Apple's Beats brand today is introducing Beats Flex wireless earphones, which add some upgrades to the previous BeatsX earphones yet come with a much lower $49.99 price tag. The new price makes them the cheapest way to get into Apple's wireless earphone ecosystem, which is especially important now that Apple is no longer including earphones in the box with its iPhones.
As with BeatsX, the new Beats Flex earphones are wireless Bluetooth earphones with a cord between the two earpieces that drapes around the neck and provides access to some physical controls. Beats Flex will be available in four colors, with Beats Black and Yuzu Yellow available for pre-order today ahead of an October 21 launch and Smoke Gray and Flame Blue coming in early 2021.
Beats Flex employs a proprietary layered driver with dual-chamber acoustics to achieve rich, balanced sound with outstanding stereo separation. Laser cut micro-venting and an optimized driver angle ensure ear pressure relief and accurate sound delivery. Additionally, an advanced digital processor fine-tunes the audio for accurate bass, precise mids, and low distortion across the frequency curve.
On the design side, Beats Flex feature a lightweight and comfortable Flex-Form cable made of durable Nitinol to connect the earpieces, and as with the previous BeatsX, the Beats Flex earpieces magnetically click together to keep them secure around your neck when not in use. Overall, Beats Flex are 8% lighter than BeatsX.
Beats Flex also have automatic play/pause support, starting up playback when they are inserted in your ears and stopping playback when they are attached around your neck. Four sizes of eartips offer a personalized fit.
As with the previous BeatsX, Beats Flex include Apple's W1 chip that supports quick pairing with iOS devices, iCloud syncing for seamless switching between devices, Audio Sharing to allow two sets of compatible Beats or AirPods earphones to listen to connect to the same device, and more.
On-device controls on the cable of the Beats Flex offer a built-in microphone with wind noise reduction and voice clarity optimization, as well as controls for adjusting volume, controlling playback, taking phone calls, and accessing Siri.
Beats Flex offer up to 12 hours of listening time on a single charge, and they recharge using USB-C to help provide maximum compatibility for Apple and Android users. A 10-minute Fast Fuel charge when the battery level is low will provide up to 1.5 hours of playback.
As expected, the entire iPhone 12 lineup ships without EarPods or a power adapter in the box, with only a Lightning to USB-C charging cable included. Apple touted the environmental benefits of no longer bundling these accessories, noting that the move reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of rare-earth elements.
With these accessories removed, iPhone 12 models ship in a thinner box, as seen below.
"As part of our efforts to reach our environmental goals, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini do not include a power adapter or EarPods," reads Apple's website, with a similar message shown for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. "Please use your current Apple power adapter and headphones, or purchase these accessories separately."
Last month, the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE launched without chargers in the box, so it is no surprise that iPhones have followed suit. Starting today, the iPhone SE, iPhone 11, and iPhone XR also ship without EarPods or a charger in the box. In contrast, iPads are still bundled with power adapters in the box for now.
Apple today introduced the iPhone 12 mini with a 5.4-inch edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR display, a new flat-edge design with new colors, 5G support, a faster A14 Bionic chip, an improved dual-lens rear camera system, and more.
6.1-inch iPhone 12 on left and 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini on right
Equipped with an edge-to-edge display with a notch for Face ID, the iPhone 12 mini is a smaller device than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8, despite having a larger 5.4-inch display.
First introduced in the new iPad Air last month, the A14 Bionic chip is the fastest smartphone chip ever, and the first to be built on a 5-nanometer process. Apple says the six-core CPU in the A14 chip is up to 50 percent faster than any other smartphone chip. And for machine learning, the Neural Engine in the A14 chip is up to 80 percent faster than in the A13 chip.
iPhone 12 models feature a new "Ceramic Shield" front cover for improved durability, with Apple advertising 4x improved drop test performance compared to the previous-generation iPhone. Apple says the devices feature "tougher" glass than any other smartphone.
Equipped with a dual-lens rear camera system, the iPhone 12 mini's 12-megapixel Wide camera lens has an ƒ/1.6 aperture, the fastest yet on an iPhone. Apple says this lens provides 27 percent more light improved low-light photos and videos. The other lens is a 12-megapixel Ultra-Wide lens with a ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120° field of view.
