MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

With just about one month to go before the release of the iPhone X on November 3, Pad & Quill today announced a notable giveaway that will deliver a brand new 256GB iPhone X to its winner. At launch, the 256GB model will cost $1,149 in the United States. To enter for a chance to win, you'll have to either order an iPhone X case made by Pad & Quill or sign up for an email newsletter on the...

iOS 11 gives developers access to the NFC chip in Apple's most recent iPhone models for the first time, allowing for apps that are able to read NFC tags in places like museums and retail stores. The MLB today announced that the Oakland Athletics have tested a new ticketing feature that takes advantage of NFC, letting users enter the stadium by tapping an iPhone to a ticket scanner, much like...

Ring today introduced the Ring Protect, a customizable home security system with a companion iPhone app. The security system includes a base station, a wall-mounted keypad, one sensor for a window or door, an infrared motion detector, and a Z-Wave extender. Unfortunately, the system doesn't support HomeKit. When activated, if a burglar attempts attempts to break and enter, homeowners...

Roku today announced five new streaming devices that are available for pre-order now, and will launch in stores around October 8. One of the notable unveilings surrounds the "Streaming Stick Plus," which allows viewers to stream 4K Ultra HD and HDR video content up to 60 frames per second for $69.99. This marks one of the cheapest entry points for a 4K streaming device on the market, and is over...

Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has announced today that its founder and chairman Morris Chang will be stepping down from all leadership positions effective June 2018, immediately following the annual shareholders meeting taking place that month (via DigiTimes and Reuters). Following Chang, TSMC will fall under the dual leadership of Mark Liu and C.C. Wei, with the...

Safeway has announced that it is in the process of rolling out Apple Pay throughout October in the United States. The grocery store chain shared the news through its Twitter account in response to a customer inquiry on Sunday. Hi, thanks for asking. We are in the process of rolling it out through the month of October. Have a great day.— Safeway (@Safeway) October 1, 2017 Safeway has 912...

Taiwanese movie "The Great Buddha+", a dark comedy shot extensively on an iPhone 6 Plus, has picked up ten nominations in the Golden Horse Awards, including best feature film and best new director (via Variety). Directed by Huang Hsin-yao and produced and lensed by acclaimed photographer Chung Mung-hong, the black-and-white film follows the voyeuristic antics of a pair of small-town Taiwanese...

Upstream suppliers are expected to see strong growth in wearable product operations in the fourth quarter of this year thanks to rising sales of Apple's AirPods and Apple Watch range, according to sources in the supply chain (via DigiTimes). Quanta, Iventec, Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), as well as Foxconn subsidiaries Shunshin Tech and Luxshare-ICT are all expected to benefit from...

The FBI doesn't have to identify the company it contracted to unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the 2015 California terror attack that killed 14 people, a federal judge ruled on Saturday (via Politico). Three news organizations – USA Today, Associated Press, and Vice Media – sued the FBI last year under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to try to force the agency to reveal...

Sphero, known for its line of robotic balls and droids, today launched the $50 Sphero Mini, the company's most affordable toy yet. Sphero Mini measures in at about 1.25 inches, making it similar in size to a ping pong ball. It's essentially a tiny version of the original Sphero robotic ball, and it's controlled the same way -- through an app on your iPhone. The Sphero Mini connects to an...

It's been another busy week in the world of iOS gaming, so let's hop right into it: As usual, we've had our eyes closely on the "Updates" page of the App Store looking for 32-bit favorites to reemerge as 64-bit titles. The Mikey Shorts Trilogy, the majority of the Radiangames library, and Dragon Fantasy all finally made their way to 64-bit. Any of these games are effortless recommendations,...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with MyMe Unity to give MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company's Unity case systems with a Unity Case for your iPhone, a Cradle to use as an accompanying stand, and a matching cable for charging. The Unity Case offers dual-layer protection with an inner silicone case and an outer shell, for superior impact resistance. It comes in a range...

Nanoleaf, the company behind the HomeKit-enabled Aurora smart modular lighting system, recently introduced a $49 accessory that allows the Aurora lights to respond to music, adding a whole new sound-based dimension to an already great product. Called the Nanoleaf Aurora Rhythm, the add-on module is a small three-triangle accessory that snaps right in to an existing Nanoleaf setup using the...

Best Buy today launched a new two day sale that will run through tomorrow, September 30, and grants customers free shipping on orders $35 and over as well as fast one-hour in-store pickup on most items. As usual, Best Buy has a variety of Apple products discounted, including iMacs and iPad Pros from late 2015, and the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Below we'll list all of the Apple devices with...

Apple today shared an iPhone X environmental report, detailing the smartphone's environmental performance as it relates to climate change, energy efficiency, material efficiency, and restricted substances. The report reveals that the base model iPhone X generates an equivalent of 79 kilograms of carbon dioxide over its life cycle, which is the highest estimated greenhouse gas emissions of...

Uber has rolled out an update to its iOS app that enables riders to learn basic sign language on the go so they can communicate better with deaf and hard-of-hearing drivers. Uber announced the new feature in a post on its website, where it said the ride-hailing service had "thousands" of deaf drivers in the United States alone, and that the update was in support of National Deaf Awareness...

Google is working on a tabletop smart screen for video calling and more that will go up against Amazon's Echo Show, according to sources who spoke to TechCrunch. The Google device is internally codenamed "Manhattan" and will have a screen size similar to the 7-inch Echo Show, said two sources, one of whom reportedly received information directly from a Google employee. The device is said to...

Popular PlayStation game Flower, created by thatgamecompany, made its way to iOS devices in a surprise release this morning. Flower, first released in 2009, was published on iOS by Annapurna Interactive. In Flower, gameplay consists of controlling gusts of wind with the aim of blowing a flower petal around the world and picking up additional flower petals as you go. As flower petals swirl and...