Apple, a longtime supporter of AIDS research through its (RED) partnership, today shared some details on the work (RED) is doing to put an end to AIDS in Africa with the money it raises for the Global Fund.
Since its founding in 2006, (RED) has raised more than $600 million to support the Global Fund, $200 million of which has come from Apple.
Apple sells a selection of exclusive (PRODUCT)RED branded merchandise, and when customers purchase a (PRODUCT)RED device or accessory, a portion of the proceeds is donated to (RED). Apple has been selling (PRODUCT)RED merchandise for years now, and its most recent release is the red version of the iPhone XR.
Apple is (RED)'s largest corporate donor, and in its release today, Apple shared some stories of the HIV-positive caregivers who benefit from the money donated to the Global Fund, and the full article is well worth a read.
The Global Fund has provided money to thousands of facilities in Kenya and seven other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it's made a huge impact cutting down on the spread of the disease. In 2017, there were 53,000 cases of HIV in Kenya, a major improvement over the number of HIV cases back in 2000 when 9.3 percent of all adults in the country were HIV-positive.
With improved access to HIV treatment through the Global Fund, which provides 17.5 million people with life-saving antiretroviral treatments at the moment of diagnosis, just 4.8 percent of adults in Kenya were HIV-positive in 2017.
"The Global Fund and (RED) have made a huge impact in the lives of HIV-positive patients," says Robina Anene Muli, who runs the Embakasi Health Centre. "Especially when it comes to testing kits, ARVs and other drugs -- they provide 80 percent of our supplies and funding."
Apple is planning a major fundraising effort in honor of World AIDS Day, set to take place this Saturday. From December 1 to December 7, $1 of every Apple Pay purchase made at an Apple Store, through the Apple Store app, or on the Apple website will be donated to (RED).
Apple will also turn the Apple logos at many of its retail stores red to raise AIDS awareness, as it has done in past years.
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 today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.1.1 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the third tvOS 12.1.1 beta and a month after releasing tvOS 12.1.
The new tvOS 12.1.1 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Subsequent betas can be downloaded over-the-air.
We're not yet sure what fixes and changes the tvOS 12.1.1 update might bring, but it's likely to focus on bugs that were not able to be addressed in the tvOS 12.1 update.
Apple provides little information on its tvOS software and tvOS updates have historically been minor in scale, so we may not know what's included in this update. Despite the lack of info Apple offers, we continue to share updates on tvOS beta releases so that developers and public beta testers are aware when new content is available to download.
Nothing new was discovered in the first three tvOS 12.1.1 betas, but we'll update this post if any new features are found in the fourth beta.
Update: Apple has also made a new beta of tvOS 12.1.1 available to public beta testers.
Apple today shared a new ad that focuses on the recently introduced Group FaceTime feature, designed to allow iOS and Mac users to chat with up to 32 people at one time.
The video, entitled "A Little Company," features a bunch of different Elvis impersonators on a Group FaceTime call singing the song "There's Always Me" by Elvis Presley.
The video shows off the tiled interface that's used with Group FaceTime, designed to highlight the person who is speaking at the current time.
Group FaceTime also has a feature that lets you use Animoji, Memoji, and filters during your video chats, but that option is not shown off in today's video.
Group FaceTime was introduced as a main feature in the iOS 12 beta, but it was not ready for iOS 12's September launch so Apple temporarily removed it. Group FaceTime was re-released in iOS 12.1, which Apple launched in late October.
Apple today announced that it will be attending the 2018 Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, aka NeurIPS, in Montréal, Canada from December 2 through December 8. Apple will have a booth staffed with machine learning experts and invites any conference attendees to drop by and chat.
NeurIPS is in its 32nd year and is said to be the world's largest and most influential machine learning and artificial intelligence conference. Apple is likely there to showcase its machine learning technologies and recruit new employees.
Machine learning algorithms play a role in virtually every Apple product and service, ranging from Apple Maps and Apple News to Siri and the QuickType keyboard on iPhone and iPad. Apple has machine learning jobs available in areas such as artificial intelligence, computer vision, data science, and deep learning.
