Apple Pay is coming to New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority on May 31, reports TechCrunch. The rollout means people will be able to use Apple Pay with the new tap-to-pay fare system on the buses in Staten Island and the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines between Grand Central Station in Manhattan and Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Image via TechCrunch
To use Apple Pay on the MTA transit, you'll need an iPhone 6s or SE or later, and have the latest version of iOS (12.3) and watchOS (5.2.1) installed. After you've registered a credit or debit card, you can then take advantage of the new Express Transit NFC feature, which allows you to tap your iPhone or Apple Watch against the fare reader to pay and go.
The system is currently limited to single-ride passes, so users of daily, weekly, or monthly passes aren't able to use Apple Pay yet. However, additional fare options are due to introduced by late 2020, when the MTA expects to have rolled out Apple Pay on all subway lines and buses, according to TechCrunch.
Apple's totally wireless Powerbeats Pro earphones become available to pre-order in the United Kingdom on May 31, according to a social media ad posted on the official Beats By Dre U.K. Twitter account.
The date was spotted in the small print at the end of the 15-second video short, which features British professional boxer Anthony Joshua and touts the nine hours of listening time offered by the fitness-focused earphones. The promotional ad originally went out on May 27.
The black Powerbeats Pro have been available to pre-order since May 3 in the United States and Canada, with the first deliveries to customers arriving on May 10. However, they remain listed as "coming soon" on Apple's online U.K. store, while fine print on the Beats website for the U.K., France, and Germany simply states that the earphones will begin their rollout later in May.
Extrapolating from the U.K. date in the ad, and given how late in the month we now are, it's highly likely that Powerbeats Pro will also be available to pre-order in black in France and Germany from this Friday, May 31.
According to the fine print on other regional Beats websites, Powerbeats Pro will be available in Australia, Singapore, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, Austria, Italy, Spain, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Mexico, and Brazil in June.
The earphones are initially available in black only, with ivory, moss, and navy colors set to become available this summer in the United States and Canada, and most of the countries listed above, although Apple cautions that color availability is subject to change.
Powerbeats Pro are Apple's first totally wireless Beats earphones, featuring the same H1 chip as the second-generation AirPods for hands-free "Hey Siri" and faster connection speeds between the iPhone, Apple Watch, and other devices.
The Powerbeats Pro feature adjustable, secure-fit ear hooks and earbud tips with four size options. As mentioned, they last up to nine hours per charge, with more battery life available on the go via an included charging case.
Powerbeats Pro are priced at $249.95 in the United States, $329.95 in Canada, £219.95 in the United Kingdom, and $349.95 in Australia.
Twelve South today announced a new version of its iconic BookBook case for iPad, which has been designed for Apple's latest 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models.
BookBook Volume 2, like other iPad BookBooks, is a handmade leather case that's been designed to look like a classic book.
There's a built-in shell that holds your iPad Pro in place, and when opened up, the leather case serves as a display stand when the inner shell is lifted up or, when the cover is folded back, a wedge for typing and sketching.
Inside, there's a spot where you can hold your Apple Pencil so it doesn't get lost, and there's a camera cutout for the rear camera at the back, which is new to the BookBook.
An interior pocket lets you hold documents or a slim Bluetooth keyboard, and the hardback covers and the spine offer all-around protection when the case is zipped shut.
There are dual zippers so you can keep the case closed while leaving room for the USB-C cable for charging purposes, and the aforementioned display mode is ideal if you want to use it with an add-on keyboard.
You can get the new BookBook Volume 2 from the Twelve South website, with the 11-inch version priced at $89 and the 12.9-inch version priced at $99.
Hong Kong-based designer Philip Lee has turned several of Apple's Macs into figurines, and recently, he introduced his latest product, a Mac-inspired plush.
The Classicbot Classic Giant Plush is modeled after Lee's Classicbot toy figurine, which is, in turn, designed to look like an anthropomorphic version of the Macintosh Classic.
Priced at $72, the Classicbot Giant Plush is rather expensive, but like Lee's smaller figurines, it's been designed with quite a lot of detail. There's a disk insert at the front along with a Classicbot logo in place of an Apple logo, and at the back, embroidered details represent the fan, ports, plus, and more.
