MacRumors

Apple earlier this month introduced a surprise update to its MacBook Pro line, overhauling the entry-level 13-inch machine to bring it in line with more expensive models that were updated back in May.

We went hands-on with the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ to take a look at the new features, including a Touch Bar, an updated processor, a new keyboard, and more.

Prior to the update, the entry-level 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ hadn't been refreshed since 2017, so it was the last remaining ‌MacBook Pro‌ still using older keyboard technology that retained a row of function keys.

The new model replaces that row of function keys with a Touch Bar, bringing it in line with the rest of the ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. Other than that, physically, the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ looks much like the older model.

There is, however, an updated third-generation butterfly keyboard identical to the updated third-generation keyboard used in the May ‌MacBook Pro‌ refresh and the new 2019 MacBook Air.

This keyboard is made from updated materials with a new membrane that Apple says will cut down on failure rates that impact other earlier butterfly keyboards. ‌MacBook Pro‌ users should see fewer repeating and stuck keys, but the problem isn't entirely solved so these machines are already covered under Apple's keyboard repair program.

Internally, the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ is equipped with a 1.4GHz quad-core 8th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, a 128GB SSD, and it continues to offer two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the left side of the machine rather than the four found in the more expensive ‌MacBook Pro‌ models.

At first glance, the 1.4GHz processor looks like it might be slower than the earlier models that were available, but in practice, it's speedier because of the newer technology and the fact that it's using a four-core chip rather than a two-core chip.

Our tests found that it's faster than the earlier equivalent ‌MacBook Pro‌ models and quicker than some of the older 15-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models with Touch Bar. It's not even too far off some of the current 15-inch MacBook Pros. The video in this article, which is 4K and about five minutes in length, took approximately 4 minutes to export.

The entry-level 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ promises 10 hour battery life, which seemed accurate in our testing. That number is, of course, going to drop for processor intensive tasks like video editing.

Price wise, the new ‌MacBook Pro‌ is the most affordable notebook in the ‌MacBook Pro‌ line, with pricing starting at $1,299. What do you think of the new entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌ models? Let us know in the comments.

Apple is now in advanced talks to purchase Intel's smartphone modem chip business, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with Apple's plans.

A deal that covers a portfolio of patents and staff valued at $1 billion or more could be established as soon as next week if the talks continue.

Apple and Intel have reportedly been in on and off talks for approximately a year. As reported earlier, the talks ended right around the time that Apple and Qualcomm settled their legal disputes and reached a new supply agreement.

Intel sought other buyers and found other interested parties, but discussions with Apple resumed shortly after they ended.

The Apple-Intel discussions began last summer, around the time former Intel Chief Executive Brian Krzanich resigned, people familiar with the matter have said. Mr. Krzanich championed the modem business and touted 5G technology as a big future revenue stream. When Bob Swan was named to that job in January, analysts said the odds of a deal rose because his focus on cleaning up Intel would require addressing the losses in the modem business.

As noted by The Wall Street Journal, purchasing Intel's modem chip business would provide Apple with a leg up on its efforts to develop its own modem chips in house, which would ultimately make the company less reliant on Qualcomm.

Apple has been working on developing its own modem chips since at least 2018, but the technology isn't expected to be ready for use in iPhones and iPads for a few years.

Intel in April announced that it was exiting the 5G smartphone modem business, sharing the news just after Apple and Qualcomm announced their new deal. Since then, Intel has been seeking a buyer for its smartphone modem business.

Apple had been planning to use Intel's 5G chips for its 2020 iPhones, but rumors suggested Intel wasn't able to meet design deadlines, souring the relationship between the two companies. Apple now plans to use Qualcomm's 5G modem chips in its 2020 iPhones and has established a deal for chips for future devices as well.

Apple's iPhone XR was the best selling iPhone in the third fiscal quarter of 2019, according to new data shared today by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

The iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models accounted for 67 percent of all U.S. iPhone sales during the third quarter of 2019, with the iPhone XR alone accounting for 48 percent of sales.

