• Apple threatens employees to quit leaking, or go to jail!
• Apple’s building new tools to help you know just how addicted you are to that iPhone of yours.  We’ll fill you in.
• It looks like a new iPhone SE will be landing real soon.  We’ll tell you what we know.
• And we reveal all the cool stuff we’re currently into in an all-new What We’re Into!

• With Apple planning to move Macs to Arm chips, and the rumored unification of iOS and macOS apps, you might be anxious Apple might just go ahead and combine your iPhone and Mac into some God forsake combo device.
• Tim Cook recently stated that merging the Mac and iPad lines would be bad for both. He told a reporter from The Sydney Morning Herald, “We don’t believe in sort of watering down one for the other. Both are incredible. One of the reasons that both of them are incredible is because we pushed them to do what they do well. And if you begin to merge the two … you begin to make trade offs and compromises.”

• In a leaked memo detailing Apple’s efforts to stop leaks, the company says it caught 29 leakers in 2017. Of those caught, 12 were arrested. Apple told employees they are “getting played” by journalists and bloggers that approach them with flattery in exchange for information.

• Former Apple executive, father of the iPod and current Nest CEO Tony Fadell wants Apple to do more to battle smartphone addiction.
• In a newly published op-ed, Fadell argues that it would be “easy” for Apple to create a deep dashboard that could reveal exactly how much time we spend on different apps.
• Fadell suggests that users could receive a regular itemized list like a credit card bill, complete with detailed information about how long they spent on each app, or even what they were doing inside each app.
• It turns out Apple agrees, and has said that it plans to incorporate smartphone-monitoring features into the next version of iOS.

• Apple is planning to launch its own premium subscription magazine service as part of the Apple News app, a new report claims.
• Earlier this year, the company acquired magazine app Texture. Texture offers more than 200 magazines for a rolling price of $9.99 per month.
• Since acquiring Texture, Apple has reportedly parted ways with 20 of Texture’s 100 employees. The remaining ones are now being integrated into the Apple News team. An app combining Apple News and Texture is expected to launch sometime in the next year.
• When the iPad first launched in 2010, one of the apps Steve Jobs was most excited about was The Daily, a short-lived, iPad-exclusive newspaper that was the first subscription app Apple offered.

• The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) — which has previously leaked the iPhone 7, AirPods, and new MacBooks early — has now spilled the beans on a bunch of new handsets Apple is planning to release this year.
• Given that the iPhone X and iPhone 8 launched just six months ago, they will almost certainly be new versions of iPhone SE.
• Apple’s newest iPhone SE launched last March with increased storage, but the rest of the device has remained unchanged since March 2016. Current models still pack an aging A9 processor that first made its debut inside the iPhone 6 in 2014.
• A new version of the iPhone SE will probably offer the same physical design, again with a 4-inch Retina display, but with more recent internals. Apple could give the device a more powerful A10 chip alongside improved cameras.

• HomePod is already stumbling in sales—is it doomed?  
• Apple Is the richest company on earth, so where are all its billionaires?
• Face ID could replace passwords on your favorite websites
• The death of Touch ID scheduled for this fall
• And stay tuned for Under Review, where we go hands on with an $80 tech-packed coffee cup, a beautiful new HomeKit smart lock, and the all-new Mavic Air drone.

• HomePod is already stumbling in sales—is it doomed?  
• Apple Is the richest company on earth, so where are all its billionaires?
• Face ID could replace passwords on your favorite websites
• The death of Touch ID scheduled for this fall
• And stay tuned for Under Review, where we go hands on with an $80 tech-packed coffee cup, a beautiful new HomeKit smart lock, and the all-new Mavic Air drone.

• Is the HomePod toast?
• According to some Apple store workers, inventories are piling up and Apple has cut orders with their manufacturer.
• "At first, it looked like the HomePod might be a hit. Pre-orders were strong, and in the last week of January the device grabbed about a third of the U.S. smart speaker market in unit sales, according to data provided to Bloomberg by Slice Intelligence. But by the time HomePods arrived in stores, sales were tanking, says Slice principal analyst Ken Cassar. “Even when people had the ability to hear these things,” he says, “it still didn’t give Apple another spike.””
• According to Slice Intelligence: During the HomePod’s first 10 weeks of sales, it eked out 10 percent of the smart speaker market, compared with 73 percent for Amazon’s Echo devices and 14 percent for the Google Home
• Why aren’t people buying HomePods?

• Did you know it wasn’t Apple that made Steve Jobs a billionaire? It was Pixar selling to Disney.  
• Well it seems, as the world’s richest company, Apple would have many billionaires in its ranks.  Turns out it doesn’t, and two astute reporters at Bloomberg wondering why.
• Apple Chairman Art Levinson is the only insider billionaire at Apple, and his Apple stock only accounts for $200 of his fortune.
• It’s estimated that Tim Cook is only worth 600 million dollars.
• Steve Jobs sold all but one of his shares when he was ousted from the company.
• One theory is that large stockholders sold off their shares in 1997 when Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy.
• Apple is smart with their executive pay, tying significant parts of compensation to company performance.
• Only corporate insiders or shareholders with stakes exceeding 5 percent are required to report their interests, so it’s possible there are billionaires around.

• Face ID could become even more useful thanks to a newly launched Web Authentication standard, which could replace regular web passcodes with biometric identification. This is via an API created by the FIDO Alliance and W3C. It allows users to access any online service in a browser through password-free FIDO Authentication.
• While Apple already allows Face ID to autofill usernames and passcodes on iOS, this could go one step further by replacing the passcode altogether. This would make it a more secure option.
• The biometric services covered by the API include fingerprint readers, cameras and USB keys.
• At present, the feature can be used in Mozilla’s Firefox browser, with Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge integration set to follow in the coming months. Opera integration is in the works, too, although sadly there’s no mention of Apple adopting this for Safari.

• All of the 2018 iPhone models will have Face ID, according to an industry analyst.
• The analyst also indicated that two of the three models coming this fall will have OLED displays. There will be one medium-size and two bigger iPhones, both larger than any before.
• He’s also expecting a price drop on the iPhone X to $899, with the X Plus costing $999.
• Could that mean a move to FaceID on the Mac?

• Whoa!  Apple just stole Google’s head of A.I. to make Siri smarter
• Apple plans to ditch Intel processors on the Mac 
• You won’t believe the massive cash being pay to silicon valley’s A.I. talent
• Future iPhones could boast curved displays and touch-free controls
• iOS 11.4 public beta arrives with AirPlay 2, but it won’t work with your HomePod
• And a Leander gives us the scoop on his new Tim Cook book!

• John Giannandrea used to be in charge of Google’s search and artificial intelligence, but now he works for Apple.  He’s leading the drive to make the company’s Siri voice assistant smarter, a goal many would agree is overdue.
• NYT: Apple said on Tuesday that Mr. Giannandrea will run Apple’s “machine learning and A.I. strategy,” and become one of 16 executives who report directly to Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook.
• This is the most high-profile move yet in a ongoing drive to hire more talent for the Siri team.
• Mr. Giannandrea came to Google in 2010, where he helped make AI and machine learning part of all the company’s products, from search to Gmail. And now he’s doing that for Apple.
• Apple is also looking to hire  to hire 142 more people for Siri-related jobs, almost twice as many as this time last year.

• Fun fact: Engineers with A.I. expertise are some of the most sought-after people in Silicon Valley, with salaries sometimes exceeding eight figures.
• Tech’s biggest companies are placing huge bets on artificial intelligence, banking on things ranging from face-scanning smartphones and conversational coffee-table gadgets to computerized health care and autonomous vehicles.
• Typical A.I. specialists, including both Ph.D.s fresh out of school and people with less education and just a few years of experience, can be paid from $300,000 to $500,000 a year or more in salary and company stock
• In a court filing this year, Google revealed that one of the leaders of its self-driving-car division, Anthony Levandowski, a longtime employee who started with Google in 2007, took home over $120 million in incentives before joining Uber last year
• In the entire world, fewer than 10,000 people have the skills necessary to tackle serious artificial intelligence research, according to Element AI, an independent lab in Montreal.
• Not enough teachers because they all get lured into making their fortunes
• Over the last several years, four of the best-known A.I. researchers in academia have left or taken leave from their professorships at Stanford University. At the University of Washington, six of 20 artificial intelligence professors are now on leave or partial leave and working for outside companies.
• Nonprofits like Fast.ai and companies like Deeplearning.ai, founded by a former Stanford professor who helped create the Google Brain lab, offer online courses.

• According to Bloomberg, Apple is working on touchless gesture controls and curved screens for future iPhones
• The touchless control feature would be a bit like the Air Gestures feature Samsung introduced several years back. This allows users to accept calls and navigate through web pages by waving their hands across the screen.
• The other new technology is for a curved display more noticeable than the slight curve seen on the iPhone X’s OLED screen. Unlike Samsung’s curved handsets, which curve down at the edges, Apple’s approach reportedly curves “inward gradually from top to bottom.”

• Apple is pushing forward with plans to ditch Intel’s processors in favor of its own chips, according to a new report that claims the transition away from Intel CPUs will likely take multiple steps.
• Bloomberg says that Apple executives have already approved the project to make the Mac run on ARM-based processors by 2020.
• Moving to its own chips inside Macs would let Apple release new models on its own timelines, instead of relying on Intel’s processor roadmap.
• Making the move to ARM chips won’t be easy though. All software would basically have to be rewritten for the new processors, which certainly won’t make developers happy.
• Pluses
• •  Intel chips have stalled in major progress, leaving little reason for many to update from older computers.
  • The A11 bionic chip inside the iPhone X beats meets or beats Geekbench scores of the fastest 2017 13” MacBook Pro
  • No more waiting on Intel!  More regular releases of Macs with updated hardware.
  • Even tighter integration of your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and other  devices
• Concerns
• • Machines not capable with doing pro work.  Sure the X beats a 13” MBP, but what about a desktop  4-core or 6-core chip with hyper threading?
  • is this going to mean Macs that are more like phones and iPads? (efficient but not very powerful)
  • Even more of a walled-garden as Apple fine-tunes it’s machines to work best with it’s own software, but 3rd party apps may not follow

• New 9.7inch iPad
• Updates to iWork
• Updated Classroom and new Schoolwork Cloud Apps
• ClassKitAPI
• More iCloud storage for students and teachers

• The iPhone X’s $1,000 price point has been hard to swallow for a lot of customers, which may help explain why sales have supposedly been a bit disappointing.
• According to a new report, Apple has managed to reduce its manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM) for this year’s iPhone X-sized handset to a level much lower than that of its present flagship.
• The report suggests that Apple’s manufacturing cost for the new iPhone could be more than 10 percent lower than the $400+ dollars it pays for each iPhone X model.
• Apple will allegedly launch two new OLED iPhones this year, including a 5.85-inch (the same size as the iPhone X) and 6.45-inch OLED model, as well as a 6.1-inch LCD model. A plan to produce a 5.85-inch LCD iPhone has reportedly been suspended since mid-February, and could be cancelled altogether.
• Theory: Plus-sized phone price will probably be that of iPhone X with 5.85-inch phone being price of today’s 8 Plus.  LCD version of the phone will take on iPhone 8 pricing.

• Apple will kick off its 29th annual Worldwide Developers Conference on MondayJune 4. keynote at 10am?
• The week-long event, which will offer the first previews of Apple’s next big software updates, will again be held in the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose.

• According to a new Digitimes report and also Apple Analyst Ming Chi Kuo, Apple is prepping a new entry-level 13-inch MacBook that will debut in the second quarter of 2018.  The price?  A mere $999.
• One other interesting tidbit in today’s report is that Apple’s upstream supply chain has supposedly started shipping components for a new iPad Pro upgrade and cheaper 9.7-inch iPad. The 9.7-inch iPad is reportedly set to be released in the second quarter of this year (making WWDC a likely candidate for its debut), while the refreshed iPad Pro will come some time in the second half of 2018.
• I’ve seen a ton of sales on the 9.7", and also the iPad Pro more recently.
• June is the 6th month in the year, so technically all these products could be unveiled at WWDC.
• If you remember the 10.5” iPad was announced at the last WWDC.

• Under the veil of anonymity, some current and former Apple employees are admitting Siri sucks, and Apple knows it.
• Apple’s AI assistant is way behind the competition, and a new report indicates that Cupertino’s coders can’t agree on how to fix Siri — or even if it should be fixed.
• Siri had so much promise… How did we get here?
  • Bugs and infighting
• • Multiple sources told The Information that Apple "rushed Siri into the iPhone 4s before the technology was fully baked,"
  • According to The Information, the problem is so severe that Apple can’t decide “whether to continue patching up a flawed build or to rip it up and start from scratch.”
  • Bugs and other problems reportedly began almost from the time Apple acquired the voice system back in 2010. Part of the problem was Siri’s instant popularity. The backend servers weren’t prepared for the demand coming from millions of iPhone users. The company has struggled ever since to make Siri’s code more efficient.
• Lack of vision
  • Well, like so many things, it’s due to a total lack of vision for what Siri should be.
• • Steve Jobs spearheaded the acquisition of Siri and the integration of the technology into iOS.
  • Siri was unveiled as the signature feature of the iPhone 4s in 2011. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died the very next day
  • “When Steve died the day after Siri launched, they lost the vision,” one of The Information’s sources said. “They didn’t have a big picture.”
  • Since that time, multiple project managers have come and gone, none with Jobs’ vision. There’s allegedly an internal debate over whether Siri should be a system for answering short questions and following simple commands, or a more full-featured digital assistant capable of handling more complex queries.

• A version between $150 and $200 will change that, if a report from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News is correct.
• This unconfirmed report doesn’t say what features will change to lower the cost that significantly. However, a separate research note from Rosenblatt analyst Jun Zhang says the upcoming cheaper HomePod will be smaller.
• This isn’t expected to be a replacement for the current HomePod. It would be a lower-priced alternative that’s within the grasp of a far wider potential audience, enabling Apple to better compete with the Amazon Echo and Dot smart speakers.

• Apple could kill off iTunes in the near future, a new report suggests.
• It cites an email that Apple reportedly wrote to people in the music industry recently, announcing the “end of iTunes LPs.” The iTunes LP format was first introduced in 2009 and let publishers add interactive artwork, along with assorted iTunes Extras, with their content.
• The LP format never achieved great popularity. However, the fact that Apple plans to ditch iTunes LPs in 2018 potentially hints at the possibility that Apple may stop selling iTunes music downloads in the near future.
• According to a previous report by The Wall Street Journal, Apple Music is currently growing at a rate of around 5 percent each month.

• A new video posted online by Bennett Sorbo compares an iPhone 6s with depleted battery against one with a fresh battery.
• The two iPhones are then put head to head as they run through a variety of CPU-intensive tasks, including opening apps, using the internet, playing games and videos, and more.

