Apple Developing TV Show Starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston

Apple is developing a new TV show that will star Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Described as a “morning show drama,” the series will star Witherspoon and Aniston as morning talk show hosts, taking a look into the “cutthroat world” of morning TV.

The show is described as an inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning, exploring the unique challenges faced by the women (and men) who carry out this daily televised ritual. Brian Stelter’s book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV — which was previously in development at Lifetime as a TV movie — will provide additional background for the show, which is based on an original concept by Ellenberg.

Reports suggested Apple was in a bidding war for the Aniston/Witherspoon show back in September, and it appears the company won out over competitors like Netflix and Showtime. While there’s no script available for the show at this time, Apple has inked a deal for two seasons, each with 10 episodes.

Aniston and Witherspoon will star, executive produce, and co-own the upcoming show alongside Media Res, the company that will produce it for Apple. The series is written by Jay Carson, known for his work on House of Cards.

The new morning show drama is Apple’s second series that’s currently in development. Apple in October inked a deal with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and Comcast’s NBC Universal to create new episodes of sci-fi series “Amazing Stories.” “Amazing Stories,” created by Spielberg, originally ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987.

Apple so far has released two original television shows, “Planet of the Apps” and “Carpool Karaoke: The Series.” Both of those shows aired exclusively on Apple Music, but it’s not yet clear if Apple will also make its higher-profile content available solely on Apple Music or if it will also be accessible on iTunes.

Apple’s push into original content is being led by former Sony executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who joined Apple back in June. Van Amburg and Erlicht, who helped produce shows like “Breaking Bad,” “The Crown,” and “Better Call Saul,” are running Apple’s video programming efforts on a worldwide scale under iTunes chief Eddy Cue. Apple has also made several other video hires in recent months as it aims to better compete with companies like Netflix and Amazon.

Related Roundup: Apple TVTag: Apple’s Hollywood ambitionsBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Taylor Swift Shares ‘Reputation’ Behind-the-Scenes Videos on Apple Music

Behind-the-scenes videos for Taylor Swift’s upcoming “reputation” album are available exclusively on Apple Music, the singer announced on Twitter today.

Three new behind-the-scenes videos available now.

Only on @AppleMusic: https://t.co/nNtHaYzZrp pic.twitter.com/a4E6cNaD3B

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 8, 2017

There are several short films available to watch, covering personal footage and set design from the …Ready For It? video, and a montage of behind-the-scenes footage for Look What You Made Me Do. Apple Music also has music videos available for the two songs.

While Swift is sharing exclusive content on Apple Music, rumors suggest her new album will not be immediately available on the streaming service when it launches this Friday.

Swift is said to be planning to hold “reputation” from streaming services for at least a week after the album’s launch to promote album sales via iTunes and retail stores.

At the current time, several singles from the new album are streamable on Apple Music, including “Look What You Made Me Do,” “Gorgeous,” “…Ready For It?” and “Call It What You Want.” The full 15-track album can be pre-ordered on iTunes for $13.99.

Tags: Apple Music, Taylor Swift
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How to Get Notified About iPhone X Availability at Apple Stores in Australia, Canada, and UK

While the iPhone X has been available to purchase for over five days now, availability of the device at Apple’s retail stores has been extremely limited over that time, especially outside of the United States.

Fortunately, a new Twitter-based tool called Robinhood Monitor makes it much easier to know exactly when and where iPhone X stock becomes available, at least in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom for now.

Robinhood Monitor:

• Australia
• Canada
• United Kingdom

Robinhood Monitor parses the backend of Apple’s Reserve and Pickup system and automatically tweets when an iPhone X becomes available at any Apple retail store, including color, capacity, and the location of the store.

13:08:02 [Toronto – Eaton Centre] silver_64 space_grey_64 space_grey_256 silver_256

— robinhood monitor (@rh_monitor) November 8, 2017

Since inventory runs out extremely quickly each time an iPhone X model becomes available, the key is to follow the Robinhood Monitor account on Twitter and enable mobile notifications to ensure real-time updates.

