Category Archives: Apple

Apple Introduces Apple Pay Later

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Apple today introduced Apple Pay Later in the U.S. Designed with users’ financial health in mind, Apple Pay Later allows users to split purchases into four payments, spread over six weeks with no interest and no fees. Users can easily track, manage, and repay their Apple Pay Later loans in one convenient location in Apple Wallet.

Users can apply for Apple Pay Later loans $50 to $1,000, which can be used for online and in-app purchases made on iPhone and iPad with merchants that accept Apple Pay. Starting today, Apple will begin inviting select users to access a prerelease version of Apple Pay Later, with plans to offer it to all eligible users in the coming months.

“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to how people manage their finances. Many people are looking for flexible payment options, which is why we’re excited to provide our users with Apple Pay Later,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. “Apple Pay Later was designed with our users’ financial health in mind, so it has no fees and no interest, and can be used and managed within Wallet, making it easier for consumers to make informed and responsible borrowing decisions.”

Apply for, Track, and Manage Loans Seamlessly in Wallet

To get started with Apple Pay Later, users can apply for a loan within Wallet with no impact to their credit. They will then be prompted to enter the amount they would like to borrow and agree to the Apple Pay Later terms. A soft credit pull will be done during the application process to help ensure the user is in a good financial position before taking on the loan.

After a user is approved, they will see the Pay Later option when they select Apple Pay at checkout online and in apps on iPhone and iPad, and can use Apple Pay Later to make a purchase. Once Apple Pay Later is set up, users can also apply for a loan directly in the checkout flow when making a purchase.

Apple Pay Later is built right into Wallet, so users can seamlessly view, track, and manage all of their loans in one place. With Apple Pay Later in Wallet, users can easily see the total amount due for all of their existing loans, as well as the total amount due in the next 30 days. They can also choose to see all upcoming payments on a calendar view in Wallet to help them track and plan their payments. Before a payment is due, users will also receive notifications via Wallet as their loan repayment method; to help prevent users from taking on more debt to pay back loans, credit cards will not be accepted…

Mastercard and Goldman Sachs

Apple Pay Later is enabled through the Mastercard Installments program, so merchants that accept Apple Pay do not need to do anything to implement Apple Pay Later for their customers. When a merchant accepts Apple Pay, Apple Pay later will be an option for their customers during checkout online and in apps on iPhone and iPad. Goldman Sachs is the issuer of the Mastercard payment credential used to complete Apple Pay Later purchases.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple Inc. has introduced its buy now, pay later service in the U.S., marketing the tech company’s latest foray into financial services.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the service can be used to make online and in-app purchases with purchases with merchants that access Apple Pay, the company’s payment system. Users will be required to link a debit card as their loan repayment method and credit cards won’t be accepted for payments, the company said.

The move is another push by Apple to use finance to deepen its relationship with customers.

Purchases using Apple Pay Later are authenticated using Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode, the company said, adding that users’ transactions and loan history won’t be shared or sold to third parties for marketing or advertising.

In my opinion, this new Apple Pay Later offering could potentially help people make ends meet, especially if their job doesn’t pay on a weekly schedule. It also appears that Apple Pay Later is going to try to ensure that someone using the service doesn’t spend more than is good for their budget.

Emojipedia Gives A First Look At New Emojis in iOS 16.4

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Emojipedia announced that new emoji designs have arrived on iOS as part of the first iOS 16.4 beta, including the shaking face, two pushing hands, and the much-requested plain pink heart emoji.

Total of 31 new emojis have made their Apple device debut in today’s beta release, with all 31 of these designs drawn from Unicode’s September 2022 recommendations list, Emoji 15.0.

1 Smileys, 2 Hands, 3 Colorful Hearts

The new emojis in today’s beta release of IOS 16.4 include one new smiley face, three new colored heart emojis, and two new hand gestures that should support the usual five skin tone modifiers, through the current beta doesn’t allow all of them to be accessed.

The plain Pink Heart emoji has been a popular request for quite some time and, alongside Light Blue Heart and Grey Heart, closes some notable gaps within the heart emoji color spectrum.

