Apple

Teardown confirms both 13″ and 15″ Touch Bar MacBook Pros have non-removable SSDs

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2016

iFixit on Friday published its teardown analysis of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (model number A1707), just two days after taking a peek under the hood of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Comparing the two Touch Bar-equipped notebooks to the 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar, which iFixit also disassembled, the repair site has confirmed that only the baseline 13-incher with a standard row of function keys has a removable SSD.

Google revamps Play Newsstand, adds For You recommendations, rich media, web app & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2017

Google earlier this week announced a major overhaul of the its magazine and news reader, Play Newsstand. The new version of the iPhone and iPad app sports a new app icon and provides a refreshed user interface alongside a few new “smart” features.

These include a personalized news briefing, a “For You” stream of personalized stories, support for rich media in articles, tab-based navigation and other perks.

Apple launches worldwide “Touch Disease” repair program for iPhone 6 Plus

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2016

Apple has finally acknowledged existence of so-called “Touch Disease” following a class action lawsuit regarding the issue. The problem has been plaguing a subset of iPhone 6 Plus owners for quite some time now, manifesting itself in the form of a flickering bar at the top of the display and general multi-touch unresponsiveness.

The firm denied responsibility because under the terms of a new worldwide program it's agreed to fix any affected iPhone 6 Plus devices, but for a $149 service fee.

MacBook Pro with Touch Bar now available for in-store pickup

Cody Lee ∙ November 17, 2016

Apple on Thursday made its new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar available for in-store pickup in the U.S. So for those of you who have been wanting to snag one, you can now use Apple's app or online store to check local inventory and reserve your laptop.

Non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro models have been available since they were unveiled in October, but Touch Bar models have only recently started to turn up in stores. The good news is, you can now track yours down from the comfort of your own home.

Get up to $200 off the new MacBook Pro + no tax outside NY

Cody Lee ∙ November 17, 2016

Folks in the market for Apple's new MacBook Pro will want to check out this sale going on at BHPhoto right now. The popular online retailer is offering significant deals on 13.3-inch, non-Touch Bar models with free shipping and no taxes outside New York.

The discounts range between $100 and $200, but with no taxes that could more than double. For example, I can buy the entry-level MacBook Pro for $1,399 (normally $1,499) and also save $120 in sales tax (~8% for me). So my total savings would be $220.

Where the Apple Car is going

Sébastien Page ∙ November 17, 2016

Neil Cybart wrote a detailed analysis of Apple's seemingly scaled back ambitions for the Apple Car. From building an electric car to now building software for autonomous driving, Cybart looks into why Apple might have changed course.

Apple’s free app of the week: Tayasui Sketches Pro

Cody Lee ∙ November 17, 2016

Apple on Thursday updated its App of the Week promotion with the app Tayasui Sketches Pro. This means that for the next 7 days, you’ll be able to download the popular drawing app for free—a significant savings of $5.

Sketches is described as the most realistic, versatile and user-friendly sketching app designed for mobile. This artist's toolbox helps users create dazzling sketches, cheerful paintings and smashing illustrations on the go.

New Lock screen bug bypasses iPhone/iPad passcode, lets you see photos/contacts

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2016

Apple likes to pride itself with strong security in iOS, but for all the platitudes the fact remains that the iPhone's Lock screen is one of iOS's weakest links. And now, YouTuber iDeviceHelp has discovered a new Lock screen vulnerability that lets anyone in possession of your iPhone bypass the passcode and get to your contacts and photos. The bug has been reported to Apple and should be fixed in a future update.

Check out “Bulb,” Apple’s first TV ad for the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2016

The new MacBook Pro hasn't even shipped to everyone who have pre-ordered it, but on Thursday Apple began airing its very inaugural television commercial. Aptly titled "Bulb," the video runs one minute and 37 seconds long and frames the expensive notebook as a tool "for ideas to come".

"Ideas have always pushed the world forward," Apple says in the ad. "Introducing a tool for all the ideas to come. The new MacBook Pro."

Panel suppliers struggling to meet Apple’s large order volume for OLED iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2016

For all the talk of Apple's rumored switch to the superior, power-sipping organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology for next year's iPhones, it's increasingly looking like OLED screens will be limited to a single model.

That's because panel manufacturers are currently struggling to meet Apple's expectedly large order volume and stringent quality requirements. That OLED screens are far more difficult to produce than LCDs isn't helping either.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Jungah Lee said today that four main OLED panel suppliers—Samsung Display, LG Display, Sharp and Japan Display—are currently suffering from yield issues, with constraints potentially continuing into 2018.

Apple looking into manufacturing iPhones in U.S.

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly said during his campaign that he would force domestic technology companies like Apple to build its “computers and things” in the United States.

One time, he even openly called for boycotting Apple products unless the company doesn't bring back manufacturing jobs it had outsourced to China many, many, many years ago.

Japanese outlet Nikkei is reporting today that iPhone contract manufactures Foxconn and Pegatron were approached recently by the Cupertino firm regarding the possibility of establishing iPhone manufactories in the United States.

Dual-lens 2017 iPhone models to feature dual optical image stabilization

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 21, 2016

Apple's single-lens iPhone 7 and dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus both support the optical image stabilization (OIS) feature for taking sharper images and capturing stabilized videos. Next year's dual-lens iPhone models, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, will support OIS on both the the wide-angle lens and the telephoto lens. The iPhone 7 Plus supports auto focus on both cameras on the back, but only the wide-angle lens is outfitted with OIS.