LG Innotek will supply Apple with 3D facial recognition modules for the iPhone 8, according to The Korea Economic Daily (via The Investor).
iPhone 8 concept with two cameras and two sensors by Benjamin Geskin
The report vaguely says LG's "new facility investment" worth roughly $238.5 million will be dedicated to Apple's orders, and adds that LG will "build a new plant" for production of the facial recognition modules, which are expected to be part of the iPhone 8's front-facing FaceTime camera system.
It's not entirely clear if the front-facing camera will also have dual lenses, or retain a single lens in line with previous iPhone models.
Kuo said the iPhone 8's front camera system will include two infrared modules that are able to determine the location and depth of objects placed in front of it, with potential applications including facial recognition, iris scanning, and some combination of augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality.
A patent application published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office today details a new Apple service where users could make inquiries and talk with the company's AI assistant Siri through Messages (via AppleInsider). The new patent is similar to a filing the USPTO published late last year, but now includes deeper integration with audio, video, and image files.
Similar to chatbots in Facebook Messenger and other texting services, Apple's patent describes a Siri that could perform her current duties without the user having to speak aloud, which could be helpful in certain public situations.
The "Intelligent Automated Assistant in a Messaging Environment" could respond to text, audio, images, and video when sent to it by the user, which Apple said would result in "a richer interactive experience between a user and a digital assistant." The patent gives a few examples of a conversation held between Siri and a user in Messages, with the user asking questions regarding calorie content in food, upcoming meetings, and even asking Siri to text a friend.
Interesting applications include a thread where a user texts Siri a picture of a car or a bottle of wine, and Siri sees the images and can intelligently respond to the user's inquiries about them. For the car, the user asks Siri for details on pricing for a specific model using only an image, and Siri searches the internet and returns the relevant MSRP information.
The bottle of wine image is used as an example to show Siri's memory functions, where a user asks Siri to remember their favorite wine, which she can resurface at a later date. Siri sees the wine image, reads the label, and can then respond to a user's question in text format about the brand and even year it was made.
Other image-related inquiries include "Where is this place?" and "What insect is this?", to which Siri would respond "This is the country Algeria" and "This is an earwig," respectively. Audio and video could also be recognized by Siri, including simple Shazam-like questions related to songs and the content of shared videos.
Apple points out in its patent that thanks to the chronological format of texting, users would be able to "review previous interactions" with Siri, unlike how current Siri conversations disappear immediately after they conclude. Subsequently, Siri would be able to use that history to become smarter and "define a wider range of tasks."
The messaging platform can enable multiple modes of input (e.g., text, audio, images, video, etc.) to be sent and received. As described herein, this can increase the functionality and capabilities of the digital assistant, thereby providing a richer interactive experience between a user and a digital assistant.
A digital assistant in a message environment can thus enable greater accessibility to the digital assistant. In particular, the digital assistant can be accessible in noisy environments or in environments where audio output is not desired (e.g., the library). Moreover, the chronological format enables a user to conveniently review previous interactions with the digital assistant and utilize the contextual history associated with the previous interactions to define a wider range of tasks.
The patent includes a description where Siri would be "a participant in a multi-party conversation," allowing group chats to use Apple's AI simultaneously. Apple gives an example where one user asks Siri to list nearby Chinese restaurants to begin making the group's dinner plans, and then another user responds by asking Siri to whittle down the list to only include the cheapest places. One user's personal Siri can even be asked to remind other participants of the upcoming dinner.
Apple is believed to be working on an "enhanced Siri" that might launch in iOS 11 this fall, but the exact specifications as to what would make the new Siri "enhanced" have never been divulged. A questionable rumor in March stated that deep Siri integration is coming to Messages in iOS 11, but the source of the news -- The Verifier -- doesn't have a previous track record of reporting accurate rumors.
