TiVo to Launch Apple TV App Later This Year

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TiVo is planning to launch apps for Apple TV, Roku, and Fire TV later this year, reports Zatz Not Funny via The Verge. The apps will let people watch live or recorded video on multiple TVs without the need to purchase a TiVo Mini.

The TiVo Mini boxes are priced at $179.99 and are typically needed to extend TiVo DVR content to additional televisions in the home.


TiVo is a DVR service for recording live programming to watch at a later time, and it is equipped with a number of features like online recording options, playback while a show is still being recorded, scheduled recordings, and more. It also integrates with several services, including Amazon Video on Demand and Netflix.

The company recently introduced its latest product, the TiVo BOLT OTA which includes an antenna for cord cutters. The BOLT OTA costs $250 for 1TB of storage, which can hold 150 hours of HD content. TiVo charges a $6.99 monthly fee for the BOLT OTA, but the additional apps will be free with no other costs associated.

The apps are said to be coming in the second and third quarter of 2019, with TiVo to launch an app for Fire TV first, followed by Roku, and then Apple TV.

Tag: TiVo

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Apple's Mac Sales Drop in Q4 2018 Amid Worldwide PC Shipment Decline

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Apple's worldwide Mac shipments fell in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to new preliminary PC shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

During the quarter, Apple shipped an estimated 4.9 million Macs, down from 5.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple's share of the market grew, however, from 7.1 percent in 3Q18 to 7.2 percent.

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q18 (Thousands of Units)
Apple continues to maintain its position as the number four PC vendor in the world, behind Dell, HP, and Lenovo, but ahead of Asus and Acer.

Lenovo was the top PC vendor with 16.6 million shipments and 24.2 percent market share, followed by HP with 15.4 million shipments and 22.4 percent market share, with Dell coming in at number three with 11 million shipments and 15.9 percent market share.

Asus trailed Apple with 4.2 million shipments and 6.1 percent market share, as did Acer with 3.9 million shipments and 5.6 percent market share.

Apple's Market Share Trend: 1Q06-4Q18 (Gartner)
Apple's dipping Mac sales followed a trend that affected many PC vendors, with overall worldwide PC shipments dropping to 68.6 million, a 4.3 percent drop from the 71.7 million PCs shipped in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Apple also saw a small decline in the number of Macs shipped in the United States. Apple shipped 1.76 million Macs during the quarter, down from 1.8 million in the year-ago quarter, for a 2.1 percent drop in growth and 12.4 percent market share (up from 12.1 percent).

Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q18 (Thousands of Units)
HP was the number one PC vendor in the U.S. with 4.7 million PCs shipped, followed by Dell and Lenovo. Microsoft and Acer both trailed Apple.

According to Gartner, overall worldwide PC sales were impacted by a shortage of CPUs and political and economic uncertainties in some countries, including the U.S.

"Political and economic uncertainties in some countries dampened PC demand," Ms. Kitagawa said. "There was even uncertainty in the U.S. -- where the overall economy has been strong -- among vulnerable buyer groups, such as small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Consumer demand remained weak in the holiday season. Holiday sales are no longer a major factor driving consumer demand for PCs."

For all of 2018, Gartner estimates that Apple sold a total of 18 million Macs, down from close to 19 million in 2017. Apple's shipments fell five percent year-over-year, and its total market share for 2018 dropped from 7.2 percent to 6.9 percent.

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2018 (Thousands of Units)
IDC also released its own shipment estimates this afternoon, noting a similar decline in sales for Apple. IDC also ranks Apple as the number four PC vendor in the world with global shipments that reached 4.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2018.

IDC's data suggests Apple's Mac shipments were down 3.8 percent, with market share remaining steady. Like Gartner, IDC estimates Apple sold 18 million Macs in 2018, down from 19 million in 2017.

It's important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is estimated and while not usually far off from Apple's sales, not entirely accurate, either. While we've been able to check estimated data when Apple provides its quarterly earnings releases with actual Mac sales information, there will be no way to do so going forward.

