YouTube has confirmed it is working to resolve a bug in its mobile app that causes significant battery drain on Apple devices, even when the app is running in the background.
First covered by tech blog PiunikaWeb, the issue has been noted by several MacRumors forum members, as well as on Reddit and Twitter, and appears to be mainly affecting devices running iOS 11.1.1.
In addition to battery drain, some iPhone users have reported that the YouTube app is causing their device to run much hotter than usual when watching videos, although the two issues don't seem to occur together in every case.
Hi there! Appreciate the report, this is something we're actively working on. Thanks for your patience.
— Team YouTube (@TeamYouTube) November 12, 2017
YouTube says it is aware of the problem and is "actively working" to come up with a fix for the app, although no timeframe was given. In the meantime, affected users are advised to watch YouTube videos in their web browser of choice.
A limited but increasing number of iPhone X owners claim to be experiencing so-called "crackling" or "buzzing" sounds emanating from the device's front-facing earpiece speaker at high or max volumes.
Over two dozen users have said they are affected in a MacRumors discussion topic about the matter, while similar reports have surfaced on Twitter and Reddit since the iPhone X launched just over a week ago.
On affected devices, the crackling sounds occur with any kind of audio playback, including phone calls, music, videos with sound, alarms, and ringtones. The issue doesn't appear to be limited to any specific iPhone X configuration or iOS version.
"Love the phone but I was wondering if anyone has had any issues with the speakers slightly sounding a little crackling whenever max volume," said one MacRumors forum member with the alias ShadowYYZ. "Noticeable on certain songs and even my ring tone which was bought from the iTunes Store."
For those unaware, the iPhone X's earpiece doubles as a speaker that combines with the traditional speaker at the bottom of the device to deliver stereo sound. Both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 series also have stereo speakers.
MacRumors hasn't been able to reproduce the issues described. Apple didn't immediately respond to our request for comment on the matter.
While the sounds could be the result of distortion, especially since they occur at higher volumes only, several users are convinced that there could be a bigger software or hardware issue affecting the earpiece.
"I listen to a lot of music on the speakers of the iPhone X and I noticed the slight crackle right away," replied another MacRumors forum member who goes by the username Benz63amg. "Since so many of us seem to experience this crackle then my assumption is that it's software related rather than hardware."
Since the crackling sounds on iPhone X don't appear to be limited to phone calls, it's unclear if the issues are related.
Apple has been replacing affected iPhone X units free of charge, according to customers who contacted the company. Apple also appears to be collecting diagnostic information so that its engineers can investigate the matter, as it routinely does with any potential software or hardware issues.
Like the green lines affecting some iPhone X displays, this is an isolated issue affecting a very low percentage of the millions of devices being manufactured. The majority of iPhone X owners do not appear to be affected.
If you experience this problem, we recommend booking a Genius Bar appointment with the Apple Support app or contacting Apple via phone, email, online chat, or Twitter to have your iPhone X replaced. Apple is known for providing good customer service, and it is often genuinely helpful in these situations.
With fewer major selling points and given a consumer preference for the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects iPhone 8 production to see a 50-60 percent sequential decline this quarter.
In his latest research note for KGI Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said the lower-than-expected iPhone 8 demand could result in fewer orders for Apple supplier Pegatron, which assembles the iPhone 8 in Taiwan.
Pegatron — iPhone 8 production to decline 50-60% QoQ in 1Q18F on lower-than-expected demand: With fewer major selling points and given a consumer preference for iPhone 8 Plus on a limited price gap, we expect iPhone 8 production orders to see 50-60% QoQ decline in 1Q18F, potentially shrinking Pegatron's utilization rate. But considering new iPhone orders may become more diverse (compared with a single model of iPhone 8 in 2H17), and assuming the new models will come with more compelling features than iPhone 8, we are positive on Pegatron's growth momentum in 2H18F.
Just this week, research firm Canalys said the iPhone 8 Plus outpaced the iPhone 8 last quarter with shipments of 6.3 million units versus 5.4 million units respectively. Canalys said the iPhone 8 Plus is the first Plus-sized iPhone to out-ship its smaller 4.7-inch sibling in a single quarter.
