MacRumors

Amid rumors that Apple is working on a top-secret automotive project ranging from its own electric car to a CarPlay-related technology platform for vehicles, Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler AG remains open to "different types" of cooperation with Apple, reports Reuters.

"Many things are conceivable," Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said in an interview with quarterly magazine Deutsche Unternehmerboerse published on Friday.

Silicon Valley is becoming increasingly important for automakers as vehicles become more deeply integrated with the latest technologies such as CarPlay and Android Auto, and companies such as Apple and Google could play an even bigger role as self-driving vehicles hit the streets over the next five-plus years.

"Google and Apple want to provide system software for cars and bring this entire ecosystem around Apple and Google into the vehicle," Zetsche said. "That can be interesting for both sides."

Last September, Apple hired former Mercedes-Benz R&D President and CEO Johann Jungwirth, who has over a decade of experience working on connected cars, autonomous driving, testing and regulatory affairs and more. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked at Daimler between October 1997 and September 2014 and is now Director of Mac Systems Engineering at Apple.

Apple Car rumors gained momentum in February when The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple has hundreds of employees, including former Tesla, Ford and GM engineers, working on an electric vehicle at a top-secret research lab possibly located in the Sunnyvale area. The rumored project, known internally as "Project Titan," could be under testing at GoMentum Station, a former naval base in the Bay Area.

Samsung today launched a new promotion called Ultimate Test Drive, a program designed to get iPhone users to switch away from their Apple devices to Samsung ones (via Engadget). The Test Drive coincides with the launch of Samsung's newest devices, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+.

For just one dollar, you can try one of our latest Samsung phones for 30 days with no obligation. Your test drive kit will come with the phone of your choice, an activated sim card, and a step-by-step guide to help you start your test drive.

To sign up for the promotion, iPhone users have to visit SamsungPromotions.com on their device and select their phone. Samsung tells Engadget that the promotion is compatible with any U.S. carrier. It's unclear whether Samsung will put a hold on trial-goers credit cards and, if so, how much that hold could be.

Last year, T-Mobile launched a trial program for users to test out its network with an iPhone 5s for a week. T-Mobile placed a $699.99 hold on a user's credit or debit card, charging it if the phone wasn't returned at the end of the trial.

Following the launch of both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Samsung has seen a significant profit drop in its mobile division as some of its customers opted to switch from Samsung devices to the larger-screened Apple devices. Before the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, screen size was one of the major differentiators between Samsung and Apple's smartphones, but now Samsung must find other ways to differentiate from Apple. Thus far, the Korean company has focused on faster charging and the S6 Edge's curved display screen. The Ultimate Test Drive is Samsung's latest attempt to win back some customers.

Apple today debuted a new iPhone-focused video featuring Apple Pay as part of its ongoing "If it's not an iPhone, it's not an iPhone" advertising campaign. The video, available on the company's YouTube channel, features an iPhone being used to make different Apple Pay purchases.

The iPhone is centric to the video and is shown going through several different Apple Pay transactions as a voiceover explains Apple Pay and its features in a clever rhyme. At the end of the video, Apple ends with its latest signature tagline, "If it's not an iPhone, it's not an iPhone."

This is an iPhone. And this is Apple Pay. Which lets you shop in a faster, simpler way. For groceries, and kicks, toys, and your lunchtime fix. It's safer than a credit card and keeps your info yours. And you can already use it in over one million stores.

"Apple Pay" is the fifth ad in this particular campaign, which focuses on the different capabilities of the iPhone. Other videos in the series have included "Loved," "Hardware & Software," "Amazing Apps," and "Photos & Videos," each with catchy music, visuals, and voiceovers.

In addition to its latest video ads, Apple also recently introduced a new iPhone-oriented web campaign, "Why There's Nothing Quite Like an iPhone," focusing on features that differentiate the iPhone from competing products. The mini site highlights the iPhone's integration of hardware and software, wide range of apps, camera, resistance to malware, Touch ID, and Apple Pay.

The Apple TV was the fourth most popular streaming media device in the United States in 2014, according to new data compiled by Parks Associates. Sales of the Apple TV were eclipsed by sales of devices from Roku, Google, and Amazon.

Roku continues to be the most popular brand when it comes to streaming media devices, representing 34 percent of units sold, while Google and its Chromecast were responsible for 23 percent of device sales. Amazon's Fire TV was the third most popular choice, while Apple came in fourth. In 2013, the Apple TV was the third most popular streaming media device, but in 2014, it fell behind the newly introduced Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.

Combined, streaming media devices from Apple, Roku, Google, and Amazon were responsible for 86 percent of all streaming media device sales to U.S. broadband households.