Apple no longer plans to break out unit sales for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, so determining the exact number of Mac sales will not be possible going forward.

Though sales were down during the holiday quarter, Apple could see some pickup in the future thanks to the October release of the new MacBook Air, a more affordable alternative to the MacBook Pro. The newly refreshed model features a Retina display, Thunderbolt 3 support, up to 16GB of RAM, a T2 chip, a new butterfly keyboard and Force Touch trackpad, and other features.

Tags: IDC, Gartner

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Reports Suggest Ring Allowed Employees Unfettered Access to Customer Camera Feeds

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Over the course of the last month, some troubling information has surfaced about Ring, the Amazon-owned company that has millions of cameras inside and outside homes across the globe.

The Information in December suggested Ring employees in both the U.S. and the UK had unfettered, unnecessary access to customer camera feeds, and today, The Intercept has shared additional details.

Starting in 2016, Ring allowed its Ukraine-based research team to access "every video created by every Ring camera around the world." Video content was unencrypted and "easily browsed and viewed," plus videos were linked to specific customers.

Ring employees highlighted objects in video feeds to improve object and facial recognition>
Ring's Ukraine team was provided with access to further development on facial and object recognition software, with executives and engineers in the U.S. also able to access the same data even if they didn't specifically need it for their jobs.

Employees with access to customer feeds could view an individual's camera with just an email address.

Although the source said they never personally witnessed any egregious abuses, they told The Intercept "I can say for an absolute fact if I knew a reporter or competitor's email address, I could view all their cameras."

Ring employees weren't just watching outdoor video, either, with a source who spoke to The Intercept suggesting indoor video was viewed as well for the same object recognition training. Ring employees were instructed to draw boxes around objects with labeling, allowing the system to learn to recognize various things.

Employees allegedly showed each other the videos they were annotating and discussed some of the incidents they witnessed, such as people kissing, stealing, and guns being fired.

According to The Intercept, Ring is still using similar tactics for improving video tagging and object recognition. Ring Labs, the team Ring has in the Ukraine, is continuing to employ people who watch and tag details in Ring video content.

Ring spokesperson Yassi Shahmiri declined to answer The Intercept's questions about past and current data policies, but he confirmed that Ring views and annotates "certain Ring videos" that are either public or obtained with "explicit written consent."

We take the privacy and security of our customers' personal information extremely seriously. In order to improve our service, we view and annotate certain Ring videos. These videos are sourced exclusively from publicly shared Ring videos from the Neighbors app (in accordance with our terms of service), and from a small fraction of Ring users who have provided their explicit written consent to allow us to access and utilize their videos for such purposes.

Team members are held to "high ethical standards" and there are systems in place to "restrict and audit access to information." Bad actors are subject to a "zero tolerance" response if abuse is detected.

As The Intercept points out, given the information from the sources it spoke to, it is not known if Ring has always used the standards described in its current statement, and past reporting from The Information has suggested that access used to be less restrictive until Amazon purchased the service.

As Ring says, Ring users who are opting into the Neighbors system, which allows for sharing of videos to "create safer videos" are unknowingly opting in to potentially having those videos viewed by Ring employees and there is no mention of that when customers sign up for the feature.

Ring's terms of service and privacy policy do not mention manual or visual annotation by employees, even though that practice is still being used to this day, nor are customers notified that some employees had or could still have access to their camera feeds. Current and prospective Ring customers should be aware of Ring's practices and wary of who has access to their videos.

Tags: Amazon, Ring

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Apple Cuts iPhone XR Prices for Third-Party Distributors in China

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Apple has dropped the price of the iPhone XR by about $100 for its channel partners in China, reports Yahoo Finance. The price cut allows third-party vendors to purchase the iPhone XR more cheaply, which allows the device to be sold to customers at a lower price.