The iPhone's 48 percent share of smartphone sales during the quarter is the highest that's been seen for an individual model since the iPhone 6 in 2015, according to CIRP.

"iPhone XR has become the dominant iPhone model," said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. "Its 48% share of sales in the quarter is the highest we've seen for an individual model since the iPhone 6 in 2015, which shared top billing with the 6 Plus, but only had two outdated legacy models offered as alternatives. Apple set out to create a competitive model, with current features like a large screen on a midsize handset, at a price that falls near the leading Android phones. It is an easy to choose the mid-point between the expensive XS and XS Max models, and the older 7 and 8 models."

The iPhone XR is Apple's most affordable iPhone, priced starting at $749 in the United States. It is similar to the iPhone XS and XS Max, but offers an LCD display instead of an OLED display along with a single-lens camera instead of a dual-lens camera.

It also comes in a range of bright colors, and due to its popularity, Apple is keeping its three iPhone lineup intact for its 2019 iPhone lineup. The 2019 iPhones will include an iPhone XS successor, an iPhone XS Max successor, and an iPhone XR successor that will continue to offer an LCD display to keep costs lower.

The next-generation iPhone XR is rumored to feature new colors, more RAM (4GB, up from 3GB), faster LTE thanks to support for 4x4 MIMO, and it could also have camera improvements in the form of a new dual-lens camera setup that would likely be similar to the current dual-lens camera in the iPhone XS and XS Max.

CIRP's research data also looked at some numbers for Apple's various services. Among iPhone buyers during the quarter, 47 percent use paid iCloud storage, while three to six percent purchased AppleCare.

35 percent of iPhone buyers use Apple Music, while 15 to 29 percent use Apple TV, Apple Podcasts, and Apple News. Apple has several other services on the horizon which could draw in more users, including ‌Apple TV‌+, its upcoming streaming service, and Apple Arcade, a gaming service that will provide access to games for a monthly fee.

Apple recently hired Steve MacManus, a former Tesla executive in charge of engineering for car exteriors and interiors, reports Bloomberg.

MacManus joined Tesla at 2015 and has also worked at Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley Motors, and Aston Martin. According to his LinkedIn profile, MacManus is now a "Senior Director" at Apple, with no additional information provided.

While his interior design skills are applicable to Apple's car team, Bloomberg believes he could also be working on other projects at Apple, beyond the development of a car. Apple is widely believed to be working on a self-driving electric vehicle project, though given the myriad rumors about it over the years, it continues to be unclear what Apple's ultimate goal is.

For some time, rumors suggested Apple had shelved plans for a physical car and was instead focusing on software, but last year, there were again hints that Apple is planning on designing its own vehicle, which Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said could launch in 2023 to 2025.

Apple and Tesla regularly hire each other's employees, and have been embroiled in hiring wars for years now. Apple in the last year has hired former Tesla drive systems vice president Michael Schwekutsch and former Tesla chief vehicle engineer Doug Field.

Nearly two weeks ago, Apple disabled the Walkie-Talkie app on the Apple Watch after discovering a bug that could allow the feature to be used to eavesdrop on others.

At the time, Apple said that it had just learned of the vulnerability and was taking the app offline while working on a fix. That fix is ready today in both iOS 12.4 and watchOS 5.3, which means the Walkie-Talkie app is once again available for use.

When disabling the Walkie-Talkie app, Apple didn't pull it off of Apple Watches, leaving the app intact but rendering it non-functional. Today's software updates fix the vulnerability and bring the app back online.

Walkie-Talkie was one of the headline features in watchOS 5, released last September. Walkie-Talkie is designed to allow users to communicate with one another using a push to talk function, similar to a real walkie-talkie.

Apple said that it did not believe that the vulnerability in Walkie-Talkie was exploited to spy on anyone, but disabled the feature out of an abundance of caution.

