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According to a report out of Bloomberg, notorious patent troll VirnetX is seeking $532 million from Apple, claiming that Apple has taken its intellectual property without permission. VirnetX holds a variety of patents relating to technology used in creating Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs. The company claims that Apple’s own VPN technology, as well as its FaceTime and iMessage services, all infringe on its patents.

“Apple hasn’t played fair. They have taken Virnetx’s intellectual property without permission,” VirnetX lawyer Brad Caldwell stated to the jury in Texas today. VirnetX previously won a $368.2 million verdict against Apple, but an appeals court threw out that ruling and ordered a new trial. The company now seeks $532 million due to new generations of Apple products continuing to infringe on its patents.

“Apple believes in fairness and protecting intellectual property,” said Apple’s lawyer, Greg Arovas. “VirnetX keeps moving the boundary, asking for more and more and more.” VirnetX has struggled to commercialize its own products and generally relies on licensing agreements for its income, hence why it is so strongly going against Apple.

The trial is expected to continue through at least next week and will continue to see arguments from both sides. Apple was not able to make arguments concerning some of VirnetX’s claims as it already addressed them in the initial hearing. The company dropped other arguments, as well.

This isn’t the first time Apple has been the target of a patent troll. Last year, it was ordered to pay $532.9 million for infringing on gaming patents of SmartFlash LLC., who then came back again looking for more money, saying some products were released too late to be included in the initial trial. In 2014, Apple spoke out against patent trolls publicly, saying that it is the subject of more patent-related lawsuits than any other company.

VirnetX has been successful in the past when it comes to winning patent infringement cases, receiving more than $200 million over recent years.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Apple, legal, VirnetX

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Leo Laporte and Mike Elgan of popular podcasting networking TWiT today conducted an interview with Bill Fernandez, the fourth employee to work at Apple. At Apple, Fernandez was a user interface architect and inventor. He worked on both the Apple I and Apple II and contributed to the user interface of Mac OS, QuickTime, and HyperCard. Fernandez is widely credited as being the person who introduced Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to each other.

Fernandez was the first employee when Apple Computer incorporated and 1977 and is commonly known as “Apple Employee #4.” In the interview with Elgan and Laporte on “Triangulation,” Fernandez discusses a wide-range of topics. He touches on the assertion that Apple stole portions of the original Mac user interface from Xerox, as well as his opinions on the various Steve Jobs movies, what it was like working with Jobs, and more. Fernandez also talks about what he’s up to nowadays and his thoughts on the current state of Apple.

You can watch the full interview, which is more than an hour and a half long, below. If you’re into get an inside look at Apple’s early days, it’s a fascinating interview.

Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: Bill Fernandez, interview, Steve Jobs

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Earlier today, Apple rolled out the second beta of tvOS 9.2 for the fourth-generation Apple TV. The original beta included new features such as folder organization and Bluetooth keyboard support, but one highly requested new feature has been added today with the second beta. With tvOS 9.2 on Apple TV, users can now access their full iCloud Photo Library.

The feature is turned off by default, but can be activated via the Settings app. Simply head into Settings, go to the ‘iCloud’ menu, and choose to enable iCloud Photo Library. Prior to the second beta of tvOS 9.2, only Photo Stream content was available via the Apple TV.

With iCloud Photo Library support, users can now view all of their images on Apple TV just like they would on an iOS device or Mac. The interface is in-line with what you would expect from an Apple TV application. There’s album support for the included default albums such as ‘All Photos,’ ‘Recently Added,’ ‘Favorites,’ and ‘Selfies.’ One thing that’s missing, however, is support for Smart Albums and albums that you created. There’s also no support for the slideshow feature or deleting images.

There’s also support for Live Photos, which certainly will be useful on the large-screen interface of Apple TV. To play Live Photos, users can simply click and hold the trackpad button on the Siri Remote.

Earlier today, Apple released tvOS 9.1.1 to the public. tvOS 9.2 is expected to ship to all fourth-generation Apple TV users later this year. You can view our initial hands-on with the update, including folder support and the new Podcasts app, here. 

Filed under: Apple TV Tagged: Apple TV, icloud, iCloud Photo Library, tvOS

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The Verge has obtained a sneak peak image into what Microsoft’s Word Flow keyboard for iOS may look like once it is officially released. The keyboard will include a one-handed mode that places the keys out in a fan-style layout. The user can still access emoji and word suggestions and even use swipe gestures to type. This differs from the Word Flow keyboard on Windows 10 Mobile where the keys simply shift to one side. The Verge explains that other than that one-handed mode, the rest of Word Flow for iOS is similar to the Windows Phone version.

