Signify, the company behind the Philips Hue lights, in September announced a new Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, which brings a capability that many Hue users have wanted for years now: the ability to sync Hue lights with content that’s playing on the TV for an immersive home entertainment experience.

There’s already a Hue Sync app that lets Hue lights be tuned to Macs and PCs, but it’s limited to computers. In the past, there have also been limited run light syncing features for “12 Monkeys” and “Sharknado 2” that were pre-programmed, but before the Hue Play Sync Box, there was no simple solution for on-the-fly syncing of Hue lights to content on a TV set.

The Hue Play Sync Box is a simple black box that plugs into a TV with an HDMI cable. It has a power port (and an included power supply) along with four HDMI ports that are designed to accommodate HDMI devices like Apple TV, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and more. It’s just a black box, and nothing special to look at, because it’s meant to be tucked away on an entertainment unit.

Any console or set-top box can be plugged into the Hue Play Sync Box, allowing it to analyze the colors and tune them to a Hue light setup, shifting colors and brightness to match the content on the TV screen. The box is basically passing video signal to the TV while also detecting the colors.

Setting up the Hue Sync was as simple as plugging it into my TV, plugging my devices into the box, connecting it to my existing Hue Bridge (on a 2.4GHz network) and then downloading and opening up the dedicated Hue Sync app. Using the Hue Sync Box requires a separate Hue Sync app, and it doesn’t work with the standard Hue app.

In fact, when the Hue Sync is turned on (which can be done in the Hue Sync app) you’re not able to control your lights with the standard Hue app. Though most Hue products show up in HomeKit, the Hue Sync isn’t a ‌HomeKit‌ device, it’s a standalone option that’s just for Hue-branded lights.

Using the Hue Play Sync Box requires an existing Hue light setup (and Hue Bridge) around a television set, and it works best with the Hue Play, the Hue Lightstrip, the Hue Go, and other Hue lights bulbs that are deeply saturated and offer rich colors.

It technically works with any Hue lights, but some of the older bulbs don’t have blues and greens that are particularly saturated, which can detract from the setup. Setting up the Hue Sync requires designating an Entertainment Area, which is basically selecting the lights that you want to change in tune with the colors on the TV.

I had mine set with a Hue Lightstrip, a Hue Go, and a few standard Hue bulbs that are located close to the TV in my office, which worked well, though I imagine it would be even better with a Lightstrip and a few of the Hue Play Light Bars.

There are three different sync modes for video, music, and games, along with three intensity levels: Subtle, Moderate, High, and Extreme. Subtle and moderate are the smoothest with fewer transitions that are ultimately less distracting. In High and Extreme modes, the colors change rapidly and it can be a bit distracting depending on what you’re watching.

In general, I preferred to watch with the settings on Subtle for regular usage because the other settings were just too much shifting between colors. For a few colorful films I did experiment with the High and Extreme modes and it can make a movie more fun, but these aren’t settings I’d want to use all the time.

I’m not entirely sure what the difference is between the video, music, and game modes, because there are no clear explanations in the app, but selecting these did tweak the colors somewhat between modes. By the way, using Sync mode requires activation in the app, though there is an option to do it on the box itself if that’s closer (mine’s behind the TV so the app is easier). There’s no automatic activation mode.

There’s an option to set a minimum preferred brightness level and there’s an important setting in the “Advanced” section for minimum brightness. To prevent the lights from going off entirely when the screen shows scenes that are black, the minimum brightness setting should be activated to keep a minimum light level. During my testing, I found that there are a surprising number of completely black scenes that cause the lights to go off, which is distracting.

There are also a lot of just plain white/yellow colors in a lot of TV shows, so there are some situations where the Hue lights don’t show off a lot of color. It certainly works the best and looks the best with shows and movies that have a lot of different colorful scenes, but the subtle white lighting changes can also make what you’re watching more immersive.

I’ve been testing the Hue Sync for a couple of weeks now, and I haven’t noticed much latency if any. My Hue lights change pretty much in the instant that the colors change on the TV screen.

