Thursday, January 31, 2019

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iPad Pro (2018) Bending Issue

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Shortly after the 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models were released, some MacRumors readers began complaining of noticeable bends in their tablets, with some of the bends appearing to be worse than others.

The issue received little attention until The Verge published an article on the iPad Pro with word from an Apple spokesperson suggesting that the bending was a side effect of the manufacturing process and not, in fact, a defect.

Image of slightly bent iPad Pro via the MacRumors forums

Apple device bending raises major red flags with customers after the "Bendgate" issue that affected the iPhone 6 Plus, with those devices bending due to structural problems that were later solved, so iPad Pro owners were rightly confused and outraged over Apple's response.

At the time, Apple's response suggested that customers would not be able to get replacements for some of the seriously bent iPads that had popped up in photos.

Apple's VP of hardware engineering Dan Riccio sent out emails to a few concerned iPad Pro owners, and a MacRumors reader shared one of them. Riccio said that the iPad Pro meets or exceeds Apple's quality and precision standards and that its level of flatness would not shift during the lifetime of the product. He also said that the small variations would not affect the function of the device.

An bend in an iPad Pro taken right out of the box, via the MacRumors forums

Riccio's email did not mollify customers, and Apple was silent on the issue for several more weeks until publishing a support document that offered further explanation.

Apple says that while the iPad Pro is manufactured to allow for only 400 microns of variation along a single edge of the device, the flat design can make subtle shifts in straightness more apparent.

400 microns is less than the thickness of four sheets of paper, and some of the bends that we've seen have been more severe than this. Customers with iPads that are more bent than Apple describes should contact Apple for help.

iPad Pro bend coverage



Which models are affected?


Bending issues appear to affect 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, both Wi-Fi only and LTE. Apple has suggested the bending may be more common and more noticeable in the cellular models.

Not all 2018 iPad Pro models have noticeable bends.

How do I know if my iPad has a bend problem??


Bending can be detected by placing an iPad Pro on a flat surface or by holding it up and looking at the side of it. Most of the bends that we've seen have been easily detectable using one of these two methods.

The bending that has been described by Apple will be visible right when the iPad Pro comes out of the box because it's due to a manufacturing issue.

If your iPad Pro has a severe bend or a bend that appears after a few weeks or months, it is not likely impacted by the bending issue in this guide and may have suffered from damage.

A bent 2018 iPad Pro, via the MacRumors forums. This bend is more severe than Apple describes and may not be caused by the same issue

What does Apple have to say about the issue??


Apple commented on the iPad Pro bending issue through a support document and has confirmed that it can be normal to see slight bends in the new iPad Pro models due to their straighter, flatter edges.

Bends can be more visible on the cellular iPad Pro models, which feature small vertical bands or splits in the side of the iPad inserted via a high-temperature process where plastic is injected into precisely milled channels to serve as a cellular antenna.

Apple's manufacturing techniques and rigorous inspection process allow for no more than 400 microns of deviation across the length of any side, which is less than the thickness of four sheets of paper. Apple says this is actually a tighter specification than previous-generation iPads, and that the flatness variation is imperceptible during normal use.

We've seen iPads that appear to have more severe bends. Apple says that if an iPad Pro does not meet the specifications listed in the support document, that Apple's support staff should be contacted.

Is the bend going to get worse??


Apple says that the small deviations in the flatness of the iPad Pro are due to the manufacturing process and the bends will not get worse over time or affect the strength of the enclosure.

All tablets are going to bend if you try hard enough, though, so the iPad Pro still needs to be treated carefully, especially as it's Apple's thinnest iPad ever at 6.1mm.

If you have an iPad Pro model that has a slight bend, it's not going to get worse during the course of normal usage, according to Apple.

What do I do if my iPad Pro is bent?


If the bend in your iPad Pro appears to be so slight that it's less than four sheets of paper worth of deviation, Apple does not consider it a manufacturing defect and probably wont offer you a replacement.

If the bend is more noticeable than that and does not meet Apple's specifications, you can contact Apple support for help or bring it into an Apple retail store.

All iPad Pro models feature a one-year included warranty, and for more severe defects, a replacement is a possibility. The standard one-year warranty can be extended with AppleCare+, which needs to be purchased alongside the iPad Pro or within 60 days of when you bought your iPad Pro.

AppleCare+ is priced at $129 and offers extended coverage along with accidental damage coverage (deductible required).

All iPad Pro purchases can be returned for a full refund within 14 days, so if you purchase a new iPad Pro, it's a good idea to inspect it and then return it to Apple if there is a noticeable bend that's going to bother you.

Apple says these bends do not affect performance, but for a device that is priced starting at $799, many customers will want a perfect looking iPad.

If you have a bend, it's generally only noticeable when viewing the iPad from the side on a flat surface and it should not interrupt day to day usage. If it does, contact Apple.

Is it still worth buying the 2018 iPad Pro?


The iPad Pro is a capable, powerful tablet that has a gorgeous display, support for the Apple Pencil 2, and a Smart Keyboard Case, all of which makes it worth considering, even with this bending issue.

