MacRumors

Apple released the iPad Pro on the Apple Online Store and at select Apple Retail Stores and resellers earlier today, and we have rounded up some interesting facts and news announcements surrounding the 12.9-inch tablet.

iPad Pro Delivers Notebook-Level Performance
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Geekbench results show that the iPad Pro's A9X processor is a dual-core chip running at about 2.25 GHz, as reported by Ars Technica.

The A9X chip had a 3,233 single-core score and 5,498 multi-score score in browser-based CPU tests, outperforming the iPad Air 2 and other recent iPhones and iPads by a significant margin.

iPad Pro also outperformed the 12-inch Retina MacBook, equipped with an Intel Core M dual-core processor clocked at 1.1 to 1.2 GHz, but the A9X chip's CPU performance falls short of devices like the 2015 MacBook Air and Surface Pro 4 with Intel's latest Broadwell or Skylake U-series processors.

iPad-Pro-Gfxbench-OpenGL

Ars Technica also shared iPad Pro CPU performance results

The iPad Pro's GPU performance is much more impressive, with GFXBench OpenGL test results showing the A9X chip outperformed the 2015 15" Retina MacBook Pro with Intel Iris 5200 integrated graphics, in addition to the 12-inch MacBook, 2015 MacBook Air, 2015 13" Retina MacBook Pro, Surface Pro 4 and all recent iPads.

We’re looking at MacBook Air-class CPU performance and MacBook Pro-class GPU performance, so the iPad Pro ought to be able to handle more multitasking features with aplomb as Apple sees fit to add them. Professional 3D apps like AutoCAD and the Complete Anatomy app Apple showed off in September all seem to run just fine, too.

Apple Pencil is Weighted

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Lauren Goode of The Verge shared an interesting anecdote about the Apple Pencil in her iPad Pro review:

But the Pencil is just plain fun. It is indeed Apple white, and there are Apple-y things about it — for example, the fact that it is weighted, and won’t roll away on a table top, and always stops rolling with the word "Pencil" facing upward on its metal band.

Read our iPad Pro review roundup.

ipad-proT-Mobile Financing for iPad Pro

T-Mobile has announced the iPad Pro will be available November 18. Eligible customers can finance their iPad Pro purchase through the carrier's JUMP! On Demand program, starting at $199.99 upfront with $34/month payments.

T-Mobile has a sign-up page to receive an email alert when orders can be placed. Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard will also be available on T-Mobile for $99 and $169 respectively starting November 18.

Apple Store Availability

iPad Pro launched today with limited in-store stock at select Apple Retail Stores in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and some other countries. Personal Pickup is available in U.S. stores.

Most Apple Stores have not received stock of the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, while online shipping estimates currently range between 3-4 weeks in the U.S. and many other countries for the accessories.

Tim Cook Calls Microsoft's Surface Book "Diluted"

Surface-BookThe Irish Independent has published an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the company's plans to expand in Ireland, iPad Pro and more, with his comment about Microsoft's new Surface Book drawing some attention:

Mr Cook had some sharp words for competitors. Despite saying that Apple’s relationship with Microsoft as “really good”, he described the software giant’s new Surface Book laptop as “deluded”.

“It’s a product that tries too hard to do too much,” he said. “It’s trying to be a tablet and a notebook and it really succeeds at being neither. It’s sort of deluded.”

Update: Apple says Cook meant "diluted," not "deluded," in reference to the above comment.

Follow our iPad Pro timeline for the latest news about the 12.9-inch tablet.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Disney today launched a new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack for the fourth-generation Apple TV, bundling a SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller and a Bluetooth-enabled Disney Infinity Base in a package that's now available for purchase directly from Apple retail stores.

The new Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition game for the Apple TV is available on the device as of today, and in addition to the controller and the base, the bundle Disney is offering is Star Wars-themed with the Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic Play Set piece and the Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures. The figures will unlock a comprehensive Star Wars gaming experience with both new and classic Star Wars characters and storylines.

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Earlier figures and Power Discs from the 1.0 and 2.0 versions of Disney Infinity are compatible with the new Disney Infinity 3.0 version of the game on the Apple TV. Disney Infinity has largely been limited to console-only platforms from Xbox, Nintendo, and Playstation, but in recent months, the franchise has expanded to PC, Android, and iOS devices.