If you can’t wait to try out some of the basic Word Flow features, take a look at our review on One Handed Keyboard which shifts the keyboard to one side or the other. For a fanned-out keyboard style take a look at Thumbly. For swiping text input fans (me being one of them), Swype and SwiftKey rank as popular keyboards too.

Microsoft is planning to launch its Word Flow keyboard on iOS in the coming months, with an Android version to follow.

Photo: The Verge

Filed under: Apps, iOS Tagged: iOS, keyboard, Microsoft, One Handed Keyboard, SwiftKey, swype, Third-Party Keyboard, Thumbly, Word Flow

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The second tvOS 9.2 beta is now available on the fourth-generation Apple TV. This update brings Apple TV 3 features including a Podcasts app and Bluetooth keyboard support to the latest streaming set-top box. The beta software also brings iOS-like features including app folders to the Apple TV. We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below.

The new Podcasts app is designed very much like the iOS 9 update to the app with a focus on unplayed episodes and current subscriptions. The first beta version of tvOS 9.2, however, lacked support for video podcasts and Siri control so this will be a space to watch. Earlier today, Apple released tvOS 9.1.1 which also includes the new Podcasts app for everyone.

Bluetooth keyboard support works just as expected. Pairing is easy and hardware keyboards can be used anywhere that text input is an option including search boxes. Basic navigation using arrow controls, escape, and the space bar is also supported.

Folders let you group similar apps like games into a scrolling view with three columns and infinite rows. This feature was previously unavailable on past Apple TV models, showing the benefit of the iOS-based tvOS platform. There’s also a new app switcher user interface that works more like iOS 9 and less like iOS 8.

Check out our hands-on with the original tvOS 9.2 beta:

Let us know in the comments, via email at tips at 9to5mac dot com, or on Twitter @9to5Mac if you spot any changes in the new beta, and we’ll update with changes we find as well.

Filed under: Apple TV, Developers Tagged: Apple TV, Bluetooth keyboards, Folders, iOS 9, Podcasts, tvOS, tvOS 9.2

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Apple is set to release its FY16 Q1 report tomorrow, and today Fortune has released their results of an analyst survey conducted ahead of Apple’s upcoming announcements. Fortune indicates that Apple may actually report the “most profitable quarter in the history of capitalism”, but investors are more concerned with the iPhone’s trajectory numbers as to indicate what may happen in the coming quarter.

Although Apple has already announced their biggest ever holiday season for App Store sales, Wall Street is still eagerly waiting to hear what revenue Apple expects to collect in this coming quarter. Although Apple doesn’t normally share iPhone sales targets, Fortune’s survey showed that averaging various analysts estimates, they have been able to closely identify the iPhone unit sales.

It appears that from Fortune’s survey (shown below), professional analysts predict Apple will announce a revenue of $55.75 billion, while the amateur class predicts $60.35 billion. Both these estimates appear to be right around last year’s results, $58.01 billion, yet both groups estimate iPhone unit sales will be lower as well.

As March is expected to be a busy month for Apple, with new Apple Watch bands and a new 4-inch iPhone resembling current recent designs, tomorrow’s report could give potential ideas on where Apple believes their strongest sales will be.

Fortune’s also included a video in the article that further explains some of investor’s concerns with the iPhone’s unit sales. Apple has seemingly reached maximum saturation with their iPhone sales as customers aren’t looking to upgrade year after year to the latest devices. This fact, amongst many others, is what could help explain the 20% drop in stock as of the last six months.

Table: Fortune. For a further breakdown of all 40 analyst’s estimates, visit Fortune’s site.

Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: analyst, Apple, earnings, investors

For more news on AAPL Company, iOS Devices, and Apple continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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Apple has released the second watchOS 2.2 beta for Apple Watch testers today. Pairing multiple Apple Watches to a single iPhone is a feature of the iOS 9.3 beta and requires the watchOS 2.2 beta on each Apple Watch. The latest software update in testing also includes a revamped Maps app with the Nearby feature first introduced in iOS 9.0.  We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below.

Pairing multiple Apple Watches to a single iPhone works by activating the most recently unlocked, raised Apple Watch. Switching between hardware works automatically and quickly. Aside from letting enthusiastic customers have multiple Apple Watches for fashion or practical reasons, future beta testing will be easier for developers as multiple watchOS versions will be able to be tested from watchOS 2.2 and on.

watchOS 2.2 also enhances the Maps application with a new screen of actions and Nearby search powered by Yelp. Previously, Maps launched to a current location view. Starting with watchOS 2.2, Apple Watch can instantly navigate to work and home addresses and find local business organized by type. These two features incorporate actions previously introduced in Google Maps and Yelp for Apple Watch.

