MacRumors

MacRumors conducted a brief poll on Twitter today that asked all of our followers to select which iPhone X color and storage capacity they plan to pre-order later this week, and the results are now in.

As a refresher, the iPhone X comes in Silver and Space Gray, with 64GB or 256GB of storage for $999 or $1,149 respectively.

The most popular iPhone X was Space Gray with 256GB of storage, which was the model of choice for 39 percent of respondents and very likely could be the configuration that faces the tightest supply at launch.

Historically, many customers have always opted for the iPhone in some variant of gray or black with the most storage available. Last year, for example, the model in tightest supply was the iPhone 7 Plus in Jet Black with 256GB of storage.

The runner-up was the Space Gray model with 64GB of storage, which received 30 percent of the over 6,500 votes received. Combined with the 256GB model, Space Gray was the color of choice for just over two thirds of users.

Silver was the less popular choice. 14 percent of users said they plan to pre-order the 64GB model, while 17 percent are leaning towards the 256GB model, in that color. Of note, this year's Silver model has black front bezels.

Customers looking to pre-order any iPhone X for potential launch day delivery may have the best luck choosing the Silver and 64GB combination, but that's assuming that Apple has the same number of units available for each configuration.

While the poll results are interesting from a high level, they aren't very scientific. We don't have any demographics about the users who voted, and it's impossible to say how many respondents will actually follow through with a pre-order.

iPhone X pre-orders begin Friday at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time. The first deliveries to customers and limited in-store availability begin November 3.

Apple this week has launched a new Halloween-themed movie sale on iTunes, discounting 18 mostly classic films to just $4.99 and 34 modern horror films to $9.99 and under, all in HD. Prices for most of the movies when not on sale are about $14.99, saving you between $5 and $10 depending on which collection you purchase from.

iTunes is calling its $4.99 sale "Horror Through the Years," and it focuses on movies from previous decades including Child's Play, The Fly, and 28 Days Later. There are more recent films, however, like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and the reboot of Poltergeist.

This collection also features new artwork by artist/illustrator Orlando Arocena. Arocena's art originally debuted last month in the form of Blu-Ray covers by Twentieth Century Fox and MGM Home Entertainment, as a way to re-release the classic horror films in celebration of Halloween.

Here are a few movies in the "Horror Through the Years" collection, all priced at $4.99:

• Child's Play
• Killer Klowns from Outer Space
• Black Swan
• The Fly (1986)
• Jeepers Creepers
• Joy Ride

The "Modern Horror" sale has a collection of films on sale for $9.99 and under, with most having come out within the last few years.

Here's a list of a few of the movies Apple has marked down in this section:

• It Comes At Night - $9.99
• Trick 'R Treat (2008) - $9.99
• The Witch - $9.99
• Green Room - $9.99
• You're Next - $7.99
• It Follows - $7.99

Outside of these specific collections, Apple has also discounted Little Shop of Horrors to $7.99 in HD. If you're looking to rent a horror film instead of purchasing one to add to your iTunes movie collection, this week's Movie of the Week is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), making a rental just $0.99. The two new collections and other notable horror discounts can be found on the home page of iTunes Movies, both on desktop and iOS.

Also of note today is a special offer running at Best Buy, where you can get 25 percent off three or more select cell phone accessories each priced at $9.99 or above. The accessories available to choose from include a wide variety of Apple Lightning adapters, Mophie battery packs, OtterBox cases, Samsung Qi charging pads, and more. Items excluded from the offer are headphones, speakers, Bose products, virtual reality devices for smartphones, and clearance and open-box items.

To stay up to date on the latest sales, check out our Deals Roundup.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy

Vitality, a health and life insurance provider, today announced that new and existing members in the United Kingdom can essentially earn their way to a free Apple Watch by maintaining an active lifestyle.

Between now and December 31, members enrolled in an eligible VitalityHealth or VitalityLife insurance plan can get a 38mm or 42mm sized Apple Watch Series 3 with GPS only for £0 or £59 upfront respectively, and pay nothing more if they stay active and earn at least 160 Vitality activity points every month for two years.

Apple Watch Nike+ models also qualify for the £0 upfront offer. Selected GPS + Cellular models will be available later this year.

Vitality members can earn activity points for walking, running, cycling, and other forms of exercise. 12,500 steps tracked in a day is good for eight points, for example, while 30-59 minutes of cycling yields five points. Activity points can be tracked in the Vitality Member app and shared with Apple's Health app on iOS devices.

