Class action lawsuits continue to mount against Apple over the iPhone Slowdown saga.
For those unaware, late last year, Apple admitted that it throttles the maximum performance of some older iPhone models with chemically aged batteries when necessary in order to prevent the devices from unexpectedly shutting down.
Apple views this as a feature intended to provide the best user experience possible, and make iPhones last as long as possible, but it wasn't very transparent about the changes, leading some customers to believe that Apple is purposefully slowing down older iPhones as a form of planned obsolescence.
In an apology letter to customers over its lack of communication, Apple emphatically denied that it would ever "do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product, or degrade the user experience to drive customer upgrades."
Not everyone believes Apple, however, as a group of 78 customers from multiple states have jointly filed a class action lawsuit against Apple this week, accusing the company of "secretly throttling" older iPhones to force customers to upgrade to a newer iPhone, calling it "one of the largest consumer frauds in history."
The full complaint is exhaustive, as most court documents are, but the gist of it is that Apple allegedly committed fraud by secretly slowing down older iPhones as part of a money-making scheme. Through these actions, Apple is accused of violating California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act and other laws.
An excerpt from the complaint, filed in a U.S. district court in San Jose on Monday and obtained by MacRumors:
While Plaintiffs and the class need not attribute any motive behind Apple's intentional degradation of the Devices, it is evident that Apple continued to do so for the simple reason most frauds are committed: money.
Although technically complex in part, the scheme was logical and simple: The Devices were designed defectively, and Apple released software updates to conceal the Defects, all the while exacerbating the effects of the Defects—principally decreased performance—so that Device users had no choice but to purchase new batteries or upgrade their Devices, resulting in additional payments to Apple and a sustained (albeit forced) customer base.
Apple's VP of marketing Greg Joswiak recently denied this theory, calling it "about the craziest thinking in the world."
Which is about the craziest thinking in the world, where I give you a shitty experience so you go buy our new product. But, to your point, there's been so much that people forgot about how great software updates are. First of all, we have a 95 percent customer satisfaction rate with iOS 11… it's great. We have delivered through the years amazing features, from the App Store to iMessage."
The plaintiffs, who reside all across the United States, are aiming to become the representatives of the proposed class, including all users of the iPhone 5 and newer and various iPad models, including the iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad mini.
It's unclear why the complaint includes the iPhone 5-5s and iPads, which are not affected by the performance management, according to Apple.
This case, along with over 60 others, will likely be heard by the Honorable Judge Edward J. Davila, after the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation ordered all iPhone slowdown lawsuits to be consolidated as one large class action in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, where he presides.
Apple has already taken a few courses of action beyond apologizing, including reducing the price of battery replacements to $29 for iPhone 6 and newer through the end of 2018, and offering a $50 credit to all customers who paid for an out-of warranty battery replacement for an iPhone 6 or later in 2017.
Moreover, in iOS 11.3, Apple introduced a new Battery Health feature in beta to track an iPhone's battery and performance status.
When users first install iOS 11.3 or later, all performance management features that might have been enabled are automatically disabled. If an unexpected shutdown occurs, however, the performance management is turned back on and must be disabled manually thereafter—although Apple doesn't recommend it.
Belkin today is launching the first power bank with Lightning input to be officially certified under Apple's MFi licensing program, assuring that the product meets Apple's standards for quality and compatibility. Belkin's BOOST↑CHARGE Power Bank 10K with Lightning Connector, priced at $59.99, offers 10,000 mAh of charging power and is recharged over a Lightning connector using either a USB-to-Lightning cable or a compatible Lightning dock sold separately.
On the output side, the Power Bank 10K with Lightning includes a pair of USB-A ports, one at 2.4A for faster charging of iPhones and iPads and one at 1A for slower charging. A button-activated set of four LEDs on the top of the Power Bank shows the current charge level, and the button also lets you toggle between charging input and output modes if needed.
While power banks most commonly use micro-USB for charging input and a few are shifting over to USB-C, Lightning offers the benefit of needing only a single cable to both charge the battery pack and use the battery pack to charge your phone. If you've got a Lightning dock on your desk, you may also be able to use that to recharge the power bank, although it is significantly thicker than an iPhone so not all docks will be able to accommodate the power bank.
Charging on an Apple Lightning dock
The Power Bank 10K measures about 6 inches long, around 2.75 inches wide, and a little under 0.75 inches thick, so it's slightly smaller but substantially thicker than a Plus-sized iPhone. It weighs a little over 8 ounces, about 25 percent more than a Plus-sized iPhone.
In my testing, the power bank worked well, efficiently charging an iPhone connected to the 2.4A USB port. It also appeared to be able to maintain rated charging speeds with devices connected to both USB ports simultaneously. Recharging the power bank took three hours or so when connected to an iPad charger.
Beyond standard power banks, the launch of the first MFi-certified Lightning battery may also bode well for future similar accessories from other manufacturers, including the possibility of iPhone battery cases with Lightning input, a product family long requested by users.
