Apple's new BeatsX wireless earphones remain listed as "coming this Fall" on its website in the United States, despite just nine days remaining before the first official day of winter in the northern half of the world.
Now, we have reason to believe Apple may miss this target. In an email to a customer this weekend, authorized reseller B&H Photo Video said Apple has informed them shipping will not begin for at least 2-3 months.
This email is being sent in regards to your order for 1 of the Beats by Dr. Dre BeatsX In-Ear Headphones (Black).
We regret to inform you that the manufacturer has informed us that they still do not know when they will begin shipping this item but they do know that it will take at least 2-3 months. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this delay has caused you.
If the timeline holds true, BeatsX shipments would not begin until around February or March. Apple could still release BeatsX earphones on its website ahead of time, before providing shipments to B&H Photo Video, but a 2-3 month gap before third-party sales begin would be unusual for an Apple product.
Apple announced the BeatsX at its iPhone 7 event in September alongside its AirPods, which were also delayed beyond their planned late October launch and have yet to become available. Apple pundit John Gruber cited manufacturing issues at scale with AirPods, so perhaps Apple is facing similar issues with BeatsX pairs.
In terms of AirPods, Gruber loosely said he has heard from at least one source who pointed to a launch in the next week or so, although Gruber is not ruling out a launch in January or later. Listen to the latest episode of The Talk Show podcast, where he and guest Glenn Fleishman discuss the topic around the 76:35 mark.
New versions of Beats Solo3 and Powerbeats3 headphones powered by Apple's new W1 chip were released in September and October respectively.
Now, when an iCloud user receives an unsolicited calendar invite from a sender who is not a contact, the event can be double clicked on and reported as junk.
Clicking on "Report Junk" opens a window confirming the invitation has been reported as junk. Junk invitations are automatically deleted from the calendar, and the sender's details are presumably reported to Apple for further investigation. There is also a "Not Junk" option if users make a mistake.
The option is currently only available on iCloud.com, but a Reddit user claims an Apple Support representative informed him it will be rolling out to the Calendar app on iOS, and presumably Mac, soon—which would make sense.
iCloud calendar spam is nothing new, but there was a major uptick in spam leading up to the Black Friday shopping holiday in November. The spam invites appear to originate mainly from Chinese email addresses, advertising questionable discounts on products such as Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses.
Late last month, an Apple spokesperson apologized and said the company is working to block spam calendar invites.
We are sorry that some of our users are receiving spam calendar invitations. We are actively working to address this issue by identifying and blocking suspicious senders and spam in the invites being sent.
iCloud users should not click on Accept, Decline, or Maybe if they receive a spam calendar invite, as choosing any of these options simply notifies the spammer that the account is active and ready for more unsolicited offers.
Instead, there are two workarounds. First, users can navigate to the iCloud.com settings and choose to receive all event invitations as email. Second, users can create a new calendar, name it Spam, move the spam invitation to the Spam calendar, and then delete the calendar entirely. Follow these step-by-step instructions.
Amazon Prime Video's HTML5 video player now supports Safari on Mac, as spotted by Reddit user netmute over the weekend.
Amazon Prime Video previously required downloading the Microsoft Silverlight plugin for playback in Safari, or switching to an alternative browser such as Chrome or Firefox, which already supported the HTML5 video player.
Some users on Reddit reported that, while HTML5 is now supported, AirPlay Mirroring and Picture in Picture functionality is lacking. Additionally, it appears video playback is limited to 720p rather than full HD resolution.
Apple Maps has been updated with comprehensive transit data for Salt Lake City, Utah, enabling iPhone users in the city and certain suburbs to navigate using Utah Transit Authority public transportation, including the TRAX light rail system, FrontRunner commuter train, S-Line streetcar, and buses.
Apple introduced Transit in Maps as part of iOS 9 in select cities around the world, including Baltimore, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Sydney, Toronto, and over 300 cities in China. The feature has its own tab in Apple Maps on iOS 10 when entering directions.