Unlike the Classicbot, the Classicbot Giant Plush doesn't have removable arms and legs, but they are articulated and can be posed and moved. The Classicbot measures in at 48cm tall, which is about 19 inches.
You can get the Classicbot Giant Plush in a traditional gray color, but there's also a more expensive limited edition black version for $99. The Classicbot Giant Plush can be pre-ordered from the Classicbot store, with orders expected to arrive at the end of August.
Moment, a company known for its popular lenses designed for iPhones, today came out with a new series of bags and wallet cases that are meant to be used with the lenses.
There's a new Moment Fanny Sling ($69.99) and Moment Crossbody Wallet (starting at $54.99), which you can use to store your lenses and other iPhone-related essentials.
The Moment Fanny Sling, available in a canvas material, offers seven adjustment points so it will fit most users. The bag itself can be expanded or cinched up depending on what's inside, and there's a microfiber lining to keep your lenses and filters free from scratches.
The Crossbody Wallet, priced at $54.99 for the canvas version and $74.99 for the leather version, is a smaller clutch that you can wear on your wrist or across your body for carrying your lenses and other daily accessories like keys, AirPods, and more.
It's sized to fit a plus sized phone so you can store your iPhone inside too, and it has microfiber lined pockets to keep everything safe.
New Wallet Cases, priced at $49.99, offer up compatibility with Moment lenses along with a pocket at the back to store a couple of credit cards and your ID.
The Wallet Cases are available for the iPhone 7 and later and come in either natural leather or plain black. The wallet pocket holds up to three cards, making it ideal if you want to head out with just a lens and your cards.
Finally, Moment has a new addition to its Photo Case lineup in a new tan leather color, which is available for $39.99.
For those unfamiliar with how Moment lenses and cases work, you need one of Moment's cases to use the lenses because they screw into the back of the case rather than attaching to your iPhone. Moment makes a wide range of lens options at prices starting at $100.
All of the new products are available from the Moment website starting today, and for today only, there's a 20 percent discount if you use the code #momentbags when checking out.
Following Apple's shift to California-themed names for its Mac operating systems with OS X Mavericks back in 2013, Apple appeared to take steps to protect a number of other California-related names by filing for trademarks under a series of shell companies intended to mask the true identity of the applicant.
All told, we identified 19 trademarks that were applied for under six different companies that all appeared to be Apple shell companies. Several of these names, including Yosemite, Sierra, and Mojave, have been used by Apple, while others have yet to be put to use.
Over the years, the trademark review process has played out for all of these applications, with most being subject to some form of back-and-forth between the applicants and examiners involving various approvals, denials, and suspensions. Even for approvals, however, owners are required to submit proof of the trademarks being used in commerce. This Statement of Use can be submitted up to 36 months after trademark approval, as long as the applicant regularly requests successive 6-month extensions to the original 6-month submission period.
With over five years having passed since the trademarks were applied for, many have now been abandoned, either at some point during the review process or through failure to provide proof of commercial use following approval. In fact, of the original 19 names that were included in the trademark applications, all but four of them have been either used by Apple or abandoned, with the remaining live applications being Mammoth, Monterey, Rincon, and Skyline.
Perhaps the most interesting one is Mammoth, which is likely related to Mammoth Lakes and Mammoth Mountain, a popular area for skiing and hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Notably, the trademark application for Mammoth was just approved earlier this month after many years of delays and a suspension. It's seen quite a bit of activity over the past six months, with the applicant Yosemite Research LLC having made some changes to reactivate the suspended application and shifting the attorney of record on the application to be noted trademark attorney Glenn Gundersen, who has worked with Apple on a number of intellectual property issues in the past.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the registration for Mammoth and published it for opposition in March. After receiving no opposition to the trademark registration, the Mammoth trademark was officially allowed earlier this month on May 7. It's certainly possible that the timing is a coincidence, especially since the activity appears to have been driven by deadlines set by the Patent and Trademark Office in its communications regarding the suspended application, but the fact that the trademark was approved just weeks ago after years of relative inaction certainly caught our attention.
Monterey, a historic city and popular vacation spot on the Pacific coast, has been one of the popular macOS name options among our readers, so many will be happy to hear that this one remains a possibility. The trademark was applied for by Asilomar Enterprises LLC in December 2013, but wasn't allowed until June 12, 2018. One extension to the Statement of Use requirement has been granted, and Asilomar will have until June 2021 to prove commercial use of the name, provided additional extensions are requested.
