Saturday, August 31, 2019

Asus Chromebook C425 debuts at $500


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Just released and already on sale. $75 off the all new ASUS Chromebook C425


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Apple Classifies Early 2013 21.5-inch iMac as Obsolete

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Apple has added the Early 2013 21.5-inch iMac to its vintage and obsolete products list. The model of iMac is now classified by the company as vintage in the United States and Turkey, and obsolete in the rest of the world.


Apple defines vintage products as those that have not been manufactured for more than five but less than seven years. Macs and other products on the vintage and obsolete list are generally no longer eligible for hardware service at a Genius Bar or Apple Authorized Service Providers.

That being said, also-obsolete Late 2012 model iMacs are currently eligible for Apple's pilot program that allows for repairs to continue into the vintage period, subject to parts availability. It's not clear if the Early 2013 model 21.5-inch iMac will also come under the pilot program, but Apple has expanded it to include additional Macs and other Apple devices in the past.

The Early 2013 21.5-inch iMac was originally only available to educational institutions, taking advantage of a cheaper dual-core Intel Core i3 processor and integrated graphics to offer pricing of $1099, which was $200 less than the entry-level pricing for the consumer 2.15-inch iMac models Apple was selling at the time. The education-only iMac, which carries a model number of ME699LL/A, also included just 4GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.


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Top Stories: iPhone Event on September 10, iOS 13.1 Beta, Exclusive Details on Apple's Tile Competitor

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It's finally official: Apple's iPhone media event will be held on September 10 at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park!

That was the biggest news of the week, but there was much more including a surprise release of the first iOS 13.1 beta even as iOS 13.0 has yet to be released, exclusive details on Apple's Tile competitor for tagging and locating physical items from your iPhone, privacy-related changes to Apple's quality control program for Siri, and more, so check out all of this week's most important stories below.

Save the Date: Apple's Next Event is September 10th


Apple on Thursday invited the media to a special event on Tuesday, September 10 at Steve Jobs Theater on its Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. At the keynote, scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific Time, the company is widely expected to introduce new iPhone and Apple Watch models.


We may also hear more details and pricing for Apple's two new services launching in the fall, Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade. There are also rumors about a 16-inch MacBook Pro, an iPad Pro refresh, and a 10.2-inch iPad, but these products could be held for an October event.

MacRumors will have live coverage of the keynote as it unfolds on our website and @MacRumorsLive on Twitter.

Apple Releases First Beta of iOS 13.1


Surprise! Apple this week seeded the first beta of iOS 13.1 to developers and public beta testers before iOS 13 has even been officially released.


This has allowed Apple to push back some iOS 13 features until iOS 13.1, like ETA sharing in Apple Maps, a new Audio Sharing feature, and Shortcuts automations. iOS 13 will still be released first in mid September, while iOS 13.1 should be available to all users by October.

Apple has also released iOS 12.4.1 with a jailbreak fix and seeded the latest betas of macOS Catalina, watchOS 6, and tvOS 13. And if you're still running macOS Mojave, there is a new Supplemental Update this week.

Exclusive: Apple's Tile Competitor Will Include 'Items' Tab in iOS 13's Find My App and Much More


Apple has been rumored to be planning to compete with Tile and announce a small Bluetooth beacon device. This beacon could be attached to personal items such as keys, purses, or wallets so that the owner could find them even when out of range of the items.


MacRumors has discovered an ARKit "star" image in the Find My app bundle that hints at the possibility of Apple's beacon incorporating augmented reality to find lost devices or items, similar to the Pixie Tracker. Apple may also allow these beacon devices to be "leashed" to an iOS or watchOS device so that the user would be notified when a beacon device is out of range of an iOS or watchOS device.

Taking things further, MacRumors was able to learn more about the beacon and how it will integrate with the new Find My app, discovering a number of images and other tidbits of information within an internal build of iOS 13.

Apple Apologizes Over Siri Privacy Concerns, Will Resume Grading Program in Fall With Several Changes


Apple has apologized over privacy concerns that arose after it was reported that contractors hired by the company frequently heard confidential information while listening to anonymized Siri audio recordings for quality evaluation purposes — aka grading.


After swiftly suspending its grading program and conducting a review of its policies, Apple says it will resume the evaluation process in the fall on an opt-in basis only and with improved privacy measures, including no longer retaining audio recordings.

Apple employees will still review anonymized, computer-generated transcripts of Siri interactions regardless of a customer's opt-in status, with the only way to avoid this being to disable Siri entirely.

Apple to Allow Independent Repair Shops to Service Out-of-Warranty iPhones With Genuine Parts


Apple is launching a new program that will provide independent repair businesses with the same Apple genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals, and diagnostics as Apple Authorized Service Providers, starting in the United States.


The program will allow independent repair shops to offer out-of-warranty service for iPhones, such as display and battery replacements, but there is no mention of in-warranty repairs or any other devices at this time. Apple has set up a new page on its website where repair businesses can learn more and apply.

macOS Catalina Tips and Tricks Worth Knowing


macOS Catalina should be released by the end of September, and ahead of time, we have highlighted some lesser-known features, tips, and tricks for the update over on our YouTube channel.


As a refresher, be sure to watch our macOS Catalina hands-on video from June, which provides a detailed overview of major new features.

Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube for new Apple videos every week!

Apple Shelves 'Walkie-Talkie' Feature for iPhone-to-iPhone Messaging Without Wi-Fi or Cellular


A recent report claimed that Apple has shelved plans for a "walkie-talkie" feature that would have allowed iPhone users to communicate with each other in areas without cellular coverage, such as while hiking.


The feature would have allowed messaging without Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, instead relying on the 900 MHz radio spectrum. The technology apparently relied on Intel modems, though, and Apple is widely expected to switch back to Qualcomm modems in iPhones starting in 2020.

MacRumors Newsletter


Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!



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Friday, August 30, 2019

Apple Launches Screen Replacement Program for Aluminum Series 2 and Series 3 Apple Watch Models

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Apple today announced the launch of a new screen replacement program for Series 2 and Series 3 Apple Watch models, due to cracking issues.

Apple says that "under very rare circumstances" a crack can form along the rounded edge of the screen in aluminum Series 2 and Series 3 Apple Watch models, starting on one side of the screen and then continuing around it.


Customers with an eligible Apple Watch model can have their Apple Watch screen replaced free of charge from Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider if it is exhibiting this kind of crack. Affected customers can contact Apple support for a mail-in repair, visit an AASP, or visit an Apple retail store.

All Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3 models in aluminum are included in the repair program, with a list available in Apple's support document.

Apple says that the new program covers eligible aluminum Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3 models for three years after the first retail sale of the unit or one year from the start date of the program, whichever is longer.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5, watchOS 6
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

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15% Tariff Hitting AirPods, Apple Watch, HomePod and More This Sunday

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Starting this Sunday, Apple's AirPods, Apple Watch, headphones, some iMacs, HomePod, and other products will be impacted by a 15 percent tariff as part of an ongoing trade dispute with China, reports Bloomberg.

The tariffs were entered into the Federal Register today and will go into effect on 12:01 a.m. local time on Sunday in Washington, D.C. for products entering the U.S. or being pulled from warehouses for use in the United States.


Apple devices set to be impacted include the Apple Watch and Apple Watch bands, AirPods, HomePod, some Beats headphones, and some iMacs. Bloomberg says that repair parts for iPhones could also be affected, as could the NAND flash storage used in iPhones.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said earlier in August that he believes Apple will absorb most of the U.S. tariff costs on its devices "in the mid-short term" rather than raising prices for consumers. Apple has been expanding its production facilities in countries like India and Vietnam, which, in the long term, will diversify manufacturing beyond China and alleviate tariff concerns.

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently met with U.S. president Donald Trump at Trump's Bedminster golf club, where Cook reportedly made a "good case" that tariffs would put Apple at a disadvantage with rivals like Samsung. "I thought he made a very compelling argument, so I'm thinking about it," Trump told reporters.

Apple in June also sent a letter to the Trump Administration urging against the tariffs because it would reduce Apple's contributions to the United States economy and weigh on its global competitiveness. Trump could still elect to delay the tariffs or exempt Apple products ahead of when they are set to go into effect, but recent tweets suggest that may be unlikely to happen.

