MacRumors

Apple today announced that it will begin reopening its retail stores in Germany on May 11, nearly two months after they were closed due to the global health crisis.

In a statement shared with German website Macerkopf, Apple said the stores will initially be focusing on Genius Bar service and support. Enhanced health and safety measures will be implemented, such as body temperature checks prior to entry, limits on how many customers can be in the store at once, social distancing, and reduced hours of operation.

Apple operates 15 retail stores in Germany and will be posting specific hours of operation for each location on its website.

Apple closed all of its retail stores outside of the Greater China region in mid-March. The company has since started to reopen some locations, including in South Korea, Austria, and Australia. All locations in the United States remain closed.

We're still waiting to hear news about Apple Card's performance relative to the major card issuers, but that hasn't stopped Samsung from announcing plans to launch an "innovative" debit card as part of a new mobile-first money management platform the company has been developing over the last year.

Announced on Thursday in a blog post by Samsung Pay vice-president Sang Ahn, the forthcoming debit card is in partnership with finance company SoFi and will be backed by a cash management account.

"In 2020, Samsung Pay will be expanding our service from being a rewarding way to shop and pay, to also being a rewarding way to manage money," writes Ahn. "Over the past year we have been busy developing a mobile-first money management platform. Our vision is to help consumers better manage their money so that they can achieve their dreams and goals. Now more than ever, mobile financial services and money management tools will play an even bigger role in our daily lives while also opening up new possibilities."

The debit card is scheduled to launch this summer. Other than that, Samsung hasn't offered any details on how it will work, but expect it to integrate with Samsung's existing mobile payment system.

Launched in August 2019, ‌Apple Card‌ is a credit card linked to Apple Pay and built into the Wallet app on iPhone. Apple partnered with Goldman Sachs to launch the card, and in October the investment bank hailed it as "the most successful credit-card launch ever." Nine months later, neither Apple nor Goldman Sachs has offered any concrete details on its performance.

During the global health crisis, Apple has introduced an ‌Apple Card‌ Assistance Program that allows ‌‌Apple Card‌‌ holders to skip their March and April payments without incurring interest charges for that billing cycle. For more details on how the card works, check out our comprehensive Apple Card guide.

Apple has launched a new web page that brings together links and information about its online services for customers shopping from home during the global health crisis.

Titled "Everything you love about our stores is online," the new catch-all page links from the Apple.com home page and includes details about no-contact delivery options, Apple Specialist help, financing and credit options, Apple Trade In, Apple Card, order status checking, service and support.

The page also links out to "Today at Apple - At home," a series of fun how-to videos to help users get creative during the ongoing stay-at-home measures, and there's a series of category links for customers to explore products on Apple's online store.

Apple has been gradually re-opening its retail stores in countries where lockdowns have eased, although some are operating on limited hours.

Apple CEO Tim Cook last week said that Apple was going to reopen stores in Austria and Australia this week, and Apple's sole Apple Store in Vienna will be reopening on Tuesday, May 5.

We're still waiting to hear exactly when stores in North America will reopen, but Cook also said that Apple is planning to reopen a few stores in the U.S. starting in May. Store openings will be staggered, with Apple evaluating data that includes local guidelines and recommendations before reopening.

iFixit hasn't yet done a full teardown of the new Magic Keyboard designed for the new iPad Pro models, but the repair site today partnered with x-ray company Creative Electron to create Magic Keyboard x-rays that give us a view of just what's inside.

The Magic Keyboard uses scissor switch keys instead of butterfly keys, which have now been effectively eliminated from Apple's product lineup. The scissor switch mechanism is clearly visible in the x-ray view, and iFixit calls it the simplest mechanism in the accessory, but the biggest improvement compared to the Smart Keyboard.

Below the keyboard, there are metal plates that iFixit believes are for reinforcing the keyboard's body against bending, and the trackpad is a new design that's different from MacBook trackpads.

There appear to be multiple buttons under the trackpad to capture presses, while the MacBook Trackpads have no buttons and simulate presses with haptic feedback.

There are at least two spring loaded hinge designs at the folding point, featuring both a small coil and a larger coil, plus there are two cables for connecting the Smart Connector to the keyboard for power and data transfer.

Lots and lots of magnets are visible in the x-ray, with the magnets used to hold the Magic Keyboard on the ‌iPad Pro‌. There's a whole ring of tiny magnets around the camera cutout, which iFixit said was a "lot of little polarized bits" to line up, space out, and configure with the ‌iPad Pro‌ components.

According to iFixit, there's more going on in the Magic Keyboard than there is in many laptops, which could explain its price point. Apple charges $299 for the 11-inch Magic Keyboard and $349 for the 12.9-inch version.