Belkin's $59.99 BOOST↑CHARGE Power Bank 10K with Lightning Connector will be available in black or white and is available for pre-order starting today through Belkin. It should begin shipping around the beginning of August.
For peace of mind, the BOOST↑CHARGE Power Bank 10K with Lightning Connector includes Belkin's $2500 Connected Equipment Warranty, offering protection for any equipment damaged by power spikes or surges while properly connected to the power bank.
Note: Belkin provided a sample of the Power Bank 10K with Lightning Connector to MacRumors free of charge for the coverage purposes. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Belkin and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.
While we're still two months away from Apple's widely rumored trio of 2018 iPhones, the rumor mill is already looking ahead to next year.
iPhone with triple-lens rear camera mockup via iDrop News
Much of the early discussion has centered upon the rear-facing camera on 2019 iPhones, with multiple reports claiming it will be a triple-lens array with advanced 3D sensing for augmented reality capabilities.
Taiwanese publication Economic Daily News says as much in a pair ofreports today, claiming that the rear-facing camera on 2019 iPhones will feature "more advanced" sensing than the front-facing TrueDepth system on the current iPhone X, with a triple-lens setup capable of stereoscopic imaging.
With stereoscopic imaging, two of the sensors would be able to capture images of a single object from different angles. A triangulation method would then be used to obtain the distance between the iPhone and the object.
The third lens would also likely enable 3x optical zoom on an iPhone for the first time, enabling users to magnify the image in the viewfinder by up to three times without a blurry reduction in quality like digital zoom.
Bloomberg News last year reported that Apple aims to include rear-facing 3D sensing capabilities in its 2019 iPhones. At the time, Apple was said to be evaluating a time-of-flight approach that calculates the time it takes for a laser to bounce off surrounding objects to create a 3D image of the environment.
While the exact implementation remains to be seen, it's clear that the rear camera could play a big role in the augmented reality capabilities of future iPhones. Last year, Apple released ARKit, a framework that enables developers to incorporate augmented reality into their apps on iOS 11 and later.
Apple previews ARKit 2 during WWDC 2018 at around 22:05 mark of video
At WWDC 2018 last month, Apple previewed ARKit 2, with shared experiences like multiplayer games, persistent augmented reality, extended support for image detection and tracking, and more.
Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn will assemble the majority of Apple's widely rumored trio of new iPhones expected to launch in 2018, according to the Taipei Times, citing research from Fubon Securities.
Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai, will reportedly assemble all of the second-generation iPhone X, 90 percent of the so-called iPhone X Plus, and 75 percent of an all-new, lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone.
Taiwanese manufacturer Pegatron is said to fulfill the remaining orders:
Hon Hai has been selected to assemble the bulk of the new iPhones, including all of the premium 5.8-inch OLED model and 90 percent of the 6.5-inch OLED phones, as well as 75 percent of the 6.1-inch LCD model, with the remainder given to Pegatron, the report said.
Wistron, another Taiwanese manufacturer, will not assemble any of the new 2018 iPhones, according to the report.
Fubon Securities predicts that the 6.1-inch iPhone will be priced around $799 in the United States, and use nearly all of the same materials as the iPhone 8 Plus, at an estimated cost of $275 to Apple.
Last month, respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said all three new iPhones will be both announced and made available to order this September. In a previous research note, he indicated that Apple has resolved the manufacturing challenges that resulted in the iPhone X's delayed launch and supply shortage.
Apple is widely rumored to release a trio of new iPhones in 2018, including a second-generation iPhone X, a larger 6.5-inch version dubbed the iPhone X Plus, and an all-new 6.1-inch model with some iPhone X features, but not all, at a lower price point of around $600 to $700 in the United States.
While the current iPhone X is limited to Space Gray and Silver, well-connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes at least two of the new iPhone models in the 2018 lineup will be available in additional colors.
In a research note with TF Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said the second-generation iPhone X will be available in Black, White, and Gold, while the 6.1-inch model is said to come in a wide array of colors, including red, blue, orange, gray, and white. An excerpt from the note follows.
We expect the demands for the new 6.5" OLED iPhone will be better than iPhone X because of similar or lower price but with larger display, dual-sim dual-standby (DSDS), and three possible casing colors (black, white, and gold).
The new 6.1" LCD iPhone is expected to boost better-replacement demands than iPhone 8/8s did due to being equipped with full-screen, Face ID, selling price lower than $700 USD, DSDS and five possible casing colors (grey, white, blue, red, and orange).
The current iPhone X was already expected to come in gold, but Kuo previously said Apple faced manufacturing challenges with the color, likely related to difficulties anodizing the stainless steel frame to be gold.
We know that Apple did at least prototype a gold iPhone X, as seen in regulatory photos it was required to submit to the FCC prior to the device launching last year. The photos were filed in September 2017, but weren't visible until April 2018, when Apple's confidentiality period expired.
It's reasonable to assume that Apple has figured out how to mass produce the iPhone X in gold, so there is little reason to doubt this rumor.