With gaming now available on the Apple TV, Disney has delivered the first full console style experience to Apple's set-top box with the launch of Disney Infinity 3.0. For those unfamiliar with the Disney Infinity line, it's a sandbox-style action adventure world where gamers can unlock new characters and gameplay experiences using real-world collectible figurines.

The Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack for the Apple TV can be purchased from the Apple Store for $99.95.

Continuing its recent moves to embrace renewable energy sources, Apple has agreed to fund a €1 million initiative through the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) to support research into harnessing wave energy.

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Ocean Energy Test Site in Galway Bay, Ireland

“We're excited by the potential of ocean energy to someday serve as a source of clean power for the data centre we are building in Athenry, County Galway," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. "We are deeply committed to powering all our facilities with 100 percent renewable energy and believe investing in innovative projects will make reaching our goal easier."

The initiative funded by Apple will help fund researchers testing their wave harnessing technologies at the Galway Bay Ocean Energy Test Site.

Wave energy is just one renewable energy source Apple has supported in an effort to become more environmentally friendly. Solar energy has been a major component of Apple's initiative, although the company has also embraced wind, biogas fuel cell, hydroelectric, and geothermal solutions to help power its data centers and other facilities as it seeks to move to 100% renewable energy for its own facilities and even help its suppliers make similar transitions.

Mophie today announced the debut of a new lineup of Powerstation external batteries, which can be used to charge a range of different electronic devices, including Apple's iPhone and iPad. The new Powerstation battery packs are Mophie's thinnest and lightest yet, with an aluminum finish designed to mesh well with iOS devices and 15W fast charging capabilities.

Mophie's new Powerstation products follow in the footsteps of its previous Powerstation line, with Mophie offering several different battery capacities at varying prices and sizes. Available sizes include 1X (2,000 mAh), 2X (4,000 mAh), 3X (6,000 mAh), 5X (10,000 mAh), and 8X, with the 8X size offering a capacity of 15,000 mAh, which Mophie says is equivalent to an additional 54 hours of talk time, 59 hours of web browsing, 59 hours of video playback, and 272 hours of audio time.

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The smallest Powerstation, the 1X, measures in at 6.9mm thick and 95.5mm (3.76 inches) long, while the largest 8X Powerstation is 12.1mm thick and 183.9mm (7.24 inches) long, with other sizes fitting in between the two extremes.

The higher-end 5X and 8X models include support for a Mophie Power app that lets users see the remaining battery life in the Powerstation and how long it will take to charge a device to full. The app is also able to send custom notifications when batteries are low or fully charged.

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All models except for the 1X version also support pass-through charging, which will charge an iOS device before charging the Powerstation. On the 3X, 5X, and 8X models, there are also two ports for charging multiple devices at one time.

Mophie's new Powerstation lineup is available for purchase from the Mophie website, Apple.com, and Apple retail stores. Pricing starts at $39.95 for the Powerstation 1X and goes up to $149.95 for the Powerstation 8X.

Tag: Mophie

Flux-iOS-BetaF.lux, popular Mac software that adjusts the color of your computer's display to adapt to the time of day, has been released for iPhone and iPad in beta outside of the App Store. The app can be downloaded and side-loaded on iOS 9 devices using Xcode 7 on a Mac running OS X 10.10 Yosemite or later.

F.lux will adjust your iPhone or iPad display to appear like sunlight during the day, and warm during nighttime hours to avoid looking at a bright screen. The app has settings to adjust the brightness level during the day and night, and you can also configure a time that you normally wake up each day.

Apple does not allow developers to access the Private APIs that f.lux requires to work on iOS, so the app is unlikely to appear on the App Store unless that policy changes. Since the app is side-loaded, there are no automatic updates, so the beta performs a daily update check and will display a message if a new version is available.

How to Sideload F.lux on iPhone and iPad

F.lux has provided step-by-step instructions on how to sideload the app on iPhone or iPad.

