MacRumors

Former Apple executive and iOS chief Scott Forstall will make a rare public appearance this week at Code.org's Code Break event. He will appear alongside Grammy Award winning rapper and songwriter Macklemore.

Described as the "world's largest live interactive classroom," Code Break aims to engage with computer science students during the ongoing stay-at-home measures, and features weekly computer science challenges for students of all abilities, even those without computers.

Forstall was reportedly ousted from Apple in October 2012, following the botched launch of Apple Maps. Forstall has maintained a quiet presence since then, although he did sit down with journalist John Markoff for an interview at the Computer History Museum in June 2017. Otherwise his main focus has been Broadway production.

Anyone interested can sign up at the Code.org website, which has more information about the event. The Code Break stream is live every Wednesday at 10.00 a.m. Pacific Time / 1.00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Update: The full video is now available to watch.

The BBC has launched a new experimental online service that lets users watch or listen to BBC programs, prodcasts, and radio with others over the internet at the same time.

Called BBC Together, the online tool is available on Taster, the BBC's experimental platform, which can be accessed via any web browser. The way it works is that one user finds the link of a program or video clip they want to watch with others – from BBC iPlayer, Sounds or Bitesize, BBC News and Sport websites – and then they paste it into the BBC Together service.

This creates a new group session, which can be shared via a link with friends or family. Each link can currently be watched by up to 50 participants, and the host user can pause, rewind, and fast-forward the content, or choose a new program for everyone to watch at once.

If the idea sounds familiar, you're probably thinking of Netflix Party, an extension for Google's Chrome web browser that lets users watch Netflix films and TV shows simultaneously. The service has seen a boost in numbers since the stay-at-home measures came into effect, so BBC Together could also prove a hit, although the Beeb says it's still just a test run for now.

HTC is working on new "HTC U Ear" earbuds that look like they took some design cues from Apple's AirPods. Photos of the upcoming earbuds were found in regulatory documents by Android Police (via The Verge).

Design wise, the U Ear earbuds from HTC could be mistaken for black AirPods, featuring the same general design for the in-ear portion and a stem that hangs outside of the ear. The earbuds do have one major difference though - there are charging pins on the front.

The charging case looks similar to the AirPods Charging Case as well, though not identical, and it does open up length wise like the Powerbeats Pro case rather than at the top like the AirPods case. It also appears to come with a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging purposes.

Since Apple launched the AirPods in 2016, almost all major tech companies have come out with their own wire-free earbuds, but most have unique designs and don't look close to identical to the super popular AirPods.

Apple's AirPods Pro ship with silicone tips that fit inside the ears, but people who prefer the tighter or more comfortable fit of foam have been modding their earbuds to add a foam layer. That's no longer necessary, as well-known earphone tips company Comply is now shipping its foam tips that are compatible with AirPods Pro.

We picked up a pair of the new Comply Foam Tips for AirPods Pro and tested them out in our latest YouTube video to see how they fit and whether they're an improvement over the silicone tips that the AirPods Pro ship with.

Comply's Foam Tips for AirPods Pro are priced at $25 and come with three sets. You can get a mix of sizes to test out, or, if you know your ideal size, you can get a set of three all in the same small, medium, or large size.

Using the Comply tips is pretty simple. Just pop off the existing silicone tips (unravel the silicone a bit and give it a good pull) then take the appropriate Comply tip and roll it on. The Comply tips don't have the same snap-in connector that Apple's default silicone tips have, which is worth noting. You need to be sure to attach the Comply tips properly to make sure the tips don't accidentally come off.

Once the tips are secured on the AirPods Pro, insert the AirPods Pro into your ears and the foam will take shape in the ear, expanding to fit the ear canal. Comply says the tips are equipped with WaxGuard to prevent earwax build up.

Apple's silicone tips are plenty comfortable and fit well for most people, but we found the foam tips from Comply to be preferable for long periods of use. Listening to music for a few hours with the foam tips resulted in less ear fatigue.

Sound quality is about the same with the foam tips compared to the default silicone tips, but people who weren't able to get a good seal with silicone may find the sound better with the foam. Because of the way the foam expands in the ear, Apple's Active Noise Cancellation seems to work a bit better.

