MacRumors

Just four months ahead of September, when Apple typically unveils new iPhones, leaks and rumors are starting to surface fast and frequently.

The latest comes courtesy of Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, who tweeted a photo of alleged case molds for a trio of upcoming iPhones over the weekend. If accurate, the molds suggest that all three 2019 models will feature a large square camera bump, as seen in many leaks to date.

iPhone molds like these are typically created based on design specifications and dimensions that leak out of the factories of Apple manufacturing partners such as Foxconn, allowing third-party accessory makers to prepare properly-fitting cases ahead of time, but they are not always accurate.

The rumored design of the camera bump has proven quite controversial since it was first leaked by OnLeaks in January, with many criticizing the look of both the bump itself and the positioning of the camera lenses within the bump.

It is unclear why Apple would use the square bump for the next iPhone XR if rumors about it having a dual-lens rear camera are accurate, as the existing pill-shaped bump used on the iPhone X, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max would seem sufficient, but perhaps it is merely for consistency.

It's worth noting that the camera design might end up being not quite as polarizing as seen in renders, as rumors suggest that Apple plans to apply a special black coating on some of the lenses that could help them blend into the bezel.

Last week, Gurman said the third camera on the next iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be an ultra-wide-angle lens that enables a broader range of zoom. The second lens on the next iPhone XR is expected to enable increased zoom as well. The new cameras are also expected to power new augmented reality capabilities.

Apple has shared a new ad titled "Up Late" on its YouTube channel that promotes the iPhone XR having the "longest battery life in an iPhone ever."

The 30-second spot shows various people falling asleep while using an iPhone, including a parking attendant streaming an Inter Milan game, a woman laying on a couch and playing a game, and a man sitting on the end of a bed and watching a baby monitor, setting up the tagline "you'll lose power before it will."

"iPhone XR has the longest battery life in an iPhone ever," the video description reads. "So whether you're streaming video, watching live sports or playing a game, you'll lose power before your iPhone XR will."

The ad is set to the soundtrack "Stay Awake" by Julie Andrews from the classic musical fantasy film "Mary Poppins."

Despite being cheaper than the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, the iPhone XR does in fact have the longest battery life of any iPhone ever thanks to its large 6.1-inch size and more power efficient LCD versus the OLED displays in the latter two devices.

Mobile leaker Ben Geskin shared images on Twitter of the consumer packaging of the new Apple credit card coming from Apple. Geskin reports some Apple employees are already starting to get the card which was announced in March.

In the images, the actual Apple employee's name was replaced by Geskin's to protect their identify. The packaging shows a similar pairing process as the AirPods, with instructions to "Wake iPhone and hold here."

The Apple Card resides both digitally in your iPhone for Apple Pay payments but also comes in a physical form made entirely of titanium. The card is laser etched with your name and does not have the card number or expiration date printed on it. Instead, those numbers will be available on your iPhone's Wallet App. There's still a traditional magstripe on the back, along with a built-in chip for chip and pin purchases. The ‌Apple Card‌ is expected to launch this summer.

Apple's colorful iPhone XR lineup comes in a total of six colors, offering plenty of options for users to choose one that best suits their preferences. This year's successor to the iPhone XR will similarly be available in six colors, but Mac Otakara says Apple will be tweaking a couple of the options.

According to the report, the 2019 iPhone XR will be available in new Green and Lavender colors, which will replace the current Coral and Blue colors. The other current colors of White, Black, Yellow, and (PRODUCT)RED will continue to be offered on the next-generation models.

‌Mac Otakara‌ also claims to have some information on cases for the next-generation iPhone XS and XS Max models, indicating that silicone cases for the new models will likely come in White, Black, (PRODUCT)RED, and shades similar to the current Spearmint and Mellow Yellow cases, as well as one that's close to the current Lilac leather case.

Apple today shared a humorous new privacy-focused video on its YouTube channel, which is designed to highlight the end-to-end encryption feature in the Messages app.

In the minute-long video, a woman is at a nail salon getting a pedicure, and she's receiving iMessages and cracking up at them over and over again. The viewer is never given a look at what she's seeing that's so funny, which emphasizes the fact that messages are private.

The end of the video features the tagline "iMessage encrypts your conversations because not everyone needs to be in on the joke."

Apple has shared several other privacy-focused videos in recent months, including a "Privacy Matters" spot and a video that highlights limited ad tracking in Safari.

