Kingston Digital has introduced the DataTraveler Ultimate GT, the world's largest USB flash drive with 2TB of storage space and USB 3.1 Gen 1 speeds.
The DataTraveler Ultimate GT has double the capacity of Kingston's DataTraveler HyperX Predator 1TB flash drive released in 2013.
The flash drive is bulkier than average, but it is still much smaller than a full external SSD. The stick is designed with zinc-alloy metal casing for shock resistance.
DataTraveler Ultimate GT ships in February and will be available in 1TB and 2TB capacities. Pricing was not disclosed, but well above $1,000 is likely.
Kanex has announced it will be introducing a new lineup of Thunderbolt 3 products for the latest MacBook Pro at CES 2017 this week, including a Thunderbolt 3 Travel Dock, Thunderbolt 3 to eSATA 3 and USB 3.0 Adapter, and 1.6-foot and 6.6-foot Thunderbolt 3 cables that share the USB-C connector design.
The compact Travel Dock includes two HDMI ports, a USB-A port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a USB-C port for pass-through charging. The dock supports dual 4K video output simultaneously and each at 60 FPS from both HDMI ports. It has a suggested retail price of $149.95 and will be available in April 2017.
The Thunderbolt 3 to eSATA adapter enables users to connect the new MacBook Pro to an eSATA storage device. The plug-and-play adapter also includes a USB 3.0 port. Both ports are backwards compatible with older USB and eSATA peripherals. The adapter will be available on Kanex's website soon for $129.95.
Kanex's new Thunderbolt 3 cables provide up to 40Gbps throughput, which is enough bandwidth to connect a new MacBook Pro to a single 5K display at 60Hz or dual 4K displays at 60Hz. The cable can be used with up to 6 daisy-chained Thunderbolt 3 devices, and provides up to 100W of charging to notebooks.
The cables are compatible with the new MacBook Pro and most other Thunderbolt 3 devices. It is backward compatible with USB-C devices such as the 12-inch MacBook and Google Pixel. Kanex will be selling the 1.6-foot cable for $29.95 on its website, while the 6.6-foot cable will be available for $69.95.
QardioCore was first introduced at CES 2015 as the world's first wearable ECG/EKG monitor, enabling users to proactively look after their cardiovascular health without the need to wear wires or patches. Instead, the QardioCore is worn as an adjustable chest strap fitting chests between 27.5" and 43" in size.
The medical-grade wearable, pending FDA approval, uses sensors to record clinically accurate continuous ECG, heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and activity data, which can be shared with medical professionals or synced to the free Qardio app or Apple's Health app on iPhone or iPad using Bluetooth 4.0.
ECG monitors sense the tiny electrical charges on the skin arising from the heart muscle's electrophysiological activity. Most ECG monitors are bulky and burdensome, require a complicated fitting in the doctor's office or provide limited information on the user's heart performance. QardioCore, by contrast, is wearable and designed for continuous monitoring anytime and anywhere.
QardioCore's built-in battery, rechargeable via USB-A, delivers a full day of continual use on a single charge. The monitor will be on display at CES this week alongside Qardio's existing products, including the QardioArm smart blood pressure monitor, QardioBase wireless scale and body analyzer, and QardioMD medical dashboard.
QardioCore has an expected shipping date of April 2017 for pre-orders placed now. It comes in white and is IP65-rated splash-resistant. Those interested in learning more can read the QardioCore FAQ for additional information.
After originally launching for PC laptops, Neonode has now announced the launch of its "AirBar" dongle for the 13-inch MacBook Air. AirBar is a magnetically-attached strip that connects to the MacBook via USB-A and allows users to interact with Apple's laptop through gestures and controls that mimic touchscreen-enabled computers.
Users don't have to download or install additional software to use the AirBar -- Neonode said that the device "instantly activates" when plugged into the MacBook. With the company's patented "zForce AIR technology," AirBar emits an invisible array of lights over the MacBook's screen, which senses touch and movement from fingers, gloves, and even paintbrushes. With it, users can gesture in front of the MacBook Air's screen to swipe, scroll, and pinch and zoom.
“We believe the community of devoted MacBook Air users will welcome this new product, as AirBar for MacBook Air will surely enhance the user-experience of an already great product,” said Remo Behdasht, Senior Vice President of AirBar Devices at Neonode. “Our goal for AirBar continues to be expanding its application to more devices, across even more markets.”
Because of the required bezel space below the MacBook screen (17mm specifically) and the need for USB-A, Neonode said that "at this point" AirBar is only being sold for the 13-inch MacBook Air.
