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

Microsoft today launched the "Microsoft Solitaire Collection" on iOS and Android, a package of classic Solitaire games that include Klondike, Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, and Tripeaks. As noted by The Verge, Microsoft's version of Solitaire has been available on Windows for more than 25 years, but this marks the first time that the game has been extended to other platforms. The app will offer...

Target has announced it will be offering 15% off all Apple products, including the iPhone and Apple Watch, online and in stores on Sunday, November 27 and Monday, November 28. The two-day Cyber Monday event will begin on early Sunday morning. The 15% discount will be automatically applied at checkout both online and in stores during the sale. No promo code or in-store coupon will be...

Google has announced a new feature in its Search and Maps services that enables Black Friday shoppers to know how busy a store is in real time. Dubbed "crowd control", the live feature comes on the back of the company's Popular Times feature, introduced last year, that lets users check how busy a place typically is at different times of the week. Just in time for the Black Friday swarms, ...

Pebble has released a new firmware for its Pebble 2 and Time-Series smartwatches that brings a faster interface, improved heart-rate tracking features and Reminders support for iOS. First off, the new 4.3 firmware update introduces a new watchface to 2-Series and Time-Series watches that includes at-a-glance readouts for time, step count, step progress for the day, and heart rate (2-Series...

T-Mobile today announced its Black Friday deals, bringing back a popular trade-in offer that will allow customers to get a free or discounted iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus when trading in an older device. When trading in an iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7, or iPhone 7 Plus, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge, or Note 5, customers can get a 32GB iPhone 7 for free. With the...

Developer Riley Testut has begun teasing the launch of a new emulator, called "Delta," coming this December in beta form, presumably for iOS devices. On Delta's teaser site, hazy images of controllers for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Nintendo 64 are shown alongside the Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color. Testut tweeted out the information for Delta yesterday, while also saying...

iFixit today announced the release of its redesigned Essential Electronics Toolkit, a magnetized case equipped with a variety of tools and screwdriver bits for repairing iPhones and other electronics at home. Many of the tools are featured in iFixit's iPhone repair guides, including the iFixit Opening Tool, iFixit Opening Picks, and Suction Handle, providing the essentials for do-it-yourself ...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published an Apple patent on Tuesday that shows the company has been researching a foldable iPhone design that uses a flexible OLED display. First spotted by AppleInsider, a patent titled "Flexible display devices" describes an iPhone design that folds in two when not in use, reminiscent of the old clamshell cellphones Motorola used to make in the 1990s. ...

A malicious video link that when played in Safari causes iOS devices to crash has been discovered this morning. Playing the MP4 video in question through Safari appears to have no effect at first, but gradually the operating system slows down before it freezes completely, after which only a hard reset will bring the device back to life. YouTube channel EverythingApplePro has posted a demonstrat...

Digital image and video stabilization features have been included in modern smartphones for a while now, with each new generation offering improved correction for jumps and jitters that typically occur during handheld shooting. Still, even the latest handsets can't quite match the benefits that can be gained from using a motorized mount specifically designed to reduce vibration and unwanted...

Twelve South today introduced a new product in its HiRise line, called the HiRise Duet, which provides charging stations for an iPhone or iPad, as well as an Apple Watch. The stand supports the Apple Watch's Night Stand Mode, which displays an alarm clock and turns the device's Digital Crown into a snooze button. The stand has a 3.75” square footprint and includes an integrated Lightning...

Instagram today revealed two major new updates coming to its platform, including transient live videos and direct messages, akin to Snapchat. The company has added live video as a new UI option in the story camera -- Boomerang was added there recently as well -- and the feature lets users go live for up to an hour. As with Facebook's own live video, friends get notifications when the stream...

In a new article posted by The New York Times over the weekend, Apple's contributions to the United States workforce and economy are highlighted with a focus on the company's campus in Austin, Texas. Some of its 6,000 employees there (grown from 2,100 seven years ago) were interviewed, providing a glimpse into the employment lifestyle Apple offers its staff members. The central occupation of...

Apple is celebrating Thanksgiving this year by urging U.S. Apple Watch owners to bag a special achievement by recording a minimum walking or running distance on Thursday, November 24. Available through the Activity app this morning, the Thanksgiving Day Challenge is the first activity challenge of its kind from Apple, and includes a share-able Messages app sticker as an enticement to get out ...

For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Anki to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win one of Anki's new Cozmo robots. Cozmo is an adorable little robot that's able to explore and react to the environment, play games, and interact with people in unique ways. Priced at $179.99, Cozmo comes with a charging stand and three interactive Power Cubes that the robot can stack up, knock over,...

Homebuilding company KB Home today announced "the nation's first HomeKit-enabled community," which comes with the opportunity for buyers to build homes with Apple's HomeKit platform integrated from the get-go. A report last month brought news that Apple was working with homebuilders to install HomeKit and the Apple ecosystem of connected devices into properties at the beginning of construction. ...

iHome has announced it will soon release the iPLWBT5, the first alarm clock radio featuring both Lightning and Apple Watch chargers. Audio can be played via the docked Lightning device, Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. The dock features an alarm clock with dual alarms, FM radio with 6 preset stations, auto dimming display, built-in microphone, digital voice echo cancellation, answer/end controls for...

Apple is unlikely to reach iPhone 7 supply and demand equilibrium by the end of the December quarter, suggesting stock will remain tight through the holiday shopping season, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Munster checked 134 Apple retail stores in the United States for in-store iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus availability and found 47% of models he checked were available for...