Western Digital has announced the 20TB My Book Duo, the company's highest-capacity desktop hard drive ever. The storage system comes with proprietary RAID 0/1 support offering speeds of up to 360MB per second sequential reads, as well as auto management of drive operations to help ensure read/write cycle data integrity.
The My Book Duo also comes with a USB Type-C port with all cables included for universal compatibility (USB 3.1 Gen 1/3.0/2.0), and two additional USB Type-A hub ports to allow for additional accessories, including drones, action cameras, card readers, keyboards, mice, USB drives or phone syncing and charging.
Available in 20TB, 16TB, 12TB, 8TB, 6TB and 4TB capacities, the storage system also comes with password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption with WD Security software built in.
The drive is Formatted NTFS for out-of-the-box compatibility with Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8.0 or Windows 7, and therefore requires reformatting to work on OS X and macOS.
The My Book Duo includes a three-year limited warranty and is available now from wd.com and at select retailers and distributors, retailing at $799.99 (20TB), $599.99 (16TB), $419.99 (12TB), $329.99 (8TB), $289.99 (6TB) and $259.99 (4TB).
The headphones boast the same drivers as the company's well-regarded MDR-1A headset made for listening to Hi-Res Audio, as supported by the company's Walkman range and its line of wireless home speakers and in-car audio systems.
They also offer up to 20 hours' battery life, touch controls, and exceptional adaptive noise-canceling, rivaling the likes of Bose's QuietComfort 3 and Sennheiser's PXC 550.
In addition, Sony's headset supports the full range of wireless codecs, including AAC, aptX, SBC, and the company's proprietary LDAC, which transmits up to three times more data than conventional Bluetooth for superior sound on supporting devices.
The cans are available on Amazon for $298 in beige or black. You can read MacRumors' in-depth review of Sony's MDR-1000X headphones here.
Note: MacRumors may benefit from affiliate links clicked in this article.
Apple has made a subtle tweak to Safari in iOS 11 to ensure the browser automatically strips out Google AMP URLs when a web page is shared or copy-pasted on an iPhone and iPad (via The Verge).
The discovery was made yesterday by MacStories' Federico Viticci when he tried sharing an AMP article viewed in Safari to iMessage and Reading List.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an open source publishing format that was made by Google to strip online articles of extraneous page furniture and improve their loading speed. AMP results are built into the company's mobile search engine results (for example, in the carousel in the Google News app).
Very nice: when sharing AMP pages to iMessage or Reading List, iOS 11 Safari automatically removes AMP’s crap from the URL. Go Apple 👍 pic.twitter.com/aHgSMcofUv
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) August 23, 2017
However, the format has come in for heavy criticism from several developers because of the way it obfuscates the canonical web URL that the content is gleaned from. Most AMP pages remove any URL link to the original publication and often strip out branding along with advertising and internal links, which also cedes control of web page analytics data to Google.
Apple's decision to have iOS 11 serve original links appears to be a willful rejection of Google's publishing format, which differs from Apple News links in that AMP links don't require an installed app in order to function. It's not certain this decision will be reflected in the final version of iOS 11, but we'll know soon enough – the public release of Apple's new mobile OS is due sometime next month.
Apple today started sending out emails to customers who are using older versions of its pro apps to inform them about impending incompatibilities with macOS High Sierra.
MacRumors readers Lee and Dane both received emails letting them know that macOS High Sierra will not work with Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio, both of which are 32-bit apps that last saw updates in 2010.
Our records show that you may be using applications included in Logic Studio. We wanted to share some important compatibility information about these applications and macOS High Sierra, which will be available this fall.
Older versions of Apple pro music applications -- including applications in Logic Studio -- will not launch on a computer running macOS High Sierra.
New versions of Apple pro music applications -- including Logic Pro X and MainStage 3 -- are compatible with macOS High Sierra. You can purchase these applications on the App Store.
A support document linked in the email directs users to an article that further outlines which versions of Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, and other software will work with macOS High Sierra.