AirBar for MacBook Air will come in brushed aluminum and cost $99 on Amazon when it launches sometime in early March. Pre-order notifications can be set up on Neonode's website. Currently, AirBar for 15.6-inch PC laptops costs $69, and the company plans to launch a new 14-inch PC version alongside the MacBook Air-compatible device.
Today at CES Sleep Number announced the technological follow-up to its iPhone-connected "IT" smart bed from last year. The new bed is the Sleep Number 360, a self-adjusting smart bed that can warm your feet, adjust to your snoring and more.
The bed, which uses Sleep Number's SleepIQ technology, has four new signature features. The bed can self-adjust throughout the night, matching the sleep movements of the sleeper. For instance, if someone switches from sleeping on their side to sleeping on their stomach, the bed will adjust comfort in real time. The bed can also sense when a sleeper is snoring and gently adjusts the sleeper so that they're in a position that will lessen snoring.
Snore adjustment is temporary, and the feature only works with mild snoring in otherwise healthy adults, according to Sleep Number. The feature adjusts the bed based on the sleeper's sleeping position. For instance, if the snorer is on their back the bed will raise their head slightly.
The 360 also comes foot-warming technology. Because the bed knows the sleeper's bedtime routine via the SleepIQ app, it can warm up the foot of the bed to be toasty when the sleeper is ready to go to sleep. The company claims that research shows that people fall asleep faster when their feet are warmer than normal.
Finally, the bed has a smart alarm that'll deliver a wake-up call at the optimal moment. Sleepers can set an alarm window via the SleepIQ app, and the bed, within that window, will deliver an alarm when the sleeper is in their lightest sleep.
The SleepIQ app can also connect the bed to external services and products like Fitbits and Nest Thermostats. It can combine this data to let users know how fitness is impacting their sleep habits and when let the sleeper know what temperature is best for them to fall asleep.
The Sleep Number 360 will rollout in phases throughout 2017. Sleep Number did not announce official pricing for the new beds, but said that it would be priced similar to current mattresses. Sleep Number's current mattresses range from $800 to $7,099 for queen sizes.
Linksys today announced a modular Wi-Fi system called "Velop," which boosts internet coverage throughout any style of home thanks to its multi-unit set-up, similar to products like Google Wi-Fi and Eero (via The Verge). Linksys said that Velop can be set up in just minutes and delivers some of the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi in the multi-unit router market.
Like similar products, Velop's advantage lies in its ability to be placed situationally around a home to create a steady blanket of internet coverage with no dead spots, even in oddly shaped houses. The company said that Velop "outperforms traditional routers and range extenders" because it doesn't degrade as users move farther away from the router.
Velop is also a tri-band system, meaning that one of its three Wi-Fi radios is constantly dedicated to communication between each router to ensure there's no speed drop off at any point in the connection. The "100% Wi-Fi mesh network signal" means that users get constant, seamless Wi-Fi with no buffering or lag.
A Velop modular Wi‑Fi mesh system outperforms traditional routers and range extenders giving you 100% seamless Wi‑Fi without lag or buffering. With other Wi‑Fi, the signal degrades as you move farther away from the router, leaving you susceptible to dropped connections. Velop gives you full-strength Wi‑Fi everywhere.
Feel free to video stream while the kids are gaming online. Velop’s Tri-Band technology dynamically changes to ensure and deliver blazing fast, seamless Wi‑Fi to all devices for the ultimate in Wi‑Fi freedom.
A connected Linksys app also makes it easy for users to manage their Wi-Fi from afar, including parental control settings, device prioritization to ensure extra-solid internet for streaming to an Apple TV for example, speed tests, and various other settings. Velop works with Amazon Alexa as well, so users can interact with the router system with their voice.
Velop goes on sale today at a steeper price in comparison to other multi-unit routers: it runs for $499.99 for a 3-pack, $349.99 for a 2-pack, and $199.99 for one Velop router.
Ahead of CES 2017, Synaptics today announced a new multi-factor biometric engine for use in smartphones, tablets, and notebook PCs. The new platform, made in partnership with facial recognition company KeyLemon, incorporates both fingerprint and facial recognition, allowing a mobile device to be unlocked in multiple ways depending on what's most convenient for the user.
The system also provides additional security for financial transactions and the unlocking of other sensitive information, as two modes of authentication can be required.
