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

iRobot has responded to an article posted earlier this week by Reuters, in which it was said that company CEO Colin Angle "could reach a deal to sell its maps to one or more of the Big Three in the next couple of years," representing Apple, Amazon, and Google. Angle said that such shared data could bolster the intelligence of other smart home devices like light bulbs, thermostats, and security...

Last night, Canadian rock band Arcade Fire performed songs from their new album, Everything Now, during a live global broadcast on Apple Music, which was announced last week. Those who missed the Brooklyn-based performance can still check it out today, as Apple has uploaded the exclusive two-hour concert film in full on Apple Music. .@arcadefire is hitting every album right now in Brooklyn. 🙌 ...

Apple is widely expected to introduce its first iPhone with an OLED display later this year, after a decade of using solely LCD technology. Earlier reports peg Samsung as the exclusive supplier of OLED displays for the high-end smartphone, as the only company that can reliably produce both the quantity and quality of panels that Apple demands. That could change within a few years,...

One year ago, Apple began a staunch defense of its proposed data center in Galway County, Ireland, as a group of locals attempted to derail construction by reciting various environmental concerns for the area if Apple successfully built the facility. The delayed data center was supposed to be met with a decision this week, but now The Irish Times is reporting that a final verdict has been...

Eagle-eyed MacRumors reader Tony today noticed the iPod mini has made a nostalgic reappearance on Apple's website in Singapore. Apple's online store says the iPod mini models are available to ship in 2-3 weeks, but we strongly advise against ordering. Apple discontinued the iPod mini over 12 years ago, and the product pages have an outdated design when accessed from a desktop browser, so...

Apple today updated its official Apple Store shopping app with the ability to use Touch ID to securely and conveniently pay for an order with a credit card tied to an Apple ID, as well as make changes to account settings. The Apple Store app has long allowed shoppers to pay for purchases with the credit card associated with their Apple ID, but users needed to type their password for...

Canadian coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons today launched a revamped app that enables customers to order and pay ahead of time with Apple Pay. Customers can also add a credit card or TimCard manually and pay by scanning an in-app barcode. The app enables customers to choose their preferred Tim Hortons location and pick-up method. Payment is completed within the app, so customers can grab...

BuzzFeed and its food-centric brand Tasty today announced its first foray into smart consumer appliances with a device called the "Tasty One Top," a $149 Bluetooth-enabled induction cooktop that consumers can place anywhere in their kitchen and connect to an iOS app for easy-to-follow recipes. BuzzFeed Product Labs partnered with GE Appliances to create the Tasty One Top, with the announcement...

GoPro today announced a new feature for its iOS and Android applications called "QuikStories," launching within a rebranded app that's now simply called "GoPro" [Direct Link], which works in conjunction with another app called "Quik" [Direct Link]. The company described QuikStories as way for users to easily share cool experiences to social media that they captured on a HERO5 camera. Similar ...

TransferWise has updated its iPhone and iPad app this week with Apple Pay support for U.S. dollar transfers. Now, users can simply add a debit or credit card to the Wallet app and select it as a payment method in the TransferWise app. TransferWise said Apple Pay integration is also being rolled out in Australia, Switzerland, France, Spain, Ireland, and Italy, according to Reuters. Apple...

Loss-making LCD manufacturer Japan Display has reportedly asked banks and its largest shareholder for around 100 billion yen, or roughly $897 million, to fund restructuring efforts, according to Nikkei Asian Review and Reuters. The Tokyo-based manufacturer of liquid crystal display panels, also known as JDI, requested the loan from lenders including Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking...

Google Play Music and the ad-free YouTube Red service are set to merge in a new streaming package, according to YouTube's head of music (via The Verge). Lyor Cohen revealed the coming change during a panel session at the New Music Seminar conference in New York on Wednesday, saying the two services needed to be combined to educate consumers and attract new subscribers. The important thing ...

Developers have been creating some impressive augmented reality apps and games with Apple's upcoming ARKit API, and the latest proof-of-concept video reimagines the video accompanying A-ha's 80s hit "Take On Me." The video, created by augmented reality studio Trixi, uses ARKit, Unity 3D assets, GameFlow, and animations made using Mixamo to combine real world visuals with black and white...

Following an Android launch last December, Google recently announced that its location sharing app, "Trusted Contacts," is out now on the iOS App Store [Direct Link]. The company described the app as a way for users to get together in everyday situations, as well as in emergency scenarios where they can let friends and family know that they're safe. Now that the app is on both Android and iOS, ...

eBay today announced two new features coming to its mobile apps this fall, called "Image Search" and "Find it on eBay," both of which leverage photography and images to fuel the discovery of new products on eBay. The company said that both new features use computer vision and deep learning to be able to find matching product listings using only images. Image Search will be coming to iOS and...

Apple has partnered with hearing implants company Cochlear to launch the first made for iPhone Cochlear implant, which can stream audio from a compatible iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch directly to a surgically embedded sound processor (via TechCrunch). Cochlear implants are reserved for people with profound hearing loss that traditional hearing aids can't help to alleviate, and consist of both an...

Earlier in May, news came out that Facebook was working to develop a slate of television shows that would combine short 5-10 minute videos with big-budget, cable-length dramatic series in a new video section on the popular social network. After a delay, people familiar with the company's plans are pointing towards a mid-August debut for the new TV-focused Facebook update (via Bloomberg)....

U.S. District Judge William Conley today ordered Apple to pay $506 million to the University of Wisconsin's Alumni Research Foundation for infringing on a patent related to computer processing technology used in its A7, A8, and A8X chips, reports Reuters. The $506 million total is more than double the $234 million in damages that a Jury ordered Apple to pay back in 2015, with Conley adding an...