Puzzle game Zip-Zap has been named Apple's App of the Week, and as a result, it is available to download for free for the next seven days. Zip-Zap is normally priced at $1.99 and this is the first time it's been free since its September 2016 launch.
Zip-Zap is a puzzle game that asks users to solve puzzles using Rube Goldberg-style hinges and levers that are put into place via well-timed taps. There are more than 100 levels to complete, and the game has no ads or in-app purchases.
Zip-Zap will be available for free until next Thursday, when a new App of the Week will be chosen. It can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming tvOS 10.2.1 update to developers for testing purposes, one and a half weeks after seeding the fourth 10.2.1 beta and more than one month after releasing tvOS 10.2, an update that included improved scrolling and iPad support for the Apple TV Remote app.
The tvOS 10.2.1 beta is designed for the fourth-generation Apple TV. It can be downloaded by connecting the Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software from a registered developer account using iTunes.
Because of the installation requirements, tvOS betas are limited to developers. tvOS 10.2.1 will not be available to the public until the final version of the software launches.
Apple does not typically provide detailed beta release notes, so we don't yet know what's included in tvOS 10.2.1. It's likely to focus primarily on bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements, but we may not know what's new until the software sees an official release.
No notable changes were found in the first four tvOS 10.2.1 betas, but should anything new popup in the fifth beta, we'll update this post.
GE today announced that its connected LED light bulbs C-Life and C-Sleep will gain Apple HomeKit compatibility this summer.
A new C-Reach hub with HomeKit support will allow homeowners to turn on and off their "C by GE" lights, dim them, and control bulbs individually or in groups by rooms with Siri voice commands. The lights also should be able to be controlled with the Home app on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch running iOS 10 or later.
GE said the C-Reach hub will sell for less than $50 and will be available at a discount when bundled with some lights, according to The Verge.
GE describes the C-Life as an "everyday" light bulb that provides "optimal daytime light," while the C-Sleep light bulb is supposedly "warm and calm at night" and "crisp and vibrant in the morning." A starter pack with two C-Life and two C-Sleep light bulbs is available for $74.99 plus shipping in the United States.
Epix has updated its iOS app with a new feature called "Epix Cast," which allows users to beam videos from the service's mobile app to compatible smart TVs and streaming boxes, even if the receiving device doesn't have an Epix app. Notably, Epix Cast allows iOS and Android smartphones to be used normally during a casting, and videos will continue playing "even if the device turns off."
To use the feature, Epix viewers simply have to find a movie to watch in the app, choose the "Tap to TV" button, and select from a list of nearby streaming devices that are connected to their Wi-Fi network to instantly play the selected movie on a bigger screen. When a video is playing the Epix mobile app can act as a remote, a browser to queue up the next movie, and a social feed to discuss the movie with fellow fans.
Epix Cast also allows users to seamlessly switch between multiple TVs and devices without having to start a movie over again. In an interview with TechCrunch, Epix chief digital officer Jon Dakss detailed the technology behind the feature, which goes beyond simply mirroring video playing on an iPhone and performs searches online in order to discover "the highest quality version that will work on your TV."
A pioneer in cross-platform viewing, EPIX is again advancing the “TV Everywhere” experience by making it easier for all audiences to enjoy its content on connected TV devices with the touch of a finger on their smart phones. Premium entertainment network EPIX today announced that it has launched EPIX Cast, a new feature that allows users to cast EPIX content from their Apple and Android devices to any connected TV device without the need for additional hardware.
“From the very beginning of the creation of EPIX, our network has been focused on reaching consumers wherever they are, whenever they want and with an experience that is unrivaled in the market today,” said Mark Greenberg, EPIX CEO. “With this new feature, we’re once again leading the charge on advancing the consumer viewing experience”.
Epix Cast has launched thanks to help from start-up Vizbee, which created the "Vizbee Device Network" to seamlessly connect all video devices in a household and now fuels the new casting feature on Epix.
Compatible streaming devices and smart TVs include: Google Chromecast, Sony Blu-ray Disc Players, LG webOS TVs, Sony Android TVs, Sony Opera TVs, Vizio TVs, and unspecified "other Smart TVs." Down the line, Epix said Samsung Tizen TVs, LG NetCast TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and TiVo support will be added.
