Apple acquired firmware security company LegbaCore in November 2015, according to security researcher Trammell Hudson, who revealed the acquisition in his presentation at the 32C3 conference in December. LegbaCore's goal, according to founder Xeno Kovah, is "to help build systems that are as secure as we know how to make."
In November, Kovah and fellow LegbaCore founder Corey Kallenberg revealed that they had joined Apple as full-time employees. Just a couple days before that, LegbaCore's website announced that it would "not be accepting any new customer engagements", noting that the website would remain up "to serve as a reference for LegbaCore's past work."
LegbaCore had collaborated with Hudson on Thunderstrike 2, the first firmware worm to affect Mac computers. The malware is impossible to remove, resistant to both firmware and software updates. LegbaCore and Hudson had alerted Apple to Thunderstrike 2's vulnerabilities and Apple began work on fixes, issuing one in June 2015.
On Twitter, Kovah said that Apple began discussions with LegbaCore after the consultancy's presentation in summer 2015. It soon became clear to Kovah and Kallenberg that Apple had "some *very* interesting and highly impactful work" that the two could participate in. They were eventually convinced to wind down LegbaCore's existing contracts and begin work at Apple.
What did Apple hire us to do? We can’t say. :) Well, we can probably say something like “low level security” (I don’t know our job titles)
— Xeno Kovah (@XenoKovah) November 10, 2015
While LegbaCore is a security consultancy firm that doesn't own any specific technology, it's likely Apple will use Kovah and Kallenberg's talent and knowledge to help improve firmware and software security in future iterations of Apple's various hardware and software products. LegbaCore's work includes research on Thunderstrike 2, "dead code" for BIOS attacks and more.
SwiftKey, the company behind the popular third-party SwiftKey Keyboard for iOS and Android devices, is being acquired by Microsoft, reports Financial Times. Microsoft is said to be purchasing SwiftKey for $250 million in a deal that will be announced imminently.
The SwiftKey keyboard has been available on Android devices since 2010, expanding to iOS in January of 2014 through the SwiftKey notes app. When Apple included support for third-party keyboards in iOS 8, SwiftKey was one of the first companies to produce a keyboard replacement app.
SwiftKey's keyboard is notable for its word prediction tools, incorporating artificial intelligence and machine learning to make custom word predictions based on what a user has previously written. Microsoft will likely use SwiftKey's technology to bolster its own AI-based products, including its Word Flow keyboard and virtual assistant Cortana.
Accessory maker Zagg, known for its InvisibleShield screen protectors and other Apple-related accessories, today announced an acquisition of mophie, a company that makes external battery packs and battery cases for Apple's iOS devices.
According to a press release from Zagg, its acquisition of mophie will allow it to be the market share leader when it comes to battery cases, external batteries, screen protection, and tablet keyboards. Zagg has paid $100 million at deal closing for mophie, with a caveat that additional money may be paid out based on earnings over a 12 month period from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.
"This strategic combination of two industry innovators with complementary product, brand and distribution platforms will enable us to deliver increased value for our customers and shareholders," said Randy Hales, President and Chief Executive Officer of ZAGG. "We see numerous opportunities to drive revenue growth and increase profitability by leveraging the strengths of both organizations to strengthen product development, improve brand presence, and expand distribution."
Going forward, Zagg will keep the mophie brand intact, continuing to sell mophie products under the mophie brand name. Zagg says mophie will retain its identity, messaging, and strategy, but cross-branded protects, like a Zagg tablet keyboard powered by a mophie battery, are possible in the future.
There's sometimes a stigma against purchasing refurbished electronics because many companies don't have rigorous quality control programs for refurbished devices, but that's not the case with Apple. Some companies may sell refurbished items with cosmetic defects and other issues, but Apple's refurbished products available from its online store are "as good as new" products, but with a lower price tag.
