According to China Economic Daily, Apple’s third-generation ‌AirPods‌ will adopt a new in-ear design to support the new noise-canceling feature and enhance the listening experience. The paper claims the “Pro” suffix, which Apple recently adopted for its most expensive iPhone 11 models, will help to differentiate the new wireless earbuds from Apple’s existing ‌AirPods‌ and underscores the marketing rationale justifying the higher $260 price tag.

According to a separate report on Friday from the same Chinese-language financial media outlet, the ‌AirPods‌ Pro will also feature a new metal design that increases heat dissipation. Apple ‌AirPods‌ supplier Inventec is said to be cooperating with Chinese manufacturer Lixun to undertake the new orders.

In April, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said two new ‌AirPods‌ models would likely go into mass production between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, with Luxshare, Goertek, and Amkor serving as primary suppliers.

Kuo also claimed one of the new ‌AirPods‌ models will feature an “all-new form factor design” and a “higher price” than the second-generation ‌AirPods‌, which cost $159 with a standard charging case and $199 with a wireless charging case. The other model is expected to be a more iterative update with the same pricing, although it’s unclear what any new features would be.

Previously, the ‌AirPods‌ expected to launch later this year were thought to be the more iterative pair that Kuo refers to. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said he expects the higher-priced AirPods with water resistance and noise cancelation to launch as early as 2020. However, today’s report suggests they could come sooner.

According to industry sources previously cited by DigiTimes, Apple’s suppliers are gearing up to assemble the next-generation ‌AirPods‌ as early as October, suggesting an updated version of the earphones could arrive in time for the holiday shopping season.

In the beta version of iOS 13.2 there’s an icon showing redesigned AirPods that appear to have rubber ear tips that would likely be needed as part of a noise cancelation feature. The image is contained in the Accessibility Settings folder, suggesting the new ‌AirPods‌ will contain a new accessibility feature such as being able to use them as hearing aids, or it could be related to existing Live Listen capabilities.

No specific date has been given for when the new ‌AirPods‌ could debut, but Apple has a number of rumored pending announcements that could point toward an October media event.

This article, “Report: ‘AirPods Pro’ to Launch End of October with New Design, New Noise-Canceling Feature and $260 Price Tag” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The discount will be applied automatically during the checkout process and will be available until 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time on October 20, 2019. Apple says there may some restrictions on geographic availability and the offer can not be applied to alcohol products.

Apple’s promotion also provides links to other grocery delivery apps including ACME, Cub, Publix, Safeway, Shaw’s, and Star Market.

Instacart is a frequent partner on ‌Apple Pay‌ promos, having offered free delivery January 2018, February 2018, May 2018, and May 2019.

This article, “Apple Pay Promo Offers $5 Off Instacart Grocery Delivery” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The Solo Pro headphones come in six colors including Black, Gray, and Ivory, and then three colors from the “More Matte Collection” being promoted by Pharrell Williams: Light Blue, Dark Blue, and Red. We have the Dark Blue ones on hand, and they are made of a nice matte plastic with an inside metal adjustment band for durability and a premium feel.

Apple’s new Beats Solo Pro automatically turn on and off when you unfold or fold them, so there’s no power button on the headphones. Pairing via Bluetooth is a simple process, and thanks to the Apple H1 chip inside they can automatically pair with and switch between all devices tied to your iCloud account. The H1 also provides hands-free “Hey Siri” support.

While there’s no power button, there are still a few controls located on the Solo Pro headphones, including playback controls on the right ear cup. Tapping above or below the Beats logo on the ear cup adjusts the volume, while tapping on the logo itself will play/pause or skip tracks.

On the bottom of the left ear cup is a button for toggling through three listening modes: Apple’s proprietary “Pure ANC” noise cancellation mode that debuted on the Beats Studio3 headphones, a new Transparency mode that activates external microphones to draw in ambient sound, and an extended battery life mode where ANC and Transparency are turned off.

