Benjamin Mayo

Fans of macOS automation features like Automator and AppleScript feared the worst this week as it transpired that head of the automation technologies division, Sal Soghoian, had left the company and the whole unit inside Apple had been closed down. This fuelled speculation that Apple was abandoning a core power feature of the pro Mac user’s wheelhouse.

A 9to5Mac reader (who asked to remain anonymous) emailed Apple software exec Craig Federighi about the future of automation on the Mac. Federighi responded with a definitive reply that Apple “has every intent” to continue supporting automation on macOS.  See the full email after the jump …

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Apple has just shared a new TV commercial to its YouTube page, called ‘Bulbs’. The ad shows a series of lightbulbs exploding around the world, ending with a tag line ‘Ideas push the world forward’ and a few short shots of the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.

The ad highlights human inventions like fire, harvesting, woodwork, trains, transport, television, robots and space travel, finishing with a few glimpses of Apple’s newest MacBook Pro which it calls “a tool for all the ideas to come”. Watch the minute and a half spot after the jump …

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Apple has reportedly asked key iPhone manufacturer partners, namely Foxconn and Pegatron, to investigate ways to bring the iPhone assembly supply chain into the United States. Today, all iPhones (and almost all Apple products) are manufactured and assembled in China. The Nikkei report says Foxconn is actively researching ways to make iPhones in the US although Pegatron apparently refused Apple’s request over cost concerns. A source is quoted as saying that domestic production of iPhones means increasing costs by “more than double”.

Apple has received some criticism over the years for its dependence on Chinese manufacturing but the issue has come into the limelight recently as Donald Trump, now US President elect, claimed that he will force Apple to build its “computers and things” in the United States.

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The latest report from KGI suggests Apple will breakaway from the existing two phone strategy next year with another high-end tier. The report says Apple is planning one new iPhone, dubbed iPhone 8, with major chassis redesigns and component upgrades featuring an OLED screen about 5.2-inches in size. It will also make two new iPhones with 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch displays; these will be more iterative successors to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

The OLED iPhone appears to be the most interesting phone that will include the most ‘new’ stuff. If the KGI report comes to pass, in 2017 the high-end iPhone will not be the one with the biggest screen.

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With the new MacBook Pro now shipping to customers, iFixit have got their hands on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and have disassembled it and completed their usual teardown. There are quite a few differences between this model and the cheaper 13-inch 2016 MacBook Pro that retains traditional keys; teardown for that model here.

Much of the internal component layout has been adjusted to accommodate the inclusion of the Touch Bar. Apple’s latest laptop scores just 1/10 for repairability as Touch Bar is difficult to replace and the battery is glued into the case. Interestingly, the new speaker grilles on the 13-inch model appear to serve no function and are purely cosmetic …

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(The update is rolling out now, it may take some time to propagate across all App Store regions)

Pixelmator for Mac today updated to version 3.6 optimized for macOS Sierra and the new MacBook Pro Touch Bar, as well as a handful of other enhancements for the photo editor. Pixelmator 3.6 includes support for the latest macOS Sierra APIs, like Universal Clipboard and Tabs. Tabs enable users to edit multiple Pixelmator documents in a single window. As promised at the Apple event, this update brings a contextual row of Pixelmator editing tools into the Touch Bar present in the new MacBook Pros.

The update also includes new ways to make selections, including a content-aware Smart Refine, a live preview Quick Selection, wide color image support, and more.

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Update: The ‘Designed By Apple In California’ book is now available to buy at Apple Stores, if you are so inclined. Both sizes, $199 small or $299 large, are shipping in one business day in the United States. Original story below …

Apple has announced a new hardbound book, available for $199 or $299 online at Apple.com and Apple retail stores from tomorrow, which charts a 20-year history of Apple design from the iMac in 1998 to the Apple Pencil in 2015. The book features 450 photographs of Apple products new and old, including iPhone, iPod and Apple Watch.

The book is called ‘Designed by Apple in California’ and is dedicated to Steve Jobs. Jony Ive has also conducted in a video interview discussing the commemorative book.

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The new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is finally getting into customer’s hands, with some lucky people receiving deliveries of their new laptops today. The MacBook Pro packaging features a side-on shot of the machine with the Touch Bar displaying a vibrant color palette. Based on reader tips, it seems that those who ordered early will be receiving their laptop this week or next with many deliveries confirmed for tomorrow.

The MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has received mixed reviews from press with a lack of consensus on whether the Touch Bar is a silly gimmick or a useful addition …

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Apple has now started shipping the first new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar orders with the delivery notifications indicating that the laptops will arrive in people’s hands as soon as Monday, November 14.

