MacRumors

Apple supplier Quanta Computer has begun ramping up production of the upcoming 12-inch MacBook Air ahead of a release during the first quarter of 2015, reports Digitimes.

The company has stepped up its efforts to recruit more workers for its production efforts on the notebook, and is looking to bring in a total of 30,000 workers during the quarter to also help with the Apple Watch. Sources close to Quanta further note that the 12-inch MacBook Air will replace the existing 11-inch MacBook Air, with Apple choosing to keep the 13-inch MacBook Air.

The next-generation MacBook Air is expected to feature a high-resolution Retina display and a new Broadwell Core M processor that will enable a thin, fanless design. Other reports have also claimed that the 12-inch MacBook Air will do away with nearly all of the ports found on Apple's current line of MacBook Airs and contain a headphone jack, a pair of microphones, and a USB Type-C port that may handle both connectivity and charging.

Apple saw an increase in its U.S. PC shipments during the recent holiday quarter, according to PC shipping estimates from Gartner. Apple shipped over 2.1 million Macs in 4Q14, up from 1.9 million Macs in 4Q13, marking an 11.5 percent increase. Though the company's shipments were up, its growth rate slightly trailed the overall market, resulting in a share of 11.7 percent down from 11.9 percent in the year ago quarter.

With its 11.7 percent share of the market, Apple is the third largest PC vendor in the United States, behind HP and Dell, which captured 29.2 and 22.6 percent of the market, respectively. Lenovo and ASUS came in behind Apple, with 10.2 and 6.8 percent of the market, respectively.

Overall, U.S PC shipments totaled 18.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2014, a 13.1 percent increase from the year ago quarter. HP saw the largest amount of growth in the U.S. at 26.2 percent, followed by Lenovo's 21.6 percent growth, Dell's 13.5 percent growth, and Apple's aforementioned 11.5 percent growth.

IDC has also released its own estimates of Apple's U.S. PC shipments during the holiday quarter, which are quite different from Gartner's estimates. According to IDC, overall U.S. PC shipments totaled 17.6 million, with Apple responsible for 2.2 million of those with a growth rate of 18.1 percent.

In IDC's estimations, Apple's share of the market grew from 11.3 percent in 4Q13 to 12.7 percent in 4Q14, rather than declining slightly as in Gartner's estimate. Gartner and IDC often have different numbers due to the fact that Gartner counts Windows-based tablets as personal computers, while IDC does not.

Apple does not rank as one of the top five worldwide vendors in Gartner's data, which ranks ASUS above Apple, but in IDC's data, Apple ranks higher than ASUS and is counted as the number five worldwide PC vendor. IDC's data suggests that Apple's worldwide PC marketshare climbed to 7.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014 with a record breaking 5.7 million shipments, while Gartner's data suggests ASUS was the number five worldwide PC vendor with 6.2 million shipments.

It is important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and that the numbers can shift. Last year, for example, Gartner predicted shipments of 2.2 million for Apple in 4Q13, later revising that number to 1.9 million.

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of iOS 8.2 to developers, nearly a month after seeding the third beta and more than two months after releasing the first iOS 8.2 beta.

The beta, build 12D5461b, is available immediately to registered developers as an over-the-air update and it can also be downloaded from the iOS Developer Center. Today's update also includes Xcode 6.2 beta 4 with WatchKit.

iOS 8.2 includes the WatchKit SDK, allowing developers to create apps, Glances, and notifications for Apple's upcoming wearable device ahead of its 2015 launch. The first iOS 8.2 beta, with WatchKit SDK and developer documentation, revealed several new details about the Apple Watch, including its heavy reliance on the iPhone and the different types of content developers can create for the device.

The iOS 8.2 update has been widely expected to be released in conjunction with the launch of the Apple Watch and the fourth iOS 8.2 beta adds new evidence to support that theory.

In the Bluetooth section of the Settings menu on the iPhone, there’s now a mention of the Apple Watch, advising users to open the "Apple Watch app" to pair an iPhone with an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch iPhone app will likely be used to allow Apple Watch wearers to control settings on the device from their iPhones.

Along with iOS 8.2, Apple is also working on a minor iOS 8.1.3 update which is in testing and could come later this week.

GM today at Detroit's North American International Auto Show showcased the upcoming 2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and as spotted by The Verge, the latest Volt model includes an option for CarPlay as well as MirrorLink in the vehicle's entertainment system settings.

