Apple is set to halve its 40 million iPhone X production target in the three month period from January, reported Nikkei Asian Review on Monday without naming a source.
The U.S. tech giant notified suppliers that it had decided to cut the target for the period to around 20 million units, in light of slower-than-expected sales in the year-end holiday shopping season in key markets such as Europe, the U.S. and China.
The iPhone X, Apple's first smartphone equipped with an organic light-emitting diode display, has failed to catch on globally -- something many put down to a price tag starting at $999.
Part of the reason for the high price tag of iPhone X is said to be down to the cost of OLED panels made by Samsung, which is the only supplier of the component that can guarantee Apple a steady supply of the screens. According to Nikkei, Apple is now considering an increase in the proportion of LCD iPhone models by reducing production of the OLED screen models scheduled for release this year.
Apple is expected to launch a trio of new iPhone models in 2018, including 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch models with OLED displays and a 6.1-inch model with an LCD display, according to respected KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. However, at least one other analyst has predicted that the LCD-to-OLED ratio this year will actually be 2:1.
DigiTimes' Luke Lin believes Apple is increasingly leaning towards releasing two LCD-based models and a single larger 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED model. Indeed, today's Nikkei report claims lackluster sales for iPhone X could actually result in a delay to the company's plans to introduce OLED screens in other models, potentially adding weight to DigiTimes' prediction.
The production cuts for the X will have a domino effect on manufacturers that have supplied high-performance components for the handset, with the combined impact expected to run into billions of dollars. It could also slow down the shift at display manufacturers from LCD to OLED technology.
Nikkei added that Apple is expected to maintain a total production target of 30 million units for lower-priced models such as the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 7. Apple Japan replied to Nikkei's request for comment by stating that it would confirm the details with headquarters.
The latest update to WhatsApp Messenger has added support for Apple's CarPlay in-vehicle connectivity system, according to Dutch tech blog iCulture. Previously in-car WhatsApp access was only possible using the app's Siri integration, but the advantage of the new official CarPlay support is that users can also receive WhatsApp push messages while driving.
With version 2.18.2 of the app installed on an iPhone connected to CarPlay, WhatsApp automatically appears as one of the icons on the CarPlay dash interface.
The new CarPlay integration means that Siri will notify in-vehicle users when they have received new WhatsApp messages and offer to read them out loud one by one. Users can also send WhatsApp messages by specifying to Siri who it is they wish to contact, then dictating the message. Siri will recount the dictated message to confirm, after which the user has the option to edit the message or send it on its way.
Apple's own Messages app has been a feature of CarPlay since the vehicle dash system was launched. CarPlay users are able to play back audio-based iMessages, have text messages spoken out loud to them, and also compose them using Siri. The difference with WhatsApp in CarPlay, according to iCulture, is that it doesn't enable the user to browse through a list of chat conversations.
Apple was the largest buyer of semiconductor chips after Samsung in the whole of last year, according to new data collected by Gartner. The two companies together consumed $81.8 billion of the chips in 2017, up from more than $20 billion in 2016, and combined they represented 19.5 percent of the total worldwide market (via DigiTimes).
"Samsung Electronics and Apple not only retained their respective No. 1 and No. 2 positions, they also radically increased their share of semiconductor spending through 2017," said Masatsune Yamaji, principal research analyst at Gartner. "These two companies have held on to the top positions since 2011 and they continue to exert significant influence on technology and price trends for the whole semiconductor industry."
Eight of the top 10 companies in 2016 remained in the top 10 in 2017, while the top five chip buyers stayed in the same positions. LG Electronics returned to the top 10, with the only newcomer being Western Digital, which grew its semiconductor spending by US$1.7 billion in 2017, according to Gartner.
In September, Toshiba agreed to sell its lucrative NAND memory chip unit to a global consortium that includes Apple, in a deal reportedly worth $17.7 billion. Apple is interested in the memory chip unit because NAND flash is an essential component of its iPhones and iPads. Only a handful of companies make the chips and the dominant player is Samsung, Apple's biggest rival in the smartphone industry.
