Canadian coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons today launched a revamped app that enables customers to order and pay ahead of time with Apple Pay. Customers can also add a credit card or TimCard manually and pay by scanning an in-app barcode.
The app enables customers to choose their preferred Tim Hortons location and pick-up method. Payment is completed within the app, so customers can grab their orders to go at the counter or drive-thru, or dine in at the restaurant.
The minimum reload amount in the Tim Hortons app is set at the default of $10, but can be set at increments of $10, $25, $50, or $100, in both Canadian or U.S. dollars. Tim Horton's app FAQ outlines more details.
Tim Hortons locations will have new "Mobile Pickup" signage displayed at counters to inform customers where to pick up their mobile orders, enabling them to skip the line, according to the blog iPhone in Canada.
The new Tim Hortons app replaces the company's old TimmyMe app with limited TimCard barcode functionality. Tim Hortons says customers can seamlessly transfer their TimmyMe funds for use in the new app.
Restaurants offering the ability to order and pay ahead on a smartphone is hardly a new concept, but it's nice to see Canada's largest quick service chain, with over 3,800 locations across the country, get on board.
The new Tim Hortons app is available now for free on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone users in Canada and the United States.
BuzzFeed and its food-centric brand Tasty today announced its first foray into smart consumer appliances with a device called the "Tasty One Top," a $149 Bluetooth-enabled induction cooktop that consumers can place anywhere in their kitchen and connect to an iOS app for easy-to-follow recipes. BuzzFeed Product Labs partnered with GE Appliances to create the Tasty One Top, with the announcement coming ahead of Tasty's two year anniversary on July 31.
When the device syncs to the Tasty iOS app, users can choose which recipe they want to create. As they start cooking, the Tasty One Top will automatically adjust the temperature and power settings for each step of the recipe. When the recipe calls for specific instructions like flipping a pancake or adding veggies, the cooktop will notify the user with audible cues.
Images via Tasty
BuzzFeed today unveiled its first-ever smart appliance, the Tasty One Top, a Bluetooth-enabled induction cooktop now available for pre-order. The One Top will connect directly to the all-new Tasty app for iPhone, which is available on the App Store today with nearly 1,700 video recipes.
Designed by BuzzFeed Product Labs and brought to life with the help of GE Appliance’s First Build team, the One Top tracks the surface temperature of a pan or pot, as well as the internal temperature of your food, to assure perfect execution of every recipe. It’s induction technology is faster, safer, and more precise than traditional forms of cooking.
Tasty said that the One Top is perfect for pan cooking, pot cooking, slow cooking, sous vide, and more, with the ability to heat up faster and more consistently than traditional stovetops. The top of the device has capacitive touch power control buttons, and it's all housed in a pentagon design that the company pointed out is perfect for posting pictures on Instagram.
The Tasty One Top is up for pre-order today for $149, which is at a 15 percent discount from its normal $175 price tag. The device comes in blue and black, and there's also a 4-piece cookware set with a fry pan, sauce pan, and stock pot for $184. Both packages come with a thermometer so users can cook food like steak to a precise temperature. The device will begin shipping this November, and Tasty mentioned that production is limited and the One Top will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“Tasty’s strong brand and massive fan base give it almost limitless avenues for expansion — from cookbooks to licensing to consumer tech — and we’re excited to take a new big step with the One Top, a product that has the potential to truly make precision cooking widely accessible,” said Ben Kaufman, Head of BuzzFeed Product Labs.
Starting today, users can download the new Tasty iOS app through a one-time SMS link on BuzzFeed's One Top product page, with a wider launch expected to follow. With the app, users can browse more than 1,700 recipes that can be searched by specific ingredients, time of day, social events, difficulty, speed, or dietary needs. Recipes can be made without the One Top's automatic recipe adjustments, with the app offering step-by-step instructions along with helpful videos.
Apple today removed the iPod nano and iPod shuffle from its website and online store around the world, and it has since confirmed the iconic portable media players have been discontinued. Apple continues to sell the iPod touch with updated pricing and storage, including a 32GB model for $199 and 128GB model for $299.