According to the document, the following versions of pro apps are compatible with the macOS High Sierra update:
Final Cut Pro X 10.3.4 or later
Motion 5.3.2 or later
Compressor 4.3.2 or later
Logic Pro X 10.3.1 or later
MainStage 3.3 or later
Customers running earlier versions of these apps will need to update them to ensure compatibility with macOS High Sierra.
macOS High Sierra is in the final stages of testing and will see a public release this fall. The update brings many under-the-hood improvements, including a new file system, new high efficiency video encoding, a Metal 2 graphics API, support for eGPUs and VR content, and more.
Hulu's Live TV service can now be streamed to a Mac or PC using Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and more, Hulu said in an announcement this morning.
With browser support, Mac and PC users can now stream Hulu content directly to their computers in addition to set-top boxes and mobile devices.
To date, we've offered Hulu with Live TV on multiple living room and mobile devices, but we know many of you have asked to access our service on your laptops and computers as well. So rather than wait until we've finalized our new Web experience, we're opening up a basic version to Hulu's live TV plan subscribers so they can stream live TV via their browsers. That means, you can catch the big game, this morning's news or the premiere of "This is Us" wherever you are.
Hulu says development on its web experience is in the early stages, so it's something of a bare bones integration at the current time. Hulu says the Hulu experience on the web will "evolve significantly" over the next few months, gaining features like point, click, and keyboard interactions and responsive pages to fit all screen sizes.
Hulu's full live and on-demand catalog can be watched via a browser with the company's first iteration. Customers can browse and watch live TV, see what's on networks, and search for content.
Hulu Live TV subscribers who want to watch the service using a browser can find more information about how it works on the Hulu website.
Samsung is indeed working on a smart speaker that will be introduced in the near future, Samsung mobile president DJ Koh told CNBC this morning.
"Maybe soon we will announce it. I am already working on it," he said in an interview following the Galaxy Note 8 launch.
Koh went on to say he wants to "provide a fruitful user experience at home with Samsung devices." "I want to be moving quite heavily on it," he added.
Apple's HomePod
Koh declined to provide additional details about the company's upcoming smart speaker, but a previous report suggests it will be built around Samsung's Bixby virtual assistant. The speaker has been in development for more than a year, but has been hampered by problems with Bixby.
Samsung initially had to delay Bixby's introduction in the English language version of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ due to performance issues, with the functionality being added to the devices just a month ago in in July.
There's no specific launch date for the Samsung speaker, but with Apple planning to debut its own HomePod in December, Samsung's competing device is unlikely to be too far behind. In July, Samsung's speaker was said to still be in early development, with several features and specifications yet to be hammered out.
Apple's HomePod focuses heavily on speaker quality as a way to distinguish itself from competitors like the Amazon Echo. It features a 7 tweeter array, an Apple-designed 4-inch upward-facing woofer, and an A8 chip that powers robust spatial awareness functionality.
It also includes touch controls for navigation, six microphones, built-in Apple Music support, and Siri integration.
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced 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 38 includes fixes and improvements for Fetch API, Web Payments, CSS, Web API, Media, Apple Pay, Web Inspector, and WebDriver. Today's update also enables the Beacon API by default and implements new Beacon API features.
With Safari 11 now available to developers through the macOS High Sierra beta, Apple is providing two versions of Safari Technology Preview, one for macOS Sierra users and one for those using macOS High Sierra.
Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Back in July, Apple introduced the "Apple Machine Learning Journal," a blog detailing Apple's work on machine learning, AI, and other related topics. The blog is written entirely by Apple's engineers, and gives them a way to share their progress and interact with other researchers and engineers.
Apple today published three new articles to the Machine Learning Journal, covering topics that are based on papers Apple will share this week at Interspeech 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden.
The first article may be the most interesting to casual readers, as it explores the deep learning technology behind the Siri voice improvements introduced in iOS 11. The other two articles cover the technology behind the way dates, times, and other numbers are displayed, and the work that goes into introducing Siri in additional languages.