In terms of the lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone, it also makes sense that it could be available in a rainbow of colors like one of its lower-priced siblings of the past, the plastic-backed iPhone 5c. The red finish would likely be part of the (PRODUCT)RED initiative supporting the elimination of HIV/AIDS.
Kuo has a respectable track record in terms of outlining Apple's future plans. This is his third Apple-focused research note with TF Securities, where he began working earlier this year after a long stint at KGI Securities.
Update: Steve Hemmerstoffer, who runs the Twitter account OnLeaks, claims Apple is also currently prototyping 2018 iPhones with yellow and pink finishes. He also says the "black" that Kuo refers to is likely Space Gray:
Following latest Ming-Chi Kuo report regarding 2018 iPhone color options, I can say at current prototyping stage White, Black (likely Space Gray), Grey (lighter grey), Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange and Pink are still on the table... pic.twitter.com/HNpp8nf8OJ
— Steve H. (@OnLeaks) July 5, 2018
Enthusiasm for interface dark modes appears to be catching. The Verge reports that Microsoft is planning to introduce such a mode to its Outlook.com web mail service, which has around 400 million active users.
The dark mode for Outlook.com is one of the most highly requested features for Microsoft's web mail service, according to listings on the Outlook.com feedback site.
Testing of the new color scheme – reminiscent of last year's Outlook Halloween theme – has been underway over the last few months, according to Microsoft, which has already started teasing the new-look web interface online.
Responding to a feedback post, one Outlook.com team member had this to say:
One reason for the delay is our insistence that we deliver the best Dark Mode of any leading email client (you’ll understand when you see it, I guarantee). The sneak preview you saw last year at Halloween was a prototype that required a lot more work to be ready for prime time. We’ve redesigned the colors and code multiple times and are proud to enter the final stretch.
Many MacRumors readers will no doubt be aware of the desktop Dark Mode that Apple is introducing in macOS Mojave. While the company is yet to have announced a similar mode for iOS, many third-party mobile apps have already adopted the color scheme, including Twitter, Reddit, Twitch, and YouTube.
Apple has registered new tablets and Macs with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) this week, indicating that refreshes could be on the horizon. The filings, uncovered by French website Consomac, are legally required for any devices with encryption sold in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
The five Mac model numbers are A1931, A1932, A1988, A1989 and A1990, indicating two distinct ranges. The last three numbers may relate to expected refreshes for the 13-inch MacBook Pro (with and without Touch Bar) and the 15-inch MacBook Pro, while the first two could reference a refreshed 12-inch MacBook and a potential replacement for the aging MacBook Air, which Apple has been gradually phasing out.
Apple is rumored to be planning to introduce the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook in the second half of 2018, which would serve as a replacement for the MacBook Air. Details have been scant about the rumored machine, but it could turn out to belong to the 12-inch MacBook family, and the model numbers A1931 and A1932 potentially reflect this.
It's not known what the rumored 13-inch MacBook would be priced at, but the MacBook Air sells for $999, a price point Apple has thus far been unable to match with the 12-inch MacBook and the MacBook Pro.
The five new iPad model numbers are harder to decipher, but Apple is expected to launch new models of iPad Pro later this year featuring slimmer edges, a faster processor, a custom Apple-built GPU, and a TrueDepth camera with support for Face ID.
One report has claimed one of the new iPad Pro models will have a display that measures in at approximately 11 inches, which is in line with reports suggesting the device could have slimmer bezels.
Perhaps the most curious details in the EEC filing are the OS references, with macOS 10.13 and iOS 11 given for the Mac and iPad models, respectively. It's conceivable Apple could refresh its Mac line before macOS Mojave is ready, but launching new iPad Pro models before the launch of iOS 12 seems less likely, given the number of features Apple is introducing in the new OS to accommodate iPads with Face ID and no Home button.
However, strings of code have been found in iOS 11 referring to a "modern iPad", which mirrors the "modern iPhone" nomenclature Apple used to refer to the iPhone X ahead of its release, so nothing is certain.
It's also worth noting that Apple registered several new models of iPhone with the EEC back in April that have yet to appear, so extrapolating launch dates from the filing is particularly difficult. Suffice to say Apple's Mac line-up is overdue an upgrade, while new iPads are expected to launch sometime around September.
Apple has informed Intel that it will not use the chipmaker's 5G mobile modem in its 2020 iPhones, according to a new report.
Israeli website CTech by Calcalist reported on Wednesday that it had reviewed internal communications from Intel and spoken to "people familiar with the matter", leading it to conclude that Intel will not provide the 5G modems for Apple's 2020 mobile devices.
Apple has notified Intel it will not use a mobile modem developed by the chipmaker in its next-generation mobile device, Intel executives said in the communications. Further development of the modem component internally called "Sunny Peak" is halted and Intel's team working on the product will be redirected to other efforts, the executives said.
Calcalist said the communications it had seen described Apple as the "key mobile customer" and the "main volume driver" for the "Sunny Peak" 5G mobile modem, underlining the impact the loss of business would have on the chipmaker.