Not all iPad Pro models are affected, so it is possible to get one where the manufacturing deviation isn't as noticeable so long as you inspect the tablet right after a purchase and make a swap if necessary.

What's still unclear


Apple says the iPad Pro models that display a slight bend won't worsen over time, but we'll need to wait to see how the iPad Pro ages to see if that's true.

We have seen iPad Pro models that seem to have a more serious bend than described by Apple, so it's not clear if the new 2018 iPad Pro models are more prone to bending issues than prior models.

As with any expensive device, it's best to treat the 2018 iPad Pro models carefully and take steps to avoid situations that might result in bending, such as carrying it in a backpack without padding or sitting on it.


This article, "iPad Pro (2018) Bending Issue" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Nintendo's Next Mobile Game Will Be 'Dr. Mario World,' Developed in Partnership With LINE

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Nintendo today announced that its next iOS and Android release will be Dr. Mario World, an action puzzle game set to be released later in 2019. Nintendo will be partnering with messaging app LINE to develop the new title.

Little detail is available on the new game at this time, but Dr. Mario was a 1990 puzzle game that tasked players with rearranging different colored pills as they fall to clear them off of the game board and eliminate viruses.


The gameplay of the original title was similar to Tetris, and it should translate well to mobile devices.

Nintendo says that Dr. Mario World will be free to play with in-app purchases, with Nintendo aiming to release the game in “early summer 2019” in Japan, the United States, and dozens of other countries.

Dr. Mario World may be Nintendo's first game of 2019, as its other title, Mario Kart Tour, won't be coming out until the summer. It was originally scheduled to launch right around March.

Nintendo has released five mobile games thus far, four of which have been free-to-play and three of which have been highly successful. Fire Emblem Heroes, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, and Dragalia Lost are current free-to-play titles, while Miitomo, Nintendo's first mobile game, is now defunct. Nintendo's only paid app so far has been Super Mario Run.


This article, "Nintendo's Next Mobile Game Will Be 'Dr. Mario World,' Developed in Partnership With LINE" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Original 2013 Chromebook Pixel Highlights Chrome OS’ Greatest Strength [VIDEO]


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Five of the Best Email Apps on iOS

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Email apps are a popular App Store category for one simple reason - almost all of us need to access email on our iPhones and iPads. While Apple has its own Mail app built into iOS devices, some people want a more feature rich experience.

Luckily there are plenty of developers out there who are trying to create the perfect iOS inbox, but it's hard to sort through the dozens of email apps available. We dove into the App Store in our latest YouTube video and rounded up a handful of the best email apps we found.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Spike


Spike, a free app, is a conversation-based email app that used to be called Hop. The app's aim is to turn emailing into more of a message like conversation, organizing the inbox into a chat-style window.


Spike removes email headers, signatures, and more to make the emailing experience chat-like, and it prioritizes emails sent by people while filing newsletters and other automatic emails to other folders. Other features include a unified inbox, email grouping options, quick responses, a unified calendar, and snooze. Spike is unusual and not our first choice, but it's definitely unique and could be what some people are looking for.

Polymail


Polymail, also free, is more of a traditional email app. It has a sleek, clean interface with a useful comment and mention feature that's available on the desktop for teams.

On iOS, Polymail offers useful features like quick tags, read later, and read receipts to let you know what someone has received and read your email. You can also get reminders to follow up on an email that someone has read but not responded to. Other unique features include a calendar invite option in the compose window, one-click unsubscribe, email scheduling, click and attachment tracking, and more.


Polymail is one of the more useful apps if you want to better track who is viewing your emails, but if you don't need that functionality, there may be better apps for you.

Airmail


Airmail, priced at $4.99, started as a Mac app and then expanded to iOS. Airmail is a straightforward email app with a focus on minimalism. There's a single unified "All Inboxes" view for quick email management, but if you swipe from the left, there's access to folders for to-do lists, snoozed emails, and attachments, which is handy for finding specific content.

Airmail keeps it simple with options to reply, delete, and archive when viewing an email, though there are an expanded set of features in the compose window, including tracking, send later options, reminders, and templates. Airmail is compatible with a wide range of other services and apps so you can better integrate the apps you already use with your email app.


Airmail's interface isn't going to appeal to everyone, especially on iOS, but it offers a good cross-platform experience.

Spark


Spark, a free app from Readdle, is one of our top email app picks. Spark offers up a Smart Inbox that presents your most important emails first, saving the junk, newsletters, and less important tasks for later.

Emails are automatically categorized into sections that include Personal, Notifications, and Newsletters, but you can use a single firehose inbox option if you want. Spark has a robust search engine, which makes it easy to find any email, something that we liked about the app.


Spark has tools for discussing and collaborating on emails with your team, and it's one of the few email apps with these kinds of tools. It also offers options for scheduling emails and snoozing emails, plus there are smart notifications so you only get pinged when there's something important to see.

Other Spark features include followup reminders, integrations with other services, and customizable swipe gestures.

