Apple today updated its dedicated Apple Store app for purchasing Apple products, introducing a redesigned Shop tab.

According to Apple, the new tab features richer visuals, better personalization, and more relevant info for each individual shopper. Apple says that the new shopping experience is better tailored to “you and the devices you own.”

An introductory splash screen for the update says that users can go from browsing to buying with a tap or dive into detailed product stories before adding something to the shopping bag.

There’s also now an option to save passes for in-store pickups right in the Wallet app, which will make picking up items ordered online much easier when you arrive at your local Apple Store.

The Apple Store app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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Apple will have a presence at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that’s set to take place in January, but the company won’t be showing off new products.

Apple will instead be discussing consumer privacy, as Bloomberg points out. Jane Horvath, Apple’s senior director of privacy, will be attending a “Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable” alongside privacy executives from Facebook, Procter & Gamble, and the FTC.

The roundtable will focus on “what consumers want” when it comes to privacy. It will be held on Tuesday, January 7 at 1:00 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s North Hall, room N257. Attendance is included with CES registration.

Privacy is now a strategic imperative for all consumer businesses. “The future is private” (Facebook); “Privacy is a human right” (Apple); and “a more private web” (Google). How do companies build privacy at scale? Will regulation be a fragmented patchwork? Most importantly, what do consumers want?

Apple stopped attending CES in the 90s, and Apple’s last official appearance took place in 1992 at the Chicago show, where then CEO John Sculley introduced the Apple Newton.

While Apple doesn’t officially attend CES, it does send its employees to the show for meetings and to check out emerging technology. Last year, Apple also touted its privacy policies through a huge privacy-focused billboard right near the Las Vegas Convention Center that read “What Happens on your iPhone, stays on your ‌iPhone‌.”

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Apple’s wearables shipments nearly tripled in the third quarter of 2019 due to the growing popularity of the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats headphones, according to research firm IDC.

IDC estimates that Apple shipped 29.5 million wearables last quarter, up from 10 million in the third quarter of 2018. Apple remained the world’s largest wearables vendor, and the launch of the AirPods Pro and discounts on Apple Watch Series 3 models should keep the company in the lead, the research firm said.

Apple does not disclose wearables sales on a product or unit basis, so emphasis should be placed on IDC’s figures being estimates, but all signs do point towards the Apple Watch and AirPods selling very well.

Apple’s “Wearables, Home and Accessories” revenue was a record-setting $6.5 billion in the third quarter of 2019, up 54 percent from $4.2 billion in the year-ago quarter. In addition to the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats, the category includes the HomePod, Apple TV, iPod touch, and both Apple-branded and third-party accessories.

AirPods Pro are currently estimated for delivery in January for orders placed on Apple.com, demonstrating how popular the new earphones are, although they remain available at select resellers.

This article, “IDC: Apple’s Wearables Shipments Surged Last Quarter on Popularity of Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Today is Green Monday, another shopping event that offers savings on electronics and other products as we get closer to the holidays. At B&H Photo, this means you can get all-time-low prices on the 13-inch MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with B&H Photo. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

You can find all of these sales in the lists below, and browse even more discounts at B&H Photo on the retailer’s website. Given the limited run of the event, many of these deals are expected to expire either later tonight or sometime this week, so check out the discounts soon.

2019 13-Inch MacBook Pro

• 1.4GHz, 8GB, 128GB – $1,099.99, down from $1,299.00 ($200 off, lowest price)
• 1.4GHz, 8GB, 256GB – $1,279.00, down from $1,499.00 ($220 off)
• 2.4GHz, 8GB, 256GB – $1,599.00, down from $1,749.00 ($150 off)
• 2.4GHz, 8GB, 512GB – $1,699.00, down from $1,999.00 ($300 off, lowest price)

2019 13-Inch MacBook Air

• 1.6GHz, 8GB, 128GB – $899.99, down from $1,099.99 ($200 off, lowest price)
• 1.6GHz, 8GB, 256GB – $1,099.99, down from $1,299.99 ($200 off, lowest price)

2018 Mac mini

• 3.6GHz, 8GB, 128GB – $679.00, down from $799.00 ($120 off, lowest price)
• 3.0GHz, 8GB, 256GB – $929.99, down from $1,099.99 ($170 off, lowest price)

2019 iMac

• 21.5-inch, 3.6GHz, 8GB, 1TB HDD – $1,124.95, down from $1,299.95 ($175 off)
• 21.5-inch, 3.0GHz, 8GB, 1TB FUS – $1,279.00, down from $1,499.00 ($220 off, lowest ever)
• 27-inch, 3.0GHz, 8GB, 1TB FUS – $1,549.00, down from $1,799.00 ($250 off)
• 27-inch, 3.1GHz, 8GB, 1TB FUS – $1,749.00, down from $1,999.00 ($250 off, lowest price)
• 27-inch, 3.7GHz, 8GB, 2TB FUS – $1,999 ($300 off, lowest price)

Check out our Deals Roundup for more holiday shopping ideas.