Apple doesn't disclose iPhone sales on a model-by-model basis, but chief executive Tim Cook said the iPhone 8 Plus has "gotten off to the fastest start of any Plus model," which came as "a bit of a surprise" to the company.
Kuo remains positive about iPhone X demand, and estimates production will rise 35-45 percent this quarter compared to last quarter, which should help to alleviate supply constraints heading into the holiday shopping season. The device still has a 3-4 week shipping delay online, with limited in-store availability.
Kuo said Apple's primary manufacturer Foxconn will convert its iPhone 8 Plus production lines into iPhone X lines in late 2017 to fulfill additional orders. Still, Apple is unlikely to achieve supply-demand balance until 2018.
Now that the new 2017 flagship smartphones from both Google and Apple are available and in the hands of consumers, we thought we'd compare Apple's iPhone X with the Google Pixel 2 XL to see how these two devices measure up.
In the video below, we took a look at specific features of both phones, including design, hardware, camera and display, along with each device's unique features like Face ID and Active Edge. We also compared what it's like using each phone on a day to day basis to give an overall picture of the similarities and differences between each of the devices.
Both the Google Pixel 2 XL and the iPhone X have high price points ($849 for the former and $999 for the latter), and similar display sizes at 5.8 inches for the iPhone X and 6 inches for the Pixel 2 XL.
Inside, the iPhone X has a custom Apple-designed A11 processor, while the Pixel 2 XL features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip. In raw benchmarks, the iPhone X outperforms the Pixel 2 XL, but the differences in processor and GPU speed aren't as noticeable in real world usage. When it comes to intensive tasks, though, the iPhone X will handily outperform the Pixel 2 XL.
Both devices feature OLED displays, but the iPhone X's display is leagues better than the OLED display of the Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel 2 XL is plagued by serious display issues that have been making headlines for the last couple of weeks, including burn-in and bizarre color variations.
iPhone X and Pixel 2 XL both have impressive cameras and produce some amazing photos, but the Pixel 2 XL does a lot of what the iPhone X can do with just a single camera. Apple's iPhone X is equipped with dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, one with an f/1.8 wide-angle lens and the second with an f/2.4 telephoto lens, while the Pixel 2 XL is sporting just a single f/1.8 12-megapixel camera.
As for front-facing cameras, the Pixel 2 XL has an f/2.4 8-megapixel camera while the iPhone X is sporting an f/2.2 7-megapixel camera that also happens to be equipped with an additional infrared camera, sensor, and dot projector to enable Face ID, one of the flagship iPhone X features that gives the iPhone X an edge over the Pixel 2 XL.
Face ID has proven to be largely fast and accurate, making it an improvement over fingerprint sensing technology. Pixel 2 XL continues to offer a fingerprint sensor, albeit a fast and accurate one. Active Edge, the Pixel 2 XL's distinguishing feature, lets users squeeze the sides of the device to quickly activate Google Assistant. Speaking of Google Assistant, that's another feature where the Pixel 2 XL has an edge over the iPhone X -- many believe Google Assistant is more useful than Siri.
Pixel 2 XL has a larger battery than the iPhone X (though the iPhone X wins out in some battery life tests), but it doesn't offer the same Qi wireless charging functionality that's available in the iPhone X. It charges over USB-C, though, while the iPhone X continues to use a proprietary Lightning port for non-wireless charging purposes. Neither device has a headphone jack, as Google followed in Apple's footsteps and opted to rely solely on wireless technology.
So which of these devices is better? It's impossible to say. Both the iPhone X and the Google Pixel 2 XL are entirely different platforms, and each one is the best in its respective category. There are some things the Google Pixel 2 XL does better than the iPhone X, and some things the iPhone X does better than the Google Pixel 2 XL. Choosing one really comes down to the ecosystem you prefer -- iOS or Android.
