In this week’s top stories: CarPlay in iOS 13, a very expensive Genius Bar repair, Ikea’s HomeKit smart blinds, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest Apple news.
The first developer beat of iOS 13 was released last week, and since then we’ve been digging into all of the changes in this year’s update. This week, we took a look CarPlay in iOS 13, detailing changes such as a new light mode, new and improved apps, the Dashboard, and much more. Read our full first look here.
A story from photographer and developer Greg Benz about his experience trying to get a 2018 MacBook Pro fixed went viral this week. Benz said that the repair ultimately cost Apple $10,000 worth of warranty work, despite the ultimate fix being relatively simple. Read the full story here.
We finally learned a bit more about Ikea’s long-awaited HomeKit blinds this week. The company updated its Swedish website to say that the smart blinds will be available in August – several months after the original date of April. Ikea’s smart blinds start at just over $100 and come in a variety of different sizes and styles.
Apple just updated its MacBook Pro line last month, but now it seems that the MacBook line will see additional updates this fall. Apple registered seven new “portable personal computers” with the Eurasian Economic Commission this week. This database has been a reliable source of information in the past, generally suggesting when Apple might update a specific product line.
Apple Card is scheduled to launch later this summer, and Goldman Sachs this week offered some details about the process. Executives from the bank explained that they aren’t worried about Apple Card’s profitability, saying that “the idea that doing right by the customer means being less profitable” is not something they believe. Further, Goldman Sachs’ CEO said that employees are currently beta testing Apple Card, and loving it.
These and the rest of this week’s top stories below.
iOS | macOS | tvOS | watchOS |
- Previewing CarPlay in iOS 13: Light mode, new and improved apps, more
- When will Apple release iOS 13 beta 2?
- Apple releasing iOS 12.3.2 today with Portrait mode bug fixes [U: Now available]
- After fixing volume indicator, Apple may fix another annoying iOS/iPadOS quirk
- iOS 13: How to automatically silence unknown and spam calls on iPhone
- Apple releasing fourth iOS 12.4 developer beta today
- iOS 13 Apple Maps: Share your live route ETA with a friend
- iOS 13 now shows a map of where apps have been tracking you when requesting permission
- iOS 13 includes an updated HomePod setup process requiring you to scan an LED pattern
iPhone & iPod |
- What’s the lifetime cost of an iPhone if you buy a new one every year?
- Cellebrite claims it’s now able to unlock any iPhone or iPad, including iOS 12.3
- All US iPhones can be made outside China to escape trade war, says Foxconn
- Apple continues transition from iTunes brand with new ‘apps․apple․com’ URLs
Mac + iPad |
- $10,000 later, an Apple Store Genius diagnoses a $0 MacBook Pro problem
- 2019 Mac Pro has clever thermal management and draws on past Mac designs
- Catalyst makes Apple’s latest iPad Pros beach-ready with new waterproof cases
- MacBook lineup likely seeing more updates this fall following Pro refresh
- Apple’s homepage teases the new Mac Pro’s launch month, possibly in error [Update]
Top Apple stories, retail |
- Madonna’s new Today at Apple Music Lab teaches the art of the remix
- Upgraded Apple Pioneer Place reopens in Portland
- Angela Ahrendts: ‘Incredible’ flagship stores in the pipeline, Today at Apple has been ‘absolutely huge’
Apple Watch |
- Comment: With watchOS 6’s new audio features, it’s time for Spotify to ship or shut up
- Going the distance with Apple Watch and Pokémon GO
Apps |
- iMovie for iOS updated with new green screen effect, 80 fresh soundtracks, more
- Play Doom on iOS later this year, free of charge, if you sign up here
- Dropbox launches new Mac app to unify the experience with iOS and web, new collaborative tools, integrations, more
- Facebook app banned by Apple hoovered up data from 187k users first
- TomTom revamps navigation app with offline maps in CarPlay
Tech industry |
- Ubiquiti releases new AmpliFi Instant Mesh Wi-Fi System, sets up in under 2 minutes
- Google product director annoyed by Apple’s SSO jab but encourages ‘Sign in with Apple’ over using passwords
- Beats debuts punchy Solo 3 Wireless ‘Club Collection’ in collaboration with fashion and beauty show NAYVA
- Apple’s former long-time Siri head says virtual assistants don’t deliver on their promise
HomeKit |
- IKEA’s HomeKit-compatible smart blinds now slated to launch in August
- Wemo’s versatile 3-way Smart Light Switch now available, launching in Apple Stores next week
Top Apple stories, company |
- Apple cancels 700-acre data center project in Denmark, looks to sell off the land
- Goldman CEO says employees are testing – and loving – Apple Card ahead of its summer launch
- Goldman Sachs isn’t worried about Apple Card profitability despite consumer-friendly features
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This week’s top videos |
- Hands-on with 50 new iPadOS 13 changes and features [Video]
- Hands-on with 200+ iOS 13 changes and features [Video]
Happy Hour Podcast #229 |
This week Benjamin and Zac discuss new uses for Apple’s updated iPod touch, hands-on experience using CarPlay in iOS 13, the future of 3D Touch, how Face ID has improved on iPhone XS, macOS Catalina and Apple’s new Sidecar feature, initial watchOS 6 face impressions, and much more.
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.
Stacktrace Podcast #40 |
It’s time to dive much deeper into SwiftUI! John and Rambo talk about everything from how and when to adopt SwiftUI, to how it relates to app architecture, and how the Swift language itself has evolved to support its declarative new syntax. But of course there’s also a brand new Rambo Report, and the WWDC poker results are finally revealed.
Stacktrace by 9to5Mac is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Making The Grade |
Making The Grade is a weekly series from Bradley Chambers covering Apple in education. Bradley has been managing Apple devices in an education environment since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing 100s of Macs and 100s of iPads, Bradley will highlight ways in which Apple’s products work at scale, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for students.
- What’s new with device management in iOS 13, iPadOS 13, tvOS 13, and macOS Catalina?
- Why is there no Time Machine in iCloud?
- Rebuilding Apple School Manager
- Is macOS really less stable than it used to be?
- Apple Mail vs G Suite Webmail
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