Apple's Pro Display XDR is a 32-inch 6K monitor with a P3 wide color gamut and true 10-bit color support, 1,600 nits of peak brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and a super-wide, off-axis viewing angle. It is also compatible with the new Mac Pro, 15-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models released in 2018 or later, and 2019 iMac models.
Apple updated its MacBook Air lineup earlier today with faster processors and graphics, a scissor switch Magic Keyboard, a lower starting price of $999, and more, with online availability beginning today. Read our announcement post for more details.
Alongside big new product releases, Apple today refreshed its online storefront with a wide variety of fresh accessories for the spring. This includes new colors for iPhone cases and Apple Watch bands, and updated versions of Apple's Smart Keyboard Folio for iPad.
Starting with iPhone, the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max Silicone Cases now have new colors. This includes Cactus, Grapefruit, and Surf Blue. This is especially good news for iPhone 11 owners, whose previous options for Silicone Cases were just White and Black.
The Leather Folio for iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max is now available in Peacock. There are no new Leather Case colors for the iPhone 11 family this season.
Moving to Apple Watch bands, you can get these same three new colorways in Sport Bands as well, matching your iPhone 11's Cactus, Grapefruit, or Surf Blue accessory.
In Sport Loop there are five new colors: Sunshine, Vitamin C, Surf Blue, Neon Lime, and Neon Pink.
Nike Sport Bands were refreshed with Black/Lime Blast and Midnight Turquoise/Aurora Green. Additionally, Nike Sport Loops now have World Indigo/Lime Blast and Hyper Crimson/Neptune Green. All Sport Bands and Sport Loops cost $49.
You can now get the Modern Buckle in Raspberry and Deep Sea Blue for $149. There's a new Peacock Leather Loop as well, priced at $99.
Lastly for Apple Watch, the high-end Hérmes brand has five new options: Noir/Blanc/Gold Swift Leather Single Tour, Orange Swift Leather Single Tour, Noir Swift Leather Allover Print Double Tour, Blanc Swift Leather Allover Print Double Tour, and Noir Gala Leather Single Tour Rallye.
There is also the Smart Folio for iPad Pro in 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, featuring the new Cactus and Surf Blue colors. These cost $79 and $99 respectively.
If you have an iPad (seventh generation) or iPad Air (third generation), you can get a new Smart Cover in Cactus or Surf Blue for $49.
Finally, an iPad mini Smart Cover is also on sale in Cactus and Surf Blue options, priced at $39. None of the iPad cases include Grapefruit as a color option, seen in the iPhone and Apple Watch accessories.
The new Magic Keyboard is backwards compatible with both of Apple's 2018 iPad Pro models, the iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and the iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation), Apple has confirmed.
Announced today along with new iPad Pro models, the Magic Keyboard attaches magnetically to iPad Pro and includes a floating design that works on either a lap or a desk, and an integrated trackpad for controlling an onscreen pointer, which Apple says will allow users to enhance their workflows in multiple ways.
The Magic Keyboard features cantilevered hinges for smooth adjustments of the viewing angle up to 130 degrees, including a full-size keyboard with backlit keys and a scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm travel. It also has USB-C pass-through charging.
The Magic Keyboard won't launch until sometime in May, but next week Apple is releasing iPadOS 13.4, which introduces trackpad support for all iPads, so 2018 iPad Pro owners will need to update their devices to ensure compatibility with the Magic Keyboard when it does arrive.
The Magic Keyboard will cost $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and will include layouts for over 30 languages.
Apple has shared two ads on its YouTube channel highlighting the power of its just-updated 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, including a new Magic Keyboard.
The first video, titled "Your next computer is not a computer," showcases the new features in the updated iPad Pro, including the new A12Z Bionic chip, LiDAR Scanner for AR, triple-lens cameras, and the new Magic Keyboard with integrated trackpad.
The second ad, titled "How to correctly use a computer," features an ironic retro voiceover offering a "beginner's guide to proper computing," which basically goes against everything shown visually in the video as far as using an iPad Pro goes.
When the voiceover says "Start by taking a seat at your desk, sit up straight, and focus on only one task at a time" a girl is shown lounging around in a park while multi-tasking on an iPad Pro, using a new Magic Keyboard, and wearing AirPods Pro.
