”We reject the characterization that Apple has not provided substantive assistance in the Pensacola investigation.”

What you need to know

Apple has hit back at an FBI report suggesting that Apple has not been helpful in the Pensacola shooter investigation.
It released a strongly worded statement stating it had responded to all of the FBI’s requests for information within hours.
However, it reiterated its stance on refusing to create a backdoor to encryption on iOS for law enforcement.

Apple has hit back at an FBI report suggesting that it was had not ”given any substantive assistance” in helping the Justice Department gains access to two iPhones used by Pensacola Naval Air Station Shooter Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani.

The Justice Department published the findings of its investigation into the attack on a Pensacola Naval Air Station, in which three American service members were killed and a further eight wounded. They described the incident as ”an act of terrorism” that was ”motiva…

Japanese site Mac Otakara cites Apple suppliers at CES as the source for this latest rumor…

What you need to know

A rumor claims that Apple’s upcoming 5.4-inch iPhone will be an updated version of the iPhone 8
Japanese outlet Mac Otakara apparently spoke to several Apple suppliers at CES 2020.
The phone will reportedly feature an A13 chip and Face ID.

A rumor suggests that one of Apple’s 2020 5.4-inch iPhones will be an updated version of the iPhone 8, featuring an A13 chip and Face ID.

According to Japanese site Mac Otakara:

According to several Apple suppliers involved at CES 2020, Apple may be developing a Face ID model separately from the Touch ID model as an updated version of the iPhone 8 using A13 Bionic chip. There seems to be.
The case size returns to iPhone 7, and the size of the receiver part seems to be an intermediate size between the iPhone 11 series and the iPhone XS series.
The rear camera is slightly larger than the iPhone 8, and the LED True Tone fla…

But you might not have been able to download it before it was pulled…

What you need to know

An AirPods Pro firmware update released in December may have adversely affected Active Noise Cancellation.
That’s according to website RTINGS.com, which tested isolation performance on the new 2C45.
The update did improve frequency response and base accuracy, however, the update has since been pulled.

An AirPods Pro firmware update released December 16 may have adversely affected Active Noise Cancellation, which led to the release being pulled a few days later.

According to the website RTINGS.com, Firmware update 2C54 for AirPods Pro, released December 16, brought with it a ”fairly significant drop in isolation performance.” According to their updated testing data:

Update 01/10/2020: After updating to Firmware 2C45, we retested the headphones and our results showed a fairly significant drop in isolation performance, primarily in the bass-range. This means that with ANC turned on, t…

A trade-in program for video doorbells? Yep, Arlo has made it a thing.

What you need to know

Arlo has launched a video doorbell trade-in promotion for U.S. customers.
Trade-in of eligible doorbells takes $50 off Arlo’s offering.
Offer is only available for a limited time and ends March 31st, 2020.

Arlo has kicked off a new promotion aiming to lure existing video doorbell owners over to the company’s take on the smart home staple. Running from now until March 31st for customers in the United States, Arlo is offering $50 for certain video doorbells with trade in, allowing those interested to purchase a new Arlo Video Doorbell for $99.99.

Available now directly from Arlo’s online store, a promotional code, Doorbell50, can be entered during checkout process that will start the trade-in process. Despite entering in a code, the full purchase ($149.99) for the Arlo Video Doorbell will be charged, but the company will include a pre-paid shipping label along with the order to use for se…

Things just keep getting more difficult for advertisers.

What you need to know

New privacy features in iOS 13 are having a negative impact on advertisers.
Advertisers are seeing a huge decrease in the amount of location data they are able to collect.
Background data collection is half where it was just three years ago.

When Apple announced iOS 13, it unveiled some new privacy features designed to limit or block data collection. From shutting the door on inferring location through WiFi or Bluetooth, to Sign In With Apple, the company continues to make data collection harder for the advertising industry.

One of the features is having a huge impact on the amount of location data advertisers are receiving. Since iOS 13 launched in September, iPhone users now receive regular reminders when an app is tracking their location. The reminder gives users the ability to set location tracking to ”Always”, ”Only While Using the App”, or ”Never”. According to DigiDay, that feature is already …

The PC market showed signs of life, although Apple’s shipments dropped.

What you need to know

A Gartner report indicates that shipments of Mac fell 3% year-over-year in Q4.
Decline is despite the PC market’s first signs of growth in 7 years.
Apple’s worldwide marketshare also declined to 7.5%.

A report from research and advisory company, Gartner, released today indicates that Apple’s worldwide shipments of Macs has declined year-over-year. According to the press release, in Q4 2019 Macs dropped 3% when compared to 2018, with an estimated 5.26 million shipments reported, down from 5.42 million previously.

Apple’s worldwide marketshare also took a hit, dropping to an estimated 7.5% of the overall market, down from 7.9% in Q4 2018. The decline in Mac shipments comes at a time where overall PC shipments were actually up for the first time in seven years, seeing growth of 2.3% year-over-year, and 0.6% for all of 2019.

”The PC market experienced growth for the first time since…

Get ready to rock with a new look at id Software’s latest game.

What you need to know

Doom Eternal is getting a new trailer tomorrow.
Doom Eternal was originally set to release back in November 2019.
Doom Eternal is now set to release on March 20, except for the Switch version, which has no release date.
You can preorder Doom Eternal on Nintendo Switch for $60 from Amazon.

Bethesda announced today that a new trailer for Doom Eternal is coming tomorrow. While we don’t know exactly what the trailer will entail, it’s a safe guess that we’ll get another look at the campaign mode, where players will hack through the Hordes of Hell, on Earth and elsewhere.

Official Trailer 2 for DOOM Eternal arrives tomorrow at 12:30pm ET.The countdown begins tomorrow at 11am ET: https://t.co/HUhnayk1M1 pic.twitter.com/G7z6NOKWgO— Bethesda (@bethesda) January 13, 2020

The new trailer is coming at 12:30 p.m. ET. You can tune into the Bethesda Twitch channel before then, as a countdown will star…

Every Macbook might go Pro in the future.

What you need to know

A potential new feature for Macbooks has been discovered in the latest macOS beta.
The feature, called ’Pro Mode’, could temporarily boost performance in Apple’s laptops.
It would do this at the sacrifice of louder fan noise and lower battery life.

Code found within the new version of macOS Beta is hinting at a new feature for Apple’s laptops aimed at those who are looking to get more performance out of their machine.

Reported by 9to5Mac, the latest macOS Catalina 10.15.3 beta build contains code that references a ’Pro Mode’. According to the string, ’Pro Mode’ may override the fan speed limit of a Macbook, allowing someone to push the system harder than currently capable.

”Apps may run faster, but battery life may decrease and fan noise may increase.”

Currently, macOS has limits on things such as fan speed in order to preserve battery life and keep the laptop as quiet as possible. While this is great in most…