Satechi today announced the launch of a new Aluminum Type-C PD & QC Wireless Charger that's designed to charge iPhone and Android devices at their maximum wireless charging speeds.
For iPhones, that means the wireless charger will offer 7.5W charging speeds, while Android devices will charge at up to 10W.
Satechi's new wireless charger is a flat charger that's made from silver or space gray aluminum with a black mat at the top to keep the smartphone from shifting around while charging.
According to Satechi, the wireless charger has multiple safety features built in, including temperature protection and foreign object detection that will turn the charger off if unwanted metal objects or temperature spikes are detected.
An integrated LED light is included to let users know when a device is charging, and light color will vary based on charging speed.
Satechi's Aluminum Type-C PD & QC Wireless Charger can be purchased from the Satechi website or from Amazon for $44.99. A quick charge adapter is not included and will need to be purchased separately for maximum charging speeds.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Last month, a person wearing an Apple Maps backpack with LiDAR equipment was spotted at the intersection of Stockton and Sutter streets in San Francisco, suggesting Apple now has employees collecting street-level data on foot.
Apple Maps employee with a LiDAR-equipped backpack via Dante Cesa
Apple has since confirmed that its Maps team will be collecting pedestrian data in California over the next month, starting with the counties of Alameda, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara, the last of which includes the likes of San Jose and Apple's hometown of Cupertino.
The pedestrian-based street-level data will likely be used to improve walking directions in Apple Maps, as part of Apple's plans to rebuild the app "from the ground up" with its own first-party data, starting in California.
"We wanted to take this to the next level," said Apple Maps chief Eddy Cue, in an interview with TechCrunch in June. "We have been working on trying to create what we hope is going to be the best map app in the world, taking it to the next step. That is building all of our own map data from the ground up."
As part of the revamp, Apple Maps will begin to feature pedestrian pathways that are commonly walked but previously unmapped. Apple Maps will also more accurately display foliage like grass and trees, buildings, parking lots, sports fields, and more, with many of these improvements already available in California in iOS 12.
Apple said the improvements will extend across the United States over the next year, but there is no timeline for a broader rollout. The ball is rolling internationally, as Apple Maps vehicles have surveyed parts of Croatia, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
In recent weeks, Apple slashed production orders for its latest iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models due to "lower-than-expected demand," among other reasons, according to unnamed sources cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The report claims the production cuts have hit the iPhone XR hardest, with Apple said to have slashed its production plan for the device by "up to a third of the approximately 70 million units" it had asked some suppliers to produce between September and February, amounting to a reduction of up to 23.3 million units or so.
And in the past week, the report claims Apple told several suppliers that it cut its production plan again for the iPhone XR, as it battles a mature smartphone market and increasing competition from Chinese vendors like Huawei.
The production cuts are said to have "reignited frustration" among iPhone suppliers and "raised worries about Apple's ability to forecast demand."
We've heard this narrative before. Last year, a flurry of reports variously referred to the iPhone X as a "failure," "disappointment," and "flop." Another report said the iPhone X "did not live up to the hype." Yet, the iPhone X went on to become not only the top-selling iPhone at Apple, but in the entire world.
Apple also reported record-breaking iPhone revenue of $61.5 billion in the iPhone X launch quarter, so the device was anything but a flop.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has dismissed these kind of reports in the past. During an earnings call in January 2013, he noted that the company's supply chain is very complex and that conclusions shouldn't be drawn from singular data points:
Even if a particular data point were factual, it would be impossible to interpret that data point as to what it meant to our business. The supply chain is very complex and we have multiple sources for things. Yields can vary, supplier performance can vary. There is an inordinate long list of things that can make any single data point not a great proxy for what is going on.
Apple's financial chief Luca Maestri has also cautioned about trying to determine iPhone demand based on potentially misleading supply chain reports.
It is possible, however, that Apple is increasingly struggling to forecast iPhone demand. Today's report claims that Apple was "excessively optimistic" about its initial production forecast for the iPhone X, which it proceeded to slash "by some 20 million units" for the first three months of 2018.
