MacRumors

Popular iPad sketching app Linea from The Iconfactory has been renamed to Linea Sketch and updated with multiple new features in 2.0 update that was released this morning.

There are new Templates and Grids in the app, including Notepad options with wide and narrow rules for note taking and new storyboarding templates. Existing app design templates have been updated for Apple's newest devices, and there is a new small dot grid available.

The previous version of Linea was limited to landscape mode, but the new update adds support for portrait orientation so you can draw in either landscape or portrait modes. New sketches are created using the iPad's current orientation, and all templates support the new portrait orientation.

Images can now be imported from the camera, photo library, clipboard, or a file browser app, and imported images can be added to a layer for editing or tracing.

There's also a new ZipLine tool for creating straight lines and polygons, a new scissors tool for creating selections in the Layers panel, and support for new gestures. You can resize selections by dragging with the orange handles or rotate using two fingers.

Linea Sketch supports several iOS 11 features following the update, including Drag and Drop and Split View multitasking, which allows it to be used alongside another app.

Linea Sketch can be downloaded from the App Store for $4.99 for a limited time, a 50 percent discount off of the regular price. [Direct Link]

Google Maps for iOS was today updated to version 4.47, introducing new and improved features.

When searching for a restaurant using Google Maps, you can now see wait times at more than a million restaurants around the world that will let you know just how long you can expect to wait before being seated.

Google says the update also introduces the ability to sort and search through reviews of a restaurant, store, or other business, so you can find specific information that you're looking for, and it includes more robust transit directions.

The new transit directions feature in Google Maps is designed to let you know which transit entrance you need to go to, and it is available in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris, Los Angeles, Delhi, Moscow, Singapore, Madrid, Barcelona, Kiev, and Budapest.

Thanks for using Google Maps! This release brings bug fixes and awesome new features to help you discover new places and navigate to them:
- See average wait times at over a million restaurants worldwide.
- Search and sort through reviews of a place.
- Get transit directions that tell you exactly which entrance you need to go into. This feature is available now in New York, Hong Kong, Taipei, Paris, Los Angeles, Delhi, Moscow, Singapore, Madrid, Barcelona, Kiev, and Budapest, with more on the way!

Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple this week is offering a limited time discount on its lineup of Beats headphones in the United States, dropping the price of the BeatsX Earphones, the Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones, and Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones.

Apple has offered these discounts several times in the past, and the lower prices are often available for a short period of time.

The BeatsX Earphones are available for $119.95, down from the regular price of $149.95. All colors are available at the reduced price.

Apple's Powerbeats3 Wireless Earphones, designed for use with workouts, are available for $159.95, down from the regular price of $199.95. Apple offers both standard and Neighborhood Powerbeats3 collections, with both available at a discount.

The Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones are available for $239.95, down from the regular price of $299.95. Apple also offers these in standard and Neighborhood collections, with both discounted.

BeatsX, Powerbeats 3, and Beats Solo3 Wireless all include an Apple-designed W1 chip much like the AirPods, which means you can easily switch connectivity between different Mac and iOS devices.

All three accessories are also wireless and connect to your devices over Bluetooth, so they work with iPhones that do not have a headphone jack.

While Apple's prices are an okay deal, these headphones and earphones are also often discounted by third-party retailers. B&H Photo, for example, has some Beats Solo3 Wireless models available for $219.99, a $60 discount that beats Apple's discount. Not all colors are included, however.

Best Buy is offering the BeatsX for $99.99 this week, a price that also beats Apple's discount.

For more deals and discounts on headphones and other accessories, make sure to check out our Deals Roundup.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming tvOS 11.3 update to developers for testing purposes, a little over one week after seeding the fifth beta and one month after releasing the tvOS 11.2.6 update.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV models, the tvOS 11.3 developer beta can be downloaded onto the Apple TV via a profile that's installed using Xcode and Apple Configurator.

Early tvOS 11.3 updates introduced support for AirPlay 2, allowing the Apple TV to be added to the Home app as part of a HomeKit setup and enabling multiple Apple TVs in separate rooms to play the same song, but that functionality was removed in tvOS 11.3 beta 3.

It is not yet clear if Apple plans to re-add AirPlay 2 features ahead of the release of tvOS 11.3, but it's a possibility because there are still several betas to go.

Other new features in tvOS 11.3 include enhancements to Match Content support, automatic frame rate switching on the fourth-generation Apple TV (a feature that was added to Apple TV 4K in a past tvOS update), and automatic mode switching for AirPlay video sessions.