• MoviePass responded late this evening to a number of reports calling into question the company’s privacy policy after CEO Mitch Lowe publicly claimed the theater subscription service tracks its users’ locations.

• "video game consoles; controllers for game consoles; video output games, namely, video output game machines for use with televisions; apparatus for electronic games adapted for use with an external display screen or monitor.”
• This is a significant update that has to be taken seriously. Bringing a whole new level of gaming to Apple TV could be another twist coming to Apple TV in addition to a video content service driven by Apple Worldwide Video.

• One of the best features for Apple’s new HomePod appears to be facing some big delays.
• AirPlay 2.0 promises to give HomePod users the ability to stream the same song to different devices in different rooms from a single iPhone. But with the release of iOS 11.3 beta 3 this morning, Apple has decided to pull the feature from testing.
• The functionality of AirPlay 2.0 was pretty buggy in the first two beta builds of iOS 11.3. Apple removed it in the latest betas of iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3 that just came out.
• Until AirPlay 2.0 comes out, you also won’t be able to pair two of Apple’s new smart speakers together so they play stereo sound or multi-room audio.

• Apple has been given the go-ahead for two new iPads, hinting at an imminent refresh.
• The company filed for approval with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), and both devices were granted permission this week. Apple has also been given approval to bring several iPhone and iPad “samples” into the region.
• The filings don’t tell us much about these devices. But it does suggest that an Apple announcement is imminent.
• Apple is dumping 9.7” models.  128GB versions are selling for $280-$350 (regular price $430)
• Apple Files Major Apple TV Logo Trademark Update Focused on All-Things related to Gaming, Including a Video Game Console

• One of the most reputable tech review sites isn’t that impressed with the HomePod’s superb sound.
• While most reviewers have noted the HomePod as the best sounding speaker they’ve ever listened too, Consumer Reports claims Google Home Max and Sonos One sound better.
• “The HomePod will serve many music fans well, but CR testers did hear some flaws. The HomePod’s bass was a bit boomy and overemphasized,” wrote Consumer Reports. “And the midrange tones were somewhat hazy, meaning that some of the nuance in vocals, guitars, and horns was lost

• Reddit user WinterCharm posted exhaustive audio performance testing results for HomePod to the Reddit audiophile community.
• Using specialized equipment and a controlled testing environment, the review features in-depth analysis of the smart speaker's output when compared to a pair of $999 KEF X300Adigital hi-fi monitors, representing a "meticulously set up audiophile grade speaker versus a tiny little HomePod that claims to do room correction on its own”.
  • "I am speechless. The HomePod actually sounds better than the KEF X300A. If you're new to the Audiophile world, KEF is a very well respected and much loved speaker company. I actually deleted my very first measurements and re-checked everything because they were so good, I thought I'd made an error. Apple has managed to extract peak performance from a pint sized speaker, a feat that deserves a standing ovation. The HomePod is 100% an Audiophile grade Speaker."

• Our ol’ pal Genie Munster, in a new test shared today by Loup Ventures, HomePod was put through a bunch of Siri AI tests
• When asked a series of questions, here’s how it performed vs. other smart speakers
• Google Home answered 81 percent correctly, Amazon's Alexa answered 64 percent correctly, and Microsoft's Cortana answered 57 percent correctly.

• HomePods are already making their mark in new homes across the country — but not in a good way.
• Apple customers started noticing that HomePod can damage wood furniture by leaving a white ring after resting on a table for just a few minutes or days.
• Apple confirmed the problem today, saying “the marks can improve over several days after the speaker is removed from the wood surface.” Apple also suggested owners “try cleaning the surface with the [table] manufacturer’s suggested oiling method.”If the white rings don’t disappear, Apple says you can just refinish the furniture.
• Apple also recommends putting the HomePod on a coaster if you’re worried about the speaker damaging your table.

Erfon listens to HomePod for the first time... 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Lz7dxfNXL8

• Apple will start focusing on the next two years of updates for its iPhone and iPad operating system, according to people familiar with the change. The company will continue to update its software annually, but internally engineers will have more discretion to push back features that aren't as polished to the following year.
• Software chief Craig Federighi laid out the new strategy to his army of engineers last month, according to a person familiar with the discussion. His team will have more time to work on new features and focus on under-the-hood refinements without being tied to a list of new features annually simply so the company can tout a massive year-over-year leap, people familiar with the situation say. The renewed focus on quality is designed to make sure the company can fulfill promises made each the summer at the annual developers conference and that new features work reliably and as advertised.
• The decision to give engineers more time to perfect software is a major cultural shift.
• At Google, teams update apps on their own schedule and aren’t tied to the annual Android release. At Apple, all new features are tied to a big release in the fall, when Apple rolls out its splashiest new software, and a more modest update in the spring

• Apple has been busy hiring a record number of engineers over the last few months. The move comes after the company also went on a designer hiring spree, indicating a major new product or two could be in the works.
• Job openings for engineering jobs at Apple rose 80% from the period starting in September until just last week. The company’s listings went from 665 open hardware engineering positions to 1,198 last week.
  • What exactly Apple is working on is anyone’s best guess right now, but check out these job listings:Analog Layout Designer, Advanced Material Scientist (Electrolyte Development), 3D Perception/Computer Vision Algorithm Engineer, Sensor Design Engineer, Motion Sensing Hardware Engineer: Magnetics, and even a Flexible Display Technologist.
• Leander had an epiphany last show of what all these jobs have in common

• Nintendo just announced that a mobile version of Mario Kart is under development. The company says the game will be released sometime in the next 13 months, but left it at that.
• "The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! #MarioKartTour Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019.”

• Apple is changing up its plans for this year’s mobile software
• According to Ina Fried in a report for Axios, “Apple has shaken up its iOS software plans for 2018, delaying some features to next year in an effort to put more focus on addressing performance and quality issues"

• Apple’s primary focus for its software updates this year is on improving performance and stability. But there’s a big new feature that the company is still working to bring to macOS, according to a new report. That’s the ability to run iPad apps.
• Apple has delayed big new features for iOS to focus on ironing out the kinks this year, according to a report from Axios’ Ina Fried. Software chief Craig Federighi is said to have announced the plans to Apple employees at a meeting earlier this month.
• But one key feature remains on the roadmap for 2018: The ability for Macs to run iPad apps,” reads the latest report.

• A growing number of analysts and news outlets have claimed that Apple is cutting production due to weaker-than-expected demand for its flagship device. The Wall Street Journal is the latest to corroborate the claims.
• The Wall Street Journal is the latest to pipe up. It claimed on Monday that Apple has significantly reduced component orders for iPhone X — by as much as 60 percent in some cases. “They always do this when things aren’t selling well,” one source said.

• In a weekend report to investors, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities reiterates that Apple is planning two OLED iPhones and one LCD model for this year. The two OLED models, he says, be 5.8- and 6.5-inches in size, while the LCD model will be 6.1-inches.

• Apple today Wednesday that it will release its $349 HomePod on February 9.
• Pre-orders start this Friday!
• That technology includes a seven-tweeter array and a 4-inch woofer — plus spatial awareness capabilities. These allow HomePod to “read” its environment and tailor audio output for the best results, though this functionality won’t be available until later this year.
• In large rooms, you can even pair multiple HomePods for bigger sound.

• HomePod, the first new Apple product of 2018, is about to arrive. And as a huge Apple fanboy, I couldn’t care less.
• Thanks to Siri, HomePod is great at the things you want to know, and do, in your home. Set timers. Convert measurements. Get translations. And get live news, sports, weather, and traffic. You can also create lists that anyone can add to.
• Will it replace an iPad or AppleTV as as HomeKit hub?
• It’s too damn expensive
• Siri sucks
• You’re stuck with Apple Music
  • Will Spotify work at all?
• HomePod is not even finished yet!
  • No stereo or multi-room support till alter this year

• Apple gave the public a preview of the new features coming in iOS 11.3 Wednesday.
• iOS 11.3 beta 1 contains a number of notable improvements, including iCloud Messages. Apple also added the ability to view your battery’s health and choose between increased performance or better battery life. The new feature is in response to criticism Apple received from customers after it was discovered that Apple throttles CPU speeds on iPhones with older batteries.

• Messages on iCloud were first previewed at WWDC 2017. Apple pulled it from later beta builds though as it wasn’t ready for wider use
• Well it’s finally entering the beta testing phase among developers.
• Once iMessage on iCloud rolls out to the public you’ll be able to delete iMessage conversations to save space on your device. Conversations will still be accessible on your other Apple devices though and on 

• The most popular consumer drone on the market just got a huge upgrade that gives it even more mass appeal for budding droners and video creators.
• DJI unveiled its new folding drone, the Mavic Air, today. A blend of the company’s two most popular drones, the Mavic Pro and the Spark, it also packs new features you won’t find on DJI’s other drones.

• Tim Cook has revealed that a future iOS 11 update will let users disable the feature that was causing their iPhone to throttle performance.
• He says that this forthcoming update will give users the option to disable performance throttling if they would rather be at risk of unexpected shutdowns but maintain full CPU and GPU performance.

• Apple’s big tax break is about to unleash an big beautiful avalanche of spending from the iPhone-maker.
• In its last earnings report, Apple said it held $252 billion in cash overseas. It appears, given the new corporate tax rate of 15.5  percent, that it is returning a majority of this to the United States.  This low rate is a one-time deal for corporations to repatriate their overseas cash hordes
• Apple revealed its plans to contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy over the next five years now that the fee for repatriating its mountain of overseas cash has been significantly lowered.
• Even though construction on Apple’s new spaceship campus just finished, the company says its already looking to build a new one. Plans (including the location) for the third Apple HQ will be revealed later this year. The building will initially house new team specializing in technical support for customers.
• The company also says it plans to increase the size of its advanced manufacturing fund from $1 billion to $5 billion. The fund is used to invest in U.S. manufacturing companies and suppliers.
• Apple says it will add over 20,000 new jobs in the next five years by hiring for new jobs at its existing campuses and the new one. $30 billion will be spent on capital expenditures in the US over next 5 years with $10 billion of that going to data centers.
• With the new tax law in effect, Apple expects it will only pay $38 billion to bring its money home. That would still be the largest ever payment to the IRS.

• Apple told employees Wednesday that it plans to give all of them $2,500 worth of restricted stock, thanks to the revised tax law that goes into effect this year.
• Trump applauded Apple’s moves on Twitter, saying “Great to see Apple follow through as a result of TAX CUTS. Huge win for American workers and the USA!”
• Tim also announced a very generous new charity match:
• • I’m happy to announce that starting immediately and running through the end of 2018, Apple will match all employee charitable donations, up to $10,000 annually, at a rate of two to one.

• Apple suppliers have begun shipping the first HomePod units ahead of the smart speaker’s much-anticipated launch. Just 1 million devices are on the way initially. However, Apple is expected to receive as many as 12 million by the end of this year.
• HomePod was supposed to launch ahead of the holidays but Apple delayed it because it wasn’t ready. When it finally goes on sale this year, HomePod will give Apple fans an alternative to Amazon Echo and Google Home.
• Meanwhile, smart speakers were ubiquitous at CES, and Amazon’s Alexa is now being built into everything from thermostats to toilets.
• Apple still hasn’t provided us with a proper HomePod release date yet

• Capturing super-smooth video on your iPhone is about to get a lot easier (AND cheaper) thanks to the folks at DJI.
• DJI unveiled its newest handheld smartphone gimbal today called the Osmo 2. The new gimbal packs simplified controls to allow anyone to record shake-free video from their iPhone, and it’s got some new tricks you won’t find on its predecessor.

• Everything you want to know about Apple’s $29 iPhone battery replacement program, and why you should absolutely use it.
• We’ll tell you about Steve Job’s new fashion line soon to be sweeping the runways of a Costco near you
• We break down just how much money Tim Cook earned each week and each day in 2017. Spoiler: He’a rich yaaa’aaall!.
• A high-tech butt cleaner, a $400 cooler, and a powerhouse network attached storage — Faves N Raves is back baby. We’ll pitch you our favorite tech then vote on which is best.

• In a surprising turn of events, Jony Ive has taken back the reigns of Apple’s design team.
• The new iMac is out, and the reviews are coming in.  We’ll tell you what’s new about this beastly machine with a MONSTER price tag
• By the numbers: how much dough Apple earns every single second will help you realize what plebeians we all are
• And we wrap with how Apple got it right 2017, and what they need to do better in 2018!

• Jony Ive is reportedly returning to hands-on design duties at Apple, two years after being promoted to the role of Chief Design Officer.
• According to an Apple spokesperson, “With the completion of Apple Park, Apple’s design leaders and teams are again reporting directly to Jony Ive, who remains focused purely on design.”
• Why Ive would be returning to his old role isn’t immediately clear — nor what this means for Dye and Howarth. Ironically, at the time that Ive was given his new job in 2015, some pundits suggested it meant Jony was on his way out of Apple, and this was a way of carrying out the transition. Now that he is “demoted” to his old position, no doubt many people will take it as signaling much the same thing.

• Just a heads up: Got my first AT&T bill with my Apple Watch LTE added on. Taxes on the $10 data plan add-on come to $7.69 meaning the cellular plan for the watch is actually $17.69/month or $212.28 for a year of service. That's insane and totally not worth it. Just wanted to make people aware of the fact that AT&T conveniently neglects to mention how expensive the plan will actually be.

• Jailbreaking was once a necessity to millions of iPhone owners, is just about dead, at least according to Cydia store creator Jay Freeman
• Many of the features that made jailbreaking so popular — like video recording, useful settings toggles, custom ringtones, and enhanced multitasking — are now baked into iOS. So jailbreaking is no longer required for many iPhone and iPad users.
• It was the only way to obtain native apps during the handset’s first year on the market. But even after the launch of the App Store, users turned to jailbreaking to get their hands on software Apple wouldn’t allow.
• Two of Cydia’s largest repositories have been shutdown as jailbreaking dies out. ModMy and ZodTTD are no longer available, leaving BigBoss as the only major source still available to those who want apps and tweaks you can’t find in the App Store.

• Apple wants to help you make the most of your iPhone and iPad with a brand new YouTube channel. It offers a collection of how-to videos that teach you how to take screenshots, send attachments in Mail, print on the go, and more.
• The channel, which launched on Monday evening, currently hosts ten how-to videos. They’ll teach you how to do things like change your wallpaper, mute or leave a group conversation in iMessage, delete call logs and photos, and more.
• Each video is under two minutes in length. It provides step-by-step instructions for each how-to, with useful bullet points that make the directions easier to follow. English captions are also available if required.

