Mark is an award-winning journalist who worked at 9to5Mac for over six years. He covers Apple and other topics related to the consumer technology industry.
Last week we reported that Apple is preparing to announce a new 4-inch iPhone dubbed the “iPhone 5se” as soon as mid-March. Our report noted that the new iPhone is essentially an upgraded iPhone 5s with a faster processor, Apple Pay, new camera features, and curved glass edges instead of sharp chamfers. Now, we have a few additional details about this new iPhone model. First, we are told that there are different prototypes of the device floating around Apple’s campus: some with the A8 and M8 chips that we discussed in our previous report, and some with the iPhone 6s’s A9 and M9 processors. We’ve now learned that the iPhone 5se is more likely to include variants of the A9 and M9 chips instead of the A8 and M8 lines…
Jeff Williams announcing September Apple Watch updates – AFP
In addition to launching a new 4-inch iPhone likely called the “iPhone 5se,” Apple plans to announce new Apple Watch models in March. The new lineup will be similar to the September 2015 Apple Watch revision, bringing a series of new band color options to the Apple Watch lineup. We are also told that entirely new bands made out of new materials are in development in addition to partnerships with firms beyond Hermes. Last year, Apple had discussed partnering up with popular third-party accessory makers, such as Incase, in some official fashion, but it is unclear if those are ready for this March revision.
That purported 4-inch “iPhone 6c” floating around the web yesterday? It’s fake, according to sources who have used the upcoming iPhone with a 4-inch display. Instead of releasing a smaller version of the iPhone 6s in order to appease potential customers seeking an iPhone with a screen smaller than 4.7 or 5.5-inches, Apple is upgrading the existing iPhone 5s that was first released in fall 2013. Also contrary to rumors, the device is not a preview of the iPhone 7 as it will mostly retain the 5s’s design and still include a headphone jack…
For nearly half a decade, teams of hackers and programmers have worked tirelessly to crack Apple’s iOS software code in order to inject new features, themes, and applications. Now, a team led by noted former jailbreak developers Will Strafach, otherwise known as “Chronic”, and Joshua Hill, known as P0sixninja, is working to secure Apple’s mobile platform. The duo, along with a list of unnamed former jailbreak developers, has been working on a new comprehensive platform to secure iOS devices for both enterprises and consumers. Strafach provided us with a preview of the platform known as “Apollo,” the first security product from his new company Sudo Security Group.
Earlier today, Apple announced iOS 9.3, a fairly significant point update to iOS 9. The new operating system adds new features for the Health, Wallet, Notes, and Settings apps, in addition to a Night Mode and new 3D Touch shortcuts. This gallery below shows off all of the new features, and here’s a bulleted list of everything new in the first beta:
Besides a new suite of enhancements for educational uses, Apple’s upcoming iOS 9.3 release, which went into beta this morning, adds several consumer-facing features. Apple highlights these on a website previewing the update. Notably, the update adds a system-wide Night Mode that uses the device’s time and location to present certain colors around the software optimized for darker environments:
Many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep. Night Shift uses your iOS device’s clock and geolocation to determine when it’s sunset in your location. Then it automatically shifts the colors in your display to the warmer end of the spectrum, making it easier on your eyes. In the morning, it returns the display to its regular settings. Pleasant dreams.
The software also includes upgraded Notes, News, and Health apps. The updated Notes application now uses the Touch ID feature for logging into apps and has improved sorting options:
With its resources from the 2014 acquisition of headphone maker Beats Electronics, Apple is prototyping a completely new set of Bluetooth earphones with the potential of launching the accessory alongside the iPhone 7 this fall. The new earphones are said to be completely wireless, which is to say that they do not even have a cable connecting the left and right ear pieces. Sources say that the headphones are similar in concept to the Motorola Hint headset (pictured above) and Bragi’s new Dash headphones that were shown at CES this week.
