We're six days away from Apple's iPhone 8 reveal event, set to be the first major product unveiling taking place at Apple Park, in the new Steve Jobs Theater auditorium. To get fans ready, Bloomberg today posted a detailed look into the internals of the Steve Jobs Theater, highlighting a few well-known facts while also sharing new tidbits of information about the building that's dedicated in memory of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
The theater is built on a piece of high ground, allowing its occupants to catch a wide view of Apple Park from inside its glass walls, as well as hiding the building's four underground stories. The media will enter through the glass-encased lobby, and will be able to descend down two curved staircases into the main auditorium. However, two custom-made rotating elevators will also shuttle occupants into the lower sections and back up again after the event.
It also boasts two custom-made rotating elevators, which turn as they ascend and descend so that passengers enter and exit by the same door even as they go in and out from different directions. So far, so Apple—the more elegant single door, with its complex engineering, preferred to the more obvious double-door solution.
Down in the auditorium, the 1,000-occupant capacity theater holds as many leather seats, and earlier reports estimated each to cost around $14,000. In these seats, onlookers will get to watch the unveiling of the iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, Apple Watch Series 3, and more next Tuesday, September 12, and afterwards more architectural "surprises" will be presented to Steve Jobs Theater attendees as they leave the auditorium.
One section of the theater's wall space near the entranceway of the building is said to "obscure a hollow space below the floating saucer." This way, upon entry attendees won't see what's behind the wall, but as the event ends and they walk back towards the surface, a product demonstration room will be revealed with all of the just-announced devices available for the first hands-on coverage.
Once CEO Tim Cook and his cohorts finish showing off the new iPhones, Apple Watch and TV onstage, a surprise will await the departing attendees. An inside wall, which obscures a hollow space below the floating saucer, will retract to reveal the product demonstration room, according to someone with knowledge of the design. For fellow Brits: think the Thunderbird 3 launchpad underneath Tracy Island's circular pool house.
Last night the latest Apple Park drone video was shared by Duncan Sinfield, providing a clear glimpse into the Steve Jobs Theater as people moved around inside the building and sat nearby on benches outside of the lobby. The lobby itself is a 20-foot tall glass cylinder that overlooks the main campus building and is surrounded by landscaping, also boasting the world's largest freestanding carbon fiber roof.
Facebook has begun testing out a new commenting feature on iOS and Android devices, allowing users to choose a custom colored background for their comment that all Facebook users will see underneath the original post. As of now, only "a small fraction" of users have noticed the new feature on mobile (via Evert Groot and The Next Web), so it appears this is just one of many early-on tests that Facebook performs in order to see how it might implement the new feature to a wider audience, or scrap it altogether.
The colorful comments are an extension of Facebook's custom post background feature, which lets users choose a colored background and write a text-only post on the social network. That feature was one that originally began as a small test in December of 2016, and eventually expanded to all Facebook users throughout 2017. Some Facebook tests make it through to become official features, like the new Reaction buttons, but others end up simply disappearing.
Most recently, Facebook launched its new "Watch" tab on mobile devices, the web, and in Facebook's TV apps. The tab is full of Facebook-exclusive shows that are "made up of episodes -- live or recorded -- and follow a theme or storyline." Discovery is encouraged with user-specific recommendations, and a Watchlist allows users to save videos to watch at a later time.
In a separate report this week by Bloomberg, Facebook is said to be aggressively pursuing contracts with major record labels and music publishers in order to allow its users to legally upload videos with copyrighted music in them. The social network is willing to spend upwards of "hundreds of millions of dollars" in seeking these contracts, with negotiations having been ongoing for the past few months.
Apple has begun sharing tips to users on iPhone and iPad concerning the newest features of iOS 11, which is expected to debut sometime later this month. Users on Twitter and Reddit pointed out the new iOS 11 Tips section starting last night, noticing a few push notifications that encouraged them to read up on tips for Control Center, Siri Translate, the new iPad Dock, and more.
