Ecobee and Insteon Announce New HomeKit-Compatible Products [iOS Blog]

Following in the footsteps of iHome, Lutron and Elgato, Ecobee and Insteon, two of Apple’s other HomeKit partners, are also announcing new HomeKit-compatible products today. Ecobee is announcing a new smart thermostat, while Insteon is introducing the Insteon Hub for adding HomeKit compatibility to Insteon’s range of switches, outlets, thermostats, and lightbulbs.

Ecobee’s existing thermostat is already sold in Apple’s retail stores, and as of July, the company is launching a new version that’s compatible with HomeKit. The new WiFi-connected ecobee3 will be one of the first HomeKit-supported thermostat available to consumers, letting temperature be controlled through Siri commands on the iPhone and iPad.

“As the first HomeKit-enabled smart thermostat, we couldn’t be happier to bring this revolutionary technology to customers,” said Stuart Lombard, president and CEO of ecobee. “The new ecobee3 uses wireless remote sensors to deliver the right temperature to the rooms that matter most, and now customers can conveniently control their temperature using Siri on their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, or the ecobee app.”

The ecobee3 uses several remote sensors to measure temperature and occupancy in multiple rooms of the house to adjust cooling and heating when a person is home and when away. Like other HomeKit-compatible devices, the ecobee3 can be grouped with other connected-home devices to enable commands like “Siri, I’m going to bed” which will turn down the temperature and turn off the lights.

Insteon’s HomeKit-enabled Insteon Hub, first announced at CES, pairs with the new Insteon+ app and connects to Insteon’s range of smart home products, from LED bulbs and cameras to wall outlets, keypads, switches, sensors, and more. Insteon has a wide assortment of connected-home products that pair with its Hub, bringing HomeKit compatibility to a wide selection of accessories. Like the company’s existing hub, the new hub pairs with almost all of Insteon’s products and a few additional products, like the Nest thermostat.

The Insteon+ app is also able to interface with other HomeKit-enabled products, so the Insteon system can potentially be used to control an entire connected home. The app allows users to set up “rooms” and “zones,” schedule scenes, and adjust multiple devices at once.

“We’re excited to be shipping our HomeKit-enabled Insteon Hub and releasing the Insteon+ mobile app, enabling the mass consumer market to live in a world where all of their connected devices work together in perfect harmony,” said Joe Dada, CEO, Insteon. “HomeKit streamlines home automation for consumers, brings together multiple manufacturers and offers advanced features like remote control and voice control through integrations with Siri.”

The HomeKit-compatible ecobee3, which includes a thermostat and one sensor, will be available for purchase in Apple retail stores in July for $249. The Insteon Hub will be available for purchase through Amazon.com and Smarthome.com in early July for $149.99.

Apple Pay Gains 12 New Participating Issuers in United States [iOS Blog]

Apple updated its Apple Pay participating issuers list today with 12 additional banks, credit unions and financial institutions supporting the contactless payment service in the United States. Apple Pay now has over 300 participating issuers nationwide, and several hundred more plan to support the NFC-based mobile payment service in the future.

The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers is reflected below, although it’s worth noting that some banks, credit unions and financial institutions listed may have already had support for the contactless payments service and are only now being reflected on Apple’s website.

The full list of new Apple Pay participating issuers:

• Banner Bank
• BayPort Credit Union
• California Coast Credit Union
• Centier Bank
• Community First Credit Union (CFCU)
• Glenview State Bank
• HAPO Community Credit Union
• Prestige Community Credit Union
• Provident Credit Union
• Staley Credit Union
• Synovus Bank
• Wood & Huston Bank

Apple Pay remains available in the United States only, although Apple is committed to an international rollout of the mobile payments service in additional countries such as Canada, China and the United Kingdom. Canada, a well-prepared candidate for Apple Pay, could be the first country to embrace the service outside of the United States in iOS 9.

Apple Pay gained 24 new participating issuers in early May and another 35 participating issuers in late May.

Intel Announces Thunderbolt 3 With USB-C, Single-Cable Support for Dual 4K Displays at 60Hz

Intel today at Computex 2015 unveiled Thunderbolt 3 with a USB Type-C connector, instead of Mini DisplayPort, and support for USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.2, PCI Express 3.0, as outlined by Ars Technica. The new spec’s Thunderbolt transport layer provides up to 40Gbps throughput, double the max bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2, alongside an optional 100 watts of power for charging devices in accordance with the USB Power Delivery spec, or 15 watts of power without USB PD.