  • Download and install Xcode 7 from the Mac App Store

  • Download F.lux for iOS, unzip and open the “iflux.xcodeproj” project in Xcode

  • Open Xcode > Preferences > Accounts and enter your iCloud or developer credentials

  • Under Targets > iflux > General > Identity, give the Bundle Identifier a unique name

  • Under the same Identity > Team menu, select your iCloud account or Developer profile

Next, connect your iPhone or iPad to a Mac using a Lightning cable and follow these steps:

  • From the Xcode Product menu, choose Destination and select your iOS device

  • Push Cmd-R when you’re ready to have f.lux

  • When you first run, you’ll be prompted to open Settings > General > Profile on your device, and trust your developer account

  • Run again, and allow location and notifications -- the app needs to be able to constantly communicate to run well

F.lux for iOS was developed by Michael Herf and is free for iPhone and iPad. The app was released for jailbroken iOS devices in late 2011.

Tags: F.lux, Xcode 7

Alongside today's launch of the iPad Pro and its Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard accessories, Apple design chief Jony Ive shared his thoughts on the new stylus accessory with The Telegraph.

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Addressing the device's strong resemblance to an actual pencil, Ive stresses that a familiar and natural feel is key to the user experience.

“We hoped if you are used to spending a lot of time using paintbrushes, pencils and pens, this will feel like a more natural extension of that experience - that it will feel familiar,” he says, carefully. “To achieve that degree of very simple, natural behaviour, was a significant technological challenge.”

Ive notes how that natural feel increases with usage to the point where the user forgets they are using a piece of technology and is able to simply focus on the task at hand. As an example, he points to his design team, which has experimented with tools other than traditional sketchbooks over the years but is finally finding the iPad Pro with Apple Pencil a natural combination.

“Many of us in the design team have worked together for 20 plus years. We’ve always drawn in our sketchbooks, and for the first time - despite flirting with some alternatives a couple of years ago - I’m seeing people starting to use the iPad and Apple Pencil. Our personal experience has been that there are definitely affordances and opportunities now that you have a much more natural and intuitive environment to make marks, there are clearly things you can do sketching and writing on the iPad which you could never dream of doing in the analogue world."

The Apple Pencil is a $99 accessory sold alongside the iPad Pro, although early customers may need to wait a bit to get their hands on one. While the iPad Pro is in some cases available for in-store pickup as early as today, the earliest Apple Pencil orders are taking a few days longer to start shipping out and shipping estimates for new orders have quickly slipped to 3-4 weeks.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Apple plans to hire an additional 1,000 employees at its Cork offices in Ireland, a country where the iPhone maker shelters multi-billion-dollar profits from corporate taxes in the United States, according to Reuters.

Apple Ireland

Apple's offices in Cork, Ireland

Ireland's main foreign investment agency, the IDA, said Apple was to add 1,000 jobs to its office in Cork by mid-2017 from 5,000 at present. It said the company had also added 1,000 jobs in the past year.

In September 2014, the European Commission accused Apple of receiving illegal state aid from Ireland in return for maintaining jobs. A decision in the investigation is due after Christmas, according to Ireland's finance minister Michael Noonan.

Apple has paid a corporate tax rate of about 2.5% in Ireland on $109 billion in profits over the past five years, far less than an average 12.5% paid by many other companies in the country. The U.S. has an average corporate tax rate of about 15% to 39%.

Apple released the iPad Pro online and in stores earlier today, and the embargo has now lifted for hands-on reviews of the new 12.9-inch tablet.

The consensus opinion is that the iPad Pro is an excellent device for content creation, with powerful hardware for intensive apps and multitasking, but not quite a PC replacement due to its iOS limitations. The tablet's experience will be better realized once more developers update their apps to take advantage of the larger canvas.

iPad-Pro-Trio

From left to right: iPad mini 2, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro (Image: WSJ)

iPad Pro reviews praised its large display, which at 2,732×2,048 pixels has a higher resolution than the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display, and most early adopters claim the tablet meets or exceeds its advertised 10-hour battery life. The new Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard also received positive reviews.

Ars Technica - Andrew Cunningham

It's best to think of the iPad Pro as a starting point, especially for iOS 9. These multitasking features are still brand-new, and there’s a lot of low-hanging fruit to pick in future iOS 9 revisions and into iOS 10. My biggest gripes with the iPad Pro are with the software rather than the hardware, and that means that most of them can be fixed given enough time and enough feature requests. It took Microsoft three tries to really nail down the Surface Pro concept, and given a couple of iOS updates the iPad Pro has room to grow into a more versatile laptop replacement without necessarily giving up the things that people like about iOS.

For the rest of us, there's still the Mac.

CNET - Scott Stein

I want the iPad to eat the Mac, the way the iPhone ate the iPod. This iPad has already crept up to become as large as a Mac. But iOS needs to fully change with it. I need to connect to my old files and Web tools better, because that's what I need as a pro. I want it to become as flexible as a computer should be. The iPad needs to bridge the gap.

The iPad Pro feels like the top half of a new futuristic superpowered laptop. I want the bottom half, too.

MacStories - Federico Viticci

The iPad Pro is positioned as a more productive take on the iPad for those who need to get work done on it. My recommendation couldn't be more straightforward: if iOS is your main computing platform, or if you plan to turn an iPad into your primary computer, you'll want an iPad Pro. Its powerful hardware, multitasking interface, and extensible nature are superior to every other iPad. I don't see myself using a Mac as my primary computer ever again.


Mashable - Lance Ulanoff

It certainly has some impressive benchmark numbers. Its Geekbench single-core (3,218) and multi-core (5,455) numbers blew away virtually everything else (in the mobile space), including the A9 chip in the iPhone 6S/6S Plus. It even outperforms the new MacBook's Intel Core M processor (2,367 and 4,489 for single-core and multi-core, respectively). What’s more, the iPad Pro’s single-core score rivaled desktop performance on the Microsoft Surface Book (beating the sixth-gen Intel Core i5 and coming close to a sixth-gen Intel Core i7). The multi-core scores lagged behind both systems, but not by the margin you might expect.

TechCrunch - Matthew Panzarino

…iPad Pro absolutely, 100% could be the central computing device for a home. […] But there is a certain (sorry) norm-core computing demographic that could very well end up with an iPad Pro as the ’enhanced’ component to their smartphone, which is their real computer. Somewhere on the same level as other use-case-based devices like wearables and an interconnected home.

TouchArcade - Eli Hodapp

I'm not sure how anyone can walk away with a first impression that's any different from, "Wow, this is comically large." Unboxing my iPad Pro and getting it in my hands for the first time brought all the memories of the original Xbox rushing back, as everything about that console (particularly the launch day unit) from the size of the Xbox itself to how huge the controller is just felt absurdly huge. […]

If you want a good size comparison without leaving the house, look around for a normal sized magazine. For whatever reason I've got an issue of People on my coffee table, and the screen of the iPad Pro is basically the exact same size. Add in a little extra around the edge for the bezel, and there you go.

The Verge - Lauren Goode

But even this split-screen mode isn’t enough for lots of the "laptop" things I need to do on a daily basis. This is still a mobile OS we’re talking about. It’s nice that it’s at least familiar feeling, unlike the foreign hybrid OS that Microsoft introduced with the first Surfaces. But I can’t manipulate more than two app windows at a time on the iPad Pro. I can’t control things with a trackpad. I can’t run Final Cut Pro on the iPad Pro. Entering data into cells in the Google Sheets app on the iPad Pro is still onerous. There’s no way to hand over the iPad to someone else and let them quickly log in as a "guest" user.


The Verge
- Walt Mossberg

You can get a lot more done with iPad apps than with the paltry selection of tablet / touch-first apps available for the Surface. But, because Apple hasn’t made a great keyboard, the iPad Pro isn’t a complete replacement for a great laptop like the MacBook Air — even for a tablet guy like me.

The iPad Pro will no doubt make a lot of Apple users happy, especially if they use it for graphics. But I won’t be buying one, and I don’t recommend that average users do so either.

The Wall Street Journal - Joanna Stern

The Pro may seem wedged between iPads and MacBooks, but it will be your main computer in the future. As our phablets push smaller tablets into retirement, the big tablet and its accessories will do the same for our traditional computers. For now, however, it may be easiest to step back and see the Pro as a… really good, really big iPad.

More Reviews: Bloomberg, Daring Fireball, Fast Company, TechRadar, The Telegraph, Wired and Yahoo Tech

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad Accessories

Apple is now accepting orders for the iPad Pro, both through its online storefront and through the Apple Store app. The first iPad Pro online orders will arrive on Friday, November 13 when one-day shipping is selected, and Apple's site is also listing the tablet as available for purchase in many retail stores beginning today.

The Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard will not be arriving until late next week and are not available for in-store pickup at the current time.

Logitech's CREATE Backlit Keyboard Case for the iPad Pro is available in stores beginning today, however, for $149.95. Apple is advertising the keyboard right alongside the Apple Pencil and its own Smart Keyboard. Logitech's keyboard was designed with input from Apple and it is the first third-party product to use the device's Smart Connector port.

The iPad Pro is Apple's new flagship tablet, measuring in at 12.9 inches diagonally. It includes a Retina display, a four speaker audio system, 4GB RAM, and a set of dedicated accessories, the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard.

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Apple's iPad Pro is priced at $799 for the entry-level 32GB Wi-Fi only model, $949 for the 128GB Wi-Fi only model, and $1,079 for the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The iPad Pro is available for purchase in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray.

The Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard are being sold alongside the iPad Pro. The Apple Pencil is priced at $99, while the Smart Keyboard is priced at $169.

The iPad Pro is available in a long list of countries at launch, including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greenland, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, UAE, U.S., U.K., Uruguay, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Related Roundup: iPad Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPad Pro (Don't Buy)

windows_10_boxFollowing the launch of Windows 10, Apple updated Boot Camp to support the latest Windows operating system on select Mac computers from 2012 and newer. If you've always wanted to try Windows on your Mac and think that now is the time to finally take the plunge, we can help you get through the basics with our how-to guide for installing Windows 10 on your Mac using Apple's Boot Camp Assistant.

This guide assumes you are installing Windows on your computer for the first time.

What You Need

You will, of course, need Windows 10, which can be purchased from Microsoft for $119. Older Mac computers support older versions of Windows, but won't work with Windows 10.

Make sure to check the system requirements for the version of Windows you want to install to ensure your Mac meets or exceeds them. You can find out the system specs for your Mac using System Information, accessible by typing "System Information" into a Spotlight search or using the Apple menu to go to About This Mac --> System Report.

To install Windows 10 (or Windows 7 or 8 for that matter) you will need at least 30 GB of free space on your startup drive and you'll need a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad to use with your computer.

If you're running OS X El Capitan and have an 11- or 13-inch MacBook Air, a 13- or 15-inch MacBook Pro or the Mac Pro, there's no need for a USB drive. If you're running a different version of OS X or have an older Mac, you'll need a 16 GB flash drive that doesn't have anything you don't want erased on it (Boot Camp Assistant automatically reformats the flash drive).

➜ Click here to read more...

InstaAgent, an app that connects to Instagram and promises to track the people that have visited a user's Instagram account, appears to be storing the usernames and passwords of Instagram users, sending them to a suspicious remote server.

An app developer from Peppersoft downloaded InstaAgent -- full name "Who Viewed Your Profile - InstaAgent" -- and discovered it's reading Instagram account usernames and passwords, sending them via clear text to a remote server - instagram.zunamedia.com.

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InstaAgent is also using the credentials to log into accounts and post unauthorized images. Instagram does not permit third-party apps to upload photos to user accounts.

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While InstaAgent isn't particularly popular in the United States, it is currently the number one free app in both the United Kingdom and Canada, with thousands of downloads that puts a huge number of Instagram users at risk of having their information stolen. In the Google Play store, the app had between 100k and 500k users, and the install numbers could be similar for iOS.

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Google has removed the InstaAgent Android app from the Google Play store, but InstaAgent is still available in the iOS App Store for the time being. Anyone who has downloaded InstaAgent should delete the app immediately and change their Instagram password.

Passwords for other sites and accounts that were the same as the Instagram password should also be changed as a precaution. We also highly recommend a password management app like 1Password, which can generate unique complex passwords for each and every site or service. Instagram also advises against installing third-party apps that don't follow its Community Guidelines.

There are dozens if not hundreds of third-party apps that promise to provide Instagram users with followers and other perks, and these kind of apps should be avoided. According to Instagram, these apps are "likely an attempt to use your account in an inappropriate way" as InstaAgent does.

Update 3:20 p.m. Pacific Time: InstaAgent has now been removed from the iOS App Store.

testflightApple today announced it is now allowing developers to invite up to 2,000 individuals to beta test iOS and tvOS apps using the TestFlight beta testing platform, an increase from the former 1,000 participant limit.

Since its 2014 launch, Apple has capped TestFlight beta testers at 1,000, but announced plans to expand that number at the June Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has now made good on that promise, boosting the number of people who can install a beta app.

Apple has also increased the period of time before a TestFlight beta expires from 30 days to 60 days, another change that was first announced at WWDC.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere today hosted an Un-Carrier X event, where he announced T-Mobile's latest offering, free video streaming. Going forward, T-Mobile customers who watch streaming video will not have the video data count towards their monthly data usage.

That means services like Netflix and Hulu will no longer eat up data, making T-Mobile's data plans go further. T-Mobile's lowest-priced plan costs $50 per month and includes just 2GB of data, but T-Mobile is now the only company that excludes video streaming data from data usage. T-Mobile also allows for free streaming music, a perk introduced at an earlier event.

With the new Binge-On free video streaming service, there are 24 current partners, and the program is open to any video streaming product that wants to participate. Binge-On uses a proprietary data compression algorithm to stream 480p "DVD quality" video that uses a smaller amount of data to a T-Mobile device. For those who don't want to use the compression service, it can be toggled off. Binge-On is available to customers with a 3GB plan or higher.

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Binge-On partners at launch include Netflix, HBO Now, HBO Go, Hulu, WatchESPN, Showtime, Starz Play, Encore Play, Vevo, MLB.tv, NBC Sports, Movieplex Play, Vessel, Sling TV, Sling Box, T-Mobile TV, Go90, DirecTV, Univision Sports, Crackle, FOX Sports, FOX Sports Go, Vudu, and Ustream.

T-Mobile has also doubled the amount of data available to its Simple Choice customers. Rather than offering data in 1GB, 3GB, and 5GB increments, T-Mobile is now offering 2GB, 6GB, 10GB, and unlimited plans.

Customer plans are being doubled at no cost and a new Family Match promotion doubles the amount of data available to each family member. A family of four can now get 6GB of data each for a total of $120 per month using Family Match. Family Match includes a free fourth line for all customers as part of a limited time promotion.

Over the course of the last two years, T-Mobile has aimed to disrupt traditional mobile service with its 10 "Un-carrier" initiatives. The company began with uncoupling device costs from service costs in 2013, and then went on to offer several additional incentives to encourage customers to switch to the carrier, including paying early termination fees, offering a JUMP! upgrade plan, unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries, free streaming music from Spotify, Rdio, iTunes Radio, and Pandora, one week free trials to test the T-Mobile service, Wi-Fi calling, data rollovers, and low-cost plans for businesses.

Apple today announced the launch of a new series of "Tech Talks" for the Apple TV, designed to help developers learn how to create apps and games for Apple's new set-top box. The Tech Talks are held in a number of cities around the world and are hosted by "Apple experts."

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The new Apple TV is here, bringing incredible and immersive apps and games to the big screen. Get in-depth technical information on building and designing for tvOS, learn refined coding techniques, and obtain valuable development instruction from Apple experts.

Developers can register to attend a Tech Talk through Apple's website, with registration open from now until November 13 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Dates and locations are below.

  • Toronto - December 7, 2015
  • Los Angeles - December 10, 2015
  • Austin - December 14, 2015
  • Seattle - December 16, 2015
  • Cupertino - December 17 and 18, 2015
  • Berlin - January 8, 2016
  • London - January 11, 2016
  • New York - January 12, 2016
  • Tokyo - January 21, 2016
  • Sydney - February 3, 2016

Each of Apple's all-day Tech Talks will include morning sessions focused on the Apple TV's capabilities, designing apps, creating interfaces, integrating the Siri remote and game controllers, and using on-demand resources. Afternoon sessions will focus on topics like technologies for graphics and gaming, media streaming, and more, and a reception will follow giving attendees a chance to interact with each other and Apple's staff.