Update: Apple has also seeded a new tvOS 11.3 beta to its public beta testers.

A few weeks ago eBay launched a popular pre-daylights saving coupon, which allowed customers the ability to save 20 percent off everything on eBay, with a few select exclusions. Today the site has debuted a similar -- albeit slightly less valuable -- coupon code that lets customers take 15 percent off everything across eBay.

The 15 percent off coupon is running for one day only and ends tonight, March 20, at 7:00 p.m. PT. To use it, you'll need to make a purchase on eBay worth $25 or more, pay for the item or items by the coupon's expiration time tonight, and enter the coupon code PSPRINGTIME in the redemption code field.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with eBay. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The discount will apply to the purchase price, which excludes shipping, handling, and taxes, and caps at a maximum discount value of $50. You won't be able to buy items from the following categories on eBay with the code: Coins & Paper Money, Gift Cards & Coupons, and Real Estate. The code is available only to eBay users registered with an address in the United States, Canada, Latin America, or the Caribbean.

As a point of emphasis, if you're going to use the code remember that it's one-time-only, so if you want to gain its maximum potential you'll need to fill your cart up with either one expensive item or a collection of smaller items that add up to about $330 and above. After that point, the code's $50 max discount will be capped off.

Just like the last coupon, the new Springtime discount code is available across all of eBay, so even if you can't find Apple products you're interested in, there should be plenty of other items on the site that could be made a bit cheaper with the 15 percent off sale.

For more information on the code visit eBay's landing page, and head over to eBay's Daily Deals tech section to get started on shopping for ideas before the sale ends tonight. Our full Deals Roundup has more details on this week's latest sales as well.

High-end department store chain John Lewis today opened up a new 230,000 square foot location in White City Westfield, London, and one of the store's new "experiences" includes deep integration with Apple's HomeKit platform. Called the "Apple Smart Home" section, Apple and John Lewis partnered in an effort to show London residents how HomeKit products can enhance their homes, showing off features like Siri voice control, connected lighting and heating, music playback, and more.

Speaking with HouseBeautiful, John Lewis senior PR manager Siân Grieve explained the reason for the company's partnership with Apple, instead of integrating with similar products from Amazon or Google.

But why have John Lewis decided to partner with Apple, and not Amazon, for example? 'A lot of John Lewis customers love and use Apple iOS, they have an iPad or an iPhone. Our stats revealed 77 per cent of searches onto JohnLewis.com are from iOS devices,' explains Siân Grieve from John Lewis. 'We know Amazon are going after this space, we know Google are going after it in a big way – this is our chance to bring that to life in an iOS setting.'

In a video shared by Campaign yesterday, you can catch a glimpse into the Apple Smart Home section at John Lewis around the 1:30 mark. The space appears to include a variety of popular HomeKit devices -- like a few Philips Hue lamps -- and numerous iPads are dotted around the showroom floor for customers to interact with. A few demo stations include explanations on how to use HomeKit actions like "Hey Siri" for turning on and off Hue scenes.

Outside of the HomeKit experience, John Lewis's new store aims to be an in-depth and unique shopping destination, with a dedicated Experience Desk where customers can find information on taking part in craft classes, marbling workshops, calligraphy lessons, beauty bar appointments, yoga classes, and meet with in-store fashion stylists.

John Lewis is also planning to launch an iPhone app so that customers can keep track of all these appointments, starting with a focus on staying in touch with personal stylists, "who will be able to provide notifications when, for example, a new collection of a favorite brand comes into stock." Eventually, the company wants to expand the app to cover other services offered by the Experience Desk, including home design consultations.

Apple has been known to partner with companies in an attempt to boost HomeKit adoption, back in 2016 working with various building companies to integrate HomeKit directly into homes from the get-go, ensuring that new buyers are more likely to stick within its ecosystem. One such home in San Jose, California included devices sold by Kwikset, Ecobee, and Lutron, with HomeKit integration estimated to cost $2,500 per house.

Elevation Lab, a company known for its range of popular docks and stands for Apple devices, today announced the launch of its latest iPhone dock, the CordDock.

The CordDock aims to combine the benefits of charging via a cord with the benefits of a dock, allowing the iPhone plugged into the cord dock to be picked up and used while charging if desired.