The ad continues in a similar vein, showcasing the ruggedness of an iPad Pro when dropped into a bag, ("Treat your computer with respect"), the game-playing and AR capabilities ("It is not a toy"), and multi-touch gestures ("Do not touch the screen").
The ad finishes by highlighting the new Magic Keyboard's multi-touch trackpad ("Your computer comes with a standard arrow cursor") and the LTE-equipped iPad Pro model ("Must stay within reach of a Wi-Fi signal").
The new iPad Pro is available to order starting today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app. iPad Pro will be available in stores starting next week. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for 128GB Wi-Fi, while the 12.9-inch model starts at $999 for 128GB Wi-Fi. More storage capacities include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, and cellular options are available.
The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro will be available to purchase in May in two versions: $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. There are also new Smart Keyboard Folio accessories out today, priced at $179 for 11-inch and $199 for 12.9-inch.
Apple today announced that iPadOS 13.4 will launch next Tuesday, March 24 as a free software update for all iPad Pro models, the iPad Air 2 and later, fifth-generation iPad and later, and iPad mini 4 and later.
iPadOS 13.4 will introduce trackpad support for iPads. While this is mainly aimed at the upcoming Magic Keyboard accessory for iPad Pro, Apple confirmed that any iPad running iPadOS 13.4 will be able to connect a Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2, or third-party mice via Bluetooth or USB.
The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro won't launch until sometime in May. It will be priced at $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and include layouts for over 30 languages.
For more information on the all-new iPad Pro, be sure to visit our post on the refreshed tablet right here. Apple today also announced a new MacBook Air and updated the Mac mini with double the storage capacity.
Apple today introduced a new iPad Pro with a faster A12Z Bionic chip, a new Magic Keyboard accessory with a built-in trackpad, an Ultra Wide camera, a LiDAR Scanner, and more. In Apple's description of the new tablet, it calls it "faster and more powerful than most Windows PC laptops."
The updated iPad Pro has a new camera system that features a 12MP Wide camera and a 10MP Ultra Wide camera, which can zoom out two times to capture a wider field of view. This brings the iPad Pro family in line with the most recent iPhones, which also sport the square-shaped triple-lens camera bump.
The device's new A12Z Bionic chip supports an eight-core GPU, enhanced thermal architecture, and tuned performance controllers. Apple said that professionals working on the iPad Pro can edit 4K video and design 3D models thanks to the internal update, and the new tablet has a 10 hour battery life, faster Wi-Fi, and gigabit-class LTE that's 60 percent faster than the previous generation.
The iPad Pro is still available in both 11-inch and 12.9-inch sizes, with an edge-to-edge Liquid Retina display and ProMotion technology. The tablet also now features five studio-quality microphones and four speakers that adjust to any orientation.
The new LiDAR Scanner measures the distance to surrounding objects up to 5 meters away, and enables advanced experiences with augmented reality on the iPad Pro. Apple said this means that ARKit apps on the new iPad Pro will get improved motion capture and people occlusion, leading to AR experiences "never before possible."
Lastly, Apple is adding trackpad support to iPadOS 13.4 and the new Magic Keyboard. This new accessory attaches magnetically to iPad Pro and includes a floating design that works well on both a lap or a desk. The Magic Keyboard features cantilevered hinges for smooth adjustments of the viewing angle up to 130 degrees, including a full-size keyboard with backlit keys and a scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm travel.
The Magic Keyboard also has USB-C pass-through charging and the new trackpad. With this, Apple said that users will be able to enhance their workflows in multiple ways: scrolling through web pages in Safari, photo libraries in Photos, precisely edit text in Notes, organizing Mail, and more. Most third-party apps will work with the trackpad as well, without any update required.
The new iPad Pro is available to order starting today on apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions, including the US. iPad Pro will be available in stores starting next week. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $799 for 128GB Wi-Fi, while the 12.9-inch model starts at $999 for 128GB Wi-Fi. More storage capacities include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB, and cellular options are available.
The Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro will be available to purchase in May in two versions: $299 for the 11-inch iPad Pro and $349 for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. There are also new Smart Keyboard Folio accessories out today, priced at $179 for 11-inch and $199 for 12.9-inch.
Apple today updated its MacBook Air lineup with faster processors and graphics, a scissor switch Magic Keyboard, a lower starting price of $999, and more.
