Apple and investment bank Goldman Sachs plan to launch a joint credit card later this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The report claims the card will be rolled out to Apple employees for internal testing in the next few weeks and officially launch later this year. The card would be accessible through the Wallet app on iPhone, potentially with unique features for setting spending goals, tracking rewards, and managing balances.
Executives have discussed borrowing visual cues from Apple's fitness-tracking app, where "rings" close as users hit daily exercise targets, and sending users notifications about their spending habits. There also could be notifications based on analysis of cardholders' spending patterns, alerting them for example if they paid more than usual for groceries one week.
The card will be issued by Goldman Sachs and use Mastercard's payment network, according to the report. The card is said to offer around two percent cashback on most purchases and potentially more on Apple products and services.
Google Maps this week updated its iOS app with a new "Follow" feature, letting you keep track of events and news from your favorite local restaurants, bakeries, or bars. You can follow a location by searching for it in Google Maps on iOS, and then tapping "Follow" under the hours of operation.
After you follow a business, all of their updates then appear in the new "For You" tab of Google Maps. In this area, you can keep track of all the notable updates and promotions offered by the various companies you follow in the app.
This is a feature that has been on Google Maps for Android since last fall, and is now just rolling out to Apple device owners. It works in conjunction with Google's revamped My Business app, which also launched last fall, allowing businesses to post updates to their profiles on Google in the same fashion as a Facebook post or Tweet [Direct Link].
Because of this, many users can now turn to Google Maps as a sort of alternative to keeping up with their favorite local spots, if they've turned away from Facebook in recent months. These posts on Google Maps can include notifications about upcoming events, special offers for customers, menu updates, and more.
The Follow button in Google Maps is rolling out to all iOS users starting this week.
Apple Music vice president Oliver Schusser spoke with German blog Macerkopf this week, revealing that European developers have now earned over $25 billion from the App Store since its inception in 2008.
Schusser also noted that customers have downloaded and streamed over 50 billion episodes of 650,000 active shows on Apple Podcasts.
Apple provided MacRumors with Schusser's full remarks in English:
Our services division which includes the content stores, Apple Pay and iCloud storage is on target to be a $40 billion business annually. In January we announced developer earnings on the App Store have reached $120 billion. Payments to European developers have just passed $25 billion. Apple Music now has 50 million paid users around the world since launching just under 4 years ago. We're the the #1 music streaming service in the US and the leading music service globally on iPhone. Our customers love the amazing content, whether it's through playlists, Radio, Beats 1, or suggestions in For You. Apple Music was the first place to hear great new music from Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean to name a few last year. Beats 1 also hosts exclusive and popular artist-led shows from Drake, Nicki Minaj, Ezra Koenig, Lars Ulrich and Elton John. The final update I'd like to share today is around podcasting where our customers have downloaded and streamed over 50 billion episodes of 650,000 active shows on Apple Podcasts.
Apple recorded its biggest decline in iPhone sales for almost three years over the holiday quarter, according to new market research data by Gartner.
Apple sold 64 million iPhones in the fourth quarter of 2018, down from 73 million in Q4 2017. Those numbers followed a pattern of declining smartphone sales globally in Q4 2018, with growth of just 0.1 percent over the period and 408.4 million units shipped.
Despite retaining its second place position with 15.8 per cent market share behind market leader Samsung (17.3 percent), Apple bared the brunt of the decline, seeing its 18 percent global market share in Q4 2017 reduced to 16 percent in Q4 2018.
The analyst firm said iPhone sales were hit hardest in Greater China, where it found Apple's market share dropped to 8.8 percent in Q4, down from 14.6 percent in Q4 2017. Samsung also recorded a smaller market share over the holiday period year on year, recording 17 percent, down from 18 percent in 2017.
Third-placed Huawei closed the gap on Apple by selling 60 million phones in Q4 2018, up from 44 million in Q4 2017, expanding its share from 10.8 percent in Q4 2017 to 14.8 percent. Oppo, in fourth, registered 7.6 percent, up from 7.3 percent in Q4 2017, while Xiaomi took a 6.8 percent share, down slightly from 6.9 percent the previous holiday quarter.
"Demand for entry-level and midprice smartphones remained strong across markets, but demand for high-end smartphones continued to slow in the fourth quarter of 2018," said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner. "Slowing incremental innovation at the high end, coupled with price increases, deterred replacement decisions for high-end smartphones."
