MacRumors

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming iPadOS and iOS 13.1 update to developers and public beta testers, one week after seeding the third beta and a few weeks after seeding the initial iOS 13.1 beta.

iOS 13.1 and iPadOS 13.1 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air after the proper profiles have been installed.

Apple in late August released the first iOS 13.1 beta, which came as a surprise because Apple has never released a point update for software that's not out yet. Apple is planning to release iOS 13.1 two weeks after the September 19 launch of iOS 13.

The iOS 13.1 update includes several features that were announced at WWDC but were ultimately removed from iOS 13 over the beta testing period. Shortcuts Automations, for example, is back in iOS 13.1. Shortcuts Automations allows Shortcuts users to create personal and home automations from the Shortcuts app to have actions performed automatically when specific conditions occur.

Share ETA, a major maps feature, is also available in iOS 13.1. With Share ETA, you can share your estimated time of arrival to a location with a friend or family member.

Other new features include new icons on the volume indicator when headphones or speakers are connected (with icons for AirPods, Beats headphones, and HomePod), more detailed HomeKit icons in the Home app, and updates to Dynamic Wallpapers.

Mouse support, an accessibility option in iOS 13, has been improved in iOS 13.1 allowing a long press or 3D Touch to be mapped to the right click function of the mouse. Reading goals now include PDFs, Nike+ is now just Nike, and iOS 13.1 supports HEVC video encoding with alpha channels.

There are some other smaller changes in iOS 13.1, which are outlined in our first iOS 13.1 article. If we find new features in the fourth beta of iOS 13.1, we'll update this post. iOS 13.1 will be released to the public on Monday, September 30.

One of the new features of the iPhone 11 and ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro models is an upgraded 12-megapixel front-facing TrueDepth camera system, which, for the first time, is able to take slow motion 120fps videos.

When introducing the 2019 iPhones, Apple invented a new word for the function, combining slo-mo (the name long used for the 120fps feature on the rear-facing camera) and selfie into the word "Slofie."

Slofies didn't sound like a serious word when Apple first mentioned the feature at the ‌iPhone‌ event, but the company is promoting Slofies in multiple places on its website, and as The Verge points out, Apple last Friday filed a trademark on "Slofie" in the United States.

Slow motion videos taken with the front-facing camera are identical to the slow motion videos that have previously been available through the rear-facing camera, slowing down motion for a unique super slow effect. "Slofie" isn't used to describe the feature in the camera app, where it's just referred to as "Slo-mo."

It's not clear if Slofies are going to take off and become a popular feature, but Apple is certainly aiming to make that happen. Prior to when Apple used the word on stage on September 10, the Slofie term doesn't appear to have been widely used, so it's likely Apple will be granted the trademark.

Apple's move to trademark the term will prevent other smartphone makers from marketing their devices with a similar feature name, ensuring the "Slofie" term is associated exclusively with iPhones.

Korean website The Elec continues to believe that the iPad Pro lineup will be refreshed in March 2020 with 3D sensing rear cameras, noting in a report today that LG will supply time-of-flight sensors for the devices.

However, there is still debate as to whether the ‌iPad Pro‌ will be refreshed this October, next March, or in both months.

Early this year, Bloomberg's oft-reliable Mark Gurman claimed a laser-powered 3D camera could debut on an ‌iPad Pro‌ as early as spring 2020, but he more recently reported that Apple plans to refresh the ‌iPad Pro‌ lineup by the end of 2019, so Apple's roadmap for its high-end tablet is not entirely clear.

Japanese blog Mac Otakara and Sonny Dickson also expect the ‌iPad Pro‌ to receive a triple-lens rear camera system in October.

Meanwhile, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said there is an over 50 percent probability that the ‌iPad Pro‌ adopts time-of-flight technology in the fourth quarter of 2019 or first quarter of 2020, adding to the uncertainty.

