Apple Pay antitrust pressure is growing as the coronavirus crisis has boosted the popularity of contactless payment in general, and Apple’s mobile wallet service in particular. Contactless cards have a relatively low limit, above which the card needs to be inserted into the terminal and a PIN used. Apple Pay, in contrast, qualifies for very much higher limits or no limits at all, allowing contactless payment for even major purchases …...
Research shared by Phoenix Marketing International offers new data for Apple Pay‘s adoption and performance since it launched in the United States in October last year. The survey polled just over 3,000 credit cardholders to conclude that “11% of all credit card-owning households” and two out of three iPhone 6 users have used Apple Pay. Aside from a high adoption rate for the mobile payment service, the survey also highlights that almost half of those Apple Pay users have used the service just one time....
Apple has released beta 4 of tvOS 14.5 and HomePod 14.5. While the tvOS beta can be downloaded by developers and public beta users, the HomePod beta is only meant for invited developers. Both HomePod and tvOS 14.5 have the same build: 18L5186a. The tvOS 14.5 is bringing support for the latest PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers, which can be used to play games from the tvOS....
Apple has reportedly switched two million units of Q1 production from the iPhone 12 mini to the iPhone 12 Pro, as the company struggles to keep up with demand for the flagship models … The Morgan Stanley investment note seen by PED30 further corroborates reports that sales of the iPhone 12 lineup as a whole were higher than expected, while those of the mini specifically have been disappointing. It notes that Apple is still struggling to keep up with demand for the Pro....
Apple released an update for GarageBand 10 today. The updated music-creation software was first announced during Apple’s iPad Air event and released later the same day. Today’s update doesn’t add any new features or restore previous features that were removed, instead focusing on bug fixes. GarageBand 10 is free for all users and contains an in-app purchase to unlock additional sounds and features. The 10.0.1 update is available for on the Mac App Store....
Apple is rolling out iOS 10.3 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The latest software update includes Find My AirPods support, CarPlay improvements, Apple’s new filesystem, and more. iOS 10.3 is the first version to include Find My AirPods in the Find My iPhone app, Wi-Fi Calling for iCloud-connected devices for Verizon customers, and a new 32-bit alert that suggests iOS 11 could be 64-bit only. Apple is also introducing a way for developers to reply to app reviews with iOS 10....
Apple has released macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 to the general public today. The update brings bug fixes for MacBook Pro users, and it comes after the release of macOS Big Sur 11.2 last week. Apple says that macOS Big Sur 11.2.1 fixes an issue that prevented some 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro models from being able to charge: Apple does not elaborate on how widespread this issue was, but it’s notable to see a new build of macOS released to the public with a singular bug fix....
Apple has released the OS X 10.10.5 software update to OS X Yosemite for all users. The update mentions improvements to “stability, compatibility, and security” while also highlighting specific fixes for Mail, Photos, and QuickTime Player apps. Previously, Apple tested the software release with developers and public beta testers. The update is available for all users through the Updates tab of the Mac App Store. According to the release notes, OS X Update 10....
Apple is apparently developing a MagSafe battery pack accessory for the iPhone 12, according to the latest report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. With previous iPhone models, Apple has released Smart Battery Cases to compete with the likes of battery cases from Mophie and others, that offer protection and give your iPhone extra juice. For the iPhone 12 generation, Apple is yet to release its own battery case. The Bloomberg report suggests that Apple may never do so, as it instead intends to use the MagSafe connector on the back of the iPhone to be able to create a wireless charging battery pack that simply magnetically snaps onto the back of the iPhone 12....
Backing up a TiPB report from last week, Digitimes reports that Apple’s plans for a Retina Display iPad launch this fall have been terminated; if they even existed in the first place. According to the report’s sources, Apple’s initial plan was to produce 1.5-2 million units in the third quarter and 5-6 million in the fourth quarter of a new iPad, but these orders have apparently been cancelled. The report also believes that plans for the new product’s launch were cancelled due to yield rate issues in the production of the 2048 x 1536 Retina Display....