The new Shaking Face emoji can be used to express physical shaking from external forces (such as earthquakes or loud noises) or internal emotion (such as shock, disbelief, or excitement).

The two pushing hands – Rightwards Pushing Hand and Leftwards Pushing Hand – could be used individually to represent a pushing gesture or a “stop” gesture, or be placed alongside one another to create a new “high five” emoji (maybe even with a Collision emoji in between them for added intensity).

Other New Emoji Designs

Today’s iOS 16.4 beta 1 also debuts eight new emoji designs across the Animals & Nature and Food & Drink emoji categories, such as a Donkey and a Pea Pod.

There are also two further additions in each of the Activity, Objects, and Symbols emoji categories, including Maracas, a Hair Pick, and the Khanda symbol of the Sikh faith.

The rest of the newly added emojis include: Moose, Goose, Wing, Jellyfish, Hyacinth, Ginger, Folding Hand Fan, Flute, and Wireless.

The Verge reported that Apple has let loose the public beta versions iOS 16.4 iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3 equipped with new emoji, web app push notifications on the mobile operating systems, and more. The release comes one day after developers were given access to the new software.

According to The Verge, in order to install the iOS 16.4 beta on your iPhone and iPad, you need to sign up with Apple to enable public beta installs via its beta software portal. The process involves you agreeing to lots of terms and conditions – beta software isn’t final and might introduce new problems or cause issues with your device – and then installing a profile on your phone that lets the update show up in Settings > General > Software Update.

Personally, I find emojis to be fun. They add some color to what people post in text. Emoji can also be a response all on its own, for those who want to quickly respond with one instead of typing a lot of words.

Apple Advances User Security With Powerful New Data Protections

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Apple introduced three advanced security features focused on protecting against threats to user data in the cloud, representing the next step in its ongoing effort to provide users with even stronger ways to protect their data.

With iMessage Contact Key Verification, users can verify they are communicating only with whom they intend. With Security Keys for Apple ID, users have the choice to require a physical security key to sign in to their Apple ID account. And with Advanced Data Protection for iCloud, which uses end-to-end encryption to provide Apple’s highest level of cloud data security, users have the choice to further protect important iCloud data, including iCloud Backup, Photos, Notes, and more.

As threats to user data become increasingly sophisticated and complex, these new features join a suite of other protections that make Apple products the most secure on the market: from the security built directly into our customer chips with best-in-class device encryption and data protections, to features like Lockdown Mode, which offer an extreme, optional level of security for users such as journalists, human rights activists, and diplomats. Apple is committed to strengthening both device and cloud security, and adding new protections over time.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is planning to significantly expand its data-encryption practices, a step that is likely to create tensions with law enforcement and governments around the world as the company continues to build new privacy protections for millions of iPhone users.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the expanded end-to-end encryption system, an optional feature called Advanced Data Protection, would keep most data secure that is stored in iCloud, an Apple service used by many of its users to store photos, back up their iPhones or save specific device data such as Notes and Messages. The data would be protected in the event that Apple is hacked, and it also wouldn’t be accessible to law enforcement, even with a warrant.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that the FBI said it was “deeply concerned with the threat end-to-end and user-only-access encryption pose,” according to a statement provided by an agency spokeswoman. “This hinders our ability to protect the American people from criminal acts ranging from cyberattacks and violence against children to drug trafficking, organized crime, and terrorism,” the statement said. The FBI and law enforcement agencies need “lawful access by design,” it said.

BuzzFeed News reported that Apple’s Advanced Data Protection is significant because switching it on will only store your key locally on your device and not on Apple’s servers. This will not only keep your backup safe in case a hacker breaches Apple’s data centers, but also prevent Apple from being able to turn over iCloud backups to law enforcement agencies and governments in response to valid legal requests, something the the company has done thousands of times so far, according to its own transparency report.

It sounds to me like this change in policy is good for consumers, because it not only protects their data from hackers, but also makes it impossible for law enforcement agencies to demand that Apple turn over iCloud information to them. Apple won’t have any way to access that information because it won’t have the key.

Apple Will Use Chips Built In The U.S. Arizona Factory

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Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Apple will buy U.S.-made microchips at an event in Arizona on Tuesday, where President Joe Biden also spoke, CNBC reported. Cook said Apple would buy processors made in a new Arizona factory, according to a video from the event.

According to CNBC, the chip factories will be owned and operated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the biggest foundry company with over with over half of the global market share. TSMC produces the most advanced processors, including the chips in the latest iPhones, iPads and Macs.

The plants will be capable of manufacturing the 4-nanometer and 3-nanometer chips that are used for advanced processors such as Apple’s A-series and M-series and NVIDIA graphics processors.

According to CNBC, TSMC currently does most of its manufacturing in Taiwan, which has raised questions from U.S. and European lawmakers about securing supply in the potential event of a Chinese invasion or other regional issues. Chip companies such as Nvidia and Apple design their own chips but outsource the manufacturing to companies like TSMC and Samsung Foundry.

The Verge reported that the Phoenix, Arizona plant include not only Apple, but also AMD and NVIDIA as customers. The new facility means a more secure supply of chips and quicker production timelines. The chip fabricator, TSMC, also said today that it would start construction on a second factory in Phoenix next year, increasing the site’s annual output.

According to The Verge, TSMC is a dedicated foundry, meaning it builds the chips designed by other companies. Apple, AMD, and NVIDIA are among its largest customers, and even Intel relies on TSMC to make the most advanced processors.

The first Phoenix fab will make 4nm processors (improved from the originally disclosed 5nm), with production slated to begin in 2024. The second fab will come online in 2026 and produce 3nm chips, which are the smallest and most complex processors in production today.

Engadget reported that the combination of the two plants will together make about 600,000 chip wafers per year. TSMC is spending $40 billion on the factories, but they’ll be partly subsidized by the U.S. government through the CHIPS and Science Act meant to incentivize US semiconductor manufacturing.

According to Engadget, while the plants won’t come online for two years, news of the expansion comes at an appropriate time. Apple has warned of iPhone 14 Pro manufacturing setbacks due to China’s COVID-19 policies. In theory, American facilities would have reduced the impact of those restrictions. Although many parts could still be made overseas even after TSMC’s expansion, there could soon be a greater chance of Apple devices reaching your door in a timely fashion.

Overall, I think this might be a good thing for American workers because the two plants are going to need to hire a lot of people. This can also be good for American companies that rely on the chips the plants will make, and also for consumers who use the product that require those chips.

Apple Restored VKontatke And Mail.Ru To The App Store

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Apple has restored Russian social network VKontatke and webmail provider Mail.Ru to the App Store, three weeks after removing them both for sanctions violations, Alex Hern from The Guardian reported.

According to Alex Hern, the two services are home-grown versions of Facebook and Gmail with domestic market share to match. They were removed from Apple’s platforms in late September, following a wave of British sanctions that targeted the financial organizations that own them.

Apple has not responded to requests for comment from The Guardian. The ownership of VKontake and Mail.Ru has not changed in the past month, and the leadership of Gazprombank and Sberbank remain sanctioned by the British government. It is unclear why Apple restored the apps, but they reappeared on App Stores globally on Monday morning, according to the monitoring project Apple Censorship.

The @applecensorship Twitter account posted the article by MacRumors and the piece from The Guardian about Apple’s decision to return Vkontatke and Mail.Ru to the App Store.

According to The Guardian, the project director of Apple Censorship is Benjamin Ismail. He gave the following quote to The Guardian:

“The only thing we can say for sure is that, once again, Apple implements its App Stores policies in total opacity, thinking it will not be held accountable for its actions. While we are glad to see those apps restored, as some activists and members of civil society organizations were still using them when they were removed, we condemn Apple for its continuous, erratic, and non-transparent way of managing content in the App Store.”

MacRumors reported that the two services were pulled following a package of sanctions enacted by the British government that affected tens of executives at Gazprombank, a Russian Bank with links to VK. The sanctions were in response to a sham referenda staged by Russian authorities in occupied areas of Ukraine.