Apple was also said to be facing a "massive effort" to launch 5G in its mobile products, with Intel executives blaming the company's decision not to use its modems on "many factors", including the introduction of a faster WiGig (802.11ad) Wi-Fi standard, which brought "new and unanticipated challenges".
In a response to Calcalist's request for comment, an Intel spokesman said the company does not comment on matters relating to its customers.
Northland analyst Gus Richard gave no timeline for the predicted switch, but with deals for 2018 iPhones already established, any impact was expected no earlier than 2019.
Apple added Intel as a manufacturer only a couple of years ago, after previously relying solely on Qualcomm for its modem chips. Current iPhones use LTE chips from both companies, but Apple is embroiled in a lawsuit with Qualcomm and is rumored to be planning to ditch their chips, too.
Apple is believed to be developing its own modem chips, but it will need to continue to use third-party chips until its in-house solution is ready to be deployed in iOS devices.
Current rumors suggest Intel will supply approximately 70 percent of LTE chips for Apple's 2018 lineup, with the rest of the chips coming from Qualcomm.
Apple is also moving away from Intel chips in its Mac lineup, with rumors indicating the company is developing its own custom chips that could appear in Macs as early as 2020.
Update: In response to this story, Intel told MacRumors the company's 5G customer engagements and roadmap had not changed for 2018 through 2020. "We remain committed to our 5G plans and projects," said a spokesperson.
On June 11, 2012, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced its first MacBook Pro with a Retina display. Impressed by its thinness, the crowd at Moscone West erupted with a huge round of applause.
The notebook was also praised in many reviews, which awarded it top marks for its mix of functionality and portability. Marco Arment, a well-known developer, even called it "the best laptop ever made," with a "crowd-pleasing design."
"Introduced in 2012, less than a year after Steve Jobs died, I see it as the peak of Jobs' vision for the Mac," said Arment, in a blog post last year.
In addition to being the first MacBook Pro with a Retina display, the 2012 model had a much slimmer design compared to previous models, after Apple removed the built-in Ethernet port and optical disc drive for CDs/DVDs. The external design of the notebook remained largely unchanged through 2015.
Despite being thinner, the 2012 to 2015 era MacBook Pro had an array of connectivity options, including a pair of Thunderbolt and USB-A ports, an HDMI port, a SD card slot, and a MagSafe power adapter that breaks away safely if tugged.
I/O on 2012 MacBook Pro with Retina display
By comparison, the 2016 and later MacBook Pro has two or four Thunderbolt 3 ports, depending on the model, that can deliver power, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA over a single cable. Apple in turn removed dedicated USB-A and HDMI ports, an SD card reader, and MagSafe from the notebook.
I/O on 2016-and-later MacBook Pro
While the latest MacBook Pro lineup hasn't led to any significant declines in Mac sales, which Apple reports on a quarterly basis, a subset of customers continue to favor the older models. In fact, Apple continues to sell one configuration of the 2015 MacBook Pro, priced from $1,999 in the United States.
For those clinging to a 2012 model, however, there's a bit of bad, but inevitable, news.
Just over six years after Apple released the Mid 2012 model 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, which is more than a fair amount of time, Apple has officially classified it as "vintage" or "obsolete" depending on the region.
What this means is that at least five years have passed since the model was last manufactured, meaning that Apple and Apple Authorized Service Providers are no longer obligated to provide hardware service or replacement parts, except in the state of California and Turkey, where required by law.
Of course, if you own a 2012 MacBook Pro, there is nothing stopping you from following one of iFixit's many do-it-yourself repair guides.
Apple routinely updates its vintage and obsolete products list with additional devices as they age, so this was to be expected eventually, but it's still somewhat of a sad reminder that the first MacBook Pro with Retina display has nearly reached the end of its life. Anyone still using one is now on their own in terms of hardware.
Apple's support team should still be able to answer questions about macOS and be able to perform software troubleshooting if needed.
Apple's website does not list the Late 2012 model 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, released in October 2012, as "vintage" yet. Only the 15-inch model, released in June 2012, carries this distinction.
Netflix is reportedly testing a new tier of service for subscribers that supersedes the existing top tier Premium plan, according to Italian blog Tutto Android.
Titled "Ultra", the new plan would allow up to four devices to receive Ultra HD and HDR video, and audio streaming at the same time. In Italy, the tier is priced at 16.99 euros, or approximately $19.80.
Netflix has three subscription plans at present: Basic ($7.99), Standard ($10.99), and Premium ($13.99). Basic subscribers can watch Netflix on one screen at a time, Standard enables simultaneous viewing on two screens, and Premium allows up to four screens to be used at once to stream the service.
Commenting on the story, Netflix provided CNET with the following statement:
"We continuously test new things at Netflix and these tests typically vary in length of time," Smita Saran, a Netflix spokeswoman, said in an email. "In this case, we are testing slightly different price points and features to better understand how consumers value Netflix."
Saran went on to say that not all Netflix subscribers would see the Ultra tier currently being tested, and the company many never offer the plan and its features to a wider base.
