Apple on December 14 is holding an open house event at Apple Park for Cupertino residents who live near the campus, and has been sending out invites via email to those who are eligible to attend.

The open house takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and requires attendees to RSVP by December 11. Apple says that it is supporting Toys for Tots, and asks those interested in participating to bring along a toy.

Image via Eddie Kuo

Potential attendees need to fill out a registration form and attendance is confirmed on a first come, first serve basis until capacity is reached.

Each household that receives an invitation can register up to four people in total, and households will be assigned a specific arrival time. Apple says that light snacks and beverages will be served, and the company recommends comfortable outdoor shoes.

Attendees will be able to take photos of exterior spaces at ‌Apple Park‌, but not interior spaces or inside buildings.

Apple has previously invited nearby Cupertino residents to visit its ‌Apple Park‌ campus when the ‌Apple Park‌ Visitor Center opened up in November 2017.

This article, “Apple Holding Apple Park Open House for Cupertino Residents, Collecting Toys for Kids” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The widely rumored “iPhone SE 2” might actually be named the iPhone 9, according to an “informed source” cited by Japanese blog Mac Otakara.

The report reiterates that the device will have a similar form factor as the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display with bezels and a Touch ID home button, but with a faster A13 Bionic chip. 3GB of RAM is also expected. Like the original iPhone SE, the device is not expected to support 3D Touch.

iPhone 9 would certainly be a more fitting name for the device given it sounds like more of an iPhone 8 successor than an iPhone SE successor. With a 4.7-inch display, the new device would be larger than the original iPhone SE with a 4-inch display, disappointing those who prefer a smaller phone.

The lower-cost iPhone, whatever it ends up being named, will likely start around $399 with 64GB of storage, and come in Space Gray, Silver, and Red, according to reputable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Multiple reports have indicated the device will be released by the end of the first quarter of 2020.

The original iPhone SE was introduced at an Apple event in March 2016, so a March 2020 release is certainly possible for this next device.

This article, “iPhone SE 2 Might Actually Be Called the iPhone 9” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Best Buy began a new sale focused on Apple products today, which is a precursor to its upcoming 12 Days of Deals holiday shopping event. For the Apple sale, Best Buy is discounting a number of iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, and more to notable low prices, some of which are matching the prices we saw on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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

This sale will end on Sunday, December 8 at 11:59 p.m. CT, and afterwards the 12 Days of Deals event will kick off. Best Buy isn’t detailing which products will see discounts on which day yet, but it does provide some hints, and Apple shoppers will want to return on December 14 when the retailer says it will discount the MacBook, Beats, and more.

For now, you can shop this weekend’s Apple Sales Event below.

Best Buy Apple Sales Event

iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

• iPhone 11 Pro Max – Save up to $300 with qualified activation and in-store trade-in
• iPhone 11 cases – My Best Buy members can save 20 percent
• 11-inch iPad Pro – Save up to $200 / Starting at $649.99 for 64GB (lowest ever)
• Apple Watch Series 5 – Save $25
• Apple Watch Series 4 – Save up to $100 / Starting at $349.00 for 40mm

Mac

• MacBook Air – Save $200 / Starting at $899.99 for 128GB (matched at Amazon)
• MacBook Pro – Save up to $250 / Starting at $1,199.99 for 13-inch 128GB
• 21.5-inch iMac (Early 2019), 3.0GHz 6-Core, 8GB RAM, 1TB – $1,349.99, down from $1,499.99 ($150 off) (matched at Amazon)
• 27-inch Retina iMac (Early 2019), 3.7GHz 6-Core, 8GB RAM, 2TB – $2,049.99, down from $2,299.00 ($250 off) (matched at Amazon)

Audio

• HomePod – $199.99, down from $299.99 [Expired]
• AirPods with Charging Case – $144.99, down from $159.99 (matched at Amazon)
• Beats Studio3 Wireless Headphones – $199.99, down from $349.99
• Powerbeats3 – $99.99, down from $199.99

Miscellaneous

• iTunes gift cards – Buy one, get one 25 percent off
• Mophie Powerstation 6,000 mAh – $14.99, down from $44.99
• Ecobee Smart Thermostat – $199.99, down from $249.99
• Philips Hue Color 3 Pack with Lightswitch – $149.99, down from $189.99
• Nanoleaf Rhythm Edition – $179.99, down from $199.99
• Insignia HomeKit Garage Door Controller – $39.99, down from $49.99
• Yale Assure Lock – $209.99, down from $279.99

For more sales to shop this season, check out our full Deals Roundup.