For 2018 as a whole, global smartphone sales grew by 1.2 percent year on year, with 1.6 billion units shipped. Market leader Samsung saw a 1.9 percent decline in share and Apple lost 0.6 percent over the previous year, but Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo all saw overall gains of 3.2 percent, 2.1 percent, and 0.3 percent, respectively.
According to Gartner, Chinese brands actually boosted their overall sales thanks to broad appeal in emerging markets like China and India, while the worst declines of the year took place in North America and mature Asia/Pacific market regions.
Beyond the overall slowdown in the smartphone market, Gartner put Apple's poor quarterly performance down to buyers delaying upgrades and compelling alternatives from Chinese vendors.
"Apple has to deal not only with buyers delaying upgrades as they wait for more innovative smartphones, but it also continues to face compelling high-price and midprice smartphone alternatives from Chinese vendors. Both these challenges limit Apple’s unit sales growth prospects," said Gupta.
Last month, Apple issued a rare warning that revenue for the quarter would come in at least $5 billion below the company's original guidance, with Apple pointing to a number of factors including the later launch of the iPhone XR, general weakness in China, and fewer upgrades as customers took advantage of Apple's reduced pricing on battery replacements in 2018 to extend the lives of their current phones.
Apple later posted revenue of $84.31 billion and net quarterly profit of $19.965 billion, compared to revenue of $88.3 billion and net quarterly profit of $20.1 billion, in the year-ago quarter. However, even with the earnings warning, the quarter was the second-best in Apple's history in terms of overall revenue and profit, trailing only the first fiscal quarter of 2018.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that the company is "rethinking" iPhone prices outside of the United States and may lower prices to boost sales. Apple has already started lowering the price of the iPhone for third-party distributors in China, and price cuts could also be introduced in other areas like India and Brazil, where the iPhone is prohibitively expensive and has seen stalled growth due to high pricing.
Fast Company today published its annual rankings of the 50 most innovative companies in the world, with Apple dropping from 2018's top spot to 17th place this year.
According to the rankings, the most innovative company for 2019 is Chinese tech firm Meituan Dianping, which "expedites the booking and delivery of services such as food, hotel stays, and movie tickets." In 2018, the platform facilitated $33.8 billion in transactions for more than 350 million people in 2,800 cities.
Other companies in the top five include Singapore-based ride-hailing company Grab, NBA, The Walt Disney Company, and women's fishing e-commerce service Stitch Fix. Square, Oatly, Twitch, Shopify, and Alibaba Group also filled positions higher than Apple, whose in-house processor achievements in 2018 were highlighted:
Apple's most impressive new product of 2018 wasn't a phone or a tablet, but a chip: the A12 Bionic. Debuting in last fall's iPhones, it's the industry's first processor based on a seven-nanometer manufacturing process. The A12's 6.9 billion transistors deliver dramatically faster performance, lower power consumption, and more raw muscle for intensive applications.
Last year Apple was given first place for its 2017 accomplishments, which included the iPhone X, the Apple Watch Series 3, ARKit, and its work to improve medical care with CareKit and ResearchKit. The year previous it was ranked the number four most valuable company.
To create these rankings, Fast Company says that more than three dozen editors, reporters, and contributors surveyed thousands of companies to identify the most notable innovations of the year and trace their impact on businesses, industries, and the larger culture.
In addition to a master list, Fast Company publishes a breakdown of most innovative companies by sector. Apple topped the list in the "Consumer Electronics" category, beating out companies like Google, Microsoft, and Dell.
Twitter today launched its Twitter Prototype Program and is accepting applications from people who want to beta test new Twitter features on iOS devices. Twitter's tests will be done through a new app called Twttr rather than in the existing Twitter app.
The first feature Twitter plans to test is a new design for conversations, which will make it easier to follow replies to an initial tweet.
Twitter asks beta testing applicants for their user name, which device they most often use Twitter on, primary language, and country of residence.
Want to help us build some new Twitter features?
We want it to be easier to read, understand, and join conversations — and we’d love to know what you think.
Sign up to be one of the first to try out our new prototype app, twttr. #LetsHaveAConvo
— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) February 20, 2019
After filling out the form, the company says users who have applied will receive an update on application status within a few weeks.
