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iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 are now available to developers and public beta testers ahead of a planned December launch. The update introduces the next-generation Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji an Image Playground, but even if you don't have an Apple Intelligence-capable device, there are other features that are worth knowing about.

This guide highlights all of the new features we've found in iOS 18.2 so far.

Apple Intelligence

There are a whole bunch of new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in iOS 18.2, including ‌Image Playground‌ and ‌Genmoji‌. It's a much more fun update than iOS 18.1 thanks to the image generation features. You'll want to check out our launch post for full details on what's included, but here's a quick overview.

• Image Playground - There's an ‌Image Playground‌ app and Messages integration for creating stylized images based on prompts and images of you and your friends.
• Image Wand - Image Wand is for adding images to what you've written in the Notes app. On iPad, you can use the Apple Pencil to make a rough sketch and have Image Wand turn it into something nicer.
• Genmoji - With ‌Genmoji‌, you can create custom emoji. It's similar to ‌Image Playground‌, but on a smaller emoji-sized scale. People that have iOS 18.1 installed will see ‌Genmoji‌ and can even get information about them, but they can only be created in iOS 18.2. In earlier versions of iOS, they show up as an image.
• Siri ChatGPT - Siri can now hand over requests to ChatGPT, a feature that's entirely opt-in. You don't need an account, and anything you ask ‌Siri‌ can be sent to ChatGPT if you want. ChatGPT has more advanced info than ‌Siri‌ and can also generate images and text. If you want to make it simpler to turn requests over to ChatGPT, you can toggle off the Ask Every Time setting so ‌Siri‌ doesn't always need your permission to contact ChatGPT. ‌Siri‌ with ChatGPT integration supports on-screen responses, so you can do things like ask "what's in this photo?" when you're looking at an image. In beta 2, Apple added an interface to subscribe to ChatGPT Plus for access to ChatGPT 4o without limits.
• Visual Intelligence - On iPhone 16, Visual Intelligence can be used to identify objects and places around you. Long press the Camera Control button to get to Visual Intelligence, and then point your iPhone at something. You can get hours and reviews if the camera is looking at a restaurant, copy text, get text read aloud, search for items on Google, ask ChatGPT questions about objects, and more.
• Writing Tools - The Rewrite Writing Tools feature is no longer limited to three styles. You can describe the tone or content that you want, such as adding more dynamic words or turning an email into a poem.
• Languages - With iOS 18.2, ‌Apple Intelligence‌ supports English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK in addition to U.S. English, so if you're in Canada, you no longer have to set your ‌iPhone‌ to U.S. English to use ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

Apple Arcade

In the Apple Arcade section of the App Store, the "All Games" section has a new drop down filter menu and the option to turn off game previews.

Mail App Categorization

In the Mail app, there are new built-in categories for separating out important emails, deals, newsletters, transaction emails, and more.

The Mail app includes bigger pictures for contacts and businesses, and all emails from a single person or source will be pooled together.

Voice Memos

With Voice Memos, two tracks can be layered on top of one another. There's also an option to separate layers and edit layer mixes.

Find My

Find My has a new option to Share Item Location with an "airline or trusted person" that can help you locate something that you've misplaced. Choosing the Share Item Location option creates a link that lets someone view the location of a lost item when they open the link.

The link can be opened on a non-Apple device, so an ‌iPhone‌ or Mac is not required to provide someone with your item's location. Links expire after a week or when you're reunited with your lost item.

There's also an option to Show Contact Info, which lets any phone or tablet connect to an item to view a website with more information about it, including the phone number and email address of the owner.

EU App Changes

In the European Union, users can now delete core apps that include the ‌App Store‌, Safari, Messages, Camera, and Photos.

Third-party browser apps in the EU will be able to create web apps for the ‌iPhone‌'s Home screen using their own custom engines when iOS 18.2 launches.

iPadOS 18.2 requires selecting a Default Browser when opening Safari. This is a Digital Markets Act requirement, with Apple adding an updated interface that will let users select a default web browser of their choice from a list of options.