On the back of the iPhone 12 models is a new magnet-based MagSafe system that allows for precise wireless charging and easy-to-attach accessories from Apple, like a leather wallet for the Apple Card, which will be available to order starting Friday.
iPhone 12 mini will be available in five aluminum finishes, including blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED. Pre-orders begin Friday, November 6 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with shipments and in-store availability beginning one week later on Friday, November 13. Pricing starts at $699 with AT&T or Verizon activation, or $729 otherwise.
Apple today unveiled the new 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max at its pre-recorded "Hi, Speed" digital event.
The new Pro variants feature 5G, OLED Super Retina XDR displays with a hardened Ceramic Shield covering, and a new flat-edged design with a stainless steel band that's similar to the frame of Apple's iPad Pro.
The Super Retina XDR displays feature reduced borders and a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 2,778 x 1,284 pixels, 1,200 nits peak brightness, and 458 ppl. iPhone 12 Pro Max offers the largest display ever on an iPhone and the highest resolution, featuring nearly 3.5 million pixels.
Both devices include Apple's new 5-nanometer A14 Bionic processor and come with triple-lens cameras with advanced photography features, including an Ultra wide 12MP camera with f/1.6 aperture, and a 7-element lens.
The iPhone 12 Pro has a 52mm telephoto camera, bringing the optical zoom range to 4x, while the Pro Max model has a 65mm focal length telephoto lens for closer shots, tighter crops, and a 5x optical zoom range. The camera on the Pro Max also has a 47 percent larger sensor, with 1.7μm pixels for an 87 percent improvement in low-light conditions, and an "expansive" Ultra Wide camera.
Apple says there are improvements to Night mode, which has been expanded to the TrueDepth and Ultra Wide cameras, allowing for an even brighter picture. A new Night mode Time-Lapse option delivers longer exposure times for sharper videos, better light trails, and smoother exposure in low-light scenarios when used with a tripod. Deep Fusion also comes to all cameras and is better and faster than before, and with the new Smart HDR 3, users can expect more true-to-life images, even in complex scenes.
The cameras are capable of recording video in 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR in 4K resolution at 60 fps, with live preview of HDR content. There's also a LiDAR Scanner for enhancing augmented reality applications and providing faster autofocus for photos and videos, with focus time in low-light scenes improved sixfold.
Both models in the U.S. support millimeter wave, the higher frequency version of 5G, allowing iPhone 12 Pro models to reach speeds up to 4Gbps, even in densely populated areas. iPhone 12 Pro models also feature Smart Data mode, which extends battery life by intelligently assessing 5G needs and balancing data usage, speed, and power in real time.
The Ceramic Shield front cover is infused with nano-ceramic crystals to improve toughness and increase drop performance by 4x. Both models are water and dust resistant to IP68, can survive water submersion to 6 meters for 30 minutes, and are protected against everyday spills, including coffee and soda. They also support Apple's new MagSafe wireless chargers and iPhone cases, as well as accessories like the magnetic card wallet.
"This is a huge leap for iPhone, bringing the best 5G experience in the market and delivering our most advanced technologies to users who want the absolute most from their iPhone," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Each generation of iPhone has changed what we expect from a smartphone, and now with 5G, iPhone 12 Pro provides a new generation of performance. Our tight integration of hardware and software enables incredible computational photography features like the expansion of Night mode to more cameras, and introduces support for HDR video with Dolby Vision. A state-of-the-art LiDAR Scanner means users can experience AR like never before, and also offers benefits to the camera with faster autofocus in low light and the introduction of Night mode portraits. These experiences and so much more make this the best iPhone lineup ever."
Both models are available in Pacific Blue, Graphite, Gold, and Silver. The iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at $1099, with both featuring a 128GB starting capacity, going up to 256GB/512GB.
The iPhone 12 Pro will be available to preorder at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 16, and will be available Friday, October 23, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available for preorder at 5 a.m. PST on November 6, with shipping commencing on Friday, November 13.
The above dates apply for customers in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and more than 30 other countries and regions. iPhone 12 Pro will be available in India, South Korea, and more than a dozen other countries beginning Friday, October 30.
Apple today announced that the iPhone 12 family is gaining support for MagSafe, which will offer high-powered wireless charging as well as a new ecosystem of accessories that attach to the iPhone 12. Previously, MagSafe was Apple's brand for the MacBook's breakaway charging cables.
The company said that MagSafe will improve the charging experience on iPhone 12, with magnets that are optimized for alignment and efficiency, and support 15W of charging. iPhone 12 will still support existing Qi charging mats.
