Despite its much-publicized problems, Apple's iOS 9.3 is showing a lower crash rate than all active iOS builds, an app analytics firm reported yesterday (via AppleInsider).
According to California-based Apteligent, over the past eight days iOS 9.3 has had a crash rate of only 2.2 percent, making it the most stable iOS release in circulation. Apple's new iOS also beat the latest version of Android, which had a reported crash rate of approximately 2.6 percent.
By contrast, iOS 8, iOS 9 and iOS 9.2 have all fared worse over the month of March, with crash rates of 3.2 percent meaning their users were more likely to experience problems than early adopters of Apple's latest mobile OS iteration.
The study will come as a surprise to many, following media coverage of issues reported by a number of iOS users. Apple is aware of an issue causing web links to crash in multiple iOS apps like Safari, Mail, and Messages, and says it is working on a fix that will be released "soon" via a software update.
The bug was the second major bug to affect iOS 9.3 users. The first rendered some older devices unusable due to a problem with Activation Lock, which required customers to enter the information originally used to set up their iPhone or iPad. Apple released a new version of iOS 9.3 on Monday to fix the issue.
Chip orders from Apple for the second quarter of 2016 have been notably slow, according to unnamed sources in the integrated circuit supply chain (via DigiTimes).
Overall, chip orders placed by Apple for Q2 are expected to be only slightly higher than those for Q1, despite the launch of the company's 4-inch iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro earlier this month.
First-week sales of Apple's new devices have been disappointing, according to the sources, while chip shipments for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus for the second quarter of 2016 are likely to be halved from those shipped in the first quarter. According to DigiTimes:
Shipments for the new iPhone SE will be unable to offset the fall in shipments for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus devices in the second quarter, the sources continued. The shipment target for the SE in the second quarter is four to five million units.
The same sources claim chip orders from Apple are unlikely to return to the previous high levels until after the third quarter of 2016, when its next-generation iPhone, iPad, MacBook and iMac products become available.
Taiwan-based website DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming product plans, but its sources within the upstream supply chain have proven reliable in the past.
Back in February, the site claimed Apple would ship 9.8 million iPads in the first quarter of 2016, potentially its lowest quarterly tablet sales since the iPad 2 in mid 2011.
In January, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed during the company's financial earnings conference call that iPhone sales would likely decline in the March quarter, marking the first year-over-year decline since the smartphone was released in June 2007.
Apple forecast that its total revenue in Q2 2016 would be between $50 and $53 billion, compared to $58 billion in the year-ago quarter, signaling the company's first year-over-year drop in revenue in thirteen years.
The FBI has agreed to help an Arkansas prosecutor unlock an iPhone and iPod that belong to two teenagers accused of killing a couple, reports the Associated Press. The move comes days after the FBI announced that it had unlocked the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone.
Faulkner County Prosecuting Attorney Cody Hiland said the FBI agreed to the request from his office and the Conway Police Department Wednesday afternoon. A judge on Tuesday agreed to postpone the trial of 18-year-old Hunter Drexler so prosecutors could ask the FBI for help. Drexler's trial was moved from next week to June 27.
Hiland said the FBI agreed to help less than a day after the initial request was made. "We always appreciate their cooperation and willingness to help their local law enforcement partners," Hiland said. Patrick Benca, Drexler's attorney, said he was notified the FBI agreed to help and that he was "not concerned about anything on that phone."
The prosecuting attorney said that they had heard the FBI had been able to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone and wanted to see if they could help, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Drexler, along with 15-year-old Justin Staton, are accused of killing Robert and Patricia Cogdell last July. The couple raised Staton as their grandson. After the two teens were arrested in Texas and brought to Arkansas shortly after the shootings, prosecutors gained possession of Drexler's iPhone. Last week, Staton's defense attorney was ordered to hand over his iPod, which was in the defense attorney's evidence locker.
Prosecutors argue that Staton had indicated on phone calls that he had used his iPod to communicate about the murders and that further evidence might be on the device. It’s unclear which iPhone and iPod the suspects used and which iOS version they’re running.