Rincon is a popular surfing area in Southern California, and a trademark on that term was applied for by Landmark Associates LLC. The trademark was allowed on August 2, 2016, and Landmark has applied for successive extensions for the Statement of Use, with the fifth and final extension having been granted in January of this year. As a result, Landmark has until August of this year to prove the Rincon name is actively being used, or else the trademark will be lost.
Finally, Skyline likely relates to the scenic Skyline Boulevard that largely follows the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains running south from San Francisco, and Antalos Apps LLC filed for a trademark on the name in December 2013. The trademark was allowed on March 20, 2018, and the second Statement of Use extension was granted on February 28 of this year. The owner will have until March 2021 to prove use of Skyline in commerce, provided all necessary extensions are requested.
So what will macOS 10.15 be called? Will it be one of these four, or something completely different? Apple has drawn from the original list of trademark applications the majority of the time over the past five releases, but has selected something new a couple of times. One of Apple's presumed shell companies applied for a trademark on the name El Cap, but Apple opted to go with the famous mountain's full name of El Capitan for OS X 10.11, while 2017's macOS 10.13 High Sierra was positioned as a refinement of the previous year's macOS Sierra.
AgileBits today released 1Password 7.3 for Mac with over 150 improvements and bug fixes following several months of development.
First and foremost, the 1Password mini menu bar assistant has been redesigned to make it easier to get your information out of 1Password. While you are dragging and dropping your username and password from 1Password mini to a supported app, for example, 1Password mini now instantly fades away.
1Password for Mac has also been updated with an all-new "filling brain." Powered by on-device machine learning, 1Password can analyze a webpage and suggest the items you are most likely to need on that page. If you are online shopping, for example, 1Password mini will have your credit card information ready.
Read the release notes for all of the changes, including the ability to select your accounts in the vault picker to see all the vaults in that account.
1Password is a popular tool for storing usernames, passwords, credit cards, addresses, notes, bank accounts, driver's licenses, passports, and more behind one master password, with end-to-end encryption. A built-in password generator lets users create strong, unique passwords and memorizable pass-phrases.
1Password 7.3 can be downloaded from the Mac App Store or the AgileBits website. A subscription to 1Password across all platforms costs $2.99 per month for individuals and $4.99 per month for families.
Apple in 2016 released a Music Memos app, designed to allow musicians and songwriters to record, analyze, and manipulate high-quality uncompressed audio directly on an iPhone or iPad.
Since its launch, Music Memos has seen few updates and has essentially been ignored by Apple, but today it got a minor update that adds support for the larger display of the iPhone X, XS, XS Max, and XR.
Before update on left, after update on right
Though the app's release notes only suggest stability improvements and bug fixes, The Verge's Chris Welch noticed that it's seen a compatibility update for the notched devices Apple has been making since 2017.
Prior to today's update, the app was last updated in September 2018, and before that, 2017. The Music Memos app has never received a significant update since its debut, and has been updated with only minor fixes, so many people may have forgotten that it exists at all.
Apple today also updated its Apple Support app with unspecified bug fixes and performance improvements.
The Music Memos app can be downloaded from the App Store for free [Direct Link], as can the Apple Support app [Direct Link].
When Background App Refresh is enabled, some iOS apps are using the feature to regularly send data to tracking companies, according to a privacy experiment from The Washington Post that explores the relationship between apps and tracking companies.
The Washington Post's Geoffrey Fowler teamed up with privacy firm Disconnect and used specialized software to see what his iPhone was doing and when. And while it's no surprise that apps are using trackers and sharing user data, the frequency with which apps took advantage of background refresh to send data off to tracking companies is surprising, as is some of the data shared.
Fowler found that apps were sending data like phone number, email, location, IP address, and more.
On a recent Monday night, a dozen marketing companies, research firms and other personal data guzzlers got reports from my iPhone. At 11:43 p.m., a company called Amplitude learned my phone number, email and exact location. At 3:58 a.m., another called Appboy got a digital fingerprint of my phone. At 6:25 a.m., a tracker called Demdex received a way to identify my phone and sent back a list of other trackers to pair up with.