• Swipe up and over to the right for app switching, or swipe up and to the right
• Swipe up the down for reachability.
• You can then access control center from the top of the lowered screen
• Close apps by swiping them up (instead of using the lame minus icon)
• Volume up. Volume Down.  Power button hold to restart/shutdown

• HomePod’s been delayed, we’ll talk about that, but Bloomberg put out an interesting piece on the history of the HomePod, and it gives previously undisclosed details of the device you may find very interesting.
• We gotta talk about net neutrality
• How Tesla just out Apple’d, Apple
• Is there still a point to Apple TV?  
• Tactics to get the best prices on all the Black Friday stuff you want
• Oh yeah, and 🦃 Gobble gobble yaaa’aaall! 🦃

• FCC is about to kill Net Neutrality, and they’re calling it the Restoring internet freedom order
• They’re currently taking our feedback into account, but the official vote for the order will be on Dec. 14th
• Details of the new plan will were released today.  The plan completely removes restrictions on throttling or prioritizing content, and explicitly allows paid prioritization of content
• Go to Battleforthenet.com.  It will help you take action. If will connect you to your congress person via phone and even provide you a script of what to say.

• Apple’s new Siri-powered smart speaker won’t be one of the hottest gifts of the 2017 holiday season after all.
• The HomePod was set to launch in December 2017, but the company released a statement today saying it needs more time to make the smart speaker ready for customers.
• “We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple’s breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers. We’ll start shipping in the US, UK, and Australia in early 2018
• When it does launch, HomePod will cost $349, making it a lot more pricey than rival smart speakers from Amazon and Google

• HomePod has been in development since 2012, and it’s not like the Echo.
• The engineers and designers wanted to build a really great speaker that  "sounded better than the ones sold by the likes of Bose, JBL and Harman Kardon”
• Prototypes ranged from a flat panel with a mesh screen to one measuring some three feet tall with dozens of speakers
• In 2014, the project went from prototyping into an official endeavor
• In that same year, Amazon released their Echo, and it reportedly blind-sided Apple’s engineers. They joked with each other that there must be mole working amongst them.

• Two weeks with the X.  We’ll tell you what we like and what still sucks.
• Some very exciting new rumors about the next international of iPhone X
• Two big features coming you to in iOS 11.2 which is now in its 3rd beta
• What we tell you what we like and don’t about our favorite gadgets in a all-new under review 🤜🏼💥🤛🏼

• One of the most reliable Apple analysts in the game is predicting big things for the iPhone X design in 2018.
• According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will release an iPhone X Plus next year with the biggest smartphone screen the company has ever made.
• Kuo says Apple will release three iPhones in 2018 with a notch design. There will supposedly be a 5.8-inch (updated X) and a 6.5-inch model, both with OLED displays.
• The third iPhone will supposedly have a 6.1-inch LCD display but come with the same bezel-free design as the iPhone X.
• The 6.5-inch iPhone X Plus will have a display with 480 to 500 pixels per inch, possibly making it more pixel dense than the iPhone X. The 6.1-inch LCD version will only have a display with 320 to 330 PPI.

• According to a Bloomberg, Apple is working on a new rear-mounted “3D sensor” for its 2019 iPhone, which will help further the company’s augmented reality ambitions.
• The new system will work using lasers and measuring the amount of time it takes for them to bounce back to create a depth map. This is reportedly different to the TrueDepth sensor system used on the front of the iPhone X, which uses a pattern of 30,000 laser dots to measure depth information for features like Face ID.

• Apple Pay cash, which will work on the iPad.
• Apple has added support for faster 7.5W wireless charging in its latest iOS 11.2 beta. iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X all support the increased charging speed. You’ll need a compatible wireless charging mat to take advantage of it, however.

• Apple supposedly plans to slap an octa-core processor in next year’s iPad Pro, making them the most powerful tablets Apple’s ever made.
• For the iPhone X and iPhone 8, Apple created the A11 Bionic chip that comes with two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores.
• This is the same chip that is currently faster than the chips in 2012 iMacs and my 2013 MacBook Pro.
• My machine is 33% in multicore tests, but image if they add another 2 high performance cores to the iPad.

• Automatic Setup signs you into iCloud, Keychain, iTunes, the App Store, iMessage and FaceTime using your Apple ID, according to Apple. It also takes care of device settings like language, region, network, keyboard preferences, Siri and Home and health data.
• The setup is reminiscent of setting up a new Apple Watch, but even easier.

• Displaymate:  iPhone X's display resolution provides "significantly higher image sharpness" than can be analyzed by a person with normal 20/20 vision at a 12-inch viewing distance. DisplayMate said this means that it's now "absolutely pointless" to increase the display resolution and pixels per inch of the iPhone any further, since there would be "no visual benefit" for users
• "highest absolute color accuracy of any display we have ever tested," with a display that is "visually indistinguishable from perfect.”

• Stress tests by SquareTrade Labs used a range of scientific robots to drop, bend, tumble, and dunk their new iPhone X to see how it managed to hold up to “everyday” damage.
• They’re calling the X the most breakable, highest priced, most expensive to repair iPhone ever.

• Apple’s new peer-to-peer payments system called Apple Pay Cash is finally rolling out to public beta testers today with the release of the public beta for iOS 11.2 beta 2 and watchOS 4.2 beta 2, giving iPhone and iPad users the ability to send money to each other electronically.
• It lets you send money to each other using iMessage.
• You can send up to $3,000 and the transaction is free if you use a debit card registered in your Apple Wallet.
• Have a credit or debit card registered in your Apple Wallet
• Be in the United States
• Have two-factor authentication activated on your Apple ID
• Use an iPhone 6 or newer
• Both you and the receiver must be running iOS 11.2
• If you meet the above requirements, a new app will show up in the iMessage Dock
• Once you hit $500 in Apple Pay Cash transactions, you must verify your identity. To do so, you need to take a picture of your driver’s license or official state ID card, and provide some personal information (Social Security number and so on).

• Thanks to Face ID, the iPhone X knows when its owner is looking at it, and can hide the content of your notifications until you do so. Now, if somebody else picks up your iPhone X and takes a peek at your incoming alerts, it will only see a list of the apps that have notifications for you.

• How to get the best deal on your iPhone X, save yourself some serious buckets
• Why Woz says the iPhone X will be the first iPhone he won’t buy day one
• Would you let your delivery man enter your house when you’re not home? We discuss Amazon key!
• Plus we’ll tell what we like and don’t about the gadgets we’re reviewing in an all-new Under Review

• Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says the iPhone X is the first iPhone he doesn’t plan to buy on “day one.”
• “I’d rather wait and watch that one,” Wozniak said during an interview at the Money 20/20 conference. “I’m happy with my iPhone 8 — which is the same as the iPhone 7, which is the same as the iPhone 6, to me. " will, so I’ll be close enough to see it.”

• $500 off with Xfinity Triple Play
• $350 off at Sprint
• Up to $300 off on Verizon
• T-Mobile gives $300 off
• Nothing yet at 

• Apple has promised that iPhone X will be available to walk-in customers on launch day.
• You will also be able to purchase iPhone X from Apple Stores beginning Friday, November 3 at 8 a.m. local time. “Stores will have iPhone X available for walk-in customers, who are encouraged to arrive early,” Apple says.

• Would you be cool with your delivery person opening your front door when you’re away to drop off your package?
• Amazon Key, uses a smart lock and connected camera. When a delivery is made the courier scans the package's barcode which sends an access request to Amazon's cloud. When it grants permission, the camera starts recording, the courier swipes a prompt on their app and then your door unlocks. They leave the package by the door and relock it on their way out. You'll get a notification that the delivery has been made, along with a video of the drop-off to reassure you everything was done above board.
• Amazon has designed the service with deliveries in mind, but Key has a bunch of other uses, too. For example, you can use it to give permanent access to people you trust or temporary access to visitors such as dog-walkers, cleaners or guests (this could be especially helpful for Airbnbhosts).

• Did you know iOS 11 had a one-handed keyboard built right in?
• Anytime the keyboard is on screen, you can just long-press the little globe icon to bring up the keyboard selection popover. This is the same globe icon you use to select the emoji keyboard, to cycle between any keyboards you have active on your iPhone
• The keyboard-switching globe icon only appears if you have more than one keyboard active on your iPhone.
• Long-pressing the globe icon brings up the familiar popover, only in iOS 11 it now has an extra row of keyboard glyphs at the bottom.
• Just select the one-handed keyboard you want, and poof, a keyboard you can type on with just one hand

Leander's $10,000 BatBike!
https://twitter.com/erfon/status/923628109999489024

• According to a new report, Foxconn has sent out 46,500 units from its facilities in Zhengzhou and Shanghai, headed for the Netherlands and United Arab Emirates
• After running into multiple problems building its next-gen iPhone X, Apple’s suppliers have reportedly achieved more stable yield rates for troublesome components.
• Foxconn has managed to ramp up its output of the iPhone X from 100,000 to 400,000 units a week
• Digitimes says "shipments of the device have increased gradually and will meet Apple’s demand ahead of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, the sources indicated.”
• But even though production has ramped up, no one is quite sure how big demand will be. Will this be the most popular iPhone ever?
• KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, iPhone X preorders could exceed 40 million, and may even hit 50 million. However, Kuo has also noted right from the start that supply of the new device is likely to be constrained through the first half of 2018

• Mac and iPhone accessory maker TwelveSouth is bringing back its Mac-scented candle that flew off store shelves last year. The all-new Inspire candle still smells like a new Mac but comes with some big updates to its design that are sure to delight Apple fans.
• TwelveSouth updated the Inspire candle this year with a new fragrance formula that’s supposed to remind you of opening up a new Mac. The scent is created by blending bergamot and armoise with hints of lemon, tarragon, amber and musk.

• Steve Wozniak, the Apple co-founder who changed the world alongside Steve Jobs, has today announced the launch of Woz U.
• Woz U will start as an online learning platform focused on both students and companies that will eventually hire those students. Woz U is based out of Arizona, and hopes to launch physical locations for learning in more than 30 cities across the globe.
• At launch, the curriculum will center around computer support specialists and software developers, with courses on data science, mobile applications and cybersecurity coming in the future.
• Alongside the education platform, Woz U will also offer platforms for tech companies to recruit, train and retain their workforce through on-site customized programs and subscription-based curricula
• No work on pricing yet

• Apple is set to make its biggest push into original content yet by inking a deal with one of the biggest directors in Hollywood history.
• Steven Spielberg and Apple reportedly will create new episodes of Amazing Stories. The science fiction anthology series originally ran in the 1980s on NBC, but will be relaunched with all-new episodes.
• A reported 10 episodes of the new show have been ordered by Apple to start. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the budget for Amazing Stories will be more than $5 million an episode.

• A savvy developer named Felix Krause has discovered it is shockingly easy for an iOS app developer to phish your Apple ID and password with a  fake authentication prompt that looks exactly the a real one.
• He posted pictures of a real and fake prompt this week and they look identical.
• Worse, developers can add this code after their app has been approved by Apple.
• How to tell the difference:
  • The app will close and the popup will disappear with it. This means it was a phishing attempt.
• • The app and popup remain on screen. This means it is a genuine system dialog and can be trusted.

• Apple has updated its online Apple store to start offering refurbished 15-inch MacBook Pro models with Touch Bar, marking the first time this year’s Touch Bar-equipped models have been available to buy refurbished.
• Apple typically sells refurbished models for around 15 percent off the full retail price

• Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sat down for a wide ranging interview with The Independent
• When questioned about the topic, he said the technology to create a pair of augmented reality smart glasses "in a quality way" does not exist today.
• "But today I can tell you the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way. The display technology required, as well as putting enough stuff around your face - there's huge challenges with that.
• "The field of view, the quality of the display itself, it's not there yet.”
• "We want to be the best and give people a great experience," he said. "But now anything you would see on the market any time soon would not be something any of us would be satisfied with. Nor do I think the vast majority of people would be satisfied.”

• Apple unleashed hundreds of new emoji on developers today with the release of iOS 11.1 beta 2.
• The new emoji also have new faces, clothes, sports, food, dinosaurs and other mystical characters.
• Monocle face
• Mind blow face
• Mer-people
• Wizards
• Draculas
• Chinese food takeout container
• Elves, fairies, genie
• Dinosaurs

• HomeKit and the Home app will boggle your gourd.  They’re WAY more powerful now that in iOS 10.
• Multi-person geofencing.  Actions can be triggered when one person comes or goes, or when a group of people in the same HomeKit group does.
  • Turn on lights when first person gets home
  • Turn off heat when last person leaves
• Support for conditional triggers
  • Lighting will come on with someone comes home, but only after sunset
  • AC will turn on when someone comes home, but only if the temperature is above a threshold that you set.
• Airplay 2 speakers are now supported, so you could set your speakers to start playing music in the morning or when you get home.
• Time-based event triggers (i.e. turn the lights off at 5:30, or turn them on 30 minutes after sunrise)
• Day of the week reoccurrence, so you can set things differently for different days of the way, or on the weekends
• Home occupancy gate (i.e. only run something if you’re at home)
• Timers (auto off after 1-60 minutes)

• security devices
• garage doors
• fans
• lights
• outlets
• air purifiers
• locks
• humidifiers
• doorbells
• cameras
• air conditioners
• window shades
• and thermostats
• Finally, Apple is really pushing for better adoption of HomeKit; manufacturers can now add HomeKit compatibility to their non-HomeKit accessories due to Apple’s relaxed licensing terms.  Vendors are no longer required to use a dedicated encryption chip—all HomeKit authorization can go through software, which means Nest could add HomeKit compatibility with a software update.

• Google announced all sorts of stuff yesterday
• Pixel 2, a smart speaker called the Max to compete with the HomePod
• But at the very end of their key, Google introduced the Pixel Buds, wireless headphones designed for use with the company's new Pixel 2 handset.  Once paired, you can tap the right earphone then issue a command.
• If you say, "Help me speak Japanese" and then start speaking in English, the Pixel’s speakers will output your translated words as you speak them. The other party's reply into the phone will then play into your ear through the Pixel Buds in English.
• 40 languages are currently supported, and the translation works in real time with virtually no lag.

• Apple’s newest set-top box pulls out all the stops to be the best on the field. It’s packing incredibly powerful new hardware that leaves competitors in the dust, and a much-improved tvOS platform that is years ahead of its rivals.
• Remote. Not much has changed for the Siri Remote, either, which is a shame — it’s still wretched. It looks almost identical this year, except there’s now a white ridge around the Menu button.
• Speed. Thanks to an A10X Fusion processor — the same one you’ll find in the latest iPad Pro — Apple TV 4K is pretty fast. It’s by far the most powerful set-top box on the market, and that’s not just for 4K video.
• 4K HDR video is sharp, colorful and full of contrast and detail. The screensavers especially are spectacular and detailed. Shot in 4K, the screensavers were downgraded for the old AppleTV. On the 4K box they appear in all their trippy, hypnotic detail.
• One thing you won’t be able to enjoy in 4K HDR, however, is YouTube. That’s because Apple doesn’t support the VP9 video format that YouTube serves up — it doesn’t work on macOS or iOS, either — so the best you’ll get is 1080p.