We really liked the new Transparency mode, as it will come in handy in lots of everyday situations where you need to hear a quick conversation or airplane announcement, for example, and don’t want to take off your headphones.

Sound quality on the new Solo Pro headphones is solid, and it’s about what you’d expect from a set of Beats cans. They sound a bit better than the Solo3 headphones and are right up there with the Studio lineup, although not quite as immersive due to the on-ear rather than over-ear style. The audio comes through warmly and with above-average low-end, which is typical for Beats headphones.

Battery life on the Solo Pro headphones is pegged at 22 hours with Pure ANC and Transparency turned on, and extends to 40 hours with those features turned off. A fast fuel charging feature will give you about three hours of listening time with a 10-minute charge. We haven’t had time to thoroughly test these battery life specs yet, but they’ve traditionally been pretty accurate on other models.

So what do you think about the new Solo Pro headphones? Are you thinking about picking some up when they launch on October 30, or are there options you think you like better? Let us know in the comments.

This article, “Hands-On With Apple’s New Beats Solo Pro Headphones” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

The new ‌macOS Catalina‌ beta can be downloaded using the Software Update mechanism in System Preferences after installing the proper software from the Developer Center.

The first update to ‌macOS Catalina‌ is minor in scale and appears to focus on performance improvements and fixes for bugs that weren’t able to be addressed in the first version of Catalina. An interim supplemental update was released just two days ago with some other bug fixes that needed to be addressed before 10.15.1 was ready.

Apple’s release notes for the first beta said that the update introduces support for the AMD Navi RDNA eGPU architecture and brings some changes to Photos.

You can now filter by Favorites, Edited, ‌‌Photos‌‌, Videos, or Keywords in the All ‌‌Photos‌‌ view, and you can choose View > Metadata > Titles to enable titles and filenames in the All ‌‌Photos‌‌ View.

‌macOS Catalina‌ is a major update that eliminates iTunes in favor of new Music, Podcasts, and TV apps, nixes support for 32-bit apps, adds a new Find My app, brings a new ‌Photos‌ interface, and includes multiple privacy enhancements and other app refinements.

For full details on what’s new in ‌macOS Catalina‌, make sure to check out our macOS Catalina roundup.

This article, “Apple Seeds Second Beta of Upcoming macOS Catalina 10.15.1 Update to Developers” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

To use Mac-to-Mac mode, users must purchase a Luna Display dongle that plugs in to the second Mac. USB-C and DisplayPort options are available for $69.99 each, and Luna is offering 25 percent off through Friday.

The primary Mac must be running OS X El Capitan or later, while the secondary Mac requires OS X Mountain Lion or later. In addition, both Macs must be connected to the same network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, and each require the free Luna Display app available to download on the Luna Display website.

Luna Display is pushing forward despite Apple adding Sidecar in macOS Catalina, a native solution for using an iPad as a second display for a Mac.

“With all of the hype around Sidecar, one of the biggest gripes we’ve heard is that it only works with a limited range of Mac models,” wrote Luna Display co-founder Giovanni Donelli in an email. “That got us thinking about how we can push Luna Display to bring even more value to our Mac devices.”

Apple also has a feature called Target Display Mode that allows late 2009 to mid 2014 iMacs to be used as as external display for another Mac.

Luna Display’s solution includes full keyboard, trackpad, and mouse support on both Macs. The company has shared complete step-by-step instructions on how to set up Mac-to-Mac mode on its website.

This article, “Luna Display Introduces Mac-to-Mac Mode Allowing Nearly Any Mac to Be Used as Secondary Display” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Adobe has been testing Photoshop CC for iPad with a small group of beta testers since earlier this year, with the report noting that some beta testers have noticed limited or missing features related to core functionality like filters, the pen tool, custom paintbrushes, vector drawing, RAW editing, and layer styles.