GM was listed as a CarPlay partner when the technology was announced in early 2014, but the company was not expected to incorporate CarPlay into its automobiles right away. Almost one year after the announcement, GM appears to finally be bringing CarPlay to its automobile lineup starting with the 2016 Volt, although the new model is not expected to go on sale to the public until the second half of this year.

Chevrolet has previously been involved in CarPlay demonstrations, but the upcoming second-generation Volt looks to the be first production vehicle with the feature built-in.

GM's CarPlay unveiling follows similar CarPlay announcements from Volkswagen and Hyundai, both of which used CES to showcase their CarPlay-enabled in-dash entertainment systems. CarPlay also is expanding in the aftermarket automobile receiver market with Parrot, Kenwood and Pioneer recently unveiling new CarPlay in-dash receivers.

Marsh Supermarkets and inMarket today are announcing the launch of a new iBeacon platform throughout Marsh's 75 supermarket locations that will enable Apple Watch users to receive interactive alerts and other content on their devices based on their proximity to Marsh's beacons. The program is the first integration of iBeacon technology with Apple's wearable product, which is expected to launch to the public in the next several months.

"iBeacons have created new ways to connect with mobile shoppers in the store, and inMarket allows us to reach many of our shoppers through the apps they love and use everyday," said Amit Bhardwaj, Senior Director of Customer Loyalty, Marsh Supermarkets. "Now with wearable integration, shoppers who use Apple Watch will enjoy the same digitally-augmented, real-world shopping experience."

Marsh and inMarket are working together to develop a platform that will initially include Marsh's own app and inMarket's List Ease app, with other apps likely to quickly follow. As envisioned, inMarket's beacons in Marsh stores will be able to trigger alerts such as shopping lists, ads, and other content for customers who use Marsh's mobile app or one of the apps that incorporate inMarket's Proximity SDK.

Customers who opt into the program could receive offers, recipes, and other alerts on their mobile devices as they walk through the grocery store, and the system will automatically extend to the Apple Watch on day one as the apps are updated to add support for the device.

Marsh may be the first to extend Apple's iBeacon capabilities to the Apple Watch, but it isn't the first to adopt the location-based technology. Retailer Macy's, Virgin Atlantic airlines and Major League Baseball are among the early adopters that rolled out iBeacons in their respective venues.

Flickr over the weekend released data detailing the most popular camera rankings of 2014 for the online photo sharing service. With 100 million users uploading 10 billion photos last year, the usual standouts of Canon and Nikon edged out most of the competition, but most interesting was Apple moving past Nikon to take second place in the rankings (via The Next Web).

Focusing solely on the top 5 camera brands used on the service last year, Canon took first place with 13.4 percent, followed by Apple with 9.6 percent and Nikon with 9.3 percent. Samsung and Sony round out the other top spots.

Individual iPhone models have long registered as the most popular camera devices on Flickr, but in looking at overall brand performance, major traditional camera manufacturers Canon and Nikon with as many as several hundred different models on the market long held down the top spots until Apple's entry in 2014.

Flickr also looked at the top mobile device cameras used on Flickr, where Apple unsurprisingly dominated the top ten list. In first through fourth were the iPhone 5 (10.6 percent), iPhone 4s (7.0 percent), iPhone 4 (4.3 percent), and the iPhone 5c (2.0 percent). The iPhone 6, iPad, and iPad mini also placed in the top ten. It is unclear why the iPhone 5s is not included on Flickr's year-end lists, as it has been registering as the most popular camera overall for a number of months now.

Though Flickr's data can't exactly be used to specifically track the rise or fall of full-fledged DSLR and professional cameras, as Flickr is used by both paid professionals and everyday amateurs, it's still interesting to see Apple's own hardware slowly edge out such big brands in the photography space.

One of the major focuses at CES this year was home automation, with a number of vendors announcing their plans for devices integrating with Apple's new HomeKit ecosystem. One of the key features of these HomeKit devices has been the ability to control them from iOS devices via Siri, allowing users to turn lights on or off, close garage doors, and more with just their voices.

As noted by The Verge, however, users hoping to accomplish such tasks while away from home will need to have an Apple TV on their home network to serve as the hub for these devices.

So, while commands like "Siri, turn off the lights in the living room" will always work while connected to your home Wi-Fi network, they won’t from the airport unless you have an Apple TV. But that’s it — you can still switch off the lights with an app, no Apple TV required. This behavior has been confirmed by a source close to HomeKit’s development as well as two launch partners who wish to remain anonymous. Only third-generation or later Apple TVs running software 7.0 or later will support HomeKit.

