Apple Sends Press Invites for June 13 WWDC Keynote at 10:00 AM

Apple today invited members of the press to attend the keynote event for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, set to take place from June 13 to June 17. The keynote will be held on June 13 at 10:00 a.m., the standard start time for Apple’s media events.

It will take place at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, a venue able to hold more attendees than Moscone West, where the event has taken place in past years.

Apple is expected to launch new versions of iOS and OS X, along with new versions of tvOS and watchOS, its two newest operating systems. There’s also a possibility we could see the debut of new hardware products, and much of the Mac line is in need of an update.

iOS 10 and OS X 10.12 will be the two major announcements at the event. iOS 10 is believed to include a redesigned Apple Music app, a Siri SDK for developers, and Apple Pay support for web browsers, allowing Apple Pay to be used to make purchases via Safari much like PayPal. OS X 10.12 is expected to bring Siri integration to the Mac for the first time, with a dedicated Siri button available through the menu bar and dock.

In past years, Apple has made a live stream of its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote available on the web and through the Apple TV, and it is likely to do so again this year. MacRumors will also provide live coverage of the event both through MacRumors.com and through our MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2016
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KFC Now Accepts Apple Pay in the United States

KFC has announced that it now accepts Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay, and other mobile payment options at some of its U.S. restaurants, with nationwide adoption to be completed by the end of the summer.

“Ease of use and functionality were our first priorities,” said Chris Caldwell, KFC U.S. Chief Information Officer. “When we factored in consumer concerns about security and privacy, we identified Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay as the best options for our guests.”

In October 2015, Apple Pay vice president Jennifer Bailey confirmed that KFC, Chili’s, and Starbucks would launch Apple Pay in 2016.

Apple Pay is also supported at Canadian banks BMO, Scotiabank, and TD Canada Trust starting today. Apple is “working rapidly” to expand the service to additional regions, including Hong Kong and Spain, and possibly France, Brazil, Japan, and elsewhere, in partnership with American Express and MasterCard among others.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Oculus Rift: Price, shipping date and everything you need to know

Oculus Rift was a long time coming but it’s actually a real-life consumer headset these days. Oculus Rift, made for everyone rather than just developers, is available for the price of $599 or £499.

Orders are limited to one headset per person at this stage and you might have a lengthy wait for delivery, but at least it’s available now.

Of all the virtual reality (VR) systems, Oculus Rift is the one that probably commands the most headlines. It was a long time in development, it’s acquisition by Facebook garnered plenty of attention and its capabilities place it at the forefront of VR experiences. We’ve met Rift plenty of times during its development and have never failed to be impressed.

READ: Oculus Rift preview: The VR revolution begins here

If you’ve been following the Oculus story and you’re tempted by Rift, with porders open, here’s everything you need to know about buying this premium VR system.

Oculus Rift

Oculus Rift: What’s in the package?

The Oculus Rift £499 price gets you the headset itself. But Oculus is throwing in plenty more, so you can use it as soon as it’s delivered.

The Rift package includes the headset with built-in headphones and microphone, the sensor, and an Xbox One controller. Oculus’ own Touch controllers are also coming this year, so you’ll be able to play more motion-oriented games when they arrive. When you place your order, you’ll be put in the queue for the Touch devices too, should you want them to add to the experience.

The Oculus Remote is also included. This is designed specifically for VR use to make controls easier without being able to see what’s being pressed and it’s this you’ll use to browse the store and so on.

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Oculus Rift: What games come with the Rift?

There is a rapidly growing library of games available for the Oculus Rift already, include EVE: Valkyrie and Lucky’s Tale – the latter included for free with all headsets.

Plenty more titles are available on the Oculus Store, with over 100 due to be downloadable by the end of 2016 – including Minecraft. We can see plenty of people getting lost for hours in VR Minecraft worlds, although had some reservations when we tried it ourselves.

Other games due or have already been released this year from Oculus Studios include Rock Band VR, Edge of Nowhere and The Climb. There will be 20 exclusive Oculus games in total from the studio this year.

