Regal Cinemas will soon launch an unlimited movie ticket subscription service in the United States, according to a new report from Deadline.
The service is set to launch in late July, and while the details are still being ironed out, it is expected to have three pricing tiers: $18, $21, and $24 per month. Each pricing tier will provide unlimited ticket subscriptions, and the pricing options are going to vary based on location. Regal has more than 500 theaters across the United States.
Those purchasing a top-priced tier will have access to any Regal Cinema (i.e., from Valencia, CA to 42nd Street in NYC), while the lowest tier gets access to about half of the chain's national footprint. If someone purchased a subscription at a low tier and ventures to an out-of-network Regal in a higher tier (like a major city), there's apt to be a surcharge (not final, but around $2-$3) on a gratis ticket.
Each tier also includes 10 percent off concessions and Regal may offer discounted pricing when purchasing a subscription for an entire year. What's not known is whether premium options like IMAX, Dolby 3D and others will be included in the monthly subscription price.
Regal's upcoming movie ticket subscription service will compete with AMC's Stubs A-List program, which costs between $19.95 and $23.95 per month depending on the state and provides access to three movies per week.
Movie ticket subscription options became popular when MoviePass launched its $9.95 per month unlimited ticket program, but that ultimately failed due to the low pricing. MoviePass is still around, but charges $20 per month and restricts access to some movies.
Following a recent interview with The Times, Apple iTunes chief Eddy Cue sat down with GQ to share further thoughts on Apple Music and Apple TV+, Apple's upcoming streaming television service.
According to Cue, Apple plans to differentiate its streaming service by offering "the best shows," such as "For All Mankind," an upcoming space drama from Ronald D. Moore that explores what would have happened had the Soviet Union landed on the moon first and had the space race never ended.
Cue says that Apple worked with "the best people in the business" to create a show with a lot of attention to detail. "Like, we took the Houston control panel. We were able to get a lot of the original stuff. We didn't create fake ones," said Cue.
Contrary to some reports, Cue says that Apple executives have not been involved in script editing and have not had input on the Apple TV+ shows in an editorial capacity.
"I saw the comments that myself and Tim were writing notes on the scripts and whatever," says Cue. "There's never been one note passed from us on scripts, that I can assure you. We leave the folks [alone] who know they're doing."
"I can assure you that was 100 per cent false. He didn't say, 'Don't be so mean.' He didn't say anything about a script."
Cue says that Apple is aiming to create shows for everyone, from children to mature adults. "We're going to do a lot of different shows," he said. Apple will have television shows that aren't family friendly, such as "The Morning Show" with Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston.
"The Reese Witherspoon-Jennifer Aniston show [The Morning Show is a workplace drama set behind the scenes of breakfast TV]. It's a show about women in the workplace and some of the issues that happen to them are definitely not appropriate for you to watch with an eight-year-old."
As for the show that he's most excited about, Cue says that he can't wait for "Dickinson," a show about the life of poet Emily Dickinson that stars Hailee Steinfeld.
Cue also commented on the upcoming music lyric syncing feature in iOS 13, which scrolls through lyrics as a song plays.
"It just takes an inordinate amount of money to try to do this and to try to figure out how to do this the right way," says Cue. And while Apple is naturally starting with the most popular tracks, Cue says it doesn't intend to stop there. The plan is to add synced-up lyrics to every song in the Apple Music library.
"I honestly don't know the exact number of people who are working on it. In our ideal world it would be zero because we'd get them all from the labels. But we discovered that it wasn't going to work. In general it takes hundreds of people to do.
Cue's full interview can be read over at GQ, and for a rundown of all of the TV shows Apple has in the works, make sure to check out our guide. For details on how the Apple TV+ service will work, we have a guide for that too.
Apple today seeded the third betas of iOS 13 and iPadOS to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the second betas and a month after unveiling the new operating system at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Registered developers will need to download the profile for the iOS 13 and iPadOS betas from Apple's Developer Center. Beta 3, like Beta 2, can be downloaded over-the-air once the proper profile has been installed.