According to Mac Rumors, Apple said in a statement at the time, “These apps are being distributed by developers majority-owned or majority-controlled by one or more parties sanctioned by the UK government,”

MacRumors also reported that it wasn’t immediately clear why Apple restored the apps, since ownership of VKontake and Mail.Ru has not changed since the apps were removed, and the leadership of Gazprombank and Sberbank remain sanctioned by the British government. According to MacRumors, it is possible that Apple’s decision was related to the use of both services by activists.

An Apple spokesperson shared the following statement with MacRumors:

“The apps from this developer were removed from the App Store, as required by law, after multiple requests were made to the developer to provide documentation to verify that they were not in violation of UK sanctions. Subsequent to the removal, the developer has provided the requisite information verifying that they are not majority owned or controlled by a sanctioned entity. Thus, the apps have been reinstated to the App Store.”

Clearly, Apple and Apple Censorship have differing ideas about what happened that caused the apps to be removed from Apple’s App Store – and then brought back to it. I don’t think we are going to hear any more news about this, now that Apple has given a statement to MacRumors.

Apple Announced Apple Fitness+

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Apple announced Apple Fitness+, the award-winning fitness and wellness service designed to be welcoming to all, will be available for all iPhone users to subscribe to and enjoy, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch.

The update will be available later this fall in 21 countries where the service is offered. On Monday, September 12, Fitness+ will introduce the fourth season of Time To Walk featuring new guests, including award-winning actor Regina Hall, Latin Grammy winner Nicky Jam, and Emmy Award-winning performer Leslie Jordan.

Time To Run will kick off its second season exploring new locations such as Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, Mexico City, and Queenstown, New Zealand. That same day, Fitness+ will also launch the latest Artist Spotlight series with workouts featuring the music of Mary J. Blige, The Rolling Stones, and The Weeknd. Additionally, Fitness+ will debut its newest collection, Pilates for More Than Your Core, and expand its team of world-class trainers by introducing a new Yoga trainer, Dice Iida-Klein.

Fitness+ for All iPhone Users

Later this fall, for the first time ever, Fitness+ will be available for all iPhone users to subscribe to and enjoy in the 21 countries it is offered in, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch. iPhone users will have access to the entire service featuring over 3,000 studio-style workouts and meditations, all led by a diverse and inclusive team of trainers.

Fitness+ users will see onscreen trainer guidance and interval timing, and estimated calories burned will be used to make progress on their Move ring. Fitness+ will be fully integrated with the Fitness app coming with iOS 16 and located in the middle tab, where users can stay motivated to close their Move ring through awards, activity sharing, and more. Users only need an iPhone to sign up, and can then experience Fitness+ on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

Time to Walk and Time to Run

Throughout the fall, Fitness+ will introduce new episodes of Time to Walk, an inspiring audio experience on Apple Watch designed to help people walk more often, featuring some of the world’s most interesting and influential people who share stories, photos, and music with Fitness+ users. Time to Walk has featured 58 guests to date, including Prince William, Malala Yousafzai, Christopher Meloni, Draymond Green, Camilla Cabello, Nick Jonas, and many others.

Additionally, Time To Run, an audio running experience designed to help users add inspiration to their everyday run, will add new episodes featuring popular running routes in some of the world’s most iconic locations. Each Time to Run episode is led by a Fitness+ trainer and composed of inspiring coaching tips, motivating and energizing music playlists, curated by the trainers, and photos of notable sights along the route taken by the Fitness+ trainer. Runners of all levels can enjoy Time to Run anytime, anywhere, and stay motivated on their route from start to finish.

With iOS 16, all Time to Walk and Time to Run episodes are available in the Fitness app on iPhone with a Fitness+ subscription. Users can also enjoy the episodes with their Apple Watch paired with AirPods or other Bluetooth-enabled headphones. For subscribers who use a wheelchair, Time to Walk and Time to Run episodes become Time to Walk or Push and Time to Run or Push.

Fitness+ Enhancements in watchOS 9 and iOS 16

With iOS 16, Fitness+ users have even more ways to stay motivated toward their next goal. They can now earn dedicated awards for personal records, streaks, or major milestones, including completing a Fitness+ workout or meditation such as “First Fitness+ Core Workout” or “Best Fitness+ HIIT Workout”.