“Thunderbolt 3 is backed by Intel’s new Alpine Ridge controller. USB 3.1 support is provided by integrating a USB 3.1 host controller into Alpine Ridge. There will be two flavours of the controller, one that uses four PCIe 3.0 lanes to drive two Thunderbolt ports, and another version that only uses two PCIe lanes connected to a single Thunderbolt port.”

Thunderbolt 3 is capable of driving up to two 4K external displays at 60Hz or a single 5K display at 60Hz running off a single cable. Dell and other manufacturers currently use a dual-cable solution for most 4K and 5K external displays, since the current DisplayPort/Thunderbolt spec does not provide enough bandwidth to drive the high-resolution monitors. Thunderbolt 3 also supports more protocols than any other I/O controller, making it compatible with virtually any dock, device or display.

Intel expects initial products with Thunderbolt 3 to start shipping before the end of this year, and ramp up in 2016. Thunderbolt 3 is rumored to launch alongside Intel’s next-generation Skylake chips, succeeding the Broadwell line, later this year, and the new spec could theoretically be included in a Skylake-based MacBook Pro released in late 2015.

Apple Confirms WWDC 2015 Keynote Will Be Streamed Live From Moscone Center

Apple today updated the Apple TV to re-add the Events Channel, where the company plans to broadcast the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on Monday, June 8. “Tune in at 10:00 AM (Local Time) on June 8 to watch this event live,” reads the channel.

Apple has not yet updated its Events website, but it’s likely the company will provide a live stream of the keynote on the website for users who are using Macs and iOS devices. As always, MacRumors will also provide live coverage of the event both on MacRumors.com and through the MacRumorsLive Twitter account.

This year’s WWDC keynote event promises to be an exciting one, with Apple expected to debut a new streaming music service, a revamped version of iTunes Radio, an updated Apple TV set-top box, and iOS 9 and OS X 11. New features and updates to Apple Pay and HomeKit may also be announced, but as we learned earlier today, the company’s much-rumored subscription television service will not make an appearance.

Apple Expands ‘Shot on iPhone 6’ Gallery With New Video Section

Apple today updated its “Shot on iPhone 6” microsite to include a new video section, entitled “World Gallery in motion.” The new section more heavily emphasizes the video taking capabilities of the iPhone 6, with a tagline that reads “The camera that changed photos does the same for video.”

The Shot on iPhone 6 site previously featured a few videos captured with the iPhone 6, but the newly introduced video-specific gallery includes a total of six videos that are new. The short 15-second videos, also available on YouTube, cover subjects ranging from birds, dogs, and bugs to landscapes. All are set to accompanying music and end with the text “Shot on iPhone 6.”

Several of the videos, including the one featured above, show off video-specific iPhone 6 features like slo-mo and timelapse, while others simply depict scenes with impressive colors and clarity. Like Apple’s “Shot on iPhone 6″ photos, the videos were shot by iPhone 6 users rather than professional videographers. Photos on Apple’s site include information on what filters were added, but these videos do not include details on software used for editing or changes made to coloration.

Apple first introduced its “Shot on iPhone 6″ photo gallery and microsite in March, showing off a selection of photos taken by iPhone 6 users in a range of countries around the world. Apple’s effort showcased the work of more than 70 photographers in 24 countries, with the photographs being used in print media, transit posters, and billboards across the world.

Rumored Apple TV service isn’t ready for WWDC next week

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference will kick off next week, on July 8th, and the company might announce a new music streaming service, a thinner set-top box and OS updates. You know what we might not see at the event, though? That subscription TV service Cupertino’s reportedly cooking up. According to Recode, Apple did plan to unveil the new product at WWDC, but it had to postpone as the company’s apparently not done negotiating financial terms and finalizing licensing deals with broadcasters yet. Even CBS CEO Les Moonves, who said last week at the Code Conference that his company will “probably” sign a deal with Apple, admitted that they’re not finished talking about money. In addition, Apple’s still working on the technology needed for broadcasters to deliver local programs to its Web TV service.

