MacRumors

Google-owned navigation app Waze today announced that it is expanding railroad crossing alerts to additional countries, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Brazil, Mexico, and others, according to The Verge. The safety feature quietly launched in the United States, Canada, and Belgium earlier this year.

Enabled by default, the alerts pop up in the Waze app when a driver is approaching a railroad crossing on a street. The feature can be disabled in Waze's in-app settings under Map display > Reports > Railroad crossing > Alert me while driving.

Waze is available for free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.

In related news, Google Maps will be returning to the Apple Watch in the coming weeks. The app supports estimated arrival times and step-by-step directions on ‌the Apple Watch‌ when using saved destinations like Work or Home. Other destinations require navigation to start on the iPhone, with the directions then picked up by the ‌Apple Watch‌.

Last week, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple camera lens suppliers Genius Electronic Optical had discovered issues with cracking coatings on the wide-angle camera lens destined for the lower-end 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch ‌iPhone 12‌ models. Kuo noted that the issue was unlikely to have an impact on the iPhone 12 shipping schedule.

Genius Electronic Optical has since refuted the report, maintaining that its production is still running without issues and that demand from its clients remains normal, according to DigiTimes. In any case, Apple also has Largan Precision as a camera lens supplier for iPhone 12 models, so customers are unlikely to see any impact regardless.

Apple is widely expected to announce four ‌iPhone 12‌ models this year, including a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a 6.7-inch model, all with OLED displays and 5G connectivity. While new iPhones usually begin shipping in late September, Apple recently indicated that supply will be available "a few weeks later" this year.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Apple's largest manufacturing partner Foxconn commenced its seasonal hiring spree to assist with iPhone 12 production.

Read our iPhone 12 roundup for an overview of rumored features and specs.

Microsoft will launch its Surface Duo dual-screen Android phone on September 10, with prices starting at $1,399. Pre-orders will begin today at AT&T, Best Buy, and the Microsoft online store.

The Surface Duo features two 4:3 OLED displays that are connected side by side with a hinge. Each display is 5.6 inches in size, which results in a 3:2 8.1-inch overall tablet-style screen size.

You can hold the device like a book, using one side for one app and the other side for another app, or you can fold them up into a more traditional form factor. They can also be unfolded into a notebook shape if desired. The device has two batteries under each display with a total capacity of 3577mAh, which Microsoft says equates to an "all day battery life."

The Surface Duo has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, 6GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage. LTE is available on T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, but there is no support for 5G. Surface Duo supports Microsoft's Surface pens and comes with a protective bumper cover.

The device has a single 11-megapixel f/2.0 camera, which will include software modes for low light, HDR multi-frame captures, and a "super zoom" up to 7x. Both 4K and 1080p video recording are supported at 30fps and 60fps, with electronic image stabilization.

The Surface Duo runs a heavily skinned version of Android, and any Android app will run on the device without modification. Developers will be able to optimize the layout of their apps to take advantage of the dual displays. Microsoft is also using specifically-designed algorithms to instruct apps to open on the correct display depending on the user's needs.

The Surface Duo was unveiled in October 2019, alongside its larger sibling, the Surface Neo. The release date of the Surface Neo, Microsoft's larger tablet-sized foldable device with a similar design to the Duo, is as yet unknown. The Surface Neo is expected to run Windows 10X, a new custom software based on Windows 10, but designed for dual display devices.

MacRumors videographer Dan was in attendance at the October event and saw both newly announced products. Watch an overview over on our YouTube channel.

A new document outlining the potential scope of President Trump's TikTok ban suggests Apple could be forced to remove the short-form video sharing platform from its App Store in China.

Trump last week signed an executive order that would officially ban any U.S. transactions with TikTok if its Chinese parent ByteDance does not reach a deal to divest it to a U.S. company in 45 days.

According to a White House document sent out to supporters and seen by Reuters, the ban aims to cut off U.S. business transactions, disrupt TikTok's funding, and eliminate its ability to operate within the United States.

"Prohibited transactions may include, for example, agreements to make the TikTok app available on app stores ... purchasing advertising on TikTok, and accepting terms of service to download the TikTok app onto a user device," the document states.