On a purely speculative basis, we can think of three possible scenarios: the March refresh with 3D sensing ends up being an October affair instead, or the ‌iPad Pro‌ receives a minor refresh in October and a bigger update with 3D sensing in March, or the ‌iPad Pro‌ is simply not refreshed until March.

Apple would be breaking precedent by refreshing the ‌iPad Pro‌ in October, as the tablet has gone roughly 18 months between hardware updates since first launching in November 2015 — the second-generation 12.9-inch model was released in June 2017, followed by third-generation models in November 2018.

The Elec also expects LG to supply 3D sensing rear camera sensors for 2020 iPhones, slated to launch next September, although it appears to mistakenly refer to the iPhones as iPads in one section of its report.

The Elec has established a small track record after accurately claiming the iPhone 11 would have a 3,110 mAh battery.

In a production information sheet, Apple has confirmed the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max all feature single-cell batteries.

Last year, only the iPhone XS had a single-cell, L-shaped battery, with an iFixit teardown of the device revealing that Apple "notched" the internal corners of the battery to prevent undue stress from thermal expansion. iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR models are equipped with multi-cell L-shaped batteries.

Vietnamese website Di Động Việt today shared a seemingly legitimate teardown of the iPhone 11 Pro Max, revealing its single-cell, L-shaped battery. Consistent with Chinese regulatory filings, the battery has a capacity of 3,969 mAh, making it around 25 percent larger than the iPhone XS Max's battery.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max's battery is also noticeably thicker than the iPhone XS Max's battery to accomodate the increased capacity.

With the added thickness comes added weight. Apple's production information sheet says the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max batteries weigh 47, 48, and 65 grams, respectively, while the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max batteries measure in at 46, 41, and 50 grams, respectively.

The teardown also provides a first look at the iPhone 11 Pro Max's triple-lens rear camera lenses and other components. iFixit should have more comprehensive teardowns of all three new iPhones in the coming days.

The Apple Watch Series 5 is set to launch this Friday, September 20, but the embargo for the first reviews of Apple's latest smartwatch ended this morning. Several journalists and media outlets were provided with review units, so we've gathered together some key takeaways and highlights.

Not a lot is new with the Apple Watch Series 5, and it's identical in design to the Series 4. The exception is the display, which uses a lower power (LTPO) OLED screen that enables Apple's new always-on display feature.

To accommodate the new always-on display, Apple has created new battery-optimized watch face options that allow you to see the time and your complications at all times. Apart from a new built-in compass and a new international emergency calling feature for LTE models that contacts the local emergency services when SOS is activated, other new features are software-based and will come courtesy of watchOS 6.

As you'd expect, the focus of many of the reviews is on that always-on display. TechCrunch's Catherine Shu says it "addresses a longstanding issue with the device," but one that has been understandable because of battery considerations. To get around this, Apple has "made a bit of a compromise" by offering an always-on watch that lasts the same stated 18 hours as its predecessors.

Apple's employed some clever fixes to ensure that the new feature won’t totally sap battery life. Each of the faces gets a low-power, always-on version. In the case of the Meridian face that I've been using (new for WatchOS 6), it's white text on a black background. Hold the watch up to your face, however, and the colors invert. The active version is easier to see, and the always-on version uses less power.

While complications and other features are still on display, they're simplified, removing any power-hungry features. That means the second hand disappears on the standard watch face, and when the watch is in workout mode, the milliseconds will disappear until you bring the watch back up to your face.

Ultimately, Shu reckons "there's probably not enough here to warrant an upgrade from last year’s model, but some welcome new features like the always-on help keep the line fresh."

Daring Fireball's John Gruber says that the always-on display "solves my single biggest complaint about Apple Watch since day one. Its not perfect," he says, "but it's more than good enough. No other feature or improvement to Apple Watch to date has ever made me this happy."

As for the built-in compass, Gruber says that "while it's fun to play with, I don’t recall ever needing a compass in my entire life." However, he was impressed by the way it overcomes the problem that magnets pose to traditional compasses.