Apple’s Nintendo-DS like remote concept from 2010 patent In their review of the third-generation iPad, AnandTech discusses the Apple mobile gaming market and one issue that seems to be arising now that iPads and iPhones are becoming faster, more powerful, and better devices for gaming: touch. The review notes how Android has the ability to be connected to physical game controllers, and that a gaming controller adds an important element to advanced gaming expieriences....
Just as we are chewing on the news that Apple is working on Mountain Lion, a major new Mac OS X release, the company published Messages Beta for the Mac, an early taste of what is coming in Mountain Lion. Certain code leaks indicated such an application could be in the works and now it is coming. The Messages application lets you send unlimited iMessages to any Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch user....
We haven’t heard from Apple’s Clips app in a while but today the company says it has released the app’s biggest update yet. New features and changes include a refreshed user interface, the ability to record in both vertical and horizontal aspect ratios, and is optimized to record and share in Dolby Vision HDR with the new iPhone 12 lineup. Apple detailed the update in a Newsroom release today: Apple calls the new UI “fresh” and “streamlined....
Apple has released iOS 10.2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 10.2 includes several new features like Unicode 9.0 emoji, three new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus wallpapers, a new TV app, additional camera features, new Messages screen effects, and more. These are the changes discovered during iOS 10.2 beta: Three new wallpapers in iOS 10.2 beta (only for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus) New widget for Videos app New Preserve Camera setting New emoji (looks like Unicode 9....
Apple has released the second iOS 11.1 beta for iPhone and iPad. iOS 11.1 beta 2 is expected to include hundreds of new emoji characters including “Woman with Headscarf, Bearded Person, Breastfeeding, Zombie” and plenty more following Apple’s preview last week. We’ll also be looking for Apple Pay Cash which has recently been in testing as well as any other new features in the latest iOS 11.1 beta. The update is currently available for members of Apple’s developer program and is expected to be officially released in late October....
With iOS 9 set to release on September 16th, Apple has released the final beta build, the Golden Master, to developers. Along with this beta is an all new preview build of iOS 9.1. The exact changes in iOS 9.1 aren’t yet known, but we’ll keep this post updated with any changes we find in either build. The GM build of watchOS 2 has also been pushed out on the Developer Center....
Earlier this week, Apple released iOS 14.5.1 and macOS Big Sur 11.3.1 with an important security update that fixed a serious WebKit exploit. Today the company released Safari 14.1 for users running macOS Catalina and macOS Mojave, which also fixes the exploit that had been being used for malicious web content. As Apple detailed earlier this week, the exploit found in WebKit had been exploited to execute arbitrary code on a user’s device without consent....
Apple has released the second iOS 10.3 public beta for testing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. iOS 10.3.2 public beta 2 follows one day after the second developer version of the upcoming software update. Apple has also released the second public beta version of macOS 10.12.5. Apple’s public beta program is free to participate in unlike its paid developer program. iOS 10.3.2 will be released to everyone in the future, and the public beta allows more users to test pre-release versions of the software update before it’s finalized....
We heard already from various Apple suppliers that they were cutting their sales forecasts, suggesting the latest iPhone models were not doing as well as expected. The Journal today says that Apple reduced orders for both iPhone XS and iPhone XR. Apple has apparently found it hard to accurately predict demand for its three model lineup amidst an overall slowdown of the smartphone market and seemingly-weak Chinese demand. The changes to the production schedules are frustrating suppliers, according to the Wall Street Journal....
Update: KBC Bank has retracted its original statement, now saying in a second tweet that Apple Pay is “not yet in scope.” Apple Pay may be making its way to Belgium following WWDC, KBC Bank indicated on Twitter today. The bank recently added NFC support to its payment cards, prompting a customer to ask if the institution would ever add support for Apple Pay. The bank replied that the service would be available starting this summer, indicating a possible announcement at WWDC....
