Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.5 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after launching the second beta and a month after the launch of macOS Mojave 10.14.4.
The new macOS Mojave 10.14.5 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center.
It's not yet clear if there are new features in macOS Mojave 10.14.5, but it likely includes bug fixes and performance improvements to address issues that weren't able to be fixed in the macOS Mojave 10.14.4 update.
This update will make macOS more secure because after macOS 10.14.5, new Mac apps released outside of the Mac App Store that want to have Apple's seal of approval will need to go through Apple's notarization security process.
There were no major changes to macOS discovered in the first two macOS Mojave 10.14.5 betas, but if we discover anything new in this beta, we'll update this post.
The prior update, macOS Mojave 10.14.4, brought the Apple News+ subscription service, expanded Apple News to Canada, and introduced a new automatic Safari Dark Mode feature for websites.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.2.1 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the second beta and almost a month after the release of the watchOS 5.2 update, which introduced AirPods 2 support and expanded the ECG feature to Europe.
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.
It's not yet clear what features will be introduced in the watchOS 5.2.1 update, but as 5.x.x software, it's likely to focus on bug fixes and other under-the-hood performance improvements.
No changes were found in the first two watchOS 5.2.1 betas, but should we find new features in the third watchOS 5.2.1 beta, we'll update this post with details.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the new tvOS 12.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. There's also a new second beta software update for the third-generation Apple TV model.
tvOS 12.3 brings a revamped TV app that was first shown off at Apple's March 25 services-focused event. The TV app is an updated version of the original TV app, providing access to TV shows, movies, sports, news, and more, along with a dedicated section for children's programming.
The TV app features a refined interface with a fresh look and feel that's more modern. It keeps the "Watch Now" section with the "Up Next" feature for keeping track of the TV shows and movies you're watching, and there's a new machine-learning based "For You" feature that surfaces content based on what you've previously watched.
There's a new "Channels" option built in to the app, which is a major part of Apple's new services push. Channels are subscription services that you can subscribe to and watch right in the TV app without having to swap over to a third-party app.
During the beta, you can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, Tastemade, and EPIX, but additional Channels will be available when the new TV app launches.
In the future, Apple plans to add its new TV+ subscription service to the TV app, with TV+ offering all of Apple's original TV shows and movies. The TV app is available on the Apple TV and iOS devices so you can pick up whatever you're watching no matter which device you're on.
The new TV app is set to be released in May, so tvOS 12.3 will be in beta testing until then.
While Apple has built out a significant network of data centers to support iCloud and other services, it still relies on other companies to help support those services. According to CNBC, Apple has a multiyear agreement with Amazon Web Services that sees Apple paying Amazon $30 million per month.
In a February job posting, Apple said it was looking for someone who could “lead and architect our growing AWS footprint.”
Indeed, that expenditure is on track to expand.
At the end of March, Apple’s spending was on track to average more than $30 million per month in the first quarter of 2019. That would be more than 10 percent higher than a year earlier, according to two people familiar with the spending.
The report's sources indicate that Apple's current agreement with Amazon involves a commitment to spend at least $1.5 billion on AWS over five years, making Apple one of the top customers for Amazon's rapidly growing AWS business.
Apple is of course continuing to invest heavily in its own cloud infrastructure, revealing last December as part of its new Austin campus announcement that it planned to spend $10 billion over five years on U.S. data centers, including $4.5 billion by the end of 2019.
Samsung initially said it remained committed to launching the Galaxy Fold on April 26, but the rollout is now expected in the "coming weeks." The company has yet to confirm the delay, but it wouldn't be surprising given that at least some of the folding smartphones appear to have a serious hardware issue.
Galaxy Fold launch events in Hong Kong and Shanghai have already been postponed, according to Engadget's Richard Lai.
Samsung earlier confirmed that it would "thoroughly inspect" the affected devices to determine the cause, but it has yet to provide an explanation. Samsung also cautioned that removing the protective layer on the display could cause damage, but some displays failed even with the protective layer in place.
The delay would be an embarrassing mishap for a smartphone that starts at $1,980, but the right move before the Galaxy Fold gets into the hands of thousands of customers around the world and potentially turned into a larger problem.
Update: Samsung has confirmed the delay in a statement provided to CNBC, noting that it will announce a new release date "in the coming weeks" and "will take measures to strengthen the display protection."