Users on iOS 10 in multiple countries are sharing the new additions within Tips, which allows Apple to prepare those on the current version of iOS for the impending launch of iOS 11. Looking back at previous release schedules for iOS versions, Apple typically launches the new iOS to the public about one week after its fall iPhone event, and two days before the debut of the new iPhone devices, with a few exceptions.
2012: Event Sept 12 / iOS 6 releases Sept 19 / iPhone 5 released Sept 21 2013: Event Sept 10 / iOS 7 released Sept 18 / iPhone 5s released Sept 20 2014: Event Sept 9 / iOS 8 released Sept 17 / iPhone 6 released Sept 19 2015: Event Sept 9 / iOS 9 released Sept 16 / iPhone 6s released Sept 25 2016: Event Sept 7 /iOS 10 release Sept 13 / iPhone 7 released Sept 16
This year, the iPhone event is on September 12, while the so-called iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus are predicted to debut on September 22. This would place the official public release of iOS 11 around September 20, although Apple could decide to release iOS 11 a bit earlier ahead of the iPhone launch, like it did in 2015 and to a lesser extent in 2016.
Apple is starting to use the Tips app to prepare users for some rather large changes in iOS 11’s operation and functionality. #iOSpic.twitter.com/FePjGbn1eh
— Brad Rowden (@bradrowden) September 6, 2017
When it launches, iOS 11 will bring about a few notable changes to the iPhone and iPad operating system for its users, including peer to peer Apple Pay, improvements to Siri, Do Not Disturb While Driving, Control Center customization, and many overhauls to the UI and dock functionality on iPad. With less than a week to go until Apple officially announces the release date of iOS 11, along with the unveiling of the iPhone 8, be sure to follow the @MacRumors and @MacRumorsLive Twitter accounts on September 12 for all the latest information.
Canadian ebook giant Rakuten Kobo today added audiobooks to its iOS app catalog, rolling out the change in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand via an update.
Kobo customers can buy audiobooks on an individual basis, or through the company's $10 per month subscription service, which gets users one book each month. The same monthly subscription costs $13 in Canada, £6.99 in the U.K, $13 in Australia, and $14 in New Zealand.
Alternatively, it's possible to buy a three-pack credit and store up to 24 credits in a subscription account. A 30-day free trial is also on offer for users to see how the system works before they commit.
Once an audiobook is purchased, customers can make use of the app's built-in audiobook player, which includes options to change the narration speed, check the time remaining, and set a sleep timer.
Logitech resurrected the trackball device today with its announcement of the MX ERGO, which the company is calling its "first new innovative trackball in nearly a decade".
Pitched to consumers looking for alternatives to mice and touchpads, the Bluetooth-based MX ERGO features an adjustable metal hinge with angle options at either zero or 20 degrees for personalizing the comfort level, which improves wrist posture and pronation, according to Logitech.
"We are so excited by this new trackball. It is back, better than ever and the idea for this trackball innovation was inspired by our users, who invented creative ways to achieve their desired level of comfort, sometimes adding additional wedges under their trackball for elevated angles," said Anatoliy Polyanker, global portfolio and brand director at Logitech. "The MX ERGO is our first adjustable trackball that delivers on the need for elevated comfort in a beautiful design."
The sculpted shape is designed to offer full palm and finger support, with a soft rubber on top for a comfortable grip over many hours of work. An LED light indicates when "precision mode" is activated using the dedicated button on the side of the MX ERGO. This special mode is said to allow the user to instantly change cursor speed and accuracy.
The device also supports multi-device connectivity through Logitech's Easy-Switch and Logitech Flow software, which allows users to seamlessly switch between two computers with one mouse, as well as copy and paste content, images and documents between them.
The rechargeable battery lasts up to four months on a full charge, depending on usage, and Logitech reckons the MX ERGO can give a complete day of work with just one minute of charge if the device is low on power.
The Logitech MX ERGO is priced at $99.99 and should be available to buy on the Logitech website and select retail stores throughout the U.S. in September.
