Apple today updated its investor relations page to announce that the company will share its earnings for the fourth fiscal quarter (third calendar quarter) of 2017 on Thursday, November 2.
The earnings release will provide a look at iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sales during their first week of availability. Apple has not provided launch weekend sales for the new devices, so this will be the first look at how well the updated devices sold compared to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus last year.
Apple's guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017 includes expected revenue of $49 to $52 billion and gross margin between 37.5 and 38 percent. In 4Q 2016, Apple posted revenue of $46.9 billion and gross margin of 38 percent.
The quarterly earnings statement will be released at 1:30 PM Pacific/4:30 PM Eastern, with a conference call to discuss the report taking place at 2:00 PM Pacific/5:00 PM Eastern. MacRumors will provide coverage of both the earnings release and conference call on November 2.
With just about one month to go before the release of the iPhone X on November 3, Pad & Quill today announced a notable giveaway that will deliver a brand new 256GB iPhone X to its winner. At launch, the 256GB model will cost $1,149 in the United States.
To enter for a chance to win, you'll have to either order an iPhone X case made by Pad & Quill or sign up for an email newsletter on the company's site before October 25, and afterwards you'll be automatically entered into the iPhone X contest. Note that only United States residents 18 years or older are eligible to enter.
The Bella Fino iPhone X Wallet Case
There are six iPhone X cases currently available to order on Pad & Quill's website, each with different exterior and interior color options, which we've listed below. Most of the cases are up for pre-order with a mid-November delivery estimate, and only the Timberline Case is in stock now.
The Timberline Case for iPhone X
Pad & Quill has confirmed to us that the following accessories encompass all of the cases that will gain you entry into the iPhone X raffle:
Entries for the contest stack as well, so if you order three cases, you'll be entered to win an iPhone X three times.
This week, Best Buy has also marked down a handful of Ultimate Ears Bluetooth speakers by between $20 and $100, including the new WONDERBOOM speaker ($79.99, down from $99.99) and MEGABOOM ($199.99, down from $299.99). If you're a My Best Buy member, you can also save $40 on the 2017 9.7-inch iPad in 32GB and 128GB models through October 7. This means you can get the cheapest model -- $329.99 with 32GB -- for just around $290.
More information on this week's sales -- including $20 off the Nanoleaf Aurora Modular Smart Lighting Kit at The Home Depot -- can be found in our Deals Roundup.
Update: Pad & Quill has updated its giveaway terms to note that no purchase is required and that completing email registration on the company's site is sufficient to enter the giveaway. The email newsletter sign up link is available at the bottom of any page on Pad and Quill's site. We've updated our post accordingly.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors
iOS 11 gives developers access to the NFC chip in Apple's most recent iPhone models for the first time, allowing for apps that are able to read NFC tags in places like museums and retail stores.
The MLB today announced that the Oakland Athletics have tested a new ticketing feature that takes advantage of NFC, letting users enter the stadium by tapping an iPhone to a ticket scanner, much like Apple Pay.
The test was conducted during six games starting on September 22 following the launch of iOS 11, and as TechCrunch points out, it marks the first time that a professional sporting event has supported contactless tickets in Apple Wallet. Tap to enter isn't radically different than scanning a barcode on a virtual ticket on an iPhone, but it's faster and less prone to errors.
Following this test, the feature, being developed by Tickets.com, will be rolled out ahead of the 2018 season for the 23 MLB teams that use Tickets.com for ticketing purposes.
NFC has been a supported feature in iOS devices since Apple Pay first launched, but Apple previously limited its use to contactless Apple Pay payments. A new Core NFC iOS 11 framework expands the functionality of the NFC chip, introducing a new "Reader Mode" supported in the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.
With Reader Mode and a compatible app, an iPhone that's near a real-world NFC tag can recognize and read the tag, opening a linked website or providing other information about whatever's being scanned.
An example of an NFC tag at a botanical garden
NFC tags are already used in a variety of places like landmarks, botanical gardens, stores, museums, and more because Android devices have been able to read NFC tags for some time. Apple's adoption of the feature is more limited than Android because it requires companies to build an app with NFC support to read NFC tags, but it could spur wider adoption of NFC functionality.