The Synaptics multi-factor fusion engine combines authentication scores from multiple biometrics to determine verification. This increases overall system security as both fingerprint and facial factors have to meet minimum threshold requirements before authentication. In addition, the fusion engine improves usability as lower individual verification thresholds still result in greater security.
The multi-factor fusion engine features anti-spoof technology, using AI to distinguish between fake and actual fingers. The facial recognition feature in the platform also checks for eye blinking and head movement to prevent spoofing. While Synaptics is focusing on finger and facial recognition at the moment, Synaptics VP of marketing Anthony Gioeli says future iterations will include "additional biometric and security factors."
Synaptics also recently introduced fingerprint sensors capable of scanning a fingerprint through glass, allowing for button-free display designs able to take advantage of fingerprint recognition functionality.
Apple is working on a similar technology for the iPhone 8, but while Synaptics is an Apple supplier, Apple likely has its own proprietary solution in the works.
Mac users running macOS Sierra 10.12.2 are being urged to avoid using Preview to edit PDFs until Apple fixes several bugs in the app that can cause corruption issues in the document format.
The recommendation comes from TidBITS publisher Adam Engst. Writing on the online Apple newsletter website, Engst backs up fellow developer Craig Landrup's claim that Apple's decision to rewrite the PDFKit framework for macOS 10.12 has broken basic functionality that PDF-related developers rely on, such as compatibility with ScanSnap and Doxie scanners.
It pains me to say this, speaking as the co-author of "Take Control of Preview," but I have to recommend that Sierra users avoid using Preview to edit PDF documents until Apple fixes these bugs. If editing a PDF in Preview in unavoidable, be sure to work only on a copy of the file and retain the original in case editing introduces corruption of any sort.
As to why issues have arisen in Apple's native Preview application, Engst quotes approvingly the DEVONthink developer Christian Grunenberg, who characterizes the rewritten version of PDFKit in Sierra as a "work in progress":
Apple wants to use a common foundation for both iOS and macOS. However, it was released way too early, and for the first time (at least in my experience) Apple deprecated several features without caring about compatibility. And to make things worse, lots of former features are now broken or not implemented at all, meaning that we had to add lots of workarounds or implement stuff on our own. And there’s still work left to be done.
10.12.2 introduces new issues (it seems that Apple wants to fix at least the broken compatibility now) and of course fixed almost none of the other issues. It’s not only DEVONthink — a lot of other applications (such as EndNote, Skim, Bookends, and EagleFiler) are also affected.
Apple previously removed functionality in its iWork suite for Mac to conform with iOS, but re-introduced most of the missing features in a later version. Whether Apple plans to do the same with an update to Preview is still unclear. Meanwhile, until Apple fixes the issues with the native Mac app, Engst recommends Smile's PDFpen as an alternative for PDF manipulation of all sorts, with Adobe’s Acrobat DC being a more expensive option.
PC maker Lenovo today announced its first smart speaker with Amazon's voice-activated virtual assistant built in.
Called the Lenovo Smart Assistant, the connected speaker integrates Amazon's Alexa Voice Services and offers the same speech-activated features as the Echo family of devices, but housed in a slightly redesigned unit.
The speaker keeps the same cylindrical profile as Amazon's Echo, but with the microphone portion of the device in a slightly raised position, which Lenovo says offers better ventilation to cool the internal components. Lenovo's unit also has eight far-field microphones versus Echo's seven, with noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation included for picking up voice commands from up to 16 feet away.
The Lenovo Smart Assistant comes in a range of color schemes including green, gray, and orange fabric. The speakers will ship in May for a price of $130 (less than Amazon's Echo at $180). Lenovo is also offering a Harman Kardon edition of the Smart Assistant featuring better sound quality for $180.
Amazon's Alexa Voice Services API is expected to crop up in a number of new third-party products at this year's CES. Microsoft has previously teased third-party devices using its own Cortana virtual assistant technology.
Apple's third-generation Apple Watch is expected to be unveiled in the third quarter of 2017 and will focus on improving battery life and overall performance, according to a new report out of China.
On Tuesday, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) claimed the next iteration of the wearable device will be manufactured by Taiwan-based Quanta, which was also responsible for the production of Apple's first and second-generation smartwatch.
Citing market watchers with knowledge of Quanta's plans, the paper said improving battery life is the manufacturer's "main task", but beside general performance improvements, the device's other hardware would not see much change. Quanta declined to comment on the report, calling it "market speculation".
The claims represent the first tentative indication of Apple's launch timeline for its third-generation Apple Watch, pointing to a possible fall unveiling of the new wearable alongside this year's iPhone 8.
