The Philips Hue app was today updated to version 5.14, adding support for widgets. Hue widgets can be added to the Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Today...

Philips Hue App Gains Support for Widgets - MacRumors

Apple is planning to release a new version of the Beats Solo 4 headphones, and hints of the refresh have been seen in both iOS updates and FCC...

New Beats Solo 4 to Feature Improved Sound, USB-C - MacRumors

Apple today introduced a new firmware update for AirPods Max. The new firmware is 6A325, up from the 6A324 firmware released in January. Apple does...

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Max - MacRumors

Apple today released the first beta of iOS 17.5 to developers, and as expected, the update introduces support for downloading apps from developer...

iOS 17.5 Lets EU iPhone Users Download Apps From Websites - MacRumors

Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the <strong>MacRumors</strong> YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models.

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 to Developers - MacRumors

Apple today released the first beta of an upcoming visionOS 1.2 update to developers, allowing them to test new features ahead of the software seeing...

Apple Releases First Beta of visionOS 1.2 to Developers - MacRumors

With iOS software releases, it is typical for Apple to be constantly iterating. When a new version of iOS comes out, a new iOS beta almost always...

When Will Apple Release the iOS 17.5 Beta? - MacRumors

<strong>MacRumors</strong> received the above iPhone frame template from an anonymous source who claims they obtained it from an iOS engineer. It will allegedly be included as part of the Apple Design Resources for iOS 18, which helps developers visually design apps using software like Sketch and Photoshop.

Alleged iOS 18 Design Resource Reveals visionOS-Like Redesign [Updated] - MacRumors

Apple TV+ now offers almost 30 more popular and classic movies for a limited time. Last month, Apple added over 50 movies to its back catalog of...

Apple TV+ Gains Even More Movies for a Limited Time - MacRumors

Apple Says iPhone 6 Plus Now 'Obsolete' and iPad Mini 4 Now 'Vintage' - MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors

Hello everybody! My name is Nima. I’m a web developer and app researcher. I’ve decided to publish “Unreleased Updates with Nima“ on Hackernoon! This is the title of my monthly newsletter but I thought Hackernoon readers may like my findings, too. If you don’t know what is it, I search for upcoming and unreleased features of apps like Twitter and I publish them before the official announcement. Actually, I tweet them as soon as I find them but I’ll also write about them here, monthly. So let’s get started! Twitter is bringing the Twitter Spaces tab to other platforms! It’s been a while since Twitter released the Twitter Spaces tab for iOS users. Now, it seems Twitter is bringing the spaces tab to the Android app and the web app as well! Let’s see some images: Twitter is working on a feature to let you add locations to your tweets from the web app! Right now, Android and iOS users can add locations to their tweets using their phones. Now, Twitter is also bringing this feature to its web app. Personally, I don’t use this feature frequently, but many people love it! Twitter is working on a new feature named "Account Delegation"! On October 19, Twitter added a feature to its web app named “Account Delegation”. I don’t have any other information about it since it’s not fully implemented. But I was able to see it button! What's "Safety Mode"?! As you may know, Twitter is working on a new feature called “Safety Mode”. Now, Twitter has added a page to its web app which describes this new feature! Let’s see what it is! Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to read some articles, without seeing ads! Twitter Blue, Twitter’s subscription plan, is adding some new and interesting features every day! For example, Twitter Blue subscribers will be able to read articles on websites like The Verge and Mac Rumors without seeing ads! LinkedIn is working on some tools for the creators! LinkedIn is working on some new features named “Creator tools”! I don’t know what they’ll be, but we can see a screenshot of them! LinkedIn will let you add an additional name to your profile! LinkedIn is adding a feature to its web app that lets you add an additional name to your profile. You’ll also be able to choose who can see your additional name. Instagram will let you edit your birthday from the web app! Instagram users were able to add their birthdays to their accounts from the mobile app. Now, Instagram is adding this feature to its web app. Thank you so much! I think this issue is getting so long so I believe it’s enough for this month! Thank you so much for being with me through the end of this issue! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter. I’ll tweet my findings on Twitter as soon as I find them! My handle is ! Thanks a lot and have a great time! @nima_owji

Upcoming Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn Features: Unrelease Updates with Nima - Vol. 3 