Apple is not offering direct discounts on the device in China, but third-party retailers implemented price cuts on Tuesday after Apple dropped purchasing prices.


An Apple partner that buys from Apple and sells to distributors and retailers dropped the iPhone XR's price from 5980 yuan ($881) to 5380 yuan ($793) with an additional 150 yuan ($22) coupon available.

According to Yahoo Finance, the partner in question was told by Apple to drop prices to boost iPhone XR sales.

Many vendors in China are now offering the iPhone XR at a discount. JD.com is offering customers a 400 yuan coupon that drops the price of the iPhone XR to 6099 yuan ($899), while Suning, an electronics store similar to Best Buy, now sells the iPhone XR for 6199 yuan ($914).


Both of those prices are cheaper than the 6499 yuan ($958) that Apple asks for the iPhone XR from its website and retail stores.

The discount comes just ahead of the Chinese New Year in February, and could spur additional iPhone XR sales. A report from China's National Business Daily this week suggested Apple has also implemented distributor price drops on other iPhones including the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, X, XS, and XS Max. The biggest price cuts are on the iPhone XR, however.

Another recent report suggests that Apple has cut production on the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max by about 10 percent for the next three months.

The price drops and the production cut follow a recent Q1 2019 guidance downgrade, with Apple expecting revenue of $84 billion during the quarter. That's a year-over-year decline and a drop from the $89 to $93 million revenue guidance Apple provided in November.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said that a major reason for the earnings downgrade was a weakening Chinese economy, where Apple saw softer iPhone sales than expected.

Related Roundup: iPhone XR

Buyer's Guide: iPhone XR (Buy Now)

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Amazon Deals: Save on Aukey's MFi-Certified Lightning Cables, Twelve South's PowerPic Frame, and More

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There are a few notable deals happening on Amazon this week, including promo codes from Aukey, a lowest-ever discount on Twelve South's new PowerPic frame, a combo deal on Mophie Qi chargers, and more.

Starting with Aukey, the accessory maker has discount codes to offer shoppers on smart plugs, MFi-certified Lightning cables, and Bluetooth speakers. Each sale listed below requires a promo code so be sure to enter them during the checkout process on Amazon to see the discount. If you're interested, place your order before January 15, when the codes will expire.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

• Wi-Fi Mini Dual Smart Plug - $18.99 with code AUKEY3AP, down from $24.99

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• Latitude Wireless Headphones - $17.99 with code JRNS4LAM, down from $29.99

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• 90-Degree Design Lightning Cable 3.3ft (2 Pack) [Apple MFi Certified] - $11.24 with code AUKEY90L, down from $14.99

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• Compatible iPhone Cable 6.6ft - $7.19 with code AUKEY91L, down from $8.99

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• 16W Bluetooth Stereo Speaker with Enhanced Bass - $27.29 with code AUKEY92L, down from $38.99

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• Eclipse Bluetooth Speaker 20W with Enhanced Bass and Dual Subwoofers - $38.68 with code AUKEY93L, down from $52.99

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• Outdoor Speakers with 30-Hour Playtime and Enhanced Bass & Treble - $22.00 with code 29GSXOAW, down from $49.99

Twelve South often discounts its products on Amazon, and this week shoppers can get the company's latest product -- the PowerPic Frame -- for just $53.00, down from $89.99. This is the first major sale on the PowerPic and definitely worth checking out if you've been interested in the accessory.


The PowerPic is an iPhone-compatible wireless charger that doubles as a traditional picture frame when it's not being used to charge a smartphone. You can read more about the accessory in our full review right here. In the Amazon sale, both White and Black colors are available.


Mophie has its own Qi chargers for sale on Amazon as well, including a 2-pack of its Wireless Charge Pad for $53.99, down from $96.16. Mophie's accessory launched around the time that wireless charging debuted on the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X in 2017, and it offers up to 7.5W fast charging on a rubberized base.