Promotional screens suggests that HDR would be exclusive to the Ultra plan, while the above screenshot implies that the number of simultaneous streams for existing Premium users would get reduced from four to two, with only Ultra subscribers getting four at the higher price. Similarly, users on the Standard plan appear to be getting only one stream instead of the usual two.
If the Ultra tier was ever to be officially adopted, it would essentially mean existing Premium users having to pay around $6 more for the same level of service they're used to.
Netflix has increased the price of its subscription plans in the past. Back in November the company hiked its Standard plan by $1 and its top Premium plan by $2.
Apple's senior director of Siri, Alex Acero, will speak at the AI Frontiers conference in San Jose, California, this coming November.
The event brings together specialists in the fields of robotics, natural language processing, virtual assistants, autonomous driving, and more, with speakers from the likes of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Uber.
As part of a panel exploring the role of personal assistants, Acero will about how deep learning informs the way Siri works on Apple devices. From the AI Frontiers online schedule:
Siri brought personal assistants to the mainstream after its introduction in 2011 in the iPhone. Deep learning is powering many components in Siri: trigger word detection, large vocabulary recognition, text-to-speech, machine translation, and natural language understanding. In this talk I will show a few examples of how deep learning is used in Siri.
Also on Acero's panel are Amazon Alexa director Ruhi Sarikaya and Google research scientist Dilek Hakkani-Tur.
Acero arrived at Apple in 2013 after spending two decades at Microsoft, where he oversaw research into computer vision, speech, neuro-linguistic programming, machine learning and translation, amongst other areas. His work on Siri takes in speech recognition, speech synthesis, and machine translation.
The AI Frontiers conference takes place from November 9 to November 11. For more information on the event and scheduled speakers, check out the AI Frontiers website.
In the latest beta of the upcoming iOS 12 update, Apple has included a feature that lets users generate iCloud links for sharing pictures via the stock Photos app.
The iCloud.com URL link option, first noticed by Reddit user Hunkir
The new sharing option appears in the bottom row of the iOS Share Sheet, and allows users with iCloud Photos enabled to copy an iCloud.com URL link to one or several selected images that lasts for 30 days.
Clicking a link in an email takes the recipient to a web page containing the image in question, as well as an option to download it. Sharing a link in the Messages app also shows a preview of the image right in the chat thread. The link also includes the author's name, the photo's title, and associated EXIF data, excluding location information.
The addition should come in handy for times when you quickly want to share an image from your iOS device, minus the hassle of uploading it to a third-party service. It's also more than likely that the iCloud link sharing option will feature in macOS Mojave.
For more on all the changes coming in iOS 12, check out our dedicated roundup.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the second beta and a month after introducing the software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
macOS Mojave introduces a new method of installing software updates, so after you've installed the appropriate profile from the Apple Developer Center, additional betas can be downloaded clicking on the Apple in the menu bar, choosing "About This Mac" and clicking "Software Update." Alternatively, open System Preferences and choose the "Software Update" icon.
The macOS Mojave update brings a long-awaited systemwide Dark Mode, with Mojave users able to choose between a light theme or the new dark theme. Dark Mode is accompanied by Dynamic Desktops, aka wallpapers that subtly change throughout the day.
Stacks, a new Desktop organization system, keeps all of your desktop files neat and organized, while Finder has been enhanced with a Gallery View, a Sidebar, a revamped Quick Look option and Quick Actions, so you can do more in the Finder window than ever before.
Screenshots can now be edited using Markup tools, while Continuity camera, a new feature, allows you to import photos and document scans directly from the iPhone to the Mac.
Apple News, Stocks, Home, and Voice Memos apps have been ported from iOS to macOS as part of a multiyear project Apple is working on to make it easier to bring iOS apps to Macs, and Apple has introduced several privacy protections to keep your data safer.
Apple is also making it harder for websites to track you with a range of new tools, plus there's an entirely revamped Mac App Store that makes it easier to discover apps.
Apple today seeded the third beta of the upcoming iOS 12 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second beta and a month after introducing the new software at the Worldwide Developers Conference.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 12 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air after installing the proper certificate.
The iOS 12 update introduces significant changes to the iOS operating system, with Apple working from top to bottom to make iPhones and iPads, especially older models, faster and more responsive. In beta 3 specifically, Apple is adding an entirely revamped and rebuilt Maps app for the San Francisco Bay Area with a slight design change that will display foliage, pools, buildings, pedestrian pathways, and other map elements more accurately, along with improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, construction, and more.
Though limited to the San Francisco area during beta testing, the new Maps features will roll out to all of California when iOS 12 launches, followed by additional locations across the United States.
On the iPhone X, there are new Animoji characters along with "Memoji" customizable, personalized Animoji that can be used both in Messages and in FaceTime. Messages and FaceTime have also gained fun new camera effects, and Group FaceTime support allows for calls with up to 32 people.
Siri is smarter in iOS 12 with a new Shortcuts feature that lets you create custom automations using first and third-party apps that can be activated with Siri, with Apple planning to introduce a dedicated Shortcuts app in the future.