Apple's refusal to approve the Indian government's anti-spam iPhone app has infuriated state regulators, which could work against the company's efforts to increase its market share in the country, a report on Wednesday revealed.
According to Bloomberg, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has so far been unable to get its Do Not Disturb (DND) software on the App Store. The app allows people to share spam call and text message logs with the agency, which then sends the data to mobile operators for them to block the spammers. However, Apple has told regulators that the app violates its privacy policy.
“Nobody's asking Apple to violate its privacy policy," said Ram Sewak Sharma, chairman of the Delhi-based telecom regulator. "It is a ridiculous situation, no company can be allowed to be the guardian of a user's data."
The regulator is currently seeking public and stakeholder comments on a consultative paper on users’ control over their personal information and rules on the flow of data through telecommunications networks. The process, scheduled to be completed in September, could eventually lead to new rules governing user data. That could also become part of the telecom licensing process, Sharma said.
Apple has been in talks with the Indian government to open retail stores and to gain permission to sell used iPhones imported into the country. The company is also seeking economic concessions including tax breaks as it sets up local manufacturing plants there, but those efforts could be negatively impacted by Apple's refusal to approve the anti-spam software.
In 2016, Apple shipped 2.5 million iPhones in India, and this year one of its suppliers began assembling a limited number of iPhones in Bangalore. So far, India's government has declined Apple's request to import used iPhones and has yet to respond to the company's other demands.
Half a dozen meetings with Apple have reportedly failed to resolve the standoff over the anti-spam app. While Apple's privacy policy allows it to share user data with affiliates and strategic partners, Sharma said the Indian government's Do Not Disturb app only requires a limited, pre-approved level of data sharing. However, Apple's policy states that sharing data with any other entity isn't permitted.
"The problem of who controls user data is getting acute and we have to plug the loose ends," Sharma said. "This is not the regulator versus Apple, but Apple versus its own users."
Nissan today unveiled its redesigned 2018 all-electric Nissan Leaf, and one of the features new to the vehicle is support for Apple CarPlay. The new Nissan Leaf comes equipped with a 7-inch display that's compatible with CarPlay and Android Auto.
Nissan announced its first CarPlay-compatible vehicles back in June of 2016, and has thus far implemented support in the 2017 Maxima, Micra, and Murano.
Along with CarPlay, the Nissan Leaf features a range of 150 miles, ProPILOT driving assistance with speed maintenance, steering guidance, and braking, a single e-Pedal for braking and accelerating, and a revamped design.
Customers who reserve a Nissan Leaf are eligible for an exclusive gift that includes an Apple Watch Series 2, a GoPro HERO5 Black, or a Nest and Google Home bundle.
CarPlay support was slow to roll out following its initial introduction, but interest has picked up. Many 2016 and 2017 vehicles from a range of manufacturers offer the feature. Apple maintains a list of vehicles that are compatible with CarPlay on its website.
Construction on Apple Park is nearing completion and Apple is putting the finishing touches on the Steve Jobs Theater where next week's iPhone-centric event will be held, according to a new video shared this evening by drone pilot Duncan Sinfield.
Sinfield's video offers up a close look at the now-finished theater and it depicts landscaping progress at the campus, both inside and outside of the ring-shaped main building.
The theater is a 20-foot tall glass cylinder that overlooks the main campus building and is surrounded by greenery. It boasts the world's largest freestanding carbon fiber roof and spans 120,000 square feet with an underground auditorium area that seats 1,000 people.
Apple named the theater in honor of late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, who envisioned the design for Apple Park before his death in 2011.
Apple's iPhone keynote, which takes place on Tuesday, September 12, will be the inaugural event at the Steve Jobs Theater. Apple announced Apple Park as the location for the event when it sent out media invites last Thursday.
Ahead of its iPhone-centric event set to take place on Tuesday, September 12, Apple has updated its Apple Events app designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV, adding new artwork and details about the upcoming keynote.
"Watch the first-ever special event held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California," reads the text of the updated app. The date and time for the event, September 12 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time are listed, and the app's icon and internal art has been updated with the multi-colored Apple logo featured on media invites.
