If you're in the United States, you can head to Best Buy today and get four months of Apple News+ for free. This offer is available for any new subscriber to Apple News+, but we've confirmed that if you previously signed up for the subscription news service and then cancelled, you can also take advantage of the Best Buy promotion and receive three months of Apple News+ for free.
You can find this offer on Best Buy's website, where you can add it to your cart and checkout to receive an email for the redemption of your Apple News+ free trial. It is not available for anyone outside of the United States. After the three or four month trial, Apple News+ will auto-renew for $9.99/month until you cancel it.
Outside of this offer, Apple News+ typically gives new users a one month free trial. The service launched in 2019, offering subscribers a way to track and read news from a variety of news publications, like The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times.
Recently, Apple has faced some issues with its publishing partners, with The New York Timespulling support for Apple News+ last month. According to the publication, Apple News+ does not "align with its strategy of building direct relationships with paying readers."
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Brydge today announced a new series of Vertical Docks for Apple's MacBook Pro line. The new products include reengineered Vertical Docks for previous generation MacBook Pro models (priced at $169.99), and brand new Vertical Docks for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air.
The Brydge Vertical Dock is a space-saving accessory that stores your Mac notebook in a vertical position. It includes two USB-C ports so you can charge your MacBook when placing it in the dock, or connect it to an external display.
The device also features intake and exhaust vents that move additional air to and from the MacBook's cooling system for heat management. When placing the MacBook in the dock, there's also a guided docking system for simple one-handed docking.
The reengineered Vertical Docks for the 15-inch MacBook Pro (2016-2019) and 13-inch MacBook Pro (2016-2020) are available now for $169.99. The new Vertical Docks for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and 13-inch MacBook Air (2018-2020) will launch in October. You can register on Brydge's website to be notified when they are available.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Brydge. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Amazon today has introduced another Gold Box sale on SanDisk and Western Digital storage products. During this flash sale you can save up to 25 percent on memory cards, external hard drives, flash drives, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
We've rounded up a few of the discounts in the lists below, but you can find the full list of products on sale by visiting Amazon. If you're interested, be sure to browse the sale before it expires later tonight.
Apple is re-closing eight more retail stores across the United States, in the states of Maryland, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Apple Towson Town, Maryland
According to Michael Steeber on Twitter, the following stores will be closed from today:
Leawood (Leawood) – Kansas
Towson Town Center (Towson) - Maryland
Country Club Plaza (Kansas City) - Missouri
MacArthur Center (Norfolk) - Virginia
Lynnhaven Mall (Virginia Beach) - Virginia
Bayshore (Glendale) - Wisconsin
Hilldale (Madison) - Wisconsin
Mayfair (Wauwatosa) - Wisconsin
Six of the 28 stores in California that have not yet re-closed are also reportedly returning to curbside service. They are Valley Fair and Oakridge in Santa Clara County, North County in San Diego County, Roseville in Place County, Arden Fair in Sacramento County, and Santa Rosa Plaza in Sonoma County.
Steeber notes that all the above California stores are in indoor malls that were forced to close, being located in counties on the state monitoring list.
With coronavirus outbreaks across the United States continuing to spike, Apple has been forced to re-close many retail locations that had previously reopened, with stores in Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, and more shuttered at the current time. In these locations, Apple is asking retail employees to work remotely in work from home support roles that the company has been offering since March.
Retail employees are able to serve as support advisors to handle online service requests and questions from customers unable to receive services in store.
Spotify has launched two new charts showing what top and trending podcasts users are listening to on the streaming service.
"Top Podcasts" and "Trending Podcasts," which have been rolled out in 26 markets on Spotify mobile, show users the most popular podcasts in their region based on listener numbers.
Top Podcasts lists the top 200 overall shows in the selected region or category, while Trending Podcasts displays the top 50 rapidly rising shows.
Certain markets, including Brazil, Australia, Germany, Mexico, Sweden, the UK, and the U.S., offer up even more detailed data and separate out the Top Podcasts by category, allowing users to more easily find the genres they're interested in.
Spotify users can find the new charts by tapping the Podcasts category in Search and selecting "Podcast charts."
To coincide with the new feature, the service is also updating its Spotify for Podcasters experience. Creators will now get a notification on their dashboard when their podcast is charting, and they can then turn it into a visual card for sharing their success on social media.
The EU General Court today overturned a ruling by the European Commission stating that Apple should pay 13 billion euros ($14.5 billion) in tax to the Irish government.