Every refurbished iPad, iPhone, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple accessory Apple sells goes through a certification process that ensures full functionality, and with iOS devices, each one gets a new outer shell and a fresh battery. All refurbished products come with a 1-year warranty, just like new devices. Note that you can get refurbished or used Apple products at steeper discounts from third-party retailers, but it's only Apple that offers a rigorous refurbishment process and inspection.
As long as you can wait a few months to pick up an Apple product, there's virtually no downside to purchasing a refurbished model. The quality is superb and the price savings can be worth the wait. This guide covers all the ins and outs of refurbished products, from release timelines and prospective price savings to warranty information and stock information.
What is a Refurbished Product?
The products sold in Apple's online refurbished store are pre-owned products that have been returned to Apple by customers who ran into some kind of defect, such as a faulty SSD on a MacBook Pro or dead pixels on an iPad's display. They may also be products that customers have elected to recycle through Apple's recycling program or products that were unwanted and returned even in perfect condition.
Apple repairs these products and replaces all faulty parts before offering them for sale again through the online refurbished site. Refurbished products are only available through Apple's website and are not offered within retail stores.
Refurbished Products Available From Apple
Apple offers a wide range of refurbished products in its online store, from Macs and iPads to the Apple TV and Apple Watch. Refurbished products range from stock models to those that have been custom built with upgraded parts through Apple's custom build-to-order options. A full list of products that can be purchased at a discount is below:
Apple sells refurbished products that are both current-generation machines and machines from previous years that are now discontinued, and with different configurations and capacities.
Stock Fluctuations
The stock on Apple's refurbished site is based on what people return or have replaced. That means the refurbished products that are available are constantly fluctuating and are only available in very limited quantities. It also means many of the Macs that are available may not be stock machines, instead featuring various upgrades to hardware like RAM, SSD storage, and processors.
Purchasing a refurbished Mac can be confusing because Apple offers older machines right alongside newer machines. It's often difficult to tell the difference between processors and other hardware between years, especially for those who don't keep up with what's new in Apple's yearly refreshes.
Before making a purchase from the refurbished store, make sure to thoroughly read all product descriptions and research the hardware in the machine to make sure that it meets your needs. Many older Macs continue to be capable options that will last for many years, but there can be some notable differences in both performance and included features.
Getting a specific Mac or iPad from the refurbished store may mean waiting for several days to several weeks and frequently checking for new stock of the desired model. When planning to buy from the refurbished store, it's best to assume there will be a wait involved, especially if you're looking for exact custom options and upgrades.
There are some useful sites that can help you keep an eye on stock in Apple's refurbished store, sending an alert whenever a desired model is added. Refurb.me displays each product Apple has in stock, lists the date a specific model was last available, and lets users set up an alert to be notified when a particular model is back in the store. Refurb.me includes availability statistics and pricing history, which are both useful tools when choosing a refurbished product to purchase.
Refurb Tracker lets you select specific product categories to watch, with notifications available through email or an RSS feed. Refurb Tracker and Refurb.me both support tracking refurbished products in all of the countries where Apple has a refurbished online store, and they're excellent resources for finding the exact refurbished device that you want.
Apple's Pricing
The main reason to purchase a refurbished Apple product is for the hefty discount, which drops the prices on both current-generation Macs and iPads and older now-discontinued machines. Discounts on iPads and Macs generally range from 15 to 20 percent, but on rare occasions prices, can drop by as much as 25 percent. The older a machine is, the lower the price will be.
On many models, Apple includes the discount percentage and the exact amount saved, but for others, including older Macs, manual price comparisons will need to be made. Prices take into account the hardware upgrades included in refurbished built-to-order Macs.
For iPads and iPhones, most discounts range from 14 to 17 percent off, dropping the price from $50 to $140 off of the original cost. On some higher-end older cellular models, discounts are higher, ranging up to 22 percent off.