Back in January, there was a major FaceTime bug that allowed a person to force a FaceTime connection with another person, providing access to the user's audio and sometimes video even when the ‌FaceTime‌ call was not accepted.

The bug led to a lawsuit from Houston lawyer Larry Williams II, who claimed that the vulnerability allowed an unknown person to listen in on sworn testimony during a client deposition.

Williams filed his lawsuit in January, just a day after the bug was publicized, and yesterday, a court ruled in Apple's favor and dismissed the case. The court did not find Williams' argument that the ‌FaceTime‌ vulnerability was "unreasonably dangerous" to be valid, nor did the court believe that he provided sufficient evidence to prove that Apple knew of the defect.

Williams's petition does not allege facts about any available alternative design. He fails to allege facts about the iOS 12.1 software as to whether the defect that allegedly allowed a third party to "eavesdrop" on his group FaceTime call was "unreasonable" for the product's ordinary use. Williams's generalized allegation that the iOS 12.1 software was "unreasonably dangerous" and caused him injury falls short of the Rule 8 threshold.

Williams's petition recites the pleading elements, but it does not allege facts that could show Apple's knowledge of the defect or that Apple could reasonably have foreseen that an unknown third party would listen to Williams's group FaceTime call without his permission.

Williams's claim also fails because he did not state facts that could show that Apple's alleged negligent design or manufacture of the iOS 12.1 software proximately caused his injury.

In the lawsuit, Williams had requested unspecified punitive damages for negligence, product liability, misrepresentation, and warranty breach.

The ‌FaceTime‌ eavesdropping bug was perhaps one of the most serious issues that have affected Apple products in recent history.

There was no way to avoid the malicious ‌FaceTime‌ calls, which exploited a Group ‌FaceTime‌ vulnerability. Apple disabled Group FaceTime server side and kept it unavailable until an update could be released to fix the issue.

The vulnerability was officially addressed in iOS 12.1.4, released in February, and Group ‌FaceTime‌ remains unavailable on all versions of iOS 12 released prior to 12.1.4. Full document on Scribd.

Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited an Apple Store in Orlando, Florida to meet with 16-year-old Liam Rosenfeld, one of 350 scholarship winners who will be attending Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

Echoing comments he shared with the Orlando Sentinel, Cook told TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino that it is "pretty impressive" what Rosenfeld is accomplishing with code at such a young age, serving as a perfect example of why he believes coding education should begin in the early grades of school.

"I don't think a four year degree is necessary to be proficient at coding" says Cook. "I think that's an old, traditional view. What we found out is that if we can get coding in in the early grades and have a progression of difficulty over the tenure of somebody's high school years, by the time you graduate kids like Liam, as an example of this, they're already writing apps that could be put on the App Store."

Cook made similar comments during an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting at the White House earlier this year.

While in Florida, Cook attended a conference that saw SAP and Apple announce an expanded partnership focused on new enterprise apps taking advantage of technologies like machine learning and augmented reality.

Despite all of the technological advancements in recent years, Cook told Panzarino that many businesses have not "changed a whole lot" and are "still using very old technology." With more solutions like those from SAP and Apple, and tech-savvy employees of the future like Rosenfeld, that could change.

"I think what it is is they haven't embraced mobility. They haven't embraced machine learning. They haven't embraced AR. All of this stuff is a bit foreign in some way. They're still fixing employees to a desk. That's not the modern workplace," Cook says. "People that graduate from high school and get a little experience under their belt can do quite well in this job."

The full interview can be read on TechCrunch with an Extra Crunch subscription or in the Apple News app with an ‌Apple News‌+ subscription.

WWDC 2019 begins June 3 in San Jose.

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.3 update to developers, a few days after releasing the fifth beta and over a month after the launch of iOS 12.2, an update that introduced Apple News+, new Animoji, and more.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 introduce a new version of Apple's TV app, which has been updated with a new look and fresh functionality.

In the new TV app, "Watch Now" and "Up Next" are still front and center for keeping track of what you're watching, but there's a new machine learning-based recommendation engine that will suggest content based on your viewing preferences and history.

The app's interface has been streamlined with sections for movies, TV shows, sports, and kids content, and on iOS, there's a separate bottom bar for the library, search, and Watch Now options.

There's a new "Channels" feature in the TV app, which is one of the major new components of Apple's services push. Channels are subscription services that you can sign up for and watch within the TV app without having to open up another app.

So, for example, if you come across a show you want to watch on your iPhone or Apple TV that's on Showtime or Starz, you can tap to subscribe right in the TV app, and then you can watch that show without having to open another app.

