Category: Apple Insider

Revealed in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday, Cook on Monday saw a batch of 560,000 RSUs vest for satisfying performance goals set forth by the company’s board of directors.

After Apple’s statutory tax withholding, which came out to 294,840 stock units, Cook was left with 265,160 vested units that were immediately sold in multiple trades executed at prices ranging from $493.50 to $500.11 on Monday and Tuesday. Withheld units were traded on Monday at $503.43.

As usual, the trades were made pursuant to Cook’s trading plan adopted on Feb. 28.

The fully vested award includes 280,000 time-based RSUs and 280,000 performance-based RSUs. Performance-based RSUs were calculated by monitoring Apple’s performance relative to the S&P 500. To receive the full grant, Apple had to land in the top third of firms over a three-year period from Aug. 25, 2017 through Aug. 24, 2020, which it did. Adjusted for dividends, Apple’s starting value was calculated at $157.56, with the stock ending the period at $464.63.

Total shareholder return for the three-year period was 194.89%, placing Apple in the 99th percentile and 7th among the 442 companies on the index.

Cook has 1,260,000 RSUs remaining in his current award, all of which are slated to vest on Aug. 24, 2021. To see the RSUs convert in full, the executive must continue employment at Apple and maintain the company’s financial health.

Today’s filing comes a day after a disclosure noted Cook’s donation of 10,715 owned shares to an unknown charity. The gift was worth more than $5 million when the transaction was completed on Friday.

In the world of gaming, most accessories launch in white, black, or perhaps grey with occasional accent colors. The Logitech G Color Collection launches with mice, a keyboard, and a wireless headset that all have a variety of colors available, as well as some other accessories to bring out your personal style.

“As gaming becomes a bigger part of pop culture, personal expression and style have become a huge part of a gamers’ identity,” said Ujesh Desai, general manager of Logitech G. “With that in mind we set out to design a collection of high-performance gaming gear in a fun and colorful way.”

The most notable of the new Color Collection is the G733 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Headset. This 278 gram lightweight headset is a reliable, high quality gaming headset. You can game for up to 29 hours on a single charge and be up to 20 meters away from a host device.

The new G733 headset

It sports front-facing, dual-zone Lightsync RGB lighting that can be customized with more than 16 million colors. There is a detachable mic with Blue VO!CE technology that makes your voice sound richer, cleaner, and more professional.

Swap headbands or mic covers

It is available in White, Blue, Lilac and Black colorways. They also have reversible headbands that are color-coordinated with the headsets. Additional headbands are available for $9.99 apiece. There are mic covers as well that come in quirky colors and shapes such as a mustache, star, heart, lips, and a thumbs up. Those too will be available for $9.99.

The G733 gaming headsets will start shipping in September for $129. It will support Mac, PC, and PS4.

Following the new headset are the G203 and G305 gaming mice and G915 TKL gaming keyboard.

The wired G203 gaming mouse.

The G203 is all about affordable, gaming-level performance. It is a wired mouse with a reliable six-button design that can be used out of the box or customized with Logitech G Hub software, which allows you to change the vibrant LED colors but also program the buttons to your preference.

It uses a gaming-grade sensor with adjustable tracking up to 8000 DPI for a high level of accuracy.

When it launches, the mouse will be available in Black, White, Blue and Lilac for $39.99.

The G305 is a higher-end gaming mouse with wireless connectivity. It is more capable with 400 IPS precision and sensitivity up to 12,000 DPI. Users can game for 250 hours at a 1ms report rate in Performance mode on a single AA battery. When switched to Endurance mode, it refreshes at 8ms and can last up to nine months.

Wireless G305 gaming mouse is now available in blue and lilac alongside white and black

This mouse is ultra lightweight, has hidden storage for the nano receiver, and is great for on your desk or on-the-go gaming. When it originally launched, it was available in white and black but is now available in blue and lilac as well.

Finally, the G915 TKL Keyboard is a full keyboard with directional arrow keys and no number pad — the perfect combination for gamers who rely on solid arrow keys but don’t need the bulk of the number pad.

