MacRumors

Apple has added a new selection of accessories to its online store this week.

For starters, the Logitech Crayon is now available in a new gray finish, complementing the existing silver option with red accents.

Priced at $69.95, the Logitech Crayon is a lower-cost alternative to the Apple Pencil. The drawing tool features a slim aluminum body and an Apple Pencil-like tip, with the same latency, tilt, and palm rejection that you get with the Apple Pencil. Unlike the Pencil, however, it lacks pressure sensitivity.

The Logitech Crayon is compatible with the sixth- and seventh-generation iPad, as well as the latest iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini models.

Also new to Apple's online store is a new set of Ember Mugs, appropriately called the Ember Mug 2 and Ember Travel Mug 2. Ember's second generation of coffee mugs include new battery technology, allowing users to enjoy their hot beverage for up to 3 hours with Ember Travel Mug 2, 1.5 hours with the 10 oz Ember Mug 2, or 80 minutes with the 14 oz Ember Mug 2. Overall, this is a 50 percent increase in battery life with the new mugs.

The Ember Travel Mug 2 has a new hidden-until-lit touch display that replaces the rotating dial on the base of the first generation mug. This allows users to adjust the temperature of their drink directly on the mug, as well as look at the mug's battery life. Across all mugs, the charging coaster has been redesigned with a "more refined look," according to Ember.

The companion Ember app for iPhone or Apple Watch allows you to set your precise drinking temperature for hot beverages, track caffeine consumption, save presets for your favorite drinks, customize the LED color, and more.

The new Ember Mug 2 is $99.95 for the 10-ounce size, up from $79.95, while the 14-ounce mug remains $129.95. The Ember Travel Mug 2 is $179.95. The new mugs can be purchased on Apple.com and on Ember's own website.

Next up is the Lumos Matrix smart bike helmet with an urban design and integrated front and rear LED lights to alert drivers to your presence when cycling in the dark. The helmet also has turn signals and automatic warning lights on the back to alert people behind you that you are slowing down.

The Lumos Matrix helmet is $249.95 in white or black. The helmet can be controlled with the included remote or the Lumos app for iPhone or Apple Watch.

As we reported earlier, the Xbox Wireless Controller is also now listed on Apple.com, although it is currently unavailable to purchase. As of iOS 13 and tvOS 13, the Xbox Wireless Controller and PlayStation DualShock 4 can be paired with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV and used to play games on those devices.

Other accessories added to Apple.com this week include the MeeBot 2.0 programmable robot for kids, an iPhone-connected kettlebell with six weight options, the Native Union Drop XL wireless charging pad, an iPhone-mounted LED light for improved photos and videos, and more.

Visit the What's New section of Apple's accessories page, sorted by Newest, to view all of the latest additions.

Apple has added the Xbox Wireless Controller to Apple.com, although the accessory is currently unavailable to purchase at the time of writing. Apple sells a few different gaming controllers on its website to connect to iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS devices, but as of yet the company has never directly sold Microsoft or Sony's own gaming controllers.

Now that players can connect the Xbox Wireless Controller to their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to play games on Apple devices, it appears that Apple has worked out a deal with Microsoft to sell its controller on the Apple store. As of now, Sony's DualShock 4 has not appeared on Apple.com.

Thanks to apps like Sony's PS4 Remote Play, even more gaming options have opened up for ‌iPhone‌ users, who can use the app to remotely control and play compatible games from their PS4 on their ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌. Microsoft is planning to launch a streaming app of its own to allow mobile users to connect to their Xbox One consoles.

As a note, these controllers are typically cheaper than the traditional $60 price tags. Right now, you can get the Xbox Wireless Controller for $43.99 at Best Buy or $49.99 at Target.

Update 9:40 a.m.: Apple's online store is now allowing customers to order the controller, with delivery and in-store pickup options available.

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Apple will launch a new iPad Pro with a rear-facing 3D Time of Flight camera in the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and seen by MacRumors.

We've previously heard multiple rumors suggesting a time-of-flight camera system for Apple's 2020 iPhones and iPad Pros, including info from Kuo himself, but this is the first time that he's specified the 3D sensing camera system will be available in new ‌iPad Pro‌ models to be released early next year.