With watchOS 9, Fitness+ workouts now display additional onscreen guidance along with trainer coaching to help users get the most out of their workouts, including Intensity for HIIT, Cycling, Rowing, and Treadmill; Strokes per Minute (SPM) for Rowing; Revolutions per Minute (RPM) for Cycling; and Incline for walkers and runners in Treadmill.

Fitness+ subscriber without Apple TV can use AirPLay to stream workouts or meditations on third-party devices. With watch OS9, onscreen metrics are now available on compatible third-party devices to help users stay motivated.

Apple Reveals Apple Watch Series 8 And New Apple Watch SE

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Apple introduced Apple Watch Series 8 and the new Apple Watch SE, which brings groundbreaking technology and performance, and important safety innovations to the two best-selling smartwatches. Apple Watch Series 8 features the beloved design of Apple Watch, including an Always-On Retina display and a strong crack-resistant front crystal. With all-day 18-hour battery life, Apple Watch Series 8 builds on best-in-class health and safety features like the EGC app and fall detection by introducing temperature-sensing capabilities, retrospective ovulation estimates, Crash Detection, and international roaming.

The new Apple Watch SE delivers the core Apple Watch experience, including Activity tracking, high and low heart rate notifications, and Emergency SOS, as well as the new Crash Detection feature and a completely redesigned back case that perfectly matches the three classic case finishes, all at a more affordable price of $249 (US).

Both models are powered by watchOS 9, introducing new and more customizable watch faces like Lunar and Metropolitan, an enhanced Workout app, sleep stages, a first-of-its-kind AFib History feature, and an all-new Medications app.

Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE are available to order now, with availability beginning Friday, September 16.

Wrist Temperature Sensing for Women’s Health

The menstrual cycle is an important marker of health, and many physicians consider it a vital sign. Apple Watch Series 8 features innovative new temperature-sensing capabilities that give women further insights into their health, designed with the same privacy as with all other health data.

Apple Watch Series 8 takes a unique approach to temperature sensing with a two-sensor design – one sensor on the back of the watch, nearest the skin, and another just under the display – reducing bias from the outside environment.

Nighttime wrist temperature can be a good indicator of overall body temperature. The sensors in Apple Watch Series 8 sample the wrist temperature during sleep every five seconds and measure changes as small as 0.1° C. In the Health app, users can see nightly shifts in baseline temperature, which can be caused by exercise, jet lag, or even illness.

Utilizing the new temperature-sensing capabilities in Apple Watch Series 8, users can receive retrospective ovulation estimates. Knowing when ovulation has occurred can be helpful for family planning, and Apple Watch Series 8 makes it easy and convenient by providing these estimates in the Health app. Temperature sensing also enables improved period predictions.

Additionally, with iOS 16 and watchOS 9, all Cycle Tracking users can now receive a notification if their logged cycle history shows a possible deviation, such as irregular, infrequent, or prolonged periods, and persistent spotting, which can be symptoms of underlying health conditions.

WatchOS 9

The latest software brings new features and enhanced experiences to the world’s leading wearable operating system:

  • With international roaming coming later this fall, users can stay connected to a cellular network while traveling abroad. Plans can be extended to Apple Watch from iPhone for little or no additional fee and will be available with over 30 carriers worldwide.
  • Users who are diagnosed with AFib can turn on the FDA-cleared AFib History feature and access important information, including an estimate of how frequently their heart rhythm shows signs of AFib, providing deeper insights into their condition.
  • The completely redesigned Compass app in WatchOS 9 surfaces more in-depth information and three distinct views. The app displays a new hybrid view that simultaneously shows both an analog compass dial and a digital view.
  • The Workout App in WatchOS 9 includes new in-session views, such as Segments, Splits, and Elevation, that offer more precise workout data. Users can also improve their training with advanced workout experiences, including Heart Rate Zones, Custom Workouts, Pacer, and coming later this year, Race Route.
  • Sleep tracking in watchOS 9 provides even more insights with the introduction of sleep stages. Apple Watch uses signals from the accelerometer and heart rate sensor to estimate when users are in REM, Core, or Deep sleep.