial Audio creates a movie theater-like experience that takes advantage of the gyroscope and accelerometer in the iPhone, iPad, and compatible Apple headphones.
iOS 15 users can also access a Spatialize Stereo option for content that is not compatible with Spatial Audio, something that works in the Netflix app.
Developer Asuhariet Yvgar this morning said that he had reverse-engineered the NeuralHash algorithm that Apple is using to detect Child Sexual Abuse Materials (CSAM) in iCloud Photos, posting evidence on GitHub and details on Reddit.
Yvgar said that he reverse-engineered the NeuralHash algorithm from iOS 14.3, where the code was hidden, and he rebuilt it in Python. After he uploaded his findings, another user was able to create a collision, an issue where two non-matching images share the same hash. Security researchers have warned about this possibility because the potential for collisions could allow the CSAM system to be exploited.
In a statement to Motherboard, Apple said that the version of the NeuralHash that Yvgar reverse-engineered is not the same as the final implementation that will be used with the CSAM system. Apple also said that it made the algorithm publicly available for security researchers to verify, but there is a second private server-side algorithm that verifies a CSAM match after the threshold is exceeded, along with human verification.
Apple however told Motherboard in an email that that version analyzed by users on GitHub is a generic version, and not the one final version that will be used for iCloud Photos CSAM detection. Apple said that it also made the algorithm public.
"The NeuralHash algorithm [... is] included as part of the code of the signed operating system [and] security researchers can verify that it behaves as described," one of Apple's pieces of documentation reads. Apple also said that after a user passes the 30 match threshold, a second non-public algorithm that runs on Apple's servers will check the results.
Matthew Green, who teaches cryptography at Johns Hopkins University and who has been a vocal critic of Apple's CSAM system, told Motherboard that if collisions "exist for this function," then he expects "they'll exist in the system Apple eventually activates."
"Of course, it's possible that they will re-spin the hash function before they deploy," he said. "But as a proof of concept, this is definitely valid," he said of the information shared on GitHub.
Because of the human element, though, another researcher, Nicholas Weaver, told Motherboard that all people can do with manipulating non-CSAM hashes into CSAM is "annoy Apple's response team with garbage images until they implement a filter" to get rid of false positives. Actually fooling Apple's system would also require access to the hashes provided by NCMEC and it would require the production of over 30 colliding images, with the end result not fooling the human oversight.
Apple is using its NeuralHash system to match a database of image hashes provided by agencies like the National Center for Missing Children (NCMEC) to images on user devices to search for CSAM. The system is designed to produce exact matches and Apple says there's a one in a trillion chance that an iCloud account can be accidentally flagged.
Apple is planning to implement the NeuralHash CSAM system in iOS and iPadOS 15 as part of a suite of child safety features, and it has been a hugely controversial decision with Apple receiving criticism from customers and privacy advocates. Apple has been attempting to reassure customers and security researchers about the implementation of the system with additional documentation and executive interviews.
Kanye West is planning to hold a third listening party for his upcoming "Donda" album, reports Variety. The listening session will take place at Soldier Field in Chicago on Thursday, August 26.
As with West's prior two listening parties, the third listening party is likely to be livestreamed on Apple Music.
West held a public listening party for the "Donda" album on July 22 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The event was publicized in a Beats Studio Buds ad that aired during the NBA finals.
The initial listening party ended up breaking Apple Music livestreaming records with 3.3 million viewers tuning in. Even more Apple Music listeners participated in the second streaming event, which was held in Atlanta on August 5.
So far, West has been playing dramatically different versions of the album at each event, featuring new songs and new mixes.
West was initially expected to release the album after the August 5 Atlanta event, but that did not happen. There continues to be no release date for "Donda."