In other sales, you can get a clear case for your iPhone XR, priced at just $1.99 with promo code JB6KN5VH, down from $6.99. Made from a third-party reseller on Amazon, the clear case is sitting at a 4.5 star rating from around 850 users, so it could be a decent and ultra-cheap alternative to Apple's $40 accessory. Lastly, Dodocool also has its 7-in-1 USB-C Hub for $23.79 with code HKAUWT5M, down from $33.99.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to check out even more of the latest sales and bargains happening this week.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

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CES 2019: The Best of ShowStoppers and the Show Floor

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The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show is wrapping up, with Friday being the final day. For our last CES video, we visited ShowStoppers, the show floor, and a few vendor events to show MacRumors readers some of the coolest stuff that we saw this year.

Not all of what we have to share is entirely Apple related, but there are definitely some interesting, eye-catching technology products that give us an idea of where the tech sector is headed.

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Some of the best TV technology at the show came from LG, with the company debuting a 65-inch TV that rolls up. The rolling mechanism lets the TV, which is super thin, tuck away when it's not in use, and then be brought back up when you want to use it.

LG's actually going to release the rollable TV, called the OLED TV R, sometime in the spring, but expect it to be sensationally expensive. LG's booth was also something special, outfitted with a seemingly endless array of curved OLED displays.

Samsung was on hand showing off its upcoming Bixby speaker, a smart speaker that's designed to compete with the HomePod. The Bixby speaker features a teardrop shape along with three metal legs, with Samsung promising smart home features and immersive sound. The Bixby speaker is set to be released soon.

Simplehuman, a company that makes automated trash cans, debuted the Sensor Mirror Hi-Fi, which works as a mirror, a lamp, and a speaker, while Kohler was demoing a smart bathtub that won't overfill and super fancy $7000 toilet with a heated seat, LEDs, speakers, Alexa integration, and automatic flushing.

LaMetric showed off a very neat looking Nanoleaf Smart Panel competitor called "Sky" that features a mosaic-style design. In addition to displaying various colored designs, the panels can be customized with weather information, social network data, the time, and tons more.

Aura, a company that made a fitness tracker popular on Kickstarter, introduced an Apple Watch "Smart Strap" that's supposed to measure weight, water, fat, and muscle via electrodes built into the band. We didn't get to try it out for ourselves, but we're interested to see if this is actually going to be a viable product.

VR was big at CES and we saw a virtual batting cage, options for boxing, and tons of VR headsets, and there were no shortage of prototype cars, as usual, most with self-driving capabilities.

The neatest automotive-related product we saw was the Bell Nexus Air Taxi, a hybrid electric-propulsion aircraft that's going to be launched by Uber sometime in the mid-2020s. Uber hopes that this air taxi, which can carry four passengers a couple hundred miles on a single charge, will be the future of transportation.

To see more of what's being shown off at CES, make sure to check out our CES Unveiled video and our Pepcom video, along with our full CES 2019 hub.

Tag: CES 2019

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T-Mobile Launches 'Caller Verified' Tool to Protect Subscribers From Scammers

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T-Mobile today launched a new "Caller Verified" feature that's designed to offer its customers more protection from scammers and spammers who spoof legitimate phone calls to attempt to fool smartphone owners.

Caller Verified uses the STIR and SHAKEN standards that are in place to combat illegal caller ID spoofing.


Right now, T-Mobile's implementation of Caller Verified is limited. It's only available on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and it is limited to the T-Mobile network.

On the Note 9, calls on the T-Mobile network will be "Caller Verified," with customers able to see that labeling to be sure that calls are authentic and are not coming from a scammer or spammer.

T-Mobile says that it plans to make the Caller Verified feature available on more smartphones later in the year, but it is not clear if that includes Apple's devices.

The feature will also work with calls coming from other carriers once other wireless providers implement STIR/SHAKEN standards.

T-Mobile has other spam fighting tools including Scam ID, Scam Block, and a premium Name ID app.

Tag: T-Mobile

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