This Slack discussion by , and occurred in 's official #random channel and has been edited for readability. Marina Volkova Richard-Kubina Slogging I have some stories to share with our slogging folks, hope you will like them. Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:06 PM Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:09 PM https://www.computerworld.com/article/3609897/android-12-features.html Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:09 PM https://www.businessinsider.com/foldable-iphone-coming-in-2023-report-2021-3 Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:09 PM https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/02/exploding-iphone-x-lawsuit/ Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:09 PM https://www.macworld.com/article/3609900/macalope-apple-rumors-apple-car.html Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:09 PM https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/03/02/magsafe-connector-could-return-and-replace-lightning-on-iphone Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:09 PM https://www.macrumors.com/2021/03/01/prosser-iphone-12-magsafe-battery-reverse-charging/ Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:09 PM https://lifehacker.com/how-to-quickly-scan-documents-on-your-mac-with-your-iph-1846388645 Marina Volkova Mar 3, 2021, 2:10 PM https://www.tomsguide.com/news/the-most-stunning-android-phone-of-the-year-just-leaked-and-its-not-from-samsung yay to the magsafe comeback richard-kubina Mar 4, 2021, 6:43 PM

Cool Mobile Tech Stories 2021

This Slack discussion by occurred in 's official #random channel and has been edited for readability. Marina Volkova Slogging I have a few stories that I want to share with you, I hope you'll enjoy them.🙂 Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:48 PM Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:48 PM https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/health/unitypoint-health-st-luke-hospital-surgery-image-tool-technology-first-20210303 Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:48 PM https://9to5google.com/2021/03/02/fitbit-charge-4-spo2/ Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:48 PM https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/02/college-students-addiction-to-smartphones-may-affect-sleep.html Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:48 PM https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/27/us/fda-brain-injury-device/index.html Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:48 PM https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-unveils-azure-percept-kit-for-bringing-azure-ai-services-to-edge-devices/ Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:48 PM https://www.macrumors.com/2021/03/02/iphone-12-pro-driving-q1-global-mobile-shipments/ Marina Volkova Mar 4, 2021, 4:49 PM https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210302005519/en/Toshiba-Launches-Thin-and-Compact-LDO-Regulators-That-Help-to-Reduce-Device-Size-and-Stabilize-Power-Line-Output