Semiconductor spending by the top 10 OEMs reached 40 percent of the total semiconductor market last year, up from 31 percent 10 years ago. The trend is expected to continue, according to Gartner, which predicts that the top 10 OEMs will account for more than 45 percent of total global semiconductor spending by the year 2021.
Apple began taking pre-orders for its HomePod on Friday, but the company has remained unusually reticent regarding some of the Siri-based smart speaker's finer functions.
Last week we learned that HomePod can play songs purchased through iTunes Music as well as stream podcasts and Beats 1 radio, but Apple didn't address questions about the device's handling of iTunes Match content stored in iCloud Music Libraries.
For those unaware, iCloud Music Library lets users upload or "match" up to 100,000 songs from their personal music library with the DRM-free iTunes Store catalog, without eating into their standard iCloud storage allocation. The feature comes as part of Apple's iTunes Match service ($24.99 a year) and is also included with every Apple Music subscription ($9.99 monthly).
As it turns out, both iTunes Match and Apple Music subscribers will be able to use HomePod's Siri voice-based activation to access tracks stored in iCloud Music Library. The detail was seemingly confirmed on Sunday by Apple, as relayed by iMore's Serenity Caldwell in a tweet. Also Sunday, Daring Fireball's John Gruber reported hearing similar iCloud Music Library support from "a friend seeded with HomePod", although how Siri works with cloud-stored tracks not matched with the official iTunes Store catalog remains unknown.
Okay, got some HomePod clarification: iTunes Match *and* Apple Music users can access their iCloud Music Library via Siri. 🎊
— Serenity Caldwell (@settern) January 28, 2018
To reiterate, the user whose iCloud account is linked to HomePod can access their Apple Music subscription, tracks stored in their Cloud Music Library, and iTunes Store purchases via Siri. However, Siri will not be able to control any content streamed over AirPlay from supporting devices.
Meanwhile, HomePod owners without an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription can still play music they've purchased on iTunes, as well as stream podcasts and Beats 1 radio, but Siri requests for playing songs by name, genre, artist, and so on will not be available. Apple has still to clarify how HomePod handles Family Sharing subscriptions to Apple Music, and whether the speaker's Bluetooth 5.0 specification means it will accept pairing requests from devices over the Bluetooth protocol.
Apple has positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can also send messages, set timers and reminders, check the news, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete several other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone. The speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven‑tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. It stands almost seven inches tall and is powered by Apple's A8 chip.
HomePod is available in the United States ($349), UK (£319), and Australia ($499). Apple is currently taking pre-orders for the HomePod, with the device set to ship on Friday, February 9.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who often relays information gathered from sources within Apple's supply chain in Asia, today shared a trio of new research notes that outline both new and existing predictions about the new iPhone X, iPhone X Plus, and lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone expected later this year.
iPhone X Plus dummy model versus current iPhone X via Ben Geskin
MacRumors obtained a copy of each research note, and we've rounded up the key points. More details are available in our 2018 iPhones roundup.
All-New 6.1-inch iPhone with LCD
New:
• Taiwanese manufacturers Pegatron, Foxconn, and Wistron will be the key assemblers of the 6.1-inch iPhone, with 60 percent, 30 percent, and 10 percent allocation of EMS respectively • Japan Display will supply around 70 percent of LCD panels for the 6.1-inch iPhone. Rumors suggest Apple will use Japan Display's six-inch Full Active LCDs that only require ultra-slim 0.5mm bezels on all four sides
Reiterated:
• Nearly full screen design with no home button and notch for TrueDepth sensors • 3D sensing for Face ID and Animoji • Rectangular-shaped, one-cell battery with 2,850-2,950 mAh, up to 8.5 percent larger than current iPhone X. The increased capacity will be the result of a smaller logic board given manufacturing advancements • Lower price point: starting at between $700 and $800 in the United States
The rumored 6.1-inch iPhone is shaping up to be a lower-priced iPhone X with some design compromises, which Kuo previously said will include an aluminum frame, a lack of 3D Touch, a single rather than dual lens rear camera, and 3GB of RAM, which will be less memory than other new 2018 iPhones have.