Unfortunately, iPhone sales will be less transparent going forward, as Apple announced that it will no longer disclose iPhone unit sales in its earnings reports starting with the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year.
Justifying the move, Maestri said unit sales are "not particularly relevant for our company at this point," as they are "not necessarily representative of the underlying strength of our business." He added that Apple may provide qualitative commentary related to unit sales if the info is valuable to investors.
Apple will still disclose iPhone revenue on a quarterly basis, however, and any significant year-over-year decline in that amount would help indicate if iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR demand is truly lower than expected.
AAPL is down nearly 15 percent since Apple's earnings report on November 1.
PayPal on eBay today is offering $100 App Store and iTunes gift cards for $85, marking the latest 15 percent discount on the cards and a good chance for those who have been waiting on a deal to get free iTunes credit. While the sale lasts, anyone with a PayPal account can take advantage of the deal, and you'll receive the code for the iTunes credit via email within a few hours after the purchase.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The gift card will be valid only on purchases made in the United States App and iTunes Stores. Like all iTunes gift card sales, this is a great opportunity to stock up on iTunes credit at a reduced price, which you can put towards third-party app subscriptions like Netflix and Hulu, iTunes movie rentals, iBooks purchases, and your Apple Music subscription. As the holidays approach, this is also a good time to stock up on gifts for friends, or store the credit in your own iTunes account for Apple's yearly movie discounts.
PayPal's iTunes gift card sales can last anywhere from a few hours to a day or two, so be sure to head over to the Digital Gifts eBay store and pick up your iTunes gift card while the discount lasts.
Since we're just four days out from Black Friday, it's also worth noting that more Black Friday sales have appeared at a few retailers, including an Early Access sale for My Best Buy members at Best Buy. This event has notable discounts on Beats headphones, Apple's iMac, Philips Hue lights, and more.
Best Buy also has the Apple Watch Series 3 for $50 off, but remember that Macy's and Target will have these models for as much as $80 off on Black Friday, so you should hold off for one of those sales if you're interested. Check out our full Black Friday Roundup for information on these discounts and more.
Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared on HBO on Sunday in a pre-recorded interview with Axios, in which he discussed several issues including Apple's relationship with Google and the need for privacy regulations in the technology sector.
During the interview, which was conducted at Apple Park, Cook emphasized user privacy as a "core value" of Apple's that reaches way back to before smartphones had become a feature of people's daily lives.
It's not that it fits in with what we do, it's that this is a core value of ours. If you look back over time, we were talking about privacy well before iPhone, so we've always believed that privacy was at the core of our civil liberties. This is not a matter of privacy versus profits or privacy versus technical innovation. That's a false choice. What we've done is, your device has incredible intelligence about you, but I don't have to have all of that as a company.
Given Apple's policy on user data privacy, Cook was then asked by Axios reporters why he was comfortable taking billions of dollars from Google to make it Apple's default search engine. Cook responded to the question by highlighting the additional security and privacy measures that its Safari browser provides.
I think [Google's] search engine is the best. Look at what we've done with the controls we've built in. We have private web browsing, we have intelligent tracker prevention. What we've tried to do is come up with ways to help our users through their course of the day. It's not a perfect thing – I'd be the first person to say that – but it goes a long way to helping.
Google paid Apple nearly $3 billion in 2017 to remain as the default search engine on iPhones and iPads, according to U.S. research and brokerage firm Bernstein. Apple's iOS devices are said to contribute about 50 percent to Google's mobile search revenue.
Elsewhere in the interview, Cook covered the issue of government regulation of user privacy, saying he was "not a big fan of regulation" but a "big believer" in the free market. "But we have to admit when the free market's not working, and it hasn't worked here," Cook admitted. "I think it's inevitable that there will be some level of regulation."
Cook has called for "well-crafted" government regulation in the past, most recently following the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which the latter amassed data on 50 million Facebook users without their consent.