Apple on Monday announced the launch of a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with updated 10th-generation processors for higher-end machines and new scissor switch Magic Keyboards across the lineup.

We picked one up to check out what's new and to see how it compares to other machines in Apple's notebook lineup. Read on to see what we thought and whether it's worth a purchase.

Design wise, the 13-inch 2020 ‌MacBook Pro‌ looks identical to the 2019 model because Apple has made no external changes with the exception of the new keyboard. It continues to use the same 13.3-inch size chassis, which is disappointing as there were rumors of a swap to an updated 14.1-inch design.

That 14.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ might still come at some point in the future, but for now, Apple is continuing to sell the same old 13.3-inch model alongside the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌.

We bought the base model machine, which means it's still using Intel's 8th-generation processors. The higher-end 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models that start at $1,799 have faster and newer 10th-generation processors.

Based on benchmarks, the $1,799 ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a 2.0GHz Core i5 10th-generation Intel chip is about 16.5 percent faster than the $1,299 base model that we have here, which features a 1.4GHz quad-core Core i5 8th-generation processor.

Apple added support for up to 32GB RAM and a 4TB SSD in the 2020 ‌MacBook Pro‌ refresh, but again, those features are limited to the most expensive machines. The base model can only be upgraded to 16GB RAM and a 2TB SSD.

So basically, what's new in the base model ‌MacBook Pro‌ is the keyboard. It now features the same Magic Keyboard that Apple first introduced in the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. The Magic Keyboard uses scissor-style switches instead of the old butterfly-style switches, which were notoriously unreliable and unpopular with users.

Apple's butterfly keyboards led to the initiation of a massive repair program, and though Apple tried time and time again to fix the butterfly keyboard with different band-aid methods, nothing worked, and the only way to get a more reliable keyboard was to go back to the scissor switch design.

The Magic Keyboard of the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ should be much more reliable than the keyboards of prior models that still had butterfly switches. With the release of the 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, Apple has now officially eliminated the butterfly keyboard from its entire notebook lineup.

Design wise, the Magic Keyboard features a physical escape key and inverted T arrow keys, but it continues to feature a Touch Bar and Touch ID for biometric authentication. When it comes to feel, the Magic Keyboard isn't too far off from the butterfly keyboard that it's replacing with good key travel and a solid feel under the fingers.

It's worth noting that higher-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with four Thunderbolt 3 ports can now support the 6K Pro Display XDR, but the lower-end models with just two Thunderbolt 3 ports are limited to one 5K or two 4K displays.

Unless you're planning to shell out at least $1,799 for a new 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, this refresh is somewhat disappointing because the more affordable, lower-end models don't get anything but a refreshed keyboard design. At a $1,799 starting price and up to $3,500 for the upgrades, some users might be better off checking out one of the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models unless size is a concern.

Those interested in portability and the lower-end specs of the more affordable ‌MacBook Pro‌ will want to take a good look at the MacBook Air, which may be a better value.

Apple's chief operating officer Jeff Williams is "optimistic" about the economy's ability to rebound from the impact of the global health crisis, according to an interview he did with Fox Business this morning. Williams said that he feels great about the economy in the long haul, and cited Apple's recent launch of three new products.

"I am optimistic. As you look around, you see the resilience of the people working through this challenging time and when I take a look inside of Apple, I couldn't be more encouraged. During last quarter, even though these are challenging times, we launched three new products and I feel great about the economy in the long haul and it's just a matter of getting from here to there."

Williams also reiterated statements that Apple CEO Tim Cook made during Apple's recent earnings call on Apple's supply chain. Williams said that Apple has addressed its supply chain issues, though he did not comment on whether products might be delayed. "Our supply chains are running largely at capacity," he said. "People are continuing to work."

There have been rumors suggesting some of the 2020 iPhone models could launch later than expected, much like the split between the iPhone XS and XR back in 2018. "I couldn't be prouder of the team finding new ways to get the job done," he said. "People have been really resourceful and we're moving the ball forward."

Williams explained that Apple has plans to open additional retail stores in the coming weeks. Apple has already reopened a store in South Korea, a store in Austria, and 21 of its stores in Australia. "We're bullish in the long haul," said Williams.

Alongside the announcement of the iPhone SE back on April 15, regulatory documents for what appeared to be new Powerbeats Pro models were also uploaded to the Federal Communications Commission's website, reflecting new Apple model numbers of A2453 and A2454 for the left and right earpieces.

The regulatory documents filed for the new ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ models don't appear to have revealed significant changes to the wire-free earbuds, but speculation about what they might be has grown as the updated models have gained regulatory certification in other countries in recent weeks, including in Malaysia and South Korea.

Much of the speculation has suggested that these new models represent a second-generation "‌Powerbeats Pro‌ 2" that is set for imminent release, but we believe it's more likely a minor internal tweak to the existing models that will soon be or has already been quietly released without any announcement or changes to public-facing specs.