It offers three selections of low-profile GL switches and pro-grade 1ms Lightspeed wireless connectivity. On a single charge it can run over 40 hours of gameplay.

Like others in the lineup, it has fully customizable RGB colors that can be customized on a per-key basis. The lights can also react to in-game action, audio and screen color as you choose.

Logitech’s G915 TKL keyboard is strong and durable with an aluminum top plate and storage for the nano receiver so that it can travel with you.

The G915 TKL Gaming Keyboard has been available, but the new tenkeyless design will retail for $229.99 in September in white and black.

Find all of the new Logitech G Color Collection on Logitech G’s website.

This year, schools are offering in-person or virtual options. No matter which option your school is offering, the best new computer may be a computer that’s new-to-you.

Last year, we purchased a 2015 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The problem is that 128GB is not large enough to meet the school’s requirements. They want 256GB or greater.

First, you’re going to need to gather the computer and parts. We found the 2015 MacBook Air and a 2017 MacBook Air on Craigslist.

Both years are essentially the same computer, with a speed bump in CPU MHz. We could have also found a MacBook Pro, but those cost more and weigh more.

• 2015 or newer MacBook air
• bootable macOS USB drive to reinstall macOS
• Sintech NVMe adapter
• Crucial P1 1TB drive
• P5 pentalobe screwdriver
• T5 torx screwdriver

The Mac you upgrade doesn’t have to be a MacBook Air. It could also be a MacBook Pro, or Mac mini.

In general, any 2013 to 2017 MacBook Air, 2013 to 2015 MacBook Pro, and 2014 Mac mini can be upgraded, with good results. How can you tell if your computer is compatible with an upgrade? When you click on About this Mac, System Report, the Hardware Overview section has a Model Identifier number that you can use to determine compatibility.

• MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina display Mid 2015) Model ID: MacBookPro11,5
• MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina display Mid 2015) Model ID: MacBookPro11,4
• MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina display Early 2015) Model ID: MacBookPro12,1
• MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Display 2014) Model ID: MacBookPro11,3
• MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Display 2014) Model ID: MacBookPro11,2
• MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina Display 2014) Model ID: MacBookPro11,1
• MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Display 2013) Model ID: MacBookPro11,3
• MacBook Pro (15-inch Retina Display 2013) Model ID: MacBookPro11,2
• MacBook Pro (13-inch Retina Display 2013) Model ID: MacBookPro11,1

• MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2017) Model ID: MacBookAir7,2
• MacBook Air (13-inch Early 2015) Model ID: MacBookAir7,2
• MacBook Air (11-inch Early 2015) Model ID: MacBookAir7,1
• MacBook Air (13-inch Early 2014) Model ID: MacBookAir6,2
• MacBook Air (11-inch Early 2014) Model ID: MacBookAir6,1
• MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013) Model ID: MacBookAir6,2
• MacBook Air (11-inch Mid 2013) Model ID: MacBookAir6,1

• Mac mini (Late 2014) Model ID: Macmini7,1

When we write, “with good results,” there is a caveat. 2013-2014 machines treat hibernation differently than 2015 and later machines.

Apple has different power management modes for increasing battery life. One of those can cause a problem for users who upgrade to an NVMe drive in a 2013-2014 machine.

Some of these machines will kernel panic when attempting to go into standby mode. Standby is where the computer records a snapshot of the current state of your computer to the flash drive, usually after about 3 hours. A Mac on Standby can stay charged for up to 30 days without being plugged in.

The solution is to prevent the computer from going into Standby. Here’s how to do it.

• Open the Terminal app
• Type sudo pmset -a standby 0
• Press Return
• Quit the Terminal

The computer will still hibernate or sleep, without saving the current state of the computer to the flash drive. You’ll still have battery-life, although maybe not the 30-days-without-charging kind of battery life.

2015 and later machines need no modifications like this at all.

You can run a range of macOS using these NVMe drives:

• High Sierra
• Mojave
• Catalina
• Big Sur (probably)

For the students in our house, we’re going with Mojave. Every app they’re going to use will work fine with Mojave, but your mileage may vary.