According to the data, almost 20 percent of U.S. households now own one or more streaming media players. When it comes to ongoing usage, Roku devices are unsurprisingly at the top of the list. 37 percent of households regularly use a Roku device, 19 percent use a Google Chromecast, 17 percent use an Apple TV, and 14 percent use an Amazon Fire TV/Fire TV Stick.

With a new Apple TV on the horizon, the streaming media device market could shift in Apple's favor in 2015 and 2016. The new Apple TV is a radical departure from the existing Apple TV, which has not been updated for several years. It will include a full App Store that supports games and apps, Siri integration, a refreshed design and operating system, more storage space, and a touch-based remote control.

The Apple TV won't be able to compete with devices like the Google Chromecast or the Amazon Fire TV on price, but it will bring a host of features not offered by other products.

Apple today launched a new Apple Watch advertising effort in London, decorating the 24 windows of the Selfridges department store with a massive floral installation. Each window has flowers that were inspired by the flowers that can be found within the "Motion" face on the Apple Watch.

Design magazine Wallpaper has shared photos and details on the installation, which uses 3D flowers created through a range of methods from resin casting to 3D printing. Each window also displays an Apple Watch with a watch face that matches the flowers.

There are eight different flower variations decorating the windows, each of which was scaled, sculpted, and hand-painted by artists, a process Wallpaper describes as "painstaking and meticulous as the original photography."

Earlier this year, Apple Human Interface Chief Alan Dye explained the effort that went into each of Apple's "Motion" watch faces. Apple shot all of the animated flower, butterfly, and jellyfish photos used in the watch face. For the flowers in particular, Apple shot photos as they bloomed, with one single flower taking 285 hours and more than 24,000 shots.

For the window installation, artists created 24 large, 50 medium, 240 "small plus" and 5,525 small flowers, split across the aforementioned eight varieties. Paul Deneve, formerly the CEO of Yves Saint Laurent, had a hand in the window designs and gave a statement to Wallpaper.

We are thrilled that the flowers of the Apple Watch face have inspired such a beautiful design and to see it come to life in this amazing installation, reflected in all 24 of Selfridges' historic windows,' says Paul Deneve, Apple's vice president of special projects.

Apple's flower installation follows two other installations that have been used to decorate the Selfridges department store, including "Chromosphere," which displayed the Apple Watch in colored orbs of light, and "Butterflies," featuring a huge kaleidoscope of fluttering butterflies.

Selfridges in London is the home of the iconic Wonder Room, a section of the department store that sells luxury jewelry and watches. The Apple Watch is sold from a pop-up shop located towards the entrance of the Wonder Room, with all models from Sport to Edition available for purchase.

Taiwanese website DigiTimes today reported the "iPad Pro" will enter production by the end of the third quarter and go into mass production in the fourth quarter, corroborating a recent KGI report that said the rumored 12.9-inch tablet would enter mass production in September-October.

The report claims the "iPad Pro" will be released in the fourth quarter, with an estimated 4-5 million shipments in 2015. DigiTimes reported in July that the "iPad Pro" could launch in mid-November as Foxconn prepared to start supplying components at the time, but the release timeframe remains uncertain.

The report claims Sharp will be the main supplier of LCD displays for the tablet, while Foxconn subsidiary General Interface Solution (GIS) will provide touch panels. Samsung Display and TPK will be secondary suppliers of LCD assemblies and touch modules respectively, according to the report.

Square Enix today released a long-awaited port of Final Fantasy VII for iOS devices. Originally released in 1997, Final Fantasy VII was the first game in the Final Fantasy series created for PlayStation and it continues to be one of the most popular Final Fantasy games.

At E3, Square Enix promised to launch Final Fantasy VII before the end of the summer in 2015, so with tonight's release, the company is living up to its word. Square Enix has previously made the first six Final Fantasy games available on iOS devices, but Final Fantasy VII for iOS marks the first Final Fantasy port from a PlayStation game.

According to Square Enix, the iOS version of Final Fantasy VII is a port of the PC version, with no changes or additions to the storyline.

With its unshakeable monopoly over Mako energy production, the evil Shinra Electric Power Company holds tight to the reigns of wold power. One day, a Mako reactor serving the sprawling metropolis of Midgar is attacked and destroyed in a bombing raid by a revolutionary group calling themselves Avalanche. Cloud Strife, a former member of Shinra's elite "Soldier" unit takes part in the raid as a mercenary hired by Avalanche and sets events in motion that will draw him and his friends into an epic struggle for the fate of the planet itself...

The iOS port of the game includes a virtual on-screen controller that's "designed not to obscure the action." It offers virtual analog or fixed 4-way digital control pad options and the opacity of the on-screen controls is adjustable. Also new to the iOS version of the game is an option to turn off enemy encounters in area maps and a Max Stats command to "become all-powerful in the blink of an eye."

