Apple Podcasts are now available through Amazon Alexa-enabled devices like Echo speakers. Apple fans can also ...

With Christmas under two weeks away, we're now entering last-minute holiday shopping season. Although some of the best deals may have already come and gone this year, many brands and retailers still offer solid discounts online and in stores, giving shoppers a chance to finish off their shopping lists just in time.

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

For this reason, in this article we've accumulated as many notable Apple-related sales we could find across the internet, ranging from accessory brands like Mophie and Twelve South, to discounts on Apple products like the HomePod. Of course, shipping estimates and costs will vary greatly from store to store, but if you place an order soon, most of these retailers are still ensuring delivery by Christmas day.

We also have a few exclusive discounts mixed into the...

Through Apple's AC Wellness services that offer health benefits to Cupertino employees, Apple has begun providing its staff with free genetic testing, reports CNBC.

AC Wellness operates on-site health clinics on and near Apple's Cupertino campuses, and through a partnership with Color Genomics, employees are able to get genetic screenings for diseases.

Genetic testing is expected to help employees uncover health problems that could turn into risks later in time, allowing patients to take preventative steps. Color's test is able to look for gene mutations associated with cancer and cardiovascular disease.

The test created by Color is not sold directly to consumers and is instead ordered by clinicians at AC Wellness, with a follow up appointment required to discuss the health results.

This article, "...

Shortly after the Pro Display XDR became available to order this week, Stephen Hackett of Relay FM noted that the iMac Pro was not included in the list of Mac models compatible with the display on Apple's website.

Fortunately, video editor Thomas Grove Carter has since demonstrated that the iMac Pro can in fact drive the Pro Display XDR, but only at a 5K resolution. This is likely because the iMac Pro uses Intel's older "Alpine Ridge" Thunderbolt 3 controller without enough bandwidth to drive a 6K display.

Confirmation that the #iMacPro does drive the #ProDisplayXDR 🧐

At 5k. Not 6k....

Patently Apple has briefly covered Tim Cook's Asian tour starting in Japan, then to Singapore and today Cook has sent out another round of tweets of his tour continuing in Thailand with a series of photos as presented in our report

In June RED's President stated that "Apple’s new hardware will bring a mind‐blowing level of performance to Metal‐accelerated, proxy‐free R3D workflows in Final Cut Pro X that editors truly have never seen before. We are very excited to bring a Metal‐ optimized version of R3D in September." The Mac Pro was a little late in coming to market, but RED's Metal‐ optimized version of R3D is hours away from launching.

Apple today announced the addition of "Ultimate Rivals" from Bit Fry Game Studios to its Apple Arcade gaming service.

Ultimate Rivals is a sports game franchise that brings athletes from hockey, basketball, football, and soccer into one video game, which Apple says is a first in sports gaming.

The first title in the franchise, "Ultimate Rivals: The Rink," allows players to choose from more than 50 athletes to compete in two-on-two hockey matches. There are licensed athletes from the NHL, NBA, NFL Players Association (NFLPA), MLB, WNBA and the US Women's National Soccer Team Players Association (USWNTPA), plus retired legends like Wayne Gretzky.

Different combinations of players will unlock unique ways to play and win against the AI or other gamers in online multiplayer...

Patently Apple posted an interesting granted patent report in September titled "Apple Wins Patent for a Multi-user Eye Tracking System for Computer & TV Displays Applied to Gaming, FaceTime & Beyond." Apple acquired SensoMotoric Instruments (SMI), the owner of this patent offers a unique multi-user approach to eye-tracking. Today ...

It's being reported this afternoon that Apple just avoided 15% tariffs on its most important products, the iPhone, iPad and MacBooks, after U.S. President Donald Trump signed off on a trade deal with China.

Apple in iOS 13 added a Voice Control feature as an Accessibility option designed for those who need to use their iPhones and iPads without their hands. It allows for complete control of the operating system using voice commands.

Voice Control is designed for people who need an alternative to physical control, but it has the potential to be useful even for those can use their devices with their hands. Check out our latest YouTube video below to see Voice Control in action, and read on to see how to enable it and what it can do.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

How to Enable Voice Control

Voice Control can be turned on in the Settings app by following these instructions:

1. Open up the Settings app.
2. Scroll down to Accessibility and tap it.
...

Today, the DNC announced debate partners and further details regarding debates in the first four primary and caucus states ahead of those critical contests in 2020. The 'media partner' for the Feb. 7, 2019 debate is Apple News.

