MacRumors

A new supply chain report today described strong July sales for component suppliers in the iPhone supply chain, hinting at an increase in momentum for production on the 2017 iPhones. Furthermore, sources speaking with DigiTimes have said that all three of the new iPhones -- the "iPhone 8," "iPhone 7s," and "iPhone 7s Plus" -- have now entered volume production.

The supply chain sources mentioned that there "will not be shortages" for the LCD iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, but supply for the OLED iPhone 8 "could fall short of demand," a sentiment we've been hearing for months. One of the major factors cited for this shortage is related to "high expectations" from users, which is expected to keep suppliers operating production lines in high gear and lead to record-breaking monthly and even quarterly sales volumes.

All of the three new iPhone models, including two TFT LCD and one OLED model, have entered volume production, said the sources, adding that there will not be shortages for the two LCD models, but the supply of the OLED version could fall short of demand due to high expectations for the model.

Specifically, main Apple suppliers Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron are believed to hit a sales high in the September-November period, due to shipments of finished iPhones predicted to "start gaining momentum" as soon as this month. In other recent production-related news, we heard about Samsung and its plan to operate seven OLED panel lines at full capacity in August, all of them dedicated to Apple's iPhone 8.

A recent investor note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo mentioned that Apple will begin production verification tests on the iPhone 8 at the end of August, with mass production beginning in mid-September. Kuo further believed that Apple will announce all three iPhones simultaneously in September, as well as launching them for purchase all on the same day. As usual, the OLED iPhone 8 is predicted to be in short supply, and recent reports have suggested shipments between 2 to 4 million units will be available at launch.

Also shared today by Sonny Dickson (via 9to5Mac) are a few alleged images of each new 2017 iPhone. The images focus on the all-glass rear design of the devices, a rumor that's been circulating since the October 2016 for both the iPhone 8 and the LCD iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus. The glass backs of the new iPhones will allow the devices to wirelessly charge when placed on a charging receptacle of some kind, similar to the Apple Watch's inductive charging feature.

The images show the large 5.5-inch iPhone 7s Plus, 4.7-inch iPhone 7s, and in-between 5.8-inch iPhone 8, which has a form factor near the size of the 4.7-inch iPhone and a screen slightly larger than the Plus models. The iPhone 8 will also have a vertically aligned dual lens rear camera to help boost augmented reality features, while the iPhone 7s Plus will retain the horizontal dual lens system of the previous generation.

The HomePod firmware that Apple pushed out to public servers over a week ago continues to reveal tantalizing tidbits of information about unannounced Apple hardware, and this time the plaudits go to iOS developer Guilherme Rambo for discovering lines of code that suggest the upcoming "iPhone 8" will automatically suppress notification sounds when a user is looking at the screen.

Apple's redesigned OLED iPhone is believed to include a front-facing 3D sensor capability, likely powered by acquired PrimeSense technology, that enables Apple's new facial authentication feature.

As a possible extension of biometric authentication, the line of code beginning "TLAttentionAwarenessObserver" implies that the same infrared depth sensors may be used to mute audible notifications when the user is giving the phone their full attention and looking directly at the screen. Previously uncovered code within the HomePod firmware suggests the "iPhone 8" will also be able to scan the user's face even while the device is lying flat on a table.

Of course, there's no guarantee that the sound suppression feature will show up in Apple's upcoming OLED iPhone, due to launch next month, but if it does, it's likely to be user-configurable as an Accessibility consideration. If anything it highlights another potential use case for Apple's face detection feature, which could replace Touch ID fingerprint authentication entirely on future iPhones.

While many observers remain skeptical that Touch ID can be replaced by a facial recognition system that's equally secure, rumors have suggested Apple's facial recognition technique captures more data points than a fingerprint scan, making it even more secure than Touch ID.

(Thanks, Dean!)

Apple's second original television series, "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" premiered tonight and is now available to stream via Apple Music if you have an Apple Music subscription.

The first episode of the series, which is based on the Carpool Karaoke segment made popular by "The Late Late Show With James Corden," stars James Corden himself and Will Smith. The show starts out with Corden and Smith singing "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," with a full marching band joining in at a stop.

The two then move on, discussing the history behind the song, before going on to sing additional Will Smith songs, including the theme song for "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," a TV show Smith starred in from 1990 to 1996.

Produced by James Corden, Ben Winston, and Eric Pankowski, new episodes of "Carpool Karaoke: The Series" will debut on Tuesdays on Apple Music. Each episode will feature a different host and celebrity pairing, with episode length varying each week based on the content.