The report also narrows down Apple's rumored ambitions for the third-generation device, with previous reports suggesting it could introduce the first significant design changes for the timepiece, such as more advanced sensors that Apple was not able to include in the first and second-generation models.
Other previous rumors have claimed Apple plans to add cellular connectivity to the next Apple Watch, after battery life concerns prevented the feature from being included in the Series 2 device. Also suggested is a potential switch to micro-LED displays, which are thinner and lighter than current screens and offer improved color gamut and brightness.
Filed patents by Apple show other possibilities for future versions of Apple Watch, including the ability to determine a user's identity through their heart rate and unique cardio rhythms. Future models could also potentially integrate haptic feedback into Apple Watch bands, freeing up internal space for other components and allowing for a thinner body design.
CES 2017 kicks off in Las Vegas this week, and a handful of USB-C displays compatible with the new MacBook Pro will be unveiled at the show. USB-C displays display up to 4K video, transfer data, and charge the new MacBook Pro over a single cable connected between the display and notebook.
Dell today introduced the S2718D Ultrathin Monitor, a 27-inch IPS display which it claims is the "world"s overall thinnest monitor" with HDR10 support for vibrant colors. The display has a glossy finish with Dell's ultra-thin InfinityEdge bezels, but its base is bulkier than average to accommodate for the internal components.
Dell's new S2718D display is indeed very thin (Image: Engadget)
While the display is indeed very thin, its other specs fall short of some existing USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 displays on the market. It is not 4K, for instance, but rather Quad HD with a resolution of 2,560×1,440 for 108 PPI. And while it covers over 99% of the sRGB color gamut, it does not support the wider DCI-P3 color gamut.
The display has a 60Hz refresh rate, peak brightness of 400 nits, 1000:1 contrast ratio, 6ms response time, and 178⁰ wide viewing angle, per Tom's Hardware. It can connect to a new MacBook Pro or 12-inch MacBook over a single cable, but with only 45W of power delivery. There is also one HDMI 2.0 port and an audio line out.
The S2718D Ultrathin Monitor will start at a rather expensive $700 on Dell.com, with U.S. availability expected on March 23.
LG will be showcasing more attractive options at CES this week, including the 32UD99, a new 32-inch IPS display with HDR10 support and 4K Ultra HD resolution of 3,840×2,160 for 137 PPI. In addition to HDR, the 32UD99 covers over 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut for wider and more immersive colors.
The 32UD99 can connect to the new MacBook Pro or 12-inch MacBook over a single cable, but LG did not specify the wattage for pass-through charging. The display also features built-in speakers with "Rich Bass" technology and a "True Color Pro" setting for "color reproduction accuracy unmatched in the industry," according to LG.
While it does not have USB-C input, LG will also be showcasing the 34-inch 21:9 UltraWide Mobile+ Monitor at CES 2017. The new 34UM79M model is "the world's first Chromecast-enabled multimedia monitor," enabling users to stream movies, music, games, and more from mobile devices directly to the monitor.
Also on display in Las Vegas alongside LG's UltraFine 4K and 5K displays will be its new 34-inch 21:9 UltraWide gaming monitor. The 34UC99 model is equipped with AMD's FreeSync technology, 1ms Motion Blur Reduction, Dynamic Action Sync, Black Stabilizer, and other gamer-friendly features. No word yet on USB-C input.
LG did not confirm pricing or availability, but those details should become known once CES gets underway later this week.
Apple today announced an upcoming one-day sale in celebration of Chinese New Year, where the company will provide free Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones in red to all customers who purchase a select Mac or iPhone in various countries around the world.
The sale will kick off on January 6 at 8:00 a.m. local time and will be available in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. A Chinese New Year announcement is available in Malaysia, but the country is not included in the free headphone offer.
To get the free Beats headphones, customers in eligible countries will need to purchase an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac Pro, but the late 2016 MacBook Pro with a Touch Bar is excluded from the sale. Eligible iPhones include the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus.
Although the AirPods have been well-received by a majority of users after the holidays, the largest issue persisting online centers around troublesome battery drain issues with the headphones' bundled-in Charging Case. MacRumorsreported last week about an initial hubbub of concern coming from AirPods wearers and the Charging Case not living up to Apple's 24 hours of standby life. This week more stories have come out about potential fixes for the issue, as well as reports of some users deciding to return or exchange their AirPods because of the Charging Case problem.
