Unearthed TV News Clip Recounts One of Apple’s Biggest Leaks of the Late 80s

If MacRumors gave out an award for Most Revealing Apple Leak of the Year, there’s a good chance the plaudits for 2017 would go to Apple’s unintentional public release of HomePod firmware. Apple’s beta code turned out to include a trove of intriguing references to upcoming products yet to be announced, including the Apple Watch Series 3, the so-called “iPhone 8”, and a fifth-generation Apple TV.

Still, that pales in comparison to at least one Apple leak of yore that has just been unearthed by Fast Company, proving that Cupertino was unable to keep its secrets behind lock and key long before the era of social media and 24-hour online news coverage.

The video below is a local news item from San Francisco’s KGO, broadcast back in February 1988, which features an interview with late tech-media pioneer and Macintosh Today magazine founder David Bunnell.

In the short clip, Bunnell tells news anchors how his publication managed to get hold of a 160-page internal Apple document laying out detailed plans for the Macintosh Portable, the company’s first mobile computer, a full six months before its official unveiling later that year.

During the exchange, news anchor Pete Wilson asks Bunnell if the whole leak could be a secret ploy by Apple – perhaps in collusion with the magazine – to drum up interest in the computer ahead of its release. Bunnell refutes the suggestion, claiming that Apple doesn’t like to pre-announce products and prefers to control the information that comes out of the company.

Whatever the truth on this occasion, as Fast Company notes, even a massive leak such as Bunnell’s scoop couldn’t save the Macintosh Portable, which turned out to be a flop for Apple, before being superseded by the vastly superior PowerBook in 1991.
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Apple Pay Usage Estimated to Rise Sharply in United States Due to Frustration With Slow Chip-and-PIN Cards

Contactless payment methods like Apple Pay will rise sharply in the United States, from less than 2 percent of transactions this year to 34 percent by 2022, according to a new report shared by research firm Juniper Research.

Payment terminal with chip-and-PIN card support via Worldpay
Juniper Research argued that customer dissatisfaction at the slower speeds of chip-and-PIN card transactions will further increase the adoption of smartphone-based payments, an area currently dominated by Apple Pay.

The transition towards contactless payments, and even the EMV standard that chip-and-PIN cards are based on, has been much slower in the United States compared to many other countries around the world.

In Canada, for example, chip-and-PIN cards have been common for over five years, while at least 80 percent of Canadian retailers are now accepting contactless payments, according to payment processor MONEXgroup.

Juniper Research expects the United States to follow a similar growth curve as Europe, where EMV and contactless payments are also widespread.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently confirmed Apple Pay momentum is “strongest in international markets,” where he said the infrastructure for mobile payments has developed faster than in the United States.

Cook added that three out of four Apple Pay transactions happen outside of the U.S., where the service first launched in October 2014.

Apple Pay will support Venmo-like peer-to-peer payments in the Messages app on iOS 11, starting in the United States. Apple Pay is also expanding to Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates later this year.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
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Foxconn Plans Trio of ‘Ancillary Facilities’ to Surround Main Wisconsin LCD Plant

After an announcement in July that Foxconn will build a $10 billion LCD panel manufacturing plant in southeast Wisconsin, a new report out today states that the Apple supplier is now planning to build three “ancillary facilities” in Wisconsin as well (via Reuters).

The three buildings are planned to be opened for operation as early as 2018, two years ahead of when the main LCD facility is expected to debut in 2020. The LCD plant will be focused on large-screened panels for TV sets, and with Apple potentially interested in investing in the United States plant, some buildings on the new Foxconn campus could eventually include an assembly line for smaller displays used in iPhones, iPads, or MacBooks.

The three facilities will be much smaller than the main plant and require a combined investment of below $1 billion.

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn on Monday said it plans to build three facilities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin for operation as early as next year, as part of a campus housing a $10 billion liquid crystal display (LCD) factory due for 2020.

Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (2317.TW), said it will begin by setting up a back-end packaging line, high-precision molding line and end-device assembly line. It may also start importing glass from Taiwan, China and Japan.

Foxconn is now awaiting a final decision on a bill that aims to grant the manufacturer a $3 billion incentive package for the Wisconsin plant, which will be met with approval or denial sometime in September. If approved, Foxconn will “immediately” begin land survey work for its new U.S. facilities.

Earlier in the summer, Foxconn chairman Terry Gou said the company was interested in the U.S. states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Texas, for potential manufacturing facilities. Gou’s special assistant, Louis Woo, said in today’s report that the company continues to look at other states it could expand into — with Gou having met recently with Michigan’s governor — but no decision has been finalized.

