During its "Hello Again" event today Apple revealed that the popular crafting video game Minecraft is heading to the fourth-generation Apple TV sometime by the end of 2016.
During the presentation, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that users will even be able to play with friends who are on an iPhone or iPad. "You can build new worlds on your Apple TV, and play with your friends using iPhones and iPads."
At the beginning of its "Hello Again" Town Hall event today Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company is launching a new accessibility website to help promote the accessibility features in its products.
It's all about the accessibility features that we've designed and built into our products. We believe that technology should be accessible to everyone, and we hope this website becomes a great resource that people can use all around the world.
Cook says that Apple believes that if people have access to its product they can help push humanity forward and "change the world in the process." Before Cook came to the stage, Apple played a short video showcasing customers using the available accessibility features.
Apple's accessibility website should go live once the event is complete. Currently, Apple's older accessibility website is still live.
Twitter today announced plans to shut down Vine, the video sharing service it acquired in 2012. Twitter plans to discontinue the mobile app "in the coming months," but did not give a specific timeline.
Introduced in early 2013, Vine allows users to capture and share looping video clips that are six seconds in length, sharing them on various social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you. Thank you. To all the creators out there -- thank you for taking a chance on this app back in the day. To the many team members over the years who made this what it was -- thank you for your contributions. And of course, thank you to all of those who came to watch and laugh every day.
Twitter plans to leave the Vine website intact, so Vines will continue to be available to watch and download. Twitter promises to notify users well in advance of any changes to the app or website.
The shuttering of Vine comes amid massive layoffs at Twitter. Twitter is letting go of approximately nine percent of its staff, or 350 people, as it works on cutting down on costs and restructures its priorities.
Apple's "Hello Again" event kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific Time today, with Apple expected to make several Mac-related announcements headlined by a revamped MacBook Pro with an OLED "Magic Toolbar" or "Touch Bar" and Touch ID support.
We're also expecting to see new MacBook Air models with USB-C ports, and perhaps some other new Macs as well. On a separate note, Apple is also said to be introducing a new "guide" app for Apple TV and iOS devices to help recommend TV shows to users across content providers.
Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via Apple TV.
In addition to Apple's video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the event unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today's announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.
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Apple's online stores around the world are currently down in advance of the event.
"Hello Again" event highlights are available in reverse chronological order after the jump.
A few users who pre-ordered the Apple Watch Nike+ have begun sharing that their devices are shipping, although with the Apple storefront now offline customers can't check the specific status of their orders. Shipping mentions began earlier in the week, with more email updates being reported this morning, one day ahead of tomorrow's official launch of the Apple Watch Nike+. Orders appear to be hitting the first wave of the device's opening weekend launch countries, including users in Canada.
Additionally, the companion iOS Nike+ Run Club app has been updated with a collection of features aimed at enhancing the connection between the app, Apple Watch Series 2, and watchOS 3. The app now supports the onboard GPS function of the Apple Watch, so when users go for a run without an iPhone and use the Nike+ Run Club watch app, GPS will still track the path, which will be viewable on both Apple Watch and iPhone following the workout.
New features for Apple Watch watchOS 3 users also include:
Bold display of your running metrics at a glance
Hear audio readouts right from your watch
Smart invitations to run, personalized for you
Schedule run reminders to keep you motivated
Start, Pause, Resume and End your run with Siri
Integration with Apple Music in the 5.1.0 update means that users will be able to stream their favorite playlists and artists from Apple's service directly from within Nike+ Run Club. Nike also offers up a selection of "custom playlists" that it curates in the app.
Nike+ Run Club is available to download for free from the App Store [Direct Link], and the company notes that iOS 10 is required for the new update, while watchOS 3.1 is recommended for best results when running with the Apple Watch.
Adobe for the second time this month has released Flash Player security updates to address critical vulnerabilities that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of Mac, Windows, Linux, and Chrome OS systems.
Adobe said the security updates resolve a use-after-free vulnerability that could lead to code execution, as discovered by Google's Threat Analysis Group. Adobe said it was aware of the exploit being used in "limited, targeted attacks" against users running Windows 7 or later only, but Mac users could still be affected and should update out of an abundance of caution.