Despite the lack of a big design refresh in iOS 12 this year, Apple recently updated Apple Music with new features like revamped artist pages, coming soon albums, and UI fixes to the way albums and singles are displayed. One of the features that remains unavailable to Apple Music subscribers, however, is a way to view a history of your listening statistics on the streaming music service.
Following Apple's recently launched Data and Privacy portal, which lets customers download a copy of their Apple-related data, developer Pat Murray has built a browser-based app aimed at visualizing your Apple Music activity. With the download of one file on Apple's Data and Privacy portal, Murray's app organizes your complete Apple Music listening history since you first started using the service.
The developer promises that none of your data ever leaves your computer in the process, and explained to me that once it's loaded, the web app will even work offline and still be able to run all computations and present users with their data. The full source of the app is available to read on GitHub, and it's worth pointing out that Murray's app is only asking for access to a single CSV file related to your Apple Music activity, and nothing else.
Follow the steps below to get your Apple Music-related data from Apple:
Navigate to Downloads and in the search field, search for "Apple Media Services Information" and double click on it
Find the "App_Store_iTunes_Store_iBooks_Store_Apple_Music" folder, and underneath that find "Apple Music Activity"
Find "Apple Music Play Activity.csv" and open it
With your Apple Music data open in Murray's web app, you'll be presented first with your most played song overall on Apple Music, including the number of times you've listened to it, hours spent listening to it, and hours spent skipping it. Below that, you'll be able to find your most played songs of each year that you've been subscribed to the service, the total amount of time you've spent listening to music, the day you've listened to the most music, and total library song/artist count.
Murray also presents your most played artists in descending order, detailing the number of plays and total time spent listening to each. Below that are a few interesting charts and graphs. The first shows the "Playing Time by Month," allowing you to visualize the months you listened to Apple Music the most versus ones with lower activity.
With the "Playing Time by Date" tool, Murray has created a miniature calendar that shows your total Apple Music play time for every day you've had the service, and lets you know out of those days how many you didn't listen to any music. Similarly, "Playing Time by Hour of Day" shows the most frequent times on average that you listen to Apple Music based on the time of day.
The Apple Music Analyzer also provides specific sections for each year you've used Apple Music. When you click "Open" on any of these, you'll see your top 20 most played songs for the year with the usual hours listened to and play count stats.
Below this, Murray has created a "Reasons A Song Finished Playing" section, offering the amount of times a song ended normally, a song was paused, skipped, scrubbed to the end, a session timed out, and more. Lastly, the web app provides a simple and straightforward list of all the songs you've ever listened to on Apple Music. With this tool, you can reorganize the list to prioritize listening time or play count in ascending or descending order.
For anyone who has ever been a fan of sites like Last.fm or personal stat breakdowns in general, Murray's web app is a fun and intriguing dive into your Apple Music history. Apple has not indicated if even a rudimentary feature such as listening history will ever come to Apple Music, and in this area some of its rivals do offer at least some form of personalized listening history.
Spotify, for example, creates a mini website towards the end of every year with a breakdown of each user's most listened to tracks, artists, and genre for the past 12 months. Spotify began the 2018 Wrapped campaign today, and will reveal its subscribers' listening stats for the year on December 6. Apple Music users have found creative alternatives to this feature using Smart Playlists and even the new Shortcuts app, but these still only result in a single playlist that usually detail most played songs and not much else.
Earlier this year, graphic designer Álvaro Pabesio envisioned an update for Apple Music that included listening history stats, among many other tweaks to the service. In Pabesio's vision, Apple Music would be able to track your play count, music discovery, play time, and more, and you could break it down by the past week, month, year, etc. This information would also fuel the social aspects of Apple Music, giving you an approximate taste comparison with other people on the service to see if you listen to the same genres and artists.
Apple Music concept by Álvaro Pabesio
If you're interested in reading about your own Apple Music listening history, be sure to check out Pat Murray's web tool and follow the steps above to get your music stats. Murray is the developer behind numerous other projects, including the iOS app Live Memories [Direct Link], which creates a miniature movie from Live Photos, and GitHub projects like Share Your Rings, which lets you export a GIF or video of your personal Apple Watch move rings to send to your friends.
