MacRumors

A Google-backed group of European digital advertising associations has criticized Apple for requiring apps in iOS 14 to seek additional permission from users before tracking them across other apps and websites, reports Reuters.

Sixteen marketing associations, some of which are backed by Facebook and Alphabet's Google, faulted Apple for not adhering to an ad-industry system for seeking user consent under European privacy rules. Apps will now need to ask for permission twice, increasing the risk users will refuse, the associations argued.

During its iOS 14 preview at WWDC last week, Apple explained to developers several of its new user privacy features, which include new app tracking controls and transparency.

Specifically, developers are now required to get user consent before tracking them. When an app wants to track the user, a consent pop-up appears saying the app "would like permission to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies." Developers are given several lines below the main text to explain why the permission is being sought.

The system requires that apps only need to be granted permission once, and users can see which apps they have consented to track them in the Settings app, allowing them to change their preferences as and when required.

According to the report, the group of European marketing firms said the pop-up warning and the limited ability to customize it still carries "a high risk of user refusal."

Last week, however, Apple engineers said the company would improve a free tool for developers that uses anonymous, aggregated data to measure whether advertising campaigns are working. The tool does not trigger the tracking pop-up because it's specifically engineered not to track individual users.

Apple's upcoming "iPhone 12" will feature "high-end" lens arrays in the rear camera to improve image quality, according to respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a new research note seen by MacRumors, Kuo says Largan will supply the premium camera lenses to Apple for the phones from mid-July, although Apple has received the same components slightly earlier in the last couple of years.

Production has reportedly been delayed by four to six weeks in the second half of this year, which will see peak lens shipments fall between September and November, compared to August-October in the past.

Kuo doesn't mention the reason for the delay in his note, but the global health crisis is likely to have had an impact. Apple is still expected to announce the iPhones in September, but rumors have claimed that some ‌iPhone‌ models might not launch until October or November.

Kuo's latest note doesn't specify what kind of "high end" lens will be used in the ‌iPhone‌ 12, but in a previous note he claimed that the 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ model will feature multiple rear camera improvements, including larger sensors that capture more light for better image quality.

Apple is expected to launch high-end 6.7 and 6.1-inch iPhones with triple-lens cameras, and lower-end 5.4 and 6.1-inch iPhones with dual-lens cameras. Previously, Kuo has said he expects the 6.1 and 5.4-inch iPhones to go into mass production in September, while mass production on the larger 6.7-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌ will be delayed until October because of its more complicated design.

Caviar, a company known for creating outlandish and lavish iPhone casing modifications, has been working on an ‌iPhone‌ design that's modeled after Tesla's Cybertruck. We have a prototype of the CyberPhone on hand, and checked it out in our latest YouTube video.

The CyberPhone Caviar has designed is created from titanium and has an angled design reminiscent of Tesla's truck. Caviar has a few versions for sale, but the base pricing starts at $6,910, so this is not a phone for the everyday buyer.

We don't have the high-end titanium version to test out, but rather an aluminum model that's a less expensive test version than the version shipping out to customers. The official version of the CyberPhone features a back panel made from titanium with a PVC covering, with cutouts and buttons that allow the ‌iPhone‌ to operate as normal while sporting the Cybertruck-style design.

Since the extra casing adds a good bit of bulk to the ‌iPhone‌, there's a unique SIM ejection tool to get the SIM tray out from the deep crevice of the casing. There's a camera cutout at the back for the square-shaped camera setup of the ‌iPhone‌, which features Caviar branding.

In our video, you may notice a crack in the glass part of the CyberPhone's casing, so it's clearly not as indestructible as the Tesla Cybertruck. Elon Musk was able to break the window of the Cybertruck during its unveiling, however, so maybe Caviar is just aiming for authenticity. The non-glass portion of the case feels more durable, but it's also super heavy.

There are also quite a few scratches around the bumper of the CyberPhone and again, this is aluminum, but titanium is also prone to scratching. Visible scratches are not exactly desirable on a phone that costs as much as some cars.

We have the CyberPhone Light, but the standard version, priced at about $7,680, has a folding cover that comes down to cover the display when the phone isn't in use and also serves as a stand, but that's not available in this model so we can't demo it.

Modified iPhones like this are more impractical than anything else and attractive to a limited subset of buyers, but it's sometimes fun to take a look at the kind of crazy things ‌iPhone‌ modifiers are doing. We have no idea who buys these kinds of devices, but there must be some market for them because Caviar and other companies keep coming out with ever more fanciful designs.

Apple at WWDC announced Car Keys, a new feature designed to allow digital car keys to be added to the Wallet app on the iPhone, allowing iPhones and Apple Watch models to be used in lieu of a physical car key.