Apple accessories like power adapters, cables, and cases are already subjected to an import tax at the current time, separate from the tariff set to hit new Apple products on Sunday.

This tariff won't immediately affect the iPhone, one of Apple's most popular devices that's responsible for a large portion of its revenue, until December 15 as tariffs on electronics like smartphones and laptop computers have been delayed so as to not impact the holiday shopping season.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.


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Core M3 ASUS Chromebook C425 shows up out of nowhere


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Google discounts the Pixel Slate by $250 and includes your choice of keyboard


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ASUS Chromebox 3: Cheap and easy RAM upgrade [VIDEO]


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Exclusive: Apple's Tile Competitor Will Include 'Items' Tab in iOS 13's Find My App and Much More

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Apple is developing a Tile-like accessory that will help users keep track of their personal belongings, such as their keys, wallets, and backpacks, according to an internal build of iOS 13 seen by MacRumors.

The internal build contains an image of the accessory that suggests it will be a small, circular tag with an Apple logo in the center, similar to many other Bluetooth trackers. The image could be a mockup or placeholder, however, so the final design of the tag may vary at least slightly.


This image looks similar to one shared by 9to5Mac's Guilherme Rambo, who was first to reveal Apple's plans for this product in April.

MacRumors can confirm the tags are codenamed "B389" within Apple, and there are many strings that are a dead giveaway as to what this product's purpose will be, such as "tag your everyday items with B389 and never lose them again."

The tags will be closely integrated with the new Find My app in iOS 13, which merged Apple's previous Find My iPhone and Find My Friends apps into one. While not available in public betas of iOS 13, the internal build contains a new "Items" tab in the Find My app for tracking the location of personal belongings.


Users will receive a notification when they are separated from a tagged item, according to strings in the internal Find My app bundle. If necessary, users can then tap a button in the Find My app that will cause Apple's tag to start emitting an audible chime to help locate the lost item.

"Safe Locations" can be set where the user will not be notified if this item is left in those locations, and users will also be able to share the location of items with friends and family members, based on iOS 13 strings.

If users are unable to find an item, they can place the attached tag into a "Lost Mode." Then, if another iPhone user comes across the lost item, they will be able to view contact info for the item's owner and contact them by phone or text message. Perhaps the stranger will be alerted with a Find My notification on their iPhone when they have found a lost item. The item's owner will also be notified.

After digging further into the code, we remain confident that augmented reality will play a role in Apple's item tracking feature.

Like the Pixie Tracker, the Find My app will likely incorporate functionality from Apple's ARKit platform. The internal build of iOS 13 includes an asset for a 3D red balloon that could help a user pinpoint a lost item after scanning a room with their iPhone. There's also an image of a 2D orange balloon.

"Walk around several feet and move your iPhone up and down until a balloon comes into view," a string in the internal Find My app bundle reads.


There are also strings that suggest Apple's tags will be equipped with a removable battery, which would likely be a button cell, aka the small, circular batteries found in many watches and the latest Tile trackers. A low battery warning appears to prompt the tag to send a final location of the item it is attached to.

"Unscrew the back of the item and remove the battery," another string in the internal Find My app bundle reads.

While we were not able to proceed any further with the "Items" tab, it should be similar to the "Devices" tab in the Find My app, with a map at the top and a list of items at the bottom. It is possible the "Me" tab will be relocated to an avatar hovering over the map, although there could simply end up being four tabs.

Here's the image that should appear in the "Items" tab prior to any items being added, in line with the "People" and "Devices" tabs when empty:


This internal build of iOS 13 is from June, so we cannot guarantee that the "Items" tab or all of the details presented above will be exactly as described. The icon for the "People" tab has already been tweaked slightly in subsequent iOS 13 betas, for example, so there will be at least some minor changes.

Apple is hosting a September 10 event at Steve Jobs Theater, where it is widely expected to unveil new iPhone and Apple Watch models, but it is unclear if its item tracker tags will be unveiled at that time or later.