On the accessory side of things, there will be a new ecosystem of magnetic cases that snap on and off of the iPhone 12. For cases, this includes new silicone, leather, and clear cases that easily snap onto the back of the iPhone. There's also a separate leather wallet accessory.
In regards to chargers, there's a MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger that accommodates both the iPhone 12 and Apple Watch. Apple confirmed that more third-party MagSafe accessories will launch later this year as well.
Apple today introduced the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 with a flat-edged design, 5G support, a faster A14 Bionic chip, a dual-lens rear camera system, and more. Pricing starts at $799 with activation on AT&T or Verizon, or $829 otherwise.
First introduced in the new iPad Air last month, the A14 Bionic chip is the fastest smartphone chip ever, and the first to be built on a 5-nanometer process. Apple says the six-core CPU in the A14 chip is up to 50 percent faster than any other smartphone chip. And for machine learning, the Neural Engine in the A14 chip is up to 80 percent faster than in the A13 chip.
iPhone 12 models feature a new "Ceramic Shield" front cover for improved durability, with Apple advertising 4x improved drop test performance compared to the previous-generation iPhone. Apple says the devices feature "tougher" glass than any other smartphone.
On the back of the iPhone 12 models is a new magnet-based MagSafe system that allows for precise wireless charging and easy-to-attach accessories from Apple, like a leather wallet for the Apple Card, which will be available to order starting Friday.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro pre-orders begin Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with shipments starting Friday, October 23. The smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and larger 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max are launching later, with pre-orders beginning Friday, November 6 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time and shipments starting Friday, November 13.
The device is the first addition to the HomePod product lineup since the launch of the original HomePod, and is much smaller at just 3.3-inches tall, as opposed to the original's 6.8-inches, and looks substantially different with a new spherical design. Following in the footsteps of the original device, the HomePod mini offers Siri, smart home capabilities, and high-quality audio.
The HomePod mini is powered by the S5 processor, which is also used in the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE, to deliver "Computational audio." It sports a full-range dynamic driver, two passive radiators for bass response, and an acoustic waveguide to offer 360-degree sound. HomePod mini uses complex tuning models to optimize loudness and dynamic range. A three-microphone array listens for "Hey Siri," and a fourth inward-facing microphone helps isolate sound coming from the speaker to improve voice detection when music is playing.
The device features a backlit touch surface with controls for volume, play, and pause, and it glows when Siri is invoked. Multiple HomePod mini speakers work together to stream music or podcasts to multiple rooms in sync. By placing two HomePod mini speakers in a single room, a stereo pair can be created for a wider soundstage.
HomePod mini works with Apple Music, podcasts, radio stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn, and in the coming months, popular music services including Pandora and Amazon Music.
Later this year, HomePod mini will offer a new handoff experience that understands when a user's iPhone is nearby to give visual, audio, and haptic effects. Moreover, a new "Intercom" feature can send messages from one HomePod to another within a home, as well as other devices such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and even CarPlay-enabled vehicles.
HomePod mini is priced at $99 and is available in both White and Space Gray. Pre-orders begin on November 6, and deliveries begin on November 16.
Apple's virtual "Hi, Speed" event kicked off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with Apple expected to debut four new models as part of its iPhone 12 lineup, as well as a new HomePod mini.
Apple did announce several items at today's event:
Apple provided a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across its platforms.
We've provided a summary video of the event which covers all the announcements in 7 minutes:
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Live blog transcript ahead...
9:10 am: The event kicks off in just 50 minutes, so start thinking about getting your snacks and drinks ready and get settled in for all of the festivities.
9:41 am: With 20 minutes remaining until the show begins, more than 180,000 people are waiting for the event to begin on YouTube alone.
9:57 am: With less than five minutes to go, nearly half a million people are ready to watch on YouTube.
10:00 am: We're beginning with artistic video of Apple Park at sunrise.
10:01 am: "It's a good day for dreaming." We zoom in on Tim Cook in black long-sleeve shirt from the Steve Jobs theater.
10:01 am: Reiterating the items launched last month.
10:01 am: "An exciting new product for the home we know you're going to love."
10:02 am: "Must provide a truly great experience."
10:02 am: Three key attributes:
Must be easy to use from initial setup to the way you interact with it every day.
Design our products to work better together.
Design them to be secure and protect your privacy. You should be in control of how your personal data is used.
10:03 am: We did all these things when we built HomePod. Newest addition to HomePod family...