In the worst case scenario, members who aren't active will be required to pay up to £12.50 per month for 24 months, which is essentially the Apple Watch Series 3's £329 starting price spread out over instalments.

Vitality openly admits that this program benefits both society and the company's profits, which comes about as a result of people being healthier and hopefully submitting insurance claims less often.

There's a lot of fine print involved: members must be at least 18 years old, a credit check is required, the Apple Watch cannot be resold, and members can earn a maximum of eight activity points per day and 40 activity points per week. Be sure to read the FAQ and terms and conditions for complete pricing and eligibility requirements.

Vitality is also the provider of the discounted Apple Watch offer that life insurance provider John Hancock is offering in the United States.

Instagram today introduced a new live video feature for the Instagram app, which is designed to let Instagram users invite friends to join them on a live video stream.

In testing since August, the new live video option splits the screen in two to let a viewer watch two people in one video feed.

Starting today, we're introducing a fun way to go live with a friend. Now, you can hang out and go live together, whether you're just doing homework or catching up on your day.

Live video helps you share in an authentic way, but sometimes it can be intimidating when you're on your own. It's easy to add a guest while you're broadcasting.

Instagram users can add a guest or a friend by tapping the "new" icon on the bottom right of the live video feed and then tapping "Add" on anyone who is currently watching an ongoing livestream on Instagram. Viewers can be swapped out at will, but live streamers can only have a single guest at a time.

When your friends are participating in a live video feed, two circles stacked together are displayed in the stories bar, and the feed can be watched and commented on just like any other live video.

Instagram says the new update is available as part of Instagram version 20, available from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Amazon today announced an all-new version of its Kindle iOS app, which has been redesigned to provide streamlined access to some of Kindle's most popular features. The company said this will let users more easily move between pages of a book, access their library and the bookstore, and more. Amazon has also built Goodreads into the iOS app for the first time, similar to the implementation its e-readers have seen over the years.

Details of the new design include larger book covers, new fonts, a new app icon, and a new light background theme to go with the existing dark option. The new bottom bar navigation allows one-tap access to the book you're currently reading, as well as tabs for Home, Library, Store, and more options. There's also now a search bar available throughout the app, allowing for instant searches of your library or the Kindle Store.

“We’ve built the new Kindle app from the ground up for book lovers, giving readers easy access to everything they might want to do with their books, all in one place,” said Chuck Moore, Vice President, Kindle. “It’s now easier than ever to turn your phone or tablet into a book and immerse yourself in an author’s world at any time.”

iOS users will also be able to sign into their Goodreads accounts to discuss books and get recommendations from fellow readers, thanks to integration with the social network built directly into the app. Amazon owns Goodreads, and has added functionality for the reader-based social network into a few of its Kindle devices since it purchased the company in 2013.

Goodreads features in Kindle for iOS include a Community tab to stay up-to-date with what friends are reading, as well as suggestions for people to follow who have similar tastes in books. You can post notes and highlights from the book you're currently reading so friends can comment, share when you start and finish a book, rate books, and more abilities taken from Goodreads' social network features.

Goodreads will be available in the Kindle app only on iOS for users in the United States, and will expand to Kindle for Android in a future update. The Kindle app is available to download for free from the iOS App Store [Direct Link], and the new update is rolling out in the App Store beginning today.

Twelve South today announced that its popular HiRise Duet combination dock for iPhone and Apple Watch is available to purchase again.

HiRise Duet was originally introduced in November 2016, but the dock sold out within just a few weeks and it remained out of stock until today. Twelve South appears to have finally received more units from its manufacturer.

The dock has an integrated Lightning connector and magnetic puck to charge both an iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time. The stand holds the Apple Watch on its side so that it can be used in Nightstand mode on a bedside table.

Both the Lightning connector and support post are adjustable to work with most popular iPhone cases on the market today.

The dock, designed with dark gray metal and accented with soft, black napa leather, has a 3.75-inch square footprint. One AC power cable extends from the base of the stand, providing 15 watts of total power.

HiRise Duet is $119.99 on Twelve South's website with free shipping in the United States. It's designed for iPhone 5s or later and any Apple Watch.

Misfit today announced the launch of its first smart watch, the Misfit Vapor. First announced at CES 2017, the Misfit Vapor features a 1.39-inch circular AMOLED touchscreen that's attached to a traditional watch band.

