Apple today launched a new Apple Pay promotion offering discounts from a number of different companies when making an in-app purchase using Apple Pay or on the web in some cases.
The springtime discounts are available through most of May, from May 9 until May 22. Each app and its Apple Pay discount is listed below, though there may be some restrictions and exclusions in the fine print when redeeming each offer.
1-800-Flowers - Free shipping on spring gift collection.
Saks Fifth Avenue - Free special beauty gift when making a purchase.
Shipt - $50 off membership and a $10 credit for the first order.
Sonic Drive-In - Free cheeseburger on your next visit when ordering in the Sonic app.
Wayfair - $10 gift card when making a purchase via Apple Pay in the Wayfair app.
Apple regularly provides Apple Pay promotions in the United States to encourage iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to use the payments service to make purchases.
Apple's $749 iPhone XR was the top selling smartphone in North America during the first quarter of 2019 according to new smartphone shipment data shared today by Canalys.
Apple shipped over 4.5 million iPhone XR devices during the quarter, and it made up 13 percent of total North American shipments. Samsung's Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e were the other two most popular smartphones in Q1 2019, accounting for 6 percent of shipments each.
Though Apple's iPhone XR was the top selling smartphone in North America during the quarter, Apple still saw a 19 percent drop in year-over-year shipments.
Apple shipped 14.6 million devices in Q1 2019 in total, compared to 17.9 million devices shipped during the first quarter of 2018. Despite the drop, Apple managed to maintain 40 percent market share in North America, one of the regions where it sees strong performance.
Apple's fall in Q1 followed particularly high shipments of flagship iPhones in the previous quarter," said Canalys Research Analyst Vincent Thielke. "But there was a disconnect between channel orders and consumer demand, which then caused early shipments in Q1 to be challenging for Apple. But moving into March, we did see an uptick in iPhone XR shipments, an early sign that these challenges may be starting to ease at home. Apple has shown how vital trade-ins have become by moving the mechanism to the front and center of its ordering process, and it now frequently uses the net price in its flagship iPhone marketing. The momentum of trade-in promotions in Q2 and Q3 will determine the extent to which Apple can counter negative market forces, such as longer device lifecycles. But the key challenge in coming months remains that its latest iPhones are just not different enough, though new ones are on the way. For its performance to improve in 2020, Apple will need to emphasize radical new features that are most likely to impress consumers."
Samsung shipped 10.7 million devices for 29.3 percent market share, while LG shipped 4.8 million devices and Lenovo shipped 2.4 million devices. Overall North American smartphone shipments were down an estimated 18 percent during Q1 2019, totaling 36.4 million shipments.
Canalys believes that in order to better compete in 2020, Apple will need to launch devices with "radical new features" that will better appeal to consumers. Thus far, rumors suggest Apple's 2019 iPhones will be largely similar to the 2018 iPhones, but with major camera improvements that could draw in upgraders and new customers and better compete with devices like the Google Pixel with its Night Sight mode.
Expercom kicked off a new sale on the Apple Watch Series 3 today, discounting three models of the cellular version by as much as $150 off. The sale includes 38mm and 42mm versions of the Apple Watch Series 3, all in aluminum with Sport Loops, and each model supports cellular data.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Expercom. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Savings start with the 38mm Space Gray Aluminum Apple Watch with Black Sport Loop at $249.00, down from $379.00. This beats prices offered by B&H Photo and Amazon, where the same Apple Watch is selling for $299.00. Likewise, the other two models in the sale offer great low prices on 42mm options of the Apple Watch Nike+.
The Apple Watch Series 3 launched in 2017 and introduced smaller 38mm and 42mm bodies with less display area, dual-core S3 processors, a barometric altimeter, and an optical heart rate sensor. Like all models of the Apple Watch, the Series 3 can track your health data like standing hours, calorie count, exercise time, and more.
For more details about this week's best sales, head to our Deals Roundup.
Apple says the store reflects its "most extensive historic restoration project to date," with the company working alongside architecture firm Foster + Partners and conservation experts to restore the building's distinctive early 20th-century Beaux-Arts style, including its marble facade and atrium.
Apple Carnegie Library features a revitalized grand entry plaza on K Street, a new grand entry staircase on Mount Vernon Place, a double-height atrium with an expansive skylight where Today at Apple sessions will be hosted, and a Genius Grove where the library's book stacks were previously housed.