We were just made aware of a vulnerability related to the Walkie-Talkie app on the Apple Watch and have disabled the function as we quickly fix the issue. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and will restore the functionality as soon as possible.

Although we are not aware of any use of the vulnerability against a customer and specific conditions and sequences of events are required to exploit it, we take the security and privacy of our customers extremely seriously. We concluded that disabling the app was the right course of action as this bug could allow someone to listen through another customer's iPhone without consent. We apologize again for this issue and the inconvenience.

Apple was quick to take down the Walkie-Talkie app as it suffered from another eavesdropping bug recently that received major media attention. A serious Group FaceTime bug was discovered back in January, and when exploited, it allowed callers to hear a user's audio even when the call had not been accepted.

In that situation, Apple did not remove the Group FaceTime feature until it had been publicized, despite the person who discovered the bug having submitted a report days before. Apple fixed the Group ‌FaceTime‌ bug after a week and a half, addressing it in iOS 12.1.4.

Apple will today release iOS 12.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 12 operating system that first launched in September 2018. iOS 12.4 comes more two months after the release of iOS 12.3, another major update that brought the new TV app.

The iOS 12.4 update is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the update, go to Settings --> General --> Software Update. As with all iOS updates, iOS 12.4 is free to download, but it may take some time for iOS 12.4 to propagate to all iOS users.

During the beta testing process, there were no outward-facing features or major changes discovered in iOS 12.4. According to Apple's release notes, the update introduces a new iPhone migration option to directly transfer data from an old iPhone to a new iPhone, and it introduces enhancements to Apple News+. From Apple's release notes:

iOS 12.4 introduces iPhone migration to directly transfer data from an old iPhone to a new iPhone, includes enhancements to Apple News+ and improves the security of your iPhone or iPad. This update:

iPhone migration
- Introduces the ability to wirelessly transfer data and migrate directly from an old iPhone to a new iPhone during setup

Apple News
- Makes downloaded issues accessible in the My Magazines section, both offline and online
- Adds all publications in Apple News+, including newspapers, to the catalog at the top of the News+ feed
- Adds the ability to clear downloaded magazine issues by selecting History > Clear > Clear All

Other improvements and fixes
- Includes a security fix for the Walkie-Talkie app on Apple Watch and re-enables Walkie-Talkie functionality

This release also includes support for HomePod in Japan and Taiwan.

The update was believed to include support for Apple Card, laying the foundation for Apple's new credit card, though the release notes make no mention of this. It could still add the underlying framework for ‌Apple Card‌, which is set to be launching this summer and could come at any time.

Apple today released watchOS 5.3, the seventh update to the watchOS 5 operating system that runs on modern Apple Watch models. watchOS 5.3 comes more than a month after the launch of watchOS 5.2.1, a minor update that expanded ECG availability.

watchOS 5.3 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General -> Software Update. To install the new software, the Apple Watch needs to have at least 50 percent battery, it needs to be placed on a charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.

No new features were discovered in watchOS 5.3 during the beta testing process, but according to Apple's iOS 12.4 release notes, the new update, along with iOS 12.4, fixes a major bug in the Walkie-Talkie app that could allow it to be used to spy on people and it once again makes the Walkie-Talkie app accessible.

The watchOS 5.3 update also brings ECG support and irregular heart rhythm notifications to Apple Watch Series 4 owners in both Canada and Singapore. The ECG feature's launch in Canada comes a few months after Apple confirmed that it was working to bring ECG functionality to the Apple Watch in Canada "as quickly as possible."

Health Canada initially approved the ECG app and irregular heart rhythm notifications on Apple Watch Series 4 in May. ECG capabilities are now available in more than 25 countries, following the feature's rollout to many European countries earlier this year. A list of countries where ECG functionality is available can be found on Apple's Apple Watch feature availability website.

