Apple Releases Documentation to Help Publishers Prepare for Apple News Format

Apple has released an Apple News Format Reference in the iOS Developer Library that provides developers with technical details on how to prepare for the upcoming release of Apple News Format, which allows news publishers to create customized layouts with iOS fonts, rich photo galleries, videos and animations optimized for iPhone and iPad.

Apple News Format will allow for all news publishers to have customized layouts with rich graphics and other content, rather than basic articles being pulled straight from an RSS feed, as initial selected partners have had since iOS 9 was released. Apple has shared a direct download of example articles as a guideline.

Apple has also released an Apple News API Reference that explains how publishers can use the Apple News API to integrate Apple News with their existing content management system to access a rich suite of tools for measuring user engagement with published content. Apple also updated its News Publishing Guide with new Delivering Content and Managing Content sections.

Apple News Format is still listed as “coming soon” on Apple’s website.

(Thanks, Eric!)

Walgreens Gearing Up for Apple Pay-Linked Loyalty Rewards Cards

One of the Apple Pay features touted with iOS 9 was support for new types of cards including store-branded credit cards and loyalty rewards cards from retailers. Just yesterday, department store chain Kohl’s became the first retailer to launch Apple Pay support for its store-branded credit card, and it now appears Walgreens is preparing to launch support for its Balance Rewards loyalty rewards program.

Balance Rewards members have for some time been able to sign into their rewards accounts using the Walgreens iOS app and add their Balance Rewards numbers to the centralized Passbook/Wallet app. From there, it’s been easy for users to bring up the Walgreens pass to display barcodes that can be scanned at checkout to make sure they receive rewards credit for their purchases.

As noted by several MacRumors readers, however, the Balance Rewards card in the Wallet app is now showing up as supporting NFC via Apple Pay. Double-clicking the iPhone home button to bring up Apple Pay cards offers access to the Balance Rewards pass, where the user is then prompted to authenticate with Touch ID and hold the phone near the NFC terminal at the register. Users can also opt to show a barcode for scanning if needed.

While the interface on the iPhone shows all signs of being ready to use Walgreens Balance Rewards via NFC, we and several readers have been unable to successfully use it in-store, as it appears Walgreens’ payment terminals have yet to be upgraded to accept Balance Rewards using that method. In our testing yesterday, attempting to transmit a Balance Rewards card to the terminal via Apple Pay simply generated an error on the terminal noting the system was requesting a method of payment.

Walgreens Balance Rewards is also showing up as an Apple Pay option on the Apple Watch. Double clicking the side button of the Apple Watch to bring up available payment cards shows a Walgreens card that appears ready to use via NFC but similarly is not accepted by the terminal.

A barcode option as seen when the Walgreens pass is accessed directly from the Apple Watch’s Wallet app is also available through the Apple Pay mechanism, although the overall presentation of the Walgreens card feels unfinished as it requires scrolling to access the barcode button via Apple Pay.

Late yesterday, Walgreens announced it plans to acquire rival Rite Aid in a deal that is expected to close in about a year to combine the largest and third-largest pharmacy chains in the United States. Rite Aid will initially operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Walgreens with its own branding, although the two brands are likely to fully integrate over time.

Walgreens was a launch partner for Apple Pay payments back in 2014, but Rite Aid famously held out due to its contractual obligations with competing payments platform MCX/CurrentC, even going as far as to disable existing NFC payment support to prevent customers from using Apple Pay in its stores. Rite Aid reversed course in August as its exclusivity with CurrentC ended, adding support for Apple Pay in its stores.

DisplayPort Standard with 8K Support for Notebooks and All-in-Ones Heading for Mid-2016 Launch

The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) yesterday announced that it has officially published the Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) Standard version 1.4b, which brings the previous 1.4a iteration into the final stages of production-ready status for future notebook and all-in-one desktop displays. This final revision of the eDP 1.4 standard includes a few “key protocol refinements and clarifications” to ensure ease-of-integration for partners supporting it and an overall lower bill of materials costs to its implementation.

