MacRumors

Apple introduced a trio of new keyboard and mouse accessories in the Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2 this week, and the first hands-on unboxing videos of the new products are now available.

YouTube reviewer Michael Kukielka has uploaded an unboxing and video review of the Magic Mouse 2, $79, providing a closer look at the mouse's new bottom-facing Lightning port for charging, minor design changes, what's included in the box, Bluetooth and Lightning to USB pairing processes and more.

Magic Mouse 2 has improved tracking and moves across surfaces with less resistance, as the mouse's weight was reduced from 3.9 ounces to 3.5 ounces, and because it has an optimized foot design and fewer moving parts.

Kukielka concludes that the Magic Mouse 2 looks and functions similarly to the original Magic Mouse, with the inclusion of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that gains 9 hours of usage from a 2-minute fast charge, and lasts approximately one month on a full two-hour charge.

YouTube reviewer Dave Cryer shared an unboxing and mini review of the Magic Keyboard, $99, and Magic Trackpad 2, $129, in addition to a quick comparison with the existing Apple Wireless Keyboard and original Magic Trackpad.

The video provides a closer look at the Magic Keyboard's slimmer wedge-like design, rear-facing Lightning port for charging, power on-off switch and slightly larger keys with a reengineered scissor mechanism. Cryer found typing to be more precise, but said the slightly shorter key travel will take getting used to.

Cryer also went hands-on with the Magic Trackpad 2, showing off its matching wedge-like side profile, rear-facing Lightning port for charging and power on-off switch. The new Magic Trackpad 2 features Force Touch and has a larger edge-to-edge glass design with 29% more surface area, which is noticeable in the side-by-side comparison.

The video also shows what's in the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2 boxes, including a Lightning to USB cable, quick start guide and regulatory information.

Popular third-party Twitter client Tweetbot is the latest app to be updated with support for the 3D Touch feature on the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and it now supports both Quick Actions on the Home screen and Peek and Pop gestures within the app itself.

A hard press on the Tweetbot icon on the Home screen brings up options to create a new tweet, tweet a photo, and view the Activity Tab that was recently added in the fourth version of the app. When a notification is present, there's also an option to reply to a tweet or a direct message from the Home screen Quick Action list.

Peek gestures, which bring up previews of links, work with embedded tweets, Safari website links, Twitter profiles, and more. A Peek gesture can be initiated in Tweetbot with a hard press, and pressing even harder expands into a Pop gesture, allowing content to be opened from the Peek.

The 3D Touch features in 4.0.1 Tweetbot are available only on the iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus, the two devices that support 3D Touch. Other users will not notice any changes in the app, aside from additional language localization in French, Spanish, and Japanese.

What's New
- 3D touch peek and pop support in the timeline. We'll add it to more places in future releases.
- 3D touch home screen quick actions.
- Localized for French, Spanish and Japanese. More coming.
- Lots of bug fixes.

Tweetbot 4 can be purchased from the App Store for $4.99. [Direct Link]

Update: Just hours after releasing Tweetbot 4.0.1, Tapbots has released Tweetbot 4.0.2. Tweetbot 4.0.2 adds the following features:

- You can now swipe back to dismiss Tweetbot's browser. Feel free to quietly rejoice.
- YouTube links will open directly in the YouTube app, if you have it installed
- Fixed a crash when 3D Touch peeking from night mode, sorry about that

In addition to the above changes, the new version of the app includes a setting to force articles in the Safari viewer to open in Reader Mode if the option is available.

As carriers move away from two-year contracts, and towards financing programs that break down the full price of an iPhone into equal monthly payments, it is worth a reminder that Apple offers partial refunds for unused AppleCare+ coverage, minus the value of any service already provided.

Since many carrier financing programs enable customers to upgrade to a new iPhone after a minimum of 12 months, whereas the AppleCare+ coverage period is 24 months, some customers will inevitably have at least half of their warranty period remaining, for which they are entitled a pro-rated refund.

Macworld recently noted that Apple has a longstanding support document on its website that outlines how to request a refund for an AppleCare plan. The process involves phoning Apple and providing them with your AppleCare agreement number and covered device serial number, and an original sales receipt is often required.

The refund policy may vary depending on the country, but in the U.S., Apple stipulates that customers who cancel their AppleCare+ plan more than 30 days after the date of purchase will receive a pro-rated refund of the original purchase price, minus a cancellation fee of $25 or 10% of the pro-rated amount, whichever is less.