Apps that were found passing data along included Microsoft OneDrive, Mint, Nike, Spotify, The Weather Channel, DoorDash, Yelp, Citizen, and even The Washington Post's own iOS app. Citizen shared personally identifiable information that violated its privacy policy (the tracker was later removed), and Yelp was sending data every five minutes, something the company later said was a bug.
During the course of a week of testing, Fowler ran into 5,400 trackers, mostly found within apps, which Disconnect told him would likely send 1.5 gigabytes of data over the course of a month.
Trackers within apps, for those unfamiliar, serve different purposes. Some analyze user behavior to let apps streamline advertising campaigns, combat fraud, or create targeted ads. Delivery app DoorDash, for example, was found using a whopping nine trackers in its apps, sharing data like device name, ad identifier, accelerometer data, delivery address, name, email, and cellular phone carrier.
DoorDash also has trackers from Facebook and Google Ad Services, which means Facebook and DoorDash are notified whenever you're using the DoorDash service. DoorDash is not alone in sending tracking data, nor are the apps listed above - using tracking information is standard practice - but most people aren't aware that it's happening.
Not all data collection is bad, such as when it's anonymized and stored for a limited period of time, but some trackers are collecting specific user information and don't provide clear information on how long that data is stored nor who it's shared with.
As Fowler points out, there is no way to know which apps are using trackers and when that data is being sent from your iPhone, nor does Apple have tools in place that give iPhone users a way to see which apps are using trackers and for what purpose. Apple was contacted for comment, but provided a standardized privacy response.
"At Apple we do a great deal to help users keep their data private," the company says in a statement. "Apple hardware and software are designed to provide advanced security and privacy at every level of the system."
"For the data and services that apps create on their own, our App Store Guidelines require developers to have clearly posted privacy policies and to ask users for permission to collect data before doing so. When we learn that apps have not followed our Guidelines in these areas, we either make apps change their practice or keep those apps from being on the store," Apple says.
Fowler suggests Apple could require apps to label when they're using third-party trackers, while privacy company Disconnect suggests greater privacy controls in iOS to give users more control over their data.
iOS users concerned about the data apps are sending, especially at night and without user knowledge, can turn off Background App Refresh in the Settings app and can use a VPN like Disconnect's Privacy Pro to limit the data apps are able to send to third-party sources.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming iOS 12.4 update to developers, almost one week after seeding the second iOS 12.4 beta, and two weeks after releasing iOS 12.3, a major update that introduced a revamped TV app.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.4 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.
There were no new features discovered in the first two iOS 12.4 betas, so it's not entirely clear what's coming in the update. As a more significant 12.x update, it's possible that the update is focusing on a feature that's not yet available - the Apple Card.
Apple is planning to release the Apple Card in the summer, so iOS 12.4 could be the update that prepares the iOS operating system for that launch, adding hidden features that will be unlocked when the update becomes available to the public.
If we find new features in the third beta of iOS 12.4, we'll update this post.
iOS 12.4 may be one of the last updates to the iOS 12 operating system as Apple transitions to iOS 13, which is expected to be introduced at WWDC in June.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.4 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the first tvOS 12.4 beta and a little over two weeks after releasing the tvOS 12.3 update with the new TV app.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.4 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV through a profile that's installed using Apple's Xcode software.
There were no new features discovered in the first beta of tvOS 12.4, suggesting the update focuses on under-the-hood bug fixes and performance improvements rather than outward-facing features, which is typical for new tvOS software.
Apple offers up little information on what's included in tvOS updates, so we may not know what's new in tvOS 12.4 even after release. Despite the limited information, we share news of new tvOS updates so developers are able to download the software upon release.
Should we discover new features in the second tvOS 12.4 beta, we'll update this post with details.
tvOS 12.4 could be one of the last updates to the tvOS 12 operating system, as Apple is expected to shift focus to tvOS 13 following the software update's June debut at WWDC.
Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.3 update to developers, two weeks after releasing the first watchOS 5.3 beta and a little over two weeks after the launch of watchOS 5.2.1, an update that expanded ECG availability and introduced new pride watch faces.
Once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Apple Developer Center, the new watchOS beta can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software update.