It will take Apple's Android competitors up to two and a half years to replicate the functionality and user experience of the TrueDepth Camera in the iPhone X, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors in a note shared this morning.
In a previous report, Kuo predicted it would take one to two years for competitors to catch up, but having watched Apple's official technical demonstrations in detail, it's now believed it will take longer to replicate the user experience.
The TrueDepth camera will give Apple a solid technological lead throughout 2018 and 2019, leading Kuo to say KGI has "full confidence" in the iPhone's growth prospects in the high-end smartphone market over the next couple of years despite iPhone X constraints in 2017.
KGI Securities has revised its 2017 iPhone X shipping estimates from 40 million to 30 to 35 million units, but Kuo says the firm stands by its "positive outlook" on shipments of future iPhones equipped with the TrueDepth Camera.
Apple's TrueDepth camera system enables its Face ID facial recognition system and other features like advanced face tracking and analysis for Animoji. Rumors suggest the difficulty of manufacturing the TrueDepth camera is what has led to significant iPhone X production issues, severely limiting initial available supply.
Apple's competitors like Samsung and Google will also need to overcome these development and manufacturing hurdles to create a product that's similar to the TrueDepth Camera. Samsung has already released a device with facial recognition capabilities, but it is inferior to Apple's solution as it is limited to 2D tracking making it less secure and easy to fool.
Ming-Chi Kuo previously said that should Apple's TrueDepth camera prove to be popular with consumers, all of the company's future iPhones are likely to adopt the feature.
The security system includes a base station, a wall-mounted keypad, one sensor for a window or door, an infrared motion detector, and a Z-Wave extender. Unfortunately, the system doesn't support HomeKit.
When activated, if a burglar attempts attempts to break and enter, homeowners immediately receive a notification on their smartphones.
Ring also offers an optional protection plan with 24/7 professional monitoring, similar to what a company like ADT provides, for $10 per month or $100 per year with no long-term contract. Battery and/or LTE backup allows the monitoring to continue even if the power goes out or broadband is unavailable.
By comparison, ADT currently charges between $36.99 and $52.99 per month for its monitoring plans in the United States, with a required 36-month contract and a $99 installation fee for the security system.
Ring said the security system can be easily installed by a homeowner without any tools. It works seamlessly with all of Ring's other products, including its Video Doorbell, Floodlight Cam, and Spotlight Cam.
Ring Protect starts at $199, which is considerably cheaper than the Nest Secure at $499. Additional door and window sensors are available for $20, while extra motion detectors cost $30, from Ring's products page.
Ring Protect will be available for pre-order starting today at Ring.com, HomeDepot.com, and BestBuy.com, and will be available at physical Home Depot and Best Buy retail stores in the United States later this month.
Note: Readers outside of the United States may not be able to view the Ring Protect product page on Ring.com.
Roku today announced five new streaming devices that are available for pre-order now, and will launch in stores around October 8. One of the notable unveilings surrounds the "Streaming Stick Plus," which allows viewers to stream 4K Ultra HD and HDR video content up to 60 frames per second for $69.99. This marks one of the cheapest entry points for a 4K streaming device on the market, and is over $100 cheaper than Apple's lowest-cost 4K box at $179.99.
The Streaming Stick Plus comes included with a remote control that supports voice control and TV power functionality, as well as a boost to wireless streaming performance thanks to an advanced wireless receiver built directly into the power cord. This helps the Streaming Stick Plus offer "up to four times the wireless range" of the Roku Streaming Stick from 2016. There's also a new version of the lower-cost Streaming Stick for HD streaming at $49.99.
“Our new streaming player line up provides performance, price and features to meet our users needs so they can sit back, relax and enjoy their TV viewing experience even more,” said Chas Smith, general manager of Roku TVs and players. “Consumers will love our new sleek Roku Streaming Stick+ with an innovative advanced wireless receiver that gives up to four times the wireless range and a remote that controls TV volume and power. It makes 4K and HDR streaming simple.”
Other announcements included a second-generation "Roku Express" and "Roku Express Plus," which are five times more powerful than their predecessors. The Roku Express Plus is a Walmart exclusive, similar to the previous iteration of the device, and includes options to connect to classic TVs through composite A/V ports. Roku Express costs $29.99 and Roku Express Plus costs $39.99.