When it comes to charging, the AirPods Pro fit into the Charging Case perfectly with the foam tips attached, so there's no impact on charging. Unfortunately, the tips only come in a black foam color, so they don't quite match well with the white AirPods Pro.

If you're someone who prefers a foam tip earbud to a silicone tip, the Comply Foam Tips may be worth checking out. They can be ordered from Comply's website and are expected to ship out at the end of the month.

The United States FBI and Attorney General William Barr in January asked Apple to unlock the iPhones used in a mass shooting at a naval air station in Pensacola, Florida, a capability that Apple has said time and time again that it does not have.

Today, the FBI confirmed that it was able to access shooter Mohammed Alshamrani's device, with FBI director Christoper Wray claiming that the FBI received "effectively no help" from Apple. Attorney general William Barr said it was a "great disappointment" that Apple refused to help investigators. From Barr:

"Apple has made a business and marketing decision to design its phones in a way that only the user can unlock the contents no matter what the circumstances. In cases like this, where the user is a terrorist, or in other cases where the user is a violent criminal, a human trafficker, a child predator, Apple's decision has dangerous consequences for the public safety and the national security and is in my judgment unacceptable."

Apple issued a statement in response, which was shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the statement, Apple details the steps that it took to assist the FBI, providing iCloud backups, account information, and transactional information for multiple accounts just hours after the attack.

The terrorist attack on members of the US armed services at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida was a devastating and heinous act. Apple responded to the FBI's first requests for information just hours after the attack on December 6, 2019 and continued to support law enforcement during their investigation. We provided every piece of information available to us, including iCloud backups, account information and transactional data for multiple accounts, and we let continuous and ongoing technical and investigative support to FBI offices in Jacksonville, Pensacola, and New York over the months since.

Apple went on to say that the comments made by Wray and Barr about the company's lack of help are little more than an "excuse to weaken encryption."

On this and many thousands of other cases, we continue to work around-the-clock with the FBI and other investigators who keep Americans safe and bring criminals to justice. As a proud American company, we consider supporting law enforcement's important work our responsibility. The false claims made about our company are an excuse to weaken encryption and other security measures that protect millions of users and our national security.

It is because we take our responsibility to national security so seriously that we do not believe in the creation of a backdoor -- one which will make every device vulnerable to bad actors who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers. There is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys, and the American people do not have to choose between weakening encryption and effective investigations.

Customers count on Apple to keep their information secure and one of the ways in which we do so is by using strong encryption across our devices and servers. We sell the same iPhone everywhere, we don't store customers' passcodes and we don't have the capacity to unlock passcode-protected devices. In data centers, we deploy strong hardware and software security protections to keep information safe and to ensure there are no backdoors into our systems. All of these practices apply equally to our operations in every country in the world.

As it has done in multiple prior disputes with U.S. law enforcement officials, Apple reiterated that there is no such thing as a backdoor designed only for the good guys. Weakening encryption in Apple devices would leave them vulnerable to attack from malicious entities, which could compromise not only customer data, but also national security.

Apple says that customers can count on the company to keep their information secure with strong encryption, letting law enforcement officials know once again that it does not plan to budge from its position.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.

A leaked version of the iOS 14 update has been circulating for a few months, giving us an idea of what Apple is working on behind the scenes for the new update.

Details about iOS 14 have been trickling out, and today, Josh Constine (formerly of TechCrunch) has shared leaked Apple QR codes, details about Apple's work on an AR app, and sounds for the upcoming Apple Tags in his Moving Product newsletter.

Apple appears to be implementing a new QR code format that uses colored cones, with the files found in the "Gobi" AR app that Apple has been working on. Constine says QR codes open up Mac Pro and Apple Watch websites, the Star Wars: Rogue One movie in iTunes, and the Starbucks Card sign-up.

The code also featured references to a Gobi comparison shopping feature that could be in the AR app, and, in line with previous rumors about a possible Starbucks partnership, there were references to Starbucks discounts at specific locations, which suggests the Gobi app could offer promotions or content experiences based on location.

A video shared by Constine also features sounds and vibrations that will be used in the Find My app to help people locate their lost devices. As described by Constine:

You'll hear encouraging sounds when you face the right direction so the lost gadget is "Ahead" of you, when you're "Nearby", or come within "Arms Reach", while discouraging tones hint that you're headed off course.