Chatbots are certainly growingin popularity so it wouldn't be too surprising if Apple introduced some kind of text-based Siri interface, particularly considering the multiple patents the company has published on the topic. Still, as with all patents it's best to look at Apple's new filing as an intriguing insight into what the company might be working on for the future, rather than proof of an impending launch.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has commenced production of Apple's A11 processor, according to a new report by DigiTimes. The chip is expected to power the company's redesigned OLED "iPhone 8", scheduled to launch in the fall.
TSMC is the sole supplier of A11 chips, which could also make their way into the upgraded "S" cycle models of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and potentially upcoming iPad refreshes this year, too.
TSMC originally aimed to start producing the chip in April with a view to completing 50 million units by July, but production was delayed because of issues in the 10-nanometer FinFET manufacturing process. However, those problems have now been solved, according to today's report.
TSMC has begun 10nm chip production for Apple's next-generation iPhone 8 series, the sources said. Production was once affected by issues involving stacking components in the backend integrated fan-out packaging process, but they have already been solved, the sources said.
Apart from faster A11 processors, all three rumored iPhone models may include glass bodies and wireless charging (though rumors disagree on this point). It is unclear if the two LCD models will feature the same edge-to-edge display rumored for the higher-end device and what other features will be included.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that production issues could result in a "severe" shortage of Apple's upcoming "tenth anniversary" OLED iPhone in the months following its rumored September launch, but other sources claim production is on schedule.
TSMC was also the sole maker of the A10 chip in the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which helped lead the chip maker to revenue growth towards the end of 2016.
An opera exploring the life of the late Steve Jobs has won the financial backing of opera companies in San Francisco and Seattle, ensuring the musical production will be shown in the Apple co-founder's home state of California (via CBS SF Local).
The partnerships were announced on Tuesday, ahead of the premiere of "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs" this July at the Sante Fe Opera's open-air summer stage, in the foothills of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
The opera is a "deeply layered, moving portrayal of a man grappling with the complex priorities of life, family and work," according to San Francisco opera general manager Matthew Shilvock, who called Jobs "a real person and a member of our community".
"This is not an opera about technology, although it will be the highest technology production that we've ever done," said Charles MacKay, general director of the Santa Fe Opera. "It is an opera about relationships, and it is an opera about human frailties. He could be a very difficult man."
The opera has been composed by electronica DJ Mason Bates and written by librettist Mark Campbell. Accompaniments include a live orchestra, guitar, natural sounds, and expressive electronics. The co-commission from the Seattle Opera and the San Francisco Opera will cover artistic creation of the opera as well as its physical stage production, and guarantee their right to stage performances beyond Santa Fe in California and Washington, although it could take a few years before that happens because of the time it takes to schedule opera calendars.
Since his death in 2011, Jobs' personal and professional life has been the subject of several books, documentaries, and films. MacKay said Jobs provides the "sort of heroic, tragic figure" that operas have explored for centuries, and hopes the performances may lure new and younger audiences to metropolitan opera houses.
Walter Isaacson, the biographer of Steve Jobs, went on record this week to express his belief that Google and Amazon have overtaken Apple to become the most innovative technology companies of the modern day.
The Aspen Institute CEO and writer of the best-selling biography made the frank remarks in an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Alley" show, during which he singled out Apple's lack of movement in the virtual assistant space as an example of where the company had been left behind.
"Apple is no longer the most innovative of companies," Isaacson said. "But they are good at execution. The innovation in the virtual assistant space, for example, is coming from Google and Amazon, not Apple."
Isaacson said he was "surprised" that Apple hasn't moved its virtual assistant Siri into the home and claimed that he frequently used both Amazon's Echo speaker and Google Home. "Sometimes I let them compete," he said.
Apple is expected to release a smart speaker with Siri integration soon, possibly as early as next month at WWDC. However, Isaacson thinks it could be too late for the company to catch up in that space, and suggested Apple should look at other areas in which to innovate.
"You could have a great company — and Apple is a great company — without having really a next big thing, but it isn't in Apple's DNA to be that way," said Isaacson.