Some of the new Channels that will be supported include CBS All Access, Starz, Showtime, HBO, Nickelodeon, Mubi, The History Channel Vault, and Comedy Central Now. During the beta, though, users can subscribe to Showtime, Starz, Smithsonian, EPIX, and Tastemade.

You'll still get recommendations for content from services that aren't a part of the Channels feature, but non-channel content will need to be watched in a third-party app. The TV app also houses iTunes TV shows and movies.

When Apple debuts its ‌Apple TV‌+ service this fall, all of the company's original TV shows and movies will also be accessible in the TV app.

Apple has said that it plans to release the updated TV app in May, so this is potentially the last beta we'll get before iOS 12.3 is launched to the public.

Apple is widely expected to unveil three new iPhone models in the fall, and ahead of time, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Debby Wu have shared several expectations for the devices. While many of the details have already been rumored, this is still worthwhile corroboration from two reputable reporters.

• All three iPhones will look similar to the current versions beyond additional cameras, including triple-lens rear camera systems on both the next iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max and a dual-lens rear camera system on the next iPhone XR, each housed within a square camera bump.
  

• The next iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be "about half a millimeter thicker."
  

• The third camera on the next iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will be an ultra-wide-angle lens that enables a broader range of zoom. The second rear camera on the next iPhone XR will enable increased zoom as well.
  

• All three iPhones will be powered by a faster A13 chip, designed by Apple and manufactured by TSMC. Early test production began in April and mass production could begin as early as this month.
  

• All three iPhones will have a feature that lets users charge the latest AirPods and other devices by placing them on the back of the devices.
  

• Apple is working on an "auto-correction feature" to "fit people back into a photo who may have been accidentally cut out."

Apple should announce the next iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models in September, but their names are not known yet. They have been variously referred to as iPhone 11 or iPhone XI models.

iOS 13 will not be compatible with the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or iPhone SE, and support for the original iPad Air and iPad mini 2 will also be dropped, according to a questionable rumor tipped to us by French blog iPhoneSoft.fr.

This is at least the second time we've heard this rumor this year, but it remains questionable for a few reasons. For one, the iPhone SE uses the same A9 chip as the iPhone 6s and the fifth-generation iPad, so it would seem inconsistent if the iPhone SE was dropped but the latter two devices remained supported.

It could be theorized that Apple wants to drop support for iOS devices with 4-inch displays, including the iPhone 5s and iPhone SE, but there is again some inconsistency there, as the sixth-generation iPod touch will allegedly run iOS 13.

This rumor would be significant if accurate, however, as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in particular were tremendously popular devices that are likely still in the hands of many millions of customers. Meanwhile, the fan-favorite iPhone SE was only released just over three years ago, in March 2016.

iOS 13 is expected to be unveiled at Apple's annual WWDC keynote on June 3, so we'll find out for sure in less than a month.

A curious stage with a rainbow-colored arch was spotted yesterday in drone footage we shared of the Apple Park campus, leading to speculation about what it might be for.

As it turns out, the arch, which is in the rainbow colors of the original Mac logo, is for an upcoming May 17 employee event that will celebrate the formal opening of ‌Apple Park‌ and serve as a tribute to Steve Jobs, who conceptualized the spaceship-like design of the main building on the campus prior to his death.

Details on the event and an interview with Apple design chief Jony Ive were shared by Cult of Mac after the site obtained a copy of internal information about the project that was originally shared with Apple employees.

Jony Ive's design team created the multicolored arch in partnership with a custom concert staging company, and conceptualizing the design took months of work. It's made from 30 unique machined components that make it easy to build up and take down for special events, but there are 25,000 parts in all including the structure itself and the metal skeleton underneath.

According to Ive, the overall goal was to "create a stage that would become immediately recognizable as the Apple Stage." The rainbow color was chosen because it's "been part of [Apple's] identity for many years."

Ive also said that the rainbow's presence is "keenly felt in many places" and that at the end of the day, it's "hard to find somebody that doesn't love a rainbow."

There is the resonance with the rainbow logo that's been part of our identity for many years. The rainbow is also a positive and joyful expression of some of our inclusion values and I think that one of the primary reasons the idea resonated so immediately and so profoundly with us was the form -- the connection from an aesthetic design point of view. A semi-circle relates so beautifully and naturally to the form of the ring.

The arch was created to be a three-dimensional object able to be "appreciated in the round" rather than just the front.