Apple has already implemented this change in iOS 18.

Default Apps Section

In the Settings app under "Apps," there's a new "Default Apps" section that can be used to manage your default apps for the ‌iPhone‌.

There are Default App settings for Email, Messaging, Calling, Call Filtering, Browser App, Passwords and Codes, and Keyboards. In the U.S. and other countries, you can use this section to choose your preferred Email, Call Filtering, Browser, and Passwords, and Keyboard apps. In the EU, there are more options for choosing non-Apple calling and messaging apps.

Volume Limit

In the Sound and Haptics section of the Settings app, there's a new Volume Limit option with a "Limit Maximum Volume" toggle to control how loudly the ‌iPhone‌ speaker can play audio like songs, movies, and other media.

It does not impact phone calls, FaceTime calls, alarms, and other sounds.

Control Center

In Control Center, there's a new quick access option for Type to ‌Siri‌. Apple has also removed the Satellite control from the Connectivity section, and changed the icon for Adaptive Audio.

Camera Control

For ‌iPhone 16‌ users, there's now an option lock your auto exposure and auto focus settings with a light press. The AE/AF Lock toggle can be turned on by going to Settings > Camera > Camera Control.

There is also an option to adjust the double click speed of Camera Control. Options include Default, Slow, and Slower. The adjustment options join prior options to tweak the double light press speed and the light press force.

Adjusting Camera Control can be done by opening Settings and going to Accessibility > Camera Button.

Settings App Icons

In Dark Mode, the icons in the Settings app have a new, darker look that shows color on a black background rather than icons that are a solid color with white accents.

iPhone Mirroring With Hotspot

iOS 18.2 allows you to use ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring while your ‌iPhone‌'s hotspot connection is being shared with your Mac. Having your Mac connected through Personal Hotspot previously did not allow you to use ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring.

Fitness Shortcut Actions

There are new Fitness app Shortcut actions that you can use when creating a Shortcut, including Open Fitness Settings, Open Award, Open Session History, and Open Trophy Case.

Lock Screen Volume Slider

In iOS 18.2, there's a new option to force the volume control bar to always be visible on the Lock Screen when adjusting sound.

The feature can be enabled in the Accessibility section of the Settings app. Accessibility > Audio and Visual > Always Show Volume Control.

Safari

In the Safari section of the Settings app, there's a new "Not Secure Connection Warning" toggle that lets you know if you're visiting a website that does not have a valid SSL certificate for an encrypted connection. It is not advised to send passwords or other sensitive data on a site that pops up a "Not Secure" warning.

Apple's "Not Secure Connection Warning" toggle is not turned on by default. There's also new section for managing website data and history. There are new import and export options, and the section also includes the Clear History and Website Data tool.

Safari Downloads

The progress of Safari downloads can now be tracked on the ‌iPhone‌'s Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.

Apple Music

Apple Music now displays the disc number in some albums.

Podcasts

You can favorite categories in the Podcasts app in iOS 18.2, and see categories in the library for a new way to navigate through shows and episodes.

Apple News+

For Apple News+ subscribers in the United States, iOS 18.2 adds daily sudoku puzzles. The sudoku puzzles join existing the Crossword, Crossword Mini, and Quartiles offerings. There are three difficulty levels to complete each day, including easy, moderate, and challenging.

Vehicle Motion Cues

There's an option see Vehicle Motion Cues in the ‌Dynamic Island‌ when the feature is activated. Vehicle Motion Cues are designed to cut down on motion sickness while riding in a vehicle.

Mac Connection

When connecting to a Mac or PC, you can use Face ID to trust a device.

iMessage Reporting

Children in Australia have access to a tool to report iMessages that contain nude photos and videos. Reported images will be reviewed by Apple, and actions could be taken such as disabling the sender's Apple Account or reporting the incident to law enforcement.

The feature will expand globally in the future.