Next-Generation iPhone X and iPhone X Plus
According to Kuo, the second-generation iPhone X and a larger 6.5-inch version we're calling iPhone X Plus will each have an increased 4GB of RAM. Unsurprisingly, given its larger physical size, the iPhone X Plus is also expected to have up to a 25 percent larger battery capacity of 3,300-3,400 mAh vs. iPhone X.
Kuo adds that Apple has settled on a two-cell, L-shaped design for the second-generation iPhone X and iPhone X Plus battery, compared to a single-cell, L-shaped design that could have yielded up to 10 percent additional capacity.
By the sounds of it, the new iPhone X and iPhone X Plus, beyond the latter's larger screen size, won't be significant upgrades. Kuo doesn't expect improvements to be made to the TrueDepth camera system until 2019. Nevertheless, he expects the devices to sell well, especially the lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone.
Apple last week invited select reporters to one-hour-long HomePod listening demos in New York City and London, resulting in several first impressions of the speaker's sound quality being shared online over the past few days.
We've rounded up all of the first impressions we've come across so far, and highlighted some excerpts that we thought were interesting below. If you spot an article not listed here, let us know in the comments section.
The consensus is that the HomePod sounds very good, although some felt the quality isn't exactly worth the price. A few reporters were more impressed by upcoming stereo sound capabilities of two HomePods in the same room.
Keep in mind these listening demos were conducted by Apple in controlled environments, so we'll have to wait for more in-depth reviews once reporters and customers get the speaker into their hands and try it out.
After spending an hour demoing Apple's new HomePod smart speaker, I can say one thing with confidence: it sounds incredible.
Overall, HomePod is both louder and better-sounding than I expected. The bass was strong without being too heavy, vocals were crisp and clear, and the overall sound felt somehow bright and energized. I also got a demo of a stereo setup using two HomePods — that functionality is coming later on through a free update — and was blown away. So while I can't give a definitive verdict until testing it for myself, I will say that HomePod gives a great first impression.
We will have much more to say in a full review, but on first impressions while the HomePod looks great, is super simple to set up and is undoubtedly powerful, the sound produced does not immediately match up to its £319 price tag.
What becomes immediately apparent is the formidable bass the HomePod kicks out. What's more, the sound remains constant as you walk around the room, no doubt thanks to those beam-forming tweeters. The vocals are clear as a bell, too. It's not all good news, however. There is a distinct lack of mid-range, leaving you feeling that something is missing in the mix.
Apple's engineers were able to get a lot of rich and full sound out of that little footprint. The speaker is particularly adept as isolating vocals and maintaining often muddled aural aspects, like background singers and audience sounds in live recordings.
Ultimately, my initial impression is that the HomePod sounds very good for the type of speaker it is and it certainly stacks up well against the competition -- some of it less expensive, some of it more.
But like all speakers, it has its limitations and the HomePod left me wanting for true stereo sound. Which is probably why the only time I got truly jazzed during the demo was when they paired the two HomePods together and delivered some real separation.
While it's difficult to get a proper grasp of how a speaker sounds in a short space of time, a second listen to the HomePod reinforces my earlier favourable impressions.
While at just under seven inches tall it's undoubtedly on the small side, it's capable of incredible volume, easily filling a room and reinforcing its house party credentials. This is particularly true when two of them pair to play the same song simultaneously: it's a bassy tour-de-force.
Apple began accepting HomePod orders through its online store and Apple Store app on Friday in the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom, with the first deliveries to customers estimated to arrive Friday, February 9.
Update: A user on the audiophile subreddit who claims to have been present at Apple's listening demo believes the HomePod, based on its size and price, is significantly better than most bookshelf speakers under $1,000.
HQ Trivia on Friday announced that it has dropped its $20 minimum balance requirement for players to cash out their winnings via PayPal.
The change is welcomed since HQ's standard prize amount, now up to $2,500, is often split by tens if not hundreds of players, in which cases each winner ends up with a small prize like $10 or $12 that was previously not cashable. Now, anyone can cash out a prize, even if only enough to buy a coffee or two.
💰 It's payday, baby! We've removed the minimum balance required to cash out your HQ winnings. Put that money in the bank today!