Affected versions of Flash Player for Mac:
Adobe Flash Player version 23.0.0.185 and earlier
Adobe Flash Player for Google Chrome version 23.0.0.185 and earlier
Mac users running Flash Player 11.3.x or later who have selected the option to "allow Adobe to install updates" will receive the update automatically. Likewise, Google Chrome will automatically update Flash Player to version 23.0.0.205. Select "About Google Chrome" under the Tools menu to verify the browser is up-to-date.
In 2010, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs penned an article called "Thoughts on Flash" in which he favored open web standards such as HTML5 over Adobe Flash. Jobs said Flash Player was "the number one reason Macs crash" and criticized its performance on mobile devices. "Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice," he wrote.
Continuing in the tradition of changing Reactions to suit a theme or holiday, Facebook today has begun rolling out a Halloween version of the six Reaction buttons. Replacing Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry are a skeleton's hand, candy heart, witch, ghost, Frankenstein's monster, and a pumpkin.
Some Reactions, including Like, change into their festive versions after being tapped
Using its acquisition of MSQRD, Facebook is also introducing Halloween-themed live filter masks into its live video streaming feature. The limited-time masks are said to include a skull, an evil queen, a pumpkin, and a witch.
After you start broadcasting from the "Live" button on top of the feed in the Facebook app, you can find the masks in the magic wand menu in the top left corner of the screen. The company said that a selection of masks will continue to be available after Halloween, "so you can be creative in your Live videos any time."
The update is expected to stick around through Halloween, although Facebook didn't specifically confirm how long it would last. Reactions will be rolling out to people "in a select set of countries," while masks are available only to iOS users in the United States, United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
Google has officially rebranded its "Google Cast" iOS and Android apps to "Google Home," getting the mobile apps ready for the launch of its hands-free smart home speaker, similarly named Google Home. The new name also comes with a new app icon, new features, and some slight UI tweaks that make "the app easier to use."
The old Google Cast icon (left) compared with the new Google Home version (right)
The "Home" launchpad in the app now has a "Watch" and "Discover" section that lets you watch videos on any of the Chromecast-enabled apps you already have installed, or discover thousands of new apps available for Chromecast, respectively. Additionally, a floating magnifying glass button enables video search across multiple apps to make it easy to find the videos you want.
Once Google Home launches next week, on November 4, the new app will be the single location for users to control all of their Chromecast and Google Home devices. A "Devices" button in the top right corner will guide users through easily pairing a new product to the app, and after pairing is complete they can adjust its settings, control audio and video playback, and more.
Google Home is available to download for free from the iOS App Store [Direct Link], and users can pre-order the Google Home smart speaker itself for $129.00 from the Google Store, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart.
An Italian judge has accepted a nearly $50,000 settlement agreement with the head of Apple's Irish-based unit as part of a probe into allegations that the company failed to pay taxes in Italy (via Reuters).
A six-month jail sentence for the Apple executive has been converted into the payment of a 45,000 euro ($49,126) fine as part of the settlement agreement, according to Reuters' source.
The original investigations were completed in March 2015 and accused Apple of booking profits generated in Italy through an Irish subsidiary in an effort to lower its taxable income base and save nearly €900 million from 2008 through 2013.
At the time, Apple had called the allegations against its employees "completely without merit". But in December 2015, it was reported Apple had agreed to pay 318 million euros to Italy – only a third of the amount it was said to have failed to pay in corporate taxes over the five year period. However, under Italian law, a settlement agreement does not imply an admission of guilt.
Milan prosecutors investigating the allegations have also asked for the case against two managers from the Italian subsidiary of Apple to be dropped, the source said.
Apple Italia is part of the company's European operation headquartered in Ireland, where Apple pays a significantly lower corporate tax rate compared to other EU countries. Ireland has a corporate tax rate of 12.5% for normal business activities, compared to a standard rate of 27.5% in Italy.
In August, the European Commission ruled that Apple received illegal state aid from Ireland, following a three-year inquiry into the company's tax arrangements in the country. The investigation's results showed that Apple allegedly paid between 0.005% and 1% in taxes in Ireland between 2003 and 2014, compared to the the country's headline 12.5% corporate tax rate.