At some point in the future, we will likely upgrade the machines to Big Sur, but not until it’s been out for a few point releases.

There are a range of drives available that will work, but unless the Mac has a controller that can take advantage of faster speeds, there’s no benefit to spending more on a faster drive.

While the WD Black SN750 can transfer speeds at a rated 3400 MB/s, it’s not useful if the Mac can’t support those speeds.

The Samsung drives have a history of working after firmware updates have been applied. The problem with firmware updates is that they require a Windows machine to install them. If you’re preparing a computer for a student, this may be outside your comfort level.

The Crucial P1 drives are affordable (1TB for $104) where every other terabyte drive was more money.

Our advice: buy the drive that’s within budget and will meet the needs of your Macintosh and your school’s recommendations.

We considered what the machines we had were capable of, and maxed them out based on that.

For example, you could get a 4TB drive. It will be expensive. Practically, we targeted 1TB or fewer.

For a MacBook Air, the maximum speeds of the controller are between 700 and 1500 MB/s. The Retina 15″ Mid-2015 MacBook Pro supports 4x lanes PCIe 3.0 speed, and can support 3000 MB/s.

The upgraded MacBook Air

For our MacBook Airs, the Crucial P1 makes sense. If we were upgrading a Retina MacBook Pro 15″ from 2015, the WD Black might make more sense.

Even though we chose the slower Crucial drive, it reached 1476 MB/s read and 1323 MB/s write speeds on the MacBook Air. On our stock 2015 MacBook Pro, we get only 529 MB/s read, 482 MB/s write speeds.

The original drive in a 2014 MacBook Pro

It’s worth noting that just because a drive is rated at a high speed it’s possible to achieve less than that speed. For example, We tried the WD Black drive in a computer running Windows, and it reached 2900 MB/s. On macOS on the same computer, it reached 2400 MB/s.

There are a lot of variables, and while we’re doing something not officially supported, it’s still an impressive speed increase over stock drives.

Shut down the computer. Use the Pentalobe P5 to remove the bottom cover of the MacBook. Not all screws are the same length, and it’s important to get each back into the same hole it came out of.

keep the screws in order

You might take cardboard and poke the screws into the cardboard in orientations similar to the screw holes they came out of. Or you might put strips of double sided tape down and organize them on that. Whichever you do, make sure the screws go into the holes they came out of when you’re done.

The cover will come off easily. On the MacBook Air, we lift at a corner or hinge area working around the sides. There’s a sort of latch at the middle of the sides of the machine, where you’ll feel the cover pop free and lift off.

Removing the original drive

Locate the SSD. In the center of the MacBook Air, there’s a Torx screw holding it down. Unscrew it and remove the drive, setting it aside.

Take the Sintech NGFF to M.2 NVMe adapter, and insert it in place of the original drive. Then, take the new NVMe drive and insert it into the adapter. When everything is aligned, the notch in the end of the NVMe drive will line up with the post the Torx screw came out of. You can reuse it, or use the Philips screw that came with the adapter.

Inserting the adapter

Make sure to align the adapter and drive correctly on the standoff that the Torx screw goes in. This may require some care to insert the adapter and drive fully into their slots.

Put the cover of the computer back on, taking care to replace the screws in the holes they came out of. Normally on Macs, the longest screws go near the hinge area, or near the center of that hinge edge.

The new drive and adapter installed

Insert the USB macOS drive you made earlier. Power on while holding down the Option key. When the list of drives comes up, select the USB drive. The computer will boot to recovery.

Open Disk Utility to format the new SSD drive as GUID partition scheme with macOS journaled file system. Once done, quit Disk Utility and proceed installing macOS.

Reinstalling macOS

The result will be a faster computer than stock configuration, more storage, and the drive will show up in System Report under NVMExpress.

System Report showing success

We purchased a 2015 MacBook Air for $280 and a 2017 MacBook Air for $420. Craigslist is subject to availability and haggling, and your willingness to meet strangers wearing face masks with considerable sums of cash.

There’s a lot of life left in second-hand Macs, and upgrading one from just a few years ago is an affordable way to meet or exceed back-to-school computing requirements. The computer will be faster, have more storage, on a budget.