I primarily used it with my ‌Apple TV‌ 4K on a 4K Sony TV, and it worked great. Everything was smooth and seamless, and the colors were detected and shifted regardless of the content that I was watching.

On my Nintendo Switch, the Hue Sync worked well. I tested it with Link’s Awakening, and there were some neat video game features like a flash of light whenever I attacked an enemy, along with colors that matched the game environment.

I also tested with my PS4 Pro and had no problems getting the syncing features to work properly. With both my Nintendo Switch and my PS4 Pro, I saw no lag issues with the color changes. As mentioned above, that’s with six active lights and a 4K TV (without Dolby Vision).

There’s an automatic switching feature (activated in settings) that swaps between different HDMI inputs when a console or ‌Apple TV‌ is activated, which worked well for me, but switching via my remote did not work (since everything is technically routed through one of my TV’s HDMI ports) so any manual switching between inputs needed to be done through the app.

Unfortunately there were a few occasions where the automatic switching feature did not work as expected (mostly with my PlayStation 4) and I had to use the app

Based on multiple reviews of the Hue Play Sync Box, some users with devices routed through sound bars and receivers have had issues (though it’s supposed to work), so deeper investigation may be required before purchasing to make sure that it works with your particular setup. It does not work with built-in smart TV apps, so you’re going to need an ‌Apple TV‌, Fire Stick, Roku, or similar, which is something to be aware of. Content must pass through the box to the TV for it to work.

The Hue Sync Play Box supports 4K at 60Hz and HDR 10, but it does not support HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, so if you have a TV that uses HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, this may not be something that you want to invest in. It does support passthrough so you can still watch HDR10+ and Dolby Vision content, but it can’t detect them to create the lighting effects.

Bottom Line

The Hue Play Sync Box is expensive and there are some bugs and issues that need to be worked out, but I think that people who have invested in Hue lights for their entertainment systems will enjoy what the box has to offer.

It’s unfortunate that it does not work with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ because I suspect there is a good amount of overlap between people who have HDR10+/Dolby Vision capable devices and those who have a Hue setup that would make the Hue Play Sync Box worthwhile, but for those who can work with the limitations, it’s a great way to make TV shows, movies, video games, and music more immersive.

Setup was simple for me, but I also have a simple TV setup without a sound bar and other additions, so there could be more complexity involved, and that’s something to be aware of before purchasing. On the whole, I think many of those who love Hue lights will be pleased to have this option for content syncing, and I’m hoping some bug fixes and improvements will make the Hue Play Sync Box a more seamless experience in the future.

How to Buy

The Hue Play Sync Box can be purchased from the Hue website or from Best Buy for $229.99.

This article, “Review: The Philips Hue Play Sync Box Matches Your Hue Lights to What’s Playing on Your Apple TV” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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While the Apple Watch Series 5 lineup was released less than two months ago, rumors are already looking ahead to next year.

In a research note with investor firm TF International Securities, seen by MacRumors, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that 2020 Apple Watch models will feature faster performance, improved water resistance, and improved wireless transmission for potentially faster Wi-Fi and cellular speeds.

Kuo believes all of these advancements will be made possible by Apple’s switch to liquid crystal polymer or LCP material for the flexible circuit boards in next year’s Apple Watch models, expected to launch in the second half of the year as usual. Series 5 models and earlier use a material known as polyimide or PI.

Dongshan Precision, Avary Holding, and Flexium Interconnect will be the primary LCP suppliers, according to Kuo.

It would not be surprising if so-called Apple Watch Series 6 models feature a faster Apple-designed S chip, as the only known differences with the S5 chip in Series 5 models compared to the S4 chip in Series 4 models is a built-in compass and a new always-on display driver, so a performance bump will be due next year.

As for water resistance, Apple Watch Series 2 models are already suitable for swimming or showering and can be submerged to a depth of up to 50 meters. With further improvements, perhaps Series 6 models could be certified for some high-velocity water activities such as scuba diving or water skiing.