In most cases, Apple's refurbished prices aren't going to beat the discounts you can get from unofficial third-party sites that offer refurbished machines, but they are going to be more affordable than new machines. Apple's refurbished discounts also often beat sale prices on newer products available from third-party retailers like Best Buy, MacMall, and Amazon.
How does Apple Test Refurbished Products?
On its website, Apple outlines the rigorous testing procedures that are used to confirm each and every product is in full working condition and free from blemishes and other cosmetic defects.
Apple says its refurbishment procedures use the same basic technical guidelines that are used during its Finished Goods testing procedures for retail products. Here's the general refurbishing process Apple follows:
Each product is tested to make sure it is in working condition. This phase includes several tests, such as full burn-in testing for displays.
Defective modules identified during the testing process are replaced with functional parts.
iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches receive brand new batteries and new outer enclosures, ensuring there will be no cosmetic damage.
Each product is thoroughly cleaned and inspected by Apple employees.
Current software is installed on the device, and each product ships with its original operating system software and the custom software offered with it.
Following the cleaning, products are repackaged with their appropriate cables and manuals in new plain white boxes.
Apple assigns the product a new refurbished part number and a new serial number.
The product undergoes another quality assurance inspection before being given the okay to be sold to the public.
Packaging
A refurbished product sold by Apple is nearly indistinguishable from a new product, aside from the packaging. Apple's refurbished products come in a plain white box with an "Apple Certified Refurbished" guarantee and the name of the product on the front. In contrast, Apple's retail packaging often includes eye-catching images of the product.
Inside the box, refurbished products and new products include the same cables and manuals.
Warranty and Apple Care
Apple's warranty policy for refurbished Macs and iPads is one of the main reasons why there's no downside to purchasing a refurbished item.
Apple sells all of its refurbished products with the same one-year warranty and 90 days of phone support that it offers with all of its standard retail products. That means if something goes wrong with a refurbished product during the first 365 days after you buy it, Apple will fix the issue at no cost or offer a free replacement.
Refurbished products can be serviced at an Apple retail store, via mail, or through an Apple Authorized Service Provider.
AppleCare+ can be purchased alongside refurbished products, extending the warranty period. For Macs, purchasing the AppleCare+ Protection Plan extends warranty coverage and telephone support to a full three years (or more with a subscription), regardless of the year the Mac was originally released. Apple will fix any manufacturing issues that arise, including faulty batteries that retain less than 80 percent charge. Two incidents of accidental damage per year are also included.
With the iPad and iPhone, purchasing the AppleCare+ protection plan extends warranty coverage and telephone support to at least two years. It also covers two incidents of accidental damage per year, each subject to a service fee (plus applicable tax) for repair or replacement. Accidental damage covers anything from water exposure to shattered displays due to drops, while Apple will fix manufacturing problems, including a faulty battery, at no cost.
New Releases
When a new Apple product is released, it does not become available for purchase from the refurbished store for several months. Most products are available after a three or four month wait, but refurbished versions of products with supply constraints may not be available for six to nine months after launch.
Customers who are planning to wait to purchase a refurbished version of a newly launched product should plan to delay their purchase for at least three months and longer with the iPhone. It often takes Apple more than a year to make refurbished versions of new iPhones available for purchase.
Shipping and In-Store Pickup
Refurbished products can be shipped directly to your home address or shipped to a local Apple Store for in-store pickup. Refurbished models are never in stock for same-day pickup at a retail store because they come from a central warehouse, but shipping often takes just two or three days.
Country List
Apple certified refurbished products are available in multiple countries, not just the United States. Here's a full list of the countries where Apple operates an online refurbished store:
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
China
France
Germany
Hong Kong
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Singapore
South Korea
Spain
Switzerland
Taiwan
United Kingdom
United States
Refurbished iPhones
The iPhone is Apple's most popular product, so the company undoubtedly receives a huge number of faulty iPhones. While Apple offers iPhones on its refurbished website, the company also sometimes uses refurbished iPhones as under-warranty or out-of-warranty replacements for customers who run into issues with their devices.