Update 12/12: Murray updated the web app recently with a new card that displays "My Music - 2018", in a similar style to the Spotify Wrapped cards shared across social media. With the information you can see your minutes of music listened in 2018, top artists, and top songs.
To find the new section, follow the above steps and once your Apple Music play activity is loaded into Murray's Apple Music Analyzer, scroll down and below your top artists you'll find the new 2018 card.
Orders placed today are estimated to be delivered in the first week of December. Quantities are limited, however, so we recommend acting fast or using Refurb Tracker to monitor when inventory is replenished.
Apple says certified refurbished iPad models are thoroughly inspected, tested, cleaned, and repackaged in a new white box, with all accessories and documentation included. Every refurbished iPad receives a new battery and a new outer shell, making it virtually indistinguishable from a brand new iPad.
Every refurbished iPad is covered by Apple's standard one-year warranty effective on the date the tablet is delivered. The coverage can be extended to two years from the refurbished purchase date with AppleCare+ for iPad, which costs $69 or $3.49 per month for the the 9.7-inch iPad in the United States.
While certified refurbished iPads represent a decent opportunity for savings, better deals were offered on the sixth-generation 9.7-inch iPad on Black Friday last week. Walmart and Target, for example, offered the Wi-Fi model with 32GB of storage for just $249 brand new, less than Apple's refurbished price of $279.
Those interested in a better deal on the sixth-generation iPad can monitor the price charts in our continuously updated Apple Deals roundup.
Portrait Mode photo editor Focos received an update today that should pique the interest of iPad owners. We've highlighted the iPhone app in the past for its impressive granular aperture and bokeh adjustment tools, but the latest version builds on the existing feature set by adding more extensive support for iPads.
With this latest 1.6 update, Focos brings a new, specially designed interface to iPad that's more convenient to use on the larger screens.
In addition, Focos now includes support for taking portrait pictures on Apple's latest 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, while for owners of earlier iPad models, it's now possible to edit portrait pictures transferred from a dual-camera iPhone.
Focos users are able to multiple-select and transfer portrait pictures from iPhone to iPad right from within the app for further editing.
Focos also includes Apple Pencil support, making it possible to patch the depth map of a portrait photo more precisely using Apple's latest input device.
Previously the Patch tool was an in-app purchase, but in this latest version it's now free to use, providing photographers with another reason to get the iPad version to edit their portrait pictures precisely.
Focos is a free download for iPads and dual-lens iPhones from the App Store, although several pro features are behind a paywall. It costs $0.99 per month or $6.99 per year to unlock them, but there's also an $11.99 lifetime access purchase option. [Direct Link]
Following yesterday's Apple Pay launch in Belgium, Apple today updated its Maps app to include transit information across the country.
Apple has yet to update its official list of locations for which Maps offers Transit data, but several tipsters contacted MacRumors to confirm the information is already live.
The coverage includes train, tram, and bus routes in the main cities as well as other funicular connections around the country. Belgian connections to nearby connections abroad also feature in Apple's coverage.
Google Maps has supported transit directions for several years now, but Apple Maps has been adding transit data since 2015 and is steadily catching up with detailed routing information.
If you use the VIP feature in the iOS Mail app then you'll already know how they can help you keep track of important messages from your key contacts amid the daily torrent of incoming emails.
Keeping on top of VIP emails can be made even easier by ensuring you receive a specific sound or vibration alert whenever one comes through on your iPhone or iPad. That way you'll know if a new message justifies your immediate attention before you've even looked at your iOS device. Here's how to set them up.
Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Mail in the list.
Tap Notifications.
Tap VIP.
Tap Sounds.
Choose a unique sound from the list or tap Vibration to select a special vibration. The default sound alert is Ding (Classic), so be sure to choose something different.
With that done, the next time you receive an email from one of your VIPs, you'll get the unique notification alert and immediately know it's an important message.
Apple is facing a class action lawsuit that accuses the company of failing to install vent filters in MacBooks and iMacs, leading to lower processor speeds and screen smudges from trapped dust, which result in expensive repairs for consumers.
News of the lawsuit was published today by Hagens Berman, the firm handling the case.