Transit routing is now available in several other cities around the world, including Atlanta, Columbus, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Honolulu, Kansas City, Melbourne, Miami, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Montréal, Pittsburgh, Portland, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, and Seattle.
The Unicode Consortium has announced a proposed update to its emoji documentation that provides support for regional flag emojis.
As noted by Emojipedia, the new functionality and guidelines would allow for Apple and other vendors to implement emojis for regions such as U.S. states, Canadian provinces and territories, or countries of the United Kingdom.
Flags representing California or Texas, for example, or England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, could be added in a future iOS update.
The Unicode Consortium stopped short of recommending specific flags for vendors to support, and it said there is no requirement that any of the regional flags be supported. In other words, Apple in particular would be free to choose which regional flags to add to its iOS and macOS platforms if any.
Emojipedia said the Emoji 5.0 update is likely to be released in the first half of 2017, although an official date has not been specified. The proposed update is currently available for public review and feedback until January 16, 2017.
Some apps such as WhatsApp have already worked around the existing Unicode standards to support flags for England, Scotland, Wales, and other regions.
Apple has announced it is on track to release Swift 3.1 in the spring of 2017, corresponding to some point between March and June.
Swift 3.1 is intended to be source compatible with Swift 3.0 and will contain a few enhancements to the core programming language.
Improvements will also be made to the Swift Package Manager, Swift on Linux, compiler, and Standard Library.
Swift 3.1 development should conclude around January 16, 2017 for major changes, at which point Apple's focus will turn to the development of Swift 4.
Swift is Apple's open source programming language for macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux. Swift 3.0 was released in September with major improvements and refinements to the core language and Standard Library, major additions to the Linux port of Swift, and the first official release of the Swift Package Manager.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is among a small group of tech leaders who plan to attend President-elect Donald Trump's reported tech summit at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Wednesday, according to Recode.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and President-elect Donald Trump (Photo: Gage Skidmore)
Other attendees will allegedly include the CEOs of Google parent company Alphabet, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Intel, and Oracle. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was also invited, and he is likely to attend, the report noted. Bloomberg later confirmed Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt will be in attendance.
There could be a few other attendees, as invites reportedly continued to be sent by Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and presidential transition team adviser and tech investor Peter Thiel late into the week.
A handful of tech leaders have reportedly declined the invitation, as the report noted some of the technology companies and executives disagree with Trump on a myriad of key issues, ranging from encryption to immigration reform.
“Look, this is obviously a circus,” said one person close to the situation. “Everyone in tech just wants to be invisible right now when it comes to this administration, but has to participate since we have done it before.”
In addition, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has reportedly sent mixed signals about being invited or not. Reports are similarly conflicting about whether Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will be in attendance.
Attending • Apple CEO Tim Cook • Alphabet CEO Larry Page • Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt • Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg • Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella • Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins • IBM CEO Ginni Rometty • Intel CEO Brian Krzanich • Oracle CEO Safra Catz • Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (Likely)
Not Attending • Uber CEO Travis Kalanick • Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky • Netflix CEO Reed Hastings • Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff • Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield • Dropbox CEO Drew Houston • HP CEO Meg Whitman • Mark Cuban
The topics to be discussed at the roundtable meeting were not disclosed, but Trump has previously expressed his desires to reform the corporate tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals with other countries.
Trump previously said he plans to offer Apple a "very large tax cut" alongside "substantial regulation cuts" that will incentivize the iPhone maker to manufacture its products in the United States, rather than in China and other overseas countries.
"We're going to get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries," said Trump, while campaigning at Liberty University in Virginia earlier this year.
Apple did reportedly ask its Taiwanese manufacturing partner Foxconn to study the possibility of moving iPhone production to the United States, although Foxconn chairman Terry Gou was said to be less enthusiastic about the idea due to inevitably higher production costs compared to China.
Meanwhile, Trump called for an Apple boycott after the company refused to comply with a court order to unlock the iPhone used by shooter Syed Farook in the San Bernardino attack last December. The FBI later dropped its lawsuit against Apple after reportedly turning to Israeli company Cellebrite to crack the iPhone.