This article, “Deals Spotlight: B&H Photo Offers Low Prices on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini for Green Monday” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple TV+ series “The Morning Show” has received a Golden Globe Award nomination for best drama series, while stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are nominated for best actress in a drama series, according to Variety.

“The Morning Show” is up against HBO’s “Big Little Lies” and “Succession,” BBC America’s “Killing Eve,” and Netflix’s “The Crown.”

The 77th Golden Globe Awards will honor the best in film and television of 2019, as determined by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The ceremony will air live on NBC on January 5, 2020.

Update: Apple has highlighted its Golden Globe nominations in a press release.

“Thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for today’s historic nominations,” said Zack Van Amburg, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video. “After the debut of Apple TV+ just last month, today’s nominations are a true testament to the powerful storytelling that went into ‘The Morning Show,’ as well as all of our Apple Originals.”

This article, “Apple TV+ Series ‘The Morning Show’ Receives Multiple Golden Globe Award Nominations [Updated]” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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As noted on Reddit, Best Buy recently updated the terms of its My Best Buy rewards program to indicate that Apple and Beats products are no longer eligible to receive points unless they are purchased with a Best Buy credit card.

The new terms went into effect on October 21, 2019:

We have made changes to confirm that members are eligible to receive points for Apple and Beats products and Apple services only when purchases are made on standard credit with the My Best Buy Credit Card. Otherwise My Best Buy members will not be eligible to receive points for purchase of Apple and Beats products and Apple services.

My Best Buy program members may still receive special pricing on Apple and Beats products from time to time, according to the terms.

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Swiss telco Salt, which includes an Apple TV 4K in its domestic broadband TV bundle, has today launched an “alternative” bespoke ‌Apple TV‌ remote control for users of its 250+ channel television service.

Costing just under 20 Swiss francs, the optional remote was reportedly developed in close collaboration with Apple, after a sizable section of Salt TV’s customer base apparently complained about the poor usability of the Apple Remote that comes with every ‌Apple TV‌ 4K.

Thanks to Apple’s input, the alternative remote doesn’t require any pairing with ‌Apple TV‌ and works out of the box. It includes directional arrows in place of the Siri Remote’s glass Touch surface, a power button in addition to a Menu button, along with separate volume and channel rockers and traditional media playback buttons.

There’s no microphone button in evidence, presumably because ‌Siri‌ on ‌Apple TV‌ isn’t officially available in Switzerland, and there’s no numerical channel buttons because tvOS doesn’t support the function. Otherwise, it resembles a standard TV remote that should be more amenable to Salt TV’s users, who can also look forward to an updated Salt TV app interface on ‌Apple TV‌.

It’s unclear if this is a one-off ‌Apple TV‌ hardware collaboration between Apple and a regional third-party, although having said that, Apple recently made Microsoft and Sony controllers compatible with tvOS and iOS, so maybe this indicates a new trend.

Either way, Apple has obviously listened to feedback and decided its ‌Siri‌ Remote isn’t the most optimal design for enjoying multi-channel TV navigation after all.

• How to Control Apple TV Using Your Apple Watch
• How to Pair a DualShock 4 or Xbox Wireless Controller With iPhone and Apple TV

The alternative remote control for Salt TV can be set up to work with almost all standard TV sets, and is available to order on the Salt online store.

This article, “Swiss Fiber TV Service ‘Salt’ Launches Alternative Apple TV 4K Remote Control for Frustrated Customers” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple CEO Tim Cook has been touring Tokyo, Japan over the last few days, meeting with local employees, developers, healthcare experts, and others. Cook has been documenting the trip on his Twitter account.

