Tech Talk

Apple has several new features for its iOS Safari browser in the works, including voice search, translation integration, improved tabs, a "guest mode" option, and new iCloud Keychain functionality. Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman rounded up the new features in development in a tweet , while making it clear that there was no guarantee that they would be revealed at this week's WWDC. Rumors of new Safari features have been trickling out ever since a leaked version of iOS 14 began circulating earlier this year. Notable among those rumors, Apple is said to be adding ‌iCloud‌ Keychain warnings whenever a password is reused as well as the ability for ‌iCloud‌ Keychain to generate two-factor authentication codes. Elsewhere, a built-in language translation feature would allow users to translate web pages without using a third-party app or service. The translation option is expected to be available for each website that's visited, but an automatic translation featur

Fujifilm is developing software for Mac that will enable its cameras to be used as high-quality webcams, the company announced today (via The Verge ). Fujifilm, Canon and Panasonic all offer software that brings webcam functionality to their cameras. The cameras are connected via a USB cable and provide a sharper picture for video calls, but most apps are PC only. Fujifilm says it is bringing the same functionality to Mac due to the "overwhelming response" of its customers when it released the app for PC. The macOS version of the Fujifilm X Webcam software is due to be released in mid-July 2020. Fujifilm has also expanded the number of X-series mirrorless cameras that work with its Fujifilm X Webcam software, with the X-T200 and X-A7 now supported. Other cameras already supported include the X-H1, X-Pro2, X-Pro3, X-T2, X-T3, and X-T4. Fujifilm X Webcam also works with all three GFX medium format cameras. This article, " Webcam Software for Fujifilm Cameras Comi

Apple is holding a keynote today on the first day of its developer conference, and the company is expected to talk about a ton of software updates. WWDC is a virtual event this year, but you can expect the same amount of news, in a different format. At 10 AM PT (1 PM in New York, 6 PM in London, 7 PM in Paris) , you’ll be able to watch the event as the company is streaming it live. Rumor has it that the company plans to unveil new versions of its operating systems. Get ready for iOS 14 and its sibling iPadOS 14, a new version of macOS, some updates for watchOS and tvOS as well. But the most interesting rumor of the year is that Apple could announce a major change for the Mac. The company could start using its own in-house ARM systems on a chip instead of Intel’s processors. It would have a ton of consequences for third-party apps running on your Mac as well as Mac hardware in general. Imagine a MacBook with a battery that lasts as long as what you get from an iPad. There could

As noted in Asahi.com , on April 30th of this year, Apple applied for a trademark for the term "Apple Rosetta" in Japan. The original Rosetta software from 2005 Rosetta was the name for Apple's emulation software that allowed PowerPC apps to run under Intel processors. Apple introduced Rosetta in MacOS X 10.4 (Tiger) to provide a compatibility layer for Mac users while the company transitioned from PowerPC processors to Intel processors . As a result, Apple has already had the trademark for the term "Rosetta" for sometime, but this new activity and new application surrounding the name is notable given the increasing rumors that Apple is planning on transitioning from Intel to ARM processors in the near future. Apple officially dropped Rosetta support in Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) in 2011. The trademark could simply be ongoing protection of a long existing trademark for Apple, but given the recent rumors, the new activity raises the possibility that Apple

In a last minute series of tweets, leaker L0vetodream has posted a number of last minute predictions about WWDC 2020 . Apple's WWDC kicks off on Monday morning with a live stream . A previous series of rumors suggested we'd see no new hardware at WWDC, which @L0vetodream agrees with saying "There will be no hardware tomorrow and Im sure Jon is right". Beyond that the twitter account shares some details about the upcoming announcements. Most specifically, L0vetodream specifies "macOS Big Sur" as the name for macOS 10.16 which will also include a "redesigned UI" and "huge update" for Safari. in my dream,Mac OS big sur, redesigned the Ui, and huge update for Safari — 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) June 22, 2020 The other predictions are somewhat more vague, with this year being the "year of A14", Apple's own custom processor. The A13 presently drives the latest iPhones. TV OS and HomeKit integration are mentioned as well a