The top-of-the-line "Roku Ultra" device is getting updated as well, with improved wireless performance, HD, 4K, and HDR streaming up to 60 fps, a port for an ethernet cable, and a micro SD card slot. The Roku Ultra comes with the company's voice-enabled remote control, which includes a headphone jack for private listening similar to previous generations. Roku Ultra is priced at $99.99.
Each new streaming device announced by Roku today can be pre-ordered now from Roku, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and a few other retailers, while in-store availability is said to be coming around October 8. Those who purchase a Roku device in October will receive a $10 Vudu credit so they can rent or purchase a film or TV show on the streaming service. This offer ends on October 31, but the company wasn't specific as to whether the deal will be available at all retailers.
iPhone X with 256GB storage is the most popular device among prospective smartphone buyers, according to a survey conducted by RBC Capital Markets.
Of the 832 individuals surveyed, 28 percent said they plan to purchase iPhone X as their next smartphone. An additional 20 percent of respondents said they intend to buy iPhone 8 Plus, while 17 percent will go for iPhone 8.
The remaining 35 percent of consumers plan to purchase an older model, ranging from iPhone 6s to iPhone 7 Plus.
RBC Capital Markets said 43 percent of prospective buyers interested solely in a new iPhone are looking to purchase an iPhone X, while 32 percent favor iPhone 8 Plus, but no accompanying chart was provided for this data.
A majority 57 percent of respondents who plan on purchasing iPhone X will opt for the 256GB model, which costs $1,149 in the United States. 43 percent said they will buy the 64GB model for $999.
By comparison, 50 percent of iPhone 7 respondents last year opted for 128GB, which was the middle tier between 32GB and 256GB.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani:
Interestingly, Apple has removed the middle-tier storage option from iPhones. We think that given increasingly greater storage requirements, most of mid-tier storage users will move towards the higher tier.
46 percent of a larger pool of 4,196 respondents said wireless charging is iPhone X's most attractive feature.
Overall, RBC Capital Markets expects strong demand for iPhone X, which should increase Apple's average selling price for iPhones in general. The investment bank remains upbeat about Apple's stock, with a price target of $180.
iPhone X pre-orders start Friday, October 27. The device launches Friday, November 3.
Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company has announced today that its founder and chairman Morris Chang will be stepping down from all leadership positions effective June 2018, immediately following the annual shareholders meeting taking place that month (via DigiTimes and Reuters).
Following Chang, TSMC will fall under the dual leadership of Mark Liu and C.C. Wei, with the former executive taking on the chairman of the board position and the latter becoming sole CEO of the company. Chang mentioned personal and family reasons for his retirement, and assured investors that the transfer of leadership would not change TSMC in any way, looking back on his time at the company, which he founded in 1987.
Chang is now 86, and has earned a status as the father of Taiwan's chip industry.
Chang added, "The past 30-odd years, during which I founded and devoted myself to TSMC, have been an extraordinarily exciting and happy phase of my life. Now, I want to reserve my remaining years for myself and my family. Mark and CC have been Co-CEO's of the company since 2013, and have performed outstandingly. After my retirement, with the continued supervision and support of an essentially unchanged board, and under the dual leadership of Mark and CC, I am confident that TSMC will continue to perform exceptionally."
The plan of succession is said to have been in the works "for years," with Liu starting as a senior vice president for operations at TSMC and Wei as SVP for business development. Eventually, the two SVPs were promoted to chief operating officers in 2012, and then climbed to each gain a co-CEO status in 2013. Analysts looking at the situation see the two new leaders keeping TSMC's status quo on track "for some years."
“I think Liu and Wei will continue TSMC’s current model for some years,” said Mark Li, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. “I do see the increasing cost of newer generation technologies as an issue but for now TSMC will still maintain the cadence of R&D development.”
But if something new comes up, such as uses of new technology that increases TSMC’s cost, they’ll need to change their plan accordingly, Li said.
One of TSMC's biggest customers is Apple, and the supplier has been connected with Apple's iPhones and iPads since 2011, when reports first began coming out that Apple was looking into diversifying its supply chain. Samsung was the sole supplier of the A5 chip -- which was found in 2011 devices like the iPad 2 and iPhone 4s -- but due to patent-based legal disputes and Samsung's rise as a competitor in the mobile device market, Apple began looking towards other chipmakers from which it could source its A-series chips.
