Apple, BMW Could Resume Talks Over Possible Apple Car Partnership ‘At a Later Stage’
Earlier this month, rumors suggested Apple had been in talks with BMW about potentially using the body of the electric BMW i3 as the basis for its Apple Car, but those talks did not progress into a deal. Reuters has now spoken with some inside sources at BMW, giving us more insight into what the two companies discussed and where their relationship might lead in the future.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and other senior executives visited the BMW factory in Leipzig, Germany in 2014 to look into how the i3 is manufactured. According to Reuters‘ source, Apple left the talks without reaching a deal with BMW because the company wants “to explore developing a passenger car on its own.”
During the visit, Apple executives asked BMW board members detailed questions about tooling and production and BMW executives signaled readiness to license parts, one of the sources said. News of the Leipzig visit first emerged in Germany’s Manager-Magazin last week.
“Apple executives were impressed with the fact that we abandoned traditional approaches to car making and started afresh. It chimed with the way they do things too,” a senior BMW source said.
Apple and BMW do not have plans to jointly develop a car at this time, but one of the sources believes that “exploratory talks” could potentially be revived in the future. Given Apple’s lack of experience with industrial manufacturing, a partnership with BMW or another car company would make sense, as it could help speed up development and eliminate many of the headaches associated with entering an entirely new industry.
Details on Apple’s rumored car project remain scarce, but the company has been hiring several automotive experts over the past few months. Apple is said to have hundreds of employees working on the secret car project and has picked up employees from companies like Tesla, Ford, and GM, along with robotics experts and researchers specializing in cutting-edge car technologies.
Rumors have suggested Apple plans to introduce its car by 2020, but Apple often works on projects that never make it to fruition, like the much-rumored Apple-branded television set. It’s possible that Apple’s car plans could be shelved or delayed in the future if the company is unhappy with its progress or finds entering the automobile market to be an unviable option.
Force Touch Panels Enter Mass Production Ahead of ‘iPhone 6s’ Launch
As the launch of the so-called “iPhone 6s” and “iPhone 6s Plus” inches closer, suppliers have begun shipping Force Touch panels for the next-generation smartphones, according to DigiTimes. The report claims that Apple’s supply chain partners started shipping Force Touch panels in limited quantities in June before ramping up production of the pressure-sensitive modules in July.
Taipei Times vaguely reported that Apple’s touch panel supplier TPK expects widespread adoption of pressure sensors, presumably for Force Touch, later this year. Force Touch, an existing Apple Watch and MacBook feature, is a pressure-sensitive technology that will enable future iPhones to distinguish between a light tap and deep press and complete different actions accordingly.
Taiwan-based website DigiTimes has a mixed track record at reporting on Apple’s upcoming product plans, but its sources within the upstream supply chain have proven reliable in the past. Apple has also announced new iPhones in September or October since the iPhone 4s, so suppliers ramping up Force Touch production is to be expected with less than two months to go.
The “iPhone 6s” and “iPhone 6s Plus” are rumored to feature the same 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes, an A9 processor with 2GB of RAM, Force Touch, a faster Qualcomm LTE chip, an improved 12-megapixel rear-facing camera and 7000 Series aluminum. The overall design of the smartphones will likely be nearly identical to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple Seeds Second OS X 10.10.5 Yosemite Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the second beta of OS X 10.10.5 to developers, two weeks after seeding the first 10.10.5 beta and one month after releasing OS X 10.10.4 to the public. Because we’re just a couple of months away from the public release of OS X 10.11 El Capitan, it’s possible that OS X 10.10.5 may be one of the last updates to Yosemite.
Today’s beta, build 14F19a, is available as an over-the-air update and can also be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center.
The first OS X 10.10.5 beta did not appear to include any consumer-facing changes, so it’s likely that this update focuses on behind-the-scenes bug fixes and performance enhancements.
Over the course of its lifespan, OS X Yosemite has received four updates. The first two brought bug fixes and security improvements, while OS X 10.10.3, the most significant update to Yosemite, introduced the new Photos app, Force Touch APIs, new emoji features, and more.
OS X 10.10.4, the current version of Yosemite, also focused on bug fixes and stability improvements, most notably introducing TRIM support for third-party SSDs and eliminating the Discoveryd process that caused ongoing connectivity issues in the OS.