An FBI official told the LA Times that the FBI is unlikely use the tool that was used to unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone for criminal prosecutions because the method could be discovered during a trial. Furthermore, the method used to unlock that phone might not work with other phones, according to the official.
“In a criminal case, if the FBI uses a technique, there’s going to be questions about divulging that technique or chain of custody to the defense," Eric Crocker, Electronic Frontier Foundation staff attorney, told the LA Times. "So my instinct is this might be something different.”
Last week, shortly after the Department of Justice said that it discovered a "possible method" for unlocking the San Bernardino shooter's device, it was reported that the FBI enlisted Israeli firm Cellebrite to unlock it.
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.
With the iPhone SE now available in several countries, the first teardown of the device has been conducted by Chipworks. As expected, the device uses a hodgepodge of components sourced from several past iPhones, including the iPhone 5, 6, and 6s, leading Chipworks to say "this is not your typical Apple release."
There are very few new parts, but that hardly means there is no innovation. As is the genius of Apple and its fearless leader, Mr. Cook, it is the combination of all the right parts that make a successful product. Finding that just-right balance of old and new, and at such a low cost, is no easy feat.
The processor inside the iPhone SE is indeed the same A9 processor found in the iPhone 6s, and the part in the iPhone SE Chipworks took apart was labeled with an APL1022 part number from a TSMC facility. It includes SK Hynix memory, which Chipworks says is likely the same 2GB LPDDR4 DRAM module found in the iPhone 6s.
The date codes might actually tell a story: the decapped application processor chip is dated 1535, Aug/Sep last year, so it was sitting in inventory for a while; the memory is 1549, last December; and presumably the whole package-on-package was assembled this year at the end of January.
The NFC chip is the NXP 66V10, the same used in the iPhone 6s, and the 6-axis sensor is from InvenSense and was also used in the iPhone 6s.
The Qualcom MDM9625M modem and the accompanying transceiver were originally found in the iPhone 6, and the Audio ICs, which Chipworks thinks were designed by Cirrus Logic, came from the iPhone 6s.
While many parts were originally from the iPhone 6 or 6s, the touch screen controller components (Broadcom BCM5976 and Texas Instruments 343S0645) were originally used in the iPhone 5s.
There are a few new components in the iPhone SE, including a "338S00170 device," which Chipworks says is "very likely a new Apple/Dialog power management IC," along with a Skyworks SKY77611 power amplifier module, a 16GB Toshiba NAND flash module, an EPCOS D5255 antenna switch module, and an AAC Technologies microphone.
Additional information about the iPhone SE will come out as Chipworks continues on with its teardown and as other companies like iFixit conduct their own device teardowns. The iPhone SE will be available in the United States starting tomorrow, March 31.
When the Apple TV launched, Disney sold (and continues to sell) a $100 Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars-themed bundle that included a Disney Infinity Base and controller designed to work with the Disney Infinity 3.0 game on the Apple TV, encouraging people to adopt Disney Infinity 3.0 on the set-top box.
At the time, Disney promised to bring the full Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition console experience to the device, but it appears Disney is reneging on that promise, abandoning development of Disney Infinity 3.0 on the Apple TV.
According to a recent customer service response shared by our sister site TouchArcade, Disney currently has no plans to update the Apple TV version of the Disney Infinity 3.0 app. The response was given to a customer who asked if new Disney Infinity figures would work with the Apple TV.
The team is currently focusing on the traditional gaming platforms. We are always evaluating and making changes, but there are currently no plans for futher updates to the Apple TV version of the game. Please keep an eye out for further news about this, and feel free to contact Support if you have any questions.
Disney Infinity enthusiasts who use the Apple TV app are understandably upset about Disney's decision not to update the game after just four months, as it means development has effectively come to a halt and no new characters will be supported, including new Marvel Battleground figures which some people purchased before learning of the incompatibility issue. It also means Disney has no plans to fix bugs that are currently affecting the tvOS app.
As TouchArcade points out, Disney may have made this decision due to poor app sales and revenue generation on the Apple TV. Games and apps have not proven to be as popular on the new platform as they are on iOS, with some popular Apple TV games even bringing in less than $100 per day.