Since then, TSMC was the sole supplier of the A10 chip for the iPhone 7 family in 2016, as well as for the A11 chips in the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and upcoming iPhone X. Still, rumors persist that Liu and Wei will face increased competition from Samsung in the chip fabrication space. The TSMC rival is planning to "triple the market share of its contract chip manufacturing business within the next five years by aggressively adding clients," potentially including a return to its previous status as an A-series supplier for Apple, although some analysts disagree.
Read more MacRumors coverage of TSMC over the years:
Simultaneously, TSMC is gearing up to build the world's first 3-nanometer chip production plant in Tainan Science Park in southern Taiwan, marking at least one upcoming TSMC plant that will remain in Taiwan and not be built in the United States (via EE Times). The 3nm production sees TSMC preparing for the release of products far down the line; currently the supplier uses a 10nm FinFET process, with 7nm planned for 2018 and 5nm and 3nm gearing up "as early as 2022."
Safeway has announced that it is in the process of rolling out Apple Pay throughout October in the United States.
The grocery store chain shared the news through its Twitter account in response to a customer inquiry on Sunday.
Hi, thanks for asking. We are in the process of rolling it out through the month of October. Have a great day.
— Safeway (@Safeway) October 1, 2017
Safeway has 912 grocery stores in the United States, with over 500 along the West Coast in California, Oregon, and Washington. The tweet did not specify which locations will begin accepting Apple Pay this month.
It's important to note that customer service representatives can sometimes be misinformed, so the tweet may be inaccurate.
Yesterday, however, a Reddit user said his local Safeway had just enabled contactless payments. He tried Apple Pay and said it worked.
MacRumors has reached out to Safeway for confirmation, including participating locations, and we'll update this article if we hear back.
Last month, grocery store chain ALDI announced it now accepts Apple Pay at all of its nearly 1,700 locations across the United States.
Some other grocery stores that accept Apple Pay in the country include select Giant Food, Wegmans, BI-LO, Food Lion, Save Mart, Shop 'n Save, Trader Joe's, Winn-Dixie, Whole Foods Market, and United Supermarkets locations.
Samsung looks on course to earn around $4 billion more in revenue making parts for the iPhone X than from the parts it makes for its own flagship Galaxy S8 handset, according to new research revealed on Monday.
An analysis conducted by Counterpoint Technology for The Wall Street Journal based its prediction on projected sales in the 20 months after the new iPhones go on sale November 3. According to CounterPoint, the reason for the chosen time window is that the majority of sales for a new smartphone typically occur in the first 20 months after its debut.
Counterpoint expects Apple will sell 130 million iPhone X units, earning Samsung $110 on each through the summer of 2019, while Galaxy S8's global sales are expected to be 50 million, earning Samsung $202 each from components such as displays and chips in its first 20 months of sales, according to estimates based on a projected bill of materials. The Counterpoint analysis includes parts sales from Samsung Electronics plus two Samsung affiliates that make batteries and capacitors.
Apple and Samsung are expected to be the world's two most profitable companies in 2017, excluding Chinese banks, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Samsung's components operation stands to make billions of dollars supplying the OLED screens and NAND flash memory chips for the new iPhone. Meanwhile, Apple hopes its new iPhone 8 and iPhone X range will boost its smartphone sales, which accounted for two-thirds of the company's $215.64 billion revenue in fiscal 2016, according to investment bank CLSA.
WSJ reports that Apple and Samsung's close association can be traced back more than a decade to when Lee Jae-yong — the grandson of Samsung's founder — personally negotiated with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs to provide flash memory for iPods, according to people familiar with the matter.
That enduring relationship has strengthened in recent months, but mostly out of pure necessity. Samsung is one of only a small number of semiconductor makers that can make large amounts of NAND flash memory, and remains the only significant manufacturer of the OLED displays adopted by Apple for the iPhone X, tightening the dependence of the two companies on each other.
At meetings, Samsung executives are known to tell attendees who pull out iPhones: "It's OK. They're our best client," according to people familiar with the matter.
Samsung employees often refer to Apple with code names. One of the most popular is "LO," short for "Lovely Opponent," people familiar with the matter said. Apple's descriptor for Samsung, meanwhile, is Samsung, according to people with knowledge of the situation. Employees at the iPhone maker are often critical of its rival's devices, pointing out software and hardware flaws behind closed doors.