— HQ Trivia (@hqtrivia) January 26, 2018
For those unaware, HQ is a live trivia show that launched on iPhone in September, and on Android around New Year's Day. During the show, players attempt to answer a series of 12 questions correctly to win a cash prize. To reduce cheating, players have less than 10 seconds to choose one of three answers.
The show is hosted every day at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and at 3:00 p.m. every weekday, most often by comedian Scott Rogowsky. Pro tip: you can swipe right on the chat to hide the obnoxious flow of comments.
HQ Trivia continues to surge in popularity, with many games now attracting more than one million players, compared to just hundreds back in September. Over 1.6 million players competed for a special $15,000 prize last Sunday, and some 15 minutes later, seven winners walked away with over $2,000 apiece.
If you haven't played HQ yet, you can download the game from the App Store and sign up for free. For each new player that you refer to the game, you can receive an extra life, which lets you skip one question if you answer it incorrectly.
Apple today shared its first series of HomePod ads on its official YouTube channel, titled Bass, Beat, Distortion, and Equalizer.
The four 15-second clips show the word HomePod animated in various ways, with the actual speaker only appearing in brief flashes. Apple also highlights that the speaker is now available to order ahead of its February 9th launch across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
The music-focused ads are each set to their own song, including Ain't I by Lizzo, DNA by Kendrick Lamar, Holy Water by Hembree, and All Night by Big Boi. Apple continues to position the HomePod as a "breakthrough speaker" first and "intelligent home assistant" second in the description of each video.
The ads follow Apple's teaser video titled Introducing HomePod shared back in June, after the speaker was previewed at WWDC 2017. It's very possible they'll air at commercial breaks during the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday.
Apple has primarily positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can also send messages, set timers, play podcasts, check the news, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete several other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone.
The speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven‑tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. It stands nearly seven inches tall and is powered by Apple's A8 chip.
Apple today released the first beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra 10.134 update to public beta testers, two days after seeding the update to developers and a few days after releasing macOS High Sierra 10.13.3.
Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will be able to download the new macOS High Sierra beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store.
Those who want to be a part of Apple's beta testing program can sign up to participate through the beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.
macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 introduces support for some features that are also available in iOS 11.3, like Messages on iCloud, which uploads all of your iMessages to the cloud. It will also support Business Chat, a feature coming when iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 are released to the public.
The new macOS update also includes the smoke cloud wallpaper that was previously only available on the iMac Pro, and it introduces a warning when opening up a 32-bit app as part of an effort to phase them out.
In the future, Apple plans to phase out 32-bit Mac apps, just like it did with 32-bit iOS apps. Apple says macOS High Sierra is the last version of macOS that will support 32-bit apps without compromises.
Apple yesterday seeded the first beta of watchOS 4.3 to developers, and there are some great new features that many Apple Watch owners have been requesting for quite some time.
We've outlined all of the changes you'll find in the watchOS 4.3 update in the video and the post below.
First and foremost, watchOS 4.3 once again allows Apple Watch owners to access their Apple Music Library for iPhone, a feature that was removed in watchOS 4.
With watchOS 4.3, there's a new "On iPhone" section in the Music app that lets you access your playlists, albums, songs, and artists. Prior to this update, you could access your music library, but only when playing music on the watch itself.
When playing music on the iPhone, you were only able to use the Now Playing feature to skip tracks -- there was no library access for choosing songs to play on the iPhone from the Apple Watch. Apple Watch owners have been complaining about the removal of iPhone music controls on Apple Watch since watchOS 4 debuted, so this should be a welcome change for many people.
Along with music controls, watchOS 4.3 adds your daily Activity information to the Siri watch face, so you can see your current progress at a glance without needing to open up the Activity app, and it introduces a new charging animation when the watch is placed on a charging puck.
The final new feature in watchOS 4.3 is Nightstand Mode while the Apple Watch is in portrait orientation. Since Nightstand Mode was first introduced, using it has required putting the Apple Watch in landscape orientation on its side. That's no longer necessary -- you can now use Nightstand mode in any orientation.