EA has announced a new free-to-play version of The Sims is coming to iPhone and iPad, six years after The Sims Freeplay – a simplified version of the original – launched on the mobile platform.
Called The Sims Mobile, the game looks like it will be the closest mobile approximation yet of the hit franchise, being based on The Sims 4 "legacy challenge" mode, in which players build and maintain a family across generations according to a set of self-imposed rules.
Like other games in the franchise, players will guide sims through life, establishing relationships, building homes, advancing through careers, and conquering goals.
Not much else has been revealed about the title beyond the fact that it will feature social elements, allowing players to become "virtual" best friends with their real-life friends. But the trailer for the game does show that it will include classic Sims mechanics, allowing players to design their characters and customize their home.
The Sims 4 on Mac and PC continues to have a healthy fanbase. Yesterday EA revealed that the game's number of monthly active users jumped 33 percent year on year.
The Sims Mobile for both iOS and Android launches in Brazil today and should start rolling out globally soon after.
Apple recently purchased Beddit, a sleep monitoring system that pairs a pliable under-sheet sleep sensor with an app, all of which is designed to help users analyze and improve their sleeping habits.
The acquisition is unusual because it appears Apple plans to keep selling the Beddit hardware while collecting sleep-related data from users. For that reason, we took a look at some of the things Apple might be planning to do with this data and how it might impact future products.
Apple's Beddit purchase came to light because Beddit updated its privacy policy to both highlight the acquisition and implement Apple's privacy rules. "Your personal data will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy," reads the site.
Apple appears to have purchased Beddit for its sleep sensing technology. Beddit uses a $150 sleep monitoring device that's placed under the bottom sheet of a mattress, collecting data on everything from sleep time and efficiency to heart rate and respiration. It also tracks movement, snoring, room temperature, and room humidity to determine factors that might disturb sleep.
Beddit's sensor uses ballistocardiography (BCG) to measure the mechanical activity of the heart, lungs, and other body functions, a non-invasive monitoring technology that's similar to the light-based photoplethysmography the Apple Watch uses to monitor heart rate.
With BCG, when the heart beats, it measures the mechanical impulse generated by the acceleration of the blood through the circulatory system, providing a wealth of data about the body.
Apple is likely interested in the sensor technology used in the Beddit device, and has indeed hired medical experts who have worked with ballistocardiography in the past, but the data collected also seems to be of interest due to the company's decision to keep selling the Beddit sensor.
Beddit's technology and data could be used for any number of things, from advancing sleep research for efforts like HealthKit and CareKit to implementing more advanced health-tracking technology and sleep monitoring functionality into the Apple Watch or other future wearable devices.
For the immediate future, it appears Apple will continue to sell the Beddit hardware as part of a standalone brand like Beats, but the company's longer-term plans for Beddit are unknown.
Apple is planning a massive expansion of its data center in Reno, Nevada, according to information shared today by Reno-Gazette Journal reporter Anjeanette Damon who covered a Reno City Council meeting Apple attended to discuss the project.
Apple will invest $1 billion in expanding its current data center at the Reno Technology Park, nearly doubling the size of the original project.
. Hints of Apple's plans for a major expansion of its data center first surfaced in February, when building permits surfaced for a new 373,893-square foot data center with a build out of eight clusters plus an administration building, garage, and generator yard. It's likely that project, dubbed "Project Isabel," is the expansion being discussed today.
Apple's first Reno data center, "Project Mills," was approved in 2012, with construction at the site beginning soon after. Since then, Apple has been expanding at the site. Along with building permits for "Project Isabel," Apple in 2016 also applied for building permits for "Project Huckleberry," an addition of several new data center clusters to be built adjacent to Project Mills.
Apple is also seeking to start construction on a $4 million shipping and receiving facility in downtown Reno, with today's city council meeting also covering those prospective plans.
Apple and the Reno City Council are currently sorting through tax and zoning issues as Apple aims to purchase land for the downtown project. We'll update this post when the council comes to a decision.