Apple is notoriously secret and has kept its work under wraps for many years, but over the course of the last few months, the company has been open to sharing some of its machine learning advancements. The blog, along with research papers, allows Apple engineers to participate in the wider AI community and may help the company retain employees who do not want to keep their progress a secret.
Facebook's iOS app is today being updated with a new feature that will let users take 360-degree photos using the camera function directly within the Facebook app, reports TechCrunch.
Facebook has supported 360-degree images for some time, but it previously required users to take a panoramic photo with their smartphone or use a separate app.
Now users can open the camera, choose the 360 Photo option, and then follow the on-screen instructions to create a panoramic image in the Facebook app.
360-degree photos can be set as Cover Photos, and support tagging friends and zooming. The new 360-degree photo functionality is rolling out to iOS and Android users starting today.
As we approach the end of August and the time that Apple typically sends out invitations for its annual iPhone reveal event, a new report by Mac4Ever [Google Translate] has pegged this year's iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus event date as Tuesday, September 12. The site then predicted the three new iPhone models will go on sale a week and a half later, on Friday, September 22.
The weekdays match a pattern that Apple historically follows each year, setting an event on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and then actually launching the new iPhone a few weeks later, on a Friday. Mac4Ever's prediction is sourced by information gained from a few French telephone carriers, but at this point any general event date guess on a Tuesday or Wednesday in early September could end up as the winning date chosen by Apple, so continue to take these event rumors with a grain of salt.
Apple's financial quarter ends Saturday, September 30, so it's likely that the company intends to have its iPhone 8 event early in September, followed by the launch a week or so later. This would provide enough leeway between the launch and the end of the quarter to account for a boost in iPhone sales figures.
For this reason, in the first week of September, Wednesday, September 6 is an option for the event, although Tuesday, September 5 is less likely due to its close proximity to Labor Day the day prior, which would likely require press to travel on the holiday. If Apple held an event on September 6, the iPhones could potentially launch Friday, September 15.
The second week of September includes Mac4Ever's predicted date of September 12, and Wednesday, September 13 could also potentially be a possibility for the event. Either of these dates suggest an iPhone debut on Friday, September 22.
Looking back at the past few years of iPhone launches, the previously mentioned dates are most likely when users can expect Apple to announce and release the iPhone 8, iPhone 7s, and iPhone 7s Plus.
2012 -- iPhone 5 -- announced September 12, released September 21
2013 -- iPhone 5s/5c -- announced September 10, released September 20
2014 -- iPhone 6 -- announced September 9, released September 19
2015 -- iPhone 6s -- announced September 9, released September 25
2016 -- iPhone 7 -- announced September 7, released September 16
The September iPhone event is also rumored to see the unveiling of a 4K Apple TV and potentially the Apple Watch Series 3, although when those products would launch is unclear. The same event will also see Apple delve deeper into new features surrounding iOS 11, macOS High Sierra, watchOS 4, and tvOS 11.
Apple is planning to build a new data center in Waukee, Iowa, according to a meeting agenda published by the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board and shared by The Des Moines Register.
At a meeting that will take place Thursday morning, the board plans to review Apple's application for investment in the city and will "consider an undisclosed amount of incentives" to encourage Apple to build the data center.
While the agenda simply suggests Apple is planning some kind of project in Waukee, sources that spoke to The Des Moines Register have said Apple will build a data center, joining Microsoft, Facebook, and Google, companies that also have data centers in the area.
Apple currently has data centers located around the world. In the United States, Apple operates data centers in Reno, Nevada; Prineville, Oregon; Maiden, North Carolina; Newark, California; and Mesa, Arizona.
Update: Iowa's Economic Development Authority approved a deal on Thursday that will give Apple $208 million in state and local tax breaks to construct two data centers near Des Moines. The new data centers will create approximately 50 jobs, and Apple will buy 2,000 acres of land for the project, allowing for future development.