Apple split iOS 13 and iPadOS into separate updates in 2019, one designed for iPhone and one designed for iPad. 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 is a major update with a long list of new features. Perhaps the most noticeable outward-facing change is a new systemwide Dark Mode that changes the entire look of the operating system from light to dark, darkening everything from system elements to apps.
Apple overhauled the Photos app, introducing a new Photos tab that curates your entire Photos library and shows you a selection of highlights organized by day, month, or year, and there are revamped Photo editing tools.
For the first time, you can edit video right in the Photos app, cropping, rotating, applying filters, and adjusting lighting and color. There's a new High-Key Mono lighting effect, and for Portrait Lighting in general, intensity can be adjusted.
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. Apple's even able to generate single-use randomized email addresses so you don't have to give your real info to apps and websites.
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.
CarPlay in iOS 13 has been overhauled with a new look, multiple sets of AirPods (or Powerbeats Pro) can be connected to the same phone so you can share music with a friend, Siri on HomePod can detect multiple voices for multi-user support, and HomePod also supports Handoff.
There are a ton of additional new features and changes coming in iOS 13, and for a full rundown of what you can expect, you should check out our iOS 13 roundup. For a list of what changed in beta 2, make sure to check out our what's new in beta 2 post. Not much changed, but some features that weren't previously working were activated. We'll also be adding beta 3 changes below once we've had a chance to install the new OS.
The beta testing period will allow Apple to work out bugs ahead of the release of iOS 13 and iPadOS, and it will let developers build iOS 13 and iPadOS features into their apps ahead of a public release coming this fall.
What's New in iPadOS
- Split View In iPadOS, Split View now shows which side of the display is actively receiving text input.
It's subtle, but iPadOS 13 beta 3 shows which app in Split View is actively receiving text input.
Watch the pill-shaped indicator at the top. This has been an issue since Split View launched in iOS 9. pic.twitter.com/VkJyOGFMFh
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) July 2, 2019
What's New in iOS 13
- FaceTime Attention Correction - In the Settings section of FaceTime, there's a new "FaceTime Attention Correction" option that changes the way your attention is focused on the iPhone during a call. The setting says that eye contact with the camera will be more accurate during FaceTime Video calls.
- Home app - In the Home app, there's a new popup that lets you know your cameras do not support secure recording, an iOS 13 feature, if you have HomeKit-connected cameras.
- Find My - There's a new "Me" tab in the Find My app that displays your current location.
- Apple Arcade - When opening the App Store and selecting the Arcade tab, there's a new video highlighting the upcoming Apple Arcade service.
Apple today seeded third beta of an upcoming tvOS 13 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the second beta and a month after unveiling the tvOS 13 software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV, the new tvOS 13 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode.
tvOS 13 introduces an updated Home screen aimed at making it easier to discover new content. Apps are now able to play full-screen video previews right on the Home screen, similar to Netflix.
Multi-user support is available for the first time, letting more than one profile exist on the Apple TV so each family member can have their own customized Apple TV interface with separate recommendations, music playlists, and Watch Now lists.
Switching between profiles can be done with the new Control Center, which offers up profiles, the time and date, search, a Now Playing widget, AirPlay controls, and a sleep option.
tvOS 13 gets the Apple TV ready for Apple Arcade, Apple's new gaming service that's coming to the Apple TV, iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year. Apple Arcade will offer unlimited access to more than 100 new and exclusive games, for one subscription fee.
As part of the Apple Arcade preparations, Apple has implemented support for the Xbox Wireless Bluetooth Controller and the PlayStation DualShock 4 Controller, both of which can be connected to an Apple TV over Bluetooth.
There are new under the sea themed screensavers created in partnership with the BBC Natural History Unit, which also created "Blue Planet." Though not mentioned by Apple, beta 2 included a new Picture-in-Picture feature. Picture-in-Picture lets you continue to watch TV shows or movies while using a different app, adjusting settings, or otherwise navigating through the tvOS 13 operating system.
tvOS 13 is available to registered developers and public beta testers at this time. The latest beta should be made available to public beta testers later this week.