On Friday, it was reported the lack of app updates for the WordPress app were due to it being “locked” on the App Store. After three weeks of absence, developers of the app had agreed to implement some form of in-app purchase to the app to enable updates to go through again, among other possible solutions.

In a statement provided to AppleInsider on Saturday, Apple claims the issue with the app has been “resolved” overnight.

“Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free stand-alone app and does not have to offer in-app purchases,” states Apple. “We have informed the developer and apologize for any confusion that we have caused.”

At the time the block came to light, it was suggested the app was blocked because it was possible for users to see a page within the app’s Help Center discussing upgrades to paid plans. This is in reference to WordPress.com’s paid hosting offerings, which are managed from the website, not the app.

While the app itself doesn’t offer any monetary transaction capabilities at all, it is believed the mention in the support page for the website version was a violation of App Store review guidelines.

The confusion surrounding in-app purchases arrives at a time when the App Store is facing intense scrutiny. Apple is currently facing antitrust investigations from regulators in the U.S. and Europe, while a public legal fight between Epic Games and Apple is also taking place.

The entertainment giant earlier in August said the film would hit Disney+ as a paid exclusive on “premier platforms,” but failed to name partner providers, Deadline reports.

According to a Disney+ webpage, “Mulan” will be available from Sept. 4 as an in-app purchase on Apple, Roku and Google platforms. The film is also set to go up for purchase through Disney’s website.

Disney+ subscribers are slated to get access to the film following its September premiere, though a streaming date has not been announced.

The move comes amid controversy surrounding app store fees implemented by Apple and Google, each of which faces lawsuits from developers for taking a slice of in-app transactions. By making “Mulan” available as an in-app Disney+ “premium” purchase, Disney subjects its film to app store fees, which in Apple’s case is 30%.

“We thought we would give it a try, to try to recapture some of that investment that we’ve got,” said Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Chapek characterized the “one-off” strategy as a “a chance to learn,” Deadline reports.

Dubbed the “FreeFortnite Cup,” the upcoming tournament starts on Aug. 23 and includes prizes like a “Tart Tycoon” skin borrowed from the Tim Cook caricature that starred in Epic’s “Nineteen Eighty-Fortnite” ad.

Physical prizes are also up for grabs, with the company giving away 20,000 “Free Fortnite” hats (designed in the style of Apple’s classic “Think Different” merchandise) and 1,200 pieces of non-Apple gaming hardware like an Alienware Gaming Laptop, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, OnePlus 8, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch.

Players can take part in the tournament by navigating to the “Compete” tab in game and selecting the “#FreeFortnite Cup Playlist.” Participants have four hours to rack up points — active time, eliminations and victories — in up to 12 solo matches.

“These are the final days of the entire Fortnite community’s ability to play together. Apple has blocked Fortnite from the App Store, preventing players from updating to new versions,” Epic said in a press release. “Players on iOS devices will be left behind on Chapter 2 – Season 3 while everyone else jumps into the Chapter 2 – Season 4 launch on August 27.”

Former Fortnite players who deleted the game from their iPhone or iPad can take part in the tournament by reinstalling the title.

Epic last week baited Apple into removing Fortnite from the App Store by issuing an update that incorporated a direct payment option for in-game currency. Once the title was removed, as per App Store guidelines, Epic launched an all-out legal assault targeting Apple’s store fees and business strategy. Corresponding PR and social media campaigns followed.

Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the action targets the so-called “stage light” or “flexgate” issue that presented in MacBook Pro models manufactured in 2016 and 2017.

Discovered in 2018, the problem manifests as dark patches that run across the bottom of an impacted MacBook Pro’s display, resembling light installations commonly seen on a theater stage. Some users reported that opening their MacBook Pro’s display past a certain angle renders the screen nonfunctional.

Independent repair outfit iFixit investigated the “stage light” effect in early 2019 and tracked the issue back to a thin flex cable that connects the display to a controller situated on the logic board beneath MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar. According to the lawsuit, these flex cables were defective and would deteriorate over time as the connected display was opened and closed.