Several 9to5Mac readers and others online report receiving shipping notifications from Apple and or UPS, as pictured above and below. All shipped orders we’ve seen so far are for 15-inch MacBook Pro models. Shipment alerts for the 13-inch units will likely follow soon.

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Following on from previous rumors of a major redesign for the next iPhone, Barclays supply chain analysts are weighing in on their predictions for iPhone 8. They claim that the 2017 iPhone will feature a bezel-less design with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus including 5-inch and 5.8-inch screens, respectively. This compares with the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch panels used in the iPhone 7.

The report also shines some light on the AirPods mystery, claiming that production of Apple’s truly-wireless earbuds will begin in December (via MacRumors, Yahoo Finance).

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Apple has released its holiday gift guide for 2016, including a variety of accessories for its core products: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. The list of recommendations is more focused than the vast 2015 guide, presenting four collections: music, photography, games, and a general Apple products category.

The primary category only features Apple’s first-party products, like Apple Watch bands, iPhone cases, Beats headphones and Apple Pencil for iPad Pro. The music, photography and toy collections recommend a selection of third-party accessories …

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As announced on Monday, ROME: Total War is now available as an iPad game, priced at $9.99 in the App Store. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, ROME: Total War is considered by critics as one of the best PC strategy games. The makers of the iPad version have ported the entire game, ‘without compromise’, to the tablet.

In the game, players move from a strategic 2D map to a 3D battlefield environment. You direct troops like calvary, infantry and artillery to overcome the opponent – often recreating real historic battles. The scale of the game is massive, with thousands of onscreen units fighting simultaneously. I played the game ahead of its official release and was quite impressed …

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With iOS 10, Apple added the ability for six categories of application to integrate with the iOS personal assistant, Siri. One of these groups was mobile payments. The PayPal app for iOS has now been updated with this integration, so you can use natural language voice queries to send and receive money.

Using your contact address book, queries like ‘Hey Siri send David $20 using PayPal’ will bring up a confirmation sheet in the Siri conversation with one button to confirm.

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Apple’s latest line of MacBook Pros appear to have been received well by the market, although the most interesting models with Touch Bar are yet to ship to customers. Digitimes reports that Apple is upping component orders for the new MacBook Pros, expected to continue at least until the end of 2016. Apple is apparently “optimistic” about fourth quarter sales.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro and 15-inch MacBook Pro feature high-speed Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, faster SSDs, Skylake processors, better GPU options, larger trackpad and an OLED display ‘Touch Bar’ touchscreen panel to replace the physical row of function keys.

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The new MacBook Pros have certainly caused an uprising of controversy, with perhaps the lack of any traditional USB ports causing the most public outcry. Following in the footsteps of the one-port Retina MacBook, the new 2016 MacBook Pro lacks traditional USB-A ports, instead featuring up to four USB-C ports. Although the ports are highly more capable, offering Thunderbolt 3 speeds on a reversible small connector, it effectively means that all current Mac accessories and peripherals are incompatible without some kind of adaptor.

In preparation for my new MacBook Pro arriving, I’ve ordered what I think I will need in terms of dongles for my uses. After seeing it all laid out on the table, I generally feel like the negative criticism is overblown …

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A new report from Japanese tech blog Macotakara is suggesting that Apple will update the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to add a Jet White color option. Based on the name, following the popularity of the glossy Jet Black color, Apple would add a glossy white case chassis option to its existing line of flagship iPhones. Right now, the iPhone 7 series phones are available in five colors: Silver, Black, Gold, Rose Gold and Jet Black.

The report should be treated with quite a bit of skepticism as the source lacks details and the move does not follow the traditional cycle of Apple product releases.

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Via The New York Times, hundreds of fake shopping apps have been hitting the App Store in the last few weeks, stealing recognizable brand names and logos, in an attempt to confuse App Store customers to download their counterfeit apps instead of the real thing. The fraudsters are attempting to capitalize on the holiday shopping season.

Examples include apps masquerading as brands like Puma and FootLocker; the screenshot above shows how apps using trademarked names and logos were published by a company called ‘Footlocke Sports’ in an attempt to deceive customers.

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Apple executives have targeted both India and China as developing regions to drive revenue growth in the coming years, primarily through iPhone sales. However, India has stringent regulations on foreign device sales and requires that 30% of the components in the devices must be sourced domestically. Apple currently cannot meet this requirement as the vast majority of parts and all assembly happens in China. As such, Apple is looking to setup a new manufacturing plant in India that will make iPhones and iPads, thereby complying with the law and enabling iPhone to join the Indian smartphone market en masse.

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