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Apple's Mac Sales Drop in Q4 2018 Amid Worldwide PC Shipment Decline

Thursday January 10, 2019 2:29 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple's worldwide Mac shipments fell in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to new preliminary PC shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

During the quarter, Apple shipped an estimated 4.9 million Macs, down from 5.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple's share of the market grew, however, from 7.1 percent in 3Q18 to 7.2 percent.

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q18 (Thousands of Units)
Apple continues to maintain its position as the number four PC vendor in the world, behind Dell, HP, and Lenovo, but ahead of Asus and Acer.

Lenovo was the top PC vendor with 16.6 million shipments and 24.2 percent market share, followed by HP with 15.4 million shipments and 22.4 percent market share, with Dell coming in at number three with 11 million shipments and 15.9 percent market share.

Asus trailed Apple with 4.2 million shipments and 6.1 percent market share, as did Acer with 3.9 million shipments and 5.6 percent market share.

Apple's Market Share Trend: 1Q06-4Q18 (Gartner)
Apple's dipping Mac sales followed a trend that affected many PC vendors, with overall worldwide PC shipments dropping to 68.6 million, a 4.3 percent drop from the 71.7 million PCs shipped in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Apple also saw a small decline in the number of Macs shipped in the United States. Apple shipped 1.76 million Macs during the quarter, down from 1.8 million in the year-ago quarter, for a 2.1 percent drop in growth and 12.4 percent market share (up from 12.1 percent).

Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment

Reports Suggest Ring Allowed Employees Unfettered Access to Customer Camera Feeds

Thursday January 10, 2019 1:18 pm PST by Juli Clover

Over the course of the last month, some troubling information has surfaced about Ring, the Amazon-owned company that has millions of cameras inside and outside homes across the globe.

The Information in December suggested Ring employees in both the U.S. and the UK had unfettered, unnecessary access to customer camera feeds, and today, The Intercept has shared additional details.

Starting in 2016, Ring allowed its Ukraine-based research team to access "every video created by every Ring camera around the world." Video content was unencrypted and "easily browsed and viewed," plus videos were linked to specific customers.

Ring employees highlighted objects in video feeds to improve object and facial recognition>
Ring's Ukraine team was provided with access to further development on facial and object recognition software, with executives and engineers in the U.S. also able to access the same data even if they didn't specifically need it for their jobs.

Employees with access to customer feeds could view an individual's camera with just an email address.

Although the source said they never personally witnessed any egregious abuses, they told The Intercept "I can say for an absolute fact if I knew a reporter or competitor's email address, I could view all their cameras."

Ring employees weren't just watching outdoor video, either, with a source who spoke to The Intercept suggesting indoor video was viewed as well for the same object recognition training. Ring employees were instructed to draw boxes around objects with labeling, allowing the system to learn to recognize

Apple Cuts iPhone XR Prices for Third-Party Distributors in China

Thursday January 10, 2019 12:32 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple has dropped the price of the iPhone XR by about $100 for its channel partners in China, reports Yahoo Finance. The price cut allows third-party vendors to purchase the iPhone XR more cheaply, which allows the device to be sold to customers at a lower price.

Apple is not offering direct discounts on the device in China, but third-party retailers implemented price cuts on Tuesday after Apple dropped purchasing prices.

An Apple partner that buys from Apple and sells to distributors and retailers dropped the iPhone XR's price from 5980 yuan ($881) to 5380 yuan ($793) with an additional 150 yuan ($22) coupon available.

According to Yahoo Finance, the partner in question was told by Apple to drop prices to boost iPhone XR sales.

Many vendors in China are now offering the iPhone XR at a discount. JD.com is offering customers a 400 yuan coupon that drops the price of the iPhone XR to 6099 yuan ($899), while Suning, an electronics store similar to Best Buy, now sells the iPhone XR for 6199 yuan ($914).

Both of those prices are cheaper than the 6499 yuan ($958) that Apple asks for the iPhone XR from its website and retail stores.

The discount comes just ahead of the Chinese New Year in February, and could spur additional iPhone XR sales. A report from China's National Business Daily this week suggested Apple has also implemented distributor price drops on other iPhones including the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, and XS Max. The biggest price cuts are on the iPhone XR, however.

