MacRumors

Apple is developing an iPhone with a foldable display alongside LG Display, reports Korean site The Investor. Apple is said to have chosen to work with LG and not Samsung out of fears that Samsung could get ahold of sensitive tech.

This is not the first time we've heard rumors of a future iPhone with a foldable display. Back in December of 2016, rumors suggested LG's display division would begin mass-producing foldable displays for smartphones as early as 2018, with Apple said to be one possible partner.

LG has shown off several foldable display prototypes over the last two years, including one that folds over like a book and a second that rolls up much like a newspaper. LG's foldable displays use flexible OLED panels and LG has been working to increase durability and yield rate.

LG is said to have recently created a dedicated task force to start developing a foldable OLED display for a future iPhone, while its siser company LG Innotek has a team developing a rigid flexible printed circuit board or (RFPCB) to go along with it.

Folding display technology is a ways off from launch, and unnamed industry sources believe panel production for an iPhone with a folding display won't kick off until 2020, which is more than two years from now.

Samsung supplies the OLED displays for the iPhone X and is also expected to supply OLED panels for Apple's 2018 iPhones, but LG recently started OLED production for phones at a factory in China and has plans to begin supplying Apple with panels as early as 2019.

Next year's devices will not include foldable display tech, but we have heard rumors suggesting an all-OLED lineup with two OLED devices in 5.85 and 6.46-inch sizes.

Apple today released iOS 11.0.3, the third official update to the new iOS 11 operating system. iOS 11.0.3 comes a little over one week after Apple released iOS 11.0.2, an update that fixed an issue causing crackling sounds to come from the iPhone 8 earpiece, and almost one month after the official release of iOS 11.

The iOS 11.0.3 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the update, go to Settings --> General --> Software Update.

Today's update addresses bugs and issues that have been discovered since the release of iOS 11.0.2. According to Apple's release notes, the update fixes issues related to haptic feedback and the touchscreen.

- Fixes an issue where audio and haptic feedback would not work on some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices

- Addresses an issue where touch input was unresponsive on some iPhone 6s displays because they were not serviced with genuine Apple parts

The iOS 11 update introduces a redesigned Lock screen experience, a customizable Control Center, a more natural Siri voice, a redesigned App Store, new HEVC and HEIF codecs for better photo and video efficiency, and an entirely overhauled interface for the iPad. For more info on all the new features in iOS 11, check out our iOS 11 roundup.

Apple CEO Tim Cook believes there isn't any sector or industry that will be untouched by augmented reality going forward.

"If you think about a runway show in the fashion world, that's a great application of AR because some of these, you want to see the dress all the way around, you do not want to just see the front." That kind of experience is all the more important now that runway shows are catering to a wider consumer audience watching online, and not just those seated in the front rows, he added.

Apple's chief envisions a world where customers will essentially be able to "point and buy" products. If your friend is wearing a pair of shoes you like, for example, you could point your iPhone at them, and a shopping app could instantly bring up information about the pair with the option to purchase them online.

"We don't have a plan to collect all of these objects, but I know companies who are working on that for their products," Cook said. "If you think about companies that offer a fair number of shoes, and [if a customer] sees a shoe and goes I want that one, you just want to point and [buy]. That will be a part of the shopping experience of the future, it absolutely will."

Cook is so confident in augmented reality's future that he believes the technology will become "as key as having a website" for brands.

Some retailers have already implemented augmented reality features using Apple's new ARKit platform on iOS 11. IKEA, for example, has released an app called IKEA Place that lets you virtually place furniture in your home, with true-to-scale models of everything from sofas and armchairs to footstools and coffee tables.

Cook thinks the current selection of augmented reality apps is only the very beginning of what's to come in the years ahead.

In one early ARKit demo, for instance, a woman is able to virtually try on various shades of lipstick and quickly choose her preferred color.

Later in the video, the woman browses a virtual aisle of images of herself with various cosmetics digitally applied, making her selection a much simpler process than the traditional hassle of physical makeup application.

"There are rumours and gossip about companies working on that, and we obviously don't talk about what we work on. But today I can tell you that the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way," Cook said. "We don't give a rats about being first, we want to be best in creating people's experiences. Something that you would see out in the market any time soon would not be something that any of us would be satisfied with."

