Joe Rossignol

Apple today named eight app and game developers receiving an Apple Design Award following WWDC 2020. Apple says winners are recognized for outstanding app design, innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement. Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations:Every year, app and game developers demonstrate exceptional craftsmanship and we're honoring the best of the...

As part of WWDC last week, Apple announced that it will be switching to its own custom-designed processors for Macs starting later this year. As part of this transition, the company is allowing developers to apply for a modified Mac mini with an A12Z chip and 16GB of RAM to develop and test their apps on a Mac with Arm-based architecture. As noted on Twitter and in the MacRumors forums, some...

Apple plans to launch a new 10.8-inch iPad in the second half of 2020, followed by a new 8.5-inch iPad in the first half of 2021, oft-reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a research note obtained by MacRumors. Kuo did not specify if the 10.8-inch iPad model will be a new version of the existing 10.2-inch iPad or the 10.5-inch iPad Air, but he has previously said that the 8.5-inch...

iPhone 12 models will not include EarPods or a power adapter in the box, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a research note obtained by MacRumors. This lines up with a prediction shared by analysts at Barclays earlier this week. Kuo said that Apple will instead release a new 20W power adapter as an optional accessory for iPhones and end production of its existing 5W and 18W power adapters...

WWDC was held online this year, but it was still packed with announcements, including iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, watchOS 7, tvOS 14, and Apple confirming its long-rumored plans to transition to its own custom-designed processors for future Macs. Sadly, there was no sight of a redesigned iMac, but that is still on the table for later this year. With so many rumors shared every week, it ...

Apple today announced that it will co-produce neo-noir psychological thriller "Losing Alice" from creator, writer, and director Sigal Avin. The series will debut on Apple TV+, but a release date has yet to be provided. Apple describes "Losing Alice" as a "thrilling cinematic journey that uses flashbacks and flash-forwards in a satisfyingly complex narrative that takes the viewer through the...

Microsoft today announced that it is permanently closing its physical stores worldwide. The company's retail employees will continue to serve customers through Microsoft's corporate offices and remotely, providing sales, training, and support. Microsoft will continue to operate its online storefront, and it also has plans for reimagined "Experience Centers" for customers in New York City,...

OWC today introduced the Envoy Express, which it describes as the first Thunderbolt 3 certified bus-powered storage enclosure for Macs and PCs. Designed to support any 2280 M.2 NVMe SSD, the key benefit of the Envoy Express is that users can install their own drive in it, including OWC's Aura SSDs with up to 4TB of storage or larger-capacity options in the future. The Envoy Express...

Apple is widely expected to release four new iPhone 12 models later this year, and ahead of time, analysts at British bank Barclays have outlined their expectations for the devices based on discussions with multiple Apple suppliers. In a research note obtained by MacRumors, the Barclays analysts said that iPhone 12 models will not come with EarPods in the box, in line with a prediction...

Apple this week announced that it will be switching to its own custom-designed processors for Macs starting later this year. As part of this transition, the company is allowing developers to apply for a modified Mac mini with an A12Z chip and 16GB of RAM to develop and test their apps on a Mac with Arm-based architecture. While not too surprising, developers should be aware that this...

Starting in iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur, developers will be able to add the capability to detect human body and hand poses in photos and videos to their apps using Apple's updated Vision framework, as explained in this WWDC 2020 session. This functionality will allow apps to analyze the poses, movements, and gestures of people, enabling a wide variety of potential features. Apple provides some...

Earlier today, the anonymous Twitter account Mr. White leaked photos of what appears to be a new 20W power adapter for upcoming iPhone 12 models. And now, it appears that this charger has been certified in at least one country. As spotted by MySmartPrice, a new USB-C power adapter with the same model identifier of A2305 shown in the leaked photo above has surfaced in an electronics...

Apple today shared a video with more details about the availability of iPhone and iPad apps on future Macs with custom Apple processors. Macs with custom Apple processors will share the same Arm architecture as iPhones and iPads, meaning that they will be able to run many iOS and iPadOS apps without any modifications or recompilation. Like traditional Mac apps, these iPhone and iPad apps...

Introduced last year, the U1 chip in iPhone 11 models enables Ultra Wideband support for improved spatial awareness, but Apple has so far only used the technology to power a directional AirDrop feature in iOS 13. In the upcoming months, that should change, as Apple has announced that it is opening up its U1 chip to developers with a new "Nearby Interaction" framework for iOS 14. This...

Apple has deprecated its long-standing Network Utility app in macOS Big Sur, with the app no longer functioning in the first developer beta. Network Utility provided information and troubleshooting tools to help users check their network connection, view routing tables, trace network traffic paths, check for open TCP ports, and more. Since the release of macOS Mojave, the app had been rather ...

Apple has added a useful accessibility feature to iOS 14 called Sound Recognition that can notify users about important sounds like fire alarms and doorbells, as noted by Federico Viticci. This is especially helpful for people that are hard of hearing. When the feature is enabled, Apple says your iPhone will continuously listen for certain sounds, and using on-device intelligence, will...

Earlier this year, developers Talal Haj Bakry and Tommy Mysk revealed that many iPhone and iPad apps quietly access the clipboard, which is where text that has been copied and pasted is temporarily stored. Given that users may have sensitive information copied to the clipboard, such as passwords, this could pose privacy and security concerns. Fortunately, it appears that Apple is making a...

Apple plans to launch a 24-inch iMac with a new design in the fourth quarter of 2020, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a research note obtained by MacRumors. Earlier this week, Kuo claimed that this redesigned iMac will be one of Apple's first two Mac models with a custom Arm-based processor, with the other being a future 13-inch MacBook Pro. Following years of rumors, Apple today confir...

As part of WWDC 2020 this week, Apple has introduced a series of new APIs, frameworks, and tools for developers, ranging from App Clips to Xcode 12 to a new SwiftUI API for making widgets that work across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. App Clips: New in iOS 14, App Clips surface information from relevant apps without requiring users to download an entire app. Apple describes App Clips as a "small...

Apple today announced that it is launching an online version of its App Store lab, providing developers with another avenue to share feedback to help improve the App Store. Apple's new developer forums will also serve as a platform for developers to share their suggestions so that Apple can implement changes that benefit the community. Additionally, two changes are coming to the App Store...