Web Restrictions in Utah

Utah residents under the age of 17 will be opted in to web content restrictions that block adult content in iOS 18.2. This is required by Utah law.

More Features

Know of something new in the iOS 18.2 beta that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.

A few months ago, Apple shared a short teaser video in which it revealed that it will be releasing new Powerbeats Pro 2 next year. The video showed MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani wearing the upcoming version of the earbuds, which appear to have some slight design changes compared to the original Powerbeats Pro from 2019.

As a refresher, Powerbeats Pro are a sportier, fitness-focused alternative to AirPods Pro with built-in, adjustable ear hooks for a secure fit.

Below, we recap what to expect from the Powerbeats Pro 2 based on known info and leaks:

• A more vertical, slimmer design compared to the original Powerbeats Pro
• Heart rate monitoring during workouts
• Active Noise Cancellation for the first time
• Spatial Audio and Adaptive Audio support
• Orange, purple, black, and beige color options

Based on iOS 18 code findings, we previously reported that you will be able to connect the Powerbeats Pro 2 to gym equipment like a treadmill to measure heart rate, and the data would be visible in the Health app on the iPhone. This capability might be limited to workouts. Heart rate monitoring has also been rumored for the AirPods Pro in the past, so perhaps the feature will extend to the AirPods Pro 3 rumored to launch next year.

Based on other recent Beats headphones, other potential upgrades for the Powerbeats Pro 2 include improved sound quality, longer battery life, and improved cross-platform compatibility with Android features like Find My Device. Plus, the Powerbeats Pro 2 charging case will almost certainly have a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port.

Apple did not reveal a specific release date in 2025 for the Powerbeats Pro 2. It discontinued the original Powerbeats Pro last month.

Apple today seeded the first public betas of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 updates, allowing the public to try out the new features ahead of when the software launches. The public betas come a couple days after Apple provided developers with the second betas.

Public beta testers can download the updates from the Settings app on each device after opting into the beta through Apple's public beta testing website.

iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 introduce the next Apple Intelligence features, including the first image generation capabilities.

The update adds Image Playground, a new app for creating images based on text descriptions. You can enter anything you want, though Apple will suggest costumes, locations, items, and more to add to an image. There are options to create characters that resemble your friends and family, and you can choose a photo for ‌Image Playground‌ to use as inspiration to create a related image. Elements added to ‌Image Playground‌ creations are previewed, and there is a preview history so you can undo a change and go back to a prior version.

While ‌Image Playground‌ is a standalone app, it is also integrated into Messages, Notes, Freeform, and more. ‌Image Playground‌ does not make photorealistic images and is instead limited to animation or illustration styles.

The update also adds Genmoji, which are customizable emoji characters that you can create based on descriptions and phrases. Like ‌Image Playground‌ creations, you can base them on your friends and family, with the data pulled from the People album in Photos. You can also make characters using basic elements, and you'll get multiple ‌Genmoji‌ suggestions to choose from. You can create ‌Genmoji‌ using the emoji keyboard.

‌Genmoji‌ are limited to iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 right now, and will be coming to ‌macOS Sequoia‌ later.

Siri in iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 has ChatGPT integration. If ‌Siri‌ is unable to provide an answer to a question, ‌Siri‌ will hand the request over to ChatGPT, though ‌Siri‌ will need user permission first. ChatGPT will answer the question and relay the information back through ‌Siri‌.

ChatGPT can be used to create content from scratch, including text and images. No account is required to use ChatGPT integration, and Apple and OpenAI do not store requests.

If you have an iPhone 16, there's a Visual Intelligence feature in iOS 18.2 that provides information about what's around you. Open up the camera and point it at a restaurant to get reviews, or point it at an item to search Google for it.

Some other Visual Intelligence capabilities include reading text out loud, detecting phone numbers and addresses to add them to Contacts, copying text, and summarizing text.

Apple added Writing Tools in iOS 18.1, but in iOS 18.2, you can more freely describe the tone or content change that you want to make, such as adding more action words, or turning an email into a poem.