READ: The Climb preview: Virtual hands hanging-on with Crytek’s Oculus exclusive VR game

Oculus Rift: Can my PC run Oculus Rift?

The headset is only part of the equation: to use Oculus Rift you’ll need a PC too. There’s a quick check tool that will tell you if your Windows PC is powerful enough to run the headset on the order website right here.

Any PC that’s “Oculus Certified” will work with the headset, having been tested by Oculus. These start at a price of $1,500 and can also be ordered from a number of partners, as detailed on the Oculus website. There are various other initiatives to make sure you have VR compatible hardware such as the VR Ready label from Nvidia.

For those who want a quick confirmation of the hardware you’ll need, here’s a quick rundown:

• CPU: Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
• GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 / AMD R9 290 equivalent or greater
• RAM: 8GB+
• Output: Compatible HDMI 1.3 video output
• Input: 3x USB 3.0 ports plus 1x USB 2.0 port
• OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or newer

It’s worth noting that since Oculus posted its recommended specs, graphics card manufacturers have been hard at work making cards that can run VR but without costing the Earth. AMD announced during Computex that its Radeon RX480, priced at £160, will be VR-ready when it is available.

Oculus VR

Oculus Rift: What about “Oculus Ready” PC bundles?

Oculus VR began shipping its headset on its own earlier this year, on 28 March, but also recommends several PCs to go with it. The bundles include not only the headset but also the certified PC required to run it.Amazon, Microsoft Store, and Best Buy each sell these “Oculus Ready” bundles from Asus, Dell, and Alienware. Bundles start at $1,499 but can cost upwards of $3,000. For example, Alienware’s Area 51 desktop has a Haswell Core i7 chip with 16GB of memory and GTX 980 graphics, and it costs $3,149.

Each bundle also comes with the headset, sensor, an Xbox One controller, remote and Lucky’s Tale. Check out Oculus’ blog post for more details about all the bundles and how you can get one.

Oculus Rift: Where can I buy Rift?

Oculus Rift is now available to order on Oculus.com.

It’s priced at $599 in the US, £499 in the UK and €699 in the Eurozone. This price does not include taxes or shipping, which will vary by country.

Oculus Rift is available to ship to the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States.

As Oculus is struggling to make units fast enough to match the incredible demand, you might have quite a wait before your Rift ships. At present the site lists August as the shipping date for new orders (as of the beginning of June 2016).

Microsoft opens HoloLens platform to combine third party VR and AR

Microsoft has announced that its HoloLens platform is going to be opened up to the masses so that others can create their own devices.

Microsoft has also said these devices are just months away from becoming a reality we can own.

At Computex, Microsoft made it clear that the Windows Holographic platform will be opened up to third parties. That should mean that not only will the platform work with augmented reality but it could work with virtual reality also.

A demo was shown in which a HoloLens wearer created a virtual space and then invited an HTC Vive user to collaborate. This combination of augmented reality and virtual reality is being referred to by Microsoft as “mixed reality”.

While Microsoft admitted openly that it is working with HTC Vive, other potential hardware partners were not mentioned. That said Microsoft is currently working on the Windows Holographic platform in some form with Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and MSI.

Could the Windows Holographic platform become a one-stop shop for all virtual and augmented reality experiences? It’s a very real possibility that could help bring the virtual worlds together and, hopefully, help advance hardware and software creation and development in the near future. Microsoft compares it to the Surface, which has since spawned numerous similar devices.

READ: Microsoft HoloLens preview

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: What’s the rumoured difference?

Samsung’s Galaxy Note device is expected to launch in August, adding another smartphone to the company’s 2016 flagship portfolio.

