News - page 664

Apple has teamed up with a whole lot of other companies — including Amazon, Facebooks and others — to urge Congress to protect the ability of so-called “Dreamer” immigrants to legally stay and work in the U.S.

“With the re-opening of the federal government and the presumptive restart of immigration and border security negotiations, now is the time for Congress to pass a law to provide Dreamers the certainty they need,” the coalition of companies wrote in a letter to lawmakers. “These are our friends, neighbors, and coworkers, and they should not have to wait for court cases to be decided to determine their fate when Congress can act now.”

As part of the fallout from a decision in Italy, Apple has added a statement to its homepage in the country, describing how it did not provide adequate information to customers.

The statement concerns the “iPhone throttling” controversy, in which Apple slowed down iPhones with aging batteries, via an iOS update.

iPad mini fans may be disappointed with this year’s long-awaited refresh.

A new report aligns with recent claims that Apple’s smallest tablet will get a much-needed upgrade this year, but warns that a new design almost certainly isn’t in the cards.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will remain the exclusive iPhone chip supplier for the 2019 era iPhones, a new report confirms. TSMC has been making Apple’s A-series mobile chips since 2016, making it no surprise that the company would be offered the contract for yet another year.

The 2019 iPhone lineup will not be making the switch to USB-C, according to a new report.

Apple is expected to retain the Lightning port for this year’s upgrade, and it will continue to bundle the same 5W charging adapter in the box as a cost-saving measure.

Upgraded AirPods are on the way — and a new report sheds light on new features that Apple’s next-gen wireless earbuds will supposedly boast. If you’re looking for a new color option, smart sensors, and a less droppable coating, you’re likely to be in luck.

If you’re looking for a drop in cost, on the other hand? Not so much.

This week we blur the background in Skype, edit Photos on the iPad in Obscura, clean up our TV shows and movies with iFlicks 3, and check the forecast on our Apple Watches with Carrot Weather.

The days when people bought a new iPhone every two years are over, according to an industry analyst. In fact, many people are holding on to their handsets for twice that long.

That’s bad news for Apple’s bottom line, as faster upgrades mean more profits.

Some users of the newest iPad Pro models report that glass screen protectors limit the sensitivity of the touchscreen. These add-ones can also cause problems with Face ID.

The maker of a popular line of glass screen protectors say it has received only a very limited number of complaints, but it’s nevertheless working to address this issue.

Valentine’s Day is coming up this week and now’s your chance to get a Nyloon Apple Watch band for a friend and one for yourself at a discount.

Until February 13, buy any Nyloon band and get a second for $15 off. Use the discount code HEART at checkout to save.

We love Apple products. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be even better. In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll get the lowdown on our pet peeves about working with the iPad and MacBook Pro.

Plus, get some killer tips for boosting your Google searches (and learn how to ad stickers to your next “megaselfie”). Read up on the rest of the week’s best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in the latest issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It’s yours for free in the iOS app store now.

Apple is back with some new Memoji ads just in time for the 2019 Grammy awards.

Just like last year’s ads, the Memoji videos features some of the biggest names in music that have been morphed into singing Memoji. Ariana Grande, Khalid and Florida Georgia Line lend their talents in three new one-minute ads that pack some infectious fun vibes.

You could soon see your Spotify account banned or shutdown completely if you use an ad blocker.

The music streaming service’s updated terms of service, which go into effect on March 1, now specifically state that using tools or modified apps to block ads is prohibited.

Apple debuted an ad showing off the Depth Control feature on the new X-class iPhones, a 38-second subliminal sales pitch to get you thinking of an upgrade.

The iPhone XR and XS handsets offer the computational equivalent of shallow depth of field, where a blurred background can make portrait subject stand out.

Apple Pay could launch in the Czech Republic as soon as February 19, a new report claims.

According to sources “familiar with the developments on the banking market,” a number of banks will soon offer the service. These include Air Bank, Komercni bank, Monet, mBank, and Twisto.

Apple has increasingly focused on China as its future biggest market, but its future in the country may not be quite as rosy as once predicted.

Speaking at the Cayman Alternative Investment Summit, political scientist Ian Bremmer suggested that Apple won’t have much of a business in China “within five to 10 years max.” And it’s not Apple’s fault.

Apple wants developers to be more transparent about the use of analytics code that lets them record how users interact with apps. Or else.

Hammering home its commitment to user privacy, Apple has contacted the makers of several apps recently highlighted as gathering screen-recording analytics data without properly disclosing it — and it wasn’t just for a friendly chat.

Apple has rewarded the 14-year-old kid who discovered Apple’s FaceTime bug, letting people eavesdrop on other users in Group FaceTime calls.

As a thanks for Grant Thompson’s help — and a possible apology to his mom, Michele, who spent 10 unsuccessful days trying to warn Apple of the vulnerability — Apple has said that it will contribute toward Grant’s education, and compensate the Thompson family. Grant also gets a namecheck in the iOS update’s developer notes.

Deirdre O’Brien, Apple’s new retail boss, received a nice bonus alongside her recent promotion. According to filings made by Apple, O’Brien was awarded restricted stock options valued at more than $8 million.

In total, she was given two sets of 23,922 restricted stock units: one performance-based, and one which will vest across three years through August, 2021. Well, that’s one reason to stay in the job!

Along with his work running the world’s top tech company, Tim Cook is carving out quite the niche for himself as an in-demand commencement speaker.

Having previously given commencement addresses at George Washington, MIT, and former alma mater Duke University, Cook will next deliver a keynote speech to graduating students at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Apple retail boss Angela Ahrendts is wasting no time making plans for what to do once she leaves Apple.

News that the former Burberry CEO plans to leave her post at Apple just surfaced this week. Ahrendts is set to hang around Apple Park until April, but once her time to leave is here, you won’t catch her hanging out around Silicon Valley.

Statistics on hard drive reliability just released by data-storage company Backblaze would seem to indicate it’s not a good idea to buy a Seagate hard drive. Of the 104,954 drives it uses, Seagate’s are the least reliable by a wide margin.

On the other side of the coin, this company has found drives made by Western Digital’s HGST to be much more reliable.

Apple might be planning to come out with some new health features that are specifically geared toward women, based on the company’s newest big hire.

Dr. Christine Curry — an obstetrician-gynecologist that made a name for herself by treating women with the Zika virus — has reportedly been hired by Apple to bolster its women’s health projects.

A handy Netflix feature announced last summer has come to iOS at long last: the app can automatically download episodes of your favorite shows.

With Smart Downloads, watching a TV episode offline results in the next episode automatically being transferred as soon as a Wi-Fi connection is available.

Andy To is a rising creative with a poetic touch to video and quickly becoming a name to know.

His name is now on the mind of Apple CEO Tim Cook, who gave the young filmmaker a shoutout on Twitter for a short on life in New York City captured all on the iPhone XR.