Apple also built a comprehensive set of time management and monitoring tools into iOS 12 with Screen Time, allowing you to keep track of just how much time you're spending on your iPhone and iPad.
Updated Do Not Disturb options make turning off notifications and distractions easier than ever, with a new Do Not Disturb at Bedtime feature cutting down on nighttime interruptions.
Group Notifications make incoming notifications easier to view and manage, while a new Instant Tuning feature lets you tweak your notification settings on a notification-by-notification basis.
Apple News has a new Browse feature, the Stocks app has been redesigned, iBooks has been overhauled with a new look and a new name - Apple Books - and Voice Memos has been revamped with iCloud support and an iPad app. There's also a new ARKit-based Measure app.
ARKit 2.0 introduces new capabilities like shared experiences that let two people see the same AR environment on separate devices, and persistence, which allows AR experiences to be saved across multiple sessions.
Tons of other small tweaks and features have been added to iOS 12, so make sure to check out our dedicated roundup for additional detail on what's new in iOS 12.
Early betas of new operating system updates always introduce tweaked features and new functionality, and we'll be outlining what's new in the third beta below. We also rounded up all of the changes that were introduced in the previous beta, beta 2.
What's new in iOS 12 beta 3:
Maps - The new Maps design has rolled out in the San Francisco Bay Area on devices running the latest iOS 12 beta.
Voice Memos - The Voice Memos app has an updated iPad interface.
Share My Location - Location sharing details have been moved from the Privacy section of the Settings app to a new more prominent location in a user's profile right near iCloud settings.
iPad Notifications - There's an option to clear all notifications on the iPad when long pressing on the X at the top of the list of notifications.
Photos - The list of Media Types in the albums section of the Photos app has been cleaned up a bit and no longer lists categories if you have no photos of that type. For example, if you have no time-lapse photos, the time-lapse media type is not included in the list.
Haptic Feedback - On devices with a Home button and haptic feedback, the Home button no longer buzzes every time the iPhone is unlocked. This was an issue on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7.
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 5 update to developers, two weeks after releasing the second beta and a month after introducing the software at the Worldwide Developers Conference. watchOS 5 is the newest version of the software that runs on the Apple Watch.
To install the beta, you'll need the proper configuration profile, which can be obtained through the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 5 beta can be downloaded using the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General --> Software Update.
To update, the Apple Watch must have 50 percent battery, it must be placed on an Apple Watch charger, and it must be in range of the iPhone. It would be wise to install the beta on a secondary device instead of a primary device given that this is an early version of the watchOS 5 software that still has bugs to be worked out.
watchOS 5 is a major update to watchOS, introducing Activity Competitions so you can compete on workouts with friends, Walkie-Talkie with push-to-talk functionality for quickly communicating with the people you talk to most, and auto workout detection to make it easier than ever to start and stop workouts.
Other new features include an improved Siri watch face with support for third-party apps, a dedicated Apple Podcasts app, new Workout types that include Yoga and Hiking, new features for runners, WebKit support for viewing some web content on Apple Watch, and enhanced notifications, which will make notifications on the Apple Watch interactive.
Early software betas often introduce new functionality, so we'll update this post if anything new is found in the third beta of watchOS 5. The second beta brought full support for the Walkie-Talkie feature, which was unavailable in the first beta.
watchOS 5 is only available to developers and will not be provided to public beta testers (because there's no way to downgrade Apple Watch software), so non-developers will need to wait until the software is officially released in the fall to try it out.
The watchOS 5 update runs on all Series 1, Series 2, and Series 3 Apple Watch models, but it is not available for the first-generation "Series 0" Apple Watch models.
What's new in watchOS 5 beta 3: As of today's beta, the "Raise to Speak" feature that lets you talk to Siri is now working. To use it, make sure Raise to Speak is enabled in the Settings app by going to General --> Siri and toggling it on. From there, you can speak into your wrist to activate Siri without needing to say "Hey Siri." The trick to get it to work seems to be holding it very close to your mouth, but it doesn't always successfully activate.
Apple today seeded the third beta of a new tvOS 12 operating system to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the second beta and a month after introducing the new software at the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference keynote.
Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV, the tvOS 12 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode. Subsequent betas can be downloaded via the software update mechanism on the Apple TV.
tvOS 12 brings support for Dolby Atmos sound, which was activated in beta 2. Apple says that iTunes will be home to the largest collection of Dolby Atmos-supported movies anywhere, with Apple upgrading titles customers have purchased for free.
Building on single sign-on, a new zero sign-on feature will further simplify the cable authentication process. With zero sign-on, the Apple TV can detect a user's broadband network and automatically sign them into supported apps they receive through their cable subscription.
Aerial screensavers include location information and there are new screensavers captured in collaboration with the International Space Station.
Other improvements to Apple TV in tvOS 12 include AutoFill passwords from iPhone, an Apple TV Remote automatically added to Control Center on the iPhone or iPad, and Apple TV support on Home control systems like Control4, Crestron, and Savant.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced over two years 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 60 includes bug fixes and feature improvements for Web Animations, Dark Mode, Web Inspector, Media, CSS, WebRTC, Security, Plug-ins, Intelligent Tracking Prevention, WebDriver, and Accessibility.