‌Apple Intelligence‌ now supports localized English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, and the UK in addition to U.S. English.

Wait List

If you've already been testing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ and are opted in, you will have access to Writing Tools, ChatGPT integration, and Visual Intelligence automatically.

There is a secondary waiting list for early access to use ‌Genmoji‌, ‌Image Playground‌, and Image Wand. You can sign up to get access in ‌Image Playground‌ or in the areas where you access ‌Genmoji‌ or Image Wand.

When you request access, you are added to a wait list for all three capabilities and you'll get a notification when the features are available for you to use. Apple will roll out access over time.

Availability and Compatibility

The public betas are available on all devices, but the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features require a device capable of ‌Apple Intelligence‌.

Apple is still working on refining the new ‌Apple Intelligence‌ tools, and the company warns that ‌Genmoji‌, Image Wand, and ‌Image Playground‌ can sometimes give you results you weren't expecting. Apple is collecting feedback on these experiences and will refine them over time.

Release Date

Apple is expected to release the iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2, watchOS 11.2, tvOS 18.2, and visionOS 2.2 updates in early December.

Apple plans to start using the M4 chip in its Apple Intelligence servers next year, according to a Nikkei Asia report this week, citing TrendForce analyst Frank Kung. Apple Intelligence servers are currently powered by the M2 Ultra chip, per previous reports.

The report claims that Apple has approached its largest manufacturing partner Foxconn about building additional Apple Intelligence servers in Taiwan.

It is unclear if the new servers will be equipped with the standard M4 chip, or a higher-end variant like the M4 Pro, M4 Max, or yet-to-be-announced M4 Ultra. It is also unclear if the existing servers with the M2 Ultra will be immediately upgraded to M4 chips.

Apple's plan to use M4 chips in servers was previously revealed by Haitong analyst Jeff Pu.

While some Apple Intelligence features rely entirely on on-device processing, Apple says requests that "require more processing power" rely on Private Cloud Compute models that are stored on the Apple Intelligence servers. When using Private Cloud Compute, Apple says that a user's data is never stored or shared with the company.

iOS 18.1 was released last month with the first Apple Intelligence features on the iPhone, such as writing tools and notification summaries. iOS 18.2 will be released to the public in December with additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji for custom emoji, Image Playground for image generation, ChatGPT integration for Siri, and more.

Amazon this week continues to provide record low prices on multiple models of the new iPad mini 7, starting at $399.99 for the 128GB Wi-Fi tablet, down from $499.00. All of the deals on the iPad mini 7 in this article require you to clip an on-page coupon in order to see the discounts.

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

Amazon has all four colors of the 128GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 7 on sale at this all-time low price, expanding on the sale that began last week with just two colors. You can also get the 512GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 7 for $699.99, down from $799.00. We're not tracking any deals on the 256GB Wi-Fi model this time around, nor any cellular models.

These iPad mini 7 discounts are part of Amazon's early Black Friday discounts, which also include other iPads like the 9th and 10th generation iPads, and the M2 iPad Air. You can find more information about these deals in our Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals guide, and check out our overall Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals guide for everything else currently on sale.

We're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2024.

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Black Friday is just around the corner, and Apple Watch deals have begun appearing ahead of the shopping holiday on November 29. In this article, we'll take a look at all of the best early Black Friday Apple Watch deals, including the new Series 10 models.

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.

Of course, there is a chance that we could see better deals on these Apple Watch models arrive as Black Friday gets closer. This is a risk anyone has to take while shopping during the holidays, so with that in mind, many of the deals shared below are currently their best prices ever seen. More information on these sales can be found in our Black Friday Roundup.