There is nothing wrong with receiving a refurbished iPhone as a replacement for a retail device as these are closely inspected by Apple, but some customers prefer to know what kind of device they're receiving when getting an iPhone repaired or replaced.
The answer lies in the model number of the iPhone, which can be found by going to General --> About in the Settings app and checking the first letter of the model number.
M - Retail Unit
N - Replacement Unit (Can be refurbished)
P - Personalized Unit
F - Refurbished Unit
M always denotes a new retail device, while N is used for iPhones that have been earmarked by Apple for replacements. These can be new devices or refurbished devices. Apple's use of "P" and "F" is less clear, but "N" and "M" appear to be regularly used based on our research of refurbished iPhones.
Another method of determining whether an iPhone has been refurbished is through checking the Lifetime cellular usage. When resetting Cellular statistics, the Lifetime metric does not change, even on a device that's been wiped or had a new operating system installed.
Open the Settings app.
Navigate to "Cellular."
Scroll down to "Call Time."
Check the "Lifetime" call time.
On a new device, this should be at zero or close to it - sometimes there are minutes on a new device due to factory testing.
Buying Refurbished Products From Third-Party Resellers
Apple's online refurbished store is the only source for official refurbished products certified by Apple. No third-party retailers are permitted to sell machines that have been guaranteed by Apple's refurbishing process.
You may see other sites such as Amazon, Best Buy, Gazelle, Mac of All Trades, and others offering refurbished Macs at low price, but these do not come with the same warranty and have not been tested by Apple. Refurbished Macs purchased from third-party resellers will include more limited warranties and are not be eligible to receive one year of free support from Apple.
Refurbished machines from third-party sites may come at a much lower cost, but the savings may not be worth it should a major problem surface down the road. If purchasing from a third-party site, aim for a retailer that offers a 90-day or more warranty and a guaranteed inspection process.
Bottom Line
If you plan on purchasing an Apple product and don't mind waiting until a few months after it's released, there's no reason to choose a new device over a refurbished device. With enough patience, you can find the exact model you're looking for, and the process goes even quicker if you have some flexibility on specs that could vary due to build-to-order upgrades.
By purchasing a refurbished product directly from Apple, you can save up to a couple hundred dollars and get the same benefits you get with a brand new Apple product, including a guaranteed inspection process and a 1-year warranty.
You may save more cash purchasing a refurbished machine from a third-party retailer, but do so with caution -- there's less protection if something goes wrong.
Apple's iPhone 7 isn't expected to launch until the usual September timeframe, but we're starting to get our first hints of what we might be able to expect for the new device. According to a source who has provided reliable information in the past, the iPhone 7 body will appear very similar to the design used for the iPhone 6 and 6s, with two significant exceptions.
The first involves the rear camera, which protrudes slightly on the iPhone 6 and 6s. On the iPhone 7, the camera is said to sit flush with the rear casing, enabled by a thinner camera module. Recent rumors have indicated Apple is considering equipping the iPhone 7 Plus with a dual-lens rear camera, but the smaller iPhone 7 is expected to include a more traditional camera.
Mockup of iPhone 7 case showing flush rear camera and no antenna bands across rear
The other significant change with the body of the iPhone 7 is the removal of antenna bands across the rear, allowing for a cleaner all-metal look on the back. Antenna bands at the sides and around the top and bottom edges are said to remain, however.
Our source has been unable to confirm whether the device as a whole will be thinner than the iPhone 6 and 6s, although any thickness reductions would be expected to be slight, and many users (particularly those who use their devices without cases) will likely find the flush rear camera to be a significant improvement even if other dimensions remain the same.
The Nodus Shell case for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus comes from UK company Nodus and is featured in our latest video review. Made from Italian leather and available in black, brown, or yellow, the Nodus Shell has a design that's similar to Apple's own leather iPhone cases with cutouts for the volume and power buttons and openings at the top and bottom to leave ports and speakers available.
