Forget about a mere adaptive OLED touchbar for future Macs! According to a new report, Apple is working with an Australian startup to turn future Mac keyboards into a blank slate for users to customize.
The company in question is Sonder Design Pty Ltd., a startup with ties to Apple manufacturer Foxconn. It develops E Ink keyboards, which let users customize keys to include letters from more than one language, or even emojis.
Check out a video showing how its keyboards work below.
Apple’s new MacBook Pro is right around the corner, if recent rumors are to be believed, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most significant refreshes we’ve seen in years. Spy photos all but confirm a new OLED touchbar is coming, but is this advanced hardware really necessary?
Those who are excited about it can see the how customizable function keys might improve their experience in macOS, while others believe it will be little more than a gimmick.
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss whether the MacBook Pro really needs an OLED touchbar.
Apple is reportedly in talks to acquire an Australian startup called Sonder that specializes in making keyboards with individual e-ink displays on each key.
The Sonder acquisition is supposedly part of Apple’s plan to update its Magic Keyboard in 2018 with a smart keyboard module and color e-ink keys that allow programs to quickly swap characters for shortcuts or change to a different language.
Check out the e-ink keyboard in action:
Security researchers discovered a new way to hack the Mac’s built-in webcam this week, and the method is undetectable by users.
Apple built a green LED light into every Mac with firmware-level protection that turns on anytime the sensor is tripped by unauthorized access. The security feature has become increasingly difficult for hackers to beat, but former NSA staffer Patrick Wardle found a way to piggyback on outgoing feeds and record them.
The third beta builds of macOS Sierra 10.12.1 was seeded to developers today, less than a week after Apple released the second build that contained a number of bug fixes.
Developers can pick up the new beta directly form the Apple Developer Center, or install it via the Mac App Store’s software update option if the previous beta build is already installed on your Mac.
Developers received a new beta update for macOS Sierra today, less than a week after Apple dropped the last beta build full of bug fixes.
Apple’s iWork productivity software received a huge update today alongside the launch of macOS Sierra.
Pages, Keynote and Numbers all got upgraded with the new real-time collaboration Apple gave us a glimpse of at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. The new feature is still in beta, but it makes the apps more powerful than ever in the workplace by allowing teams to edit documents simultaneously.
Apple didn’t reveal any new MacBook Pros or iMacs at today’s iPhone-focused keynote, but the company’s next big software update for Macs finally got an official release date.
Apple is set to take the stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in less than a day, but some of the biggest surprises of the iPhone 7 keynote have already been revealed.
While Apple usually comes out with a generational leap for the iPhone every two years, this year’s update is expected to have some of the most boring and controversial changes ever made. Get ready to get your dongle on, because the iPhone 7 is ready to rock.
Here’s what Apple will reveal:
JK Scheinberg, the Apple engineer who worked more than 20 years with the company and persuaded Steve Jobs to port the Mac from PowerPC to Intel processors, was reportedly turned down for a Genius Bar job at the Apple store.
One week after surprising us with the seventh beta of iOS 10, Apple is back with yet another beta build of its upcoming software update for iPhones and iPads.
macOS Sierra took another step closer to a public launch today with the release of the seventh beta for developers and public testers.
Apple continues to polish macOS Sierra and tvOS 10, seeding the sixth beta builds of the new software updates to developers today.
The new betas come a week after Apple dropped the last batch of betas, which brought a number of new bug fixes and performance improvements to the gigantic releases that are set for public launch this fall.
In a new wide ranging interview, Apple’s senior VP of internet software and services, Eddy Cue, revealed how the company fixed a lot of mistakes it made with the launch of Apple Maps in 2012 by utilizing data from the hundreds of millions of iPhones around the globe.
Cue and Apple software chief Craig Federighi sat down to talk about the troubles with Apple Maps, the difference between working for Tim Cook and Steve Jobs, Apple’s competition with Facebook and Amazon and learning from failure.
Apple’s head of security and engineering architecture, Ivan Kritic, revealed yesterday that the iPhone maker is finally creating a bug bounty program that will offer rewards of up to $200,000 to security researchers who find vulnerabilities on the company’s various software platforms.
The news came during a keynote at the annual Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas where Kritic also gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at iOS 10 security as part of Apple’s effort to become more open about its architecture in hopes of improving it.
Public beta testers can download the third public beta of macOS Sierra starting today, one day after Apple seeded the 4th developer beta.
The new macOS Sierra update includes a number of new additions, including the new set of over 100 emoji that promote gender diversity and disarm the pistol emoji by changing it into a squirt gun.
Apple has rolled out a new iTunes update to fix a bug that could prevent playlist changes from syncing between Macs and iOS devices. The version 12.4.3 release is available to download now from the Mac App Store.
Apple’s product portfolio has expanded quickly since Tim Cook replaced Steve Jobs as CEO, what with the launch of larger iPhones, Apple Watch and the 12-inch Retina MacBook. But are things getting out of hand?
Some fans might argue Apple has too much on its plate, and that other products — particularly its software — are suffering as a result. Others might argue that Apple needs everything in its current lineup — and more! — to keep up with the competition.
So, who’s right? Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we exchange insults and virtual blows over whether Apple desperately needs to streamline its product lineup.
If you haven’t already installed Apple’s latest round of software updates, go do it now.
A flaw in earlier versions of iOS, OS X, tvOS and watchOS makes it possible for hackers to remotely steal saved passwords from your Apple devices without your knowledge.
The next time you make a purchase at your local Apple Store, expect to be asked if you want to buy your items with Apple Pay.
Apple is launching a new promotion for its contactless payment system this week that will emphasize paying with your iPhone or Apple Watch rather than busting out a credit card. And those that haven’t signed up for Apple Pay yet will get some free money.
July 19, 2000: Apple launches its futuristic-looking Power Mac G4 Cube. The clear computer is one of the company’s most jaw-droppingly gorgeous machines, but ultimately becomes one of its biggest disappointments.
Technologically, the G4 Cube was a game-changer. Financially, it was one of Steve Jobs‘ most notable failures.
Following the launch of three new beta builds this morning, Apple has now made a new beta of macOS Sierra beta 3 available to developers this afternoon.
The new beta is available for download directly from the Mac App Store and comes two weeks after Apple dropped the second beta build of macOS Sierra that brings a ton of new features, including Siri for Mac, auto-unlock with Apple Watch, Apple Pay, better iCloud integration and more.
Apple Music’s matching software has a terrible history of replacing artists’ live songs with a studio version, but that will finally be a thing of the past, thanks the addition of audio fingerprints from iTunes Match.
A quiet rollout of the iTunes Match audio fingerprint to all Apple Music subscriber is currently underway, fixing the less accurate metadata version of iTunes Match that was currently used on Apple Music.
Along with seeding a batch of new beta builds for developers, Apple has a slew of new updates for the public this morning, bringing bug fixes and other software improvements to every single one of its platforms.
The public release of OS X El Capitan 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.3, watchOS 2.2.2 and tvOS 9.3.3 are now available to Apple users, after five beta builds were seeded to developers.
Less than two weeks after making its debut, Pokémon Go is already the most popular mobile game in U.S. history, earning developer Niantic millions of dollars every day. Apple takes a 30 percent cut of that, but is it doing enough to make gaming great on its own platforms?
It’s hard to argue gaming could be better on iPhone and iPad — though we could use better gaming accessories — but platforms like tvOS and macOS seem somewhat neglected. With Mac sales finally falling, should Apple do more to appeal to gamers?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we throw virtual hands over gaming on Apple devices.