For now, it appears the iPod nano and iPod shuffle are still available to purchase at many Apple Stores and other resellers, but that likely won't be the case for too much longer. In the United States, the latest iPod nano started at $149 with 16GB of storage, while the iPod shuffle cost $49 with 2GB of storage.
Beyond new colors and storage capacities, Apple had last updated the iPod nano in October 2012 and the iPod shuffle in September 2010. Apple last updated the iPod touch in July 2015 with an A8 chip and an 8-megapixel rear camera.
Apple introduced the iPod shuffle in January 2005, followed by the iPod nano in September 2005. In total, there were seven generations of the iPod nano, and four generations of the iPod shuffle.
iPod sales had been declining for several years. Apple reported 2.6 million iPods sold in the fourth quarter of 2014. Since then, Apple has grouped iPod sales under its "Other Products" category in earnings results. iPod sales peaked at 54.8 million in 2008, compared to 14.3 million in 2014.
The success of the iPod, first introduced in 2001 by the late Steve Jobs, helped Apple reestablish itself as one of the world's most successful technology companies at the turn of the millenium. But, after the iPhone launched in 2007, the iPod nano and iPod shuffle became increasingly niche products.
Update: "Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch, now with double the capacity starting at just $199, and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano," an Apple spokesperson told Business Insider.
GoPro today announced a new feature for its iOS and Android applications called "QuikStories," launching within a rebranded app that's now simply called "GoPro" [Direct Link], which works in conjunction with another app called "Quik" [Direct Link]. The company described QuikStories as way for users to easily share cool experiences to social media that they captured on a HERO5 camera.
Similar to Apple's Memories feature in the iOS Photos app, QuikStories accumulates recent footage captured by the user and generates easily-shareable videos on the user's smartphone. This removes the need for users to go through a cumbersome editing process for shorter-length footage that they just want to share to social networks like Instagram and Snapchat.
To make a QuikStory, users have to pair a HERO5 Black or HERO5 Session GoPro device with their smartphone, open the main GoPro app, and pull down on the home screen, which begins the process of copying the latest footage to create the QuikStory. The main app communicates with the Quik app so users don't have to jump between the two.
"QuikStories is our biggest leap forward since the invention of the GoPro itself," says GoPro founder and CEO, Nicholas Woodman. "QuikStories is the simple storytelling solution our customers have been dreaming about for years. It's an absolute game changer."
If deeper customization is desired, users can also add their own text, slow motion and speed effects, alternate filters and soundtracks, edit the video's length, and more. On the Quik app's description within the App Store, the company said that transitions are automatically synced to the beat of the chosen song, with users able to import their own music from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and more.
Users can leave the app while GoPro creates their QuikStory, and then a push notification will alert them when it's ready. From there, it can be shared on Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Facebook, and via text and email directly from the GoPro app.
The main GoPro app, formerly known as Capture, is available to download from the iOS App Store for free [Direct Link].
Now, users can simply add a debit or credit card to the Wallet app and select it as a payment method in the TransferWise app.
TransferWise said Apple Pay integration is also being rolled out in Australia, Switzerland, France, Spain, Ireland, and Italy, according to Reuters. Apple Pay is already supported for British pound transfers.
TransferWise is a London-based startup that provides foreign currency exchange using real mid-market rates. It charges a transfer fee of 0.5 to 1.5 percent for most currencies, which is often significantly cheaper than banks.
TransferWise version 3.1.2 is available as a free update on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone and iPad.
Earlier in March, WikiLeaks began "Vault 7," a project focused on sharing exploits created and used by the United States Central Intelligence Agency, beginning with leaking 8,761 documents discovered within an isolated network in Langley, Virginia. Following the release of iOS-related documents, as well as some Mac exploits, Vault 7's publications didn't specifically include Apple products for much of the year.
Now, the leakers have shared two new exploits that are said to have been created under the codenamed "Imperial" project by the CIA. The first is called "Achilles," and WikiLeaks said it allows an operator to trojan a disk image installer on a Mac computer, giving the operator "one or more desired...executables" for a one-time execution. This means that a .dmg file could be downloaded by a user, containing malicious content, and dragged into their application directory without knowing.