10:03 am: It... looks like the leak!
10:03 am: This is HomePod Mini!
10:04 am: Bob Borchers is now in a house showing off HomePod Mini.
10:04 am: Backlit touch surface with controls for volume, play/pause and glows when Siri is invoked.
10:04 am: Amazing sound, intelligent assistant, smart home, and privacy and security.
10:05 am: Now going to Dave Wilkes Jr. to break down the device.
10:05 am: Full-range dynamic driver and two passive radiators for bass response. Acoustic waveguide to send 360-degree sound.
10:05 am: Apple S5 chip on-board. "Computational audio."
10:05 am: Complex tuning models to optimize loudness and dynamic range.
10:06 am: Not just about breakthrough audio quality, but syncing multiple HomePod Mini speakers around the house. Place two in the same room and they'll intelligently become a stereo pair.
10:07 am: Later this year, there's a new handoff experience that's magical. HomePod Mini will understand when your iPhone is nearby. You'll get visual, auto and haptic effects so it feels like your devices are physically connected. Listen to Apple Music, Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Radio.com, TuneIn, Pandora and Amazon.
10:08 am: Siri keeps getting better. In the past three years, speech recognition is twice as accurate. Siri and HomePod Mini do everything you'd expect from a smart speaker.
10:08 am: "Hey Siri, what's my update?" Gives info from calendar, weather, reminders, etc.
10:09 am: Can recognize voices of each member of the household.
10:09 am: Can send suggestions from HomePod to CarPlay automatically.
10:10 am: New "Intercom" feature to send messages from one HomePod to another.
10:11 am: Can broadcast audio messages through the house, and through iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and CarPlay.
10:12 am: Reiterating privacy, noting that you can opt out of Apple storing recordings.
10:12 am: White and Space Grey, available for $99. Order November 6, shipping November 16.
10:13 am: Now back to Tim to talk about iPhone.
10:13 am: iPhone has led the industry in customer satisfaction every year since it was introduced.
10:14 am: The next-generation of iPhone is here. Today is the beginning of a new era for iPhone. "We're bringing 5G to iPhone."
10:15 am: Touting the advantages of 5G, including super fast, more advanced, and advantages of privacy and security because you won't need to connect to public hotspots.
10:15 am: "5G is the most exciting step yet."
10:15 am: What you may not know about is the incredible collaboration between Apple and our carrier partners around the world.
10:16 am: Chairman and CEO of Verizon, Hans Vestberg, on stage.
10:17 am: "Our 5G network gives double the peak download speeds, over 4.0Gbps in ideal conditions, and will go even higher over time." 200Mbps upload speeds in ideal conditions.
10:17 am: Building it to remove bottlenecks in crowded places.
10:17 am: "One day, we'll be safely back in those places." Doubling 5G-enabled stadiums, venues, airports, train stations, etc.
10:19 am: In addition to 5G Ultra Wideband network, extensive 5G network — turning on 5G nationwide network across 1800 cities and towns. 200 million people. 5G nationwide plus 5G Ultra Wideband.
10:19 am: "We can finally say '5G just got real.'"
10:20 am: Been a while since we've seen a carrier CEO on stage.
10:20 am: 5G coming to entire lineup of new iPhone models today.
10:20 am: Introducing iPhone 12.
10:21 am: Smooth, flat edges with aluminum frame and glass.
10:21 am: iPhone rearchitected to fit technologies in smaller form factors. All-new antennas around the aluminum frame. Five colors, black, white, product red, green, blue.
10:22 am: 6.1-inch display, but smaller borders so smaller iPhone. 11% thinner, 15% smaller in volume, and 16% lighter.
10:22 am: Super Retina XDR display.
10:22 am: 2x pixels. 2532x1170
10:23 am: HDR formats supported, too. Cover glass from Corning, on new cutting-edge material: Ceramic Shield. "Goes beyond glass" by adding high-temperature crystallization step.
10:24 am: Tough and optically clear.
10:24 am: Tougher than any smartphone glass.
10:24 am: 4x better drop performance.
10:24 am: Biggest jump in reliability we've ever had on iPhone.
10:25 am: Now we're in an anechoic chamber.
10:25 am: Custom 5G antennas and radio components.
10:25 am: Including the most 5G bands of any smartphone.
10:25 am: Silicon to software to take advantage of 5G. Optimized iOS frameworks to apps can get the benefit of 5G without using more power.
