MacRumors

Apple's new low-cost iPhone is set to launch as early as Friday, April 3, according to a new report from 9to5Mac that cites a tip from a "highly trusted reader." The site says that while it can't be certain about the launch date, "Apple could reveal and begin taking orders for the new ‌iPhone‌ as soon as tomorrow."

Apple is said to be planning to call the new ‌iPhone‌, which is expected to be priced somewhere around $399, the "iPhone SE" just like the 2016 ‌iPhone SE‌, which was also positioned as a low-cost device.

The 2020 ‌iPhone SE‌ is expected to come in white, black, and PRODUCT(Red) color options, and Apple will offer 64, 128, and 256GB storage capacities.

Prior rumors have suggested that the low-cost 2020 ‌iPhone SE‌ will be identical to the 4.7-inch ‌iPhone‌ 8 when it comes to design, featuring thick top and bottom bezels and a Touch ID Home button. It will have a single-lens rear camera, NFC support, and the same A13 chip that's in the ‌iPhone‌ 11 and 11 Pro.

Today is Autism Acceptance Day, and as it has done in the past, Apple is recognizing the occasion by highlighting top apps, accessibility tips, and education resources, while also sharing art created by individuals on the spectrum.

In the Today section of the App Store, Apple is offering a collection of apps that are designed to support neurodiversity and people with autism spectrum disorder.

These apps include Proloquo2Go for those who can't speak or need help being understood, Speech Blubs language therapy app, Streaks to-do app, Calm meditation app, and more.

Apple has dozens of apps that can be accessed through the Autism Acceptance section of the App Store, organized into categories like Communication, Life Skills, Games and entertainment, and Apple Watch tools.

To assist with remote learning, Apple Education is offering support resources for teachers and parents, including one-on-one virtual coaching sessions with Apple Professional Learning Specialists. There's also a collection of Learn and Study From Home apps that families can take advantage of, and Apple's website has a section on customizing the iPad to make learning more accessible.

In addition to these resources, throughout the month of April, Apple will celebrate artistic talent from individuals on the spectrum, highlighting their art and sources of inspiration.

Apple is collaborating with the Art of Autism nonprofit for a "Created on iPad" online exhibit that features 15 emerging artists who identify as autistic.

Apple also plans to feature Kayla Cromer, who stars in Freeform comedy show "Everything's Gonna Be Okay." Cromer is one of the first people on the spectrum to play the role of a character on the spectrum in a major series, and she will share films that have inspired her passion for acting.

Apple has accidentally referenced its widely rumored AirTags item tracking tags in a video that it uploaded to its Apple Support channel on YouTube today. The video was first spotted by the blog Appleosophy and has quickly been removed.

The video was titled "How to erase your iPhone." AirTags were mentioned in Settings > Apple ID > Find My > Find My iPhone under Enable Offline Finding, with fine print indicating that "offline finding enables this device and AirTags to be found when not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular."

AirTags will compete with Tile, helping users keep track of their personal belongings, such as their keys, wallets, and backpacks.

MacRumors uncovered evidence of AirTags within iOS 13 code last year. The tags will be closely integrated with the new Find My app, which will be getting an "Items" tab. Users will receive a notification when they are separated from a tagged item, and if necessary, they can set an AirTag to start making sounds to help locate the lost item.

MacRumors shared exclusive screenshots of the under-development "Items" tab with AirTags (codenamed "B389") integration in the Find My app last year:

In January, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said AirTags were slated to launch in the first half of 2020 with Ultra Wideband support, but this timeframe could have changed since then.

The popular video conferencing company Zoom has been under scrutiny over the past few days for the method used to install the Mac version of its app, which essentially abused a "preflight" compatibility check to install the app without the user needing to explicitly grant installation permission, as highlighted by developer Felix Seele earlier this week.

Zoom CEO Eric Yuan responded to Seele, noting that while the installation method was "implemented to balance the number of clicks given the limitations of the standard technology," he recognized the issue and promised to "continue to improve."

Zoom has now updated its Mac app installer to no longer use the preflight installation method, instead using a traditional installation authorization process, as noted by The Verge.

“They completely removed the preinstall stuff, so you now need to click through the installer as it ought to be,” explains Seele in a message to The Verge. The fake prompt has also been removed so users have to specifically click through and install Zoom. “I must say that I am impressed,” says Seele. “I expected them to maybe change the dialog, but since the ‘zero-click’ aspect was so important to them, I thought they would stick with the preinstall-trick.”