Best Apple Watch Deals

• Apple Watch SE (40mm GPS) for $189.00 ($60 off)
• Apple Watch Series 10 (42mm GPS) for $354.28 ($45 off)
• Apple Watch Series 10 (46mm GPS) for $392.00 ($37 off)
• Apple Watch Ultra 2 (Black) for $721.89 ($77 off)

Best Black Friday Deals

• The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals
• The Best Early Black Friday AirPods Deals
• The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Apple Watch Series 10

Right now, the best early Black Friday Apple Watch deals are focused entirely on the new Series 10 models. You can get the 42mm GPS device for $355.28 at Amazon, down from $399.00. This $44 discount is a new all-time low price on the 2024 smartwatch. Likewise, the 46mm GPS is down to $392.00 at Amazon, which is a $37 markdown and record low price.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

In terms of other Apple Watch deals, Amazon has the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in Black for $722.89, down from $799.00. This is an all-time low price on the new 2024 model of the Apple Watch Ultra, and right now only the Black model with Black Trail Loop (M/L) is on sale at this price.

However, there are multiple models available at just a few dollars higher at $729.99, like the Black with Dark Green Alpine Loop and Natural with Blue Trail Loop.

Apple Watch SE

Amazon has the 40mm GPS Apple Watch SE for just $189.00, down from $249.00, which is a second-best price for the model. The 44mm GPS model is also at a second-best price of $219.00 this week.

You can find all the Apple Black Friday Deals currently available in our dedicated post. For everything else, we're keeping track of all of the season's best Apple-related deals in our Black Friday roundup, so be sure to check back throughout the month for an updated list of all the most notable discounts you'll find for Black Friday 2023.

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iOS 18.2 expands Live Activities support to ongoing Safari downloads, allowing you to quickly track the progress of file downloads on the iPhone's Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models and newer.

This is a minor but useful improvement coming with iOS 18.2. The update is currently in beta, and it will be released in December, according to Apple.

Check out our lists of new features and changes in the first and second betas of iOS 18.2 to see what else is coming with the update, including additional Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji, Image Playground, and ChatGPT integration for Siri.

Apple supplier Corning is facing a European Commission-led antitrust probe over potential anticompetitive practices related to its dominant position in the smartphone cover glass market, specifically in relation to its Gorilla Glass technology.

The investigation centers on concerns that US-based Corning may have abused its market position by adopting exclusivity contracts to prevent rival glass makers from competing for business with mobile device manufacturers. The Commission is particularly focused on arrangements that allegedly required manufacturers to source "all or nearly all" of their specialized alkali-aluminosilicate glass from Corning.

"It is [a] very frustrating and costly experience to break a mobile phone screen. Therefore, strong competition in the production of the cover glass used to protect such devices is crucial to ensure low prices and high-quality glass," said EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager in a statement. "We are investigating if Corning, a major producer of this special glass, may have tried to exclude rival glass producers, thereby depriving consumers from cheaper and more break-resistant glass."

Corning's relationship with Apple has been particularly strong over the years, with Apple having invested $495 million in the company through its Advanced Manufacturing Fund between 2017 and 2021. This collaboration led to the development of Ceramic Shield, which Apple describes as its "most advanced glass ceramic formulation" in the iPhone 16 lineup, claiming that it is twice as tough as competitive smartphone glass.

The partnership has yielded exclusive benefits for Apple's devices. While competitors like Samsung use standard Gorilla Glass products, including the recent "Gorilla Armor" for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Apple's Ceramic Shield technology remains exclusive to iPhone models since its introduction with the iPhone 12 in 2020. The glass is infused with nano-ceramic crystals at high temperatures while maintaining the transparency needed for the display, cameras, and Face ID sensors.

The Commission aims to determine whether Corning's practices have led to higher prices and reduced innovation, but it has not set a deadline for the investigation's completion. If Corning is found to have violated EU competition rules, it could face significant penalties. However, the company will have the opportunity to address the Commission's concerns by offering commitments that could bring the investigation to a close.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Valve has officially released Steam Game Recording, a new built-in feature that allows players to capture and share gameplay footage across PC, Mac, and Steam Deck devices. The feature recently exited beta testing and is now available through the Steam client.