Apple doesn't make watchOS betas available to its public beta testers because there's no way to restore an Apple Watch to an older operating system, so the watchOS 4.3 update will be limited to developers until its public launch.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Anki to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win the Anki OVERDRIVE: Fast & Furious Edition iPhone-compatible racing game.
Anki OVERDRIVE is an intelligent battle racing system where players construct different battle tracks for AI-controlled cars to race on. Each car that races on the OVERDRIVE track is equipped with unique capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses and the idea is to pit your strategic skills against your friends or the computer to win.
With Anki OVERDRIVE, you don't control the car yourself -- you build the track and use your car's features to win out against the opponent, initiating races via the iPhone and using your car's unique abilities and weapons at the right times.
The latest version of Anki OVERDRIVE, the Fast & Furious Edition, is based on the "Fast & Furious" movie franchise. It comes equipped with unique cars from the "Fast & Furious" movies and a new game mode, Hyperspeed, that lets you cars race faster than ever.
Priced at $170, Anki OVERDRIVE Fast & Furious comes with a full track for you to build and super detailed replicas of movie vehicles, including Dom's Ice Charger and Hobbs' MXT. Each vehicle has unique skills, such as a Grappling Hook on Dom's Ice Charger, which can slow down opponents while giving your car a boost, and Spike Strips for the MXT.
As for weapons, each car is equipped with short range, long range, and area of effect weapons, and there are a range of support items available like shields, tractor beams, scramblers, and boosts. Car abilities, items, and weapons can all be used during races with the Anki Overdrive app on the iPhone.
You can engage in six game modes, all with different gameplay mechanics: Race, Battle, Battle-Race, King of the Hill, Time Trial, and Takeover, and when not racing against friends, you'll be able to race characters from the movie like Letty, Tej, Hobbs, and Dom.
We have three Anki OVERDRIVE Fast & Furious sets to give away to MacRumors readers. To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (January 26) at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time on February 2. The winners will be chosen randomly on February 2 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Apple's Animoji are starring in two new ads Apple created for the Grammys, with Apple using the popular Animoji karaoke phenomenon to promote the iPhone X.
The ads, shared by Apple on YouTube, feature the alien Animoji singing "Redbone" by Childish Gambino and the Animoji dog, fox, and poop singing "Stir Fry" from Migos. Other Animoji characters and emoji also make appearances in the two videos.
Animoji are 3D emoji characters that are designed to mimic your facial expressions and emotions using the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone X. Shortly after the iPhone X launched, people discovered that you could use Animoji to record yourself lip syncing to a song and then overlay the original music, leading to the birth of Animoji karaoke.
Animoji karaoke is not as popular as it was following the debut of the iPhone X, but Apple has previously featured Animoji karaoke in iPhone X ads.
You can watch the two new Animoji ad spots on YouTube, or catch them during the Grammys on January 28. The "Alien" ad will air following Childish Gambino's performance, while the "Amigos" ad will air right after the Best Rap Album category, which Migos is nominated for, according to Adweek.
Verizon this morning announced an offer coming for both existing customers and new customers who are switching to a Verizon line, which will go live on Monday, January 29. With the deal, if you trade in an eligible smartphone and then purchase an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone X, you'll get $699 off a second iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X.
The offer is available when purchasing any combination of these iPhones, as long as they are both purchased on device payment plans and a new line is activated on Verizon unlimited. Afterwards, the $699 discount on the second smartphone comes in the form of bill credits spread out over a 24 month period.
The offer allows you to get both trade-in credit and $699 to cover the cost of the second device you purchase, greatly discounting the $999 or $1,149 iPhone X, or even offering the 64GB iPhone 8 base model for free.
The smartphones eligible for trade-in cover the same devices in Verizon's current BOGO sale for Android smartphones, which can be seen on this page by clicking "See offer details."
Verizon outlined the steps you'll need to take to get the offer:
To get this offer, you need to:
- Purchase both phones on device payment - Activate a new line on Verizon unlimited - Trade in your phone within 30 days. You will receive the trade-in value in addition to the bill credits.