Apple today seeded the third beta of watchOS 6, the software that runs on the Apple Watch. The third beta comes two weeks after the second beta and a month after Apple first unveiled the new update at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
To install the watchOS 6 beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the beta can be downloaded using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.
Installing the software requires the Apple Watch to have 50 percent battery. It also must be placed on the charger and it must be in range of the iPhone. It would be wise to install the beta on a secondary device instead of a primary device given that this is an early version of the watchOS 6 software that still has bugs to be worked out.
watchOS 6 is a major update that offers up a long list of new features. First and foremost, there's an App Store right on the Apple Watch, so you can find and download new Apple Watch apps on your wrist.
Apple Watch apps no longer need to have an iPhone component, which means developers can create standalone Apple Watch apps for the first time. Apps are also able to take advantage of new APIs so you'll be able to do things like follow along with a workout or listen to streaming music from third-party services.
There are several new watch faces in watchOS 6, including Numerals Mono and Duo with huge numbers, Modular Compact, a Gradient watch face that shifts over the course of a day, a Solar Dial watch face that visualizes the sun in a 24 hour path around the dial, and the California watch face with a mix of standard numbers and roman numerals.
A new Taptic Chimes feature provides a silent touch on the wrist at every hour, and if sound is turned on, you'll hear an audible chime. You can also hold two fingers on the Apple Watch's display to hear the time spoken out loud.
There are new Audiobooks, Voice Memos, and Calculator apps, along with a new Noise app that warns you if you're exposed to sound that's too loud and a new Cycle Tracking app for period tracking. Activity Trends, visible on the iPhone, are also available to chart your fitness progress and make sure your fitness trends are improving.
New complications are available for wind speed, chance of rain, and the new Noise app, plus there's a Voice Memos complication for recording a memo quickly, a cellular strength complication, and a complication for the Calculator that opens up the app.
Siri can now provide full web search results right on the watch when asked a question, and for Mac users, the Apple Watch can now approve Mac security prompts.
When it launches in the fall, watchOS 6 will be available on all Apple Watch models with the exception of the original Apple Watch, released in 2015. For more on what's new in watchOS 6, make sure to check out our watchOS 6 roundup.
Update: In watchOS 6 beta 3, some of the stock apps are now able to be deleted, a feature that was previously reported but is now activated. There are also multiple new colors for the California watch face.
Apple today seeded the third beta of macOS 10.15 Catalina for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second macOS Catalina beta and a month after the new Mac operating system update was first unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
The new macOS Catalina beta can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences. As with all new betas, macOS Catalina should not be installed on a primary machine as it is early release software and could have major bugs.
macOS Catalina removes the iTunes app, splitting it into Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. The Apple Music and Apple Podcasts apps are available now, while the Apple TV app is coming later this year.
The new apps are similar in function to iTunes, but are split up by feature. iOS device management is still available on the Mac, but it's now done through Finder rather than iTunes.
With a new Sidecar feature, you can turn your iPad into a second display for your Mac with just the click of a button. The Apple Pencil works with Sidecar, so you can turn your iPad into a drawing tablet in apps like Photoshop and Illustrator.
Your Apple Watch can be used to approve security prompts in macOS Catalina, and Macs with a T2 chip support Activation Lock. There's a new Find My that brings the Find My Mac app to the Mac for the first time and even lets you track your devices when they're offline.
Screen Time is now available on the Mac as well as iOS devices, and Project Catalyst, a new Apple initiative, will let developers easily port their iPad apps over to the Mac.
There's a new Photos interface that surfaces your best photos organized by day, month, or year, there's a new start page in Safari, Mail has new tools for muting email threads and blocking senders, and the Reminders app has been overhauled.
32-bit apps no longer work in macOS Catalina, which is something to be aware of before installing the beta. For more details on macOS Catalina, make sure to check out our macOS Catalina roundup.
