Apple made the change over the weekend, and as of now, no products on the online store have reviews, so there’s no way to tell how customers liked a given product.

Items like the Apple Pencil and the Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack had hundreds of reviews at the time they were removed, as noted by AppleInsider. For example, a Wayback Machine archive of the original ‌Apple Pencil‌ from November 16 had more than 300 reviews, many of which were negative.

At the current time, product listings have no Ratings & Reviews section and it’s not clear if Apple plans to return them, but it’s looking like the change was made deliberately since it expands to the online store in multiple countries.

This article, “Apple Pulls Reviews From Online Store Product Listings” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

With ‌Sidecar‌ now available for the ‌iPad‌, Duet has adapted and introduced new functionality that’s not available with ‌Sidecar‌ – namely using an additional Mac or PC as a secondary display.

As of today, Duet Air, the software that turns the ‌iPad‌ into a secondary display for a Mac, also works with a second Mac or PC.

That means if you have an extra MacBook or PC, you can use Duet Air to turn it into a wireless second display or a mirrored display for your main Mac. This is functionality that’s not available with Apple’s ‌Sidecar‌ implementation.

Duet Air also allows iOS devices, Macs, or PCs to remote desktop into other devices from anywhere in the world, and Duet says that the update works with “minimal latency.”

Over the course of the next year, Duet has pledged to continue improving its algorithms and customizability, and there are a long list of new features in the works that will make Duet Air more compelling in 2020.

This article, “Duet Air Gains New Feature That Lets You Use a Mac or PC as a Secondary Display” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Safari Technology Preview release 96 includes bug fixes and performance improvements for Web Animations, WebAuthN, SVG, Web API, CSS, Clipboard API, CSS Shadow Parts, JavaScript, Picture-in-Picture API, Media, Service Worker, Back-Forward Cache, Web Inspector, ad WebDriver.

The new Safari Technology Preview update is available for both macOS Mojave and MacOS Catalina, the newest version of the Mac operating system that was released in October.

The Safari Technology Preview update is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store to anyone who has downloaded the browser. Full release notes for the update are available on the Safari Technology Preview website.

Apple’s aim with Safari Technology Preview is to gather feedback from developers and users on its browser development process. Safari Technology Preview can run side-by-side with the existing Safari browser and while designed for developers, it does not require a developer account to download.

This article, “Apple Releases Safari Technology Preview 96 With Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

By the end of 2019, this will include a new Select Subject feature that uses Adobe’s Sensei machine learning technology to enable users to automatically select the subject of an image to speed up complex selections. And in December, Adobe says its cloud document system will be optimized to be even faster.

In the first half of 2020, Photoshop for iPad will gain additional features, including the Refine Edge brush for selecting soft edges, integration of Lightroom and Photoshop workflows on the iPad, and more.

Photoshop for iPad has received poor reviews since its release and has only a two-star rating on the App Store.

This article, “Adobe Outlines Additional Features Coming to Photoshop for iPad Following Poor Reviews” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The pilot program allows customers to add AppleCare+ to a device between 61 days and one year after the device was purchased. To do so, a customer must book a Genius Bar appointment, during which a technician will run diagnostics on the device and perform a visual inspection to confirm eligibility.

We were initially told the extended eligibility was for up to two years, but another source said the period was shortened to one year.

The pilot program is rolling out to 50 or so Apple Stores in the United States, as well as all 29 locations in Canada, one of our sources said. It is unclear how long the program will remain available.

MacRumors contacted a participating Apple Store that confirmed existence of the pilot program. It applies to the iPhone for certain, and likely extends to the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and other devices. We don’t want anyone to be disappointed, so keep in mind that the pilot is subject to change.

AppleCare+ provides two or three years of extended hardware coverage and technical support depending on the type of device. This includes up to two incidents of accidental damage, each subject to a service fee.

This article, “Select Apple Stores Piloting Extended AppleCare+ Eligibility Beyond Usual 60 Days” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The complaint alleges that non-practicing patent assertion entities like Fortress aggressively pursue patent litigation against large companies like Apple and Intel, knowing that even if they lose several cases, they could eventually win a case with a large monetary reward that exceeds their losses.

