Apple today alerted some developers about a temporary signing issue that prevents their apps from being installed on the Apple Watch.
The full text of Apple's email, obtained from a MacRumors reader:
We've discovered that there was a temporary issue with the App Store signature of your binaries that affects the ability of your app to install on Apple Watch. As a result, we're pushing an update with the proper signing to customers' devices.
It's unclear what went wrong, but Apple is pushing server-side updates with the proper signing to the devices of affected customers.
Sphero today announced the "Bolt" robotic ball, which is aimed at teaching kids basic programming with its advanced sensors, LED matrix, and infrared communication that lets it interact with other Bolt devices (via Gizmodo).
The Bolt is the same size as previous Sphero balls, but has an increased runtime of two full hours thanks to a bigger battery. The device connects to the Sphero Edu app, allowing users to discover community-created activities, build their own program, analyze sensor data, and more.
One of the device's biggest updates is an 8x8 LED matrix that can be seen through the Bolt's translucent shell. This matrix displays helpful prompts like a lightning bolt when Bolt is charging on its inductive cradle, but users can fully program the matrix to display a wide variety of icons connected to certain actions, like a smiley face when a program is completed.
Infrared sensors allow the Bolt to detect other nearby Bolts, and users can program specific interactions if they have multiple devices. According to Sphero, this means that the Bolts can join up and create a swarm of robotic balls, or avoid one another. Gizmodo gives an example: "So imagine a real-life version of Pac-Man where you're controlling one Bolt and escape other Bolts programmed as ghosts perpetually giving chase."
The connected Sphero Edu app includes the ability for users to learn to code by drawing on an iOS device's screen, using Scratch blocks, or writing JavaScript text programs. Written programs can affect the Bolt's speed, acceleration, and direction. If users simply want to play with Bolt, the robot can also connect to the Sphero Play app.
The Sphero Bolt is available to purchase today for $149.99 on the company's website.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a new research note today, obtained by MacRumors, that outlines several predictions about Apple's upcoming products, including new iPhone, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, and MacBook models.
Kuo expects Apple to replace Lightning with a USB-C interface on 2018 iPad Pro models, with an 18W power adapter in the box. That sure sounds like the next iPad Pro will have a USB-C port, instead of a Lightning connector, but to play devil's advocate, there's a chance he is just referring to a USB-C charger.
In addition to Face ID support, we expect the new iPad Pro models' main upgrade to include replacing Lightning with a USB-C interface and bundling with a new unibody design 18W power adapter, which cancels the removable plug design…
Kuo adds that 2018 iPhone models will retain the Lightning connector and remain bundled with a 5W power adapter, not the widely rumored 18W power adapter with a USB-C port, which could be for 2018 iPad Pro models after all.
His research note with TF International Securities adds that Apple's widely anticipated lower-priced MacBook may replace the current 12-inch MacBook. Again, the wording is somewhat ambiguous, so it's unclear if Kuo means the 12-inch MacBook will be refreshed, or if it will be entirely replaced.
Kuo expects the new lower-priced MacBook to support Touch ID fingerprint authentication, but without a full-out Touch Bar, which remains exclusive to select 13- and 15-inch models of the 2016 and later MacBook Pro:
The new low-price MacBook may replace the position of the current 12" MacBook. We expect this new model to support the Touch ID but it will not have the Touch Bar. Everwin Precision is the main beneficiary because it is the first time this company will enter the Mac casing supply chain and its shipments account for 20% of the new MacBook model's D parts.
As far as the Apple Watch Series 4 lineup is concerned, Kuo believes all models will feature ceramic backs, whereas GPS-only Series 3 have composite backs. Kuo also believes Series 4 models will have electrocardiography (ECG/EKG) functionality.
The new Apple Watch models will have narrower bezels, support electrocardiography (ECG), and all be equipped with ceramic backs (currently, some models are equipped with composite backs). We believe the new Apple Watch models will attract more users on supporting ECG. The ECG supplier is Osram (LED design)…
Kuo also said production of the rumored 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD has been postponed to late September to early October due to quality issues with the assembly and display, echoing a report from Mark Gurman earlier today.
Last, Kuo still expects Apple's long-awaited AirPower charging mat and new AirPods to be released by the end of the year.