Forum
To celebrate the opening, Apple will be hosting special Today at Apple sessions at the store between May 18 and June 29. The so-called StoryMakers Festival, led by GoldLink, Nigel Barker, No Kings Collective, and more, will focus on storytelling with photos, music, video, and art and design.
Genius Grove
Deirdre O'Brien, Apple's Senior Vice President of Retail + People:
Whether customers come to explore new products, visit one of our Geniuses or unlock their creativity in a Today at Apple session, Apple Carnegie Library is a place for everyone. We are excited to share this magnificent space with all of our visitors in Washington, D.C., and to provide a home for inspiration for the next generation.
Jony Ive, Apple's Chief Design Officer:
I love the synergy between old and new, the juxtaposition of the historic fabric and contemporary design. In its 'new' phase of life, Apple Carnegie Library will be a way for us to share our ideas and excitement about the products we create, while giving people a sense of community and encouraging and nurturing creativity. It has been a significant honor to restore the Carnegie Library for the people of Washington, D.C.
Carnegie Library also features a new D.C. History Center, which includes the Kiplinger Research Library, three galleries, and a museum store, all owned and operated by the 125-year-old Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
Recently, presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren put forward the idea to reverse certain tech mergers to promote healthy competition in the market, particularly including Facebook and Instagram. In an op-ed shared today by Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, that topic is revisited (via The New York Times).
According to Hughes, the Federal Trade Commission's "biggest mistake" was letting Facebook acquire Instagram and WhatsApp. As the co-founder pointed out, many people left Facebook following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but they didn't leave the Facebook ecosystem altogether because of Instagram and WhatsApp, with some people unaware that Facebook owned these social networks.
First, Facebook should be separated into multiple companies. The F.T.C., in conjunction with the Justice Department, should enforce antitrust laws by undoing the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions and banning future acquisitions for several years.
How would a breakup work? Facebook would have a brief period to spin off the Instagram and WhatsApp businesses, and the three would become distinct companies, most likely publicly traded. Facebook shareholders would initially hold stock in the new companies, although Mark and other executives would probably be required to divest their management shares.
In the years since its acqusitions, the founders of both Instagram and WhatsApp have left each company, reportedly due to clashing with Mark Zuckerberg and his management of their apps. Hughes described an informal slogan that became well-known in the Facebook offices in the wake of its launch of the "Stories" format on Instagram and Facebook: "Don't be too proud to copy."
The vibrant marketplace that once drove Facebook and other social media companies to compete to come up with better products has virtually disappeared. This means there’s less chance of start-ups developing healthier, less exploitative social media platforms. It also means less accountability on issues like privacy.
Mark may never have a boss, but he needs to have some check on his power. The American government needs to do two things: break up Facebook’s monopoly and regulate the company to make it more accountable to the American people.
Although the Cambridge Analytica scandal has passed, in 2019 Facebook continued to appear in headlines regarding data breaches and user privacy issues. In April alone, it was reported that Facebook's executive team used the data of its users as leverage over partner companies; two days later it emerged that Facebook harvested the email contacts of 1.5 million users without their knowledge or consent and used the data to build a web of their social connections.
That same day, Facebook confirmed that millions of Instagram passwords were stored on its servers in plain text with no encryption. Similar stories have been shared frequently since news broke about about the Cambridge Analytica scandal just over one year ago.
Amid all of the news, Facebook today announced the launch of a new feature for Stories called "Birthday Stories." Using this ability, friends and family members can add digital birthday cards, photos, or video messages to your Birthday Story, which will be visible at the top of the Facebook iOS app like other Stories.
The feature will be available in the birthday notification that pops up when a friend is celebrating their big day. From there, you'll be able to take a photo or video, share a music sticker on the Story, and more. Once multiple people have added to the Birthday Story, the person in question will be able to browse it like any traditional Facebook or Instagram Story.
The company said that its goal with the new update was expanding on existing birthday features on Facebook, while also continuing to push interaction with Stories. It's been over two years since Facebook Stories began rolling out to users, and nearly three years since Instagram first copied the Stories format from Snapchat.
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.
If you missed the opportunity to buy the original iPod nearly 18 years ago, now is your second chance — but it won't be cheap.
A very rare first-generation iPod factory sealed in its "unopened original box" in "unopened original shrink wrap" has surfaced in a new eBay listing with an asking price of $19,995, over 50 times more than the $399 it cost when it was first unveiled by the late Steve Jobs in October 2001.
Jobs famously pitched the original iPod as offering "1,000 songs in your pocket." The iconic device features a 5GB hard drive, a two-inch grayscale LCD screen, up to 10 hours of battery life, a FireWire port, and a scroll wheel for "simple, one-handed navigation." Its 0.75-inch thickness was slim at the time.
It's hard to say exactly how many factory-sealed original iPods are still in existence, but there are likely not many, and they rarely go on sale. When they do, they often fetch large sums, with the $19,995 price for this listing in line with an original iPod that reportedly sold for $20,000 on eBay back in 2014.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with eBay. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Nike today announced a new feature coming to its iOS app this summer, called "Nike Fit." Using augmented reality, you'll be able to scan your feet directly within the Nike mobile app to find the right shoe size to wear.
Image via Engadget
To use the feature, you'll navigate to a product page in the app, and next to the normal shoe size menu there will be a new option to measure your feet. This will open the iPhone camera, and the app will ask you to stand next to a wall and point the device down at your feet. Once everything is level and your feet are recognized along with the environment, your correct Nike shoe size will be showcased.
"The entire process takes less than a minute," Engadget reported.
Nike Fit will measure your feet virtually down to the millimeter size, and it can tell you if your right foot is larger than your left one, or vice versa. The company says that, based on early testing, it is quite confident on the technology, so much so that it plans to make it a core feature of its Nike app -- it's not just an experiment or a marketing move.
The company plans to take this data even further, allowing retail workers to scan a QR code in your Nike app to get all of your shoe size data and build recommendations based on your profile. Employees will also have their own version of Nike Fit on smartphones to get shoe sizes of customers who haven't used the feature yet. With the data, they'll be able to scan any shoe box and have Nike's system tell them the best size and model.
The Nike Fit data is also saved permanently in the app so that you don't have to use it every time you shop for a new shoe, although different Nike styles fit differently and the app will intelligently recommend the correct size based on whether a style runs smaller or has a narrower fit.
Nike Fit will launch this July in the mobile app for United States users, and those in Europe will see the feature added later in the summer.
Feral Interactive today announced that Barbarian Invasion, the standalone expansion for the acclaimed historical strategy game ROME: Total War, is out now on iPhone.
Originally developed by Creative Assembly and published by SEGA for Windows PC, Barbarian Invasion was previously brought to iPad by Feral.
Barbarian Invasion takes place in 363AD during the height of the Roman Empire, when the Barbarian hordes began fighting back against Roman supremacy in an attempt to reclaim lost territory.
Players can choose to take on the role of a Barbarian commander determined to bring down the Empire, or take up arms as a Roman General and fight to extend the civilization into a new age.
Woven into the historical narrative are clashes with Christian, Pagan, and Zoroastrian religions, along with a new Horde mechanic that commands factions to raid and plunder opposing settlements to sustain their nomadic lifestyle.
Barbarian Invasion requires an iPhone 5s or later, iOS 12, and 4GB of free space to install. The full list of supported iPhones is as follows: iPhone 5S, iPhone 6/6 Plus, iPhone 6S/6S Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPhone 8/8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS/XS Max, iPhone XR, and iPod Touch (6th Generation).
Barbarian Invasion for iPhone is available from the App Store for $4.99 (£4.99 / 5.49 euros). It's a universal app, so players who have previously purchased the game on iPad will be able to install it on their iPhone at no additional cost, and transfer their save games.
Third-party case renders for Apple's 2019 OLED iPhone lineup appeared on Slashleaks this morning. The images match previous alleged leaks suggesting the successor devices to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will feature rear triple-lens cameras in a triangular array and housed within a square bump.
Case manufacturers often create renders of iPhones ahead of their debut in order to be the first to come out with accessories for the newly launched devices. These kinds of leaks are often accurate because there's a lot of money at stake, but that's not to say there can sometimes be costly errors.
