MacRumors

Alongside a refresh of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro this morning, Apple has also dropped the price on high-end storage upgrades across the Mac lineup. This includes the iMac, ‌iMac‌ Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and even the soon-to-be-discontinued Mac Pro.

For the most part, 1TB SSD upgrades have dropped by $200 on the ‌iMac‌, ‌MacBook Pro‌, and ‌Mac mini‌; and 2TB SSD upgrades have dropped by $400 on the ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌MacBook Pro‌. The ultra high-end 4TB SSD upgrade for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ has dropped by $1400.

For the ‌iMac‌ Pro, 2TB SSD upgrades have been marked down by $200, while the 4TB SSD upgrade has dropped by $1200.

The updates continue into the old ‌Mac Pro‌ as well, with the 1TB upgrade dropping by $200. Apple has also removed the 64GB RAM option for the ‌Mac Pro‌ from its store, and made this model only available in 16GB and 32GB options.

Head to Apple.com to see more of the changes to high-end upgrades on the Mac.

Apple today launched its annual Back to School free Beats promotion in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and like it did last year, the 2019 edition has also gone live simultaneously in many European countries.

However unlike previous years, Apple has simultaneously updated some Macs and killed off others: the MacBook Air now has True Tone display technology, and the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro now has a Touch Bar and the latest 8th-generation quad-core processors. The ‌MacBook Air‌ is $1,099 ($999 for college students) while the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is $1,299 ($1,199 for college students).

Aside from those surprise hardware updates, Apple is promoting its traditional limited time back-to-school offer for qualifying higher-education students, parents purchasing on behalf of higher-education students, and faculty and staff at both higher-education and K-12 institutions. All can receive a free or discounted pair of Beats headphones with the purchase of an eligible Mac, iPad Pro, or iPad Air.

Apple is offering the choice of free Beats Studio3 Wireless Over-Ear Headphones, Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones or BeatsX Earphones with the purchase of a new ‌MacBook Pro‌, ‌MacBook Air‌, iMac, or ‌iMac‌ Pro. As with previous years, the Mac mini is excluded, as is the 2017 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ this year.

Apple is also offering free BeatsX or Solo3 Wireless with the purchase of any new 11-inch or 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ or ‌iPad Air‌, with the option to pay $150 USD or equivalent extra for Studio3 Wireless headphones.

The promotion runs until September 26, 2019, and is available through Apple's online store, retail stores, and authorized campus stores, or by calling 1-800-MY-APPLE. Read the terms and conditions for complete details.

Participating countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.

In select countries, student verification via UNiDAYS is required.

Coinciding with refreshes to the MacBook Air and the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro today, Apple has discontinued the 12-inch MacBook, which is no longer available to purchase through its online store.

Apple had not updated the 12-inch MacBook since June 2017 and it was becoming increasingly uncertain whether the notebook had a future in Apple's product lineup, especially after the MacBook Air was redesigned last year with many of the same features as the 12-inch MacBook for $100 less at the time.

The 12-inch MacBook first launched in April 2015 and started at $1,299 prior to being discontinued. One of the 12-inch MacBook's only advantages over the 2018 ‌MacBook Air‌ was portability, as it has a smaller screen size and is nearly three quarters of a pound lighter at 2.03 pounds versus 2.75 pounds.

Apple's notebook lineup is much more straightforward now at a glance, with the lower-end ‌MacBook Air‌ starting at $1,099 after receiving a price cut today, the mid-range 13-inch MacBook Pro starting at $1,299, and the high-end 15-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ for the most demanding users starting at $2,399.

Apple today announced it has updated its entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro with the latest 8th-generation Intel Core quad-core processors for up to two times faster performance compared to the previous generation. The notebook now also features a Touch Bar with Touch ID, a True Tone display, and the Apple T2 security chip.

Pricing continues to start at $1,299 in the United States, or $1,199 for qualifying students through Apple's education store. The base configuration is equipped with a 1.4GHz quad‑core Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645 in Space Gray or Silver finishes.

True Tone automatically adjusts the white balance of the MacBook Pro's display to match the color temperature of the light around you to provide a more natural viewing experience. The feature is similar to Night Shift, but more dynamic, continuously adapting to the surrounding environment.

This is the first update to the entry-level 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ since June 2017 and likely corresponds with the mystery FCC filing uncovered by MacRumors last week. Apple also refreshed the MacBook Air today with a True Tone display and a lower starting price of $1,099, down from $1,199.