Traditional compasses spin randomly when you bring a magnet near them. Series 5's compass won't do this, because it uses the gyroscope to see if you're actually moving. The compass won't be fooled by a magnet because it can tell the watch itself isn't spinning around. Smart.

The Verge's Dieter Bohn starts his review by covering the new materials for the Apple Watch casing, specifically the more expensive titanium and ceramic.

There are some subtle weight differences on the more expensive materials, and they also have sapphire glass on the front of the Watch. But you should not spend the extra money on those more premium materials in the hope that they’ll be better from a feature perspective. They're the same Apple Watch; you'd just be paying more for something fancier. Some people like doing that!

Bohn also admits his long-running desire for an always-on screen, which is made possible by the low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO for short) display that Apple has designed.

I love the always-on screen on the Series 5. Apple's implementation is better than other smartwatches I've used for two reasons: it legitimately doesn't hurt the battery life as much, and Apple keeps a little color visible in ambient mode.

For whatever reason, I've never been able to get earlier Apple Watches to show their screens with subtle wrist movements. I've always had to cartoonishly raise my arm. An always-on screen means I am a little bit less of a jerk in conversations and meetings.

Bohn confirms that the display doesn't deplete the battery faster than the stated 18 hours, although he notes that "the Series 4 usually outperformed that estimate."

Apart from the new compass and LTE-based Emergency Call features, Bohn sees little else to recommend existing Apple Watch Series 4 owners and admits he's more excited about features coming with watchOS 6, like the new health features and the dedicated App Store, which he thinks are worth checking out first before anyone thinks of upgrading.

More Apple Watch Series 5 reviews can be found online: Wired, iMore, CNBC, BuzzFeed News, USA Today.

Apple's new 2019 iPhone lineup uses modems from Intel rather than Qualcomm, PCMag confirmed today thanks to the devices' field test screens.

We already expected Apple to use Intel modems in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and 11 Pro because Apple's renewed relationship with Qualcomm came too late in the year for it to swap over to Qualcomm modems, so PCMag's news isn't a huge surprise, but it's useful to have confirmation.

PCMag says that Intel and Qualcomm-based devices have different menu configurations for the field test screens, and Apple's newest devices use the Intel layout.

We figured this out because the field test menus on Intel-based and Qualcomm-based iPhones have different menu items, and the menu items have stayed consistent through the generations. (I checked on models from the 6s generation up to the XR.)

According to Apple, there is one model of each of the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max sold in the US. With one of each device in hand, I went to the field test mode and found that it had an Intel layout.

The field test information does not specify which Intel modem Apple is using, but the new iPhones are most likely equipped with the XMM 7660, the final modem that Intel produced before shutting down.

PCMag says that it expects the new iPhones will feature 20 percent faster LTE speeds than last year's model, but testing will need to be done to confirm. The ‌iPhone‌ 11 will be somewhat slower than the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro because while it features Gigabit-class LTE support this year, it has 2x2 MIMO instead of 4x4 MIMO.

Early tests shared just after the ‌iPhone‌ event on September 10 suggested the ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro was 13 percent faster than the ‌iPhone‌ XS, but there was no information on how the speed comparison was conducted.

Apple has used Intel modems exclusively in recent iPhones due to its legal battle with Qualcomm, but earlier this year, Apple and Qualcomm settled their differences and inked a new deal that will see Apple using Qualcomm modems in its devices for the next few years.

Apple plans to use Qualcomm technology in the 2020 ‌iPhone‌ that's expected to feature 5G support, but Apple is also developing its own modem technology and purchased much of Intel's modem division to further its goals. Apple's ultimate aim is to craft its own modem chips in house, reducing its reliance on Qualcomm, and the company has reportedly set a 2021 goal for itself.