The Apple Events app will be used to live stream the iPhone event on the fourth-generation Apple TV, and it can be downloaded from the tvOS App Store for no cost. [Direct Link]
Those who have already downloaded the app should see the update automatically, but it can be forced by finding the app in the tvOS App Store and selecting "Update."
Apple's event is expected to include the revamped OLED iPhone 8, an iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, an LTE Apple Watch, and a 4K Apple TV.
Investigators for Major League Baseball believe the Boston Red Sox, currently in first place in the American League East, have used the Apple Watch to illicitly steal hand signals from opposing teams, reports The New York Times.
The Red Sox are believed to have stolen hand signals from opponents' catchers in games using video recording equipment and communicated the information with the Apple Watch.
An inquiry into the Red Sox' practice started two weeks ago following a complaint from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who caught a member of the Red Sox training staff looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout and then relaying information to players. It's believed the information was used to determine the type of pitch that was going to be thrown.
Baseball investigators corroborated the claim using video for instant replay and broadcasts before confronting the Red Sox. The team admitted that trainers received signals from video replay personnel and then shared them with some players.
The Red Sox told league investigators said that team personnel scanning instant- replay video were electronically sending the pitch signs to the trainers, who were then passing the information to the players. [...]
The video provided to the commissioner's office by the Yankees was captured during the first two games of the series and included at least three clips. In the clips, the team's assistant athletic trainer, Jon Jochim, is seen looking at his Apple Watch and then passing information to outfielder Brock Holt and second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who was injured at the time but in uniform. In one instance, Pedroia is then seen passing the information to Young.
Observing signs is allowed when a runner on second base visually intercepts signals between the catcher and the pitcher and relays that information to the batter, but recording signs with electronic devices is not permitted.
It's not yet known if the Red Sox will face penalties for the scheme, but in light of the signal stealing, the Red Sox have also accused the Yankees of using a camera from the YES television network to steal signs during games.
Update September 18: According to a Major League Baseball source who spoke to Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo, the device used to transmit stolen signs was a Fitbit, not an Apple Watch.
As Apple prepares to launch a new line of iPhones next week, the company is selling another round of bonds to further fund share buybacks and dividends, reports Bloomberg. Apple plans to offer $5 billion of debt in four parts to raise cash for its current capital return program.
The iPhone maker is offering $5 billion of debt in four parts, after dropping a two-year floating rate component, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. The longest portion of the sale, a 30-year security, may yield 1.1 percentage points above Treasuries, down from initial talk of around 1.25 percentage points, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deal is private.
In August, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said Apple had completed $222.9 billion of its $300 billion capital return program, which is set to last through 2019. That figure includes $158.5 billion in share repurchases.
At the beginning of July Apple held over $261.5 billion in cash and marketable securities, but approximately 94 percent of that money is held overseas. It would cost Apple upwards of 35 percent in taxes to repatriate its overseas cash, so Apple uses debt markets to raise money more cheaply.
Apple's upcoming bond sale follows $7 billion in debt raised in a six-part bond sale in May of 2017.
Nearly two weeks after being unveiled at an event in New York City, and with a week and a half still to go before it launches to customers on September 15, Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 smartphone has received its first batch of reviews posted online today. Many publications marked the Note 8's large 6.3-inch "Infinity Display" as a step forward for Samsung, compared the smartphone's "Live Focus" bokeh effect mode to Portrait Mode on the iPhone 7 Plus, and agreed that the lack of an explosive battery made the Note 8 a solid contender in the smartphone market.
Most reviews touched on comparing the Note 8's new dual rear camera system to that of the iPhone 7 Plus, and Engadget found that each smartphone's bokeh effect largely provides the same finished products, although Samsung's device has the edge in features. Unlike the iPhone 7 Plus, the Note 8 lets you change the blurring effect both before and after the picture has been taken, so that if the effect is too enhanced, it's easy to dial back a UI toggle and find a happy-medium spot where the Live Effect looks better.