6 Predicted Apple Watch Features with Potential for the New Apple Watch Series 7

If you’ve decided to adopt Python for your software development, it’s crucial to know whether Python has a good chance to remain important to the industry in the years ahead. Maybe, you have questions about: Which programming languages are most in demand? Is Python demand in market growing? And does Python have a bright future?  To answer all of this, we’ve analyzed data from credible surveys, statistics, and insights such as GitHub, Stack Overflow, Statista, TIOBE, PYPL, and JetBrains. Most in-demand programming languages in 2019 One of the ways of looking at Python market demand is the list of the top programming languages in 2019 to compare Python to other programming languages. According to Developer Surveys by Stack Overflow, Python surpassed PHP and C# in and , correspondingly. In , Python took the fourth spot in the most popular technologies list edging ahead of Java, while JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and SQL topped the rankings. 2017 2018 2019 Source: insights.stackoverflow.com As for the number of software engineers, third-party vendors, and courses, Python is the third on the as of August 2019. But has it always been like that? In the graph below, TIOBE analyzes how the positions of the top languages have changed since 2002. Java and C have for a long time been at the top of the TIOBE index, while Python has recently seen immense growth. Since 2007, Python has three times seen the biggest rise  in TIOBE index throughout the year. TIOBE experts say that if Python is as fast-growing as it has been lately, it will replace Java and C within the next three or four years. list In , which analyzes the number of tutorials searched on Google, Python tutorials are the most actively searched for, holding a 28.73% market share. Over the past five years, Python has seen the largest amount of growth, while Java has lost a 6.9% share. the PYPL Index Speaking about fractions of pushes, pull requests, issues, and stars on GitHub, Python is number two among most contributed languages based on the second quarter of 2019. Python ratings increased by almost 1.5% compared to the previous year. What’s more, Python took the third spot in the 2018 most contributed languages across private, open-source, and public GitHub repositories, according to . Octoverse Source: madnight.github.io Also, we used Google Trends to find out the language popularity by search queries. We compared Python to Java, JavaScript, and C++ as these are the languages Python is benchmarked against. Java and Python turned out to be the most popular within August 2018 and August 2019. Source: trends.google.com Python community Community is a good indicator of whether the language is growing. Additionally, communities upgrade functionally, update documentation, troubleshoot problems, share expertise, and help one another. In 2018, there were seven million Python developers worldwide, as states. According to , 21% of Pythonistas live in the US. Among other popular countries are India, United Kingdom, Germany, China, and France. SlashData Python Developers Survey 2018 Source: jetbrains.com Below is an infographic showing the Python developer profile. It’ll help you get a bigger picture of Python community. Is Python in demand by employers? High number of job postings is another indicator of whether a language is in demand. We browsed Indeed ― an American international jobs platform ― and discovered that the most often listed skills are Java, Python, JavaScript, and C++. Though Java still tops the ranking, Python has seen the biggest increase in jobs. We’ve also noticed that the demand for Python developers is high not only among ordinary enterprises but also among Silicon Valley. As of September 2019, there were 7,228 Python jobs in Silicon Valley. Also, Python is popular among big companies like Amazon.com (4522 Python jobs), Deloitte (1063), Apple (871), Accenture (620), Google (615), Raytheon (540), Microsoft (503), Northrop Grumman (458), Lockheed Martin (450), Bank of America (405), Capital One (379), J.P. Morgan Chase (371), Verizon (344), Facebook (340), and Tesla (84). Source: public domain Who doesn’t know Apple, a tech giant? As of September 2019, they had 871 Python jobs. Look at one of their job postings: Source: jobs.apple.com Where Python is mostly used According to the , the five most common Python use cases include: Python Developer Survey 2018 - Data analysis - Web development - DevOps, system administration, writing automation scripts - Machine learning - Web parsers, scrapers, crawlers Data analytics and machine learning As indicates, Python is the most popular language for machine learning. Python libraries and frameworks are among the most popular tools for data science. and are good examples here. PyTorch is among the fast-growing GitHub projects and TensorFlow is the most contributed project. Actually, scientific libraries and frameworks are one of the reasons why data scientists and machine learning engineers opt for Python. Below is the table of common use cases and solutions that are most suitable for them. 2018 Octoverse report PyTorch TensorFlow Software engineers opt for Python for data science and machine learning because this language is flexible, simple, and stable. Also, developers can always rely on communities any time they have difficulty coding. And there are many of those. Web development In 2018, IEEE Spectrum states that Python was the number one choice website development. Indeed, Python is one of the most widely used languages. There are lots of reasons for this: With Python, you can build an app that scales. Big companies that handle high traffic such as Instagram, Google, Netflix, and Reddit prove that. Flexibility and scalability: There are built-in tools that allows you to build a well-secure app from the start. : Python can be used for any operations or software development scenario. It can also be used for all sorts of projects from MVPs to e-commerce platforms to mHealth