Apple Pay with Express Transit mode is coming to the Washington Metro in 2020, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced today. No specific timeline has been provided yet.

Starting next year, riders in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area will be able to add their reloadable SmarTrip fare card to the Wallet app and simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a contactless payment reader at Metrorail stations or on Metrobus buses to pay their fare.

Express Transit mode allows for tap-and-go payment, eliminating the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. The device does not need to be waked or unlocked, either.

This announcement comes less than two weeks after Transport for London rolled out Apple Pay with Express Transit mode across its system. Apple Pay with...

Just two days after the Mac Pro first became available for purchase, the first orders have begun shipping out and are set to be delivered on Friday.

MacStadium's Brian Stucki ordered a couple of new Mac Pros right when Apple began accepting purchases, and his first ‌Mac Pro‌ is coming in just a few days on December 16, which is earlier than the delivery dates that Apple had listed.

Apple's initial delivery estimates were at one to two weeks after purchase, but orders placed now will not be delivered until December 31 to January 8 due to demand for the machine.

The 2019 ‌Mac Pro‌ is the first new ‌Mac Pro‌ we've had in six years, and it's the followup to the 2013 "trash can" ‌Mac Pro‌ that...

Orangetheory Fitness today announced that it will begin rolling out Apple Watch support to its gyms in the first quarter of 2020, eliminating the need to use one of the company's armbands or chest straps for heart rate tracking.

The fitness chain has created a small accessory called the OTbeat Link that attaches to an Apple Watch band, allowing the Apple Watch to sync with the Orangetheory Fitness in-studio heart rate monitoring system. There will also be a new Orangetheory Fitness app for the Apple Watch to accompany the OTbeat Link.

"Now, not only will members be able to view metrics in real time in class with an Apple Watch, they'll also be able to see their Orangetheory Fitness workouts afterward in the Activity app," explains Orangetheory Fitness.

"Apple Watch...

Apple recently used the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to get Twitter to remove a viral tweet that featured an iPhone encryption key, provoking the ire of the security community, reports Motherboard.

On December 7, security researcher "Siguza" on Twitter shared an encryption key that could potentially be used to reverse engineer the ‌iPhone‌'s Secure Enclave, which handles encryption for the device.

Just two days later, a law firm that works with Apple sent a DMCA takedown notice to Twitter, requesting that the tweet be removed. Twitter complied, deleting the tweet.

Today, the tweet reappeared, and Siguza said that the DMCA claim was "retracted." Apple confirmed to Motherboard that it sent the takedown notice and then asked Twitter to put the tweet back in place...

Apple TV+ series "The Morning Show" has been nominated for three Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding male actor and outstanding female actor.

Steve Carell and Billy Crudup, who play Mitch Kessler and Corey Ellison, respectively, have been nominated for the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series award.

The two will be competing against Sterling K. Brown (Randall Pearson) from "This Is Us," Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) from "Game of Thrones," and David Harbour (Jim Hopper) from "Stranger Things."

Jennifer Aniston, who plays Alex Levy, was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. Reese Witherspoon, who plays Bradley Jackson in "The Morning Show" was not nominated.

Aniston will be competing against Helena...

Apple is rumored to launch four 5G-enabled iPhones in fall 2020, and while 5G-related components could raise the production costs of the devices by $30 to $100 depending on the model, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will not significantly increase the price of 5G iPhones compared to this year's lineup.

iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max models start at $999 and $1,099 respectively in the United States, while the iPhone 11 starts at $699.

In a research note with TF International Securities, viewed by MacRumors, Kuo said Apple instead aims to offset the cost of 5G by reducing its supply chain expenses, potentially including dropping its upfront non-recurring engineering payment to suppliers of the redesigned metal chassis and frame for 5G iPhones.

Non-recurring engineering refers to the one-time cost to research,...

In a new analytical report published late yesterday, IDC's research showed that Apple was the leader in the EMEA market showing shipment and market share growth while Samsung crashed.