Following initial reports of the “stage light” effect, a host of complaints claiming similar troubles surfaced on social media outlets, blogs, a Change.org petition and Apple’s own Support forums.

While Apple ultimately launched a repair program covering 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro models, the company failed to include 15-inch Pros and models produced after 2016 that faced identical issues. Further, the tech giant delayed issuing the repair program “despite the fact that it both knew and should have known” the root cause of the problem.

Prior to the repair program, owners were forced to pay out of pocket for costly repairs. As the flex cable was an integral display component, remedying “stage light” often necessitated replacement of the entire screen assembly.

Apple has not revealed when it first recognized complications with the 2016 and 2017 MacBook Pro, but variants unveiled in 2018 included a longer display flex cable in an apparent bid to fix the issue.

“Apple was aware of the issues with the backlight screen and the defective flex cable, in light of the comments posted by consumers on Apple’s discussion forum and that those comments were deleted after they were posted,” the lawsuit reads.

The class-action argues violation of unfair competition laws in various states, the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act, the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, and consumer fraud statutes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraudulent concealment and unjust enrichment are also asserted.

Plaintiffs seek damages, court fees and a judgment requiring Apple to identify and declare all defective MacBook Pro laptops, among other relief measures.

B&H’s latest Deal Zone event includes multiple deals on Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro (Late 2018) models. These tablets are Verizon Unlocked, but can work with AT&T and T-Mobile as well (a physical SIM card may be needed, please check with your carrier to confirm compatibility).

With prices starting at $669 with free shipping, the 24-hour iPad Pro deals deliver the lowest prices available on the 64GB tablets that can be paired with the Apple Pencil 2 (sold separately). The iPad Pros can also be bundled with AppleCare and/or a Magic Keyboard, bringing the total savings to up to $528 off.

Check out the specials below and on B&H’s Deal Zone page. Offers are valid through 9 p.m. Pacific on Aug. 19, or while supplies last.

24-hour iPad Pro deals

• 2018 12.9″ iPad Pro (64GB, Verizon Unlocked) Gray: $669 ($480 off)
• 2018 12.9″ iPad Pro (64GB, Verizon Unlocked) Gray + AppleCare: $769 ($509 off)
• 2018 12.9″ iPad Pro (64GB, Verizon Unlocked) Gray + Magic Keyboard: $999 ($499 off)
• 2018 12.9″ iPad Pro (64GB, Verizon Unlocked) Gray + Magic Keyboard + AppleCare: $1,099 ($528 off)

Additional iPad Pro savings

• 2018 12.9″ iPad Pro (256GB, Verizon Unlocked): $929 ($370 off)
• 2018 12.9″ iPad Pro (512GB, Verizon Unlocked): $1,049 ($450 off + free earbuds)
• 2018 12.9″ iPad Pro (1TB, Verizon Unlocked) Gray: $1,199 ($500 off + free earbuds)

Find even more of the lowest iPad Pro prices…

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive discounts on Mac hardware that will not only deliver the best Apple prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus savings on AppleCare, Office 365 and more. These offers are as follows:

Citing a person familiar with the matter, CNBC on Monday reports enterprise software specialist Oracle is throwing its hat into the ring as ByteDance eyes a lucrative TikTok sale.

Oracle is joining forces with a group of U.S. venture capital firms that currently own a stake in TikTok, the report said. While CNBC’s failed to specify which investors are working with Oracle, a report from the Financial Times claims General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital are on board with the plan that would see an acquisition of TikTok’s U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand businesses.

Earlier this month it was reported that Microsoft was leading the pack with a potential bid topping out at $30 billion. Microsoft and Oracle’s group are “far ahead” of other companies that have expressed interest in the popular social media app, CNBC reports.

As noted in the report, TikTok is an odd target for Oracle, which concentrates its efforts on enterprise solutions. The app could, however, deliver valuable customer data for Oracle’s various marketing products.

Trump last week issued an executive order calling on ByteDance to divest from its U.S. TikTok business within 90 days. The new order supersedes a previous directive called on ByteDance to cut U.S. business ties within 45 days.