Apple and Intel argue that Fortress-backed entities have “sought billions of dollars” from the two companies over the years, forcing both tech giants to spend “millions of dollars” on outside resources like counsel and expert witnesses to defend against Fortress-backed demands and assertions.

Fortress-backed entities like Uniloc, DSS Technology Management, and Seven Networks are also named in the lawsuit, first reported by Reuters. The complaint was filed in Northern California federal court.

This article, “Apple and Intel Sue SoftBank-Owned Firm Over ‘Endless, Meritless’ Patent Lawsuits” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The report claims the new strategy is already being applied to development of iOS 14 ahead of its release next year. The shift comes after the buggy release of iOS 13, which has already received eight updates with bug fixes and delayed features in the last two months, which is more than usual over that time.

The new process will see Apple implement “flags,” allowing the company’s software engineers to selectively enable or disable unfinished or buggy features in an isolated way to ensure that overall stability is not jeopardized. Flags are already commonly used by other tech companies like Google and Microsoft.

Apple has also considered delaying some iOS 14 features until 2021, according to the report, as part of its efforts to ensure the update is more stable. Apple is believed to have taken a similar approach with iOS 12, delaying some features until ‌iOS 13‌, which contributed to iOS 12 being a rather stable update.

The changes were reportedly announced at a recent meeting with employees led by Apple’s software engineering chief Craig Federighi.

In the meantime, Apple continues to test iOS 13.3, with a third beta released this week.

This article, “Apple Reportedly Overhauling Its Software Development Process Following Buggy Release of iOS 13” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Cook said he’s “proud” to build the new ‌Mac Pro‌ in the United States. Apple plans to assemble the new ‌Mac Pro‌ at its Austin facility, with the machines put together in Texas to be shipped “across the Americas.” Apple also assembled the 2013 ‌Mac Pro‌ in Texas at the same facility.

“We are really proud to make the ‌Mac Pro‌ here,” said Cook. “This computer is our most powerful computer we’ve ever made, by far.”

When asked why the iPhone is still made in China, Cook said that he believes the “iPhone is made everywhere.” Cook also confirmed that while the ‌Mac Pro‌ is being assembled in Texas, there are no plans to begin assembling iPhone models in the United States.

“If you look at the glass of the iPhone, which everybody touches all day long, that glass is made in Kentucky. If you were to take apart the iPhone you would see many of the silicone components that are made in the United States as well,” he added. “The iPhone is the product of a global supply chain.”

Cook declined to comment on how the next China tariffs could impact the iPhone, restating his hopes that the U.S. and China will come to an agreement.

“I’m so convinced that it’s in the best interest of the U.S. and best interest of China, and so if you have two parties where there’s a common best interest there has got to be some kind of path forward here. And I think that will happen.”

Cook said that he has no concerns over Apple’s relationship with China, though he prays for “everyone’s safety” in Hong Kong,” and more broadly for dialogue. “I think that good people coming together can decide ways forward,” Cook said.

Apple has been facing criticism for pulling the HKLive app from the App Store, which was used by protestors in Hong Kong to share information on police movements. Cook said that despite the criticism, Apple acts the same in China as it does in the United States and Europe.

China, said Cook, has never asked Apple to unlock an iPhone, but the United States has. “And we stood up against that, and said we can’t do it,” Cook said. “Our privacy commitment is a worldwide one.”

Of his efforts to communicate directly with President Donald Trump, Cook said that he doesn’t believe in “having people talk on [his] behalf.” Cook also said that he’s focused on “policies and not politics” and has “full faith” in the American system.

Cook wrapped up the interview with some thoughts on Apple’s future investments. “I don’t have my eye on anything big,” he said. “I have my eye on a lot of interesting small things.”

Cook’s full ABC News interview can be read over on the ABC News website.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

This article, “Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘Proud’ to Build New Mac Pro in Texas” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums