You can now add Starbucks, Wunderlist, and LinkedIn to the list of iOS apps with features utilizing Apple’s new 3D Touch feature on the latest generation iPhones.

For Starbucks, the latest update quietly added Apple’s 3D Touch quick actions feature, allowing users to deep press the app’s icon for quick access to Pay, Reload Card, Order, and Nearby Stores features (as pictured above).

And with version 9.0 of the LinkedIn app for iPhone and iPad, users will notice a number of enhancements to the app alongside 3D Touch, like LinkedIn, with quick access to commonly used app features from a deep press of the app’s Home screen icon.

The update also includes a new streamlined design that consolidates all features into 5 new tabs labeled Home, Me, Messaging, My Network, and Search. You’ll also notice support for finding connections directly from Apple’s new Spotlight feature in iOS 9.

Not to be left out, popular to-do list app Wunderlist also gets 3D Touch with an update today offering quick previews of to-do’s and more:

Want to take a quick Peek inside a to-do? Use 3D Touch to see a preview of a to-do. Now swipe up while you’re in the Peek screen and you’ll be able to quickly reschedule it without even opening the Detail View. Press harder on the Peek screen and you’ll Pop straight into the Detail View, which is looking mighty pretty, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Check out the updated Starbucks, LinkedIn, and Wunderlist apps on the App Store now. 

(Thanks Felipe!)

Filed under: Apps Tagged: 3D Touch, App Store, Apple, Apps, LinkedIn, peek and pop, preview, quick actions, Starbucks, Wunderlist

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Apple has consistently worked at making the iPhone ever slimmer, and has been willing to make compromises to achieve that, most notably in battery-life. But with the iPhone 6 and 6s, it is close to the limit on how slim an iPhone can be – and the reason for that is the oldest piece of tech in the phone. The iPhone 6/6s is not very much thicker than the diameter of the 3.5mm headphone jack.

The latest iPod touch shows that Apple has a little more room for manoeuvre (above photo Anandtech, below iFixit).

But really not much. If Apple wants to continue the iPhone’s diet, at some point very soon it’s going to have to ditch the 3.5mm headphone socket in favor of an alternative. There are four possible options open to it … 

First, it could replace the standard 3.5mm audio socket with a 2.5mm one. While 3.5mm has been the standard audio socket for mobile devices for a long time, it’s not the only option out there.

Audio kit originally used a quarter-inch socket (6.3mm) – and high-end home kit often still does. That size was too large for mobile devices, so the 3.5mm system was devised to solve the problem, but some manufacturers went further and opted for 2.5mm instead.

The 2.5mm system never really took off, as 3.5mm was small enough for all the mobile devices that existed at the time, but it’s still out there and Apple could adopt it, shaving off a millimeter by doing so.

There would be some advantages to doing this. You could snap a small 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter onto any set of headphones without any compatibility issues, and Apple wouldn’t need to make any changes to the electronics inside the iPhone. Adapters are cheap, so Apple could even throw one in with the iPhone, so no-one could grumble about being forced to lay out cash on a new adapter.

But I think we can pretty much rule out this option. It’s old tech. If Apple is going to do anything as radical as drop an industry-standard socket, it’s going to replace it with something hi-tech.

Which brings us to the second option: drop the audio socket altogether, and co-opt the Lightning socket into performing audio duties as well as power and data. A recent report claimed that Apple plans to do that for the iPhone 7.

That’s possible right now, of course. The Lightning socket can already deliver audio signals, and already does so with a range of audio docks. You can also already buy headphones with Lightning plugs instead of 3.5mm ones (though admittedly the selection available today is rather small).

There are both pros and cons to this approach. On the plus side, Lightning delivers a lossless digital audio signal. This means that headphone manufacturers can include their own digital-to-analog converters, some of which would be of a higher quality than the one built into the iPhone.

Apple’s Digital Audio Module standard also allows headphones to draw power from the iPhone, negating the need to charge the headphones – though at further cost to battery life. Conversely, though, the headphones could supply power to the iPhone, and the protocol supports pass-through power, allowing you to listen to music while the phone is charging.