10:26 am: Smart Data Mode — when your iPhone doesn't need 5G speeds, it drops to LTE to save battery. But instantly launches 5G when necessary.
10:27 am: Collaborated with carrier partners to improve call quality, speeds, etc. Up to 3.5 Gbps in ideal conditions in testing. Speeds will vary by carrier and region.
In US, iPhone 12 supports mmWave, including Verizon's Ultra Wideband network.
10:27 am: 4.0 Gbps in ideal conditions and 1Gbps in typical conditions on Verizon.
10:27 am: Now diving into the chip. A14 Bionic launched last month on the iPad.
10:28 am: A14 Bionic built on 5nm process technology - first smartphone to use 5nm.
10:28 am: 11.8 billion transistors, up 40% from A13 Bionic.
10:29 am: 6-core CPU, fastest in any smartphone. 50% faster.
4-core GPU. Fastest in any smartphone. 50% faster than any other smartphone chip. There's a trend here.
10:30 am: Neural engine to 16 cores, and 80% faster than before. 11 trillion operations per second. Machine Learning accelerators are 70% faster.
10:30 am: "Console-quality games."
10:30 am: Later this year, one of the best games of all-time is coming to iPhone.
10:30 am: League of Legends.
10:31 am: League of Legends is the world's most popular PC game, but it's coming to iOS as League of Legends Wild Rift.
10:32 am: Dual-camera system with ultra wide 12MP camera, plus new 12MP wide camera with f/1.6 aperture.
10:33 am: First seven-element lens. 27% improvement in low-light performance.
10:34 am: Using machine learning and smart HDR via computational photography. Night mode gets better, thanks to faster aperture and night mode expanded to ultra-wide and front-camera.
10:34 am: Adding Night mode time-lapse when using a tripod.
10:36 am: We love wireless charging but we want to improve the experience.
10:36 am: With iPhone 12, we're making this so much better.
10:36 am: Showing off magnetic cases and other options... "MagSafe for iPhone"
10:36 am: Starts by improving the wireless charging experience.
10:37 am: Has magnets optimized for alignment and efficiency. 15W of charging.
10:38 am: Can recognize and provide a better experience for accessories. New ecosystem of magnetic cases to snap on and off the phone. Can use MagSafe charger on top of accessories. MagSafe wallet that snaps on top of the phone. MagSafe Duo Charger for iPhone and Apple Watch.
10:38 am: Belkin is working on new accessories including car mount and multi-charger dock.
10:39 am: Big environmental news for iPhone. Apple is carbon neutral for global operations. Offices, data centers, retail stores. By 2030, Apple wants to have net zero climate impact including manufacturing supply chain and product life cycles.
10:39 am: 100% recycled rare earth elements in the magnets, in camera, haptics, and MagSafe.
10:40 am: Customers already have 700 million Lightning headphones, and many customers have moved to wireless experience. 2 billion Apple power adapters out in the world, plus billions of third-party adapters. Removing these items from the iPhone box.
10:40 am: Smaller, lighter iPhone box, too. 70% more products on a shipping pallet.
10:40 am: Should cut 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually. Like removing 450,000 cars from the road per year.
10:41 am: USB-C to Lightning cable in the box.
10:42 am: iPhone 12 Mini!
10:42 am: Smaller and lighter than 4.7" model like iPhone 8, but with 5.4-inch edge-to-edge display.
10:42 am: Same features as iPhone 12, only difference is screen size. Smallest, thinnest, lightest 5G phone in the world.
10:44 am: iPhone 12 mini starts at $699 and $799 for iPhone 12.
10:45 am: Verizon, trade in iPhone 10 or newer and get iPhone 12 for $15/mo for 24 months, or iPhone 12 mini for $12/mo for 24 months.
10:46 am: Now iPhone 12 Pro.
10:46 am: Similar design but with three-camera setup.
10:47 am: Premium materials, including stainless steel band and precision-milled back glass. Silver, graphite, gold, Pacific Blue.
10:47 am: Ceramic Shield, water and dust resistant to IP68. Water submersion to 6 meters for 30 minutes.
10:48 am: 5.8-inch to 6.1-inch display. iPhone 12 Pro Max goes from 6.5-inch to 6.7-inch. Form factor is nearly identical even with larger display.
10:48 am: 2778x1284 on the big phone.
10:49 am: Pro performance, promoting computational photography up front. Deep Fusion, using all compute engines of A14.
10:49 am: Deep Fusion coming to all four cameras, including front-facing camera.
