Apple ‘proud to advance’ new USB-IF HID standard for braille displays along with other tech companies

USB Implementers Forum has today shared a new Human Interface Device standard for braille displays. This marks an important step for providing greater accessibility to those with low vision or blindness to devices across manufacturers and operating systems.
iPhones lead online smartphone sales in China – Counterpoint

There has been a mix of good and bad news for Apple in China of late. Canalys relegated Apple to the ‘Others’ category after strong sales by local brands, but Apple’s own numbers show the market to be as big as Europe.
Apple’s reputation took a hit as customers questioned the company’s transparency, but Counterpoint today has better news: iPhones are leading online smartphone sales in the country …
The best-paying non-VP jobs at Apple, ranging from $157k

If you’re looking for a multi-million dollar payout from Apple, you’ll need to be one of the senior execs raking in the stock awards. But there are a range of jobs at the company with six-figure salaries …
Apple poaches multiple Intel engineers as speculation grows about future Mac plans

Apple has reportedly poached multiple engineers and research staff from Intel for a new facility in Washington County, close to the chipmaker’s home base.
The hiring appears to have begun back in November, and is likely to further fuel speculation about Apple replacing Intel chips with its own ARM-based Mac CPUs within the next few years …
Apple clone-maker Xiaomi’s new Mi 8 closely mimics the iPhone X

It didn’t take long for the first Android clone of the iPhone X to appear, in the form of the Leagoo S9. The phone copied both the rounded corners and notch on the front of the device, along with the vertical camera bump on the rear.
And today a more familiar brand has done the same with Xiaomi’s Mi 8 …
Telegram CEO says Apple is blocking Telegram updates worldwide

The popular messaging app, Telegram, hasn’t seen an App Store update since late March. On Twitter, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov had this to say:
If you aren’t using Telegram and can’t see his message, here is what it says:
We reported earlier this year that Russia had asked Apple to remove Telegram from the Russian App Store. This was after the developers refused to hand over encryption keys to the Russian government.
Because Telegram can’t update the app, some existing features (like stickers) are no longer working after the release of iOS 11.4. They’ve also not been able to release a GDPR compliant update as well.
It’s currently not clear why Russia’s ruling is causing Apple to prevent Telegram from updating the app in other regions.
Pixelmator Pro updated with Touch Bar support, SVG editing, advanced export and slicing
The Pixelmator Team has today released the latest update of its Pixelmator Pro app for Mac. Version 1.1 brings a lot of new features, and a plethora of smaller enhancements and bug fixes.
The photo-editing app now features rich integration with the Touch Bar, a suite of new web export options, machine-learning color adjustments, slicing, SVG vector image editing and many more smaller changes.
Philips Hue Sync now available for Mac, app syncs lighting to games, videos, and music

First announced back at CES in January, Philips is releasing its new Philips Hue Sync app for both Mac and PC today. The new macOS utility lets you sync Hue smart light colors and effects to games, video, and music playing from Mac.
9to5Mac Happy Hour 175: Apple Watch Pride, HomePod stereo & AirPlay 2, macOS 10.14 wish list

This week Benjamin and Zac talk Apple Watch workout tracking, Apple’s new privacy portal in the EU, Apple Watch’s hidden Pride watch face, HomePod gaining calendar, stereo, and AirPlay 2 support, and macOS 10.14 wish list items.
9to5Mac Happy Hour is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play Music, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report highlights stagnate smartphone shipments, more

Mary Meeker today shared her annual Internet Trends Report at Recode’s Code Conference in California. The report serves as a great tool to analyze some of the year’s most notable trends, and this year is no different…