Like many other smart watches on the market, the Vapor features an accelerometer, altimeter, gyroscope, optical heart rate sensor, GPS, and microphone. The sensors are used for a range of health and fitness tracking features.

Vapor runs Android Wear 2.0 and is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.

It offers customizable, personalized watch faces with quick access to calories burned and distance traveled, plus it includes built-in access to songs from Google Play or Pandora.

Since it runs Android Wear, hundreds of popular apps are available on the device at launch, and it supports Google Assistant and "Ok Google" queries.

Inside, there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor and 4GB storage, along with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support. Vapor is water resistant up to 50 meters and comes in Jet Black, Rose Gold, Silver, and Gold.

Misfit Vapor will be available for purchase on October 31 from Misfit.com, while Misfit Vapor email subscribers will be able to make a purchase earlier. Misfit Vapor is priced at $199.

The average iPhone user's spending on paid iOS applications and in-app purchases in free-to-play apps will increase by nearly 40 percent over the next three years, according to a new forecast based on data gathered by Sensor Tower. By the year 2020, iPhone users based in the United States will spend more than an average of $88 per year on both paid "premium" apps and in-app purchases in free apps.

Sensor Tower used previous app-based spending reports to predict how much users will spend over the next three years. Most recently, in 2016 it was estimated that the average iPhone user in the U.S. spent about $47 on apps, while 2017 is on track to increase that number to about $63/year. Afterwards, in 2018 the average U.S.-based iPhone user is predicted to spend $77/year on apps, and in 2019 Sensor Tower thinks that number will finally reach $88/year. That represents a 40 percent increase from the average user spending estimated for 2017, and an 86 percent increase from 2016.

U.S. iPhone users will spend an average of $88 per year on premium apps and in-app purchases (IAPs) by 2020 according to a new forecast based on Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data. Our projections place calendar year 2019 per-device revenue at approximately 86 percent higher than 2016 and about 40 percent higher than our forecasted average user spend in 2017.

While gaming apps will still dominate the spending landscape in the iOS App Store -- accounting for "nearly 70 percent" of all per-device revenue -- some other categories are forecasted to increase in popularity as well. This includes Entertainment, which Sensor Tower expects to overtake Music as the second-largest category of per-device spending in 2017, because of subscriptions in apps like Netflix and HBO NOW.

Specifically, in 2019 the Entertainment category is projected to account for about $8 of that year's $88 average user app spending, increasing from $2.80 in 2016. That still won't be anywhere near Games, with Sensor Tower anticipating the popular category to account for as much as $60 of the $88 spent by the average iPhone user in 2019.

In a separate story posted by Bloomberg this week, some of the reasoning behind the steady increase in user spending on paid games and IAPs can be connected to emerging technology being tested by game developers. A company based in Tokyo, called Silicon Studio Corp., has created a piece of software that uses deep-learning algorithms to predict how long users will play a game, what levels they might beat, and how much money they might spend and on what -- all amassed into a "psychological profile of each player" that aims to "mold player behavior."

The ultimate goal of the software is said to help developers maintain a healthy ecosystem, encouraging those who already spend a lot of money to keep doing so, while keeping non-spenders happy with the game. Besides smartphone apps, even massive multiplayer online game developers have approached Silicon Studio Corp. with interest in the software, which has been named "Yokozuna Data" after the highest rank in sumo wrestling.

Even more important, the technology lets game creators mold player behavior to keep them hooked.

“Game data is perfect for studying human behavior,” said Africa Perianez, chief data scientist at Silicon Studio and a former nuclear physicist at the European nuclear research organization CERN. “It’s going to change the industry, change the direction of personalized games.”

Apple recently updated the App Store in iOS 11, changing the layout and user interface with new tabs and editorialized content that updates every day. For Apple, the iOS App Store and other services consistently provide the company with yearly profit gains; in 2017 the App Store set a new quarterly record in May, while services did the same in August. This past June, Apple said that developers have earned more than $70 billion since the App Store first launched in 2008.

Fitbit Pay officially launched in the U.K. on Tuesday, but with only one bank currently supporting the mobile payment platform, access to it remains severely restricted for users of the company's latest wearables.

The Fitbit Pay payment system was introduced as an exclusive feature of the Fitbit Ionic, the activity tracker firm's first attempt at a smartwatch, released on October 1. The digital wallet works in a similar way to Apple Pay on the Apple Watch, but up until now it wasn't available outside of the U.S., Canada, and Australia.

