Tag - Retina

MCE launches PCI-E SSD line for late-model Retina MacBook Pros
MCE Technologies (MCE) has announced that they are now shipping PCIe-based flash storage upgrade solutions made for the late-2013 through mid-2015 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros with Retina Display. In addition to 1TB, 512GB, and 256GB capacity PCIe-based flash storage upgrade solutions for late-2013 through mid-2014 MacBook Pro with Retina Display models, also shipping are 1TB and 512GB capacity PCI-E 3.0-based flash storage upgrade solutions for the early and mid-2015 MacBook Pro with Retina Display models.

Review: Apple 21.5-inch 4K P3 Retina iMac
Apple continues to focus its consumer desktop efforts around all-in-one iMac designs, for better or worse, with its most recent upgrade efforts centered on bringing Retina displays to them. The latest refresh to the 21.5-inch iMac brings with it a 4K Ultra HD panel with support for the P3 color gamut favored by graphic designers, giving it additional appeal. While the new display is a real highlight, the question is: should you jump in with the entry-level model, our review unit, or go for one of the other options? Check out our review for the pros and cons.

Review: Apple iPad mini 4
Apple's iPad remains one of the most accessible personal computing devices ever made. Young, or old, there has never been a more intuitive way for people to engage with technology. When it was first revealed, the naysayers dismissed it as just a "big iPhone," which it is in some ways. However, what they failed to appreciate was that the larger screen real estate, combined with Apple's chip making and software prowess, gave it much more desktop-like capabilities. Even in its more-condensed mini form factor, the iPad remains a great example of powerful technology made simple, and accessible. The iPad mini 4, is no exception as we discover in our our full review .

Apple quietly launches MacBook Retina display coating repair program
Apple has launched a new Quality Program that will help owners of the MacBook and MacBook Pro affected with a display issue, according to a report. Following complaints from earlier in the year where the anti-reflective protective coating on some Retina displays started to delaminate or wear off on MacBooks, Apple is said to now have an official process to address the problem, by taking in affected systems for repair.

Teardown of new 4K Retina iMac shows few changes beyond display
The latest version of the 21.5-inch iMac, now sporting a new 4K-capable Retina display, has been torn down by repair tool sellers iFixit and given an expected low score for repairability (1 out of 10) due to Apple's production techniques on the line. The examination revealed little in the way of new information, confirming that the new custom Retina-quality panel was made by LG and that the design of the Wi-Fi antenna had been secured and changed slightly.

Apple updates iMovie for Mac to handle 1080p slo-mo, 4K video
Following the introduction of the new 4K 21.5-inch Retina iMac and the refresh of the 27-inch 5K Retina iMacs, Apple has updated iMovie for Mac to version 10.1, bringing support for both 1080p 60fps slow-motion video as well as 4K video editing at 3840x2160 on "compatible Mac computers." These include Macs from 2011 or later with at least 4GB of RAM, although full-resolution 4K video playback requires one of the Retina iMac models, or a Mac Pro that is connected to a 4K display.

Apple 21.5-inch 4K iMac finally arrives with Broadwell processors
After nearly a year of speculation, Apple has just officially unveiled the new 4K 21.5-inch iMac. The new iMac, released alongside an updated 5K iMac, brings Broadwell processors to the line, and uses a custom red-green phosphor LED-backlit panel with a full DCI-P3 color gamut. The new panel gives a 25 percent larger color space over previous solutions, on top of a resolution of 4096x2034, encompassing 9.4 million pixels in total.

MacBook Airs being cleared for approaching new model?
Thanks to a confluence of factors -- including sudden price reductions on existing inventory, reports of a lack of restocking, and the timing of Intel's latest low-power notebook chips -- the likelihood of Apple offering a refreshed version of its MacBook Air later this month now appears high. Apple's most popular model of notebook will likely see a chip upgrade to Intel's Broadwell processors, with the possibility of a new 12-inch Retina model.

Hottest Apple products see improved supply for final Xmas push
In the past month, shipping times have been variable for some of Apple's most in-demand products. However, ship dates for the two new iPhone models, the 6 and 6 Plus -- along with the recently-introduced Retina 5K iMac -- have dropped just ahead of the final push of gift-buying for the holiday season. Both online ship times and same-day in-store pickup schedules have improved.