Previous reports have suggested that 2020 Apple Watch models may also feature sleep tracking and MicroLED displays.

This article, “Kuo: Apple Watch Series 6 Models to Feature Faster Performance and Improved Water Resistance” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Today is Veterans Day in the United States and, as usual, Apple CEO Tim Cook has thanked veterans around the world for their service.

“Never was so much owed by so many to so few.” — Winston Churchill. To the Veterans in my family, at Apple, and all around the world — we appreciate your service and sacrifice. 🇺🇸 #VeteransDay

— ‌Tim Cook‌ (@tim_cook) November 11, 2019

Apple is also showing its support for Veterans Day with a short message on its website: “Here’s to the brave ones. We’re proud to honor America’s veterans and service members this Veterans Day and every day.”

As noted by Kyle Seth Gray, Apple Watch users can earn a special Veterans Day badge in the Activity app today by completing any workout for 11 minutes or longer. The annual Activity Challenge, limited to the United States, also awards users with a Veterans Day sticker for use in the Messages app.

This Veterans Day, November 11th, earn a special award by doing any workout of 11 minutes or more. #CloseYourRings pic.twitter.com/liyLfyGOxf

— Kyle Seth Gray (@kylesethgray) October 30, 2019

Last, Apple has highlighted how iPhone app Healium AR is helping veterans manage anxiety. The augmented reality app was created by former TV journalist Sarah Hill, who is profiled in the Apple Newsroom story.

November 11 also marks similar Remembrance Day or Armistice Day commemorations in many other countries.

This article, “Apple Honors Veterans Day With Website Banner, Activity Challenge on Apple Watch, and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Amazon has introduced a notable low price on Apple’s AirPods with Wireless Charging Case, now priced at $159.99, down from $199.00. At $39 off, this is one of the lowest price points we’ve ever seen for a new model of the 2019 AirPods, coming around $5 under the last sale on Amazon.

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

These are the newest AirPods (outside of the AirPods Pro) that support “Hey Siri” functionality, include a new H1 chip, offer 50 percent more talk time, and are twice as fast at switching devices. Thanks to the Wireless Charging Case, you can also place them on any Qi-compatible wireless mat to charge the AirPods without needing a Lightning cable.

You can also purchase the AirPods with Charging Case from Amazon for $144.00, down from $159.00 ($15 off). Both Amazon and Adorama have the separate Wireless Charging Case for AirPods at $69.00, down from $79.00 ($10 off).

We’re keeping track of deals like these and many more as we head into the holidays. You can find many more sales in our full Deals Roundup, and for Black Friday-specific offers be sure to head over to our Black Friday Roundup. You can also always keep track of AirPods deals in our guide right here.

This article, “Deals Spotlight: Amazon Discounts AirPods With Wireless Charging Case to Notable Low of $159.99 ($39 Off)” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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While noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg, and others have claimed that Apple plans to release an augmented reality headset as early as 2020, a new report suggests that the head-mounted device may be a few years away.

Apple currently aims to release an augmented reality headset in 2022, followed by a “sleeker” pair of augmented reality glasses by 2023, according to The Information. The report claims the timeline was shared by Apple executives in an internal presentation to employees at Apple Park in October.

Interestingly, the meeting is said to have been large enough to fill the 1,000-plus seats at Steve Jobs Theater, suggesting that Apple may have a large team working on the project. The report claims the discussions were led by Apple’s recently appointed AR/VR head Mike Rockwell, a former Dolby executive.

Google Glasses

The meeting is said to have reflected on some of the headset’s planned features, including “3D scanning” and “advanced human detection.”

The report claims Apple’s headset will resemble Facebook’s Oculus Quest virtual reality headset released earlier this year, but with a sleeker design, adding that Apple wants to “make heavy use of fabrics and lightweight materials” to ensure its headset is comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.