As soon as an iPhone X becomes available, head to Apple’s Reserve and Pickup page for your country and try to place a reservation as quickly as possible.

Reserve and Pickup:

• Australia
• Canada
• United Kingdom

Placing a reservation allows you to pick up an iPhone X within a designated 30-minute window from the store that showed availability. Remember to bring a form of payment and a piece of government-issued photo ID with you.

Thanks to @rh_monitor via @gary_ng for helping me reserve an iPhone X! pic.twitter.com/3TpS9iIy43

— Joe Rossignol (@rsgnl) November 8, 2017

iPhone X orders placed online today are currently estimated to ship in 3-4 weeks, so securing a pickup reservation is a quicker alternative. A hat tip goes out to Gary Ng at iPhone in Canada for bringing this to our attention.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: Reserve and PickupBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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Deals: Sound Forge Exclusive Offer, Pre-Black Friday at Best Buy, and Adorama Discounts

Following an exclusive deal back in September, MacRumors and Magix have again partnered to offer our readers an exclusive discount on the multimedia software maker’s Sound Forge Pro Mac 3 bundle. With the discount, you can buy Sound Forge Pro Mac 3 for $229, a $328 discount on the traditional price of $557. Our earlier discount brought the price down to $249, so the new sale is a chance to get the bundle for $20 cheaper.

If you’re interested, the exclusive discount will be available beginning today, November 8, and run through Thursday, November 30.

Sound Forge Pro Mac 3 is an advanced audio waveform editor that has been optimized and designed for macOS, offering users multi-channel recording and editing, mastering for music and dialogue clips, and support for high-resolution audio recording at 24 bits with sampling rates as high as 192kHz. The suite’s full features are extensive — also including customizable window layouts, file conversion automation, and the iZotope’s RX Elements and Ozone Elements tools — so make sure to head over to Magix’s website for more details.

With just over two weeks until Thanksgiving in the United States, as well as Black Friday one day later, pre-Black Friday deals have begun appearing for many retailers. Best Buy has a plethora of discounts on Apple and Apple-related products that you can get your hands on right now, including sales on the iPad mini 4, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, select MacBooks, Philips Hue products, Apple Smart Keyboard, Apple Pencil, and much more.

Best Buy’s pre-Black Friday sale will last from November 8 to November 11. We’ve highlighted some of the best deals below, but if you want more information on all of the discounts be sure to head over to our full Black Friday Roundup, which also covers pre-Black Friday sales from all retailers in the lead-up to November 24.

• $125 off iPad mini 4
• Up to $150 off 10.5-inch iPad Pro
• $150 to $250 off select MacBook models
• $150 off iPhone 6s purchased on installment from Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint
• $50 off Apple Watch Series 1 models
• $220 off Beats Studio Wireless headphones
• 50% off select MacBook cases
• Up to $10 off Apple Smart Keyboard or Apple Pencil
• $40 off Philips Hue White Ambiance Starter Kit
• $40 off Philips Hue Lightstrip

Adorama also has discounted multiple Apple products, with sales launching for iMac, MacBook, iPad, Apple TV 4K, and even accessories like the Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Keyboard. These deals are hitting below the listed price at other Apple resellers like B&H Photo and MacMall, leading to quite a few notable sales as we head into the holidays. That’s particularly true of the accessories and new Apple TV 4K, which are discounted at Adorama from between $10 and $20 when compared to other retailers.

• 27-inch 5K iMac (Mid 2017): 3.4GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive, Radeon Pro 570 4GB- $1,649.00, down from $1,799.00

• 12-inch MacBook (Mid 2017): 1.2GHz Dual-Core Intel Core m3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,169.00, down from $1,299.00

• 13-inch MacBook Pro (Mid 2017): 2.3GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,599.00, down from $1,699.00

• 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Late 2016): 3.3GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7, 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM, Intel Iris Graphics 550 – $2,299.00, down from $2,899.00

• 10.5-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi, 256GB – $729.00, down from $799.00

• Magic Mouse 2 – $59.00, down from $79.00

• Magic Keyboard – $79.00, down from $99.00

• Apple TV 4K, 32GB – $169.00, down from $179.00

For those interested, Adorama offers interest free financing through its credit card, with a few stipulations. You can find more information on the card here.