What's unique about the Nodus Shell is the magnetic plate that's built into the interior, allowing it to be mounted anywhere using small but powerful magnets called Micro Docks. Using adhesive, a Micro Dock can be positioned on a wall, in a car, or at the edge of a desk, allowing an iPhone to be docked in multiple places.
We found the magnets to be strong enough to hold the iPhone in place and one of our favorite aspects was the Nodus Shell's ability to also work with other magnet-based systems. According to Nodus, there's also magnetic shielding included in the case to protect the iPhone from magnetic damage.
The Nodus Shell can be purchased from the Nodus website for GBP49.99 or $72.11, with free shipping to the United States available.
Note: Nodus provided a Nodus Shell to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.
Nintendo today gave new hints regarding its mobile game plans, which will see the gaming giant release five games in total before March 2017 in a partnership with developer DeNA. During a quarterly profit meeting, the gaming company confirmed that its second mobile experience will be built around one of its popular and established characters, but no word was given specifically on which Nintendo franchise that would be (via The Wall Street Journal).
“The second game won’t be another communication app, and we plan to adopt one of our characters that fans are very familiar with,” Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima said.
In October, Nintendo revealed details about the first game to be released from its DeNA partnership, an app called "Miitomo" that will focus on social network-like interactions with the company's customizable Mii avatars. Miitomo will be a free-to-play experience, but the company has said that subsequent games will be pay-to-download games.
The partnership with DeNA was announced in March of 2015, with initial expectations suggesting the first official Nintendo-published mobile game to be released before the end of 2015. Nintendo decided to push back Miitomo's launch to better explain what the app is and earn the mobile game a better promotional push. Miitomo is expected to launch sometime in March, and there was no time window given for the company's second game.
Apple's next media event, where it is rumored to announce updates across three product categories, is tentatively planned for Tuesday, March 15, according to 9to5Mac. The date could change over the next six weeks.
As the scheduled event is still a month-and-a-half away, the date could conceivably still shift or turn into an online announcement. The media event would be Apple’s first since September, and much like the fall event, is planned to touch on three major product categories for the company.
Apple's new 4-inch iPhone is rumored to feature an A9 chip with M9 motion coprocessor, 1,624 mAh battery, 1GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.2, Apple Pay, VoLTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and 16GB and 64GB storage models, but 3D Touch appears unlikely.
The so-called "iPhone 5se" will reportedly ship in late March or early April, and will likely replace the iPhone 5s. Apple's smartphone lineup come September is expected to be the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, and iPhone 5se.
Details surrounding the iPad Air 3 are less clear, but leaked designdrawings and aftermarket cases suggest the new 9.7-inch tablet could have a rear-facing LED camera flash, Smart Connector, and four speakers like the iPad Pro.
Taiwanese website DigiTimes also said the iPad Air 3 will have a high-resolution 4K display and up to 4GB of RAM, but the report is questionable due to the publication's mixed track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming product plans.
Last, earlier rumors suggested an "Apple Watch 2" could debut around March, but the wrist-worn device will likely only receive minor updates, including new bands and possibly a FaceTime camera, at next month's purported media event.
Update:BuzzFeed's John Paczkowski has confirmed March 15 as the date when Apple will hold its spring event to unveil a smaller iPhone, a new iPad, and new watch bands.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office today published a patent filed by Apple last March, which details how inline proximity sensors could be used in tandem with a touchscreen display to detect non-contact hover gestures (via AppleInsider).
The patent, titled "Proximity and multi-touch sensor detection and demodulation", reveals how photodiodes or other proximity hardware work in parallel with traditional multitouch displays to extend user interaction beyond the screen surface.
One embodiment of the patent describes a capacitive sensing element, using a range of proximity sensors and an LCD display, that would let users deploy gestures above a traditional keyboard, resulting in a "virtual keyboard".