By default, the next Note should be called the Note 6. Rumour has it Samsung will be skipping the 6 and heading straight for 7 though. This is apparently to allow the next Note to fall in line with the Samsung flagships that have already launched this year – the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

We will be calling the 2016 Note the Note 6 for the sake of this feature however. Read on to find out how it compares to the Note 5 and the Note 4, based on the rumours.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 measures 153.2 x 76.2 x 7.6mm and hits the scales at 171g. Although it still very much looks like a Note device, the Note 5 is more refined than its predecessors, falling more in line with the Galaxy S6 devices and tying the flagships together.

The Note 4 measures 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm and weighs 176g, making it slightly larger and heavier than the Note 5. Both devices offer the S Pen Stylus and they both have a similar rectangular builds that distinguishes them as a Note device.

The Note 6 is rumoured to be adding IP68 water and dust resistance to the party, following in the path of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. There haven’t been any rumours on the size and weight of the next Note, but an S Pen is certain to appear in some form. It has also been suggested the Note 6 will be offered in a dual-edge format only, like the Galaxy S7 edge, which could mean a slight move away from the traditional Note design cues.

Both the Note 4 and the Note 5 have fingerprint sensors on board, so we’d expect to see some kind of security scanner for the Note 6 too. Rumours claim Samsung will opt for an iris scanner for the Note 6, but we aren’t convinced at the moment.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Display

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 features a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution for a pixel density of 515ppi. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 4.

The Note 4 also features a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a Quad HD resolution for the same pixel density of 515ppi. Gorilla Glass 3 is on board for protection against scratches.

The Note 6 is rumoured to be upping the screen size to 5.8-inches but sticking with the same Super AMOLED technology. The resolution is also rumoured to stay the same as the Note 4 and Note 5, which would mean a slightly lower pixel density of 501ppi if the size increase is accurate. This wouldn’t be noticeable to the human eye though so if all the claims are true, we can still expect a great display experience from the next Note.

As we mentioned previously, the Note 6 could be coming with a dual-edged display over a flat one though. If this is the case, it would differentiate the Note 6 significantly from its predecessors, putting it more in line with the Galaxy S6 edge+ that launched in the UK last year instead of the Note 5.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Cameras

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 features a 16-megapixel rear camera coupled with a 5-megapixel front snapper, both of which have an aperture of f/1.9. The main camera offers auto focus, 8x digital optic zoom and it is capable of 4K video recording.

The Note 4 also has a 16-megapixel rear camera that is also capable of 4K video recording and auto focus is also on board again. The front camera has a slightly lower resolution of 3.7-megapixels compared to the Note 5.

The rumours claim the Note 6 will arrive with a 12-megapixel rear camera but there has been no mention of the front-facing snapper so far. Although a 12-megapixel snapper would be a lower resolution than both the Note 4 and the Note 5, it isn’t all about megapixels when it comes to smartphone camera performance.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge both come with a 12-megapixel rear camera offering an aperture of f/1.7 so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the same for the next Note. This should result in better low light images than both the Note 5 and Note 4. We would also expect the front-facing camera to be at least 5-megapixels on the next Note.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 comes in 32GB and 64GB models, both of which have 4GB of RAM. Neither offers microSD storage expansion. An octa-core Exynos processor runs the show, coupled with a 3000mAh battery.

The Note 4 has 32GB of internal memory but there is microSD support on board for storage expansion up to 128GB. A quad-core chip is under the hood, coupled with 3GB of RAM and a battery capacity of 3220mAh.

There have been a couple of different rumours surrounding the Note 6’s hardware. Word has it a Qualcomm or Exynos chipset will be on board depending on the region, which is the same as the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. There have also been reports of both 6GB and 8GB of RAM.

Storage options for the Note 6 have been touted as 64GB and 128GB, but 256GB has also been thrown around. None of the rumours have confirmed whether or not microSD will make a comeback for the Note 6 but if the larger storage capacities are accurate, it suggests not. The Note 6 is reported to be coming with a 4000mAh battery and USB Type-C.

Samsung Galaxy Note 6/7 vs Note 5 vs Note 4: Conclusion

Based on the rumours, it looks like the Samsung Note 6 could offer a slightly larger display than its predecessors, along with a more exciting curved design.

