Some Apple retail stores began setting up the stanchions they use for long product launch lines overnight. With Apple’s “hello again” media event kicking off in a few hours, the stanchions may be a hint that whatever is announced today may be available right away—and that the company expects loads of people will want it.
News
Apple Store Offline Ahead of 'hello again' Media Event
Apple’s online store went offline Thursday morning ahead of the company’s “hello again” media event. That’s not much of a surprise considering the company is expected to introduce new MacBook Pro models today.
Apple Delays AirPods, Won't Ship in October
If you’ve been holding out for Apple’s promised “late October” AirPods release, it looks like you’ll be waiting a little longer. Apple isn’t shipping its wireless earpods this month because they’re still not ready to go.
Apple's 'hello again' Event to Include Apple TV Content Discovery App
Apple’s “hello again” event on Thursday is shaping up to include more than new Mac announcements. A report claims the company will also unveil an Apple TV app that helps TV viewers discover new shows.
macOS Sierra 10.12.1 Leaks New MacBook Pro Images
Apple seems to have tipped its hand and accidentally revealed the upcoming Retina MacBook Pro in Monday’s macOS Sierra 10.12.1 update. Photos showing the soon to be announced MacBook Pro with a touch sensitive OLED function strip were buried in the macOS update, which is about a close to a pre-event confirmation Apple will get.
Apple Beats Guidance with Q4 Earnings, Guides Q4 Above Consensus
Apple reported fiscal fourth quarter revenues of US$46.9 billion with earnings of $9 billion on Tuesday. Earnings per share were $1.67. Those results are down year over year from revenues of $51.5 billion, earnings of $11.1 billion, and EPS of $1.96. Gross margins were 38%, down year-over-year from 39.9%. Apple beat consensus estimates on EPS and guided Q4 revenues higher than consensus.
tvOS 10.0.1 Update Improves Security, Skips Single Sign-on
When Apple released macOS Sierra 10.12.1 and iOS 10.1 on Monday it also slipped tvOS 10.0.1 out, too. The update is available for the fourth generation Apple TV, and offers security and bug fixes, but doesn’t give us iOS 10’s promised single sign-on feature.
AAPL Q4 2016 Earnings Report Coverage this Afternoon
Apple’s fourth fiscal quarter earnings conference call is scheduled to start after the market closes this afternoon, Tuesday, October 25th. The Mac Observer will be here to bring you the latest news, announcements, and analysis from the event.
Apple Fixes Two-Factor Authentication Setup Bug
HomeKit in iOS 10 requires Two-Factor authentication if you plan to remotely control or monitor your smarthome devices. That isn’t a big deal, unless you’re one of the unlucky few who were blocked from switchting to Apple’s more secure password authentication system. The good news is that Apple finally fixed the issue, so HomeKit can be more that your in-home personal assistant again.
Apple Releases watchOS 3.1 with Charging Fix, Message Effects Improvements, More
Apple released watchOS 3.1 Monday, an update with a mix of improvements and bug fixes. On the improve side if the ability to replay bubble and full-screen effects in Messages. On the bug-fix side, a charging issue for Apple Watch Series 2 was fixed, and more.
Apple Releases macOS Sierra 10.12.1 with Improved Apple Watch Unlock, More
Apple released macOS Sierra 10.12.1 Monday (in addition to iOS 10.1). The first new feature that jumped out at me was “Improves reliability of Auto Unlock with Apple Watch,” a feature I love but is inconsistent. It also includes auto smart album of photos that use the newly unlocked Portrait Camera feature on iPhone 7 Plus, and some bug fixes.
Apple Releases iOS 10.1 with Portrait Camera for iPhone 7 Plus, Replay iMessage Effects, More
Apple released iOS 10.1 to consumers on Monday. The update includes beta support for Portrait Camera on iPhone 7 Plus, as well as the ability to replay iMessage bubble and full-screen effects. There are also new features for Apple Watch, transit-related features in Maps, and other improvements to camera functionality and the Photos app.
AT&T to Buy Time Warner in $85.4B Deal
AT&T is about to get a lot bigger because the communication company struck a deal to buy Time Warner for about US$85.4 billion. The two companies hope to close the deal by the end of 2017, but are already facing scrutiny over the impact a combined AT&T and Time Warner.
Apple Pay Used to Buy $1M Aston Martin DB5 Luxury Car
Turns out you can buy more than groceries and iPhone accessories with Apple Pay—like a crazy expensive car, for example. British car auctioneer Coys of Kensington just sold a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 for £825,000, which is a little over US$1 million. That’s the single largest Apple Pay transaction to date.
Apple Regent Street Opening Photo Gallery
Keith Burton was at last weekend’s Apple Regent Street opening. He took some great photos—including a shot of Apple retail head Angela Ahrendts—of the event and was kind enough to let us publish them.
Teens Steal $13,000 in iPhones from Natick Collection Apple Store
A group of teenagers wearing hoodies and hats stormed the Apple Natick Collection Store, making off with US$13,000 worth of iPhones. The teens spent less than a minute in the store, and the iPhones they stole were attached to security cables.
iPhone 7 Blamed for Car Fire
An iPhone 7 is being blamed for causing a car fire, and it’s already being compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 burning phone disaster. While it’s possible Apple is about to face a wave of burning iPhones, it’s possible this was an isolated incident, or that the iPhone wasn’t the cause of the fire.
Eddy Cue Dampens Expectations for Original Apple TV Programming
Eddy Cue, Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, dampened expectations for original TV programming from his company. Speaking at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit in San Francisco, Mr. Cue said that Apple was focused on making it easy to access content from everyone.
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I think I’ve all but given up trying to read the Apple TV tea leaves.
MacBook Pro's Function Touch Strip Called Magic Toolbar
We already have the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad, and soon we’ll have the Magic Toolbar, too. A just uncovered trademark filing seems to confirm the MacBook Pro really is getting a touch sensitive bar to replace the keyboard’s row of function keys.
Did You Get the (i)Message? Tapback, Digital Touch, Apps, and More
When Dr. Mac sent his daughter an iMessage with iOS 10’s whizzy new stickers, full-screen effects, and animated GIFs, he was shocked when she replied: “Haha! I didn’t even know you could do all that.” He thinks it’s likely some of you in reader-land have yet to discover the joys of the iOS 10 Messages app. So in this week’s Dr. Mac’s Rants & Raves (Episode #197 if you’re counting) the good doctor offers up a short primer on the interesting new features in Messages.
Apple Will Reportedly Announce New Macs with October 27th Event
Apple will finally announce new Macs on October 27th, according to Re/code. Unnamed sources said the company will hold a media event in Cupertino. It’s not yet known which Macs will be refreshed.
Bryan Chaffin Will Discuss 'Apple vs. Samsung' in Live Webinar Thursday
Bryan Chaffin will be doing a live webinar/discussion called “Samsung vs. Apple” on Thursday, October 20th, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT. Moderated by patent attorney Gene Quinn, the discussion has a subheading of, “Is A Single Patent Infringement Worth all the Profit?” Robert S. Katz, an attorney with Banner & Witcoff, will also be participating.
MacBook Pro Refresh May Still Happen in October
If you’re counting on an major refresh for the MacBook Pro in October, don’t give up hope yet. A new report says updated models are still on the way and they’ll launch before the end of the month.
Apple CEO Tim Cook Could've Been Hillary Clinton's Vice President
U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s Vice President running mate could’ve been Apple CEO Tim Cook. Mr. Cook is on a list of potential running mates John Podesta, Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign chairman, presented before Tim Kaine was selected.