These case images come with no accompanying information, so there's no way to know for sure whether or not the design accurately portrays what Apple's 2019 OLED iPhones will look like. However, The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Apple is planning on introducing a triple-lens camera system in at least one of the new iPhones coming this year. In addition, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said both the 5.8 and 6.5-inch OLED iPhones will feature triple-lens rear camera setups with a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens, and a 12-megapixel super wide-angle lens.
We don't yet know what Apple will call the new iPhones, but "iPhone XI" or "iPhone 11" are possibilities for the iPhone XS successors.
Apple is no longer offering the 5K LG UltraFine Display from the Apple Store in the United States, with the monitor now listed as "Sold Out" and unavailable for pickup in any retail location.
The 5K LG display was in stock and available to be shipped just recently, so the stock shortage happened within the last few days. The listing for the display has not been eliminated from Apple's site, so it's not entirely clear if Apple plans to restock the monitor or if Apple is done selling it for good.
Apple last month removed the online listing for the 4K LG UltraFine Display, and prior to when it was pulled, the 4K monitor had been listed as "Sold Out" for some time, so Apple could be planning to remove the 5K monitor from the site in the near future as well.
The 4K and 5K UltraFine Displays were designed by LG in partnership with Apple and were created to be used with the 2016 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models, which supported Thunderbolt 3 for the first time.
The 27-inch 5K UltraFine Display featured a resolution of 5120 x 2880, P3 wide color gamut, and 85W of power delivery for charging a MacBook Pro. Apple was selling it for $1,299. The 27-inch 5K UltraFine display continues to be available from Best Buy, B&H Photo, and Amazon, and it is still listed on LG's website.
Apple is potentially phasing out the LG displays because they're several years old at this point and because there is a new Apple-branded display in the works. Apple is developing a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro and is said to be planning on a 31.6-inch 6K display to go with it.
The new display has been described as a high-end display aimed at Apple's pro user base, so it's likely to be expensive and may not be a suitable replacement for the 4K and 5K displays that are no longer available from Apple.
While Apple Park was being constructed, drone pilots like Duncan Sinfield followed Apple's progress on the buildings and landscaping, allowing us to see the campus as work progressed.
Apple Park has been done for some time now and drone videos have largely stopped, but Duncan Sinfield stopped by Apple Park this morning and captured a great-looking drone video that we thought we'd share with MacRumors readers.
The main ring-shaped building has all of its completed landscaping, and the video also shows off auxiliary buildings like the Steve Jobs Theater and on-campus parking structures. Hundreds of trees cover the interior and exterior of the ring-shaped building, and there's a large central pond. Everything is looking lush and green thanks to heavy rains in the Bay Area over the course of the last few months.
Of particular interest is an event stage with a rainbow arch and multiple lights that's located right in the middle of the campus. It's not clear what this is for, but it's likely an upcoming employee-only concert event of some sort, as visitors to the site aren't allowed onto the campus.
There's no word right now on what the event might be, but Apple often hosts beer bashes and other employee events at Apple Park. The Apple Park Visitor's Center is closed on Friday, May 17, so that may be when the event is set to take place.
Eve, a company that makes HomeKit-enabled smart home products, launched its latest accessory, the Eve Energy Strip, in April.
The Eve Energy Strip offers three HomeKit-connected outlets, each of which can be controlled independently through the Eve app, the Home app, and through Siri, so you can make standard home products and appliances smart.
Design
Design wise, the Eve Energy Strip feels a bit large and overly thick for a three outlet power strip, but it has an attractive and well-made aluminum enclosure with a black plastic top, so it looks sharp enough that it doesn't need to be hidden away. It measures in at 10.9 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and 1.3 inches thick.
There are three well-spaced sockets on the Eve Energy Strip, which are placed far enough away that even multiple larger power adapters can fit as long as you're careful with placement. As with most power strips, horizontally oriented power adapters have the potential to block other outlets, depending on position.
There are indicator lights for surge protection and grounding at one end, along with three power buttons and LED status indicators. Each button has one, two, or three dots, corresponding to each of the sockets on the Energy Strip.
There's a thick 6.3-foot black cable at one end, which is about standard for power strips. 6.3 feet is long enough that it can be placed behind a desk or TV stand while remaining accessible for use. With app and Siri controls available for remote access, the Energy Strip does not necessarily need to be put in a fully accessible place.