To install the update, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of the iPhone.
There were no new features discovered in the watchOS 5.3 update, suggesting that it focuses on bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements.
There could also be hidden changes that will be available after the update is released, such as support for the upcoming Apple Card, set to debut this summer. If new features are discovered in the second watchOS 5.3 beta, we'll update this post with details.
Just days ahead of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference, 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo has shared what he says are legitimate iOS 13 screenshots, revealing the software update's rumored systemwide Dark Mode, revamped Reminders app, new merged "Find My" app, and more.
Dark Mode can be enabled in the Settings app or in Control Center. On the home screen, the only noticeable change is the dock, which has a darker appearance. In apps, it appears that backgrounds will be true black under Dark Mode, which should lead to battery savings on iPhones with OLED displays.
A redesigned Reminders app on iPad is shown with a large sidebar with separate categories for Today, Scheduled, All, and Flagged. This new layout was first reported by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
The report claims the new "Find My" app has a large map, a list of the user's family and friends, and a separate tab for the user's own devices. The new icon and additional screenshots can be seen over at 9to5Mac.
WWDC 2019 kicks off with Apple's opening keynote on Monday at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, where the company is widely expected to take the wraps off iOS 13, macOS 10.15, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13. MacRumors will have full coverage of the event, including a live blog, so be sure to follow along next week.
Apple is set to launch its own credit card this summer in the United States in partnership with investment bank Goldman Sachs and Mastercard. The aptly named Apple Card will be built into the Wallet app on the iPhone, with a physical version available for use at stores that do not accept contactless payments.
Apple is aiming to shake up the credit card industry by collecting no fees whatsoever, offering one to three percent cash back paid out on a daily basis, and providing consumers with interactive features such as color-coded spending summaries in the Wallet app to assist with spending and budgeting.
Now, a report says those consumer-friendly plans led some other banks to ultimately pass over the Apple Card opportunity.
According to CNBC, Citigroup was in advanced negotiations with Apple over the card, but pulled out amid doubts that it could earn an acceptable profit on the partnership. The report claims that other banks, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Barclays, and Synchrony, also bid on the Apple Card business.
Goldman Sachs has an advantage over those other banks since it does not already offer its own consumer credit cards, so it does not have to worry about potentially cannibalizing one of its own businesses.
"Goldman Sachs seeks to disrupt consumer finance by putting the customer first. We are excited for customers to use Apple Card, which is designed to help people take control of their financial lives," a spokesperson for the bank told CNBC.
Apple today announced a new iPod touch with headline features being a faster A10 Fusion chip and a new 256GB storage option.
The seventh-generation iPod touch has the same design as the sixth-generation model, including a 4-inch Retina display, a home button without Touch ID, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a Lightning connector, and a single speaker and microphone. The device remains 6.1mm thick and continues to weigh 3.1 ounces.
The new iPod touch also has the same battery life of up to 40 hours for music playback and up to eight hours for video playback, and the same 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.2-megapixel front camera, as the previous iPod touch.
With the A10 Fusion chip, Apple says the new iPod touch has up to two times faster performance and up to three times faster graphics compared to the previous-generation iPod touch. The A10 Fusion chip also enables support for Group FaceTime and ARKit on the iPod touch for the first time ever.
The A10 Fusion chip is also found in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and the sixth-generation iPad.
Greg Joswiak, Apple's Vice President of Product Marketing:
We're making the most affordable iOS device even better with performance that is twice as fast as before, Group FaceTime and augmented reality starting at just $199. The ultra-thin and lightweight design of iPod touch has always made it ideal for enjoying games, music and so much more wherever you go.
The new iPod touch is available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app starting today with in-store availability at Apple Stores and authorized resellers starting later this week. U.S. pricing is set at $199 for 32GB of storage, $299 for 128GB, and $399 for the new 256GB option. The previous iPod touch also started at $199.
Today's launch countries include the U.S., Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UAE, and the United Kingdom.
The same six colors are available, including space gray, silver, gold, blue, pink, and (PRODUCT)RED in support of the Global Fund.
The previous iPod touch was released in July 2015 with an A8 chip and up to 128GB of storage. With the new iPod touch with an A10 Fusion chip now available, it is possible that the sixth-generation model might not support iOS 13, which Apple is expected to introduce at WWDC 2019 on Monday.