Elevation Lab designed the CordDock with the same grippy NanoPad micro air-suction used in the ElevationDock 4, so your iPhone can be picked up and detached from the dock one-handed while it's still plugged in. When picking up the iPhone to use it, there's no need to unplug the cord -- the CordDock makes it so you can continue to charge even if you need to send a message, read an email, or play a game.

To use the CordDock, which has a slim footprint with a braided Lightning cable and two adjustable wheels at the back, you simply need to rotate the iPhone forward to keep the cord plugged in. Two spring-loaded ball detents keep the cord in position during standard dock charging, and release the cord when force is applied to undock the iPhone. To undock entirely, pull up on the phone as you would with any dock.

The CordDock can fit iPhone cases up to 4mm thick, which Elevation Lab says should work with everything besides the thick OtterBox cases. This is not a wireless charging device, which is an option with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, but is instead designed for customers who prefer to use wired charging but need more versatility than a dock can traditionally provide.

CordDock is available for purchase from the Elevation Lab website for $39 starting today.

T-Mobile today announced the return of its Major League Baseball-themed offer, gifting customers a free year's subscription to MLB.TV and the MLB At Bat app's premium features, worth $115.99 in total.

Available for T-Mobile customers only, the MLB.TV deal will be available in the T-Mobile Tuesdays app [Direct Link] beginning March 27, 2018 and run through April 2, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. ET. If customers sign up for MLB.TV during this period on T-Mobile's network, they'll get their free 2018 MLB Regular Season subscription on the service and an At Bat Premium season subscription at no additional cost.

“Going to bat for customers is what we do, and our customers LOVE baseball…so we’re bringing them home a win next T-Mobile Tuesday,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “Last year, Un-carrier customers streamed more than 1.3 million hours of baseball with MLB.TV thanks to the nation’s most loved wireless company, so we’re doing what do, giving them more of what they want…that’s how it should be, and we won’t stop!”

The deal's fine print points out that this is for new 2018 subscribers of MLB.TV only, and current subscribers must cancel by 8:00 p.m. ET on March 23 to be eligible ahead of the March 27 launch on T-Mobile Tuesdays.

MLB.TV is a streaming service available as an app on most platforms, including Apple TV, PS4, Roku, Fire TV, and more. The service lets baseball fans watch every out-of-market regular season game live or on demand in HD, while the At Bat Premium features include 60fps video, radio broadcasts, and more.

Baseball fans can watch games on their favorite supported devices and enjoy live game DVR controls so they can pause and rewind live action. And, the MLB.TV subscription includes all the premium features of the MLB At Bat app (a $19.99 value), including enhanced pitch tracking, home and away radio broadcasts, and more.

T-Mobile's deal will debut two days before Opening Day of the 2018 Major League Baseball season on Thursday, March 29. This year will be the fifth consecutive year that T-Mobile has offered a free year of MLB.TV to its customers.

PayPal's Digital Gifts eBay storefront today has $50 App Store and iTunes gift cards for $42.50, a savings of 15 percent. As usual with PayPal's card sales on eBay, you'll need a PayPal account to complete the transaction, and the iTunes credit will only be valid on purchases made in the United States. Although the $100 card isn't directly on sale, you can add two $50 cards to your cart today to get $100 worth of iTunes credit for $85 -- which has been the typical sale amount over the past few weeks.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Once you place the order, PayPal will send a code to your email inbox within a few hours, although it can take up to 24 hours. Visit PayPal on eBay for more information and to pick up one of the iTunes cards before the limited-time offer expires.

Since it's Tuesday, Apple has added a few new films onto the iTunes Movies store, as well as marked down some to notable low discounts. Below we've listed sales hitting iTunes Movies for 4K HDR films and Disney films.

4K HDR movies on sale

• Logan Lucky - $9.99, down from $14.99 (Movie of the Week, $0.99 rental)

• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - $9.99, down from $14.99

• The Nice Guys - $9.99, down from $14.99

• The Fifth Element - $9.99, down from $19.99

• Pacific Rim - $9.99, down from $19.99

Disney movies on sale

• Thor: Ragnarok - $14.99, down from $19.99
• Coco - $14.99, down from $19.99
• Lady and the Tramp - $14.99, down from $19.99
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - $14.99, down from $19.99
• Cars 3 - $14.99, down from $19.99

In other deals this week, RAVPower is offering MacRumors readers a discount of 20 percent off a pair of its Qi-compatible wireless chargers at Amazon. In addition, our readers can get 15 percent off one of RAVPower's portable power banks, which includes a built-in wireless charging pad. Check out all the products on sale below, along with the promo codes you'll need to take advantage of the discounts.