Apple this week received FCC approval for an unreleased MacBook Pro with a model number of A2159, which is one of the model numbers that was recently registered with the Eurasian Economic Commission.
In the FCC documentation, Apple specifies that the unreleased A2159 machine is a MacBook Pro, which is curious as the MacBook Pro already received a 2019 refresh in May.
A2159 is a model that was not included in the May update, and it's not entirely clear what it is. As a Reddit user points out, the back of the machine says that it's rated at 20.3V - 3A Max, which is equivalent to 61W, perhaps suggesting a refreshed 13-inch MacBook Pro.
From the FCC filing
There's a possibility that Apple is planning to launch an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar, which is one of the machines that did not receive a May update. The non-Touch Bar 13-inch MacBook Pro has not seen a refresh since 2017.
Apple is also said to be developing a 16-inch MacBook Pro that features a new design and larger display perhaps enabled through slimmer bezels, though it's not clear if that is the machine outlined in the FCC document given the power information specified.
A mockup of what a 16-inch MacBook Pro might look like
FCC approvals tend to be published right when a new machine launches, so we could see the A2159 MacBook Pro model quite soon.
Update: The FCC has pulled all of the documentation on the new A2159 machine.
T-Mobile has reached a divestiture deal with Dish Network that perhaps brings it one step closer to earning government approval for its planned merger with Sprint, reports CNBC.
Dish Network and T-Mobile had been discussing a deal for Sprint's Boost Mobile brand and some wireless spectrum to ease antitrust concerns over the merger.
Though the two companies have much of the divestiture deal in place, sources that spoke to CNBC said that there are still issues that the Justice Department is "actively focused on" before it would allow a deal.
The government continues to be concerned that the agreement between Dish and T-Mobile isn't enough to make sure that Dish would provide meaningful competition in the U.S. cellular market.
The DoJ wants Sprint and T-Mobile to ensure that there continues to be a fourth major carrier in the United States following their merger. The combination of Sprint and T-Mobile, which would be called T-Mobile and would be led by John Legere, would leave the U.S. with three major carriers: T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.
T-Mobile wants to limit Dish's spectrum capacity to 12.5 percent, while T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom wants to limit any strategic Dish investor to five percent, restrictions the DoJ may not be happy with.
Sprint and T-Mobile first announced a merger agreement in April 2018, but the completion of the deal continues to require government approval. As of May, U.S. regulators were said to be "leaning against" approving the merger unless some of T-Mobile and Sprint's assets were sold off, and T-Mobile and Sprint have been working toward that goal.
Samsung yesterday announced plans to hold an event on Wednesday, August 7 in New York City, where it will unveil the next-generation Galaxy Note device.
Samsung splits its smartphone unveilings into two events each year, and in February unveiled its Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+. The Galaxy Note line is Samsung's larger smartphone equipped with a stylus, and the Note 10's unveiling will come just about a month ahead of when we're expecting to see Apple's 2019 iPhone lineup.
There were no details provided about the upcoming device, but Samsung says it is going to "unveil new devices designed to take the Galaxy ecosystem's connectivity to the next level." The event's invite features an S-Pen and a camera lens.
Rumors and leaked design renders suggest the Galaxy Note 10 will feature 6.28 and 6.75-inch glass bodies (two sizes are rumored) with the same boxy design used in previous note devices. The front is said to feature an edge-to-edge display with a single center hole punch camera while the back is said to include a quad-camera setup.
There are three traditional cameras (12-megapixel wide-angle, 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle, and 12-megapixel telephoto) along with a fourth time-of-flight 3D depth camera, which is a feature that rumors have indicated Apple will bring to the iPhone in 2020. It's also supposed to include an under-display fingerprint sensor like the Galaxy S10, and 5G variants may be offered as well.
Samsung may also use its upcoming August event to provide more detail on when we can expect the delayed Galaxy Fold to launch. Samsung planned to release it earlier this year but then canceled its debut after multiple poor reviews from media sites.