Shazam, the song discovery app that's now owned by Apple, received a minor bug fix update last week, which, according to AppFigures, removes all third-party SDKs.
Shazam for iOS is no longer using ad networks, analytics trackers, or open-source utilities that had the potential to provide app usage data to third-party companies.
Admob, Bolts, Doubleclick, FB Ads, FB Analytics, FB login, Inmobi, IAS, Moat, and Mopub SDKS were all eliminated in the update. The only third-party SDK still in the Shazam iOS app is HockeyApp, which is a Microsoft testing app similar to TestFlight.
Multiple third-party SDKs were also uninstalled on Android, though some services remain in place.
Following the completion of its acquisition of Shazam in September, Apple pulled ads from the app and made it ad free. Prior to Apple's purchase of Shazam, the app featured several advertisements.
macOS, the operating system that runs on Apple's Macs, has tons of hidden shortcuts, keyboard commands, and features that have gone under the radar. In our latest video over on our YouTube channel, we dug deep into macOS and came up with a list of useful but lesser known tips and tricks.
You might think you know everything there is to know about the Mac, but we bet there's something new here you've never come across or have forgotten over time, so make sure to check out our video.
Continuity Camera - In macOS Mojave, Apple introduced a feature that lets you take a photo on an iPhone or iPad and have it ported over to the Mac into the document or app of your choosing. To get to Continuity Camera in any app where it's supported, go to Edit > Insert From Your iPhone or iPad. From there, choose "Take Photo" or "Scan Document," and it will automatically activate the camera on your iOS device so you can snap a quick photo. You can also right click in most documents to bring up a menu with the option.
Password Protect a Folder - Your Mac is protected by a password, but you can add an extra layer of security by password protecting any folder. To do it, open up Disk Utility, select "File" from the menu, choose "New Image" and then "Image from Folder." From there, select the folder you want to protect and create a password. Delete the original folder, and you'll need to enter a password when opening the new folder.
Custom Lock Screen Message - There's an option in macOS to create a custom message that shows up on the Lock screen, which is useful if you misplace your Mac because you can put in a phone number and an email address that people will see right when it's opened up. To get to it, go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General > Set Lock Message.
Emoji Quick Access - It can be a chore to add emojis to documents, texts, and social media on macOS going through the menu insert options, but there's a keyboard command that will bring up the macOS emoji selector interface in any app. Just press Control, Command, and Space Bar all at once.
WiFi Passwords in Keychain - Want to find a lost password for a WiFi network you've connected to before? It's stored right on your Mac in Keychain. Open up Keychain Access, choose System, and locate the WiFi name you're looking for. Right click on it (or double click), choose "Get Info," and then select "Show Password."
Copy Paste Screenshots - You can take and share a screenshot without cluttering up your desktop using the hidden screenshot copy paste feature. Hold Command + Control + Shift + 4, select what you want to screenshot, and it's copied to your clipboard. From there, you can paste it within any app, and there's no screenshot on your desktop when you're done.
Messages Screen Sharing - Need to help a parent or a friend with an issue on the Mac? You can use Messages to access their screen to make it easier. Just open up Messages, select the name of the person you want to help, and then click on "Details." Click on the screen sharing icon to connect. You can also click on "Buddies" at the top to get more screen sharing options.
Have other useful Mac tips that we didn't share here? Let us know in the comments and we might include them in a future tips and tricks video.
Apple today released a white paper outlining its self-driving car testing procedures as required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [PDF via CNET].
The short seven-page document is scant on details about Apple's autonomous car project, but the company says that it is "excited about the potential of automated systems" in many areas, including transportation.
Apple believes autonomous driving systems have the potential to "enhance the human experience" through road safety improvements, increased mobility, and broad social benefits.
Each vehicle that's deployed (Apple uses Lexus SUVs outfitted with LiDAR equipment) is put through "rigorous verification testing" using simulation and closed-course proving grounds.
Apple explains how its autonomous vehicles work, which is basic self-driving vehicle functionality. The software senses what's around it, such as other vehicles, bicycles, or pedestrians using LiDAR, radar, and cameras before a planning component pulls that information together to predict what will happen next.
Using this information, Apple's system delivers commands for the steering, braking, and propulsion systems.