Trump said Cook congratulated him on winning the election, but the Apple chief was personally a Hillary Clinton supporter. Following Trump's victory, Cook urged Apple employees to "move forward together" despite "uncertainties ahead."
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.
Most MacBook Pro apps that have implemented support for the new Touch Bar have focused on putting settings, editing tools, and other utilitarian features right at a user's fingertips, but a new app from developer Graham Parks aims to have a little more fun with it.
The "Touch Bar Piano" app is designed to turn the Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro into a little tiny touch-based piano that can be used to make music.
Available on Parks' website, Touch Bar Piano is fully polyphonic and offers 128 instruments to play with. It only works with the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, but Touch Bar emulator Touché can be used to try it out if you don't have one of Apple's latest MacBook Pros.
Touch Bar Piano doesn't exactly follow Apple's developer guidelines, which say the Touch Bar should be used as an extension of the keyboard and the trackpad rather than a display, but it's a fun way to show off what the new MacBook Pro can do.
Throughout the holiday season, B&H Photo is offering discounts on a range of Apple products, including Macs, iPads, and the Apple Watch.
B&H Photo is discounting 2015 and 2016 MacBook Pro models by up to $200. B&H isn't offering discounts on the new Touch Bar models, but there are discounts on upgraded non-Touch Bar models.
A selection of 2015 21.5-inch iMacs are also on sale, with prices discounted up to $120. Both stock models and iMacs with build-to-order upgrades are available.
It should be noted that the original Apple Watch features a first-generation S1 processor and it is a good deal slower than the Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 models, but if you're looking for the lowest-cost option and don't plan to use apps, B&H's deals are worth checking out.
B&H Photo will have rotating "Giftsgiving" deals throughout the holiday season, so make sure to keep an eye on the price charts in our Deals roundup to always get the top price on a Mac or iPad.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Pad & Quill to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a huge prize package that includes a range of Pad & Quill products for the iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and MacBook. All of Pad & Quill's products are made from high-quality leather and are hand assembled.
Pad & Quill's Roll Top Leather Backpack, priced at $319, fits up to a 15-inch laptop and has a dedicated pocket to keep your Mac or iPad safe from bumps and scratches. Its roll-top closure is waterproof and it has an internal zip pocket for accessories plus a quick-access side pocket.
Pad & Quill's iPhone cases are available for several devices, including the iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 6s, and 6s Plus. The Luxury Pocket Book Case houses the iPhone in a wood shell and protects it with a leather cover. Inside, there are 5 inner card pockets, a hidden cash pockets, and a clear ID pocket.
The Woodline case, also available for multiple versions of the iPhone, is a slimmer case that Pad & Quill says is the world's thinnest, strongest wood case. At 0.9mm thick, it doesn't add much bulk to the iPhone, but and comes in four finishes: American Cherry, Rosewood, Zebra, and American Walnut.
The Oxford Case for the 9.7-inch iPad Pro is a folio-style case that's slim and fits to the back of the iPad with adhesive. Made from Full-Grain Bridle Leather, it has an interior pocket for documents and the Apple Pencil. A built-in horizontal viewing stand lets you watch movies, and the soft leather interior keeps the screen safe from scratches.
The last product in the package, the Classic Leather Band for the Apple Watch, works with any Apple Watch model, first or second generation. Like all of Pad & Quill's products, it's made from leather and comes in several different colors and can be ordered with black or silver lugs.
One MacRumors reader will win the Pad & Quill prize pack. 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 winner and send the prize. 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 of age or older 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 (December 9) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on December 16. The winner will be chosen randomly on December 16 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 today uploaded two new Apple Watch Series 2 ads to its YouTube channel in the United Kingdom, promoting the fitness capabilities of the device and recommending it as a Christmas gift.
Both ads come in at 15 seconds in length and are holiday themed. "Go Play," the first ad, features an Apple Watch Sport model being unboxed and then used during a night time game of football. The ad is accompanied by text that says "Apple Watch offers the perfect assist for a healthier life. This Christmas, give the Gift of Go."