Tag: Foxconn
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Forza Motorsport 7 in 4K will need a 1080 or Vega 64 to run smoothly

Why it matters to you

Forza Motorsport 7 will be pretty, but you won’t need a monster system just to be able to play it.

Forza Motorsport 7 will require a hefty PC to run at ultra settings at 4K resolution, with Turn 10 recommending top-of-the-line graphics cards and processors for that level of detail. But if you can’t afford the latest and greatest hardware, don’t fret, the game will be compatible with a variety of different systems, even running at 720p on systems using on board graphics.

The Forza games have a history of stunning graphics and the upcoming Forza Motorsport 7 is no exception. If you want to run it at full tilt you will need an impressive system. To help out those looking to upgrade before its release in October, Turn 10 released the recommended specifications for targeted resolutions, frame rates, and detail levels at Gamescom 2017.

If you just want to sneak in under the barrier for entry, you can do so with something as simple as an Ultrabook with an Intel Core i5-6200 CPU, 8GB of RAM and on-board Intel HD 520 or better graphics. You will be unlikely to have anything but minimum graphics settings, nor hit a frame rate higher than 30 regularly, but you can at least view it at 720p resolution.

For those on a low-end desktop, you can achieve similar results with a Core i5-750, or AMD FX-6300 CPU, with 8GB of RAM and either a GT 740 or R7 250X. None of that hardware is new or expensive, so most shouldn’t have difficulty meeting that mark.

If you want the game to look a little prettier, you could go for what Turn 10 describes as “recommended.” There you’ll be gaming at 1080p at 60 frames per second, but you will need some heftier hardware to do it. You’ll need at least a Core i5-4460 or FX 8350 CPU, paired up with 8GB of RAM and a GTX 1050Ti or RX 560.

For those who want to see the game at its best, you’ll be able to enjoy it at 4K resolution at 60 FPS if you have the following or equivalent hardware. A Core i7-6700K or Ryzen 7 CPU, with 16GB of RAM and a GTX 1080 or RX Vega 64 graphics card.

Whatever detail level you’re looking to play the new Forza at, though, don’t forget that as one of the largest games ever made, you’ll need at least 100GB of install space for it. That doesn’t even begin to factor in DLC, so if you’re running an older, smaller SSD, make sure you clear some space for it.

Forza Motorsport 7 is set to release on October 7 on Windows PCs and Xbox One.

Xiaomi may make a phone to give Android One some much needed tech cool

Why it matters to you

Android One phones have always been cheap, and not very exciting. Xiaomi makes cheap, exciting phones, and the two coming together may make Android One a lot more desirable.

Xiaomi may be adapting a version of the Mi 5X for use with Android One, according to an anonymous source speaking to Indonesian publication krispitech.com. Android One is Google’s software for low-cost smartphones sold in fast growing markets around the world. Smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, if it does make such a device, could provide the interesting platform with the cool hardware and broad appeal it has always lacked.

It’s not clear where the supposed Xiaomi Android One phone would be sold; but Indonesia is one of the countries where Android One phones have already been sold, and one of Xiaomi’s international markets. The Xiaomi Mi 5X is a recent announcement, and is a considerably more technically impressive device than most Android One phones, with a 5.5-inch screen, a Snapdragon 625 chip with 4GB of RAM, and a dual-lens rear camera.

Until now, Google has partnered with local smartphone brands for Android One, including Micromax in India, Sharp in Japan, and General Mobile in Turkey. Android One phones are not sold in China, where Xiaomi is most successful. Xiaomi doesn’t sell its smartphones in the United States either, however there have been rumors Android One would come to the U.S. this year, with a device priced at between two or three times more than the usual $100 Android One phones. The Mi 5X’s price is around this point.

Could Android One be Xiaomi’s way into the United States? There’s no evidence to support this yet, and Xiaomi is dedicated to its own MIUI user interface it places over Google Android, from which it makes a considerable amount of money as a portal to its many online services. Dropping it in favor of bloatware-free Android One, just to get its hardware on sale in the United States, may not be a realistic strategy for the company.

The reason why a Xiaomi Android One phone may not come to the U.S., is the same one repeated for whether Xiaomi will make an Android One phone at all. It has likely had the chance  to do so from the very beginning of Android One’s life in 2014, as it successfully sells devices in smartphone-hungry India, where Android One was also pushed hard early on. If Xiaomi was interested in dropping MIUI for Android One, the chance may have already come and gone. Changing its mind now, especially with the more interesting Android Go on the horizon, would be a surprise.

We’ll keep you updated on how this rumor develops here.

Xiaomi allegedly working with Google over an Android One device

Xiaomi may launch a variant of the Mi 5X with stock Android.