There are plenty more deals going on in Adorama’s sale, and other discounts circling this week, so head over to our full Deals Roundup for more information. If you’re looking for pre-Black Friday and Black Friday-specific deals, don’t forget to visit our Black Friday Roundup.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors.

Related Roundup: Apple DealsTags: Best Buy, Magix
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The StarkBoard is a hands-free, remote-free eboard for your outdoor adventures

As convenient and exciting as electric skateboards may seem in theory, there’s something less than intuitive about controlling the board beneath your feet with your hands. Using a remote control to determine your speed isn’t always the best when it comes to quick braking or safe acceleration, especially if you’re a novice skateboarder just learning to keep your balance. Luckily, not all eboards require a hand-held remote. Meet the StarkBoard from Stark Mobility, a remote-free, hands-free, electric skateboard that is said to require just three minutes to master. All you need to do is step on it, tilt your body, and ride.

In some ways, it sounds a bit like a feet-only Segway. The board, powered by two HUB motors and an AI-powered smart braking system, will move with your body — if you lean forward, the board goes forward. The StarkBoard features a custom gyroscope sensor and intelligent weight and motion sensors to detect changes in your body’s positioning, and adjust its own motion accordingly.

As you continue to lean forward (and accelerate), the StarkBoard is said to track your body movements and provide continual assistance, so you’re never riding unprotected. And as for your acceleration, you’ll be able to hit pretty impressive speeds with this eboard — up to 20 miles per hour. That said, if ever you step off the board, the StarkBoard will automatically activate the brakes, ensuring that your vehicle doesn’t take off without you. Thanks to a smart braking system, you can come to a complete stop even if you’re on an incline.

The StarkBoard’s battery is said to power the board for up to 13 miles, and when you receive your board, you’ll already find your battery charged and ready for its maiden voyage. Weighing in at 15 pounds, the eboard also features LED lights, which allow for safe riding in darker conditions. Plus, the IP62 rating means that the StarkBoard is both dust- and splash-proof.

You can pre-order the StarkBoard now from Indiegogo for the early bird price of $449, about 55 percent off its retail price of $999. Shipment for the board is anticipated for January 2018, so you can start your new year off with some excitement.

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Battle other robots in first-person perspective with the Geio AI bot

Why it matters to you

Want to relieve some frustration on the virtual battlefield? Geio can help.

Battling robots aren’t confined to the silver screen anymore — not with the Geio. Meet the latest in robotic technology — an artificially intelligent, first-person perspective bot that promises you “an immersive experience” as you duke it out with your frenemies in a virtual battleground.

While you shouldn’t engage in any form of violence, you may find a release for any pent-up frustration you have with the Geio. You’ll be able to control it without ever leaving your seat, as the FPS bot claims to link real and virtual spaces, giving users an almost out-of-body experience. The Geio boasts visual recognition, which means it can actually locate its target, and react accordingly. And thanks to its mobility, the bot can move from Point A to Point B with a fair bit of efficiency, all while keeping you in the driver’s seat.

“Geio is born to create unexpected excitement,” the team notes on its Kickstarter page. “When you are able to see from Geio’s perspective, you can indeed indulge in the royal duel, assault and escort, scavenger hunt race.”

Controlled all from your smartphone, the Geio features a number of different methods of gameplay. There’s the Royal Duel, in which you battle your friend (or foe) in a one-on-one setting. Alternatively, you can engage in Assault and Escort, a mode in which attacking and defending teams take turns defending or capturing various points across a battlefield (think of it as robot Capture the Flag). Then, there’s the Scavenger Hunt Race, in which teams compete against one another to be the first to locate special totems. And finally, you can play in a Speed Race, which as the name suggests, is all about agility. Indeed, the Geio is said to be able to rotate 360 degrees and move up to 2 meters in just a second. So set up an obstacle course of your design, and get moving.

