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 to Use Intel Modems in AT&T iPhone 7, Qualcomm Modems for Verizon and China
Multiple rumors have claimed that Intel will supply at least a portion of LTE and Wi-Fi modems for the iPhone 7 series, alongside existing supplier Qualcomm, and a new report offers a closer look at how the orders will be divided between the companies. Bloomberg reports that Intel modems will be reserved for AT&T iPhone 7 models, and some other versions of the smartphone sold in other...
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Apple Tweaks Safari Marketing Language to Correct Misleading DuckDuckGo Claim
Earlier this week, Apple tweaked the language on its Safari website to remove the claim that its web browser is the only one to offer non-tracking search engine DuckDuckGo as a built-in option. The original wording was added to Apple's website in October 2014 and remained unchanged until Tuesday night. Before:For example, it’s the only browser to offer DuckDuckGo — a search engine that...
Siri Offers Witty Responses to Users Asking About WWDC Announcements
Ahead of Apple's WWDC 2016 keynote next Monday, June 13 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, Siri is now offering up some traditionally witty responses to users that ask about potential announcements. iPhone users can test Siri themselves by asking "what to expect at WWDC?" or similar questions. All of Siri's responses are unsurprisingly vague, including one related to the popular HBO drama series Game ...
Apple's 'Doom and Gloom' Sentiment Reaches 'Extreme Levels,' but iPhone Sales Should Hit Bottom This Quarter
Apple analyst Brian White of Wall Street brokerage firm Drexel Hamilton has issued a research note to investors in which he estimates that Apple will reach a bottom in iPhone sales, and overall revenue and profit, in the third quarter of the 2016 fiscal year, a three-month period that ends in late June. White claimed that all of Apple's supply chain partners that his firm tracks reported May...
Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro With USB-C May Still Be Unveiled in June
Apple plans to announce new MacBook Air models within the month of June, and begin shipping the notebooks to retailers in August, according to Japanese website Mac Otakara. The conflicting report also claims that Apple will announce a refresh to its entire MacBook Pro series this month, although it did not specify when shipments of those models would begin. The report, citing "a reliable...
Apple Pay Said to Launch in Switzerland on June 13
Apple Pay will expand to Switzerland on Monday, June 13, marking the seventh country where the mobile payments service is available, according to German-language financial website Finews (via iPhone-Ticker). Swiss private bank Cornèr Bank will purportedly be one of the first participating issuers in Switzerland, but the report did not specify if the country's two "big banks" UBS and Credit...
Apple to Reach Goal of 40 Stores in China Later This Month
Apple has announced that it will be opening its 39th and 40th retail stores in China in Tianjin and Shanghai on Saturday, June 11 and Saturday, June 18 respectively. Both grand openings will take place at 10:00 a.m. local time. Apple's second new store in Tianjin this year will be located at the Galaxy International Shopping Center on 9 Le Yuan Road in the city's southwest Hexi District. The...
Apple Rises to #3 in Annual Fortune 500 Rankings
Apple rose to 3rd place in the annual Fortune 500 list of the top U.S. corporations based on gross revenue, trailing behind only Walmart and Exxon Mobil. Apple's previous rankings include 5th place in 2015 and 2014, 6th place in 2013, 17th place in 2012, 35th place in 2011 and 56th place in 2010. Other notable carriers, technology companies, and Apple suppliers on the list include AT&T (10th), ...
Apple Closer to Escaping $533 Million Verdict Won by Smartflash LLC
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on May 26 invalidated two of three patents owned by Smartflash LLC, a patent licensing firm that was awarded a $532.9 million verdict against Apple in February 2015, according to Bloomberg.A three-judge panel at the patent agency found that the two patents never should have been issued in the first place because the idea of storing and paying for data is an...
Third-Party Instagram Apps and Websites Cease to Work
Last November, Instagram announced much stricter rules for accessing its API, effectively putting an end to dozens of both legitimate and questionable third-party apps and websites that integrated with the photo sharing service on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices. Instagram began reviewing new and existing apps before granting full API access starting December 3, 2015, but the changes for...