The new MacBook Air features Intel's latest 10th-generation Core processors, including up to a 1.2GHz quad-core Core i7 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.8GHz, resulting in up to two times faster performance compared to the previous generation. And with Intel Iris Plus Graphics, the new MacBook Air delivers up to 80 percent faster graphics performance.
First introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the new MacBook Air features a Magic Keyboard with a redesigned scissor mechanism that delivers 1mm of key travel, plus a new inverted-"T" arrangement for the arrow keys. Most importantly, this keyboard should prove to be far more reliable than the problematic butterfly keyboard on the previous MacBook Air.
The new MacBook Air has a starting price of $999 with 256GB of storage in the United States, compared to $1,099 with 128GB of storage for the 2019 base model. Education pricing starting at $899 is available to current and newly accepted college students and their parents, as well as faculty, staff and homeschool teachers of all grade levels.
Overall, the new MacBook Air has a similar design as the previous model, including a 13-inch Retina display with True Tone, Touch ID, a Force Touch trackpad, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, stereo speakers, an Apple-designed T2 security chip, and three microphones.
The new MacBook Air can be ordered on Apple.com or in the Apple Store app starting today in most countries. It is available in space gray, silver, or gold.
Apple today updated the Mac mini so that standard configurations now come with double the storage capacity.
The $799 configuration now comes with 256GB of PCIe-based SSD storage, while the $1,099 configuration features 512GB of storage as standard. All Mac mini models use solid state storage, with up to 2TB of storage available for build-to-order purchases.
The new base configurations are live on Apple's website and currently ship in one business day. Apple Store Pickup is currently unavailable.
The Mac mini was last refreshed in October 2018, after more than four years without an update.
The new Powerbeats feature the same Apple-designed H1 chip as the Powerbeats Pro, second-generation AirPods, and AirPods Pro, enabling hands-free "Hey Siri" voice commands and faster pairing with iOS devices. The new Powerbeats also have up to 15 hours of battery life and a similar design as the Powerbeats Pro, but with a wire between each earpiece.
Israel has passed emergency measures that will allow security agencies to track the smartphone data of people with suspected COVID-19 and find others they may have come into contact with (via BBC News).
The Israeli government said the new powers will be used to identify people infected with coronavirus and make sure they're following quarantine rules.
On Monday, an Israeli parliamentary subcommittee discussed a government request to authorize the security service to assist in a national campaign to stop the spread of COVID-19, but the group decided to delay voting on the request, arguing that it needed more time to assess it.
The emergency law was passed on Tuesday during an overnight sitting of the cabinet, effectively bypassing parliamentary approval.
The government has yet to explain how the mobile tracking will work, but the BBC reports that it is understood the location data collected through telecommunication companies by Shin Bet, the domestic security agency, will be shared with health officials.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week announced his intention to bypass parliamentary oversight in order to push through the emergency regulations. Netanyahu says the new powers will last for 30 days only. Civil liberties campaigners in Israel called the move "a dangerous precedent and a slippery slope."
Israel is still in the relatively early stages of the pandemic. It had 200 confirmed cases of the coronavirus as of Tuesday morning. On Wednesday, the country's health ministry reported that cases had risen to 427.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Fox Corporation has bought streaming platform Tubi, an ad-supported service that hosts over 20,000 movies and television shows (via Variety).
The $440 million acquisition represents the media conglomerate's first major move in the streaming market. Fox will inherit 25 million Tubi users and a veritable catalog of content, including movies and shows from over 250 content partners including Warner Brothers, Paramount, Lionsgate and NBCUniversal.
"Tubi will immediately expand our direct-to-consumer audience and capabilities and will provide our advertising partners with more opportunities to reach audiences at scale," Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said in a press release. "Importantly, coupled with the combined power of FOX's existing networks, Tubi provides a substantial base from which we will drive long-term growth in the direct-to-consumer arena."
Fox plans to host its own content on the platform, although original programming does not form part of its short-term plans. Fox will use the acquisition to compete with other free ad-supported streaming services like Pluto TV, Comcast's Xumu, and Sony-owned Crackle.