The court sided with Apple, and said the EU authority, led by antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, had failed to show Ireland's tax arrangements with the company were illegal state aid. Today's decision can be appealed.
Both Apple and Ireland appealed the original 2016 ruling, which stated that Apple owed the country over 13 billion euros in tax payments because the arrangements between the two countries were unfair.
In today's ruling, the General Court stated:
"By today's judgement, the General Court annuls the contested decision because the Commission did not succeed in showing to the requisite legal standard that there was an advantage."
In 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the EC's original decision "total political crap" and said that Apple believed it would be reversed. "The decision is wrong, and it's not based on law or facts, it's based on politics. And I think it's very important that we stand up and say that very loudly," said Cook at the time.
In an emailed statement to Bloomberg, Apple said that it welcomed today's ruling.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.
NBC Universal's Peacock streaming service launched nationally today, adding another competitor to the crowded streaming market that already includes Apple TV+, Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu.
The service, which became available to some Comcast subscribers in April, is now available on iOS and Apple TV, and operates a free tier and a premium tier.
The free tier includes 13,000 hours of programming, while the premium tier costs $4.99 a month and features over 20,000 hours of TV, movies, news, sports and other content produced by NBC Television, NBC News, and Universal.
Both tiers include commercials, but the premium tier runs fewer ads and offers access to new original content, such as the dystopian drama "Brave New World," as well as access to shows the day after they're broadcast on TV. Peacock also offers an ad-free "premium plus" tier that costs $9.99 a month.
The service features NBC shows such as "30 Rock," "Cheers," "Downton Abbey," and "Saturday Night Live," with live sporting events to include four exclusive English Premier League matches on July 15 as well as coverage of the U.S. Open Championship.
Like HBO Max, Peacock is not available on Amazon Fire TV or Roku. According to CNBC, NBCUniversal does not want want Peacock to be included in Amazon Channels, where Amazon would take a cut of new subscriptions and would be the one collecting credit card information and other user data.
As for Roku, NBC Universal was reportedly unable to agree on how much of Peacock's ad inventory the smart TV platform can sell.
That's left the Apple TV set-top box as the main beneficiary, as it gets to add yet another name to its exclusive list of supported streaming services.
Last year in iOS 13, Apple introduced new hearing features in the Health app that are designed to help users avoid being exposed to high levels of sound when wearing headphones for an extended period of time. In iOS 14, Apple is advancing its hearing features by adding the ability to measure the volume level of what you're listening to in real time.
With the new feature, Apple is putting more emphasis on the health dangers of being exposed to high volume audio. Listening to something at 80 decibels (dB) for more than 40 hours in a one-week period increases your risk of hearing loss. Raise it 10 dB to 90, and damage can begin after only four hours a week. Turn it up over 100 dB, and listening for just a few minutes a week can cause damage.
With the new headphone measuring feature, you can check that what you're listening to is being played at an acceptable level for your ears. It's easy to set up and use once you know where it is. The following steps show you how it's done on an iPhone or iPad running iOS 14.
How to Set Up the Headphone Level Checker in iOS 14
Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Control Center.
Scroll down and tap the green plus (+) button next to Hearing.
How to Use the Headphone Level Checker in iOS 14
The next time you're listening to something on your iOS device over connected headphones, follow these steps.
Launch Control Center: On an iPad with a Home button, double-tap the Home button; on iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen; and on a 2018 iPad Pro or iPhone X and later, swipe down from the upper right of the screen.
Look at the Hearing button in Control Center. If it has a green tick, you're listening at a healthy volume level. If what you're listening to exceeds the 80-decibel level, the measurement icon will display a yellow exclamation mark, warning you that the volume is too high.
For a more detailed picture of the current decibel level, tap the Hearing button.
The real-time headphone level feature works well with most headphones, but bear in mind that Apple says the measurement is more accurate with AirPods and other Apple-certified headsets.
Apps created for Macs don't typically receive as much coverage as apps designed for iPhones and iPads, so we crated a series here at MacRumors to highlight interesting Mac apps worth checking out. This month's apps focus on productivity and feature great tools for working from home.
Twobird (Free) - Twobird is an email app from the makers of Notability that's designed to integrate with Gmail accounts, adding tools for creating notes, setting reminders, and collaborating with others on notes and tasks. Twobird is basically an all-in-one app that merges list making, note taking, email management, and more, and it's worth checking out for those who like multi-function apps.