"Apple is the most valuable company in the world today because consumers trust it to make reliable, quality products, yet it has failed to remedy one of the most simple and well-known problems in the technology community - the accumulation of dust," said Steve Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman. "This filter defect is costing Apple owners hundreds of dollars in repairs, and Apple refuses to take responsibility."
"We intend to hold Apple accountable for this costly defect affecting millions of its computers," Berman added.
According to the lawsuit, some iMac, iMac Pro, MacBook Pro, MacBook, and MacBook Air users have experienced dark smudges and spots on the interior of the screens of their computers as well as excessive slowness due to heating issues because of the lack of a filter in these devices.
The computer intakes air to cool its components, but with no filter, dust gets trapped inside. This affects the screen and logic board of the computer, leading to dust stuck behind the screen and gummed up motherboards, causing the computer to run slow and/or overheat.
Dust accumulating from the air allegedly impacts the screen and the motherboard, causing spots on the display and heat regulation issues.
Hagens Berman says that Apple has been charging customers with machines out of warranty upwards of $600 to fix these problems. The lawsuit says iMac and MacBook models from 2013 to 2018 are affected.
Several plaintiffs are named in the lawsuit, including a photographer who was plagued by dark spots on her Mac's display, a user who had smudges on his iMac who was required to pay $600 for a replacement after five months, and a third iMac owner who saw dark smudges soon after making a purchase and subsequently had his display and motherboard replaced multiple times, leading to high repair bills.
The class action lawsuit is seeking monetary compensation for Mac owners, including compensation for screens that "did not perform as advertised," reimbursement for out-of-pocket repair costs, and compensation for those who sold their computers at a loss due to dark smudges on the display or poor performance.
Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.2 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the third beta and a month after releasing the macOS Mojave 10.14.1 update.
The new macOS High Sierra 10.14.2 beta can be downloaded through the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after the proper profile has been installed from Apple's Developer Center.
We don't yet know what improvements the second update to macOS Mojave will bring, but it is likely to include bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that weren't able to be addressed in the macOS 10.14.1 update.
No new features were discovered in the first three 10.14.2 betas, but we'll update this post if anything new is found in the fourth beta.
macOS Mojave 10.14.2 comes shortly after the release of macOS 10.14.1, an update that brought support for Group FaceTime on the Mac and introduced new emoji characters.
Update: Apple has also made a new public beta of macOS 10.14.2 available to its public beta testers.
RAVPower recently introduced a new 45W USB-C Power Adapter that uses eGaNFET circuitry allowing for an ultrathin design more portable than traditional USB-C power adapters.
Made from white plastic, the power adapter measures in at 2.8 inches long, 2.1 inches wide, and 0.56 inches thick. Compared to the 29/30W USB-C chargers for the MacBook and the MacBook Air, it's longer, but thinner.
The thinner design allows the power adapter to fit easily in a pocket, bag, or backpack. It's not as oddly square-shaped as Apple's own chargers, which makes it more convenient to carry. RAVPower does not ship this power adapter with any cables, so you're going to need to supply your own USB-C to USB-C cable or USB-C to Lightning cable.
Since this is a 45W charger, it's ideal for the MacBook Air or the MacBook, but won't really work for the 61W 13-inch MacBook Pro or the 85W 15-inch MacBook Pro.
It is, however, also useful paired with a USB-C to Lightning cable to charge an iPhone or with a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge one of Apple's new iPad Pros more quickly.
Design wise, this is a nice looking power adapter. The aforementioned white plastic is unblemished aside from a RAVPower logo at the top, and there's a single USB-C port at one side.
RAVPower's adapter next to 29W power adapter from Apple
At the back, there's a set of prongs for plugging it into an outlet, which fold down when the power adapter is not in use. This also allows it to be pocketed or tucked away in a small pouch in a backpack.
At 45W, the RAVPower charger enables fast charging with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, XS Max, and XR when paired with one of Apple's Lightning to USB-C cables. Fast charging charges your iPhone to 50 percent in a half hour, and with the RAVPower charger and the required cable, my iPhone XS Max charged from 1 percent to 52 percent in a 30-minute time period.