The document is believed to have been written the same week as two executive orders signed by Trump that target Chinese businesses, one of which is Tencent, the owner of the massively popular WeChat platform.

The document does not explicitly mention WeChat, but if the Trump administration decides to subject it to the same measures, the consequences for Apple could be huge.

WeChat is heavily relied upon in China as a messaging platform, as an interface for numerous other apps, and to make mobile transactions. WeChat is also widely used around the world and has over 1.2 billion monthly active users.

In a worst-case scenario, Apple's annual global iPhone shipments could decline by 25–30% if it was forced to remove WeChat from its App Stores around the world, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

TikTok could avoid a ban if it agrees sell off its U.S. operations to an American company. Microsoft has publicly confirmed its intention to purchase TikTok in the United States and is currently in discussions with ByteDance. Twitter has also reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the service.

TikTok earlier this week said it intends to sue the Trump administration to keep operating in the US, and claimed the executive order is "based on pure speculation and conjecture."

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.

Major Apple supplier Foxconn reported better-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday, overcoming slowing smartphone sales thanks to rising telecommuting demand amid the global health crisis (via Reuters).

The iPhone manufacturer posted net profit of $778.54 million for the second quarter ended June, almost $5 billion more than a consensus estimate from analysts, and up around 34 percent from a year earlier.

The results reflect a huge turnaround for the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer, following a near 90 percent drop in first-quarter profit at the beginning of this year.

Foxconn slashed its 2020 revenue outlook in March after strict quarantines were enforced at its China plants for a period in February, at the height of the crisis, which has now largely resolved in the country. Foxconn said at the time it believed the worst was over, and the company would stabilize in the second quarter.

Apple's new smartphone lineup is expected to arrive in the fall, and Foxconn firm has already begun its seasonal hiring spree to assist with ‌iPhone‌ 12 production.

More than 70 percent of the new iPhones could be assembled by Foxconn, according to Taipei-based KGI Securities. Analysts expect the launch to boost Foxconn’s revenue recovery in the months to come.

Apple is widely expected to announce four ‌‌iPhone‌ 12‌ models this year, including a 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and a 6.7-inch model, all with OLED displays and 5G connectivity.

Apple recently relaunched its Apple Music beta website to add a "Listen Now" feature that replaces the "For You" tab from the standard Apple Music website.

Listen Now is similar to For You, featuring Top Picks based on usage habits, recently played songs, and automatic playlists like Favorites Mix and Chill Mix, and it is updated with new suggestions regularly.

The new beta page, initially noticed by 9to5Mac, mirrors the new "Listen Now" tab that was introduced in Apple Music in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur, and it exists alongside the non-beta ‌Apple Music‌ website. Apple has also redesigned the beta ‌Apple Music‌ website to resemble the design of the Music app in iOS 14.

Apple made a web version of ‌Apple Music‌ available in September 2019, and the web experience exited beta in April 2020. ‌Apple Music‌ on the web lets ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers sign in to access their music libraries, playlists, personal mixes, and recommendations. Music content plays right in the web browser, so the web experience makes ‌Apple Music‌ available on any device.

‌Apple Music‌ on the web does not offer certain features that can be found in Apple's dedicated ‌Apple Music‌ apps like the option to see lyrics for songs that are playing.

The beta web experience is likely to replace the existing web experience when iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and macOS Big Sur launch to the public this fall. The beta site can be accessed at beta.music.apple.com, while the standard site is still available at music.apple.com.

Logitech recently debuted the Folio Touch, a keyboard and trackpad case designed for the 11-inch iPad Pro that serves as an alternative to the Magic Keyboard. In our latest YouTube video, we compare the $160 Folio Touch to Apple's $300 Magic Keyboard to see which is better.

Logitech is selling the Folio Touch for $160, while Apple's Magic Keyboard for ‌iPad Pro‌ is much more expensive at $300, so right off the bat, it has a huge advantage when it comes to price.