The Mac app installation issue is hardly Zoom's first controversy, with the company seeing increased attention as its popularity has boomed amid self-isolation. Other recent controversies over just the past week have included its integration with a Facebook SDK that was sending Zoom user data to Facebook and misleading claims of end-to-end encryption.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a new Apple patent application that describes a facial recognition system like Face ID being used to automatically update the orientation of a device like an iPhone or iPad, as noted by AppleInsider.

The patent notes that the portrait or landscape orientation of a mobile device is currently determined using accelerometers or other sensors that determine the position of the device relative to gravity. However, this does not always work perfectly, forcing the user to move the device to get content to display in the proper orientation.

Face ID would be a solution to this issue, with the patent explaining that the position of a user's face would be detected and automatically switch an iPhone or iPad into portrait or landscape orientation as necessary.

Face ID orientation could greatly reduce the need to enable Portrait Orientation Lock. There are many settings where this could be particularly useful, such as when using an iPhone or iPad on a flat surface or while laying in bed.

"I love using my phone in bed, so my rotation is usually locked so it doesn't change to landscape on everything," wrote Reddit user ProTomahawks back in 2018. "It would be good if iOS could see which way you’re viewing your screen from so it [stopped] rotating if you're laying down. Not a big deal but a good quality of life fix."

The patent application was filed in September 2018 and published this week. Whether the idea ever comes to fruition remains to be seen.

Apple, Laurene Powell Jobs, Leonardo DiCaprio, and the Ford Foundation have partnered to launch America's Food Fund, an initiative aimed at helping to ensure that all people have reliable access to food in the United States.

The initiative is being hosted by fundraising platform GoFundMe and will benefit the non-profit hunger-relief organizations World Central Kitchen and Feeding America. Apple, Powell Jobs, DiCaprio, and the Ford Foundation have donated a combined $12 million to kickstart the fund, with further donations being accepted from the public.

World Central Kitchen is led by world-renowned chef José Andrés, who recently spoke with Oprah Winfrey and Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot about this initiative on her free-to-watch Apple TV+ series "Oprah Talks COVID-19."

Apple CEO Tim Cook in a statement shared by Deadline:

No one can be well if they're not well fed, and we can only overcome this crisis if we make sure that every person has the essentials that they need to care for themselves, their families and the vulnerable people in their lives. World Central Kitchen and Feeding America do heroic work, and if there is any lesson in this time that we must spend apart, it's that we are stronger and more resilient when we support one another.

Prior to the ongoing pandemic, America's Food Fund says more than 37 million people struggled to know where their next meal might come from on a daily basis, a number that it says is now rising at an exponential rate. Donate here.

Intel today announced the launch of its latest 10th-generation Core processors for high-end notebooks, potentially including the next 16-inch MacBook Pro. The batch of 45W chips, part of the Comet Lake family, are built on Intel's 14nm++ architecture.

The new H-series chips have the same base clock speeds as the 9th-generation chips in the current 16-inch MacBook Pro, but Turbo Boost speeds now exceed 5GHz for the first time. For example, the new highest-end Core i9 chip still clocks in at 2.4GHz, but its maximum Turbo Boost frequency has increased from 5.0GHz to 5.3GHz.

Intel promotes the fact that its new Core i9 chip is the "world's fastest mobile processor" and the first to exceed the 5GHz frequency barrier. However, not everyone is impressed with the year-over-year performance improvements as a whole.

The new 10th-generation processors also support Wi-Fi 6, aka 802.11ax. The newer standard delivers faster speeds, greater network capacity, improved power efficiency, lower latency, and connectivity improvements in areas with several Wi-Fi devices. Wi-Fi 6 devices must support WPA3, a Wi-Fi security protocol with improved cryptographic strength.

Apple added Wi-Fi 6 to its latest iPhone and iPad Pro models, but the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Air still have Wi-Fi 5.

The existing 16-inch MacBook Pro launched in November 2019, so it is still relatively early for the notebook to receive an update. In the near term, it is more likely that the 13-inch MacBook Pro will be updated with a Magic Keyboard and faster processors, with the next 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh likely to come later in the year.

Keep in mind that last month, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple's first Mac notebooks with its own custom-designed Arm-based processors will launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021. Kuo said Apple plans to launch several Arm-based Macs by the end of 2021, including notebooks and desktops, marking a transition away from Intel.