Cook was also asked by Axios whether he was concerned about the male-dominated culture in the tech industry. The Apple CEO said he thought Silicon Valley had been open and accepting to many different people from different walks of life, but that when it came to gender, the Valley had "missed it" and so had the technology industry in general.
"We spend a lot of time on this and we're constantly asking ourselves how we can improve more and listening to what our folks tell us, and I believe others are doing that too," Cook said. "I'm actually encouraged at this point that there will be a marked improvement over time."
Cook also revealed in interview that his daily routine involves rising just before 4:00 a.m. each morning, reading through user comments for an hour, and then heading to the gym for an hour, which helps him "keep stress at bay."
The full HBO interview has yet to be made available online, but we'll post a link in this article if and when it does.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues 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.
Apple has enhanced Spotlight search in macOS in recent years, with the addition of Spotlight Suggestions allowing it to tap into a variety of online data sources like weather and sports. Nevertheless, helping you find apps, documents and other files stored on your Mac is still what Spotlight does best.
That's not to say its core function is infallible, however. If Spotlight can't find files that you know exist on your Mac, or if it stops prioritizing results based on your earlier searches, then it's probably a sign that your system's search index is damaged somehow.
If you're experiencing odd behavior when using Spotlight, you should try rebuilding its search database index. There are Terminal commands that will do the job, but you can achieve the same result via the regular macOS user interface in just a few quick steps. Here's how.
Select System Preferences... from the Apple () menu at the top left of your screen.
Click the Spotlight pane.
Click the Privacy tab.
Click the Add (+) button.
Select the folder or disk whose index you wish to re-build, then click Choose. Alternatively, drag the folder or disk into the list. We've chosen Documents in our example.
In the same list, click the folder or disk that you just added and then click the Remove (-) button.
Click the red traffic light button to close System Preferences.
Once you've completed these steps, Spotlight will begin reindexing the contents of the folder(s) or disk(s) you chose, which may take some time and a few processor cycles. Depending on which version of macOS you're running, you may see a rebuild progress indicator in Spotlight's menu bar item. With a bit of luck, your Spotlight problems will have been resolved once indexing is complete.
You can also perform a system-wide re-index of the Spotlight database, among many other optimizations, using Titanium Software's free Onyx utility, which is available for all recent versions of macOS.
Apple has ceded its position to Walmart as the third largest online retailer in the U.S., according to a new report out this week (via TechCrunch).
Research provider eMarketer Retail calculates that Walmart is set to capture 4 percent of all online retail spending in 2018, up from 3.3 percent the previous year, while Apple will claim a 3.9 percent share, up from 3.8 percent in 2017.
Walmart, which includes Sam's Club and Jet.com, will see its sales total $20.91 billion by the end of the year, thanks to a 39.4 percent increase in e-commerce. In contrast, Apple's online sales will grow by 18 percent this year, a slowdown attributed to declining domestic smartphone sales.
Importantly, Walmart has one of the fastest growing ecommerce businesses. This year, its online sales will grow 39.4%. Wayfair, an online-only retailer, beats it slightly with a 40.1% growth rate. Meanwhile, Apple will grow just over 18% this year—less than last year— as domestic sales for smartphones and other consumer electronic devices begin to slow down. Its ecommerce share will remain virtually unchanged at 3.9% this year.
Both companies still trail first-placed Amazon, which is set to command a whopping 48 percent share of all e-commerce sales, up from 43.1 percent the previous year. Amazon will take in more than $252.10 billion domestically this year, according to eMarketer. eBay meanwhile remains in second place, with a 7.2 percent share of all online retail sales, down from 7.6 percent.
Adobe today updated its Lightroom app for iOS devices with support for Apple's latest iPhones and iPads.
Lightroom CC for iOS will now display properly on Apple's fall devices, including the 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, the iPhone XR, the iPhone XS, and the iPhone XS Max.