When using the 45W RAVPower adapter, I was also able to charge the new USB-C 11-inch iPad Pro faster. With the standard 18W charger it ships with, the iPad Pro charged to 45 percent from 1 percent over the course of an hour.
With the 45W RAVPower adapter, the iPad Pro charged from one percent to 66 percent during the same time period. As a caveat, though, faster charging is available with 29W/30W chargers too, as I was also able to reach a 66 percent charge in one hour using a standard 29W MacBook power adapter. The same goes for iPhone fast charging - 45W offers no benefit over 29W/30W.
On my MacBook, the standard 29W charger charged it to 62 percent over the course of an hour, which is the exact same result I got with the 45W charger, so there's also no benefit using 45W over 29W/30W with a MacBook.
45W is overkill for charging a MacBook, MacBook Air, 11-inch iPad, or iPhone, but it's not enough power for a 13 or 15-inch MacBook Pro under a heavy load (technically you can charge either of these machines with the 45W adapter, but it's not going to be enough when using a lot of power), which makes RAVPower's adapter kind of an odd choice for Apple devices.
Bottom Line
I don't really have much else to say about the power adapter. RAVPower makes good products, and the new ultrathin USB-C power adapter is no exception.
It's portable, offers faster charging for the iPhone and iPad Pro, and works well with Apple's MacBook and MacBook Air. It has a foldable plug, and with its thin body, it's ideal for travel because it's not going to take up much space.
Unfortunately, RAVPower has priced its new USB-C power adapter rather high, charging $55 for it. That's more expensive than the $49 power USB-C 30W Power Adapter direct from Apple, and more expensive than many non-ultrathin ~30W USB-C power adapter solutions.
RAVpower's power adapter is nice, but it doesn't seem worth the premium over other 30 and 45W power adapters just to save a bit of space. There are many more affordable charging options on the market, and for Apple devices, 30W seems to be the sweet spot for fast charging the 11-inch iPad Pro, iPhone, and the MacBook and MacBook Air so why shell out extra money for RAVpower's solution?
RAVPower does often discount its products, though, so if you're in the market for a pocketable 45W USB-C charger, keep an eye out for a sale before picking this one up.
Apple's iPhone XR, released in late October, has been outselling the iPhone XS and XS Max every day since it first launched, Apple's VP of product marketing Greg Joswiak told CNET in an interview published today.
Priced starting at $749, a more affordable price tag than the $999 iPhone XS or $1,099 iPhone XS Max, the iPhone XR was Apple's "most popular iPhone each and every day" since it became available for purchase.
Though the iPhone XR has been outselling Apple's more expensive iPhones, rumors have suggested that it is not selling quite as well as Apple expected. Apple has reportedly cut both iPhone XS and iPhone XR orders following lower-than-expected demand. Apple is said to have slashed iPhone XR production by up to a third.
Joswiak did not comment on reports of iPhone XR production cuts, and instead reiterated his statement that the device is Apple's best selling iPhone at the current point in time.
In addition to providing details on iPhone XR sales, Joswiak said that Apple will again promote World AIDS Day on Saturday, December 1. $1 of every Apple Pay purchase made at an Apple Store, the Apple Store app, or through the Apple website from December 1 to December 7 will be donated.
"Not only does each purchase bring us closer to an AIDS-free generation, but every dollar provides five days of life-saving medicine," said Joswiak.
Apple also plans to turn the Apple logos at 125 of its stores red, as it has done in past years, and at 400 additional stores, red decals will be placed over Apple logos. Apple does not plan to offer any special promotions in the App Store this year.
Apple has long supported AIDS research through its RED partnership, which sees it offering (PRODUCT)RED themed devices and donating a portion of the purchase price. Apple in October alongside other iPhone XR models launched a (PRODUCT)RED version of the iPhone XR, which Joswiak said is "incredibly" important to Apple. "It's hard to think of a higher calling than selling products that save people's lives," he said.
In macOS, the Open With contextual menu that appears when you right-click (or Ctrl-click) on a file provides links to all the applications installed on your Mac that are associated with that file type.
At the top of the list is the default app that macOS launches whenever you double-click on files that share the same suffix or extension, with other apps associated with the file type below that, and an Other... option at the bottom which lets you choose an alternative app in case the one you want to use isn't listed.
