Joe Rossignol

Apple plans to launch third-generation AirPods with a form factor design "similar to AirPods Pro" in the first half of 2021, according to the latest research note from TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, obtained by MacRumors. Introduced in November 2019, the AirPods Pro feature an in-ear design with three sizes of soft, flexible silicone tips included in the box, along with...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today announced that Canada plans to launch a nationwide COVID-19 contract tracing app based on Apple's and Google's Exposure Notification API, as noted by iPhone in Canada. Trudeau said the app is slated for release in early July, with testing set to begin in Ontario soon. COVID Shield, a reference for public health authorities to build their own apps ...

Apple is widely expected to release its first 5G iPhones later this year, and multiple sources have indicated that these models will be equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 modem, including analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and the Nikkei Asian Review. To the contrary, a paywalled snippet from DigiTimes today claims that Apple's chipmaking partner TSMC will begin manufacturing A14 chips and Snapdragon ...

Apple continues to work on an AirPower-like wireless charging mat that would be able to charge multiple devices at once, according to leaker Jon Prosser, who shared photos of an alleged prototype codenamed "C68" today. The mat shown in the photo looks identical to the AirPower mat that Apple previewed in 2017, planned to release in 2018, but canceled in 2019. Prosser previously said that...

In what appears to be a reversal of course, the BBC today reported that the United Kingdom's National Health Service will adopt Apple's and Google's Exposure Notification API for its COVID-19 contact tracing app after all. Other countries that have committed to using the API include Italy, Latvia, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, and Saudi Arabia, among others. Apple released the API as part ...

Apple Watch continued to lead the smartwatch industry with an estimated 5.2 million shipments worldwide in the first quarter of 2020, well ahead of Huawei, Samsung, Fitbit, and others, according to research firm Canalys. Canalys said the Apple Watch did see slow performance in North America and Europe during the quarter, however, which it attributes to Apple customers "switching their...

Apple has secured the international rights to Israel-Iran espionage thriller "Tehran," according to Deadline. The eight-part series is said to revolve around Tamar Rabinyan, a Mossad computer hacker-agent undertaking her very first mission in Iran's capital. "Tasked with disabling an Iranian nuclear reactor, her mission has implications not just for the Middle East, but for the rest of the...

Germany, Poland, and Saudi Arabia are among the latest countries to implement Apple's and Google's jointly developed Exposure Notification API in their respective COVID-19 contact tracing apps, available on the App Store. Apple released the Exposure Notification API as part of iOS 13.5 last month. At the time, Apple said that 22 countries had requested and received access to the API, with...

Apple today highlighted some of the winners of its Swift Student Challenge ahead of WWDC 2020 next week, including Sofia Ongele, Palash Taneja, and Devin Green. There are 350 winners in total from 41 countries and regions. Apple profiled three other winners in an App Store story, including Lars Augustin, Maria Fernanda Azolin, and Ritesh Kanchi. Starting today, developers who submitted their ...

Apple today announced that its App Store ecosystem supported $519 billion in billings and sales worldwide in 2019, based on an independent study conducted by Analysis Group, an economic consulting firm in the United States. Since the App Store launched in 2008, developers have earned over $155 billion from app and in-app purchases, with a quarter of those earnings occurring in 2019. However, ...

Following an announcement earlier today, Apple is now selling SSD storage upgrade kits for the latest Mac Pro, with 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB options available. Prices range between $600 and $2,800 in the United States. Each kit contains two SSD modules, enabling users to upgrade the internal storage capacity of a Mac Pro themselves. Until now, Apple advised customers who wanted to upgrade the...

Apple today launched its annual "Back to School" promotion in the United States and Canada. After five years of offering free Beats, Apple this year is offering free AirPods with the purchase of an eligible new Mac or iPad. Qualifying students and educators can receive free second-generation AirPods with a wired charging case with the purchase of a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, iMac...

One week ahead of WWDC, Apple has released a new high-end graphics option for the 16-inch MacBook Pro. For an extra $700, the notebook can now be configured with AMD Radeon Pro 5600M graphics with 8GB of HBM2 memory. Apple says the new 5600M graphics option is up to 75 percent faster than the base 5500M graphics for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, according to TechCrunch. Apple has also released ...

Explore lost civilizations, undersea kingdoms, prehistoric jungles, and lands beyond imagination in side-scrolling adventure game "Little Orpheus," this week's addition to Apple Arcade on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. The game hails from award-winning game development studio The Chinese Room, part of Sumo Digital. From the App Store description:Little Orpheus is a technicolor...

Apple today announced that its 32 retail stores in England and one in Northern Ireland will be reopening on Monday, June 15. The company's stores in Wales and Scotland will remain closed until restrictions are eased in those countries. In a statement shared with The Independent, Apple reiterated the safety procedures that it has implemented at its reopened stores, including temperature...

Following eight months of beta testing, Adobe today made its free Photoshop Camera app available to all iPhone users. Like many other third-party camera apps, Photoshop Camera revolves around adding filters and effects to your photos, before or after taking the shot. There are over 80 custom filters and effects to choose from at launch, along with custom-designed lenses inspired by artists...

Apple will complete the second phase of its "EVT" or "Engineering Validation and Testing" stage for its upcoming iPhone 12 lineup at the end of June and begin production of the models in July, according to a paywalled DigiTimes report. The wording of the report suggests that all iPhone 12 models will enter production next month, but it is unclear if that will result in all models launching...

Apple continues to gradually reopen its retail stores around the world as conditions allow, with all 20 of its locations in France resuming business starting today and several more to follow in the Netherlands and Sweden tomorrow. Apple has now reopened over 300 of its 510 retail stores worldwide, according to 9to5Mac, although some locations in the United States subsequently closed again...

Apple has updated its COVID-19 screening tool with an option for users to anonymously share their responses with Apple, state public health agencies, and the CDC, including their age, symptoms, and more, as noted by TechCrunch. Apple says the information collected will be used to improve the tool and to better understand the spread of COVID-19. The company ensures that no personally...

Apple plans to announce its upcoming shift to Arm-based Macs at its virtual WWDC event later this month, giving developers several months to prepare for the transition, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The report claims that the first Arm-based Macs will be released in 2021, adding that Apple plans to eventually transition its entire lineup of Mac notebooks and desktops to the...