Let us know in the comments, via email at tips at 9to5mac dot com, or on Twitter @9to5Mac if you spot any changes in the new beta, and we’ll update with changes we find as well.

Filed under: Apple Watch, Developers Tagged: Apple watch, iOS 9.3, iPhone, maps, nearby, watchOS, watchOS 2.2

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The second OS X 10.11.4 beta preview is now available via the Mac App Store for testing. The first version of this El Capitan beta added new features including Live Photo viewing and sharing through iMessage using the Messages app as well as secure password support for individual notes in the Notes app. We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below.

Prior to OS X 10.11.4, the Mac could only view Live Photos through the Photos app and in limited situations. Starting with this version, Live Photos shot on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus can be shared and viewed easily on the Mac through iMessage using the Messages app.

El Capitan also gains the new ability in Notes to secure individual notes with a single secure password. iOS 9.3 is required to view these notes on iPhones and iPads.

Apple previously released the first OS X 10.11.4 preview to public beta testers after the initial developer version two days prior.

Focus areas include iBooks, Messages, Notes, and Photos.

Let us know in the comments, via email at tips at 9to5mac dot com, or on Twitter @9to5Mac if you spot any changes in the new beta, and we’ll update with changes we find as well.

Filed under: Developers, Mac Tagged: el capitan, Live Photos, Mac, notes, OS X 10.11.4

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Apple has released the second iOS 9.3 preview beta for testers ahead of the big feature update’s general release. The release follows the first preview release of iOS 9.3 for developers, public beta testers, and a 1.1 update for developers that included an installation fix. iOS 9.3 includes plenty of changes including a new feature called Night Shift, Touch ID and secure passwords for Notes, new 3D Touch Quick Actions and peek and pop gestures for iPhone 6s users, and much more. We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below.

Night Shift works a lot like the popular Flux utility on the Mac, which changes the display color temperature between sunset and sunrise to make screen reading easier on the eyes and encourage falling asleep easier. This feature requires 64-bit devices.

iOS 9.3’s Notes app adds the ability to secure individual notes with one secure password plus Touch ID on compatible iPhones and iPads. Secure notes are only visible on iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4 or later with no compatibility on iCloud on the web yet.

iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users can access additional 3D Touch shortcuts starting with the iOS 9.3 beta as well. Useful new shortcuts include quick access to battery, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and wallpaper options in the Settings app from the Home screen.

For CarPlay users, iOS 9.3 adds the full Apple Music experience with For You and New sections as well as Nearby in Maps. iOS 9.3 also includes a major new education initiative with multi-user support and much more.

For more on iOS 9.3 beta, check out our hands-on video:

Let us know in the comments, via email at tips at 9to5mac dot com, or on Twitter @9to5Mac if you spot any changes in the new beta, and we’ll update with changes we find as well.

Filed under: Developers, iOS Tagged: 3D Touch, iOS, iOS 9.3, iPad, iPhone, Night Shift, Touch ID

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I remarked on a recent episode of 9to5Mac’s Happy Hour podcast that the rumored 4-inch iPhone would absolutely need to take Live Photos for me to even consider giving it a serious test run. I’ve taken enough really good Live Photos — full resolution still images with brief motion and sound captured as well — on my iPhone 6s Plus that it’s one feature I wouldn’t trade.

Then on Friday we had Mark Gurman’s reporting that Apple was planning Live Photos, an iPhone 6s feature, for the expected 4-inch iPhone 5se (which likely won’t be called 6c). Today that reporting was followed up with the possibility that the iPhone 5se could have the same processor and co-processor as the iPhone 6s, albeit with fewer pixels to push with a smaller display.

Suddenly the iPhone 5se is sounding less like last year’s hardware recycled and more like a serious 4-inch phone to consider. But who is the iPhone 5se for and is it really worth considering if you’re like me and run to the latest and greatest hardware? I’m still thinking through this prospect myself, and I have a few thoughts worth considering before the device is officially unveiled …

The easiest answer to the question over who the iPhone 5se is for is people who prefer smaller displays. The iPhone stayed at 3.5-inches for five models with the iPhone in 2007 through the iPhone 4s in 2011. Then we had the taller iPhone 5, 5s, and 5c models introduced in 2012 and 2013 with 4-inch displays after pressure from phablet-sized Android smartphones which had only gotten bigger by then.