• Edward Field Wallet Case $99
• Nodus iPhone 8 Cases
• Rhinoshield Crashguard bumper for 
• • iPhone 8 Plus/7Plus
  • iPhone 8/7

• Bill Gates just got himself a brand new smartphone, and it isn’t an iPhone 8.
• The Microsoft co-founder has ditched Windows Mobile for Android. Despite getting closer to Steve Jobs before he died in 2011, Gates still has no interest in using iOS.
• further pressed about the possibility of using iOS instead, Gates responded, “Nope. No iPhone.”

• Getting your hands on the new Apple TV 4K though Amazon won’t be easy though. The page for Apple’s newest set-top box shows that there are no units in stock. It appears that Amazon is only offering the 64GB model priced at $199.
• Putting Apple TV back on its digital shelves is a bit unexpected but is likely related to Apple TV finally gaining an Amazon Prime Video app. The service still hasn’t launched on Apple TV yet but is expected to debut at some point this fall.

• Data scientist Abdul Dremali is leading research & development in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Big Data at the AndPlus Innovation Lab, and he’s very impressed with Face ID.

• Apple unleashed its huge update for the Mac this morning bringing a host of new features and UI changes to desktops after months of beta testing. Most of the update contains under-the-hood changes the makes machines faster and more stable, but there are plenty of new additions to love.
• macOS High Sierra brings support for the new Apple File System to the Mac. Apple added it to iOS devices last year. AFS’ 64-bit architecture is more secure, with built-in encryption, crash protection and simplified data backups.
• Safari is one of the biggest benefactors from the macOS High Sierra update. Apple claims its now the world’s fastest browser, with an 80% speed advantage over Google Chrome
• Mail received some improved search functions tied to the update to Spotlight. You can also use a new Split View mode too that lets you write emails while keeping tabs on your inbox.
• The Photos app also got some big updates. There’s now better facial recognition and some new editing tools that make it a more capable photo editor. Notes got a new pin feature to keep your most important notes to the top of the list where you’ll be able to find them easier. The app also has support for tables now.
• Last Thursday, six ad industry groups penned an open letter criticizing Apple's upcoming Safari feature, saying the decision to incorporate such technology into a web browser is heavy-handed and "bad for consumer choice and bad for the ad-supported online content and services." 
• Today, Apple responded to the missive in a statement to The Loop.
• "Apple believes that people have a right to privacy - Safari was the first browser to block third party cookies by default and Intelligent Tracking Prevention is a more advanced method for protecting user privacy," Apple said. "Ad tracking technology has become so pervasive that it is possible for ad tracking companies to recreate the majority of a person's web browsing history. This information is collected without permission and is used for ad re-targeting, which is how ads follow people around the Internet. The new Intelligent Tracking Prevention feature detects and eliminates cookies and other data used for this cross-site tracking, which means it helps keep a person's browsing private. The feature does not block ads or interfere with legitimate tracking on the sites that people actually click on and visit. Cookies for sites that you interact with function as designed, and ads placed by web publishers will appear normally.”

• Tom Bihn’s Hero’s Journey Backpack for $480
• Outdoor Research Dry Payload Pack for $150
• Fender Mustang GT200 for $600
• Fender Mustang GT40 for $250
• Otterbox Strada Folio case 
• • Phone 7 Plus or 8 Plus for $25
  • iPhone 7 and 8 for $23

• On Tuesday, September 12th, according to Bloomberg, will unveil not only its latest batch of products, but also give us all a first glimpse of its brand new campus
• The Steve Jobs Theater is as obsessively perfect as you’d expect a building named after Apple’s co-founder and former CEO should be.
• The entrance to the venue sits underneath a silver disc, which which sits 20 feet in the air, supported by gigantic glass panels.
• The auditorium itself occupies four underground stories, and to get there, journalists will descend a staircase spiraling down alongside the walls.
• In order to gain access to the subterranean theater, attendees can either descend via a spiral staircase or using two custom elevators. These elevators rotate as they descend, so that passengers enter and exit through the same door, even though they do so from different directions.
• The theater also sports a retracting wall, which opens to reveal a hidden product testing area.
• Given the theater's 1,000-person capacity, one engineer said back in March that the building's budget meant each leather seat had cost Apple the equivalent of $14,000 apiece.
• It’s a touching eponym, isn’t it?  Steve Jobs theater?  It will be a beautiful spectacle of technology and architecture, a true and fitting monument.  A metaphor for Steve Jobs, and a physical representation of the Apple ethos.
• Steve Jobs was man that literally started with nothing, not even his biological parents, and went on to build one of the world’s most coveted companies.
• It’s a uniquely American success story.

• In his latest research note, KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo explains to investors that Samsung currently holds a practical monopoly on the supply of OLED displays. They’re the only ones capable of reliably mass producing the screens Apple needs, and thus seems to be inflating the price.
• Apple previously paid between $45 and $55 for the screens on Plus-size iPhones. But Ming Chi Kuo claims Samsung is probably charging about $75 more for OLED displays. The final price for the displays likely costs Apple $120 to $130 per unit. That could explain why rumors predict the iPhone 8 (or iPhone Edition)

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• Arlo Pro Cameras
• Shubu Raven

• Even more juicy details leak on iPhone 8, plus a report says the keynote reveal is right around the corner.
• Leander shares the strange twist in Apple’s autonomous car project
• Why the 13” MacBook Pro might soon become your favorite Mac
• Story time with L Kahney - he’s going to share the highlights from his whirlwind tour of Japan and other defenseless Asian lands.
• Plus Erfon recalls what it’s like in the darkness of a total solar eclipse.

• Hot on the heels of Samsung’s grand unveiling of the Galaxy Note 8 today, carrier sources have supposedly informed Mac4Ever that Apple plans to unleash its device in just a few weeks.
• Apple’s keynote is allegedly slated for September 12 where the company will reveal three new iPhones. While we haven’t been able to verify the accuracy of the report ourselves, Apple usually hosts its iPhone keynote in the middle of September so the date could make sense.
• The French Apple blog claims that carriers have been informed by Apple to expect the device announcement on the second Tuesday of next month. Carriers usually receive a heads up so they can start planning marketing and to organize pre-orders to ensure inventory.
• And get this, the minimum storage capacity for Apple's OLED iPhone is said to be 64GB, with a 256GB option offered as the mid-tier capacity and a 512GB option at the highest tier, while 3GB of RAM is claimed to be included across the board.

• The iPhone 8’s facial recognition feature will work in a millionth of a second, and be more secure than the existing Touch ID sensor, and even work in the dark, a pair of new reports claim.
• In addition to the regular iPhone sensors you’d expect to find, the upcoming handset will reportedly boast a new “structured light” sensor, which uses bounced infrared light to work out the depth of different points on the face.
• That information is then used to build a 3D mesh of objects, which is compared to the one recorded when setting up the new iPhone. Calculating the timing between when infrared light is sent out and recorded coming back will let the iPhone work out accurate depth measurements. This, in turn, means you won’t be able to trick the handset using a 2D photo.
• The facial recognition is reportedly powered by tech Apple acquired when it bought Kinect motion sensor maker PrimeSense several years ago.
• The speed that the iPhone 8 facial recognition sensor will reportedly work is particularly impressive. The new handset will allegedly be able to do all of this within “a few hundred milliseconds,” which would make it a faster means of unlocking your iPhone than the current-generation Touch ID, Apple has been using Touch ID since 2013’s iPhone 5s.

• According to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple competitor Qualcomm is working on its own 3D sensing tech, but it’s at least two years behind. And handset-makers aren’t in a rush to embrace it quite yet.
• "While Qualcomm is the most engaged company in the R&D of 3D sensing for the Android camp, a number of issues plague Qualcomm that prevent its tech from being ready for mass-market products. Immature algorithms, and thermal problems"

• According to the New York Times, Apple’s secretive “Project Titan” self-driving car project has switched gears, transforming into an effort to build a self-driving shuttle bus. Called Palo Alto Infinite Loop, or PAIL, the shuttle would carry Apple employees between buildings.
• The project may serve as a test bed for Apple’s autonomous car research. But a customer-focused vehicle built by Apple is for now reportedly out of the question. Instead, Apple’s self-driving technology will likely be used by other carmakers eventually.
• The newspaper claims a leadership clash hampered project. Steve Zadesky, an Apple executive initially in charge of Titan, wanted to build semiautonomous technology. Meanwhile, Apple design chief Jony Ive “believed that a fully driverless car would allow the company to reimagine the automobile experience.”
• Apple reportedly investigated several innovative ideas for the project. Those included motorized doors that opened and closed silently, augmented reality displays for the interior of the car, new ways of incorporating the light sensor essential to driverless cars, and a total lack of steering wheel and gas pedals. Apple also researched the possibility of using globelike wheels for the vehicle, “because spherical wheels could allow the car better lateral movement.”

• The first four eighth-generation processors launching today are U-series chips suitable for the 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini. They're all 15W chips with four cores and eight threads, paving the way for a quad-core 13-inch MacBook Pro should Apple choose to release one.
• The eighth-generation Core i5 and Core i7 chips are up to 40 percent faster than the equivalent seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors
• First MacBook Pro with Touch Bar uses a 6th gen Skylake processor.
• Intel also boasted that its eighth-generation Core processors are up to twice as fast as its equivalent five-year-old Ivy Bridge chips. It said users can output a 106-second 4K video in as little as three minutes with a new PC, for example, versus up to 45 minutes on an equivalent five-year-old PC.

• Blurry images that popped up online supposedly show the testing of an Apple OLED television set of around 60 inches in size. The photos were shared on Chinese social media before being circulated by mobile leaker Benjamin Geskin on Twitter.
• images depict what looks like an Apple-branded standalone display in some kind of lab testing environment. They show a metal frame design, while accompanying notes on Weibo suggest that the set also includes a camera.
• And, just like that, longstanding rumors of an Apple TV set reignite!
• The rumors gained momentum with the publishing of Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography in 2011. “I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,” Jobs was quoted as saying. “It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine.”

• According to the WSJ, Apple is reportedly preparing a $1 billion “war chest” which it will spend on acquiring or producing original content over the next year.
• That sum is around half of what HBO spent on production last year.
• Apple SVP Eddy Cue is reportedly aiming for Apple to offer up to ten new shows, which could rival Game of Thrones in scope.
• Apple has been ramping up its hirings to try and establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. The company’s recent hirings include a pair of former Sony execs, who previously helped bring to the screen shows including AMC’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and Netflix’s The Crown
• WSJ: "Mr. Van Amburg and Mr. Erlicht have begun meeting with Hollywood agents and holding discussions about shows Apple could acquire, the people familiar said. Mr. Matt Cherniss has movie experience, having worked as a production executive at Warner Bros."

• According to trusted KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. There will be no “obvious change” to the design of the device, which will leave LTE connectivity as its main selling point.
• Apple will offer non-LTE versions at more affordable prices, however. It’s unclear whether those models will be Series 3 devices, or whether Apple will continue to offer Series 2 alongside its successor for those who do not require LTE.
• Watch will also likely be waterproof, like series 2, and faster.

• What would we like to see in the next Apple Watch
• • Round version or a new shape/style
  • Way better battery life
  • always on screen
  • Thinner
  • No LTE fees!

• An apparent iPhone 8 photo straight out of Foxconn has confirmed one of our biggest fears for Touch ID: It will be relocated to the back of the device.
• Apple has been working to embed its fingerprint scanner into the iPhone’s display, but according to numerous reports, the technology won’t be ready in time for this year’s big refresh.
• Mark Gurman at Bloomberg: Apple’s pitch come September will be that Face ID is quicker, more secure, and more accurate than Touch ID. People inside Apple say it is.
• Security implications

• The new iPhone 8 will be capable of unlocking with its face recognition even when it’s lying flat on your desk, a new report from The Information suggests.
• This information appears to back up a report published in Bloomberg earlier this year. That report noted that:
• • [The facial recognition sensor’s] speed and accuracy are focal points of the feature. It can scan a user’s face and unlock the iPhone within a few hundred milliseconds, the person said. It is designed to work even if the device is laying flat on a table, rather than just close up to the face.”

• Over the last few weeks the HomePod’s software has revealed a number of upcoming features on unannounced products. Sleuthing developers unearthed info on the iPhone 8’s facial scanning and SmartCamera features. Now there appears to be some details of the new Apple TV inside too.
• iOS developer Guilherme Rambo discovered references to both Dolby Vision and HDR10 color formats for 4K video in the HomePod’s software.

• Ever wonder what it would be like to live inside an ’80s music video? Thanks to Apple’s new ARKit software, you can live that dream with a new app that draws inspiration from the popular music video for A-ha’s “Take On Me.”

• Apple clearly didn’t realize that the firmware it made available on Friday was a goldmine of secret information. Not only did it reveal the final design of the iPhone 8 and its new facial recognition technology, but it tells us stuff we didn’t know about HomePod, too.
• First of all, buried in the firmware are GLYPHS of the actual phone itself. WHOOPSIE!
• We now know the device will have a split status bar designed to fit its edge-to-edge display
• Things like cellular signal and time might be displayed on one side of the bar, while indicators for Bluetooth, location, and battery level could appear on the other. “The new status bar seems a lot more complex and powerful in design, maybe even interactive,” Troughton-Smith says.
• The software has also revealed that iPhone 8 will boast tap to wake functionality. This is a feature found on many Android and Windows Phone devices, which lets you wake the device simply by tapping its screen. It’s handy when there is no physical Home button.
• It appears, however, that iPhone 8 will have a “Home Indicator.” It’s believed to be similar to the virtual Home button that appears at the bottom of the display on Android devices, and it looks like Apple will allow developers to hide it in certain contexts.
• Interestingly, Troughton-Smith tweeted “I’ve seen nothing to suggest an ultrasound under-the-display Touch ID here,” meaning either no touchID or one on the back
• Rumors have said that facial recognition is even more accurate than touch id and will even work with Apple Pay.

• "I can confirm reports that HomePod’s firmware reveals the existence of upcoming iPhone’s infra-red face unlock in BiometricKit and elsewhere” Steve Stoughton Smith
• Unlocking will be call FaceID
• Will use an inferred camera to should work in dark situations
• Will reportedly not support Apple pay to start, indicating we’re getting a touchID sensor somewhere on the phone

• we can look forward to a display with a 2436×1125 resolution
• This resolution is 812x 375 points rendered @ 3x – exactly the same logical width as the iPhone 7, but 22% taller,” explains Allen Pike, a developer who previously worked at Apple

• Apple’s HomePod might have revealed another huge new iPhone feature
• HomePod software appears to reference an unannounced “SmartCamera” feature built into iOS 11 or the yet-to-be-released 2017 iPhone
• iOS developer Guilherme Rambo unearthed references to the new feature. He posted a screenshot of a section of the code to Twitter
• It looks like the SmartCamera feature will be able to tune your camera settings based on the scene it detects. DSLRs possess similar features
• The HomePod code contains references to Fireworks, Foliage, Pet, BrightStage, Sport, Sky, Snow and Sunset/Sunrise scenarios.