Here is the exact verbiage from the AppleCare+ terms and conditions:

ii) If you cancel more than thirty (30) days after your receipt of this Plan, you will receive a pro rata refund of the original purchase price. The pro rata refund is based on the percentage of unexpired Plan Term from the Plan’s date of purchase, less (a) a cancellation fee of twenty-five ($25) dollars or ten percent (10%) of the pro-rata amount, whichever is less, and (b) the value of any service provided to you under the Plan.

AppleCare+ for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus costs $129. Assuming that you do not make any accidental damage claims, and upgrade your iPhone after 12 months, the plan would have $64.50 in value remaining. After a 10% cancellation charge of $6.45, the refund would be $58.05 — enough for one or two monthly payments on your next iPhone.

AppleCare+ for iPhone extends both the smartphone's limited one-year warranty and 90 days of complimentary phone support to two years from the original date of purchase, and provides up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage for a $79 or $99 service charge each time. It also covers defective hardware and depleted batteries.

August, the company behind the popular August Smart Lock, today announced a second-generation product that includes support for Apple's HomeKit home automation platform. The new HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock lets customers use voice commands to lock, unlock, and check the status of their door.

The August Smart Lock can be used with other HomeKit products to create scenes that might unlock the door while also turning on the lights inside the house. August has also revamped the design of its Smart Lock, adding a new magnetic faceplate to improve the grip and rotation of the lock, and an indicator at the top so users can visually tell whether the door is locked or unlocked.

Along with the new HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock, August is also debuting the August Smart Keypad and the August Doorbell Cam. The August Smart Keypad works alongside the August Smart Lock, allowing for entry without a smartphone. Unique one-time use access codes can be generated for friends and family.

The August Doorbell Cam also works with the August Smart Lock, letting users see and speak with visitors at their door from anywhere. It has a one-way 140 degree HD video camera and two-way audio. Motion detection capabilities capture movement even when the bell is not rung, sending a notification, and a livestream of activity can be viewed using the August app.

All three products connect to the August Access platform, which is available today in beta form. It's designed to offer secure home access to the August products for trusted partner companies like Sears, Postmates, Pro.com, Handy, Fetch, Shyp, BloomNation, Envoy, Rinse, HelloAlfred, Wag!, Pillow, and Doorman. Customers will be able to allow these trusted partners to enter their homes with the August Smart Lock, alleviating the need to be home for deliveries.

The HomeKit-enabled August Smart Lock, priced at $229, is available for pre-order from the August website. The Smart Keypad is priced at $79 and the Doorbell Cam is priced at $199.

Twelve South today announced a new Apple Watch stand, called the Forté, that will let users display the wearable device in both portrait and Nightstand modes. The company built the new stand to mirror the aesthetic of the Apple Watch, with a chrome arm that holds the device at a 40 degree angle designed to easily read its screen on a bedside table. The bottom of the stand is also wrapped in leather, which Twelve South ensures will protect each Apple Watch band from scratching.

Like most other Apple Watch charging docks, the Forté requires users to use the MagSafe charger shipped with the Apple Watch to be able to charge the device. Twelve South also mentioned that users can rest an iPhone underneath the Apple Watch as a dual-action dock, but will of course need to provide their own Lightning charging cable to do so. Overall, the company called the new dock "the first full-featured Apple Watch stand worthy of the Apple Store."

"From the shape and standards, to fit and finish, Forté is the first full-featured stand that you can find in Apple Store. The simplicity of Forté directly reflects the beautiful Apple timepiece, whether it’s placed bedside or on your bathroom vanity. We are thrilled to work with Apple Store to bring this incredible stand exclusively to Apple Store customers this Holiday season.”

The $59.99 Forté Apple Watch dock is available in all Apple Store locations in the United States and Canada starting today, with a plan to roll out its availability in other regions "in the coming weeks." Those interested can also, of course, buy the charging cradle directly from Twelve South's official website.

Apple today introduced a new Twitter account dedicated to assisting Apple Music users with questions and inquiries and who may not be finding the answers they need in the troubleshooting section of the company's main website (via 9to5Mac). According to the account's bio, users can expect to get support for their Apple Music-related inquiries between 6AM and 8PM PDT on every day of the week, including weekends.

Apple has expanded its reach on Twitter over the past few weeks in a number of ways, including another facet of the new Apple Music streaming service with a Twitter account solely aimed at songs and shows currently airing on Beats 1. In September, the company also debuted an account aimed at the popular space of iOS gaming, with an angle to let App Store editors interact more freely with game developers amid the company's "broader push into gaming."