Then Apple went further by increasing the standard display size to 4.7-inches with the iPhone 6 in 2014, adding the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus option, and leaving the 4-inch iPhone hardware unchanged. While there’s no reason to think Apple will ever return to 3.5-inch iPhones, it looks like modern 4-inch iPhones are about to become a serious option for fans of smaller devices.

And there’s plenty of reasons to prefer a smaller iPhone over a larger option. Apple advertised the one-hand optimized screen size with the iPhone 5 when it was new, which was a rather defensive move against giant Android handsets. The larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhones rely on a trick called Reachability to make higher elements on screen accessible with one-hand use.

But there’s no solution for reaching screen space too far to the right or left. I still can’t one-hand the Plus model reliably and switch between the alphabet and emoji keyboard. This is less of an issue for me with the 4.7-inch model versus the 5.5-inch model, but I imagine users with smaller hands see it on both screen sizes.

One last point here. I believed before that Apple Watch would free me up from needing to ever really one-hand an iPhone, but it quickly becomes apparent that Apple Watch is not a totally hands-free device and often not even a one-hand device. Just try walking quickly through an airport with a hot cup of Starbucks in one hand lugging a suitcase in the other. Suddenly the Apple Watch becomes sort of read-only, but back to iPhones…

Beyond what Apple calls Reachability, there’s also pocket-ability to consider. Larger iPhones tend to fit more comfortably in back pockets for whatever reason, which helped lead to the 2014 #bendgate controversy that seems all but resolved with stronger series aluminum, but I can see the appeal of a more pocket-friendly iPhone even beyond the 4.7-inch model.

With the smaller display, you do miss out on a better photo and video viewing experience, larger canvas for web browsing, and generally see less information on screen at once, but I’m coming around to the idea that the iPad and Mac are better suited for those tasks anyway.

For me, the iPhone is primarily used for taking photos and videos, messaging, playing podcasts and music, and of course catching the occasional phone call. A smaller iPhone would likely mean shorter battery life, which is something even the larger iPhones haven’t totally nailed yet, but I’m already used to packing external batteries on serious trips and charging frequently.

Then there are those hardware specs to consider. I can live without 3D Touch and 4K video. I use the pressure-sensitive display feature often but I could lose it without being slowed down too much, and I’m shooting 4K video now but it takes noticeably more time to edit and process and required upload time is much longer for me than 1080p video. I wouldn’t want to drop from 12MP to 8MP for the rear camera, though, and the difference in FaceTime camera quality for still photos would be dramatic at 5MP versus 1.2MP.

The trickiest part here is that the 4-inch iPhone still won’t be up to speed with the larger 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models, so it’s hard for me to jump on board knowing that there’s technically a more state-of-the-art iPhone to be had. For a lot of people, I suspect having a smaller iPhone makes it “technically better” than larger models, but for me the 4.7-inch iPhone is probably the best solution.

So why even consider the iPhone 5se at all? I tried an iPhone 5 for a couple of days a few months and was super impressed with how easy it was to use one-handed. Your eyes adjust to the difference in size either direction after a bit of use. I’m currently using the iPhone 6s Plus, which I generally appreciate, but sometimes find uncomfortable for me during one-handed use.

4-inch iPhone renders

I’d put my money on me likely trying out the expected 4-inch iPhone 5se when it launches long enough to give it an honest and informed review, but I can’t imagine it’ll be appealing enough to me to sit out on the next iPhone 7 when it follows later in the year.

The decision of which iPhone is best for you is very complicated and the correct answer can easily change and be informed by other devices. iPhone 6s Plus made more sense to me before I gained an iPad Pro. Now I’m considering optimizing for the occasion: more portable when on-the-go, and more capable when I need it.

Purported 4-inch iPhone leak

As ever, I suspect my preferences will change year-to-year, maybe even month-to-month, but I imagine other readers are similarly second-guessing which iPhone in the increasingly complex lineup is best for the job.

My final thought is that the decision would be made all the easier if there was truly a state-of-the-art version of the 4-inch iPhone, not a “special edition” version with a mix of hardware from various generations, but I’m sure 4-inch iPhone fans are pleased to learn that Apple Pay, Live Photos, and a faster processor are all in the cards for the next 4-inch iPhone update. As ever, let us know what you think in the comments.