In the Achilles user guide, it's explained that the trojaned .dmg file would behave similarly to the original file, and that all of the operator's intended executables would run the first time the app is launched. Afterwards, all traces of Achilles would be "removed securely" from the .app file and that file would "exactly resemble" the original, un-trojaned application. Achilles was only tested on OS X 10.6, which is Apple's Snow Leopard operating system that launched in 2009.
Achilles is a capability that provides an operator the ability to trojan an OS X disk image (.dmg) installer with one or more desired operator specified executables for a one-time execution.
The second exploit is called "SeaPea," and is described as a Rootkit for OS X that provides an operator with "stealth and tool launching capabilities." SeaPea hides files and directories, socket connections, and processes from the user, allowing the operator to access a Mac computer without their presence being known.
SeaPea was tested on Macs running both OS X 10.6 and OS X 10.7 (Lion), and requires root access to be installed on the Mac in question. The vulnerability would remain on the computer until the hard drive was reformatted or the user upgraded to the next major OS version.
SeaPea is an OS X Rootkit that provides stealth and tool launching capabilities. It hides files/directories, socket connections and/or processes. It runs on Mac OSX 10.6 and 10.7.
Among the Imperial documents is an automated implant for Windows devices called Aeris, which rounds out all of the leaked CIA files published by WikiLeaks today. Another Vault 7 release earlier this summer focused on the use of modified versions of router firmware to turn networking devices into surveillance tools, called "Cherry Blossom."
Due to the older Mac software used for testing Achilles and SeaPea, it's likely that such exploits have already been addressed by Apple in the numerous updates that have been released since Snow Leopard in 2009 and Lion in 2011. The previous vulnerabilities leaked by WikiLeaks in March were quickly addressed by Apple, which said that it had fixed the "alleged" vulnerabilities in iPhone 3G devices (called "NightSkies") back in 2009, and the Sonic Screwdriver Mac exploit in all Macs released after 2013.
Loss-making LCD manufacturer Japan Display has reportedly asked banks and its largest shareholder for around 100 billion yen, or roughly $897 million, to fund restructuring efforts, according to Nikkei Asian Review and Reuters.
The Tokyo-based manufacturer of liquid crystal display panels, also known as JDI, requested the loan from lenders including Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, the government-backed fund that is Japan Display's largest shareholder, will provide indirect support in the form of loan guarantees.
The capital raised will help Japan Display's turnaround efforts, which reportedly may involve halting production and trimming staff at smartphone panel plants in the central Japanese city of Nomi and China's Jiangsu Province.
Japan Display, formed in 2012 when the LCD divisions of Hitachi, Sony, and Toshiba merged, has lost money for a third consecutive year, reportedly due to problems getting smartphone panel production up to speed. The company also faces increased competition from South Korean and Chinese rivals.
Japan Display is also threatened by the increasing adoption of OLED displays in smartphones, which it doesn't produce. Samsung is currently the only company that can reliably manufacture OLED displays for smartphones, with LG and Foxconn aiming to begin mass production over the next few years.
Apple, which has long been Japan Display's biggest customer, is widely rumored to release its first iPhone with an OLED display in the coming months. At least two new iPhone models are expected to continue using LCDs, but rumors suggest Apple's entire iPhone lineup could use OLED displays by 2019.
Earlier reports have claimed Japan Display is also planning to manufacture OLED displays, but if it doesn't act fast, it could eventually lose Apple as a customer and face significantly worse financial problems.
Members of the Trump administration have begun contacting technology, education, and business leaders to ask for advice on "shaping funding approaches" for education related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in United States schools (via Bloomberg).
Ivanka Trump is said to be involved in the effort, along with the president's special assistant for technology initiatives, Reed Cordish. The two members of the Trump administration held an hour-long conference call with these politicians, educators, and CEOs on Wednesday, including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Laurene Powell Jobs, with Trump and Cordish specifically asking for advice regarding STEM education in public schools.
Not much else is known about the White House's conference call, but the STEM effort is said to be in the "beginning stages," with more outreach to experts expected to follow soon.
White House officials including Ivanka Trump have begun an outreach campaign to major technology, business and education leaders including Laurene Powell Jobs and Apple’s Tim Cook for advice on shaping funding approaches to science, technology, engineering and math education in U.S. public schools.
The effort is in its beginning stages with more outreach expected to follow, and the administration has not yet settled on details about funding or timetables for the effort, according to one of the people who discussed the call.