A time-of-flight camera system measures the time that it takes for a laser or LED to bounce off of objects in a room, providing an accurate 3D map of the surroundings. A rear time-of-flight camera would also bolster photo quality and offer new and improved AR applications.

Two of the iPhones set to be released in 2020 will also feature 3D sensing rear camera setups with time-of-flight (ToF) camera lenses, according to a previous note from Kuo in July.

The Apple analyst has also revealed his predicted schedule for Apple's MacBook lineup refresh. We've already learned that Apple is planning to use a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism for its upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro, which is expected to be announced as soon as this month.

However, Kuo has said that after the 16-inch MacBook Pro launches, future Macs coming in 2020 will also swap over to a scissor mechanism rather than a butterfly mechanism, resulting in more durable keyboards that are not as prone to failure from heat, dust and other small particulates.

Kuo now predicts that Apple's refreshed MacBook models will arrive in the second quarter of 2020, suggesting they will feature the much-anticipated scissor mechanism keyboards that the company is adopting wholesale.

Kuo also underlined his belief that the first quarter of 2020 will see Apple launch its previously rumored "iPhone SE 2," which was mentioned in a previous research note earlier in the week.

Today's report from the respected Apple analyst also covered Apple's AR headset launch plans, which we've covered in a separate article.

Apple's augmented reality headset will enter mass production as soon as the fourth quarter of this year in time for an early 2020 launch, according to a new report out today from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and seen by MacRumors.

In his latest research note with TF International Securities, the analyst says Apple will cooperate with third-party brands to launch its first head-mounted AR product in 2020, with Changying Precision tipped to be the main chassis supplier.

A Kuo report in March claimed Apple would launch an AR product in 2020 that could be ready by the middle of next year. However, Kuo has brought forward his predicted time of release and the analyst now believes the launch window for the product will fall in the second quarter of 2020.

Back in July, a DigiTimes report claimed Apple had suspended its AR headset project, but just last month, code found in Xcode 11 and iOS 13 confirmed that Apple is still working on an augmented reality headset of some kind.

Within the internal Find My app bundle that MacRumors exclusively shared, there is also an icon depicting what appears to be an AR or VR headset that looks similar to the Google Cardboard.

Kuo understands that Apple's AR glasses will be marketed as an iPhone accessory and primarily take a display role while wirelessly offloading computing, networking, and positioning to the ‌iPhone‌.

Designing the AR glasses to work as an ‌iPhone‌ accessory is also expected to allow Apple to keep the glasses slim and lightweight, rather than trying to pack in all the processing hardware into the one device.

As early as November 2017, Bloomberg reported that Apple was developing an AR headset. Apple originally aimed to have it ready by 2019, but the company was relaxed about not shipping a product until 2020. The report said the headset would run on a new custom operating system, based on iOS, and dubbed "rOS" for "reality operating system."

In addition, today's report underlines Kuo's previous prediction that the most important change to the Apple chassis industry chain in 2020 will be the upgrade of the 5G iPhone's metal mid-frame/chassis.

For Apple's 2020 iPhones, Kuo believes the company will adopt a new metal frame structure reminiscent of the iPhone 4, which will significantly increase the unit cost due to the increase in processing procedures and the integration of composite materials.

Today's report from the respected Apple analyst also covered Apple's iPad Pro and MacBook plans for 2020, which we've covered in a separate article.

Twitter's support account today announced that Twitter used some customer email addresses and phone numbers that were provided for account security for advertising purposes, which Twitter says was done "unintentionally."

More specifically, email addresses and phone numbers were used in Twitter's Tailored Audiences and Partner Audiences advertising systems. Tailored Audiences is a feature that's designed to let advertisers target ads to customers based on the advertiser's marketing lists, while Partner Audiences is similar.

According to Twitter, when an advertiser uploaded a marketing list, it "may have matched" people on Twitter to their list based on the email or phone number the Twitter account holder provided for security purposes.

Twitter says that it "cannot say with certainty" how many people were affected, and the company has issued an apology. "We're very sorry this happened and are taking steps to make sure we don't make a mistake like this again," reads a help document.