Currently available for pre-order on Kickstarter for $109, the Geio just may be the most fun you can have from your couch. Early bird order are expected to ship in December, so you’ll be able to start enjoying your new bot over the holidays.

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The Burnbud is an all-in-one grinder, lighter, and container for your green

If necessity is the mother of invention then convenience is its father. And when is convenience ever more cherished then when you’re trying to chill out with a doobie or two? (Of course, only where marijuana is permitted.)

Meet the Burnbud, an all-in-one lighter, grinder, and container for your crumbling herb. In a few swift movements, Burnbud helps break, dispense, and ignite your green into glorious haze. Oh yeah, and it’s got a bottle opener. It’s like a Swiss army knife for getting down.

“I realized that the stigma of the ‘lazy smoker’ did not apply to me or any of my friends. We were always on-the-go, house to house, exploring the outdoors as much as possible,” Burnbud founder John Kaplan told Digital Trends. “I’ve always been into minimalism and keeping things organized, this clashed with traditional smoking kits. The hassle of clunky pockets and constantly searching for the lighter became the inspiration to create a solution. One of my friends in the architecture program at my college had access to a 3D printer. I showed him some rough drawings and we decided to create our first prototype. “

Burnbud LLC

Big enough to wield but small enough to fit in a pocket, Burnbud uses mini Bic lighters so rest assured that there’s always more fuel hidden under your couch cushion. Or Tim has some in his pocket. Either way there’s bound to be another mini Bic nearby.

But the Burnbud isn’t tiny. It’ll fit in a pocket, sure, but isn’t the most practical thing to carry around, so many just become a part of the home ritual.

“This is a new type of concept in smoking accessories,” Kaplan said. “With regard to design, it required many prototypes and many redesigns to get to the final product. Making a cool product is one thing, but making a cool product manufacturable without costing an arm or a leg is another. Another challenge was offering it to the customer for an affordable price.”

And the Burnbud ain’t cheap. It currently comes in two versions — a black plastic and hemp-based design, on sale now for $36 and $40 respectively. Unfortunately that doesn’t include a mini Bic but, hey, you probably have one of those lying around anyway.

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Uber’s flying taxis want you to soar above the traffic in Los Angeles by 2020

In the future, car traffic will have no effect on your taxi ride — at least, that is what Uber and NASA are counting on. On Wednesday, November 8, at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Uber’s head of product Jeff Holden announced more details about Uber’s flying taxis program.

Holden said Los Angeles will be the third city Uber plans to use as a test site for its flying taxi project “Elevate” by 2020. Dallas and Dubai were the first two cities added as initial test sites for Uber’s flying taxi initiative in April. Holden also revealed Uber signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA in an effort to create a custom air traffic control system that would manage Uber’s fleet of low-flying aircrafts.

“[Los Angeles is] one of the most congested cities in the world today,” Holden said. “They essentially have no mass transit infrastructure. This type of approach allows us to very inexpensively deploy a mass transit method that actually doesn’t make traffic worse.”

Uber also unveiled a concept video of how hailing a flying taxi would work. In a promotional video, a woman uses the Uber app to hail a flight on UberAir. Afterward, she enters a building and takes an elevator to the top floor labeled “Uber Skyport.” Once she’s reached the Skyport floor, she scans a QR code from her digital boarding pass on her phone to gain entry. She is accompanied by three other people in the aircraft with and there is an overhead display showing the flight path, elevation, speed, and arrival time.

Even if catching a flight becomes as easy as hailing a taxi, the UberAir fleet won’t be considered flying cars. Uber says the aircraft will be electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (EVTOL). The EVTOL aircraft will possibly be autonomous and use distributed electric propulsion which will allow the vehicles to fly you around while making very little noise. But, these EVTOLs never hit the road, nor do they have an essential component of anything related to a car.

The tagline at the end of the promotion video reads “closer than you think.” With companies such as Air Bus and Boeing working on their own flying car fleet, Uber’s promise may be truer than you may believe.