Another recent report suggests that Apple has cut production on the iPhone XR,

CES 2019: The Best of ShowStoppers and the Show Floor

Thursday January 10, 2019 11:46 am PST by Juli Clover

The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show is wrapping up, with Friday being the final day. For our last CES video, we visited ShowStoppers, the show floor, and a few vendor events to show MacRumors readers some of the coolest stuff that we saw this year.

Not all of what we have to share is entirely Apple related, but there are definitely some interesting, eye-catching technology products that give us an idea of where the tech sector is headed.

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Some of the best TV technology at the show came from LG, with the company debuting a 65-inch TV that rolls up. The rolling mechanism lets the TV, which is super thin, tuck away when it's not in use, and then be brought back up when you want to use it.

LG's actually going to release the rollable TV, called the OLED TV R, sometime in the spring, but expect it to be sensationally expensive. LG's booth was also something special, outfitted with a seemingly endless array of curved OLED displays.

Samsung was on hand showing off its upcoming Bixby speaker, a smart speaker that's designed to compete with the HomePod. The Bixby speaker features a teardrop shape along with three metal legs, with Samsung promising smart home features and immersive sound. The Bixby speaker is set to be released soon.

Simplehuman, a company that makes automated trash cans, debuted the Sensor Mirror Hi-Fi, which works as a mirror, a lamp, and a speaker, while Kohler was demoing a smart bathtub that won't overfill and super fancy $7000 toilet with a heated seat, LEDs, speakers, Alexa integration,

Apple Seeds Fourth Beta of iOS 12.1.3 to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Thursday January 10, 2019 10:05 am PST by Juli Clover

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.1.3 update to developers and public beta testers, a few days after releasing the third beta and three weeks after releasing iOS 12.1.2.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.1.3 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center, while public beta testers can get the beta over-the-air.

The fourth iOS 12.1.3 beta is technically the third beta, but because iOS 12.1.3 includes the same updates that were supposed to be included in the iOS 12.1.2 beta that was already released, Apple released the initial iOS 12.1.3 as a second beta rather than a first beta.

Apple seeded just one beta of iOS 12.1.2 before tweaking the software to include some emergency bug fixes and the aforementioned software changes in China, rushing the update out and pushing content originally planned for iOS 12.1.2 to iOS 12.1.3 instead.

iOS 12.1.3 will mark the fourth update to iOS 12. We don't yet know what features are included, and no major changes have been found in the iOS 12.1.3 betas we've received thus far. If we find anything new in the fourth iOS 12.1.3 beta, we'll update this

Samsung Announces Galaxy S10 Event on February 20 in San Francisco, May Include Foldable Smartphone

Thursday January 10, 2019 7:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Samsung today announced it will be hosting an event on Wednesday, February 20 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, with the media invitation teasing new Galaxy S10 smartphones.

Samsung's event invite
The Wall Street Journal today reported that Samsung plans to announce three new Galaxy S10 models along with an all-new foldable smartphone dubbed the "Galaxy Fold" at the event, with a simultaneous keynote in London. A fourth model with 5G network support will allegedly be released later in the spring.

Rumors point towards Samsung unveiling a lower-end Galaxy S10 Lite with a 5.8-inch display, Galaxy S10 with a 6.1-inch display, and Galaxy S10+ with a 6.4-inch display. The devices are expected to be released in March as usual.

Samsung typically unveils its Galaxy S smartphones at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which takes place February 25-28 this year. Samsung reportedly decided to move up its announcement since Chinese smartphone maker Huawei plans to introduce a competing foldable smartphone at the trade show.

Leaks suggest Galaxy S10 models will feature a so-called "hole-punch" display with a small cutout for the front camera instead of a notch. More cameras are also expected across the lineup, with up to a four-lens rear camera and dual-lens front camera expected on at least one Galaxy S10+ variant.