Apple has scrapped plans to reveal any new hardware at WWDC tomorrow, according to leakers Jon Prosser and Max Weinbach who shared the information on Twitter. While WWDC is usually a software-driven event, until now leaks had strongly suggested the announcement of new hardware, particularly a redesigned iMac with iPad Pro design language. Other rumored hardware announcements were AirTags , AirPods Studio , and a refreshed Apple TV . WWDC events sometimes have no new hardware reveals, as was the case in 2018. Last year, Apple used WWDC to offer a preview of the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR. It is possible that Apple has faced supply chain issues this year, and may have decided to postpone hardware announcements until its manufacturing situation improves. It may also be the case that Apple simply did not have any hardware announcements planned for WWDC. Looking like any possible hardware has been scrapped for WWDC tomorrow 🤔 Might be wrong about this one. Would love

Apple will announce Arm-based chips and new software updates at WWDC, but hardware isn't expected until later in the year, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman. As Gurman said earlier this month, Apple will unveil its work on custom designed chips that use Arm technology, but no Macs will launch with the hardware until late 2020 or early 2021 . Apple is announcing the chips early to provide developers with time to update their apps to support the transition to Arm Macs. According to the report, the next-generation version of macOS, macOS 10.16, will improve porting iOS updates to Macs. Apple last year introduced Project Calayst, which is designed to close the gap between Mac and iOS platforms by making it easier for developers to create Mac versions of iPad apps. Apple in February also added a universal purchases feature that allows developers to bundle iOS, tvOS, and Mac apps together for a single purchase price. Aside from Mac hardware and software updates, Gurman

Leaker Sonny Dickson has today shared several images depicting what he claims are dummy units of Apple's upcoming iPhone 12 lineup. Images of iPhone dummy units usually appear every year, just a few months ahead of Apple's usual September-October launch timeframe. They are usually based on CAD schematics sourced from the Chinese supply chain, much like the molds leaked last week . Such dummies are often used to aid case-makers before the official reveal. The images mostly conform with details we already know, with the device sporting an iPad Pro-style design with flat edges. Apple is expected to launch four iPhones this year, across three sizes of 5.4, 6.1, and 6.7 inches. Dickson's images give a clear comparison of the three new sizes. The camera setups, however, do not mirror what is expected. Previous leaks have largely agreed that the two ‌iPhone 12‌ models in 5.4 and 6.1 inches will have dual camera setups, while the two ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro models in 6.1 a

Apple plans to introduce its Arm-based custom designed chips for Macs at WWDC, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors today, agreeing with an earlier report from Bloomberg . Kuo says that the first Mac models to adopt Arm-based chips will be the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and an iMac with a redesigned form factor, with Apple planning to launch the new models in the in fourth quarter of 2020 or early in 2021 at the earliest. (1) ARM13.3-inchMacBookPro: The new model’s form factor design will be similar to that of the existing Intel 13.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. Apple will discontinue the Intel 13.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ production after launching the ARM 13.3-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌. (2) ARMiMac: ‌ARM‌ ‌iMac‌ will be equipped with the all-new form factor design and a 24- inch display. Apple will launch the refresh of existing Intel ‌iMac‌ in 3Q20 before launching the ‌ARM‌ ‌iMac‌. Kuo says the Arm-based 13-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ design will be similar to the current 13-inch ‌MacB

In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted productivity app "Noted," utility app "PodWise," and health app "Sidekick" as three apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week. Apps to Check Out Noted . (iOS & Mac , Free) - Noted is a productivity app that fully integrates audio recordings with notes to help users make the most out of note-taking. The app's simple design allows users to easily create notes and start recording in just a few taps. While recording audio, Noted adds a timestamp to each new line, and it's easy to navigate to specific places within the audio. Additionally, users can add #TimeTags, which link to key parts of the audio that can be placed anywhere in the note. Noted also features multitasking, iCloud syncing, the ability to lock notes with a password or Touch ID/FaceID, and more. Noted is free to download, but users looking to gain access to