Apple has quietly included HomeKit in the Apple TV's software, but The Verge notes Apple will not be marketing the set-top box specifically as a home automation hub.

Many of the home automation vendors have been fairly vague about launch plans for their devices, and sources indicate that uncertainty is due in large part to the need to wait for Apple to finish polishing its HomeKit tools to ensure proper functionality. With HomeKit-enabled chips only recently beginning to ship to vendors and Apple's vendor licensing program still getting underway, most of these companies still have a few hurdles to cross before they can make their products available for sale.

In mid-December, we reported that Apple was working on a minor iOS 8.1.3 update as developers test iOS 8.2, and it appears that the iOS 8.1.3 update could be close to seeing a public release.

According to BGR's sources, Apple is planning on debuting an iOS 8 software update "sometime in the next week" and while the site cannot confirm whether it's a new beta or a public release, our own data suggests the upcoming update is most likely iOS 8.1.3.

Over the course of the past week, MacRumors has seen an increase in visits from devices on Apple's networks that identify themselves as running iOS 8.1.3, and as of yesterday, that number jumped significantly, suggesting a larger number of Apple employees are now testing the software ahead of a public launch.

The first hints of iOS 8.1.3 appeared on December 8 just ahead of the release of iOS 8.1.2, and while initial visit numbers were in the dozens for much of the month, we are now seeing hundreds of visits from devices that are running iOS 8.1.3.

We are also seeing a larger number of general devices (not specifically from Apple-based networks) running iOS 8.1.3 and while there are likely some faked identifiers in the general pool of web visitors, an increased number of visits directly from Apple networks has historically hinted at Apple's software development plans.

Like iOS 8.1.2, which fixed a ringtone issue along with other bugs, iOS 8.1.3 is expected to be a minor update that bundles in small bug fixes and performance improvements. As with the previous release, iOS 8.1.3 is likely to be launched to the public without a beta test.

iOS 8's next major update is iOS 8.2 with the WatchKit SDK, which was seeded to developers in November. As an update that introduces significant system changes, iOS 8.2 will see an extended beta testing period before launching alongside the upcoming Apple Watch. It remains unknown when Apple plans to debut the Apple Watch, but recent rumors have hinted at a March launch.

Aside from iOS 8.1.3 and iOS 8.2, Apple employees also appear to be testing both iOS 8.3 and iOS 9, but visits from devices running those versions of iOS remain low.

Update: According to a source who spoke to MacRumors, Apple on Wednesday seeded iOS 8.1.3 build 12B460 to select retail employees for testing, which explains the increase in visits we've seen from devices running the 8.1.3 software.

Apple has involved its retail employees in OS X testing for several years, but the early release of iOS 8.1.3 marks the first time Apple's retail workers have received access to iOS for testing purposes. Apple has not specified what changes are in iOS 8.1.3 or when it will be released.

Update 2: Our source has clarified that iOS 8.1.3 was actually released to employees on Wednesday, January 7, not Monday, and the software appears to include only under-the-hood bug fixes that are not readily apparent.

Earlier this week, it was observed that Apple's retail stores were running short of iPod shuffle units, leading to speculation about whether the shortages were just a temporary blip in Apple's supply chain management or if they were a sign of an impending discontinuation of the diminutive music player. The iPod shuffle's only updates since September 2010 have been occasional changes to color options, opening the door to questions and speculation about the device's fate.

According to Billboard, however, the iPod shuffle shortages are indeed just a temporary issue related to component supplies.

Rather than being discontinued, however, sources with knowledge of the situation tell Billboard that Apple is actually going thorough component supplier changes that have interrupted production of the Shuffle.

Apple declined to comment.

Supplies of the iPod shuffle remain tight, with Apple's online stores generally quoting shipping estimates of 7-10 business days for all colors. Some of the company's retail stores do have stock of some colors, but many others show the device as unavailable with Apple offering to have units shipped to the stores for customer pickup.

As the iPod market has declined with customers opting to use smartphones for their music needs, Apple's investments in the family have declined and product cycles have lengthened. As a result, it is unclear what Apple's longer-term plans are for the future of the iPod, particularly the iPod shuffle and iPod nano that are more limited in their capabilities than the iOS-based iPod touch.

A privacy glitch in Spotlight search for OS X may leak private details, including IP addresses, to email spammers. The flaw was first reported by German tech news site Heise and replicated in tests performed by IDG News Service.

The issue affects OS X mail users who have followed conventional security recommendations to turn off the "load remote content in messages" option in the Mail app. This setting prevents the loading of remote content such as images, including "tracking pixels" that are used by spammers to harvest information when people open an email.

A glitch arises when OS X Mail users utilize Spotlight search in OS X, which includes emails in the search results. Spotlight ignores the remote content block preference from Mail and loads the remote email files as part of the search process. Once Spotlight loads one of these tracking pixels, spammers can glean details such as the IP address, OS X version, browser details, and the version of Quick Look being used.

The Spotlight preview loads those files even when users have switched off the "load remote content in messages" option in the Mail app, a feature often disabled to prevent email senders from knowing if an email has arrived and if it has been opened. What's more, Spotlight also loads those files when it shows previews of unopened emails that landed directly in the junk folder.

Currently, the only way to block this information leak is to block Spotlight from including emails in search results entirely by opening System Preferences and unchecking the "Mail & Messages" option for Spotlight. Apple has yet to comment on this Spotlight privacy glitch.

Apple Pay has been exclusive to the United States since its launch last October, but it now appears Apple is preparing to take the mobile payments service international with an expansion to Canada as soon as this March. Citing sources "close to the situation," 9to5Mac reports Apple is currently in negotiations with Canadian partners, preparing and planning various promotional materials over the next few weeks for use during the upcoming launch.

Apple and Canadian launch partners are in the process of planning advertising and other promotional material for March, which indicates that the launch could come as soon as then. Of course, these are still active discussions and it’s possible the talks could fail to result in a launch by March. Several sources, however, tell us Apple is currently targeting that timeframe.

International expansion of Apple Pay has been the subject of several rumors in recent months, but Apple has yet to make any official announcements about its plans. Apple Pay has, however, been growing steadily in the U.S. since its October launch, adding new banks, credit unions, and retail partners at a steady rate.

Rumors of a March launch for Apple Pay in Canada fall in line with the current rumor of the Apple Watch launching in the same month, although it is unclear whether Canada will be in the first wave of launch countries for Apple Watch as Apple's Canadian website says "Available in 2015" while the company's U.S. site mentions a more specific "Coming Early 2015." With the Apple Watch capable of supporting Apple Pay payments, however, it seems natural for Apple to be pushing forward on international expansion of the payments service as the watch's launch approaches.

After sending out an email to developers earlier in the week detailing App Store price changes coming to a few territories, Apple has today raised the price of apps in all countries within the European Union, Norway, Russia, and Canada. The price increases are due to shifting currency exchange rates and tax increases in some countries.

The price of the least expensive paid apps in the App Store, which are priced at $0.99 in the United States, moved from £0.69 to £0.79 in the UK, €0.89 to €0.99 in EU countries, and $0.99 to $1.19 in Canada, with similar price increases hitting the likes of Norway and Russia. On the other hand, app prices in Iceland are seeing a cut from where they were earlier in the week.

Simultaneously, the company has raised the prices of its products in Brazil by an average of 10 percent, where they're already the highest priced in the world. As reported by ZDNet, the 16 GB iPhone 5s jumped to R$ 2,500 ($938), a 13.6 percent increase from R$ 2,200 ($825). The iPhone 6 Plus saw a smaller 6.81 percent hike to R$ 4,700 ($1,763) from an original R$ 4,400 ($1,651).

Just last week Apple raised developer program prices in a number of countries, most notably Germany and the UK, so today's app price hikes in these territories no doubt fall in line with the company keeping up with fluctuating currency values and foreign exchange rates.

Both changes come on the heels of Apple celebrating the App Store's biggest sales day in history on New Year's Day, along with a prosperous 2014 that saw total developer earnings hit $25 billion since the store's opening.

Samsung has won the orders to produce Apple's S1 system-in-a-package for the Apple Watch, reports DigiTimes. The S1 produced by Samsung will combine multiple components including the processor, mobile DRAM, NAND flash, and other chips into one package.

A report in November shared similar information, noting that Apple would be relying heavily on Samsung for iPhone 6 and Apple Watch components. Namely, Apple was said to be concerned about NAND flash, with its cheaper and slower TLC (triple-level cell) flash memory for larger-capacity iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models said to be the source of crashing issues. Those issues, along with Samsung's competitive prices, were said to be the primary reasons in bringing Apple back to negotiations with the South Korean company.

Apple is said to be targeting a March launch for the Apple Watch, as the company is said to be refining the device's "Watch OS" software and working on hardware components like the inductive charging mechanism. Apple Retail Store workers are also set to begin training during the week of February 9 ahead of the device's launch the following month.