You can easily change the default app associated with a particular file to something else. To do so, click Get Info in the contextual menu and select another app from the Open With: dropdown list in the file's Info pane. To use that app to open all files sharing the same extension, click the Change All... button and select Continue.
Clearing the Open With Menu
If you've installed a lot of applications on your Mac through the years, you may find that some apps appear in the Open With menu that really have no business being there given the kind of file you've selected.
As well as unrelated apps, you may even see references to "ghost" apps that you removed from your Mac long ago. All of which results in a long and cluttered list of launch service links you won't use.
Unfortunately the list isn't directly editable, but there are a couple of ways that you can clear the cruft from it. One option is to grab Titanium Software's free Onyx system utility and run a task to rebuild the Launch Services database.
Alternatively, if you're comfortable with a command prompt you can open a Terminal window and run the following command, which does the same thing:
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/ LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user
Leave the command to run for a few minutes while the LaunchServices database rebuilds, and when the prompt reappears type killall Finder and press Enter to see the changes take effect.
Google today announced a major expansion of its Project Fi smartphone plan, which has previously been available on select Android devices. As of today, iPhone and iPad users are also able to take advantage of Fi, with a new a new iOS app available with setup steps.
Project Fi, which is being renamed "Google Fi" alongside the expansion of the service, is designed to provide hassle-free cellular service with perks like international data coverage at an affordable price.
The Google Fi service is priced at $20 for unlimited talk and text, along with $10 for each GB of data used up to 6GB. At the 6GB cap, data becomes free, and at 15GB, data speeds slow down. The monthly fee caps out at $80, not including taxes and fees, and it costs an additional $15 per person.
On the iPhone, LTE data speeds, unlimited texts, and unlimited calls are included, and there are no roaming fees in more than 170 countries. There are, however, some restrictions.
While iMessage functions fine, sending texts to non-iPhones requires configuring some settings, and voicemails will not be able to take advantage of the visual voicemail feature in iOS. Voicemails will instead be available as text messages, and you'll need to call to check them. Google Fi's network switching feature and VPN do not work on iOS.
Google Fi compatibility on an iPhone XS Max
Google Fi operates as an MNVO, aka mobile virtual network operator, which means its coverage comes from other carriers like T-Mobile, US Cellular, and Sprint. Google devices are able to take advantage of network switching for better coverage, but this does not work on iOS.
iPhones and iPads will instead use T-Mobile's network for calls, texts, and data, but international roaming is still available. Calls or texts cannot be made over WiFi with Google Fi, and when outside of the U.S., the data hotspot feature will not work.
You could previously get Fi service on an iPhone in an unofficial capacity using a SIM card activated by a Google device and changing some settings, but Google now offers official Google Fi support on the iPhone.
Google says the Fi service will work with the iPhone 5s and later, with iPhones required to be running iOS 11 or higher.
For today only, Google is offering a travel credit when purchasing a Google phone, or a $200 Fi service credit when bringing a phone to Fi.
CarPlay will be a standard feature in the all-new 2019 Mazda3, excluding the base model, according to a company spokesperson. The vehicle is making its worldwide debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week and will be rolled out to global markets over the coming months, starting with North America in early 2019.
CarPlay in a Mazda vehicle
The 2019 model will be the first Mazda3 with CarPlay, accessible through the Mazda Connect infotainment system. CarPlay is also preinstalled in the 2018 and newer Mazda6, 2019 Mazda CX-5, and 2019 Mazda CX-9, with a $199 retrofit option available for select 2014 and newer Mazda vehicles in the United States.
CarPlay will also be available as a standard feature in the 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport and 2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid, equipped with seven- and eight-inch touchscreens respectively. The new Rogue Sport is available now at Nissan dealerships in the United States, while the new Corolla Hybrid goes on sale in spring 2019.
Toyota and Mazda were among the last major automakers to offer factory-installed CarPlay, but each has expanded its lineup of vehicles integrated with Apple's software, which provides convenient dashboard access to apps such as Phone, Messages, Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, Apple Music, and Spotify.
Toyota now offers CarPlay in the 2019 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2019 RAV4, 2019 Sienna, and 2019 CH-R in the United States.