Filed under: iOS Devices, Opinion Tagged: 4-inch iPhone, 4.7-inch iPhone, 5.5-inch iPhone, Apple watch, iPhone, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5se, iPhone 6, iphone 6 plus, iPhone 6c, iPhone 6s, iphone 6s plus, iPhone 7

For more news on iOS Devices, iPhone, and Apple watch continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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FiftyThree has steadily been turning its Paper app into a full-fledged notebook from just a basic sketching app, and the latest update for iPhone and iPad goes even further. Paper already supported plenty of sharing options for notes and drawings within the app to destinations like Facebook and Twitter, and version 3.5 adds a new iOS Sharing Extension so you can easily send images and notes from other apps directly to Paper.

The app has also been updated with some new text formatting tools for note takers. Check out the full release notes below:

What’s New in Version 3.5.0

This update introduces new automatic text formatting to make your notes look better, faster. You can also now send text and photos from other apps directly to Paper via our iOS Share Extension.

Love Paper? Please give us a review! We are reading every comment, review, and tweet, and your thoughts and suggestions will definitely be taken into consideration as we continue to evolve Paper.

Need help or want to send us feedback? Please contact us at support@fiftythree.com. We can’t respond to App Store reviews so please email if something seems broken.

– New text ideas will start with big bold text, and auto format to normal text as you continue typing.
– Text ideas will vertically center in the Spaces grid view.
– Paper is now available as an iOS Share Extension for compatible apps. Import text and photos from other apps directly into Paper through the iOS share menu.
– Bug fixes.

Paper by 53 is available for free on the iPhone and iPad through the App Store.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: 53%, app extension, drawing, formatting, iOS, notes, Paper, Paper by 53, text

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There’s a new software update awaiting Apple TV 4 owners as Apple released a small point update for all users today. tvOS 9.1.1 likely includes bug fixes and performance improvements without adding any major feature changes. The update, however, does include the new Podcasts app that first appeared in tvOS 9.2 beta.

The bigger update coming in the future also includes channel folders, Bluetooth keyboard support and more. You can update your Apple TV 4 through the Settings channel from the Home screen.

While tvOS 9.1.1 is available to all users from today, tvOS 9.2 is currently limited to testing by developers and expected to be released later this year.

Take a look at our hands-on video with tvOS 9.2, which includes Apple’s Podcasts app, below:

Filed under: Apple TV

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Even the source Nowhereelse is unsure about this one, but it’s certainly interesting to imagine. A purported blueprint illustration of the upcoming iPad Air 3 tablet claims to show four speakers, not two, planned for the updated 9.7-inch tablet, as well as a possible camera flash for the first time. Apple focused on the larger iPad Pro and upgraded iPad mini 4 last year, and an upgraded iPad Air 3 is expected sometime this year.

While unconfirmed at this point, the two major claims of the purportedly leaked iPad Air 3 illustration aren’t entirely impossible to believe.

First up is the move from a single stereo speaker setup to a dual stereo speaker setup. Apple introduced this design with the iPad Pro, and the result is an impressive audio system that adjusts to whichever orientation you hold the iPad. The design also has the added benefit of not muffling sound when you cover one particular area of the iPad as additional speakers are available to push out sound.

Next up is the presence of a flash for photography. Apple notably did not include a flash on the iPad Pro, which is admittedly even less ideal for shooting photos and videos than the iPad Air lineup, but it would be curious to see the updated 9.7-inch iPad be technically more capable in this regard than the 12.9-inch tablet. iPads have been gaining upgraded cameras for both still photography and video capture over the years, and flashes double as a flashlight utility in dark situations, although a blank tab in Safari at full brightness has a similar effect.

At any rate, 9to5Mac reported today that development is indeed underway for the iPad Air 3 although it’s unclear if the refreshed 9.7-inch tablet will be ready in time for Apple’s expected March event where Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 5se and new Apple Watch bands or later in the year. Let us know what you think about an upgraded speaker system and a potential camera flash on the upcoming iPad Air 3 in the comments.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Flash, Hardware, iPad, ipad air, iPad Air 3, iPad Pro, speakers, Tablets

For more information about iOS Devices, iPad, and iPad Pro continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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According to a report this morning from The Wall Street Journal, Spotify is getting ready to finally launch its video content offerings. The rollout is set to start with the Android app getting video by the end of this week, but the iOS app is following suit by the end of next…

Spotify has been testing video content for some small number of users over the last few months, and now the company is finally pushing the product to the masses. Content that Spotify has lined up—mostly “short clips,” according to the report—is coming from ESPN, Comedy Central, the BBC, Vice Media and Maker Studios, among others.

