Apple offers its iPhone repair tools to third-party shops

You can get your iPhone fixed at third party shops, but it’s clear that they play second fiddle to Apple Stores when they don’t have access to Cupertino’s specialized tools. However, it looks like Apple is leveling the playing field: the company is running a pilot program that hands out its iPhone calibration machine to three authorized service providers. The tool verifies that the 3D Touch and multi-touch in newer iPhones (6s and up) meets Apple’s standards after a repair, so you won’t have to worry about an imperfect fix. It’s relatively fast, too — the entire verification process takes 15 minutes.

It’s not clear which partners are involved outside of ComputerCare, which operates in the Santa Clara area (aka Apple’s backyard).

Whether or not the program expands will likely depend on initial results, but it could prove incredibly helpful if it becomes widely available. You wouldn’t have to go to an Apple Store to know that your iPhone fix meets Apple’s expectations, and ComputerCare believes this will “dramatically reduce” repair times. And that’s good news even if you don’t visit third-party service centers. The more repairs these outlets can handle, the less pressure there is on Apple Stores to handle everything themselves.

The move may not entirely be out of generosity, we’d add. Apple has been fighting “right to repair” bills, and is facing accusations that it’s hindering the abilities of users and mom-and-pop stores to fix its devices. This appears to be an attempt to partly allay concerns — it’s giving third parties the equipment they need to make sure their repairs are up to snuff. This won’t necessarily change lawmakers’ minds, but it certainly won’t hurt.

Source: ComputerCare

Live from Apple’s WWDC 2017 keynote!

Let’s not play coy: When Apple puts on its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, we can always count on a few sure things. Why even bother asking if we’re going to see new features for iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS? Of course we are! This is a convention of software programmers, is it not? The annual $64,000 question is always: Will we see some hardware too? It seems this year we might. The rumor mill points to updated MacBook Pros, an Echo-like Siri speaker and a 10.5-inch iPad Pro.

Who knows? We wouldn’t even be surprised if Apple used the occasion to give a first look at its redesigned Mac Pro, currently slated for a 2018 release. After all, it was at WWDC four ago that we first saw the current model, in all its trash can glory. So, what’s in store? Only one way to find out: Bookmark this page, and tune in for our liveblog of Apple’s keynote presentation, beginning Monday, June 5th at 10AM Pacific / 1PM Eastern.

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Supreme Court to decide if cellphone location data requires a warrant

The ongoing battle between mobile technology and law enforcement is headed to the Supreme Court. Next term, the justices will decide whether a warrant is required for police to track a suspect through their cellphone records.

The case centers on Timothy Carpenter who, in 2014, was convicted of multiple armed robberies and sentenced to 116 years in prison. The conviction came after the prosecution was granted access to Carpenter’s cellphone location records — data obtained through the Stored Communications Act and not with a warrant. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit upheld the ruling, drawing a line between the use of location records and messaging content, the latter of which wasn’t used by the prosecution.

Law enforcement has been butting heads with mobile services a lot in recent years. They’ve gone up against companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Reddit and Twitter and have forced a rise in the use of encrypted messaging apps like Signal.

Carpenter’s lawyers are arguing that obtaining his cellphone location records without a warrant is in violation of his Fourth Amendment rights, something the Justice Department denies. The case will be heard sometime during the Supreme Court’s next term, which begins in October, and the decision could have major implications for how strongly privacy is protected in the justice system.

Source: Washington Post

Optoma unveils the first 4K projector under $2,000

While 4K TVs fell in price quickly, 4K projectors are still too expensive for most home theater enthusiasts. Up until now, you’d have to be prepared to shell out around $8,000 for a large-scale 4K experience at home. That changes today with the launch of Optoma’s 4K UHD60 projector, which comes in at just $1,999. It uses a new DLP chip to deliver a UHD (3,840 by 2,160 pixels) resolution, and it packs in features like HDR10 (complete with wide-color gamut support) and a brightness of up to 3,000 lumens. Optoma claims it can spit out an image up to 300-inches, and it also includes vertical lens shift to make setup easier.

As Projector Central points out, the new DLP processor in the UHD60 uses a bit of trickery to achieve a 4K resolution. It’s not natively UHD, instead it uses 2,716 by 1,528 mirrors (the DLP equivalent of pixels) and some custom video processing to double that resolution. But it’s a step beyond the current faux-4K “3LCD” projectors we’ve seen, which basically double a 1080p picture. It’s tough to tell the difference between a true 4K image and either of these solutions when it comes to video, Projector Central notes. But the DLP approach stands ahead of the 3LCD method when showing things like high-resolution graphics and spreadsheets.

I’ve been eagerly awaiting an inexpensive 4K projector, and while the UHD60 isn’t true 4K, it’s still compelling. Based on my experience with UHD content so far, I’ve noticed that HDR makes a far greater impact on image quality than the additional pixels. And based on its specs, it also sounds like the UHD60 will be plenty bright and deliver decent black levels, which are key for projectors.

Optoma also announced the UHD65 projector for $2,499. It packs in Optoma’s “PureMotion” video technology and a better contrast ratio, but it’s mainly targeted for custom installations. The UHD60, on the other hand, will be available from Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers.

Source: Optoma

Amazon Prime Video launches on Apple TV ‘this year’

Well, that took longer than it probably should have: Amazon Prime Video will finally be available on Apple TV sometime “later this year.” So yep, that means if you’d rather watch Man in the High Castle via an Apple device instead of the myriad other options that were available prior to this announcement you’ll totally be able to do that. Now we’re wondering if there will be no-Gary-Busey-required voice search via SIri.