Standard protections you might expect from a power strip are included, such as overcurrent, overvoltage, and surge protection.
Overall, this is a nice looking power strip that's ideal if it needs to go in a place where it might possibly be visible. I tuck my power strips and cables away in boxes to hide them as best I can, but if I had to have a visible power strip, I'd want a design like this. As I mentioned above, I do wish it were smaller, but there's a lot going on under the hood to justify the size.
Functionality
Each of the three outlets on the Energy Strip is HomeKit-compatible, which means you can add HomeKit connectivity to three devices that wouldn't otherwise be able to be controlled using HomeKit features.
I have a lot of HomeKit devices already so I don't have much that's not already connected to HomeKit, but the Energy Strip is ideal if you have a less connected setup because it offers three outlets in one device. Fans, humidifiers, heaters, fancy lamps, and other appliances that are not normally able to be connected to HomeKit are ideal for this kind of setup.
HomeKit functionality in this case is limited to on and off controls and automation, so that's something to be aware of. You'll be able to power lamps, appliances, or other devices on or off through this Energy Strip using the Home app, Eve app, or HomeKit commands, but there are no other direct control options.
You can add the outlets to HomeKit scenes with other HomeKit products and you can set up automation schedules, so you can do something like have a fan come on at a specific time or turn off a computer at night.
The Energy Strip connects to a HomeKit setup over WiFi, and you're going to need a 2.4GHz network because it won't connect to 5GHz. I had to switch my phone over to 2.4GHz to connect, and that's always a hassle, especially if you don't have your 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks split and easy to connect to. On the plus side, since this is a direct Wi-Fi connection, there's no need for a bridge.
In addition to turning devices off/on and adding automation controls, the major feature the Energy Strip boasts is power monitoring. You can tell exactly how much power your devices are consuming, their estimated total cost, and an estimate of how much it will cost to run your devices over a period of a year.
The power consumption and cost estimate metrics are for the entire Eve Energy strip, so you cannot see a breakdown for each outlet.
Eve App
The Eve app offers full control over the Energy Strip, allowing you to change its name, assign names to each plug for Siri voice control purposes, and turn outlets on and off, but what you're going to want to use the Eve app for primarily is checking on those above mentioned in-app metrics, because that info is not available through the Home app or via Siri commands.
In the Eve app, you can see power status (aka if an outlet is on or off), current consumption (energy being drawn right now), total consumption (energy draw over time), projected cost (what it might cost to run for a year based on the last week, day or minute), and total cost (the total estimated cost of energy use to date).
There is, unfortunately, no way to break down energy usage on a per outlet basis, with the Eve app calculating these figures based on the entire energy draw of all of your items that are plugged in.
You can see total consumption broken down further by hour, day, week, or month, and export power usage measurements from each day into another app if you like.
The total cost estimate can also be broken down by hour, day, week, and month so you can see your projected cost estimates in the way that makes the most sense to you.
My Eve app estimates a lamp and a computer have cost me $0.14 over the course of the last week or so, and will cost somewhere around $16 to run for the entire year. These totals are calculated on a projected cost per country and can be customized in the Eve app's settings.
Cost per kilowatt hour varies by location, so you will want to customize this setting. Here in California, we pay somewhere around 19.82 cents per kilowatt hour, while in other states, that rate is much lower.
Home App
When it comes to the Eve Energy strip, Home app controls are limited. You can turn each individual outlet on or off using in-app toggles, but that's just about all you can do.
You can also rename outlets, change their room, change what they identify as, and do other similar management things, but you can't see power usage.
In both the Home app and the Eve app, you can automate the outlets to come on at a specific time and incorporate them into HomeKit scenes with other HomeKit products.
Siri
Siri controls are limited to turning each individual outlet on or off and getting the power status, aka if a particular outlet is turned on or off.
Bottom Line
If you have a few non-HomeKit devices that you've been wanting to hook up to your smart home setup, the Eve Energy Strip is a good way to do it.
It's also useful if you want to make sure a particular appliance isn't drawing too much energy or using energy when it's off, making it ideal for suspect appliances like fans, computers, and more.
Being able to control each outlet individually in HomeKit is useful, because you can turn off one item that's plugged in without affecting the others, something not usually possible with a standard power strip.