Personal data was not provided externally with partners or other third parties, and as of September 17, the issue has been fixed and phone numbers and email addresses collected for account security are no longer being used for advertising.

Apple today began adding the 13-inch MacBook Air and the lower-end 13-inch MacBook Pro to its online store for refurbished products in the United States, offering the machines at a discount for the first time.

Both of the new machines were first released in July 2019. The updated MacBook Air features a True Tone display, an updated butterfly keyboard that's more durable, and a lower price point.

As for the lower-end MacBook Pro, the July 2019 update brought Touch ID, a Touch Bar, faster processors, and a True Tone display to Apple's entry-level machines.

Pricing on the ‌MacBook Air‌ starts at $1,099 new and pricing on the entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌ starts at $1,299. Apple is offering discounted prices on both stock and custom configurations, with multiple options available. Discounts are right around 15 percent off.

The refurbished store is a little bit wonky at this time and isn't listing the ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌MacBook Air‌ models in the proper order, but it should be cleared up soon. For now, buyers will need to browse through the dedicated ‌MacBook Pro‌ and ‌MacBook Air‌ sections to find specific machines.

Stock will fluctuate on a day to day basis, so it can take some time for various configurations to show up. Refurbished models ship out right away and are available for delivery later this week.

All of Apple's refurbished products go through a rigorous refurbishment process before being offered for sale, which includes inspection, repairs, cleaning, and repackaging. Like new purchases, refurbished Macs come with a one-year warranty that can be extended with an AppleCare+ purchase.

For tips on purchasing a refurbished product, make sure to check out our guide.

One of macOS Catalina's biggest new features for developers is Mac Catalyst—initially known as Project Catalyst—which Apple says makes porting iPad apps to the Mac as easy as checking a box in Xcode.

However, more work is required for the iPad apps to truly resemble native Mac apps, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that some developers have encountered "several problems" with Catalyst so far.

For example, the report claims that James Thomson had to work harder than he expected to get his popular PCalc calculator app for iPad to run well on the Mac. Thomson said the Mac version initially "looked like an iPad app floating on a larger Mac screen," so he had to redesign much of the user interface.

Thomson added that some older Macs struggle to handle Catalyst-based apps that use Apple's high-level 3D graphics framework SceneKit.

Lukas Burgstaller, developer of the RSS reader Fiery Feeds for iPad, also "ran into all sorts of walls" trying to adapt the iPad app to the Mac interface using Catalyst, but the report does not mention any specific issues he faced.

On the consumer side of things, the report notes that Catalyst results in users paying twice for the same app across iOS and macOS.

"As a user, I don't want to pay again just to have the same app," well-known developer Steven Troughton-Smith told Bloomberg. "As a developer, I don't want my users to have to make that decision."

Troughton-Smith touched on some of the issues developers are facing with Catalyst, noting that Mac versions of some apps can't hide the mouse cursor while video is playing, or may have issues with video recording, two-finger scrolling, or using the keyboard and full-screen mode in video games.

The report adds that two upcoming Catalyst apps that had been featured on Apple's website since June were removed this week, including comic book app DC Universe and the racing game Asphalt 9. It is unclear if the Mac apps are no longer planned or delayed, or if any of the Catalyst issues reported were a factor.

Netflix also confirmed that it has no plans to develop a Mac app using Catalyst at this time, according to the report.

Despite all of this, Troughton-Smith believes Catalyst is the "future of Mac app development," and he is impressed with many of the first apps. There might just be a few growing pains along the way.

macOS Catalina was widely released on Monday.

Update: Gameloft says Asphalt 9 for Mac via Catalyst has been "slightly delayed" in order to "polish the experience" and that it will launch later this year, according to a follow-up tweet from Gurman.

"The iTunes Store is unable to process purchases at this time. Please try again later."

If you are receiving this error when opening third-party apps on an iPhone or iPad today, you are not alone. We've been alerted to the issue by several MacRumors readers, and there are many more complaints flowing in on Twitter.

The cause of the issue is not yet known. Apple's system status page does not currently reflect any issues with the iTunes Store or App Store, but the page is often delayed. We'll update this story as new information becomes available.