We reviewed all three of RAVPower's new accessories last week, so be sure to check out that review for more information.

• HyperAir stand for $39.99, down from $49.99 with promo code MACRPC69

• HyperAir pad for $31.99, down from $39.99 with promo code MACRPC66

• HyperAir portable power bank for $57.79, down from $67.99 with promo code 9QHSE6R9

For more information on the latest sales, including our ongoing Spring Break discount with Twelve South, head over to the full Deals Roundup.

Apple this week informed members of its Developer Program that it will be enforcing stricter rules for "What's New in This Version," the section on the App Store in which developers can list changes they made to their apps.

Starting in April, developers will only be able to edit the "What's New" text when submitting a new version of their app. In other words, any changes to the text will now be subject to Apple's standard App Store review process.

The requirement will extend to editing an app's support URL or marketing URL, according to Apple's announcement posted in iTunes Connect.

While this is a minor change, Apple evidently felt the need to have a little more control over information passing through the App Store without its approval. It's possible that a few developers were taking advantage of the flexibility for bad reasons, such as pointing support or marketing URLs to malicious websites.

Apple has expanded mobile phone billing to additional European countries and carriers, according to an updated support document on its website.

As of this week, the feature is now supported by EE in the United Kingdom, Orange in France and Spain, and Telekom or T-Mobile, which are owned by the same company, in Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia.

The payment method enables customers to pay for iTunes Store content, App Store apps, iBooks, and Apple Music subscriptions without needing a debit or credit card, or even a bank account. Instead, purchases are added to a customer's mobile phone bill and paid off at the end of the month.

The payment method was already offered by select carriers in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Apple's support document explains how to set up mobile phone billing in the iTunes Store on both iPhone and iPad or Mac and PC.

Epic Games' popular Fortnite Battle Royale game for iOS devices has grossed an estimated $1.5 million worldwide since its release last Thursday, according to figures shared this afternoon by app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Fortnite has topped the iPhone download charts in more than 40 countries since it was released, despite the fact that it continues to be invite only. As of now, it is the number one free app in the Games section of the App Store.

According to Sensor Tower, Fortnite earned $1 million during the first 72 hours after in-app purchases first became live in the game for beta testers.

In Fortnite, players can buy outfits, tools, weapons, emotes, gliders, and more using the in-game currency, V-Bucks. Players can purchase 1,000 V-Bucks for $9.99, which is the minimum in-app purchase. Higher quantities of V-Bucks are available for more money.

Fortnite earned far more than other survival-style games that were released at the same time. Knives Out, a competing game, earned $57k, while Rules of Survival earned $39k. Fortnite could have some competition now, however, as Tencent today released the official version of PUBG Mobile, which offers the same kind of gameplay available in Fortnite.

Compared to other popular games, Fortnite hasn't brought in quite as much money, but it is still in a beta testing phase. Pokémon GO brought in $4.9 million just four days after release, and Clash Royale earned $4.6 million four days after it was released.

The goal in Fortnite is to be the last person standing, with players tasked with killing opponents using a variety of weapons while also avoiding death from other players. The game is also available on PCs and consoles, with cross-platform gameplay available if enabled.

Fortnite can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but a beta invite is required to play. Epic Games plans to expand the beta in the weeks to come, but it's not yet clear when it will see an official launch. [Direct Link]

The Amazon Kindle app for iOS devices, which is designed to allow Amazon-purchased ebooks to be read on the iPhone and iPad, was today updated with several new features.

On compatible iPad models, there's now support for Split View, so you can use the Amazon Kindle app side-by-side with other apps for multitasking while reading.

In addition to Split View support, today's update adds continuous scrolling, a feature that lets you scroll through books like you would an iPad. You can activate the option by going to Settings and turning on continuous scrolling. Once enabled, the feature can be turned on and off using the Aa menu in your book.

Amazon has also added a feature to pull down in your book library to refresh the list of available books, and there are new Kindle dictionaries for Arabic.

What's New

- Split view on iPad is here! Resize the app to multi-task while reading without ever switching context.
- Try scrolling through your book - just like a web page. Turn continuous scrolling on via Settings, then easily turn it on and off from the Aa menu in your book. Tell us what you think.
- Pull down in the library to refresh your list of books.
- We've added Kindle dictionaries for Arabic.

Amazon Kindle can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]