Joe Rossignol

MacRumors last month reported that Roku was in talks with Apple about supporting AirPlay 2, and we've since learned that the negotiations are nearly finalized, according to a source familiar with the matter. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 integration is expected to arrive in the form of a Roku OS software update for Roku media players, but it's unclear if all models will be supported. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 will also be...

Spotify today announced that its streaming music service will be preinstalled on the latest Samsung smartphones starting today, including the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, Galaxy Fold, and select Galaxy A models. New subscribers on those devices can receive a free six-month Spotify Premium trial in the United States. The announcement reflects a major extension of a partnership that saw Spot...

Apple has placed a straight-to-series order for an untitled drama series based on the life experiences of undercover CIA operative Amaryllis Fox and her upcoming memoir Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA, according to Variety. The report claims Brie Larson will both star in and produce the series, described as a look at a young woman's journey in the CIA. In addition to starring as...

Apple Watch bands have been refreshed on a seasonal basis for the past few years, and it looks like that trend will continue in spring 2019, as many of the current fall 2018 bands are now out of stock on Apple's online store. Fall 2018 bands now listed as sold out:40mm and 44mm Sport Bands in Hibiscus, Mellow Yellow, and Pacific Green, plus 40mm in Blue Horizon 40mm and 44mm Nike Sport...

Fitbit today announced its latest smartwatch, the Versa Lite Edition. Priced at $160, the Versa Lite is $40 cheaper than the standard Versa model released last year and less than half as much as the Apple Watch Series 4, which starts at $399. The new Versa Lite Edition looks similar to the standard Versa, beyond having one button versus three. Of course, the Lite Edition loses some features...

LG today announced that its new smart TVs will receive a software update in mid 2019 with support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. LG first revealed plans to add ‌AirPlay‌ 2 and ‌HomeKit‌ to its latest smart TVs at CES in January. At the time, it said the features would arrive in 2019, and today's announcement narrows down the timeframe to the middle of the year.New LG TVs will receive an upgrade...

iPhones with aftermarket batteries installed by third-party repair shops are now eligible for service at Genius Bars and Apple Authorized Service Providers, according to an internal Apple document obtained by MacRumors from three reliable sources. The change was first reported by French blog iGeneration. iPhone X battery with pull tabs via iFixit This is significant news for iPhone repairs,...

Apple has registered the domain name PrivacyIsImportant.com, according to a WHOIS record discovered by MacRumors. The records indicate that Apple took possession of the domain name on Monday. The record's contact information now lists Apple Inc. as the organization, complete with its address, phone number, and domains-related email. The registrar is CSC, a firm that protects domain names for ...

If you have ever complained about Siri on Twitter or likewise, your feedback could actually make its way to Apple executives. Screenshot via /r/SiriFail A recent Apple job listing seeks an engineering program manager to "monitor what the world is saying about ‌Siri‌ through social media, news, and other sources." This will include detecting "‌Siri‌ issues that are going viral or otherwise...

The USB Promoter Group standards body today announced the pending release of a new USB4 specification. USB4 converges the Thunderbolt and USB protocols as part of Intel's goal to make Thunderbolt available on a royalty-free basis, which should result in wider and cheaper availability of Thunderbolt accessories like docks and eGPUs. As USB4 is based on Thunderbolt 3, it offers data...

In July 2017, Qualcomm filed suit against Apple in San Diego federal court, accusing the iPhone maker of infringing on six U.S. patents related to graphics processing architecture, power consumption, and envelope tracking technologies. Nearly two years later, the case is finally headed to trial. The trial begins today with jury selection, with proceedings expected to take up to two weeks. It ...

Software engineering positions have outnumbered hardware engineering positions in Apple job listings for the first time since at least the first quarter of 2016, according to data-driven website Thinknum. The website claims Apple's "software and services" job listings have topped its hardware engineering listings since the third quarter of 2018. Thinknum's Joshua Fruhlinger told us that...

Apple today expanded its "There's More to iPhone" marketing campaign to France and the United Kingdom after launching it in Germany late last year. A new "Why iPhone" page on Apple's website in each country highlights reasons why an iPhone is "more than the device in your hand," ranging from Apple's environmental responsibility to iOS 12 performance improvements to the privacy of features...

The foldable smartphone era is in full swing with the recent introductions of the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X, and while it remains unclear if Apple will follow suit, the company has at least explored ideas related to foldable smartphones in patent applications over the past few years. Huawei Mate X In a patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today,...

Qualcomm may be running out of time if it wants to supply Apple with 5G modems for its 2020 iPhones as some rumors suggest. In a research note today, analysts at investment bank Barclays said that while they originally thought Qualcomm had an opportunity to supply the 5G modems to Apple, they now believe that time "seems to be running out" unless the two companies can settle their bitter...

International Women's Day is March 8, but Apple plans to celebrate women throughout the entire month of March with a new Girls Who Code partnership, special Today at Apple sessions at Apple Stores, an Activity Challenge, and more. First, Apple is partnering with Girls Who Code to support new coding opportunities for girls and young women in the United States. Using Apple's Everyone Can Code...

Apple today announced that American Airlines, Dexcom, Caviar, Merriam Webster, and Spectre have added Siri Shortcuts support to their apps this week. Airbnb, Drop, ReSound, and Smarter also plan to add ‌Siri‌ Shortcuts integration to their apps over the next few months. Apple provided us with a summary of how ‌Siri‌ Shortcuts works in each app:American Airlines: Get updates on all your flight...

Apple has registered two unreleased iPad models with the Bureau of Indian Standards, according to MySmartPrice. The model numbers A2124 and A2133 were already registered with the Eurasian Economic Commission in late January alongside five other ‌iPad‌ models, but the Indian filing suggests that a release is drawing closer. Apple is widely expected to refresh its 9.7-inch ‌iPad‌ and ‌iPad‌...

Apple Music's brief appearance in the Google Home app earlier this week was due to a software bug, a Google spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg. Specifically, we've been told that the Google Assistant and Google Home apps share various settings for music services. Due to a bug, Google opened up the ‌Apple Music‌ setting more broadly than it intended, including to Google Home app users. In...

Just one day after exposing a handful of developers spamming the App Store with duplicate VoIP apps, a clear violation of the ‌App Store‌ Review Guidelines, TechCrunch reports that Apple has removed many of the apps from the ‌App Store‌. However, the report notes that plenty of duplicate apps remain available in other categories, such as photo printing. MailPix Inc., for example, has released...