On the other hand, in the camera's UI and in the rest of the Note 8's operating system, Engadget noted that anyone who purchases a Note 8 will have to struggle with "a little software strangeness" in the Android smartphone.
Honestly, my biggest gripes have more to do with the camera interface than the cameras themselves. Let's say you're trying to zoom in on a subject. By default, you can tap a button to switch between 1x and 2x zoom modes, but it disappears for a while after you tap on the screen to lock focus and exposure. You can still pinch to zoom in and out, but it would've been nice if the shortcut button showed up again sooner. Shooting in Live Focus mode also offers close-up and wide-angle views of your photo, and you can switch between them in your gallery.
Strangely, there doesn't seem to be a way to save the view you didn't select as a separate photo, even though earlier demo units did it just fine. There's definitely a little software strangeness going on here, and while it's never outright frustrating, Samsung could have stood to polish these apps further.
PC World called the Note 8 "the best phone Samsung has ever made, bar none," praising the smartphone's display, fast wireless charging, and 6GB of RAM. The site said that the new Samsung smartphone is "at least as fast as any Android phone" that it has used, as well as the iPhone 7 Plus.
I've covered a lot of Thunderbolt 3 docks in recent months, but there's one more upcoming model that's worth taking a look at. The TBT3-UDV is Plugable's upcoming flagship Thunderbolt 3 dock, featuring five USB 3.0 Type-A ports, Gigabit Ethernet, DisplayPort, stereo in/out, and a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports. The dock isn't available for purchase yet, as Plugable is still awaiting Thunderbolt certification, but the company tells me it's aiming for an early October launch assuming the certification comes through in a timely fashion.
In the box, you'll find the typical components including the dock itself, an external power brick, and a 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable. One nice touch I haven't seen with other docks is an included DisplayPort to HDMI 2.0 active adapter, normally sold separately for $19, which makes it easier to hook up a broader array of displays, televisions, and projectors to the dock.
Notably, the TBT3-UDV can be oriented either horizontally like most other Thunderbolt 3 docks or vertically using an included stand. It's a nice feature that the dock has in common with CalDigit's TS3, but differences in their designs mean the Plugable dock is taller and more slender in its vertical orientation compared to the TS3's block-like design.
Design
While it might have an awful name, the design of the TBT3-UDV stands out on a desk, particularly in its vertical orientation. The enclosure is constructed of a matte aluminum that's fairly close to Apple's Space Gray color and which has a few deep grooves on each side to add some style. The curved front edge of the dock is made of a glossy black plastic, as is the rear port panel.
There are somewhat prominent white Plugable logos on each side, as well as some model and regulatory information near the bottom of one of the sides. A bit cleaner look would have been nicer, especially considering the eye-catching hardware design, but it's not terrible. A pair of status lights, green for power and blue for data connection to a computer, are hidden beneath the black plastic on the front edge of the dock.
USB Ports
One of the key features of the TBT3-UDV is its five USB Type-A ports, four on the rear and one on the front. This array of USB ports is only matched by OWC's Thunderbolt 3 Dock, with nearly every other dock on the market offering only three ports.
SSD speeds connected to USB-A port
All five ports are 5 Gbps USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1, so you'll get solid transfer speeds like the 325 MB/s write and 350 MB/s read I saw with a fast external SSD, typical for these types of docks. If you want even more speed, you'll have to use the available Thunderbolt 3/USB-C port on the rear for 10 Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 support, which clocked in at 470 MB/s write and 495 MB/s read with the external SSD.
SSD speeds connected to Thunderbolt 3/USB-C port
Unfortunately, the four USB ports on the rear of the dock are clustered very closely together. It helps keep the overall dock footprint compact, but it means if you have oversized USB peripherals like card readers or certain flash drives plugged into the back, they will likely block access to some of the other USB ports.
Ill-fitting oversized flash drive in front USB port
I also have one fairly wide flash drive that won’t even plug into the front USB port because of the recessed design. It doesn't really even fit in the two rear USB ports closest to the edge of the dock, although I can insert it just far enough to make a connection. This might not be a deal breaker if you're mostly connecting USB cables and skinny sticks, but it's something to be aware of.
