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WSJ: Apple will discount iPhone XR in Japan
Apple is readying discounts for the iPhone XR in Japan by way of subsidies for local carriers, according to The Wall Street Journal. The markdown for the cheapest of its new batch of iPhones could come into play as soon as next week. Though price cuts from Apple aren't unprecedented (it's lowered the price of devices on occasion in specific regions) they are rare. So don't go expecting the change to be reflected on this side of the world.
Apple fans: Tell us what you think of the Apple Watch Series 4
Apple's fourth and most recent smartwatch has been out for a few months, and in our review we deemed the device "bigger and better in every way that counts" and a "fleshed-out, worthy device in its own right." It earned a solid score of 87 thanks to its improved screen, new heart monitoring features and fun Walkie-Talkie conversations. In the course of testing the watch, we found the larger screen to be more immersive, resulting in fewer erroneous taps. The speaker is also louder (useful for Siri commands) and watchOS 5 performs snappily. Now we want to hear from you, the people who bought the thing. Does the edge-to-edge screen and more powerful processor make the Series 4 worth the upgrade? Have the advanced heart monitoring features been at all useful? Share your experiences over on our Apple Watch Series 4 buyer's guide page and let your fellow readers know how well the watch stacks up. Comments have been turned off for this post; please go to our Apple Watch Series 4 page to weigh in!
Apple reportedly considered creating a Chromecast-style TV dongle
With a streaming service on the way, Apple has reportedly started looking for new ways to get its content in front of as many eyes as possible, including releasing a streaming dongle, according to The Information. The device would be in the style of Google's Chromecast or Amazon's Fire TV Stick and would bring the price down considerably from the cost of the $180 Apple TV set-top box.
Verizon will reportedly roll out iPhone dual SIM support in December
With iOS 12.1, Apple brought dual SIM support to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, allowing users of these newest models to utilize both a physical SIM and an eSIM. But due to a software issue that caused dual SIM activation to degrade its service, Verizon opted not to activate eSIMs when the update rolled out. However, according to an internal memo 9to5Mac got its hands on, Verizon will start supporting dual SIM activation come early December.
Google takes a Shortcut to link Assistant and Siri
As voice assistants go, Siri isn't up to scratch. Apple knows it, you know it, and so too does Google. That's why it wants to get iOS folk using its Assistant instead. There's just one issue: Siri is throughly baked in to Apple's platform, relegating other digital helpers to the wayside. To get past that, Google is turning to Siri Shortcuts. With the latest update for Google Assistant for iOS, you can now program Siri to open Assistant.
Apple buys privacy-minded AI startup Silk Labs
Apple has been on a AI-centric hiring spree this year, having lured over Google's former AI chief to head a new team combining its core machine learning and Siri groups as well as numerous software engineers. Somewhere along the way it also quietly acquired privacy-centric AI startup Silk Labs, per The Information.
The best ultraportable laptops of 2018
When Steve Jobs first pulled the original MacBook Air out of a manilla envelope in 2008, the tech world dropped its collective jaw. A laptop that could fit in such a small package? Groundbreaking. With a three-pound weight and tapered silhouette that narrowed to just 0.16 inches at its thinnest point, the Air mesmerized reviewers. At $1,799, it was insanely expensive and its battery life was poor, but it was still lauded as a game changer.
Tim Cook defends Apple's search deals with Google
Apple's Tim Cook is always on hand to explain why his company is better at privacy than its rivals (read Google and Facebook), which have been mired in data scandals of late. When Cook said personal information is being "weaponized against us with military efficiency," while calling on GDPR-style rules in the US, it was clear who his targets were. Reality, however, is a lot more complicated than that. Though Apple doesn't have a targeted advertising business, it still stocks Facebook's apps in its App Store and receives billions from Google to make it the default search engine on its platforms.
Apple and Microsoft are fixing a serious iCloud bug in Windows 10
The return of Windows 10's October update wasn't welcome news for everyone. Microsoft says it's "working with Apple" to solve an iCloud for Windows bug that creates problems updating or syncing shared photo albums when using the latest Windows release. Suffice it to say that's a serious problem if you're interested in seamless access to your photos across your devices.
Death by push notification
Attention is the main prize of the internet. Everyone is fighting for it, and the phone is the prime battleground. The most potent of weapons in this war is the incessant, whining notification trying to pull your attention away from whatever you are actually doing and into some other app. The notification may also be a major source of modern technological madness, due to the harmful cognitive consequences of having one's focus continually shattered and reset. A recent study found that a majority of users who made a deliberate choice to turn their notifications down as part of an enforced break were not likely to turn them back on. This got me wondering: What would happen if I cranked them in the opposite direction? What might I learn about how phones are reshaping minds? What might I learn about my own mind?