A U.S. District Judge in San Jose today certified a class action lawsuit that accuses Apple of using "inferior" refurbished products as replacements for its AppleCare and ‌AppleCare‌+ protection plans despite promising consumers new or equivalent to new replacements. [PDF]

The class action lawsuit was first filed against Apple in July 2016 by customers in California who were unhappy that their iPhones and iPads were replaced by refurbished devices under Apple's ‌AppleCare‌ or ‌AppleCare‌+ plan.

The plaintiffs, Vicky Maldondo and Joanne McRight, claimed that Apple's decision to offer refurbished devices violate its own ‌AppleCare‌ Terms and Conditions and the Consumer Legal Remedies Act. From the original lawsuit:

The Apple Plans purport to provide consumers with Devices that are "equivalent to new in performance and reliability." What that phrase means is 'new' as refurbished devices can never be the equivalent to new in performance and reliability. Plaintiffs allege that it means refurbished. Refurbished is synonymous with the term "reconditioned," that is, a secondhand unit that has been modified to appear to be new for all purposes relevant to this litigation.

"New" means a Device that has never been utilized or previously sold and consists of all new parts. The word "refurbished" appears only once in the AppleCare+ terms and conditions even though the printed booklet is 33 pages long.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for iPhone, iPad, or iPod owners who purchased ‌AppleCare‌ or ‌AppleCare‌+ coverage.

The law firm behind the lawsuit says that Apple customers who paid for ‌AppleCare‌ should have received new Apple devices that Apple promised, and is aiming for the difference in value "between devices that work like new and the inferior devices Apple provided class members."

Likely-accurate battery and RAM specifications for the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max have surfaced in filings submitted to Chinese regulatory agency TENAA and uncovered by MacRumors.

Apple has filed many products with TENAA over the years, as legally required, and the listings have proven reliable on multiple occasions. Last year, for example, accurate battery capacities and RAM in the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR appeared in the database prior to those devices launching.

TENAA lists the battery capacities and RAM in the iPhone 11 lineup as follows:

• iPhone 11: 3,110 mAh battery and 4GB of RAM
  

• iPhone 11 Pro: 3,046 mAh battery and 4GB of RAM
  

• iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969 mAh battery and 4GB of RAM

Note that Apple filed the Chinese models of each iPhone with TENAA, but as in previous years, the battery capacities and RAM specifications should be consistent with the models sold in the United States and other countries.

Here's how that stacks up with last year's iPhones:

• iPhone XR: 2,942 mAh battery and 3GB of RAM
  

• iPhone XS: 2,658 mAh battery and 4GB of RAM
  

• iPhone XS Max: 3,174 mAh battery and 4GB of RAM

Based on these figures, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max have 5.7 percent, 14.5 percent, and 25 percent larger battery capacities than the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max, respectively.

Apple says that the iPhone 11 lasts up to one hour longer than the iPhone XR, while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max last up to four and five hours longer than the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, respectively. Many reviews found the devices to have excellent battery life that does last hours longer.

Two of the battery capacities were previously rumored. In June, Korean website The Elec claimed the successor to the iPhone XR would have a 3,110 mAh battery. And a month later, an alleged Foxconn employee claimed the successor to the iPhone XS Max would sport a 3,969 mAh battery.

4GB of RAM across the entire iPhone 11 lineup is also consistent with benchmark results that have surfaced in reviews of the devices. There has been some discussion that at least some iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max configurations have 6GB of RAM, but the TENAA filings do not reflect this.

Apple never discloses battery capacities or RAM in iPhones, but teardowns of the new devices should confirm these details in the coming days.

Apple provided iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max review units to members of the media following its September 10 event, and today, those reviews were published, giving us some insight into the new devices.

Apple this afternoon highlighted several of the reviews, focusing on the positives of the iPhones, including the upgraded camera tech and the improved battery life.

Apple shared key passages from sites that include TechCrunch, The Verge, Mashable, Refinery29, Engadget, Tom's Guide, Esquire, CNBC, GQ UK, 9News, Hardware Zone Singapore, and New Straits Time.