Our BlackPods giveaways have been extremely popular with MacRumors readers, so this week, we've once again teamed up with BlackPods to offer you a chance to win a pair of AirPods that have been custom-painted black to better match darker devices.
Black AirPods pair especially well with the new iPhone X, which features an OLED display with a thin black bezel even on the iPhone X models that come in silver.
BlackPods takes a standard pair of Apple AirPods and then paints them black using a proprietary coating system. The company uses a three-phase finishing process for a high-quality coating of paint that's not going to chip, fade, scuff, or wear off.
Each pair of BlackPods is completed by hand and is given a rigorous inspection to ensure a flawless finish. There are two options when it comes to BlackPods -- the BlackPods classic, with a high-gloss look, and the BlackPods Stealth, which has a matte satin finish.
BlackPods charges $279 for the BlackPods Classic and $299 for the BlackPods Stealth, a $120 to $140 premium over Apple's standard AirPods, but it's the only way to get a unique black finish on your AirPods.
Along with selling finished sets of painted AirPods, BlackPods also lets customers send previously purchased AirPods in for customization. This process costs $99 for the glossy black and $119 for the matte black, and it takes approximately 10 days to complete. Painting of both the AirPods and the case is included in the price.
Because BlackPods are re-painted AirPods, the full AirPods functionality remains intact, with a W1 chip for simple pairing, a long battery life, an accelerometer for ear detection, and gesture support.
We have one set of BlackPods to give away to a MacRumors reader, with the winner able to choose a Stealth or Classic finish. 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 (November 10) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on November 17. The winner will be chosen randomly on November 17 and will be contacted by email. The winner will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before a new winner is chosen.
Apple has confirmed that its annual extended holiday return policy begins today in the United States and several other countries around the world.
Apple's website says most products and accessories purchased in store (or received if ordered online) between November 15, 2017 and December 25, 2017 will be eligible for return until January 8, 2018 in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Netherlands, Sweden, and select other regions.
The dates are slightly different in a few countries, including Italy, Japan, and Spain, where most products and accessories purchased between November 15, 2017 and January 6, 2018 will be eligible for return until January 20, 2018.
Apple products that can be returned include, among other things, the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. The few items that cannot be returned include Apple or iTunes gift cards. Apple products can be opened and used prior to the return date, but must be returned undamaged with the original packaging.
When making a purchase at an Apple retail store, we recommend that you ask for a printed or emailed copy of your receipt. Both printed and emailed receipts will indicate the return date for each product purchased, while Apple also lists the cutoff date under the "Your Account" section on its website.
All purchases made before November 15, 2017 are subject to Apple's standard 14-day return policy in the United States and most other countries.
Update: Apple's website now says its extended holiday return policy begins November 15, 2017. A previous version of this article listed November 25 as the start date, but evidently that information relayed by an Apple support advisor was inaccurate. All dates in this article have been updated.
One year after launching the standalone "Events" app for iOS and Android devices, Facebook today announced a rebranding and relaunch of the app that will also bring bars, restaurants, and nearby attractions to your attention. Now called "Local from Facebook," or simply "Facebook Local," the app combines your Facebook events with nearby hotspots into a single app, which is powered by the company's 70 million business Pages as well as your own friends and family members' personal reviews (via TechCrunch).
The app's home page includes shortcuts to show you nearby restaurants, cafes, drink spots, attractions, and more, as well as a guide to where your friends visit often. The original app's calendar of your Events is located here, as well as a Trending Events section, guides to music, nightlife, and other notable happenings, and filters to see all events occurring on specific days.
Facebook Local can sync with your iPhone's Calendar app to combine all of your plans into one area, and the new app also allows you to update your current city if you're traveling. Facebook's recent Order Food feature isn't implemented into Local, but Pages for certain restaurants sometimes include a link to other delivery apps like Grubhub.
According to Facebook Local product manager Aditya Koolwal, all of these features are meant to further Facebook's new mission of "bringing the world closer together."
Facebook Local product manager Aditya Koolwal tells me the goal was to “Make it as lot easier to do certain kind of looks ups that are very common when making plans with friends.”