• Notorious iOS sleuth Steve Troughton Smith has done some serious research into HomePod and discovered that it’s basically like another iOS device only it doesn’t have a big screen. That could open HomePod up to some exciting capabilities in the future.
• will come with a number of accessibility features.
• Third-party apps aren’t likely to arrive on HomePod anytime soon. Smith says there aren’t any provisions in the HomePod OS shell there doesn’t seem to be any kind of provision in the HomePod OS shell for installing apps or extensions.
• The top LED area of the HomePod could have more advanced functionality than previously thought. Rather than just using big LEDs, it appears that the top surface is an LED Matrix. Temperature and weather icons could be displayed on the 32×32 pixel matrix.

• Apple’s early software for the HomePod continues to reveal new features of the smart speaker, as developers dive deeper into files. After details on the speaker’s screen got discovered, another developer unearthed the UI sounds that will be used on HomePod.

• Parts shortages force Apple to start handing out free MacBook Pros, and everyone on the internet wants a piece of the action.
• You knew Jony Ive designed some of Apple’s most iconic products, but did you know he also helped craft one of Star Wars most nefarious light sabers?  
• Apple discontinues two of their most iconic products.
• And stay tuned for all our favorite new stuff in another episode of What We’re Into!  

• Apple has been forced to swap old MacBook Pros in need of repair with new models due to severe component shortages. It means some lucky customers are getting a free upgrade to the latest machines when in need of service under warranty.
• A common fault with any laptop after regular use is that its battery loses its ability to charge. The cells can only withstand so many cycles before they no longer perform as intended. Fortunately, Apple will replace them for free under warranty.
• MacRumors reports that the company is currently facing “a severe constraint of top case assemblies with integrated batteries” for 15-inch MacBook Pros released in mid 2012 and early 2013 — and this is expected to last until September.
• As a result, Apple is said to have instructed its Genius Bar employees and Authorized Service Providers that they can temporarily swap affected notebooks for a newer, “functionally equivalent” model.
• If your MacBook Pro is still covered by the one-year manufacturer warranty, or an extended AppleCare plan, the cost of a battery replacement (or upgrade were eligible) is completely free. If your warranty has expired, the fee is $199.
• However, Apple has been waiving this fee for customers who are willing to wait for new batteries to arrive, rather than taking an upgrade for $199.

• Apple's memo says, effective July 26, service inventory of top case assemblies with batteries is now available for new repairs.
• For all new repair requests, Apple advises Genius Bar employees and Apple Authorized Service Providers to order the necessary inventory. Apple advises its service providers to inform customers that the inventory should arrive within 15 business days of the part order, corresponding with early August. 
• Apple employee on reddit: "From what I can tell, Apple are FURIOUS about the MacRumors article yesterday setting customer expectations. I've never seen them react to a situation internally like this"

• Jony Ive has revealed that the company’s iconic white earbuds were inspired by Star Wars stormtroopers.
• Ive told The Wall Street Journal that he the “look of the original Stormtroopers in mind” when he created their look. Years later, the stormtroopers would be inspired by Apple.
• In a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, Star Wars: The Force Awakens costume designer Mark Kaplan revealed that he was inspired by Ive’s designs when creating the new stormtroopers of the First Order.
• “With the Stormtroopers it was more of a simplification, almost like, ‘What would Apple do?’” he said.
• Jony Ive also suggested the light saber hilt that ended up becoming a reality on Kylo Ren’s sword
• Jony Ive once sat next to J. J. Abrams at a boozy dinner party in New York, and made what Abrams recalled as "very specific" suggestions about the design of lightsabres. Abrams told me that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" would reflect those thoughts, but he wouldn’t say how.
• Ive argued that the lightsaber should look uneven. "I thought it would be interesting if it were less precise, and just a little bit more spitty," said Ive, adding that the new weapon could be "more analog and more primitive, and I think, in that way, somehow more ominous.”

• In a statement to The Verge, Apple confirmed both devices have been discontinued:
• “Today, we are simplifying our iPod lineup with two models of iPod touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod shuffle and iPod nano. The iPod touch is now available in 32GB and 128GB storage options, with the latter priced at $299.”
• Aside from the capacity increases, both devices are identical to those that were on sale yesterday.

• Why Apple’s making an iPhone Pro, a tech-packed cutting-edge phone that will showcase what Cupertino is capable of.  
• Genius Bar jackpot!  Aka, why the Genius Bar sometimes replaces your old broken tech for a brand new model.  
• Stick around for a super-powerful electric long board, a HomeKit-enabled ceiling fan, and pro-level keyboard case for your iPad Pro in an all-new Under Review 🤖

• Have you or a friend ever taken an old product into the Genius Bar, and had them replace that product with a brand new version?  Isn’t it great when that happens??
• Well it turns out it’s likely not cause Apple’s so nice.
• When Apple develops a new product, they can’t test for everything.
• When a problem surfaces, Apple may initiate what they call a "Field capture period”
• During this time, if Apple is investigating a problem with a product, and you bring in a product that exhibits the symptoms of that problem, they’ll give you a new piece of hardware, then send your device back to Cupertino to dissasemble and investigate.
• Certain kinds of sunscreens dissolving glue in Apple watch backs, causing the back to come off.

• the magic of HomePod!  We’ll tell you about the built-in audio tech that's getting even the most ardent audiophiles hyped about Apple’s new smart speaker.  
• Plus: why iPhone 8’s biggest features may be disabled at launch
• Why you can grab free Beats in Apple's new back to school promo without being in college
• The fascinating story behind Steve Jobs' iconic turtleneck
• More of iOS 11’s best unknown features
• And we wrap with the heart warming story of why Steve Jobs insisted on always buying Scott Forstall's lunch.

• Some of the iPhone 8’s biggest new features could be disabled when the handset makes its debut this September.
• According to Fast Company, there is “a sense of panic in the air” at Apple as engineers scramble to iron out software bugs that are affecting wireless charging and 3D facial recognition.
• For both features, the hardware is ready — but the software that controls the features is “not ready for prime time.”
• If Apple cannot fix the issues, wireless charging could be disabled when the iPhone 8 goes on sale this September. Users would then have to wait for a future iOS update for it to be enabled — just like Portrait Mode on iPhone 7 Plus, which wasn’t ready for launch last fall.
• Same goes for facial recognition, but this report says Apple will indeed include a touch ID sensor under the screen, so at least you’ll have that.

• Those who purchase a new iPad Pro — either the 10.5- or 12.9-inch models — will receive a free set of BeatsX wireless earphones worth $149.95. If you don’t want those, you can upgrade to the Powerbeats3 earphones for $50, or to the Solo3 headphones for $150.
• Those ballers purchasing a qualifying Mac will receive a free pair of Solo3 wireless headphones worth $299.95. Eligible machines include the MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro — but not the more affordable Mac mini, which hasn’t been updated in 1001 days.

• As was revealed in Walter Isaacson’s 2011 biography of Jobs, the Apple CEO was first inspired to wear his mock turtleneck uniform following an early 1980s trip to Japan. While there, he asked Sony chairman Akio Morita why everyone in the company’s factories wore uniforms. Jobs learned that this was a way of creating camaraderie between co-workers.
• Miyake created Sony’s uniforms, which Jobs loved. However, the Jobs could not persuade his colleagues that an Apple uniform was a good idea.
• As Jobs recalled, “I came back with some samples and told everyone it would be great if we would all wear these vests. Oh man, did I get booed off the stage. Everybody hated the idea.”
• However, the process led to Jobs becoming good friends with Miyake. When the Apple chief asked the designer to create a one-off uniform he could wear, Miyake created 100 black mock turtlenecks for him. Jobs adopted the unofficial uniform when he returned to Apple in the late 1990s, and was rarely spotted without it from that point on.
• Fashion designer Issey Miyake, creator of Steve Jobs’ iconic mock turtleneck, is launching a very similar shirt that will go on sale next month for $270.
• Although not exactly the same, the new creation — referred to as the Semi-Dull T — looks close enough to the now-discontinued original design

• According to Apple, its upcoming HomePod smart speaker will “reinvent the way we enjoy music” thanks to its seven-tweeter array, 4-inch woofer, and smart “spatial awareness” technology that lets it “read” its environment.
• HomePod  sets out to solve the problem of sound variability caused by a speaker’s physical location in a room. For instance, placing a speaker in the corner can cause a significant increase in radiated acoustic power at low frequencies. That results in muddy, bass-heavy sound.
• It utilizes a variety of microphones both inside and outside a sealed speaker enclosure. Onboard processing establishes the correct equalization filter, based on internal pressure levels, speaker displacement, external pressure and other data gathered by the microphone array.
• Comparing readings from its internal and external microphones allows the speaker Apple describes to dynamically alter its own calibration according to match the environment.
• Apple says its smart speaker will boast an impressive A8 processor and six external microphones

• Rather than painstakingly dragging individual app icons across the pages of your Home screen, iOS 11 lets you move multiple icons simultaneously
• You can also touch an app icon, then use your other hand to swipe to a different page to move the app

• If you wanted to capture iOS gameplay, or make a funny or informative GIF of on-screen action, you needed to download a third-party app or connect your device to a computer.
• With iOS 11, Apple baked in sweet functionality that lets you record your iPhone screen effortlessly.

• Developers coding for iOS 11 will be able to create apps that can read NFC tags!
• The NFC chip in the iPhone is currently only used to handle contactless Apple Pay transactions and Passbook check-ins, but a new framework called Core NFC allows developers to build apps that can read and write NFC tags (in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus).

• Will Apple manage to successfully embed Touch ID into the OLED display of the iPhone 8, or will it have to follow in the footsteps of Android device makers and opt for a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor?
• None of the above, claims well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a list of predictions he’s made for the next iPhone, Kuo claims Apple will skip Touch ID altogether for its next-gen handset.
• “We predict the OLED model [iPhone 8] won’t support fingerprint recognition,” Kuo writes. The reasons? The full-screen design doesn’t work with existing capacitive fingerprint recognition, and under-the-display fingerprint recognition tech still isn’t ready.

• The iPhone 8 might ditch Touch ID for 3-D facial scanning that could prove faster, easier and more secure than the fingerprint reader currently used for logins and payments.
• Apple is currently testing the 3-D face-scanning technology in iPhone prototypes that utilize a new 3-D sensor, according to Bloomberg. The new security system could be augmented by eye-scanning technology with the intent of replacing Touch ID, the report adds, citing anonymous “people familiar with the product.”
• One major production problem Apple faces with the OLED screen iPhone 8 is getting an under-screen fingerprint sensor to work. The technology just isn’t viable yet, according to various rumors, including a recent note from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities.
• The reported 3-D facial scanning tech in the iPhone 8 would analyze more data points than the current fingerprint sensor that powers Touch ID, according to Bloomberg, which offered more details on the tech being tested by Apple:
• • The sensor’s speed and accuracy are focal points of the feature. It can scan a user’s face and unlock the iPhone within a few hundred milliseconds, the person said. It is designed to work even if the device is laying flat on a table, rather than just close up to the face. The feature is still being tested and may not appear with the new device. However, the intent is for it to replace the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, according to the person. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

• In a new interview, Apple vice-president of product marketing Greg “Joz” Joswiak says the response to its augmented reality ARKit toolset from the developer community has been “unbelievable.”
• While he wouldn’t share details about a rumored standalone AR headset Apple has hundreds of engineers working on, Joswiak stressed how the widespread usage of Apple mobile devices has the opportunity to make augmented reality into a mainstream technology overnight
• Example of cool ARKit
• • Zeph McLearan put an Apple I in his office
  • Mixed reality Minecraft
  • The AR measuring tape
  • AR Kit reality portal

• Who is Bas Ording?
• One of the key design decisions that Apple’s Human Interface Team made early on while developing the iPhone was to go all in on big, simple gestures. They wanted to make a single, simple swipe accomplish as much as possible.
• It’s a bit ironic. After investing so much in multitouch technology, which relies on multiple touch inputs, one of Apple’s key edicts was to make as many gestures as possible work with a single finger.
• • “We worked super-hard on multitouch, but then we tried to make everything just work with one finger,” he said laughing.

• Steve Jobs on why product people should run IT companies
• Leander’s Jony Ive book
• Leander’s To Pixar and Beyond book review
• How this money man helped Steve Jobs turn Pixar into a powerhouse 

• Leander - Lofree Keyboard
• Erfon - Polar Pro Vivid and Shutter Phantom 4 filter collection
• Lewis - 10.5” iPad Pro

• iPod was ruling the world, it was 50% of Apple’s revenue.
• Apple had the wherewithal to realize it was only a matter of time before phones would do it all, and they realized they needed to build one.
• Well the iPod used a click wheel, so why not build a phone function into that?  It worked great, until they realized it wouldn’t work for dialing numbers.
• Steve Jobs realized their multitouch technology, which existed as rough demo, could be the key to controlling the iPhone.  But they’d had to shrink it.  The technology at the time consisted of  a ping-pong table-sized display with a projector shooting down onto it.  They had found their solution.

• Around 2005, Steve Jobs conveyed to Forstall and team that he hated the replacement iPhone proposals he was seeing, and that’s when he threatened to take the project away from them.  He gave the team two weeks to come up with a good design.
• The team went into overdrive. Working tirelessly.  Non stop.  They had to come up with an entire multitouch design language, touch interactions, like pinch to zoom and the rubber banding scroll.
• When the two weeks was up, they convened with Steve to show him their new work.
• He watched silently, stoic.
• And when the demo was over, Steve said, "let me see it again.”
• So once more they dived into their vision of the iPhone.
• And after they were through, Steve simply said: Good job guys.  He was blown away.

• One of the biggest challenges was the software keyboard.  They knew it’d be compared to what Blackberry had, so it had to be good.
• Unfortunately, in it’s current version, it was total crap.  Worse, the launch date was looming.
• Scott Forstall knew they were in the danger zone.  He pulled out all the stops.  He froze development on other apps and brought in all their UI developers, and told everyone: make a keyboard.
• Well three weeks later they all convened, and one by one they showed off their work.  Some of the examples were decent, some really complicated or strange.
• But one guy came up, and presented what looked like normal keyboard, but as he typed, they realized it was extremely accurate.  They were shocked.
• How could this be.  How was this working.
• The UI developer had built AI techniques into the keyboard to learn how you type, and as you did so, it could predict which letter you’d type next.
• And even though the key sizes on the keyboard didn’t change, but the hit region of your next likely key choice would grow, so even if you didn’t hit it on the head, the right key would still be input.