In a new review for the iPhone 6s, DxOMark concluded that the camera on the 2015 iPhone line deserved a score of 82, equal to that of the score it gave for the iPhone 6 one year ago. The website measured seven factors (exposure and contrast, color, autofocus, texture, noise, artifacts, and flash) to determine an overall score for the camera on the iPhone 6s, giving the lowest marks to texture and noise (via CNET).

From our tests, images are generally well-exposed and for the most part colors are vivid and pleasing outdoors. However, there are occasional differences in exposure noticeable between consecutive captures in very bright outdoor scenes, typically due to the inconsistent activation of the HDR mode.

There is also a slight but consistent underexposure in extremely low light levels (5 lux); the result however is still quite usable and an improvement over the iPhone 6. White balance is reliable though inevitably some inaccuracies were noticeable at times, with a slight yellow cast visible in some outdoor scenes. Although this cast was present in captures from the iPhone 6 the cast was slightly stronger and more noticeable on the 6s.

A score of 82 is the same as the iPhone 6 in 2014, but also behind the 87 given to the Sony Xperia Z5 and the 86-scoring Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Apple's rivals also won in a series of similar video tests, scoring between four and six points higher than the 80 awarded to the iPhone 6s.

DxOMark's closing statement regarding the new iPhone line is a bit similar to the overall consensus found elsewhere online regarding the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The French optics and image processing firm described the smartphone as a "good balance of performance and top-notch user experience," but not an entirely compelling upgrade from an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, especially when considering solely the camera and video tests conducted by the firm.

There are a wide range of Made for iPhone Apple-certified controllers on the market these days, but the Gamevice is unique because it turns the iPad mini into a portable gaming console. The controller fits on either side of the iPad mini, plugging directly into the Lightning port for a lag-free, reliable gaming experience.

There are several similar controllers for the iPhone, but the Gamevice is the only option that lets you hold the iPad mini while playing, so there's no need for a stand or a flat surface to rest the tablet on. I went hands-on with the Gamevice to see how it compares to more standard controllers on the market, and while I wasn't impressed with the size, I did enjoy the gameplay experience.

Design

The Gamevice consists of two halves of a controller that are held together with a soft, flexible piece of rubber. The left side of the controller has an analog stick, a d-pad, and a power button, while the right side of the controller has a second analog stick, a pause button, and four action buttons in a familiar ABXY Xbox-style layout. There are also two sets of trigger buttons on each side of the controller. Design wise, the Gamevice looks like the product of a mating between the Xbox One controller and the Wii U GamePad.

Made of a lightweight matte black plastic, the controller exterior feels a bit cheap, but if it were made of a heavier material, it would be too heavy to hold for long periods of time. Materials wise, I'd say it's on par with many of the other Made for iPhone game controllers on the market, but the buttons/analog sticks are superior quality and feel much better underhand. In fact, I'd suggest this is the MFi controller with a feel closest to the Xbox One controller because of how much it borrows from Microsoft.

The analog sticks are smooth and easy to use, reminiscent of the analog sticks on an Xbox One controller, and they have rubber around the top for a solid grip. The action buttons also reminded me of an Xbox controller, and while they sound very clicky when pressed (as do the triggers), they're smooth and easy to press with no sticking. The d-pad is a standard four-direction pad and not one of the circular directional pads that are on many other similar controllers.

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Just one month before Apple Pay is rumored to launch in Canada, large bank TD Canada Trust briefly provided evidence of the forthcoming launch by prematurely listing the iPhone-based mobile payments service as a method of payment on its website, as spotted by blog iPhone in Canada. The link has since been removed.

Apple Pay was briefly listed under "Ways to Pay" at the bottom of TD Canada Trust's website, but the link now leads to a blank page. When it was live, the page said that Apple Pay will soon support TD Canada Trust debit and credit cards, with purchases subject to a $100 transaction limit like other contactless payments in Canada.

In April, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was in negotiations with the Royal Bank of Canada, TD Canada Trust, Scotiabank, Bank of Montreal, CIBC and National Bank of Canada about a potential November launch of Apple Pay in Canada. The six financial institutions combined account for more than 90% of Canadian bank accounts.

Apple Pay launched in the United States last October, and expanded to the United Kingdom in July.

TD Canada Trust has around 11 million customers in Canada.