Steam Game Recording offers both manual and automatic recording options, with manual recording triggered by a customizable hotkey. Players can configure recording length, quality settings, and storage limits through a dedicated Game Recording tab in Steam's settings menu. The feature is disabled by default, but can be enabled through Steam's settings menu.

The feature works with any game that supports Steam Overlay, including non-Steam titles. For privacy reasons, recordings only capture the game window itself while excluding other desktop content. Additional functionality includes basic editing tools, timeline management, and flexible export options. Recorded content can then be shared directly through Steam or exported as MP4 files.

This version of the Steam client is also the first to drop support for macOS 10.13 High Sierra and 10.14 Mojave, following Valve's announcement earlier this year. Steam installations on these systems will no longer receive updates or security patches, but this is unlikely to affect that many Mac users as most will have already upgraded to newer versions.

Apple appears to be working on a new battery charging feature for iPhone that will show users how much time it will take for their device to reach a full charge.

Code unearthed in the latest iOS 18.2 beta by 9to5Mac references a new "BatteryIntelligence" framework that apparently allows the system to calculate estimated charging completion times. While the feature has yet to be enabled, if Apple does implement it in the public release, iOS 18.2 may be able to notify users about how long it will take their iPhone to reach a specific charge level.

This would build upon iOS 18's existing battery health capabilities, which include new options to limit maximum charging to 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% to help preserve long-term battery health. iOS 18 also now alerts users when their iPhone is being charged with a slower-than-optimal charger.

• Using the New iPhone Charging Limit Options in iOS 18

While the underlying framework exists in iOS 18.2 beta 2, it's unclear whether the associated feature will be included in the final release or reserved for a future update. Apple is still releasing a course of iOS 18.2 betas to developers for testing in preparation for a planned release in early December.

Apple appears to be planning an activity challenge to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which was released in 2015. In the latest iOS 18.2 beta, there's a mention of a "Ten Year Celebration" with references to an activity achievement, so it sounds like something is in the works.

While the Apple Watch was introduced at Apple's September 2014 iPhone event, it was not released until April 2015. The delay between the device's introduction and its launch have raised questions about whether the Apple Watch 10th anniversary is in 2024 or 2025.

Apple celebrated the 10th anniversary of the ‌iPhone‌ with the launch of the ‌iPhone‌ X in 2017, and this year, the company highlighted the 10th anniversary of Apple Pay. Apple does see 10th anniversaries as notable, so we can expect something for the Apple Watch.

Back in 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that Apple was planning a complete revamp of the Apple Watch for its 10th anniversary, complete with a magnetic band attachment system and a slimmer design. In September 2024, the Apple Watch did get a design update with larger displays and a thinner chassis, but the device was not branded the "Apple Watch X" as Gurman said it would be, nor did it have a new band attachment system.

It is possible that those updates that Gurman talked about in 2023 will actually come in 2025 as part of an anniversary celebration for the device, but it is unclear because the slimmed down look that Gurman mentioned has already been implemented.

Next year will also mark the 10th anniversary of the Apple Music streaming service, which came out in June 2015. Apple could also have something planned for that anniversary.

Apple and Masimo are back in a California court this week for a bench trial that will see Masimo arguing that Apple illegally poached its employees and stole trade secrets when developing the Apple Watch.

Masimo first filed the trade secret lawsuit against Apple in 2020, and there was a jury trial in April 2023. During that trial, the court threw out more than half of Masimo's trade secret claims, but the judge ultimately declared a mistrial because the jury was not able to come to a final decision. Six of seven jurors sided with Apple, while one Masimo holdout would not change her opinion.

Apple and Masimo were slated to retry the case with another jury, but Masimo abandoned all claims asking for monetary compensation in order to get a bench trial instead. Masimo originally requested $1.85 billion in damages, along with reasonable royalties, lost profits, and a penalty for willful trade secret appropriation.