The headset is said to feature a high-resolution display and cameras that will allow users to “read small type” and “see other people standing in front of and behind virtual objects.” During the meeting, Apple executives allegedly said the technology will be able to map the surfaces, edges, and dimensions of rooms with greater accuracy than existing devices on the market.

“To illustrate these capabilities, attendees at the October meeting were shown a recording of a demonstration in which a virtual coffee machine was placed on a real kitchen table surrounded by people in a room,” the report notes. “The virtual coffee machine obscured people standing behind it in the room.”

Apple executives said the company plans to reach out to third-party software developers as early as 2021 to encourage them to build apps for the device, so the headset could end up being previewed earlier than 2022.

The headset, allegedly codenamed N301, appears to be only one of Apple’s ongoing AR/VR projects. The other is said to be a pair of AR glasses codenamed N421, with current prototypes said to resemble high-priced sunglasses with “thick frames that house the battery and chips.” The final design could change.

This article, “Apple Said to Release AR Headset With 3D Scanning in 2022, Followed by Sleeker Glasses in 2023” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Instagram is to begin testing hiding content “likes” in the United States this week. The change will first be rolled out to a limited number of accounts in the U.S., and users of those accounts will still be able to see how many likes they got on their own posts.

The plan was announced at WIRED25 by head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, who also took to Twitter to share the news.

“It’s about young people,” Mosseri said during the Wired panel. “The idea is to try to ‘depressurize’ Instagram, make it less of a competition and give people more space to focus on connecting with people that they love, things that inspire them.”

“It means we’re going to put a 15-year-old kid’s interests before a public speaker’s interest,” he added. “When we look at the world of public content, we’re going to put people in that world before organizations and corporations.”

Hiding likes would fundamentally change the way Instagram works, as liking photos and garnering likes is one of the platform’s main features.

Heads up! We’ve been testing making likes private on Instagram in a number of countries this year. We’re expanding those tests to include a small portion of people in the US next week. Looking forward to the feedback!

— Adam Mosseri (@mosseri) November 9, 2019

The Facebook-owned, photo-based platform has conducted similar trials in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. The removal of Instagram likes follows other recent user-focused changes, like the addition of a timer that shows users how long they’ve spent in the app, and the removal of the Instagram Activities feed.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Saturday praised Instagram’s decision to bring its like-hiding experiments to the U.S., retweeting Mosseri’s Friday tweet and adding the comment, “Great step.”

Dorsey has previously questioned the wisdom of Twitter’s own use of likes. At last year’s WIRED25 summit, the Twitter chief said: “Right now we have a big Like button with a heart on it and we’re incentivizing people to want it to go up [to get more followers]. Is that the right thing? Versus contributing to the public conversation or a healthy conversation? How do we incentive healthy conversation?”

Twitter has since played down reports that it plans to kill off the like button, but has acknowledged that it continues to look at the function’s use and how it fits in with the platform’s aim to promote “healthy conversation.”

This article, “Instagram to Start Hiding ‘Likes’ in the US This Week” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Goldman Sachs and Apple have become involved in a controversy over credit decisions for Apple Card, amid complaints that those decisions appear in some cases to have been made in a discriminatory manner on the basis of gender, reports The New York Times.

The firestorm kicked off late last week when Ruby on Rails creator David Heinemeier Hansson indicated on Twitter that his ‌Apple Card‌ credit limit was twenty times that offered to his wife, even though the couple has been married for many years, file joint tax returns, and live in a community property state where all income and assets acquired while married are considered jointly owned.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak also weighed in, reporting that his ‌Apple Card‌ credit limit was ten times that offered to his wife, with the Wozniaks in a similar financial situation where all assets are jointly owned.

In response, New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Linda Lacewell has announced that her office will be looking into the situation, and she offered additional information in a Medium post today.