The updated notebook is available to order now, with shipping estimated to begin in one business day in most regions.

With this, Apple no longer sells a MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar.

Apple today announced that it has updated the MacBook Air with a True Tone display and lowered its starting price from $1,199 to $1,099 in the United States, or $999 for qualifying students through Apple's education store.

True Tone automatically adjusts the white balance of the ‌MacBook Air‌'s display to match the color temperature of the light around you to provide a more natural viewing experience. The feature is similar to Night Shift, but more dynamic, continuously adapting to the surrounding environment.

This is the first update to the ‌MacBook Air‌ since it was radically redesigned in October 2018 with a Retina display, faster 8th-generation Intel Core processors, butterfly keyboard, larger trackpad, Touch ID, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, Apple T2 chip with Hey Siri support, louder speakers, and more.

$1,099 continues to get you a 1.6GHz dual-core Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, and Intel UHD Graphics 617.

Alongside today's update and price drop, Apple has also discontinued the 2017 ‌MacBook Air‌, which it had continued to sell for $999 following the introduction of the revamped ‌MacBook Air‌ last October.

The entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro was also refreshed today with the latest 8th-generation Intel Core quad-core processors for up to two times faster performance. The notebook now also features the Touch Bar, ‌Touch ID‌, True Tone, and the Apple T2 chip. Pricing starts at $1,299, or $1,199 for qualifying students.

The 2019 ‌MacBook Air‌ is available to order now.

A few months ago, in a research note shared with MacRumors, a team of Barclays analysts "confirmed" that 3D Touch "will be eliminated" in all 2019 iPhones, as they predicted back in August 2018. The analysts gathered this information from Apple suppliers following a recent trip to Asia.

The Wall Street Journal floated the same rumor back in January, and now, yet another source suggests 3D Touch is on the chopping block. Namely, Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes today claimed that Apple "may" remove ‌3D Touch‌ hardware from all 2019 iPhones, citing unnamed industry sources.

Apple already introduced software changes in iOS 13 and iPadOS that hint at ‌3D Touch‌ not being supported on new devices.

Specifically, "Quick Actions" menus that float above app icons on the home screen and "Peek" previews of emails, links, messages, and more are now supported on any iPhone or iPad that can run iOS 13 or iPadOS. These features were previously exclusive to iPhones with pressure-sensitive ‌3D Touch‌ hardware.

Both features rely on a long press, aka pressing and holding, meaning this is effectively an expansion of the Haptic Touch functionality that debuted on the ‌iPhone‌ XR last year, although Apple's developer documentation refers to it as the "system-defined touch and hold gesture" on other devices.

The ability to invoke Quick Actions menus and Peek previews with a long press in iOS 13 likely foreshadows the removal of ‌3D Touch‌ from 2019 iPhones, as most of ‌3D Touch‌'s features will be possible without needing pressure-sensitive ‌3D Touch‌ hardware in 2019 iPhones, reducing production costs for Apple.

‌3D Touch‌ is still functional in iOS 13 on existing iPhones that support the feature, and will likely continue to be in future software updates. This includes the ‌iPhone‌ 6s through ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, excluding the ‌iPhone‌ SE.

Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest bandwidth measurement service, today released its 2019 Speedtest Mobile Performance Report, leveraging over 11.5 million speed tests from over 4 million unique devices to rank the network performance of the major U.S. carriers during the first half of 2019.

Overall, Ookla found that the mean mobile download speed rose to 33.88 Mbps during the first half of the year, up 24 percent compared to the same period in 2018. That improvement allowed the U.S. to rise from 43rd to 40th in the global rankings of mobile download performance. Mean upload speeds rose 13 percent to 9.75 Mbps, which actually resulted in a drop of 21 spots to 94th in the global rankings.

Looking at the four major U.S. carriers, AT&T came out on top in this year's survey with a Speed Score (a weighted rating of 90% download and 10% upload speeds) of 32.91, with T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint following behind. That marks a significant improvement for AT&T, which placed third in last year's survey.

Delivering LTE service over seven licensed frequency bands and increasing the amount of seeded devices capable of four and five carrier aggregation has been paying off for AT&T. Over the past year, AT&T has managed to leapfrog the competition to produce the fastest download speeds across the country.