Displays
As with other Thunderbolt 3 docks, the TBT3-UDV can support up to either a single 5K display over Thunderbolt 3 or two 4K displays using a Thunderbolt 3/USB-C port and the DisplayPort port (potentially with adapters to convert to other standards). Hooking up an LG UltraFine 5K display to the downstream Thunderbolt 3 port worked fine, with the display running at 60 Hz and experiencing no lag or other hiccups.
In addition to the DisplayPort to HDMI 2.0 cable included in the box with the dock, Plugable also sent me two of the company's USB-C cables: the USB-C to DisplayPort and USB-C to HDMI 2.0 cables that have proven popular with customers on Amazon for their quality and pricing (currently $21.95 each).
Plugable's USB-C to DisplayPort (top) and USB-C to HDMI 2.0 (bottom) cables
The cables, which it's important to emphasize are sold separately and not included with the TBT3-UDV dock, expand the number of display options for use with the dock, and can also be used on a standalone basis with USB-C Macs to connect to external displays that don't directly support USB-C.
I tested hooking up to an LG 27UD88 Ultra HD display in a variety of configurations, including direct DisplayPort to DisplayPort connection from the dock, DisplayPort to HDMI via the dock using the included adapter, and USB-C to DisplayPort and HDMI from both the dock and directly from the MacBook Pro using the additional cables supplied by Plugable.
All of the connections to the DisplayPort port on the 27UD88 worked perfectly, running at 60 Hz with no issues. The HDMI connections, however, only ran at 30 Hz by default, despite the fact that everything in the chain should support HDMI 2.0 at 60 Hz.
Plugable was extremely helpful and responsive with troubleshooting, but ultimately the only way to get 60 Hz over HDMI was to force the refresh rate using SwitchResX, and even then it only worked with one of the two HDMI ports on the LG display. Testing with an Anker USB-C to HDMI adapter also required using SwitchResX to reach 60 Hz, so it seems likely my refresh rate problems are related more to the LG display than any issue with Plugable's products, and Plugable is in touch with LG in an attempt to diagnose the issue.
Charging
One important area of difference among the various Thunderbolt 3 docks is the amount of charging power they are able to output over Thunderbolt 3/USB-C to power a connected computer. Some are as low as 15 watts, which won't be nearly enough to power a MacBook Pro. Others are capable of pushing out either 60 or 85 watts, and Plugable's TBT3-UDV comes in at the lower 60-watt figure. That's enough to fully power a 13-inch MacBook Pro, but it won't be able to maximize charging of the larger 15-inch model.
If you're a 15-inch MacBook Pro owner, whether Plugable's dock will be able to provide enough power depends on your usage. In my testing, the 60-watt charging power was able to keep my MacBook Pro battery at 100 percent during an entire work day, but I wasn't doing highly demanding work like processing video.
Those users putting heavy workloads on their 15-inch MacBook Pro models will likely find the battery running down even while plugged in, albeit at a much slower rate than if you were on battery alone. If the work you do is less demanding, 60 watts might be enough to keep your battery topped off. Regardless, if your battery isn't already at full capacity, charging will be slower from the dock than from the MacBook Pro's own 87-watt adapter.
Wrap-up
As I noted up top, the TBT3-UDV isn't yet available for purchase, but Plugable says the pre-release unit I received for review should be identical to the shipping version unless any issues crop up during the final Thunderbolt certification process. Plugable is targeting early October for launch, with pricing set at $249.95 including the DisplayPort to HDMI 2.0 active adapter. It's a competitive price point for such a full-featured dock that's really only lacking the full 85-watt charging power compared to other top-tier docks, with most of those priced in the $300–$350 range.
In addition to the relatively good pricing, the five USB ports offer great flexibility for connecting multiple peripherals like iPhone or Apple Watch charging docks, card readers, external drives, and more, although a bit more spacing between the ports would have been a good idea and a built-in SD card slot like on the OWC dock would have been nice bonus.