Many other leaked features have been found in iOS 14, such as hints of a new fitness app, new features for Messages like mentions and retractions, new Apple Pencil features, Home screen updates, ‌Find My‌ changes for AirTags, the CarKey API that will allow an iPhone to be used in lieu of a CarKey, and tons more, with full details available in our iOS 14 roundup.

Apple's upcoming iPhones will all use flexible OLEDs sourced from either Samsung, BOE, and LG Display, with some new features like 10-bit color expected, according to a report from display analyst Ross Young.

On his site Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Young details "corrections and confirmations" on what we can expect from Apple's upcoming 2020 iPhone lineup, which will consist of four new smartphones.

Some of these are rumors that we've heard before, while other information, mostly specific to displays, is new.

5.4-inch iPhone 12

Young says that the iPhone 12 will feature a flexible OLED display from Samsung Display, with Y-OCTA integrated touch. Y-OCTA is Samsung flexible display technology where the touch sensor is placed directly on the OLED panel without the need for a separate touch layer.

The 5.4-inch iPhone will feature a 2340 x 1080 resolution and 475 PPI.

6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max

The 6.1-inch "iPhone 12 Max" as Young calls it is expected to feature a flexible OLED sourced from BOE and LG Display with an add-on touch sensor and a resolution of 2532 x 1170 and 460 PPI.

6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro

The higher-end Pro version of the 6.1-inch iPhone coming in 2020 will feature a Samsung Display flexible OLED, and Young says it will be one of the first smartphones with 10-bits of color, for more vibrant, true-to-life colors and a richer variety of color gradations.

The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro is not expected to have Y-OCTA technology and it will feature the same resolution as the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 at 2532 x 1170 and 460 PPI.

Young says that Apple may be bringing extreme dynamic range (XDR) to its iPhone lineup, which is specified as 1,000 nits of full screen brightness and 1,600 nits of peak brightness. Samsung displays can't hit this level, though, and thus if Apple does use XDR, XDR specifications will need to be tweaked.

Apple is rumored to be linking XDR (extreme dynamic range) compatibility to the iPhone 12 series. XDR performance on its monitors is specified by Apple as 1000 nits of full screen brightness, 1600 nits of peak brightness, 1M:1 contrast, 10-bits of color and ~100% P3 wide color gamut. To date, Samsung Display has only achieved 1342 nits of peak brightness and full screen brightness of 828 nits on smartphones, so if Apple does use XDR, the XDR specifications for brightness will need to change. Given the lower black levels in its OLED smartphones vs. its XDR monitor, contrast should actually be higher on its smartphones, in fact, DisplayMate measures the latest Samsung Display OLED contrast ratios as infinite in low ambient light.

Young also reiterates details he's previously shared about rumors suggesting Apple will bring 120Hz ProMotion displays to the iPhone 12 lineup.

Apple's iPhone 12 is not expected to use low-power LTPO technology, a feature Young believes is necessary for a fully functional 120Hz display given the power saving capabilities of LTPO technology.

Without LTPO, 120Hz is still possible, but it could be limited to non-native resolutions or it will be a significant power drain.

6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max

The largest iPhone 12 Pro model that Apple plans to release in 2020 will feature a 6.68-inch display with a resolution of 2778 x 1284 at 458 PPI.

Young believes this model will have Y-OCTA support, 10-bit color, and will be XDR capable. Like the iPhone 12 Pro, it could also have a 120Hz refresh rate, but again, without LTPO.

Production

According to Young, panel production on components for the new 2020 iPhones will start approximately six weeks late, which means it will begin at the end of July. Young believes that this implies a delay in the iPhone 12 launch from September to October. There have been other rumors suggesting a possible delay, and Apple did stagger the launches of the iPhone XS and XR in 2018, so we could see a similar situation this year.

This year's iPhones are expected to feature OLED across the board, smaller notches for the front-facing camera, 5G for all models, and more, with full details on what to expect available in our iPhone 12 roundup.

Apple today seeded golden master versions of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.5 updates to developers, one week after seeding the fourth betas and over a month after releasing iOS and iPadOS 13.4 with iCloud Folder Sharing, iPad trackpad support, and more. GM versions denote the final versions of the software that will be released to the public.

iOS and ‌‌iPadOS‌‌ 13.5 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

iOS and iPadOS 13.5 introduce the exposure notification API designed by Apple and Google, which is designed to allow public health authorities to create COVID-19 contact tracing apps that are meant to slow the spread of the virus.