With the bench trial, Masimo is no longer claiming any monetary damages, but it wants an injunction against the Apple Watch. The bench trial will first determine if there were any trade secret violations, and then the court will consider Masimo's argument for an injunction. It is unclear what injunctive relief Masimo could ask for in this situation, especially as many of the claims in this case have now been thrown out.

During the case, Masimo accused Apple of infringing on 17 patents. After an ITC review, 15 of the 17 patents were invalidated, with two remaining. The patent portion of the trade secret case is on hold.

Note that the Masimo trade secret lawsuit against Apple is separate from both an ITC injunction preventing the sale of Apple Watch models with a blood oxygen sensor and a patent infringement case that Apple filed against Masimo.

Apple is appealing the ITC's Apple Watch injunction, but it has been able to continue selling the Apple Watch by disabling the blood oxygen sensor that allegedly infringes on Masimo's technology. To get the sales ban in the first place, Masimo had to prove that it was using the patents that Apple was infringing, so Masimo rushed to create its own smart watch in 2022, deliberately copying several of Apple's patents.

Masimo's W1 Freedom smart watch was the subject of the patent lawsuit that Apple filed against Masimo, and just last week, a jury decided that Masimo's devices had infringed on Apple Watch patents. Apple says that it only asked for $250 in damages, as the goal of the lawsuit wasn't profit, it was to get Masimo to stop copying the design of the Apple Watch.

The ITC order is the most damaging to Apple because Apple is prevented from selling Apple Watch models with blood oxygen sensing in the United States. Apple believes the appeals court will overturn the ITC's ruling, and the company said this week that it is exploring all possible methods to get blood oxygen sensing back in U.S. Apple Watch models.

Over the last five years, Masimo has been fighting three separate cases with Apple. Masimo did win the ITC ban of the blood oxygen sensing feature, but it ultimately had no material impact on Apple's business because Apple was able to simply disable the feature and continue selling the device. So far, Masimo has not gained much in its legal battle with Apple, and it isn't looking like the trade secret case will go in Masimo's favor.

Apple's new Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip and MacBook Pro models with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips feature support for the faster Thunderbolt 5 specification, and reputable accessory maker OWC is ready with a new external SSD.

Announced in September, OWC's Envoy Ultra external SSD is compatible with Apple's latest Macs, and it has Thunderbolt 5 support for advertised data transfer speeds of more than 6GB per second. That is up to double the speeds that OWC's previous high-end external SSDs with Thunderbolt 3/Thunderbolt 4 support can achieve.

The external SSD has a built-in Thunderbolt 5 cable, and it is powered by the Mac that it is connected to, rather than an external power supply.

Unsurprisingly, these impressive speeds come at a steeper price compared to the average external SSD. OWC is now accepting pre-orders for the Envoy Ultra through its online store in the U.S., with 2TB and 4TB storage capacities available for $399.99 and $599.99, respectively. Orders are estimated to begin shipping in early November.

OWC plans to announce a Thunderbolt 5 dock with an array of ports later in November.

Apple's new Macs launch on Friday.

The European Commission plans to fine Apple for not adequately complying with Digital Markets Act (DMA) requirements for the App Store, reports Bloomberg. Regulators apparently believe that Apple did not implement changes that allowed developers to steer users to cheaper prices outside of the ‌App Store‌.

Back in June, the EU said that Apple was in breach of the DMA due to its anti-steering rules. The European Commission said that developers should be able to inform their customers of alternative purchasing options, steer them to offers, and allow them to make purchases outside of the ‌App Store‌.

In August, Apple again changed its App Store rules in Europe to satisfy regulators. Apple began allowing EU developers to communicate and promote offers that would direct customers outside of the ‌App Store‌, and it marked a significant loosening of Apple's prior rules. Developers are able to communicate discounts and deals without opting into Apple's new developer terms or paying the Core Technology Fee, but Apple is requiring developers to report external purchase transactions and pay an initial acquisition fee and a store services fee.