The eDP 1.4 standard was announced two years ago, with an improved eDP 1.4a standard arriving earlier this year setting the stage for future 8K support on notebooks and all-in-one desktop computers.

The association promises that GPUs and CPUs that run the DisplayPort 1.3 standard for external display connectivity with 5K support will also be able to eDP 1.4b for internal uses. DisplayPort 1.3 support is, however, still only in the early stages, with Intel’s latest Skylake chips not including it.

According to Bill Lempesis, executive director at VESA, “Since its introduction in 2008, eDP has become a central system element within the mobile computing market space. The standard has continued to retain its lead in display performance, supporting embedded panels with resolutions as high as 8K. We look forward to seeing systems incorporating the finalized standard come to fruition next year, broadening the number of consumers receiving clear, crisp visual information delivered by eDP 1.4 on their laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs and possibly even smart phones.”

Apple’s current 27-inch Retina iMac line-up uses its 5K Retina display to come in at 5120 x 2880 pixels, while the new eDP 1.4b standard could introduce an 8K monitor with a 7680 x 4320 display. The catch with the possibility of 8K is that it’s still far from being widely supported, with only a select few high-end television sets backing the ultra high-def standard. Apple itself just launched a new line of 4K 21-inch and 5K 27-inch iMacs, so 8K support from the Cupertino company is still a ways off as well.

VESA notes that while it positions eDP 1.4b as the standard for the future, current machines are just beginning to integrate with eDP 1.3 and even earlier. Still, the association predicts a mid-2016 incorporation for the first system displays with 8K support, “and the final standard should continue to increase in adoption and be used in production for several years.”

Phil Schiller Discusses Retina MacBook, Apple’s ‘Intense Collaboration’

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller recently met with Mashable editor-at-large Lance Ulanoff for a rare interview, discussing topics ranging from the new 12-inch MacBook to Apple’s “intense collaboration” that makes such products possible.

Schiller emphasized how Apple’s process from product conception to production has greatly changed over the past few decades, as a result of “intense collaboration” between industrial design and engineering teams within the company.

“From the beginning, the Mac has been about Apple taking responsibility for the whole thing: hardware, software, how applications can work and, increasingly, Internet services. But that means something different today than it did 20 years ago,” Schiller said.

“Today, those teams are not only integrated and designing something together, they’re actually thinking of features that could only exist because of that integration and solving problems that could only be solved because of that unique advantage.”

The interview provides a closer look at the new 12-inch MacBook, ranging from its ultra-small logic board to “speaktenna” combined speaker and antenna design, as an example of what’s possible because of Apple’s collaboration.

Some like to call it the “Speaktenna.” The black strip along the back edge of the MacBook speakers is a never-before-tried combination of speakers and antennas for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It’s a fairly ingenious bit of space-saving technology that teardown artists ignored. […]

In the case of the speaktenna, Apple engineers did everything in their power to fit the maximum amount of technology possible into the tiny anodized aluminum chassis. This included creating new battery chemistry and forms to support a terraced battery design that marries perfectly with matching cutouts in the chassis. There’s even a deeper level of terracing cutouts in the body that aren’t for more battery power, but to cut down on the overall system weight.

Mashable‘s in-depth profile of Schiller goes into more detail about the 12-inch MacBook’s design process, how collaboration will continue at Apple’s upcoming Campus 2, the continued growth of Mac in a declining PC market and more.

Apple Stores to Start Selling Apple TV on Friday

Apple began accepting pre-orders for the Apple TV on Monday morning, but has not yet announced when the device will be available for purchase in its retail stores. Apple Retail employees that have spoken to 9to5Mac have shed some light on when we might see the new set-top box, however, suggesting it will be in stores on Friday, October 30.

Apple retail locations are set to receive shipments at the end of the week, with Apple Stores being reconfigured overnight on Thursday to focus on promoting the new Apple TV.