• Leander - Silicon Valley
• Buster - Vince Staples new album
• Erfon - Going Clear

• More of the powerful new iOS 11 features you’ve never heard of. 
• The talented app which will harnesses the power of Apple’s  new augmented reality features  
• Scott Forstall is back, and he’s sharing the bizarre story of how the original iPhone really came to be. 
• Everything you need to know about HEIF, the JPEG-killing format Apple is adopting
• Cliff jumping in our loin cloths

• Former iOS chief Scott Forstall is back from the dead.  In a rare appearance, he appeared an event Tuesday night at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, where he discussed the birth of the iPhone and his relationship with Steve Jobs.
• It’s  the first time he's spoken publicly since he was ousted from Apple in October 2012
• Forstall also spoke about the concept of skeuomorphic design, claiming he had "never heard of skeuomorphism" when he was working on iOS and that it sounded "unnatural”.
• • "When I look at design - when I look at good design - it's approachable, friendly, you can use it without a manual. It's fun. We talked a lot about photo-illustrative design. It was infused into the design sense of Apple by Steve Jobs since the original Mac. We used these design philosophies. It doesn't mean we loved it, or loved every single part of it. We know it worked. How do we know it worked? You just have to watch people use it.”
• Where things got really interesting is when Scott spoke about the origins of the iPhone.  The TRUE origins.
• Forstall claimed that before the iPhone was conceived, Jobs had initially wanted a tablet with capacitative touch and multitouch in order to get one over on someone he "hated" who worked at Microsoft.
• • "It began because Steve hated this guy at Microsoft. That is the actual origin," Forstall said, before adding that it wasn't Bill Gates. After hearing the person boast about Microsoft's tablet and stylus development, said Forstall, "Steve came in on a Monday, there was a set of expletives and then he said, 'Let's show them how it's really done'."

• Apple may have left a big clue in iOS 11 that points to huge design changes coming later this year to the iPhone 8.
• While doing some testing with the new Do Not Disturb When Driving feature, eagle-eyed Apple observers have spotted a new icon for Siri in iOS 11 that appears to be a perfect replacement for the Home button Apple is supposedly planning to ditch.
• The pseudo-Home button, first noticed by AppleInsider, can be found at the bottom of iPhones and iPads. It’s about the same size as the physical Home button, but doesn’t have a Touch ID ring around it.

• Ikea has revealed a few new details about its augmented reality collaboration with Apple that lets customers test out virtual pieces of furniture in their homes before they buy them.
• The app is scheduled to launch this fall alongside the official release of iOS 11. At launch, the app will boast 500-600 products that customers will be able to try out in their homes. This ultra-precise technology will allow them to be positioned on real backdrops in 3D with millimeter-accurate positioning.
• In a recent interview, Michael Valdsgaard, digital transformation manager at Ikea
• Ikea will aim to debut new products in the app before they arrive in store. He also said that Apple’s augmented reality platform was of interest to Ikea because of its guaranteed reach. “It will be the largest AR platform in the world overnight,” he said. “That’s super interesting to us.”

• JPEG was born in 1992
• As of iOS 11, most iPhones will be switching from JPEG to HEIF.
• HEIF is the new photo format that Apple is using to replace JPEG. And it probably will replace JPEGs, because the iPhone is the most popular, most-used camera in the world
• HEIF — or High Efficiency Image File Format — is the still-image version of the HVEC — or H.265 — video format. Its main advantage for you and me is that photos saved in HEIF are roughly half the size of JPEGs, and of better quality
• HEIF offers other advantages over JPEG. While a JPEG is a single image,  HEIF can be a single image or a sequence of images.

• When setting up a new iOS device, there's now an option to hold it near an existing device to automatically copy over settings, preferences, and iCloud Keychain.

• To use Automatic Setup in iOS 11, you need two devices running iOS 11To start the process, you aim the camera at the moving sphere on your old device’s screen.  Just like Apple Watch.

• After choosing your WiFI network, the iPhone user is greeted with the traditional password screen, but on iOS 11 when the iPhone is brought near your iOS 11 device, a card your device notifies you that the iPhone wants to join you network.
•  You can then tap and send your password to your guest, which recognizes the password, fills out the information, and connect to the Wi-Fi.

• After selecting a WiFi network to join, iOS 10 users must enter a password for secured networks, but on iOS 11 and High Sierra, you can bring your close to a device which has access to that WiFi network and that device can transfer all required credentials directly to your connecting device!

• Reviews for the new iPad Pro and HomePod are bonkers
• Someone in the Apple supply chain just accidentally leaked some of iPhone 8’s marquee features
• Speed tests show a big improvement in the new MacBook Pro
• Apple finally offers us iCloud Storage sharing
• Our favorite unannounced iOS 11 features
• And we’ll tell you what we like (and don’t) about the apps and gadgets we’re currently testing in an all-new Under Review!

• Apple supplier Largan has confirmed it will be shipping its new 3D sensors in time for iPhone 8, while another has confirmed waterproofing and wireless charging technology.
• Largan’s sensors are capable of carrying out facial and iris recognition and provide an alternative to fingerprint scanning. They could be the solution Apple turns to if it is unable to embed a Touch ID scanner beneath the iPhone 8’s display.
• iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models are already splash- and water-resistant with an IP67 rating, but Apple's fine print warns that "splash, water, and dust resistance are not permanent conditions and resistance might decrease as a result of normal wear." iPhone water damage is not covered by Apple's warranties. 
• But in Wednesday's shareholders meeting, [Robert] Hwang, [Wistron CEO] told reporters that the Assembly process for the previous generations of [iPhones] have not changed much, though new features like waterproof and wireless charging now require some different testing, and waterproof function will alter the assembly process a bit,” 
• A report earlier this year said Apple's next iPhone models will feature improved IP68-rated water resistance (30 minutes in up to 3 feet of water)

• Apple this week refreshed its MacBook Pro lineup with Intel's seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors, and early benchmarks for the notebooks suggest the 2017 models are up to 20 percent faster than the equivalent 2016 models equipped with Intel's sixth-generation Skylake processors. 
• Only about a 30% improvement over 2012/2013 MacBook Pros...

• One of the big improvements of the new iPad Pro is its new variable refresh rate display, which Apple calls ProMotion, and means that it can run at 120Hz, or twice as fast as previous displays. It can also cycle down to 24Hz on still images.
• ARS has praised the new ProMotion by saying that it makes it easier to read text and scroll simultaneously, with the “ghosting” effect you get at 60Hz greatly reduced
• What everyone agrees on is that the new A10x processor is blazingly fast
• Smart keyboard is getting mixed reviews. Some saying it feels flimsy and unsatisfying to type on.
• Uses the newest Touch ID.
• Dramatically better antireflection coating.
• About 30% faster than 9.7inch iPad Pro, even more on multicore Geekbench tests I saw. Export times in Garage Band almost halved in some cases.
• Way better front (7MPX) and back cameras (12MPX), especially from the previous 12inch which had a 1.2 MPX camera.
• Fuller, better sounding external speakers
• iPad finally feels "pro"

• A few websites have now gotten the chance to hear how HomePod sounds in a quiet environment, and they're sharing their opinions online. 
• Mashable: The audio wasn't just loud — filling a room with sound, good or bad, is easy — it was rich.
• • Mashable noted that Apple had in-room comparisons with its competitors, including Sonos Play:3 and Amazon Echo, and that the HomePod easily beat the two other speakers in pure music playback quality.
• CNET: HomePod came off as bolder and more vivid than Sonos Play:3 in the [listening] experience, and a lot better than Amazon Echo. I'd also say the music sounded consistently vivid and crisp in a quiet space
• What HiFi: We also heard a pair of HomePods playing a live recording of Hotel California by The Eagles. The attention to detail was striking, with different instruments sounding discretely realised.
• Engadget called HomePod's audio "incredible,”
• if listening to the HomePod was like listening to a CD, then audio through the Echo sounded like AM radio.

• Following the WWDC keynote, Apple updated and simplified its iCloud storage tiers
• • 50GB: $0.99
  • 200GB: $2.99
  • 2TB: $9.99 (updated from 1TB)
• Apple is offering an option to share a 200GB or 2TB iCloud storage plan with family members, which is perhaps the reason behind the price drop. 
• Google Photos offers free backup for photos and videos.  Or you can back up via Plex premium.

• Automatically offload unused apps if you’re low on storage.

• AirPods will soon be able to skip forwards and backwards between tracks with a double tap of either earpiece, thanks to a new additional setting in iOS 11. 
• It’ll be possible to customize the AirPods so that a double tap on one earpiece skips, while double tapping on on the other earpiece goes to the previous track. 

• Yuneec Typhoon H 
• Lake Coloring App for iPhone and iPad 
• Espin Bikes 
• Espin bike deal Leander mentioned on Gilt 

• More powerful Kaby Lake processors
• 32GB of desktop-class RAM for 15-inch MacBook Pro
• Price slash for 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar which hasn’t been selling well per Ming Chi Kuo

• Shipping times for the 15-inch model have slipped on the Apple online store
• It seems strange that shipping times would suddenly slip for a product that’s been on sale since October.
• “A spot check shows 15-inch MacBook Pro delivery estimates are similarly as long in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, and several other countries,” reports MacRumors.

• It’s been over a year since Apple has updated its the portable 12-inch MacBook.  Now would be a good time.

• Bloomberg reported earlier in May that Apple is “considering” updating the MacBook Pro with a newer processor because sales of the machine have continued to be “surprisingly strong.” Who knows what processor it’ll get or what (if any ) other upgrades (like as USB-C or a new display) might be included.

• Apple announced earlier this year that they are hard at work on new pro-level desktop machines, but don’t expect to see anything at WWDC. The company made it clear that the new Mac Pro is in the works, but they also gave a spec bump to the current line.
• It is possible we may see an announcement about the pro-level iMacs they talked about, especially considering it hasn’t been updated since Oct. 2015!  Maybe we’ll get some Kaby lake chips.

• KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo thinks there’s a good chance Apple will debut its 10.5-inch iPad Pro at this year’s event.
• But if it will be using a new design language similar to the iPhone 8, it probably won’t be revealed until after the new iPhones.

• Apple’s grand unveiling of its Siri-powered home speaker could come as soon as next week, according to a new report that claims production on the new device is already underway.
• “The device will differ from Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Home speakers by offering virtual surround sound technology and deep integration with Apple’s product lineup,” reports Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
• If Apple does announce the speaker at WWDC don’t expect it to be available immediately. The report claims that units won’t ship until later this year, giving devs plenty of time to integrate their applications with it.

• Apple has registered a bunch of new products with the Eurasian Economic Commission ahead of WWDC next week.
• Its filings hint at the imminent arrival of new Macs, iPads, and a refreshed Magic Keyboard.
• The company has registered five new Macs with the EEC
• Another four model numbers are associated with iOS 10, which likely ties them to new iPad Pros. Possibly also the 10.5-inch model
• Finally, there’s a model number that points to a wireless keyboard. It’s been well over 19 months since Apple introduced the original Magic Keyboard, so we could well see a refreshed model with some minor improvements under the hood.

• Rumors point to a big iPhone 8 price hike.  What’s the max you would pay? 
• Intel makes a huge move to push Thunderbolt into the mainstream
• Ikea about to drop tons of great HomeKit gadgets on us
• DJI’s Spark selfie drone is a compact powerhouse
• And we’ll tell you about the weird and whacky gadgets we’re reviewing in an all-new Under Review!

• Rumors that the iPhone 8 may come with a $1,000 price tag are seemingly backed-up by a new report claiming that components for the next-gen handset will be considerably higher than those for its predecessor.
• According to China’s Economic Daily News, the 3D Touch module alone for the iPhone 8 will cost 150 percent more than the comparable module for the current LCD iPhone.
• As per a recent report from Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski, the 128GB iPhone 8 will sell for $999, while the 256GB version will set users back a whopping $1,099. This means that the iPhone 8 could represent a significant 25 percent price jump from the iPhone 7.
• Include AirPods?

• Every manufacturer that uses it has to pay royalties to Intel, which means you typically find it exclusively in expensive, high-end machines.
• Intel has confirmed plans to drop Thunderbolt royalties in an effort to boost adoption. The chip-maker also plans to integrate Thunderbolt 3 into its own processors starting next year, eliminating the need for a dedicated controller.
• Thunderbolt has become the ultimate standard for connecting peripherals to your computer, thanks to its incredibly high bandwidth and versatility. Thunderbolt 3’s 40Gbps speeds let you transfer a full 4K movie in just 30 seconds.
• USB 3 is only 10GBPS!

• During the summer and early fall, IKEA will be adding functionality to its smart lighting range by enabling people to voice control their lighting with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and to set up and adjust lighting using Apple’s Home app and Siri voice commands. This takes IKEA one step closer to making smart home technology accessible for the many.

• DJI unveiled the new Spark drone at an event in NYC this morning where the tiny flying camera impressed watchers with some innovative new features like the ability to be controlled without using a remote.
• The Spark packs a 1/2.3” CMOS sensor that captures 12 megapixel photos and shoots stabilized HD 1080p videos so you can get super smooth shots. It also comes with new shooting modes you won’t find yet on the Mavic or Phantom 4: Pano and ShallowFocus.
• Flight time on the Spark is around 16 minutes per battery with a range of 1.2 miles. Pricing for the basic kit starts at $499, or you can get the Fly More bundle with two batteries, extra propellers and prop guards and a carrying case for $699.
• QuickShot Intelligent Flight Modes for taking cool selfie vids
• QuickShot automatically captures a 10-second clip intended for social media sharing

• Apple hasn’t released new hardware at a WWDC keynote since 2013, but the company is allegedly planning to unveil a new lineup of MacBooks, according to a report that claims the new machines will pack Intel’s new Kaby Lake processor to bring more speed than ever.
• Three new laptops will debut at WWDC 2017, claims Bloomberg, citing “people familiar with the matter.” Both the MacBook Pro and 12-inch MacBook will be updated with new Intel chips.
• Apple is also supposedly considering updating the 13-inch MacBook Air with a new processor, too, which would be quite a surprise as most observers assumed the machine was on its last legs now that the MacBook and MacBook Pro are thinner. Sales of the old MacBook Air remain “surprisingly strong” due to its cheap price tag, claims one of the report’s sources.
• What features needed to make the machine exciting again
• Shows Apple may be getting about making Mac great again.

• Meager performance gains aren’t all Apple’s fault
• Chipmakers in past years focused on increasing performance by raising the clock frequency. But that made chips power hungry, and their focus shifted to adding cores, which boosted performance but also added battery life to laptops. Then the focus turned to integrating technologies like graphics and I/O buses inside processors. Gaming and virtual reality have brought a focus back to raw CPU performance.
• The performance improvements from Skylake to Kaby Lake topped out at 15 percent. The CPU performance boost for Cannonlake should be at least that, Intel said.
• The gaming market is exploding, especially eSports, and demand for high-performance Core i7 chips skyrocketed last year
• Intel may be trying to catch up with AMD, which is boasting a 40 percent performance improvement for its upcoming Ryzen chips.

• Apple’s Amazon Echo rival standalone Siri speaker will come with a touch-sensitive display, claims KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
• In a note to clients over the weekend, Kuo suggested that the Siri home speaker will have a “touch panel,” although it’s not known whether this will be a full-on screen or a simpler touch-based interface of some sort.

• You may have heard that Tim Cook recently announced a $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund in an interview with Mad Money’s Jim Cramer at Apple Campus, he said the goal was to push “people to do advanced manufacturing in the United States.”
• Rather than pulling from its enormous pile of overseas cash, Apple is borrowing the money for its $1 billion fund since that is cheaper than paying to repatriate its foreign money pile.
• Apple has awarded Corning the first grant of its $1 billion investment aimed at boosting high-tech manufacturing jobs in the United States. The glassmaker will receive $200 million.
• Apple’s contribution is part of its “Advanced Manufacturing Fund” will support Corning’s R&D, capital equipment needs, and state-of-the-art glass processing.

• It’s official, the WWDC keynote takes place June 5th, so here are our hardware expectations 🕺
• Apple quietly acquires one of the world’s best sleep tracking technologies
• Why Amazon’s Prime video app may FINALLY be coming to your Apple TV
• Our first impressions of the Amazon Echo Show, and the features we hope Apple steals from it
• And stick around for a completely weird, totally tribal What We’re Into, the segment where we reveal the all the non-tech stuff we’re currently enjoying.

• The invites are out!  The WWDC keynote you’ve been waiting for us coming in three weeks, on June 5 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

• Apple recently purchased Beddit, a sleep monitoring system that pairs a pliable under-sheet sleep sensor with an app, all of which is designed to help users analyze and improve their sleeping habits.
• Apple's Beddit purchase came to light because Beddit updated its privacy policy to both highlight the acquisition and implement Apple's privacy rules. "Your personal data will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy Policy," reads the site.

• Apple and Amazon, the tech giants, are close to an agreement to bring an Amazon video app to Apple’s Apple TV set-top box, according to people familiar with the two companies.
• Amazon employees expect the app to show up on Apple’s hardware in the third quarter of the year.
• That move would allow Amazon Prime Video subscribers to easily watch TV shows and movies from the service using Apple TV.
• It’s unclear what got the two companies to reach an agreement, though some industry observers suggest that any pact would have been worked out, at a high level, by CEOs Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos.

• Amazon’’s new Echo Show is just like Echo, but with Video.  You’re gonna just love video.  It’s like a audio  but for your eyes!
• With Echo Show Watch video flash briefings and YouTube, see music lyrics, security cameras, photos, weather forecasts, to-do and shopping lists, and more. All hands-free—just ask.
• Introducing a new way to be together. Make hands-free video calls to friends and family who have an Echo Show or the Alexa App, and make voice calls to anyone who has an Echo or Echo Dot.
• See lyrics on-screen with Amazon Music. Just ask to play a song, artist or genre, and stream over Wi-Fi. Also, stream music on Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and more.
• Powerful, room-filling speakers with Dolby processing for crisp vocals and extended bass response
• Ask Alexa to show you the front door or monitor the baby's room with compatible cameras from Ring and Arlo. Turn on lights, control thermostats and more with WeMo, Philips Hue, ecobee, and other compatible smart home devices.

• Apple’s secret Siri speaker may be announced at WWDC—we’ll tell you everything (we think) we know about it.  
• Why AirPods are the best product Apple’s made in years
• Why Microsoft’s MacBook clone is actually great for Apple fans
• We deconstruct and decode Tim Cook’s mysterious and quickly deleted accidental tweet, and you’ll be shocked at the truth!

• Earlier this week, we heard the company is currently in the process of finalizing the design of its first standalone Siri device, which is expected to take on the Amazon Echo. Now we have an idea what it might look like and when it could be revealed.
• Apple's Siri-based smart speaker and home hub has an "over 50 percent chance" of being announced at WWDC, according to our homeboy Ming Chi Kuo.
• Kuo said Apple's smart home product will likely launch in the second half of 2017 and cost more than the Amazon Echo, $179. The device will supposedly support AirPlay with "excellent acoustics performance" from one woofer and seven tweeters. Kuo said its performance will be similar to the iPhone 6/6s.
• Last week, leaker Sonny Dickson likewise said Apple's smart speaker could be announced as early as WWDC. He said the device will run a variation of iOS with unspecified Beats technology, in addition to a Mac Pro-like concave top with built-in controls and speaker meshing covering the majority of its surface.
• A report from The Information said Apple's smart home speaker would be able to control appliances, locks, lights, and curtains through Siri voice commands. It added that some of the prototypes in testing have facial recognition sensors

• Digitimes is reporting that Inventec, the Taiwan company that makes Apple’s popular AirPods, received Apple’s order for the the Siri Smart speaker,

• Apple is busy working on innovative tech like the ability for Siri to recognize individual users’ voices, according to a recently-published patent application from Apple.

• AirPods are the most beloved product Apple has launched in years, based on a new survey that found an astonishing percentage of AirPod owners are extremely satisfied.
• In a newly published study conducted by Creative Strategies and Experian, a total of 98 percent of AirPod owners said they are either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with Apple’s new wireless buds. Over 80 percent of customers said they are very satisfied.

• Microsoft’s new Surface Laptop, with its sleek design and a super-sharp display, might look like a worthy competitor to the MacBook
• Starting at $999, the Surface Laptop ships with an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a battery that lasts up to 14.5 hours in between charges.
• Windows 10 S only runs apps downloaded from the Windows Store!  But uou can upgrade to Windows Pro for $50.

• Apple CEO Tim Cook set Twitter ablaze with speculation today — and all it took was a simple smiley face emoji.
• Cook sent out a tweet with just a smiley face emoji this morning. No other context was provided, and the tweet got deleted shortly later, leading Apple fans on Twitter to wonder what the most powerful man in tech was really trying to say.

• Apple stores are about to get a massive 2.0 overhaul, and we’ve got all the details
• Why the iPhone 8 may launch super late with no OLED
• Final Cut Pro X hits a massive milestone
• Google co-founder makes a flying car, and you’re gonna want one! 
• We reveal our favorite new gadgets in an all new Under Review 🕺

• Apple analyst KGI Ming-Chi Kuo is reporting that mass production of the OLED iPhone will likely be pushed back to October/November, instead of the normal August/September timeframe because suppliers are having difficulties producing several of the phone’s cutting edge custom-ordered parts.
• The moderately reliable Makotakara is reporting that device is also claiming the phone will be delayed, and that the OLED upgrade we’ve been looking forward to isn’t a sure thing yet.

• At this week’s annual National Association of Broadcasters conference, Apple revealed that it now has 2 million users of its Final Cut Pro X video-editing software, five years after launching the tenth version of the program.
• At $299 for a license, that’s a cool 600 million dollars.
• Apple’s rep added that it is taken considerably less time for Apple to jump for 1 million to 2 million users than it did for the company to reach its first million adopters.

• Angela Ahrendts was hired as Apple’s VP of retail just about 3.5 years ago, and she’s now unveiling her vision for the future of the Apple store.
• Apple wants to make their stores to be a place where you can engage with your devices and your communities.  A place to meet your friends, like at Starbucks!  says VP of Retail Angela Ahrendts.
• Apple is bringing new “hands on” sessions to its stores, enlisting artists, Mac experts and celebrities in a bid to make its retail outlets more engaging.
• The new Today at Apple initiative will launch next month in Apple stores everywhere. The initiative includes free hands-on sessions that will span more than 60 sessions in creative skills, including photography, coding and music creation. Classes will range from basic “how to” lessons to professional-level programs.
• "Amazon’s investing in stores, Google’s investing in stores. Starbucks has figured it out.  You know, be a gathering place. Meet me at Starbucks.  And I’ve told the teams, I’ll know we’ve done a really really great job if the next generation, if gen Z says, meet me at Apple.  Did you see what’s going on at Apple today?”

• Forget self-driving cars. A startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page is aiming to reshape transportation by giving us flying cars, and the company finally gave the internet a teaser today.
• Kitty Hawk posted the first video of its all-electric aircraft today. The vehicle is only designed to fly over water, but the company says you won’t even need a pilot’s license to fly it.
• The Kitty Hawk Flyer will supposedly go on sale by the end of 2017. Pricing details won’t be revealed until later in the year, but you can get in line to purchase one by signing up for a three-year Kitty Hawk membership for $100.
• Members also get a $2,000 discount on the Flyer as well as some exclusive access to a flight simulator. We’re assuming that’s so you don’t wreck it on your first flight.

• In its report on the new iPhone 8, Bloomberg corroborates many previous rumors about the next-gen iPhone, but suggests that more “ambitious” features may be scaled back or ditched due to manufacturing problems.
• According to the report, and as we’ve discussed on the show, Apple is preparing three iPhones for launch. Two will simply be updated versions of the current iPhone, while the high-end model will sport a totally revamped look.
• Apple is testing a premium version with a screen that covers almost the entire front of the device.  That results in a display slightly larger than that of an iPhone y Pus but with an overall phone size closer to the iPhone 7.
• The updated lower-end model iPhones will stick with LCD displays and get fewer hardware updates.
• "One of the latest prototype designs includes symmetrical, slightly curved glass on the front and the back. The curves are similar in shape to those on the front of the iPhone 7. The new OLED screen itself is flat, while the cover glass curves into a steel frame. The design is similar conceptually to the iPhone 4 from 2010”
• "Apple also tested a more ambitious prototype with the same slightly curved front and steel frame, but a glass back with more dramatic curves on the top and bottom like the original iPhone design from 2007, one of the people said. “
• "Apple suppliers have so far struggled to reliably produce heavily curved glass in mass quantities, so the company is more likely to ship the version with more subdued curves”
• "Significant camera changes are also in testing for Apple’s overhauled iPhone. For the back of the phone, Apple is testing versions of the phone with the dual-camera system positioned vertically, instead of horizontally like on the iPhone 7 Plus, which could result in improved photos,”
• “Apple has … experimented with integrating the iPhone’s fingerprint scanner into the screen of the OLED version, which would be technically challenging, the people said”.  TouchID on the back?

• A new photo from leaker Sonny Dickson of what is believed to be iPhone 8 schematics reveals a surprising new design direction.
• Apple appears to have done away with the smooth curves we’ve come to expect from its smartphones in recent years, opting instead for sharper edges and flat sides. This image suggests the next iPhone will be much like the iPhone 5, only bigger.
• The shell seen in the photo above carries the same flat sides as the iPhone 5, with what appear to be chamfered edges. Cutouts for two rear-facing cameras get stacked one on top of the other, near the trademark Apple logo and a rear-facing Touch ID button.
• It looks like the frame shown in the leaked iPhone 8 schematics was designed to hold flat glass, not a curved display like those used by Samsung.

• The California DMV updated its website today adding Apple to the list of 30 companies testing self-driving cars in California, including Tesla, Google, VW, Ford, Mercedes Benz and BMW.
• Don’t get your hopes up on seeing a car made by Apple anytime soon though. A DMV spokesperson informed the Financial Times that Apple is licensed to test three 2015 Lexus RX450h cars with six drivers.

• Official new Nvidia drivers make your Mac compatible with the best GPUs on the market!
• A mole gives us our best look yet at what it’s really like to work in an iPhone factory
• Apple has a secret team working on ‘breakthrough’ diabetes treatment with the Apple Watch
• The saga of Ron Wayne, the forgotten Apple co-founder who traded his 22 billion dollars of Apple stock for just $800.

• NVIDIA today released new drivers that make its Pascal graphics cards compatible with a Mac.
• The drivers support all 10 Series GPUs, including the GTX 1050 through GTX 1080 Ti, and the newly-announced GTX Titan Xp.
• Until now, however, you had to settle for older 9 Series cards.
• Now the newest cards, from the GTX 950 to the GTX Titan Xp, are supported

• In Apple lore, Ron Wayne is the man who threw away winning lottery ticket.
• It’s April 12, 1976: Apple’s third co-founder, a former Atari colleague of Steve Wozniak’s named Ron Wayne, is cashing in his 10% of Apple shares for $800.
• Hell of a nice guy.
• Drew Apple’s original logo.
• Wayne also wrote up the first contract in Apple’s history, solidifying what all three co-founders would do. Wozniak was to be in charge of electrical engineering, Jobs was responsible for marketing, and Wayne would oversee mechanical engineering and documentation.
• “I was 40 and these kids were in their 20s,” Wayne told Cult of Mac, referring to Wozniak and Steve Jobs. “They were whirlwinds — it was like having a tiger by the tail. If I had stayed with Apple I probably would have wound up the richest man in the cemetery.”
• “He was a very focused fellow,” Wayne told me. “You never wanted to be between him and where he wanted to go, or you’d find footprints on your forehead. To put it simply, if you had your choice between Steve Jobs and an ice cube, you’d nuzzle up to the ice cube for warmth. But that’s what it took for him to turn Apple into what it became.”
• When asked about passing on Apple, he said: Just pick yourself up and move on. I didn’t want to waste my tomorrows bemoaning my yesterdays.
• Today, Ronald Wayne resides in a $150,000 house in Pahrump, Nevada, a unincorporated town about 16 miles west of Las Vegas. Aged 80, he lives on his Social Security checks and money made selling rare coins and stamps over the Internet.

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

This week:

• We’ve found even MORE of the weirdest and wackiest Apple products that time forgot
• The best new features in iOS 10.3 and macOS 10.12.4.
• Rumors mills say Apple may resurrect the PowerBook!
• iPhone 8 rumors point to a backside TouchID
• The sources of Steve Jobs best one-liners
• A wobbly British guy tries to ski

• one of the first Macs to be designed by Jony Ive, and it paved the way for the vertical design of computer that forms today's iMacIt looked like a movie prop.  The beautiful machine every 90s CEO would covet.
• April 1, 1996 marked 20 years since the day that Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne came together to form Apple Computer, and they decided to release the 20th Anniversary Mac to celebrate this momentous occasion.
• It featured a a TV/FM tuner, an S-Video input card, and a custom-made Bose sound system including two "Jewel” speakers, and a subwoofer built into the externally located power supply "base unit”.
• Upon unveiling, the TAM was predicted to cost US$9,000, which would include a direct-to-door concierge delivery service. At release the price was reduced to $7,499.  Problem was, it similar performance as the PowerMac 6500, a machine costing just $2,999.
• In the middle of its sales' lifespan Apple dropped the price further to around US$3,500, and finally upon discontinuation in March 1998 the price was set to US$1,995. Customers who paid full price for the TAM, and then complained to Apple when the price was so drastically cut, were offered a free high-end Powerbook as compensation.