The business relationship, however, hasn't been without its ups and downs. In 2011, Apple sued Samsung over alleged patent infringement of its smartphones, leading Samsung to counter-sue with its own infringement allegations. Steve Jobs famously called the dispute – which remains unresolved to this day – a "thermonuclear" legal war.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed OLED iPhone panel supply is "controlled wholly by Samsung", which may have contributed to the $999 iPhone X's high price. In a bid to reduce its dependency on Samsung parts going forward, Apple has recently encouraged OLED production by rival suppliers like Sharp and Japan Display, while also pursuing alternative sources of NAND flash, most recently by agreeing with Bain Capital and others to acquire Toshiba's chip plant in a deal reportedly worth $17.7 billion.
Taiwanese movie "The Great Buddha+", a dark comedy shot extensively on an iPhone 6 Plus, has picked up ten nominations in the Golden Horse Awards, including best feature film and best new director (via Variety).
Directed by Huang Hsin-yao and produced and lensed by acclaimed photographer Chung Mung-hong, the black-and-white film follows the voyeuristic antics of a pair of small-town Taiwanese nobodies, highlighting Taiwanese social issues in the process.
The Golden Horse Awards, which will be announced on November 25 in Taipei, are often considered one of the most prestigious film awards for Mandarin-language cinema, with movies from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong regularly vying for honors.
In the running for the best film prize this year are "The Great Buddha+", "The Bold, The Corrupt, and The Beautiful", "Free and Easy", "Love Education", and "Angels Wear White", which played recently in Venice and Toronto.
Upstream suppliers are expected to see strong growth in wearable product operations in the fourth quarter of this year thanks to rising sales of Apple's AirPods and Apple Watch range, according to sources in the supply chain (via DigiTimes).
Quanta, Iventec, Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), as well as Foxconn subsidiaries Shunshin Tech and Luxshare-ICT are all expected to benefit from increased sales in Q4 2017, as Apple achieves supply/demand balance for its AirPods and consumer interest in the latest Apple Watch models increases into the holiday season.
Quanta and USI have been long-term supply-chain partners of the Apple Watch series and are expected to see a significant revenue contribution from the orders, while Shunsin has just recently joined the supply chain to provide SiP services and will begin processing related orders in February or March 2018, the sources noted.
As for the AirPods, the sources pointed out that the shortages have already eased and Apple has also increased its orders for the device.
Inventec is the manufacturer of the AirPods, while the device's proprietary W1 chip that allows seamless pairing is supplied by Luxshare-ICT. In addition to the orders, Luxshare-ICT also supplies connectors, cables and antennas for Mac and iPhone products.
AirPods now ship from the online Apple Store in just three to five business days in the United States, Canada, U.K., Australia, and several other countries around the world. Prior to August, the popular earphones had been in extremely short supply, with a typical wait time of six weeks from order to delivery.
Meanwhile, Apple has been getting backordered Apple Watch Series 3 LTE models out quicker than expected, with several customers who expected their devices in mid-October already receiving shipment confirmations.
All Apple Watch Series 3 models with LTE connectivity list shipment dates of at least three to four weeks when purchased online in the United States, and availability is similarly limited in other countries, but indications are that the wait could in fact be shorter. Non-LTE Series 3 Apple Watch models are readily available in stores and will ship out right away, while Nike+ models won't start arriving to customers until Thursday, October 5.
The FBI doesn't have to identify the company it contracted to unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the 2015 California terror attack that killed 14 people, a federal judge ruled on Saturday (via Politico).
Three news organizations – USA Today, Associated Press, and Vice Media – sued the FBI last year under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to try to force the agency to reveal the name of the company and the amount it was paid to unlock the device.
In the original complaint, the news organizations argued that the public had a right to know how the government spent taxpayer funds in the case. They also claimed the existence of a flaw in the iPhone could be a danger to the public. However, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled this weekend that the information is exempt from mandatory disclosure under the government transparency law.
In her ruling, released Saturday night, Chutkan said the identity of the firm that managed to unlock the iPhone and the price it was paid to do so are classified national security secrets and constitute intelligence sources or methods that can also be withheld on that basis. She also ruled that the amount paid for the hack reflects a confidential law enforcement technique or procedure that is exempt from disclosure under FOIA.