TechCrunch, for example, praised Night mode, calling the exposure and color "best in class" compared to other low-light cameras, and Refinery29 said it can double as a flash light.

"The best new feature here is Night mode, which pretty impressively brightens dark photos ... it's automatic in low-light settings. You can even use it as a flashlight. When you shine it at something dark, the screen will display it with more light than you can see with your own eye."

The Verge called the new devices the "most capable phones" ever made.

"[iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max] are some of the most well-balanced, most capable phones Apple -- or anyone -- has ever made. They have excellent battery life, processors that should keep them relevant for years to come, absolutely beautiful displays and a new camera system that generally outperforms every other phone, which should get even better with a promised software update later this fall."

Engadget praised the affordable $699 price of the ‌iPhone‌ 11, CNBC said Apple's portrait mode is the best, and HardwareZone said the A13 bionic "wipes the floor" with the competition.

While Apple highlighted the most positive bits of each review, on the whole, most praised the new ‌iPhone‌ anyway. Some reviews, though, did see the updates as mostly iterative without a whole lot of innovative new features with the exception of the camera improvements.

Our full review roundups of the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro go into more detail about what to expect from the new iPhones and are worth checking out for those who want to know more.

It's always interesting to get a look back at Apple's past, especially when it comes to prototype devices that were never actually released to the public, so we thought we'd share some photos of a restored Macintosh Portable M5120, sent to us by Sonny Dickson.

Unlike the launch version of the Macintosh Portable, which was sold in the late 1980s in a beige color, this model is a prototype made from a clear plastic material. It's been restored and it is one of only six that are known to exist.

When it was released, the Macintosh Portable was priced at $7,300 and it was the first Mac powered by a battery. Despite the name, the Macintosh Portable weighed in at a whopping 16 pounds, but it was still more transportable than standard computers of the era.

There are no screws in the Macintosh Portable and it was designed to be taken apart with just the hands, a feat not possible with current laptop computers. It featured a 9.8-inch black and white active matrix LCD display, 9MB SRAM, a 1.44MB floppy disk drive, a typewriter-style keyboard, and a trackball setup that allowed the trackball to be positioned at either the left or the right.

A hinged design let the display be closed up over the keyboard when not in use, reminiscent of more modern laptop designs, and there's a built-in handle. The battery inside was a lead-acid battery, which, when the machines were launched, was able to last for approximately 8 to 10 hours.

Apple sold the Macintosh Portable alongside the Apple IIci, and it never really caught on due to its high price tag. After launching it in 1989, Apple made one followup version, the Macintosh Portable M5126, but it was discontinued just six months later, with Apple nixing the Portable line entirely in 1991.

After the Macintosh Portable was discontinued, Apple moved on to the PowerBook, which came out later that year.

Yesterday, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max pre-orders have been better than expected so far, noting that demand for the higher-end iPhone 11 Pro models is particularly strong in the United States due to trade-in and financing options.

In a follow-up research note with TF International Securities today, seen by MacRumors, Kuo now specifies that the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models have accounted for 55 percent of pre-orders to date. By extension, that would mean the lower-priced iPhone 11 has comprised 45 percent of pre-orders.

Kuo notes that shipment volumes of the higher-end OLED display models are "better than last year." A year ago, he estimated the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max would account for a combined 40-45 percent of 2018 iPhone lineup shipments.

While the iPhone 11 should be the best-selling iPhone of the 2019 lineup, Apple's push towards monthly installments like the iPhone Upgrade Program may be convincing more customers to opt for the higher-priced models, as the $999-plus price tags are less steep when they are spread out over two years.

Apple no longer shares iPhone pre-order figures, nor has it ever disclosed iPhone sales on a model-by-model basis, so it is unclear how Kuo's "survey" results are determined, but Apple's online shipping estimates are one factor.

In today's note, Kuo also reiterated that 2020 iPhones will feature 3D sensing time-of-flight rear cameras with 7P lenses.