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 will provide a live stream (spoiler free) of the keynote on the Apple TV and on iOS and Mac devices through its website, starting at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. MacRumors will also have full coverage of the event, with a live blog on our front page at MacRumors.com and updates in 140 characters or less through our @MacRumorsLive account on Twitter. Earlier this week, we outlined what to expect at the event.
We'll also have specific coverage of today's announcements in separate news stories, and our community forums are a great place for readers to discuss the announcements before, during, and after the event. Be sure to keep tabs on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air sections in particular for the latest discussions.
Amazon began rolling out Alexa voice assistant to its Amazon Fire tablets yesterday, extending the feature beyond its original smart devices, such as the Echo speaker.
The rollout means owners of 7-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch Fire tablets will be able to issue voice commands for specific requests, like playing music or having the news read to them, but unlike the always-listening smart speakers, the home button must be held down on tablets to activate Alexa.
The feature will take advantage of Fire screens by displaying full-screen cards with additional information in response to requests, such as the day's forecast in response to a weather inquiry, or playback controls when music is requested.
Unlike Siri and Google Assistant, Alexa was designed with tablets in mind rather than mobile phones, according to Amazon, so its special skills focus on tasks suited to the home, like setting timers or ordering household items from Amazon. As such, requests for tasks usually performed on the go, like finding nearby bars and services, either result in a simple web search or are redirected to the Alexa app.
Like with the smart speakers, Fire tablet owners can also add skills from third parties such as Uber, as long as the associated app is also installed.
Amazon's addition of Alexa to its tablet range follows Google's newly debuted Google Assistant on its Pixel smartphones, which are set to compete with Apple's iPhones that come with Siri.
Amazon says it will grow the abilities of Alexa and has over 1,000 employees working on the assistant with the intention of hiring more. The company also hopes its introduction on tablets with drive more holiday shopping.
The latest data from market research firm IDC shows Samsung's share of the worldwide smartphone market dropped to 20% in the third quarter -- its lowest market share since recording 19.9% in the fourth quarter of 2014. IDC estimates Samsung shipped 72.5 million smartphones in the quarter, down 13.5% compared to the estimated 83.8 million smartphones it shipped in the year-ago period.
The decline can be at least partially attributed to Samsung's disastrous Galaxy Note7 recall in early September, although the impact of that move on the third quarter was limited to only a few weeks. Samsung's market share and financial results will likely suffer more greatly in the fourth quarter as the recall and subsequent discontinuation of the Galaxy Note7 weigh on the entire three-month period.
Apple finished runner-up to Samsung as usual with 45.5 million iPhones sold, down 5.3% versus the 48 million iPhones it sold in the same quarter last year. Apple's worldwide market share was 12.5%, down slightly from 13.4% in the year-ago quarter. Samsung's Galaxy Note7 recall could further boost sales of the already-popular iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus heading into the holiday shopping season.
Higher than expected iPhone 7 Plus demand outstripped supply, which should be alleviated through the fourth quarter, helped by new features such as water resistance, faster processing, improved optics, and larger storage capacities. A new "jet black" color option has also proven popular with many carriers and retail partners are still showing the device on back order. IDC believes that the iPhone could witness greater success come next quarter as it stands to likely benefit from the Note 7 recall that took place earlier this month.
Chinese smartphone manufacturers Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo rounded out the top five vendors in the third quarter with 9.3%, 7%, and 5.8% market share respectively. Huawei in particular came within striking distance of Apple with an estimated 33.6 million Android-based handsets shipped in the quarter, including the flagship Huawei P9, representing 23% year-over-year growth.
The possibility of Chinese brands ever surpassing Apple or Samsung in smartphone shipments will greatly depend on their ability to enter the U.S. and European markets, where their presence is currently limited. All smartphone makers also have to deal with an increasingly saturated market that saw only 1% growth in the third quarter. Overall shipments rose totaled an estimated 362.9 million units.
Apple's "Hello Again" media event kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific tomorrow, and as usual some MacRumors readers who can't follow the event live are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until Apple posts the recorded video of the event so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.