apps. Security: Versatility : Python has everything you need to build a full-featured application. There’s the Python standard library that offers standardized solutions for a wide variety of problems so you don’t need to rewrite widely used commands. Robustness : Python plays well with others and can be easily integrated with languages such as Java, Jython, C, and C++. Easy integration Additionally, there are many Python web frameworks that are quite popular like Django. Flask, web2py, and CherryPy. In 2019, Django and Flask were even included in the most broadly used web frameworks list. Source: insights.stackoverflow.com Companies powered by Python Real-life projects are another way to check Python demand in market. As of August 2019, there were 188,604 websites built with Python, as shows. It’s worth noting that among those are big names such as Netflix, Google, Instagram, Quora, Dropbox, IBM, Reddit, and Spotify. Now, let’s take a minute to see how exactly some of them use Python. BuiltWith Spotify Spotify ― a world-famous music streaming service ― relies heavily on Python. They use a combination of several languages: Python, Java, C++, and C with Python being the main technology. The primary reason why they opted for Python is speed. Geoff van der Meer ―  a former VP of Engineering at Spotify ― said that “speed is a big focus for Spotify. Python fits well into this mindset, as it gets us big wins in speed of development.” Where exactly Spotify uses Python . They created ― a Python package ― to build data processing flows. This package comes with built-in support for Hadoop, a Java framework for data processing. Luigi thus makes interactions with Hadoop easier. Also, they combine Luigi with a couple of machine learning algorithms for the following features: Data analysis Luigi Discover Weekly ― Every Monday, Spotify users receive a fresh personalized playlist based on their tastes. Radio ― Spotify crafts a list of songs by playlist, album, artist, or songs of user’s choice. . Spotify backend comprises a number of interrelated services. They connect these backend services by their messaging protocol using ZeroMQ, an asynchronous messaging library. Python powers 80% of these backend services. Backend infrastructure What’s more, Spotify plays a big part in Python community. They sponsored different conferences including Euro Python and PyCon. They support local communities such as NYC PyLadies and the Stockholm Python User Group. Also, they’ve contributed to Python by creating 49 open-source projects including spotify-tensorflow, Luigi, Comet, Chartify, and Cartography. Netflix Netflix is one of the biggest examples of Python projects. Python was there when Netflix started and continues to play a big role in developing and improving their app as well as managing their internal processes. They use a combination of the best Python libraries and in-house development. Source: macrumors.com Where exactly Netflix uses Python . At Netflix, they believe that understanding users is key to deliver experience tailored to each user. To achieve this, they analyze metrics, logs, and traces. Observability tools . Since Netflix generate lots of information, it’s critical to comprehend a vast amount of data fast. To turn this data into actionable insights, they visualize it in their dashboards. Detection tools . Netflix monitors their platform in real-time to find anomalies and evaluates anomalous correlations and contextual events. Diagnostic tools . To quickly resolve issues and bring the platform back to a healthy state, they take mitigation measures by way of automated actions and diverse actions (terminating, rebooting, and detaching). Remediation tools . To deliver TV shows, movies and documentaries to each Netflix user, they built , a CDN. Content delivery network (CDN) Open Connect for traffic distribution, capacity operation, , and fleet efficiency of their cloud. Demand engineering tools regional failovers Machine learning with Python has a special place at Netflix. They apply different algorithms to improve customer experience and deliver stuff tailored to each and every member. For example, Netflix does their best to understand exactly what they feel like watching and recommends movies with the help of . Also, they use to find out which artwork best relates to each user. Here’s an To automate their marketing campaign, they developed . recommendation algorithms artwork personalization algorithms example. marketing algorithms But that’s not all. Netflix contributes to Python by making open-source projects. The most popular are Security monkey, Bless, Aardvark, Repokid, and Lemur. Instagram Being the second most engaged social networking platform with around 1 billion monthly active users and over 40 million shared photos, it’s difficult to provide efficient app performance. Python is what provides Instagram with the ability to handle this and the power to scale while retaining great performance. In one of their technical blog posts, the Instagram team says that “we initially chose to use Python because of its reputation for simplicity and practicality, which aligns well with our philosophy of “do the simple thing first.” Where exactly Instagram uses Python , a tool to to record key performance and efficiency metrics Dynostats Monitoring and alerting tools. their service infrastructure Scaling The Instagram blog including LibCST, MonkeyType, and django-workload Open-source projects So what’s the demand for Python? To answer the question “How big is the demand for Python in 2019?”, we’ll say ― huge. Statistics, community, job postings, use cases, and leading companies using Python illustrate this. For example, because Python is used for new industries such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, and natural language processing, Python won’t disappear in the near future. The community and the number of Python applications are growing. Plus, Python is frequently requested in job postings. All this means that Python is an in-demand programming language with a bright future.