Apple analyzes every action that the system takes, especially scenarios and malfunctions where the safety driver is required to take over. Apple vehicles were in two accidents in 2018, though neither was the fault of the self-driving system and self-driving mode was only activated in one instance.
Every new autonomous driving feature implemented sees rigorous verification testing using test scenarios crafted from data gathered on public roads.
All proposed changes to our ADS software are first subjected to rigorous and comprehensive simulation testing that evaluates the software against predetermined criteria. After passing these simulation tests, the entire system then undergoes on-road testing at closed-course proving grounds. Software changes may be nominated for operation on public roads only after passing this array of extensive simulations and closed-course proving ground tests.
Software that passes to public road testing is incrementally deployed across the test vehicle fleet, with each stage monitored and analyzed. Additionally, changes deemed safety-critical undergo an extra phase of testing conducted by our most experienced drivers and operators.
All in all, Apple's white paper is rather dull and contains information shared by most companies that operate self-driving vehicles, but there are some interesting tidbits and insights into the company's focus on safety and secrecy.
All vehicles go through daily inspections and functionality checks before each outing, and Apple holds daily meetings with safety drivers to review software information and test routes.
Each vehicle is monitored by a safety driver and an operator, with Apple's safety drivers required to undergo rigorous training that includes a defensive driving course, classroom instruction, simulations, operational training, and supervised public road driving.
Drivers must keep both hands on the wheel at all times, work one shift per day, and are required to take frequent rest breaks to stay alert while driving.
Apple is still in the early stages of development on its autonomous driving software, and rumors have suggested the company could potentially release some kind of vehicle in 2023 to 2025.
Vehicles are equipped with a "persistent visual display" of the systems' mode, visible and audible signals when the system returns control to the safety driver, and "multiple, redundant, and fault-tolerant" mechanisms for taking control of the vehicle. Steering, braking, and acceleration commands have set limits to ensure actions can be safely anticipated and interrupted by the driver.
As of February 27, 2019, Apple is requiring that all Developer accounts with an Account Holder role be secured with two-factor authentication in order to ensure that only the account owner is able to sign into the account.
Two-factor authentication involves a pop-up code being generated on trusted devices linked to an Apple ID any time a login attempt is made unless you've logged with that same browser within the past 30 days and selected the option to trust it. That verification code from the trusted device must then be entered for the login to be approved.
The requirement has caused some confusion among developers who have multiple Apple IDs, particularly those who use a dedicated Apple ID for their Developer account that is separate from their primary iCloud account used on their devices.
Apple has posted a developer support document that outlines a few ways to enable two-factor authentication on a non-primary Apple ID, but Apple's suggestion for iOS involves signing out of your primary iCloud account. That can be a hassle as your phone unsyncs and tries to delete content associated with that account, so it's better to use other methods if you can.
Turning on two-factor authentication for an alternate Apple ID and getting it to work properly with trusted iOS devices without signing out of your primary Apple ID requires a few steps, but once they're done the feature should work seamlessly.
Activating Two-Factor Authentication on an Alternate Apple ID
For this portion of the process, you'll need access to a Mac where you have permissions to create new user accounts.
Open System Preferences and click on Users & Groups.
Click the lock at the bottom left corner and enter your administrator password to allow changes.
At the bottom of the user list on the left, click the + button and set up a new Standard user account, entering a name, account name, and password and clicking on "Create User."
If you have fast user switching activated, click on your name or icon near the right side of the menu bar, and choose the new user account you just set up. If fast user switching is not active, you'll need to either turn it on in the Login Options section of Users & Groups in System Preferences or completely log out of your current account and then choose the new account.
Enter the password to log into the new account, and skip through the setup steps as quickly as possible, unchecking options or selecting "set up later" for various features whenever possible.
Once the user account is configured and you've reached the Mac desktop, head to System Preferences and click on iCloud.
Sign in with the Apple ID you want to activate two-factor authentication for. Once you've entered the password, the system will ask if you want to set up two-factor authentication. Select Continue.
Enter a phone number where you can receive a text message or phone call to verify your identity.
When you receive a verification code at that number, enter it on your Mac and finish the setup steps, unchecking all options. Two-factor authentication is now up and running on your Mac for your desired Apple ID. Keep this user account open on your Mac for the next step unless you want to use a text message verification code to the phone number you entered as a fallback.