The big downside, of course, is that you can’t use existing headphones. Because the signal provided by the Lightning port is digital, a simple converter won’t do the trick: the headphones need an on-board DAC to convert to analog sound.

This would normally be a killer argument against the change. Many of us have expensive headphones we love, and we wouldn’t be amused by a new iPhone effectively rendering them obsolete for mobile use.

But there is a potential get-out clause here. It should be technically possible for a DAC in the iPhone to handle the conversion to analog signals, at which point a simple snap-on 3.5mm to Lightning adapter would be all that would be needed. If Apple took that route, existing headphones would continue to work just as they do now.

The third option, and one a sketchy rumor suggests Apple is playing with, is to replace the Lightning socket with a USB-C one.

You could see an argument for this. The USB-C is an extremely powerful standard that could do everything an iOS device needs and more. Audio is just one of its many capabilities, and it wouldn’t be a problem for manufacturers to create USB-C headphones.

Apple has already adopted USB-C for the 12-inch MacBook, and will almost certainly do so for the complete MacBook range next year. There is something to be said for Apple standardizing on a single port across all devices.

But there are three reasons I think it won’t. First, there was enormous controversy when Apple abandoned the old 30-pin connector in favor of Lightning. Many people were vocal in their objection to Apple making old docks and audio kit effectively obsolete – or at least both fiddly and ugly by the time you added an adapter. It was a change that had to be made eventually, but Apple certainly won’t be in a hurry to make a second change so relatively soon after the first.

Second, while USB-C is incredibly powerful, an iPhone doesn’t need most of those capabilities. No-one is going to be hooking up an iPhone to a Thunderbolt display, and an iPhone doesn’t have the computing power to do half of it anyway.

But the third reason is the real convincer. If creating ever slimmer iPhones is Apple’s reason to abandon the 3.5mm socket, switching to USB-C wouldn’t help much. Product designer Josh Flowers helpfully created this graphic to show the problem: the USB-C socket is pretty much the same height as the 3.5mm socket.

So for all these reasons, I think we can rule this one out.

Which leaves one final possibility: simply remove the headphone socket and point people to wireless headphones as the future.

This would, of course, bring us right back to the ‘existing headphones’ objection. If someone has spent $400-500 and up on a pair of expensive headphones, they are not going to be impressed by Apple providing no means to connect them to an iPhone. You could continue to use them with a Bluetooth headphone adapter, but that’s a very clunky solution.

I’ve often observed that Apple has no problem making ruthless decisions when it comes to what it considers legacy technology. Floppy drives. Optical drives. Upgradable laptops. Most ports, in the case of the 12-inch MacBook. Apple consistently does this earlier than almost everyone else.

But while I’m sure wired headphones will, within a few years, seem as quaint as loading a DVD into a laptop to watch a movie, I don’t think we’re there yet – even for Apple.

So, what will Apple do? My money’s on the Lightning route, with an on-board DAC to maintain compatibility with existing headphones. I think that could realistically happen by the iPhone 7, and I’d put good money on it happening no later than the iPhone 8.

As ever, take our polls and share your thoughts in the comments.

Filed under: iOS Devices, Opinion Tagged: 2.5mm headphone socket, 3.5mm, 3.5mm headphone socket, iPhone 7, iPhone 8, Lightning, Lightning headphones, USB-C

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United Airlines announced today that it will deploy some 6,000 iPhone 6 Plus smartphones to its customer service representatives based in the United States. United, which is the largest airline in the world based on locations served, says the iPhone 6 Plus will mobilize important services and allow staff to print customer boarding passes and baggage tags throughout airports.

The airline also says the iPhone 6 Plus will enable staff to assist customers with changing flight plans from anywhere while dedicated customer service desks can be reserved for more complex issues.

United plans to begin distributing the iPhone 6 Plus to its 6000+ staff of customer service reps next year following a similar program a year ago where the same iPhone model was distributed to flight attendants and pilots to replace manuals and handle payments.