If there is one criticism to Xiaomi’s phones, it’s that MIUI is fairly bloated. That’s changing with MIUI 9, but there still is a learning curve associated with Xiaomi’s custom skin. However, a report out of Indonesia’s krispitech suggests Xiaomi is working with Google on releasing a version of the budget Mi 5X running stock Android through the Android One initiative.

The device — dubbed the Xiaomi Mi A1 — was recently spotted at POSTEL (Indonesia’s version of the FCC) running software developed by Google, which could only mean an Android One device. The Android One initiative was conceived a few years ago to bring quick updates to budget devices, with Google providing the updates directly. The devices on offer were decent for the most part, but the program didn’t gain much momentum in countries like India owing to poor marketing decisions.

With Android Go set to be the way forward for entry-level devices priced anywhere between $50 to $100, it looks like Android One is also primed for a comeback. Google has largely partnered with local manufacturers for Android One, but siding with a more established player like Xiaomi will undoubtedly give the program an added boost.

The phone has enticing hardware in the form of a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, 4GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 5MP front shooter, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, and a 3080mAh battery. The highlight is the dual camera setup at the back, which is the same as the Mi 6: a primary 12MP shooter augmented by a telephoto secondary lens. Combine all of that with stock Android, the promise of quick updates, and a price tag under $250 and the Mi A1 has the potential to be one of the best budget devices of the year.

The Morning After: Monday, August 21st 2017

Welcome to Monday. The new Xbox One X is ready for pre-order, and Microsoft’s talking up its features.

There are Xbox One S ‘Shadow of War’ bundles for the rest of us.
Pre-order Xbox One X in a limited Project Scorpio Edition

The rumors were true. Microsoft is marking the launch of the Xbox One X by starting pre-orders for a limited Project Scorpio Edition for the console. It’ll cost the same $499 as the standard model, but this is more than a rehash of the Day One system that commemorated the Xbox One launch in 2013. On top of Project Scorpio lettering on the console and controller, the machine gets a “sophisticated and dynamic” pattern and an exclusive vertical stand to flaunt your early-adopter status.

An anti-piracy org also plans to sue individuals who still download illegal copies later this year.

Australian courts order ISPs to block 59 pirate websites

Australian authorities will make it much harder to keep up with the latest on Game of Thrones. They’re expected to crack down hard in the next couple of weeks on dozens of pirate websites that serve unauthorized movies and TV shows. That’s because federal courts down under have handed down rulings for two separate cases, both ordering major telcoms and internet service providers (ISPs) to block a total of 59 websites and 127 domains. It’s a huge number to block in one go, but it might actually help mitigate piracy in the country.

Long car is long.
Mercedes uses Art Deco inspiration for electric-car concept

Luxury vehicles of the 1930’s, the Art Deco era, were nearly aircraft-carrier-long and dominated by seemingly never-ending clean lines. So it’s no surprise that the 30’s-inspired Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Cabriolet is over six meters long (about 20 feet) and has a single line that runs the length of the vehicle. Hell, the back of the car is inspired by yachts and called a boat tail. In other words, it’s going impossible to find parking.

But wait, there’s more…

• Here are all the games enhanced for Xbox One X
• Sorry, Amazon is canceling your free Echo Dot
• Microsoft co-founder’s remote vehicles find a legendary WWII ship

Barclays customers can now ask Siri to make payments for them

In today’s edition of companies making it all too easy for us to spend money, Barclays has added a feature to its iOS app that will debit your account after hearing you utter but a few words. Or, less sinisterly put, Barclays’ mobile banking app now lets you make payments with Siri commands. Provided you’ve granted Apple’s assistant access to your account in the app, you can transfer money to any previously known payee, or anyone in your iPhone’s contact list. And you needn’t worry about that annoying friend saying “Hey Siri, pay Jamie £15 with Barclays,” as you still need to tap your finger to the Touch ID sensor to confirm the transfer.

Siri integration has been live in the app for a few days now, and is meant for smaller payments like your share of the dinner bill, with single transfer and daily limits to keep spending in check. Barclays boasts it’s the first UK high street bank to enable Siri payments. That’s technically true, though PayPal added the feature towards the end of last year and Santander added voice payments to its app in February, though it’s not Siri you’re asking in that instance. Siri’s able to take on new tasks such as making payments thanks to Apple finally allowing other apps to talk to the assistant from last summer. And given what Google said earlier this year, its voice assistant isn’t too far from acquiring a similar skillset.

