MacRumors

Amid a continuing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple is also experiencing a decline according to new PC shipping estimates from Gartner. During the third quarter of 2016, Apple shipped an estimated 5 million Macs, down from 5.7 million in the year-ago quarter for a 13.4 percent decline in growth.

Apple's 3Q 2016 market share comes in at 6.7 percent, down from 7.3 percent in 3Q 2015, securing the company's position as the number five worldwide PC vendor after Lenovo, HP, Dell, and Asus. While top PC vendor Lenovo saw a small drop in shipments, HP, Dell, and Asus saw growth in the range of two percent.

Lenovo shipped an estimated 14.4 million PCs during the quarter, while HP shipped 14 million, Dell shipped 10 million, and Asus shipped 5.4 million. Acer, the number six worldwide PC vendor, was nearly on par with Apple's shipments at 4.6 million units sent out. Shipments from other smaller manufacturers were at 15 million, a 16.2 percent decline from the year-ago quarter.

In the United States, Apple shipped an estimated two million Macs, a 10.7 percent decline from the 2.3 million shipped in 3Q 2015.

According to Gartner's estimates, overall worldwide PC shipments fell 5.7 percent to 68.9 million units, marking the eighth consecutive quarter of decline, which it said is the "longest duration of decline" in the history of the PC industry.

IDC also released its own shipment estimates, noting a 3.9 percent decline in overall worldwide PC shipments. According to IDC's numbers, which are very similar to Gartner's, Apple shipped 5 million Macs during 3Q 2016, a decline of 13 percent from 3Q 2015.

Almost all of Apple's Mac line is in desperate need of an update. Aside from the Retina MacBook, no other machines have received updates in 2016, leaving customers to eagerly await new models.

According to rumors, Apple is planning to introduce a revamped MacBook Pro as soon as later this month, said to feature a redesigned, thinner body, a flatter keyboard, a wider pressure-sensitive trackpad, and most notably, an OLED display touch panel that replaces the physical function keys.

Touch ID may be built into this panel, and it will include updated Intel processors, improved graphics, and USB C/Thunderbolt 3 support. Other Macs, like the Mac Pro, the Mac mini, iMac, and the MacBook Air are due for updates, but it is not yet clear when these machines will receive refreshes.

Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine spoke with Billboard in a wide-ranging interview that was shared this afternoon, where he shared his thoughts on his team, the importance of merging technology and popular culture, and the future of Apple Music.

According to Iovine, Apple is aiming to build a music service that is both "technologically and culturally adept," bridging technology with art and music creation. He declined to share details on what that might look like, but said Apple is aiming for "the right hybrid."

And what we're going to do, what we're doing now that hasn't been revealed yet, is we're building the right hybrid. And we believe it's the right hybrid, and the combination of these things together, we'll build a music service that is technologically and culturally adept.

Iovine's team, many of whom have worked with him on Beats and Beats Music long before the acquisition by Apple, is essential to to the music experience that the Apple Music team is constructing. He had high praise for Larry Jackson, Trent Reznor, Luke Wood, and Eddy Cue. "It took 10 years to develop this team," he said, highlighting their ability to understand the intersection of technology and popular culture. "The people were chosen and understood how to work in both worlds," he said. "This is not something where you can just pluck somebody out of the air."

On further exploring video and film projects, Iovine says Apple is going to do "whatever we believe is great." He went on to explain that Apple is not in the record business and is instead building something that can help labels, artists, and undiscovered artists, describing the effort as an "adjunct to labels and artists."

We're going to do whatever we believe is great. We are going to make a combination of tech and popular culture that is exciting and adept at both areas. So that's what you're starting to see. It's going to have a voice. It's not going to be just a utility -- "Go here and get your music, good luck," or, "We're going to send you a list" -- that's great, but that's not what this is. That's not what this was, anyway.

Apple Music, led by Jimmy Iovine, Eddy Cue, and the rest of the team, has been steadily growing since its 2015 launch. Apple has experimented with using exclusive content and music releases to draw subscribers, and there's a heavy focus on video content. In addition to several Apple-produced music videos and films created in collaboration with artists, Apple is also exploring at least two TV shows, Vital Signs and Carpool Karaoke, that will promote the service.

In another interview with BuzzFeed News in late September, Iovine explained that Apple Music had been a bit too ambitious when it first launched, but that Apple is now hitting its stride and figuring out what works and what doesn't work.

The full interview with Jimmy Iovine, which includes a lot more detail on his team and what it takes to develop a service like Apple Music, can be read over at Billboard.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming macOS Sierra update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the third beta and three weeks after releasing the new macOS Sierra operating system to the public.

macOS Sierra 10.12.1 beta 4 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or through the Software update mechanism in the Mac App Store for those who already have an earlier 10.12.1 beta installed.

macOS Sierra 10.12.1 appears to focus on bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements to address issues that have been found since the operating system's release, and it's also likely adding features designed for next-generation MacBook Pro models set to be released later this year.