Facebook’s new mission is “Bringing the world closer together” and few things do that as vividly as nightlife. The company is often criticized for supposedly isolating people, but there’s no replacement for Facebook Events. When I hear people considering deleting their Facebook account, it’s often Events that they stay for. By bundling these with local business listings, Facebook could finally give Events the spotlight they deserve.
Before Facebook Local, the company just yesterday expanded Marketplace to include apartment rentals, and previously launched car listings in October. In terms of standalone apps, in August Facebook shuttered the Groups and Lifestage apps, specifically stating that Groups was returning to be a focus of the main Facebook app and the social network's website.
You can download Local from Facebook on the iOS App Store for free today. [Direct Link]
Apple today announced that its retail stores in Burlingame, California, near San Mateo, and Burlington, Massachusetts, near Boston, will celebrate grand reopenings on Saturday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. local time.
A render of Apple's new store in Burlingame, California via Storeteller
Both locations have been closed for several months while undergoing renovations, as part of Apple's efforts to modernize its retail stores around the world. The updated aesthetic typically includes large glass doors, sequoia wood tables and shelves, and a large video screen for Today at Apple programming.
Apple Burlingame originally opened in July 2003, while Apple Burlington has been serving customers since November 2005. Apple now operates over 250 retail stores across the United States, and nearly 500 worldwide.
One of the biggest software changes on Apple's new iPhone X is the location of Control Center, the useful user interface that provides you with quick access to music playback controls, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi toggles, the flashlight, calculator, and much more thanks to iOS 11's customizable layout. On pre-iPhone X devices, the Control Center is awoken by swiping up from the bottom edge of the device. Because that action is now the default "go home" gesture on iPhone X, Apple has moved Control Center to the top right edge of the smartphone.
This location change has removed the simplicity and ease-of-access to Control Center for many iPhone X users -- particularly those who are left handed -- who have been posting about the iPhone X-specific issue in the MacRumors forums, Twitter, and on Reddit. Some of these users have also provided interesting alternative locations and invoking gestures that Apple could potentially implement in future iOS updates, but it should be reiterated that these are simply community ideas and not in any way an indication that we'll see them added to the iPhone X.
How to activate Control Center on iPhone X
Reddit has been the source of multiple ideas for new Control Center gestures on the iPhone X, with a few that replace existing gestures (so you'd have to choose between two options in Settings) and some that are new. One user theorized that the iPhone X's new Reachability gesture (swiping down on the Home indicator, which must be activated in Settings) could have an alternate option for invoking Control Center.
Further threads provided variations on this idea: 3D Touch on the Home indicator for Reachability and pulling down on the indicator for Control Center, or keeping Reachability as it is and using 3D Touch on the Home indicator for Control Center. The 3D Touch solution has been put forward by multiple people over the last few days and appears to be a favorite, particularly because Reachability's new swipe-down gesture on the Home indicator can be difficult to execute and could potentially be an even more frustrating location for Control Center.
Other ideas have been shared on the MacRumors forums, including one that could be an additional option for the swipe-down gesture that enacts Search anywhere on the Home Screen, but that would make Control Center impossible to call up within apps. iOS developer Guilherme Rambo posted his own idea on Twitter this week, suggesting that a 3D Touch edge swipe could house Control Center. Currently, this is used as an app switching gesture, which Apple at first removed from iOS 11 and then brought back in a later update, so it's another idea where you'd have to pick one setting over another.
This feels really natural, 3D Touch swipe from the edge to bring up Control Center would be an awesome option to have on iPhone X pic.twitter.com/SIYNWlh1LW
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) November 8, 2017
While Rambo's idea appears to be focused on Control Center replacing an app switcher gesture, a few users have also had ideas where Control Center is added into the app switcher. In these, you'd swipe up and hold to access other apps as normal, and Control Center would potentially be the first app you see instead of the last-used app. Or, Apple could place it on the right side of the app switcher, as one Redditor posited. Another mockup by Twitter user @jwangARK placed buttons under the app switcher for easy access to both Notifications and Control Center.