Disney has updated its Disney Infinity website with a new disclaimer noting not all content is available for PC, Steam, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Amazon, Google Play, and Apple TV. The latest Marvel Battlegrounds figures are compatible only with PlayStation 3 and 4, Wii U, Xbox One, and Xbox 360.
Google today announced the launch of a Cardboard SDK for iOS developers, allowing them to more easily create native iPhone apps and experiences that will work with the Google Cardboard virtual reality viewer. The Cardboard SDK for iOS includes all of the features that are already available in the Android Cardboard SDK.
For those unfamiliar with Google Cardboard, it is a low-cost viewer designed to work with a range of smartphones from Android devices to iOS devices. The iPhone or other smartphone fits into the front of a viewer made from cardboard or another material, bringing virtual and augmented reality experiences to the user through apps.
Google is also debuting VR view, a feature that allows immersive content to be embedded into apps and websites. VR views transform 360 degree VR images or video into an interactive experience that can be viewed on a desktop computer (an example is available in Google's blog post) or with a phone attached to a Cardboard viewer.
Travel apps may include turtle photos, but they're nothing like diving into the open ocean. Real estate websites may include descriptions of the dining room, but it's nothing like actually touring the home. For developers, having immersive elements in their apps and websites can be the difference between meh and magical. That's why we're introducing VR view--a quick and easy way to embed immersive content on Android, iOS and the web.
The Cardboard SDK for iOS and the tools for creating VR views are available starting today.
Designer Martin Hajek, who often creates renderings of upcoming devices based on rumors, has mocked up what a thinner 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro with some MacBook-style design elements could look like.
The design, which also includes a conceptual version of "macOS," features smaller side bezels and a much thinner chassis, one that's not quite as thin as the Retina MacBook but much thinner than the Retina MacBook Pro today.
Hajek's slimmed-down Retina MacBook Pro concept comes amid rumors Apple is working on "ultra-thin" 13 and 15-inch "MacBooks." That rumor suggests new MacBooks are being developed that feature a design similar to the existing 12-inch MacBook that are also thinner than the existing MacBook Air.
The rumor, which is the second we've heard about thinner notebooks, does not make it clear if the MacBooks will belong to the MacBook line, the MacBook Pro line, or the MacBook Air line. Because the fate of the MacBook Air line is in question and the MacBook line already has a 12-inch MacBook, it's entirely possible the rumor refers to thinner MacBooks that are in development as part of the MacBook Pro family.
It is not clear when these thinner 13 and 15-inch mystery MacBooks will launch if they are indeed in development, but rumors suggest they will debut at the end of the second quarter or in the third quarter, pointing towards an introduction in the summer or fall months.
It's just after 9:30a.m. in New Zealand, which means the first customers who ordered an iPhone SE or a 9.7-inch iPad Pro on March 24 are starting to receive their shipments. Soon, customers in Australia will begin receiving their devices, and the first Apple retail stores in the country will open for in-store sales.
New Zealanders have already started photos and news of their devices on social networks like Instagram, reddit, and Twitter, and a few lucky customers who ordered the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in the United States have also been receiving early shipments, as noted on Instagram, Twitter, and the MacRumors forums.
As March 31 hits around the world, the iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be available in first wave launch countries that include Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK, US Virgin Islands, and the US. Retail stores in these countries will be opening at approximately 9:00 a.m. local time, letting customers make walk-in purchases.
Customers in these countries who already placed an order for a new device will begin receiving those devices as soon as shipping outlets begin work in the morning, likely around 8:00 a.m. local time. Following deliveries in Australia and New Zealand, customers in Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore will receive their devices, followed by deliveries in France, Germany, and the UK, and then orders will arrive in Canada, the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.
In the United States, pre-order customers living on the east coast should begin receiving their shipments starting at 8:00 a.m. local time from couriers like FedEx and UPS in approximately 18 hours. Orders set to arrive on March 31 have already shipped from Apple using Next Day shipping.