Of course the iPhone 6 Plus has since been replaced by the iPhone 6s Plus and a newer, redesigned iPhone is due out next fall, but the year old iPhone model is likely more cost-effective for its large staff and 3D Touch, Live Photos, and rose gold may not be worth the extra cost.

The airline says it plans to expand the capabilities of the iPhone 6 Plus in the field in the future with new features like full check-ins and providing traditional airport kiosk services expected.

Via setteB.IT

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: iphone 6 plus, United Airlines

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Apple is continuing to sign more banks and credit unions up every few weeks to support Apple Pay, and the latest expansion in the United States includes another 40 new partners to back the company’s mobile payment service. Check below to see the latest banks to go live:

American Heritage Federal Credit Union
Associated Credit Union
Bangor Savings Bank
Bank of Bourbonnais
Bank of Clovis
Bank of the Pacific
Baton Rouge Telco Federal Credit Union
BHCU
Cardinal Bank
Corning Credit Union
First Financial Credit Union (both IL & NM now)
First National Bank of Trenton
First Nations Bank
First Republic Bank
Flint Area School Employees Credit Union
Glass City Federal Credit Union
Guaranty Bank and Trust Company
Hawthorn Bank
Hills Bank and Trust Company
Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union
Leader Bank, N.A.
Michigan Tech Employees Federal Credit Union
Midcoast Federal Credit Union
Oatworth Capital Bank
Ohio Valley Bank
Partnership Financial Credit Union
Penn Liberty Bank
Police and Fire Federal Credit Union
Prime Merdian Bank
Reading Cooperative Bank
Republic Bank
Section 705 Federal Credit Union
Secured Advantage Federal Credit Union
Southern Bank
Southwest Missouri Bank
TowneBank
West Plains Bank and Trust Company
WesTex Federal Credit Union
Wilmington Savings Fund Society
WSFS Bank

You can find the full list of all issuing partners including this week’s additions here. Apple Pay on iPhones and Apple Watch lets you pay securely in stores that accept contactless payments using the iPhone 6 or later, or any Apple Watch paired with iPhone 5 or later. iPhones and iPads can also make payments within supported apps using Apple Pay and Touch ID on iPhone 6 or later, iPad mini 3 and 4, iPad Air 2, and iPad Pro.

In addition to more banks, retailer JCPenney recently started piloting store-issued card support for Apple Pay, following Kohl’s full support just before them. Apple Pay has also expanded beyond the US and UK with a deal through American Express in Canada and Australia. China is also on the radar in a big way for Apple Pay.

More retailers are also starting to accept Apple Pay with Dominos, Cinnabon, Starbucks, Chilis, and KFC all testing or planning future rollouts. Apple maintains a list of partners that accept Apple Pay here, although many more locations also accept contactless payments including Apple Pay.

Small businesses can also easily accept Apple Pay and other contactless payment methods with options like Square’s new reader which is rolling out or PayAnywhere’s Apple Pay-ready reader that’s sold in Apple Stores.

Apple Pay is also expected to add peer-to-peer payments between users, possibly using iMessage, sometime in 2016 according to recent reports.

Filed under: Apple Pay Tagged: Apple pay, Apple Pay banks, Apple watch, banks, contactless payments, iPad, iPhone, mobile payments, PayAnywhere, Square

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Apple has opened registrations for this year’s ‘Hour of Code’ workshops, providing kids aged six and up with a free one-hour introduction to the basics of computer programming. The workshops take place at Apple Stores around the world on December 10th, and this will be the third year running that the company has offered them.

Hour of Code is a fun one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anyone can learn the basics of programming.

Like last year, the company is also holding a number of special events in support of Computer Science Education Week and Code.org … 

CEO of Code.org Hadi Partovi will be speaking at New York’s SoHo Apple Store, codeSpark’s Grant Hosford will be hosting an interactive session for kids and parents in San Francisco and Lightbot founder Danny Yaroslavski will be sharing ways for kids of all ages to learn the fundamentals of programming in Chicago’s Lincoln Park store. Other events are being held in Brussels, Sydney and Tokyo.