The iOS App Store Twitter account over the weekend revealed that the 2007 Nintendo DS game Professor Layton and the Curious Village will be making its way to the App Store in the United States in the near future (via Engadget). Japan received a port of the puzzle game on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store this past June.
Of course, with just a single tweet there isn't much additional information about the iOS release for the original Professor Layton game in the United States. Given that this will be a direct port of the game, it appears that Professor Layton and the Curious Village will not be one of Nintendo's mainline apps that are taking established characters and franchises and making them into mobile-friendly titles, like Super Mario Run and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
That's because the puzzle-based gameplay of the Professor Layton games should already be an easy transition to smartphones. In the first game, players take on the role of Professor Layton and his young assistant Luke as they navigate around a small village named St. Mystere. Originally developed by Level-5 and published by Nintendo worldwide, the game is mostly centered on solving puzzles and brainteasers presented by characters around the village.
Since the first game, the Professor Layton series has seen numerous sequels over the years, with the last game coming out in 2017. That game, Layton's Mystery Journey, was the first sequel in the series to debut on mobile [iOS Direct Link] alongside the release on Nintendo 3DS. Otherwise, the original Professor Layton games had yet to make it to the iOS App Store before now.
Just two days before Apple is expected to unveil new iPhones at Steve Jobs Theater, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has outlined the potential names of the devices, along with his other expectations for the media event.
Gurman believes Apple will introduce three new iPhones, as widely rumored, including a 5.8-inch model named "iPhone Xs," a larger 6.5-inch model named "iPhone Xs Max," and a lower-priced 6.1-inch model that Apple has considered naming "iPhone Xr," according to his sources familiar with the company's plans.
Those three names have already surfaced in various reports over the past few weeks, and now that they've been corroborated by Gurman, who has a very reliable track record, there is an especially good chance they are accurate.
Apple has used "s" branding for several iPhone models over the years, including the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 6s, which were iterative versions of the iPhone 4, iPhone 5, and iPhone 6 respectively. iPhone Xs would keep with this trend, as the device is expected to closely resemble the iPhone X.
Gurman doesn't specify why Apple will apparently ditch its "Plus" branding for its largest iPhone, although "Max" certainly sounds fresher, and emphasizes that the 6.5-inch model would easily be Apple's largest iPhone ever.
Meanwhile, some Twitter users have speculated that "Xr" could be short for "X Reality," a mix of augmented reality and virtual reality, but it could also be short for something as simple as "regular"—we may never find out. Other speculated names for the 6.1-inch model include "iPhone Xc," à la iPhone 5c, and "iPhone 9."
Apple has routinely expressed a "profound interest" in augmented reality in particular, but it seems unlikely the company would emphasize the technology in the 6.1-inch iPhone, especially if it has only a single-lens rear camera.
Gurman also expects the 6.1-inch model to have an LCD screen, rather than an OLED display; an aluminum frame, instead of stainless steel edges; and a wider range of color options, with some reports mentioning blue, red, and orange. Like the current iPhone X, it should have a notched display and Face ID.
Many analysts expect the iPhone Xs to be priced from $899, with the iPhone Xs Max starting at $999 and the iPhone Xr priced anywhere from $699 to $849 in the United States. These would be the prices for the base models with 64GB of storage, with configurations up to 512GB expected to be available.
Last year, the iPhone X was released November 3, six weeks after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus launched. This year, Gurman expects all three new iPhones to be available for purchase much closer to their announcement date, but he cautions that the 6.1-inch model could be available in limited quantities initially.
Apple may elect to delay availability of the 6.1-inch model entirely, according to some analysts, including JP Morgan's Rod Hall:
Still, Apple has faced tight supply of the new low-cost model due to minor complications fitting backlights for the LCD screen, according to people familiar with the matter. That could mean the lower-cost device ships in limited quantities initially, they said. Apple may be tempted to delay availability of the LCD version to gauge demand for the more expensive largest new iPhone, Goldman's Hall said.
Our guess is that AirPower availability may finally be confirmed at Wednesday's event, alongside a new pair of AirPods with "Hey Siri" support, while new Macs and iPad Pro models with Face ID could be enough for an October event.