Apple's full watchOS 5.3 release notes:

This update includes new features, improvements and bug fixes and is recommended for all users:
- Provides important security updates including a fix for the Walkie-Talkie app
- ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 now available in Canada and Singapore
- Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Canada and Singapore

watchOS 5.3 may be one of the final updates to the watchOS 5 operating system as Apple shifts its focus to watchOS 6, which is currently being beta tested ahead of a planned fall release.

In a profile of Apple's operations chief Jeff Williams, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has revealed some interesting anecdotes about development of the Apple Watch, which Williams has reportedly overseen since 2013.

Months before the Apple Watch launched in 2015, for example, the report claims some employees testing the device began having allergic reactions to the type of nickel used in its casing, leading Williams to make the decision to scrap thousands of already-produced units and restart manufacturing with a different kind of nickel.

The amount of nickel eventually included in select Apple Watch models and bands falls below restrictions set by the European Union, according to Apple:

Apple Watch models with a stainless steel or an aluminum case, the stainless steel portions of some Apple Watch bands, the metallic portions of the Hermès bands, and the magnets in the watch and bands, each contain some nickel. However, they all fall below the strict nickel restrictions set by European REACH regulation. Therefore, while nickel exposure is unlikely to be a problem, you should be aware of the possibility in case you're susceptible to nickel-related reactions.

The report claims employees also noticed that the Apple Watch's Taptic Engine was prone to long-term failure from corrosion. In that case, Williams decided to give those few thousand watches to employees, according to Gurman.

As for the $10,000-plus, 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition, the report claims Apple's sales were "in the low tens of thousands" of units, with "few after the first two weeks." The line was discontinued in September 2016 after just 16 months and, humorously, the gold models are now stuck on watchOS 4 and below.

Williams now oversees the development of all Apple hardware products, according to the report, and he is widely considered a frontrunner to succeed Tim Cook as CEO when the time comes — the two share similar backgrounds and mannerisms.

Last month, Apple announced that Jony Ive will be leaving Apple later this year to form an independent design company, with Apple among its primary clients. In turn, Apple indicated that its operations chief Jeff Williams will spend more of his time working with its design team in their studio.

Williams has long been considered a frontrunner to succeed Tim Cook as CEO of Apple, and with his expanded design-related oversight at Apple, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman believes he is "unambiguously the second-most important person at Apple" and first in line to succeed Cook when the time comes.

In line with his calm demeanor on stage at Apple events, Gurman notes that Williams has over the years distinguished himself as a modest, disciplined, and demanding leader, much more like Cook than Steve Jobs.

From the report:

"He's the closest thing at the company to Tim Cook, and you'll get more of that," a former senior Apple executive says of Williams. "If you think Cook is doing a good job, then it's a good choice."

Williams is considered to be slightly more hands-on with product development than Cook, however, as evidenced by his leadership of the Apple Watch team since its inception. Williams is also said to attend weekly reviews of product and industrial design progress and brief Cook on the discussions.

Gurman:

Williams now oversees the development of all Apple hardware products, holding weekly meetings to gauge their progress. Although the process is formally called NPR, or New Product Review, some employees call this the "Jeff Review." During the development of the AirPods, some of them noticed that Williams continued wearing Apple's wired headphones instead of the new product. Williams wasn't yet happy with the fit of the wireless model.

The big question mark with Ive's impending departure is whether Apple will remain innovative. Critics will argue that Apple has already become complacent under Cook, and with Williams having a similar operations-focused approach, the narrative is that Apple might falter without a Jobs-era visionary.

From the report:

"One doesn't necessarily need a visionary as CEO of Apple as long as there's a visionary in the company that the CEO can work with," says Michael Gartenberg, a former Apple marketing executive. "Tim Cook had Jony Ive. The question is, with Ive gone, who is the visionary at the company that can guide the next big thing?"

Depending on how involved Ive remains with Apple through his independent design firm, that might not be a concern for several more years to come. Apple has also more than doubled its market value under Cook, so any concerns that Apple has fallen behind in the post-Jobs era are arguably overblown.