A new smartglasses rumor report claims Apple is likely on track with smartglasses in 2020 using TSMC's latest processors

Apple Inc on Monday told a federal court it has "deep concerns" that two Chinese-born former employees accused of stealing trade secrets from the company would try to flee before their trials if their locations were not properly monitored.

If anyone had any doubts of at least one being a spy for China in some capacity, think again. A part of the story not known came to light yesterday.

Lawmakers on Tuesday threatened to pass litigation that would force technology companies to provide court-ordered access to encrypted devices and messages unless the businesses can come up with a solution. Apple was questioned at the hearing.

With the new 2019 Mac Pro now available for purchase, Apple has begun sharing support documents and tutorial videos covering the new high-end machine that's designed for professional users.

Two new support videos shared this morning walk ‌Mac Pro‌ owners through RAM upgrades and graphics upgrades through adding a new MPX Module. Apple designed the ‌Mac Pro‌ to be upgradeable over time, so all of the components can be swapped out.

Upgrading the ‌Mac Pro‌'s RAM can be done by lifting off the aluminum housing, opening up the DIMM cover, opening the DIMM ejectors, pulling out old RAM, and then aligning the DIMMs of the new memory into the optimal slots and pushing it in gently.

Installing a new MPX Module requires lifting off the aluminum housing, loosening the screws of the MPX base with a screwdriver and removing the clamp plates, unlocking the MPX base, and then sliding in a new module.

Apple...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officially published a series of 51 newly granted patents for Apple Inc. today. In this particular report we cover Apple's patent relating to headsets for gaming, vehicle simulators and other applications. Apple has worked on a few headset patents covering the need for accurate positional tracking and methods to avoid motion sickness while wearing a headset in a vehicle. In today's granted patent, Apple explains using Inertial Measurement Units to keep the user from becoming sick while playing a game in a moving vehicle.

Ahead of the release of the Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR, Apple gave several of the machines to prominent tech YouTubers to test out, and their first impressions, overviews, and unboxings of the ‌Mac Pro‌ are now available.

MKBHD, iJustine, and Jonathan Morrison were each able to spend a couple of weeks with the ‌Mac Pro‌ and Pro Display XDR, using the setup for video editing workflows. YouTubers were provided with higher-end machines featuring the 28-core Intel Xeon W processors, 384GB RAM, 4TB SSD, an Afterburner Card, and two AMD Radeon Pro Vega II GPUs.

MKBHD had a few interesting ‌Mac Pro‌ tidbits to share, including details on the inclusion of a new memory management interface that shows an overview of memory management with how the memory is arranged, along with an overview of PCI slots.

He said that he has two main takeaways after using the ‌Mac Pro‌ for a few weeks: "It's really quiet and it's...

Apple today released the Mac Pro, its high-end modular desktop machine designed for professional users. While the base ‌Mac Pro‌ machine is priced starting at $5,999, there are many other upgrade options available.

Right now, the ‌Mac Pro‌ maxes out at 4TB of SSD storage space, but in the future, Apple plans to expand that to 8TB. On the specs page, Apple says that an 8TB SSD storage option is "coming soon."

Pricing is not available on the component, but given that the 4TB option costs an additional $1,400, it's likely to be expensive. Apple first introduced 8TB SSD storage options in the MacBook Pro, and in that machine, the upgrade costs $2,200 over the base 1TB storage option.

Apple also currently provides Radeon Pro 580X, Radeon Pro Vega II, and Radeon Pro...

Apple today released macOS Catalina 10.15.2, the second update to the ‌macOS Catalina‌ operating system that was originally released in October. ‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.2 comes over a month after the release of macOS Catalina 10.15.1.

‌‌macOS Catalina‌‌ can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free using the Update feature in the System Preferences app, and it is available to anyone who has a compatible Mac.

There were no major new features found in ‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.2 during the beta testing period, but according to Apple's release notes, the update includes a new layout for Apple News+ new stories,...

With Mac Pro orders now live, pricing for all of the build to order options for the machine are available, giving us an idea of what it's going to cost to get the top of the line upgrades.

Apple lets ‌Mac Pro‌ buyers upgrade the processor, RAM, GPU, and SSD, as well as add an Apple Afterburner card, wheels, and accessories, all of which add to the cost.