Big box retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy will begin in-store sales of the iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro starting on the morning of March 31, as well carriers like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
In the United States, the iPhone SE is priced at $399 for 16GB and $499 for 64GB. Orders placed today from Apple's online store will be delivered starting on April 13.
Pricing on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro starts at $599 for a 32GB Wi-Fi only model and goes up to $1,029 for a 256GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. Orders placed today from the online store will be delivered starting next week.
During today's Microsoft Build conference for developers, Microsoft announced plans to bring interactive bots to the Skype platform on Windows, Android, and iOS. Starting today, Skype iOS users will have access to Bots that offer expertise, products, services, and entertainment through messaging options in the Skype app.
Today we are introducing Skype Bots--a new way to bring expertise, products, services and entertainment into your daily messaging on Skype.
Each Bot will enhance your Skype experience in its own way, bringing a new dimension into your everyday Skype chats by helping turn your ideas and plans into actions.
Available bots that can be interacted with on iOS include Bing Music, Bing News, and Bing Images. Bing Music is able to search multiple sites to find song information, while Bing Image bot and Bing News bot are designed for web navigation. With the Skype Bot SDK, brands and developers will be able to create bots that work through Skype.
In the future, Skype plans to expand Bot availability to audio and video calling, introducing new bot-based experiences. An example of Skype Video Bots was shown off during the Build Conference.
To access the messaging bots in Skype, iOS users will need to download the latest version of the app. Accessing bots can be done through the "Search" option from the Contacts page, which includes an option to add bots to Skype.
Skype can be downloaded from the App Store for free for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link: iPad, iPhone]
Apple today released its 2016 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report [PDF] and updated its accompanying Supplier Responsibility website to offer a look at its 2015 efforts to improve the lives of the workers that produce and assemble its products.
Apple's focus in 2015 was on cutting down on excessive work hours and addressing bonded and underage labor practices. Work-hour compliance on Apple's 60-hour maximum workweek mandate reached 97 percent, up from 92 percent in 2014.
For its 10th annual progress report, Apple conducted 640 total audits and 21 unannounced audits, plus it closed 250 requests for environment, safety, and labor cases and conducted 25,000 follow-up interviews to ensure employers did not retaliate against workers for participating in Apple audits.
Apple's auditing process, in addition to assessing work conditions and interviewing workers, seeks out core violations like underage workers, involuntary labor, document falsification, retaliation against workers, unsafe working conditions, and significant environmental issues. Noncompliant suppliers are placed on probation and if issues are not addressed immediately, Apple terminates contracts.
In 2015, Apple suppliers paid out $4.7 million to reimburse workers that were contracted through unfair and excessive recruitment fees. Since 2008, Apple has forced its suppliers to pay out more than $25.6 million to workers to put an end to bonded labor.
Apple discovered three instances of child labor in 2015 at a single supplier. When suppliers are found hiring underage employees, they are required to return children to their homes, fund their education, and pay for basic living expenses.
In 2015 we found one facility, which was audited for the first time, in violation of employing underage labor. The number of audited facilities with underage labor dropped to 1 in 2015 from 6 in 2014 despite nearly 20 percent of facilities audited being new to the process.
There were 3 active cases of underage labor at this single facility. All three underage workers were 15 years old and the minimum age requirement is 16 years of age.
A full chart outlining labor and human rights violations at Apple supplier facilities gives an overall overview of how suppliers are living up to Apple's requirements. Apple has made progress on the prevention of underage labor and the prevention of involuntary labor, but wages and benefits continue to be an area where suppliers are underperforming.
Apple's reports include an environmental component, and in 2015, Apple succeeded in getting 100 percent of identified smelters and refiners in its supply chain to participate in a third-party conflict minerals audit program to ensure suppliers are not financing armed conflict. In an interview with BuzzFeed, Apple operations chief Jeff Williams said achieving that goal required kicking out 35 suppliers that "we were unable to convince to do things in the way we think are appropriate."
Apple also improved conditions in tin mines in Indonesia, which were previously environmentally unsound and unsafe for workers.