Another iOS developer, Riley Testut, theorized a simple solution that would place Control Center at the bottom right edge of the iPhone X display instead of the top right edge, while swiping up from the center would still go Home. A few iPhone X users have also pointed towards Assistive Touch in Accessibility as a workaround for easier Control Center activation, but that comes with a permanent, virtual Home Button on your iPhone screen, which will be a hard trade-off for some iPhone X owners.
With the iPhone X out in the wild for one full week as of today, November 10, the location of Control Center is one of a few gripes that early adopters have had with Apple's newest smartphone. Another notable point of contention focused on the iPhone X keyboard's "wasted space", with users presenting a few potential solutions to that as well, including placing recently used emoji or punctuation in the empty field below the space bar.
Make sure to check out our iPhone X Roundup for more details on the smartphone's new features.
At least 25 customers have shared photos of the potential hardware defect across the Apple Support Communities, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and the MacRumors forums since the iPhone X launched a week ago. Of course, in a production run of millions of iPhone X units, it is a small percentage of devices affected so far.
"So I was playing with my new phone and all of a sudden, this happened," said one MacRumors forum member with the alias tmiles81. "It's a really bright line going down the entire right side of the phone."
The green line wasn't visible on any of the affected iPhone X units when they were first taken out of the box, but rather developed spontaneously after some period of usage in normal conditions. The devices involved also don't appear to have been dropped or damaged in any way.
"Day one and a bright green line has appeared down the right side of the iPhone X," said Apple Support Communities user benvolio1979.
Many of the user reports claim that restarting or even fully restoring the device doesn't remove the green line, which typically runs vertically along the right or left side of the display, but can show up elsewhere on the screen.
The issue doesn't appear to be limited to specific iPhone X models or locations. We've seen reports from owners of both 64GB and 256GB configurations in Silver or Space Gray in the United States, Canada, Poland, and Australia at a minimum. If you are affected, share a photo in the comments section below.
MacRumors hasn't been able to reproduce the issue. Apple declined to comment in an emailed response from a spokesperson.
Apple has been replacing affected iPhone X units free of charge, according to customers who contacted the company. Apple also appears to be collecting data from the incidents so that its engineers can investigate the matter, as it routinely does with any potential hardware or software issues.
The green line could be an isolated defect with the iPhone X's OLED display. Samsung's Galaxy S7 also uses OLED and suffered from a similar issue last year in which a pink line appeared on some displays. Samsung acknowledged the issue as hardware failure and worked to replace affected devices.
If you experience this problem, we recommend booking a Genius Bar appointment or contacting Apple's support team via phone, email, or online chat. Apple is generally helpful in these situations.
Update:TechCrunch notes that the iPhone X display has a new diamond subpixel pattern and, as such, all green sub-pixels appear in lines. The report speculates that there could be an electrical fault in some of the devices that is causing voltage to flow to all of the green sub-pixels.
Instagram is currently testing a new feature that allows users to follow hashtags on the picture-sharing social platform, according to reports.
Currently, Instagram users must rely on individual accounts to keep up with content they want to engage with. However the added ability to follow hashtags, first spotted by Twitter user @Social_Pip and The Next Web, could make it much easier for users to find the content they're interested in.
For example, users interested in Formula 1 racing could follow the hashtag #formula1 and see the relevant content in their feed without having to actually follow the account holders who post the content.
Understandably, this could quickly become overwhelming, so Instagram appears to be limiting current hashtag follows to "top posts and recent stories", as per the overlay description that hovers over the option.
So far there's no indication if or when Instagram will roll out the hashtag following ability to everyone, but the feature's usefulness suggests it could make the cut sooner rather than later.
Google this week revealed some upcoming enhancements to its Chrome browser that aim to protect users from encountering unwanted content on the web, such as when a site unexpectedly redirects them to another page when they click on a video play button.