Samsung has also shown off a Bixby smart speaker several times, which is designed to compete with the HomePod. The Galaxy Home speaker has not yet launched and little has been said about it recently, but we could hear more at the Unpacked event.
We don't know when Apple will unveil its own 2019 smartphone lineup, but based on past years, we can expect the Cupertino-based company to hold an event somewhere around the first or second week of September, with September 9 or September 10 being likely possible candidates.
Apple plans to offer its 2019 iPhones in three sizes, identical to the current iPhone lineup. The two higher-end devices will continue to use OLED, while the iPhone XR successor will feature an LCD and a cheaper price tag.
The iPhone XS and XS Max successors will use triple-lens cameras, while the XR successor will feature a dual-lens camera. The camera updates will be the biggest changes to the iPhones in 2019.
No 5G connectivity is coming this year, but faster WiFi and LTE is expected, as are some neat little tweaks like bilateral wireless charging for charging AirPods and other devices with the iPhone. A much more substantial update with 3D cameras, new sizes, and 5G is expected in 2020. For more on the 2019 iPhones, make sure to check out our roundup.
Apple has updated its jobs website with a new page detailing jobs at its retail stores, focusing on how workers can bring outside passions into positions like the Creative Pro, Specialist, and Technical Specialist.
For each role, Apple has highlighted a few people who work at its retail locations, accompanied by short videos related to the work each person does at their Apple store. The page is mainly focused on ways that workers can bring passions that they have in their daily lives to roles at Apple retail.
For example, one section focuses on a woman named Sujin, who is a photographer outside of Apple, and uses her skills to help teach various photography-related Today at Apple sessions as an Expert. "Apple really brings out the best in people" Sujin said, "And I want to give back to the community that uses these devices every single day."
There are also a few musicians who have found work at Apple retail. Chris is a Creative Pro for Apple, while Santa is a Specialist, and both workers help customers create music using Macs and iOS devices. The last section highlights an artist named Harriet who guides customers through live art demonstrations on an iPad.
At the bottom of the page Apple has more detailed explanations for its full-time and part-time roles, and provides links to find open positions near you. Of course, this is just a small slice of the overall Apple jobs website, which also provides information about Apple's internal teams structure, more information on retail work, and internships for undergrads and grad students.
Chinese company Xiaomi is gearing up to launch a new smartphone, the CC9, and along with it the company has introduced what it's calling "Mimoji" (via Engadget). Unsurprisingly given their name, these 3D avatars appear and function very similar to Apple's Memoji, letting users create and design their own torso-less characters and send them through texts.
Xiaomi's Mimoji via Xiaomi/Engadget
Xiaomi's avatars bear a striking resemblance to the avatars and customization options offered by Apple, down to similar hats and art styles. On iPhone, users can create and customize their Memoji, and then send them as videos or stickers in Messages, and it appears that Xiaomi's Mimoji will act in a similar fashion.
Of course, the idea of personalized 3D avatars has been around for a while, with companies like Samsung and Microsoft letting users create digital versions of themselves to use on smartphones, consoles, and elsewhere. With Xiaomi's decision to name its version of this idea Mimoji, however, the inspiration appears to be derived mostly from Apple.
Apple's Memoji
This isn't the first time that Xiaomi copied an emoji-related idea from Apple, as the company launched the equivalent of Apple's Animojis on its Mi 8 smartphone last year. This device also strongly resembled the iPhone X design, with its own notch and vertical dual-lens camera. There was also an AirPods clone released by Xiaomi earlier in 2019.
Xiaomi's CC9 smartphone will go on sale in China on July 5.
Update: In a Xiaomi press release, translated by Twitter user @e_l_l_l, the company refutes claims that Mimoji is a clone of Apple's Memoji: "We have conducted internal audits and found no evidences that our Mimoji characters have [been] plagiarized from any of our competitors including Apple."
Amazon is continuing its discounts on Apple's AirPods this week, with a new markdown on the updated AirPods with Charging Case. During the sale, you can get this version of the AirPods for $144.99, down from $159.00.