Apple’s watchOS improvements focus on fitness and Siri

Apple definitely isn’t slowing down with watchOS updates now that the Apple Watch is relatively established. It’s introducing watchOS 4, a big update that overhauls both the look and several key features — including the watch face itself. To start, there’s a new Siri-powered watch face that automatically displays updates based on context. You’ll get traffic alerts if you’re about to head out to work, for example. There are also Kaleidoscope and Toy Story faces if you’re feeling particularly trippy or youthful.

Fitness also gets a big push this time around. The Activity app introduces monthly challenges, while the Workout app has a simpler Quick Start feature and automatic sets for pool swims. And if you’re a fan of high-intensity interval workouts, you’ll get custom heart rate algorithms. Use connected gym equipment? There’s now two-way data transfers to make sure your info is consistent between devices.

Developing…

Get all the latest news from WWDC 2017 here!

Apple Providing Select Repair Shops With iPhone Calibration Machine For Quicker Turnaround

Getting an iPhone repaired at select Apple-authorized repair shops is about to get a lot faster for customers.

Apple’s proprietary iPhone calibration machine via Motherboard
ComputerCare, a computer repair shop in Santa Clara, California, today announced that it has been selected as one of only three Apple Authorized Service Providers in the United States to participate in a new pilot program that will allow it to manage iPhone repair and calibration completely onsite.

As part of this pilot program, ComputerCare and two other yet to be named repair shops have received a specialized and proprietary calibration machine from Apple to ensure that iPhone repairs are fully compliant with Apple’s specifications and security requirements for features such as Touch ID and Multi-Touch.

ComputerCare said the calibration machine is compatible with the iPhone 6s and newer, although Apple has been using the machines since as early as 2013. The calibration process is said to take approximately 15 minutes to complete.

With an in-house calibration machine, ComputerCare said it will be able to drastically speed up repair times for its customers, as it will no longer need to ship repaired iPhones to Apple for final testing and calibration.

“We already manage iPhone repairs at our facilities, but because of the devices’ specialized security features, the current process requires them to be shipped to Apple for final testing and calibration before being returned to customers,” said Georgia Rittenberg, President of ComputerCare. “Having a calibration machine onsite helps us to remove that extra step in the process and dramatically reduces turnaround times.”

Apple already has iPhone calibration machines in the back of every Apple Store, enabling Genius Bar employees to perform same-day repairs for most issues. But, not every customer lives near an Apple Store, so expanding the machines to select third-party repair shops is convenient.

If the pilot program is successful, Apple will presumably consider providing a larger number of Apple Authorized Service Providers with calibration machines in the future. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tag: AASP
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Apple’s Stock Price Dips Ahead of WWDC as Analyst Issues Rare Downgrade

Apple shares are trading around 1 percent lower today, just ahead of WWDC 2017, after one analyst issued a rare downgrade of the stock.

“We are downgrading AAPL to Sector Weight and recommend investors reduce position sizes,” said Andy Hargreaves, equity research analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, in a note to clients. “We believe AAPL anticipates strong performance in the iPhone 8 cycle, while providing relatively little weight to risks through the cycle or the potential for iPhone sales to decline in fiscal 2019.”

Wall Street remains largely upbeat about Apple’s stock heading into the second half of this year, as investors anticipate the so-called “iPhone 8” to be a hit among customers, but Hargreaves believes the stock has limited upside, as he said hype surrounding the hotly-anticipated device appears to be “priced in.”

Hargreaves anticipates the upside of the iPhone 8 to be offset by key risks, including the “potential for gross margin pressure, diminishing value of the mobile operating system, and the likelihood for declines in iPhone unit sales beyond the iPhone 8 cycle due to market saturation and elongating.”

Hargreaves also believes iPhone sales will likely resume declining in 2019, as the iPhone 8 will result in above-average sales in 2018 that are unlikely to be matched once Apple returns to a normalized upgrade rate, similar to what happened after pent-up demand for the larger-screened iPhone 6 started to fade.

AAPL was trading at $153.85 at the time of publication, after opening at $154.34, but remains only slightly off its all-time high.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
Tags: AAPL, Pacific Crest Securities, Andy Hargreaves
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Live Coverage of Apple’s WWDC 2017 Keynote: iOS 11, macOS 10.13, Notebooks, iPad Pros, and More

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off today in San Jose with the traditional keynote being held for the first time in many years at the McEnery Convention Center.

Just a few more hours to go, developers! We’ve got a big week ahead. See you at the keynote! #WWDC17 pic.twitter.com/ewnOg3dXQ5

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) June 5, 2017

The keynote begins at 10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time, and we’re expecting to see a number of announcements including both software such as iOS 11 and OS X 10.13, and hardware potentially including Mac notebook and iPad Pro updates.

Apple is providing a live video stream on its website and via Apple TV.

In addition to Apple’s video stream, we will be updating this article with live blog coverage and issuing Twitter updates through our @MacRumorsLive account as the keynote unfolds. Highlights from the event and separate news stories regarding today’s announcements will go out through our @MacRumors account.

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Apple Confirms Amazon Prime Video Coming to Apple TV Later This Year

At WWDC this morning, Apple has confirmed that Amazon Prime Video will finally be coming to Apple TV and tvOS sometime later this year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t mention any further details about the Amazon Prime Video on tvOS announcement, besides saying that, “You’ll be hearing a lot more about tvOS later this year.”

Related Roundup: WWDC 2017
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