Setting Up an iPhone or iPad as a Trusted Device
You don't want to leave this unneeded user account up and running on your Mac as the only method for approving logins that doesn't require a text message, so you'll want to set up an iPhone or iPad as a trusted device for this Apple ID.
Open the Settings app on your iOS device and tap on Passwords & Accounts
Tap on Add Account and choose iCloud, then enter the Apple ID and password for the account you just set up two-factor authentication for on your Mac. You'll be prompted for verification, which should pop up on your Mac where you can allow the login and view the verification code to enter on your iOS device. (If you already logged out of or deleted the Mac user account, you can choose the "Didn't get a verification code" option and select "Text Me" to receive a code via SMS.)
Once you're authenticated, the Apple ID login will finish and you'll be offered a list of iCloud features including Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Reminders on your iOS device. Turn all of these toggles off and tap Save.
Your Developer Apple ID account is now logged in on your iOS device and it can receive verification requests whenever you try to log into that Apple ID. It will show as "Inactive" in the account list on your device because all of the iCloud features of the account have been toggled off.
The final step of the process is to clean up the Mac you used to turn on two-factor authentication. Log out of the account on the Mac, switch to an account with administrator privileges, head back to the Users & Groups section of System Preferences, click on the lock to allow changes, highlight the temporary account you agreed, and hit the minus button. Choose to delete the account entirely rather than archiving it, and you're done.
If you'd like to also be able to approve logins and generate verification codes from your Mac, you can log into the alternate ID from your main Mac account. The steps are similar to the ones for setting up an iPhone or iPad as a trusted device for a secondary Apple ID: Go to System Preferences > Internet Accounts, and add your developer Apple ID as another iCloud account. Don't forget to uncheck all of the iCloud services to make it inactive so that it's only used for approving two-factor requests on that account.
The Galaxy Buds are Samsung's new wire-free earbuds, similar to the AirPods. Samsung focused on sound with the Galaxy Buds, partnering with AKG. An Enhanced Ambient Sound feature allows users to better hear their surroundings with the earbuds in the ears, and an Adaptive Dual Microphone provides clear voice in loud and quiet environments alike.
Samsung says the Galaxy Buds are 30 percent smaller and lighter than the previous-generation earbuds, making them Samsung's most compact wearable earbuds yet. The battery in the Galaxy Buds supports 5 hours of calls or six hours of music on one charge.
There's a wireless charging case that's used to charge the Galaxy Buds, and it can be charged using any Qi-based wireless charger. It can also be charged via a Galaxy S10 smartphone using the new wireless PowerShare feature.
The Galaxy Buds support Bixby integration for making calls, sending text messages, checking battery level, and more.
Samsung's Galaxy Buds come in three colors -- white, yellow, and black -- and will be available for purchase on March 8. The Galaxy Buds will be priced at $129.99, but customers who pre-order a Galaxy S10 or S10+ can get a free pair of Galaxy Buds.
Along with the Galaxy Buds, Samsung today also unveiled two new wrist-worn devices, the Galaxy Watch Active and the Galaxy Fit. The Galaxy Watch Active is a round smart watch with a minimal design, featuring blood pressure monitoring, heart rate monitoring, stress checking and breathing exercises, fitness tracking, and Bixby integration.
The Galaxy Fit is a thin, lightweight wearable that's made for activity tracking. It features automatic workout tracking, heart rate monitoring, built-in alerts and messages, data like weather, calendar, and alarms from your smartphone, and more.
The Galaxy Watch Active will be available starting on March 8 for $200, while the Galaxy Fit is coming in the second quarter of 2019.
At an "Unpacked" event in San Francisco, California, Samsung today unveiled its 2019 device lineup, with a range of smartphones that will be competing with Apple's 2018 and 2019 devices.
Samsung's biggest announcement was the impressive Galaxy Fold, that can transform from a 4.6-inch smartphone to a 7.3-inch tablet for $1,980, but Samsung also had a whole line of other smartphones, including the Galaxy S10 and S10+.
Both devices use an "Infinity-O" display with smaller camera cutouts. The 6.1-inch Galaxy S10 has a super small hole punch cutout at the top of the display for the 10-megapixel camera, while the 6.4-inch Galaxy S10+, which has two cameras (8 and 10 megapixels) and an RGB depth sensor for adjusting depth of field, has a slightly larger oval-shaped cutout.