The Folio Touch has better viewing angles thanks to a movable stand, it offers more protection for the ‌iPad Pro‌ because it encases the entire device, and the cover can be folded all the way back to use the ‌iPad Pro‌ in tablet mode or with an Apple Pencil, something the Magic Keyboard isn't capable of.

Design wise, the Folio Touch is bulkier because of the extra protection and made from a fabric material that's less prone to dust and grime, but that aforementioned stand is malleable and not as sturdy as the Magic Keyboard in a lap. The hinge of the Magic Keyboard is sturdy and the floating design is visually impressive, while the Folio Touch offers a more straightforward iPad folio case design.

One major advantage the Folio Touch offers is a function row of keys for controlling media, accessing the Home Screen, adjusting screen brightness, and more, and that's missing on the Magic Keyboard. There's space for charging the ‌Apple Pencil‌ with the Folio Touch and it can be held in place with a magnetic flap when the keyboard is closed. The same is true of the Magic Keyboard, but there's no extra flap for holding the ‌Apple Pencil‌ in place.

The Magic Keyboard's trackpad is a little bit better because it doesn't take as much force to click, but that's mitigated if you have tap to click turn on. Both trackpads have the same functionality and work with all the iPadOS gestures. The Magic Keyboard's keys also feel better under the fingers with more travel and a sturdier press, but it's a close call.

Both have backlighting and connect to the ‌iPad Pro‌ using the Smart Connector, so there's no need to charge or use Bluetooth, and both keyboard options seem to drain about the same amount of battery from the ‌iPad Pro‌. There's no extra USB-C port on the Folio Touch like there is on the Magic Keyboard, which is a negative if you want to use an extra accessory, plus the cutout is a little bit small so it might not work with docks.

Make sure to watch the full video for a better look at how the two keyboards compare, but in a nutshell, Logitech's Folio Touch is an appealing Magic Keyboard alternative because it offers the same functionality as the Magic Keyboard, and when it comes to the stand and the versatility of the case design, it's even better than the Magic Keyboard.

There are some perks to the Magic Keyboard like that extra USB-C port and the more unique and visually appealing hinge design, but at $160, the Logitech Folio is definitely worth considering for those who are looking for an ‌iPad Pro‌ keyboard. The biggest downside is that it's not yet available for the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌.

We'll have a more in-depth review of the Logitech Folio Touch coming later this week, so keep an eye out for that, and let us know in the comments what you think about each keyboard.

Apple needs to pay PanOptis $506 million for willfully infringing on a handful of patents related to 4G LTE technology, a Texas federal jury ruled today (via Law360).

The jury said that Apple did not prove that PanOptis' patent claims were invalid, resulting in the order to pay $506 million in royalties. PanOptis first levied a lawsuit against Apple in February 2019 on behalf of five of its wireless companies, accusing Apple of violating seven patents related to LTE standards.

According to PanOptis, all LTE-enabled Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, infringe on its LTE patents. PanOptis had requested damages "in the form of reasonable royalties" when demanding a jury trial last year.

PanOptis and its sister companies, Optis Wireless Technology, Optis Cellular Technology, Unwired Planet, and Unwired Planet International, are non-practicing entities that hold patents and generate revenue through patent litigation, otherwise known as patent trolls.

Just prior to when the lawsuit was originally filed, Apple began the process of closing all of its stores in the Eastern District of Texas, presumably in an effort to avoid patent infringement lawsuits in the jurisdiction, which is a favorite of patent trolls. PanOptis' lawsuit and jury trial took place in the Eastern District of Texas.

Apple will undoubtedly appeal today's decision.

Qualcomm today scored a major victory in its ongoing antitrust battle with the FTC, winning an appeal that will prevent the San Diego company from having to renegotiate its licensing agreements with smartphone makers.

Back in May 2019, the Federal Trade Commission won an antitrust lawsuit against Qualcomm, with the court ruling that Qualcomm's "no license, no chips" model that allowed Qualcomm to refuse to provide chips to companies without a patent license, violated federal antitrust laws. The ruling required Qualcomm to renegotiate all of its licensing terms with customers in good faith.

According to Bloomberg, the federal appeals court today said that the judge in the original case was wrong to side with the FTC, and the court vacated the order mandating that Qualcomm re-establish its licensing deals with companies like Apple.

