Apple Launches New iMacs, Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2

Apple today announced that it has updated its iMac lineup, introducing a new 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K Display and 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K Display.

The all-new desktop computers feature faster Intel processors and Iris Pro graphics, two Thunderbolt 2 ports and up to 2TB of Fusion Drive storage.

“From the first iMac to today, the spirit of iMac has never wavered — deliver the ultimate desktop experience with the latest technologies, gorgeous displays and cutting-edge designs,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “These are the most stunning iMacs we’ve ever made. With our gorgeous new Retina displays, more powerful processors and graphics and all-new Magic accessories, the new iMac continues to redefine the ultimate desktop experience.”

Apple has also launched all-new Magic accessories, including the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2.

The new Magic Keyboard, $99, features Bluetooth for wireless connectivity and a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that charges fully in about two hours using a Lightning to USB cable. The redesigned keyboard has a reengineered scissor mechanism with 33% more key stability and a lower profile for more precise and comfortable typing.

The new Magic Trackpad 2, $129, features Force Touch and a larger edge-to-edge glass design with 29% more surface area. The new Magic Mouse 2, $79, also has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery and redesigned internal structure that includes fewer moving parts. The trio of new wireless accessories are available through Apple and resellers today.

The new 4K 21.5-inch and 5K 27-inch iMac are available today through the Apple Store, Apple Online Store and select authorized resellers, with pricing starting at $1,499 and $1,799 respectively. Apple will also continue selling the non-Retina 21.5-inch iMac in three models starting at $1,799, $1,999 and $2,299.

The new iMacs include a Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 in the box.

Apple’s first stores in India open next month

It’s kind of bonkers that Apple doesn’t already have a retail presence in India, a country with some 1.25 billion people, but that’s the world we live in. For a little bit longer anyway. Cupertino’s working to address this by partnering with Tata (yes, them) to put Apple shops inside several Croma stores in the region, according to The Times of India. The current plan is to open by next month’s Diwali festival of lights. The Times also reports that because Apple hasn’t set up shop on its own because it’s been unable meet a mandatory ruling regarding “local-sourcing norms” for a foreign investment in retail.

Allying with Croma sidesteps that; Apple devices are available through other means in the country, but apparently something akin to a traditional Apple store doesn’t exist. To that end, decor and employee training will come from the tech giant itself, much like domestic locations do. Why’s this all so important? Well, many in tech (including Xiaomi) feel the country’s the next big thing in terms of expansion.

[Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Via: Apple Insider

Source: The Times of India

Controlled Testing Supports Apple’s Claim of Nearly Equal iPhone 6s Battery Life With TSMC and Samsung Chips

Last week Apple addressed concerns over battery life discrepancies between the TSMC and Samsung A9 chips used in the iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus, suggesting a real world battery life difference of only two to three percent between the chips despite Geekbench battery tests that had pointed towards a bigger gap.

Ars Technica has now conducted controlled battery life tests on two iPhone 6s models, one with a TSMC chip and one with a Samsung chip, and its findings line up with Apple’s statement. The site used two AT&T models, both with SIM cards removed and screen brightness set at the exact same level.

In Wi-Fi browsing, WebGL, and GFXBench tests, there were performance differences mostly in favor of the TSMC iPhone, but the variation between the two phones was slight. There was a more significant performance difference on the Geekbench 3 test, but as has been covered earlier, that test is not reflective of real world usage.

Aside from the Geekbench test, which saw a battery life difference of 28 percent between the two devices, the TSMC iPhone and the Samsung iPhone scored within two to three percent of each other. In Ars‘ opinion, in the real world, there’s going to be little difference between a Samsung iPhone and a TSMC iPhone.

So there are definitely circumstances under which the TSMC phone will last longer than the Samsung phone, but it’s not a universal problem. A Samsung chip that’s mostly idling or even one under modest CPU and GPU load, though, is going to behave in just about the same way as a TSMC chip. And the kinds of CPU-intensive work that the Samsung chip seems to struggle with just aren’t that common on smartphones. Most of the time, iPhone 6S battery life should be similar no matter which chip your phone is using.

According to Apple, the comparison of just two devices is too small of a sample size to make meaningful predictions about the performance between iPhones with Samsung chips and those with TSMC chips. As Ars points out, no one but Apple has the resources to collect enough data from enough devices to get an accurate picture of performance.

Ars Technica‘s findings do line up with what Apple says it has seen in both lab testing and data gathered from hundreds of thousands of customers. Apple has said the variation between the TSMC and Samsung chips it has observed is “well within its manufacturing tolerances” and is a level of variation that can be seen between devices that have the same chip.

Apple Seeds Fifth iOS 9.1 Beta to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of iOS 9.1 to registered developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fourth iOS 9.1 beta and two weeks after releasing iOS 9.0.2, the second minor bug fix update to iOS.

The new iOS 9.1 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through Apple’s Developer Center.

iOS 9.1 offers new features and compatibility updates for upcoming Apple products like the new fourth-generation Apple TV and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The iPad Pro ships with two accessories, the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil, both of which are deeply integrated into the operating system.

The update includes Unicode 8, adding support for emoji like the taco, burrito, cheese wedge, middle finger, unicorn head, and more, along with a new Messages option in the Settings app, allowing users to disable photos for their contacts.