Apple at the time said the feature would come to both iOS 13 and iOS 14, and the first ‌Car Keys‌ partner, BMW, today added support for the feature to its BMW Connected app. With ‌Car Keys‌ support, a BMW Digital Key for the ‌iPhone‌ can be added to the Wallet app on the ‌iPhone‌.

The feature allows the ‌iPhone‌ to be used to lock and unlock the car by holding it up to the door handle, and it can also start the car when the ‌iPhone‌ is placed in the smartphone tray in the vehicle. Access to a car can be shared with up to five friends or family members, with various restrictions available.

BMW's Digital Key for ‌iPhone‌ feature works with a number of BMW models: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, X5, X6, X7, X5M, X6M and Z4 if manufactured after July 1st 2020. Compatible vehicles will be shown on the vehicle tab in the app.

An ‌iPhone‌ XR, XS, or newer is required, and for those who want to use an Apple Watch, an Apple Watch Series 5 or newer is required. When ‌Car Keys‌ was announced, BMW said the feature would require iOS 13.6, which Apple has not released, so it's not clear if the digital key feature is functional at this time.

For more on how ‌Car Keys‌ works and its feature set, make sure to check out our guide.

(Thanks, Florian!)

Apple today launched a website that's designed to allow Apple Card holders to check their balances, view statements, and make ‌Apple Card‌ payments online.

The card.apple.com website lets ‌Apple Card‌ holders sign in with their Apple IDs. The website features a payments section that shows card balance front and center, along with the next scheduled payment date, and total card limits.

Monthly statements can be viewed and downloaded through another section of the website, while Settings allows users to add a bank account, manage scheduled payments, or see their Mastercard network benefits. A support section of the website provides access to an ‌Apple Card‌ web user guide and a phone number that customers can call to get help.

All of these functions were previously available in the Wallet app, but having online access to ‌Apple Card‌ tools is useful for those who prefer managing their credit cards from their computers rather than their iPhones. It also allows ‌Apple Card‌ to be used without the need to own an iPhone or an iPad for the first time, which is a major change.

Apple is also now allowing new ‌Apple Card‌ applicants to apply directly from the Apple.com website using any browser when purchasing a product using the ‌Apple Card‌ Monthly Installments option, a feature which previously required the Apple Store app or a Safari web browser. To reflect the new changes today, Apple is sending out emails to customers letting them know about updates to their customer agreements.

We made some changes to your Apple Card that are now part of your Customer Agreement. We are summarizing these changes below.

More Ways to Manage Your Account. We've added the ability to access and manage Apple Card online. You can use card.apple.com to make, schedule, or cancel payments; check your available credit; view Monthly Statements; and review your Apple Card Customer Agreement, APR, and other rate information.

Using Apple Card Without iPhone or iPad. Now that it's possible to use Apple Card Monthly Installments without an iPhone or iPad, we changed the Apple Card Customer Agreement to explain this experience. This is detailed in the section entitled, Using Your Account Without a Required Device.

Daily Cash. We added information about: (i) how you may earn bonus Daily Cash at select merchants, and (ii) how Daily Cash Adjustments as a result of a return or credit can be charged as one or more Transactions to your Account, reflected on your Monthly Statements.

Apple Card Monthly Installments. We are changing how you can accept the terms of your monthly repayment amount for an Apple Card Monthly Installment. This does not change how we calculate your Minimum Payment Due.

Software Updates. In order to ensure complete access to your Account and that you receive required updates, we ask that you please update to the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, or macOS on the devices you use with Apple Card.

Other Changes. We made clarifications, formatting corrections, and other minor changes.

Except for these changes, the rest of your Apple Card Customer Agreement remains as is.

As highlighted yesterday, Apple is running a promotion for new ‌Apple Card‌ users at the current time, providing $50 Daily Cash when the ‌Apple Card‌ is first used to pay for an Apple service like an App Store purchase, Apple Arcade, or Apple Music.

Apple is "battling to free stuck shipments" at the Indian port of Chennai after the country ramped up scrutiny of imports from China following rising tensions between the two nations.

Reuters reports that customs officers at the Southern Indian port have held back more than 150 shipments of smartphones and electronic parts from China, which has disrupted operations at plants owned by Apple supplier Foxconn.

While several companies such as Apple and Dell have been battling to free stuck shipments, hundreds of employees at Taiwanese contract manufacturer Foxconn's two plants in the south had no major work to do this week as shipments were delayed, sources said.

Some of the shipments are being slowly cleared, according to Reuters' sources, but the hold-up has reportedly left Foxconn in a "very bad state," resulting in many workers staying at their dormitories because of a lack of work.

The additional checks, which were apparently imposed without any formal order, follow deadly clashes between Chinese and Indian soldiers at the disputed Himalayan border last month, which has led to boycotts and demonstrations.