Rectangle (Free) - Rectangle is an app for moving and resizing macOS windows using keyboard shortcuts and snap to align functionality. It's a free, lightweight app that's ideal for managing multiple windows on your Mac.
Silicio (Free) - Silicio adds a mini player with album art and a Today Center widget for controlling music that's playing on the Mac. It works with iTunes, the Apple Music app, Spotify, and more, providing customizable themes, sizes, and shortcuts along with Touch Bar integration.
Bumpr ($2.99) - Bumpr is a simple Mac app that's designed to choose where to open links when you click them. If, for example, you click on a web link, Bumpr pops up a menu displaying all of your installed browsers so you can choose where to open the link. The same is true for mail apps, which makes this a solid option for those who use multiple mail and browser apps.
SideNotes - ($19.99) SideNotes is a note taking app that's hidden at the side of your Mac's display by default, but pops out when you need it for jotting down quick notes. The app keeps notes readily available on your desktop, but hidden away when not needed so there's not another open app taking up space. SideNotes can be accessed with a keyboard shortcut or a swipe gesture, and when opened up, will stay on top of other windows. It supports folders, lists, formatting, and more.
Know of a must-have Mac app or game that we haven't highlighted yet? Let us know in the comments below and we might feature it in a future video. For more of our Mac app picks, check out our essential Mac apps archive.
Tom Hanks' WWII movie "Greyhound" saw the largest opening weekend release ever on Apple TV+, according to "sources close to Apple" that spoke to Deadline.
"Greyhound" saw more viewers than any other movie or TV show released on Apple TV+ to date during its launch weekend, and the film is said to have a "viewing audience commensurate with a summer theatrical box office big hit."
Prior to the current public health crisis that shut down movie theaters in the United States and other countries, "Greyhound" was meant to be released in theaters. Sony Pictures instead sold the rights to Apple for $70 million, making "Greyhound" the first ever Tom Hanks movie to go directly to streaming services without a theatrical debut.
Hanks in an interview called the straight to Apple TV+ release "an absolute heartbreak" because of the difference in picture and sound quality between an in-home television set and a movie theater.
Along with its position as the number one movie release on Apple TV+, "Greyhound" also appears to have attracted a new audience. 30 percent of those who watched the movie were new to the Apple TV+ service.
In "Greyhound," Hanks takes on the role of Navy veteran and captain Ernest Krause, who fights his own self doubts while leading a convoy of Allied ships against German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic to prove that he belongs in command. The movie has an 80 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Los Angeles Metro today confirmed that TAP cards used for public transit in the city will work with Apple Pay later this year, allowing them to be added to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch for quick access to buses and trains in LA.
The LA Metro said last year that it was working with Apple to add mobile payment support for iPhones by the end of 2019, but the rollout didn't end up happening and work on the transition continues. In a tweet today, the LA Metro said that iPhone and Apple Watch support for TAP cards will be coming sometime in 2020.
Los Angeles has been working to overhaul its TAP system, introducing upgraded fare boxes with real-time data about fares purchased online and developing a new TAP mobile app that allows for payments and TAP account management.
As with other transit systems around the world that support Apple Pay, the Apple Pay integration in Los Angeles will allow commuters to hold a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch near a TAP card reader to pay transit fares. TAP works with 25 transit systems across LA county.
Apple maintains a list of all of the cities that offer Apple Pay support for their transit systems, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, London, New York City, Portland, and more.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 models could ship with a new Lightning to USB-C cable that includes a braided fabric design, according to leaked photos from ChargerLAB that surfaced on Weibo today (via Twitter users DuanRui and L0vetodream).
The photos depict a USB-C to Lightning cable that has a braided design rather than the standard non-fabric design of the current cables. Apple has never released a cable with a braided design for its iPhones or iPads, but it does offer a braided Thunderbolt Pro cable, a black braided Lightning cable that ships with the Mac Pro, and a braided power cable for the HomePod.
Braided cable designs have the potential to be more durable than standard rubber-coated cables, but typically extra reinforcement is included at the end points where the cable heads are positioned, which isn't seen here. The cables look similar to existing Apple-designed Lightning to USB-C cables with the exception of the new gray and white braided look.
ChargerLAB, where the leak originated, has shared accurate information on Apple's cable plans in the past and says that the cable depicted here may come standard with Apple's iPhone 12 lineup. Apple in 2019 included a USB-C to Lightning cable with the higher-end Pro iPhone models to go along with a USB-C power adapter, while the more affordable iPhone 11 came with a standard USB-A to Lightning cable.