We recently unveiled a completely new mobile category: a smartphone using multiple new technologies and materials to create a display that is flexible enough to fold. We are encouraged by the excitement around the Galaxy Fold.
While many reviewers shared with us the vast potential they see, some also showed us how the device needs further improvements that could ensure the best possible user experience.
To fully evaluate this feedback and run further internal tests, we have decided to delay the release of the Galaxy Fold. We plan to announce the release date in the coming weeks.
Initial findings from the inspection of reported issues on the display showed that they could be associated with impact on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge. There was also an instance where substances found inside the device affected the display performance.
We will take measures to strengthen the display protection. We will also enhance the guidance on care and use of the display including the protective layer so that our customers get the most out of their Galaxy Fold.
We value the trust our customers place in us and they are always our top priority. Samsung is committed to working closely with customers and partners to move the industry forward. We want to thank them for their patience and understanding.
In a recent interview with TechRadar, Beats president Luke Wood discussed how the company has changed under Apple's leadership, and the upcoming Powerbeats Pro headphones.
The new Powerbeats Pro
According to Wood, the Powerbeats Pro is "the culmination of the full integration of [Beats and Apple] working together from a technological standpoint." The company even took into consideration its reputation for creating bass-heavy products when building the Powerbeats Pro.
Wood said the company has "learned the tools of [its] trade" over the years and improved its products, particularly after being acquired by Apple.
“We thought we were pretty good until we got to Apple, and then we started learning what ‘good’ really was”, he admits between sips of green tea.
What was Apple doing that Beats wasn’t? “Apple had so much incredible discipline and rigor around product quality” Wood says.
When asked if a Beats product would ever add in biometric sensors for heart rate monitoring, Wood said he doesn't think that will happen: "We never want to labor customers with a bunch of useless, borderline avant-garde tech." He pointed out that many users already have smart watches with this ability, and having it in a headphone would be unnecessary.
Apple announced Powerbeats Pro earlier in the month, with a launch planned for May 2019. The $250 headphones are completely wireless and are sweat and water resistant, with earhooks and tips in four sizes that ensure they will stay put during workouts. Apple said the headphones feature up to nine hours of listening time, and they also come with a charging case like the AirPods.
iOS 13 will enable developers to integrate Siri into their apps for several new use cases, including media playback, search, voice calling, event ticketing, message attachments, flights, train trips, and airport gate and seat information, according to 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo.
In a report today, Rambo detailed several other developer-focused features that he expects Apple to announce at WWDC in June, including the ability for iOS apps ported to the Mac to use Mac-specific features such as the Touch Bar and keyboard shortcuts along with support for multiple windows.
Rambo says enabling Mac support for an existing iOS app is "as easy as checking a checkbox" in Xcode, akin to adding iPad support to an iPhone app.
Apple's augmented reality platform ARKit is said to gain "significant improvements" this year, including a brand new Swift-only framework for augmented reality and a companion app that lets developers create augmented reality experiences visually. ARKit is also said to gain the ability to detect human poses.
Developers are also expected to gain access to a handful of new frameworks that allow for expanded use of the Taptic Engine, document scanning in third-party apps, and the ability to capture photos from external devices such as cameras and SD cards without having to go through Apple's Photos app.
Last, on the Mac, apps will supposedly be able to offer file provider extensions, improving the integration of apps like Dropbox with Finder.
Today is Earth Day, an annual event celebrated around the world that brings attention to various environmental causes. Apple is taking part in the event in a variety of ways, from green Apple logos in retail locations to providing an update on its mission to conserve mangrove trees in Colombia.
As it does every year in its retail stores, Apple has turned the leaves of the Apple logo green in honor of Earth Day. Select locations have also provided workers with green t-shirts to mark the event, and all Apple stores today will promote environment-themed Today at Apple sessions.
The company is also hosting an Apple Watch challenge today, asking users to get a 30 minute workout done before the day ends. Apple usually hosts Activity Challenges for major holidays and well-known events, and for the past several years there's been an Earth Day Challenge with the same goal as 2019 -- complete a 30 minute workout.
Apple today also shared a press release that provides an update on its efforts to preserve the mangrove trees in Cispatá Bay in Córdoba, Colombia. Last year on Earth Day, Apple partnered with Conservation International to protect and restore Cispatá Bay, due to the area's importance in the battle against climate change. "Globally, we've lost half of the world's mangrove forests since the 1940s," said Apple VP of Environment Lisa Jackson. "So it's high time we start preserving and protecting them."
