News

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.

iOS 10 found to store call logs for up to 4 months, Apple explains

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2016

iOS 10's been found to upload missed call logs from apps like WhatsApp and Skype to servers, as well as near-real time FaceTime call logs—even if iCloud backup has been turned off, according to a Russian company called Elcomsoft which makes iPhone forensic tools aimed at law enforcement agencies.

Elcomsoft CEO Vladimir Katalov suspects in an interview with Forbes that this is most likely a result of iOS 10's expanded scope of call logging due to the new CallKit framework which was designed to make VoIP calls from apps like Viber, WhatsApp and Skype behave like cellular calls and integrate with Phone's Recents and Favorites.

According to Apple itself, call log syncing through iCloud is a convenient feature that elevates user experience by allowing customers to easily return calls from VoIP apps.

KGI: OLED iPhone to boast 5.1″ or 5.2″ active display area

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 21, 2016

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new report this morning. In his note to clients, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider, the revered analyst predicts that a brand new premium iPhone model will be joining the lineup next year alongside 4.7 and 5.5-inch models.

This brand new device should boast an all-new industrial design with a glass casing instead of metal and use OLED display technology, as reported before. According to the note, the active display area will be somewhere in between the current 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, or about 5.2-inches diagonally.

French retailer tells customers AirPods will begin shipping on or around November 30

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 12, 2016

Another European reseller is claiming that it's privy to when Apple's $159 AirPods wireless headphones will start shipping after German authorized reseller Conrad told a customer a week ago that it would be kicking off AirPods sales tomorrow, November 18.

French retailer Fnac has apparently started the pre-order process for the wireless earphones.

Fnac reportedly told customers who pre-ordered their AirPods that the accessory would start shipping on or around Wednesday, November 30, Mac4Ever said Thursday.

Apple patent would integrate Siri into Messages to assist with tasks via bot-style commands

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2016

You've been able to ask Siri to send messages on your behalf for a few years now and with iOS 10, Apple's expanded Siri capabilities to third-party apps like mobile payments. But if a new patent for a “Virtual assistant in a communication session” that the company filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is anything to go by, the virtual assistant could soon be integrated deep into Messages, assisting users with peer-to-peer payments, scheduling dinner and providing other chat bot-style interactions within message threads.

Mac Automation Product Manager Sal Soghoian leaves Apple

Cody Lee ∙ November 16, 2016

Beloved engineer and evangelist Sal Soghoian has announced that he is no longer employed by Apple. He says the move is the result of the company eliminating his position as Product Manager of Automation Technologies for "business reasons."

Soghoian is a software developer that has been at Apple since 1997. During his tenure, he advanced a wide range of user automation technologies including UNIX CLI, JavaScript, AppleScript, Automator, and scripting support for several stock apps.

Apple plans to cut App Store fees for video streaming apps

Cody Lee ∙ November 16, 2016

Apple plans to cut the amount it charges to sell video services over its App Store, Bloomberg reports. The outlet says the move is part of an effort to appease content partners, whose TV shows and movies are vital to the company's larger video strategy.

Previously, the iPhone maker took a 30% cut of revenue from app and in-app purchases. Then in June it announced it would slice that in half after the first year Now it sounds like Apple is going to make that an upfront price for participating video apps.

Apple working to integrate augmented reality tech into iPhone Camera app

Cody Lee ∙ November 16, 2016

Apple is integrating augmented reality technology into the iPhone’s camera app, reports Business Insider. Citing sources familiar with the matter, the outlet says the initiative involves teams from several acquired startups, and will serve as a stop-gap until its digital glasses are ready for market.

How to take screenshots of the MacBook Pro Touch Bar

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 17, 2018

If you take screenshots on your Mac, you may wonder if macOS supports screenshotting the Touch Bar. The default Shift (⇧)-Command (⌘)-3 keyboard shortcut captures a screenshot of everything shown on the display, sans the Touch Bar.

With macOS 10.12.2, Apple has implemented a brand new shortcut specifically designed for taking screenshots of the Touch Bar.

Here's what you need to know about capturing everything that's shown on the Touch Bar as an image file on your computer. You'll also learn how to save Touch Bar screenshots to the clipboard for pasting in other apps and how to add screenshot-taking shortcuts as buttons to the Touch Bar itself.

Teardown of 13″ MacBook Pro with Touch Bar reveals “cosmetic” speaker grilles, other tidbits

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2016

After disassembling the base 13-inch MacBook Pro model without the Touch Bar, teardown wizards over at iFixit have now taken apart Apple’s Touch Bar-equipped 13-inch MacBook Pro. From the inside, it’s an entirely different computer with a totally different design that has more in common with its 15-inch brethren. Among other things, the teardown analysis has found that the external speaker grilles in the top half of the case exist mostly for “cosmetic” purposes.

That's because the improved sound is being projected from a pair of air vents on the sides of the case. By comparison, the base 13-inch MacBook Pro without the Touch Bar does push sound through the speaker grilles as it lacks the air vents.

Other differences between the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and its cheaper 13-inch variant that lacks the Touch Bar include a differently laid out internal components to make room for the Touch Bar itself which, by the way, is hard to replace.

Watch designers creating prototypes in Apple’s studios

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2016

Apple yesterday announced a $300 coffee table photo book, titled “Designed by Apple in California”, which chronicles 20 years of iconic product designs. Jony Ive, Apple's Chief Design Officer, discussed the photo book with Wallpaper.com and Japanese design firm Casa Brutus.

The Casa Brutus interview is accompanied by a rare video which offers a unique glimpse into Apple's secretive Industrial Design Studio, showing designers at work creating prototypes of Macs, iPhones and other items.

Want to take a peek at how the sausage is made? This is your chance!

New MacBook Pro with Touch Bar begins trickling in to select Apple stores

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2016

Just 24 hours after first shipments began arriving to customers, Apple's new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is now available for purchase at select company-run retail stores in the U.S., China and elsewhere.

According to reports on Reddit, MacRumors, AppleInsider and other outlets, a select number of flagship Apple retail locations have received stock and are now offering limited quantities of the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.