Today's update also introduces support for the second-generation Apple Pencil, allowing you to double tap on the Pencil to switch between paint and erase modes with selective tools.
Adobe's Lightroom for iOS is designed to work in conjunction with the Lightroom CC app for Mac, but it can be used on a standalone basis, too. Lightroom is free, but a Premium subscription is required to unlock cloud storage and all of the app's features.
Adobe Lightroom CC can be downloaded from the iOS App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Tap, the company behind the futuristic Tap wearable keyboard, today announced the launch of a new TapAcademy app for iOS that's designed to make it easier to learn to use the keyboard.
Tap is a keyboard that you wear on your thumb and fingers, using a series of finger taps to type different letters, numbers, and symbols.
Sensors built into the finger rings detect the movement of your fingers, translating your gestures into words for a novel, type anywhere experience. Of course, because it uses gestures, the Tap requires customers to learn a whole new way of typing.
In our Tap review earlier this year, we found it easy to learn to use the Tap through the existing Tap system, but this new method makes it even simpler to learn and then master.
TapAcademy is a 30-day course that you use for 10 minutes a day to learn all of the letters, numbers, and symbols that you need to use the Tap effectively as a keyboard replacement for iOS devices, Macs, and more.
Tap says that its TapAcademy app will turn Tap users into expert tappers, with most people achieving speeds of 30 to 40 words per minute.
Alongside the new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, Apple introduced a second-generation Apple Pencil, which is designed to work exclusively with its latest tablets.
In our latest YouTube video, we took a look at the new Apple Pencil 2 and compared it to the original Apple Pencil to highlight all of the improvements that Apple made with the second iteration of its iPad stylus.
Design wise, the Apple Pencil 2 is sleeker and smaller than the original Apple Pencil because of the elimination of the Lightning connector at the top of the device.
The original Apple Pencil's Lightning connector was always a questionable design choice. It was meant to plug into the bottom of the iPad Pro, but it stuck straight out and was inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst, as an ill-timed drop could cause damage when charging.
Apple's new Apple Pencil does away with the Lightning connector all together because the device is now able to charge via a magnetic connection to the new iPad Pro models. The Apple Pencil 2 snaps right onto the new iPad Pro, which allows for pairing, charging, and storage when it's not in use.
With no Lightning connector, the new Apple Pencil is lighter and easier to hold for longer periods of time, and it has a cleaner look with no metal cap at the top.
While the first Apple Pencil was round and prone to rolling off of flat surfaces, the new Apple Pencil has a flat side for connecting to the iPad, and that flat bit also prevents it from rolling as much.
In addition to these design and function changes, the Apple Pencil 2 introduces support for gestures. With a double tap, the Apple Pencil 2 can switch between tools in apps that support the feature, which is super useful because it allows for quick changes between a pencil and an eraser.
Apple is, unfortunately, charging $30 more for its newest Apple Pencil. The second-generation device costs $130, whereas the original was priced at $100. For users who have a new iPad Pro model, the Apple Pencil 2 is the only available choice as the original Apple Pencil does not work with the new tablets.
Likewise, the second-generation Apple Pencil is compatible only with the new iPad Pro models, so you can't get one and take advantage of the new features without also having a 2018 iPad Pro.
What do you think of Apple's new second-generation Apple Pencil? Is it worth the premium over the original? Let us know in the comments.
Apple's new 11 and 12.9-inch models are its thinnest yet, measuring in at just 5.9mm, and both forum complaints and a new bend test video suggest the two devices have the potential to bend without a huge amount of force.
On the MacRumors forum, there have been a few complaints of bending from MacRumors readers. Forum member Bwrin1, for example, posted a photo of a bent 12.9-inch iPad Pro suggesting it had bent from just a weekend trip in a backpack.
The iPad Pro in question does indeed appear to have a curve to it, refusing to lay flat on a table. At the same time, YouTuber JerryRigEverything has posted a bend test video of the new iPad Pro, which indicates it has the potential to bend with a limited amount of force.