Spotify now supports Siri voice commands on any Apple Watch running watchOS 6, as spotted by 9to5Mac.

With the latest version of the app, rolling out on the App Store, Apple Watch users can say "Hey Siri, play music on Spotify" or any other voice command with "on Spotify" to control Spotify playback without opening the app directly.

Spotify gained Siri support on iPhones and iPads as of iOS 13 after Apple opened up its SiriKit framework to third-party music, podcasts, audiobooks, and radio apps.

In a support document, LG has indicated that it plans to add AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support to some of its 2018 smart TVs by October 2020, including LCD models with "SK" or "UK" in the name and OLED models with "B8" through "Z8" in the name.

AirPlay 2 and HomeKit will be rolled out with a software update in most countries, with exceptions being China, Iran, Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela.

AirPlay 2 will enable users to stream videos, music, podcasts, and more directly from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to a compatible LG smart TV, with no Apple TV necessary. And with HomeKit support, users can easily control the TV's power, volume, source, and more using Siri or the Home app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

LG initially said that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit would be limited to its 2019 and newer TV models since it could not "guarantee" a "seamless user experience" on older models, resulting in over 20,000 people petitioning the company to reconsider.

LG previously said that select 2018 TVs will also gain access to the Apple TV app later this year.

(Thanks, Devon!)

While it was previously reported that all 2020 iPad Pro models feature the same Apple-designed U1 chip as the iPhone 11 lineup, enabling Ultra Wideband support, we have compiled evidence to suggest that this may not be the case.

As a reminder, Apple's tech specs for the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro list an Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness, but the chip is not mentioned in Apple's tech specs for the new iPad Pro. Apple also did not mention the new iPad Pro featuring the U1 chip in its press release or in any other marketing materials for the device.

Beyond that, the directional AirDrop feature that the U1 chip enables on iPhone 11 models is not present on the new iPad Pro running iPadOS 13.4, nor is the Ultra Wideband toggle switch that Apple added to iPhones in iOS 13.3.1.

While all of this could suggest that Apple has simply disabled the U1 chip in the new iPad Pro until it becomes more useful, such as when Apple releases its rumored AirTags item tracking tags, more evidence suggests otherwise.

Earlier this week, the teardown experts at iFixit informed us that they had yet to find physical evidence of the U1 chip in the new iPad Pro. However, iFixit did note that it had yet to remove RF shielding from the logic board to confirm this.

The biggest clue of all is that FCC filings for all iPhone 11 models list operating frequencies in the 6GHz range and the 7-8GHz range, and the rules for these frequencies points to "Subpart F — Ultra-Wideband Operation." TechInsights last year reported that the U1 chip in iPhone 11 models transmits on two different frequencies, 6.24GHz and 8.23GHz.

By comparison, FCC filings indicate that all 2020 iPad Pro models operate within a max frequency range of 5GHz for Wi-Fi.

All of this presents a pretty solid case that the new iPad Pro might not have a U1 chip after all, but we have yet to confirm this without a doubt. When published, iFixit's full teardown of the new iPad Pro should provide a definitive answer.

Update: iFixit has finished removing the RF shielding from the new iPad Pro's logic board and has informed MacRumors that, to its best knowledge, it still does not see any sign of the U1 chip. iFixit also says there are no extra Ultra Wideband antennas or cutouts in the iPad Pro's casing that would be required for the U1 chip.

Apple's anticompetitive behaviors have gotten worse over the course of the last few months rather than better, Tile claimed in a congressional panel today, reports Reuters.

Executives from Tile, PopSockets, Sonos, and Basecamp in January testified in front of a congressional hearing in an ongoing antitrust inquiry launched by the U.S. government against tech companies like Amazon, Apple, and Google.

Tile at the time complained about Location Services changes implemented in iOS 13 that encouraged customers not to use always-on location tracking by requiring them to set a toggle in "deep, hard-to-find smartphone settings."

To resolve the dispute, Apple said that it was working on an option that would allow third-party developers to enable "Always Allow" tracking features right when an app is installed, but Tile today said that it is not satisfied with Apple's actions since the original congressional meeting.

"Despite Apple's multiple promises to reinstate 'Always Allow' background permissions option for third party apps' geolocation services, Apple has not yet done so," Tile said. Always-on location access is crucial for the Tile app's ability to locate nearby Tile hardware.

