MacRumors

Look Around, a new iOS 13 Maps feature that's designed to provide a street level view of what's around you similar to Google's Street View is now available in Los Angeles and New York City.

At launch and during the iOS 13 beta testing period, Look Around in Maps was limited to the Bay Area of California, Las Vegas, and parts of Hawaii, but Apple is working to expand it to additional locations.

Look Around can be used across New York City, from Manhattan and the Bronx to Brooklyn and Queens, and it is also available in Los Angeles from Burbank to Long Beach to Pomona. It's not yet available in Anaheim, Riverside, and other cities further south.

Look Around can be used in the main Apple Maps view whenever there's a pair of binoculars visible. Tapping the binoculars icon launches into a close-up street level view of your location in a little card, which can be tapped again to get a full screen view of Look Around.

Look Around can also be brought up when searching for specific supported locations by tapping on the Look Around card in the search results.

When you're in Look Around mode, tapping on the display lets you move through the area, while tapping in a far off spot in the distance zooms in quickly in a little zoom maneuver that's fun to watch.

In Look Around mode, notable points of interest like restaurants, businesses, parks, and more are highlighted, but the view is limited to what can be captured from the street since it uses data captured from Apple's mapping vehicles.

Look Around will be expanding to additional locations in 2019 and 2020, and Apple is also still in the process of rolling out its updated maps. Just this morning, the updated maps feature came to New York City right ahead of Look Around.

For those interested in where the new Maps are available and where Look Around is rolling out, the MacRumors forums has a long thread where members share information when new maps features come to additional areas.

(Thanks, Alan and our other MacRumors forum members!)

Apple News+, Apple’s subscription news and magazine service, has launched for users who live in the UK and Australia, Apple announced today.

‌Apple News‌+ subscribers can access more than 150 publications in ‌Apple News‌+, with a one month free trial available to test the service before having to pay the £9.99 (UK) or $14.99 (Australia) monthly fee.

Available magazines and publications in the UK include The Times and The Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan UK, Elle UK, Esquire UK, FourFourTwo, Empire, Hello!, Cyclist and Grazia, plus US-based newspapers and magazines like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Vox and more.

Magazines and publications in Australia include The Australian, The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, The Advertiser, Vogue, Australian Women’s Health, Elle, The Australian Women’s Weekly, Harper’s Bazaar Australia, GQ, Australian Men’s Health, Delicious and Australian Geographic, plus US and UK-based newspapers and magazines.

‌Apple News‌+ has been available in the United States and Canada since March, and it is designed to present magazine and news content in a media rich format on iPhone and iPad. Apple said that ‌Apple News‌+ would come to the UK and Australia as part of iOS 13, though it is also available for those using iOS 12.2 or later and those using macOS 10.14.4 and later.

‌Apple News‌+ was built using Texture, a now-discontinued magazine subscription service that Apple purchased in 2018. It has thus far received some criticism for its formatting (not all publications support Apple’s media rich format) and for its confusing interface, though some improvements have been made since the U.S. launch.

For more on ‌Apple News‌+, make sure to check out our Apple News+ guide.

Apple today released iOS and iPadOS 13.1.2, updates to the iOS and iPadOS 13.1.1 software that was released on Friday.

The iOS and iPadOS 13.1.2 updates are available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

According to Apple's notes for the beta, the iOS 13.1.2 update introduces bug fixes for several issues, including problems with the camera, iCloud backup, flashlight, and more.

iOS 13.1.2 includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPhone. This update:
- Fixes a bug where the progress bar for iCloud Backup could continue to show after a successful backup
- Fixes an issue where Camera may not work
- Addresses an issue where the flashlight may not activate
- Fixes a bug that could result in a loss of display calibration data
- Fixes an issue where shortcuts could not be run from HomePod
- Addresses an issue where Bluetooth may disconnect on certain vehicles

There are also separate release notes for the iPadOS 13.1.2 update:

iPadOS 13.1.2 includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPad. This update:
- Fixes a bug where the progress bar for iCloud Backup could continue to show after a successful backup
- Fixes an issue where shortcuts could not be run from HomePod

iOS 13.1.1, released last Friday, was also a bug fix update and came after iOS 13.1, released a week ago.

Atlanta-based company Social Technologies LLC today filed a lawsuit against Apple that accuses the iPhone maker of falsely indicating that it holds the federal registration for the trademark Memoji in the United States.

Apple has included MEMOJI® in its U.S. trademark list on its website since June 2019, with the ® symbol signifying a federally registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, despite the federal registration for the trademark belonging to Social Technologies LLC and not Apple.