This article, “Deals: Best Buy’s New Apple Shopping Event Has Discounts on iPhone 11, MacBook Pro, AirPods, and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple shares crossed the $269 mark in intraday trading today, setting a new all-time high for the company.

However, oil giant Saudi Aramco is set to overtake Apple as the world’s most valuable company based on market cap after raising $25.6 billion in the world’s biggest initial public offering ever, according to Reuters. The shares are expected to begin trading on the Saudi stock market on December 11.

Saudi Aramco only offered a 1.5 percent stake in the company to public shareholders, so the $25.6 billion raised gives it an overall valuation of around $1.7 trillion, topping Apple’s market cap of around $1.1 trillion.

This article, “Apple Shares Reach New All-Time High, But Saudi Aramco to Overtake as World’s Most Valuable Company” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The first three episodes of true-crime drama series “Truth Be Told” are now available to stream on Apple TV+.

New evidence compels true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell, played by Octavia Spencer, to reopen a murder case that made her a media sensation. “Breaking Bad” star Aaron Paul plays the man she may have wrongfully put behind bars. The series is based on the novel “Are You Sleeping” by Kathleen Barber.

“Hala” was also released on Apple TV+ today. Written and directed by Minhal Baig, Apple says the film follows a high school senior struggling to balance being a suburban teenager with her traditional Muslim upbringing.

Apple has also released the eighth episodes of “The Morning Show,” “See,” and “For All Mankind,” as well as the fourth episode of “Servant.”

Apple TV+ is available through the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and select smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio, as well as online at tv.apple.com. The streaming service costs $4.99 per month in the United States, with a seven-day free trial available.

This article, “‘Truth Be Told’ Starring Octavia Spencer and Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul Now Streaming on Apple TV+” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Samsung aims to usurp Apple’s iPhone camera supremacy next year with a massive overhaul to the cameras on its flagship phones, reports Bloomberg.

Galaxy S11+ Render from @OnLeaks

Its upcoming Galaxy S11 will sport a 108-megapixel sensor for the main camera — versus the iPhone 11‘s 12 — flanked by three more on the back of the device including an ultrawide-angle lens and 5x optical zoom, they said. The marquee device will also adopt a time-of-flight sensor for depth detection similar to one already in the Note 10+, a feature that can aid portrait photos and augmented-reality applications, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing specifications that haven’t been made public.

The high-resolution sensor and 5x zoom camera will also feature in its second Galaxy Fold device, which is expected to be unveiled in February, around the same time as the launch of the Galaxy S11 launch, according to Bloomberg. Affiliate Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co. developed the 5x zoom module, which went into production earlier this year.

The arsenal of lenses planned for the rear of the S11 are said to be a key part of Samsung’s bid to outshine Apple in next year’s smartphone stakes, with 5G connectivity and foldable devices forming the other core pillars of its head-start hardware strategy. Apple’s next generation of flagship smartphones aren’t expected to arrive until several months later in the fall.

Apple made major changes to the rear camera system in the 2019 ‌iPhone‌ lineup with the new triple-lens setup of the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max, and 2020 is expected to bring even more camera improvements.

Rumors suggest Apple will add a laser-powered time-of-flight 3D rear camera to the iPhone 12 Pro, which will bring significant improvements in augmented reality experiences.

The camera is said to be able to scan areas up to 15 feet from the device. Apple’s front-facing TrueDepth camera uses similar 3D technology but because it’s infrared and not laser-powered, it only works at distances of 25 to 50 centimeters.

Apple plans to release an all-OLED lineup in 2020 consisting of 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch models in the second half of the year, according to the latest prediction from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The 6.1-inch “‌iPhone 12‌ Pro” and 6.7-inch “‌iPhone 12‌ Pro Max” are expected to feature a triple-lens rear camera. So far, rumors indicate these two higher-end iPhones will use the new time-of-flight rear camera, so it may not be available in the lower-end iPhones that are going to have a lower price tag.

This article, “Samsung Galaxy S11 Said to Boast 108-Megapixel Camera and 5x Telephoto Lens” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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We’re hearing multiple reports worldwide from subscribers to Apple TV+, Apple’s video streaming service, about the loss of support for watching shows in Dolby Vision HDR on ‌Apple TV‌ 4K set-top boxes connected to compatible 4K TVs.

Over the past two weeks, more and more users have taken to the MacRumors forums, Twitter, Reddit and Apple’s discussion pages to highlight the problem, which appears to be affecting not only new show episodes as they’re made available, but existing episodes hosted on the service that previously worked in Dolby Vision HDR.