The second ad, "Go Run," features a present containing a Nike+ Apple Watch model being opened up and then used for a run on crowded city streets. It's also recommended as a Christmas gift in the text below the video: "Apple Watch makes it easier to go the distance. This Christmas, give the Gift of Go."
These are UK-themed ads that will likely be shown on television in the United Kingdom. Apple may release similar ads for the United States, but has not yet done so.
Update: Apple has now shared the same two videos on its U.S. YouTube channel, along with two additional videos: "Go Out" and "Go Dance," both of which are done in the same style and feature the Apple Watch.
AirPods were originally slated to launch in October, but the wireless earphones were later delayed. Apple said it needed "a little more time" before they are ready for customers, and it has yet to provide an official update since.
While the exact reason for the delay remains unclear, a person familiar with the development of AirPods told The Wall Street Journal that Apple's troubles appear to be related to its "efforts to chart a new path for wireless headphones," in addition to resolving what happens when users lose one of the earpieces or the battery dies.
A person familiar with the development of the AirPod said the trouble appears to stem from Apple’s effort to chart a new path for wireless headphones. In most other wireless headphones, only one earpiece receives a signal from the phone via wireless Bluetooth technology; it then transmits the signal to the other earpiece.
Apple has said AirPod earpieces each receive independent signals from an iPhone, Mac or other Apple device. But Apple must ensure that both earpieces receive audio at the same time to avoid distortion, the person familiar with their development said. That person said Apple also must resolve what happens when a user loses one of the earpieces or the battery dies.
Last month, Barclays analysts said AirPods should enter production in December. Their research note said quantities would be limited to between 10 and 15 million AirPods to start. Meanwhile, an alleged email response from Apple CEO Tim Cook said AirPods should begin shipping over the "next few weeks."
With just two weeks remaining in the holiday shopping season, some believe Apple should now wait until the new year to launch AirPods, in line with an early rumor about a January 2017 launch. The wireless earphones remain listed as both "coming soon" and "currently unavailable" on different sections of Apple's website.
Update: Apple blogger John Gruber says he's heard that manufacturing issues have delayed the AirPods, rather than a technical problem.
It makes more sense to me that Apple has run into a manufacturing problem, not that they discovered a design defect after they were announced.
"More difficult to manufacture at scale than expected" is also what I've heard through the grapevine, from a little birdie who knows someone on the AirPods engineering team. Things like what happens when you lose one or the battery dies -- Apple solved those problems during development.
Samsung today announced that an update to its now-infamous line of Galaxy Note7 smartphones will render the remaining devices within the United States useless, as a means to further ensure the safety of its customers who still own the malfunctioning smartphone.
Even though "more than 93 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices" have been returned, Samsung's December 19 update will ensure no more danger befalls one of its customers. The update will prevent the ability to charge the smartphone -- which led to fires this fall -- and in total "eliminate their ability to work as mobile devices."
Consumer safety remains our highest priority and we’ve had overwhelming participation in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program so far, with more than 93 percent of all recalled Galaxy Note7 devices returned. To further increase participation, a software update will be released starting on December 19th that will prevent U.S. Galaxy Note7 devices from charging and will eliminate their ability to work as mobile devices.
In today's press release the company also announced that it's expanded the recall of Galaxy Note7 smartphones, both original and troublesome replacement devices, thanks to cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and carriers and retailers across the country. Consumers can still either replace their Note7 with another Samsung phone, or receive a refund.
Samsung officially recalled the Galaxy Note7 devices in early September after multiple accounts of users experiencing exploding batteries and fires originating from the smartphone. A month later it halted sales of the device worldwide, a move that was reported in October to cost the company around $2.3 billion.
Nomad has been a well-known third-party Apple accessory manufacturer for a few years, creating leather cases for iPhones and iPads, Apple Watch bands, and battery packs that integrate directly into charging cables. The company's newest product is the $99.95 Nomad Advanced Trackable PowerPack, a 9,000 mAh mobile battery that is built with Nomad's usual "ultra-rugged construction," with an added bonus of Tile integration so users don't have to worry about misplacing the PowerPack.