Of note, Apple has successfully registered the Memoji trademark in some countries outside the United States, and several foreign countries also use ® to indicate that a mark is registered in that country, but fine print on Apple's website says its list is for trademarks and service marks in the United States.

Memoji is the name of Apple's personalized emoji feature for iPhone and iPad, introduced as part of iOS 12 at WWDC 2018. Apple has applied for two trademarks for the feature with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but both are currently suspended due to ongoing litigation with Social Technologies LLC.

Social Technologies LLC offers an Android app named Memoji on the Google Play store, which it describes as "the world's best messaging app that will capture the facial expression of the end user with full-motion capabilities, and transpose the image into a custom, personalized emoji of the users actual face."

Social Technologies LLC already sued Apple for trademark infringement in September 2018, and alleges that Apple even unsuccessfully tried to purchase the rights to its then intent-to-use application in April 2016, yet Apple proceeded to add MEMOJI® to its trademark list in June 2019.

An excerpt from the complaint filed with a U.S. federal court in New York:

Social Tech visited Apple's Trademark List1 on June 17, 2019, a day before the deposition of Mr. Thomas La Perle, Apple's Senior Director of Copyright and Trademark in connection with Plaintiff's trademark infringement action against Apple in the Northern District of California. As of that date—June 17, 2019—MEMOJI was not listed on Apple's Trademark List.

However, immediately following Mr. La Perle's deposition, the Trademark List was updated to include the falsely designated MEMOJI® mark. On information and belief, Mr. La Perle orchestrated a scheme to undermine Social Tech's registered trademark rights and mislead the public by causing Apple to add the falsely designated mark to Apple’s Trademark List.

Social Technologies LLC is seeking an injunction to prohibit Apple from using the ® symbol in connection with Memoji, as well as an award of monetary damages and legal fees. The small company also wants a declaration that it owns the only federally registered Memoji trademark.

Update - Oct 1: Apple has replaced MEMOJI® with Memoji™ in its trademark list.

The full complaint, sent to us by law firm Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP, is embedded below.

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

Apple CEO Tim Cook has traveled to Germany this week to visit local Apple employees and App Store developers, and he even took a moment to celebrate the annual Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich.

Cook has so far met with Algoriddim, makers of the popular DJ and mixing app djay, as well as one of Apple's design teams. Continuing his tour, he later met with developers of the Blinkist reading app in Berlin.

In an interview with German publication Bild, Cook said iPhone 11 sales are off to a "very strong start" and he also confirmed interest in offering the Apple Card anywhere possible, including Germany, although this will take time due to various regulations in countries around the world.

On Tuesday, Cook made various stops in France.

Cook routinely travels to countries around the world for meet and greets, having visited Canada, China, France, Ireland, Italy, the United Kingdom, and many other countries during his eight-year tenure as Apple CEO.

Reiterating a prediction he shared in April, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Apple plans to release high-end iPad and MacBook models with Mini-LED displays between late 2020 and mid 2021.

In a research note for TF International Securities, seen by MacRumors, Kuo added that the iPad and MacBook displays will each use approximately 10,000 LEDs, compared to 576 in Apple's upcoming Pro Display XDR. Each LED is said to be below 200 microns in size, significantly smaller than those in the Pro Display XDR.

Kuo previously said the iPad and MacBook models will have 10-12 inch and 15-17 inch display sizes respectively, and he also expects them to be high-end devices due to costly Mini-LED display components. Altogether, that means these will likely be iPad Pro and MacBook Pro models, but Kuo has not specified.

Although mass production of medium-sized OLED displays has gradually improved, and the wide color gamut performance of OLED is comparable to that of Mini-LED, Kuo believes Mini-LED is Apple's first choice to avoid burn-in issues and to reduce its dependance on Samsung for supply of OLED displays.

LG Display will supply the Mini-LED display panels, while other Mini-LED component suppliers will include Epistar, Zhen Ding, Radiant Opto-Electronics, Nichia, Avary Holding, and TSMT, according to Kuo.

Kuo believes the Mini-LED displays will allow for thinner and lighter product designs, while also offering good wide color gamut performance, high contrast and HDR, and local dimming, which dims the backlight behind areas of the screen that are displaying black while keeping the bright parts of the screen bright.

Apple plans to release the iPad between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, followed by the MacBook between the first quarter and second quarter of 2021, according to Kuo.

After months of waiting and a design overhaul, Samsung's first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold, is now available to customers who want to shell out $1,980 for a device that can convert from a phone into a tablet.

We decided to pick up one of Samsung's folding smartphones to test it out to see if it's worth the price point, so check out our video for our Galaxy Fold unboxing and first impressions.