At its "Unpacked" event in New York City today, Samsung unveiled the all-new Galaxy Note 8 smartphone, following months of speculation about the device's August debut. The event began with a recap video of the Note line's history, including user testimonies following the Note 7's fire-catching scandal and how they continued to support Samsung during the recall.
Looking forward at the new device, the Galaxy Note 8 has a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED "Infinity Display," with an edge-to-edge screen that represents the largest screen ever on any Note device. The display has an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, which allows users to see more content than ever before, according to Samsung. This includes access to a new multitasking feature called "App Pair," which lets users create custom pairs of their favorite apps on the Edge side panel, simultaneously launching two apps to interact with them at once.
“We appreciate the relentless passion of the Note community. They’ve been a constant inspiration to us, and we designed the new Note for them,” said DJ Koh, president of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “From the Infinity Display to the enhanced S Pen, to the powerful Dual Camera, Note8 lets people do things they never thought were possible.”
The Galaxy Note 8 comes with a new and enhanced S Pen with a finer tip and improved pressure sensitivity. When using the S Pen, users can send "Live Messages" to handwrite text messages -- and add in special effects -- within the text message app. An enhanced screen-off mode lets users quickly jot down notes when the smartphone is turned off, and then save the note to view later.
On the photography side of things, the Galaxy Note 8 has one 8MP front-facing camera and two 12MP rear cameras, and includes optical image stabilization on both of the rear cameras. The rear-facing cameras include one wide-angle f/1.7 lens and one telephoto f/2.4 lens, while the front camera has an aperture of f/1.7.
A "Live Focus" mode lets users take a picture and control the depth of field of everything surrounding the main subject of the image, so users can adjust the bokeh effect before and after the photo is taken.
Expanding the ecosystem of the Note smartphone line, Samsung also introduced "Samsung DeX," which lets the smartphone communicate with a user's PC to seamlessly transfer between working on the go and at home or in an office.
Additionally, the Galaxy Note 8 is water and dust resistant (IP68), includes fast wireless charging, a 3,300 mAh battery, and various biometric authentication options (iris and fingerprint scanning). Samsung's new smartphone has 6GB of RAM, a 10nm processor, and 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage, depending on market and carrier availability. The device also keeps the standard 3.5mm headphone jack.
A few websites have already gotten to go hands-on with the Galaxy Note 8, including The Verge, Engadget, CNET, and USA Today. Many sites pointed out the similarities of the device's dual-lens camera system to that of the iPhone 7 Plus, with Engadget noting, "Samsung has a camera setup excellent enough to make iPhone owners consider switching."
Those interested will be able to pre-order the Galaxy Note 8 starting tomorrow, August 24, and the smartphone will then go on sale September 15. In the United States, the device will be available in Midnight Black and Orchid Gray for carrier and Unlocked by Samsung versions, and customers will be able to purchase it at all of the major carriers, as well as Samsung.com, Best Buy, Target and Walmart.
According to a Verizon press release, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will cost $40/month for 24 months, or $960 at retail. The Vergereports that the smartphone will cost $930 at T-Mobile and $950 at AT&T.
For any original Note 7 owners, CNET noted that Samsung will be offering a discount on Note 8 devices: purchasing the smartphone through Samsung.com will allow previous Note 7 users to receive an instant trade-in credit of up to $425 when upgrading a current phone to Note 8. In addition, anyone at all who purchases a Note 8 between August 24 and September 24, 2017 has the chance to get either a free Samsung Gear 360 camera or a free Galaxy Foundation kit with a 128GB memory card and fast wireless charger.
For even more information on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, check out the company's website.
Apple TV was the fourth most popular streaming media player in the United States in the first quarter, behind the Roku, Amazon's Fire TV, and Google's Chromecast, according to market research firm Parks Associates.
Parks Associates estimates Apple TV's market share fell to 15 percent in January through March this year among U.S. households with broadband. MacRumors confirmed the survey size was 10,306 households.
By comparison, Roku increased its lead in the category to an estimated 37 percent market share in the first quarter, trailed by the Fire TV and Chromecast at an estimated 24 percent and 18 percent respectively.