It's worth noting that there is no sign that Cook plans to step down any time soon. Williams, 56, is also less than three years younger than Cook.

Apple's iPhones next year may feature displays capable of up to 120Hz refresh rates, allowing for a smoother on-screen experience, according to one mobile leaker.

"Apple is considering a switchable 60Hz/120Hz refresh rate screen on the iPhone in 2020, and is discussing with Samsung and LG," tweeted Ice Universe on Sunday.

The leaker, who goes by the Twitter handle @UniverseIce, doesn't usually comment on Apple's plans, but is a well-regarded source of Samsung rumors. Samsung has supplied Apple with OLED panels for the iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.

Apple already uses variable refresh rate technology in its iPad Pro models, but they still use LCD panels rather than OLED. Bringing it to a new breed of OLED iPhones would raise the smartphone performance bar even higher.

Apple markets the iPad Pro-exclusive tech under the moniker "ProMotion," which it says dynamically adjusts the display to the movement of content for fluid scrolling, greater responsiveness, and smoother motion. It does all this on the fly, which means it also conserves battery life.

Apple's adaptive ProMotion IAPs also reduce Apple Pencil latency, and reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that ‌Apple Pencil‌ support is a possibility for a future iPhone.

Previous rumors have suggested Apple will complete its transition to an all-OLED iPhone lineup in 2020 with new 5.4-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch devices.

But before 2020 comes around, Apple is widely expected to launch a trio of new iPhones this September, including two higher-end 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED models and one lower-end 6.1-inch LCD model.

Upon returning to Apple in the late 1990s, Steve Jobs came up with a 2×2 product grid in an effort to simplify Apple's then-bloated lineup of computers. The grid was split into four quadrants, including a professional desktop, a consumer desktop, a professional portable, and a consumer portable.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Jobs unveiling the fourth and final product in the grid, the iBook, at the 1999 Macworld Expo in New York City.

Targeted at consumers and students, the iBook easily stood out from other notebooks of its era with its unique clamshell-like design, consisting of hard, translucent plastic casing topped with soft, colorful rubber. Initial colors included Blueberry and Tangerine, with later models available in Graphite, Indigo, and Key Lime.

The original iBook, priced from $1,599, was equipped with a 12.1-inch display with an 800×600 resolution, a full-sized keyboard, and a trackpad. It also featured a retractable handle along its hinge, with Apple calling it an "iMac to go," although it was decently heavy at 6.7 pounds — even for its time.

Above all, the iBook was the first mass consumer product with support for wireless networking, with the 802.11b standard allowing for speeds up to 11 Mbps. Wireless support was not built in and required purchasing an optional $99 AirPort wireless card and a $299 AirPort base station.

Jobs demonstrated the iBook's wireless networking by walking across the stage with the notebook while loading a website, with the audience erupting in cheers. He then placed it through a hula hoop to prove there were no cables attached.

Memorably, a younger Phil Schiller even jumped from a height while holding the iBook as it wirelessly transferred accelerometer data. Referencing the 30th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, Schiller quipped "this is definitely one small step for man, and one giant leap for wireless networking."

Other tech specs included a 300MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 3.2GB hard drive, 32MB of RAM, ATI Rage Mobility graphics, 10/100 Ethernet, a CD-ROM drive, and up to six hours of battery life. To keep costs down, it had no FireWire port, video out, or microphone, and only one speaker and one USB port.

Apple went on to introduce a redesigned iBook with a more traditional notebook design in May 2001, followed by the white polycarbonate MacBook in 2006, but the original will always be an important part of Apple's history.

Last year, YouTubers iJustine and MKBHD teamed up to unbox an original, sealed iBook:

For more nostalgia:

• CNN news article about the iBook from July 21, 1999
  

• CNN interview with Steve Jobs from July 21, 1999
  

• iBook page on Apple.com circa October 1, 1999

We invite any readers who still own an iBook to share a photo in the comments section.