Many of these details have been rumored numerous times leading up to September, so fortunately there is just over 48 hours to go until the real deal. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of Apple's event from Steve Jobs Theater on Wednesday, starting around 8:15 a.m. Pacific Time.
Following the addition of 116 global "Daily Top 100" charts that display the most-streamed songs on Apple Music, the service has now introduced another long-requested update: separating an artist's main albums from various singles and EPs (via Reddit).
Previously, when you navigated to an artist's profile on Apple Music, you would find a scrollable list of their entire body of work, combining albums, singles, and EPs all in one place. Now, Apple Music has separated these into multiple sections.
First, there is a new "Essential Album" list that showcases the artist's most influential albums (some artists don't have this), and below that is "Albums," where every studio album can be found by that artist. Below that are areas for music videos and artist playlists, and then you'll find "Singles & EPs," "Live Albums," "Compilations," and "Appears On."
As with the "Essential Album" area, the appearance of these sections depends on the artist, so while some have an "Appears On" section, some will not. To check out the new artist profiles, navigate to Apple Music on iOS or macOS, and search for an artist in the search tab.
Over the weekend, mobile leaker Benjamin Geskin reposted a series of images supposedly showing "prototypes" of Apple's forthcoming 6.1-inch LCD iPhone in three colors. The images were in fact first shared by Slashleaks on September 6, when they were described as "clones" of Apple's upcoming mid-tier LCD iPhone.
Despite that, on Sunday Geskin re-shared an earlier tweet of his linking to the original Slashleaks page, and claimed the dummy/clone images were in fact "the real deal", without offering any evidence to substantiate the new claim.
Whatever the truth is behind these images, they've become a topic of online discussion, so we're covering them here for completion.
Rumors have been running for some time that Apple's more budget-friendly LCD iPhone will launch in several colors, with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicting in July that gray, white, blue, red, and orange colors would be available.
Speculation surrounding possible color options was also reignited on Sunday when an alleged Chinese mobile carrier leak referred to the lower-spec LCD iPhone as "iPhone XC". The last time Apple used "C" nomenclature in its smartphones was for its budget-friendly iPhone 5c, which featured a plastic rear case available in blue, green, yellow, white, and pink colors.
The red color shown in the images appears similar to Apple's special PRODUCT(RED) iPhone editions, which for the last two years have only become available for select models midway through their first year of availability.
One of the images of the alleged "prototypes" also shows the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone with a dual-SIM card slot. Again, previous rumors have suggested that a dual-SIM version of the LCD iPhone will be available in select regions.
Lastly, the cases in the images look to have glass backs surrounded by aluminum edges, in contrast to the more expensive-to-manufacture stainless steel finish used in last year's iPhone X.
It's not long now before we'll know for sure what Apple has planned for its 2018 iPhone lineup. Apple's "Gather Round" media event takes place on Wednesday, September 12, and you can find all the coverage here on MacRumors.
Apple on Sunday won its first Primetime Emmy for original content, landing the accolade for Apple Music's Carpool Karaoke, which won Outstanding Short Form Variety Series at this year's Creative Arts Emmy Awards (via Deadline).
Carpool Karaoke began as a viral segment on CBS' The Late Late Show With James Corden, before Apple acquired the rights in 2016 to develop an offshoot that it would initially make available in 2017 for Apple Music subscribers to watch. This year Apple added the series to the iOS TV app and the Apple TV, making it free to watch for device owners.
"To try and do a Carpool Karaoke series without James Corden was a tricky thing," Carpool Karaoke executive producer Ben Winston said as he accepted the award on stage. "I think this might be Apple’s first Emmy!"
Corden has appeared in a couple of episodes produced for Apple Music, but Apple's version mainly features celebrities in the driver's seat originally occupied by Corden, with other celebrities coming along for the ride. Guest pairings have included Shakira and Trevor Noah, Shaquille O'Neal and WWE star John Cena, and Game of Thrones stars Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams.
Last year, the series made headlines when an episode featuring the Linkin Park crew was recorded just a week before lead singer Chester Bennington's death. Apple renewed the series for a second season in February and has since aired a few new episodes with the cast of the movie TAG and Evan Rachel Wood and James Marsden from Westworld.
The show was one of Apple's first efforts at an original series, along with the ill-fated Planet of the Apps, which did not get renewed for a second season following rather mixed reviews.