Cook has traveled to several countries for meets and greets during his eight-year tenure as Apple CEO, including France and Germany in September. He has also visited Canada, China, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

こんにちは Tokyo! It’s wonderful to be back in Japan! 🇯🇵 #shotoniPhone by Koichi Mitsui pic.twitter.com/Kt5VlyA2VI

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 8, 2019

What a treat to reunite with Masako san and Hikari san, some of our imaginative developers who prove that no matter your age, coding opens up new opportunities to follow your dreams! Wonderful to see you at Apple Omotesando! pic.twitter.com/YAr4M6jSXw

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 8, 2019

Wowed by the many talents of Gen @gen_senden. Thanks for showing me how you bring your creative vision to life in the studio. Loved the izakaya too! Have a great show tomorrow! 楽しかったです！ 🏮🎶 pic.twitter.com/Seqzd9Pkme

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 8, 2019

Technology is pushing the boundaries of healthcare, enabling innovations and discoveries at a pace we‘ve never seen before. It’s amazing how Dr. Kimura and experts at Keio University School of Medicine use Apple Watch and CareKit to help patients better understand their health.⌚️ pic.twitter.com/ssqNurYJ6T

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 9, 2019

It’s always wonderful to be with our Apple family in Tokyo! みんな、いつもありがとう！ pic.twitter.com/efpJ2M3jXa

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 9, 2019

Coding is one of the most important skills you can learn. Loved celebrating Computer Science Education Week with students from Rikkyo Primary School at Apple Marunouchi! 🇯🇵 #TodayatApple pic.twitter.com/lBv78PRGxk

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 9, 2019

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2020 iPhones may have a custom battery protection module that is nearly 50 percent smaller and thinner than the battery protection circuit in previous iPhones, according to industry sources cited by Korean website The Elec.

The smaller module could free up some internal space in iPhone 12 models, potentially paving the way for a slight increase in battery capacity.

The report claims the smaller module would be supplied by Korea’s ITM Semiconductor.

A battery protection circuit helps to prevent over-charging and over-discharging. The new module from ITM Semiconductor combines the protection circuit with a MOSFET and PCB, eliminating the need for a holder case.

Source: ITM Semiconductor

In a separate report, The Elec claimed that ITM Semiconductor has already supplied the new modules to Samsung for the Galaxy S11.

Apple is expected to release four high-end iPhones in 2020, including one 5.4-inch model, two 6.1-inch models, and one 6.7-inch model. All four devices are expected to have OLED displays, 5G support, a new iPhone 4-like metal frame, up to 6GB of RAM, up to triple-lens rear cameras with 3D sensing, and more.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has the largest battery life of any iPhone ever, lasting up to five hours longer than the iPhone XS Max per charge.

This article, “2020 iPhones Could Have Larger Batteries Due to Tweaked Circuitry” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Procreate 5 for iPad got its official release today, introducing a completely rebuilt graphics engine and several notable new features.

Under the hood, the new Valkyrie graphics engine takes full advantage of Apple’s Metal architecture and is designed to get maximum performance out of ‌iPad‌, utilizing new sophisticated shaders and running at 120fps on supported devices.

On the feature front, an all-new Animation Assist toolset aims to make the creation of animatics, looping GIFs and storyboards an easier process for newcomers and more streamlined for experts. Meanwhile, the same applies to custom brush creation thanks to the powerful new Brush Studio, which allows finer control over every aspect of how brushes look, react and behave.

Procreate 5’s new Clone tool allows you to use any brush style to give a cloned area the look of that brush, or to lock the clone area in place to plaint with a multicolored brush based on your selection. The Color Panel can also now be detached and minimized into a new Mini Color Panel, for moving it out of areas that you want to work on.

Elsewhere, new Color Dynamics offer tactile control of hue, saturation, brightness and more to a brush, through the tilt or pressure of the Apple Pencil. There are also 18 individual sliders to allow for more control.

This version also includes new importable CMYK and RGB ICC profiles for print-based users, a new Photoshop Brush Import feature for using Photoshop brushes in the app, a new Color Harmony section in the Color Panel for easily picking complimentary colors, and a new 10-step Color History palette.

Lastly, the Procreate 5 interface has been refined and improved to make it more accessible and unobtrusive, while retaining the familiarity of previous versions.

Procreate 5 for ‌iPad‌ can be purchased on the App Store from today for a one-time payment of $10. [Direct Link]

This article, “Procreate 5 for iPad Brings New Animation Assist, Brush Studio, Color Harmony, and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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