“We are at the end of a journey of testing,” said Shiva Rajaraman, Spotify’s VP of product in an interview with WSJ. “We are going out effectively as planned. Our goal was largely to get a wide breadth of content and experiment and test.”

Spotify has been taking its sweet time getting this feature out to the public to the chagrin of “some media partners,” but the company learned a lot during the testing period. The company found it was “offering too many ways” for people to find video, for example, leading to the creation of “programming packages”. They seem similar to Spotify’s in-house curated playlists, with names like “Laughs at Lunch” or “News of the Week”, geared at contextually matching your music interests.

It’s an interesting move, but not exactly a surprising one in a world where it seems all services want to give you everything. Messaging apps like Snapchat (even more so lately), WhatsApp, Hangouts and Facebook Messenger want to be the app that does all the things, social networks like Twitter, Google+, and Facebook want to be the social networks that do all the things, and content streaming services apparently aren’t an exception.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Android, iOS, launch, Music, service, Spotify, streaming, video

Continue reading more about iOS Devices, iOS, and Android at 9to5Mac.

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• Craftsman 10-Piece Bar Tool Set $10 (Reg. $30), Mechanics 200-Piece Set $65 (Reg. $79)
• Sports/Fitness: SKLZ COREwheels Strength & Ab Trainer $25 (Reg. $40), more
• Enjoy all 14 stories from the original Jungle Book w/ audible narration for $1
• Google Play offers downloads of Kelly Clarkson’s Piece by Piece album for free
• Mpow Grip Air Vent Magnetic Car iPhone Mount $5 Prime shipped (Reg. $7)
• Bluetooth Selfie Stick with Remote Shutter $7 Prime shipped (Reg. $16)
• Fashion: Old Navy 50% off sitewide – men’s hoodie $15 (Orig. $35), more
• Upgrade your old speakers with this Mpow Bluetooth dongle: $8 (Reg. $10+)
• AOC 22-Inch 1080p IPS Frameless LED Monitor $100 shipped (Orig. $140)
• I-Venstar Portable Bluetooth Speaker $7 Prime shipped (Reg. $27)
• Headphones: Klipsch STATUS Over-Ear $70 shipped (Reg. $90+), more
• Liger Handlebar Mount for iPhone 6s/Android devices $6 Prime shipped (Orig. $25)
• Pioneer AV Receiver w/ Bluetooth and Wi-Fi: $250 shipped (Reg. $400)
• Belkin MFi Lightning iPad Keyboard w/ Stand: $40 shipped (Reg. $70)
• Monopoly 80th Anniversary Game $11 w/ in-store pick-up (Orig. $22)
• Mackie CR4 speakers (pair) + Audio-Technica headphones $170 ($249 value)
• The Martian Blu-ray/Digital HD for $15 Prime shipped (Reg. $23)
• A Dark Room for iOS goes free as IGN’s Game of the Month (Reg. $1)
• Download Ashley Monroe’s Grammy nominated album The Blade for free (Reg. $10)
• Get to racing on your Android with Need for Speed Most Wanted: $0.10 (Reg. $5)

Game pre-orders for Amazon Prime members –Zelda, Far Cry Primal, FFXV: $48 ea (Reg. $60)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

ComfyLight learns your routine and imitates your lighting patterns while you’re out

• Exploding Kittens: the “most-funded game in Kickstarter history” comes to iOS
• Brinks has a new solar-powered deadbolt that is iOS-connected w/ HomeKit on the way
• Leica’s new X-U action camera makes your GoPro look like a child’s toy
• The first Amazon Dash Replenishment devices are now available for order
• Grovemade’s new entryway collection brings handcrafted charm to your home
• Blipcast uses your Wi-Fi to beam HDTV audio to multiple iOS or Android devices
• This Nintendo-inspired Bluetooth speaker is just about perfect in every way
• Netflix Announces Premiere Dates for 10 Original Shows including House of Cards, more
• Review: EasyACC 3 USB-port/2 AC-port surge protector is perfect for bedside, desk or travel

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, AirPrint, Amazon, app deals, Apple Watch bands, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, MacBook Air, video games

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With KGI suggesting that we could see new MacBook models as early as the first half of the year, I thought it would be a good time to expand on the suggestions we made in our 2016 roundup and speculate in a little more detail on what we might expect from those machines.

There is rather a lot of speculation involved, for a couple of reasons. First, while we tend to see a number of leaks and rumors for the iPhone – not least from our own Mark Gurman – there are notably fewer for Macs. We’ll likely see some nearer the time, but we could as yet still be six months out.