The option for vertical or horizontal orientation of the dock is also a nice feature to fit in with a variety of desk setups, and I like the slender vertical design with the separate stand to keep it stable. As a result, the TBT3-UDV looks like it'll be a great option for those considering a Thunderbolt 3 dock, as long as the 60 watts of charging is sufficient for your needs.
Note: Plugable provided the TBT3-UDV and the USB-C cables to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.
Apple today seeded the tenth beta of an upcoming tvOS 11 update designed for the fourth-generation TV, just under a week after seeding the ninth beta and three months after releasing the first beta during the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference.
Registered developers can download the tvOS 11 update by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software using iTunes.
tvOS 11 didn't receive a lot of attention at the Worldwide Developers Conference because it's a modest update, but according to Apple's release notes, it does introduce a few new features to the operating system.
tvOS 11 brings automatic switching between light/dark mode based on local time, Home screen syncing options that keep multiple Apple TVs in a household in sync, new background modes and notification support, Focus API improvements, custom sound support, network-based pairing and development support, improvements to Mobile Device Management, and more.
The tenth beta of tvOS 11 most likely focuses primarily on bug fixes and other small refinements, as the first nine betas did. Apple's new tvOS 11 update is available for both registered developers and public beta testers and will see a public release this fall.
Update: There's a new public beta available (tvOS 11 public beta 9) for public beta testers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook this morning sent out an email to employees following the announcement that United States President Donald Trump will phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program over the course of the next six months. Trump has called on Congress to replace DACA with new legislation by March 5, 2018.
In the email, Cook says Apple will work with members of Congress to advocate for a legislative solution that will continue to protect the children of immigrants, and he says Apple is working with impacted Apple employees to provide support, including access to immigration experts.
Team,
America promises all its people the opportunity to achieve their dreams through hard work and perseverance. At Apple, we've dedicated ourselves to creating products that empower those dreams. And at our best, we aspire to be part of the promise that defines America.
Earlier today, the Justice Department announced that President Trump will cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in six months if Congress does not act to make the program permanent.
I am deeply dismayed that 800,000 Americans -- including more than 250 of our Apple coworkers -- may soon find themselves cast out of the only country they've ever called home.
DACA recognizes that people who arrived in the United States as children should not be punished for being here illegally. It lets these Americans, who have successfully completed rigorous background investigations, go to school, earn a living, support their families, pay taxes and work toward achieving their dreams like the rest of us. They are called Dreamers, and regardless of where they were born, they deserve our respect as equals.
I've received several notes over the weekend from Dreamers within Apple. Some told me they came to the U.S. as young as two years old, while others recounted they don't even remember a time they were not in this country.
Dreamers who work at Apple may have been born in Canada or Mexico, Kenya or Mongolia, but America is the only home they've ever known. They grew up in our cities and towns, and hold degrees from colleges across the country. They now work for Apple in 28 states.
They help customers in our retail stores. They engineer the products people love and they're building Apple's future as part of our R&D teams. They contribute to our company, our economy and our communities just as much as you and I do. Their dreams are our dreams.
I want to assure you that Apple will work with members of Congress from both parties to advocate for a legislative solution that provides permanent protections for all the Dreamers in our country.
We are also working closely with each of our co-workers to provide them and their families the support they need, including the advice of immigration experts.
On behalf of the hundreds of employees at Apple whose futures are at stake; on behalf of their colleagues and on behalf of the millions more across America who believe, as we do, in the power of dreams, we issue an urgent plea for our leaders in Washington to protect the Dreamers so their futures can never be put at risk in this way again.
Despite this setback for our nation, I'm confident that American values will prevail and we will continue our tradition of welcoming immigrants from all nations. I'll do whatever I can to assure this outcome.
Tim
Over the weekend, Cook tweeted that Apple employs 250 "dreamers," aka people who came to the United States at a young age when their undocumented parents immigrated to the country. "I stand with them," said Cook in the tweet. "They deserve our respect as equals and a solution rooted in American values."