The court said that the original ruling went "beyond the scope" of antitrust law and that Qualcomm's licensing practices are not anticompetitive because Qualcomm is "under no antitrust duty to license rival chip suppliers." If Qualcomm has breached obligations to license patents under fair and reasonable terms (FRAND), the issue needs to be brought up under patent law, not antitrust law.

In a statement, the FTC called the court's ruling "disappointing" and said that it will be considering options going forward. The FTC can appeal the decision, but if it stands, it will end Qualcomm's years-long legal battle over its chip licensing deals.

Qualcomm general counsel and executive vice president Don Rosenberg told Bloomberg that the ruling validates Qualcomm's business model.

"The court of appeals unanimous reversal, entirely vacating the district court decision, validates our business model and patent licensing program and underscores the tremendous contributions that Qualcomm has made to the industry."

Qualcomm's fight with the FTC ran concurrent with its legal battle with Apple. The Qualcomm vs. Apple dispute spanned years, but was resolved last year when the two companies reached a settlement and agreed to drop all litigation.

Apple had accused Qualcomm of unfair licensing deals and overcharging for the iPhone components that it supplied to Apple, but Apple dropped the case because it has no other source for 5G modems for its iPhones. Apple tried using Intel modem chips in its devices and did so successfully for a few years, but Intel ultimately could not produce the chips Apple needed and ended up selling its modem chip business.

Apple purchased Intel's smartphone modem business for $1 billion, and in the future, intends to manufacture its own modem chips. For now, though, Apple continues to be reliant on Qualcomm and this year's ‌iPhone‌ 12 models will be equipped with Qualcomm modem chips.

Compelling a suspect to unlock a smartphone doesn't violate Fifth Amendment rights, New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled today (via NorthJersey.com), adding a new argument to the ongoing debate on whether those arrested can be forced to unlock their devices with biometrics or passcodes.

Courts around the United States have been split on the issue, with some determining that suspects cannot be forced to unlock an iPhone, while others have said it's not a rights violation. Most of these arguments have focused on biometric smartphone unlocking methods like Touch ID and Face ID, but New Jersey says that a criminal defendant can be forced to provide a passcode.

In the NJ case, prosecutors wanted access to two iPhones owned by former Essex County sheriff Robert Andrews, accused of secretly working with a street gang. Andrews argued that requiring him to provide a passcode would be a violation of his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, but the court rejected the argument and said that it only applies when the accused is "compelled to make a testimonial communication that is incriminating."

Fifth Amendment rights do not protect suspects from producing documents to use as evidence in cases, and the court considered the ‌iPhone‌'s text and phone call content to be documents.

The court, which was split on the decision 4 to 3, said that even if the passcodes were considered testimony, there was already evidence that there were texts and telephone exchanges between the sheriff and an alleged drug dealer, enacting a "foregone conclusion exception" to the Fifth Amendment because the state already knows about the texts. By providing the passcodes, Andrews would not be providing information the government is not already aware of. The full ruling with additional context is available from the NJ courts website [PDF].

Based on the record in this case, compelled production of the passcodes falls within the foregone conclusion exception. The State's demonstration of the passcodes' existence, Andrews's previous possession and operation of the cellphones, and the passcodes' self-authenticating nature render the issue here one of surrender, not testimony, and the exception thus applies. Therefore, the Fifth Amendment does not protect Andrews from compelled disclosure of the passcodes to his cellphones. The Court would reach the same conclusion if it viewed the analysis to encompass the phones' contents. The search warrants and record evidence of the particular content that the State knew the phones contained provide ample support for that determination.

Andrews' attorney, Charles Sciarra, called the court's ruling a "major defeat to the United States Constitution."

"Forget alleged criminal conduct: It's time to rethink whether you should keep anything simply private or personal on a personal electronic device because if the government wants it, they can now get it," he said. "If you are in a car accident they can go through your whole phone to see if you were a distracted driver."

The New Jersey Supreme Court ruling could have an impact on future court cases involving locked smartphones, and courts will continue to come to different conclusions on the issue of smartphone unlocking until the United States Supreme Court steps in and clarifies how constitutional rights and precedents apply to new technologies.