AT&T’s addition of FirstNet spectrum meant a required maintenance visit to cell sites and the addition of brand new hardware at those locations. AT&T wisely used this opportunity to also upgrade the existing radio access infrastructure, including replacing the aging Alcatel-Lucent equipment with Nokia in some areas and adding the 2.3 GHz WCS spectrum for additional capacity. This strategy, combined with a slew of Category 15-20 LTE smartphones, meant a tremendous boost in coverage, speeds and overall capacity.

But beyond raw download and upload speeds, Ookla also looked at several other metrics including Acceptable Speed Ratio, which is the percent of samples from a given carrier that measured at least 5 Mbps. By this metric, Verizon maintained its spot atop the rankings from last year, with 87.3 percent of samples meeting the 5 Mbps standard in 2019. T-Mobile and AT&T were fairly close behind at 86.9 percent and 85.9 percent respectively, with Sprint trailing at 81.2 percent.

Verizon also topped the rankings in 4G LTE support, with 95.9 percent of time spent on what is currently the fastest mainstream standard. T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T rounded out the rankings, with AT&T users still seeing 7.4 percent of time spent on 3G technology.

Looking ahead toward 5G technology that's just starting to roll out, Ookla has opted not to release performance data at this point due to the very limited geographies where it's available and lack of widespread device support for now, but the company has seen speeds in excess of 2 Gbps in some real-world consumer speed tests.

Ookla has plenty more data on its page dedicated to this year's study, including a state-by-state breakdown where you can see how the major carriers rank on a more localized basis.

Mass production of a new iPad will begin in July, followed by mass production of a new 16-inch MacBook Pro in the fourth quarter of this year, according to a supply chain report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News today.

The report, relayed by Japanese blog Mac Otakara, claims that Taiwanese manufacturer Radiant Opto-Electronics will be the exclusive backlight module supplier for both the new ‌iPad‌ and the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. No further details were provided.

The new ‌iPad‌ likely refers to the rumored 10.2-inch model that is expected to succeed the low-cost 9.7-inch ‌iPad‌. Apple introduced the low-cost ‌iPad‌ in March 2017, and refreshed it in March 2018, but March 2019 came and went without an update as Apple instead launched the 10.5-inch iPad Air and a new iPad mini.

The source of the 10.2-inch ‌iPad‌ rumor, CoinX, has an accurate track record. The mystery account previously tweeted the iPhone XS, ‌iPhone‌ XS Max, and ‌iPhone‌ XR names of the 2018 iPhones before anyone else, and was also accurate about the 10.5-inch iPad Air, the 2018 iPad Pro being 5.9mm thick, and more.

If mass production of the new ‌iPad‌ begins this month, a release is likely on the horizon, but it is unclear if it will be a summer or fall product.

16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ rumors began with well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Back in February, he said the notebook would launch at some point in 2019 with an "all-new design." Last month, IHS Markit analyst Jeff Lin said the notebook will launch in September and have a display resolution of 3,072×1,920 pixels.

JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee expects Apple to reignite its growth next year with the launch of four new iPhones featuring key selling points like OLED displays, 5G modem support, and new rearward-facing 3D sensing AR/VR capabilities.

As quoted by CNBC, JP Morgan's Monday report says it expects Apple to release three top-of-the-line OLED 5G iPhones in 5.4-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch sizes, two of which will feature advanced rear camera 3D sensing tech. In addition, analysts expect a fourth lower-cost model to be launched that's the same size as the iPhone 8 but without a 5G modem or OLED display.

"Our positive volume outlook for 2020 is driven by our current expectation for the launch of four iPhone models ... and more significant spec upgrades," Samik Chatterjee, an analyst at J.P. Morgan, wrote in the report.

[...]

"Our expectations include all three Sep-2020 iPhones (5.4"/6.1"/6.7" screen sizes) will adopt OLED displays and 5G baseband modems (with support for mmWave frequencies), and at least two of the three models adopting world facing 3D Sensing (Time of Flight) driving industry leading AR/VR capabilities which can be leveraged by custom built applications (including games)."

Apple's current iPhones have TrueDepth 3D-sensing cameras on the front, but the expectation is clearly that some of the 2020 iPhones will be equipped with similar cameras on the back. The report also says that Apple's lower-cost ‌iPhone‌ model will be aimed at "a much more 'value' category than it has been used to with its recent launches."

Some of the details in the report line up with previous predictions, notably from respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo has said Apple plans to release three new iPhones in the second half of 2020, including high-end 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch models with OLED displays and a lower-end 6.1-inch model, which he believes will also have an OLED display.