Apple Launches 2016 Back to School Promotion, Offers Free Beats With Mac, iPhone, or iPad Pro Purchase
Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion in the U.S. and Canada, offering a free pair of Beats Solo2 Wireless Headphones to qualifying students, parents of students, educators, and select others that purchase an eligible Mac with education pricing, including the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac Pro. As usual, the Mac mini and refurbished Macs are excluded from the...
KFC Now Accepts Apple Pay in the United States
KFC has announced that it now accepts Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, and other mobile payment options at some of its U.S. restaurants, with nationwide adoption to be completed by the end of the summer. "Ease of use and functionality were our first priorities," said Chris Caldwell, KFC U.S. Chief Information Officer. "When we factored in consumer concerns about security and privacy, we...
iPhone 7 Series Said to Have 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB Storage Options
Following a recent report claiming the iPhone 7 will ship with at least 32GB base storage, with Apple dropping the infamous 16GB model, research firm TrendForce adds that the mid-tier 64GB storage option may be replaced with 128GB alongside a new 256GB version at the high end of the lineup.Apple is likely to make changes to the storage options for iPhone 7. The 64GB version, which has been the...
BMO, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust Launch Apple Pay in Canada
BMO, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust, which make up three of the five largest banks in Canada, support Apple Pay starting today. Apple Pay currently works with MasterCard and Interac at BMO, Visa and Interac at TD Canada Trust, and Visa, American Express, and Interac at Scotiabank. Eligible cards can be scanned or added manually to Apple Pay by tapping the "Add Credit or Debit Card" option...
Thunderbolt Display Stock Limited at Apple Stores Ahead of WWDC
Thunderbolt Display stock is limited or unavailable at several Apple Stores in North America, Europe, Australia, and other regions ahead of new product announcements expected at WWDC 2016 in two weeks. A spot check of Apple Stores in the U.S., for example, reveals that the Thunderbolt Display is available on a ship-to-store basis only at all or select locations in Albany, Buffalo, Columbus,...
2017 iPhone May Include Enhanced Taptic Engine for More Complex Vibrations
In a report corroborating details about Apple moving towards an elongated three-year period between major iPhone refreshes, or a tick-tock-tock cycle, Japanese website Nikkei claimed that 2017 models will be equipped with a "high-performance motor" able to "create more complex tactile vibrations." The report does not provide additional details about the new motor, but it is reasonable to...
T-Mobile Debuts $30 Tourist Plan Featuring 2GB of 4G LTE Data
T-Mobile has announced a new $30 prepaid Tourist Plan for international visitors to the U.S. that offers 1,000 minutes of domestic calling, unlimited domestic and international texting to over 140 countries and regions, and unlimited 2G data with the first 2GB at 4G LTE speeds. Tourists visiting the U.S. can visit a T-Mobile store with an unlocked GSM smartphone, sign up and pay for the plan,...
India Turns Down Apple's Request to Sell Used iPhones
In March, Apple submitted a formal request to the Indian government in relation to selling refurbished iPhones in the country. Today, however, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that she is "not in favor" of accepting that proposal (via The Economic Times).On Apple's proposal to import refurbished phones and sell in India, Sitharaman said, "We would not be in favour of...
Caltech Accuses Apple of Violating its Patented Wi-Fi Technologies
Apple and Broadcom have been jointly named as defendants in a legal complaint filed by the California Institute of Technology last week over alleged infringement of its various patented Wi-Fi-related technologies. Caltech's patents, granted between 2006 and 2012, are highly technical and relate to IRA/LDPC codes that utilize simpler encoding and decoding circuitry for improved data...
Asus Announces ZenBook 3, a Retina MacBook Lookalike That is Thinner, Lighter, and Faster
ASUS today at Computex 2016 in Taiwan announced a wide range of new products, including the ZenBook 3, its third-generation ultraportable notebook that is thinner, lighter, and faster than Apple's lookalike 12-inch Retina MacBook. The 12.5-inch ZenBook 3 has an ultra-thin 11.9mm aerospace-grade aluminum alloy chassis that weights just 2 pounds and is "50% stronger than the standard alloy"...