The company has also marked Earth Day across its services. Beginning with Apple Music, the Mixtape for Mother Earth has been refreshed this year with curation by Jaden Smith. It includes tracks like "Come Together" by The Beatles, "Summertime Magic" by Childish Gambino, and more. Jaden joined his parents Will and Jada at Apple Park last week to discuss the environment and Jaden's company, Just Water.
Apple is also marking down a collection of environmentally-friendly films on iTunes Movies in a new sale. This includes a suite of Disneynature documentaries for $9.99, and films focused on climate change, the natural wonders of the planet, and animated features for kids with environmental messages like Wall-E and FernGully.
A similar section has appeared in iBooks as well, providing readers with books themed around the environment. These include books that allow you to "Explore the Natural World," "Get Informed," "Do Your Part," and a section focused on kids' books like Dr. Seuss' "The Lorax" and "Curios George Plants a Tree."
Earlier in April, Apple announced that it has nearly doubled the number of suppliers that have committed to run their Apple-specific production on 100 percent renewable energy, bringing the total number to 44. This includes iPhone assemblers Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron; Gorilla Glass maker Corning; Face ID module provider Finisar; A-series chipmaker TSMC; Apple Watch manufacturer Quanta Computer; and AirPods assembler Luxshare.
The company continued its environment-friendly announcements later in the month by revealing a new "Material Recovery Lab" had opened in Austin, Texas, dedicated to looking for innovative solutions that will improve on traditional methods of recycling. Apple also revealed a major expansion of its recycling program, quadrupling the number of locations where United States customers can send their iPhone to be disassembled by its recycling robot Daisy, which was introduced around last year's Earth Day.
Sony today announced that some of its upcoming smart TVs will support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit in summer 2019, including its A9G series of 4K OLED TVs, Z9G series of 8K LED TVs, and X950G series of 4K LED TVs.
The TVs themselves will be released on a staggered basis, starting with the X950G series in late April and followed by additional models in May and June, including a 98-inch 8K TV for a whopping $70,000. AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will presumably be rolled out in a subsequent software update.
Apple also lists Sony's upcoming X850G series of 4K TVs in its AirPlay 2–enabled TVs list, but no timeframe for those features was provided for that model.
AirPlay 2 support will allow users to stream videos, music, photos, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, and Mac to compatible Sony smart TVs, complete with lock screen controls. HomeKit support will enable users to easily control the TVs using Siri voice commands or the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Interestingly, Kuo expects Samsung to be the other supplier in select markets. Apple frequently aims to diversify its supply chain in an effort to reduce risk and have improved bargaining power, potentially reducing its costs as multiple suppliers engage in a price war to secure the lucrative orders.
An excerpt from Kuo's latest research note, obtained by MacRumors:
Apple and Qualcomm's end of patent dispute and entrance into a six-year licensing deal implies new 2H20 iPhone models will support 5G; Qualcomm and Samsung are potential 5G baseband chip suppliers: The market was worried that Intel's disappointing 5G baseband chip development might be the most severe uncertainty for the new 2H20 iPhone models' adoption of 5G. But we believe the uncertainty has been removed after Apple and Qualcomm's end of patent dispute and entrance into a six-year licensing deal, and Intel's announcement that it will exit the 5G baseband chip business. We expect Apple will likely adopt 5G baseband chips made by Qualcomm (focus on mmWave markets) and Samsung (focus on Sub-6GHz markets) for lowering supply risk, reducing costs and having better bargaining power.
Kuo believes that 5G will be a boon for both iPhone sales and Apple's supply chain in 2020. He forecasts total iPhone shipments of 195–200 million units in 2020, including 70–75 million 5G models released in the second half of the year.
The new line includes five wireless products at launch, including the three-channel Formation Bar, carbon-domed Formation Duo speakers, elliptical-shaped Formation Wedge speaker, Formation Bass subwoofer with a Class D amplifier, and the Formation Audio that brings wireless audio streaming to any passive audio system.
AirPlay 2 enables multi-room audio playback between the Formation products and other AirPlay 2 devices, such as the HomePod, Apple TV, and Sonos speakers. AirPlay 2 speakers also appear in the Home app across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch and work with Siri for controlling music playback.