Second, it’s easier to predict what Apple is likely to do with regard to the MacBook range than when it might do it. I’ve argued before that we can at some point expect Apple to drop the MacBook Air label, leaving two ranges known as the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. But whether that will happen this year or next is, I think, harder to guess.

But let’s start with what we know about the technology available to Apple this time around …

Apple currently uses a mix of Broadwell and Haswell processors in its MacBook Air/Pro range. This year, Intel will have 6th-gen Skylake chips available in time for a June launch.

Skylake will offer a significant speed bump over current chips. We’re likely to see gains in the 10-20% range in the CPU, and rather better from the graphics, where improvements of up to 40% are possible.

Skylake chips are also notably more power efficient than current-generation processors, offering power savings in the 15-30% range. Apple could use this improved efficiency to boost battery life, reduce battery size or a combination of the two. I’ll share my thoughts on this shortly.

The latest kid on the block in terms of ports is of course the USB-C standard which Apple used in the 12-inch MacBook. Since then, Intel gave USB-C a new capability: incorporating Thunderbolt into the chip.

Finally, Skylake incorporates a couple of new wireless communication standards, WiDi – Wireless Display – and WiGig, short-range high-speed wireless data of up to 7Gbps. Future versions of the chip will also support wireless charging, but those won’t be available in time for a June launch. These features may influence Apple’s decisions on future monitors and accessories (wireless Thunderbolt Display and external drives, for example), but won’t have any immediate impact on the machines themselves.

So, that’s the technology Apple has to play with – what do I think it will do with it?

Across the range

Apple has to adopt Skylake: it would be silly to launch any new Mac without taking advantage of the sixth-generation Intel chips. For me, the only question here is whether the new MacBook Air gets a full-powered Skylake chip, or the much lower-powered Core M version. More on this when we look specifically at the Air.

It’s also a no-brainer that Apple will add USB-C to both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro machines – and given that USB-C now incorporates Thunderbolt, Apple will undoubtedly drop the standalone Thunderbolt port. The only question here is whether Apple will retain any other legacy ports.

There’s another piece of technology Apple has had for a while now but not yet added to the Mac: Touch ID. With many of us used to logging in to our iPhone and iPad with our fingerprint, it feels rather clunky to have to type a password when we login to our Macs. Apple first patented fingerprint login to Macs way back in 2007, but adding the hardware to MacBooks is not the only approach it could take.

Apple could take a Continuity-style approach and allow us to use Touch ID on our iPhone to login to our Macs. There are already third-party apps that allows us to do this, so there’s no technical barrier to Apple going this route.

But one way or the other – hardware or software – I think 2016 is the year Apple needs to allow us to use Touch ID on our Macs. This would not only allow fingerprint login, but would also be a far more convenient way to access the secure Notes facility introduced in OS X 10.11.4, and to add Apple Pay as a payment option on the apple.com website.

Finally, I’d expect at least the Air – and possibly also the Pro – to mirror the color options of the 12-inch MacBook, offering a choice of silver, space gray and gold. Just my take.

So now let’s talk specifics …

2016 MacBook Air/MacBook

I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that this will be the year in which Apple drops the Air suffix, so I’m going to use the label MacBook for the machine currently known as the MacBook Air.

It would be silly to launch a 12-inch machine only to retain an 11-inch one, so I think we can safely say that the 11-inch MacBook Air will not be replaced. We’ve also heard rumors of a 15-inch MacBook Air, which would give us 12-, 13- and 15-inch models. (My only question here would be whether there’s really a need for both 12- and 13-inch machines? Could Apple instead drop the 13-inch model?)

If I’m right about the label, then we can expect the larger machine(s) to adopt the design of the 12-inch MacBook. This will, I suspect, include the single USB-C port (incorporating Thunderbolt).

Which brings us back to the Skylake power efficiency question I posed earlier: will Apple boost the battery-life or reduce the battery size? At least where the MacBook range is concerned, I think it will reduce the size to match the much sleeker proportions of the 12-inch model. And, for good or bad, I think that also means we can expect Apple to use the ultra-low-profile butterfly keyboard on the 13- and 15-inch models.

There is another messiness in the current MacBook/Air range: the 12-inch model has a Retina display, the current 11- and 13-inch machines don’t. That too needs to be tidied-up, and other manufacturers are using high-resolution displays in their ultrabooks, so I strongly suspect that we can expect Apple to use Retina screens across the entire range.

