Apple is believed to be working on the next MacBook Pro upgrade that should include, among a faster Intel processor and graphics and other hardware-related enhancements, an OLED bar replacing the row of function keys on the keyboard with programmable touch-sensitive shortcuts that could automatically change from one app to another.
In a new report Monday, 9to5Mac has learned from a sketchy source that the rumored OLED touch bar might be accompanied by a Touch ID sensor for fingerprint login.
Remember the iPhone 5's Darth Vader-like black appearance? It's still my favorite iPhone colorway even though Apple has since moved to a more subdued Space Gray finish for subsequent models. Mac Otakara, the Japanese publication which claimed the iPhone 7 would come in a new Deep Blue variant, has now backtracked on the report, saying the device would include a Space Black colorway akin to the Apple Watch.
Although Google's Android software is on four in five phones sold worldwide, the iPhone remains the king of the hill when it comes to the lucrative premium segment of the handset market. The Telegraph is now reporting that Google will step up smartphone wars with release of its own handset later this year, a move that'd see it compete directly with the iPhone.
Making Apple services even smarter and more personalized entails processing troves of information because intelligence is driven by big data. The fact that iOS 9's proactive features don't tap into the cloud has served Apple well thus far. But since Google Assistant came to light, people have been wondering if Apple can compete without resorting to raw data collection Google is infamous for.
iOS 10 and macOS Sierra represent Apple's refined approach to privacy, which revolves around new techniques collectively known as Differential Privacy. An en vogue statistical method, Differential Privacy helps Apple deliver smarter services without compromising privacy of their users.
It's a relatively unproven technique with lots of potential which hasn’t been used to boost Apple's services before iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. Here's a closer look at Differential Privacy, how it powers intelligence and proactiveness and why it should serve Apple better than Google's bulk data collection and analysis.
iOS 10 and macOS Sierra tap into an interesting technology, called Differential Privacy, which makes possible data collection from a large number of users without compromising individual user's security and privacy. Re/code has now learned from Apple that Differential Privacy will be opt-in only, meaning privacy-minded folks won't be required to use the feature unless they specifically want to.
Bottom line: Apple won’t collect your data to make its services a lot smarter unless you specifically let it.
Since yesterday's official news that the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display is dead, pundits have been wondering if the move signals Apple's exited the external display business altogether. Not so fast. According to John Paczkowski, Managing Editor with BuzzFeed News, Apple isn't done with the Thunderbolt Display and is continuing work on a brand new display with a rumored integrated graphics card.
Japanese car manufacturer Honda currently uses Apple's CarPlay infotainment system in the 2016 Accord and Civic, as well as in the 2017 Ridgeline.
Today, the company announced that CarPlay will be returning in the 2017 Accord which will be arriving in showrooms on Monday, starting at $22,355.
Video-streaming company Netflix seems to be secretly developing a feature that would permit subscribers to download specific television shows and movies for viewing without an Internet connection, industry insider and Penthera COO Dan Taitz told LightReading. Offline viewing on Netflix should launch before the end of this year. A Netflix spokesperson denied comment on the report.
Micro-blogging startup Twitter has partnered with local search and discovery service Foursquare on a location-based feed feature deigned to aggregate tweets based on the location they were posted from.
Called Twitter Location Feeds, the new feature will go live later today in Twitter's mobile app for the iPhone and iPad, TechCrunch said this morning.
Apple is reportedly prepping to switch from flexible OLED screens utilized on the current Apple Watch to a more power-efficient micro-LED display technology that could be used for an Apple Watch hardware update in 2017, DigiTimes reported Friday. The Taiwanese trade publication said Apple could replace OLED displays in the Apple Watch with micro-LED panels as early as the second half of 2017.
Late Thursday Apple announced it's discontinuing the Thunderbolt Display. In a statement provided to several news sites, the company said remaining inventory is still available through its retail channels and Authorized Resellers, but production has been stopped.
The 27-inch Thunderbolt Display, which had a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels, was first introduced in 2011. For the last few years, rumors have swirled that Apple is preparing a 4K or 5K replacement for the display line, but thus far none of the reports have materialized.
Our ongoing macOS Sierra previews continue unabated as Andrew and I take a closer look at two new useful features in Sierra: Universal Clipboard and shared Desktop. You're definitely going to use Universal Clipboard quite a bit: in addition to being a great time-saver, it “just works”.
Universal Clipboard lets you copy and paste items across your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch devices and Mac computers like a boss. Sierra also puts your iCloud storage to good use by keeping any Desktop items along with the files within the Documents folder synchronized across your other devices.