Verizon's deal is similar to one that T-Mobile began two weeks ago today, where new and existing T-Mobile customers could buy one iPhone and get up to $700 off another iPhone of equal or lesser value. One of the main differences is that T-Mobile offered the $700 discount in the form of a rebate received via prepaid MasterCard card, while Verizon's will be credited to the user's monthly bills over 24 months. T-Mobile's also included the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but Verizon's is only for Apple's 2017 line of iPhones.
For more on the latest sales, visit our full Deals Roundup.
Thunderbolt 3 docks continue to hit the market, and today we're taking a look a recent entrant from popular data storage company Promise Technology, the TD-300 Thunderbolt 3 Dock.
I've tested quite a few Thunderbolt 3 docks over the past year, and the TD-300 ranks right up with the best I've seen due to standout features like five USB 3.0 ports and an SD 3.0 card reader. At $249, it's also priced very competitively against other full-featured Thunderbolt 3 docks.
Design
In the box, you'll find the typical contents for a dock of this type, including the dock itself, an external power brick, and a 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 cable. Any other cables such as for USB devices or an HDMI display need to be provided separately, although they frequently come with the devices you'd be connecting.
The TD-300 comes in a horizontal form factor similar to many others on the market, and it sits nicely under an external display. It measures just over 9 inches wide, 3.5 inches deep and a little over an inch tall, and weighs just about a pound, so it's a pretty typical Thunderbolt 3 dock from a size perspective.
The enclosure is made of black plastic, matte on the top and glossy around the sides, which sets it apart from the silver and gray finishes seen on most of the other docks I've tested. There's a fairly small Promise Technology logo in the rear left corner of the dock's top, but it's not terribly obtrusive, and the top tapers slightly toward the front of the dock.
The front of the dock includes a pair of status lights, a green one letting you know there's power to the dock and a blue one signifying an active connection to a computer. The lights are fairly bright and can be distracting in a dark room. You'll also find the handy SD card slot, a pair of USB Type-A 3.0 ports (the left of which supports higher-power 5W/1.5A charging) and an audio in/out port.
On the rear, you'll find three more USB Type-A 3.0 ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, and the DC-in connection for power.
USB Ports
With all five USB ports being USB 3.0, they support 5 Gbps connections, which isn't the fastest standard but is typical for Thunderbolt 3 docks where bandwidth is frequently shared among a host of peripherals. Most other docks on the market offer only three USB ports, so the inclusion of five here offers some nice expandability, and with two of them on the front there's easy access for USB accessories that only need to be attached occasionally.
Testing transfer speeds using a 10 Gbps USB 3.1 Gen 2 CalDigit Tuff external SSD and Blackmagic's disk speed testing software, I saw speeds around 350 MB/s read and 320 MB/s write through the Type-A USB 3.0 ports, which is typical for docks like this.
USB-A CalDigit Tuff speeds
If you want better transfer speeds and don't need the second Thunderbolt 3 port on the dock for a display, you can hook up a USB-C external drive that way, where I saw speeds in excess of 500 MB/s read and 475 MB/s write with the CalDigit Tuff.
USB-C CalDigit Tuff speeds over Thunderbolt 3 port
With a top-of-the-line Thunderbolt 3 drive like the new ThunderBlade V4 from OWC, I saw read and write speeds approaching 1900 MB/s, pretty close to what I previously saw with a direct connection to my MacBook Pro. Obviously if you start tacking other high-bandwidth peripherals like a 4K HDMI display on to other ports on the dock, the SSD speeds will drop.
SD Card Slot
The TD-300's SD 3.0 card reader on the front of the dock is a great feature that's missing on most other Thunderbolt 3 docks released so far. If you've got photos or other data stored on an SD card, it's great to be able to just pop the card into the front of the dock and have it show up on your computer without needing to connect a separate card reader over USB.
Displays
In line with other Thunderbolt 3 docks, Promise's dock can support either a single 5K display attached to the downstream Thunderbolt 3 port, or a pair of 4K displays attached through the Thunderbolt 3 port and the HDMI port. I tested extensively with an LG UltraFine 5K display hooked up via Thunderbolt 3 and it ran at the full 60 Hz refresh rate with no problems. The usual macOS System Preferences let you manage the monitors in terms of mirroring/extending and arrangement.