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 doesn't normally release a public beta of its upcoming Apple Watch software, but with watchOS 7, the company appears to have had a change of heart. That means anyone with a compatible Apple Watch can get a taste of the latest new Apple Watch features, such as sleep tracking, new watch faces, watch face sharing, new workout types, and more.

Before you rush to install the watchOS 7 public‌ beta, it's worth remembering that this is pre-release software, so don't expect things to work 100 percent trouble-free. Apple has released relatively stable beta versions of its operating systems this year, but beta software is inherently unstable, as it contains bugs and issues that have yet to be ironed out.

Another thing to note before installing the beta is that watchOS 7 completely removes the Force Touch gesture from the operating system, so expect a slightly different experience for some functions and menus. Also, bear in mind that there's no way to downgrade to watchOS 6 after installing the watchOS 7 beta.

watchOS 7 is compatible with Apple Watch Series 3, 4, and 5. If you have one of those models, here's how you can install the watchOS 7 public beta.

How to Install the watchOS 7 Public Beta

You need to be running the iOS 14 beta on the iPhone that your Apple Watch is paired with. Follow our walkthrough guide on how to do that, then come back and follow these steps.

1. Open a browser on your ‌iPhone‌ and navigate to the Apple Beta Software Program website.
2. Tap the chevron in the top-right corner of the webpage and select Sign In from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter your Apple ID credentials.
4. A Guide for Public Betas screen will appear. Select the watchOS tab, scroll down to the Get Started section and tap enroll your Apple Watch.
5. Scroll down and tap Download Profile.
   
   

6. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the watchOS 7 public beta.
7. Tap Allow in the prompt to download the beta profile to your ‌iPhone‌.
8. Tap Install in the top-right corner of the screen and enter your passcode if required.
   
   

9. Read the consent information, then tap Install two more times.
10. Tap Restart if prompted to restart your ‌iPhone‌.
11. Launch the Watch app on your ‌iPhone‌.
12. Select General -> Software Update.
    
    

13. After a few moments, you should see watchOS 7 available to download. Place your Apple Watch on its charger and tap Download and Install.

After a few minutes your Apple Watch will restart with the new watchOS public beta running.

Click here to learn more about some of the new features of watchOS 7.

Apple has reached a first-look deal with renowned filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who will produce and direct films and series for Apple TV+ as part of a multi-year agreement with his company Sikelia Productions, according to Deadline.

The partnership will begin with the Scorsese film "Killers of the Flower Moon," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. According to IMDb, the film revolves around members of the Osage tribe in Oklahoma who were murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major FBI investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.

Scorsese is best known for his crime and gangster movies, such as 1973's Mean Streets, 1985's After Hours, 1990's Goodfellas, 2004's The Aviator, 2011's Hugo, 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street, and 2019's The Irishman.

Amazon will add podcasts to its Amazon Music and Audible services, according to a confidential email obtained by The Desk.

Amazon said in the email that it would soon allow Amazon Music and Audible users to subscribe, download, and stream free podcasts on the services. Podcasts will also be available to customers of Amazon Music's ad-supported free tier, in addition to its premium paid service. The launch date of podcasts in Amazon Music and Audible was not stated in the email.

The email was reportedly sent to some podcast producers on Monday, with the offer to submit a podcast feed before the feature becomes publicly accessible. This is needed to allow the new podcasts feature to launch with popular shows already available.

During submission of a podcast feed, producers are required to agree to terms and conditions. Strikingly, one term in particular stated that podcasts on the platforms could not include comments that disparage Amazon or its products.

Podcast features would allow users of Echo smart speakers and Fire TV devices to stream podcasts through Amazon's default apps, rather than via third party apps. Amazon Music had 55 million subscribers as of January, just five million less than Apple Music's 60 million.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Apple is working on original podcasts that will be exclusive to its Podcasts app. Podcasts are increasingly becoming an area of competition between major tech companies, with Apple, Spotify, Google, and now Amazon heavily investing in the sector.