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Representing savings of $14, this is currently the best sale on the AirPods with Charging Case available online. It's joining Amazon's existing discount on the AirPods with Wireless Charging Case, which is on sale for $179.99, down from $199.00.
Amazon also has the standalone Wireless Charging Case discounted to $69.99 ($9 off), but as of writing it's temporarily out of stock. Apple introduced the new AirPods back in March, updating the wireless headphones with "Hey Siri" support, 50 percent more talk time, and speedier device switching while listening to music.
As another note, Amazon today also has a Gold Box deal on Apple's 12-inch MacBook from 2017. You can get the 256GB model of the notebook in refurbished condition for $849.99, down from $1,099.99. The retailer is offering three colors of the MacBook on sale, including Gold, Space Gray, and Rose Gold.
For more sales and bargains, be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup.
Microsoft is facing an issue with Windows 10 updates for Mac devices that came out prior to 2012, as well as newer Macs with older versions of Boot Camp. When users attempt to update to the May 2019 Feature Update for Windows 10, version 1903, there is a driver incompatibility error.
On its support page for the issue, Microsoft reported:
Mac devices prior to 2012 or newer Mac devices with the older Apple Boot Camp or Windows Support Software drivers have a compatibilty hold in place and are unable to update to Windows 10, version 1903. Specifically, devices with MacHALDriver.sys dated September 24, 2011 01:57:09 or older in Windows\system32\drivers are affected.
Microsoft went on to state that updating your Boot Camp Windows Support Software drivers may allow you to update to version 1903 of Windows 10. The company is working on an official solution that it hopes will be out by the end of July.
Boot Camp is a utility on macOS that allows users to install and use Microsoft Windows operating systems on Mac devices.
Marketing creative Arnau Bosch Vergés, best known for the Spike Jonze-directed HomePod commercial "Welcome Home," is leaving Apple's ad agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab.
According to the The Drum, which broke the news, Vergés is departing to focus on SoundStorming, a social media platform he founded for musicians.
"After working for such a huge brand that means so much to culture with amazing talented people like Spike Jonze, you're spoiled," Bosch told The Drum. "You ask yourself, where am I going after this?
"I think if I really want to push for something different and try to discover what's going to be next, now is the best time ever, now Apple is at its peak."
Vergés HomePod ad, which used real-world effects where CGI would usually figure, won several industry awards last year, including one at Cannes Film Festival.
The lead creative's exit follows Apple's recent hire of Nick Law, a marketing executive who previously served as chief creative officer at Publicis Groupe.
Spotify has added CarPlay support to its standalone Stations app, allowing users to control radio playback from their in-car infotainment systems and dashboards.
Spotify Stations' support for Apple CarPlay was spotted by a Reddit user
Released in the U.S. in June, the app lets Spotify account holders stream music from curated, radio-like stations. In that sense, Spotify Stations has similarities with Pandora, offering personalized stations or playlists based on the user's Spotify history.
Music starts playing as soon as you launch the app, then you can choose from a list of several preset stations. Like in Spotify proper, premium subscribers get unlimited skips and ad-free listening, while non-paying listeners can use the free ad-supported version which comes with limited skips.
Aside from the personalized content, the Stations app also serves popular playlists from the main Spotify platform, including Discover Weekly, Favorites, and Release Radar.
Apple intends to launch a new iPhone for the budget-conscious Chinese market that features an under-display fingerprint sensor instead of expensive Face ID technology, Chinese media sources have claimed.
According to Sino-based English-language paper The Global Times, Apple will release the new "tailored iPhone" in the country to arrest declining sales, which have been worsened by cost pressures from the 18-month long trade war between the U.S and China.
The new phone will reportedly remove Face ID, the facial recognition system for the iPhone, and instead employ an under-display fingerprint function, news site caijing.com.cn reported, citing sources on the upstream industry supply chain. An industry insider revealed that this is likely to "save on costs."
A structured light laser emitter, the major component of Face ID, would cost several hundred yuan, said a Beijing-based representative who preferred to be anonymous. He told the Global Times on Monday that "only Apple can afford it but that would also affect its sales."