It's taken several years for Square Enix to bring Final Fantasy VII to the iOS App Store, largely due to space constraints. In 2013, Square Enix producer Takashi Tokita said that a release of Final Fantasy VII was years away because of space limitations. "It's that currently, space will be an issue," he said. "Phones won't be able to contain the space it takes. It's over a gigabyte. People are probably going to have to wait for a few years."

In February of 2015, Apple expanded the size limitation on apps from 2GB to 4GB, paving the way for apps like Final Fantasy VII. According to the App Store description of the game, it takes 1.66GB of storage space, but requires more than 4GB of free space to download.

Final Fantasy VII is compatible with the iPhone 5s or later, the third-generation iPad or later, and the iPad mini 2 or later, with Square Enix warning that the game may not perform well on earlier devices. iOS 8 or later is also required.

Final Fantasy VII can be downloaded from the App Store for $15.99. [Direct Link]

Samsung is planning to take its ongoing patent war with Apple to the United States Surpreme Court, reports the San Jose Mercury News. In court papers filed today, Samsung said that by November it would ask the Supreme Court to hear its latest appeal.

"The questions present issues of enormous importance to patent litigation and the scope of innovation, especially in high-technology industries," Samsung's legal team wrote in a bid to hold off paying Apple hundreds of millions of dollars in damages for the patent violations.

Samsung's decision comes following a rejection from the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals last week, where the court refused Samsung's request for a new trial. Samsung had asked the court to reconsider a decision earlier this year that left the company on the hook for a $548 million payout to Apple.

Samsung and Apple have been battling over patent infringement issues since 2012, when a jury ruled Samsung willfully violated several Apple patents, resulting in $1 billion in damages. Since then, Samsung has been fighting the ruling, and over the course of several appeals and a partial retrial, has gotten the damages reduced to the aforementioned $548 million total. If Samsung is successful, the Supreme Court could throw out another $400 million in damages.

Earlier this week, the United States Patent and Trademark Office invalidated a key iPhone design patent that was used in the Apple v. Samsung lawsuit, handing down a non-final rejection that Samsung could use in its appeal to the Supreme Court. Samsung also has the backing of technology companies like Facebook, Google, eBay, HP, and Dell, who have claimed the ruling against Samsung would "lead to absurd results and have a devastating impact on companies."

Samsung may, however, have difficulty getting the Supreme Court to hear its case. Of the thousands of cases that the Supreme Court is asked to review each year, it agrees to hear approximately 100 to 150.

Apple today released the seventh beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after releasing the sixth El Capitan beta and more than two months after unveiling the new operating system at its 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple has also re-seeded the fifth public beta of OS X El Capitan to public beta testers after accidentally releasing it yesterday and then pulling it.

The update, build number 15A263e for developers and 15A262e for public beta testers, is available through the software update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer Center.

In recent weeks, Apple has been pushing rapid updates for OS X El Capitan, all of which have focused on under-the-hood performance improvements and bug fixes to optimize the operating system ahead of its public debut. Few design changes have been made in the most recent betas, but beta 7 includes some minor tweaks like a new Safari welcome screen, a new color for the El Capitan logo in "About This Mac," and a setting to disable the "Shake mouse pointer to locate" feature.

OS X El Capitan is designed to improve features introduced with OS X Yosemite, focusing on performance and user experience. A number of apps and processes on the Mac are much faster with El Capitan, and the introduction of Metal for Mac brings system-level graphics rendering that's 40 percent more efficient.

As for user experience, El Capitan includes a new systemwide San Francisco font, a revamped Mission Control feature, a new Split View feature for using two full-screen apps at once, deeper functionality for Spotlight, and several new features for Safari, including Pinned Sites for housing frequently visited websites and a universal mute button that quiets all tabs.

OS X 10.11 El Capitan is available to both registered developers and public beta testers. Apple plans to release El Capitan to the public in the fall.

Intel has shared new details about its faster, more power-efficient Skylake processors at IDF 2015 in San Francisco. PCWorld reports that Intel engineers have suggested the sixth-generation Core processors could launch in around "two weeks," setting the stage for a possible announcement of new chips appropriate for Macs at the IFA Berlin trade show on September 4-9.

Skylake processors will feature improved Iris Pro integrated graphics capable of driving up to three 4K monitors at 60Hz, whereas Haswell architecture could drive a single 4K monitor at 30Hz and Broadwell architecture could handle a single 4K monitor at 60Hz. Skylake will also have fixed-function support for 4K video processing in hardware and support for the latest APIs: DirectX 12, OpenCL 2 and OpenGL 4.4.

PC World:

That means Intel has dedicated transistors directly to the job of decoding and encoding 4K. In one demonstration showing playback of a 4K RAW video stream from a Canon video camera, playback was smooth using the Skylake graphics chip, while using just the CPU, it would constantly drop frames.