Latest Apple TV rumor: new box in September, but no TV service yet
If you thought that the lack of a new Apple TV during the company’s last developer conference would put a halt to the rumors then… you must not have been paying attention for the last few years. Buzzfeed sources say a revamped set-top box will arrive in September with the previously rumored slimmed-down size, more powerful hardware inside, touchpad (and perhaps TouchID) equipped remote and most importantly, an actual App Store. The third gen Apple TV has gone several years without changes so a refresh is certainly in order, but the other half of the rumor says Apple’s long-rumored subscription TV setup will not launch with it. While the folks in Cupertino work out those last few deals and decide if they really want a Sling TV or Playstation Vue-style slim bundle of channels, you can decide if buying a soon-to-be-outdated model is worth keeping access to YouTube.
[Image credit: Jamie Mann / Alamy]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Source: Buzzfeed
Apple Plans to Debut New Apple TV in September With Touch-Based Remote, Full App Store
Apple is planning to introduce its long-awaited next-generation Apple TV in September, reports Buzzfeed‘s John Paczkowski. According to sources familiar with Apple’s plans, the new set-top box will be unveiled in September at the same event where Apple will unveil the next-generation iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
As has been previously rumored, it is said to include an A8 processor, a touch-pad based remote that’s “drastically improved” compared to the current version, a new operating system that supports a full App Store, developer APIs, and Siri voice control, and more on-board storage to accommodate apps. Physically, the Apple TV will take on a new, slimmer look.
Apple will not be introducing its rumored television service at the same time, with sources telling Buzzfeed that the Internet-based streaming service could possibly launch in late 2015, but 2016 is more likely. Current rumors suggest Apple’s television offering will bundle approximately 25 channels and cost between $30 to $40 per month.
Apple was widely expected to introduce both its new Apple TV and its upcoming streaming television service in June, at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, but the two products were not ready for launch at that time. Apple postponed its release of the set-top box because it was “not ready for prime time” and held off on the television service because deals were not completed.
Apple has not introduced a revamped version of its Apple TV since 2012, so an updated set-top box with App Store support and other features will be a major change from the platform that we know and use today.
NORML’s ‘My Canary’ app knows if you’re too stoned to drive
With cannabis legal in nearly half the US in some form or another, there are a lot more opportunities for people to drive while high. While a number of studies have suggested that driving stoned may not be as dangerous as driving drunk, you try explaining that to the officer who pulls you over. So after the last bong rip, but before you grab your car keys, give yourself a once-over with the My Canary app. It’s been designed by NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) as a quick and personal means of roughly estimating your impairment. The $5 iOS app runs the user through a series of mental and physical tests designed to measure coordination, reasoning, reaction time and balance. Pass the test and you’re probably ok for that Taco Bell run. Fail, and maybe you’re going to want to call an Uber for that Taco Bell run. Because even if that “breathalyzer for weed” is bullshit, getting a DUI isn’t.
[Image Credit: Aaron Black – Getty]
Filed under: Transportation, Science, Apple
Via: 7×7
Source: My Canary (iTunes)
Apple Expands Into San Francisco With New Office Building Lease
Apple has offices located around the Bay Area, in Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, and San Jose, but for the first time, the company is planning to expand into San Francisco. According to the San Francisco Business Times, Apple has leased 76,000 square feet of office space in the popular South of Market neighborhood (SoMa) in San Francisco.
Many startups and major tech companies are located in San Francisco, in the very neighborhood Apple is moving into. It is not clear what Apple plans to do with the office space, but Beats Music leases office space in San Francisco, so it’s possible Apple will house its Apple Music employees in the city.
Though Apple’s offices have long been located in the South Bay, many employees live in the city and face a daily hour-long commute by car or Apple bus, so San Francisco office space for at least some of the commuters will likely be welcome news. The ability to work in San Francisco could also help Apple recruit key employees that are reluctant to work outside of the city.
In the building Apple plans to sublease through 2022, employees will share office space with CBS Interactive, the main tenant. The 76,000 square foot space could accommodate an estimated 400 to 500 employees. It’s not known what Apple is paying to rent the space, but SoMa is one of San Francisco’s most expensive areas due to its popularity with tech companies. On average, rent in SoMa costs $66 per square foot, so Apple is likely paying millions of dollars per year to occupy the space.