Tag: Find My

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MacRumors Giveaway: Win a Type-C Dual Multimedia Adapter From Satechi

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For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Satechi to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win Type-C Dual Multimedia Adapter for Apple's USB-C Macs from Satechi.

Satechi makes a whole range of different USB-C adapters, hubs, and docks to add ports to Apple's Macs, but the Multimedia Adapter is one of the more powerful, specialized options.


Priced at $109.99, the Dual Multimedia Adapter is designed to plug into two USB-C ports on a MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or Mac mini. It needs two USB-C ports because it offers two 4K HDMI ports, so you can connect two 4K displays.


There's one 4K 60Hz HDMI port and one 4K 30Hz HDMI port for dual display setups, but a direct HDMI to HDMI connection is required, so be aware that it won't work with VGA, Thunderbolt, or DVI displays.


Along with two 4K HDMI ports, the Multimedia Adapter features a USB-C port for charging purposes (up to 60W), a Gigabit Ethernet port, microSD and SD card slots, and two USB-A ports for USB-A accessories.


The Multimedia Adapter is made from brushed aluminum and comes in either silver or space gray to match Apple's devices. It measures in at 5 inches long and 2 inches wide, which means it's portable enough to take with you on the go if needed, but it's also perfect for desk use.

Satechi says that the Multimedia Adapter works with the 2018 and later MacBook Pro, the 2018 MacBook Air, and the 2018 Mac mini.


We have five of the Multimedia Adapters from Satechi to give away. To enter to win, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

Satechi Multimedia Adapter

The contest will run from today (August 30) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 6. The winners will be chosen randomly on September 6 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.


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ASUS launches Chrome OS keyboard and mouse bundle for the UK


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The Chrome Cast 25: The new Chromebook wave has begun


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iPhone 11 Lineup Tipped to Have Familiar Rollout: September 13 Pre-Orders, September 20 Launch

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Apple yesterday invited the media to a special event on Tuesday, September 10 at the Steve Jobs Theater, where it is widely expected to unveil three new iPhones alongside an Apple Watch refresh and other announcements.


A tipster who claims to work at a major carrier has since provided MacRumors with internal communication that suggests the rumored iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro models will be available to pre-order Friday, September 13 ahead of deliveries to customers and in-store availability starting Friday, September 20.

MacRumors has received similar tips echoing these dates in recent weeks, so there is a good chance they are accurate.

iPhone pre-orders have begun two to three days after Apple's event for years now, followed by availability a week later, so these dates are hardly a surprise but good to know nevertheless. Unlike the iPhone X in November 2017 and the iPhone XR in October 2018, however, all three 2019 iPhones are expected to launch simultaneously.

The tipster requested anonymity and asked us not to share the screenshots of the internal communication.

Related Roundup: 2019 iPhones

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Google Outlines iPhone Vulnerabilities That Let Malicious Websites Steal User Data for Years, Now Fixed

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Google's Project Zero published a blog post this week about a previous security threat wherein malicious websites quietly hacked into the victim's iPhone. This small collection of hacked websites were used in what was described as "indiscriminate" attacks against unsuspecting visitors for years, but the threat has been addressed by Apple.


If the attacks were successful, a monitoring implant would be installed on the targeted iPhone, able to steal private data including messages, photos, and GPS location in real time. Google estimated that thousands of visitors headed to these websites per week over the course of two years, and that iOS versions ranging from iOS 10 to iOS 12 were exploited.
There was no target discrimination; simply visiting the hacked site was enough for the exploit server to attack your device, and if it was successful, install a monitoring implant. We estimate that these sites receive thousands of visitors per week.

TAG was able to collect five separate, complete and unique iPhone exploit chains, covering almost every version from iOS 10 through to the latest version of iOS 12. This indicated a group making a sustained effort to hack the users of iPhones in certain communities over a period of at least two years.
Project Zero discovered exploits for a total of 14 vulnerabilities in iOS, seven for Safari, five for the kernel, and two separate sandbox escapes. The team reported these findings to Apple in February, and Apple's release of iOS 12.1.4 that same month addressed the issues.

Google's deep dive into the iOS exploit can be read on the company's Project Zero blog.


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