How Big the Demand for Python in 2019 is, or, Why Python Has Suddenly Become So Popular

The Q1 2019 Blockchain and Crypto Trend:The Blockchain Marvel vs DC, Goldman Sachs & Apple vs Bakkt Many experts in the blockchain and crypto space agree that the two most important developments at the end of 2018 were mass adoption of blockchain technology and the involvement of financial institutions. This continues to be the case as we finish up the first quarter of 2019. ICE, the parent company of the NYSE (New York Stock Exchange), declared last year that it would open a blockchain and crypto financial platform for institutions called “Bakkt”, and targeted launch on December 12th. The Bakkt launch has subsequently been postponed due to the long term bear market that has been going on since early 2018. graphic by Amy Kang In the meantime, Bakkt has secured partnerships with Starbucks and Microsoft in August of last year. These partnerships aroused excitement among the crypto community, with many waiting eagerly for Bakkt’s official launch in 2019. (According to a recent interview with the COO of Bakkt, progress is being made, but a new launch date has not been determined.) Goldman Sachs, one of the financial institutions mentioned earlier, initially stated that they would push Bakkt to offer Bitcoin futures trading to its customers and clients. Goldman Sachs has had a close relationship with ICE since it has been established, with many experts agreeing that the relationship between Goldman Sachs and ICE is inseparable. However, in October 2018, Goldman Sachs changed their tone. Goldman Sachs has decided not to work with Bakkt. Instead, they invested in BitGo, a major Bitcoin custody service company. The scale of the investment was shocking, with BitGo raising USD 70 million in investment. Goldman Sachs continues to dip its toes in blockchain and crypto. On March 26, 2019, The actual deal will be between Marcus, a retail bank brand that Goldman Sachs opened in 2016, and Apple. CNBC reported that Goldman Sachs would officially cooperate with Apple to launch a brand new “fee less” credit card that will be available globally. https://www.macrumors.com/2019/02/21/apple-goldman-sachs-credit-card-report/ “We’re having a retail renaissance,” Goldman Sachs analyst Matt Fassler said. On February 20, 2019, Goldman Sachs released videos titled “The Retail Renaissance” and “The Future of the Bank”, which shows the direction that the company is heading in 2019 and beyond. (You can actually see the word “Cryptocurrency Account” in the middle of the YouTube video.) / https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/pages/matt-fassler-the-retail-renaissance.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDV_jLVbC1Y&t=2s What is Goldman Sachs building towards now and in the future? The answer is clear; retail and crypto. Goldman Sachs’ key competitors such as Bank of America and JP Morgan have made bold moves toward the retail banking industry in recent times, and the company is in a crisis. In order to hedge against another 2008 Financial Crisis, entering the retail banking industry and crypto market is seen as a critical move. Let’s take a look at what Apple CEO Tim Cook has commented on when he announced a new Apple credit card through a collaboration with Goldman Sachs. “Apple Card is designed to make sure you’re the only one who can use it. Doesn’t it sound familiar to you? We’ve already heard this claim from multiple blockchains and crypto projects from all around the world; a payment method that is easy to use, and secured by an ID system that only the authorized user can access, “Exclusive for only one user (the user who owns the card) to use it, and can only be activated through the inquiry of the user’s identity, and only one owner can access to the card number and all the information.” I would not go as far as to say that Apple is looking at integrating blockchain technology for the Apple Card, but it seems like blockchain and crypto will inevitably be in their future. Goldman Sachs and Apple are in a good fit. Apple sells more than 200 million products each year and has a very loyal and solid customer base. With Apple, Goldman Sachs can bring a solid and promising user base to its new retail bank, this is indeed a very attractive deal for Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs has invested in and actively engaged in research on the crypto and blockchain industry since 2015. The fact that Goldman Sachs has a massive amount of research data on blockchain and crypto is no doubt, very attractive to Apple and can lead them to the world of mobile crypto banks, crypto credit cards, and other blockchain based financial services where I think they are heading to. https://cointelegraph.com/news/circle-building-its-global-vision-thanks-to-50m-investment-from-goldman-sachs-and-others (In 2015, Goldman Sachs poured $ 500 billion into Circle, sparking off an investment race in other institutional crypto projects such as BitGo, Veem, etc.) One of Apple’s key competitor, and Xiaomi, another Apple competitor in the mobile space, has already joined the world-renowned blockchain consortium group Hyperledger as they also look for inroads into the blockchain industry. Samsung has already built its own blockchain service called “NEXT” and has recently installed Crypto Wallet called Coinduck on its Galaxy series phones, What has Apple done since those competitors are hustling? Nothing, yet. As one of Apple’s most promising businesses, Apple Pay has been growing in scale at a rapid pace. Although Mobile payment are now used by more than 20% of the world, even with continued growth, the payment paradigm faces a new threat in the form of blockchain and crypto, where the space is growing so quickly that it is a waste of time to continue developing mobile payment platforms similar to Alipay and Apple Pay. And mentioned earlier, competitors are already looking at the next “step” and moving very quickly. What Apple needs the most now is a solid database from major Financial Institutions like Goldman Sachs and a strategic relationship with those that have a clear solution. Apple and Goldman Sachs have thus far, not mentioned anything regarding blockchain when they announced the new credit card. However, from the information and articles that have been published so far, we can infer that Apple and Goldman Sachs are teasing a new solution which will utilize crypto and blockchain technology, This will lead to the “Mass Adoption” that the crypto community has been hoping for. This Marvel vs DC style competition in the blockchain is what we should pay attention: Team Bakkt vs Team Goldman Sachs/ Apple. Which “team” will usher in a new era for blockchain and crypto? Who will be the next hero who can lead the industry to “mass adoption”? Anytime, anywhere, “Pioneer” is always needed. I will look forward to the 2nd quarter in 2019 with them. You can also find the Korean version in here: 블록체인 업계의 Marvel 그리고 DC