Design
The PowerPack is created out of a durable, polycarbonate frame that Nomad says is inspired by the manufacturing processes found in industry-leading, drop-resistant iPhone cases. Living up to the company's adventure-focused mission statement, the PowerPack has an added layer of thermoplastic polyurethane, which gives the PowerPack its ultra-rugged, grippy feel.
The quality of Nomad's PowerPack is the accessory's first noticeable advantage: the raised texture that houses most of the pack is satisfying to grip, and the smooth section in the center -- with the Nomad logo -- provides a natural groove to place a thumb when handling the PowerPack. The downside of the texture is that it is definitely a dust and debris magnet, as can be seen in the pictures I took for the review, which represent the cleanest state I could get it in.
For ports, the device comes with two fast-charging 3.0A USB-C ports (one to charge the PowerPack, one to charge a separate device), and one 2.4A USB-A port that supports all of the standard-issue USB charge cables that come with most smartphones and tablets. In the box, customers will get a USB-C to USB-A cable to recharge the PowerPack, but they will have to provide their own smartphone charging cables.
In between the three ports is an LED indicator that uses three dots to display battery levels of the PowerPack's 9,000 mAh battery, with a button underneath to bring the LEDs to life, and on the very right of the pack's front is a button to sync with the Tile app. The opposite side of the PowerPack is coated with a glossy black surface, and its underside has the usual model number readouts and device information.
Performance
The battery performance of Nomad's PowerPack proved to be reliable over the weekend as I tested it out. Starting at around an average of 21 percent battery life on my iPhone 6s Plus, the PowerPack topped off the iPhone to the mid-90 percent range three full times. The PowerPack finally died mid-way through the fourth charge (my iPhone climbing from 20 percent to 45 percent), meaning that Nomad's promise of 3.5 charges is pretty much exact.
The 2.4 amps of the USB-A port means that the iPhone also charges a bit faster than Apple's current 1A iPhone charger. It's more along the lines of charging an iPhone with an iPad's wall charger, which are up to 2.4A with the newest generation of Apple's tablets.
Nomad's advertising is for the iPhone 7, but the slight difference in battery capacities should mean that the PowerPack performs comparatively for iPhone 7 owners as it did for me. For comparison's sake, the iPhone 6s Plus has a 2,750 mAh battery, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a 2,900 mAh battery. For the 4.7-inch models, the iPhone 6s has a 1,715 mAh battery and the iPhone 7 has a 1,960 mAh battery. Suffice it to say that any owners of the smaller-screen iPhones will have plenty of opportunities for recharging their devices to capacity, while iPhone 7 Plus users should eke out exactly 3 full charges from Nomad's PowerPack.
My only real complaint with the PowerPack's design is that it's sometimes cumbersome to judge the battery level when multiple cables are sticking out of the pack. At one point I had both a USB and USB-C cable plugged into the PowerPack, and having to angle everything to tap the battery level button became quite finicky. Although the innards of the PowerPack's design most likely excuse every port and button being located on one panel, having at least the LED on the opposite side of the case would have made the PowerPack more user-friendly.
In regards to USB-C charging, the only relevant device I own is an early-2015 MacBook, which isn't exactly in the target group of products compatible with the PowerPack's 9,000 mAh battery capacity. Nomad says that with the growing adoption of USB-C, the PowerPack will work "well into the future," but many Android smartphones out now could use the port, including Google's Pixel Phone. There's also the option of purchasing a USB-C to Lightning cable, which Apple sells, to turn the PowerPack into a dual-charging iPhone system.
A smaller, but admittedly useful feature is called AmbientIQ and it reads the light levels of wherever the user is currently located, and adjusts the battery LEDs appropriately. This way battery life can be confirmed in bright sunlight or, to Nomad's point, remain at low levels in a dimly lit room while the PowerPack is charging at night (the LEDs remain on constantly while the pack charges, but otherwise turn on at user discretion while out and about). As someone who has come to figure out crafty ways to block out the electronic lights of everything from my router to my television's HDMI splitter, the PowerPack's included AmbientIQ solution was useful and welcome.