Instagram has added an emoji shortcut bar to its mobile app that places the user's most-used emojis above the keyboard whenever they start to comment on a post (via The Verge).
The new emoji bar doesn't appear on other occasions in the app that call for the use of the onscreen keyboard, such as when a user creates a post or comments on a Story.
Instagram has obviously identified post comments as the place where emoji are most frequently used on the platform, and naturally wants to make the interaction as easy as possible.
The feature has been in limited testing since May, but only recently became available to everyone on the image-led social network with the latest mobile app update.
The use of emoji in digital communications has skyrocketed ever since Apple introduced the emoji keyboard to iOS back in October 2011. In the month following the introduction, Instagram revealed that 10 percent of text on the social network included the use of emoji.
By March 2015, nearly half of all text on the platform contained the ubiquitous expressive characters, leading Instagram to employ machine learning to recognize long-term emoji trends. This latest update might be regarded as an inevitable outcome of its extensive analysis.
A photo of an alleged slide from an internal Chinese mobile carrier presentation appeared on Weibo today that potentially reveals the naming convention for Apple's imminent iPhone lineup as well as possible pricing details.
Alleged slide from China Mobile internal company meeting
First spotted by Japanese tech blog MacOtakara, the China Mobile slide refers to the larger 6.5-inch OLED iPhone as "iPhone XS Plus", casting doubt on earlier claims that the larger OLED iPhone will take the moniker "iPhone XS Max". Meanwhile, the lower-spec 6.1-inch LCD iPhone is referred to as "iPhone XC".
The last time Apple used "C" nomenclature in its smartphones was for 2013's iPhone 5c, which was priced below the flagship iPhone 5 series and featured a plastic rear case available in blue, green, yellow, white, and pink colors.
Respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects the 6.1-inch iPhone to be available in red, blue, orange, gray, and white, while the 5.8 and 6.5-inch iPhone models will be available in just three colors – presumably silver, space gray, and gold.
As for the slide's pricing, which includes 17 percent Chinese sales tax, the "iPhone XS" is 7388 yuan ($1079), the "iPhone XS Plus" is 8388 yuan ($1225), and the lower-spec "iPhone XC" is 5888 yuan ($860). Minus tax, the "iPhone XS", "iPhone XS Plus", and "iPhone XC" prices approximately convert to $900, $1015, and $700, respectively.
Those figures roughly line up with Kuo's expectation that the 6.5-inch OLED device will be priced at $900 to $1,000, while the 5.8-inch OLED second-generation iPhone X will be $800 to $900, and the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will be $600 to $700.
Lastly, the slide mentions that a dual-sim version of the "iPhone XS" and "iPhone XS Plus" will be available, but at a later date than the standard models.
Similar leaks allegedly sourced from China Mobile have been accurate in the past, but at present it's impossible to verify that this one is legitimate. Suffice to say we'll know for sure on Wednesday, September 12, when Apple's "Gather Round" media event takes place. Aside from new iPhones, redesigned iPad Pro and Apple Watch models are also expected to be announced. Stay tuned to MacRumors for all the coverage.
Apple has acquired the global rights to "The Elephant Queen," a feature-length documentary about an elephant matriarch who leads her herd in search of a new watering hole to call home, according to Deadline.
Athena is a mother who will do everything in her power to protect her herd when they are forced to leave their waterhole. This epic journey, narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor, takes audiences across the African savannah, and into the heart of an elephant family. A tale of love, loss and coming home.
"The Elephant Queen" was screened Saturday at the Toronto International Film Festival, where top executives from Apple's Worldwide Video Programming division are believed to be scouting out films. The documentary is directed by award-winning wildlife filmmakers Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble.
Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, two former Sony Pictures Television executives who lead Worldwide Video at Apple, reportedly led negotiations to pick up the documentary from Endeavor Content and Mister Smith Entertainment.
In addition, prior to TIFF, Apple obtained rights to animated film "Wolfwalkers" from Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions, according to Deadline. The film, directed by two-time Oscar nominee Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, centers on a young apprentice hunter named Robyn in a world of superstition.
In a time of superstition and magic, when wolves are seen as demonic and nature an evil to be tamed, a young apprentice hunter, Robyn, comes to Ireland with her father to wipe out the last pack. But when Robyn saves a wild native girl, Mebh, their friendship leads her to discover the world of the Wolfwalkers and transform her into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.