Charging
The TD-300 offers up to 60 watts of charging power over its Thunderbolt 3 connection to a computer, which is enough for a 13-inch MacBook Pro but falls short of what a 15-inch model might be able to draw at maximum load. In reality, 60 watts is often enough to keep even a 15-inch MacBook Pro charged up under normal use, but if you're doing a lot of heavy lifting with your machine it might not be able to quite keep up. Recharging a depleted battery via the TD-300 will also be a bit slower than from an 85-watt dock or the 87-watt power adapter that comes with the MacBook Pro.
Most Thunderbolt 3 docks seem to be going with the 60-watt power delivery, so the TD-300 is by no means unique in this limitation, but there are 85-watt ones on the market if that's a necessity for you.
Wrap-up
The Promise TD-300 Thunderbolt 3 Dock offers a solid set of features at a very competitive price point compared to similar docks. It doesn't have FireWire or eSATA ports like a few competitors have, but with those ports becoming less and less popular it makes sense for Promise to put its focus on the flexibility of USB while also including a built-in SD card reader.
Full 85-watt charging support would have been nice to see, so if you're a 15-inch MacBook Pro owner you'll need to decide if that's a dealbreaker based on whether you push your machine hard enough to need the full power, and if so, whether you're okay with using the standard MacBook Pro power adapter alongside the dock.
But overall, the TD-300 stacks up very well against the competition and is worth a close look. The Promise TD-300 is priced at $249 and is available from a variety of retailers including B&H Photo and Amazon.
Note: Promise Technology provided the TD-300 to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo and Amazon and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.
Multiple iCloud services are currently experiencing downtime, according to Apple's System Status page, leaving them inaccessible to some users.
Find My Friends, Find My iPhone, iCloud Backup, Contacts, Calendar, Drive, Keychain, Mail, Notes, Reminders, Storage Upgrades, and Web Apps have all been down for some people since 8:35 a.m. Pacific Time.
Back to My Mac, iWork for iCloud apps, Mail Drop, and Photos are also impacted.
Apple's System Status report says that 1.5 percent of users are affected and may be unable to use the above listed services. It's not clear how long the outage will last, but we'll update when it's resolved.
Update: According to Apple's System Status page, the iCloud issue has been resolved.
Apple has outlined the HomePod's power consumption in an environmental report [PDF] about the speaker published today.
Apple says the HomePod consumes less power than an average ENERGY STAR certified LED household light bulb during music playback. The comparison is true, as a classic-shaped A-series LED bulb typically draws around 9-10 watts, while the HomePod draws around 8.74 watts with 115V of line voltage during music playback at 50 percent volume. Of course, power will vary depending on the volume.
The environmental report includes a chart with a complete breakdown of the HomePod's power consumption based on different line voltages. For those unaware, around 115V is standard in the United States and Canada, and around 230V is standard in many other countries like the UK. 100V is standard in Japan.
Apple says the HomePod is so energy efficient because it automatically enters a low power mode after eight minutes of inactivity. In this mode, the speaker draws between only 1.71 and 1.76 watts of power.
HomePod outperforms the stringent requirements of the ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Audio/Video Version 3.0, consuming 50 percent less than the allowable energy for low power mode, according to Apple.
HomePod uses power-efficient components and software that can intelligently power them down during periods of inactivity. For example, through optimized power management features and a high-efficiency power supply, HomePod has been designed to be efficient in its low power mode, where the majority of time is spent. The result is that HomePod is energy efficient right out of the box.
The environmental report also notes the HomePod is free of brominated flame retardants, PVC, and beryllium, and adds that 100 percent of its packaging fibers are sourced from responsibly managed forests or recycled paper.
On a related note, an Apple support representative told 9to5Mac that the HomePod comes with a two-meter power cable in the box that is color matched in Space Gray or White. The representative said the cable is removable and user replaceable, but this wasn't the case on demo units, so it may be wrong information.
Although longer and more in-depth reviews for Apple's smart speaker, the HomePod, have not yet been published, a few websites have gotten the chance to spend an hour or so with the speaker and have been sharing their experiences this week.