According to Kuo, the 5.4 and 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ options will support 5G speeds, while the lower-end 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ in 2020 will continue to work with LTE.

Bloomberg reported in January that Apple isplanning to add a laser-powered time-of-flight 3D rear camera that will result in significant improvements to AR experiences to its 2020 iPhones.

The camera is said to be able to scan areas up to 15 feet from the device. Apple's front-facing TrueDepth camera uses 3D technology but because it's infrared and not laser-powered, it only works at distances of 25 to 50 centimeters.

JP Morgan's Chatterjee says he expects the fresh line-up will help Apple sell 195 million iPhones in 2020, up from an estimated 180 million in 2019. Later this year, Apple is expected to release three new iPhones with triple-lens rear cameras, but without 5G connectivity.

Alongside the second public beta versions of iOS 13 and iPadOS, Apple today also released a revised third beta version of the operating systems for developers.

The reason for the new version isn't entirely clear, but the original third developer beta was not available for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus for some reason. Today's update, build 17A5522g, is only a very minor increment from the 17A5522f build of the original release, but Apple appears to be pushing it out for all devices, not just the ‌iPhone‌ 7 and 7 Plus that had not originally received it.

Registered developers will need to download the profile for the iOS 13 and iPadOS betas from Apple's Developer Center. The revised Beta 3 can be downloaded over-the-air once the proper profile has been installed.

Apple today released the second public betas of iOS 13 and iPadOS to its public beta testing group, two weeks after seeding the first public betas and a week after the third developer beta. The public beta gives non-developers a chance to test out iOS 13 ahead of its upcoming fall launch date.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the iOS 13 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.

Those who want to join the beta testing program can sign up on Apple's beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas. Before installing a beta, make sure to create a full encrypted iTunes backup or an iCloud backup. It's best to install iOS 13 on a secondary device because beta software is not always stable and can include bugs.

iOS 13 is a major update to the iOS operating system that runs on the iPhone and the iPad, but this year, iOS 13 and iPadOS, the version of iOS 13 that runs on the ‌iPad‌, are separate downloads as they've been split up.

iPadOS is identical to iOS 13 in almost every way, though there are some iPad-specific features such as new multitasking capabilities. For the most part, the two operating systems share the same features.

iOS 13 introduces a long list of new features. Dark Mode changes the entire look of the operating system, shifting it from light to dark, while an overhauled Photos app makes it easier to relive your memories with new Days, Months, and Years viewing options.

There's a new photo editing interface that makes it easier to edit photos than ever before, plus there are new tools to work with and options to edit the intensity of the built-in filters. You can edit video right in the ‌Photos‌ app for the first time, and on the newest iPhones, there's a new High-Key Mono lighting effect and an option to adjust the intensity of Portrait Lightning effects.

There's a less obtrusive volume HUD, a new Find My app that combines ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌ and ‌Find My‌ Friends and lets you track your devices even with they don't have an LTE or WiFi connection. A Sign In with Apple feature (not yet active) gives you a convenient and data safe way to sign into apps and websites, providing an alternative to Facebook and Google sign in options.

Maps has a new street-level "Look Around" mode and a Collections feature for making lists of places, Reminders has been entirely overhauled to make it more functional, there's a profile feature in Messages along with new Memoji and Animoji stickers, and Siri has a new voice.

There are a ton of additional new features and changes coming in iOS 13, and for a full rundown of what you can expect, make sure to check out our iOS 13 roundup.

In a surprise move tied to the App Store's 10th anniversary last year, Apple has revived its classic "Texas Hold'Em" game for iPhone.

As noted by 9to5Mac, version 2.0 of the game was released on the ‌App Store‌ today. Apple says it has completely redesigned, rebuilt, and re-rendered the game to use high-resolution graphics, as well as added new characters, more challenging gameplay, and many other new features.

Apple's release notes:

Apple's Texas Hold'em is back! To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the App Store, we've brought back one of its first games, a popular classic. Originally created for iPod, then brought to iPhone, fans will love the polished redesign, featuring new characters, more challenging gameplay, and stunning graphics for the newest iPhone and iPod touch.

Texas Hold'Em is a variation of poker. In the game, players bet and bluff as they attempt to advance through 10 distinctive locations, including Las Vegas, Paris, and Macau. The new version is entirely free-to-play with multiplayer support for up to eight players via Wi-Fi or offline playback against 24 computerized opponents.

