Wednesday Morning News

Originally published at: http://appletalk.com.au/2016/10/wednesday-morning-news191016/
Really Bad Chess iconRecode points to a Mac event on October 27, which will be the first time Macs have been updated in recent history. The event will allow Apple to not only release much-anticipated new Mac hardware to refresh their lineup, but also release new Mac hardware that comes with macOS Sierra out of the box.

Rumours surrounding new Mac hardware give us some clue about what Apple will be releasing. It’s likely that Apple will stick with both 13 and 15-inch models, with a new 13-inch MacBook Air also expected, although Mac Otakara’s sources don’t think there will be a new 11-inch MacBook Air. While the regular MacBook isn’t expected to be updated, the new 13-inch Air will come with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 support, while the MacBook Pro gets a redesigned aluminium body.

Speaking at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit, Angela Ahrendts says there are big plans in store for Apple’s physical locations. A total of 95 next-generation Apple stores are expected to be open by the end of the year, which function as more than just places to show off Apple products. Education will be a big focus point for new Apple stores, with Ahrendts also considering Apple stores as the biggest Apple product.

MacRumors points out a strange issue with the Jet Black iPhones, which sees the model and other printed text peeling off onto full-device skins. While the text isn’t completely removed from the rear of the device, it does noticeably fade once a plastic wrap has been applied and removed.

Spotify has said that there will not be a Spotify app for the Apple TV any time soon. Although it’d be a pretty great feature to get music playing on a serious sound system while you have guests, the feature has been down-prioritised internally.

References to an “Apple Watch Victory” have been spotted on Apple’s websites. It’s unlikely that this is a separate model, but more of an internal or alternative name for the Apple Watch Nike+, which launches later this month on October 28.

Apple’s Zane Lowe is keynote speaker at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference this year, where he’ll be talking about whether free music streaming hurts the music industry more than it helps.

MacStories tells us about Workflow’s new ability to interact with any web API, giving Workflow a substantially increased feature set now that it can talk to web services. The examples put together by Federico Viticci include setting Slack to snooze notifications with two taps, as opposed to digging into Slack’s own notification settings.

Six Colors says Really Bad Chess is unlike traditional chess, in that you can play chess with a twist. Play against escalating difficulties, challenge yourself, and even with multiple queens. Really Bad Chess is free, on the App Store.

The latest Beats1 ad tells us to cut the strings and go wireless. It’s more of an ad for the Beats Solo3 Wireless as well as the BeatsX, but it’s still a fun ad featuring plenty of music celebrities.

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October 27. Back to the Mac please.