Starting with the base ‌Mac Pro‌ with a 3.5GHz Xeon W processor, 32GB RAM, a Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB memory, and 256GB SSD, choosing all available internal hardware upgrades will net you a price of $52,199.

Add to that the $400 wheels, and the price goes up to $52,599. From there, if you tack on the Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 combo, you can get a maximum price of $52,748.

If you want a maxed out rack mounted ‌Mac Pro‌, expect to pay an additional $500 when that option becomes available, for a total price...

More than two years after Apple promised a new modular high-end desktop machine for its professional users, the new Mac Pro is now available for purchase, as is its companion display, the Pro Display XDR.

Apple is accepting orders for the Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR, with Mac Pro delivery estimates at one to two weeks after an order is placed.

First unveiled in June, the 2019 Mac Pro is the first new Mac Pro that Apple has released since the 2013 "trash can" Mac Pro that ultimately failed due to its focus on dual GPUs and thermal limitations.

The updated Mac Pro is a high-end high-throughput machine designed for professional users, and this new model has a heavy focus on upgradeability and expansion. The Mac Pro has a traditional PC shape, but with an Apple-esque stainless steel frame that features a lattice design to maximize airflow and allow for quiet...

Apple Card has a new Monthly Installments financing option that allows customers to purchase an iPhone with the Apple Card and pay for it over two years with no interest or fees in the United States.

Apple has shared a new support document explaining how the monthly installment plan works, which we've detailed below.

When using Monthly Installments, the cost of your new iPhone is divided into 24, interest-free monthly installments. Each installment is included in your Apple Card minimum payment and is due every month for 24 months. Monthly Installments are billed to your Apple Card statement on the last day of the month.

You can use Apple Card Monthly Installments to buy more than one iPhone. The number of iPhones you can buy is only limited by your available credit.

For each iPhone purchased with the Apple Card, you will receive 3...

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple 51 newly granted patents today. In this report we cover a possible Apple Watch hand gesturing system based on interpreting a user's skin extending and contracting to signal commands. A second granted patent covers an advanced 3D camera (like TrueDepth) that introduces a photonics module for optical projection for interpreting in-air hand gestures to control aspects of the user interface and more

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted Apple 51 newly granted patents today. One of the key patents issued to Apple today is one relating to hybrid 2-2-way charging that some in the industry refer to as reverse charging. It was first commercially introduced with Huawei's 2018 Mate 20 Pro smartphone. Apple worked on this prior to 2016.

Apple today asked a federal court to continue monitoring two Chinese-born former employees accused of stealing trade secrets, citing "deep concerns" that the two could attempt to flee the country before their trials.

According to Reuters, prosecutors argued that Xiaolang Zhang and Jizhong Chen should have their locations monitored because they are flight risks.

Zhang was charged with theft of trade secrets back in July 2018 after he attempted to steal data on the car project that Apple has in the works. Prior to when he was caught, Zhang worked on Apple's compute team, designing and testing circuit boards to analyze sensor data in autonomous vehicles.

Zhang had "broad access to secure and confidential internal...

Apple will have a presence at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that's set to take place in January, but the company won't be showing off new products.

Apple will instead be discussing consumer privacy, as Bloomberg points out. Jane Horvath, Apple's senior director of privacy, will be attending a "Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable" alongside privacy executives from Facebook, Procter & Gamble, and the FTC.

The roundtable will focus on "what consumers want" when it comes to privacy. It will be held on Tuesday, January 7 at 1:00 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center's North Hall, room N257. Attendance is included with CES registration.Privacy is now a strategic imperative for all consumer businesses. "The future is private" (Facebook); "Privacy is a human right...

Last Thursday the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to a possible future editing tool for iDevices that could work with Microsoft Office and Apple's iWork productivity suites. On a notebook users could edit with a trackpad or mouse. So for iDevices, Apple has invented a new 'trackpad mode.'

Apple's wearables shipments nearly tripled in the third quarter of 2019 due to the growing popularity of the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats headphones, according to research firm IDC.

IDC estimates that Apple shipped 29.5 million wearables last quarter, up from 10 million in the third quarter of 2018. Apple remained the world's largest wearables vendor, and the launch of the AirPods Pro and discounts on Apple Watch Series 3 models should keep the company in the lead, the research firm said.

