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Benjamin Mayo

bzamayo

Follow Benjamin on Threads to keep up with his latest projects. Benjamin blogs about Apple news and rumors and posts insightful product and app reviews. Read his work on 9to5Mac and his personal blog.

Benjamin Mayo also creates apps for iOS as a professional indie developer and contractor; more details here. Email to discuss making your iOS project.

on Twitter and follow @bzamayo on Threads.

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Apple cuts ties with social media utility app that exposed emails of Instagram users shortlisted for Shot on iPhone contest

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 14 2019 - 10:21 am PT
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apple instagram security flaw

Yesterday, 9to5Mac was alerted to a flaw in a third-party utility app for Instagram, called Exposure. The app helps brands connect with Instagram posters, automating the collection of agreements to use imagery for commercial purposes.

It just so happens that Apple was using this tool for its Shot on iPhone campaign. 9to5Mac contacted Apple to report the security issue. Following an investigation, a few hours later, Apple cut ties with the Exposure service. (Update: Statement from the parent company of Exposure below)


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Pixelmator Pro iPhone Portrait support

Pixelmator Pro adds support for iPhone photos with Portrait depth masks, plus new comic book effect

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 13 2019 - 6:36 am PT
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Pixelmator Pro 1.3.1 has just been released to the Mac App Store, the app can now import iPhone Portrait photos and automatically extract the depth data as a masking layer. You can then enable the mask in one click to isolate the foreground from the background. There’s also a fun new comic book effect.


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[Update: Availability details] Samsung Smart TVs adding AirPlay 2, iTunes Movies and TV Shows app

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 11 2019 - 11:30 am PT
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Update 2/11/2019: Samsung now says its 2019 QLED TVs are now available to purchase or pre-order. The upcoming iTunes app and AirPlay 2 feature will be available in a future update to compatible 2019 and 2018 TVs.

Apple and Samsung today announced a partnership to put iTunes TV shows and movies onto Samsung Smart TVs from the spring. The iTunes video content will be exposed through a special app that sits alongside existing apps like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube.

The TVs will also become AirPlay 2 receivers, marking the first official AirPlay integration for third parties. The features will launch on 2019 Samsung Smart TVs and most 2018 Samsung Smart TVs through a software update.


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Italian Apple homepage

Italian Apple homepage forced to add iPhone battery throttling advisory as result of lawsuit

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 11 2019 - 4:51 am PT
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Apple has been compelled to add a statement regarding the outcome of a ‘planned obsolescence’ lawsuit to its homepage in Italy. The court ruled showed that Apple did not provide adequate information about the impact of performing the iOS 10.2.1 update, which introduced the infamous iPhone performance throttling for degraded batteries.


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2019 iPhone reported to stick to Lightning port and same 5W USB-A charger in box

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 11 2019 - 2:10 am PT
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2019 iPhone Lightning

Whilst we have yet to see firm evidence on the design of the 2019 iPhone, there has been back and forth rumors about whether the new iPhone would use Lightning or USB-C.

Japanese site Macotakara says that not only will the 2019 iPhone use Lightning, Apple will also continue to bundle the same 5W charger and USB-A to Lightning cable in the box. This is seen as a cost saving measure. It seems that customers wanting faster iPhone charge times will still have to buy accessories, like the 12W iPad charger.


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Digitimes: TSMC to manufacture 7nm A13 chip for 2019 iPhone, new iPads and AirPods 2 launching in first half of the year

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 10 2019 - 11:52 pm PT
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A13 2019 iPhone 11 AirPods 2

Digitimes has published several reports overnight, which we are combining here, as the Chinese reporters end their Lunar New Year holiday week. The site claims that TSMC will continue to be the exclusive manufacturer of Apple’s A-series chips, with the A13 debuting in the 2019 iPhones to be fabricated using a 7 nanometer process.

The supply chain centric site also reiterates earlier claims that new AirPods and new iPads are coming in the first half of 2019.


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Apple Maps car

Apple Maps on-the-ground data collection expands to Andorra

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 6 2019 - 7:20 am PT
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Earlier this week, Apple has reorganized its online page where it details upcoming data collection operations for Apple Maps. This takes the form of cars equipped with LIDAR and photographic cameras being driven around cities, and ‘pedestrian’ surveys where Maps employees walk around wearing backpacks fitted with similar sensors. The data is ultimately fed back into Apple Maps to improve accuracy. The page now reports that ground surveys will begin in Andorra in April.