Despite the update, the iPod touch remains a niche product, with Apple positioning it primarily as a device for Apple Music and the upcoming Apple Arcade.
Apple supplier Pegatron plans to invest up to $1 billion in an Indonesian factory to produce chips for Apple smartphones, an Indonesian ministry official said on Tuesday (via Reuters).
The Taiwan manufacturer made the pledge in a signed letter to the Indonesian government, in which it said the chips would be produced in partnership with Indonesian electronics company PT Sat Nusapersada, according to Deputy Minister Warsito Ignatius.
Pegatron expects the investment to come somewhere between $695 million and $1 billion, although the variables influencing the exact amount have not been disclosed.
In December 2018, Apple was said to be looking to shift production of older iPhones to Pegatron in an effort to avoid losing billions in revenue as a result of its patent dispute with Qualcomm. That dispute has since been resolved, however rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China has put manufacturers in both countries on alert. Pegatron has assembly plants in China, which suggests its pledge of Indonesian investment could be a contingency plan.
According to today's report, the new Indonesian factory might also be used to produce MacBook components, although that operation "would not be in the short term," Ignatius told Reuters.
A DigiTimes rumor in May 2018 tipped Pegatron to pick up orders from Apple to produce a MacBook powered by an ARM processor, although the information it was based on may have been misconstrued with the Touch Bar on Apple's MacBook Pro, which is already powered by an ARM-based T1 chip as a companion processor. Apple said in 2017 that it had no plans for Macs powered solely by ARM chips, rather than Intel processors.
Nvidia has unveiled a line of laptops that are powered by its RTX graphics processors and a new software platform called Studio, made specifically for creative professionals who require more GPU power on the go than is currently offered by Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro.
To achieve this aim, Nvidia has been requiring notebook manufacturers to offer minimum specification machines if they want to be part of the RTX Studio lineup. The laptops will feature Quadro RTX 5000, 4000 or 3000 GPUs or GeForce RTX 2080, 2070 and 2060 GPUs, a 1080p or 4K display, 512GB of SSD storage, and 16GB of graphics memory. The machines will also implement Max-Q Design technology, made specially for building lightweight and thin laptops.
Initially at launch, the range will consist of 17 laptops from seven manufacturers, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, Gigabyte, HP, MSI, and Razer.
"NVIDIA Studio pairs RTX GPUs, which enable real-time ray tracing, AI processing and high-resolution video editing, with studio-grade software to surpass the growing demands of today's creators," said Jason Paul, general manager of GeForce software and technology at NVIDIA. "The new RTX Studio laptops are the perfect tool for creatives who need desktop-class performance while on the go."
Combined with the Studio Shack SDKs and dedicated drivers, which are designed to increase graphics rendering and video editing performance, Nvidia claims they will be able to perform up to seven times faster than a 15-inch MacBook Pro under an equivalent workload.
Nvidia said the laptops will begin retailing in June, with prices starting at $1,599. The company made the announcement at Computex 2019, which is currently taking place in Taipei, Taiwan.
Four years after 3D Touch debuted on the iPhone 6s, the pressure-sensitive feature appears to be on the chopping block.
Last week, 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 trip to Asia earlier this month.
Apple already replaced 3D Touch with Haptic Touch on the iPhone XR in order to achieve a nearly edge-to-edge LCD on the device, and it is likely the feature will be expanded to all 2019 iPhones. Haptic Touch is simply a marketing name for a long press combined with haptic feedback from the Taptic Engine.
It's unclear why Apple would remove 3D Touch from the next-generation iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, since Apple has already proven that it can integrate the feature into edge-to-edge OLED displays without issue.
Haptic Touch on the iPhone XR works in fewer places than 3D Touch, including the flashlight and camera shortcuts on the lock screen, in Control Center to view hidden toggles, and to expand notifications. Haptic Touch does not support Quick Actions app menus or Peek and Pop for previewing content.
3D Touch features: Quick Actions on left, Peek and Pop on right
Perhaps we'll see some hints that 3D Touch is going away entirely in iOS 13, which Apple is expected to unveil at its WWDC 2019 keynote next Monday. That should be followed by new iPhones in September as usual.