Friday is also the first day when pre-order customers who selected one day shipping will begin receiving their Apple TV orders. Some Apple TVs have already begun preparing for shipment and will be shipping out very soon. Best Buy is also accepting pre-orders for the new Apple TV, but isn’t allowing for in-store pickup until November 4.

The new Apple TV is available in 32 and 64GB configurations, with prices at $149 and $199, respectively. The device includes an A8 processor, a touch-based remote control that doubles as a game controller, a full App Store, universal search capabilities, and Siri integration.

Apple and Huawei Close Gap on Samsung in Global Smartphone Market

The latest numbers from research firm IDC show that Samsung and Apple continue to lead the worldwide smartphone market, but Chinese handset maker Huawei is placing increasing pressure on the industry giants after experiencing strong 60.9% growth compared to the year-ago quarter.

IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reveals that Samsung continues to be the top smartphone vendor with 23.8% market share, shipping an estimated 84.5 million smartphones in the third quarter of the calendar year, compared to 23.9% market share and 79.6 million smartphones shipped in the year-ago quarter.

Apple trailed in second with 13.5% market share after shipping 48 million smartphones in the calendar third quarter, compared to 11.8% market share and 39.3 million smartphones shipped in the year-ago quarter — a 22.2% year-over-year increase, which cut away at Samsung’s market lead.

Apple’s growth can be attributed to strong iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus sales, which Apple says has led to the highest rate of Android switchers it has ever measured. The new smartphones set a record with 13 million sales over their September launch weekend. Apple released its complete FY Q4 financial results yesterday.

Huawei also closed the gap on Samsung and Apple due to strong growth in China and Europe. The Shenzhen-based company was the third-largest smartphone vendor, a position that previously belonged to Chinese rival Xiaomi, with 7.5% market share and 26.5 million smartphones shipped in the third quarter.

Lenovo and Xiaomi rounded off the top five largest smartphone vendors with nearly equal 5.3% and 5.2% market share respectively. Lenovo shipped an estimated 18.8 million smartphones, while Xiaomi shipped an estimated 18.3 million smartphones. All other vendors combined to ship an estimated 159.1 million smartphones.

Overall smartphone shipments totaled 355.2 million worldwide in the third quarter, up 6.8% from the 332.6 million units shipped in the year-ago quarter, marking the second highest level of smartphone shipments for a single quarter ever. The growth was driven by new flagship devices such as the iPhone 6s, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5.

Apple and Huawei Close Gap on Samsung in Global Smartphone Market

The latest numbers from research firm IDC show that Samsung and Apple continue to lead the worldwide smartphone market, but Chinese handset maker Huawei is placing increasing pressure on the industry giants after experiencing strong 60.9% growth compared to the year-ago quarter.

IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker reveals that Samsung continues to be the top smartphone vendor with 23.8% market share, shipping an estimated 84.5 million smartphones in the third quarter of the calendar year, compared to 23.9% market share and 79.6 million smartphones shipped in the year-ago quarter.

Apple trailed in second with 13.5% market share after shipping 48 million smartphones in the calendar third quarter, compared to 11.8% market share and 39.3 million smartphones shipped in the year-ago quarter — a 22.2% year-over-year increase, which cut away at Samsung’s market lead.

Apple’s growth can be attributed to strong iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus sales, which Apple says has led to the highest rate of Android switchers it has ever measured. The new smartphones set a record with 13 million sales over their September launch weekend. Apple released its complete FY Q4 financial results yesterday.

Huawei also closed the gap on Samsung and Apple due to strong growth in China and Europe. The Shenzhen-based company was the third-largest smartphone vendor, a position that previously belonged to Chinese rival Xiaomi, with 7.5% market share and 26.5 million smartphones shipped in the third quarter.