The Eve Energy Strip is expensive and is going to cost more than individual HomeKit-enabled smart plugs, but it is one of the few HomeKit-enabled power strip options on the market.
The Apple Watch Series 4 was today named one of the Displays of the Year by The Society for Information Display (SID) during the 2019 Display Industry Awards announced at Display Week, a yearly symposium and trade show.
The Displays of the Year awards highlight "the high-quality innovative work taking place in the display industry at every level." The specific category the watch won focuses on "the most significant technological advances and/or outstanding features."
The Apple Watch Series 4 received an award because it features an OLED display that's 30 percent larger than the previous display, without an increase in device size. Additionally, it uses a new display technology called LTPO for improved efficiency, leading to longer battery life.
While retaining the original signature design, the fourth-generation Apple Watch has been refined, combining new hardware and software enhancements into a singular, unified form. The striking display, which is more than 30 percent larger at 40 mm or 44 mm, depending on the model, seamlessly integrates into the thinner, smaller case, while the new interface provides more information with richer detail. The display is the defining feature of Apple Watch, and Series 4 pushes that feature farther than ever. The challenge for designers was to make the display bigger without noticeably increasing the size of the case or compromising the battery life. Narrower borders enable a viewing area that's more than 30 percent larger, while a new display technology called LTPO improves power efficiency, helping users get through the day on a single charge.
The 2019 awards cover products that were available for purchase during the 2018 calendar year, and no other Apple devices received awards this year. Last year, both the iPhone X and iPad Pro won "Displays of the Year" awards.
Other 2019 winners include Samsung for "The Wall" modular microLED 8K display, and Sony for its Crystal LED Display System that also uses microLED technology.
Apple claims that its new Powerbeats Pro earbuds feature a "reinforced design" that makes them sweat and water resistant, but there are still a lot of questions about what that specifically means given that past Beats headphones have experienced failures due to moisture exposure.
As it turns out, the Powerbeats Pro feature an IPX4 water resistance rating, which means they're certified to hold up to water splashing against the enclosure from any direction, but have the potential to fail when immersed or exposed to jets of water.
The IP4X rating, as iMore points out, is mentioned in a reviewer's guide that was provided to media sites that have early access to the earbuds. It is not included in Apple's official marketing materials.
Apple promotes the Powerbeats Pro as being resistant to sweat and water, making them ideal for working out and other fitness-related activities. The Verge was told in April that the Powerbeats Pro have been engineered to handle "all of your sweat without fail."
It does not appear that Apple's earlier headphones, such as the BeatsX or the Powerbeats 3, have official Ingress Protection ratings, which may mean that they weren't subjected to testing.
Apple's Powerbeats 3 earbuds were marketed as sweat and water resistant, but there have been reports of failures after extended sweat exposure, which leaves some questions about the Powerbeats Pro.
With an IPX4 rating, the Powerbeats Pro should be able to survive sweat exposure, but we're not going to know how they hold up until users have had time to properly test them out over time.
For comparison's sake, the current 2018 iPhones have an IPX7 rating and can survive total immersion in water. Powerbeats Pro should not be submerged in liquids with an IPX4 rating, and you're going to want to keep them as dry as possible.
Avoiding sweat during physical activity is impossible, but keeping them out of the rain and the shower is advised, as is drying them off after a long workout.
The iTunes Store, App Store, Apple Books, and the Mac App Store are experiencing an outage, according to Apple's System Status page.
Some customers may be unable to make purchases, which is in line with reports about downtime on Twitter. We've also heard complaints about Apple Music and other services, though Apple isn't listing problems outside of the App Stores.
Apple's developer website confirms that TestFlight and App Store Connect are affected as well, so developers and testers may be unable to use these services at the current time.
The outage has been ongoing since 1:40 a.m. Pacific Time, and it's not clear how many customers are affected. We don't know when the issues will be fixed, but we'll update this post when all services are up and running.
Update: According to Apple's System Status page, the issues affecting the App Store, Mac App Store, iTunes, TestFlight and App Store Connect have been resolved.
Apple recently hired Lindsay Rothschild to Head of Creative Services for Apple Music's North American division (via Variety). Rothschild is joining Apple from Google, where she led songwriter and publisher relations for YouTube.