The high-fidelity, high-resolution Formation Series products are also high-priced, of course, with prices ranging between $699 and $3,999.
PayPal has returned with the latest 15 percent discount on App Store and iTunes gift cards this week, offering customers the chance to get the $100 gift card for $85 on eBay. This matches previous iTunes gift card sales on PayPal's Digital Gifts eBay storefront, which we haven't seen for a few months.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with eBay. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
To get the discount, head to eBay and click "Buy it Now" on the iTunes gift card's page. The 15 percent discount is automatically applied, and once you complete your order it will be delivered to you via email within a few hours. The sale is only available to customers in the United States.
App Store and iTunes gift cards can be used to pay for iCloud storage, to rent films on iTunes Movies, and even on subscriptions to Apple Music, Netflix, Hulu, and more. Thanks to sales on the gift cards, you're able to save a little bit of money on these purchases, so be sure to visit PayPal on eBay this week if you've been looking to stock up on iTunes credit.
If you're shopping around on iTunes Movies after purchasing the gift card, Apple has debuted a new Marvel-themed sale this week in preparation for Avengers: Endgame. The sale has a collection of Marvel Cinematic Universe films for $9.99 and under, including the first two Avengers movies, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Thor: Ragnarok, and more.
Update: PayPal is currently restricting the iTunes gift card sale to pre-approved buyers only, requiring shoppers to email the seller to be placed on a list for purchasing the card. We've reached out to PayPal and eBay for more information, and will update this article with any details they provide.
Update #2: The iTunes gift card deal is now live for all U.S. shoppers.
The popularity of OLED smartphones with in-display fingerprint sensors will continue to gather pace in 2019, DigiTimes reports this morning, despite Apple's decision to move away from the technology in favor of face recognition.
Citing industry sources, the report says that rising popularity for fingerprint scanners in smartphone screens is being driven by a reduction in sensor prices and the price gap between OLED and LCD panels.
The market size of OLED panels with in-display fingerprint sensors has expanded significantly as handset vendors including Samsung Electronics, Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have extended the adoption of in-display fingerprint sensing technology from the premium smartphones to mid-range models, said the sources.
The introduction of optical fingerprint sensing solutions by vendors including Synaptics and Goodix Technology in 2018, which came with more competitive pricing and fitted with the prevailing all-screen display design for smartphones, has helped bring down overall prices of in-display fingerprint sensor chips and therefore further drive up the popularity of such a technology, said the sources.
Apple was widely rumored to be attempting to integrate Touch ID under the display on the iPhone X, but the company's hardware engineering chief Dan Riccio later said it ditched any form of fingerprint scanning after hitting "early line of sight" with Face ID.
Apple has since done away with 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 contains Touch ID's focused capacitive drive ring in earlier iPhones. Apple's latest iPad Pro models have also inherited Apple's cutting edge face-recognition tech.
Apple's biggest rival, Samsung, includes an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner embedded into the screen of its latest Galaxy S10 smartphone. Samsung's tech uses sound waves to create an intricate 3D map of the user's fingerprint. The Galaxy S10e meanwhile uses an electrostatic fingerprint scanner on the Power button.
Apple has explored various in-display fingerprint scanner solutions in the past, including fingerprint sensing MicroLED displays. So far, Apple has not developed in-screen fingerprint technology for a consumer device, while Touch ID has found a new lease of life on laptop keyboards, specifically in Apple's MacBook Pro with Touch Bar range and the latest MacBook Air.
JCPenney made the decision to remove Apple Pay for our stores, we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We will definitely forward your feedback regarding this for review.
— Ask JCPenney (@askjcp) April 20, 2019
The option to use Apple Pay at checkout in the JCPenney iOS app has also been removed, reports Appleosophy, catching many mobile shoppers off guard.
The retailer began trialing Apple Pay in late 2015, before rolling it out to all of its stores across the United States and adding support for the payment method to its app for iPhone and iPad shortly after.
JCPenney also made its credit card available on Apple Pay, enabling customers to earn shopping points through its JCPenney Rewards loyalty program, directly in the Wallet app on iPhone.
Assuming JCPenney still takes NFC contactless payments, it's unclear whether the company has switched merchant account providers to one that doesn't support Apple Pay, or has simply disabled support for Apple's digital wallet at its transaction terminals. We've contacted JCPenney for more information on their reasoning behind the decision and will update this article if we learn more.