Others reached out to for the conference call included Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, Accenture North America CEO Julie Sweet, Microsoft President Brad Smith, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and representatives from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Stanford, MIT, and Broward County, Florida, Schools.
Tim Cook has been involved with, and spoken out against, the Trump administration since the election last year, beginning with a tech summit in December 2016 that involved the discussion of trade, immigration, and vocational education. In June, Cook and other CEOs met at the White House to hold talks that centered around using tech to reduce government spending. During those talks, Cook pushed for making coding a required course in schools.
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.
Google Play Music and the ad-free YouTube Red service are set to merge in a new streaming package, according to YouTube's head of music (via The Verge).
Lyor Cohen revealed the coming change during a panel session at the New Music Seminar conference in New York on Wednesday, saying the two services needed to be combined to educate consumers and attract new subscribers.
The important thing is combining YouTube Red and Google Play Music, and having one offering,” Cohen said when asked about why YouTube Red isn’t more popular with music users. He didn’t address whether or not the two apps would merge — but it seems very unlikely.
By consolidating the offerings into a unified package, Google hopes the benefits of its subscriptions will be clearer to customers. Currently the company offers YouTube Red, which removes ads and lets users save videos for offline viewing, in addition to an ad-supported YouTube Music app (with additional benefits for Red subscribers), while YouTube TV is provided as a separate subscription service.
Google said it would notify users of the changes beforehand, but the timeframe for the rebranding remains unclear. Still, existing subscribers to YouTube Red or Google Play Music shouldn't see a hugely significant change, as the two services are essentially already combined.
Developers have been creating some impressive augmented reality apps and games with Apple's upcoming ARKit API, and the latest proof-of-concept video reimagines the video accompanying A-ha's 80s hit "Take On Me."
The video, created by augmented reality studio Trixi, uses ARKit, Unity 3D assets, GameFlow, and animations made using Mixamo to combine real world visuals with black and white sketched characters in the "Take On Me" video style.
The original A-Ha video featuring a sketched comic book character that comes to life took several months to create, but Trixi founder Chip Sineni told The Verge that the ARKit version took just a couple of days.
"The hardest part was not having the all the live video receive the post effect," said Sineni. "But [we] really wanted that effect of turning your world into the 'Take on Me' experience, not a baked in experience."
ARKit is set to position the iPhone and the iPad as the largest augmented reality platform when it launches alongside iOS 11. Developers have created a wide range of content using ARKit, ranging from the practical applications like room measurements and furniture placement to games.
The first apps able to take advantage of ARKit will launch this fall.
Apple supplier Foxconn today announced plans to invest $10 billion in the United States, which will go towards building a new factory in Wisconsin that will employ 3,000 or more workers.
Foxconn is sharing the news at an event at the White House on Wednesday afternoon, says Recode.
The upcoming factory will produce large LCD displays that are meant to be used in televisions and other similarly sized electronics, but Foxconn chairman Terry Gou has said Apple is willing to invest in the factory, so it could be expanded to smaller displays in the future.
According to the Trump administration, the factory could grow to employ as many as 13,000 workers, while also encouraging Foxconn to build additional facilities in other parts of the country.
Foxconn has been mulling a U.S. factory for several months and has been in talks with both the U.S government and several state governments. Foxconn considered several locations for the factory before settling on Wisconsin.
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.
Though Apple's radically redesigned "iPhone 8" is expected to be introduced in September alongside standard iPhone 7s and 7s Plus devices, it may not start shipping out to consumers until October to early November, according to new information shared today by Japanese site Mac Otakara [Google Translate].
Citing information from supply chain sources and various accessory makers, Mac Otakara says the iPhone 8 will not ship until the first half of the first quarter of fiscal 2018, translating to sometime in October or November. This is in line with many previous rumors and analyst predictions hinting at a delayed mass production timeline.
An iPhone 8 rendering based on leaked CAD drawings that depicts the much larger side button
The site's sources have only seen a front display panel component in black, suggesting Apple may only release the iPhone 8 in black. Previous rumors have suggested it will be available in a limited number of colors, with white unconfirmed.
There has been some speculation that because Apple is removing the Home button from the iPhone and introducing a larger side button Touch ID could be built into said side button, but Mac Otakara does not believe that is the case. Side button components are said to be solid with no additional sensors or parts needed for Touch ID, suggesting the side button is just a simple power button.
With rumors of both rear and side button Touch ID quashed, it's looking more like reports suggesting Touch ID is built into the display or removed entirely are accurate.
Apple was said to be planning to build Touch ID into the display of the device, but rumors now indicate its efforts may have been unsuccessful, with the company instead planning to replace Touch ID with facial recognition.
Reports are still mixed, however, so it's not yet entirely clear if Touch ID has been eliminated, but Mac Otakara says the possibility of in-display Touch ID "seems to be low."
Based on images of screen protectors, the site believes there are several new front-facing sensors accessory makers will need to compensate for, further pointing towards the inclusion of new 3D sensors for facial recognition purposes. The front-facing FaceTime camera may also be relocated to the right of the device.
With August fast approaching, we're only about five or six weeks away from the prospective debut date of the iPhone 8 and its companion devices, based on past launch timelines. In recent years, iPhone launch events have taken place during the first or second week of September.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced one year ago in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 36 includes fixes and improvements for JavaScript, CSS, WebRTC, Web Driver, Rendering, Media, Web Inspector, and WebAssembly.
With Safari 11 now available to developers through the macOS High Sierra beta, Apple is providing two versions of Safari Technology Preview, one for macOS Sierra users and one for those using macOS High Sierra.
Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
The United States Transportation Security Administration today announced stronger screening procedures for carry-on electronics, and will require all devices larger than a cell phone to be placed in bins for X-ray screening when going through standard screening lanes.
The TSA already requires laptops to be removed from carry-on bags and placed in a separate bin with nothing above or below, and it appears this will now expand to devices like iPads and portable gaming consoles.
According to the TSA, extensive testing and successful pilot programs have been going on at 10 airports, which has led the administration to expand the measure to all U.S. airports "during the weeks and months ahead."
"Whether you're flying to, from, or within the United States, TSA is committed to raising the baseline for aviation security by strengthening the overall security of our commercial aviation network to keep flying as a safe option for everyone," said TSA Acting Administrator Huban A. Gowadia.
"It is critical for TSA to constantly enhance and adjust security screening procedures to stay ahead of evolving threats and keep passengers safe. By separating personal electronic items such as laptops, tablets, e-readers and handheld game consoles for screening, TSA officers can more closely focus on resolving alarms and stopping terror threats," said Gowadia.
The TSA has found ways to "improve screening measures" by using "quicker and more targeted measures to clear the bags," but requiring more bins is bound to slow down screening procedures.
The new rules are already in place in the following airports: Boise (BOI), Colorado Springs (COS), Detroit Metropolitan (DTW), Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (FLL), Logan International (BOS), Los Angeles International (LAX), Lubbock Preston Smith International (LBB), Luis Muñoz Marín International (SJU), McCarran International (LAS) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX).
There's one way to get around the rules -- a TSA Pre membership. Customers who are enrolled in TSA Pre and using TSA Pre lanes will not need to remove their laptops or other electronic devices.
Following an Android launch last December, Google recently announced that its location sharing app, "Trusted Contacts," is out now on the iOS App Store [Direct Link]. The company described the app as a way for users to get together in everyday situations, as well as in emergency scenarios where they can let friends and family know that they're safe.
Now that the app is on both Android and iOS, cross-platform location sharing is available so you can keep track of any friends and family members no matter if they own an iPhone or Android smartphone, so long as they're also using Trusted Contacts. Similar to the Android app, the iOS app supports offline use, showing those who can see your location where you were last before you went offline.
Google highlighted a few features on the Trusted Contacts App Store page, including integration with Google Maps and its "Share Location" feature that launched in March:
Add your closest friends and family as trusted contacts.
Allow trusted contacts to request your location. If everything’s fine, you can deny the request. If you’re unable to respond, your last known location is shared automatically within a custom timeframe (works even if you’re offline or your phone is out of battery).
Proactively share your location if you feel unsafe or find yourself in an emergency.
Integration with Google Maps location sharing, so you can easily enable permanent location sharing with selected contacts and find them directly within Google Maps.
Location sharing is a popular, and controversial, feature of many apps nowadays. Most recently, Snapchat launched the "Snap Map," which lets users share and update their location on an animated map any time Snapchat is open. Likewise, Facebook Messenger launched "Live Location" earlier this year, letting friends send their location to one another directly within text conversations.
eBay today announced two new features coming to its mobile apps this fall, called "Image Search" and "Find it on eBay," both of which leverage photography and images to fuel the discovery of new products on eBay. The company said that both new features use computer vision and deep learning to be able to find matching product listings using only images.
Image Search will be coming to iOS and Android, and allows users to take a picture of something they want to buy -- or upload an existing image from the Camera Roll -- and use it as a search tool that sifts through more than 1.1 billion eBay listings to find items that match. Find it on eBay will be Android-only at launch, and it allows shoppers on other social networks to tap a "share" card and upload the image of a product, crop it, and use it as a search tool within the eBay app.
“Moments of shopping inspiration can come at any time, whether you’re walking down the street or browsing your social media feed,” said Mohan Patt, Vice President of Buyer Experience, eBay. “At eBay, we’re focused on creating new complementary technology that helps our millions of shoppers easily find the things they love at the best value. eBay Image Search and Find It On eBay make it possible for people to shop eBay using any image or photo that inspires them.”
The company said it developed Image Search during its internal "Hack Week," an annual company-wide challenge that pits employees against one another in a friendly competition to discover ways to bolster eBay's marketplace using new technology. The team that had the idea for Image Search won Hack Week in 2015 and has added more members and built upon its original features in the subsequent years, with eBay noting it expects "to launch more computer vision products in the coming months."
eBay hopes the new image-focused search features will help reduce the time users spend searching for items on its marketplace with a more seamless solution, as well as occasionally present buyers with new and unexpected items that wouldn't have been discovered using traditional text searches.
Pinterest launched a similar feature earlier this year called "Lens," letting users take pictures of real-world objects to use as a search tool for related products and images on the Pinterest website and app. At the time, Pinterest noted that Lens worked best with home decor, clothing, and food, but the company said it will make continual improvements so the app can learn to recognize new items.
For its app, eBay didn't say whether specific items work best with Image Search and Find it on eBay, but today's press releases are heavily focused on clothing items. Both features will begin rolling out to eBay's mobile apps sometime this fall.
In an internal memo obtained by MacRumors, Apple has informed Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers that it is actively working to rebuild worldwide supply of top case assemblies with batteries for Mid 2012 and Early 2013 models of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.
Apple's memo says, effective July 26, service inventory of top case assemblies with batteries is now available for new repairs. The directive adds that MobileGenius, the service and support tool that Genius Bar employees use on the iPads they carry around, has stopped presenting messages about delayed repairs.
For all new repair requests, Apple advises Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers to order the necessary inventory. Apple advises its service providers to inform customers that the inventory should arrive within 15 business days of the part order, corresponding with early August.
Prior to today, a customer with an eligible MacBook Pro that failed Apple's battery diagnostic test was offered the option of exchanging the notebook for a functionally equivalent model. Or, customers could wait until battery inventory became available, in exchange for Apple covering the cost of the repair.
Likely because Apple no longer makes Mid 2012 and Early 2013 models of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, the functionally equivalent model ended up being a refurbished 2015 MacBook Pro, or sometimes even a 2016 or 2017 model, according to many customers who shared their experiences on MacRumors and Reddit.
What made the deal so compelling is that, for the exchange, Apple only charged its out-of-warranty battery fee of $199 in the United States, £199 in the UK, or $259 in Canada, significantly less than a new MacBook Pro costs.
Apple's memo today appears to mark the end of the company offering outright exchanges for newer MacBook Pro models. Many users on MacRumors and Reddit have confirmed Genius Bar employees are now informing customers that battery inventory is available in 15 business days as instructed.
It's unclear if Apple Stores will honor exchanges initiated prior to July 26 that are still being processed.
Apple previously said top case assemblies with batteries for the MacBook Pro models would remain severely constrained until September 15, 2017, according to an older internal memo obtained by MacRumors. The directive did not identify a reason for the shortage, which has been ongoing since at least March.
Apple today 