This week was mostly about Apple gearing up for WWDC, but aside from the expected preparations like updating its apps and websites to stream the keynote and other sessions and beefing up other areas to support the first all-digital WWDC, Apple also cleared the decks a bit with a few launches including a new high-end graphics option for the 16-inch MacBook Pro, SSD kits for the Mac Pro, and the annual Back to School promotion. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Another big story this week was Apple's rejection of apps for the new "Hey" email service, due to the developers refusing to include a payment option using Apple's in-app purchase mechanism. The situation is leading to a more comprehensive discussion about what the rules for playing in the App Store should be more than a decade after the marketplace's debut. Check out our video above and read on below for more on this week's biggest stories and to make sure you're rea

Disney+ is no longer offering seven-day free trials of the streaming service to new subscribers, reports French news site Numerama . A Disney spokesperson suggested the ending of the free trial formed part of an initial investigation into different offers and promotions to best expand the service's user base. "We continue to test and evaluate different marketing, offers and promotions to grow Disney Plus," the company said in a statement. "The service was set at an attractive price-to-value proposition that we believe delivers a compelling entertainment offering on its own." It's not known exactly when Disney stopped offering the trial, but the decision comes ahead of the hotly anticipated July 3 premiere of "Hamilton," a movie based on Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit Broadway musical. Disney reportedly paid $75 million for worldwide rights to the movie, which will air over year ahead of its original planned theatrical release. Going forward,

Pixelmator Photo for iPad was updated today to version 1.3, bringing new shortcut menus, customizable accent colors, and batch photo editing improvements to the app. The new shortcut menus are activated using the touch and hold gesture, and add several functions that aim to make Pixelmator Photo more powerful. When touching and holding a photo in the Photos library browser, for example, users can quickly share, favorite, duplicate, revert, or delete photos. The new shortcut menus also allow users to copy and paste adjustments or apply batch workflows from the ‌Photos‌ or Files browsers. Meanwhile, there are improvements to color adjustment present management, allowing users to create custom color adjustment preset collections and rearrange and remove them for a more personalized editing experience. Elsewhere, Pixelmator Photo 1.3 includes a new Accent Color feature that lets users customize the color of buttons and other elements in the app. Batch editing has also been i

Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman this morning filed a story detailing the internal divisions at Apple that led it to change the course of its AR and VR headset development. Specifically, the report covers disagreements between former Apple design chief Jony Ive and Mike Rockwell, the executive heading up Apple's secretive 1,000-strong group devoted to VR and AR, regarding fundamental aspects of the headset, codenamed N301. N301 was initially designed to be an ultra-powerful system, with graphics and processing speeds previously unheard of for a wearable product. The processing capabilities were so advanced—and produced so much heat—that the technology couldn’t be crammed into a sleek headset. Instead, Rockwell’s team planned to sell a stationary hub, which in prototype form resembled a small Mac, that would connect to the headset with a wireless signal. In Rockwell’s early version, the headset would also be able to operate in a less-powerful independent mode. Ive balked at the p

In a U-turn by the popular videoconferencing platform, Zoom this week announced it will make end-to-end encryption available to all users, both paid and unpaid. ...we have identified a path forward that balances the legitimate right of all users to privacy and the safety of users on our platform. This will enable us to offer E2EE as an advanced add-on feature for all of our users around the globe -- free and paid -- while maintaining the ability to prevent and fight abuse on our platform. To make this possible, Free/Basic users seeking access to E2EE will participate in a one-time process that will prompt the user for additional pieces of information, such as verifying a phone number via a text message. Many leading companies perform similar steps on account creation to reduce the mass creation of abusive accounts. We are confident that by implementing risk-based authentication, in combination with our current mix of tools -- including our Report a User function -- we can continu