Google says that incidents of users being redirected by websites to unintended destinations are mentioned in 1 of every 5 Chrome feedback reports it receives, and it's now intent on putting a stop to the "abusive" behavior.
One piece of feedback we regularly hear from users is that a page will unexpectedly navigate to a new page, for seemingly no reason. We've found that this redirect often comes from third-party content embedded in the page, and the page author didn't intend the redirect to happen at all. To address this, in Chrome 64 all redirects originating from third-party iframes will show an infobar instead of redirecting, unless the user had been interacting with that frame. This will keep the user on the page they were reading, and prevent those surprising redirects.
Another example that Google says causes user frustration is when clicking a link opens the desired destination in a new tab, but the main window navigates to a different, unwanted page. The behavior is designed to circumvent pop-up blockers, but Google is planning a clampdown.
Staring in Chrome 65, the browser will detect this abusive behavior, trigger an infobar, and prevent the main tab from being redirected, allowing the user to continue on to their intended destination.
Lastly, starting in early January, Chrome's pop-up blocker will attempt put a stop to several other types of abusive experiences that are harder to detect, such as links to third-party websites disguised as play buttons or other site controls, or transparent overlays on websites that capture all clicks and open new tabs or windows.
To help site owners prepare for the changes, Google is launching the Abusive Experiences Report alongside other similar reports in the Google Search Console. These can be used by owners to see to see if any of the abusive experiences have been found on their site and help them improve their user experience.
Logitech has announced in a blog post that it will offer Harmony Link hub owners a free upgrade to the more recent Harmony Hub before it bricks the older smart home controller in early 2018.
Previously, the company had offered owners who were out of warranty a 35 percent discount on the newer $100 hub to compensate for the six-year-old Harmony Link's deactivation in spring of next year, when the device's encryption certificate expires. But the news sparked an online backlash according to Wired, and Logitech has decided to reverse course.
Logitech Harmony Link
If you are a Harmony Link user, we will reach out to you between now and March 2018 to make arrangements to replace your Link with a free Harmony Hub, a product with similar app-based remote control features to Link, with the added benefit of controlling many popular connected home devices plus, it works with popular voice assistants.
Additionally, Harmony Link customers that have already redeemed their 35% discount on a Harmony Hub will also be refunded the full amount they paid for the replacement. Again, we will be in touch with you regarding these updates between now and March 2018, before your Harmony Link will no longer function.
Logitech said it decided to end support for the Harmony Link "because we would be acting irresponsibly by continuing the service knowing its potential/future vulnerability".
As for why it couldn't just patch the device or extend the license, the company explained that the newer Harmony Hub has around 40 times as many users as the Link, so focusing support and services on the former was a better use of its resources.
Logitech has also responded to suggestions that it had been pressing the mute button on angry customers in its forums by censoring the phrase "class action lawsuit" in complaint threads.
Logitech said the removal was due to a list of auto-blocked keywords in its Community Terms of Service, which doesn't allow solicitation, including legal solicitation. The company has now unblocked the phrase and is in the process of reviewing all of its forbidden forum words and phrases.
As part of its newly updated App Store in iOS 11, Apple is introducing a new "This Weekend Only" feature for the "Today" section, which will see the company offering "new ways to save" with apps.
Apple will introduce an app with a special deal each Thursday, with discounts available through Sunday. To celebrate the launch of the feature, Apple this week is offering exclusive discounts within five apps.
You can find the discounts by opening the App Store on an iOS device and navigating to the "Today" view. It's listed under "Introducing: This Weekend Only." This weeks deals are listed below.
- HotelTonight: With the HotelTonight discount, customers booking a last minute hotel room can receive up to 40 percent off of the original room price.
- Glasses by Warby Parker: With Warby Parker's new app, customers who place an order for glasses or sunglasses this weekend will receive a free geometric case, valued at $15.
- Under Armour: Purchases over $100 made within athletic apparel app Under Armour will be discounted by $20.
- Chipotle: When purchasing an entree at Chipotle, customers can get a free order of chips and queso.
- Shoptiques: Apparel and accessory app Shoptiques is providing 15 percent off all orders over $100.