At Digital Trends, Julian Chokkattu liked the unassuming design of the HomePod, noting that "it's easy to miss... because it makes no effort at standing out." This should make it easier for the HomePod to blend in with any room's decor, according to Chokkattu.
In terms of sound, he got to listen to upwards of five songs from various genres at a volume of about 65 percent, and concluded that it "sounds great" no matter where you are in the room. He also called his brief encounters with Siri on HomePod "fast and seamless," explaining that Siri is smart enough to realize when you're meaning to activate it on your iPhone ("when your phone is in your hand") so that the HomePod does not answer.
Audio quality is beautifully warm, yet the bass is not overpowering, even though it was still quite rich. If you close your eyes, it’s easy to feel like you’re at a live performance. We could pick out the vocals and instruments clearly. The speaker allows each instrument to shine through; you can hear precise guitar plucks. No, it doesn’t have that crisp sound you’d hear from very expensive high-end speakers, but then again, the HomePod doesn’t cost thousands yet still pushes brilliant sound quality out of a single, small enclosure.
What’s more impressive is how consistent the HomePod sounds wherever you are in the room. Yes, the further away you are, the quieter it is, but not by much. It almost felt like the music was following our movement, and it consistently sounded great.
Tech journalist Lance Ulanoff shared his thoughts on HomePod in a post on Medium, and noted that when the sound quality was compared to the Google Home Max and Sonos One, HomePod was "astonishing." Ulanoff echoed a sentiment stated by Chokkattu, detailing a listening experience that felt as if he was hearing the music "in a small café for an audience of me" and equating HomePod's sound quality to a live performance.
Although stereo pairing won't be ready at launch, Ulanoff got to experience this as well and said that "two HomePods playing just about anything is incredible." Ultimately, he called HomePod an "ultra-high-quality" speaker that doubles as an "excellent Siri ambassador."
What Apple has here is an ultra-high-quality speaker and the first physical instantiation of Siri without a screen. The fact that Apple is finally entering the smart speaker race is cause for muted celebration. It’s attractive, sounds amazing and is an excellent Siri ambassador. And it’s $349. Is better sound and solid iOS integration (plus the added cost of an Apple Music subscription) worth spending nearly four times as much as a decent sounding Echo?
Pete Pachal with Mashable was also impressed by the HomePod's sound quality, which he described as an "aural triumph," but was more skeptical on the device and questioned whether or not Apple is too late to the smart speaker market.
What I'm less convinced of, however, is whether customers will care. The success of the Echo Dot — Amazon's puck-shaped smart speaker that definitely de-emphasizes the second word of that description — tells me that anyone who's been won over by the category mostly just wants to get the power of voice command in more places. And audio? A glorified intercom will do. Or, hey, just connect your own speakers.
In my short time with the HomePod, I came away impressed with its acoustic power and precision. I liked the design more than I thought I would, too. But in the world of smart speakers — which is where Apple is now competing, despite its desire to make the conversation all about music — those factors are secondary to the simple question, "How much can this thing do for me?"
Those interested in HomePod can pre-order the speaker on Apple.com in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia beginning today, January 26, and then the device will launch on February 9. For those on the fence about Apple's entry into the smart speaker market, Sonos today is launching a sale aimed at competing with Apple where you can get two Sonos One speakers for the same price of one HomePod.
Apple is now accepting HomePod orders through its online store and Apple Store app for iPhone and iPad in the United States, Australia, and United Kingdom, with the first deliveries to customers estimated to arrive Friday, February 9, which is when in-store availability begins as well.
HomePod is available in Space Gray and White for $349 in the United States, $499 in Australia, and £319 in the United Kingdom.
While the HomePod is only launching in three countries today, it can be used anywhere in the world. However, Siri currently supports American, Australian, and British varieties of English only. More languages will be supported in future software updates, including French and German this spring.
Apple has primarily positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can send messages, set timers, play podcasts, check the news and weather, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone.
The high-fidelity speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven‑tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. It stands nearly seven inches tall and is powered by Apple's A8 chip.
Apple began taking pre-orders for its HomePod on Friday, but the company has remained unusually reticent regarding some of the Siri-based smart speaker's finer functions. 