It is not clear when the European Commission will announce the fine, but it could happen before current competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager leaves the position later this month. It could also be pushed back to later in the year, though.

Exactly how much Apple will have to pay is unknown at this time, but earlier this year, the EU fined Apple $2 billion for anticompetitive behavior against third-party music services. Under the DMA, the European Union can fine Apple up to 10 percent of its global annual sales.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple this week announced that its retail store at La Encantada in Tucson, Arizona will be moving to a temporary location that opens Saturday, November 9 at 10 a.m. local time. Apple says the temporary store will be located on the second level of the outdoor shopping center, just in front of the stairs and escalator leading to that level.

Apple will likely renovate its original store at La Encantada while operating out of the temporary location, but the company did not share details or a timeframe. Apple first opened a store there in 2004, and its interior design is now dated.

Last week, we reported that Apple would be opening a relocated store in Fairfax, Virginia, and a temporary store at Roosevelt Field on Long Island in New York. Apple has since announced that both of these stores will open on November 9 as well. Overall, it will be an eventful weekend for Apple retail in the U.S., with three stores on the move.

Apple is planning an Apple Watch Activity Challenge to honor Veterans Day, which takes place next Monday in the United States. Apple Watch owners are tasked with doing any workout for 11 minutes or more on November 11.

Apple Watch owners who complete the challenge will win an Apple Watch activity award in the Fitness app.

Earn this award on November 11 by doing any workout for 11 minutes or more. Record your time with the Workout app or any app that adds workouts to Health.

Like all of Apple's Activity Challenges, the Veterans Day event will come with animated stickers that can be found in the Messages app.

Apple's Veterans Day Activity Challenge is offered on an annual basis, and the company often includes other Veterans Day-themed content in the App Store, Apple TV app, Books app, and more.

The first developer beta of visionOS 2.2 came out yesterday, and it includes a much anticipated new feature for Vision Pro users. When using the Vision Pro as a display for a Mac, there are now options to use wide and ultrawide layouts in addition to the standard virtual display.

We thought we'd check out the new display settings for those who might be interested in seeing how this changes the Vision Pro Mac workflow.

With the wide display option, there's enough screen real estate to use four apps at once without compromising on window size. Ultrawide bumps up the available space even more, and it's almost too much display space.

Using the ultrawide setting is like having multiple curved Mac displays in front of you to handle your Mac apps, and then you can also add in visionOS apps to better utilize the virtual space around you. The larger screen sizes for the Mac do improve productivity because there's so much more space to work with.

Note that you still can't use multiple Mac windows when mirroring your Mac display to your Vision Pro, but the wide and ultrawide provide so much space that it's essentially the same function. Apple says that the ultrawide mode is equivalent to using two 4K monitors side by side.

In addition to adding these display modes, Apple improved the quality of the virtual displays so they're crisper and higher resolution, plus audio plays from the Vision Pro rather than the Mac so it sounds better.

visionOS 2.2 is in beta right now, but it will see a launch alongside macOS Sequoia 15.2 and iOS 18.2 in early December.

MacRumors readers can get 20 percent off a collection of Anker's best chargers, power banks, cables, hubs, and docks this month, just in time for holiday shopping. In order to get this deal, head to Anker's website and add an accessory to your cart, then enter the code akmacrumors20ch at checkout to see the discount.

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

Our exclusive 20 percent off code works on most accessories sitewide, including Anker's new line of MagSafe-compatible products. Our code does not stack with any existing offers, including any early access Black Friday deals. We've collected some of the best accessories to use our code on in the list below. In some cases Anker's own on-page coupons are better, so we have marked them as such.

Anker is also currently hosting a new Black Friday event where you can buy two accessories to get 20 percent off, or buy three for 25 percent off, so if you plan on buying in bulk this may be a better offer. There are also mystery boxes where you can spend up to $79.99 in order to win a piece of gear worth as much as $799.00.

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Our full Deals Roundup has more information on the latest Apple-related sales and bargains.

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