Tile
For those who haven't heard of Tile, the company's line of small, Bluetooth-enabled tracking devices lets users easily find misplaced keys, backpacks, laptops, tablets, and more. Tile sells the Tile Mate as the main keychain accessory and Tile Slim for wallets and laptop cases, and now the Nomad PowerPack comes with Tile's integrated iPhone-connected tracking technology. Because of its integration into Nomad's rechargeable pack, users also won't have to worry about Tile's "reTile" program, which offers discounts on the trackers when they lose battery after about a year.
I had never used Tile before testing the PowerPack, and I've come to enjoy the Bluetooth-tracking system, although there are some hurdles to its setup. Out of the box, the PowerPack refused to sync with the iOS Tile app, which I eventually remedied by juicing up the PowerPack from its low battery shipping state. Even with a full charge, it still took a few tries, but my iPhone eventually recognized the PowerPack and began tracking it.
The Tile app works by presenting each Tile in a list, which can be expanded with a map view showing all of the last known locations of the trackers. Users can "ring" each Tile when they get near it -- sort of like how Apple Watch can blast a connected iPhone when it's lost -- and also use a circular grid that fills up when they're hot on the Tile's trail, and loses segments as they get colder.
I'm not one to continually misplace my electronics, but in the week I've been using the PowerPack and Tile I've come to enjoy the backup safety net that the latter company offers with its partnership with Nomad. The circular tracking feature is neat and largely accurate, and the loud ringtones (five are available to choose from) are clear and distinct. If I were to ever misplace the PowerPack, I'm confident Tile would help greatly in recovering it, battery levels of the PowerPack permitting.
Bottom Line
The biggest drawback of the PowerPack is its $99.95 price tag, which is likely raised due to the integration with Tile. Around that battery capacity range, there are a few low-cost alternatives by companies like Anker, which sells a 10,000 mAh battery pack for $49.99 (although it's discounted to as low as around $20 now). Users willing to spend $100 can also get much more capacity from Mophie, a popular battery pack and smartphone case manufacturer, which sells the Powerstation XXL at the same price as the PowerPack for double the capacity at 20,000 mAh.
If you're not someone who consistently finds themselves losing electronics, then Tile's services, while noble and mostly functional, can feel superfluous. Those users should probably look elsewhere for a more bang-for-your-buck battery pack option. However, if Bluetooth tracking is a legitimately enticing addition to a mobile battery in your eyes, the Nomad PowerPack is a dependable solution, and could end up being a lifesaver for some.
Pros - Charges 5.5-inch iPhone ~3X, 4.7-inch iPhone ~5X - Durable, grippy construction - AmbientIQ - Tile will be useful for some
Cons - On the other hand, Tile will be pointless for others - High price for middle-tier capacity - Slightly cluttered port side
Where to Buy
The Nomad PowerPack can be purchased from hellonomad.com for $99.95, with current orders estimated to begin shipping after Christmas on December 30.
Wall Street brokerage firm Drexel Hamilton today informed its clients it continues to believe Apple is "one of the most underappreciated stocks in the world," according to a research note seen by MacRumors.
Apple analyst Brian White retained his "buy" rating for AAPL and $185 price target. Apple shares are currently trading at around $114, their highest level since late October, after rising over 1% in intraday trading.
White said Apple continues to face a never-ending waterfall of "gloom and doom" media reports, just months after launching the new MacBook Pro and iPhone 7.
Nevertheless, he looks forward to 2017, when he believes Apple will have a "more durable iPhone cycle" that can return the company to more consistent sales growth after threeconsecutivequarterly declines.
Given this weak stock performance over the past couple of years, and our expectation of a more durable iPhone cycle that can return the company to more consistent sales growth, we look forward to 2017. In the near-term, we look for Tim Cook to make Apple grow again in [the first quarter of the 2017 fiscal year] on the back of the iPhone 7 and a happy holiday season, while we look forward increased cash distribution in 2017 [and] the launch of iPhone 8 and more color on future innovations.