The Blockchain Marvel vs DC, Bakkt vs Goldman Sachs & Apple

These AirPods are more like 1.5. All right, big news in Apple Universe! They’re releasing all kinds of new products quietly on their website without the need for a big event — granted, none of these products have significant changes. You had the new IMAX the other day, there were some new iPads in the form of the new iPad Mini, new iPad Air, and then today they come out with some brand new AirPods which were rumoured. Apple was likely to refresh the AirPods soon, and now they’ve done it. They’ve changed some things. The new products a bit more competitive and it actually implements a feature that the have. Probably the most significant difference from the new ones to the old ones is the fact that the new ones now can charge wirelessly via a wireless charging case. Galaxy Buds Now, you can still purchase the new version of AirPods without that case for a lower price. So you are paying a premium for the wireless charge case; putting the difference between the Galaxy Buds from Samsung and the AirPods price-wise even further apart. So the wireless case version of the U.S. and then the original charge case with the new AirPods the type that you have to plug in via the proprietary lightning cable those will be the same price as the old . They’ll just replace that old product. AirPods 2 will be $200 Air Pods at $159 AirPods 2 Prices Now on top of that, if you just want to upgrade the case on your current AirPods to the wireless case, you can purchase that for $79. So these are some pretty hefty price tags for these types of products. Of course, it’s a $40 premium just to get the wireless charging, it would have been nice to see Apple give you wireless charging at the same price point as the original AirPods and just get rid of the charge case that doesn’t support wireless charging. So the other difference is here, you have a new chip they’re calling it the H1 Chip, a new brain inside of the AirPods which is going to improve the performance of the AirPods in various ways. It’s going to allow them to connect more quickly to your devices, it’s going to allow them to switch between devices more quickly, let you answer phone calls more quickly, and it will extend the battery life on talk time. It’s just a more efficient, more advanced chip. The other thing it’s going to be able to do is to allow you to launch Siri only via voice by saying “Hey Siri!”. Now the other weird piece about this announcement is the fact that Apple still doesn’t make a wireless charger of their own. Of course, there’s been this rumour around this AirPower product which it does seem like Apple is going to make. They’ve had this floating around they even had it on their website at one point that supposedly can charge an iPhone, your AirPods, and an Apple watch all-in-one device. Now granted these devices all support the wireless Qi standard so you could drop them onto a third party wireless charger. You could even charge these new AirPods on a Samsung or Google charger if you want just to rub it in a little bit more.But anyhow in the meantime, we’re waiting for an official Apple solution for wireless charging on all these new wireless charge capable devices. Charging Pad The other difference on the new AirPods particularly on the wireless chargecases there’s now an LED on the front to tell you that you’re actively charging when you are on a wireless charge pad. Now we don’t know anything about the sound yet. So I expect them to sound the same as well. AirPods1 I know a lot of people out there we’re expecting a more prominent change here they wanted something more substantial or significant. There was the talk of black AirPods which I know got a lot of people excited, they didn’t want the typical white look, they wanted something more stealth, renders were floating around. So, no black AirPods as of right now, no product red AirPods as of right now. They look identical. You just get the new chip, the wireless charge case and some performance improvements with a price tag to match. I still think they’re a bit expensive for what they are compared to the competitors on the market as the that delivering wireless charging in a fully wireless earbud device for . Now the AirPods 2 with the wireless charge case are at $200, almost double the price. But hey that’s what Apple does! You pay a premium for the convenience. Galaxy Buds $129 As far as upgrading, if your Gen 1 user of AirPods, if you just recently spent $160 on AirPods version 1, I don’t think there’s really any reason here to rush out and get the new pair. You can get the wireless charge case if you really want it, in fact, you could also get the wireless charge case adapter from a third-party company named . It’s like a rubber case that you put on the outside of the current , and that gives it wireless charging. It’s a lot cheaper than $80. East Brooklyn Labs AirPods Charging Case If you want them, you can buy them through the shipping dates are already starting to slip it’s crazy how popular these things are. People are already buying them. I saw the report on MacRumors, they’re saying that the ship dates already slipping on the AirPods 2. People are savages, they’re out there, they love their Apple products, you can’t deny it. AirPods version 2, people are buying them!

Are The AirPods 2 Worth It?

Blockchain vs The Big Four

1 and 2: (9to5Mac — October 2014) ‘iPad Air 2’ and ‘iPad mini 3’ with Touch ID & Burst Mode confirmed, show up early in iTunes 3, 4, and 5: (9to5Mac — July 2015) iTunes 12.2 update indicates new gold, dark blue, dark pink iPod nano, touch + shuffle colors 6. (9to5Mac — July 2016) Apple leaks unreleased Space Black Milanese Loop Apple Watch band on Czech store site 7. (The Mirror — September 2016) Apple accidentally reveals iPhone 7 on Twitter minutes before official launch 8. (MacRumors — October 2016) Images of New MacBook Pro With Magic Toolbar [Touch Bar] Leaked in macOS Sierra 10.12.1 9. Apple somehow accidentally uploads HomePod firmware that contains (Guilherme Rambo — July 2017) glyph of unreleased iPhone 10. Apple’s iOS 11 GM somehow ends up in the wrong hands, gets sent to 9to5Mac who reveal press render of upcoming and (9to5Mac — September 2017) Apple Watch Series 3 several other iOS 11 details Tim Cook, 2012: Apple will ‘double down on secrecy on products’ Update 09/09/2017 18:15 ET: Added iTunes leaking the new iPods in July 2015 and the Apple Watch Black Milanese Loop leak, bringing count from six to ten. Tweet me @JackGMarch if I’ve missed any other leaks from Apple!

