Apple has quietly signed an automotive deal with Volkswagen, according to sources that have surfaced, to develop self-driving vehicles for the company's employees. The report claims that Apple wants to turn some of Volkswagen's T6 Transporter vans into autonomous shuttles for Apple workers, a project that is supposedly monopolizing most of the company's automotive team.
iPhone owners who paid for an out-of-warranty battery replacement may find that they're eligible for a $50 credit from Apple, as the company continues its power throttling mea-culpa. Apple cut its fees for out-of-warranty battery swaps in late December 2017, in the aftermath of criticism as to how it had handled CPU management on older iPhones.
The parade of new Android phones is practically over, save for one or two very late arrivals. In a few months, it will be Apple's turn to make waves in the smartphone market. The 2018 iPhone models aren't due until this fall but it seems that the ball has started rolling for Apple's next triplet. According to sources, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., more popularly known as TSMC, has started mass production of the processors that will power those iPhones and they are promised to be smaller and better than any before it.
YouTube Music's 2018 reincarnation just launched, and it's available for SOME users. If you live in the United States, Mexico, Austalia, New Zealand, or South Korea, you might be in luck. Today Google launched "early access" to YouTube Music for some users - but not ALL users.
WWDC 2018 is just around the corner, and Apple has begun inviting press to the opening keynote. Set to be held on June 4, the presentation kicks off at 10am PDT in San Jose, and begins the Cupertino firm's annual week-long developer event.
Yubico made a couple of exciting announcements concerning its YubiKey NEO authentication hardware today. The first is that the key is now compatible with iPhones, allowing users to employ two-factor authentication methods that don't need to rely on SMS verification codes. Yubico has also announced a new software development kit for the YubiKey NEO, which will hopefully translate to more developers supporting the device in their iOS apps.
Apple's USB-C to Lightning cable has seen a quiet price cut, dropping in price by almost a quarter amid rumors of a shake up in iPhone and iPad charging. Although Apple includes a USB-A to Lightning cable in the box with each iPhone and iPad, it has also had an option for those wanting faster charging, just as long as they're willing to pay up.
Now that Apple changed the iPhone schedule with X, a new wave is in store for 2018. But what's the size set going to be - and will there be three phones, or just two? This morning a set of blueprint-like plans landed on our tip desk with the suggestion that they'd close the gap.
Apple products don't always become an overnight success. Some take years of constant marketing to hammer them into consumers' skulls. So while the HomePod's reported lackluster sales are disappointing for Apple fans, they might not be as fatal as some predict it to be. That said, the company seems to be trying to salvage its image by making a rather odd move. Not only is it coming out with a cheaper HomePod, according to reports it might not be launched as a HomePod at all.
Apple has taken new action against app developers in order to comply with new cybersecurity laws in China. The company has begun warning iOS developers that any apps using Apple's CallKit will be pulled from the Chinese App Store unless they remove the framework's integration. This comes after China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has started to enforce regulations that see CallKit as a way to help bypass censorship and surveillance.
The iPad Pro and Apple Pencil are arguably the best tablet + stylus pairing currently available. When used with a good note-taking app, the slate is revolutionary in educational settings, opening the door for natural handwritten notes paired with features not possible with pen and paper. The best hardware in the world, though, would be wasted on a low-quality note-taking app, and that's where this list comes in.
Though Apple Music had something of a late start, that doesn't seem to be having a negative impact on its growth. Tim Cook is talking subscriber numbers today, and it turns out that Apple Music has added millions more users since the last time we checked in. That's particularly impressive, because the last time we were updated on total Apple Music users was only in April.