In 2015, Apple and the Tin Working Group conducted investigative research on the ground, and worked with civil society organizations and mining companies to define a five-year regulatory reform strategy of tin mining best practices. Together we are also drafting standards and guidelines to help buyers of tin identify responsible sources in the global marketplace.
The Indonesian government is now evolving its own policies for tin production and the environmental impacts of mining.
Over the course of 2015, Apple reduced carbon emissions by 13.8k metric tons and diverted 73.7k metric tons of waste from landfills through a new waste diversion program. Since 2013, 3.8 billion gallons of freshwater have been saved through a Clean Water Program, and 100 percent of chemicals at Apple's final assembly facilities are free of Apple-prohibited substances.
Apple's Supplier Responsibility report is a surprisingly interesting read, with the full document accessible through Apple's dedicated Supplier Responsibility website.
Apple today launched Safari Technology Preview, a new version of its web browser aimed specifically at developers. Safari Technology Preview is aimed at giving developers a way to access new web technologies Apple is planning to implement in iOS and OS X, offering an early look at new developer tools, layout technologies, visual effects, and more.
According to TechCrunch, Apple's goal with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers on its browser development ahead of launch through a method that's more easily accessible than WebKit.
Of course, Apple has for a long time offered Nightly builds of WebKit, the open source browser engine that today runs on hundreds of millions of devices and powers Apple's Safari. However, getting access to these builds takes a bit more effort than using the new Safari Technology Preview browser. Instead, with the new browser, its updates are distributed every two weeks by way of the Mac App Store's software update mechanism. That means it's less hassle to run a browser that features the latest advances in web technologies, including HTML, JavaScript, CSS and WebKit.
Safari Technology Preview can be run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser, and it's able to be set as the default browser on a machine. It includes local data stores for history, bookmarks, cookies, and cache, and it supports syncing of browsing history and bookmarks over iCloud. Visually, the Safari Technology Preview icon is designed to resemble the Safari icon, but it is purple in color instead of blue.
The current build of Safari Technology Preview includes several JavaScript improvements, HTML enhancements, and Web Inspector changes:
JavaScript Improvements - ECMAScript 6 support including lexical scoping, iterators, generators, arrow functions, default parameter values and many new built-in APIs - Better standards compliant IndexedDB support with more stability - Included the B3 JavaScript JIT compiler with low-latency, high-throughput that boosts performance - Added the ability to use document.execCommand('copy') and document.execCommand('cut') in response to a user gesture to copy and cut text programmatically
HTML Enhancements - The latest implementation of the Shadow DOM specification - Added support for Content Security Policy Level 2
Web Inspector Changes - Added memory summary and JavaScript allocations timelines - Added a fast JavaScript sampling profiler - Improved JavaScript profiling timeline view
Behavior Changes - Included many web compatibility fixes and bug fixes
Safari Technology Preview can be downloaded immediately from Apple's Developer website and it will receive regular updates through the Mac App Store. While designed for developers, Safari Technology Preview does not require a developer account to download.
T-Mobile has announced that its "Buy One Get One Half Off" promotion returns March 31, offering qualifying Simple Choice customers half off the iPhone SE when they buy a second iPhone SE and add it to a new line of postpaid service. The deal also applies to the iPhone 6/6s, iPhone 6/6s Plus, iPhone 5s, and iPhone 5c. Certified pre-owned iPhones are not eligible for the limited-time offer.
The promotion effectively brings the total cost of two new iPhone SE devices down to $600, compared to $800, plus applicable taxes. The rebate, which must be submitted within 30 days of the purchase of your second eligible iPhone, will be provided in the form of a prepaid MasterCard. T-Mobile will honor the deal for customers who already pre-ordered the iPhone SE since March 24.
Both new iPhones must be purchased through a single T-Mobile account on a JUMP! monthly financing plan, and one of the new devices must be on a new line of service. The account must remain in good standing, and the second iPhone must remain in service until at least July 15, 2016. The BOGO offer cannot be combined with T-Mobile's JUMP! On Demand early upgrade program, but customers can switch.
AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint customers can combine the offer with Carrier Freedom promotion, which provides those who switch to T-Mobile up to $650 towards a balance owing or to pay off early termination fees (ETFs) with an eligible device trade-in. Other T-Mobile perks include Binge On for unlimited streaming of select video services, Music Freedom for unlimited streaming of select music services, Data Stash, and Mobile Without Borders.
Popular calendar app Fantastical 2 for Mac was today updated with a long list of new features, introducing a multitude of small but significant changes. The new version of the app includes Exchange support with native account syncing so Exchange users can respond to invitations and use availability lookup, categories, and people lookup.
With the new availability feature, enabled through a calendar service like Exchange, Google Apps, or OS X Server, Fantastical 2 users can quickly check their colleagues' availability and schedules to expedite the process of setting up meetings and appointments. For Google Apps users, there's an option to load Google Hangouts links for group meetings and there's support for push updates and Google Contact search when adding invitees.
Printing is now available and there are multiple layout options available for printing calendar schedules. Users can choose a specific calendar to print and choose whether to show all-day events, timed events, or both. There are also options for calendar keys, black and white printing, and a mini calendar at the upper right of the page. Daily, monthly, weekly and yearly calendars are available to print, letting users share a hard copy of their schedules with others.
Other important new features include iCloud shared calendar notifications, an extra time zone line to let users view other time zones when scheduling an event, multiple selection to move or delete multiple items at one time, and a new option to start week or month views on the current day or week.
"We launched Fantastical 2 for Mac one year ago, and our goal was to reinvent Fantastical itself," said Michael Simmons, Co-founder of Flexibits. "Today's update is the biggest we've ever shipped and we think our users are going to love it."
There are several other feature additions, bug fixes, and improvements to the Fantastical 2 app, which should improve performance for all users.
Seagate today announced the launch of the Innov8, which it claims to be the world's first desktop-class external hard drive that does not need to be plugged into a power outlet. The HDD is compatible with the Retina MacBook and other USB-C notebooks.
Innov8 is an 8TB hard drive powered by a single USB-C cable, eliminating the need for a dedicated power source or adapter. The achievement was possible through USB 3.1 advancements and Seagate's new Ignition Boost Technology.
Seagate was the recipient of a 2016 Red Dot design award for the Innov8, which features an aluminum enclosure that can be placed horizontally or vertically on a desk.
Innov8 will be available in April for $349 through Seagate, Amazon, and select resellers. 200GB of free Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage is included.
iPhone SE online orders, which commenced March 24, are now shipping to select customers in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, and elsewhere, ahead of the new 4-inch smartphone's official March 31 launch tomorrow in twelve countries and territories.
Multiple users tracking their iPhone SE shipments in the MacRumors discussion forums have received delivery estimates of between March 31 and April 4. As usual, it appears that UPS is Apple's primary courier for orders placed in North America, while DPD and UKMail are handling deliveries in the United Kingdom.
iPhone SE should also be available tomorrow at Apple retail stores, and through AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and select other carriers. Authorized resellers like Best Buy may too have limited stock, generally on a first-come, first-served basis. Some retailers may accept reservations for in-store pickup.
Apple's first wave launch countries for iPhone SE include the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Orders started March 29 in an additional 20 countries, with more to follow in early April.
9.7-inch iPad Pro orders have also shipped for many customers. Keep track here.
Apple's primary manufacturer Foxconn has reached an agreement to purchase troubled Japanese electronics maker Sharp for a revised 389 billion Japanese yen, or roughly $3.5 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The two companies had originally settled on an estimated $6.2 billion takeover last month, but Foxconn put the deal on hold after discovering that Sharp had hundreds of billion of yen in "previously undisclosed liabilities."
The deal, which is expected to be finalized on Saturday, should strengthen Foxconn's position as both an electronics maker and assembler. Sharp has been one of Apple's main LCD display suppliers for iPhones and iPads in recent years.
Foxconn has long been interested in producing displays, which are typically one of the most expensive components in iOS devices. The supplier entered into a strategic partnership with Sharp in 2012, but the deal was ultimately unsuccessful.