Apple has been steadily expanding its slate of original content in the pipeline, but these deals are particularly notable, as they represent the first two films the company has acquired, complementing nearly two dozen TV series.
Apple is expected to distribute its original content through a new streaming video service, along the lines of Netflix, starting in 2019.
Apple has removed the Infowars app from the App Store, just a day after controversial Infowars radio show host Alex Jones was permanently banned from Twitter.
Apple confirmed the app's permanent removal to BuzzFeed late on Friday, but instead of giving a specific reason for taking action now, Apple simply cited its own general App Store guidelines, which prohibit content that is "offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, or in exceptionally poor taste."
Early last month, Apple removed the entire libraries of five Infowars podcasts from its Podcasts platform and said it had chosen to do so on the grounds that it does not tolerate hate speech.
At the time, the tech giant defended its decision not to remove the Infowars app, saying that the App Store is a place for "all points of view" as long as apps are respectful to users with differing opinions. However, Apple also noted that it continues to monitor apps for violations of its guidelines and will remove them if necessary.
Apple's initial stance struck some observers as odd, given that the Infowars mobile app allowed users to live stream the same programs that were removed from the Apple Podcasts platform. The app's continued availability also allowed it to benefit from the publicity surrounding Apple's removal of the podcasts.
However, that's no longer the case, and as of Friday evening, searching for the app within the App Store only returns apps related to Infowars, while the official app is nowhere to be seen.
Apple's removal of the Infowars app follows Twitter's decision on Thursday to permanently suspend Alex Jones and Infowars. The social media network said the suspension was based on new reports of tweets and videos posted that violate its abusive behavior policy, in addition to the accounts' previous violations.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
On Wednesday, September 12, Apple will hold its annual iPhone-centric event at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus. This year's theme is "Gather Round," the line that was on the invitations sent out to members of the media in late August.
This year's event is shaping up to be quite exciting, with three new iPhones and refreshed Apple Watch Series 4 models on the horizon. Bigger displays seem to be the major draw this year, with Apple introducing both a 6.5-inch iPhone and larger-screened Apple Watch models that have smaller bezels.
Apple's 2018 iPhone lineup will consist of three devices: a 5.8-inch OLED device that's a follow up to the current iPhone X, a larger 6.5-inch OLED device that's a sort of "iPhone X Plus," and a 6.1-inch device with an LCD screen and a lower price tag that's meant to be Apple's more affordable smartphone.
All three of the iPhones will feature nearly edge-to-edge designs with a notch that houses a TrueDepth Camera System, putting an end to the Touch ID Home button in Apple's flagship iPhone lineup. While the three iPhones will have almost non-existent bezels like the iPhone X, the 6.1-inch iPhone's bezels may be slightly thicker due to the LCD display instead of the OLED display.
2018 iPhone dummy models
Internally, Apple employees are said to be referring to this year's iPhones as an "S" upgrade, a notation reserved for years when upgrades focus on internal components rather than design changes. "S" naming is appropriate given that all three iPhones are using an X-style design even though there are two new devices.
Apple is expected to use the 7-nanometer TSMC-manufactured A12 chip in all of the new iPhones for parity in processing power. The A12 should be faster and more efficient than the A11 for faster processing times, better graphics, and improved battery life. Early benchmarks suggest the A12 is 10 percent faster than the A11.
Leaked information from Apple suggests the 5.8-inch iPhone will be referred to as the "iPhone Xs" while the larger 6.5-inch iPhone could be called the "iPhone Xs Max," with Apple doing away with the "Plus" moniker that it has used since the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Such a naming scheme makes some sense because the "Plus" designation has traditionally referred to phones that have features non-Plus phones do not, but it does not appear that there are differentiating features between the two OLED iPhones with the exception of screen size, battery life, and price tag.
The iPhone Xs models, which will have resolutions of 2,688 x 1,242 (6.5") and 2,436 x 1,125 (5.8") according to rumors, will feature 12-megapixel dual-lens camera systems like the iPhone X, sturdy stainless steel frames, faster Intel LTE modems with support for 4X4 MIMO, 4GB RAM, and up to 512GB of storage space.