Fox sold its 5 percent stake in Roku to help fund the acquisition, according to Variety. Under the terms of the deal, Tubi will remain an independent service, so it won't come under the Fox name, but Fox will offer a large number of its older TV shows and movies for free to Tubi subscribers.
Tubi can be accessed via the web, on set-top boxes including Apple TV, and on mobile devices including through the use of its native iPhone and iPad apps.
Opera has announced that users of its mobile and desktop apps can now buy cryptocurrency through the browser using Apple Pay.
Opera was the first browser to include a built-in crypto wallet across its iOS and Mac browsers, and was one of the first to protect users against disguised online cryptocurrency mining, or "cryptojacking."
In partnership with Wyre, a US cryptocurrency-brokerage firm, the Norwegian company is now letting Opera users in the U.S. purchase Bitcoin and Ethereum using a debit card or Apple Pay.
Charles Hamel, head of crypto at Opera browsers, explained how this integration supports Opera's long-term vision of making blockchain technology relevant beyond speculation:
"Allowing our users to easily load cryptocurrency into their browser's digital wallet is very powerful, as it connects the Web to a global internet-native payment network.
"In the past, obtaining cryptocurrencies was a cumbersome process that took hours or even days. When you compare it with this seamless solution, which takes less than 30 seconds, it really is a gamechanger," added Hamel.
Easy crypto top ups are available in iOS browser Opera Touch as well as in the crypto wallet available in its desktop browser. As for users outside the U.S., Opera says it plans to introduce a similar crypto-purchasing feature to more countries "very soon."
Opera Touch is available for iPhone and iPad in several languages and can be downloaded directly from the App Store. [Direct Link] The Opera browser for Mac Desktop is a free download available on the Opera website.
Microsoft-owned GitHub has released a new iPhone and iPad app to help developers manage projects on the go.
The new app doesn't aim to provide a complete developer environment – instead it provides a convenient way for devs to stay in touch with teams, organize tasks, give feedback, respond to comments, and review and merge pull requests when away from a computer.
There's a lot you can do on GitHub that doesn't require a complex development environment – like sharing feedback on a design discussion, or reviewing a few lines of code. GitHub for iOS lets you move work forward wherever you are. Stay in touch with your team, triage issues, and even merge, right from the app. We're making these tasks easy for you to perform, no matter where you work, with a beautifully native experience.
GitHub for iOS includes an inbox-style interface for keeping on top of notifications, quick emoji responses to comments, organization tools like labels and projects, and a native read-only code browser.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak that has many people in the United States and other countries sheltering inside their homes to avoid spreading the infection, some game developers have opted to make their games available to play for free.
Alto's Odyssey and Alto's Adventure, two popular endless runner-style games are available at no cost at the current time on iOS and macOS as the developer has dropped the price due to the coronavirus. Kingdom Rush and Kingdom Rush Origins, two popular strategy games for iOS, can also be downloaded for free.
We're compiling a list of paid games that have gone free below, and we'll add to it if we find additional titles:
If you're at home because of the coronavirus, this is also potentially a good time to try Apple Arcade if you haven't already used your free trial, though it's also a worthwhile way to spend $4.99 for a month of gaming as there are a wide range of great titles available.
We've listed some favorites below, though there are quite a few different games that will suit all tastes.
"Beastie Boys Story," a Spike Jonze documentary on the Beastie Boys that has been picked up by Apple, has had its theatrical release date delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the closure of many theaters across the United States.
According to Deadline, a new theatrical release date will be announced at a later date, but Apple is still planning to stream the documentary on Apple TV+ starting on April 24.
"Our highest priority is the health of our audiences and employees, as well as their families and communities," said an IMAX spokesperson in a statement given to Deadline. "Given the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting theatre closures nationwide, we have decided to postpone the theatrical release of 'Beastie Boys Story' to a later date, which will be announced as soon as possible. IMAX ticket holders can receive a full refund by contacting their local theatre. Beastie Boys Story, directed by Spike Jonze, will premiere on Apple TV+ on April 24."
"Beastie Boys Story" is described as a live documentary experience focusing on the history and legacy of the Beastie Boys and their personal stories. It is based on the "Beastie Boys Book," which was published in October 2018, and will feature band members Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz discussing their long-running friendship and rise to fame.
Many theatrical releases planned for the near future have been postponed. "A Quiet Place 2" is no longer coming out in March, and Disney has pushed back the release of "Black Widow" and "Mulan."