Participants will include Will Smith and James Corden; Miley, Noah, Billy Ray and the entire Cyrus family; Shakira and Trevor Noah; Game of Thrones stars Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams; Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith; John Legend, Alicia Keys and Taraji P. Henson; LeBron James and James Corden; and more.

"Carpool Karaoke: The Series" is Apple's second original television show designed for Apple Music subscribers. "Planet of the Apps," the company's first television series, came out back in June.

Update: Apple has also uploaded two new trailers for "Carpool Karaoke: The Series," teasing future episodes starring Alicia Keys and John Legend and Billy Eichner and Metallica.

Disney plans to pull all of its movies from Netflix as it prepares to launch its own streaming services, the company said in its latest earnings report (via CNBC.)

Starting in early 2018, Disney will launch an ESPN video streaming service that will feature approximately 10,000 MLB, NHL, MLS, collegiate, and tennis sporting events every year.

Then, in 2019, Disney will launch a Disney-branded direct-to-consumer streaming service that offers Disney content.

It's not clear when Disney plans to remove its content from Netflix, but in 2012, the two companies inked a deal that saw Netflix getting exclusive access to Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Pixar films. Currently, there are dozens of Disney movies available on Netflix, like The Chronicles of Narnia, Moana, Zootopia, Finding Dory, The Jungle Book, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more.

The deal, though initiated in 2012, didn't fully go into effect until 2016, so Netflix has only had access to a wide range of Disney content for under a year.

With its huge range of content, Disney stands to become a major competitor to existing streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, and for Apple, this essentially means that if the company ever does manage to launch a streaming service, it may not be able to include any Disney content.

Apple's upcoming 2017 iPhones, including the "iPhone 8," the iPhone 7s, and the iPhone 7s Plus, will be available in just three colors -- black, silver, and gold -- according to a new investor note shared today by respectable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo previously said the iPhone 8 would be available in a limited number of colors, but made no mention of its two companion devices. His three color list seemingly matches up with an iPhone 8 dummy model leak that we saw earlier this week, but one of the dummy model shades displayed was more of a copper than a gold, so it's not clear if it's an accurate depiction of the colors we can expect.

If Apple does plan on introducing the iPhone in just three hues this year, we won't be seeing rose gold or the multiple shades of black that were available in the iPhone 7.

According to Kuo, all three iPhone models expected in 2017 will also support fast charging, but he warns that consumers may need to purchase a Type-C power adapter to enable faster charging. The current iPad Pro has a similar feature -- it uses the MacBook's $49 29W USB-C power adapter for fast charging.

Kuo now believes Apple will begin production verification tests on the iPhone 8 in late August, leading to mass production in mid-September, which is earlier than Kuo's previous estimates that suggested mass production might not begin until the middle of October.

With mass production starting earlier, Kuo expects Apple will announce all three iPhone models simultaneously in September, with plans to launch them all on the same date. The OLED version will be in short supply, though, with Kuo forecasting shipments of 2-4 million units in the third quarter.

The OLED version will be in short supply as we forecast shipments in 3Q17 will be 2-4mn units or less. We do not think production of the OLED iPhone will pick up substantially before 4Q17; and given strong demand, tight supply may persist until 1Q18 before improving much.

Though a September launch is expected, supplies of the iPhone 8 may be constrained until the first quarter of 2018 due to an expected high demand. Still, Kuo's latest prediction is a rosier outlook than we've seen in the past, as some former rumors suggested Apple could potentially announce the iPhone 8 and then delay its launch until October or November.

Apple today seeded the fourth public beta of an upcoming macOS High Sierra update to public beta testers, two weeks after releasing the third public beta. The fourth public beta of macOS High Sierra is likely identical to the fifth developer beta, which was provided to developers earlier this week.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program are able to download the fourth macOS High Sierra beta through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store after the proper profile has been installed.

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. For instructions on how to install the public beta, check out our how to, and make sure to make a backup before giving the software a try. Don't install the beta on a main machine, because betas are notoriously unstable.

The macOS High Sierra update is designed to improve and refine the existing macOS Sierra operating system. Along with a new, more efficient file system (APFS) designed for modern storage, the update introduces Metal 2, the next-generation version of Apple's Metal graphics API with support for machine learning, external GPUs, and VR content creation.

High Efficiency Video Encoding (HEVC aka H.265) is coming in High Sierra, and many existing apps are being updated. Photos features a new persistent side view and editing tools for Curves, Selective Color, and Live Photos, for example, while Siri gains a more natural voice and support for more music-related commands.