Improved battery technology may allow Apple to introduce a two-cell L-shaped 3,300 to 3,400 mAh battery in the 6.5-inch model and a 2,700 to 2,800 two-cell battery in the 5.8-inch iPhone.
Dozens of popular iPhone apps are sharing the location data of millions of mobile devices with third-party data monetization firms, according to a group of security researchers called GuardianApp (via TechCrunch).
The apps in question are mostly news, weather, and fitness apps that require access to location data to work properly, but then share that data to earn money.
According to security researchers, the apps send both precise location and other sensitive customer data to data monetization companies "at all times, constantly" sometimes without customers being aware of the location data collection. The information is used for purposes like creating databases for ad targeting.
Researchers used tools to monitor network traffic to discover apps collecting Bluetooth LE data, GPS longitude and latitude, WiFi SSIDs, accelerometer information, battery charge percentage, location arrival/departure timestamps, and more.
While the apps say that personally identifiable information is not included in the data collection, one of the researchers, Will Strafach, told TechCrunch that latitude and longitude coordinates can provide information on a person's home or work. Many customers who agree to provide apps with location data may not be aware of the extent of the information being collected and shared.
Apps that were found to be collecting location info and sending it to data monetization firms include ASKfm, NOAA Weather Radar, Homes.com, Perfect365, C25K 5K Trainer, Classifieds 2.0 Marketplace, GasBuddy, Photobucket, Roadtrippers, Tapatalk, and more, with a full list available on the site.
The data is being sent to companies that include Reveal, Sense360, Cuebiq, Teemo, Mobiquity, and Fysical. These companies denied wrongdoing, suggested customers were able to opt out at any time, and said that developers are required to inform customers about the data collection.
Some of the apps in question do indeed have clear data collection notices when opening them up for the first time, but data monetization firms do not make sure apps are following disclosure policies and not all do.
"None of these companies appear to be legally accountable for their claims and practices, instead there is some sort of self-regulation they claim to enforce," said Strafach.
iPhone users who want to avoid having their location data shared with data monetization firms should be wary of the third-party apps they install that are using location services. Limiting ad tracking in Privacy settings by going to Privacy > Advertising is recommended.
GuardianApp also suggests users use a generic name for router SSIDs and turn off Bluetooth functionality when Bluetooth is not in use.
Apple has been talking with major U.S. newspapers about adding their content to the Texture magazine app that Apple purchased in March, reports Recode.
Eddy Cue and other Apple executives have spoken with the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post about joining the Texture service.
All of these newspapers limit the number of stories people can read without a paid subscription. The Washington Post, for example, charges $10 a month for access, while The New York Times costs $15 per month and The Wall Street Journal costs $37 per month.
Apple's Texture app provides access to more than 200 popular magazines like People, The New Yorker, Time, National Geographic, Shape, Newsweek, and more, all for a $9.99 per month fee.
According to Recode, it's not yet clear if Apple is aiming to add stories from the newspapers to the same $9.99 subscription service or offer the content as a paid add-on, and it's not known if the news sites are interested.
Newspapers likely won't make as much through Texture as they do through their own subscriptions and may not want to be part of a bundled service. It is possible, however, that the news providers will opt in to Texture given Apple's active install base of more than 1.3 billion devices.
An additional worry for the papers, says one executive familiar with the conversations, is that being part of a bundle of publications is less attractive than a one-to-one relationship with subscribers. It also leaves open the possibility that Apple could drop them from the bundle down the road.
Rumors have previously suggested that Apple is aiming to create an all-in-one subscription service that would offer access to digital magazines and news, Apple Music, and original television content, and adding newspaper content to Texture could be the first step towards that goal.
A proposed $200 billion tariff on Chinese goods would affect the Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod, Beats headphones, AirPort routers, Apple Pencil, Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, MacBooks, Mac mini, and a selection of cables, chargers, and adapters, Apple said today in a letter sent to the U.S. government.