Adobe Creative Cloud chief product officer Scott Belsky confirmed that Photoshop CC for iPad will lack some familiar features at launch, but he ensured that the iPad version will gain expanded capabilities over time.

This article, “Adobe Committed to Releasing Photoshop for iPad in 2019, Some Features Won’t Be Available at Launch” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Arlo says the Video Doorbell manages this thanks to an “industry-leading” vertical field-of-view that allows users to get a bigger, more precise picture of their front porch.

Along with the optimized 1:1 aspect ratio front entry view, the HDR video doorbell features motion detection alerts, smartphone video call and quick-reply pre-recorded messages for interacting with visitors, night vision, live zoom, and a silent mode that disables push notifications and mutes the chime.

In addition, the doorbell has a weather-resistant design that enables it to withstand heat, cold, rain, and sun, while built-in tamper detection triggers a siren if someone attempts to remove the doorbell.

The Video Doorbell works with Arlo Smart Plans, the company’s subscription services that start with the Arlo Smart plan offering 30-day video history, advanced AI detection, custom activity zones, and lock screen notifications, priced at $2.99 per month per camera. For $9.99 per month, the Arlo Smart Premier plan adds e911 emergency call service and covers up to ten cameras for one price, while the Arlo Smart Elite plan at $14.99 per month covers up to 20 cameras and extends video history to 60 days.

We asked Arlo whether the company plans to support HomeKit on the Video Doorbell, and Arlo said only that while it’s aiming to make as many of its cameras as possible compatible with ‌HomeKit‌, there’s nothing to announce with regard to the Video Doorbell and ‌HomeKit‌ at this time.

With a retail price of $149.99, the Video Doorbell is available now for pre-order at Best Buy and other authorized Arlo resellers.

This article, “Arlo Launches Smart HDR Video Doorbell” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

According to the BBC, a British woman discovered the authentication flaw after she applied a cheap gel screen protector bought off eBay to her Galaxy S10.

She soon discovered that she was able to authenticate as the owner by pressing her left thumbprint against the phone’s onscreen fingerprint sensor – the problem being that she hadn’t registered her thumb with the device’s biometric authenticaton system.

Her suspicions were confirmed when her husband was also able to unlock the phone by pressing either one of his thumbs on the screen’s built-in sensor. The screen protector was then applied to another relative’s Galaxy S10 and the same thing occurred.

Responding to the incident, Samsung said it was “aware of the case of S10’s malfunctioning fingerprint recognition and will soon issue a software patch.”

Previous reports have suggested that certain screen protectors are “incompatible” with Samsung’s fingerprint sensor because they leave a small air gap that can interfere with the scanning. The sensor relies on ultrasound to detect the microscopic ridges that make every fingerprint unique.

The Galaxy S10 is the latest in Samsung’s flagship S series, which is usually regarded as the iPhone’s annual rival. The Korean company launched the phone in March and referred to its under-screen fingerprint authentication system as “revolutionary.”

(Thanks, Chris!)

This article, “Samsung Admits Major Security Flaw in Galaxy S10 Under-Screen Fingerprint Sensor” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple shared the statistics on the App Store Developers page which was updated today. Apple reports that ‌iOS 13‌ is installed on 55% of all iPhones introduced in the past four years, and 50% of all iPhone devices, as measured by App Store activity. The pace puts ‌iOS 13‌ approximately on par with iOS 12 adoption last year which hit 53% of active devices in a slightly shorter timeframe and a different device breakdown.

This year, Apple has broken down the stats between both ‌iOS 13‌ and iPadOS which were launched at different times this year. According to Apple, 41% of iPads from the past four years have upgraded to ‌iPadOS‌, while 33% of all active iPads are on ‌iPadOS‌.

Meanwhile, here on MacRumors, our analytics show an 84% ‌iOS 13‌ adoption by our visitors on the same day that Apple measured — October 15th.

This article, “iOS 13 Now Installed on 55% of iPhones Introduced in Last Four Years” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums