Do you love those colorful iOS 10 wallpapers? It looks like they’ll soon be available in the next update to macOS Sierra, but here’s how you can download them now in full 5K resolution.
News
Next iPhone to Sport Wireless Charging Like Apple Watch
2017 is the year the iPhone finally gets wireless charging. That’s the word, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says Apple plans to bring inductive charging to the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models with next fall’s refresh.
AT&T's DirecTV Now Streaming Service Launching on Nov 30 with Free Apple TV Offer
AT&T is finally ready to launch its DirecTV Now streaming TV service to entice cord cutters into paying for television channels. The service launches on Wednesday, November 30th, and early subscribers can get a free Apple TV, too.
Next iPhone May Sport 3D Camera
Apple’s 2017 iPhone refresh may sport dual-camera 3D photo support based on LG Innotek camera technology. That sounds pretty cool and could be a sign Apple is ready to add adjustable depth of field and 3D image support to the iPhone lineup.
Apple Black Friday 2016 Deals Revealed
Apple’s Black Friday deals are in. As expected, they’re the same as the ones in Australia revealed earlier in the day: a free gift cards with a purchase. The company is offering US$25 gift cards with an Apple Watch Series 1, up to $50 with an iPhone, up to $100 with an iPad, and a $150 gift card with a Mac.
Apple's Black Friday Aussie Deals: Free Gift Cards with Purchase
Apple’s Black Friday deals in Australia are in, and they’re free gift cards with a purchase. This is very likely to be what Apple is doing in the U.S. and other countries further behind the date line. The company is offering AUS$35 gift cards with an Apple Watch, up to $70 with an iPhone, up to $140 with an iPad, and a $200 gift card with a Mac.
Happy Thanksgiving from The Mac Observer!
It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S., so that means The Mac Observer is taking Thursday and Friday off to celebrate the holiday. We’ll be back with our regular news, analysis, tips and reviews on Monday, November 28th. We hope everyone has a great weekend even if Thanksgiving isn’t part of your annual holiday schedule.
![10 Black Friday Sales Apple Customers Might Have Missed [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/black-friday-sale-wide.webp)
10 Black Friday Sales Apple Customers Might Have Missed [Update]
Black Friday has some of the biggest sales in retail, but you can also find a lot of software on sale. I put together a list of nine Black Friday sales that will appeal to Apple customers that you might have otherwise missed, plus a reminder that Apple is doing a promo.
Samsung's New Smartphone Innovation: Jet Black
Samsung has an idea for goosing Galaxy S7 smartphone sales: make a jet black model. The glossy black version is reportedly a move to compete with Apple’s latest iPhone color option, and an effort to boost sales following the Galaxy Note 7 explode-a-phone debacle.
Apple Watch Users get 5K Challenge for Thanksgiving
Apple Watch owners got a special challenge Monday morning when Apple urged them to walk, run, or wheelchair 3.1 miles, or 5K, on November 24th. That’s the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, so instead of spending the day binging on turkey, pie, and watching football, Apple is pushing to get people outside and active by offering a special Thanksgiving Day Challenge badge.
Apple Quietly Kills AirPort Extreme by Breaking Up Wireless Router Team
There’s a good chance the next time you buy a Wi-Fi router for you Mac, iPhone and iPad network it won’t come from Apple. The company reassigned the engineers from its wireless networking team to other projects and doesn’t have plans to continue developing its AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule products.
Apple Launches Multi-Touch Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus
Apple has launched a repair program for iPhone 6 Plus devices that suffer a flickering display or Multi-Touch issues. The program’s description specifies devices that experience these troubles “after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.”
Apple Opens Registration for 'Hour of Code' Workshops at Apple Stores
Apple opened registration for its popular Hour of Code workshops on Thursday. The workshops will take place from December 5th through December 11th at all 487 of Apple’s retail locations, which are now just called “Apple.”
TOMS Straps for Apple Watch Include Solar Power Donation
TOMS announced Thursday a line of straps for Apple Watch. The straps are part of the Made for Apple Watch program from Apple, and continue TOMS’s philanthropic practice of including a charitable donation with each purchase.
Apple Cuts Mac Automation Manager Sal Soghoian
Sal Soghoian is the godfather of AppleScript and automation on the Mac, but not for much longer. He announced at MacTech Conference in Los Angeles on Wednesday that Apple is eliminating the Product Manager of Automation Technologies he’s held since 1997.
AT&T to Intro Opt-out 'Stream Saver' Video Quality Throttling in 2017
AT&T is launching a new feature in early 2017 called Stream Saver that throttles streaming video quality in the name of saving customers from hitting their wireless data caps. The cell service provider seems to have learned from T-Mobile’s headaches, however, because Stream Saver doesn’t include any streaming partners, and users can easily turn it on or off whenever they like.
Samsung Buying Harman to Take on Apple's CarPlay
Everyone wants a piece of your car’s dashboard, and Samsung is buying Harman to get its slice of driving experience. The US$8 billion deal will give Samsung a platform for linking our smartphones to our cars, along with a way for the company to compete with Apple’s CarPlay platform.
iTunes Store Offers 93 Classic Rock Albums at $7.99
Apple still sells music on the iTunes Store. Who knew, right? On Tursday, the company launched a promotional push for classic rock albums at US$7.99 each. There are 93 albums included in the sale.
iPhone 7 Plus Ship Times Hold at 3-4 Weeks or Higher
Wait times for Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus remain at 3-4 weeks or 3-5 weeks, with none showing less than 3 weeks as of this writing. Almost 7 weeks after the initial ship date, that’s an unusual delay for Apple, and the question is why.
Tim Cook's Message to Employees after Election: 'Move Forward Together'
Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a company-wide email to employees Wednesday evening encouraging them to “move forward.” While he didn’t name President Elect Donald Trump or his defeated rival, Hillary Clinton, by name, the theme of the email was that the election shouldn’t divide employees.
Apple Offers Refurb iPhone 6s/Plus on Apple Store Starting at $449
Apple began offering refurbished iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices on the Apple Store Tuesday. Refurbished iPhone 6s models start at US$449 with 16GB of storage, while 16GB iPhone 6s Plus models start at $529. 64GB iPhone 6s Plus are currently priced at $589.
Apple Follows Mystery iTunes 12.5.3 Update with Bonus Mystery iTunes 12.5.3 Update
You remember that iTunes 12.5.3 update Apple released a couple of days ago? The one where the patch notes were the same as the patch notes from iTunes 12.5.2? Well good news. There’s a new iTunes 12.5.3 update waiting for you in the Mac App Store. It’s a new build of the same update. And oh yeah, the patch notes explain nothing.
Apple Starts Activating Single Sign-On for Apple TV Beta Users
Apple TV’s promised single sing-on feature is finally starting to roll out tvOS 10.1 and 10.2 developer beta users. Single sign-on isn’t available to the public yet, but the fact that developers have it means the official release isn’t too far off.
Plugable Claims New MacBook Pro Doesn't Recognize Some Thunderbolt 3 Docks
Device maker Plugable said Thursday that Apple’s new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is incompatible with Thunderbolt 3 docks that use a particular Texas Instrument chip. If accurate, it means at least some early Thunderbolt 3 docks already on the market will not work with Apple’s newest Mac laptop.