If you look at a plan view of Apple Park, the rainbow occupies an almost insignificant area. But it has a relevance and impact that is disproportionate to the area it occupies.

My space in Apple Park is on the external part of the perimeter. But I can see the rainbow reflected in the ceiling all the way through to where I sit. That truly wasn't planned but one of those lucky accidents.

We had planned the way in which the colors interplay between the discrete bands of the rainbow throughout the day making it more vital and fluid. There are some wonderful but subtle combinations and reflections.

It sounds like the rainbow arch won't be a permanent fixture at the campus, but will be able to be removed and put back up for various events hosted at ‌Apple Park‌.

There are no details on Apple's May 17 event for employees, but MacRumors was told that there will be a big name artist performing at the event. Apple's ‌Apple Park‌ Visitor's Center will be closed on May 17 due to the event.

Earlier this week, we shared a hands-on look at the Powerbeats Pro earbuds launching tomorrow, and today, we thought we'd do an in-depth comparison with the AirPods, giving MacRumors readers a closer look at the similarities and differences between the two devices.

AirPods and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ look nothing alike, as the former is designed for casual use and the latter is aimed at those who live a more active lifestyle. The AirPods feature an iconic design that's reminiscent of the EarPods design Apple has used for years, with the earbuds meant to fit ears of all shapes and sizes with no customization.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are more similar to traditional earbuds, with silicone tips that nestle in the ear and an earhook to hold them firmly in place. The silicone tips come in four sizes, but the earhooks, which wrap around the ear, are one size. These earhooks make sure the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ stay firmly in place during physical activity.

The silicone tips of the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are meant to fit tightly in the ear, which produces a sound isolating - but not noise canceling - effect that dampens ambient noise. The AirPods have no such feature so ambient sound is more audible. Apple has also designed the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ with IPX4 water resistance while the AirPods have no specific Ingress Protection rating, which means ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ should better hold up to sweat.

Both the AirPods and the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ have been described as comfortable to most people in reviews and hands-on accounts, though some reviewers have called the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ even more comfortable than the AirPods despite the earhook, while others find the AirPods easier to wear. The earhook is soft enough that it's not a hassle to wear for longer periods of time, and in our testing, it even fit well with sunglasses.

The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ are much larger than the AirPods, and while the case that charges them up is similar in functionality to the AirPods case, it's much larger and it's not pocketable, plus it doesn't have wireless charging support and can only charge with a Lightning cable. The ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ only come in black right now, but this summer, Apple is going to release moss, ivory, and navy shades. The AirPods are limited to white.

There are major physical differences between the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ and the AirPods, but the underlying feature set is the same and the two share similar hardware. Both include Bluetooth 5.0 and an H1 chip for quick pairing, fast device switching, and hands-free "Hey Siri" support. An accelerometer and other sensors also allow AirPods and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ to pause audio when removed from the ear and resume when the earbud is placed back in the ear.

Music controls are included, and while tap gestures are used on the AirPods for changing tracks and playing/pausing, there are physical controls on the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, including a volume button, something the AirPods don't have. As for sound quality, the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ sound better than the AirPods, which shouldn't come as a surprise given the larger body and the higher price tag.

In our experience, the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ feature a more immersive and full sound profile because of the tight fit in the ears. Apple says that sound quality was a focus when designing the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌, and it shows. The AirPods still sound great, though, and are more than adequate for everyday use.

For those who have been wondering, the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ do indeed support Live Listen, as do the AirPods. Live Listen lets you use the iPhone as a microphone to amplify the ambient noise around you so you can better hear what's going on. As a side note, both AirPods and ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ have beamforming microphones so they sound great when using them for phone calls.

When it comes to battery life, the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ win out. They're bigger and house a bigger battery than the AirPods, boasting up to nine hours of battery life per earbud and an additional 24+ hours through the case. AirPods max out at about five hours, though the AirPods case also adds 24+ hours of battery life. As for phone calls, Apple says the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ offer six hours of talk time while the AirPods offer up to three hours of talk time.

Beyond design, pricing is one of the major differences between the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ and the AirPods. Apple sells the second-generation AirPods with Wireless Charging Case for $199 and with standard case for $159, while the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ cost $250.

For a deeper comparison of the ‌Powerbeats Pro‌ vs. the AirPods, make sure to check out our Powerbeats Pro and AirPods guide, which walks through the two audio accessories feature by feature. Our dedicated Powerbeats Pro guide also has everything you need to know about Apple's newest earbuds.