Update: The Reno City Council has approved Apple's plans to build a warehouse in downtown Reno.
The United States Department of Homeland Security may be planning expand its laptop ban, disallowing laptops in the cabins of all flights from Europe to the United States. News of the expanded ban, which could be announced as soon as Thursday, came from European security officials that spoke to The Daily Beast.
Passengers flying from Europe to the United States will need to put their laptops in their checked luggage should the ban be expanded to cover European countries. The Department of Homeland Security has not yet made a final decision on whether or not to expand the laptop restrictions, with Security Secretary John Kelly planning to discuss the matter with senators in a classified briefing on Thursday.
"No final decisions have been made on expanding the restriction on large electronic devices in aircraft cabins; however, it is under consideration. DHS continues to evaluate the threat environment and will make changes when necessary to keep air travelers safe."
A laptop and tablet in-cabin ban was first announced in March on intelligence suggesting terrorists had discovered a way to turn laptops into bombs, but at the time, the ban only applied to passengers flying to the United States from Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Morocco, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. That first ban is still in place.
Though The Daily Beast's source says laptops will be banned on all flights from Europe, Reuters says the ban will include "some European countries." The government is said to be reviewing how to make sure lithium batteries stored in luggage holds don't explode before enacting the ban.
One issue under discussion is how to ensure that lithium batteries in any large collection of devices stored in airplane holds do not explode in midair, officials told Reuters.
European regulators have warned placing what could be potentially hundreds of devices in the hold on long-haul flights could compromise safety by increasing the risk of fire from poorly deactivated lithium-ion batteries.
A ban in European countries could impact many United States carriers that offer European flights, including United Airlines, Delta, and American Airlines. Airports and airlines in Europe have reportedly already been working on plans for an extension of the ban since it was first announced.
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.
Apple is making some changes to the way customers are charged for books in several South American and European countries around the world, switching to local currencies for purchases in Chile, Colombia, Peru, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
The currency changes will be enabled 14 days or later from May 9, which will be on or after May 23.
Apple's email says the company will do a one-time automatic conversion using the foreign exchange rate that is in effect at the time that content is processed in anticipation of the currency conversion.
Developers who have books in the store in the above listed countries will be paid in local currency and will be able to change the pricing of their content once the currency change is completed.
After spending months in preview, Microsoft today is officially launching its Visual Studio coding platform for the Mac (via VentureBeat). Visual Studio allows developers to code applications using Microsoft's integrated development environment (IDE) on Apple's macOS platform, which they can sync across both Windows and Mac devices.
Thanks to integration with Xamarin, a cross-platform software development company that Microsoft acquired last year, Visual Studio encourages macOS and iOS developers "to use Microsoft’s development tools, since they will no longer need a Windows computer or virtual machine to do so." Xamarin Studio is expected to eventually close for good following a full integration into Microsoft.
“Developers get a great IDE and a single environment to not only work on end-to-end solutions — from mobile and web apps to games — but also to integrate with and deploy to Azure,” Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of the Microsoft Cloud and Enterprise group, said in a statement. “Whether you use C#, F#, .NET Core, ASP.NET Core, Xamarin or Unity, you’ll get a best-in-class development environment, natively designed for the Mac.”
Visual Studio has been designed natively for macOS, according to Microsoft, letting developers manage their code hosted by any provider, including GitHub and Visual Studio Team Services. Developers can build, connect, and tune native mobile apps for iOS, macOS, and Android while also having the ability to create web applications thanks to support for ASP.NET Core. In terms of programming languages, the C# and F# languages are supported.
There are three different versions of Visual Studio for Mac that users can download, including Visual Studio Community, Visual Studio Professional, and Visual Studio Enterprise. Microsoft markets Community as its free, but "fully-featured," IDE for students and individual developers. Professional targets small teams with subscription benefits, while more "demanding" users and projects with larger scale are suggested to look into Enterprise.