With multiple proximity arrays deployed on every touch sensor or pixel of the panel, the system can detect a finger, palm or other object hovering over the display surface. The detected motion is then translated to a GUI by which users can "push" virtual buttons, trigger functions without physical touch, toggle power to devices and more.
Various configurations of the technology are outlined in the patent, including one which describes a MacBook featuring assistive hover-sensing displays that augment typing and trackpad input.
As with any filed patent, the technology is unlikely to appear in any product soon, if at all, especially given that Apple only recently introduced 3D Touch support and is still actively encouraging app developers to make more use of the feature.
Apple has expressed interest in non-contact user interfacing and motion control for some time. In 2013, for example, the company acquired PrimeSense, the firm responsible for the original technology used by Microsoft for its Kinect platform.
Taiwan-based Largan Technology as well as Japan- and China-based camera lens makers have sent dual-lens camera test samples to Apple for potential inclusion in its next-generation iPhone, according to sources from the upstream supply chain (via DigiTimes).
The same source notes that Largan currently supplies over 60 percent of Apple's smartphone cameras, leading some market analysts to believe Apple is seeking dual-camera products from other makers to lower potential risks.
iPhone 7 mockup with dual-lens camera system (Image: Computer Bild)
Taiwan-based website DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple's upcoming product plans, but its sources within the upstream supply chain have proven reliable in the past.
Google's parent company, Alphabet, is encroaching on Apple's status as the most valuable company in the world, reports CNN. While Apple is currently on top, a surge in Alphabet shares today gave it a market valuation of $533.4 billion, briefly surpassing Apple's valuation of $532.7 billion on a 1 percent stock drop.
Alphabet shares dropped shortly after, leaving Apple at a higher valuation, but the numbers could shift again tomorrow following Alphabet's first financial earnings report this afternoon. Alphabet is expected to announce overall revenue growth of close to 15 percent with a 20 percent increase in earnings per share.
Over the course of the last several months, Apple shares have fallen steadily, dropping its peak valuation of $740 billion to ~$540 billion. Despite record earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2016, with revenue of $75.9 billion and net quarterly profit of $18.4 billion, Apple has not bounced back from rumors that the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s are not selling well and concerns that the company has reached "peak iPhone" with no replacement product on the horizon.
Apple is in for a rough second quarter as the company is expected to announce its first ever decline in iPhone sales and its first year-over-year revenue drop in thirteen years. Currency headwinds caused by a strong U.S. dollar are costing Apple a significant percent of its earnings compared to the year-ago quarter.
Update 1:05 PM: Alphabet is up another 8 percent in after hours trading following a strong earnings report, meaning Alphabet will almost certainly open trading tomorrow at a higher valuation than Apple.
Actionproof's Bozon Apple Watch stand is unique in a sea of Apple Watch accessories because of its unusual, quirky shape. It looks more like a toy or a modern art piece than a traditional stand, but it ended up being easier to use and more functional than some of the other Apple Watch stands I've tested.
Made from a soft black silicone, the Bozon features a pliable black palm-sized sphere-shaped top attached to four legs for stability. Like most Apple Watch stands, you need to supply your own charging puck, which fits into the front of the Bozon. The interior of the Bozon is hollow, allowing it to store excess cord.
Setting up the Bozon with the Apple Watch charger was surprisingly simple, especially when it came to winding up excess cord. There are a lot of Apple Watch docks and stands out there that hide extra cord, but most do so in a more convoluted way. With the Bozon, it was simple, quick, and elegant.
The first step to installing the Apple Watch charger in the stand is to fit the charging puck into the front opening. It fits in at a downward angle, and there's an extra slot that houses the portion of the cable that connects to charger. From there, the cord goes into the middle of the Bozon and out through the rear right leg, which has a removable cap.
Apple's "spaceship" second campus is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2016, and with 10 months to go, construction is progressing rapidly on both the main ring-shaped building and several auxiliary buildings, including the underground auditorium, the visitor's center, and the Tantau addition, where research and development will take place.