Cook's sit-down discussion appears to be the same one that The Independent covered earlier this week.

Full Interview: Apple's Tim Cook On The Future Of Fashion & Shopping

Apple has ranked fourth, behind Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, in a recent survey of the most ideal employers for tech professionals in the United States. Apple ranked ahead of Facebook, IBM, The Walt Disney Company, and Tesla.

The online survey was conducted by tech careers site Dice between June 2017 and August 2017. There were a total of 5,477 respondents, who were asked to name their top three choices for the most desirable company for which to work.

When asked what matters most to them in an employer, tech professionals mentioned competitive salaries, challenging work, benefits, positive organizational culture, and transparent communication as the most important factors.

While the survey results are subjective, having a career at Apple undoubtedly has some benefits, including generous compensation and the chance to work on some of the world's most iconic products like the Mac and iPhone.

Dice also highlighted the equity that Apple awards its employees, in the form of restricted stock units, in addition to its progressive stance on diversity and social issues and innovation within the tech industry.

The survey results likely refer to Apple's corporate positions, but there are also opportunities at the retail level. Apple recently shared a video in which several employees say their jobs help them connect with and inspire customers.

Apple today updated its online store for refurbished products to add a selection of 15-inch MacBook Pro models equipped with a Touch Bar, which is the first time the new machines have been available through the refurbished store since their June 2017 release.

As of the writing of this article, Apple's refurbished store has six different 2017 15-inch MacBook Pro models available for purchase at a discount of approximately 15 percent.

The base model 15-inch MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM, 256GB of storage, and a Radeon Pro 555 graphics card is available for $2,039, for example, a discount of $360 off the price when purchased new. Both Silver and Space Gray models are available in a handful of different configurations.

All of these machines are listing shipping estimates of 30 days, which may be in error as they have just recently been added to the refurbished store.

The addition of 15-inch MacBook Pro models to the refurbished store comes two months after Apple began offering refurbished versions of the 13-inch 2017 MacBook Pro models.

Apple's refurbished products go through a rigorous refurbishment process before being offered for sale, which includes inspection, repairs, cleaning, and repackaging. Refurbished Macs come with a one-year warranty that can be extended with an AppleCare+ purchase.

For tips on purchasing a refurbished product, make sure to check out our guide.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sat down for a wide ranging interview with The Independent alongside several app developers where he discussed augmented reality in its current incarnation on the iPhone and provided a bit of insight into Apple's plans for future devices that could potentially take advantage of augmented reality, like smart glasses.

As is typical, Cook refused to comment on products Apple has in development, but when questioned about the topic, he said the technology to create a pair of augmented reality smart glasses "in a quality way" does not exist today.

"But today I can tell you the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way. The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face - there's huge challenges with that.

"The field of view, the quality of the display itself, it's not there yet."

Cook went on to say that Apple will only ship a product that's the best, reiterating that the company doesn't care about being first to new technology. "We want to be the best and give people a great experience," he said. "But now anything you would see on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with. Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied."

Recent information has suggested augmented reality smart glasses are at least a year away or longer, with Apple aiming to figure out the "most compelling application" for an AR headset.

Though the technology does not exist today in Cook's opinion, he did provide some hope for a future AR wearable from Apple. "Most technology challenges can be solved, but it's a matter of how long," he said.

The rest of Cook's interview, which can be read over at The Independent and is well worth checking out, focuses heavily on ARKit and augmented reality. As he has done many times in the past, Cook said AR is huge, will be used by everyone, and will take off much like the App Store or multi-touch functionality.

Amid an ongoing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple's Mac shipments also experienced a decline in the third quarter of 2017 according to new PC shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner. In Q3 2017, Apple shipped an estimated 4.6 million Macs worldwide, down from 4.89 million in the year-ago quarter, marking a 5.6 percent decline in growth.

Apple's market share for the quarter comes in at 6.9 percent, down from 7 percent in the third quarter of 2016. Apple was ranked the number five worldwide PC vendor after HP, Lenovo, Dell, and Asus. Apple was also the number five worldwide PC vendor in 3Q 2016, but the company has dropped from number four since Q2 2017.