The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS High Sierra and macOS Mojave, the newest version of the Mac operating system that’s currently being beta tested by developers.
Of note, Apple says Safari Technology Preview 60 will crash on launch with the first macOS Mojave developer beta. To avoid crashes, users should upgrade to the second or third beta. Also, after updating to release 60, the homepage preference and the Develop menu preference will be lost.
Safari Technology Preview 59, the prior update, introduced support for Intelligent Tracking Prevention 2.0, which prevents social widgets from tracking you without your permission and introduces other tracking prevention updates.
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.
Last month, Ring began taking pre-orders for its Ring Alarm home security system, and today it begins shipping. I've had a chance to spend some time with Ring Alarm, and I've found it's an easy-to-use security system that's useful with or without professional monitoring.
Priced at $199 for the base kit, the Ring Alarm comes with a base station, a separate keypad, one motion detector, one contact sensor for a door or window, and a range extender to help make sure all of your Ring accessories remain connected to your network.
Additional contact sensors ($20), motion detectors ($30), keypads ($50), and range extenders ($25) can be purchased separately to expand your system. Other Ring Alarm accessories including a flood and freeze sensor as well as a smoke and CO listener to integrate your existing detectors into the Ring ecosystem are coming later.
I'm a Ring user, with a Video Doorbell 2 and a Floodlight Cam already installed at my house, but I don't have any prior experience with home security systems. That made for a bit of a learning curve just in terms of figuring out how I wanted to set things up and remembering to arm/disarm the system at the appropriate times. But Ring Alarm is intended as a simple do-it-yourself system that makes it easy for even novice users to get up and running, so perhaps I'm an ideal candidate for testing things out.
Setup
Setup of Ring Alarm is quite simple, and the whole process only took me about half an hour, although I used the included adhesive strips to mount sensors and didn't mount the base station and keypad to my walls, so it would have taken a bit longer if I'd gone all-in with hardware mounting options. I may yet do that once I've decided for sure where I want to put the various components.
Regardless of whether you go the adhesive or hardware route, Ring provides everything you need right in the box, with installation kits for each component of the system conveniently boxed and labeled to make it easy to find what you need. All you'll need if you want to use the included screws and anchors for hardware mounting are a screwdriver and a drill.
Ring Alarm base station
The first step of installation involves simply plugging in the base station and hitting a pairing button on the back to start configuring the system via Bluetooth. The Ring app, which is getting a significant redesign to provide quick access to Ring Alarm and improve functionality for other Ring products, walks you through the entire setup process step-by-step, so it's hard to mess things up. Once the base station starts up, you can connect to your home network via either Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and I elected to use Wi-Fi to minimize wires.
Rear of base station
With the base station up and running, I was able to verify the address associated with my Ring account, enter my closest cross street to assist emergency responders, and add emergency contacts to be notified if the alarm trips. Adding a verbal password to authenticate my account when Ring calls due to an alarm event was the last step, and I was good to go with the 30-day free trial of professional monitoring. After the free trial, professional monitoring costs $10 per month or $100 per year, and it also includes cloud video storage for any other Ring camera and doorbell products you have in your home.
Once the base station is online and your account set up for monitoring, the rest of the devices in your starter kit are automatically identified in the Ring app and you can set them up one by one. With each one, you can provide a name and room location to help identify the accessories in notifications and the app. With the keypad, you'll set up an access code that lets you arm and disarm the alarm, and you can set up different codes for different people. As you set up each motion detector and contact sensor, the app will have you test each one to ensure that they're probably detecting events.
Ring Alarm keypad
The keypad includes a reversible mount that can be attached to a wall as a bracket or flipped over and used as a tabletop stand at a slight incline. Ring includes a micro-USB cable and an adapter to power the keypad, but it also has an internal rechargeable battery that can last up to a year depending on your settings, so it's handy to be able to set it up wirelessly on a table or mounted to the wall, only recharging periodically as needed.
Motion detector mounted in corner
Ring suggests that the motion detector should be placed in a location with a good view of a high-traffic area likely to be passed by any intruders, with the detector placed about seven feet off the floor. Motion detection sensitivity can be adjusted in the app if you find you're getting too many false alerts such as from a pet. The detector can be mounted using either adhesive or included screws that attach a bracket to the wall for easy removal of the detector itself.
Contact sensor mounted to door
Contact sensors come in two pieces, a large sensor part and a smaller magnet part, and both pieces must be aligned within 1/4 inch of each other when the door or window is closed. One piece goes on the door or window while the second part goes on the frame, but it doesn't matter which part goes on which side. When the door or window is opened, the two parts are separated, and the sensor triggers.
The Ring Alarm also includes a Z-Wave range extender that helps make sure everything in your alarm system is able to reach your network, but I found I did not need the extender.