Fitbit Pay users in the United Kingdom need to hold an account with Starling Bank, a newcomer and relative minnow on the financial banking scene, which will undoubtedly leave the majority of Ionic owners unable to take advantage of the payment system, at least for now.

Fitbit has confirmed the company is in talks with other U.K. banking services for future support, but with rivals like Apple Pay, which lists over 25 supporting banks on its official website, as well as Android Pay (over 20 banks) and Samsung Pay all jostling for contention, Fitbit will have a job gaining a foothold in the emerging mobile payment industry.

You can check out our in-depth review of the Fitbit Ionic here. Fitbit Pay is expected to land in other European countries sometime next year.

Several car manufacturers offer built-in Qi wireless chargers that are compatible with the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X, and Apple this evening published a new support document highlighting vehicles that support the feature.

According to Apple, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, PSA, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo offer Qi-based wireless charging options that work with the iPhone 8 and "might work with the iPhone 8 Plus."

Apple can't say for sure that the iPhone 8 Plus is compatible with these vehicles because some wireless chargers have physical size constraints that might not fit every phone.

Apple also lists several specific 2018 vehicle models from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC that offer wireless charging that's compatible with both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus, though the same size caveat applies.

- 2018 GMC Terrain
- 2018 GMC Yukon
- 2018 GMC Sierra
- 2018 Chevrolet Bolt
- 2018 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2018 Chevrolet Silverado
- 2018 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2018 Cadillac Escalade
- 2018 Buick Enclave

Wireless charging in 2017 and earlier models from Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC does not meet the requirements for Qi certification and thus will not work with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

Apple's support document does not yet mention the soon-to-be released iPhone X, but it features the same Qi-based wireless charging functionality that's in the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus. The iPhone X is larger than the iPhone 8 but smaller than the iPhone 8 Plus and thus may also not be compatible with all in-car wireless chargers due to size limitations.

Before purchasing a vehicle with a Qi-based wireless charging feature, Apple recommends customers make sure that their iPhones will fit in the charger first.

Emilio Herrera, a 32-year-old man from Chicago, this week pled guilty to hacking into more than 550 iCloud and Gmail accounts, many of which belonged to female celebrities, reports Deadline.

Investigators uncovered Herrera's activities when looking into a 2014 "Celebgate" incident that saw the private photos of dozens of celebrities leaked online after their iCloud usernames and passwords were obtained through phishing attempts.

Herrera used a phishing scheme to get the usernames and passwords of his victims, sending fake emails that appeared to be from Apple and Google. He stole credentials from April 27, 2013 to August of 2014, and used that information to access the iCloud and Gmail accounts of multiple celebrities.

Investigators have not found evidence linking Herrera to the actual leaks that saw nude photographs of celebrities uploaded to sites like reddit and 4chan, nor have they determined that Herrera shared the data that he found, but he did access sensitive photographs and videos.

Herrera pled guilty to a felony violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse act, and he now faces up to five years in federal prison.

Edward Majerczyk and Ryan Collins were previously found to be involved in the Celebgate incident and both pled guilty to similar charges.

When hundreds of nude photos of celebrities were leaked online in 2014, there was initial speculation that iCloud had been hacked, but following an investigation, Apple determined the celebrity accounts had been compromised by weak passwords. A Find My iPhone vulnerability that allowed multiple password entry attempts may have also been at fault.

Apple has since improved security by adding two-factor authentication to iCloud.com, introducing email alerts when an iCloud account is accessed on the web, and requiring app-specific passwords for third-party apps that access iCloud.

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.

Starting today, BNZ, aka Bank of New Zealand, is offering support for Apple Pay. BNZ customers can now use Apple Pay with their BNZ Advantage Visa credit cards and BNZ Flexi Debit Visa cards.

BNZ first announced plans to implement support in early October, and according to BNZ director of products and technology David Bullock, the bank made the decision to add support following feedback from customers.

Apple Pay launched in New Zealand in October of 2016 in partnership with ANZ, and until today, Apple Pay was only available to ANZ customers.

From now until January 10, 2018, BNZ Advantage Visa cardholders will earn double Fly Buys or Cash Rewards on eligible purchases made using Apple Pay as part of an Apple Pay promotion.

(Thanks, Mike!)