Edison Mail


Edison Mail, another free app, is super popular on the App Store for a reason. It has a clean, modern look, customizable swipe settings, and all of the tools that you need for managing your email.

Edison Mail's design is reminiscent of the design of the Mail app, so it fits well on the iPhone, but it offers a richer feature set than the Mail app. There's an included personal assistant that organizes your inbox, sorting out subscriptions, travel emails, bills, receipts, and package emails.


It lets you track packages and sends an alert when something is out for delivery, and it can do other things like send notifications for upcoming flights. Traditional tools are included too, like snooze options, send undo, and one-tap unsubscribe. It also integrates with Face ID, providing another layer of protection for your inbox.

Conclusion


Of all the email apps listed above, which are some excellent options for email management, we liked Spark and Edison the best, with Edison ranking as our top favorite. If you're looking for a new email app to try out, it's worth taking a look at everything on the list.

Did we miss your favorite email app? Let us know which one you prefer in the comments.


This article, "Five of the Best Email Apps on iOS" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple Shuts Down All of Google's Internal Apps for Abusing Enterprise Certificate

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Apple is cracking down hard on companies that have been abusing its Enterprise Certificate program, and Google today joined Facebook in losing access to Apple's internal app tools, reports The Verge.

Apple revoked Google's Enterprise Certificate and as a result, none of Google's internal apps are functional. Pre-release versions of iOS apps like Google Maps, Hangouts, Gmail, and more stopped working today, along with employee transportation and cafe apps.


Google, like Facebook, was using its Enterprise Certificate designed for internal employee apps to distribute an iOS app called "Screenwise Meter" to customers.

Screenwise Meter was an app designed to collect information on internet usage, including details on how long a person spends on a site to the apps that are downloaded on a device. Apple does not allow data collecting apps like Screenwise Meter on the App Store, so Google asked customers to download it using an Enterprise Certificate.

By having customers install Screenwise Meter this way, Google was able to bypass Apple's App Store rules. Google was more forthcoming about its data collection policies than Facebook, but it still clearly violated the Enterprise Certificate Program, which only allows these certificates to be used for internal apps for employees.

Facebook was doing the same thing as Google with its "Facebook Research" app, and has also since lost access to its Enterprise Certificate, disabling all of the internal Facebook iOS apps and reportedly causing chaos within the company.

Both Google and Facebook have disabled the apps that took advantage of Apple's Enterprise Certificate program, but that did not stop Apple from revoking their Enterprise Certificates entirely.

Facebook yesterday said that it was working with Apple to reinstate the certificate, and Google is also likely in discussions with the Cupertino company to solve the issue.

Given the size of Google and Facebook and the importance of the Google and Facebook apps, Apple is likely to restore the certificates, but reinstated use may come with much more oversight.

Tag: Google

This article, "Apple Shuts Down All of Google's Internal Apps for Abusing Enterprise Certificate" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Questionable Rumor Suggests iOS 13 Will Drop Compatibility for iPhone 5s Through iPhone 6s

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A questionable and unconfirmed rumor from Israeli site The Verifier suggests that Apple's iOS 13 update, expected to be previewed this summer at the Worldwide Developers Conference, will drop support for a number of iPhones and iPads.

The site says iOS 13 will be unavailable on the iPhone 5s, iPhone SE, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus, all devices that are compatible with iOS 12.


As for iPads, The Verifier believes Apple will drop support for the iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, and possibly the iPad mini 4. The sixth-generation iPod touch is listed as a device that will also be incompatible with iOS 13.

If this rumor is true, and we don't know that it is because The Verifier did not provide details on where the information is from or how it was obtained, it would see Apple dropping support for three generations of iPhones at one time, a move that seems somewhat unlikely.

Apple aims to provide software updates for its iOS devices for as long as possible. Both iOS 12 and iOS 11 offered support for the iPhone 5s and newer, the iPad mini 2 and newer, and the iPad Air and newer. At the time iOS 12 launched, some of those devices were five years old.

Dropping support for everything up to the iPhone 7 would leave iOS 13 compatible only with iOS devices from 2016 or later. Two of those devices, the iPad mini 4 and the sixth-generation iPod touch, are current-generation devices, though they may not be by the time iOS 13 launches as updates for both are in the works.

To cast further doubt on the site's claims, it lists the iPhone 6s as a device that won't support iOS 13 without naming the fifth-generation iPad. Both the fifth-generation iPad and the iPhone 6s use the A9 chip.

The Verifier claims that in addition to dropping support for iOS 13 on a wide swath of devices, Apple will also restrict some iOS 13 features to newer models to "make as many users upgrade to the latest models of iPhones." While it's true there are sometimes iOS features limited to newer devices because of hardware limitations, Apple has a long history of supporting older devices for years after launch.

The Verifier has previously provided semi-accurate info on Apple's plans. In 2017, for example, the site said Apple would bring Group FaceTime to iOS 11. We did get Group FaceTime, but not until iOS 12.1 in 2018.

Related Roundup: iOS 13

This article, "Questionable Rumor Suggests iOS 13 Will Drop Compatibility for iPhone 5s Through iPhone 6s" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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