Drone pilot Duncan Sinfield has shared a February campus update with MacRumors, giving us one of our closest looks yet at the ongoing construction and progress that's been made since our last update in January. Starting last month, the window panels that make up the unique curved glass exterior began going up, and with additional panels added this month, there's a clear look at what the completed building will look like.
With much of the exterior nearing completion, cranes are now lifting parts of the roof into place on the main building, and the roof for the underground auditorium will soon be attached. A solar array has also been affixed to one of the two parking structures.
When finished, Apple's second campus will include the 2.8 million square foot ring-shaped main building, several parking structures, a 100,000 square foot fitness center, a 120,000 square foot auditorium, and a dedicated visitor's center, all surrounded by lush green landscaping.
Construction on the campus is scheduled to be completed at the end of 2016.
A new drawing of the unannounced iPad Air 3 highlights the dimensions of the device, with the potential for the third generation iPad Air to have similar dimensions as the iPad Air 2 (via Engadget). According to the image, the iPad Air 3 will be 6.15 mm thick and 169.6 mm wide, meaning the new tablet would end up about 0.05 mm thicker and 0.1 mm wider than the iPad Air 2.
Since the dimensions are so close to one another, and factoring in the possibility for rounding and measurement errors, it's a good possibility that the iPad Air 3 will be around the same size as the second generation iPad Air tablet.
Image via Engadget
Today's drawing also supports previous rumors surrounding the iPad Air 3's potential features, including a four-speaker design to boost audio quality in the same vein as the iPad Pro. A Smart Connector port can be seen on the side of the device, which would give the new iPad support for accessories like a Smart Keyboard. Previous case leaks and rumors for the iPad Air 3 have been less consistent on the inclusion of a Smart Connector, with some showing a cutout for the accessory port and some not.
The sketch also supports the rumored addition of a rear-facing LED flash onto the iPad line, which would make the iPad Air 3 the first of Apple's tablets to get the feature.
At the company's September event last year, only the iPad mini received a refresh, along with the debut of the iPad Pro. Due to its elongated lifespan, the iPad Air has been rumored to get its own update during the first half of 2016, potentially at a March media event.
The latest numbers from market research firm IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker show that Apple remains the largest vendor in a declining tablet market, shipping 16.1 million iPads in the fourth calendar quarter of 2015. While the iPad continues to be the best-selling tablet, its worldwide market share remains only 24.5 percent despite the all-new iPad Pro launching in early November.
iPad shipments declined 24.8 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, when they totaled 21.4 million for 28.1 percent market share. The stagnant iPad sales during the holiday shopping season may be more attributable to the lack of an iPad Air refresh in 2015, however, as the iPad Pro outsold Microsoft Surface tablets in its debut quarter in what IDC describes as a "successful" launch.
"Despite lukewarm reviews, the iPad Pro was the clear winner this season as it was the top selling detachable, surpassing notable entries from Microsoft and other PC vendors," said Jitesh Ubrani, Senior Research Analyst with IDC. "It's also important to note that the transition towards detachable tablets has presented positive opportunities for both Apple and Microsoft. However, Google's recent foray into this space has been rather lackluster as the Android platform will require a lot more refinement to achieve any measurable success.
Samsung continued to be the second largest tablet vendor with 9 million tablets shipped in the fourth quarter for 13.7 percent market share, an 18.1 percent year-over-year unit decline. Amazon, Lenovo, and Huawei rounded off the top five, with 5.2 million, 3.2 million, and 2.2 million global tablet shipments in the fourth quarter respectively. All other tablet vendors had a combined 45.8 percent market share.
iPad sales have declined for eight consecutive quarters year-over-year due to, among other reasons, longer tablet refresh cycles compared to smartphones. Apple is rumored to introduce a new iPad Air 3 at a March media event, which could help combat the decline alongside the iPad Pro and iPad mini 4, but most of those sales will fall within the second calendar quarter of 2016.
Overall tablet shipments in 2015 totaled 206.8 million, down 10.1 percent from 230.1 million in 2014.
Several Apple Music subscribers this morning are experiencing issues when searching for new music in the Music app on iOS devices.
Many users are reporting that typing a search query into the Apple Music search bar fails to return results, while others are receiving results but seeing a blank screen when tapping the track or artist name for further information.
Quitting the Music app does not solve the issue, nor does restarting the device, while iOS version does not seem to be a factor either.
The problem is trending on Twitter and in Apple Support Communities discussions, and is affecting users around the world, but appears to be restricted to iOS at this time, since Mac users are unable to replicate the issue in the iTunes desktop app.
The issue looks to be with Apple's servers and will likely be resolved when the service is corrected on their end.
Apple yesterday relaunched its "Shot on iPhone" advertising campaign, showcasing a selection of impressive still photos taken using its iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus handsets.
According to TIME, the new ad campaign comprises 53 images from 41 amateur and professional photographers from around the world. Each photo shot on Apple's flagship phones is set to appear on billboards across 85 cities in 26 countries.
Shot on the iPhone 6s Plus and processed with VSCOcam (Photo: Erin Brooks)
The move follows last year's "Shot on iPhone 6" photography campaign, which featured a selection of filtered and unfiltered still images sourced from social media feeds. That campaign began with a gallery of photos on Apple's homepage, before rolling out across print media, transit station posters and billboards worldwide.
While the 2015 ads featured a range of photographic subjects from landscapes to extreme close-ups, this year Apple has chosen to focus on portraits.
One of the photographers featured in the latest campaign is Erin Brooks, whose portrait of her three-year-old daughter (above) shot on an iPhone 6s Plus was posted on Instagram and picked by Apple. Brooks told TIME:
I honestly couldn’t believe that they contacted me. Photography for me, has been a huge creative outlet. It has taught me so many things about telling a story with an image, capturing someone’s personality, and it helped me move out of my postpartum depression… Taking photos of my daughters, and their blossoming connection of sisterhood, helped me get well. I started to notice the pure beauty of my life, and connect with it, and with them, on an even deeper level.
Last week, a design drawing surfaced claiming to show an iPad Air 3 with a few differences compared to the current iPad Air 2, most notably a stereo four-speaker design similar to the iPad Pro and an apparent LED flash located below the rear camera.
The design drawing likely came from a third-party manufacturer, and these companies apparently now feel comfortable enough to begin producing cases based on the design, as seen through Chinese site Alibaba's 1688.com business portal (via Nowhereelse.fr).
The new low-cost cases currently selling at around $3–4 each in quantities of 500 or more and even cheaper for greater quantities match the earlier design drawing, including two slots on each of the top and bottom edges to accommodate the device's speakers, and a teardrop cutout on the rear to fit the camera with an LED flash below.
At least one of the cases appears to have a cutout along the left side that matches the shape and location of the Smart Connector used to dock and power accessories such as keyboards on the iPad Pro. A Smart Connector was not observed in the design drawing from last week and does not appear to be included on the other case being offered for sale.
Other features appear identical to the iPad Air 2, including a decently large cutout high on the right edge of the device for the volume buttons, and small holes on the right edge and next to the rear camera for microphones. Additional cutouts for the headphone jack and power button on top and the Lightning port on the bottom are also present.
Apple opted not to update the iPad Air lineup last September when it debuted the iPad mini 4 and iPad Pro, and a new iPad Air 3 has been rumored for release during the first half of this year, most likely at a March media event.
Apple acquired firmware security company LegbaCore in November 2015, according to security researcher Trammell Hudson, who revealed the acquisition in his presentation at the 32C3 conference in December. LegbaCore's goal, according to founder Xeno Kovah, is "to help build systems that are as secure as we know how to make."