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Uber’s flying taxis want you to soar above the traffic in Los Angeles by 2020

In the future, car traffic will have no effect on your taxi ride — at least, that is what Uber and NASA are counting on. On Wednesday, November 8, at the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, Uber’s head of product Jeff Holden announced more details about Uber’s flying taxis program.

Holden said Los Angeles will be the third city Uber plans to use as a test site for its flying taxi project “Elevate” by 2020. Dallas and Dubai were the first two cities added as initial test sites for Uber’s flying taxi initiative in April. Holden also revealed Uber signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA in an effort to create a custom air traffic control system that would manage Uber’s fleet of low-flying aircrafts.

“[Los Angeles is] one of the most congested cities in the world today,” Holden said. “They essentially have no mass transit infrastructure. This type of approach allows us to very inexpensively deploy a mass transit method that actually doesn’t make traffic worse.”

Uber also unveiled a concept video of how hailing a flying taxi would work. In a promotional video, a woman uses the Uber app to hail a flight on UberAir. Afterward, she enters a building and takes an elevator to the top floor labeled “Uber Skyport.” Once she’s reached the Skyport floor, she scans a QR code from her digital boarding pass on her phone to gain entry. She is accompanied by three other people in the aircraft with and there is an overhead display showing the flight path, elevation, speed, and arrival time.

Even if catching a flight becomes as easy as hailing a taxi, the UberAir fleet won’t be considered flying cars. Uber says the aircraft will be electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (EVTOL). The EVTOL aircraft will possibly be autonomous and use distributed electric propulsion which will allow the vehicles to fly you around while making very little noise. But, these EVTOLs never hit the road, nor do they have an essential component of anything related to a car.

The tagline at the end of the promotion video reads “closer than you think.” With companies such as Air Bus and Boeing working on their own flying car fleet, Uber’s promise may be truer than you may believe.

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Visa wants you to keep your gloves on (and pay with them) at the Winter Olympics

With all the excitement that is sure to be contagious at the fast-paced 2018 Winter Olympics, you can’t be expected to be slow down to take a card out of your wallet when you’re trying to get back to the games. After all, that will likely involve taking off a glove, reaching into your parka, and otherwise navigating your snow-proof winter wear as you brave the temperatures in Pyeongchang. But don’t worry — if you’re set on spending money, there is, of course, a solution for that. It comes from Visa, which debuted payment-enabled gloves, stickers, and commemorative Olympic pins so that inconvenience won’t stop you from spending money.

The NFC-enabled items claim to help fans and athletes alike “complete seamless and secure payments with a simple tap at any contactless-enabled terminal.” So even if you don’t have your wallet or don’t want to de-layer just to get it out, you can simply wave your gloved hand over a point of sale to complete a transaction.

“We are looking forward to transforming the payment experience for everyone who attends the upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang,” Iain Jamieson, Korea country manager at Visa, said in a statement. “At Visa, we have been working tirelessly to ensure all of the Olympic venues are equipped with the very latest payment capabilities to provide the best experience possible for all of our clients and guests.”

Created in partnership with South Korea’s Lotte Card, these prepaid payment wearables will be available for purchase beginning Thursday, November 9 (though you have to go to Korea to get them). There’s the Commemorative Olympic Pin, available in four styles and meant to be worn on a lapel (or anywhere else on your person). This guy will set you back about $4.50 and can be loaded with prepaid amounts of either $27 (30,000 won) or $45 (50,000 won). Then, there are the payment-enabled gloves, which contain “a dual interface chip housed with a contactless antenna capable of completing purchases throughout official Olympic Venues and compatible readers globally.” It’s unclear what the pricing on the gloves are, but they can also be loaded with either $27 or $45. Finally, Visa is rolling out a wearable sticker, a micro-tag that can be adhered to just about anything. There are eight designs available, and the sticker offers the most flexibility in terms of loading money — up to $180. Pricing information for the sticker also appears to be unavailable for the time being.

During the Olympics, you will be able to buy any of these three wearables (with more traditional tender) at Olympic Superstores and Visa vending machines.

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