Apple maintains lists of regulatory Declarations of Conformity for the European Union for all of its current products on its website, and the current listing for ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ on Apple's Beats page mentions both sets of model numbers (A2047/A2048 and A2453/A2454) as of April 15, suggesting that Apple considers these sets of model numbers to both be current-generation products.

With nearly a month gone by since the first regulatory filings for the new model numbers and Apple openly acknowledging them on its website, the most probable explanation is that these minor revisions of the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ have already begun rolling out.

If you've recently purchased ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, you can check the fine print on the inside of each earpiece and let us know if you're seeing the new A2453/A2454 model numbers.

Multiple rumors have indicated that Apple is working on a refreshed version of the Apple TV, and today, leaker Jon Prosser said that an updated 4K ‌Apple TV‌ model is "ready to ship."

According to Prosser, the ‌Apple TV‌ 4K will feature an A12X chip and 64 or 128GB storage options. The new ‌Apple TV‌ 4K could "drop any time," but Prosser does not know details on a specific launch date.

Signs of a new ‌Apple TV‌ were spotted in the iOS 13.4 beta in January, and at the time, it was believed it would feature an A12 chip. Prior rumors also suggested the same 64 and 128GB storage sizes mentioned by Prosser.

Beyond the new processor, we're not expecting major changes to the ‌Apple TV‌. There have been signs of a new ‌Apple TV‌ with an updated remote in leaked iOS 14 code, but it's not clear if the new ‌Apple TV‌ that's rumored to be coming soon will feature remote control updates.

Prosser this week also said that Apple has a new iMac and AirPods ready to ship, but he did not provide additional details on these particular products.

Geekbench results have surfaced for the new 13-inch MacBook Pro, providing us with our first look at year-over-year performance improvements.

Priced at $1,299, the base model 13-inch MacBook Pro remains powered by the same 1.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Core i5 processor as the previous generation, with average single-core and multi-score scores of 927 and 3,822 respectively.

By comparison, the $1,799 configuration of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with a 2.0GHz quad-core 10th-generation Core i5 processor, with average single-core and multi-core scores of 1,236 and 4,455 respectively. Accordingly, the $1,799 configuration is up to 16.5 percent faster than the $1,299 base model.

The new $1,799 model is also up to 14 percent faster than the 2.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Core i5 configuration that it replaced.

Not enough benchmark results have surfaced for the highest-end 13-inch MacBook Pro with a 2.3GHz quad-core 10th-generation Core i7 processor to provide an accurate comparison for that model. Apple states that customers who are upgrading from an older 13-inch MacBook Pro with a dual-core processor will see up to 2.8 times faster performance.

Apple unveiled its updated 13-inch MacBook Pro lineup earlier this week. Key features include the same Magic Keyboard as the 16-inch MacBook Pro, up to 80 percent faster Intel graphics than the previous generation, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 4TB of SSD storage, and more. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is available to order on Apple.com.

Apple has announced it is awarding $10 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to COPAN Diagnostics, a market leader in sample collection kits that play a critical role in COVID-19 testing across the United States.

The funding aims to allow COPAN to rapidly accelerate the supply of sample collection kits for hospitals across the U.S., expanding production from several thousand today to more than one million kits per week by early July.

Apple says it will also support COPAN's expansion to a new, larger facility in Southern California that will be built out with advanced equipment that Apple is helping to design.

"We feel a deep sense of responsibility to do everything we can to help medical workers, patients, and communities support the global response to COVID-19," said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. "COPAN is one of the world's most innovative manufacturers of sample collection kits for COVID-19 testing, and we're thrilled to partner with them so they can expand as we work to address this critical issue for our nation. I couldn't be prouder of our teams for bringing all of their energy, passion, and innovative spirit to supporting the country’s COVID-19 response."

"We're excited to forge this new relationship with Apple, whose teams are already making a huge difference with our efforts to scale up the production of our sample collection and transport kits," said Norman Sharples, CEO of COPAN Diagnostics. "Collection and transport kits are a critical component in the fight against COVID-19. At COPAN, we're excited and grateful for this partnership with Apple as our strong beliefs of innovation, quality, and excellence in manufacturing and design are perfectly aligned. Apple's operational expertise will help us increase delivery of important pre-analytical tools for medical professionals across the country at this critical time."

Apple is sourcing equipment and materials for the project from companies across the U.S., including equipment Apple is helping design from K2 Kinetics, based in York, Pennsylvania, and MWES in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Apple has donated several million dollars toward the global COVID-19 response, including Global Citizen and America's Food Fund. It has also designed and distributed almost 10 million face shields, sourced over 30 million face masks for healthcare professionals, and developed a COVID-19 exposure notification API for use by public health authorities around the world.