Apple's new "This Weekend Only" App Store section is just one of the ways the company is using the new design of the App Store to highlight apps. Each day, there's an array of new content available in the Today section of the App Store, which is designed to surface a range of new apps and games.
Over the course of the last week, there have been a growing number of complaints from users who have discovered that the display of the iPhone X becomes unresponsive in the cold.
Users on both reddit and the MacRumors forums have noticed that their iPhones immediately refuse to recognize some touch input when exposed to cool outdoor temperatures. As it turns out, there is a software bug causing the issue, which Apple says will be addressed in an upcoming update. From a statement to The Loop:
"We are aware of instances where the iPhone X screen will become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment. After several seconds the screen will become fully responsive again. This will be addressed in an upcoming software update."
Apple says its iOS devices operate best between temperatures of 0º and 35º C (32º to 95º F), but some of the people who are experiencing issues have seen display problems within these temperature parameters. Reddit user darus214, for example, had his iPhone X act up when it was 45 to 50ºF outside.
I've noticed that my iPhone X screen becomes very unresponsive as soon as I step outside. It literally takes 2 seconds from going inside to the cold outdoors and my screen stops being very responsive. I try swiping on websites and it doesn't register my finger. It's very noticeable. Is anyone else having this problem?
Not all iPhone X users are experiencing problems with the display in cold weather, and those that are see the problem occur as soon as cold exposure happens rather than after a period of time, which does indeed suggest a software issue. Most affected users have said that the problem clears up after a few minutes. From the MacRumors forums:
I have a space gray 256gb iPhone X and I really like the phone, except...
I live in Finland and here is cold (-30-5°C) about 6 to 7 months in a year. Yesterday I noticed that when I'm outside and temperature hits about -1°C (~30°F) my iPhone X's display becomes working incorrectly. Some touches aren't recognized and some are not accurate at all. Problem solves itself after about 3-5 minutes of use, or when I go back indoors.
This is driving me crazy. Anyone else having this kind of problem with the phone?
It's not clear when Apple will fix the cold weather bug, but a fix could come in iOS 11.2, which is currently in beta testing. Apple this morning released iOS 11.1.1, an update that addresses an autocorrect bug that caused "i" to correct to "A[?]" on some devices.
The fourth case review in my iPhone X Review Roundup series focuses on Caseology, X-Doria, and MagBak. If you've missed my previous posts, I'm taking a close look at iPhone X cases from a range of manufacturers. We don't often feature case reviews on MacRumors, but with the launch of the iPhone X and its entirely revamped design, we felt it was worth exploring some of the available case options. My previous reviews are below:
For all of these reviews, I'm looking at the general usability of iPhone X cases. Extreme drop tests and in-depth testing aren't covered because those factors are less important than how a case works on an average day, and it's often fairly easy to tell from design how protective a case is going to be.
Factors like bulk, button accessibility, general protection, grip, thickness, and appearance are what I focused on. All of the cases that are in this review roundup work with wireless charging.
MagBak
MagBak cases are made from a soft, flexible rubber material that's easy to grip, so these cases are easy to take off the iPhone when desired. The case wraps around all of the edges on the iPhone X, and it does make the volume and power buttons somewhat harder to press. I don't like the amount of force needed to press the power button because it's going to make it irritating to activate Siri and confirm purchases.
The case has a lip that comes up over the display of the iPhone to protect it when face down, and for those of you who don't like a lip that makes it harder to swipe up from the bottom of the device, this is not the case for you. The lip definitely makes swiping up that way more difficult, but since you don't need to swipe up from the very bottom (I swipe up at about where the dock is, personally), it's not something that's going to bother all users.
I like the simple, no frills design of the MagBak, and the material the case is made from feels like it's going to be fairly protective should the iPhone X be dropped. This offers middle of the road protection, in my estimation. It's not as thin as some of the other cases I've looked at, but it's also not overly bulky and rugged.
Apple today shared its latest report on diversity and inclusion, detailing its hiring practices over the course of the last year.