 

 

TimeBand

It's hard to imagine, but there was actually a time when the Apple freely shared its concepts with the world. In 1991, under the leadership of John Scully, Apple shared a bunch of design concepts with a Japanese magazine called Axis.

 

One of the strange products included in the spread was a wearable wrist computer called TimeBand.

Like an iPad mini living on your wrist!

 

 

The beautiful, the portable, Apple PowerCD

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Apple_PowerCD.jpg

 

Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad is more affordable than ever

http://www.cultofmac.com/472635/apples-9-7-inch-ipad-is-now-more-affordable/

• Apple has announced the upcoming launch of a new app designed to make it fun and easy for people to create and share “expressive videos” on their iPhone and iPads.
• Called Clips, the social app will work by combining video clips, photos and music into videos that can be shared with friends through the Messages app, or using Instagram, Facebook and other popular social networks.
• Live titles are text captions created by what you say in the video timed to when you say the words
• You can splice in soundtracks
• Video is cropped to square
• App recognize faces of people if they’re tagged in your Photos app
• Also names spoken in your video if they’re in your contacts, and will suggest you share videos with those friends.

This week: Apple’s about to overhaul the iPad, and it’s long overdue!  Plus: why Steve Jobs was cool with your kids using an iPad, but not his own; how the technology we love might be making us all stupid;  and we wrap up with an all new CultCast Choices, the game of great gifts with strange side effects...

This episode supported by

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• Apple will announce its next-generation iPad lineup next month during its very first event at Apple Park, according to a new report.
• Sources say that production of the new 10.5-inch iPad Pro has been brought forward for the launch. The device is expected to be accompanied by an updated 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a more affordable 9.7-inch iPad.
• Apple “is expected to unveil the new iPad at a product event to be held in early April to mark the inauguration of Apple’s new headquarters in California,”
• The new 10.5″ iPad would have the exact same resolution as the 12.9″ iPad Pro (2732 x 2048), but the same pixel density of the iPad mini (326 ppi instead of 264 ppi). Crunch the numbers, do a little Pythagorean Theorem, and you end up with a screen 10.5″ diagonal

• Device logs obtained by mobile marketing firm Fiksu appear to show that four different iPad models are currently being tested in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Just because four model numbers have been discovered doesn’t mean Apple will release four different iPads this month.
• Last year, Fiksu saw new device model names pop up in its logs about a month before the new iPads were announced.

When Steve Jobs was running Apple, he was known to call journalists to either pat them on the back for a recent article or, more often than not, explain how they got it wrong. I was on the receiving end of a few of those calls. But nothing shocked me more than something Mr. Jobs said to me in late 2010 after he had finished chewing me out for something I had written about an iPad shortcoming.

• New York Times reporter Nick Bilton said he once assumingly asked Jobs, “So your kids must love the iPad?”
• “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”
• “Every evening Steve made a point of having dinner at the big long table in their kitchen, discussing books and history and a variety of things,”
• Since then, I’ve met a number of technology chief executives and venture capitalists who say similar things: they strictly limit their children’s screen time, often banning all gadgets on school nights, and allocating ascetic time limits on weekends.
• Evan Williams, a founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium, and his wife, Sara Williams, said that in lieu of iPads, their two young boys have hundreds of books (yes, physical ones) that they can pick up and read anytime.
• Ali Partovi, a founder of iLike and adviser to Facebook, Dropbox and Zappos, said " I wouldn’t dream of limiting how much time a kid can spend with her paintbrushes, or playing her piano, or writing, I think it’s absurd to limit her time spent creating computer art, editing video, or computer programming,”

• The CIA loses control of its iPhone hacking arsenal!
• Computer crooks turn your gadgets against you.
• Why iPhone 8 may arrive later than you hoped.
• Our favorite routers to replace your Apple Airport.
• The non-Apple gear we’re currently obsessing over! It’s all-new, overdue, What We’re Into 💪🏼

This episode supported by 

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

WikiLeaks: CIA lost control of its iPhone hacking arsenal

• The Central Intelligence Agency has been using malware to spy on iPhone and Android users, according to the largest-ever publication of confidential documents from WikiLeaks — and the spy tools are now in the hands of others.
• “This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA.”
• As part of a covert hacking program, the CIA created a “malware arsenal” and dozens of “zero day exploits” to infiltrate smartphones, tablets and even smart TVs to extract data and turn them into covert microphones.
• But the agency recently lost controls of these tools. Those who have obtained them now have “the entire hacking capacity of the CIA” at their disposal, according to WikiLeaks.
• At the end of 2016, the CIA’s hacking division was made up of more than 5,000 “registered users” who had produced over a thousand tools to infiltrate target devices throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States.
• iOS devices were also a major target. The CIA created and obtained tools from GCHQ, NSA, FBI and contractors like Baitshop that allowed them to bypass the encryption used by apps like WhatsApp and Telegram and collect audio and text message data.

• Although Google’s Android dominates the worldwide smartphone market, the CIA concentrated on Apple’s iOS because of its popularity among global elites, WikiLeaks reports.
• Despite iPhone’s minority share (14.5%) of the global smart phone market in 2016, a specialized unit in the CIA’s Mobile Development Branch produces malware to infest, control and exfiltrate data from iPhones and other Apple products running iOS, such as iPads.
• The disproportionate focus on iOS may be explained by the popularity of the iPhone among social, political, diplomatic and business elites.

Curved OLED displays will be exclusive to premium iPhone 8

http://www.cultofmac.com/470593/youll-pay-5-8-inch-oled-iphone-8/

• http://www.cultofmac.com/471109/2017s-iphone-edition-launch-late-oled-display-not-sure-thing/
• We’ve all been calling it the iPhone 8 for months, but according to a new report out of Japan, Apple’s tenth anniversary smartphone will be named “iPhone Edition.”
• Apple is expected to deliver improved versions of its 4.7- and 5.5-inch devices, plus a more premium model with a 5.8-inch OLED display. According to Japanese blog Macotakara, which has been accurate in the past, this handset will be named iPhone Edition.
• Although it will almost certainly be unveiled in September alongside its siblings, it is believed the iPhone Edition won’t go on sale until later in the year. Apple is said to be experimenting with various prototypes of the device, each with a different display setup.
• The report suggests that Apple is still a long way away from deciding on a final design for the iPhone Edition, though it has nailed down a few features — including wireless charging and a dual camera setup similar to that of iPhone 7 Plus.That's all the CultCast we've got for you this week

This week: 

• Tim Cook promises to make Apple “Pro" again!  We discuss.
• iPhone ditching Lightning for USB C
• Spotify about to go Hi-Fi
• Why your next iPhone screen might read your fingerprints
• Leander pitches a new favorite pair of Bluetooth headphones
• The best iPhone bumper case in the land!

This episode supported by

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• iPhones may boast USB-C connectors, claims a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
• What’s not clear from the report is whether this would mean abandoning Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector in favor of USB-C or simply switching out the USB-A plug at the end of the cable for USB-C.
• Apple adopter the Lightning connector with 2012’s iPhone 5
• The WSJ report also adds another voice to the growing number of stories claiming that Apple will release three different iPhones in 2017: two LCD “s” cycle iPhones, and an extra-high-end iPhone 8 to mark the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.

This week: 

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• If you were hoping Apple had developed a spectacular new wireless charging system for iPhone 8, you’re going to be disappointed come September.
• A new rumor claims that Apple won’t be using range charging technology developed by Energous as previously expected, but instead one of the existing solutions already found in rival smartphones like those made by Samsung.
• Adding fuel to that fire, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission has only recently approved a version of Energous technology that delivers very low power over just a few inches.
• The iPhone would require higher levels of power and a wider range. A solution that meets these requirements is yet to be approved by the FCC.

• According to a new report, the company currently has not one or two, but five different groups inside Apple currently working to develop wireless charging technology for future iPhones.

• Apple has used Sony’s camera sensors in a number of iPhones, including the new dual-lens cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus.
• Sony unveiled the new senor during a lecture at the 2017 International Solid-State Circuits Conference capable of shooting 19.3MP still images at a frame rate of 120 fps. It can shoot 960fps video in 1080p. The iPhone 7 only shoots 120fps video in 720p.

• Apple will host a March event to introduce a new iPad Pro lineup and other products, according to Japanese website Mac Otakara.
• In terms of the iPad Pro lineup, the report claims Apple will announce new 7.9-inch, 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch, and 12.9-inch models. The 10.5-inch model may not ship until May, while the other sizes are said to ship in March.
• If the report is accurate, it could mean has Apple plans to refresh the iPad mini 4 with a new 7.9-inch iPad Pro version, update its existing 9.7-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pros, and introduce an all-new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, which is has been rumored to feature an edge-to-edge display without a Home button.

• Apple’s enormous new spaceship campus finally has an official name: Apple Park.
• First conceived in 2011 by Steve Jobs, Apple Park has been under construction since 2013 and is rumored to have cost Apple upwards of $5 billion.
• The 175-acre plot will open for business in April, although work won’t officially be completed until late summer.
• campus’ 1,000-seat auditorium will be named the Steve Jobs Theater as a tribute to the company’s co-founder.
• “Opening later this year, the entrance to the 1,000-seat auditorium is a 20-foot-tall glass cylinder, 165 feet in diameter, supporting a metallic carbon-fiber roof,” Apple said in a press release.
• “The Steve Jobs Theater is situated atop a hill — one of the highest points within Apple Park — overlooking meadows and the main building” 
• The campus will house around 12,000 Apple employees,
• And includes a new $75 million gym.

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Apple Vowed to Revolutionize Television. An Inside Look at Why It Hasn’t

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-16/apple-vowed-to-revolutionize-television-an-inside-look-at-why-it-hasn-t

• The new Apple TV will be capable of streaming 4K content and more vivid colors.

 

AAPL shares close at new all-time high

http://www.cultofmac.com/467231/aapl-shares-close-new-time-high/

• Thanks to an improved rating from Wall Street investment firm Goldman Sachs, Apple shares have been on the rise this week. Today shares were trading above the previous intra-day record high of $134.54 set on April 28, 2015.
• IPO December 12, 1980 at $22 a share.
• 100 shares would have cost you $2200
• Since the IPO, the stock has split four times, including three 2-for-1 splits and one 7-for-1 split
• Your 100 shares would have multiples to  5600 shares.
• You initial $2200 investment would now be worth 759,136.
• By comparison, a $2,200 investment in the S&P 500 in the same time would have netted you about $79,000
• If you had invested 10k, you’d now how have $3,446,477.44

 

Smaller iPhone set to get big battery upgrade in 2017

http://www.cultofmac.com/466699/smaller-iphones-set-to-get-big-battery-upgrade-in-2017/

• Apple reportedly plans to pack a much bigger battery inside the new 4.7-inch iPhone set to be revealed later this year.

 

iPhone 8 to Feature 5.8-Inch OLED Display With 5.15-Inch Main Screen and Virtual Buttons Below

https://www.macrumors.com/2017/02/15/2017-iphone-edge-to-edge-display-virtual-buttons/

• The 2017 iPhone will feature a 5.8-inch display OLED display panel with 5.15 inches of usable screen space according to new predictions shared by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo believes the iPhone 8 will use a, but that some space will be reserved for virtual buttons.
• The display will reportedly take up the entire front of the iPhone, eliminating the bezels.
• Kuo says the OLED iPhone will have measurements similar to the 4.7-inch iPhone.
• Apple expected to introduce a stacked logic board design to support bigger batteries, and will feature a battery capacity similar to the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus.
• Kuo expects the OLED iPhone to cost in excess of $1,000
• The OLED iPhone will be "the only bright spot" in the 2017 iPhone lineup, which may mean that the other phones will receive only minor improvements.
• Mac Otakara recently reported that the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models will retain an aluminum design like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, with only internal changes

 

This week: 

• How to get significant discounts on Apple gadgets
• The INSANELY SPECIAL doorknobs at Apple’s Spaceship HQ
• The fat paychecks earned by Jony Ive’s industrial designers 
• iPhone 8 to come in a plus plus size
• Wireless charging is all but confirmed for all three iPhone 8 sizes
• Next iPhone could cost more than $1,000!
• How to get a massive discount on Final Cut and Logic Pro X
• We reveal our favorite new shows and movies in an all new, What We’re Into Yaaa’aaall 💪🏼

This episode supported by

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

Students get a massive discount on Apple’s Pro Apps Bundle

• According to a reliable Apple analyst, the company will release three new iPhones this year — including a redesigned iPhone 8 (or iPhone X) and two iterative iPhone 7 updates.
• All three models will reportedly boast new Apple wireless charging tech, rather than the feature being limited to a high-end OLED handset.

This episode supported by

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

Got suggestions or feedback for us?  Air your thoughts at TheCultCast.reddit.com.

• Apple launched the latest generation of its flagship product in September. Some critics saw the iPhone 7 series as not enough of an upgrade from the 6s line. Some, especially music lovers, initially hated the absence of a headphone jack.

This episode supported by 

@erfon / @bst3r / @lkahney

• Apple will launch a new 15-inch MacBook Pro later this year powered by Intel’s next-generation Kaby Lake processors and 32GB of desktop-class RAM, according to a reliable analyst.
• According to reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple has a MacBook Pro refresh planned for later this year that will bring new Kaby Lake CPUs and up to 32GB of desktop-class RAM. It will be “the most significantly redesigned product this year,” Kuo says.
• Kuo doesn’t mention specific release dates for any of these machines, but he expects the MacBook with 32GB of RAM to arrive sometime during the second half of 2017 — at which point Apple could reduce the price of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar.

This week: the worst gadgets of CES 2017!  Yup, we run through the gizmos no one on the earth actually needs.  Then we spice things up with our most hotly anticipated tech of 2017.  And finally, we’re gonna be real with you guys… Apple had a rough 2016.  But that’s all behind us now.  It’s a new year. It’s a fresh start.  We discuss what Apple needs to get right in 2017.

On the show this week

@erfon / @bst3r 

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This week: everything we like (and don’t) about AirPods; the insider way to lock down your own AirPods without waiting 6 weeks; Apple’s Mac division has a falling out with Jony Ive; and we remember the best of Apple, 2016.

This episode supported by

@erfon / @lewiswallace / “at” David Pierini

This week: an honest look at Mario Run; better-sounding AirPod alternatives; the cool new stuff in the iOS and tvOS updates; and we reveal the hands-down best tv shows of 2016!

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

This week: why Apple is done chasing big hit products.  Plus: the demise of Pebble Watch is a bad omen for wearables; Foxconn secretly prepares to make more Apple products in the US; and we remember our favorite movies of 2016!

@erfon / @lewiswallace / @lkahney

• Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey has announced that 35% of U.S. merchants now accept Apple Pay.