CEO Tim Cook announced Apple's $1 billion Fund for Advanced Manufacturing Jobs in May 2017. The other major benefactor since then has been Corning, the makers of Gorilla Glass).

Apple's development of mini-LED display based hardware has not been significantly affected by the global health crisis but it may have delayed adoption of the technology in the short-term, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a research note with TF International Securities today, seen by MacRumors, Kuo said mini-LED chip, panel, assembly, and terminal assembly are expected to begin mass production in the third quarter of 2020, the fourth quarter, the end of the fourth quarter, and the first quarter of 2021, respectively.

"We believe that investors do not need to worry too much about the extension of the mini LED schedule, because mini LED is a key technology that Apple will promote in the next 5 years, so even if the short-term schedule is affected by the new coronary pneumonia, it will not damage the long-term positive trend."

Apple is said to be planning four to six products with mini-LED displays over the next two to three years, according to Kuo. The analyst previously said Apple planned to release a high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an A14X chip in the third quarter of 2020 and an updated 16-inch MacBook Pro with a mini-LED display in the fourth quarter.

However, today's note suggests Apple's roadmap for the mini-LED versions of these products may have been pushed back slightly. In March, DigiTimes said that Apple would launch multiple Mac notebook models with mini-LED backlit displays by the end of 2020, while Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to introduce a new 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ in October or November, but without specifying which display technology it would use.

Along with a mini-LED 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌, Kuo believes Apple is planning to introduce a 14.1-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with a mini-LED display, although he hasn't provided launch information for the 14.1-inch model that Apple is working on, beyond suggesting there are several mini-LED devices in the works.

Future mini-LED displays will use approximately 10,000 LEDs, with each one below 200 microns in size. Mini-LED displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while offering many of the same benefits of OLED displays used on the latest iPhones, including good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and dynamic range, and local dimming for truer blacks.

In today's note, Kuo advised investors to pay attention to the trend of mini-LEDs and reiterated that they are positively looking at the growth momentum of Apple's mini-LED product roadmap.

The analyst estimates that Apple mini-LED product shipments will grow significantly by about 300 percent and 225 percent in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Apple's active mini-LED product strategy will also force competitors to launch similar products in the next few years, which is also the key to accelerating the growth of mini-LED applications, according to Kuo.

Strong online sales ensured a growth in worldwide smartwatch shipments in the first three months of this year, despite the impact of the global health crisis, according to a new report by Strategy Analytics.

Shipments grew 20 percent year on year in the first quarter, reaching 13.7 million units, up from 11.4 million units in the previous quarter. Apple Watch retained its dominant top spot with 55 percent market share, following by Samsung, with Garmin rising to third place.

In Q1 2020, 7.6 million Apple Watch units shipped, a 23 percent increase from the 6.2 million shipped in the same quarter a year ago. Apple Watch's market share was up marginally from 54 percent to 55 percent.

Samsung shipped 1.9 million smartwatch units, up from 1.7 million last year, but its market share declined from 15 percent to 14 percent, due to a combination of the health crisis in South Korea and strong competition from Garmin and other rivals.

Garmin shipped 1.1 million units, compared to 800,000 units a year ago. That's a 38 percent increase year on year and a growth in Garmin's market share from 7 to 8 percent.

Strategy Analytics predicts a slowdown in growth in the second quarter of 2020, with a recovery in the second half of the year as retail stores reopen and consumers look to smartwatches to help monitor their health.

Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global smartwatch shipments grew 20 percent annually from 11.4 million units in Q1 2019 to 13.7 million in Q1 2020. Despite considerable headwinds from the Covid-19 scare, global demand for smartwatches continued to grow. Smartwatches are selling well through online retail channels, while many consumers have been using smartwatches to monitor their health and fitness during virus lockdown."

Apple is expected to launch Apple Watch Series 6 this fall with more rumored health-related features taking top billing, including blood oxygen level tracking, sleep tracking, and a new fitness app.

Multiple iPhone and iPad users are seeing their apps crashing at launch as of this afternoon, and the issue appears to be caused by a faulty Facebook SDK that the apps are using.

There are multiple complaints about apps crashing continually on iOS devices on the MacRumors forums, and a wide range of apps appear to be impacted. Google's Waze app, for example, won't launch, and there have been complaints about apps that include Pinterest, Spotify, Adobe Spark, Quora, TikTok, and others.

Multiple developers on GitHub have attributed the problem to a Facebook software development kit used by the apps for sign-in purposes. Apps are failing to open even when users do not use the Facebook login options included.

It's not clear when the issue will be fixed, but with so many apps affected, it could be addressed shortly. Facebook will likely be able to fix the problem over the air with a server update.