News of Apple’s San Francisco lease comes shortly after news that the company leased 300,000 square feet of space in North San Jose. Apple also recently expanded into Seattle, leasing office space in a popular downtown area.
Apple Seeds Second iOS 8.4.1 Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the second beta of iOS 8.4.1 to registered developers for testing purposes, just over two weeks after releasing the first iOS 8.4.1 beta and a month after launching iOS 8.4 with the new Apple Music service.
Today’s beta, build 12H318, is available via an over the air update and it can also be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center.
No outward facing changes were discovered in the first iOS 8.4.1 beta, and it’s a .1 update, so it’s likely that it includes only minor bug fixes, security enhancements, and performance improvements designed to prepare the update for its upcoming retirement.
iOS 8.4.1 may be one of the last updates to iOS 8 as Apple is working on its successor, iOS 9. iOS 9 builds on many of the features introduced with iOS 8 and adds new content and underlying performance improvements. iOS 9 is currently in beta testing and will be released in the fall.
Udemy Launches Developer Course for iOS 9, Offers Discount to MacRumors Readers
Online learning site Udemy, which offers classes on a wide range of subjects including programming, photography, Photoshop, writing, and more, is today debuting a new iOS 9 Developer Course that aims to teach students how to use Xcode 7 and Swift 2 to make iOS apps.
Designed to be a comprehensive tutorial on app development for iOS 9 for complete beginners, the course includes a total of 28 hours of video lectures that cover topics like the Swift language, Xcode, SpriteKit, Inputs, Buttons, Reactive Interfaces, Navigation, Storage, Live Content, Images, Accelerometers, Motion Feedback, iAds, In-App purchases, and tons more.
Udemy promises that by the end of the course, students will be able to build “clones” of popular apps like Uber, Tinder, Flappy Bird, and Instagram. The program also includes unlimited web hosting for 1 year, an eBook on earning money while learning to code, and over 1,000 graphic assets to use within apps.
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Udemy’s iOS 9 course is the followup to the iOS 8 course, which saw more than 100,000 students enroll and received a 4.8/5 rating from attendees. The course continues to be taught by Rob Percival, who taught the iOS 8 course.
Udemy’s Complete iOS 9 Developer Course is priced at $199, but Udemy has agreed to give interested MacRumors readers a significant discount, cutting the price by 87 percent. When checking out, MacRumors readers can enter the code MACRUMORS to get access to the course for $24. The deal will last until the end of the day on August 4.
More ‘iPhone 6s’ Part Photos Surface as Production Ramps Up
With less than two months before Apple is expected to launch the so-called “iPhone 6s” and “iPhone 6s Plus,” new photos of leaked components for the next-generation smartphones continue to surface from within the supply chain. The images support rumors that claim the next iPhones will have minimal design changes compared to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
The main part shared by French website Nowhereelse.fr is a purported iPhone 6s single flex cable that houses the volume rocker, mute switch, power button and LED flash. The blog also shared photos of the device’s Lightning connector and headphone jack assembly, rear-facing camera rings and home button enclosure, which appears to be anodized in a gold or champagne color.
Apple has returned to using a single flex cable for the iPhone 6s after splitting the flex cables for the iPhone 6, but otherwise that part and the Lightning connector assembly remain largely unchanged, which is unsurprising given Apple’s “tick-tock” refresh cycle for iPhones. Apple typically makes major changes in a “tick” year (iPhone 6) while focusing on smaller improvements and refinements in a “tock” year (“iPhone 6s”).
The leaked camera rings suggest that the “iPhone 6s” and “iPhone 6s Plus” could also have a protruding rear-facing camera lens, a design choice that Apple received some complaints over for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Particularly, some users expressed frustration at being unable to lay their smartphone flat on a table because the camera lens sticks out about one millimeter.
“iPhone 6″ and “iPhone 6s Plus” production is believed to be underway, with leaked images of the front panel, rear shell and logic board surfacing earlier this month. The smartphones are rumored to feature an A9 chip with 2GB of RAM, Force Touch, a faster Qualcomm LTE modem, an improved 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, 7000 Series aluminum and more.
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