With concern mounting that the shipping delays are impacting businesses that have already been disrupted by the global health crisis, prominent U.S.-India lobby groups and local industry bodies have urged the Indian government to intervene. Indian government officials said the additional clearance measures for shipments from China would be temporary.

China's Commerce Ministry said on Thursday that it hoped India would "correct its discriminatory actions against Chinese companies immediately," after India banned some Chinese mobile apps amid the border crisis.

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 is rumored to be releasing a mini LED-backlit iPad Pro and a new mini-LED MacBook Pro series over the next 18 months, and the devices have just picked up two new suppliers, according to industry sources.

DigiTimes today reports that two former Apple suppliers, Taiwan's Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect, have entered the supply chain to make the flexible printed circuit boards for the mini-LED devices.

The two PCB makers will reportedly compete with their South Korean peer Young Poong Electronics for the higher shipment ratio of flexible boards required, and are well placed to gain a larger portion of shipment orders because they boast better flexible board manufacturing technology capability.

Both firms are expected to start small-volume shipments of mini LED-backlit modules in the fourth quarter of 2020 to support the launch of new iPad Pro in the first quarter of 2021, the sources said. As such modules are likely to become standard specs for diverse new iPads and MacBooks, Zhen Ding and Flexium can secure a new profitable outlet for their flexible boards, the sources noted.

Apple is rumored to be planning to release a high-end 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ with a mini-LED display and 5G in 2021. Apple was originally planning to launch the device in the fall of 2020, but is reportedly unable to meet that deadline with the global health crisis, and now multiple sources suggest a 2021 launch. DigiTimes claims we could see the device as early as the first quarter of next year, while leaker L0vetodream has claimed they won't arrive until the second quarter.

Apple is also working on a 14.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ and an updated 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a mini-LED display, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, although the roadmap for these machines is far from clear.

While Kuo has said the mini-LED version of the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is slated for the fall of 2020, he hasn't provided launch information for the 14.1-inch model that Apple is working on, beyond suggesting that there are several mini-LED devices in the works for 2020 and 2021. Meanwhile, L0vetodream has claimed the 14.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ won't be launching until 2021.

‌DigiTimes‌ has previously claimed that Apple will launch multiple Mac notebook models with mini-LED backlit displays by the end of 2020, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in April that Apple plans to introduce a 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ in October or November, but it's not clear if this refresh features a mini-LED display.

Ultimately, work on all the mini-LED devices may have been pushed back to 2021. This includes the 16-inch mini-LED ‌MacBook Pro‌, and multiple sources now suggest a 2021 launch for the machine.

The future mini-LED displays will use approximately 10,000 LEDs, with each one below 200 microns in size. Mini-LED will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, offering many of the same benefits as OLED like better wide color gamut, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks. Kuo believes the mini-LED technology will "significantly improve productivity and the entertainment experience."

WhatsApp has announced it is rolling out a number of new features across its app, web, and desktop variants, including a QR code scanning option for contacts and a new Dark mode theme that extends to computers.

WhatsApp has been extensively testing the use of QR codes on mobile to let users add contacts to the messaging app instead of typing in digits one by one, and it sounds like it's almost ready to go live.

Currently WhatsApp users must first add a contact via the Contacts tab in Apple's Phone app. Only after that can they open WhatsApp and send them a message. Using a QR code instead would skip this step and make the process a lot more convenient.

Meanwhile, following the recent added ability to video chat with up to eight people, WhatsApp is bringing new improvements to group video calls. It's now easier to focus on someone in a call by pressing and holding to maximize their video to full screen. There's also a new video icon for group chats of 8 or less, making it easier to start a group video call with a single tap.

WhatsApp says animated stickers are one of the fastest growing ways people communicate on the platform, so it's also rolling out "more fun and expressive" animated sticker packs. In addition, KaiOS users can now enjoy the popular feature that lets them share updates that disappear after 24 hours.

Finally, while Dark Mode on WhatsApp for iPhone arrived earlier this year, the same feature is now coming to the web version of the chat platform as well as WhatsApp for Mac.

WhatsApp says these features are rolling out to users over the next few weeks. WhatsApp is a free download for ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and Mac available on the iOS ‌App Store [Direct Link] and Mac App Store [Direct Link], respectively‌.

Apple in March purchased weather app Dark Sky, and at that time, Dark Sky's developers said that the Dark Sky for Android app would be discontinued on July 1, 2020.

Now that it's July, Dark Sky's developers today announced that the discontinuation of the Android app will be delayed, and it will be available until August 1, 2020.

The Android app will be shuttered on August 1, and Android users will no longer be able to use it. Subscribers who are active at that time will be provided with a full refund.

Dark Sky also plans to shut down the weather forecasts, maps, and embeds available on its website on August 1. Dark Sky previously said that its API will continue to function through the end of 2021, but no new API signups are being accepted.