Epix launched an Apple TV app in February, but incoming support for Epix Cast on Apple's set-top box was not confirmed. Like any use of Epix, users will have to sign in with an existing cable provider that includes the entertainment channel in its package listing. When asked whether the company would launch a standalone subscription model in a similar vein to HBO Now, Dakss neither confirmed nor denied such a move, saying, "It’s an area that we continue to explore and look at."
Epix can be downloaded from the iOS App Store for free [Direct Link], and this week's update also includes enhancements to the personalization and communication features of the app.
The worldwide tablet market declined for a tenth straight quarter on a year-over-year basis last quarter, according to IDC. The market research firm estimates tablet shipments totaled only 36.2 million in the first quarter, the fewest since the third quarter of 2012, establishing a nearly five year low.
While the iPad remains the world's most popular tablet, it hasn't escaped the decline. Earlier this week, Apple reported that it sold 8.9 million iPads in the quarter, down from 10.2 million iPads in the year-ago quarter, marking the 13th consecutive quarter that it has sold fewer iPads on a year-over-year unit basis.
"Apple's results show that it is not immune to the changing dynamics of industry and consumer demand, part of which is due to the ongoing success of its other product lines," said IDC in a press release today.
Despite costlier iPad Pro models driving up prices, which helped Apple end a nine-quarter slide in iPad revenue less than a year ago, the company's tablet revenue has turned to the negative again. Apple reported earnings of $3.8 billion from iPads last quarter, down from $4.4 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Following tremendous growth in the tablet market in the first three years after the original iPad launched in 2010, IDC believes that consumers have become less eager to upgrade their tablets, more dependant on smartphones, and increasingly disinterested in purchasing tablets altogether.
"The rate at which the tablet market grew from 2010 to 2013 was unlike many other consumer-oriented device markets we've seen before," said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC. "However, it appears for many reasons consumers became less eager to refresh these devices, or in some instances purchase them at all. We continue to believe the leading driver for this was the increased dependency on smartphones, along with rather minimal technology and form factor progression."
Apple recorded an estimated 24.5 percent share of the worldwide tablet market in the first quarter, meaning that nearly one in every four tablets sold during the first three months of the year was an iPad. Samsung trailed in second with an estimated 6 million shipments for 16.5 percent market share.
Chinese company Huawei was the only tablet maker to experience growth in the quarter, shipping an estimated 2.7 million tablets, up 31.7 percent from a year ago. Amazon and Lenovo rounded off the top five vendors with an estimated 2.2 million and 2.1 million tablet shipments respectively in the quarter.
Beyond the iPad sales numbers, which are official, it's important to acknowledge that these are estimated figures, and shipments within distribution channels do not necessarily reflect sales to customers.
Snapchat is gearing up to launch a slate of original television shows, using the social network's unique, short-lived media hook as a means to create content that lasts between 3-5 minutes long. Snapchat has signed original show deals with a collection of companies over the past few months, including NBCUniversal, Turner, A+E Networks, Discovery, BBC, ABC, ESPN, Vice Media, Vertical Networks, NFL, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
In a report by The Wall Street Journal today, sources familiar with Snapchat's plans stated that the company is also discussing deals with CBS and Fox, and is ready to close a deal with Scripps Networks Interactive, which owns Food Network and HGTV. This latter deal is said to result in "offshoots" of current TV shows including House Hunters and Chopped for Snapchat.
Snapchat's current goal is to have between 2 and 3 new episodes of original TV shows debuting every day by the end of 2017. The shows will be housed in the Stories tab of Snapchat, somewhere among the content users see from their friends and the existing media-created news posts.
As Snapchat has held meetings with its TV partners, the company is said to have given "extensive and detailed notes" in an effort to launch a unified slate of shows. Some versions of Snapchat's TV initiatives have already launched, including an interactive audition experience themed after The Voice, but the company is said to now be "looking for scripted dramas, daily news shows, horror, documentaries, animated shows, and more."
While media companies have had various disagreements with YouTube and Facebook, TV companies are flocking to create original shows for Snapchat. That is in part because Snap executives including Mr. Bell, a former News Corp. executive, embrace certain old media values like scarcity and promoting a select group of premium content above user-generated fare.
Mr. Bell says he wants to help grow TV audiences by exposing Snapchat's young user base to their brands. "I don't want to be a TV killer," Mr. Bell says.