At $149, the Apple TV is also more expensive than any of its major competitors. Roku starts at $40, Chromecast starts at $35, and Fire TV starts at $90, with even cheaper prices often available from resellers.
"Higher-priced devices, such as the Apple TV, have not been able to keep up with low-priced and readily available Roku devices, which can be found at Walmart for as low as $29.99," said Glenn Hower, Senior Analyst at Parks Associates.
In January, following Apple's first quarter earnings results, financial chief Luca Maestri said Apple TV sales had declined on a year-over-year basis. Exact sales are unknown, as Apple groups the device under its "Other Products" category.
4K on Horizon
The current Apple TV launched in October 2015, ushering in significant changes such as a brand new tvOS operating system, App Store, and a Siri Remote. But, nearly two years have passed, and customers are anxiously awaiting what's next.
One of the most desired features is 4K support, and rumors suggest Apple TV fans may soon have that wish granted.
In February, Bloomberg reported that Apple was testing a new Apple TV with 4K and more vivid colors that could be released as early as later this year. The report said the fifth-generation model is codenamed J105.
Additionally, in March, developer Firi Games provided MacRumors with evidence of a device identified as "AppleTV6,2" and running "tvOS 11.0" connecting to its arcade game Phoenix HD for Apple TV in its logs. The IP address fell within a range linked to Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California.
The current Apple TV has a model identifier of AppleTV5,3, and Apple TV6,2 does not correspond with any released model.
It's conceivable that Apple could launch 4K content in iTunes alongside a new Apple TV with support for up to 4K video output and HDR, or high dynamic range, which allows for sharper colors and lighting. The current, fourth-generation Apple TV has a maximum 1080p video output, and no support for HDR.
The high-end iMac models with 4K and 5K Retina displays are currently Apple's only devices that can display 4K content properly. The latest Apple TV lacks the hardware required for 4K and HDR video output.
Apple is widely expected to unveil new iPhones at a September event, which it could also use to unveil a new Apple TV.
Virgin Mobile USA today announced that customers who bring their existing iPhone, and transfer their phone number from another carrier, will receive one year of unlimited talk, text, and data for just $1 with AutoPay enabled. The limited time promotion is available until August 31, 2017.
The deal is also available to customers who purchase a brand new iPhone at full cost from Virgin Mobile, which sells the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus for the same prices as Apple. Virgin Mobile also sells the iPhone SE for $279.99, which is $120 off its regular $399 price.
Once an iPhone is verified as compatible with Virgin Mobile, which operates on Sprint's network, a SIM card will be shipped with instructions to install it and activate the device. SIM cards can be ordered for free on Virgin's website until Friday, September 29, at which point the starter kit will cost $25.
Since Virgin Mobile USA shares Sprint's network, only CDMA versions of the following iPhone models are compatible:
- iPhone 5s - iPhone SE - iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus - iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus - iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
During the 12-month promotional period, so-called "Inner Circle" members will receive unlimited talk, text, and data with a few caveats: video quality is limited to up to 480p resolution, music streams at up to 500 kbps, and games stream at up to 2 Mbps. Virgin promises 4G LTE speeds for "practically everything else."
Customers who use more than 23GB of data in a billing cycle will be de-prioritized during times and places where the network is constrained.
Mobile Hotspot is available for an additional $10 per month, providing up to eight tethered devices with a dedicated allotment of 10GB of high-speed data to share each month. Unlimited calls to Mexico and Canada, and unlimited worldwide text messaging, can also be added for $5 per month.
After the $1 offer, customers will be transitioned to Virgin Mobile's standard pricing of $50 per month for unlimited talk, text, and data, with all of the aforementioned caveats. Taxes are extra.
Overall, there doesn't seem to be any obvious catches hidden in the fine print. Virgin Mobile doesn't have contracts, so customers should be able to take their iPhone to a different carrier at any point. Virgin Mobile is simply looking for customers to try out its network, similar to its parent Sprint's free-year offer.