Update: In a statement to TechCrunch, JCPenney says that it stopped supporting Apple Pay and other contactless payments because of an April 13 deadline from Visa for retiring legacy magnetic stripe (MSD) contactless technology in favor of more secure EMV technology.
A third-party credit card brand made the requirement for all merchants to actively support EMV contactless functionality effective April 13, retiring the legacy MSD contactless technology in place. Given the resources and lead time associated with meeting the new mandate, JCPenney chose to suspend all contactless payment options until a later date. Customers still have the ability to complete their transactions manually by inserting or swiping their physical credit cards at our point-of-sale terminals in stores, an option employed by the vast majority of JCPenney shoppers.
Rather than upgrading its technology, JCPenney opted to discontinue contactless payment support, at least for the time being.
Popular Mac drag-and-drop app Yoink received a substantial update on Monday, adding a number of new features, as well as many smaller improvements.
For those unfamiliar with the app, Yoink aims to simplify the action of dragging and dropping files and app-content on the macOS desktop by providing a temporary place for files to be dragged to. Yoink fades in when you start a drag - either with files from Finder or app-content, like an image from a website - offering you a temporary place for your dragged files.
With your files temporarily docked in the Yoink pane and the mouse free, you can more easily navigate to the intended destination of files, which is especially helpful when moving and copying files between different windows, Spaces or (fullscreen) apps.
Today's update takes the app to version 3.5.3 and introduces Continuity Camera support, so you can now save photos and documents from your iPhone or iPad right in Yoink. Yoink's position on the screen can be adjusted more easily, too. Previously you had to click the cog icon and select from a location from a menu of options, but now you can just drag the Yoink shelf window itself.
Also in this release, a "Save as" option has been added to the contextual menu when you right-click a file, allowing you to not only move or copy a file this way, but also rename it. Additionally, when Yoink is the active app, you can now use the keyboard to navigate the app (arrow up, down, select all, Quick Look).
Another couple of useful modifiers have been added, such as holding down the function (fn) key to keep a file in Yoink wile dragging it out, and holding the same key down to temporarily disable Yoink when dragging a file. It's also now possible to double-press the keyboard shortcut (by default, F5) to quickly add your clipboard contents to Yoink.
Meanwhile, improvements include better drag recognition, more efficient CPU usage, intelligent ignoring of drags that occur when playing games, and better compatibility with Transmit, DevonThink, and Apple's Remote Desktop app. Several bug fixes have also been implemented in this version, including some strange behaviors when using Yoink with Handoff.
Yoink for Mac is currently available for $5.99 (usually $7.99) on the Mac App Store. Yoink is also part of Eternal Storms' Software Bundle, together with ScreenFloat and Transloader, which reduces the apps' individual cost by 25 percent. A free 15-day trial version of Yoink is available on the developer's website.
Best Buy today kicked off a new 1-day sale for Easter, discounting MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPad Pro, iPhone X, and iMac. Many of these discounts are lasting for one day only and will expire Easter evening at 11:59 p.m. CT, so if you're interested, be sure to browse the sale today before it ends.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Head over to Best Buy's shopping event page for even more deals like Beats headphones, iTunes/App Store gift cards and more from Apple and lots of other brands. Then check out our full Deals Roundup for more information on sales and bargains happening right now.
These physical molds are presumably produced by case manufacturers based on leaked schematics to test early cases for the upcoming 2019 iPhones.
The front design is also shown on a Weibo post which may have been the original source for the images:
The square grouping of the triple-camera is consistent with other rumors and images that have leaked from the supply chain regarding Apple's upcoming iPhones.
Anker today kicked off a new Amazon Gold Box flash sale, discounting numerous charging accessories to notable low prices. Items on sale include wireless charging mats, portable battery packs, car chargers, USB-C cables, and more.
We've listed every Anker item on sale today below, and since this is a one-day-only event be sure to head to Amazon to browse and place your order before the low prices expire later tonight. Also note that each discount price has been automatically applied so you don't need discount codes.
Anker's Flash Sale
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Our readers should also note that the MacRumors exclusive Anker sale that began on Monday is now entering its last few days, with all of the codes expiring tomorrow, April 21. Our exclusive sale includes discounts on Lightning cables, USB-C hubs, wall chargers, and more.
For more sales and bargains, check out our full Deals Roundup.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with eBay. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