Skylake architecture is also more power efficient thanks to a new power-saving feature called Speed Shift, which allows the CPU to intelligently adjust its power state for extended battery life. Skylake CPUs are also more efficient overall and feature eDRAM+, which can cache information, for increased performance.

In June, Intel introduced Thunderbolt 3 with a USB Type-C connector and support for USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2 and PCI Express 3.0. The new spec, rumored to launch alongside Intel's next-generation Skylake chips, is capable of driving up to two 4K external displays at 60Hz or a single 5K display at 60Hz running off a single cable.

Last month, a leaked Intel slide deck revealed that Skylake processors will provide a 10%-20% CPU performance boost in single and multi-threaded applications, with lower power consumption, and 30% faster Intel HD integrated graphics performance on average compared to current-generation Broadwell processors. The improved energy efficiency will also result in up to 30% longer battery life.

Intel's Skylake processors appropriate for the MacBook Air were also leaked last week.

Earlier this week, we saw hints of Apple's work on iOS 9.1 in the MacRumors visitor logs, speculating Apple had begun work on the update as a way to test features on the much-rumored 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" or the iPad mini 4 ahead of production. As it turns out, we were correct.

This morning, analytics company AppSee found an "iPad6,8" with a resolution of 2,732 x 2,048 in its logs. We asked AppSee to check what version of iOS the iPad had installed on it, and as it turns out, it's running iOS 9.1, suggesting Apple's work on iOS 9.1 coincides with the development of the iPad Pro.

iOS 9.1 on the large-screened tablet in AppSee's logs suggests that's the operating system the iPad Pro will ship with, which rules out the possibility of a launch in September alongside the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus. Both iOS 9.1 and the iPad Pro will likely be unveiled at a separate event later in the year.

Rumors this morning have also suggested the iPad Pro will be entering mass production in September or October, pointing towards a late October or November launch date. It's possible Apple plans to stick to the same October iPad unveiling timeline it's used for the past several years, introducing the iPad Pro in mid-October and shipping it at the end of the month.

It is not clear what will be introduced in iOS 9.1, but the iPad Pro includes several features that could require a dedicated update, such as a pressure sensitive Force Touch display, a stylus, and a USB-C port that could support peripheral devices.

Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro will be the first major new addition to the iPad lineup since the iPad mini was unveiled in 2012. At 12.9 inches, it's significantly larger than the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2, and could bring a much-needed boost to Apple's flagging iPad sales.

Back in April, we first heard rumors about Apple planning to use 7000 Series aluminum alloys for the upcoming "iPhone 6s," taking advantage of some of the expertise gained in using the material for the Apple Watch Sport to make for a stronger iPhone body compared to the 6000 Series aluminum used on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. That device received significant "Bendgate" attention after some early users found the device bending slightly under pressure in their pockets.

Increasingly reliable reports of 7000 Series aluminum for the iPhone 6s followed by hands-on impressions of a "stronger body" and ultimately some measurements showing thickening of the shell's weak points have all pointed toward Apple making some changes to improve the strength and durability of the next iPhone.

MacRumors has recently received data on the elemental composition of the iPhone 6s shell, revealing that the aluminum alloy being used by Apple does indeed include roughly 5 percent zinc, which is in line with many 7000 Series alloys and not found in the iPhone 6 shell. A just-published video from Unbox Therapy is showing similar results, as well as test results showing a significantly stronger body more resistant to bending.

Interestingly, the data we received showed high iron levels of around 8 percent on average, although the iron composition varies significantly among test samples. Unbox Therapy, however, is not seeing particularly high levels of iron in its sample.

We've been told that some iron can be introduced into the shell during the milling process, which can account for some of the variability in measurements shared with MacRumors. The small quantities of iron at levels seen by Unbox Therapy can be used to enhance durability and make the material easier to work with during the casting process.

As shown in electron microscope images shared with MacRumors, the iPhone 6s shell is covered with a roughly 10-micron thick anodized aluminum oxide layer to help protect against corrosion. The anodization layer also enables Apple to introduce dyes for various color options.

Unbox Therapy also subjected the iPhone 6 and 6s shells to bending tests, finding that while the iPhone 6 shell began experiencing significant bending at roughly 30 pounds of pressure, the iPhone 6s shell withstood at least twice as much pressure before bending.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus at a media event on September 9. If tradition holds, the company would begin taking pre-orders a few days later and officially launch the new phone on Friday, September 18. The iPhone 6s should appear largely identical to the iPhone 6 but contain a number of hardware upgrades including Force Touch support, a new A9 chip with 2 GB of RAM, camera improvements, and more. A new rose gold or pink color option has also been rumored.