In the video, the iPad Pro snaps in half after what appears to be a moderate amount of pressure is applied to the device.
Despite the video and the forum complaint, this does not appear to be a widespread issue. There are a couple of other complaints from MacRumors readers who were seeing slight curves in their devices and received replacements or sent the tablet back, but there aren't complaints that match the complaints we saw back in 2014 with the original iPhone 6 Plus bendgate.
It's not clear if the new iPad Pro models are more or less bendable than previous devices, and bend tests are not reflective of real world usage conditions. All devices of this size will bend when enough force is applied, so it is no surprise to see the bend in the YouTube video.
If the new iPad Pro models are bending from regular use, that could be a more significant issue, and we'll need to keep an eye out for additional reports of bending to determine whether there's a serious problem with Apple's newest tablet.
Verizon today announced the launch of a new "My Numbers" feature designed to let you add up to four additional numbers to a smartphone with unlimited calling and texting, for a total of five phone numbers connected to one device.
To add additional numbers to a Verizon account, customers will need to download the My Numbers app from the iOS App Store.
From there, Verizon users can choose the number to add from the available list, and it's ready to use alongside a device's primary phone number. This will allow customers to have one phone number for business and a separate phone number for personal use on one device.
With each number, there are separate voicemail and text messaging boxes in the My Numbers app to keep content from different numbers from getting mixed up.
According to Verizon, each number added to your smartphone will cost $15 per line per month.
Verizon's "My Phone" feature is similar to what Apple is doing with dual-SIM functionality in its latest iPhones, but it's not cross-carrier.
In the U.S., carriers (including Verizon) are not yet supporting the eSIM, which means the dual-SIM feature that allows for two phone numbers to be used at once is not yet available.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with SANDMARC, a company that makes camera lenses for the iPhone, to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a kit that includes a set of Pro Photography lenses, a set of Cinema lenses, and a $100 SANDMARC gift card.
SANDMARC makes high-quality camera lenses that are designed to fit the iPhone 7 and later, with individual kits available for each iPhone. The Pro Edition lens set, priced at $289.99, includes a 60mm telephoto lens with 2x magnification, a 16mm wide-angle lens, a 10mm fisheye lens, and a 25mm macro lens with 10x magnification.
The telephoto lens is ideal for portraits, animal shots, and other scenes where you want to get just a bit closer, while the wide-angle is perfect for landscapes. The fisheye is a lens that's used for super wide-angle images, and the macro lens lets you get up close to whatever you're photographing.
SANDMARC's Pro Edition lens set also comes with an iPhone case that's designed to hold the lenses in place, but there are also four clips included if you want to use the lenses without the case. If you don't need all of the lenses, SANDMARC also sells them individually.
Along with its Pro lenses, SANDMARC also has a $100 Cinema Edition lens, which will be included in the giveaway. The Cinema is a polarizer that is compatible with both lenses on the iPhone, offering up Scape ND4, ND8, ND16 filters.
These neutral density filters offer up better aerial shots, introduce a motion blur for more natural looking videos, and compensate for variations in lighting. The polarizer filter is designed to be used when photographing water and can also bring out better colors in your pictures.
There are lens sets that are much cheaper, but SANDMARC is producing higher-quality components designed to compete with companies like Moment. SANDMARC lenses produce crisp, sharp photos that are free of the distortion and artifacts often seen with lower-quality options.
We have one SANDMARC bundle available, with Pro lens set, Cinema lens set, and $100 gift card. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winner and send the prize. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (November 16) at 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time on November 23. The winner will be chosen randomly on November 23 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
We're now one week away from Black Friday holiday shopping, which will take place on Friday, November 23. Of course Black Friday isn't just one day any more, and sales have already kicked off today at numerous online and physical retailers. To help plan and organize your shopping, we've created this overview of the best deals you can expect to find while you're out and about next Friday, as well as the ones you can get online with a bit less hassle.
As you read, remember that most of these deals are not yet live, and you can find the specific opening times for each store in our full Black Friday Roundup.