You can also expect to see improvements in the camera department and more powerful hardware including a larger battery capacity and extra RAM.

Everything is speculation for now though. We will update this feature as more rumours appear, as well as when the official specs for the Note 6 or Note 7 arrive. To read everything we know so far about Samsung’s Galaxy Note 6/7, you can head to our rumour round up.

Skylanders Imaginators preview: Create your own Skylander at last

Each year developer Toys for Bob comes up with a cunning new addition to make the latest Skylanders game a little different from the last, and this year it has listened to fans to give them one of the most requested features since the beginning.

This year, you can create your own Skylander.

Skylanders Imaginators still comes with toys-to-life Skylander models and is compatible with all previously-released figures, but gamers can now play as a wholly made-up character, using a large, in-depth creation engine as part of the game.

Skylanders Imaginators: Creation Crystal

A created Skylander can then be stored on a Creation Crystal, with one for each element type available. Depending on the crystal used, you can access different elemental abilities to give to your custom character. Once saved you can then take that crystal to a friends house and carry on playing as your specific Skylander.

Pocket-lint

What’s more, there are many body parts, costumes and abilities that are only available after being unlocked in the game, but you don’t need your friend to have also unlocked them to use your beefed up character. It really adds an all-new element to the series.

Skylanders Imaginators: Senseis

Another new addition this time around comes in the form of Senseis. These Skylanders are Battle Class masters and can use Sky Chi moves – devastation special moves that can be unleashed after storing enough energy. They also teach Imaginators (player creations) secret techniques and moves.

Pocket-lint

There will be 20 Sensei Skylanders in total, and 11 former villains to collect.

You get two, King Pen and Golden Queen, along with a fire Creation Crystal with the starter set.

Skylanders Imaginators: Gameplay

Of course, the main game is similar in style to before. It’s a combination of battling, adventure and platforming, with secret sections unlocked through the use of Skylanders of a certain type. We haven’t seen much of the game in action yet, to be honest, but the Sensei moves are especially impressive.

It’s also great to progress with your own made-up character and you can even have local co-op play with a mate, with two Creation Crystals being recognised by this year’s portal at the same time.

Activision

First Impressions

The headline feature is definitely the creation functionality and the tools we’ve seen are deep yet simple enough for a child to navigate. There are thousands of combinations, plus the ability to shrink or grow each aspect, so the possibility of ever having the same character as someone else is very slim.

Younger kids can also press randomise to create a Skylander without having to go through the menus. To be honest, considering the funny results, you’ll find yourself having a bit of fun with that too.

We’re yet to play the game properly, but once again Activision and Toys for Bob have surprised us with something imaginative and new.

Skylanders Imaginators will be released on 14 October in the UK (16 October in the US) and will be available for PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Wii U.

Apple Store to use stunning photovoltaic glass floor to be 100% solar powered

Apple was reported as spending a hefty 500 per cent more on solar and now we know why, it’s installing a floor that will harvest the power of the sun.

The Apple San Francisco Store will have a new solar glass walkway installed by OnyxSolar that is able to generate power to make the store 100 per cent renewable powered, claims electrek which spotted the deal.

The 130 module glass walkway will be able to generate over 90,000kWh of energy per year from solar power alone. This equates to offsetting 61 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Is this the start of a move to make all of Apple’s buildings totally renewable? The new Apple Campus and Spaceship Office are going to be primarily powered by a solar system that churns out a whopping 5MW of power.

Tim Cook has previously expressed his desire for Apple to lead the way in eco-friendly design. He said: “We take the same innovative approach to the environment that we do with our products.” Then, speaking directly to investors he pointed out: “If you want me to do things only for ROI reasons, you should get out of this stock.”

How much Apple has spent on this setup is unclear but according to OnyxSolar documents it should pay for itself in just two years of power saving costs.

READ: Apple MacBook Pro 2016: Goodbye physical keys and hello OLED