Alleged photo of Galaxy S10 via Evan Blass
Galaxy smartphones are one of the biggest rivals to the iPhone, which is also expected to gain a triple-lens rear camera in 2019. Apple is unlikely to switch to a

Qualcomm Calls Tim Cook's Statement on Settlement Talks 'Misleading'

Wednesday January 9, 2019 12:21 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple CEO Tim Cook in an interview yesterday said that Apple had not been in any kind of settlement talks with Qualcomm since the third calendar quarter of 2018, which ended in September.

Cook was referencing November comments from Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf, who said during a November 7 earnings call that Qualcomm has "continued to have discussions with Apple to try and reach a resolution" and in an interview later in the month that the two companies were "really on the doorstep of finding a resolution."

After Cook made it clear yesterday that no settlement talks had taken place when those comments were made, Qualcomm in a statement told Reuters that what Cook had to say was "misleading" and that the company stands by Mollenkopf's statement.

"We have been consistent for the last 18 months in making clear that we have, at various times, been in discussions with Apple about a possible resolution to our licensing dispute," a Qualcomm spokesperson said in a statement. "We have also stated clearly on several occasions that we believe it will be resolved, one way or the other, in the near future, either through a settlement or court decisions."

In response, Apple said that Cook's comments were accurate. "Qualcomm is desperate to obfuscate the tales it has been telling its investors. Their accusations are a red herring," said Apple.

Cook yesterday had no kind words for Qualcomm, calling its policies "illegal."

The issues that we have with Qualcomm is that they have a policy of no license, no chips. This is, in our view, illegal. And so many regulators in many

Sources: Apple to Expand Crowded Eaton Centre Store in Toronto, More Evidence of Yonge-Bloor Flagship Emerges [Updated]

Wednesday January 9, 2019 6:46 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple's efforts to modernize its chain of over 500 retail stores around the world may extend to Canada soon.

Apple plans to relocate its oft-crowded store at the Eaton Centre shopping mall in Downtown Toronto to a much larger space in the mall that is currently occupied by apparel chain Abercrombie & Fitch, which will also be relocating within the mall as part of the shuffle, according to people familiar with the matter.

A view of the existing Apple and Abercrombie & Fitch stores at the Eaton Centre
It is certainly possible that Apple could also take over a few additional units surrounding Abercrombie & Fitch for an even larger store.

Just this week, Abercrombie & Fitch erected a temporary barricade for its new store, slated to open in spring 2019. This suggests Apple could take over Abercrombie & Fitch's current space within three to five months from now and begin constructing its new store for a potential grand opening by 2020.

Apple is currently located on the third floor of the Eaton Centre, while the existing Abercrombie & Fitch is situated almost directly beneath Apple on the second floor near the Queen Street entrance to the mall. Apple's mall-based stores are frequently in prime locations near entrances and escalators.

The biggest reason for Apple's planned move would be additional space. Abercrombie & Fitch has a 10,680-square-foot unit, more than twice the size of Apple's current 4,977-square-foot unit, according to an Eaton Centre floor plan.

Eaton Centre is North America's busiest shopping mall, with more than 50 million people passing

Apple Tells Suppliers to Cut iPhone XR and XS Production by 10% for Next Three Months

Tuesday January 8, 2019 6:22 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple is telling its suppliers to cut production on new iPhones by 10 percent over the course of the next three months, reports Nikkei.

Apple made the request of its suppliers late last month, asking them to produce fewer iPhones for the January-March quarter.

This is the second time that Apple has recently cut down on iPhone production, and Nikkei says Apple made the decision prior to issuing its guidance downgrade last week.

The production revision applies to all of Apple's new iPhone models, including the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. "The level of revision is different for each supplier and depends on the product mix they supply," an unnamed source told Nikkei.

A second source said that overall production volume of both new and old iPhones will be reduced by approximately 40 to 43 million units for the January-March quarter, down from an earlier projection of 47 to 48 million units.

Due to weak iPhone sales in China, the effects of the U.S.-China trade war, cheap battery replacements, and other factors, Apple cut its Q1 2019 revenue guidance to $84 billion, down from the $89 to $93 billion guidance issued in November, and with the production cuts, those issues may continue further into the year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook just today said, however, that reports suggesting the iPhone XR is a flop or selling poorly are "bologna," and that the device has been the best selling iPhone every day since it

Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'Apple's Most Important Contribution to Mankind' Will Be in Health

Tuesday January 8, 2019 5:07 pm PST by Juli Clover

In an interview with Mad Money's Jim Cramer that aired tonight, Apple CEO Tim Cook discussed a wide range of topics, including Apple's future product plans, its health ambitions, wearable sales, and Siri improvements.

According to Cook, Apple's product pipeline has "never been better," a line that he often repeats. Apple is, in fact, working on new services that are coming this year, says Cook, though he declined to provide additional detail.

I believe it'll be material over time. I'm not gonna forecast precisely, the ramps and so forth. But they're things that we feel really great about, that we've been working on for multiple years.

We do know that Apple has a major TV-related service in the works, with more than a dozen original television shows and movies being produced right now.

Cook also said that health is a major focus of Apple, and that health may actually end up being "Apple's greatest contribution to mankind."

We are taking what has been with the institution and empowering the individual to manage their health. And we're just at the front end of this. But I do think, looking back, in the future, you will answer that question, Apple's most-important contribution to mankind has been in health.

Cook pointed towards Apple's work on Research Kit and CareKit for increasing research pools and improving bedside care, along with the Medical Records feature that allows users to access their medical records from multiple providers right on their iPhones.

Cook also mentioned the Apple Watch earlier in the interview, and said that he regularly reads emails from

Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls Reports That iPhone XR is a Flop 'Bologna'

Tuesday January 8, 2019 4:26 pm PST by Juli Clover

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sat down for an interview with Mad Money's Jim Cramer, which aired today at 6:00 p.m Eastern Time. CNBC shared tidbits of the interview this morning, but now the full discussion is available.

Cook covered topics that include Apple's recent earnings downgrade, Apple's performance in China, iPhone upgrades, how well the iPhone XR sold, and more.

When asked about reports that the iPhone XR was a flop, Cook says he calls "bologna on that." The iPhone XR has, in fact, been the most popular iPhone "every single day" since it started shipping out to customers.

Cook did, however, demur when asked about iPhone XR sales relative to other sales, saying only that he'd like to sell more, and that Apple is "working on that."

According to Cook, naysayers have been saying similar things about Apple for many years now, but Apple is focused on the long term. Cook pointed towards Apple's large active install base, high customer satisfaction rating, and growing services business as positives.

On the topic of poor iPhone sales in China, Cook said that the Chinese economy is slowing, and that trade tension with the U.S. created a "more-sharp downturn." He said that he believes trade tensions are temporary, and that he's heard "some very encouraging words" recently.

As for upgrades, which were impacted in 2018 by the availability of cheaper $29 battery replacements for older devices, Cook said he's not bothered, and that the number of iPhones sold in a 90-day period, which many analysts believe is the "most important metric" is "far, far, far" down

CES 2019: The Best of Pepcom With Mophie, Brilliant, Aibo and More

Tuesday January 8, 2019 2:00 pm PST by Juli Clover

The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show officially kicked off today, with thousands of vendors showing off everything from smart toilets to new battery packs for the iPhone.

At CES, there are several major media events that are less overwhelming than the show floor, like Unveiled, Pepcom, and ShowStoppers. Pepcom took place last night, and MacRumors was on hand to check out some of the most interesting products and accessories that were being demoed.

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Mophie is showing off its new Juice Pack battery cases for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR at CES, and was on hand at Pepcom for a quick hands-on. The new cases charge the iPhone using Qi wireless charging, leaving the Lightning port free in case you want to plug in real quick or use Lightning based headphones. The cases themselves charge via Qi wireless charging or over USB-C, and Mophie plans to launch them in the first quarter of 2019 for $119.95.

Tons of other accessories were available at Pepcom, like Otterbox's new Otter + Pop iPhone cases, which it created in partnership with PopSocket. There's a collapsible, interchangeable PopGrip on the back of the new Otter + Pop case, which PopSocket lovers are sure to like.

There were no shortage of HomeKit devices at Pepcom, with many manufacturers introducing new HomeKit-compatible accessories at CES. We got to see Brilliant's smart light switch in action, a product that will soon support HomeKit. The Brilliant Control replaces any existing light switch and adds physical controls along with a touch display that can be

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