Apple could soon be shifting away from LCD displays, however, as recent rumors claim it plans to release at least one OLED-based iPhone as early as 2017, with display panels sourced from some combination of Japan Display, LG, and/or Samsung.
Amazon has tightened restrictions on the sale of USB-C cables and adapters on its online store in an effort to protect customers from risky substandard products (via The Verge).
The online retailer added non-compliant USB-C cables to its list of prohibited items, following a flood of potentially damaging third-party cables onto the market. The new note on Amazon's page of undesirables prohibits "any USB-C™ (or USB Type-C™) cable or adapter product that is not compliant with standard specifications issued by 'USB Implementers Forum Inc.'"
The update was spotted by Google engineer Benson Leung, who has been testing USB-C cables sold by Amazon in an effort to highlight the risks of non-compliant products. Leung was spurred into action after a USB-C charging cable he bought destroyed a Chromebook Pixel he was working on in compatibility tests.
Apple introduced the USB-C standard to its Mac range with the release of the 12-inch Retina MacBook. The new standard allows charging, data transfer, and video over a single connector. As a result, USB-C cables are capable of carrying a lot more power than traditional USB connectors, making faulty units a risk to computers and power supplies, and potentially a fire hazard.
Apple states in a support document that the 12-inch MacBook will charge from USB-C power adapters not manufactured by Apple if they adhere to the USB Power Delivery specification. Based on Leung's extensive testing, 30 percent of third-party USB-C cables currently available do not meet USB-IF standards. Apple's USB-C ports are designed to shut down if a larger-than-expected amount of power is detected flowing through cables, however Amazon's ban should mean cables that can damage or shut down a device will no longer be offered through the site.
Apple suffered its own USB-C problems when a "design issue" in charging cables shipped with certain Retina MacBooks failed to supply sufficient charge when connected to a power adapter. Apple is providing new, redesigned USB-C charge cables to MacBook owners with faulty cables at no cost.
Apple and Major League Baseball have agreed to a deal that will see the sports league's coaching staffs use iPad Pros in dugouts to make better use of data during games, according to The Wall Street Journal. Baseball managers and coaches have traditionally used notebooks, pieces of paper and binders to keep track of data.
A pitch frequency chart in the MLB Dugout app
Teams will be able sift through performance stats from current and past seasons, weigh potential pitcher-hitter matchups, look at “spray charts” showing where a player is likely to hit a ball, even cue up videos of plays from previous games.
Each team will receive 12.9-inch iPad Pros with rugged cases sporting the team's logo. MLB's Advanced Media division, with assistance from Apple, have built an app called MLB Dugout, which will serve as the central destination where managers and coaches can look at their data. "We're not just replacing binders with tablets, we're actually helping them do things that weren't possible before," Phil Schiller, Apple SVP of marketing, told the WSJ.
For instance, players will now be able to watch video of pitchers during the game rather than having to retreat to the locker room. New York Mets' third-base coach Tim Teufel noted that the app will likely come in handy when the "game changes in unexpected ways," like when a pinch hitter steps up to the plate or a relief pitcher subs in.
The Dugout app will serve up proprietary data for each franchise, which means each team will only draw upon their own data rather than league-wide data well. The app will be preloaded before each game, but the MLB eventually hopes to update the app so that data could be provided in real time. The app was tested during the postseason last year.
The deal is similar to the one Microsoft signed with the NFL, putting Microsoft Surface tablets in the hands of NFL coaches and players on the sidelines. That deal was initially marred by glitchy tablets and announcers repeatedly calling the devices "iPads" rather than Surfaces. While the NFL required that the Surface tablets be shown on the sideline during each game, the MLB is making iPad Pro use optional. However, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he thinks most teams will use them, saying that he hopes they'll help speed up the game.
The MLB has embraced Apple's technology before, adopting iBeacon technology in 2014 and outfitting 20 ballparks in time for that season.
Chip orders from Apple for the second quarter of 2016 have been notably slow, according to unnamed sources in the integrated circuit supply chain (via 
Seagate today 