Towards the end of last week, one Redditor posted a fix for the AirPods Charging Case battery drain issue, and a few MacRumors forum members corroborated that resetting the AirPods completely and syncing them back up to each iOS device helped return their Charging Case to normal battery life. Unfortunately, the fix isn't universal, and a large portion of affected users still see large percentage drops in the Charging Case on an hourly and daily basis, even after resetting.
The fact that a software reset works for some users has lead to hope that Apple may address the battery drainage issue in the form of a firmware update for the AirPods sometime in the future, but the company hasn't commented on the problem or mentioned whether or not AirPods will be updated through iOS at all. Apple has quietly updated some of its iOS-connected accessories in the past, including the Apple Pencil through iOS 10.1, which users noted as bringing more fluid and responsive drawing tools to the Pencil.
Without the confirmation of a possible software fix, however, there remains the option of exchanging the AirPods at an Apple retail store for another pair, which of course depends on the device's very low stock being available at your local store. In a post on the MacRumors forums, Lihp8270 described their experience with contacting Apple Support about the issue, and having to either return the AirPods and wait six weeks for a replacement, or keep in constant contact with a local Apple retail store and be in line first thing for an exchange.
I did call them. Their solution was to mail it to them, and wait 6 weeks for a replacement. Or I could phone the store myself every day and check to see if they had any new stock in to exchange it, as they couldn't take my details and let me know when an exchange set was available.
My first support chat with the 1st set went to a Senior Advisor, they booked me a Genius Bar appointment. Even though I was talking with the US people from the UK. Exceptionally helpful. But I was passing an Apple store, and since only a few days old. I popped in to see if they had any replacements in stock that I could just switch out rather than waiting another week. They did not, but forwarded me to AppleCare. AppleCare wanted me to mail them their device, and wait 6 weeks with no device, and no money. So I said I'd rather keep hold of them (as they work beyond needing daily charging) until an exchange set was available, or just refund for cash and I'll order more.
So I went back to the store. Asked if they are able to take my details and set any aside and I will exchange my faulty set when they come in. They said no, I'd have to call the store everyday, and ask about stock. Then when they had some, to get in ASAP and swap them before a customer purchased them. No solution they offered was convenient. So I had them refunded.
The same user goes on to describe purchasing a second pair of AirPods, which also began exhibiting the battery drain issues with the Charging Case. Similar stories are growing more common online, as users begin to chart out exactly how much battery the Charging Case is losing in an attempt to see if they can discover a solution. On the bright side, in nearly every case the AirPods themselves have a solid and reliable battery life.
Samsung will announce later this month the results of an investigation into what caused some of its Galaxy Note7 smartphones to catch fire, according to South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.
Samsung launched the Galaxy Note7 in late August and, shortly after, user reports began circulating about devices that exploded or caught on fire while charging. At the time, the company said the underlying issue was "problematic" batteries installed in a very limited number of the smartphones sold.
Rumors suggest Samsung pushed suppliers to meet tighter deadlines for an earlier launch, in order to beat the iPhone 7, leading to critical oversights that led to some batteries catching fire. In October, Samsung said it was examining all aspects of the smartphone, but noted it was not yet able to reproduce the problem.
Samsung faces the challenging task of regaining consumer trust after the Galaxy Note7 safety risks, which led to the smartphone being banned on all U.S. flights. Airlines are required to disclose the Galaxy Note7 ban prior to takeoff on every U.S. flight, inevitably damaging the reputation of Samsung's brand.
Looking forward, the company today announced a trio of new mid-tier Galaxy A smartphones, including the 5.7-inch A7, 5.2-inch A5, and 4.7-inch A3 models. The latest A models feature metal frames and 3D glass backs, improved 16-megapixel cameras, IP68 water and dust resistance, and longer battery life.
Samsung said the refreshed Galaxy A series will be available in Russia in early January, followed by other global markets. Pricing has yet to be announced.
With CES gearing up in a few days, some companies have begun revealing new products ahead of the show, and today TrackR has unveiled new updates to its range of Bluetooth tracking devices that help users keep tabs on where their most precious items are located (via The Verge).
One of the new additions is the TrackR pixel, which the company is introducing as a cheaper and more colorful entry to the aluminum-cased TrackR bravo that is already on sale. Like the bravo, the pixel can be attached to an important personal item -- such as a key ring -- and with a connected iPhone and Android app, users can find anything lost with a GPS locator that shows when they are getting closer or farther away. When TrackR is far out of range, the company's "crowd GPS network" of users will anonymously help in rediscovery of the item in question.