10:50 am: Pro camera system that is unlike any other device. Ultra wide 12MP camera, wide 12MP with f/1.6 aperture and 7-element lens, and 52mm telephoto camera.
10:51 am: Brand-new telephoto camera with 65mm focal length. Optical zoom in 2.5x.
10:51 am: New wide sensor, 47% larger with 1.7 micron pixels.
10:51 am: 87% improvement in low light.
10:52 am: New system for optical image stabilization. Sensor-shift approach. Stabilizes the sensor rather than the lens.
10:52 am: Stabilized exposure times of up to two-seconds in handheld shots.
10:53 am: New feature that gives control of shooting in RAW with the power of our computational photography. Apple ProRAW. Coming in iPhone Camera app for iPhone 12 Pro later this year.
10:54 am: New pipeline that takes components of the processing in CPU/GPU/ISP/Neutral Engine and combines that into a new image file.
10:54 am: Full creative control over color, detail and dynamic range.
10:55 am: Can edit Apple ProRAW in Photos app or other professional editing apps. API for third-party apps to capture images is coming as well.
10:57 am: HDR video recording is coming to iPhone. Record in 10-bit HDR, 700 million colors or 60x more colors than before. Live preview of HDR content. First camera to record in Dolby Vision HDR. Grading each frame in Dolby Vision live while recording. 4k60fps
10:57 am: iPhone 12 Pro can edit direct in Dolby Vision.
10:58 am: Showing a film with a professional cinematographer talking about how the "next great film director is already making movies" with an iPhone.
10:59 am: Adding LiDAR scanner to the iPhone 12 Pro.
10:59 am: Builds a precise depth map of a scene.
11:00 am: Instant AR and "endless opportunities" within apps.
11:00 am: LiDAR can be used for autofocus in low-light scenes.
11:00 am: Faster autofocus for photos and videos. Focus time in low-light scenes improved 6x.
11:01 am: Talking up 5G to download diagnostic scans for on-call doctors.
11:03 am: Showing a movie about the iPhone 12 Pro.
11:05 am: Keeping the price the same. iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999. Doubling starting capacity to 128GB — 256/512GB. Pro Max starts at $1099.
11:06 am: iPhone 12 and Pro available for preorder Friday October 16, and available October 23. Pro Max available for preorder November 6, shipping November 13.
11:06 am: "What an amazing day!" says Tim.
11:07 am: "This marks the start of a new era for iPhone."
11:08 am: "Thank you for joining us. Stay safe, and have a great day."
Last month, the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE launched without chargers in the box, so it would be natural for iPhones to follow suit. This briefly excluded higher-end Edition and Hermès versions of the Apple Watch Series 6, but those models now ship without chargers too. iPads continue to be bundled with a power adapter in the box.
Apple is set to host an event later today, where it is widely expected to unveil four new iPhone models, including the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, 6.1-inch iPhone 12, 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. All four devices are expected to feature 5G support, OLED displays, and a new flat-edged design like the iPad Pro.
Apple's event begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today — here's how to watch. Follow along with MacRumors for live coverage of the announcements.
Update 9:01 a.m.: In a follow-up Tweet, Gurman says EarPods will also be removed from all iPhone models in Apple's lineup and that the USB-A to Lightning cable will become a USB-C to Lightning cable. As a result, boxes for current phones like the iPhone SE that will continue to be sold alongside the iPhone 12 lineup will "shrink considerably."
After it was reported last week that Apple's T2 Security Chip could be vulnerable to jailbreaking, the team behind the exploit have released an extensive report and demonstration.
Apple's custom-silicon T2 co-processor is present in newer Macs and handles encrypted storage and secure boot capabilities, as well as several other controller features. It appears that since the chip is based on an Apple A10 processor, it is vulnerable to the same "checkm8" exploit that has been used to jailbreak iOS devices.
The vulnerability allows for the hijacking of the T2's boot process to gain access to the hardware. Normally the T2 chip exits with a fatal error if it is in Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode and it detects a decryption call, but by using another vulnerability developed by team Pangu, it is possible for a hacker to circumvent this check and gain access to the T2 chip.
Once access is gained, the hacker has full root access and kernel execution privileges, although they cannot directly decrypt files stored using FileVault 2 encryption. However, because the T2 chip manages keyboard access, the hacker could inject a keylogger and steal the password used for decryption. It can also bypass the remote Activation Lock used by services such as MDM and Find My. A firmware password does not prevent this since it too requires keyboard access, which requires the T2 chip to run first.