The display maxes out at 1,200 nits of brightness, which beats the iPhone, and it offers 60 million colors at 100 percent accuracy. It supports HDR10+ and cuts down on blue light by 44 percent for more comfortable viewing.
Underneath the display of the S10 and S10+ is an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for biometric security. Samsung says that because it uses ultrasonic technology, it works well in bright light and in wet conditions. Samsung is using "vault-like security" for more protection.
The new smartphones come in different glass finishes, and there's also a premium ceramic option in black or white.
There's a triple-rear camera system in the S10 smartphones, with a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide 120 degree lens for wider-angle landscape shots. It's able to record video in HDR10+ and features advanced stabilization.
The Galaxy S10 features a 3,400mAh battery, while the S10+ has a 4,100mAh battery. The S10 has 128 and 512GB storage options, as does the S10+, but the S10+ also has a premium tier 1TB storage option.
Samsung's new devices feature a Wireless PowerShare option that lets a Samsung smartphone wirelessly charge another device such as a second Samsung phone or Samsung's upcoming earbuds.
Pricing on the S10 starts at $900, while the S10+ starts at $1,000.
Along with the Galaxy S10 and S10+, Samsung is introducing two other smartphones that are lower and higher-end. The Galaxy S10e, a lower-cost device that sounds like an iPhone XR competitor, features a 5.8-inch display and a $750 price tag. It features just two rear cameras and a 3,100mAh battery.
On the high end, Samsung debuted the Galaxy S10 5G, a smartphone that features a 6.7-inch display, 5G connectivity, and all of the other bells and whistles of the S10 lineup. It features 256GB of storage and a 10-megapixel front-facing camera with a 3D depth sensor, and instead of three rear cameras, it has four: a telephoto, a wide-angle, an ultra wide-angle, and a 3D Depth camera.
Samsung will accept pre-orders for the Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+ starting on February 21, with the smartphones set to launch on March 8. The higher-end Galaxy S10 5G will launch in the second quarter of 2019, with pricing not yet announced.
At its Unpacked 2019 event that took place in San Francisco today, Samsung officially unveiled its foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Fold is a powerful smartphone and a revolutionary tablet all in one, a device that "defies category."
When folded up, the Galaxy Fold has a 4.6-inch display that's designed to fit in the palm of a hand, and when opened up, it has a 7.3-inch display that's tablet sized. It works with a hidden hinge with gears that are under the display. You can't see the hinge, providing a seamless look for the device.
Described as a luxury device, the Galaxy Fold comes in four colors: black, silver, green, and blue, and with some color options, the outside hinge shade can be customized.
Samsung worked with Google to create apps optimized for the dual-display fold, which supports a feature called App Continuity to keep the same apps open regardless of whether the Galaxy Fold is open or closed. With Google Maps, for example, in a folded mode you can see the map, but if you open it up, you can see a whole lot more.
Inside, there's a 7-nanometer processor, 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, with Samsung describing it as one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. There's a 4,380mAh battery, which is actually two batteries on either side of the hinge.
It has six cameras -- three on the back, two on the inside, and one on the front so it can capture images no matter which way it's folded.
Galaxy Fold comes in two versions, one with LTE and one with 5G. Pricing starts at a whopping $1,980 and it will be available starting on April 26. It will ship with Samsung's upcoming AirPods competitors, the Galaxy Buds.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.2 update to its public beta testing group, one day after providing the beta to developers and a week after releasing the second tvOS 12.2 public beta.
The tvOS 12.2 public beta can be obtained by going to the Settings app on the Apple TV and navigating to the Software Updates section under "System." "Get Public Beta Updates" will need to be toggled on, and once it is, the Apple TV will download the beta software.
tvOS 12.2, paired with iOS 12.2, lets users ask Siri to play specific media on an Apple TV from an iOS device. You can, for example, ask Siri to play Modern Family on the TV in the living room. This works for music and TV content.
No other new features were discovered in the tvOS 12.2 beta as of yet, and it's often difficult to determine what's new because Apple does not provide release notes letting us know what's changed.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 76 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Dark Mode, WebRTC, Web API, CSS, Rendering, Payment Request, Media, and Web Inspector.