Standalone accessories can be added to your setup in a similar manner to those included in the base kit, although you'll have to scan a QR code on the back of them using the Ring app in order to get them to appear. From there, it's the same process of choosing the sensor type, naming it, assigning it to a room, and testing to make sure it's registering properly.
Operation
With everything up and running, you're ready to go. Ring Alarm supports three modes: disarmed, home, and away. Disarmed mode, unsurprisingly, will not activate the alarm if any of your sensors are tripped. The base station will chirp by default when a door is opened in disarmed mode, for example, but these chirps can also be turned off.
In home mode, the default setup is for motion sensors to be ignored while door/window sensors will trigger the alarm to activate. This mode is obviously intended for when you're moving around inside your home but want to be protected if someone enters the house through a monitored door or window. Finally, away mode arms all sensors so that any opened monitored door or window or movement within the house will set off the alarm.
With home and away modes, you're able to customize entry and exit delays up to two minutes before the alarm goes off, giving you enough time to leave the house after arming and enter the access code on the keypad upon returning home. When an event is detected, you'll get a notification on your phone, and the Ring app will display a countdown giving you the configured period of time to disarm the system before the alarm goes off. If you fail to enter the keypad code or disarm from the Ring app within the allowed time, the base station will emit a very loud beeping sound, and if you are signed up for professional monitoring, authorities will be notified.
Ring Alarm supports a sensor bypass mode, which allows you to arm the system even if one of the sensors is currently tripped. For example, if you want to arm the alarm but leave a monitored window open, the system will notify you upon arming that one of the sensors is currently faulted. You can choose to close the window to clear the sensor or bypass it, which will arm the system but not monitor that sensor until the next disarm/arm cycle.
Monitoring
As part of the Ring Protect Plus plan priced at $10 per month or $100 per year, you'll get 24/7 professional monitoring on your Ring Alarm. When your sensors trip and the base station sounds an alarm, after 30 seconds it also sends a signal to Ring's central monitoring system. A support agent will attempt to call you to see if everything is okay, and then tries your emergency contacts if you can't be reached.
Either you or one of your emergency contacts must give the correct verbal password in order to confirm authorization to deal with the alarm situation. Emergency responders will be dispatched if you give the incorrect password, request a response after giving the correct password, or if you and your emergency contacts can not be reached.
Ring does include a practice mode with its professional monitoring, and by default for the first seven days after activating your account authorities will not be contacted if the alarm is triggered. This gives you time to learn how your system works without burdening authorities with false alarms. If you wish to exit practice mode before the seven-day period is up, you can do that, but Ring will warn you in the app about the importance of making sure everything is working properly before you do that.
Some jurisdictions require permits for monitored alarm systems, and Ring will guide you based on the address where you're using Ring Alarm. In some areas, Ring can obtain the permit on your behalf once you pay required fees, but in other jurisdictions you'll need to handle it on your own. Either way, once you have your permit, you can enter the permit number and expiration date in the Ring app to make all parties aware that your system is properly registered. My town does not require permits, so I did not need to go through this step.
As part of professional monitoring, the Ring Protect Plus plan also includes cellular backup connectivity, allowing your base station to contact the monitoring center even if your internet goes down. The base station itself also includes a battery backup that lasts up to 24 hours, so you're even protected if the power goes out.
Beyond monitoring, Ring Protect Plus includes cloud video recording for an unlimited number of Ring cameras and doorbells at your home, an extended warranty for as long as you're on the plan, and a 10 percent discount on Ring doorbells and cameras.
If you don't want professional monitoring, you can forego the Protect Plus plan. You'll still get notifications of alarm events and the base station can sound an alarm, but there will be no connection to a monitoring center and thus no automatic deployment of emergency responders.
Wrap-up
Ring's entire philosophy revolves around making technologically advanced home security simple to install and use without being intimidating, and Ring Alarm certainly achieves that.
What's also important about Ring Alarm is that it sets the stage for future products and integration. The Ring app already serves as the hub to integrate the alarm system with the company's existing cameras and doorbells, but it's easy to see how the alarm can also become the hardware hub for new capabilities and products from Ring and eventually third-party vendors.
Many alarm systems integrate base station and keypad functionalities into a single unit, but Ring has made an interesting decision to separate the two, recognizing that these don't always need to be colocated. The base station serves best located centrally in the home in order to optimize wireless connections to all sensors and to centralize the alarm sound, while the keypad is likely to be placed close to the main point of entry for easy access.
At $199, the Ring Alarm base kit is a relatively low-cost, do-it-yourself way to get into home security, although you'll likely want to spring for a few additional sensors to fill out coverage of your home. Ring's professional monitoring plan is also quite competitive, and overall Ring Alarm looks like a well thought out system.
The one thing Apple fans might miss is HomeKit support, which isn't included in Ring Alarm and still has yet to come several other Ring products for which HomeKit support was promised long ago. Ring declined to offer any new details on its HomeKit plans, but acknowledged that customers continue to request it and promised the company is still working on it.
Note: Ring provided the Ring Alarm base kit and two additional contact sensors to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.
Apple's senior director of Siri, Alex Acero, will speak at the 
Apple today 