Samsung initially planned to release the Galaxy Fold in early 2019, but after providing the device to reviewers, a host of major issues were uncovered that impacted the durability and performance of the device.

Samsung ultimately canceled the Galaxy Fold's launch and went back to the drawing board to address some of the problems that led to multiple broken devices within a matter of days after reviewers received a review unit.

So the new Galaxy Fold is supposed to have a more durable display with a better protective layer (which some reviewers thought was meant to be removed on the original version) and a strengthened hinge to prevent breakage from dust and debris, and other durability changes.

Samsung's updated device, as we discovered, comes with a whole host of paperwork and instruction, which makes for an odd unboxing experience. The Galaxy Fold is still delicate enough that users need to be instructed in the specifics of how to use it without breaking it. Many of the instructions are also outlined in a Samsung video:

Basically Samsung warns Galaxy Fold owners to use a light touch when interacting with the device, avoid water and dust, avoid excessive pressure, and to keep it away from objects that can be damaged by magnets. It's unsettling getting such a long list of warnings with a new smartphone.

Design wise, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is massive in size and heavy compared to a standard smartphone, but that's no surprise since it unfolds from a thick 4.6-inch smartphone into a 7.3-inch tablet.

There are volume and power buttons on the right side along with a fingerprint sensor, which is best suited to a thumb due to its position. There's a triple-lens camera at the back, two front-facing cameras at the front when it's unfolded, and one other camera on the front above the display when folded.

The versatility of the Galaxy Fold is useful because the small 4.6-inch folded size is ideal for one-handed use, but then the 7.3-inch display is ideal for when you have the time and space to use the phone unfolded. It's an interesting compromise for those smartphone users who have always preferred a smaller form.

Using a folded phone in practice is novel and it's not quite like anything else that's out there. The 7.3-inch display looks great, and it's perfect for media consumption and multitasking. Typing with the keyboard works well despite the split design.

There are new T-shaped brackets at the top and bottom of the Galaxy Fold that are meant to address the hinge issues present in the prior Galaxy Fold design. It also looks more resistant to dust, and the built-in screen protector now extends to the hinges and can't be accidentally removed.

The crease in the middle of the Galaxy Fold isn't really noticeable in person when it's in use, and it mostly blends right in.

We've only had the Galaxy Fold for a couple of hours, so it remains to be seen how well it's going to hold up over time, but Samsung is now offering a $149 screen replacement program for those who experience issues.

Despite the improvements, we've already heard reports of durability issues. TechCrunch's Galaxy Fold, for example, already has a broken display even though it wasn't damaged. TechCrunch's Brian Heater says he believes pressing on the display to close it may have caused the damage.

Since the Galaxy Fold is priced starting at $2,000, it's a niche smartphone, but if it proves popular, folding display technology could be the future.

Rumors and patents suggest Apple has explored folding display technology for the iPhone, but there's thus far been no concrete evidence that Apple has plans to release an ‌iPhone‌ that folds in half.

LG recently rolled out a firmware update to customers who own an LG TV in the UHD UM7X series, enabling HomeKit and AirPlay 2 functionality. LG originally said that this firmware update would be available in October, but the software has come out early.

LG UHD UM7X TV owners can download the new 04.70.03 software update to enable the new functionality. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 and ‌HomeKit‌ support first began rolling out on LG TVs in July.

With ‌AirPlay‌ 2, LG TV users can stream TV shows and movies from an iOS or macOS device directly to the television, with no Apple TV set-top box required. A movie can be started on an iPhone and AirPlayed right to a TV, plus content can be mirrored from a Mac or iOS device to the TV.

‌AirPlay‌ 2 lets multiple audio sources to play the same content, so a song can be played on a single television set, multiple television sets, or a TV and other ‌AirPlay‌ 2 devices such as speakers for whole home audio.

The ‌AirPlay‌ 2 functionality in LG TVs is linked to ‌HomeKit‌, so LG TV sets with the new firmware will show up in the Home app on ‌iPhone‌, iPad, and Mac. In the Home app, LG TV users can do things like switch inputs, turn the television on and off, and adjust the volume. Siri can also be used for these commands, so a simple "Hey ‌Siri‌" voice request on an iOS or macOS device can adjust the volume or turn the TV on or off, much like other ‌HomeKit‌ products.

LG also plans to enable ‌HomeKit‌ and ‌AirPlay‌ 2 support on its LG UHD UM6X series television sets as well as the LG NanoCell SM83 series or below, but those software updates have yet to be released.

(Thanks, Samuel!)