A battle between Apple and the FBI began in early 2016 when Apple refused to help the government unlock shooter Syed Farook's iPhone 5c under the belief that it could set a bad precedent for security and privacy. The FBI didn't know what was on the device at the time, but believed that any information gathered could potentially help move the case of the San Bernardino attack forward in meaningful ways.
To break into Farook's iPhone 5c, the FBI later employed the help of "professional hackers" and reportedly paid upwards of $1.3 million for a tool exploiting a security vulnerability, a figure arrived at based on comments made by then-FBI director James Comey. The agency said it was not able to share with Apple the hacking methods used because it did not own the rights to the relevant technical details regarding the purchased technique.
The FBI has said the method used to break into the iPhone 5c does not work on the iPhone 5s and later, but it can be used to access iPhone 5c devices running iOS 9. It later revealed after the hack that nothing on the phone relevant to the investigation was found.
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 is investigating after two iPhone 8 Plus owners shared pictures of the device burst open due to possible battery failure.
iPhone 8 Plus burst open due to possible battery failure via iFeng
"We are aware and are looking into it," an Apple spokeswoman confirmed to MacRumors.
The first customer is reportedly a Taiwanese woman, who said her iPhone 8 Plus burst open despite charging with an official Apple power adapter. Chinese media sites reported that the device has been returned to Apple, as part of its routine investigation of these isolated incidents every year.
A second customer from Japan shared a picture of an iPhone 8 Plus with the display assembly detached from the device's aluminum enclosure.
In both cases, it appears that the battery may have swelled due to gases inside. The expansion then placed too much pressure on the display, causing it to pop open, which may actually help avoid a fire.
No Need to Worry
With millions of iPhones coming off of Apple's production lines every time new models launch, it's common for a few to have battery failures.
It's simply an inevitability with lithium-ion batteries.
It happened with some iPhone 7 models, and it'll probably happen with iPhone X and whichever models come after.
It's only when reports of battery failure become a larger trend, as Samsung learned the hard way after dozens of Galaxy Note 7 devices caught fire last year, that it truly becomes a problem.
Apple has released a new ad showcasing the Portrait Lighting feature on the iPhone 8 Plus that lets users create dramatic studio lighting effects when shooting in Portrait mode.
Titled "Portraits of Her", the ad features Shannon Wise of music group The Shacks walking along a sidewalk and singing the band's 2016 single "This Strange Effect" as the camera transitions through the Portrait Lighting mode's range of effects, such as Natural Light, Studio Light, Contour Light, and Stage Light.
The short ad concludes with the iPhone 8 Plus operator showing Wise her portrait photo as he taps through the various effects in the Camera app interface before choosing a favorite.
The Portrait Lighting feature on the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X uses sophisticated algorithms to calculate how facial features interact with ambient light. While developing the new camera feature, Apple reportedly studied the work of professional portrait photographers as well as famous painters to see how lighting has been used in the visual arts throughout history.
Sphero, known for its line of robotic balls and droids, today launched the $50 Sphero Mini, the company's most affordable toy yet.
Sphero Mini measures in at about 1.25 inches, making it similar in size to a ping pong ball. It's essentially a tiny version of the original Sphero robotic ball, and it's controlled the same way -- through an app on your iPhone.
The Sphero Mini connects to an iPhone using Bluetooth and can be used for playing games, learning to code, playing with pets, and more, thanks to a built-in gyroscope, accelerometer, and LED light.
Sphero has designed a series of games that use the Mini as a controller mechanism, and with a future update, it will be programmable using the Sphero Edu app. Unique to the Mini is a Face Drive app feature that lets it be controlled via head movements and facial expressions.
Sphero Mini can glow in millions of colors with the LED lights, and it has a range of 10 meters. The battery in the Sphero Mini lasts for 45 minutes before needing to be recharged, and charging takes an hour. There are also interchangeable shells in a range of colors that can be purchased for the Mini, as well as a pins and cones accessory pack.
macOS High Sierra adds integrations with several third-party apps that let you do all kinds of fun things with your photos, from making photo books to putting them on t-shirts and coffee mugs.