Earlier today, Apple announced some of the most wide-ranging changes it has made at the senior executive level since iOS chief Scott Forstall was ousted and replaced in late 2012. Senior VP of Operations Jeff Williams was promoted to COO (Chief Operating Officer), Johnny Srouji was elevated from VP to Senior VP of Hardware Technologies, Senior VP of Marketing Phil Schiller added App Store responsibilities, and Tor Myhren is leaving the Grey Group to be VP of Marketing Communications at Apple, replacing Hiroki Asai. Let’s take a look at what each of these changes is likely to mean…
Apple is currently planning a March 2016 event to unveil the second-generation Apple Watch, according to sources with knowledge of the plans. The second version of the Apple Watch would then ship by April, nearly a year after the original model first went on sale. Apple has also been working on a new “iPhone 6c” with a 4-inch display, which also could appear at this event, according to the sources…
Infuse, a popular video library and playback application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, is making its way to tvOS on the new Apple TV today. As with its iOS counterpart, Infuse on the Apple TV will serve as a way for users to store multiple video file types in a single library.
The application can stream video content from a computer, external wireless storage drives as well as apps like Plex, Kodi, and Servioo. This differentiating feature is handy for users who want a single view of all their video content stored across numerous devices and services.
Because the tvOS version of Infuse is tied to the iOS counterpart, the download is free for users of Infuse 3 on iOS devices. The tvOS version is labeled as Infuse 4.0, and the iOS client will be upgraded to the new version later this year, the developers tell us.
Infuse 4.0 on tvOS (and in the upcoming iOS version) adds automatically downloaded artwork and movie ratings, support for syncing how far along a user is into a video between devices, and support for downloadable subtitles.
Twitter’s Vine today launched an application for the the Apple Watch, bringing the ability for Vine users to watch videos that interest them on their wrists. As noted in Vine’s announcement, the simplified Vine interface allows users to quickly watch videos from either the featured category or from their favorite Vine accounts. Of course, the application also allows users to like and Re-Vine clips from the Apple Watch. Notably, the application also includes a watch face complication so users who post videos to Vine can quickly measure their loops. In related news, Vine’s updated iPhone application now lets users more easily swipe between videos.
As expected, the Apple Pay mobile payments service for the latest iPhone and Apple Watch models has gone live in Australia, where it is already Thursday. Apple Pay for apps is also available for devices without NFC, such as recent iPad models.
The service debuted earlier this week in Canada, following the late 2014 launch in the United States. Currently, the service is limited solely to American Express card users in both Australia and Canada. Apple is in talks to expand the service to more banks and cardholders in the future.
Apple’s website for Australia also notes that support for store cards and loyalty reward card for individual retailers is coming soon to the Australian version of Apple Pay. In addition to this week’s Canada and Australia launches, Apple has expanded support in the United Kingdom. Apple has said that, in partnership with American Express, Apple Pay will expand to Asia and more European regions in 2016.
Apple has also said that Apple Pay will soon expand to apps such as Kickstarter and The Fancy, while also coming to retail shops like Dominos and Cinnabon next year.
A few months following the launches of both iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple has shifted a large portion of its software engineering resources over to development of the upcoming iOS 10 and OS X 10.12. While iOS 9.2 and OS X 10.11.2 remain under development, 2016’s mobile and desktop Apple operating systems are now moving forward at full speed, sources indicate.
Last week, Apple seeded the first beta of the upcoming iOS 9.2 release to developers, and we’ve discovered that the new update will add support for Arabic in Siri. Apple previously built in the fundamental elements of understanding Arabic to iOS by adding Arabic support to the Keyboard Dictation and QuickType features in iOS 8 last year. Apple adding Arabic support to Siri follows up on Apple expanding its retail presence to the United Arab Emirates by opening up a pair of flagship stores in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
A local YouTube video shows off examples of Siri in Arabic:
Just a few days after the retail launch of the fourth-generation Apple TV set-top-box, Apple has seeded the first beta of the device’s first software update to developers. The new version, labeled tvOS 9.1, is available for download via the developer center, much like iOS and OS X betas have been seeded. The release notes for tvOS 9.1 indicate improvements coming to WiFi network compatibility, in-app-purchases for App Store apps, and improved scrolling. This update needs to be downloaded to a computer and then installed to the set-top-box via a USB Type-C cable. Apple today also seeded the second betas of iOS 9.2 and OS X 10.11.2 to developers.