For its cloud subscriptions, there are yearly and monthly options available to users interested in the higher-tier Visual Studio plans. An annual subscription to Visual Studio Professional costs $539/year while a monthly subscription costs $45/month. For Visual Studio Enterprise, users will pay $2,999/year or $250/month. Subscribers will be able to earn small credits back each month for the yearly tiers, contingent on their use of different Azure services.
For a detailed breakdown of the differences between each Visual Studio subscription, including individual licenses, check out the app's new website.
Sprint today announced plans to develop and deploy a wide-scale 2.5GHz 5G network in partnership with Qualcomm and SoftBank, with the intent to provide the service and products compatible with it to customers in "late 2019."
Sprint's 5G network is said to use the New Radio standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project, a group of telecommunications organizations that oversee the development and maintenance of major communication networks.
Otherwise, Sprint's press release today is notably sparse on details.
Qualcomm Technologies, SoftBank and Sprint have jointly agreed to develop technologies for 5G, including the 3GPP New Radio (NR) standard in Band 41 (2.5GHz) for accelerated wide-scale 5G deployments.
The companies plan to provide commercial services and devices in late 2019. Additional details will be provided by the companies.
Like previous advances in network technology, 5G will grant users faster data speeds and lower latency on smartphones and other cellular-enabled devices. Other companies -- including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile -- have announced plans and tests for 5G networks, but the advanced technology isn't expected to become a reality until after 3GPP establishes the initial standards for 5G.
After the standards are developed (which will be a focus of 3GPP's work in the second half of 2017), and after carriers finish testing and launch support for the advanced 5G network infrastructure, it'll take some additional time for Apple to create and debut an iPhone that could connect to 5G. For these reasons, widespread commercial adoption of 5G is still estimated for 2020 or later.
iPhone remained the world's most popular smartphone by a significant margin last quarter, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were the two most popular models specifically, with an estimated 21.5 million and 17.4 million shipments respectively.
Chinese brand OPPO's flagship R9 smartphone trailed in third with an estimated 8.9 million shipments, while Samsung's mid-range Galaxy J3 and J5 rounded off the top five with an estimated 6.1 million and 5 million shipments respectively. Other brands combined for an estimated 294.4 million smartphone shipments.
Strategy Analytics' estimates suggest the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus accounted for roughly 76.5 percent of Apple's smartphone sales last quarter, with the remaining 23.5 percent of sales derived from older models. The data also suggests a 55/45 percent sales split for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus respectively.
A new photo depicting what could be the rear shell for the next-generation iPhone SE or "iPhone 7s" has surfaced on Chinese social network Sina Weibo. The photo was later submitted to leak aggregator Slashleaks.
There's no way of telling whether this photo is real or not, but it appears to show a bump-less cutout for a single-lens camera with another cutout for what might be a vertically-aligned LED flash.
The document in the photo suggests the iPhone, codenamed N79, could have a strengthened Ion-X glass display like the Apple Watch. If real, the paperwork likely belongs to one of Apple's contract manufacturing partners in Taiwan, such as Foxconn, Pegatron, or Wistron.
There's not much else that can be gleaned from the photo, asides from what appears to be more of an iPhone 7-like design, which would be a shift away from an iPhone 5s design if this is indeed for the iPhone SE as Slashleaks suggests.
This would be the first next-generation iPhone SE design rumor we've seen so far this year, so treat it with a healthy dose of skepticism. Last year, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple is unlikely to release a new iPhone SE in the first half of 2017, suggesting a refresh won't occur before the end of June.
If that timeline is accurate, Apple could be planning to announce the next iPhone SE alongside the tentatively named iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus, and iPhone 8 in September. Or, it could wait until spring 2018, given the original iPhone SE launched in March 2016. At this point, it's too early to say.
When Apple Music launched in 2015, one of the biggest complaints from users and critics centered on the somewhat confusing user interface of Apple's first foray into music streaming. Although the app was redesigned last year in iOS 10, concerns were then raised around the oversized nature of Apple Music's new typography and artwork.