Apple's letter urges the Trump administration not to apply the tariffs that will affect Apple products and to find "other, more effective" solutions instead. According to the company, the U.S. will be the hardest hit by the proposed tariffs, leading to lower U.S. growth and competitiveness and higher prices for U.S. consumers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook with Donald Trump at the Executive Tech Summit at Trump Tower in December 2016
The proposed tariff list covers a wide range of Apple products and the products used in our U.S. operations: Apple digital health and wireless connectivity products, including Apple Watch, Apple Pencil and Air Pods; Apple computing tools such as MacMini; Apple adapters, cables and chargers engineered for efficiency and safety; Apple-designed components and made-to-specification tooling for Apple’s U.S. manufacturing and product repair facilities; specialty testing equipment for Apple’s U.S. product development labs; and servers, hard drives and cables for Apple’s U.S. data centers that support our global services such as the App Store.
According to Apple, the tariffs will increase the cost of its U.S. operations, divert resources, and disadvantage Apple compared to foreign competitors, leading to more expensive Apple products for customers.
Second, because all tariffs ultimately show up as a tax on U.S. consumers, they will increase the cost of Apple products that our customers have come to rely on in their daily lives. For example, the proposed tariffs cover Apple Watch, which has become the top-selling smart-watch in the U.S. and globally.
Since we introduced Apple Watch a few years ago, we have heard from users about how it has changed, and in some cases saved, their lives. Apple Watch is also being used in conjunction with American universities to help individuals to manage health conditions such as epilepsy and post-heart attack recovery.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said in July that Apple was evaluating the fourth tariff the United States plans to implement and would comment on its impact on Apple at a later date, which is what today's letter pertains to. Cook called the examination of the tariff "a tedious process" because of the need to consider not only revenue, but also purchases being made through other companies unrelated to revenue, such as data centers.
The United States has already put three sets of tariffs in place affecting steel, aluminum, and $50 billion worth of other goods from China, but none of these tariffs have impacted Apple products and devices.
When commenting on tariffs in July, Cook said that while Apple believes the trade agreements the U.S. has with other major economies are in need of modernization, tariffs are not the right approach. Cook said Apple is, however, "optimistic" the tariff issue will be sorted out, and that the company is hoping "calm heads prevail."
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with CalDigit to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus dock, which offers 15 ports for Apple's Thunderbolt 3-compatible Macs.
Priced starting at $299.99, the TS3 Plus can replace all of your other dongles because of the sheer number of ports that it offers. Available in both silver and a new space gray option, the TS3 Plus will match Apple's devices.
Design wise, the TS3 Plus, which is designed to be a desktop dock, is made from aluminum with ribbing on the sides, and it can be positioned either horizontally or vertically to work with any desk setup.
At the front and back, the dock includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, an SD card reader, five USB-A ports, one USB-C Gen. 1 port, one USB-C Gen. 2 port, a DisplayPort 1.2 port, a Digital Optical Audio port, Audio In & Out, and a Gigabit Ethernet port.
The included USB-C Gen. 1 port offers 5Gb/s throughput, while the USB-C Gen. 2 port offers 10Gb/s throughput, ideal for high-performance SSDs.
The TS3 Plus provides 85W of charging power so it's able to charge Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro models, along with the 13-inch 61W models with an included Thunderbolt 3 cable. It supports one 60Hz 5K display via Thunderbolt 3 or two 60Hz 4K displays using the DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 3 connections.
CalDigit's TS3 Plus is compatible with 2016 and later 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models that support Thunderbolt 3, the 2017 iMac models, and the iMac Pro. We have two of the CalDigit docks to give away.
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Apple Music is introducing new top music charts for regional and global markets, reports Rolling Stone. Starting today, the music service will offer up 116 "Daily Top 100" charts that display the top-streamed songs on Apple Music.
Charts, which are refreshed each day at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time, are available for every country where Apple Music is available, plus there's a single global chart that aggregates the top songs worldwide.
Apple Music executives demonstrated the new feature for Rolling Stone, with the new charts located under the "Browse" tab with a visual appearance similar to playlists or albums.
The Apple Music service previously featured a Top Charts section in the Browse portion of the app, but it was limited to a select number of songs, playlists, albums, and videos with no breakdown by country.
It's not entirely clear exactly when the new top 100 charts will be available, but Rolling Stone mentions a software update, which suggests the feature is rolling out over the air. Access to the charts should be available soon.
Instagram has added an emoji shortcut bar to its mobile app that places the user's most-used emojis above the keyboard whenever they start to comment on a post (via 