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HomePod captures 6% of US smart speaker market as cheaper Google Home and Amazon Echo models dominate

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Feb 5 2019 - 4:53 am PT
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According to the latest research study by CIRP, the HomePod holds a 6% share of the 66 million install base of smart speakers in the United States, or about 4 million units.

The HomePod stood its ground through the shopping season but continues to trail the Google Home and Amazon Echo offerings in market share, which offer a range of cheaper models.


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From Friday, Apple Music subscribers can stream music with no WiFi fees on American Airlines domestic flights

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 30 2019 - 5:06 am PT
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Apple Music American Airlines

Apple and American Airlines have partnered to offer customers access to Apple Music in the sky, with no added fees. As long as you are subscribed to Apple’s $9.99/month subscription service, you will be able to stream your music on American Airlines flights without having to pay for WiFi access.

The deal means Apple Music subscribers can access their library, discover new music and listen to Beats Music in the air without paying more on any American Airline domestic flight that features Viasat satellite WiFi.


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iPhone battery

iFixit selling $30 iPhone battery replacement kits through 2019 after Apple ends discount program for official repairs

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 30 2019 - 4:21 am PT
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If you can remember what happened a year ago, the BatteryGate furore led Apple to reduce the cost of iPhone battery replacements from $79 to $29. Apple ended the discount at the end of 2018. iFixit today announced that they are not ending their price match and will continue selling their iPhone battery replacement kits for $29.99 through 2019.


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Major iPhone FaceTime bug lets you hear the audio of the person you are calling … before they pick up

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 28 2019 - 3:41 pm PT
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UPDATE: Apple has taken Group FaceTime offline in an attempt to address the issue in the interim.

A significant bug has been discovered in FaceTime and is currently spreading virally over social media. The bug lets you call anyone with FaceTime, and immediately hear the audio coming from their phone — before the person on the other end has accepted or rejected the incoming call. Apple says the issue will be addressed in a software update “later this week”.

Naturally, this poses a pretty big privacy problem as you can essentially listen in on any iOS user, although it still rings like normal, so you can’t be 100% covert about it. Nevertheless, there is no indication on the recipient’s side that you could hear any of their audio. There’s a second part to this which can expose video too …


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Apple reportedly plans ‘Netflix for games’ subscription service

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 28 2019 - 7:26 am PT
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Apple is said to be planning to launch a subscription service for games. A report from Cheddar cites five anonymous sources that suggest Apple is talking to game developers to be part of a new subscription service.

Similar to Netflix, users would pay a set fee for unlimited access to a selection of titles. Further details like pricing or availability were not stated.


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NYT: The 2013 Mac Pro launch was partly delayed by the lack of US screw suppliers

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 28 2019 - 5:03 am PT
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The New York Times features a fun story today, shining some light on why big companies struggle to build products at scale in the United States.

It claims that Apple failed to find a suitable domestic screw supplier for a particular Mac Pro part. It had to turn to China to source the part to prevent the ‘Made in the USA’ 2013 Mac Pro launch from being delayed further.


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Kuo: iPhone sales growth to be mostly flat in second half of 2019, says market is too pessimistic

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 27 2019 - 9:15 am PT
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Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was one of the first to predict the iPhone sales weakness for the holiday quarter, cutting estimates by 20% in mid-December, largely due to weak Chinese demand for iPhone XS and iPhone XR.

With a new TF Industries report out today, he says that the ‘worst is soon over’ and predicts that iPhone shipments beyond March will be higher than market consensus.


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Apple revamps documentation for app subscriptions, details how billing amounts should be clearly presented to users

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Jan 25 2019 - 1:58 pm PT
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Apple has overhauled its developer guidance for in-app subscriptions, with new pages in the Human Interface Guidelines and App Store documentation pages. The revamp reorganizes existing advice into a more modern design with clearer segmentation of sections, as well as clearly detail some ground rules for the first time.

For instance, the price of a monthly subscription must be clearly shown. Conversions into yearly savings, or similar advertising copy, should be less prominent than the actual amount customers pay in each renewal period.


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