The new Apple Music executive will be tasked with building and maintaining working relationships with artists in the songwriter community, as well as publishers. Rothschild officially started at Apple on April 29, and she was the first hire on Apple Music's Music Publishing Creative Services team.
Rothschild's hiring follows a few months of reports about streaming music services fighting against the United States Copyright Royalty Board, which ruled to increase the royalties paid to songwriters by 44 percent. Companies like Spotify, Google, Pandora, and Amazon all fought against the decision.
Apple remained out of the fight, favoring the increased royalty payments for songwriters and earning praise from various artists and those in the music industry.
Now, Rothschild will continue working on expanding Apple's good graces in the community, which she appears ready to accomplish. According to sources, she is able to "speak and understand the language of songwriters," and has a "great track record" during her previous jobs, including the Disney Music Group prior to her spot at Google.
Apple has greenlit a new project from producer/director Jon Favreau for Apple TV+, called "Prehistoric Planet." The series is said to provide a look at the last days of the dinosaurs using CGI to recreate the events (via Variety).
Image by John Salangsang via Shutterstock/Variety
Favreau is known for directing films like "Iron Man," the live-action version of "The Jungle Book" and the upcoming reboot of "The Lion King." He will partner with "Planet Earth II" producer Mike Gunton on Apple's new series, which will be produced by BBC Studios' Natural History Unit.
Apple announced Apple TV+ in March during an event filled with various celebrities, including Oprah, Jason Momoa, and Steven Spielberg. The company's streaming service is set to launch in the fall of 2019 and it will be housed in the existing TV app.
Besides documentaries and natural history series like "Prehistoric Planet," Apple TV+ will include numerous scripted dramatic and comedic shows. These include "The Morning Show," "See," "Truth Be Told," "Dickinson," an adaptation of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" book series, and more. You can see every show coming to Apple TV+ right here.
In partnership with Pricebaba.com, @Onleaks today released a series of high-quality renders of the next-generation iPhone XR expected to launch this coming September. The renders are based on rumors and alleged leaks regarding the device's outward design.
The iPhone XR successor depicted in the renders could easily be mistaken for last year's iPhone XR, if it wasn't for the addition of the dual-lens cameras, arranged vertically with the LED flash on the right and housed in a large square bump.
According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the 6.1-inch iPhone XR successor is said to feature a dual-lens rear camera setup rather than a triple-lens setup, which will be exclusive to the next-generation iPhone XS and XS Max models.
Renders of the latter 2019 devices have included a square bump housing the three lenses, but this is the first time we've seen the same controversial housing for the upcoming dual-lens iPhone XR. All three of the front-facing cameras in the 2019 iPhones are expected to be 12 megapixels, up from 7 megapixels in the 2018 models.
While some rumors suggest Apple may go with an all OLED lineup, doing away with the LCD displays of the iPhone XR, other rumors believe Apple will stick with its Liquid Retina LCD display because of the high price of OLED displays.
All 2019 iPhones are likely to adopt upgraded A13 chips from TSMC, Apple's chip supplier. The A13, like all chip upgrades, should bring performance and efficiency improvements.
As for dimensions, OnLeaks suggests the iPhone XR 2019 will measure 150.9 x 76.1 x 7.8mm, with the camera bump being the thickest point, at 8.5mm.
Rumors suggest Apple is planning to make changes to the front-facing TrueDepth Camera System that enables Face ID in the 2019 iPhones. Kuo believes 2019 iPhones will feature a new flood illuminator that will improve Face ID by lowering the impact of the invisible light from the environment.
Despite some rumors suggesting a smaller notch or no notch at all, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes there will be no change to the size of the notch in the 2019 iPhone lineup.
The iPhone XR was Apple's best-selling iPhone in 2018, accounting for an estimated 32 percent of U.S. iPhone sales, according to sales data by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Comparatively, the iPhone XS and XS Max, Apple's more expensive iPhones, were responsible for 35 percent of sales combined.
Apple is expected to unveil its new 2019 iPhone lineup in September, likely launching the phones in the weeks following the announcements.
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Apple's developer website confirms that TestFlight and App Store Connect are affected as well, so developers and testers may be unable to use these services at the current time. 