The United States government is in talks with Facebook, Google, and other tech companies about how location data from smartphones can be used to combat the coronavirus, reports The Washington Post.
Tech companies could aggregate anonymous location data that could be used to map the spread of the coronavirus and determine whether social distancing is an effective virus mitigation strategy. The discussions, and the project, are in the early stages.
Facebook executives have said that the government is interested in understanding the patterns of people's movements, which can be provided through Facebook data. Facebook has in the past offered this kind of information in the form of disease prevention maps for health researchers, and officials could use the data to predict hotspots and where to allocate health resources.
"We're encouraged by American technology companies looking to leverage aggregate, anonymized data to glean key insights for COVID-19 modeling efforts," said an official with the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.
Government sources say they are "not building a government database" and that insights gleaned from location data could "help public health officials, researchers, and scientists improve their understanding of the spread of COVID19 and transmission of the disease."
As The Washington Post points out, using smartphone location data in this way could make some Americans uncomfortable, depending on how it's implemented. The data that Facebook provides for other disease tracking projects limits the granularity of location data to a third of a mile, with no data provided about an individual's movement.
"You're trying to predict the probability that a group of people in Prince George's County might interact with a group of people from D.C.," said Laura McGorman, who leads the project. Such a prediction could offer clues for how infections might travel.
Multiple tech companies, including Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Amazon, met with White House officials last week, where they were asked to help the government with its response to the growing outbreak.
Google is now working on an informational coronavirus website that's set to launch in the near future, which comes after President Trump mistakenly announced that Google was working on a comprehensive site that would allow people to check symptoms, arrange tests, and get test results.
Verily, a Google company, had planned to launch a coronavirus-focused website limited to the Bay Area of California, and the purpose of the site was misstated, leading to confusion. The Bay Area site has since launched, but Google is also now working on a site offering "COVID-19 education, prevention, and local resources."
White House officials, tech experts, and health officials have also created a portal of more than 29,000 coronavirus research papers that let AI tools scan and analyze data to discover new insights.
More information on the plans to use smartphone location data for combating the coronavirus can be found in The Washington Post's full article.
AltConf, which is a popular alternative conference for developers that takes place at the same time as Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, has been canceled for 2020 following Apple's announcement that WWDC is set to be a digital only event.
AltConf is designed for developers who are unable to get a ticket to WWDC, and typically, there's an event in San Jose along with satellite events around the world.
Much like many of our contemporaries, AltConf has been watching carefully the spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout the world, and assessing how this potentially affects the many worldwide AltConf events.
Unfortunately, we've come to the conclusion that it would not be prudent or safe to put on any AltConf events in 2020. It's been a tough call to make, but the safety of our team, our attendees, and the public as a whole is our most important priority.
AltConf had planned to host events in San Jose, London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon, NYC, Tokyo, and São Paulo. None of the events will be made digital as AltConf is meant to be an in-person affair that's offered as an alternative to WWDC. With WWDC taking place in a digital capacity, everyone will have the same opportunities for attendance, networking, and learning what Apple has to offer in 2020.
According to Elkin, if there is a way to bring some of the satellite events to their cities in a safe way in 2020, that may happen, but for now, it's not the plan. There will, however, be AltConf events that will take place in 2021 alongside the WWDC 2021 event.
Chinese display maker BOE has partnered with touch panel maker General Interface Solutions as both companies aim to become suppliers of Apple's rumored 5.4-inch iPhone, according to a paywalled report from DigiTimes.
Apple plans to release four so-called iPhone 12 models with OLED displays in the fall, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. All of the devices are expected to support 5G and they may sport a new design that includes more of a flat edged metal frame like the iPad Pro or iPhone 4.
The new 5.4-inch iPhone would be the smallest iPhone that Apple has ever offered with a notched display. By comparison, the iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch display and the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch display. With a notch, slim bezels, and lack of a home button, the 5.4-inch iPhone would have an even smaller footprint than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8.
Whereas the highest-end iPhone 12 models are expected to sport triple-lens rear camera systems with a time-of-flight sensor for 3D sensing, mid-range models like the 5.4-inch iPhone are said to have a dual-lens array and, according to 9to5Mac, may lack 3D sensing.