ChargerLAB's testing confirms that the cable appears to feature an original Apple-certified Made for iPhone design, and the cable measures in at 1.05 meters, close to the length of Apple's current 1-meter cables. When it comes to thickness, the cable measures in at 3.04mm, which is just a bit thicker than Apple's existing USB-C to Lightning cable.
Use the POWER-Z MF001 MFi tester to read the internal information of the Lightning terminal. From the screen, you can see that the wire ASIC and PMU are original, the terminal model is C94, and the score reaches 100 points. It is an Apple MFi certified original terminal.
Apple's USB-C to Lightning cables are used to enable fast charging in compatible iPhones, providing a 50 percent charge within 30 minutes. The cable was able to fast charge an iPhone and an iPad according to ChargerLAB.
What is the charging performance of the wire? The editor uses an Apple 96W PD charger to charge the iPhone 11 Pro Max with a power of 8.98V 2.52A 22.68W, which reaches the maximum power of the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
In addition to providing fast PD charging for the iPhone, the iPad is also okay. The test charging power for the iPad Air3 reached 15.02V 2.17A 32.72W, which reached the maximum power of the iPad Air3.
Along with a braided design, the new cables appear to feature 8 silver contacts with rhodium-plated ruthenium, which is more resistant to corrosion, and combined with the braided design, these cables are likely to be able to better withstand damage after prolonged use. A more durable design will be a welcome change for iPhone users as there have been many complaints over the years about the weak design of Apple's cables.
Apple's new braided USB-C to Lightning cable may be the only accessory that ships with its 2020 iPhones. Multiple rumors have suggested the iPhone 12 models will not come with a power adapter or EarPods in the box, allowing Apple to save money and cut down on packaging.
Instead, Apple may sell a new 20W power adapter on a standalone basis, allowing customers to purchase a power adapter separately from Apple or from a third-party manufacturer.
In recent versions of iOS, Apple has made some dramatic changes to the Home Screen of iPhone. In particular, it has introduced the concept of Home Screen widgets, which are similar to the widgets available on Android phones.
Previously, use of widgets was limited to the Today View, which can be accessed by swiping from left to right on the Home Screen. In iOS 14, however, widgets got a design and functionality overhaul, allowing any widget that's available in the Today View to be added to the Home Screen alongside your apps. Then in iOS 17, Apple made widgets fully interactive, meaning you can perform actions with them without opening the associated app.
How to Add Widgets to the Home Screen
There a couple of ways you can add widgets to the Home Screen. If you long press on a widget in the Today View, you'll see an Edit Home Screen option in the popup menu. Tapping this enters jiggle mode, and from there you can drag widgets out of the Today View and place them anywhere on the Home Screen.
When in jiggle mode, notice the plus (+) button in the top-left corner of the screen. You'll find the same button appear if you long press on a blank area of the Home Screen or any additional page of apps. Tapping this button opens the Widget Gallery, where you can add and customize widgets.
In the Widget Gallery, you can search for a specific widget or scroll through the available options. Tapping on a widget in the list lets you see the size and content options that are available for the widget. To add a widget to the Today View or the Home Screen, select it, choose a size (small, medium, or large), and then tap the Add Widget button.
Widget Sizes and Other Functions
When you customize a new widget, you'll notice that the larger the size of the widget, the more content it can display. In the Weather widget, for example, the smallest widget shows the current conditions, while the largest displays the forecast for the next few days.
Bear in mind that bigger widgets take up more space on your Home Screen. A small widget takes up the space of four apps in a square shape, but a medium widget takes up the space of eight apps in a rectangle shape, and a large widget takes up the space of 16 apps in a square shape.
Some apps also have different widget options based on function. In the Apple News widget, for example, you can choose to see relevant news from the day or get stories about a specific topic of interest. You can change this function on an existing Apple News widget anytime. Just long press on the widget and then select Edit "News."
When you've got some widgets on your Home Screen, you can move them around, just like apps. Simply long press on the screen to enter jiggle mode and then drag a widget around with your finger.
Additionally, don't forget that many widgets made since iOS 17 was released are fully interactive, so you can tap buttons and items within these widgets to perform actions without leaving the Home Screen.
Siri Suggestions Widget
In the Widget Gallery, if you scroll down to the list section you'll see a Siri Suggestions widget. This dynamic widget displays app suggestions based on your iPhone usage habits, similar to what shows up under Siri Suggestions when you use an iPhone's search function.