This week visual design student Jason Yuan, who studies at Northwestern University, has shared a new project that he's been working on the past few months, which was sparked when Apple rejected him for a graphic design internship at Apple Music. Yuan decided to take Apple's rejection, which referenced wanting to see "more growth and training," and turn it into a new passion project focused on a visual overhaul of Apple Music (via The Next Web).
He said his redesign provides a few "potential solutions" to the service's problems.
At first, I was frustrated — Northwestern University doesn’t offer any sort of undergraduate graphic design program, so whatever growth they were looking for would have to be self taught … but as soon as I came to this realization, I became inspired to embark on what became a a three-month long journey to the holy grail — the iOS app that Apple Music deserves.
For me, this was an opportunity to really dig my teeth into UX research and design, an excuse to spend way too much time on Sketch and Principle, a reason to bore everyone around me with my notebook of crudely drawn wireframes … My process was guided by qualitative user research, Apple’s official Design Principles, and my own designer intuition.
One of Yuan's first ideas is called "The Sampler," which he pitches as a replacement to "My New Music Mix." The Sampler would be for users "reluctant to sit through an entire playlist full of new music," and would present Apple Music subscribers with samples of songs in a Tinder-like UI that they could swipe up to reject or swipe down to add to their library. These samples would last around 15 seconds and present highlights from the songs in question so users would immediately know if they like the music or not.
Any music that is swiped down upon is then saved to Yuan's equivalent of the My New Music Mix, taking out the automatic curation of content currently in place and making it more personalized in Yuan's design. Yuan said that The Sampler was inspired by the idea of gamification, which he argued would allow the user to create "an immediate connection to the music they discover," instead of just taking a shot at what Apple Music serves up to them now.
The visual designer also came up with more cohesive branding in Apple Music's album and playlist artwork, which he argued is currently "kind of all over the place," with a mix of collages, 3D typography, and more for various radio stations and activity playlists. To fix this, Yuan focused on the circular bubble art that Apple Music subscribers encounter when signing up for the service -- which also references the iPod click wheel and iPhone contacts -- while subtly altering colors and profile shots for the artist and playlist in question.
Yuan went on to address the basic UI complaints currently leveled at Apple Music, reducing the font size and white space of the app's launch tab while also introducing a new "Watch" tab for the service's upcoming slate of TV shows. He eliminated what he argued as extraneous UI additions, like the "Downloaded Music" front page menu option, and personalized For You so it introduces music based on location, time, and even recent social media activity.
The current Apple Music (left) compared with Yuan's redesign (right)
Connect is gone for good in Yuan's design as well.
Truth is, I didn’t see any data from my research that would justify keeping the Connect feed in the app as is. Users were more interested in connecting with friends and family through music (a la Spotify) instead of with artists through a watered-down Twitter.
I think Apple should focus on integrating existing social media with Apple Music instead of trying to push yet another one on its already overburdened consumers.
There are plenty of other highlights from Yuan's list of redesign ideas, including tweaks to Now Playing, Browse, Search, and how users love or dislike a song. Yuan ended his article saying he's happy with the knowledge he gained and progress he made redesigning Apple Music as a personal project, but never intended the tweaks to be taken seriously by Apple.
"I don’t expect the good folks at Apple Music to take anything from this case study," Yuan mentioned. "In fact, I might actually have a heart attack if anyone working on Apple Music stumbles upon this article… but if you’re out there, I hope my work was able to give you some ideas and spark some conversations!"
Check out the rest of Yuan's Apple Music changes in his Medium post right here.
Readdle today announced the launch of PDF Expert 6, a major update to its popular PDF Expert app. PDF Expert 6 introduces a range of new features, from a revamped look to new editing tools.
The app has been overhauled with a fresh, streamlined look that makes it easier to add and manage files, but the most important new feature is the addition of editing tools. With PDF Expert 6, you can do more than just annotate -- the app now supports editing and modifying PDF text, adding images, adding links, redacting information, and more.