Update 11/16: Apple is now choosing lottery winners for its Apple TV Tech Talks and notifying winning developers.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

headlessadapterNewerTech today announced the launch of its HDMI Headless Video Accelerator, an adapter that's designed to plug into the Mac mini's HDMI display port to fool it into thinking there's a display attached. With the adapter plugged in, the Mac mini's GPU is activated and video drivers are loaded, resulting in smoother performance.

When the Mac mini is used without a monitor, its GPU isn't used. As a result, the interface lags, resulting in choppy screens and slow video, animation, cursor movements, menu navigation, and typing. Plugging the NewerTech HDMI Headless Video Accelerator into the HDMI port of the Mac mini solves this problem, engaging the GPU so your remote interface works exactly how you'd expect.

Apple's small and portable Mac mini is often used sans display as a storage device or a media server, but without a display, the Mac mini does not take advantage of its GPU. Without an active GPU, certain tasks performed on the Mac mini can be choppy and laggy, such as visiting websites, as described in a Macminicolo blog post on the subject.

This kind of adaptation has been used by Macminicolo on video intensive servers for several years, but as the site says, even simple web browsing benefits from having active video drivers. Macminicolo even recommends a similar dummy dongle product directly on its site.

The NewerTech HDMI Headless Video Accelerator is designed to work with the following Mac mini models: Mac mini Mid 2010 (Macmini4,1), Mac mini Mid 2011 (Macmini5,1 / Macmini5,2 / Macmini5,3), Mac mini Late 2012 (Macmini6,1 / Macmini6,2), Mac mini Late 2014 (Macmini7,1). It works with OS X 10.6.8 and later.

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Mac mini owners interested in purchasing the NewerTech HDMI Headless Video Accelerator can do so from third-party retailers like OWC. The adapter is priced at $19.50.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac mini

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming update to tvOS, the new operating system that runs on the fourth-generation Apple TV. Today's tvOS beta marks the first major software update to tvOS 9.0, a final version of which was released alongside the new Apple TV. The first beta of tvOS 9.1 was seeded to developers last week.

The second tvOS beta is available as an over-the-air update to those who have installed the first beta. Installing an initial tvOS beta is a more involved process than installing a beta update for iOS or OS X. The update requires the Apple TV to be connected to a computer with a USB-C to USB-A cable, with the software downloaded and installed via iTunes.

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We don't yet know exactly what is included in the new version of tvOS, as most changes thus far appear to be under-the-hood updates. Apple's release notes for the update include references to networking and scrolling tweaks, and it's likely tvOS 9.1 will include fixes for bugs and issues that have been discovered in the software since the Apple TV's official launch.

We will include any other external facing changes below.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan update to developers, just one week after seeding the second beta and three weeks after releasing the first OS X El Capitan update to the public, OS X 10.11.1.

The new beta is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center.

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We don't know exactly what improvements the second update to OS X El Capitan will introduce, as many of the changes seem to be under-the-hood upgrades. It’s likely to focus on bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements to address problems that have popped up since the release of OS X 10.11.1.

Apple's release notes for OS X 10.11.2 have asked developers to focus on Networking, Graphics, Mail, Wi-Fi, Calendar, USB, Notes, Photos, and Spotlight.

Related Forum: OS X El Capitan

Apple today seeded the third beta of iOS 9.2 to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the second iOS 9.2 beta and three weeks after releasing iOS 9.1 to the public. As a .1 upgrade, iOS 9.2 will mark the second major update to iOS 9.

The new iOS 9.2 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the Apple Developer Center. Today's beta is also available to public beta testers, and there's also a new version of the Xcode 7.2 beta available.

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Earlier betas of iOS 9.2 introduced changes for the Safari View Controller, which is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used in third-party apps. Safari View Controller now supports third-party Action Extensions, allowing apps like 1Password to be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot.

Safari View Controller has also been updated with the ability to long tap on the Reload button to reload content without content blockers and it now supports the request desktop site function. iOS 9.2 beta 2 improved Safari View Controller further, introducing support for dismissing it with an edge swipe.

Along with improvements to Safari View Controller, iOS 9.2 also introduces support for AT&T's NumberSync Wi-Fi Calling feature and includes bug fixes for iCloud Keychain, Apple Watch syncing and pairing, audio quality when streaming to stereo systems, and more.

Tag: iOS 9.2
Related Forum: iOS 9