Widget Stacks
With widget stacks, you can stack multiple widgets on top of one another, so you can put all of your favorites together and then swap between them with an upward or downward swipe of the finger.
Apple has also added a special "Smart Stack," which is a widget stack that uses Siri Intelligence to surface the most relevant and useful widget based on your iPhone usage habits.
As noted by developer Steven Troughton-Smith, one of the new requirements is that operators of app distribution platforms like Apple provide developers with a minimum of 30 days notice before removing their apps from the App Store, with exceptions for illicit or inappropriate content, safety concerns, counterfeiting, fraud, malware, spam, and apps that have suffered a data breach.
Other protections for developers include transparency on how ranking charts and "trending" lists are generated, mandatory disclosures by platform operators about preferential treatment being given to any specific developers or publishers, and access to third-party mediation for any disputes that can not be resolved through the normal app review process.
Apple has been under increasing scrutiny for its App Store practices, with the EU currently exploring antitrust issues related to the platform. The company also recently found itself embroiled in controversy over its rejection of apps for new premium email service Hey for not including an in-app subscription option.
Apple has taken a few steps to address app review concerns in recent weeks, allowing developers to challenge not only decisions about whether an app is in violation of Apple's review guidelines but also the guidelines themselves. Apple will also no longer delay bug fix updates for most guideline issues, allowing those updates to be delivered to users while any guideline issues can be addressed in a subsequent update.
The White House's American Workforce Policy Advisory Board, the Ad Council, Apple, and others have partnered on a new "Find Something New" website that highlights the various paths towards a career beyond a four-year college degree, including apprenticeships, certification courses, online learning, an associate's degree, trades training, and more.
"Now more than ever, we need to ensure that everyone has the tools they need to succeed and seize new opportunities," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "To invest in our future, we have to invest in people, in education and the many paths to a well-paying job or starting a new business. This initiative is about empowering people across the nation to discover a more hopeful future for themselves and their families."
Cook, who co-chaired the group responsible for this campaign, has previously said that "I don't think a four year degree is necessary to be proficient at coding." Instead, he believes that coding should be taught to students starting at a young age.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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 TV+ today released the official trailer for upcoming comedy series "Ted Lasso," which will be available to stream starting August 14.
In the series, Jason Sudeikis plays Ted Lasso, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to coach a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching soccer. Sudeikis was a longtime "Saturday Night Live" cast member and is also known for his roles in films such as "We're the Millers" and "Horrible Bosses."
Our newest partnership with Anker has kicked off this week, allowing MacRumors readers to save up to 30 percent on Anker's wall chargers, USB-C hubs, portable chargers, and wireless chargers on Amazon. Like our previous exclusive sales, you'll need to enter the relevant promo codes for each device in order to see the discounts.
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.
Sales include a collection of useful Anker accessories, like the company's combination wall charger and 5,000 mAh power bank at $29.99, down from $39.99. If you're looking for a way to upgrade your MacBook workflow, Anker's 7-in-1 USB-C hub at $26.99, down from $35.99, is a solid addition to any home office workspace.
Apple could be working towards the release of a new app for Windows 10, according to a report this week from an Italian website.
The blog Aggiornamenti Lumia suggests that an app from Apple is "coming soon" to the Microsoft Store, but stops short of providing additional details.
Apple still maintains a Windows version of the iTunes app, which has been discontinued on Mac and replaced by several standalone apps that split Apple's streaming services and content libraries into more manageable portals: Music, TV, Books, and Podcasts.
iTunes is currently the only native way to access Apple Music on Windows, and there is no Apple TV+ app. PC users wanting to stream Apple TV+ content must do so via Apple's website, so the natural assumption is that the rumored new Apple app could include a native portal for Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
Last year, a LinkedIn job listing revealed that Apple was looking to hire engineers with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) experience to work on the "next generation" of media apps for Windows.
UWP apps can run on Windows PCs, Xbox One, and HoloLens, and could conceivably give Apple additional avenues to push its streaming services.
A new @Apple app coming soon to the Microsoft Store? 👀
— Aggiornamenti Lumia (@ALumia_Italia) July 11, 2020
That being said, Aggiornamenti Lumia has no track record of predicting Apple product launches, and doesn't cite any sources to back up its claim, which was reported by 9to5Mac earlier today.
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The EU General Court today overturned a 
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.