Apple is offering new Apple Card holders a $50 Daily Cash bonus when they use the card for an Apple service, which includes renting a movie in the Apple TV app, subscribing to Apple Arcade or Apple Music, or making an App Store purchase.

Apple says that the $50 will be provided as a Daily Cash transfer to the new Apple Card after a qualifying purchase has been made.

The promotion is being highlighted on the Apple Card website, as 9to5Mac points out. The deal is valid for new ‌Apple Card‌ holders who open an account between July 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020 and make any purchase from Apple Services in the United States within 30 days of opening an ‌Apple Card‌ account.

Daily Cash is transferred to the Apple Cash card after a qualifying purchase, but for those who do not have an Apple Cash card, it can be applied as a credit on a statement balance.

Apple's iCloud.com website is down for some users, according to a report on Apple's System Status page. The issue began at 3:25 p.m. Pacific Time, and is ongoing.

Affected users who visit iCloud.com run into a message that says the iCloud website can't be found. "‌iCloud‌ can't find that page," it reads.

Apple is working on fixing the issue, though it is not clear when the website will be back up and running.

Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to testify in an upcoming antitrust hearing with the U.S. House judiciary antitrust subcommittee, chairman David Cicilline said today in an interview with Kara Swisher.

According to Cicilline, Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet (Google) CEO Sundar Pichai, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos will all appear at the antitrust hearing set to take place in late July.

The antitrust subcommittee has embarked on a probe of competition in digital markets that involves all four companies, and in June, letters were sent out to CEOs asking them to testify.

Apple's App Store policies have been under scrutiny from the U.S. government since last year, and Apple has been questioned about the removal of parental control apps from the ‌‌App Store‌ in 2019‌, how search result rankings are determined, how Apple's in-app purchase mechanism works, whether apps are permitted to include in-app links to non-Apple payment systems, policies surrounding setting non-Apple apps as default, and more.

Cicilline, who is the chairman of the antitrust subcommittee looking into Apple's ‌App Store‌ agreements with developers, said in June that Apple's ‌App Store‌ fees are "exorbitant" and akin to "highway robbery."

The antitrust subcommittee has been soliciting opinions from developers who create apps for Apple's ‌App Store‌ since November 2019, and recently, those discussions have centered on the 30 percent cut that Apple takes from in-app subscriptions.

Cook is likely to be questioned on Apple's various ‌App Store‌ policies and the responses and concerns that the subcommittee has heard from ‌App Store‌ developers.

The investigation into Apple's ‌App Store‌ practices is said to be in the early stages, but the committee's goal is to generate a report with recommendations on legislative action.

Apple's Mac Pro can now be configured with a Radeon Pro W5550X with 8GB of GDDR6 memory, a graphics card option that's a step above the entry-level Radeon Pro 580X but not as expensive as the W5700X graphics card that Apple introduced as an option in April.

Upgrading a ‌Mac Pro‌ with the Radeon Pro W5550X costs an additional $200 over the base price of the machine.

The AMD Radeon Pro W5500X with 8GB of GDDR6 memory is based on AMD's RDNA architecture, featuring up to 5.6 teraflops of single-precision performance or 11.2 teraflops of half-precision computing. It supports up to four 4K displays, one 5K display, or one Pro Display XDR.

The Radeon Pro W5500X can also be purchased as a standalone half-height MPX Module for $600.

Google pays Apple to be the default search engine on Apple's Safari web browser on iPhones and Macs, which causes a "significant barrier to entry and expansion" for rivals in the search engine market, said the UK Competition and Markets Authority in a report released today (via Reuters).

The relationship between Apple and Google impacts Microsoft's Bing, Verizon's Yahoo, and independent search engine DuckDuckGo. Apple allows users to set these search engines as their default in the Safari settings, a privilege the search engines pay for, but Google Search remains the default on a new device.

Apple received the "substantial majority" of the $1.5 billion (1.2 billion pounds) that Google paid to be the default search engine on various devices in the United Kingdom in 2019, according to the report.

"Given the impact of preinstallations and defaults on mobile devices and Apple's significant market share, it is our view that Apple's existing arrangements with Google create a significant barrier to entry and expansion for rivals affecting competition between search engines on mobiles," the regulators wrote in the report.

UK regulators believe that enforcement authorities should be provided with a range of options to address the arrangement between Apple and Google to provide a more level playing field for other search engines.

Apple could be required to provide "choice screens" that would let users decide which search engine to set as default during device setup, or could be restricted from monetizing default search engine positions, a move that Apple said would be "very costly."

Apple and Google have never confirmed exactly how much Google pays to be the default search engine on Apple devices in the UK, the United States, and other countries, but it's rumored to be in the billions.