Few outward-facing changes were discovered in the first three betas, but it does include Photos support for the new iPhone 7 Plus Portrait feature introduced with iOS 10.1. New features discovered in the fourth 10.12.1 beta will be listed below.

macOS Sierra is a significant update that brings features like Siri support, a new storage optimization option, cross device copy paste, auto unlocking with the Apple Watch, and more. For full details on macOS Sierra, make sure to check out our roundup.

Samsung is likely to permanently stop selling its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones following the latest halt of sales and production, according to reports on Tuesday.

Samsung halted sales and paused production of the Note 7 smartphones in the last 24 hours and told owners to power down the devices while it investigates reports of fires, fueling expectations the tech giant will scrap the flagship device.

The BBC this morning referred to "unnamed sources" cited by South Korean Hankyoreh newspaper claiming that Samsung would can the device and seek to make up for lost Note 7 sales through its Galaxy S7 models as well as the Note 5, which was the predecessor for the Note 7.

Separately, Reuters reported Samsung is now considering permanently halting sales of its flagship smartphones as an option, "according to a source familiar with the matter". The person declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Samsung did not immediately comment on the BBC report, but told Reuters no final decision had been made. Meanwhile, the South Korean finance minister said it would hurt the country's exports if the device is scrapped altogether.
 
"Right now we can't tell what the impact will be in the long term. It's up to the company and the government cannot interfere," Yoo Il-ho said. "But if they do scrap the model, it will have a negative impact on exports." 

According to analysts, the Note 7 recall could cost Samsung as many as 19 million lost unit sales, or as much as $17 billion, if it permanently stops selling the smartphone for a second time, following multiple reports of replacement handsets setting on fire. 

"This has probably killed the Note 7 brand name," said Edward Snyder, managing director of Charter Equity Research. "By the time they fix the problem they have to go through recertification and re-qualification and by the time that happens, they're going up against the [Galaxy] S8 launch." 

Investors wiped $18.8 billion off Samsung's market value on Tuesday as its shares closed down 8 percent, their biggest daily percentage decline since 2008. Meanwhile, Apple stock closed on Monday up 1.9 percent at $116.05 per share, its highest value this year. Apple is now trading at levels not seen since December 2015 and has jumped 20 percent over the past three months, partly on renewed optimism over iPhone 7 sales, but also in response to its arch rival's woes.

"The Apple share price was doing nothing for over a year – it was considered ex-growth – now it's possibly the only game in town when it comes to buying a mobile phone," said Michelle McGrade, chief investment officer at TD Direct Investing.

However, with last week's launch of its own-branded Pixel smartphones, Google is also poised to benefit.

"From Google's perspective the timing couldn't have worked out better for them in that they're essentially trying to compete now in the premium sector against the likes of Apple and Samsung," said Creative Strategies analyst Ben Bajarin, speaking to the BBC.

"Now with this issue around Samsung and some questions and stigma around the brand, the product itself, could certainly help Google out. But I think Apple's definitely the biggest beneficiary from here. If there were people on the fence about whether or not to get an iPhone 7 Plus, for example, which is kind of in the same size range as the Note 7, that was one of the things that we think is benefitting Apple the most, just because that's a competitive product and it's an established brand," Mr Bajarin added. 

The news comes on the same day Apple and Samsung are set to face off in the Supreme Court over a long-running smartphone design patent case.

Update: The Wall Street Journal has reported that Samsung has officially axed the Note 7, while Samsung has told TechCrunch: "We can confirm the report that Samsung has permanently discontinued the production of Galaxy Note 7."

Samsung today announced that it is officially asking its global partners to cease all sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note 7 while it further investigates claims of ongoing safety issues with replacement devices.

As of last week, there have been several reports from customers who had their replacement Galaxy Note 7 smartphones, which were deemed safe by Samsung, catch on fire. The devices were supposedly using batteries Samsung said were "not vulnerable to overheating and catching fire."

On Wednesday, a flight from Louisville to Baltimore was evacuated when a Note 7 began smoking, and on Saturday, a 13-year-old girl in Minnesota received burns from a defective device while a man in Kentucky suffered from smoke inhalation after his Note 7 caught fire while he was asleep.

Two additional reports of replacement Note 7 fires rolled in on Sunday from Virginia and Texas, plus there were reports of fires from Taiwan and South Korea.

By Monday morning, all major carriers in the United States had already announced plans to stop sales and "safe" replacements of the Galaxy Note 7, and now sales will temporarily end worldwide.

According to Samsung, customers with an original Galaxy Note 7 or a replacement Galaxy Note 7 should shut down their devices and stop using them right away.