I responded, announcing that the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) would examine whether the algorithm used to make these credit limit decisions violates state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. For the rest of the day, numerous Twitter users responded to David’s initial tweet, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (who indicated his credit limit is ten times higher than that of his wife), describing similar instances where men received higher credit limits than women. Confounding this is the “black box” problem, in which consumers have little visibility into how a decision is made or why they have been rejected.

New York law prohibits discrimination against protected classes of individuals, which means an algorithm, as with any other method of determining creditworthiness, cannot result in disparate treatment for individuals based on age, creed, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, or other protected characteristics.

Goldman Sachs today responded to the controversy, maintaining that “factors like gender” are never used in credit decisions and explaining how members of a family could receive very different credit decisions. The statement did not, however, directly address Hansson’s situation, which is understandable given financial privacy issues.

With ‌Apple Card‌, your account is individual to you; your credit line is yours and you establish your own direct credit history. Customers do not share a credit line under the account of a family member or another person by getting a supplemental card.

As with any other individual credit card, your application is evaluated independently. We look at an individual’s income and an individual’s creditworthiness, which includes factors like personal credit scores, how much debt you have, and how that debt has been managed. Based on these factors, it is possible for two family members to receive significantly different credit decisions.

In all cases, we have not and will not make decisions based on factors like gender.

Goldman Sachs also noted that it is “looking to enable” the ability for users to share Apple Cards with other members of their families, although the company did not specify when that might occur.

This article, “Regulators Looking Into Claims of Gender Discrimination in Apple Card Credit Decisions, Goldman Sachs Responds” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple’s new Mac Pro, still listed on Apple’s website as “coming this fall,” has been spotted in the wild this weekend at the studio of DJ and producer Calvin Harris.

New ‌Mac Pro‌ spotted in Calvin Harris Instagram video

On Saturday, Harris posted an Instagram story featuring some of his music and offering his followers a peek into his production studio, in which a ‌Mac Pro‌ with signature cheese grater case and carry handles can be seen sat on the floor next to a desk.

The sighting suggests Apple has shared the new high-throughput machine with creative professionals to give them a feel for its power and potential ahead of its public release, which could be any day now.

The all-new ‌‌Mac Pro‌‌ boasts up to 28-core Intel Xeon processors, up to 1.5TB of ECC RAM, up to 4TB of SSD storage, and up to AMD Radeon Pro Vega II Duo graphics with 64GB of HBM2 memory. The computer also has eight PCIe expansion slots for maximum performance, expansion, and configurability.

A new design includes a stainless steel frame with smooth handles and an aluminum housing that lifts off for 360-degree access to the entire system. The housing also has a unique lattice pattern to maximize airflow and quiet operation.

Apple announced the ‌Mac Pro‌ on June 3, and the company has been teasing a fall release on its website ever since, without specifying a launch date. The machine received FCC approval on October 30, suggesting pre-order availability is not far away.

The ‌Mac Pro‌ starts at $5,999, so this machine is only for the most serious professional users. They could also twin it with the $6,000 Pro Display XDR, which is expected to be released at the same time.

This article, “Mac Pro Spotted in Studio of DJ Calvin Harris Ahead of Launch” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The calendar has flipped over to November, which means Black Friday sales are looming and the Apple news pipeline is starting to slow down a bit, although we’re still awaiting the launch of the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR before the end of the year.

This week’s biggest stories included a fix for multitasking issues on iOS, new high-profile app introductions from Microsoft and Adobe, and some more rumors about the so-called “iPhone SE 2” expected early next year.

Apple Releases iOS and iPadOS 13.2.2 With Fix for Background Refresh Bug

Last week, we highlighted growing complaints from iOS users about multitasking problems, where it appeared poor RAM management was causing apps in the background to be closed out prematurely. While there had been some sporadic reports of the issue under previous versions of iOS 13, they seemed particularly bad under the recently released iOS 13.2.

Apple this week pushed the first beta of iOS 13.3, which appeared to address the issue, and then the company released iOS 13.2.2 to immediately address the problems for everyone.

