Joe Rossignol

Taiwanese publication DigiTimes provides its paying subscribers with a daily preview of stories that it plans to publish, and in today's edition, it continues to suggest that Apple is planning a new version of AirPods Pro. The story preview reads as follows:USI likely to enter supply chain of AirPods Pro, sources say Taiwan-based Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), a unit of ASE...

Microsoft today announced that it plans to bring a version of its Defender ATP security platform to iOS and Android. Defender ATP provides "preventive protection, post-breach detection, and automated investigation and response" for Windows and macOS, but it is unclear what the platform will offer on iOS given it is a sandboxed operating system. Existing "antivirus" apps for the iPhone...

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today reported that Apple is working to allow third-party music services like Spotify and Pandora to be streamed directly on the HomePod with Siri in a future software update, as is possible with Apple Music. Spotify currently can only be streamed on the HomePod via AirPlay. The report adds that Apple is also considering allowing third-party music services to be set...

Qualcomm this week introduced the Snapdragon X60, its third-generation 5G modem for mobile devices. The company says the first 5G smartphones featuring the X60 are expected to launch early next year. Built on a 5nm process, the X60 packs higher power efficiency into a smaller footprint compared to its 7nm-based predecessor, the Snapdragon X55. In the context of an iPhone, this could allow...

Arlo today announced that its Arlo Pro 3 smart home security camera system is now compatible with Apple's HomeKit platform. A free firmware update is rolling out to Arlo Pro 3 systems with SmartHub model VMB4540 at this time, with support for other SmartHub models to follow. To update the firmware manually, open the Arlo app and tap Settings > My Devices > Arlo Pro 3 > Device Info > Firmware > ...

Following beta testing, Microsoft today released its new Office app for iPhone, bringing together Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in a single app. The main benefit of the unified Office app is that it requires only a single download with a much smaller file size, but it does have a few unique features, including camera integration for easily converting photos of documents and tables into Word...

Adobe is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Photoshop today with several updates to the app across the Mac and iPad. A key new feature on the Mac is support for Dark Mode on macOS Mojave and later. Photoshop already has a dark user interface on the Mac, but now system dialogs like the File menu will also be dark based on the systemwide appearance selected in System Preferences > General. ...

First Alert today announced that its Onelink Safe & Sound, an all-in-one smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and speaker system, now supports AirPlay 2 for multi-room audio playback. AirPlay‌ 2 enables multi-room audio playback with other ‌AirPlay‌ 2 devices, such as the HomePod, Apple TV, and select speakers from Sonos, Bose, Bowers & Wilkins, and others. ‌Users can select where ...

Shanghai-based manufacturing company Universal Scientific Industrial will begin supplying the system-in-package for Apple's upcoming Ultra Wideband item tracking tags in the second to third quarter of 2020, with shipments to reach tens of millions of units by the end of the year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a research note with TF International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo...

As expected, Apple reopened its five retail stores in the Beijing area today as the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China continues. In a video shared by CNBC senior correspondent Eunice Yoon, Apple employees can be seen checking the body temperatures of customers as they enter the store for signs of fever. Yoon says Apple is also limiting the number of customers allowed in the store at once,...

Enter the chaotic world of Lincoln Loud and his sisters in "Loud House: Outta Control," this week's addition to Apple Arcade across the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Based on the Nickelodeon series "The Loud House," the family-friendly strategy game tasks players with completing various tasks before time runs out. The game's description on the App Store:Welcome to the Loud House! Are you ready ...

Pandora this week introduced a standalone Apple Watch app that allows you to stream music and podcasts from your wrist with no iPhone required. Starting with ‌watchOS 6‌, developers are able to distribute apps built specifically for the ‌Apple Watch‌, without a companion app on iOS. These apps can be downloaded from the new App Store app on watchOS 6. Acquired by SiriusXM in 2018, Pandora ...

Apple has begun selling certified refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro models through its online store in the United States for the first time since the notebook was released in November 2019. All of the refurbished configurations are discounted by 15 percent compared to the equivalent brand new models. Apple says refurbished 16-inch MacBook Pro models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned,...

Apple has updated its website to indicate that all five of its retail stores in the Beijing area will be reopening February 14 with limited hours of 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time until further notice, as noted by Reuters. Apple has yet to announce reopening dates for its other stores in mainland China, which remain listed as closed through at least February 19 on its website due to the Wuhan...

Apple plans to release its first iPhone and iPad Pro models with 5G connectivity in the second half of 2020, according to a pair of reports today from Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes. The first report claims that the devices will be equipped with 5nm-based A14 chips — likely A14X for the iPad Pro — and support a combination of mmWave and sub-6GHz. Qualcomm is expected to supply...

Darkroom today announced that it has switched to a subscription-based business model for new users, with pricing set at $3.99 per month or $19.99 per year. A one-time $49.99 purchase option is also available. A subscription provides access to all of Darkroom's filters and tools, plus any new features added later. In a blog post explaining the move, Darkroom says existing users will continue to ...

Taiwan-based suppliers are gearing up for production of a new lower-cost iPhone, a device that has been tentatively referred to as the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9, according to paywalled information shared by DigiTimes. While the lower-cost iPhone may be on track, DigiTimes also reports that Apple has stopped sending engineers to China to assist with the Engineering Validation Test or EVT stage of ...

Last week, we reported that many custom iMac, iMac Pro, and MacBook Pro configurations are facing longer-than-usual delivery estimates on Apple's online store in the United States. The reason for the delays is unconfirmed, but it could be related to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China that has forced many of Apple's suppliers to temporarily close their factories and suspend production....

Last week, BlueMail co-founders Ben Volach and Dan Volach penned an open letter that encouraged any developers who feel that Apple kicked them out of the App Store or has treated them unfairly to share their stories. BlueMail itself was removed from the Mac App Store in June 2019 after Apple found the app to be in violation of several App Store Review Guidelines, but the Volach brothers...

If you pay for several services like Apple Arcade and Apple Music on a monthly basis, subscription renewal emails can quickly become excessive. Fortunately, Apple now has a solution for this. As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has added a toggle switch to its subscription page that allows users to opt out of receiving subscription renewal emails. When the toggle switch is turned off, Apple will no...