Joe Rossignol
Joe joined MacRumors in January 2015, and is now a Senior Reporter. Based out of Stoney Creek, Canada, he has been writing about Apple since 2008, with a focus on breaking news coverage.
Joe Rossignol's Articles
Apple Says iPhones With Third-Party Batteries Now Eligible for Repairs
iPhones with aftermarket batteries installed by third-party repair shops are now eligible for service at Genius Bars and Apple Authorized Service Providers, according to an internal Apple document obtained by MacRumors from three reliable sources. The change was first reported by French blog iGeneration. iPhone X battery with pull tabs via iFixit This is significant news for iPhone repairs,...
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Apple Registers PrivacyIsImportant.com Domain Name
Apple has registered the domain name PrivacyIsImportant.com, according to a WHOIS record discovered by MacRumors. The records indicate that Apple took possession of the domain name on Monday. The record's contact information now lists Apple Inc. as the organization, complete with its address, phone number, and domains-related email. The registrar is CSC, a firm that protects domain names for ...
Apple Seeking Analyst to Monitor Siri Complaints Trending on Social Media
If you have ever complained about Siri on Twitter or likewise, your feedback could actually make its way to Apple executives. Screenshot via /r/SiriFail A recent Apple job listing seeks an engineering program manager to "monitor what the world is saying about Siri through social media, news, and other sources." This will include detecting "Siri issues that are going viral or otherwise...
Thunderbolt 3 and USB Converge With New 40 Gbps USB4 Specification
The USB Promoter Group standards body today announced the pending release of a new USB4 specification. USB4 converges the Thunderbolt and USB protocols as part of Intel's goal to make Thunderbolt available on a royalty-free basis, which should result in wider and cheaper availability of Thunderbolt accessories like docks and eGPUs. As USB4 is based on Thunderbolt 3, it offers data...
First U.S. Jury Trial Begins Today in Apple-Qualcomm Legal Battle
In July 2017, Qualcomm filed suit against Apple in San Diego federal court, accusing the iPhone maker of infringing on six U.S. patents related to graphics processing architecture, power consumption, and envelope tracking technologies. Nearly two years later, the case is finally headed to trial. The trial begins today with jury selection, with proceedings expected to take up to two weeks. It ...
Apple Now Seeking More Software Engineers Than Hardware Engineers
Software engineering positions have outnumbered hardware engineering positions in Apple job listings for the first time since at least the first quarter of 2016, according to data-driven website Thinknum. The website claims Apple's "software and services" job listings have topped its hardware engineering listings since the third quarter of 2018. Thinknum's Joshua Fruhlinger told us that...
Apple Expands 'There's More to iPhone' Campaign With New Videos
Apple today expanded its "There's More to iPhone" marketing campaign to France and the United Kingdom after launching it in Germany late last year. A new "Why iPhone" page on Apple's website in each country highlights reasons why an iPhone is "more than the device in your hand," ranging from Apple's environmental responsibility to iOS 12 performance improvements to the privacy of features...
Foldable iPhones Could Have Self-Heating Displays to Avoid Damage in Cold Weather
The foldable smartphone era is in full swing with the recent introductions of the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X, and while it remains unclear if Apple will follow suit, the company has at least explored ideas related to foldable smartphones in patent applications over the past few years. Huawei Mate X In a patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today,...
Qualcomm 'Running Out' of Time to Win 5G Modem Orders in 2020 iPhones Amid Legal Battle With Apple
Qualcomm may be running out of time if it wants to supply Apple with 5G modems for its 2020 iPhones as some rumors suggest. In a research note today, analysts at investment bank Barclays said that while they originally thought Qualcomm had an opportunity to supply the 5G modems to Apple, they now believe that time "seems to be running out" unless the two companies can settle their bitter...
Apple Celebrating International Women's Day With 'Girls Who Code' Partnership and More Throughout March
International Women's Day is March 8, but Apple plans to celebrate women throughout the entire month of March with a new Girls Who Code partnership, special Today at Apple sessions at Apple Stores, an Activity Challenge, and more. First, Apple is partnering with Girls Who Code to support new coding opportunities for girls and young women in the United States. Using Apple's Everyone Can Code...