Apple
Although Apple itself doesn't offer great Black Friday discounts, Apple devices and accessories will see many discounts this Black Friday.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
At T-Mobile, you'll be able to get the iPhone XR at no cost if you add the smartphone onto an existing line and trade in an eligible device towards the XR.
Those shopping for older model iPhones should keep an eye on Best Buy's iPhone 6s deal, which will discount the 2015 smartphone to $199.99 on both Simple Mobile and Total Wireless. At Walmart, you'll be able to buy the iPhone SE for just $79.00 on Walmart Family Mobile plans. Meijer will match this offer for the 32GB iPhone SE on Simple Mobile.
iPad Target and Best Buy will discount the 128GB iPad mini 4 to $249.99 this Black Friday, savings of $150 from its regular price of $399.99.
Another popular iPad discount is for the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad (32GB) from earlier this year (with Apple Pencil support), which will be available for $249.99, down from $329.99 at Target, Walmart, Costco, and Jet. If you want the same iPad with a little bit more storage, check out Best Buy's Black Friday discount on the 128GB 9.7-inch iPad, available for $329.99, down from $429.99.
For the brand new iPads, MacMall has already kicked off a sale today, offering the 11-inch iPad Pro (64GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular) for $899.00, down from $949.00; and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro (64GB, Wi-Fi) for $949.00, down from $999.00. Otherwise, we haven't seen any indication of other discounts on the latest iPad Pros on Black Friday.
Apple Watch Target and Macy's have the best deal for Apple Watch Series 3 this year, with the GPS models starting at $199.99 for the 38mm Aluminum version, down from $279.99. 42mm models will run for $229.99.
If you prefer GPS + Cellular, both retailers will also offer savings on the upgraded Series 3 models, starting at $299.99 for the 38mm models and $329.99 for the 42mm models.
Best Buy has an inferior deal of only $50 off Apple Watch Series 3 instead of $80, but it will have 25 percent off select Apple Watch bands, which should provide a great combo deal if you buy a new Apple Watch elsewhere.
Also of note for Meijer shoppers, if you buy one Apple Watch Series 3 for $279.00 (full price for the 38mm Aluminum) or more, you'll get one Meijer coupon worth $100 to put towards your next purchase (expiring December 24, 2018). While not a straight discount, frequent Meijer shoppers may find a preference for the in-store credit.
Mac Best Buy has a few notable MacBook sales, starting with the 2017 MacBook Pro (8GB RAM, 128GB HD) at $1,149.99, down from $1,299.99. One of the best deals in this sale is for the MacBook Pro (16GB RAM, 256GB HD) at $2,149.99, down from $2,399.99.
The best deal on Apple's smart speaker this Black Friday -- not to mention of all time -- will be at Best Buy. You'll be able to pick up Apple's HomePod for $249.99, down from $349.99.
AirPods In one of the only Black Friday discounts known so far on Apple's AirPods, Newegg will have the wireless headphones for $139.99, down from $159.99, with the promo code BFAD155.
Nike today launched a new series of Sport Bands and Sport Loops for the Apple Watch on its website, introducing three unique colors: Celestial Teal, Olive Flak, and Smokey Mauve.
The bands are priced at $49 and are available in 40 and 44mm to fit all Apple Watch Series 4 and earlier models. Though sold by Nike and designed for the Nike-branded Apple Watch models, these bands will work with all Apple Watches.
Nike is requiring customers who wish to purchase one of the new bands to sign up to be NikePlus members, but signing up for the site is free.
Nike's new Apple Watch bands are limited to the Nike website and are not available for purchase from the Apple online store.
These three new band color options join the new Sport Loop that Apple introduced earlier this week in a (PRODUCT)RED colorway.
Popular weather app Weather Atlas, made by Contrast and Agile Tortoise, today received a major 2.0 update that adds new functionality and a new look to the app.