Tile also said that it appears Apple is working on a hardware product that will be added to the Find My app, referencing AirTags rumors. There is evidence that Apple is developing small, Bluetooth-enabled tracking tags that will be able to be attached to wallets, keys, and other items to allow them to be located in the ‌Find My‌ app.

AirTags will directly compete with Tile's Bluetooth tracking tags, which serve a similar function, but will have an edge because they'll be integrated right into the ‌Find My‌ app used by every iPhone, iPad, and Mac owner.

Apple opted not to comment on what Tile had to say, but pointed Reuters to its previous statement made in January.

Apple builds its hardware, software, and system level apps to protect user privacy and provide the best products and ecosystem in the world. Apple has not built a business model around knowing a customer's location or the location of their device.

When setting up a new device users can choose to turn on Location Services to help find a lost or misplaced device with ‌Find My‌ ‌iPhone‌, an app that users have come to rely on since 2010. Customers have control over their location data, including the location of their device. If a user doesn't want to enable these features, there's a clear, easy to understand setting where they can choose exactly which location services they want enabled or disabled.

In regard to third-party apps, we created the App Store with two goals in mind: that it be a safe and trusted place for customers to discover and download apps, and a great business opportunity for developers. We continually work with developers and take their feedback on how to help protect user privacy while also providing the tools developers need to make the best app experiences.

We're currently working with developers interested in enabling the "Always Allow" functionality to enable that feature at the time of setup in a future software update.

Apple, along with other tech companies, continues to be under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, and attorneys general from dozens of states.

Amid the ongoing pandemic in the United States and other countries, Apple is continuing to forge ahead with work on its upcoming iPhone 12 devices, which are expected to feature 5G connectivity, new 3D cameras, and other features.

With travel restrictions to China, Apple is experiencing difficulties preparing for its new devices and placing orders for components, according to The Wall Street Journal, and one factor Apple is dealing with includes predicting consumer demand.

Apple's new iPhones don't come out until December, but production and preparations begin months in advance. Former employees who spoke to The Wall Street Journal said that Apple's operations team places orders for camera module and other components in March and April, with orders based on how many iPhones Apple expects to sell in a given year.

The orders that are placed dictate how many devices Apple makes, and with the ongoing pandemic, consumer demand "has never been more unclear." Millions of people are out of work and others live in fear that their jobs might not be available in the future, which could lead to cutbacks in new ‌iPhone‌ purchases.

The question of consumer demand looms large for Apple Inc. as it prepares to unveil a new low-price iPhone model and soon must begin ordering components for its latest flagship smartphones, which usually are launched in the fall.

The fall iPhones, which this year were expected to garner significant consumer interest because of the use of 5G wireless technology, make up a sizable portion of Apple revenue.

Many companies are struggling to determine consumer demand due to the lockdowns across the world, which have left businesses with many unknowns about what the future holds. If Apple over-orders and is stuck with extra expensive 5G modems or unsold 5G iPhones, it could cut into the company's profit margins.

Susquehanna analyst Mehdi Hosseini told The ‌Wall Street Journal‌ that Apple is likely having component suppliers make ‌iPhone‌ parts as planned, and that it will reassess demand in May or June. This is in line with reports from ‌iPhone‌ suppliers like TSMC that have said Apple has not cut orders at this time.

As Apple prepares to launch new iPhones this fall, it is said to be "scrambling" to prevent product delays, and there have been mixed reports in recent weeks with conflicting information on whether or not the ‌iPhone‌ 12 will launch on time. As mentioned in earlier reports from Bloomberg and The Information, Apple's engineering team is conducting business using photographs and video calls for prototyping purposes. Apple has also allowed some engineers to take home prototypes of future products, which Apple has never previously allowed, all in an effort to continue work as usual.

Even if new 5G iPhones launch on time this fall, Apple could have a difficult time persuading customers to replace their old devices given the economic uncertainty. The low-cost ‌iPhone‌ that's in the works, which could be priced as low as $399, could be enticing, but it won't bring in as much money as Apple's much more expensive flagship devices. We'll likely learn more about Apple's plans and the current economic impact on the company's bottom line when it holds an earnings call later this month.

Apple in March updated both the MacBook Air and the iPad Pro, and with the ‌iPad Pro‌ increasingly positioned as a computer replacement, we thought we'd compare both new machines to see how they measure up and which one might be a better buy depending on user needs.