Lenovo and Xiaomi rounded off the top five largest smartphone vendors with nearly equal 5.3% and 5.2% market share respectively. Lenovo shipped an estimated 18.8 million smartphones, while Xiaomi shipped an estimated 18.3 million smartphones. All other vendors combined to ship an estimated 159.1 million smartphones.

Overall smartphone shipments totaled 355.2 million worldwide in the third quarter, up 6.8% from the 332.6 million units shipped in the year-ago quarter, marking the second highest level of smartphone shipments for a single quarter ever. The growth was driven by new flagship devices such as the iPhone 6s, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5.

Apple Rejects Weight Measuring 3D Touch App ‘Gravity’

App developer Ryan McLeod and a few of his friends have been working on a new application for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus since the devices were announced in early September. Their app, dubbed Gravity, would harness the power of 3D Touch, letting users place a spoon onto the face of the iPhone and weigh the measurement of items like powders, drink mixes, and small fruit.

Once they got the new iPhones in their hands, the team working with McLeod began calibrating the sensitivity of the weight measurements with a few coins placed on a spoon. Following the launch of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, McLeod and his partners had the app finished in under four days, along with some basic marketing materials, and submitted it to Apple. They were rejected about a week later due to “having a misleading description,” which they took to be confused with a handful of fake scale apps on the App Store (via The Verge).

Gravity unfortunately got rejected for having a misleading description and we immediately knew why: There are a couple dozen “scale” apps on the app store. The thing is that 80% of them are joke apps, “for entertainment purposes only” and the other 20% try to weigh things using the tilt of your iPhone once it’s been balanced on top of an inflated bag and calibrated using a single coin. Gravity was most likely confused with the prank apps and rejected for claiming it was a real working scale.

Setting out to clear any confusion, McLeod made a demonstration video of Gravity in action and filed an appeal to ensure Apple that the app was legitimate and not one of a handful of “joke” apps found on the App Store. In the end, McLeod was told over the phone by Apple that “the concept of a scale app was not appropriate for the App Store.”

The developer weighed a few options for the possibility of Apple’s rejection of the app. The first was the possibility of damage to the iPhone, which would be difficult for the average person since the API for Gravity (and 3D Touch) limits the weight accepted onto the iPhone to ~385g (0.85lbs), the app flashing a bright red light when exceeding that force. McLeod also suggests the app’s advantageous use of 3D Touch is simply too early to be widely accepted, not to mention the possible negative connotation with drug use and measurement that could be associated with the app.

McLeod and his team said they have a “strong respect” for Apple’s selection and rejection process on the App Store, but still remain positive that one day when 3D Touch apps become a bit more widespread, Gravity could be revisited as a potential candidate to “be one of the hand-picked, who-knew-a-phone-could-do-that-apps anyone can download on the App Store and have in their pocket.” For now, he’s back to working on the iOS puzzle game Blackbox.

Check out McLeod’s entire post on the creation and rejection of Gravity on Medium.

iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 4 Now Available on T-Mobile JUMP! On Demand

T-Mobile has announced that the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4 are now available through its JUMP! On Demand upgrade program, enabling qualified customers to purchase either tablet on an 18-month lease and upgrade to a newer tablet up to three times per year. The program breaks down the price of each iPad into equal monthly payments starting at $22/month with $0 due upfront.

iPad Air 2

• 16GB: $26/month, $0 due upfront

• 64GB: $25/month, $99.99 due upfront

• 128GB: $24/month, $199.99 due upfront

iPad mini 4

• 16GB: $22/month, $0 due upfront

• 64GB: $21/month, $99.99 due upfront

• 128GB: $19/month, $199.99 due upfront

The limited time offer is available by calling T-Mobile at 1-877-500-6055 or visiting a participating T-Mobile store in the U.S. At the end of the 18-month lease, the iPad must be returned in working order, or the customer can pay off the remaining balance to keep it. If a customer cancels wireless service during a lease, remaining payments on the iPad become due. See T-Mobile’s tablet plans.