Apple has now been the source for ten Apple product leaks since 2014

Steve Jobs 2x2 matrix circa 1997 I’ve been using products since I first bought an Apple IIe in 1983. While there was a period during the 1990s where I used primarily Windows computers for work, I switched back to the Mac about 15 years ago and haven’t looked back. Until now. Apple There have been a series of decisions by Apple that remind me a great deal of the decisions made by Apple in the ‘90s before the return of Steve Jobs as CEO. This isn’t about removing the floppy drive or the CD-ROM drive. This is about the general user experience for an Apple consumer, like myself. When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Apple was scattered and working on way too many products. He sketched out the 2x2 matrix pictured above, focusing on desktop computers for consumers and professionals, and portable computers for consumers and professionals. If you now look at the lineup for iPhones or iPads or MacBooks, you see literally dozens of configurations and have to do way too much thinking to make a decision about what to buy. I own an iPhone 7, and while I wasn’t happy about the removal of the headphone jack, I’ve dealt with it. There are many situations where I’d like to charge my phone and listen to music on my phone (for example, on this flight I’m on right now), but I can get around it in this situation by using my Mac. Here’s a question for Apple: how do you release your 2 flagship products (iPhone and Macbook Pro) with different connectors for audio and power? After just convincing us that Lightning is the way to go for charging an iPhone, we get introduced to a new USB-C connector for power on a Pro. Why not put USB-C on the iPhone then? And the MacBook Pro gets an audio jack, but not the iPhone, a device that is used for talking and listening to music? The lack of consistency here feels like 2 different groups who aren’t talking to each other. MacBook My 4 year old 13" MacBook Pro has had a battery issue (only 30–45 minutes of battery life) for 6 months. The repair would require me to send my MacBook away for at least 4 days, which is not something I can do running a startup right now. Apple suggested that I just buy another MacBook 6 months ago, transfer over all of my stuff, send in the repair, and then return the MacBook. Between the hassle of setting up a new machine (which usually takes me hours over a weekend), and the slimy feeling of using a MacBook for a week (in spite of it being Apple’s suggestion), I decided to just wait. I anxiously awaited the release of the new MacBook Pros this fall, and was somewhat disappointed with the announcements in October. But given my situation, I went ahead and ordered the new 13" MacBook Pro, officially named “MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports),” a name which provides a hint of the issue here. Yes, it’s a beautiful Space Gray. Yes, it’s the thinnest lightest MacBook Pro ever. Yes, using your fingerprint to unlock it is amazing. And yes, after almost 2 weeks of trying to use it, I’m returning a MacBook Pro to Apple for the first time in my life. I just placed an order for the previous generation MacBook Pro. My goal here is not to beat up Apple, but rather to help educate others who might run into the same issues I’ve run into. And maybe Phil or Craig or Tim will hear the challenges their loyal customers are encountering and try to fix them. First the positives. This is a gorgeous piece of hardware. It is thin and light. The screen is beautiful. It’s fast and responsive. Touch ID on a computer is great. The TouchBar is an interesting innovation and the hardware is nice, but the lack of static keys for escape, volume, brightness, etc. present issues (more below). But unfortunately the cons are outweighing the pros. Here’s a summary of some of the issues I’ve faced: MagSafe Power: When I first heard MagSafe was being removed, I honestly didn’t worry too much about it. But through this process, I’ve realized that I plug into power between 2–5 times per day, docking with Apple monitors at work and at home, or working in a hotel room. There is no doubt that replacing MagSafe with a USB-C port is a mistake. For me, it’s not about the safety aspect, it’s about the convenience of plugging in and disconnecting. I can do it with my eyes closed with MagSafe. With USB-C, I have to actually tilt the computer so I can see the port and plug into it. It may seem like a minor issue, but do it 4 times per day and you’ll change your mind. This doesn’t take into account the fact that my beautiful Apple Display can no longer provide video without a dongle, and can no longer power my MacBook Pro, requiring a new power adapter (which is now sold in 3 separate pieces!) both at home and at work. Bugs: I’ve noticed two pretty significant bugs so far. First, there are graphics issues I’ve never seen on a Mac before. I see random solid color triangles occasionally when windows are being drawn. Seems like a graphics chip issue and definitely not ready for prime time. The second bug I’ve seen involves the new trackpad. I frequently use my left index finger to click on a file and hold, then use my right index finger to press and hold as I drag a file to another location. The trackpad regularly has issues with this standard movement and I have not yet been able to figure out how to fix it. I suspect it has something to do with palm detection or something similar, but it happens every day, multiple times per day. TouchBar: I watch a significant amount of media on my laptop. Whether it’s a video on the web, or streaming a TV show, on my current trip, I’ve probably had to use media controls over 100 times in 3 days. While the TouchBar is a good idea, I use the mute and volume up/down buttons so frequently that I need instant access. For example, when watching a streaming NBC show yesterday, every time a commercial came on, the volume would go up 25%. So I had to lower it, then raise it back when the show started again. Dongles: I couldn’t believe that I had to spend $400 on dongles. Yes, between the various power adapters for home/work, extenders, HDMI converters, etc. it was over $400. You might see a trend here. Most of these issues are small issues. They take just a second. But what pushed me over the edge is the addition of all of those seconds. It adds up to minutes of lost productivity every day, and in the end, having a slightly smaller lighter machine does not outweigh these issues. Then there are the more esoteric issues. The glowing Apple logo and the famous Mac startup chime are both gone. I understand that lighting that logo probably added a few millimeters of thickness to the lid, so I get that, but the chime? In spite of the fact that the chime is usually only heard when there’s an issue requiring a restart, that sound comes from the soul of the MacIntosh. Every time I hear it, it takes me back to my first Mac with the tiny screen, 3.5" floppy drive, and ImageWriter printer. Maybe I’m just old and nostalgic, but I have to believe that decision was a mistake. I realize I am most likely just pushing out some of these challenges (like buying new power adapters everywhere and monitor replacements) a few years. But by then, maybe Apple will be using the latest Intel processor generation and will have fixed some of their issues. I for one, can’t wait for the arrival of MagSafe 3! Update December 14, 2016: A few updates since I published this: I bought a previous generation 13" MacBook Pro and have been using it for almost a week. I couldn’t be happier with the switch back. No more dongles, my Apple monitors work just great, the keyboard is awesome, and the machine is fast and reasonably priced. I think the display is slightly worse, but I mostly use external monitors and I won’t notice after a few weeks of use. The biggest thing I miss is the Touch ID for logging in. But the size/weight, Touch Bar and keyboard are not missed even a small amount. I suspected I was not getting great battery life, but I rarely need more than 2 hours since I mostly dock. However, since I published this, a number of reports about the 4–5 hour battery life of the new MacBook Pro have surfaced. I just read that the latest macOS update may fix this, but it was definitely an issue with my machine: http://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/14/macos-10-2-2-improved-battery-life-reports/ This review entitled ‘Apple 13” MacBook Pro review: the best computer you shouldn’t buy’ does a pretty thorough job of reviewing the pros/cons of the new MacBook Pro: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/dec/12/apple-macbook-pro-review-the-best-computer-you-shouldnt-buy

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