Apple is also providing links to free resources designed to get people started with coding, including online courses from Code.org and apps, books, podcasts and iTunes U courses in a special Learn to Code section on iTunes.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Tech Industry Tagged: Code.org, Hour of Code, Learn to code

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Market intelligence company IDC predicts that the worldwide tablet market will continue to decline, with the category as a whole falling 8.1% over the course of this year, but sees potential good news for Apple in 2016. It says that the ‘detachables’ segment – tablets with detachable keyboards – will nearly double in size next year, and that Apple is likely to be a key beneficiary.

“The transition to detachable tablets also ushers in two other key trends: the growth of Windows and a turnaround for Apple’s iPad device line,” said Jitesh Ubrani , Senior Research Analyst, Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers. “Though early reviews for the iPad Pro have been mixed, we believe the Pro to be the only reason for Apple to gain tablet market share in the coming years as they target select enterprise and prosumer audiences.”

However, it notes that Apple’s growth may be limited and temporary as Windows tablets and detachables experience dramatic growth … 

IDC’s forecast says that Apple will grow its market share from 24.5% this year to 25.8% next year, but then stagnate. Windows, in contrast, is predicted to grow from 8.5% this year to 17.8% by 2019. Android is predicted to be the loser, declining from 67% this year to just 56.5% by 2019.

Tim Cook has previously referred to the decline in iPad sales as “a speed bump,” and said that he “strongly predicts” that the iPad will return to growth.

iPad Pro photo: IGN

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: IDC, iPad, iPad Pro, iPad Pro sales, iPad Pro sales forecast, iPad Pro sales prediction

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A Chinese report (via GforGames) citing “Foxconn insiders” and other unnamed sources claims that the iPhone 6c, Apple’s rumored 4-inch entry-level phone to replace the 5c, is due to be announced by Apple in January and go on sale in February.

Apple may have used the term “unapologetically plastic” to describe the iPhone 5c, but the latest report about its 6c successor repeats earlier rumors that Apple will be switching to metal this time around. This seems likely now that even the entry-level iOS device, the iPod Touch, has an aluminum case.

There have been mixed rumors on the spec of the iPhone 6c … 

Unsurprisingly, it’s not expected that the device will support 3D Touch – a feature Apple will likely want to reserve for its flagship handsets for some time – but it has been suggested that the 6c will get Touch ID and an NFC chip to support Apple Pay.

The claimed release date would be unusual for Apple, but entirely possible given that the company didn’t launch it alongside its flagship phones. Back in the summer, there were sketchy reports of a November launch, though KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo had earlier said that was unlikely and that it would instead be the first half of 2016.

The thinking goes that the 6c would replace the iPhone 5s as the entry-level handset in Apple’s line-up. Perhaps Apple is winding down the 5s production now.

Filed under: iOS Devices

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Apple today has debuted two new TV ads for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. These ads come just a week after the company unveiled its new holiday ad featuring Stevie Wonder and Andra Day. The two new iPhone ads are entitled “Hey Siri” and “Ridiculously Powerful,” and focus on exactly what you would expect them to.

“Hey Siri” centers around the iPhone’s support for always-listening support for Siri. The ad shows a variety of different use cases for the feature, including asking Siri for restaurant recommendations, trivia questions, to play a song, and much more. Apple continues to use its “The only thing that’s changed is everything” tagline with this ad.

The second ad, called “Ridiculously Powerful” is a 1-minute long spot that showcases the improved performance of iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The ad showcases a variety of third-party apps, as well as Apple’s own apps like Garageband and iMovie. Apple even showcases professional gamers competing in ESport tournaments using iPhone. The ad also touts that the improved A9 chip found in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus improve performance across the board, including every day tasks like iMessaging, Mail, and Maps.

Both of Apple’s new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus ads can be seen below. “Hey Siri” is a 30-second spot, while “Ridiculously Powerful” is a 1-minute clip.

Filed under: iOS Devices

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What’s the monetary value of honeymoon photos, 15 years worth of contacts, and other data stored on your iPhone? Following a successful U.K. lawsuit against Apple by Deric White, the answer is “at least £1,200 ($1,810).” According to a report in the Standard, White took his iPhone 5 to the Apple Store on Regent Street to resolve an apparent error message, receiving the phone back — wiped of its prior content, without having asked White for his consent.

The Mirror reports that a lawyer for Apple laid the blame at White’s feet, noting that by coming to the store for repair service, “he made the decision to hand the phone over to them knowing the iPhone was not backed up and the pictures and videos were therefore at risk… It is something we inform all customers of before they carry out any action on phones or iPads.” Regardless, the judge found that Apple’s “employees were negligent in the treatment of the claimant’s telephone, causing the claimant loss of photographs of particular sentimental value and the loss of all his contacts.”

Valuing his loss at £5,000 ($7,540), White said that his “life was saved on that phone,” including his “favorite video of a giant tortoise biting [his] hand on honeymoon in the Seychelles.” White won a £1,200 judgment against Apple, plus £773 in court costs, after Apple refused settlement offers of £7,000 or a new computer screen and printer worth £1,000.

Filed under: iOS Devices

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There’s no need to go straight to stuffing your stockings with socks and other boring go-to but boring gifts. If you have an Apple lover on your list, there are a ton of great must-haves for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch users that can be had for under $10, $25, or $50. And if you’d rather let them decide, stick with a gift card that any Apple product user can take advantage of from places like iTunes and Amazon.

Head below for our roundup of the best stocking stuffers for Apple lovers at every price point:

Under $10 |

Spigen’s Apple MFi certified Lightning cable (from $4.99). Or find other Lightning cables.

Aukey Apple MFi certified 3600mAh portable battery w/ Lightning cable & Lightning port ($9.99) 

Styli from $5.99 – If you’re inspired by what Apple is doing with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil but don’t want to spend $100 on a stylus for the occassional drawing or note, Amazon has styli from $5.99 that will get the job done.

Cables Management: Everyone could use these $10 waterproof, roll-up sleeves and velcro cable ties for organizing cables when at home or traveling.

MacBook decals as low as $3 on Amazon. Or on Etsy from $5.

Belkin Screen Cleaning Kit ($9). Or shop other screen cleaning kits as low as $1.99.

And Tempered glass screen protectors for iPhone and iPad from $2.99

MFi Apple Certified Micro USB to Lightning Adapter for iPhone/iPad ($8)

AmazonBasics In-Ear Headphones with Microphone ($7.99). Well reviewed, these are proving to be some of the best in-ear headphones around for under $10.

Under $25 |

Belkin SurgePlus 3-Outlet Swivel Charger w/ Dual USB Ports ($15)

Skylanders Trap Team figures (from $8)

LaCie PetiteKey 16GB USB Flash Drive ($15)

Moleskine Evernote Smart Pocket Notebook ($17)

Tile (Gen 2) iPhone finder item tracker (1 for $25, 4 for $70)

SoundPEATS Lightweight Bluetooth headphones ($24.99). Everyone has good things to say about these Bluetooth in-ear headphones that offer decent sound and a slick design for much less than most of the competitors.

Under $50 |

8Bitdo Bluetooth Wireless Classic NES Controller for iOS/Mac ($35)

iHome SmartPlug w/ Apple’s HomeKit ($39). I really liked testing out Apple’s HomeKit platform with this $40 smart plug from iHome when I reviewed it earlier this year.

Leef iAccess MicroSD Card Reader w/ Lightning connector ($49). I recently reviewed this product that makes transferring and streaming content from an SD card (think your camera or drone) directly to or between iOS devices easy.

Gift cards:

Shop iTunes gift cards (9to5Toys currently has $100 gift cards for $80 and discounts on other amounts.)

Send an Amazon gift card online. 

Or send an Amazon gift card in a physical gift card (from $25) or in a gift box (from $50) with one day shipping.

Filed under: Buying Guides, iOS Devices Tagged: Amazon, best, gift guide, highest rated, holiday, itunes gift cards, stocking stuffer, top sellers, under $10, under $25

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