Source: Barclays (1), (2)

Solar eclipse gives NASA a rare opportunity to study Mercury

While you’re stuck on Earth during today’s solar eclipse, NASA jets will be performing a tricky science experiment on the Sun and its closest companion, Mercury. A pair of them will take off this morning from Houston’s Johnson Space Center and follow the path of of the eclipse, allowing them to see “totality” for three and half minutes, nearly a minute longer than Earth observers. Equipped with a pair of infrared telescopes each, they’ll examine the sun’s corona and Mercury’s chemical signatures to find out what lies below its surface.

The jets, a pair of modified WB-57F’s from the 1960s, will get a nice view of the eclipse at 50,000 feet. Up there, there’s less atmosphere to distort the view and scatter light (the sky is around 25 times darker), giving them possibly the world’s best view of the event. At the same time, cruising at 460 mph, they’ll follow the path of the eclipse and see it for longer than Earth observers, over seven minutes combined.

In the past, the Concorde jet has stretched totality to 74 minutes, but the turbulence at supersonic speeds would make telescope observations impractical. The WB-57s, by contrast, will fly smoothly with minimal jolting. That’ll allow the AIRS/DyNAMITES cameras, mounted on turret-like gimbal stabilizers, to observe the eclipse optimally.

During the totality phase of the eclipse, the NASA Goddard team will examine the outer part of the Sun (mostly with visible light) to try to solve one of its biggest mysteries. No one quite knows why its corona, a plasma aura that extends millions of kilometers into space, is millions of degrees hotter than its surface.

One theory is that magnetic “Alfvén” waves conduct and magnify heat from the surface, while another contends that the extreme heat is generated by “nanoflares,” tiny but numerous explosions on its surface. The high-resolution, high-speed cameras on board the jets could theoretically spot both of those phenomena. It might also prove that nanoflares are responsible for “combing” what should be a knotted mess of magnetic field lines into relatively smooth ones.

Totality is just one part of the mission, however. Thirty minutes before and after the sun is blotted out, conditions will be ideal to examine Mercury, which is so close to the Sun that it is usually overwhelmed by its light. An infrared camera can penetrate inches below the planet’s surface, examining how quickly it cools.

That will tell scientists what forms the subsurface material and how tightly it’s packed together — sand disperses heat quickly, while rock holds it in longer. Even the Messenger probe, which orbited the scathingly hot (and cold) planet, wasn’t able to see below the surface, as its infrared camera operated at a shorter wavelength.

It’s also worth noting that the high-resolution, high frame-rate cameras may capture the best images yet of a solar eclipse. So if you’re searching for a new screen-saver, maybe hold off for a few more weeks.

Via: Science News

Source: NASA

Alleged ‘iPhone 8’ Component Leaks Continue With OLED Display Assembly, Lightning and Power Flex Cables

Several images were posted to Chinese microblogging site Weibo on Saturday claiming to show more leaked “iPhone 8” components, just weeks away from the handset’s expected launch in September.

The images, later shared via Slashleaks, are said to include the phone’s OLED display assembly, internal components for the Lightning connector and flex cables for transferring power to other components.

While we can’t vouch for the authenticity of the photos, it’s not unusual for leaked parts and components to steadily trickle out of assembly plants as Apple ramps up production ahead of an iPhone launch. For example, just last week we saw images of an alleged A11 processor and wireless charging pad components, both of which are expected to debut in Apple’s radically redesigned OLED iPhone.

Earlier this month, images were shared online showing manufacturing validating tests for the iPhone 8, while videos were also shared purporting to show an iPhone 8 production line at an unidentified factory, presumably in China, although the veracity of said videos remains contentious.

Apple is expected to announce iterative “S” cycle upgrades to its existing iPhone 7 line-up next month, but with the potential for new glass backs and a wireless charging capability in addition to the usual moderate internal improvements.

As for the all-new 5.8-inch iPhone 8, which could still take a different name, Apple is expected to debut a virtually bezel-free edge-to-edge handset with an OLED screen, a glass back, a vertically oriented dual-lens camera, and a steel frame, all for a more premium feel and price tag – possibly in the $1000 range.

Based on details unearthed in Apple’s HomePod firmware, the device will have a notch at the top of the display that will house the sensors and camera, and will do away with the traditional physical Home button in favor of a virtual one, with a facial authentication system likely replacing Touch ID fingerprint recognition.

The new iPhones are thought to debut in black and silver colors, plus a new copper-like option, possibly called “Blushed Gold”. Based on the launch schedules of previous years, Apple is expected to announce the phones at an event falling in the first two weeks of September. You can read more on everything we know so far about Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8 event in our dedicated roundup.

Update: MacRumors reader Sunny1990 has posted more photos in an MR forum thread, including additional OLED display parts.

Related Roundup: iPhone 8
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