For those individuals, we've posted this news story, which will be updated with a direct link to the presentation once it becomes available from Apple. No other news stories or announcements will be displayed alongside this story.
Apple has become quicker about making event videos available for replay over the past several years, and videos are now frequently available within an hour of an event's conclusion.
Users waiting for the video to be posted are welcome to gather in the thread associated with this news story, and we ask that those who follow the events refrain from making any posts in the thread about Apple's announcements.
Video Posted: A direct link to the video file is now available, with no spoilers.
After years of recruiting graphics architects, Apple has gradually shifted from licensing PowerVR graphics to designing its own custom GPUs for iPhones, according to David Kanter at Real World Technologies.
The new graphics processor is said to have first shipped with the A8 chip in the iPhone 6, with successive versions built into in the A9 and A10 Fusion chips powering the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 lineups respectively.
For context, Kanter said a modern GPU has three major components that work together in harmony to render graphics:
The first is the fixed-function graphics hardware, which is responsible for tasks like processing API commands, triangle rasterization, and raster output. The second is the shader core, which is the heart of the GPU and executes programmable shaders (e.g., vertex, geometry, pixel, and compute shaders). Last, the graphics driver is the software that runs on the CPU and ties everything together, coordinating the activities of the GPU. The driver transforms graphics applications written in the Metal or OpenGL ES APIs into a series of commands for the fixed-function hardware and programmable shaders that execute on the shader cores.
Apple previously relied on PowerVR chipmaker Imagination Technologies to supply fixed-function graphics hardware, shader cores, and drivers for older-generation iPhones, but Kanter said Apple has since replaced the programmable shader cores with its own more efficient and higher performance design, and developed its own driver and compiler to emit code for its architecture.
While Apple's GPU architecture has never been publicly documented, Kanter contrasted information from WWDC 2016 sessions and frameworks against basic PowerVR compiler and optimization manuals, concluding that it is clear that the shader core in Apple's GPU is architecturally very different from the PowerVR line.
Apple's custom GPUs still appear to use some of the PowerVR fixed-function graphics hardware, but it is clear the company's dependance on Imagination Technologies has decreased significantly in recent years. Kanter speculates that if Imagination Technologies were acquired, or fell behind from a technical standpoint, Apple could simply design its own fixed-function hardware.
Apple was actually rumored to acquire Imagination Technologies earlier this year, but later said it did not plan to make an offer on the England-based company at the time. Nevertheless, in recent months, Apple has recruited at least two dozen employees from the chipmaker, including former COO John Metcalfe, and those graphics engineers may have played a role in developing Apple's custom GPUs.
Kanter said Apple has in fact assembled a GPU design team and a graphics driver team that together implemented a large portion of the custom GPUs in the A8, A9, and A10 Fusion chips. In addition to former PowerVR engineers, this team likely includes recent hires from AMD, Google, Intel, and Nvidia.
The transition towards custom GPUs has is said to have resulted in several strategic advantages for Apple beyond increased performance and efficiency, including tighter ecosystem control, better time-to-market and scheduling, reducing its reliance on its suppliers, and reducing bugs without its competitors benefiting.
When Apple debuted its AirPods in September, the company said the wireless earbuds would launch in late October. Now that it's late October, people have been wondering if a release is imminent, but as it turns out, the AirPods are delayed.
Apple today told TechCrunch that it needs "a little more time" before the AirPods are ready for a public release, without specifying the reason behind the delay.
"The early response to AirPods has been incredible. We don't believe in shipping a product before it's ready, and we need a little more time before AirPods are ready for our customers," an Apple spokesperson said to TechCrunch.
Apple did not provide TechCrunch with updated launch information, so it is no longer clear when the AirPods will be available for purchase.
AirPods are Apple's premium headphone solution for the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, which do not include a headphone jack. AirPods, powered by Bluetooth and an Apple-designed W1 chip, are entirely wireless with no cords between them.
They include advanced features like infrared sensors to detect when they're in the ear, beam forming microphones to reduce external noise, and accelerometers to respond to touch gestures.
AirPods have been in the hands of reviewers since September and have garnered largely positive reviews for the fit, the features, the simple setup, and the easy recharging.