To this extent, Snapchat might change some fundamental aspects of the social network in order to encourage binging and catching up with its shows, instead of sticking to its ephemeral content strategy which removed some past shows from the service after 48 hours. For the new slate of TV shows, it's still unclear when exactly Snapchat plans to begin the launch, but users can at least expect them to begin debuting by the end of the year.
Many social networks are looking to add original television content to their services, with Twitter just this week detailing its strategy for launching a 24/7 live streaming news network through a partnership with Bloomberg and various other companies. While Facebook hasn't yet launched original video content of its own, it is building a social network that is more than ready to do so in the future, with multiple updates and app debuts centered around improving and prioritizing video-related content.
Construction barricades have recently begun disappearing around Apple's first retail location in Singapore, revealing a large mural and 12 smaller pieces of artwork that showcase the Apple logo, a heart, and a little red dot, referencing Apple's love for Singapore.
Inside each of the little red dots Apple has personalized the barricades further, changing the artwork to represent illustrator Kristal Melson, photographer Aik Beng Chia, app developer Hon Cheng Muh, and more creatives.
The company has also listed quotes under each Apple Loves Singapore sign, with Muh's reading: "It's crazy that what I'm doing now did not exist 10 years ago. It took a lot of patience getting past the steep learning curve. But change is possible when there's passion."
According to The Straits Times, these 12 pieces of art represent 12 Creative Pros -- or "Red Dot Heroes" -- hired by Apple who will work at the store to be the "liberal arts equivalent of Apple technical geniuses." The workers will be part of Apple's just-announced Today at Apple retail initiative, which is expanding worldwide this month.
The Apple retail store will be located on Orchard Road, an entertainment and shopping hub of Singapore, and officially be known as Apple Orchard Road. The location has been talked about sincethe fall of 2015, but Apple never gave a clear timetable for the store's opening once it missed its original late 2016 debut.
It remains unclear exactly when Apple Orchard Road will open, but progress on the store appears to be nearing completion. The retail location will be run on 100 percent renewable energy, as does all of Apple's operations and facilities within Singapore.
Last week we reported that Apple had emailed all iTunes Affiliate Program members to inform them that its commission rate for all apps and in-app content would be reduced to 2.5 percent on May 1, down from 7 percent, globally.
The news came as a blow to app review and discovery websites like AppShopper and TouchArcade that depend on the commissions to generate revenue.
However, this morning MacGamerHQ posted an email communication from iTunes Affiliate Support that casts doubt on Apple's original announcement.
The message above was received in response to a query about whether Mac apps would be impacted by the commission changes. As shown, the email states that iOS and Mac app commissions remain at 7 percent, while only in-app commissions will fall to 2.5 percent.
If the affiliate team's information is accurate, then the change in commissions does not apply to individual app purchases, as Apple originally stated.
MacGamerHQ notes that several affected site owners and bloggers are still seeing 7 percent commissions come through for iTunes affiliate links, despite the fact that the changes were meant to come into effect on Monday. We'll make sure to update this post if/when Apple clarifies the situation.
Update 5/8: Apple has confirmed in a note on its Affiliate Resources website that the commission rate change only applies to in-app purchases (2.5 percent, down from 7 percent). All other rates remain unchanged.
Long-time Apple chip supplier Imagination Technologies has started a "dispute resolution procedure" with Apple after failing to resolve a disagreement over licensing between the two companies (via Reuters).
Last month, Apple informed the British chipmaker that it plans to cease using its graphics technology in consumer devices over the next two years as it transitions to using its own in-house chips for products including iPhones and iPads.
The news came as a major blow to Imagination, which receives a small royalty on every device sold, amounting to up to half of its revenue. The company's shares fell by 70 percent on the day and have barely recovered.
Imagination stated in April that it doubted Apple could go it alone without violating Imagination' patents, intellectual property and confidential information. On Thursday it said it had been unable to make satisfactory progress with Apple on an alternative commercial arrangements for the current license and royalty agreement.
"Imagination has been unable to make satisfactory progress with Apple to date regarding alternative commercial arrangements for the current licence and royalty agreement," it said.
"Imagination has therefore commenced the dispute resolution procedure under the licence agreement with a view to reaching an agreement through a more structured process. Imagination has reserved all its rights in respect of Apple's unauthorised use of Imagination's confidential information and Imagination’s intellectual property rights."