Drexel Hamilton said Apple's stock has risen by 7% this year, trailing the 10% overall increase in stocks among the S&P 500 Index.
MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar aren't on sale, but Best Buy is discounting the 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar by $100, making it available for $1,399.99, down from $1,499.99.
When purchasing an iPhone 7 with an installment billing agreement, Best Buy is offering a $100 Best Buy gift card with purchase for upgrades, and $200 for new activations. Best Buy is also discounting the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, offering them for as little as $14.99 or $19.99 per month, respectively.
Accessories such as the new Apple TV, AirPort Express, iPods, and Beats headphone and speakers are also on sale.
Best Buy's deals will be available on Friday, December 9 and Saturday, December 10.
A court in Denmark today ruled Apple must replace a Danish man's iPhone with a new model rather than a refurbished model in accordance with local law.
(Image: The Sydney Morning Herald)
A trio of judges found Apple was not entitled to replace David Lysgaard's iPhone 4 with a refurbished model since it may contain recycled parts, which could result in a lower resale value and went against his "legitimate expectation" of receiving a brand new iPhone equivalent to his original purchase.
By providing Lysgaard with a refurbished iPhone, rather than an equivalent new model, the court found Apple to have violated the Danish Sale of Goods Act. The judges upheld an earlier decision reached by Denmark's Consumer Complaints Board, which also said the replacement should be a new, not refurbished, model.
Apple disagreed with the Consumer Complaints Board's decision in 2014 and sued Lysgaard, arguing that refurbished iPhones are produced and tested in the same way as new iPhones. Apple also said refurbished iPhones undergo rigorous tests and strict quality control. Apple can now appeal the judgment with a higher court.
Earlier this year, a Dutch court similarly ordered Apple to replace a woman's iPhone 6 Plus with a new model, not a refurbished one.
Shigeru Miyamoto has confirmed that Nintendo's upcoming iPhone game Super Mario Run will require an always-on internet connection to play, which Miyamoto said is "a requirement that's been built into the game to support security." The security element is one of the big reasons why the company decided to launch on iPhone first, Miyamoto said, and it helps the game's three separate modes function together while always keeping the software secure and safe, preventing piracy in the process (via Mashable).
Creating a standalone "World Tour" mode without the need for an internet connection was discussed, but the developers found that needing to reconnect to the internet when jumping back to the other two modes -- "Toad Rally" and "Kingdom Builder" -- complicated things. "And because those two modes are relying on the network save, we had to integrate the World Tour mode as well," Miyamoto said, through a translation by Nintendo's senior product marketing manager Bill Trinen.
I learned today that Super Mario Run requires an internet connection to play. What's the reason for that? Are there any thoughts about an offline mode?
For us, we view our software as being a very important asset for us. And also for consumers who are purchasing the game, we want to make sure that we're able to offer it to them in a way that the software is secure, and that they're able to play it in a stable environment.
We wanted to be able to leverage that network connection with all three of the [Super Mario Run] modes to keep all of the modes functioning together and offering the game in a way that keeps the software secure. This is something that we want to continue to work on as we continue to develop the game.
When asked specifically what the company's concerns were about security on mobile devices, Miyamoto confirmed the risk of piracy facing Super Mario Run since it's not launching on a dedicated Nintendo console. "We're launching in 150 countries and each of those countries has different network environments and things like that," Miyamoto said. "So it was important for us to be able to have it secure for all users."
Super Mario Run is now under a week away from launch, with its debut coming next Thursday, December 15. The rest of Mashable's interview with Miyamoto can be read here.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more.
Apple's new BeatsX wireless earphones remain listed as "coming this Fall" on its website in the United States, despite just nine days remaining before the first official day of winter in the northern half of the world.
Apple has announced it is on track to release 
Wall Street brokerage firm Drexel Hamilton today informed its clients it continues to believe Apple is "one of the most underappreciated stocks in the world," according to a research note seen by MacRumors.