It is not yet known when iOS 9.1 will be released to the public, but it’s likely it will come in late October, coinciding with the launch of the new Apple TV. iOS 9.1 is required for setting up the new Apple TV through an iOS device.

iShowFast Review: USB 3.0 and Lightning Flash Drive Makes Secure File Transfers Between iOS and PCs Easy

Last year, popular accessory company Sanho and its HYPER brand launched the iStick, a flash drive with both USB and Lightning connectors to make it easy to transfer files between iOS devices and computers. A Kickstarter campaign for the iStick raised over $1.1 million, with the device coming in capacities ranging from 8 GB to 128 GB.

Building on the success of the iStick, HYPER by Sanho has worked with Taiwanese firm iCirround to bring a next-generation version, the MFi-certified iShowFast, to the United States. By upgrading the USB connectivity to USB 3.0, the iShowFast is up to 14 times faster than the iStick and SanDisk’s similar iXpand flash drives, offering read speeds of up to 140 MB/second over USB and 30 MB/second over Lightning.

As it has done with a number of its other products, HYPER by Sanho is launching iShowFast via an Indiegogo campaign, but backers shouldn’t expect an extended production timeline with potential stumbling blocks pushing delivery out even further than anticipated. iShowFast is already in production and ready to go, with HYPER by Sanho set to start shipping orders out as soon as the $50,000 Indiegogo campaign ends next month.

We’ve had a few days to play with an iShowFast stick, and while it’s a pretty straightforward product that operates essentially identically to the iStick, it was good to see the device is indeed ready for launch in its retail packaging and to be able to try it out with its companion app for managing files on iOS devices.
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Apple and Chroma Partnering to Test Store-Within-a-Store Locations in India

India-based consumer electronics chain Croma has announced a new partnership with Apple to introduce a few store-within-a-store locations in the country. Croma will host the Cupertino-based company’s products at six of its retail locations as a test for the partnership, with hope to expand in the future (via The Economic Times).

“We are proud to partner Apple to launch the Apple Store in India and extremely bullish about it,” said Avijit Mitra, chief executive officer of Infiniti Retail, which owns Croma. “These stores will be modeled on the global design and will offer the best experience to consumers, showcasing the entire range of Apple products.”

Five of the Croma locations introducing Apple support will be in Malad, Juhu, Oberoi Mall, Phoenix Mall and Ghatkopar, all located in Mumbai. The sixth, in the city of Bangalore, will be found at the Croma location in Jayanagar. All of the locations are expected to open by November 11 and will be between 400 and 500 square feet in size.

Due to India’s strict real estate investment laws for foreign companies, Apple has yet to build one of its own full retail stores in the country, so the Croma partnership gives it a good opportunity to get a foothold in India’s retail space without needing to build an entire location of its own. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently discussed expansion possibilities with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including new manufacturing plants, Apple Pay, and the upcoming release of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in the country, on October 16.

Engadget UK giveaway: win an iPhone 6s courtesy of Mobilefun.co.uk

To upgrade or not to upgrade: that is the question. If you’re currently asking yourself this very brainteaser, then we’d guess Apple’s shiny new iThings may well’ve taken your fancy. But why sign up to a more expensive contract or take the hit of an upfront payment when we’ve got a brand new iPhone 6s burning a whole in our pocket? This week, we’re giving away a 16GB, Space Grey model supplied by our friends at Mobilefun.co.uk, the online retailer with all manner of accessories, including plenty of covers and cases, to kit your new iPhone out with. As always, you can enter the competition up to three times via the Rafflecopter widget below, but only after you’ve given the rules a quick scan. Deal?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• Entries are handled through the Rafflecopter widget above. Comments are no longer accepted as valid methods of entry. You may enter without any obligation to social media accounts, though we may offer them as opportunities for extra entries. Your email address is required so we can get in touch with you if you win, but it will not be given to third parties.
• Contest is open to all residents of the UK, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so direct your anger at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winners will be chosen randomly. One (1) winner will receive one (1) iPhone 6s.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of being contacted. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Make sure that the account you use to enter the contest includes your real name and a contact email or Facebook login. We do not track any of this information for marketing or third-party purposes.
• This unit is purely for promotional giveaway. Apple, Mobilefun.co.uk and Engadget / AOL are not held liable to honor warranties, exchanges or customer service.
• The full list of rules, in all its legalese glory, can be found here.
• Entries can be submitted until October 16th at 11:59PM BST. Good luck!

[Photo credit: Will Lipman]

Source: Mobilefun.co.uk

‘Steve Jobs’ Film Debuts Impressively in Limited Release

Only a limited number of fans have been able to see Steve Jobs over the weekend, thanks to its initial limited release in only Los Angeles and New York on October 9. Despite that small run, the Danny Boyle-directed film has debuted with impressive numbers, making $521,000 in its first weekend with a per-theater average of $130,250 (via Variety).

Although those numbers landed the movie well below any top-earning spot for the weekend box office at large (it placed sixteenth overall), that per-theater average places Steve Jobs as the fifteenth highest PTA figure in film history. As the rollout for the film expands — 25 new markets and 60 theaters on October 16, and then 2,000 theaters on October 23 — Universal has doubled down on its release strategy, believing the slow trickle to wide release will help generate positive word of mouth.

“By holding back and platforming it in this way, we let the public know what this movie is all about and we generate a hotter ‘want to see’ among audiences,” said Nick Carpou, head of Universal’s domestic distribution operation.

Universal hopes these limited release numbers translate into bigger returns when Steve Jobs debuts in wide release next weekend, aiming for a similar trajectory as The Social Network‘s $97 million overall domestic haul. Current analysts predict at least a $20 million opening wide release weekend for the new film, pointing to the ubiquity of Apple products, largely positive early reviews, and the audience’s hunt for “prestige movies” at this time of year as the main factors for its potential success.