Mitchel Broussard

Apple has revealed a collection of Siri improvements coming to iOS 12, centered around a new app called "Shortcuts." Shortcuts will let users connect certain third-party apps to Siri to greatly streamline voice controls. For example, the Tile app will let you add a shortcut to Siri so you can say "I lost my keys," activating Siri and showing Tile actions right in the Siri UI. Other examples...

Craig Federighi today announced ARKit 2 at WWDC 2018, which will give developers access to improved face tracking, realistic rendering, 3D object detection, persistent experiences, and shared experiences. The company gave a demo of two users sharing a virtual environment using ARKit 2, playing on a table with wooden toys and trying to knock down the other player's objects. Apple says that...

Apple has developed its own augmented reality-enabled measuring app called "Measure." The iOS app uses ARKit 2 to measure objects, get automatic measurements of things like photos and tables, and more. Numerous measurement apps have been available on the iOS App Store since Apple launched ARKit last year, and now Apple will have its own alternative on the App Store for users. In a demo...

Well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has returned today with his first Apple-related research note for his new firm TF International Securities. According to Kuo, Apple's pricing strategy will be "more aggressive" for the three iPhones rumored for September 2018, an effort to boost shipments of the models this year. Renders of the 2018 iPhones One of the main reasons Kuo says is behind the...

Drone videographers Duncan Sinfield and Matthew Roberts each uploaded new videos to their YouTube channels over the past day, covering the latest views of Apple Park from the sky. The videos come a few hours ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, which is happening about 8 miles to the east of Apple Park at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. Image via Matthew ...

In the months leading up to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference each year, the company offers free WWDC scholarships to students and STEM organization members who don't have the $1,599 necessary to purchase a ticket to the event. When selected, the scholarship winners gain a free WWDC ticket, free lodging, and a free one year Apple developer membership. On Twitter today, Apple CEO Tim...

Facebook today announced that it will remove its "Trending" section from the web and all mobile devices starting next week, in an effort to "make way for future news experiences." Facebook says that its users have found Trending "less and less useful," leading to the closure of the section, which stacks the latest news articles from the day into various categories. On the web, Trending is...

As Apple continues to face a legal battle with the European Commission concerning the regulator's claim that Apple received illegal state aid from Ireland and owes billions in back taxes, the latest development has seen the Cupertino company decline an invitation to testify before a special committee on the tax evasion claims (via Reuters). According to a letter to the European Parliament share...

Ahead of the impending arrival of Unicode 11 on June 5, Emojipedia today published an article about all of the emoji characters that will be launching on Apple devices later this year. While these characters were known, the site also looked forward a bit and briefly detailed what users can expect from Unicode 12 coming in March 2019. On the short list for impending release in 2019 are the...

Apple has voiced support for a new Human Interface Device standard that will bring versatile support and overall improve the technology of future USB-connected Braille displays [PDF]. Set forth by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), a non-profit organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, the new standard will help make it easier for blind and low-vision users to use...

In April, the Russian government banned secure messaging app Telegram and this month asked Apple to remove it from the iOS App Store completely in the country, citing the potential for terrorist communication via the app since Telegram refused to allow Russia to read user messages. As this unfolds, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov posted an update for users early this morning in an effort to explain why...

Netflix appears to be testing -- or slowly rolling out -- a new user interface control scheme for its iOS app, which enables an unobtrusive volume indicator and lets users jump forwards or backwards in a video with a quick double-tap gesture. As spotted by Redditor mm2nam, the update brings Netflix's video controls closer to those of YouTube on iOS, which lets users double tap on the right...

Back in 2016, Nokia acquired health startup Withings in a deal estimated at $192 million, hoping to re-establish its presence in the consumer electronics market. Nokia did this by rebranding Withings' iOS compatible products under its own name, with devices like the Withings Steel Watch and Withings Go fitness trackers becoming the Nokia Steel and Nokia Go. Unfortunately for the company, the...

A few days after updating its iOS app to version 3.0, Philips Hue today is launching the "Philips Hue Sync" app for Mac and PC computers. Using the app, users can sync their Hue lights to films, music, and games that they're interacting with for an even more "immersive experience," according to the company. The app works by creating light scripts for nearby Hue lights, based on...

Earlier in May, MacRumors and Anker launched an exclusive new sale for our readers with discount codes available for a handful of useful Anker accessories. Now that June is fast approaching, the sale is set to end tomorrow, May 31. If you've been holding off on taking advantage of any of the exclusive codes, consider this a friendly reminder to get your orders in today. All of Anker's products ...

In early 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook described the company's plans for original TV content on Apple Music as placing a "toe in the water" for its television ambitions at the time. Eventually, Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke debuted on the service, but since then frequent reports have indicated Apple is now "completely all in" on original content, shifting from reality TV programs on Apple...

Recode's annual Code Conference is underway in Rancho Palos Verdes, California this week, and on Tuesday Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel took the stage to discuss the ephemeral app's controversial update, Facebook's copying, and the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal. Specifically, Spiegel is said to have "poured salt on the wound" during his 40-minute interview with Kara Swisher as he called out...

On Monday, a report from South Korea's ET News claimed that Apple's transition to a full OLED iPhone lineup will be complete in 2019. This would mark the first time Apple has relied entirely on the organic light-emitting diode panel technology and not included LCD panels in any way, but now a group of analysts have responded to the report and argued that the 2019 timeframe might be inaccurate...

Apple's fleet of self-driving vehicles roaming the streets of California is now at 62 vehicles and 87 drivers, up from 55 vehicles and 83 drivers just two weeks ago. The numbers come from ongoing coverage provided by macReports, citing information obtained from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. Apple has been expanding its autonomous vehicle test since it was granted a permit from...

A new article published last night by The Wall Street Journal takes a look into how accessibility-focused technology has the "potential to fundamentally change the mobility, employment and lifestyle of the blind and vision-impaired." The piece looks at advancements made by Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and other companies, including hardware and software like Amazon's Echo, Microsoft's Seeing ...