Apple today released another update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced in March of 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test features that may be introduced into future release versions of Safari.
Safari Technology Preview release 16 includes bug fixes and updates for URL parser, Gamepad API, CSS, Media, Fetch API, JavaScript, Web APIs, Web Inspector, and Accessibility.
As of release 14, Safari Technology Preview includes regular updates and bug fixes for Safari's WebDriver implementation.
The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Versions are available for developers running both macOS Sierra and OS X El Capitan. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.
Apple's goal with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can be run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.
At its media event today in New York City, Microsoft announced a new update coming to Windows 10 devices that's focused on creativity and productivity tools, as well as two major new pieces of hardware: the Surface Book i7 and Surface Studio. The Surface Book is the second generation of last year's original model, while the Surface Studio is the company's all new, all-in-one desktop PC that's aimed at the high-end, enterprise market with a starting price of $2,999.
Windows 10 Creators Update
Coming in early 2017, Microsoft today announced the newest update for Windows 10 devices, which it calls the "Creators Update." In the update, the company aims to enhance user productivity with a collection of 3D creation tools, including a new update to Paint called "Paint 3D," that use simplified interfaces to let anyone work and produce fully 3D artwork and projects. With a Windows Phone -- and eventually coming to more devices -- users can even scan real-world objects into digital form to send to friends and family.
Microsoft also showed off the upcoming "3D magic" in the Creators Update using Hololens, including a way for users to preview pieces of furniture in their own homes from a web browser. Windows 10 is gaining support for various VR headsets from companies like HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Acer, that all let users interact with the Creators Update's "mixed-reality" abilities, including a feature called "Holo Tours" that transports Windows 10 users into 360-degree videos taken around the world.
Priority contacts will be placed on the Windows 10 toolbar in the Creators Update, making it easy to send documents, PowerPoint presentations, pictures, videos, and more by simply dragging and dropping the information onto the corresponding contact. Likewise, these contacts will gain urgent priority when sending anything to you so users can "cut through the noise," and avoid missing emails and texts from close family and friends.
Apple is working on three new iPhone 8 models to be released in 2017, all of which will include glass-backed bodies, reports Japanese news site Nikkei. Previous rumors have also pointed towards three iPhone 8 models, but past information suggested that Apple would release one "premium" glass-backed model with an OLED display and two "standard" aluminum models rather than three models with a glass body.
Citing a supply chain source, Nikkei says Apple will release the three iPhones in the following sizes: 5.5 inches, 5 inches, and 4.7 inches. The site still believes one premium model with a curved edge-to-edge OLED display will be sold alongside two models that have standard LCD displays.
"Apple has tentatively decided that all the 5.5-inch, 5-inch and 4.7-inch models will have glass backs, departing from metal casings adopted by current iPhones, and Biel and Lens are likely to be providing all the glass backs for the new iPhones next year," the source said.
All three iPhone 8 models will use glass supplied by Biel Crystal Manufactory and Lens Technology in China for both the front and back, which will be held together with an aluminum frame. Foxconn has been working on glass backs, but Biel is said to have the technological edge.
Because it is early in the development cycle, Nikkei warns that Apple's plans could still change and it could decide to scrap plans to offer three devices. In 2016, early iPhone 7 rumors also pointed towards three devices, including one 4.7-inch iPhone and two 5.5-inch models, one with dual cameras and one with a single camera. The single camera model was reportedly scrapped six months ahead of the iPhone 7's launch.
Rumors suggest Apple is planning on introducing significant design changes in the iPhone set to be released in 2017. Along with an edge-to-edge display that includes built-in Touch ID and other sensors, the device is said to include no Home button, advanced biometric features, an improved Taptic engine, and wireless charging.
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An Italian judge has accepted a nearly $50,000 settlement agreement with the head of Apple's Irish-based unit as part of a probe into allegations that the company failed to pay taxes in Italy (via 
Apple's "Hello Again" media event kicks off at 10:00 AM Pacific tomorrow, and as usual some MacRumors readers who can't follow the event live are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until Apple posts the recorded video of the event so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome. 
Apple today 