The final question, then, is whether the MacBook range gets the full-fat Skylake processors I expect to see in the MacBook Pro, or the cut-down Core M version whose predecessor was used in the 12-inch machine. This is a very tricky one, as it really depends on how well the 12-inch machine has sold. If it appears to have a niche market only, then the larger machines will probably get the real deal when it comes to their Skylake processors. But if sales of the 12-inch machine have demonstrated that most non-pro buyers are all about the portability, and never mind the power, we could see Core M CPUs across the MacBook range – which would also serve as a strong differentiator between the MacBook and MacBook Pro ranges.

2016 MacBook Pro

The 13-inch MacBook Pro currently has Intel’s Broadwell chipset, but the 15-inch has the previous-generation Haswell. The blame here may lay with Intel rather than Apple, but either way Apple definitely needs to set things right by ensuring the new machines get the new Skylake chips with beefier Iris Pro graphics to match.

It would be nice to imagine that Apple would also double the entry-level RAM from the present 8/16GB (depending on model) to 16/32GB, but the company has not historically been generous with RAM, so I’m not expecting to see an increase here.

SSDs have been falling dramatically in price, so it would also be pleasant to think Apple might bump standard storage capacity from 128/256/512GB on the 13-inch model to 256/512/1TB, with the 15-inch getting 512GB/1TB. But Apple’s thinking of late seems to be that our data should be in the cloud rather than on our machines, so I’m again not optimistic.

Apple has form when it comes to getting well ahead of the curve where legacy technology is concerned, dropping first the floppy drive and later the optical drive well before any other mainstream manufacturer. It also didn’t hesitate to drop legacy ports from the 12-inch MacBook.

The MacBook Pro is of course aimed at a different market – one where many users do connect a number of peripherals at any one time. For this reason, I definitely don’t expect it to go the same single-port route as the MacBook, but I do expect it to standardize on USB-C.

I’ve already mentioned that there’s no longer any need for a separate Thunderbolt port now that USB-C incorporates it, and I suspect we can also wave goodbye to HDMI when either an adapter or AirPlay to Apple TV will do the job.

To me, the only questions are whether the MBP retains any USB 3 ports and the SDXC card slot. Users with multiple USB 2/3 devices would undoubtedly by annoyed by Apple losing these ports, but I do suspect that after some initial grumbling at the need to buy and carry adapters, most of us would get over it. And with many of today’s cameras offering Wi-Fi connectivity, Apple could make a case for losing the card slot too.

One strong possibility, then, would be to lose all ports bar the headphone socket, replacing them all with four or five USB-C ports and relying on adapters for everything else.

I’d personally love to think that another differentiator between MacBook and MacBook Pro ranges would be battery-life. Use the improved power efficiency of the Skylake processors to deliver a sleeker form-factor in the MacBook via smaller batteries, but retain the battery sizing in the Pro to deliver longer battery-life. But once again, I’m not optimistic.

I’d instead expect Apple to reduce the battery size in the MacBook Pro to deliver a slimmer, sleeker machine – perhaps partially borrowing the wedge shape of the MacBook range.

I’ll end on a wildcard: with Apple having seemingly moved from the 11-inch MacBook Air to a 12-inch MacBook, there is the possibility of a move from 13- and 15-inch machines to 14- and 16-inch, without any increase in the overall dimensions. If Apple did that with the MacBook Pro only, it could further differentiate the ranges.

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

Photos: Slashgear; TechNewsToday; 

Filed under: Mac, Opinion Tagged: 2016 MacBook, 2016 MacBook Air, 2016 MacBook Pro, Mac, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro

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While the rest of Washington DC and Silicon Valley are debating corporate taxes and encryption privacy, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has pointed his interests in a different direction. A game. A new variation on the classic solitaire to be precise. Using Medium to post about the app’s development process, and how the original game came to be discovered, Rumsfeld quips about signing off “on something they call UX” and spending countless hours on betas.

Having played solitaire on his iPad, Rumsfeld states that this game is something new on the old classic. Instead of a single deck of 52 cards in seven rows being moved into a single-suited pile, Churchill solitaire has two decks with 10 rows and an additional extra row of six cards.

The game is now available in the App Store for free, with various in-app purchases to help fund the product’s revenue. Normally I’d shy away from apps that rely on in-app purchases, but Rumsfeld notes that, “The Churchill family’s profits from the game, like mine, will go to charity.” Be sure to keep an eye out for the game’s official hashtag #NeverGiveIn, and take a peek at the trailer video below.

Filed under: Apps, iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: #NeverGiveIn, Apps, Churchill, Churchill Solitaire, iOS, iPad, medium, Rumsfeld, Solitaire

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