Mitchel Broussard

Juniper Research today published new data outlining predictions for mobile payments processing over the next five years, placing Apple Pay at the forefront in the market ahead of rivals like Samsung and Google. The study looked at Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, and other "OEM Pay" (official equipment manufacturer) wallets. In total, OEM Pay users will reach 450 million globally by 2020,...

Smart thermostat company Ecobee has become the focus of a new profile shared online today by CNET, and alongside that article the company has revealed a new money saving feature for select Ecobee users called "Peak Relief." This feature was created to help users save on energy bills by automatically cutting down on heating and cooling when energy rates are higher, and then using more when rates...

One week after Comcast officially bowed out of the bidding war for 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets by ceding to Disney, shareholders of both Fox and Disney have today approved Disney's $71.3 billion acquisition offer for Fox (via The Wall Street Journal). At two separate gatherings this morning in Manhattan, both company's shareholders were said to have "voiced their support" for the...

Amazon has begun testing a small but useful new feature across its iOS app and mobile/desktop websites, allowing users to invite friends and family members to collaborate on a shopping list together. Amazon customers have long been asking for such a feature, and it seems like a small set of them have been selected to test it out ahead of a potential wider launch in the future (via Android Police)....

Best Buy has opened up its new "Black Friday in July" sale with early access for its My Best Buy members, ending later tonight at 11:59 p.m. CT. Afterwards, the deals will expand to all customers shopping on the retailer's website. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site...

Dashlane today announced the release of Dashlane 6, which the company describes as an "all-in-one solution for online risk prevention," beefing up the password manager's suite of features with a collection of online privacy and security additions. The first new feature introduced is an "Identity Dashboard," which provides each user with a complete picture of their online security, as well as...

In its Q2 2018 earnings report shared today -- the second since filing for an IPO -- Spotify revealed that it has grown to 83 million paid subscribers globally and 180 million total monthly active users (including the free tier) as of the end of June 2018 (via TechCrunch). This is an increase from 75 million paid subscribers and 170 million total users that Spotify had in Q1 2018. Spotify is...

eBay this week announced a new feature coming to its iOS and Android apps, which will give customers the ability to discover more items by dragging and dropping images while they're shopping. This drag-and-drop feature is one of the latest additions to eBay's AI-powered initiative, beginning with last year's "Image Search." Instead of searching using images of items in the real world, like...

Facebook today announced the global launch of "Watch Party," a desktop and mobile feature revealed in May that allows Facebook Groups to join in and watch videos on the platform together in real time. The videos themselves can be previously recorded or live videos, and members in the Watch Party can comment and send reactions as the video plays. To start a Watch Party, one member (the "host")...

Apple is letting anyone in the United States with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV watch the pilot episode of Hulu's new series Castle Rock for free through its TV app. The episode is available now for users in the U.S., and it will live in Apple's TV app for two weeks (via Engadget). This coincides with Castle Rock's premiere on Hulu today, beginning with the first three episodes available for...

Apple might delay the launch of its new, low-cost 6.1-inch iPhone by one month and launch the device in October, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty (via Barron's). Huberty cites suspected issues with "LED backlight leakage" leading to the "possible" one month delay in mass production on the 6.1-inch iPhone. Alleged front glass panels for the 2018 iPhones, with the 6.1-inch model ...

Five months after performing a test that put the smart speakers of multiple companies in the spotlight to determine how well they performed in various categories, Loup Ventures is back today with an IQ test focused entirely on digital AI assistants. To get the necessary results, the researchers asked Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Cortana 800 questions each on a smartphone, and compared...

In the United States, iOS saw significant growth in the three months ending June 2018, with market share up 5.9 percentage points to 38.7 percent as tracked in the newest data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Helping to boost iOS performance were sales for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, together accounting for nearly one in five smartphones sold in the time period. Apple's other flagship...

Apple reseller B&H Photo today kicked off a new series of promos that let customers get free gift card credit at B&H Photo when they purchase one of Apple's new 2018 MacBook Pros. With the promotion, purchases of a 13-inch MacBook Pro come with a B&H Photo $50 e-gift card and purchases of a 15-inch MacBook Pro come with a $100 e-gift card. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these...

Startup "Miles" today launched a new iOS app [Direct Link] that grants its users exclusive rewards to use at places like Starbucks and Whole Foods every time they travel in a car, bus, on a bike, or on foot. The company aims for its app to be a ground transportation alternative to frequent flier miles, allowing users to earn discounts over time for travel that they likely perform more frequently...

Apple supplier Foxconn is gearing up to hire more workers for its plants in Zhengzhou, China by offering bonuses to workers who help assemble Apple's 2018 iPhones. According to a new report by the Economic Daily News, the supplier is offering one-off bonuses of up to CNY 2,000 (US $295) to workers who renew their contracts at this time (via DigiTimes), and the hiring campaign is expected to last...

Philips Hue first announced a range of outdoor lights at CES in January, and then a few months later confirmed the fixtures and bulbs would launch in July. Now that the Philips Hue outdoor collection is out in the U.S., a new accessory has been discovered on the company's Netherlands website called the Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance LightStrip Outdoor (via HomeKit News). Similar to the ...

Apple Business Chat, which is customer service through iMessage, is expanding to a total of 10 new partners and technology platforms. Apple on Friday announced that satellite TV provider DISH, concessions operator Aramark, hotel chain Four Seasons, food and gift producer Harry & David, and credit card company American Express are adopting the service. Here's the rundown from Apple:Aramark ...

Uber this week announced a partnership with startup "Cargo," which aims to increase the wages of rideshare drivers by providing them with small containers filled with goods that riders can buy during their trips (via TechCrunch). Despite the new partnership with Uber, Cargo will still support drivers of other ridesharing apps. Cargo works by providing drivers with a free Cargo box filled...

Belkin's Wemo Mini smart plug has gained HomeKit support through a software update, as reported today by CNET. This means that owners of Wemo Mini plugs can simply open the Wemo iOS app, update the device's software, and immediately gain the ability to add the plug into the Home app, add it into existing scenes, and use Siri to control it without the need for a Wemo Bridge. Apple first...