Analysts have predicted that Imagination will become loss-making by 2019 without any Apple royalties to fall back on, and that the firm will have to work out a cost-cutting strategy if it is to survive.
The company has revealed it is selling MIPS and Ensigma – two of its three major businesses – in an attempt to shore up cash, allowing for a renewed focus on its PowerVR graphics technology.
"While the Group has continued to invest in its MIPS and Ensigma businesses, it has now decided to actively market these businesses for sale, concentrate its resources on PowerVR and strengthen Imagination's balance sheet," it said.
Apple updated its website on Wednesday with U.S. job creation numbers from 2016, revealing that the company has generated a total of 2 million jobs across all 50 states.
Last year saw Apple spend more than $50 billion with 9,000 U.S. suppliers and manufacturers, and create around 90,000 supplier and manufacturer jobs, bringing the total number to 450,000 jobs, up from 361,000 in 2015. Meanwhile the number of people directly employed by Apple rose to 80,000, up from 76,000 in the previous year.
Across the U.S., 29 cities are home to at least 250 Apple employees, while 44 states have an Apple Store. Apple says it has seen a 28x increase in employment outside of California since 2000, with a 1,500 percent growth in U.S. employees as a whole since 1998.
Software-wise, Apple states that 1,530,000 U.S. jobs could be linked to the App Store ecosystem, an increase of 130,000 from 2015. U.S. developers were said to have earned $16 billion from sales since the App Store was launched in 2008.
The dedicated web page also provides a state-by-state breakdown of the above figures and highlights some of Apple's major U.S. investments, including its Cupertino headquarters, data centers in North Carolina, Oregon, and Reno, and campuses in Arizona and Texas.
The website changes come on the same day CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple is creating a new $1 billion fund for advanced manufacturing, in a further effort to promote U.S. job creation.
Apple today announced that its App Analytics platform in iTunes Connect now provides developers with insight into where customers discover apps, a welcome change that will give developers more information on where app referrals are coming from.
Developers will be able to see if customers are finding apps from App Store browsing and search, from within other apps, or from web referrals.
App Analytics in iTunes Connect now provides insight on where customers discover your app, including App Store browsing and search, within other apps, or on the web. With key metrics based on source types, you can see your top referring apps and websites, making it easier to optimize your marketing campaigns.
Apple first debuted its app analytics platform in May of 2015, giving developers a detailed look at app usage statistics to enable them to create more effective advertising campaigns.
Apple CEO Tim Cook sat down with Mad Money host Jim Cramer this evening, where he discussed Apple's recent earnings results and delved into topics like an upcoming investment fund, the company's plans for television, the iPhone's impact on consumers, and Apple's overall impact on the world.
During the show, Cook said Apple plans to create an advanced manufacturing fund with a $1 billion investment. Apple's first investment, which is already in the works, will be announced later in May.
By doing that, we can be the ripple in the pond. Because if we can create many manufacturing jobs around, those manufacturing jobs create more jobs around them because you have a service industry that builds up around them.
Cook went on to say that Apple is always looking at new ways to create jobs in the United States, and said the company will "bring things to market" in regard to growing its employee, developer, and manufacturing base. Cook also highlighted the $50 billion Apple spent purchasing from U.S manufacturers over the last year, including sourcing materials from 3M (adhesive) and Corning (iPhone and iPad glass).
Job creation and investment in the developer community was also a focus, and Cook said we can expect to hear more during the summer. When asked specifically if Cook would put money behind empowering the next generation of developers, he said "We would. We will."
On products, some of Cook's most interesting comments covered Apple's services category, which includes the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iTunes, and iCloud, and its future. Apple plans to double its services category by 2020 with both existing and new services, and Cook said Apple is pursuing opportunities related to television and original programming.
On video in particular, what we see is that the video world has kind of hit an air pocket and where cord cutting has been happening on some kind of basis, we think it's accelerating massively and it's clear what the end story looks like here.
The trajectory is a debate, but we'd like to play in this. Because we do think the best experience for a customer is to view things when they want, the way they want, and have many additional information around what they're watching. Not just the linear TV feed. So yeah, we're working on some original content now, we're learning, and we'll see where this takes us.