For example, early episodes of “See,” “The Morning Show” and “For All Mankind” are no longer being streamed in dynamic Dolby Vision HDR, but revert back to static HDR in HDR10 format on TVs that officially support Dolby Vision. The same goes for brand new episodes of these shows that were released today, despite the fact that they still carry the Dolby Vision HDR support label on the summary screens.

Compared to static HDR10 which works uniformly across content, Dolby Vision HDR use dynamic image metadata that enables Dolby Vision-capable TVs to adapt the extended color gamut and increased contrast range of HDR on a scene-by-scene and even frame-by-frame basis. Losing the DV HDR support can result in scenes that look too dark, appear like a negative image, or have an odd tint to them.

@UHD4k I don’t know if it’s just me but today on my ‌Apple TV‌ 4K when I watch an ‌Apple TV‌+ show (See and Morning show) it’s in HDR instead of Dolby vision. Used to work fine.
Weird.

— Djems (@Djems94) December 6, 2019

Some users have suggested that the affected episodes may still be encoded in Dolby Vision and it’s actually a bug in ‌Apple TV‌’s Match Dynamic Range feature that’s preventing the set-top box from outputting the source content correctly. However, it seems more likely that Apple has removed support from the source content while it resolves a problem streaming shows in Dolby Vision.

It’s worth noting that the problem doesn’t currently seem to affect all shows on ‌Apple TV‌+ for at least some users. There are scattered reports that “The Elephant Mother” documentary and Apple’s “Dickinson” show still appear to be streaming in full Dolby Vision HDR, as do some kids shows like “Snoopy in Space.”

We’ve contacted Apple for comment on the issue and will update this article if we learn anything more.

This article, “Apple TV+ Content No Longer Playing in Dolby Vision HDR for Apple TV 4K Owners” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today sent out an email detailing its latest Apple Pay promo, which is offering discounts from multiple apps ahead of the holidays.

The benefits listed below are available through December 18 when checking out either in app or on the web and using ‌Apple Pay‌.

• 1-800-Flowers – $15 off exclusive holiday gift collection.
• 1stdibs – $150 off purchases of $500 or more with the code PAYFASTER.
• BJ’s – $10 off your next purchase when spending $150 or more at BJ’s online.
• Club Monaco – $25 off your next purchase of $100 or more with the code PAYFASTER.
• Crocs – 25% off purchases at Crocs.com through December 13.
• Hayneedle – Extra 10% off holiday decor, furniture, gifts, and more.
• HBX – Free shipping when you spend $50 or more.
• NY&C – Get an extra 10% off in the New York & Company app with promo code PAYFASTER.
• Outdoor Voices – $25 off your next purchase when spending $125 or more.
• Snapfish – 50% off all orders in the app with code PAYFASTER.
• StockX – $20 off next Buy Now purchase when spending $200 or more with promo code PAYFASTER.
• Warby Parker – Free set of four illustrated 2020 party frames.

Apple also reminds Apple Card holders that they can get two percent cash back when using ‌Apple Pay‌ for purchases or three percent cash back when purchasing gifts from Apple.

This article, “Latest Apple Pay Promo Offers Holiday Discounts and Bonuses From Multiple Retailers” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.3 updates to developers and public beta testers, two weeks after seeding third betas and over a month after the release of iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 with new emoji, Siri privacy controls, Deep Fusion for iPhone 11, and more.

iOS and ‌‌‌iPadOS‌‌‌ 13.3 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed.

iOS 13.3 introduces Communication Limits for Screen Time, a feature that Apple promised would be coming in an iOS 13 update. Communication Limits allow parents to control who their children are able to contact both during downtime and during Screen Time.

Communication Limits include FaceTime, Phone, and Messages, along with iCloud contacts. Calls to emergency numbers are always allowed and will turn off communication limits for 24 hours when placed.

The update features support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari. That means physical security keys like the Lightning-equipped YubiKey can be used for more secure two-factor authentication in place of a software-based two-factor authentication option.

In the Keyboards section of the Settings app (under General), there’s a new toggle that prevents Animoji and Memoji stickers from being displayed as an option on the Emoji Keyboard, and when editing a video, there’s an option to save the edited version as a new clip rather than saving over the original. Apple has also tweaked the Apple Watch app icon, changing the color of the Digital Crown from black to gray.

This article, “Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3 to Developers and Public Beta Testers” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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