The new version requires a device running iOS 12 or later and is optimized for the latest iPhone and iPod touch models.

Texas Hold'Em first debuted on the iPod in September 2006 before launching on the ‌iPhone‌ when the ‌App Store‌ launched on July 11, 2008. The game was pulled from the App Store in November 2011, leaving Apple without its own ‌iPhone‌ game until it released "Warren Buffett's Paper Wizard" in May.

Texas Hold'Em is available now on the App Store.

Apple is widely expected to introduce three new iPhones in September, and ahead of time, photos of an alleged logic board for at least one of the upcoming devices have surfaced on Slashleaks.

The logic board has a rectangular design, so we assume it belongs to the 2019 successor to the iPhone XR, as the ‌iPhone‌ XS and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max have L-shaped logic boards. The board appears to have been manufactured in early March based on its "1019" date code, which corresponds to the 10th week of 2019.

Only one side of the logic board is printed. While the layout of the chips and circuitry looks quite different from the current ‌iPhone‌ XR logic board, we cannot gather any specific changes from the photos.

The next ‌iPhone‌ XR is expected to feature a dual-lens rear camera system, new green and lavender colors, and 4GB of RAM. The device is also expected to feature up to a six percent larger battery to accomodate a two-way wireless charging feature rumored to be coming to all three 2019 iPhones.

Back in 1976, Apple released its first computer, the Apple I. Over a span of about ten months, Apple co-founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs produced about 200 of the computers and sold some 175 of them, making it a valuable collector's item that has fetched up to $905,000 at auction in recent years.

As a testament to just how rare the computer is, an "extremely rare" Apple I operation manual alone is estimated to fetch over $10,000 at auction this week, with a most recent bid of $9,422 on the Boston-based RR Auctions website.

The vintage manual features Apple's original logo on the front cover, which depicts scientist Isaac Newton seated beneath a tree with a shining apple dangling overhead. The manual explains how to set up and use the Apple I and its monitor and includes a fold-out schematic of the system.

"Very few of the original Apple-1 operating manuals—perhaps 65 or so—are known to exist today," said Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction. He added that this makes the manual a "highly collectible piece from one of the most valuable and successful companies in the world."

The manual is said to be in "very good to fine condition," with light irregular grid-shaped toning to the front cover, a short tear to the top edge of the front cover, and a light circular stain inside the front cover.

Perhaps most interesting of all is the owner's message to prospective bidders:

I truly hate to sell it as The Manual is one of God's, I mean one of Woz's greatest gifts to nerdkind. Now I am not a greedy man and have enjoyed The Manual for nearly two decades, surviving two longer-than-they-should-have-lasted marriages and about 5 or 6 moves all over California. Alas, my time with this beautiful artifact has reached its end and I am now passing the torch to you.

Bids are open until July 10 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Update July 11: According to RR Auction, the manual sold for $12,956 to a technology entrepreneur who wishes to remain anonymous.

"Steve Jobs" biographer Walter Isaacson was on Squawk Box this week, and in an interview he mentioned that he "softened" parts of the book when it came to certain Jobs quotes (via CNBC).

Particularly, Jobs was said to have criticized current Apple CEO Tim Cook for not being a "product person." According to Isaacson, "Steve says how ‌Tim Cook‌ can do everything, and then he looked at me and said, 'Tim's not a product person.'"

Isaacson said that he wanted to soften certain things that he thought were too harsh in his biography of Steve Jobs. The book first launched in October 2011, just 19 days after Jobs died from pancreatic cancer.

“Sometimes when Steve was in pain ... and he was angry, he would say more things that [Cook] was not a product person,” recalled Isaacson. “I felt I would put in the specific things that were relevant to the reader but not the complaints.”

Cook was also mentioned in a recent piece by The Wall Street Journal, which focused on Jony Ive, who reportedly became "dispirited" because of Cook's lack of interest in the product development process. Ive announced that he will leave Apple later this year and start his own design studio, with Apple as one of its primary clients.

Isaacson has been critical of Apple as a whole in the past, believing in 2014 that Amazon and Google had overtaken Apple to become the most innovative technology companies of the modern day. At the time, he specifically referenced virtual assistants as a space where Apple needed improvement.

Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs went on to be the basis for Aaron Sorkin's screenplay of the Danny Boyle-directed film "Steve Jobs." The film was well received by critics, earning four Golden Globe Award nominations and two Academy Award nominations.