Third-party apps supplement the existing built-in tools that allow you to make prints or create books, slideshows, cards, and calendars
You can use these tools directly in the Photos app without having to visit a third party site, and there's even a special spot in the Mac App Store to download the integrations. Here's how it works:
Starting a Project - Downloading Apps
Open Photos on Mac.
Scroll down to "My Projects."
Click on "Go to App Store."
Clicking the link from Photos brings up a list of all Mac apps that integrate with Photos.
Choose an App and click to download.
If you've already created a project, accessing a list of available apps is done by going to File --> Create and choosing the "More" App Store option.
Available Apps
Right now, there are six apps that are offering integration with Photos, but more apps will likely implement compatibility in the future. All of the apps are free, with the exception of the GoodTimes collage maker, which is priced at $19.99.
Wix
Wix is an app that lets you arrange your photos into albums that can be published online on a website using Wix's website creation tools. [Direct Link]
Mimeo Photos
Mimeo Photos has tools and templates for creating photo books, calendars, and cards with unique layout options and editing tools. [Direct Link]
WhiteWall
WhiteWall is for creating photo prints that can be hung on a wall, either solo or in photo arrangements with a wide range of frames and mounting options available. [Direct Link]
Shutterfly Photo Books
Shutterfly is for creating photo books using the Shutterfly service, which often has competitive pricing options. [Direct Link]
GoodTimes - Collages
GoodTimes is the sole paid app available for Photos right now, and it costs $19.99. It can be used to create scrapbooking pages, photo arrangements, and photo collages. [Direct Link]
Mpix Photo Prints
Mpix lets you create standard prints, framed prints, metal prints, canvas prints, wood prints, collages, posters, cards, and a wide range of other projects. [Direct Link]
Using an App to Make a Project
Open the Photos app.
In the Photos menu bar, choose File --> Create
Under Create, choose the third-party app you want to use for your project.
Click done.
Drag photos from your Photo Library to the Project. These photos are the photos that the app will be able to use -- it doesn't have access to your full photo library.
Re-open the project by clicking on it from the "My Projects" list.
When you use one of these integrated third-party Photos apps, all of the project creation is done entirely in the Photos app.
For example, with Mpix, I chose a Metal Print from the list of options, provided access to my Photo Library, added photos, chose a photo for the project, resized it, and proceeded to purchase options all without opening a different app.
These same simple project creation tools are available for all integrated apps, making it simple to do a lot more right in the Photos app without having to fuss too much with third-party services.
Adobe this week recommended customers using its Illustrator and InDesign software hold off from updating to the new macOS High Sierra operating system. Illustrator and InDesign have not been updated for High Sierra and there are some incompatibility issues that prevent the apps from working properly.
With Illustrator, users are seeing errors after upgrading to the new Apple File System. Illustrator pops up errors during installation, and, for already-installed software, there are problems with launching the app, opening a file, and creating a document. A separate problem leads to color management issues, while a third affects the rendering of Brushes, Live Corner widgets, and more.
While there are workarounds for the GPU issues in Illustrator, there is no fix for the problem with APFS. Adobe says its engineers are working on a complete solution for a future Illustrator CC update.
As for InDesign, the cursor appears as a pixelated box, also a problem with no current solution. Adobe engineers are working on a fix to correct the problem as soon as possible.
Adobe recommends customers test their software on a non-production partition to make sure the update is compatible with current hardware and drivers before committing to a macOS High Sierra install. The company also says customers may wish to remain on an older version of macOS until the issues are addressed in updates.
Following the release of a new Mac update, there are often problems with software for a few weeks as developers work to add in support for new features and address incompatibilities.
For other apps that have issues, take a look at our forums, where MacRumors readers have compiled a comprehensive list of apps that have bugs or are incompatible with the macOS High Sierra update.
Other major apps that don’t work properly right now include Autodesk AutoCAD 2017, Civilization V, DiskWarrior 5.0, Ulysses 3, 2Do, and Transmit Version 5, among others.
Also of note, Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 is no longer being updated and is not compatible with macOS High Sierra. Microsoft does not plan to add support for the High Sierra update.
iOS 11 gives developers 
The FBI doesn't have to identify the company it contracted to unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in the 2015 California terror attack that killed 14 people, a federal judge ruled on Saturday (via 
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