Early benchmarks show Retina iMac processor's power against Mac Pros
Early benchmarks of the new iMacs show the Retina 5K iMac as having high enough performance to beat the 2013 Mac Pro in some tasks, suggesting that in some cases it may be better to buy the new high-end iMac than a base-level Mac Pro. Results for the range, appearing on the 64-bit Geekbench 3 benchmark, has the high-resolution 5K iMac's 4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor option dominating the board for single and multi-core performance when compared to previous iMacs, and it manages to also put up a good fight when compared to configurations of last year's Mac Pro.
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Cirrus creates Lightning-headphone dev kit
Apple supplier Cirrus Logic has introduced a MFi-compliant new development kit for companies interested in using Cirrus' chips to create Lightning-based headphones, which -- regardless of whether rumors about Apple dropping the analog headphone jack in its iPhone this fall -- can offer advantages to music-loving iOS device users. The kit mentions some of the advantages of an all-digital headset or headphone connector, including higher-bitrate support, a more customizable experience, and support for power and data transfer into headphone hardware. Several companies already make Lightning headphones, and Apple has supported the concept since June 2014. http://bit.ly/29giiZj

Apple Store app offers Procreate Pocket

The Apple Store app for iPhone, which periodically rewards users with free app gifts, is now offering the iPhone "Pocket" version of drawing app Procreate for those who have the free Apple Store app until July 28. Users who have redeemed the offer by navigating to the "Stores" tab of the app and swiping past the "iPhone Upgrade Program" banner to the "Procreate" banner have noted that only the limited Pocket (iPhone) version of the app is available free, even if the Apple Store app is installed and the offer redeemed on an iPad. The Pocket version currently sells for $3 on the iOS App Store. [32.4MB]
Porsche adds CarPlay to 2017 Panamera
Porsche has added a fifth model of vehicle to its CarPlay-supported lineup, announcing that the 2017 Panamera -- which will arrive in the US in January -- will include Apple's infotainment technology, and be seen on a giant 12.3-inch touchscreen as part of an all-new Porsche Communication Management system. The luxury sedan starts at $99,900 for the 4S model, and scales up to the Panamera Turbo, which sells for $146,900. Other vehicles that currently support CarPlay include the 2016 911 and the 2017 models of Macan, 718 Boxster, and 718 Cayman. The company did not mention support for Google's corresponding Android Auto in its announcement. http://bit.ly/295ZQ94

Apple employees testing wheelchair features
New features included in the forthcoming watchOS 3 are being tested by Apple retail store employees, including a new activity-tracking feature that has been designed with wheelchair users in mind. The move is slightly unusual in that, while retail employees have previously been used to test pre-release versions of OS X and iOS, this marks the first time they've been included in the otherwise developer-only watchOS betas. The company is said to have gone to great lengths to modify the activity tracker for wheelchair users, including changing the "time to stand" notification to "time to roll" and including two wheelchair-centric workout apps. http://bit.ly/2955JDa

SanDisk reveals two 256GB microSDXC cards
SanDisk has introduced two 256GB microSDXC cards. Arriving in August for $150, the Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Premium Edition card offers transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s for reading data. The Extreme microSDXC UHS-I card can read at a fast 100MB/s and write at up to 90MB/s, and will be shipping sometime in the fourth quarter for $200. http://bit.ly/294Q1If

Apple's third-quarter results due July 26
Apple has advised it will be issuing its third-quarter results on July 26, with a conference call to answer investor and analyst queries about the earnings set to take place later that day. The stream of the call will go live at 2pm PT (5pm ET) via Apple's investor site, with the results themselves expected to be released roughly 30 minutes before the call commences. Apple's guidance for the quarter put revenue at between $41 billion and $43 billion. http://apple.co/1oi1Pbm

Twitter stickers slowly roll out to users
Twitter has introduced "stickers," allowing users to add extra graphical elements to their photos before uploading them to the micro-blogging service. A library of hundreds of accessories, props, and emoji will be available to use as stickers, which can be resized, rotated, and placed anywhere on the photograph. Images with stickers will also become searchable with viewers able to select a sticker to see how others use the same graphic in their own posts. Twitter advises stickers will be rolling out to users over the next few weeks, and will work on both the mobile apps and through the browser. http://bit.ly/29bbwUE