The exploit can be achieved without user interaction and simply requires a modified USB-C cable to be inserted. By creating a specialized device "about the size of a power charger," an attacker can place a T2 chip into DFU mode, run the "checkra1n" exploit, upload a key logger, and capture all keys. macOS can be left unaltered by the jailbreak, but all keys can still be logged on Mac laptops. This is because MacBook keyboards are directly connected to the T2 and passed through to macOS.
A practical demonstration shows checkra1n being run over USB-C from a host device. The targeted Mac simply displays a black screen while the connected computer confirms that the exploit was successful.
These cables function by allowing access to special debug pins within a USB-C port for the CPU and other chips that are usually only used by Apple.
Apple has not fixed the security flaw and it appears to be unpatchable. For security purposes, the T2's SepOS custom operating system is stored directly in the chip's SEPROM, but this also prevents the exploit from being patched by Apple via a software update.
In the meantime, users can protect themselves from the exploit by keeping their Macs physically secure and avoiding the insertion of untrusted USB-C cables and devices.
Amazon's annual Prime Day event has officially kicked off today, with hundreds of deals expected to appear through tomorrow evening. Yesterday we began tracking discounts on Apple devices like the AirPods, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Today, we'll share these discounts and more happening during Prime Day. In addition to Prime Day, many retailers are introducing their own opposing mega sales, so there will also be even more opportunities for discounts at Target, Best Buy, and more.
Many of the Prime Day deals we'll be sharing below are time sensitive, so if you're interested be sure to browse and purchase quickly. As usual, you'll also need an Amazon Prime membership to gain access to the sales.
AirPods With Wired Charging Case
A notable new low price has hit the AirPods with Wired Charging Case. You can get it for $114.99, down from $159.00. This is an Amazon all-time-low price on this model of the AirPods.
Today you can get the AirPods Pro for $199.00, down from $249.00. Although they were $10 cheaper during a flash sale at Woot yesterday, this $199.00 offer is a solid discount and an Amazon all-time-low price.
The newest MacBook Air is seeing an all-time-low price on Amazon this week. The 256GB model is priced at $849.99, down from $999.00, thanks to a coupon that will automatically apply an extra $50 discount at the checkout screen.
Likewise, the 512GB model is on sale for $1,149.99, down from $1,299.00, after an extra $49.01 discount is applied at the checkout screen. Both of these prices are new lows for each MacBook Air, and available in all three colors.
There's one model of the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro on sale so far this week, and it's the notebook with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. This one is priced at $1,799.99, down from $1,999.00, after an extra $49.01 discount is applied at checkout. That's a match of the previous low price we've tracked on this 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Solid 16-inch MacBook Pro deals have extended into Prime Day as well, with the 512GB 16-Inch MacBook Pro discounted to $2,099.00, down from $2,399.00. This is being matched at B&H Photo.
Another low price is available for the 1TB model, priced at $2,399.00, down from $2,799.00 (again being matched at B&H Photo). Both of these discounts are lowest-ever deals for the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
A new discount for Prime Day today is on the 64GB Wi-Fi iPad mini 5, which is priced at $335.98 in Space Gray, down from $399.00. This is just about $5 off from the lowest price we've ever tracked for the iPad mini 5, so it's a solid offer if you're shopping around for the 7.9-inch tablet today.
An ongoing sale on the brand-new eighth generation iPad has returned for Prime Day. You can get the 32GB Wi-Fi iPad for $299.00, down from $329.00. The 128GB Wi-Fi model is available for $399.00, down from $429.00 as well.
The new iPad Pro is on sale in both 11-inch and 12.9-inch configurations during Prime Day. Entry level price on the 11-inch model starts at $749.99 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model, down from $799.00. That's a match of the previous Amazon low price.
The 128GB Wi-Fi 12.9-inch model is discounted to $949.00 today, down from $999.00. Again, that's a match of the previous low price that we tracked on this model.
There aren't many big discounts on the Apple Watch Series 6 yet, but if you're planning on buying one you can still save a little money during Prime Day.
Apple Watch Series 3 models are being discounted by $30 this week, with 38mm GPS devices at $169.00, down from $199.00. 42mm GPS models are priced at $199.00, down from $229.00. Both sizes come in Silver and Space Gray Aluminum case options.