Social video app Musical.ly has been updated to version 6.0.1 today, bringing a few notable additions like a refresh to the overall design of the app, a new section that suggests videos users might like to watch, and updates to profile pages (via Variety).
Musical.ly, which launched in 2014, rose in popularity thanks to its focus on user-created lip-sync videos. The app allows anyone who downloads it to pick from a library of songs -- now sourced through Apple Music -- then record, edit, and share a short video to the app, and to other social media sites.
That core concept remains, and users can now upload a profile video that lasts about six seconds to represent themselves when others visit their profile on Musical.ly. The app has also added Twitter as a site where users can share their clips, coming in addition to YouTube and Instagram.
Musical.ly is also host to a large collection of videos that its 215 million users can browse and watch, spanning genres like comedy, beauty, fashion, sports, vlogs, food, and animals. Original short-form videos have also been created through partnerships with NBCUniversal, Hearst, and Viacom.
This expansion of its video platform side has led to the new video curating feature, called "similar musical.lys" in the app's new update. The changes are an effort to expand the app's user base beyond its teenage-focused demographic, according to Musical.ly president Alex Hofmann, with the video recommendations aimed at new users who might download the app to watch videos, but not have had much use for Musical.ly's other social and video creation features.
The No. 1 goal of the new app design is to make “a wide range of content more accessible,” Hofmann said. The new “similar musical.lys” section recommends videos that are similar to videos you’ve watched using an algorithm that incorporates several factors, including a computer-vision system that tries to determine what a video is about.
“We want to make this about personalization,” Hofmann said. “If someone comes in and they’re a 40-year-old guy who watched basketball videos, they will get value in the same way as someone who comes in at a younger age.”
Earlier this year, Apple partnered with Musical.ly to provide Apple Music content as song snippet options within Musical.ly, and in exchange the company agreed to promote Apple Music within its app. The deal allowed Apple Music subscribers to listen to full songs directly within Musical.ly, and also expanded the number of countries where Musical.ly is available from 30 to 120.
Musical.ly is available to download from the iOS App Store for free [Direct Link], as well as on the Google Play Store.
Apple's upcoming "iPhone 8" will be available to order in three storage capacities and with the same amount of working memory as the current iPhone 7 Plus, according to a new post on Chinese microblogging site Weibo (via Techtastic.nl).
The minimum storage capacity for Apple's OLED iPhone is said to be 64GB, with a 256GB option offered as the mid-tier capacity and a 512GB option at the highest tier, while 3GB of RAM is claimed to be included across the board.
Weibo poster GeekBar included the above image of an alleged iPhone 8 NAND flash 64GB memory module manufactured by SanDisk, which will also supply some 256GB modules, according to the source. Toshiba is also referenced as a supplier of both capacities, while Samsung and SK Hynix are said to be making the 512GB modules.
This is the first time SanDisk has been referenced as a NAND supplier for Apple's OLED iPhone, while Toshiba, Samsung, and SK Hynix have all been cited previously as suppliers of NAND flash chips. Earlier rumors have suggested the iPhone 8 will include increased storage space, making the device more expensive than previous-generation models, although previous additional reports claimed only that the phone would be available in 64 and 256GB capacities.
Reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also put the iPhone 8's memory at 3GB of RAM, while the larger iPhone 7s Plus is expected to remain at 3GB RAM and the smaller iPhone 7s will continue to offer 2GB RAM. Kuo claimed the DRAM transfer speed of the three new models will be faster than the iPhone 7 by 10 to 15 percent for better augmented reality performance.
Ahead of the launch of iOS 11, developers have been busy experimenting with ARKit, Apple's upcoming augmented reality platform, to see how it could be used in various everyday scenarios and contexts.
The latest demo to catch the eye comes courtesy of ModiFace (via 9to5Mac), which specializes in creating augmented reality apps for the beauty industry. The company recently uploaded a video showcasing a lipstick previewer and virtual "beauty gallery" in a cosmetics store.