Apple plans to start selling the 12.9-inch iPad Pro on Wednesday, November 11th via both its physical retail and online stores, according to multiple sources. Apple previously only said that the large tablet would become available during the month of November, a couple of months after the introduction in early September. The iPad Pro’s marquee accessories, the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, will also become available for purchase on November 11th. The iPad Pro starts at $799 and comes in both 32GB and 128GB configurations with WiFi only. An LTE-compatible version comes exclusively in the 128GB configuration and costs upwards of $1000. We reported earlier this week that Apple’s support staff is scheduled to complete iPad Pro training by November 6th, less than a week prior to the launch.
Ahead of the iPad Pro’s launch in November, sources have shared a couple of tidbits regarding launch plans for the device. We are told that Apple this week has started training its AppleCare support staff to become familiar with troubleshooting the larger tablet. Apple typically prepares its support network on major new products in the couple of weeks prior to the device’s launch. Apple is asking its support centers to complete their training by Friday, November 6th, which indicates that the iPad Pro is likely still on track for the early November launch we previously discussed.
The new Apple TV went on pre-order via Apple’s online store earlier this week, and priority deliveries will begin this Friday while standard shipments will begin arriving after this upcoming weekend. Now, we’ve learned that Apple is planning to begin selling the new set-top-box at its retail stores this Friday. Apple retail employees say that stores are beginning to receive shipments to sell at the end of this week, while stores will be re-organized overnight on Thursday to promote the new Apple TV in stores on Friday. The new Apple TV costs $149 and $199, depending on either a 32GB or 64GB configuration, and includes a new user-interface, Siri, upgraded remote control, and an App Store.
Just the week following the public release of iOS 9.1 with bug fixes and new emojis, Apple has seeded the first beta of the upcoming iOS 9.2 to developers. The new download for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch is available via the Developer Center. We recently noted that internal Apple testing of iOS 9.2 has increased over the past couple of weeks.
The first indications from testers are that this upgrade includes notable bug fixes and changes to how third-party apps handle embedded Safari views:
In an effort to reduce wait times at Genius Bars within Apple Stores, Apple this week will launch a new repair program for the iPhone 6, 6s, 6 Plus and 6s Plus in select stores across the United States, Europe, and Japan, according to several employees. Rather than completing all repairs in store, the new program will allow Apple Store Genius Bars to determine that these phones should be shipped to an off-site repair center if the issue falls into one of three categories:
Apple today announced a significant new initiative internally for employees that “effectively [makes] everyone who works for Apple eligible for an RSU grant.” RSU grants, or Restricted Stock Units, have typically been reserved for top Apple management and product engineering roles as a way to retain employee talent for long periods of time. For example, Apple CEO Tim Cook was granted 1 million shares in 2011, following the succession of Steve Jobs, that will vest over time through 2021. According to an email from Cook to all employees today, a similar plan, with obviously much smaller amounts of shares, is now starting:
Alongside today’s expected new iMac updates, Apple has announced a trio of new input devices for desktops: the Magic Trackpad 2, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Keyboard. The new keyboard and trackpad have an updated design to accommodate improved keys on the keyboard and Force Touch on the trackpad, while the mouse has been redesigned internally. All three devices work on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that juice up via a standard USB Lightning cable:
Facebook today issued a notable update to its Facebook Messenger iOS app today, bringing three major iOS 9 and watchOS 2 enhancements. Most importantly, today’s update includes the native Apple Watch application introduced at Apple’s September 9th event. The app has support for viewing and responding to conversations as well as sending stickers. Specific to the iPad, Facebook Messenger’s interface is now dynamic so it can support split-screen apps in the updated multitasking view. Across all iOS 9 devices, Facebook will now show conversations and contacts in the Proactive Spotlight screens.
The revamped Apple TV set top box and iPad Pro will both begin showing up in Apple Retail Stores for sale during the first week of November after going on sale via Apple’s website in late October, according to reliable sources. It is also likely that the first online orders of both products will reach customers in early November.