The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave, the newest version of the Mac operating system that was released to the public in September 2018.
Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Apple today released the third beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to its public beta testing group, one day after seeding the third beta to developers and two weeks after releasing the second public beta.
Beta testers who have joined Apple's beta testing program will receive the iOS 12.2 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.
Those who want to download the new beta can do so after signing up for the beta program, which gives access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.
The iOS 12.2 update expands Apple News to Canada for the first time, with Canadian iPhone and iPad users able to access news stories in English, French, or both. It introduces infrastructure for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on third-party TVs, a feature announced in early January.
The TV remote feature in Control Center has been redesigned to take up the full display of an iPhone (with further tweaks introduced in the third beta), and there are tweaks to the Wallet app with a refined interface and a new look for Apple Pay Cash. Changes have been made to Safari with warnings about unsecured websites and new search arrows, and there's now a setting to set Downtime for apps on a day by day basis.
Apple is improving Safari's privacy in iOS 12.2 through a new Motion & Orientation toggle located under Settings --> Safari --> Privacy & Security, which is disabled by default. The setting needs to be enabled on to allow websites to display content that relies on motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope in the iPhone and iPad.
There are new Animoji in the second iOS 12.2 beta, including a boar, a shark, a giraffe, and an owl. Animoji can be used within the Messages and FaceTime apps. For some AT&T users, there's a new "5G E" icon for the cellular signal, replacing the standard LTE icon. This is a bit misleading of AT&T, because the iPhone does not support 5G, nor is the network AT&T calls 5G E actual 5G. Instead, it's an upgraded version of LTE, with more info available here.
The third beta revamps the Remote in Control Center with a darker interface, changes the logo of Apple News, tweaks the About screen, and includes a new feature that will offer Today at Apple session suggestions via Siri. It also fixes the Group FaceTime bug and reenables Group FaceTime for beta users, and it fixes that pesky Lock screen bug that replaced battery charge with the date.
For a full list of everything new in the third beta, make sure to check out our iOS 12.2 beta 3 tidbits post. A complete list of all of the new features found in iOS 12.2 so far can be found in our full iOS 12.2 overview.
The iOS 12.2 update will likely see several rounds of beta testing over the course of the next month or so before it launches to the public.
Satechi has offered a few options for iMac stands over the past few years, allowing customers a chance to elevate their iMac for a more ergonomic workspace, and gain access to a limited number of ports.
Now Satechi has released the Type-C Aluminum Monitor Stand Hub for iMac, an all-new iMac stand that is a bit of a combination of the two previous accessories, offering a greater number of useful ports and some added height under your iMac.
Design
Satechi's new iMac stand is designed with a brushed aluminum finish and unibody construction, perfectly matching any modern iMac with a silver aluminum finish. The front plate of the stand is matte black, mirroring the silver and black colors of the iMac, and this area is where you'll find the stand's seven ports. There's also a very faint white LED to the right of the ports that indicates a successful connection to the iMac.
In total, there is a microSD card slot, SD card slot, audio jack, three USB-A ports, and one USB-C data port (not meant for fast charging). The stand itself has a USB-C cable to connect to Thunderbolt 3-enabled iMacs, and it comes with a small USB-C to USB-A dongle adapter so it's essentially compatible with any iMac. As a note, I have a late 2015 27-inch Retina iMac, and have not faced any issues with the adapter and ports on the Satechi stand.
In terms of height, Satechi's accessory sits about 1.63 inches tall, with small rubber feet that ensure your entire workstation is stable after placing the iMac on the stand (max load being 50 lbs). There aren't any storage compartments or drawers in Satechi's stand, but the small amount of empty space created between your desk and the underneath of the stand does provide a little hidey hole perfect for external storage, flash drives, and other small devices.
There is also no locking mechanism to keep the base of the iMac in place on top of the stand. The iMac still sits securely in place given how heavy it is, but if you were to provide force against the iMac it does brush pretty easily along the silver aluminum of Satechi's stand. Some sort of rubberized coating at the center of the top of the stand could have alleviated this a bit.
Port Use
I've been in the market for a USB hub for my workstation for a few months now, mainly because the angle of my iMac to a nearby wall makes it difficult to gain access to the computer's rear-facing ports. Satechi's device has solved this in one go, providing more than enough ports for my day-to-day use.