Cook and 300 other business leaders also signed an open letter last week urging President Trump to preserve the program or to pass the bipartisan DREAM act or other legislation for a more permanent solution, but it went unheeded.
With DACA suspended, the government will not accept new applications from undocumented immigrants to defer deportation and offer work permits.
While the current 800,000 DACA enrollees are not expected to be immediately impacted and can renew their two-year permits until October 5, if a new solution isn't offered by Congress, people who grew up in the United States and have lived in the country since childhood could face deportation to countries that are essentially foreign to them.
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.
YouTube for iOS is gaining a new feature that will allow iPhone users to stream video directly from their device screen, reports TechCrunch.
This will allow YouTubers to stream iOS games and apps on their iPhones directly to YouTube without having to use the standalone YouTube gaming app.
The screen-streaming feature has been available on Android for some time, but to implement it on iOS, YouTube needed to add support for the Apple ReplayKit API, which it has now done.
In addition to a feature for live streaming what's on the iPhone's screen, YouTube is also gaining lower latency streaming for better creator/watcher chat interactions and improved chat moderation tools.
YouTubers can quickly pause chat with a new keyboard shortcut and they can opt in to an automated chat moderation system that will cause YouTube to flag and hold potentially inappropriate messages until they can be reviewed.
YouTube says its new features are rolling out to users around the world today. The YouTube app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
After announcing the "Smart Writing Set" earlier in February, Moleskine today unveiled the newest product in this line, called simply the "Smart Planner." The new planner will allow users to jot down appointments and reminders within a weekly calendar area of the notebook, which will then be automatically digitized and synced to Apple iCalendar or Google Calendar formats (via TechCrunch).
Moleskine's Smart Writing products work with the help of an invisible grid, made with Ncode technology, that enables the connected Moleskine Pen+ device to recognize where it is on the page and within the notebook. Previous devices in the Smart Writing Set would sync hand-written notes from a paper tablet into the Moleskine Notes app, but the company's new Smart Planner is one of the first to introduce direct calendar syncing compatibility.
Like other Livescribe systems, the Smart Planner as it’s called uses paper embedded with sensors that can read and sync anything written by the Moleskine Pen+. Meetings and appointments written on the planner part of the paper are synced automatically to the user’s Google or Apple account and placed appropriately on their calendar.
TechCrunch explained that when users write down meetings and appointments within the planner part of the paper, the notebook and Pen+ intelligently recognize the text as a calendar appointment, and convert it into an entry on the correct date in the user's chosen calendar app. This requires both the planner and Pen+, and Moleskine said it will begin selling a set of the new Smart Planner on September 12 for $199. If users already have a pen, they can buy just the Smart Planner for $29.
Apple has announced that its newest retail store will be opening on Saturday, September 16 within the shopping district known as Tianyi Square, located in Ningbo, in the Zhejiang province of China. As with all Apple retail grand openings, Apple Tianyi Square will open at 10:00 am local time.
Under the leadership of Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, the company began aggressively expanding its retail footprint in China over the last few years. In January 2015, Ahrendts said that Apple's goal was to open 40 stores in the Greater China region within two years, which it eventually accomplished ahead of schedule in June 2016.
Earlier this year, Apple Stores worldwide debuted a new "Today at Apple" program that introduced various classes and activities for visitors to take part in, each one focusing on a particular Apple software or hardware product. The company's new stores also feature a next-generation design, putting an emphasis on community and the new Today at Apple programs with areas for these sessions separated from the retail portion of the stores.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Apple's refusal to approve the Indian government's anti-spam iPhone app has infuriated state regulators, which could work against the company's efforts to increase its market share in the country, a report on Wednesday revealed.
As Apple prepares to launch a new line of iPhones next week, the company is selling another round of bonds to further fund share buybacks and dividends, reports 
Apple CEO Tim Cook this morning sent out an email to employees following the announcement that United States President Donald Trump 