On the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Cook agreed when Cramer suggested the iPhone was the greatest consumer technology product. "I think the iPhone is the best consumer product ever," he said. "That's what I feel about it. And it's become so integrated, so integral to our lives that you wouldn't think about leaving home without it."
Cook was asked if there's something coming our way that's totally unexpected and will "knock us out," and he of course demurred on an answer, but shared some hints on Apple's areas of interest, including artificial intelligence and augmented reality. "We always are working on an incredible number of things," he said.
I think AI is huge. We use AI in so much of what we do today, but we're going to be able to use it even more in the future because the processing and GPUs are getting so incredible, their capabilities so incredible... so we're going to be able to do a lot more. I don't want to get into details, but there's a lot more there.
AR, I've said in the past, this is something we're really excited about.
Cook covered a much wider range of topics during the interview with Cramer, including reiterating some of the comments he made during yesterday's earnings call about iPhone rumors impacting iPhone 7 and 7 Plus sales, especially in China. Other topics of discussion covered iPhone retention rate, stock valuation, Apple's focus on users, tax reform, the U.S. government, and more.
Excerpts from the interview are available on the CNBC website, here and here.
Apple reported its second quarter earnings results on Tuesday, highlighted by revenue of $52.9 billion and 50.8 million iPhones sold. Apple said the results met or exceeded its own targets and guidance, but some of the numbers fell slightly short of what most financial analysts were expecting.
Nevertheless, the majority of analysts remain bullish on Apple's stock price heading into the second half of the year. MacRumors obtained research notes distributed today by over a dozen analysts, and we've compiled their updated AAPL price estimates and guidance for Apple's current third quarter below.
Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley is one of several analysts anticipating an "iPhone supercycle" based on high expectations for the "iPhone 8" and a growing base of previous-generation iPhone owners:
We continue to believe that a combination of a growing base of aged iPhones and exciting new technology, including OLED displays, 3D sensors and wireless/fast charging will drive an iPhone supercycle that is still underappreciated by the market.
Rod Hall of JPMorgan rather surprisingly believes there is a "high likelihood" that the iPhone 8 will be announced or at least previewed at WWDC in June, marking the start of "iPhone mania," rather than in September as usual:
We believe there is a high likelihood that the company plans to announce or at least preview the upcoming new iPhone at WWDC which starts on June 5. Given this we would expect a weaker than normal Summer for Apple as consumers await a major product upgrade. […] Given that our numbers remain well above consensus forecasts we would advise investors to continue to stock up on AAPL before iPhone mania kicks off in earnest in early June.
Apple introduced the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 at WWDC, but it broke that trend when it unveiled the iPhone 4s in October 2011, and each new iPhone since has been announced in September. A fall launch positions the iPhone well for the ensuing holiday shopping season.
Apple previewing the iPhone 8 at WWDC is certainly possible, but it doesn't make sense for a few reasons. For one, the smartphone is widely rumored to be facing mass production challenges that could push its wider availability into at least October or November, a whole four to five months after June.
Second, Apple pre-announcing a new iPhone in June would likely hurt its sales during its summer quarter, as some customers might choose to wait until the latest and greatest model is available. Rumors about a new iPhone are one thing, but Apple confirming a new model would be much more influential.
During the company's post-earnings conference call yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook surprisingly acknowledged a recent "pause" in iPhone purchases that he believes is due to earlier and more frequent reports about future iPhones.
Indeed, analysts have been looking toward the future, with all eyes set on the iPhone 8. "One more quarter before show time," wrote Steven Milunovich of UBS. "Hit snooze for 90 days," echoed Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets. "Now we wait," said Benjamin Schachter of Macquarie Research.
Update: This article's headline has been updated with the now-known iPhone X name for Apple's high-end smartphone for clarity.
The legal battle between Qualcomm and Apple is heating up, with Qualcomm planning to seek an import ban that would prevent iPhones from being able to enter the United States, reports Bloomberg. Qualcomm is reportedly "incensed" over Apple's decision to stop paying licensing fees during the dispute and is aiming to retaliate.
Qualcomm is preparing to ask the International Trade Commission to stop the iPhone, which is built in Asia, from entering the country, threatening to block Apple's iconic product from the American market in advance of its anticipated new model this fall, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
Qualcomm and Apple have been facing off in an ongoing legal dispute since January that started when the FTC complained that Qualcomm had engaged in anticompetitive patent licensing practices. Shortly after the FTC complaint, Apple sued Qualcomm, accusing the company of charging unfair royalties for "technologies they have nothing to do with" and refusing to pay quarterly rebates.
In April, Qualcomm countersued, accusing Apple of breaching licensing agreements, making false statements, and encouraging regulatory attacks against Qualcomm's business in multiple countries. Qualcomm claims Apple "could not have built the incredible iPhone franchise" without relying on Qualcomm's "fundamental cellular technologies."
The lawsuit heated up in late April when Apple stopped making royalty payments to Qualcomm and confirmed it would not continue payments until a court figured out the total amount that was owed. Apple CEO Tim Cook yesterday reiterated that Apple could not pay the fees without the court deciding what amount should be paid due to Qualcomm's refusal to license its patents under FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) terms.
In terms of why we're withholding payments, you can't pay something when there's a dispute about how much is needed to be paid. There hasn't been a meeting of the minds there. At this point, we need the courts to decide that. [...]
The reason we are pursuing this is that Qualcomm is trying to charge Apple a percentage of the total of the iPhone value, but their modems/patented technologies are one small part of the iPhone. We don't think that's right, so we're taking a principle stand on it. We strongly believe we're in the right, as they probably think they are.
The United States International Trade Commission could potentially put a stop to iPhone shipments to the United States should the ITC side with Qualcomm. ITC cases are processed more quickly than cases in the federal courts, where this lawsuit will likely be drawn out for years to come.
Apple today updated its Clips social video creation app for the first time, introducing some minor feature tweaks and improvements.
When using Live Titles, which is designed to allow users to add captions to videos via voice transcription, there's now an option to edit the title by tapping on it.
Clips has also gained a new feature that makes it easier to share content with people who have multiple messaging addresses, suggesting the most frequently used address from the list. A full list of changes is below:
What's New - Tap on Live Title text while playing or paused to edit it - When sharing to a contact with multiple messaging addresses, Clips suggests the address used most frequently - Improved stability and reliability when recording video clips and sharing videos that contain certain posters
Introduced back in early April, Clips is an app that aims to make it easy to create short videos that can be shared via Messages and social networking apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Clips lets users combine several video clips and photos with voice-based titles, music filters, and graphics to create enhanced videos that are up to an hour in length.
Clips can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced one year ago in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 29 includes fixes and improvements for JavaScript, CSS, Rendering, Web Inspector, WebCrypto, Accessibility, Media, and more.
Apple's aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
Homebuilding company Brookfield Residential today announced plans to offer Apple HomeKit as standard in new communities where it builds homes.
The Delano neighborhood in the Eastwood Village of Irvine, California will be the first to feature all connected homes that are able to interface with HomeKit and will be equipped with HomeKit-compatible accessories like lights, thermostats, locks, and more.
"In our new neighborhoods, the future comes standard: As with other consumer innovations such as keyless autos, what is novel today will soon be pervasive," said Foley. "And Apple Home is the most innovative yet easy-to-use system for smart homes, giving homebuyers connected living at their fingertips - or at the command of their voices, using Siri. This makes their appliances work for them, providing joy, ease, security and privacy."
Specific HomeKit accessories that will come standard in all homes include Lutron Caseta lighting, the Honeywell Lyric T6 Smart WiFi Thermostat, Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolts, and Ubiquiti Wireless Access Points for "peak WiFi performance throughout the home."
Along with new homes in Irvine, Brookfield also has plans to build HomeKit-compatible homes in many other areas of Southern California including Playa Vista, Chula Vista, San Marcos, Azusa, and Ontario Ranch.
There are multiple homebuilding companies that have announced plans to support Apple's HomeKit platform, including KB Home, Lennar, Weberhaus in Germany, and R&F properties in China.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will appear on CNBC's Mad Money this evening, where he will speak with host Jim Cramer. According to a tweet from the Mad Money Twitter account, Cook will talk about the future of Apple, China, iPhone sales, and more while on the show.
Cook has made an interview with Jim Cramer an annual affair, having appeared on the show in March of 2015 and May of 2016. Last year, Cook spoke about Apple's revenue decline, acquisitions, the company's future plans, and China.
Mad Money will air at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time or 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Apple today 
Apple today 