Apple has effaced fingerprint recognition entirely in its flagship smartphone lineup, which includes the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and LCD-based iPhone XR. All have a notch at the top of the screen housing the TrueDepth sensing camera in lieu of a Home button, which contained Touch ID's focused capacitive drive ring in earlier iPhones.
Apple was widely rumored to be attempting to integrate Touch ID under the display on 2017's iPhone X, but the company ditched any form of fingerprint scanning after hitting "early line of sight" with Face ID. Chinese smartphone brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have since gone in the opposite direction and extended the adoption of in-display fingerprint sensing technology from their premium smartphones to mid-range models.
The increased use of fingerprint scanners in smartphone screens is also reportedly being driven by a reduction in sensor prices and the price gap between OLED and LCD panels. This strategy adopted by domestic brands appears to have paid off, with Apple losing many Chinese users who prefer smartphones priced at around 5,000 yuan ($731), which has resulted in an increase in purchases of local brands, according to Monday's report.
Despite the market shift to fingerprint sensing tech, many observers believe Apple is done with Touch ID in smartphones, although the company has explored various in-display fingerprint scanner solutions in the past, including fingerprint sensing MicroLED displays. Touch ID has also found a new lease of life on laptop keyboards, specifically in Apple's MacBook Pro with Touch Bar range and the latest MacBook Air.
Notably, following meetings with suppliers in Apple's Asian supply chain in May, Barclays analysts claimed that 2020 model iPhones will have acoustic fingerprint technology that could allow for full-screen Touch ID.
Regardless, news of Apple's declining sales in China contrasts with the company's most recent earnings results. CEO Tim Cook said in April that performance in China had improved over the previous quarter, thanks in part to a sales tax cut in the country that allowed Apple to decrease the price of its products, and a "much better tone" in the China-U.S. trade relationship.
Following Apple's announcement that Jony Ive will be leaving the company to start his own design firm later this year, there have been multiple reports speculating on why Ive left and his time at Apple over the course of the last few years.
The Wall Street Journal published one such report over the weekend, suggesting that after the release of the Apple Watch and its failure as a fashion accessory, Ive was dispirited and wanted to take a step back from day to day work at the company.
The report further suggested that Ive's hands-off approach was disrupting work internally as he failed to show up to meetings and failed to offer design team members the guidance they needed, particularly on the iPhone X. Ive was said to be frustrated with an increasing focus on operations over design.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, in an email to NBC News, called the story "absurd" and said that the conclusions drawn by the report "don't match with reality." From Cook's email:
The story is absurd. A lot of the reporting, and certainly the conclusions, just don't match with reality. At a base level, it shows a lack of understanding about how the design team works and how Apple works. It distorts relationships, decisions and events to the point that we just don't recognize the company it claims to describe.
The design team is phenomenally talented. As Jony has said, they're stronger than ever, and I have complete confidence that they will thrive under Jeff, Evans, and Alan's leadership. We know the truth and we know the incredible things they're capable of doing. The projects they're working on will blow you away.
Apple last week said that Ive is leaving Apple to begin his own company, LoveFrom. Apple will be LoveFrom's first client, and Ive said that he plans to continue to work on Apple design projects.
Ive also said that Apple's design team is "stronger, more vibrant, and more talented" than at any other point in time, and that he has complete faith in future Apple products and the Apple design team.
Apple today updated its website to announce that it will share its earnings results for the third fiscal quarter (second calendar quarter) of 2019 on Tuesday, July 30.
Apple's third quarter earnings results will give us a look at how well the iPhone and other products are doing mid-year following some price drops and promotions in various countries around the world.
Apple's guidance for the third fiscal quarter includes expected revenue of $52.5-54.5 billion and gross margin between 37 and 38 percent.
Apple's quarterly earnings statement will be released at 1:30 p.m. Pacific/4:30 p.m. Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 p.m. Pacific/5:00 p.m. Eastern. MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings release and conference call on July 30.
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