The original TrackR wallet has also been updated to a 2.0 version, making the Bluetooth tracker visually similar to a credit card and the "thinnest item-finder on the market," according to TrackR. Otherwise, the wallet functions the same as the pixel, offering users close-range Bluetooth tracking through a smartphone app, and long-range crowd-sourced discovery. Each TrackR device includes a battery that lasts for about a year, but unlike Tile, users can replace the battery without having to purchase an entirely new tracker.
Lastly, TrackR announced an all-new device, the TrackR atlas, a smart plug that's placed in a wall outlet and maps out a user's entire home to pinpoint the location of any connected TrackR down to a specific room. Support for Amazon Alexa-enabled devices means that users can simply ask their Echo for the location of a lost item without needing to take out their smartphone.
The TrackR pixel will be available for $24.99, the TrackR wallet for $29.99, and the TrackR atlas for $39.99 when they go up for pre-order sometime today. As of writing, only the atlas is available for users to pre-order. All three products are expected to launch sometime in the Spring.
Apple partnered with 15 photographers in a number of countries around the world to capture New Year's Eve festivities with photos taken on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices, according to CNN.
The photos range from Samah El Ali's shot of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge fireworks from The Royal Botanic Gardens in Australia to John Lehmann's shot of festivities in Vancouver on Canada's west coast.
Katja Sherlock captured one of the first photos of the 2017 sign in Times Square after the ball drop in New York, while other photographers captured fireworks and sights in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, India, Austria, Italy, Iceland, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates.
We've covered what we expect to see from Apple in 2017 based on the rumors that are circulating so far in our recent What to Expect post.
On the horizon are a new iPhone 8 with a radically redesigned body and an edge-to-edge display, a revamped iPad Pro also potentially with an edge-to-edge display, long-awaited iMac updates, and new software, but there's always the chance there's a wildcard update or new product in the works that will surprise us all.
A redesigned Apple TV, a new home hub, and augmented reality smart glasses are all products that are rumored to be in the works with no prospective release date. We want to hear from the MacRumors community -- what are you expecting or hoping to see Apple release in 2017?
Are there specific features you're hoping Apple will implement in iOS 11, tvOS 11, watchOS 4, or macOS 10.13? Popular wishlist items from last year included a dark mode for iOS, home screen widgets, and a customizable control center.
Let us know what you want to see in the comments, and make sure to check our our What to Expect post for the latest rumors. Apple's plans for 2017 will likely become more clear in the early months of the year, and as always, we'll be covering all of the rumors in-depth here at MacRumors.
The MacRumors forums are also always a rich resource for talking about upcoming products and rumors, and with the biggest iPhone change in years set to happen in 2017, our forums are the place to be for lively discussions.
We'd also like to thank all of our readers and our forum members for making MacRumors the absolute best source for Mac news and advice on the web. We wouldn't be here without you, and we look forward to another rumor-packed year.
Apple is preparing to begin seeding builds of iOS 10.3 to developers as soon as next month, according to Sonny Dickson, who has occasionally offered accurate information on Apple's plans from supply chain sources and other contacts. Dickson says iOS 10.3 will include a new "Theatre" mode with a "popcorn-shaped" icon in the Control Center, although he does not explain what exactly this mode will entail.
iOS 10.3 to feature a new Theatre mode - will include a new popcorn-shaped Control Center icon.
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) December 30, 2016
iOS 10.3 beta 1 is scheduled to seed on January 10th.
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) December 30, 2016
The most recent significant iOS update was iOS 10.2, which was released to the public earlier this month and included a new TV app and a number of new and updated emoji, among other changes. A new iOS 10.2.1 update is currently in beta testing.
Trend of visits to MacRumors from devices claiming to be running iOS 10.3
We've seen a steady increase in visits to MacRumors from devices claiming to be running iOS 10.3 over past several months with visits now numbering in the hundreds per day, suggesting a developer release could indeed be coming in the near future.
Apple has been rumored to be launching updated iPad models in the March or April timeframe, with the company reportedly developing some new iPad-specific software features such as improved Apple Pencil support to accompany the hardware updates. It's possible iOS 10.3 could be the update that delivers these features, although it may not be apparent in the early stages of developer seeding if the new features are exclusive to unreleased hardware.
Mac users running macOS Sierra 10.12.2 are being urged to avoid using Preview to edit PDFs until Apple fixes several bugs in the app that can cause corruption issues in the document format.