We are working with relevant regulatory bodies to investigate the recently reported cases involving the Galaxy Note7. Because consumers' safety remains our top priority, Samsung will ask all carrier and retail partners globally to stop sales and exchanges of the Galaxy Note7 while the investigation is taking place.

We remain committed to working diligently with appropriate regulatory authorities to take all necessary steps to resolve the situation. Consumers with either an original Galaxy Note7 or replacement Galaxy Note7 device should power down and stop using the device and take advantage of the remedies available.

Earlier today, reports suggested that Samsung has stopped production on the Galaxy Note 7. Samsung said that it is "temporarily adjusting the Galaxy Note 7 production schedule in order to take further steps to ensure quality and safety matters," with more information to be available in a month.

For customers in the United States who still have a Galaxy Note 7, all of the major carriers are now offering to replace the defective devices with another smartphone, such as an iPhone 7.

Last week, popular API documentation browser Dash was removed from the App Store after Apple accused Dash's developer of fraudulent conduct and claimed he manipulated App Store reviews.

At the time, the developer denied the accusations and garnered the support of Dash app users who believed there had been a mix up and that he was not guilty, but Apple today provided more information to justify its position and the app's removal from the App Store.

In statements given to iMore and The Loop, Apple says the developer owned two accounts with 25 apps, which had nearly 1,000 fake reviews. Both fraudulent positive reviews for his own apps and negative reviews for competing apps were involved.

"Almost 1,000 fraudulent reviews were detected across two accounts and 25 apps for this developer so we removed their apps and accounts from the App Store," Apple spokesperson, Tom Neumayr, said in a statement provided to The Loop on Monday.

"Warning was given in advance of the termination and attempts were made to resolve the issue with the developer but they were unsuccessful. We will terminate developer accounts for ratings and review fraud, including actions designed to hurt other developers. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, on behalf of all of our customers and developers."

According to The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, Apple first sent a warning to the developer behind Dash two years ago and attempted to work with him "for some time" to put a stop to the App Store fraud. The behavior did not stop, leading to the account's termination last week.

Dash's developer specifically denied having been involved in App Store review manipulation in the blog post announcing Dash's removal from the App Store, but Apple has been adamant that fraud took place. Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller even got involved, confirming to a concerned developer that ratings and review fraud had led to the app's removal.

Apple's decision is final and there is no further appeals process, according to Dash's developer, who has yet to respond to the information Apple has provided today. Dash for iOS is unlikely to return to the iOS App Store, but Dash for Mac remains available outside of the Mac App Store.

Update: The developer behind Dash has shared his side of the story, placing the blame on a relative whose Apple Developer Program Membership he paid for.

He says he was not aware his account was linked to another until Friday and that he was not notified about any wrongdoing. He has shared a recorded phone conversation in which Apple says it will reactivate his account if he makes a blog post stating the truth that his account had been linked to an account with fraudulent activity.

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming iOS 10 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the second iOS 10.1 beta and a month after releasing iOS 10 to the public.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 10.1 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile is installed.

iOS 10.1 introduces a new "Portrait" mode for the iPhone 7 Plus that allows it to use the two built-in cameras to create shallow depth of field portrait photos with blurred backgrounds.

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To achieve the blurred look, the image signal processor in the iPhone 7 Plus uses the wide-angle camera to create a depth map, dissecting the different layers of the photo to decide what to blur. It works on people, pets, and objects, but does require good lighting to achieve the proper effect.

The update also likely includes bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements to address issues that have been uncovered since iOS 10 was released.

iOS 10 has been described by Apple as the "biggest release ever" for iOS users, with features that include a redesigned Lock screen, a Siri SDK to allow third-party apps to integrate with Siri, and a completely overhauled Messages app with stickers, a full App Store, Digital Touch, Bubble Effects, and more.

Other features include a dedicated "Home" app for HomeKit users, new facial and object recognition capabilities in Photos, and redesigned Maps and Apple Music apps. For more details on iOS 10, make sure to check out our iOS 10 roundup.

Update: The third iOS 10.1 beta has also been released for Apple Beta Software Program members.

Apple today added a banner to its United States website, iTunes Store, and App Store asking customers to provide donations to individuals affected by the recent devastation from Hurricane Matthew. Like its usual relief efforts, all donations collected will go to the American Red Cross.

Donation tiers available include $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 and $200, and will be processed as normal iTunes or App Store purchases through a user's connected Apple ID.

Hurricane Matthew made landfall late last week, hitting the southeast coast of the United States and going on to ravage states like Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. As of yesterday, more than 2 million businesses and homes were without power, and over 3,000 people have been placed in safety shelters.

Following natural disasters, Apple normally puts out a call for disaster relief across its various storefronts. In the past, Apple collected Red Cross relief funds for the August floodings in Louisiana, the 2016 fires in Alberta, the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the refugee and migration crisis in the Mediterranean sea, the 2013 Philippines typhoon, and more.