The API Apple has introduced is for health-related apps, but there is an Exposure Logging toggle in the Settings app that is designed to allow users to opt out of participating in COVID-19 exposure notifications if a COVID-19 app is installed.

Along with laying the ground work for the exposure notification API and accompanying apps, iOS 13.5 makes it easier to unlock an iPhone with a passcode when wearing a mask, as many people are wearing face coverings at the current time.

With the update, the passcode interface pops up more quickly when an iPhone detects that a mask is obscuring the face after a user swipes upward, so it's quicker to get into an iPhone using a passcode than before.

There's a tweak to Group FaceTime, with Apple introducing a new toggle to disable the feature that automatically enlarges the tile of the person who is speaking. By default, Group ‌FaceTime‌ has a dynamic view with a tile for each person, and the person speaking has a larger tile while other tiles fade into the background.

An "Automatic Prominence" section in the ‌FaceTime‌ portion of the Settings app allows this to be disabled, displaying all of the people using ‌FaceTime‌ in a grid with equal-sized windows regardless of who is talking. A tile can be enlarged with a tap.

Apple in iOS 13.5 is adding a new feature for sharing Medical ID information automatically with emergency dispatchers when placing emergency call. There's a toggle to enable this function, along with an option to share Medical ID info on the Lock screen when an iPhone is locked.

Earlier betas introduced a new Apple Music feature that allows ‌Apple Music‌ songs to be shared on Instagram Stories. Tapping the Share button on a song in ‌Apple Music‌ creates a story with a song title, album name, and animated background, but at this time there is no way to get to ‌Apple Music‌ from the shared information.

iOS 13.5 also patches two security vulnerabilities that affect the Mail app on the iPhone and the ‌iPad‌. One vulnerability allowed an attacker to remotely infect an iOS device by sending emails that consume a significant amount of memory, while another allowed remote code executions.

The update fixes a bug that could cause the iPhone to crash when a specific text string in the Sindhi language is shared. It may also address an issue with Personal Hotspot that prevents it from working for some people and it could also fix a VPN-related vulnerability, both of which are bugs that Apple has promised to address in upcoming iOS updates.

Apple is rumored to have a smaller, lower-priced HomePod on deck for later this year, and there are increasing signs that the new model could be on the horizon.

In addition to Best Buy offering the HomePod on sale for $199.99 this week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman notes that Apple employees are now able to purchase up to 10 HomePods at a 50 percent discount, up from a limit of two. The larger purchase limit could be part of Apple's efforts to clear out inventory of the current HomePod ahead of the new model.

In addition, the HomePod was listed as "sold out" on Apple's online store in the United States last week, although only briefly.

Over the last few years, Apple has been steadily making the HomePod more useful by adding features such as Handoff support, multi-user voice detection, ambient sounds, and multi-room audio, but Siri is still widely criticized. To that end, Gurman previously noted that the smaller HomePod will coincide with Siri improvements later this year.

At launch in 2018, the HomePod cost $349, but Apple reduced the price of the speaker to $299 in April 2019. Apple has never disclosed HomePod sales, instead grouping the speaker under its "Wearables, Home, and Accessories" category.

While the HomePod is positioned as a premium speaker, it has several low-priced competitors on the smart assistant front, including the Amazon Echo and Google Home, which can often be purchased for as little as $25. Apple's smaller HomePod will likely have two tweeters, down from seven in the current model, according to Gurman's previous reporting.

FBI officials have somehow managed to unlock at least one of two passcode-protected iPhones owned by Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, the perpetrator of a mass shooting at a Naval Air Station in Florida last December, according to CNN.

Apple provided the FBI with iCloud data belonging to Alshamrani, but it refused to assist investigators with gaining access to the iPhones. In a statement earlier this year, the company said that while it was "devastated to learn of the tragic terrorist attack" at the Naval Air Station, creating a backdoor into iOS would pose a national security threat.

We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers. Today, law enforcement has access to more data than ever before in history, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening encryption and solving investigations. We feel strongly encryption is vital to protecting our country and our users' data.