“There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance … might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States,” Trump’s said in the Aug. 15 order.

There are quite a few capable smart locks on the market, but typically you have to make the choice between a more intrusive door lock that involves swapping the hardware on your door or a minimalist one that can retrofit to existing deadbolts.

That also decides if you want a normal keyhole on the exterior or a number pad. With a number pad, it offers yet another way to control your door alongside HomeKit or a key.

August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is an excellent minimalist lock that can fit on the inside of your door, but on its own, lacks a number pad.

Fortunately, August offers an add-on accessory to provide that number pad for those that want it.

The August Smart Keyboard is as simple as they come. It is very small, with two columns of numbers above the August logo. The front is a soft rubberized material so that the buttons can be pressed.

August Smart Keypad mounted to door

Even though it is doesn’t have a large footprint, it does stick out from the wall a solid amount, which isn’t a dealbreaker but it can look odd depending on where it is mounted.

Speaking of which, there are two ways to mount the August Smart Keypad.

A set of mounting screws are included that can be screwed to the exterior wall and the keypad can be pressed right onto them. Two rubber holes on the rear of the keypad hold tight onto those screws.

August Smart Keypad adhesive

Alternatively, a precision-cut adhesive is also included, which you can affix to the rear of the keypad and then press it to the wall for mounting. Regardless of which mounting option you choose, the number pad can always be removed to gain access to the battery compartment around the back.

August Smart Keypad backlit numbers

The keys are backlit in a well-suited red glow, making it easy to see in low-light settings. One small criticism is that the August logo is not inherently obvious as a button, as it isn’t always clear to new users that they must press the logo to submit their code.

A quick first-time “how-to” guide is all that is needed to solve this, however.

Setting up the August Smart Keypad is about as simple as it gets. Just launch the August app, tap on “Add a new product,” and choose the keypad from the list of possible devices.

Once you remove the plastic battery guards, it flashes and is then discovered by the app. Select the door lock you want the keypad to control and wait for the app to finish.

It was mildly confounding for a moment post-install as we looked for an option to set up the passcodes. August doesn’t prompt you for individual passcodes during the install, but rather you set them within settings afterward.

There, you view who has control of the August lock and what their passcodes are for the number pad. You can create a passcode for each person with smart lock control, as well as an emergency code or folks who don’t have a smartphone or access to the app. Kids and the older users are most suited for that last category.

Codes by default are five characters though you can create more secure or less secure passcodes as you choose.

Activity feed in the August app

The keypad connects to the August lock via Bluetooth, which is both simple and straightforward, but also a little time-consuming.

As you approach the door, you input your passcode and press the August logo, and after a few moments, the door will unlock. At times, it could take five to ten seconds for our lock to respond and unlock, which seems too long in our opinion, but it’s just something to keep in mind.

One of our favorite features of the August Smart Keypad is that it can be used to lock the door as well as unlock. On our way out, just tap that August logo, and the door will lock behind you.

A constant theme in any of our smart home reviews is convenience for everyone — both for smart home users as well as kids, guests, and anyone who doesn’t have a phone or use technology. The August Smart Keypad provides benefits for all users.

August Smart Keypad

HomeKit is great to control an August lock, but it isn’t always the best way to do it. Sometimes it is hard to open the Home app or invoke Siri and tapping a button is faster and easier.

That’s not to mention guests and others who may also benefit from having access.

August also controls these keys very securely, with access able to be revoked at any time. The codes can operate certain times or certain days of the week or just left on all the time.

We won’t say that the keypad is essential for all August users but it is convenient enough that we can see many August users opting to add it on.

• Easy to setup and install
• Activity log in app to see who accesses lock
• Solid build that can be installed anywhere
• Backlit buttons
• Unique codes for everyone
• Codes can be revoked any time and can be schedule to only work at certain times
• Option for August lock users

• August icon is not obvious as a button
• Sticks out a bit too much for some locations
• Gets expensive as a smart lock setup

The August Smart Keypad will work with any generation August smart lock and is available separately on Amazon for $55.