Apple does not disclose wearables sales on a product or unit basis, so emphasis should be placed on IDC's figures being estimates, but all signs do point towards the Apple Watch and AirPods selling very well.

Apple's "Wearables, Home and Accessories" revenue was a...

Apple TV+ series "The Morning Show" has received a Golden Globe Award nomination for best drama series, while stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon are nominated for best actress in a drama series, according to Variety.

The 77th Golden Globe Awards will honor the best in film and television of 2019, as determined by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The ceremony will air live on NBC on January 5, 2020 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 13Tags: Golden Globes, Apple TV Shows, Apple TV PlusBuyer's Guide:...

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been touring Tokyo, Japan over the last few days, meeting with local employees, developers, healthcare experts, and others. Cook has been documenting the trip on his Twitter account.

Cook has traveled to several countries for meets and greets during his eight-year tenure as Apple CEO, including France and Germany in September. He has also visited Canada, China, Ireland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

こんにちは Tokyo! It’s wonderful to be back in Japan! 🇯🇵 #shotoniPhone by Koichi Mitsui pic.twitter.com/Kt5VlyA2VI

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 8, 2019

What a treat to reunite with...

Keeping it short and simple, Apple has announced that Apple professionals will be able to order the new Mac Pro workstation and high-end Display XDR this coming Tuesday,

Apple plans to release the new Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR on Tuesday, December 10, according to "Save the Date" emails that Apple began sending out to some customers this afternoon.

Apple in November confirmed that the ‌Mac Pro‌ and Pro Display XDR would come in December, but until now, the company had not provided a specific date. Apple's emails say orders will begin on December 10, so presumably shipments will begin soon after orders open up.

The new modular ‌Mac Pro‌ was first introduced in June at the WorldWide developers Conference, with the machine aimed at Apple's pro user base.

The ‌Mac Pro‌ was designed with a heavy focus on upgradeability and expansion, and it features a traditional PC shape with an Apple-esque stainless steel frame with a lattice pattern that maximizes airflow.

...

On Thursday the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that relates to advancing Face ID so as to allow for partial face recognition and allowing Face ID to work better under poor lighting situations. All three of Apple's inventors are part of the company's Machine Learning team.

Apple is investigating a popping sound issue with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro and plans to make a fix available in future software updates, the company has indicated in an internal document obtained by MacRumors.

The memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers reads as follows:If a customer hears a popping sound when playback is stopped on their MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

When using Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, QuickTime Player, Music, Movies, or other applications to play audio, users may hear a pop come from the speakers after playback has ended. Apple is investigating the issue. A fix is planned in future software updates. Do not set up service, or replace the user's computer, as this is a software-related issue.Shortly following the launch of the 16-inch MacBook Pro last month, some customers began to voice concerns about the popping sound issue across the...

Back in 2004, then-Wired editor Leander Kahney published The Cult of Mac, a photo-filled book containing an array of anecdotes about fans, collectors, and others with special connections to Apple and the Mac. While Kahney took the opportunity to add a chapter on the iPod when the book was published as a paperback edition a couple of years later, the book remains an interesting look at a time when Apple had only recently surfaced from its near-death experience of the 1990s.

As outlined by Kahney in The Cult of Mac, Apple may even have been saved by those devotees to the Mac, some of whom became an army of essentially unpaid evangelists seeking to convert over to Mac anyone and everyone who would listen. Some even went as far as to stake out CompUSA stores to educate or counteract clueless salespeople who only wanted to sell Windows machines and were uninterested in directing customers to the Mac section of the stores, while others shared their love for the...

Apple on December 14 is holding an open house event at Apple Park for Cupertino residents who live near the campus, and has been sending out invites via email to those who are eligible to attend.

The open house takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and requires attendees to RSVP by December 11. Apple says that it is supporting Toys for Tots, and asks those interested in participating to bring along a toy.

Image via Eddie Kuo

Potential attendees need to fill out a registration form and attendance is confirmed on a first come, first serve basis until capacity is reached.

Each household that receives an invitation can register up to four people in total, and households will be assigned a specific arrival time. Apple says that light snacks and beverages will be served, and the company recommends comfortable...