Siri Shortcuts Expands to American Airlines, Caviar, and Other Apps, Coming Soon to Airbnb
Apple today announced that American Airlines, Dexcom, Caviar, Merriam Webster, and Spectre have added Siri Shortcuts support to their apps this week. Airbnb, Drop, ReSound, and Smarter also plan to add Siri Shortcuts integration to their apps over the next few months. Apple provided us with a summary of how Siri Shortcuts works in each app:American Airlines: Get updates on all your flight...
Lower-Cost iPad and iPad Mini Refreshes Draw Closer as Apple Files New Models in Indian Database
Apple has registered two unreleased iPad models with the Bureau of Indian Standards, according to MySmartPrice. The model numbers A2124 and A2133 were already registered with the Eurasian Economic Commission in late January alongside five other iPad models, but the Indian filing suggests that a release is drawing closer. Apple is widely expected to refresh its 9.7-inch iPad and iPad...
Google Says Bug Caused Apple Music to Appear in Google Home App [Updated]
Apple Music's brief appearance in the Google Home app earlier this week was due to a software bug, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg. Specifically, we've been told that the Google Assistant and Google Home apps share various settings for music services. Due to a bug, Google opened up the Apple Music setting more broadly than it intended, including to Google Home app users. In...
Apple Cracking Down on Developers Spamming the App Store With Duplicate Apps
Just one day after exposing a handful of developers spamming the App Store with duplicate VoIP apps, a clear violation of the App Store Review Guidelines, TechCrunch reports that Apple has removed many of the apps from the App Store. However, the report notes that plenty of duplicate apps remain available in other categories, such as photo printing. MailPix Inc., for example, has released...
Belkin Releases Privacy Screen Protectors for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR
Belkin this week released new privacy-focused InvisiGlass Ultra screen protectors for the iPhone X and iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR. The screen protectors are designed with two-way mirrored glass that hides the contents of your iPhone screen from onlookers when viewed from the side, but provides full visibility when viewed straight on. Apple, which began selling the screen...
Apple Faces Yet Another Patent Lawsuit in East Texas Over LTE Standards
Last week, we reported on Apple's plans to close its retail stores in the Eastern District of Texas in April in an effort to avoid patent infringement lawsuits in the jurisdiction, perceived by many as being "patent troll friendly." Ahead of the closures, Apple faces yet more patent litigation in the district. A group of limited liability companies under the Optis Wireless Technology, LLC...
Apple Outlines How Augmented Reality Glasses Could Overlay Points of Interest
Multiple reports suggest that Apple is developing an augmented reality headset or glasses that could be released by 2020 or 2021, and a newly granted Apple patent may provide some broad clues about potential features. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Apple a patent describing a "method for representing points of interest in a view of a real environment on a mobile...
Apple Announces Winners of Shot on iPhone Challenge
Apple today announced the 10 winners of its Shot on iPhone photography challenge that ran from January 22 to February 7. Dina Alfasi from Israel, shot on iPhone X The winners are Alex Jiang, Blake Marvin, Elizabeth Scarrott, Andrew Griswold, Bernard Antolin, and LieAdi Darmawan from the U.S., Darren Soh from Singapore, Nikita Yarosh from Belarus, Dina Alfasi from Israel, and Robert Glaser...
Toyota Corolla is Finally Getting CarPlay
Toyota today announced that CarPlay and Android Auto will be standard features in its all-new 2020 Corolla in the United States. CarPlay in 2020 Corolla CarPlay will be accessible through Toyota's standard Entune 3.0 multimedia system alongside Android Auto and Amazon Alexa. The base model 2020 Corolla is equipped with a 7-inch touchscreen, while the LE trim and above feature a larger 8-inch...
Apple Will Soon Let Developers Entice Past Subscribers With Discounted iOS, macOS, and tvOS Subscriptions
In an article posted to App Store Connect, Apple has detailed how iOS, macOS, and tvOS app developers will soon be able to offer discounted subscriptions to past subscribers in an attempt to win those customers back. As with introductory offers for new subscribers, there will be three categories of promotional offers for previous subscribers:Free Customers access your subscription for free...