Other new features include support for editing and annotating documents directly in Dropbox or another cloud service, password protected files, improved search, and edit outlines.
PDF Expert 6 can be downloaded from the App Store for $9.99, and the update is free for existing users. The new PDF editing tools are available through an additional $9.99 in-app purchase. [Direct Link]
Spotify this week has launched a new discovery tool called "Spotify Codes," which gives users a way to easily share and find new music within the Spotify app on iOS and Android. The feature works by generating a unique code that users can take a picture of, guiding them directly to the piece of content that the code represents.
Users can generate a Spotify Code for any song, artist, album, or playlist available on Spotify by tapping the ellipses context menu, which will attach a Spotify Code to the bottom of the artwork in question. The Spotify Code can be saved to the Camera Roll to share on social media, or users can show the code to their friends nearby.
Scanning a Spotify Code is similar to any QR reader app, requiring users to take a picture of the code they want to scan, which will then direct them to the track, singer, album, or playlist that the code represents. Spotify has added in a quick-access camera button for this reason in the new update, located to the right of the search bar.
The music streaming company said that Spotify Codes won't just be for easy playlist sharing among friends, but could open up a new way for brands to promote and engage with Spotify users through commercials, print ads, and billboards.
Scan a code on your friend’s phone to follow his or her party playlist, share your Spotify profile on your social channels, or take a screenshot and import a code posted by your favourite artist to hear their latest single. You can also scan a Spotify Code printed on a flyer, poster or even a billboard.
But Spotify Codes are not just great for sharing new music with friends and loved ones, they also present an innovative and exciting new way for artists, labels and brands to instantly engage with fans through Spotify. We’re excited to see the creative ways in which they are used.
Last month, rumors suggested that Spotify is in development on its first-ever hardware device that could result in a "category defining product akin to Pebble Watch, Amazon Echo, and Snap Spectacles." The Apple Music rival has been long absent from the Apple Watch, but a new partnership with app developer Andrew Chang will see an official Spotify app make its way to Apple's wearable device sometime in the future.
For Spotify Codes, the company said that the new feature is currently rolling out globally to all users on both the Spotify iOS app [Direct Link] and on Android.
Aspyr is set to release action-adventure game Mafia III for Mac on Thursday with support for Apple's Metal API, according to MacGamerHQ.
The open-world game developed by Hangar 3 is the third installment in the Mafia series to offer both third-person perspective gaming and a cover system, featuring melee combat, character interrogation, and more.
The game is set in 1968 New Bordeaux – a re-imagined version of New Orleans – which is ten districts big and larger than both Mafia and Mafia II maps combined. Players take control of Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam War veteran on a quest to seek revenge for his adopted family, murdered at the hands of local mobs.
The game will be available on Steam and the Mac App Store for $39.99, but interested gamers should take a good look at the minimum system requirements below before ordering, as the graphically intense Mafia III looks set to be a demanding game.
Operating System: macOS 10.12.4 (Sierra)
Processor: Intel Core i5 (4 cores)
Processor Speed: 3.2 GHz
Memory: 8 GB
Hard Drive Space: 50 GB
Video Card (AMD): Radeon R9 M290X
VRAM: 2 GB
Note that Mafia III requires an AMD video card with at least 2GB of VRAM to run – Intel and Nvidia graphics cards are not supported. Qualified Mac models include: AMD Radeon Pro 450, 455, or 460 (late 2016 MBP); AMD Radeon R9 M370X (mid 2015 and 2016 MBP); AMD Radeon R9 M380, M390, M395, or M395X (late 2015 iMac); AMD Radeon R9 M290X or Radeon R9 M295X (late 2014 iMac); and AMD FirePro D300, dual AMD FirePro D500, or dual AMD FirePro D700 (late 2013 MacPro).
Aspyr warns that without meeting these requirements, users can expect sub-par frame rates or severe game instability.
The United States Department of Homeland Security may be planning 