That iOS 13.3 beta released this week includes a few other changes, including new Communication Limits for Screen Time that let you specify who your children can talk to and when with Phone, FaceTime, and Messages.

Microsoft Introduces Unified Office App for iOS and Android

Microsoft this week launched a beta of a new Office Mobile app for iOS and Android that brings together Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in a single app. The app adds some new features and makes it easier to work with different document types.

Outlook users also received some news this week, with a new “Play My Emails” feature for the iOS version of Outlook that uses AI to intelligently summarize and read out your incoming emails while analyzing any impacts on your daily schedule, while an upcoming revamp of Outlook for Mac will bring several design changes and feature improvements.

Adobe Launches Photoshop for iPad

Adobe has launched Photoshop for iPad, just over a year after the company announced it was bringing its flagship graphics editor to Apple’s tablet platform. Photoshop for iPad is optimized for touch and mobile, but it will be immediately familiar to users of the desktop version.

Adobe had some other Apple-related announcements at this week’s MAX conference, including word that it will also be bringing Illustrator to iPad next year and the release of some Creative Cloud updates across its desktop apps.

Kuo: Apple Expected to Sell at Least 20 Million ‘iPhone SE 2’ Models in 2020

Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo released a new report this week outlining his expectations for the “iPhone SE 2,” which is expected to launch early next year as an enhanced version of the iPhone 8 with Apple’s latest A13 chip and more.

Kuo believes Apple will sell at least 20 million “iPhone SE 2” units in 2020, with a chance of hitting 30 million units. Previous rumors have suggested the device could sell for $399, offering a great upgrade path for budget-minded consumers and those in developing markets where Apple’s latest flagships are out of reach.

When Might Apple Release an Arm-Based Mac?

We’ve been hearing for years that Apple may be planning to move away from Intel chips in its Macs and instead use Arm-based chips similar to those found in its iOS devices.

The shift to Arm-based chips would bring Apple’s Mac processor design in-house and likely result in more efficient chips as Arm designs have significantly closed the performance gap on x86 chips like those made by Intel, all while maintaining efficient power usage.

We’ve put together a guide explaining the differences between Arm and Intel x86 chips, why Apple might be looking to make the shift, and when we might see that happen.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we’ve covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

This article, “Top Stories: Apple Fixes iOS Multitasking Bug, Office Mobile, Photoshop for iPad, ‘iPhone SE 2,’ and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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ColorWare, a company that designs custom-painted Apple products, today began offering custom-painted versions of the AirPods Pro, a little over a week after the AirPods Pro first debuted.

ColorWare is offering the ‌AirPods Pro‌ in dozens of custom colors, ranging from solids to metallics in all colors of the rainbow. Jet black gloss, deep purple, yellow, orange, red, gold, silver, and more are options.

Each AirPod Pro earbud can be painted in a different shade, and the Wireless Charging Case can also be painted in a unique color. Users can choose between a matte or gloss finish.

A custom version of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ will cost $389, which is a $139 premium over the base $250 price tag. Customizing the ‌AirPods Pro‌ case as well costs an additional $50, for a total of $439.

ColorWare is using Apple’s base ‌AirPods Pro‌ for the customization, so these have all of the standard features of the ‌AirPods Pro‌ such as Active Noise Cancellation, Adaptive EQ, and more, with no change in functionality due to the painting.

To create ‌AirPods Pro‌ in custom colors, ColorWare disassembles them and then carefully custom paints each individual component. There is, unfortunately, no option for sending in existing AirPods.

All ColorWare work is guaranteed for 12 months, and 24 months with the purchase of an additional warranty. Returns are available for the first 30 days but are subject to a 25 percent restocking fee.

Custom ‌AirPods Pro‌ can be ordered from the ColorWare website starting today and will ship out in approximately three to four weeks. ColorWare also makes custom-painted AirPods 2 and other Apple products like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2.

This article, “ColorWare Now Offering Custom-Painted AirPods Pro, Pricing Starts at $389” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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