Safari offers a new autoplay blocking feature for videos and Intelligent Tracking Prevention to protect your privacy, and Mail storage is being optimized to take up 35 percent less space. iMessages can now be stored in iCloud, plus there are new iCloud Drive file sharing options and new iCloud storage family plans.

For a full overview of the new features you can expect to see when macOS High Sierra is released in the fall, make sure to check out our macOS High Sierra roundup.

Apple today released the fourth public beta of iOS 11 to its public beta testing group, allowing non-developers to download and test the new operating system ahead of its fall launch. The fourth public beta of iOS 11 comes two weeks after Apple released the third public beta and it corresponds to the fifth developer beta that was released earlier this week.

Beta testers that have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the new iOS 11 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.

Those who want to join the beta testing program can sign up on Apple's beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas. Step-by-step instructions for downloading installing the public beta can be found in our how to. Betas should only be installed on a secondary device because the software is not stable and includes many bugs that have yet to be resolved.

Today's update, if it matches up with the fifth developer beta, removes the iCloud Messages feature, introduces new icons for Camera and Settings, features a new Control Center Music widget that makes it easier to send music to AirPlay devices, speakers, and headphones, and more.

iOS 11 introduces some fairly significant changes to the operating system, including a new Lock screen experience and a customizable, redesigned Control Center. Siri is smarter, has a more natural voice, and can do more, Messages features person-to-person Apple Pay, Notes has searchable handwriting and document scanning, and Music lets you share playlists with your friends for the first time.

A new Files app introduces better file management on iOS devices, and on the iPad, there's a new Dock, an App Switcher, and support for Drag and Drop, all of which improves multitasking on the device. A revamped App Store is coming in iOS 11, photos and videos take up less space, iMessages can be stored in iCloud, and developers are getting new tools like ARKit for creating impressive new augmented reality apps and games.

For complete details on all of the features included in iOS 11, make sure to check out our iOS 11 roundup. Apple plans to release iOS 11 to the public in the fall following several more weeks of testing and refinement.

Apple shares are currently trading for between $161 and $162, eclipsing the $160 mark for the first time ever and setting a new all-time intraday high. The nearly 2 percent rise in Apple's stock price gives the company a market valuation of around $835 billion on its path to becoming a trillion dollar company.

Apple's previous all-time high in intraday trading was $159.75, set after its third quarter earnings results beat expectations. Apple's record close is $157.14, which could be topped today after less than one week. Conversely, Apple's 52-week low is $102.53, set September 12, 2016, five days after its iPhone 7 event.

With focus shifting to the so-called iPhone 8 upgrade supercycle expected later this year, AAPL price targets range between $140 and $208.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith today shared the spoils of his latest hacking efforts by tweeting screenshots of Apple's tvOS Simulator running in 4K – the screen resolution said to be supported in a rumored fifth-generation Apple TV.

tvOS is officially made to run in the standard 1920x1080 HD resolution, but what Troughton-Smith's hack shows is that the Apple TV operating system is perfectly suited to running at double the pixel density (3840x2160), commonly referred to as 4K resolution, thanks to user interface assets like text and icons that are made to scale cleanly given the same aspect ratio.

The simple scale doubling is reminiscent of the 2x iOS asset resolution requirement that Apple introduced back in 2010 with the arrival of Retina displays, and comes at a time when Apple is rumored to be readying a new, fifth-generation Apple TV capable of streaming 4K video.

Just last weekend iOS developer Guilherme Rambo discovered a reference to a 4K HDR display mode in the HomePod's firmware, which has proved a trove of hints related to Apple's upcoming hardware releases. MacRumors subsequently discovered the string J105a in the HomePod firmware, consistent with the fifth-generation Apple TV's internal codename first revealed by Bloomberg in February. Additional strings unearthed in the code also suggest a forthcoming Apple TV could support both the Dolby Vision and HDR10 color formats for high-dynamic range video.

Adding further fuel to rumors of an imminent 4K-capable Apple TV, Apple recently listed selected movies as 4K and HDR in iTunes purchase history. While the content is still only playable in standard definition or HD, the change suggests Apple is preparing to offer the higher definition formats for a new TV box.

The launch date is unclear for a possible new Apple TV, which has been rumored since December 2015, but given the recent uptick in references to 4K resolution by Apple, it's not unreasonable to suggest the company could be readying a release for the new TV box before the end of the year.