According to Apple, from July 2016 to July 2017, half of all new hires were from "historically underrepresented groups in tech," including women, black, Hispanic, Native American, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander.
25% of new hires in 2016/2017 were Asian, 11% Black, 15% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 43% White. As of 2017, Apple employees, including retail and tech, are 68 percent male and 32 percent female. 21% are Asian, 9% are black, 12% are Hispanic, 3% are multiracial, and 54% are white. Apple's tech only and leadership only breakdowns continue to skew more heavily towards white and male, however.
Female representation is "steadily increasing" and is up 5 percent since 2014. 36 percent of Apple employees under 30 are women, and 32 percent overall are women. Apple says that 29 percent of "leaders" at Apple are women, a one percent increase since July of 2016.
Apple says that "meaningful change takes time," but with 130,000 employees, even "small percentage point changes" have the potential to affect thousands of people. A two percent increase in female representation since 2014 equates to 37,000 female hires across the globe.
Further breakdowns of the diversity at Apple are available through Apple's updated Inclusion and Diversity website. Other topics on the site include education, programs for veterans, pay equity, accessibility, LGBTQ advocacy, and supplier programs.
Apple says it's proud of its current accomplishments, but there's "much more work to do." "As we strive to do better, Apple will remain open. As it always has been. And always will be," reads the diversity site.
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.
Apple design chief Jony Ive recently sat down for an interview with design, architecture, and fashion magazine Wallpaper* to discuss Apple Park, Apple's newest campus in Cupertino, California which he had a hand in designing, and the iPhone X, Apple's newest device.
The iPhone X, Ive says, was designed to serve as a vessel for software, with a design that melds into the background. Apple's design team has always aimed to "get design out of the way." "We try to define a solution that seems so inevitable that it does recede," he said. In the future, Ive believes the iPhone X will offer capabilities it doesn't have now because software is always evolving, something he finds intriguing and fascinating.
What I think is remarkable about the iPhone X is that its functionality is so determined by software. And because of the fluid nature of software, this product is going to change and evolve. In 12 months' time, this object will be able to do things that it can't now. I think that is extraordinary. I think we will look back on it and see it as a very significant point in terms of the products we have been developing.
Ive declined to comment on Apple's future product plans, but he said his design group is "absurdly curious and constantly looking for alternatives." Some ideas are "beyond the technology" at the moment, but exist to "galvanise the development of technology." Reflecting on the past, Ive says that looking back on the past 25 years, what Apple has learned is more important and precious than what's been designed.
I always think that there are two products at the end of a programme; there is the physical product or the service, the thing that you have managed to make, and then there is all that you have learned. The power of what you have learned enables you to do the next thing and it enables you to do the next thing better.
Ive is described as "giddily excited" about the new campus and its enormous ring-shaped main building and the potential it has to change the way Apple employees work by bringing them together. Design studios that are currently physically disconnected will be able to come together, so industrial designers can work with font designers, sound designers, motion graphics experts, and so on.
Ive says Apple Park has been designed to be inherently flexible and reconfigurable, with Apple able to "very quickly" create large open spaces or lots of smaller private offices. "The building will change and evolve," says Ive. "I'm sure in 20 years' time we will be designing and developing very different products, and just that alone will drive the campus to evolve and change."
Wallpaper*'s latest cover, designed by Ive
There were rumors suggesting some Apple Park employees were dissatisfied with the open office design at Apple Park, so much so that Apple vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji insisted his team work at a different location, but the Wallpaper* piece mentions several times that office space within the main building is configurable, with teams able to choose individual offices or open spaces.
Apple will, however, maintain its culture of secrecy. "The way that we work is quietly," said Ive. "We are conspicuously different in that and it is an important part of who we are."
Ive's full interview with Wallpaper* is well worth reading and offers further discussion about the Apple Park campus and the attention to detail that went into its design. It also looks further at the various elements of Apple Park, including the Steve Jobs theater, the landscaping, and the configuration of the building.
Google this week 