The best smartwatches and fitness trackers to give as gifts
With the arrival of Apple Watch Series 4 and Google's redesigned Wear OS platform, this is a great year to give the gift of smartwatches. If money is no object, Apple's latest-generation wearable ($399 and up) is a good all-around choice for anyone in your life who carries an iPhone. It has a bigger screen than its predecessors, longer battery life and expanded heart-rate monitoring features that let the wearer know if their BPM is too high or too low. You might also consider Samsung's similarly priced Galaxy Watch instead of the Series 4 if you're buying for an Android user (especially consummate Samsung fans).
Qualcomm reportedly hired crisis PR firm behind Facebook controversy
The New York Times' expose that revealed the relationship between Facebook and Definers mentioned that the controversial PR firm has another big-name client from the tech industry. That client reportedly hired the company to launch a campaign against Apple and to spread negative news about the tech giant in the same way it spread damaging stories about Facebook's critics. And, no, it wasn't talking about Facebook itself. While the piece didn't reveal the third company's identity, a couple of reports by Business Insider and NBC News suggest that the firm is none other than Qualcomm.
Apple Mac Mini review (2018): A video editor’s perspective
The Mac Mini has had a rough few years. Its last update, in 2014, was disappointing. After offering quad-core CPUs on the 2011 and 2012 editions, the 2014 model was stuck with a dual-core CPU. This meant it was actually slower at some tasks than the computer it was supposed to replace. Add in the fact that aside from storage it was not upgradable, and you had a computer that left a lot of users unhappy. Amazingly, until last month the 2014 Mini was still available on Apple's web store for $500. The lack of updates over the past four years left a lot of us wondering if we'd ever see a new model. Fortunately, Apple has rectified the situation with the 2018 Mini. This new model retains the unibody design that we loved on the 2014 edition but sports a sleek space-gray color -- a first for the Mini line. (It's also now made entirely from recycled aluminum, as is the new MacBook Air.) With vastly improved components, the Mini is now a viable competitor in the compact-desktop market. And it does have competition. In the past four years, micro PCs have vastly improved, and most of the major manufacturers now offer a tiny Windows machine. Still, I was impressed with the Mini's performance, and it's the cheapest way to get a macOS machine. Despite this, the 2018 Mini has a few flaws that will probably keep it from being the best choice for most people.
Once again, Facebook has a lot of explaining to do
Just when you thought things couldn't get worse for Facebook, The New York Times has come out with a bombshell exposé of the company's tumultuous last two years. That, of course, includes its handling (er, mishandling) of the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal and other controversies, like the lack of transparency around Russian interference on its site leading up to the 2016 US presidential election. The paper says it spoke with more than 50 people, including current and former Facebook employees, who detailed the company's efforts to contain, deny and deflect negative stories that came its way.
iPhone X bug lets hackers snag deleted photos
Whether it's because they're unflattering, inappropriate or just plain terrible, we've all deleted photos for one reason or another. But the drunken 3AM selfies that you thought you scrubbed from your phone might not be totally gone, and two researchers have found a vulnerability in iPhone X that could let hackers access supposedly-deleted photos and files.
Apple adds faster AMD Vega graphics options for 15-inch MacBook Pro
Apple has acted on its promise to give the 2018 MacBook Pro a much-appreciated graphics performance boost. You can now configure the higher-end 15-inch laptop with Radeon Pro Vega 16 or 20 GPUs that, if you ask Apple, deliver up to 60 percent faster processing power for tasks like 3D modeling and GPU-accelerated video edits. Both options come with 4GB of memory, so your choice boils down to the level of computational power you want.
L'Oreal's wearable sensor tracks UV, pollen and pollution
L'Oreal isn't a brand you'd usually associate with medical technology, but over the past few years it's been making major inroads in skin protection innovation. There was My UV Patch, designed to inform wearers how their skin was being affected by the sun, and then UV Sense, a thumbnail-sized smart device that helped monitor sun exposure. Now, it's launching a battery-free wearable electronic that tracks your exposure to UV, pollution, pollen and humidity.
Volkswagen owners can use Siri Shortcuts to unlock their car
If you're a Volkswagen driver, you now have another way to lock and unlock your car, start and stop electric charging and check your remaining estimated mileage. That's because VW has added Siri integration to its Car-Net app.
Apple says T2 chip can limit third-party repairs for recent Macs
Yes, the reports were true -- Apple's T2 chip can potentially restrict third-party Mac repairs. The company confirmed to The Verge that the co-processor can limit third-party repairs for certain components on recent systems, likely including the iMac Pro and MacBook Air. Apple didn't provide a full list of affected parts or say which machines were covered, but the T2 could regulate repairs for the logic board (aka motherboard) and Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
ICYMI: Catch up on a busy week of Engadget reviews
It has been a busy few weeks when it comes to product announcements, and that means we at Engadget have been reviewing a number of new devices. This week alone we shared our thoughts on laptops from Lenovo, Microsoft, Apple and ASUS, breaking down what each does well and what we think needs some work. We also took a look at the new iPad Pro -- which might as well be a laptop, given its price and the way Apple is positioning it -- and, for a change of pace, BMW's "hybrid supercar," the i8 Roadster.