Cupertino hasn’t revealed any details about this new product yet, but according to earlier reports, that local TV integration is a part of why it’s different from the likes of Sling TV, or even PlayStation Vue which has local TV but is only available in a few cities. Apple wants to bundle channels (around 25 or so) for streaming for $30 to $40 a month, according to the WSJ, and to launch the service this fall. However, industry executives say even the launch date might be moved to much later this year, or even to 2016.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple

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Source: Recode

Apple Won’t Debut Subscription Television Service at WWDC

Apple does not plan to announce its streaming television subscription service at the Worldwide Developers Conference next week, reports Re/code, citing sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans. Apple has informed television network executives that launch will be postponed because the company has not yet signed the necessary deals.

Apple wanted to launch a subscription TV service in early fall to coincide with the start of the new broadcast television season. But the debut got bogged down by negotiations over financial terms and new technology that would be required for broadcasters to deliver local programming to Apple’s Web TV service.

According to industry executives, the television service may not launch until late 2015 or early 2016, as “technology and money issues” continue to be sticking points that have prevented negotiations from being completed. Apple’s desire to provide consumers with local broadcast stations has also reportedly slowed down negotiations as securing all the necessary deals to show local programs and commercials takes a lot of time.

Rumors have suggested that Apple’s streaming television service will feature approximately 25 channels priced at $30 to $40 per month. It would be available over the Internet and would not require a cable subscription package.

While Apple does not plan to debut its streaming television service at the Worldwide Developers Conference next week, it is rumored to be introducing a new Apple TV set-top box with a full App Store that includes apps and games. It’s also expected to introduce a new streaming music service, a revamped version of iTunes Radio, and OS X 10.11 and iOS 9.

Apple’s North Carolina Data Center Suffers Chlorine Leak, Injures 5 People [Mac Blog]

Apple’s data center in Maiden, North Carolina has been affected by a chlorine link that has injured at least five people, reports The Charlotte Observer. The leak was reported at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time and hazmat crews are said to be on site.

Little else is known about the leak, including its cause, but it follows a fire last week at Apple’s former GT Advanced facility in Mesa, Arizona. The two-alarm fire was extinguished shortly after it began and it appeared to originate at the solar panels on the rooftop. No one was injured in that incident.

Apple’s Maiden, North Carolina data center is the company’s largest, at 183 acres. Its accompanying solar farm puts out more than 50 megawatts of power at peak efficiency, and Apple began expanding the data center in February of 2014.

MacRumors will update this post if any additional information on the chlorine leak becomes available.

Apple’s New Streaming Music Service and Revamped iTunes Radio to Debut Next Week

Apple’s much-rumored streaming music service is set to debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8 alongside a revamped iTunes Radio, The Wall Street Journal confirmed today. Apple’s Beats-based streaming music service will not include a free listening tier like Spotify, but it will include unlimited on-demand streaming for $10 per month.

Rather than offering its music catalog for free, Apple will supplement its upcoming streaming music service with free music available through iTunes Radio. As has been rumored, iTunes Radio will be gaining new channels created by and hosted by DJs. Apple has made several hires for iTunes Radio, most notably snatching DJ Zane Lowe from BBC Radio in February.

The radio push is said to be aimed primarily at users who are not located in the United States, and has been rumored earlier, Apple has plans to debut its streaming music service and iTunes Radio in multiple countries around the world. Apple is hoping that users outside the U.S. who do not have access to Pandora will use the radio service and later subscribe to Apple’s streaming music service.

According to The Wall Street Journal‘s sources, Apple is fully prepared to cannibalize its iTunes music downloads with its new streaming service and it plans to promote it heavily to iTunes customers. For example, a customer purchasing a $10 album may be encouraged by Apple to subscribe to the music service instead.

Apple has not yet closed deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, or Warner Music Group, but the negotiations are expected to be completed in the near future. Because deals are not complete, there’s a possibility that the new service will not debut at WWDC, but the WSJ‘s sources say this is “unlikely.”

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off next week, with a keynote event taking place on Monday, June 8. Along with its new streaming music service and updated iTunes Radio, Apple is also rumored to be debuting a new Apple TV set-top box, a streaming television service, and updates to HomeKit and Apple Pay. iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 will also be announced.