The video demonstrates a person looking into the front-facing camera of their iPhone and trying out various shades of lipstick, minus the faff of having to actually apply it, enabling the user to quickly choose their preferred color.
Later in the video, the woman browses a virtual aisle of images of herself with various cosmetics digitally applied, making her selection a much simpler process than the traditional hassle of physical application.
ModiFace envisions further uses for ARKit in the cosmetic space, some of which it demonstrated in a second video that showcases a "virtual beauty counter".
"Users start with trying on different beauty products on their own video through ModiFace's iOS app. From there, once a selection of products have been made, they can then instantly see their products, product reviews, and product simulations on their own photo rendered as a virtual beauty counter. Users can walk close to the counter to zoom and view specific product visualizations or features. For example, to see the details of a lipstick, they simple walk closer to their photo and move their devices closer to a virtual lip."
ModiFace says it will be testing virtual beauty counters with a variety of different partners over the coming weeks, but the first apps with ARKit won't be available until iOS 11 is officially available to the public in September.
So far, developers have demonstrate everything from live filter applications in a recreation of A-ha's Take On Me video to live measurements of furniture and room spaces, and we can surely expect many more to come. Check out the links below for more ARKit demos.
China-based smartphone vendors are set to follow Apple lockstep into the all-screen handset era as competition in the Chinese smartphone market heats up in the second half of 2017 (via DigiTimes).
With much of the media attention focused on the imminent launch of Apple's "iPhone 8" with edge-to-edge OLED display this September, rival mobile makers including Huawei, Xiaomi, and Gionee have been quietly pushing ahead with their own all-screen alternatives.
Following a successful comeback in the Chinese smartphone market in the first half of 2017 after a setback the previous year, Xiaomi plans to further enhance its position with the upcoming release of its Mi Mix 2, according to industry sources.
MacRumors readers may recall the company's first Mi Mix which raised eyebrows in October 2016 for its almost bezel-free design, despite largely being considered a "concept phone" rather than a mass market device. The second-generation model aims to change that perception, with Xiaomi set to boost supply in order to grab more market share.
Meanwhile, Huawei has reportedly stepped up its purchases from component suppliers since the beginning of the third quarter for a planned rollout of its next-generation flagship model, the Huawei Mate 10. The device is said to feature a 6-inch 18:9 (2:1) all-screen AMOLED display from Japan Display.
Elsewhere, Gionee will continue its aggressive strategy – which began with the release of the world's first four camera (dual front and back camera) phone, the Gionee 10 – by rolling out all-screen models of its flagship devices in time for the second half of 2017, according to sources.
Even smaller mobile vendors have gotten in on the act, with Japan-based Sharp making a return to China's smartphone market recently with the launch of its all-screen model, the Aquos S2, priced at CNY2,499 ($375), targeting the mid-tier segment.
Last year Apple experienced its first ever year-over-year decline in the Chinese smartphone market, with the company's phones continuing to be outpaced by cheaper alternatives and the iPhone 7 failing to kick up a frenzy among consumers compared to previous launches, according to analysts.
Apple faced a similar story at the beginning of the current year. Despite recording record results, Apple's Q1 2017 earnings call revealed revenue was down 8 percent in China, but CEO Tim Cook claimed half of that decline was down to currency devaluation.
Apple currently stands in fifth place in China's booming smartphone market, where combined sales reached 131.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2016, accounting for nearly a third of worldwide shipments.
It remains to be seen whether the iterative "S" cycle updates to its iPhone 7 range due this fall, combined with the appeal of a premium alternative in the form of the so-called "iPhone 8", will help to boost its success in these booming Sino markets, which are typically dominated by cheaper-priced, high-spec handsets.
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 has made a subtle tweak to Safari in iOS 11 to ensure the browser automatically strips out Google AMP URLs when a web page is shared or copy-pasted on an iPhone and iPad (via 
Apple today started sending out emails to customers who are using older versions of its pro apps to inform them about impending incompatibilities with macOS High Sierra.
Apple today 