We're comparing the base model 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and the base model 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌. The base 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ features an A12Z chip with an 8-core CPU and GPU, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage space. It's priced at $999, but there's no keyboard included, and a keyboard is a definite requirement for using an ‌iPad Pro‌ in lieu of a traditional notebook computer.

Keyboards can be cheap if you're using a simple Bluetooth solution, or expensive if you choose the $179 Smart Keyboard Folio. If you're holding out for the Magic Keyboard with trackpad that'll bring an even more MacBook-like experience to the ‌iPad Pro‌, expect to spend an additional $350 for the 12.9-inch version ($300 for the 11-inch model).

The base 13-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ features a 1.1GHz dual-core Core i3 processor and Intel Iris Plus Graphics, 256GB of storage, and 8GB RAM. It too is priced starting at $999, and doesn't require any additional purchases, though it's often worth paying extra to upgrade the processor and the RAM if you can afford it.

When it comes to raw performance, if you compare Geekbench scores, the ‌iPad Pro‌ comes out on top, and by a wide margin. Single-core scores for the i3 chip in the ‌MacBook Air‌ are typically right around 1070, while multi-core scores are around 2100.

iPad Pro scores, though, are right around 1,100 when it comes to single-core performance, and much more impressive in multi-core performance with scores closer to 4670. In raw performance, the ‌iPad Pro‌ is going to give you more bang for your buck, but operating system limitations are worth taking into account.

macOS and iPadOS are incredibly different, with iPadOS being quite a bit more limited when it comes to multitasking and attaching peripherals. The ‌MacBook Air‌ has two USB-C ports, while the ‌iPad Pro‌ has just the one. The ‌iPad Pro‌ can support 4K and 5K displays, while the new ‌MacBook Air‌ works with 4K, 5K, and 6K displays, but the ‌iPad Pro‌ also works with Apple Pencil, while the ‌MacBook Air‌ does not.

Both of these devices are designed for content consumption and creation, but are not ideal for some of the most system intensive tasks like 3D rendering or video editing. In general, though, they're both capable of the same kinds of basic tasks - browsing the web, coding, sending emails, writing documents, playing games, etc., but the ‌iPad Pro‌ is going to be better for gaming and it has features the ‌MacBook Air‌ is just lacking, such as the dual camera setup and LiDAR Scanner.

Given the faster processor, the ‌iPad Pro‌ is better if you do want to do things like edit videos, record music, edit photos, and more. It's quiet, it's fast, and it definitely has an edge over the ‌MacBook Air‌ for system intensive tasks. It's a wash when it comes to battery life as both offer 10 to 11 hours, but in terms of connectivity, the ‌iPad Pro‌ offers both WiFi 6 and a cellular option, useful for working anywhere.

As for design, both devices are portable and easy to take anywhere, but there are also a lot of differences to be aware of. You have a traditional notebook form factor with built-in trackpad and keyboard with the ‌MacBook Air‌, but the ‌iPad Pro‌ offers a touch-first experience. You can add a keyboard, of course, but it's still a much different usage experience.

Someone who has a long history working with a notebook form factor may have a harder time adjusting to the touch experience of the ‌iPad Pro‌, while someone who primarily works off of an iPhone or other touch device will be able to adjust to non-notebook life more quickly.

With trackpad and mouse support added in iPadOS 13.4, using an iPad is more like using a Mac notebook than ever, but so far, the trackpad experience just isn't as good as the built-in trackpad on the Mac. It's just not as simple to use, at least not yet. That could change when Apple releases its Magic Keyboard.

Both the ‌iPad Pro‌ and the ‌MacBook Air‌ are capable machines able to easily complete everyday tasks, but the ‌iPad Pro‌ wins out in terms of feature set and power while the ‌MacBook Air‌ wins for ease of use in multitasking situations. It's easy to say the ‌iPad Pro‌ is better because it's more capable, but it's still just not able to replace the functionality that you can get with a ‌MacBook Air‌.

Choosing between the ‌iPad Pro‌ and the ‌MacBook Air‌ as a main machine for work and home use will come down to each individual's work habits, preferences, software requirements, and workflow. A multitasking heavy workload that requires multiple apps to be used at once won't translate well to an ‌iPad‌, but a job that requires more focus on a single app like writing or coding could work well on an ‌iPad‌.

Do you use an ‌iPad‌ as a main work machine in lieu of a Mac or PC? Do you prefer the ‌iPad Pro‌ over the ‌MacBook Air‌, or vice versa? Let us know in the comments.