Alshamrani owned an iPhone 7 and an iPhone 5, according to The New York Times.

Apple faced a similar situation in 2016, when a U.S. federal judge ordered the company to help the FBI unlock an iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December 2015 attacks in San Bernardino, California. Apple opposed the order, noting that it would set a "dangerous precedent." In that case, the FBI also found a way to access the iPhone, although the method was never publicly disclosed.

Last week, exploit acquisition platform Zerodium announced that it would not be purchasing any iOS exploits for a few months due to a high number of submissions, noting that there are at least a few persistent security vulnerabilities affecting all iPhones and iPads. "Let's hope iOS 14 will be better," said Zerodium CEO Chaouki Bekrar.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News 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.

Apple has ranked fourth in the annual Fortune 500 list of the largest companies in the United States by revenue, with $260.1 billion revenue in the 2019 fiscal year, trailing Walmart, Amazon, and ExxonMobil.

Mighty Apple dipped a smidge in 2019, both in terms of sales, down 2% to $260 billion, and in its ranking, from No. 3 to No. 4. The computer and phone maker’s ability to make money cushioned the blow. Apple earned $55 billion. Three categories tell the story of Apple’s sales doldrums. iPhone sales, 55% of Apple’s total, fell 14%. Increases in sales of services like streaming and subscriptions, 18% of the total, grew 16%. And wearables (AirPods and Watches) and other non-phone accessories (iPods, HomePods, and Beats products) leapt 41%, but account for only 9% of the pie.

Apple has now ranked in the top five for seven consecutive years, although it dropped one spot after finishing third in 2019. Other notable tech companies in this year's list include Google parent Alphabet in 11th, Microsoft in 21st, and Facebook in 46th.

Logitech today introduced its newest home security camera with HomeKit Secure Video support, the new Circle View. The Circle View Camera offers crisp, 1080p video capture with a 180-degree diagonal field of view.

According to Logitech, the Circle View features a wide dynamic range for more detail in sunlight or shadows. Like existing Logitech Circle cameras, the Circle View features an infrared night vision camera so it can continue to record in the dark, offering full-field visibility up to 15 feet away.

The design is similar to the Circle 2, but it is made from black aluminum with a new base design. The camera can tilt downwards when needed for privacy, and it can be placed on a shelf or mounted on a wall. Available to use indoors or out, it has a weatherproof body and a microphone and speaker for two-way communication in the Logitech Circle app.

Logitech has in the past offered cameras that are battery powered, but the Circle View is a wired option because it records continuously.

The Circle View Camera supports Apple's ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, so it does not rely on Logitech's cloud services. With ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, recorded footage is encrypted and stored in iCloud. Video can be viewed from the Circle View Camera in the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Unlocking full functionality will require a home hub, which includes a HomePod, Apple TV, or ‌iPad‌ running the latest software from Apple.

There are no monthly fees associated with ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌, but it does require a 200GB or 1TB ‌iCloud‌ storage plan. 200GB is needed for a single camera, while multiple cameras require the 1TB storage option. Apple prices its 200GB ‌iCloud‌ storage plan at $2.99 per month and its 1TB storage plan at $9.99 per month.

Though ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ requires a higher-tier ‌iCloud‌ storage plan, video stored in the cloud does not count against your ‌iCloud‌ storage totals.

All video is secured with end-to-end encryption with video analysis done on device rather than in the cloud. The camera can detect the presence of a person, animal, or vehicle before video footage is saved.

The Circle View can be purchased for $159.99 from the Logitech website or from Apple's online store starting today.

Apple today announced it has released two new Pride-themed Sport Bands for the Apple Watch, including a Sport Band and Nike Sport Band in 40mm and 44mm sizes. Both of the bands are available starting today on Apple.com and at select Apple Store locations.

The bands can be paired with new matching Pride watch faces coming in watchOS 6.2.5, which remains in beta testing.

Through this effort, Apple and Nike said they are proud to support LGBTQ advocacy organizations worldwide, including GLSEN, PFLAG, The Trevor Project, Gender Spectrum, The National Center for Transgender Equality, and ILGA World, which brings together more than 1,500 member organizations in more than 150 countries and regions.

Last year's Pride band was a nylon Sport Loop.