According to Gartner, ongoing DRAM shortages worsened during the third quarter of 2017, impacting sales and leading to an overall PC shipment decline of 3.6 percent. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 67 million across vendors, down from 69.5 million in Q3 2016, marking 12 consecutive quarters of declining PC shipments.

"The component price hike impacted the consumer PC market as most vendors generally pass the price hike on to consumers, rather than absorbing the cost themselves," Ms. Kitagawa said. "We expect the DRAM shortage to continue to the end of 2018, but it will not be reflected in the final PC prices immediately."

Apple's U.S. numbers mirror its worldwide numbers. In the United States, Apple shipped an estimated 1.9 million Macs, a 7.6 percent decline from the 2 million shipped in Q3 2016.

IDC ranks Apple as the number four PC vendor, above ASUS and below HP, Lenovo, and Dell. IDC and Gartner's data often varies due to the different ways each firm makes its shipment calculations.

It's important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less so. Last year, for example, Gartner estimated shipments of 4.95 million Macs, but the actual number was 4.89 million.

Apple last refreshed its Mac notebook and iMac lineup in June of 2017, and the company has plans to release a new iMac Pro in December, which could lead to an uptick in shipments if it proves popular with pro users.

Developer Felix Krause today shared a proof of concept phishing attack that's gaining some traction as it clearly demonstrates how app developers can use Apple-style popups to gain access to an iPhone user's Apple ID and password.

As Krause explains, iPhone and iPad users are accustomed to official Apple requests for their Apple ID and password for making purchases and accessing iCloud, even when not in the App Store or iTunes app.

Using a UIAlertController that emulates the design of the system request for a password, developers can create an identical interface as a phishing tool that can fool many iOS users.

Showing a dialog that looks just like a system popup is super easy, there is no magic or secret code involved, it's literally the examples provided in the Apple docs, with a custom text.

I decided not to open source the actual popup code, however, note that it's less than 30 lines of code and every iOS engineer will be able to quickly build their own phishing code.

Though some of the system alerts would require a developer to have a user's Apple ID email address, there are also popup alerts that do not require an email and can recover a password.

The phishing method that Krause describes is not new, and Apple vets apps that are accepted to the App Store, but it's worth highlighting for iOS users who may not be aware that such a phishing attempt is possible.

As Krause says, users can protect themselves by being wary of these popup dialogues. If one pops up, press the Home button to close the app. If the popup goes away, it's tied to the app and is a phishing attack. If it remains, it's a system request from Apple.

Krause also recommends users dismiss popups and enter their credentials directly within the Settings app.

Krause has reported the issue to Apple and recommends a fix that would include Apple asking customers to enter their credentials into the Settings app rather than directly through a popup that can be easily mimicked. Alternatively, he suggests credential requests could include an app icon to indicate that an app is asking rather than the system.

As extra protection from attacks like this, Apple customers should enable two-factor authentication as it prevents attackers from being able to log into an Apple ID account without a code from a verified device.

Apple is teaming up with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television and Comcast's NBC Universal TV production unit to create new episodes of sci-fi series "Amazing Stories," reports The Wall Street Journal.

"Amazing Stories" is a science fiction and horror series created by Spielberg that originally ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987. During its two-year tenure, the show won five Emmy Awards. It focused on a new topic each episode, in the vein of "Tales From the Crypt," "Twilight Zone," and "Black Mirror."

"Amazing Stories" is the first series that Apple has taken on since the hiring of Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht back in June. Van Amburg and Erlicht, who helped produce shows like "Breaking Bad," "The Crown," and "Better Call Saul," are running Apple's video programming efforts on a worldwide scale under iTunes chief Eddy Cue.

The new show will join Apple's existing shows "Planet of the Apps" and "Carpool Karaoke: The Series." It marks the first show that is able to more directly compete with content from Netflix and Amazon.

Rumors suggest Apple is aiming to pursue high-profile deals with A-list talent to create shows on par with offerings like Netflix's "Stranger Things" or Hulu's "The Handmaid's Tale."