Insurance company John Hancock and behavior change platform Vitality today released information on a study by RAND Europe of over 400,000 people in the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa. The study concluded that those who wore an Apple Watch and participated in the Vitality Active Rewards program averaged a 34 percent sustained increase in physical activity, compared to those without an Apple Watch.
Specifically focused on U.S. users, the study found significant improvements in levels of physical activity, including an increase in the number of active days by almost 31 percent, and an increase of high-intensity activity days by 52 percent. Participants with high levels of inactivity and body mass index improved more than other groups in the study with physical activity boosted by 200 percent in the U.S. for these individuals.
Additionally, John Hancock Life Insurance customers will now be able to get the Apple Watch Series 4 for as low as $25 through regular exercise. The program mirrors previous incentives that encourage insurance customers to engage in physical activity, reaching goals that earn them points to reduce or eliminate their monthly payments for the Apple Watch over a two-year period.
Customers have to pay a $25 initial fee (plus tax) when signing up for John Hancock Vitality PLUS. Afterwards, when they exercise they will earn Vitality Points that discount the total cost of the device. If they earn 500 Vitality Points per month for two years, no additional charges will be required for the Apple Watch Series 4.
"There is natural alignment between consumer health and longevity, and our goals as a life insurer. This type of shared value is good for everybody," added Brooks Tingle, president and CEO of John Hancock Insurance. "The Apple Watch has been an extremely popular and effective component of our program to date, helping our customers not only live healthier lives through better exercise and mindfulness habits – but also improve their financial wellness through the rewards our program offers, including lower premiums and discounts from some of their favorite national retailers."
Apple Watch Series 4 is Apple's latest wearable device, featuring a new design with a slimmer body, 30 percent larger display, and electrical sensors for taking ECG readings. The ECG feature is not yet live yet, but we now know that it will be enabled on Apple Watch Series 4 in the publicly released version of watchOS 5.1.2.
ECG functionality will be enabled on the Apple Watch Series 4 in the publicly released version of watchOS 5.1.2, which is currently in beta testing, according to an internal Apple Store training document obtained by MacRumors.
watchOS 5.1.2 will feature an Apple-designed ECG app that can indicate whether your heart rhythm shows signs of atrial fibrillation, a serious form of irregular heart rhythm, or a normal sinus rhythm. Apple Watch Series 4 is capable of generating an ECG similar to a single-lead electrocardiogram, according to the FDA.
ECG and other heart data is collected in the Health app on a paired iPhone. Apple's document lists a minimum requirement of an iPhone 5s or later running iOS 12.1.1, currently in beta testing, or later.
To take an ECG reading from the Apple Watch, users will need to place a finger on the Digital Crown while wearing the watch. The reading is completed in 30 seconds, allowing users to determine whether their hearts are beating in a regular pattern or if there are signs of atrial fibrillation.
Apple's training document states that the ECG app is regulated and only available in regions cleared for use. The app will initially be limited to the United States, where Apple has received FDA clearance, but Apple Watch Series 4 models sold worldwide include the electrical heart sensor for future expansion.
Apple Store employees are instructed to advise customers that the ECG app is "not intended to be a diagnostic device or to replace traditional methods of diagnosis," and "should not be used to monitor or track disease state or change medication without first talking to a doctor," according to Apple's document.
Apple promised that the ECG app will be available later this year, but it's unclear when watchOS 5.1.2 and iOS 12.1.1 will be released. watchOS 5.1.2 has been in beta testing since November 7, while iOS 12.1.1 has been in beta testing since October 31, so both software updates should be released relatively soon.
A separate Apple training document obtained by MacRumors suggests that irregular heart rhythm notifications will also be enabled in watchOS 5.1.2 on Apple Watch Series 1 through Apple Watch Series 4 models.
The ECG app will not be available on previous-generation Apple Watch models, including the original through Series 3.
If you use the 
You can easily change the default app associated with a particular file to something else. To do so, click Get Info in the contextual menu and select another app from the Open With: dropdown list in the file's Info pane. To use that app to open all files sharing the same extension, click the Change All... button and select Continue.