All three USB-A ports worked as expected during my testing, registering on my iMac desktop just as they would when plugged into the back of the computer. The USB-C port is aimed only at data transfers and is not meant for charging, although I was able to charge my iPhone X with a USB-C to Lightning cable. Still, this was not fast charging as that method of charging is not supported through Satechi's accessory, because the device doesn't support the USB-C power delivery protocol.
The Satechi stand is perfect for adding some charge onto your iPhone while you work via the USB-A ports, and you can expect typical refuel times through basic Lightning to USB-A cables. The USB ports provide up to 5 Gbps of speed, so the accessory is great for basic needs but anyone looking for faster USB connections might be left disappointed.
A big drawback to the stand's design is that all of this port access will immediately clutter your workspace if your keyboard sits directly in front of it. Any flash drive inserted into the stand, or charging cable tied to your nearby iPhone, will easily come into contact with your keyboard.
It's easy enough to reorient the stand to your benefit, pushing it back to clear up space for a flash drive and tucking some cable into the space underneath the stand, but it's definitely a downside for anyone who dislikes visual clutter on their desk.
Satechi vs. Twelve South
I've been using Twelve South's original HiRise iMac Stand essentially the entire time I've had my 2015 iMac, and there was barely any adjustment period going from the HiRise to the Satechi stand. Twelve South's HiRise is just under 3.5 inches tall and has adjustable brackets for numerous height levels, so it provides more options for my iMac compared to the Satechi stand.
Satechi Type-C Stand (left) and Twelve South HiRise (right)
But, going too tall for your computer monitor isn't a good idea, and I had my Twelve South HiRise sitting at around the middle bracket, which was nearly the exact height of the Satechi dock, just a bit taller. In general, a good rule of thumb to follow for an ergonomic workspace is to place your monitor so that the top of the display is about level with your eyes, and your neck is bent slightly to read the middle of the screen.
Following this rule, Satechi's stand was essentially perfect for my height. It's felt comfortable to work on the past few weeks, and I haven't once felt neck strain due to the position of my monitor (which I would prior to owning the HiRise). The downside is that Satechi doesn't allow you to customize the height, so the accessory might not exactly be for everyone of all height levels, but its default position should hit the sweet spot for most people.
The main thing I miss when not using the HiRise is its enclosed compartment, where I could hide flash drives, external storage, an Apple TV remote, and some of my favorite Apple Watch bands. The trade off of having USB ports on the Satechi stand is something that will likely benefit me more in the long run, so as of now I've decided to keep the Satechi dock under my iMac for the near future.
Bottom Line
The Satechi Type-C Stand for iMac is a great, versatile accessory with plenty of easy access to useful USB ports and an ergonomic height bonus for anyone who works on an iMac all day. It lacks the hidden compartment organization and customizable height options of rival accessories like the Twelve South HiRise, but the option of having front-facing USB ports on an iMac workstation will likely outweigh the negatives for many users.
You can buy the Satechi Type-C Stand for iMac in Silver or Space Gray for $89.99 on the company's website.
Note: Satechi provided MacRumors with a Silver Type-C Stand Hub for iMac for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Satechi. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
British audio equipment maker Bowers & Wilkins is expected to release its first AirPlay 2-enabled receivers in the near future.
A pair of new Bowers & Wilkins receivers named Formation Audio and Formation Duo are listed as "coming soon" in Apple's recently updated list of HomeKit and AirPlay accessories. Bowers & Wilkins releasing receivers is interesting in itself, as the company is better known for high-fidelity speakers and headphones.
Bowers & Wilkins has yet to announce the products, but we did find a cached GDPR-related fair processing notice page on its website from December 2018 that mentions a line of Formation products, including the Formation Duo, Formation Audio, Formation Bar, Formation Wedge, and Formation Bass.
AirPlay 2 would allow the receivers to work with other AirPlay 2 devices such as the HomePod, the Apple TV, and Sonos speakers. AirPlay 2 receivers also appear in Apple's Home app across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
Bowers & Wilkins, acquired by Eva Automation in 2016, will join Denon and Marantz, Bluesound, and Naim in offering AirPlay 2 receivers.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Apple today 