With the 2.0 update, Weather Atlas is now known as "Weather Up," a revamped name for a revamped app. Much of the app has been rewritten with usability improvements and fixes for lingering bugs.
Weather Up's main new feature is Event Forecasts, designed to provide weather information about upcoming events that you're attending. Once you provide Weather Up with calendar access, it will let you know the weather conditions for your events, so you're never taken by surprise when doing something outdoors.
Along with the new Event Forecasts look and the new name, Weather Up features a new set of weather icons and a redesigned mapping feature. The Weather Up map features standard radar and cloud layers, along with options for temperature, humidity, and precipitation accumulation.
There are also warning layers for the map to let you know about incoming thunderstorms, tornados, hurricanes, and tropical storms.
Weather Up can be downloaded from the App Store for free. A Weather Up Pro subscription costs $9.99 per year or $1.99 per month. [Direct Link]
Anki has been making toys that use artificial intelligence for years now, starting with the Anki Overdrive set of racing cars and the interactive Cozmo toy robot, but this year the company launched its most ambitious product: Vector.
Unlike Cozmo, Vector is no toy, and is instead positioned as a home robotic device. Vector adopts capabilities from Cozmo, but his functionality goes above and beyond the tricks and games Cozmo is known for.
I've had Vector as my constant companion for a week now, and while he is far from the smartest AI I've interacted with, he's definitely the most lovable. It's fitting to think of Vector as a derpy, simpleminded pet that gets things wrong, but in an endearing way.
Vector is kind of like a personal assistant like Siri or Alexa, but with a more limited range, a physical body, and a more expressive personality. With a "Hey Vector" trigger word, Vector can answer questions, obey commands, play games, and more, serving as a friend and helper in day to day life.
Design and Components
Vector is a palm-sized robot that uses the same general design as Cozmo, Anki's previous robot toy. Vector is made from a black plastic material and he has a body that's filled with various sensors and electronics to detect and respond to the environment around him.
Vector has four wheels covered in tank-style treads that allow him to traverse smooth floors and rugs alike, a movable front arm that lets him interact with his cube and adds to his various expressions.
Most of Vector's personality is expressed through his small front display, which is always on and is where his eyes are located. The display lets Vector demonstrate different emotions, and the animated eyes are always shifting and in motion, blinking, narrowing when he's thinking, worried when he detects the edge of a table, wide open when he's looking at you, and slitted when he's asleep.
The display also changes when Vector is answering a question and it is used for things like offering up weather conditions or displaying the time when these questions are asked of Vector. Vector's head component moves independently of his body, allowing him to adjust what he's looking at, giving the sense that he sees things.
At the time the accessories were discontinued, Apple said that it would continue selling existing stock until available supply was exhausted. It appears that point has been reached for both the AirPort Extreme and the 2TB AirPort Time Capsule, which have been removed from the Apple online store.
There are no longer any AirPort products available for purchase from the online store or Apple retail locations, with the exception of some refurbished AirPort devices that may continue to be available on the refurbished site.
Apple had not updated its AirPort products since 2012 (Express) and 2013 (Extreme and Time Capsule), and rumors in 2016, which ultimately turned out to be correct, suggested Apple had stopped development on the product with AirPort engineers reassigned to other devices.
In lieu of its own line of AirPort products, Apple is now offering third-party routers like the Linksys Velop mesh Wi-Fi system.
Apple's AirPort base stations provided some unique benefits that are not available through third-party options like built-in Time Machine backup support in the Time Capsule and AirPlay functionality for the AirPort Express.
Though the AirPort devices have been discontinued, Apple plans to provide service and parts for the current generation models for the next five years.
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.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Apple has enhanced Spotlight search in macOS in recent years, with the addition of Spotlight Suggestions allowing it to tap into a variety of online data sources like weather and sports. Nevertheless, helping you find apps, documents and other files stored on your Mac is still what Spotlight does best. 
Adobe today updated its Lightroom app for iOS devices with support for Apple's latest iPhones and iPads.
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