If you're on the hunt for Amazon's products, there are numerous savings on Kindles and more today. Remember that to see these official Amazon discounts, you'll need a Prime subscription.
Twitter has today added a unique "like" animation for Apple's "Hi, Speed" event that is to take place later today.
The brief animation reflects the concentric circles used on the artwork and graphics used to promote the Apple event. The circles also seem to be present on the wallpapers from leaked images of the iPhone 12.
This is the second time Apple has used a unique Twitter "like" animation to promote an event, with the first occasion being for the "Time Flies" event last month.
Apple also has used a custom Twitter hashtag with its logo, just as it did for the "Time Flies" event last month, for the "Hi, Speed" event today.
Eight unreleased Macs have appeared in Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) filings, alongside a large number of iOS devices, as spotted by French outlet Consomac.
Three of the Macs have appeared in EEC filings before, including model A2147, A2158, and A2182, while five of them are entirely new to the database. The three that appeared previously were originally listed as running macOS Catalina, but under the new filing they are said to be running macOS Big Sur.
All of the 39 iOS devices listed were previously filed as running iOS 13, but have been refiled for iOS 14. These models are probably the full iPhone 12 lineup, and the large number of devices in the filing may be explained by the range of storage and color options.
The unreleased Mac models are likely to be Macs with Apple Silicon. Following the announcement of Apple Silicon at WWDC earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the first Apple Silicon Macs would be arriving before the end of 2020. New Macs are not expected to appear at today's "Hi, Speed" event, however. Instead, it now looks more likely that they will be unveiled in November.
While the existing HomePod has a rounded, cylindrical design, it appears that the HomePod mini will feature a more spherical design, with a similar mesh finish available in black or white. A flatter top surface will house touch controls for volume, playback, and more, and a large multicolored light will appear when Siri has been activated.
Last week, a reliable leaker who goes by the alias "Kang" claimed that the HomePod mini will be announced alongside the iPhone 12 lineup at Apple's event today, with orders to begin in mid-November for $99. The speaker will allegedly be 3.3 inches tall, compared to the existing 6.8-inch HomePod, and be powered by the same S5 chip as the Apple Watch Series 5.
Apple's event begins at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today — here's how to watch. Follow along with MacRumors for live coverage of the announcements.
Just hours ahead of today's Apple Event, reputable leaker Evan Blass has shared images of what he claims are the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max in blue, graphite, gold, and silver.
iPhone 12 Pro
The new blue color is more subtle than the one seen on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini, with a similar look to the Midnight Green color option for the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max thanks to the matte rear glass paired with a glossy camera bump.
iPhone 12 Pro Max
As rumored, both of the devices are pictured with a flat-edged design and a triple-lens rear camera system with a LiDAR Scanner. The LiDAR Scanner is smaller than the one seen on the 2020 iPad Pro, and matches the size of the LED flash. A small microphone hole is also present in the camera bump.
We'll see the official unveiling of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max at Apple's "Hi, Speed" event in just a few hours.
Just hours ahead of Apple's event today, reputable leaker Evan Blass has shared images of what he claims are the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in blue, red, green, black, and white.
iPhone 12
The colors for both models are as rumored with the blue being a dark blue similar to the new aluminum Apple Watch Series 6 blue option, the green being a light minty shade, and the red being (PRODUCT)RED branded.
iPhone 12 mini
As expected, both phones have similar rear camera setups as the iPhone 11, with two camera lenses, a flash, and a microphone housed in the camera bump.
We'll see the official unveiling of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini at Apple's "Hi, Speed" event in just a few hours.
Apple's online store is down in anticipation of its "Hi, Speed" event later on Tuesday, suggesting at least some products may be available to pre-order or order immediately after the event.
The placeholder for the U.S. online store says "We're making updates to the Apple store. Check back soon."
We've heard conflicting rumors about when Apple's new iPhone models will be available to order, but Apple is expected to stagger the launches this year, and we're not expecting iPhone pre-orders to open immediately.
Chinese leaker Kang, who has provided accurate information in the past, claims pre-orders for the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models could begin this coming Friday, October 16, with the first iPhone 12 shipments and an official launch on Friday, October 23.
Preorders for the "iPhone 12 mini" meanwhile are said to commence on Friday, November 6, with the device launching on Friday, November 13 – the same day that pre-orders for the iPhone 12 Pro Max will allegedly commence. Apple's largest ever handset would then launch one week later on Friday, November 20.
With other rumored products also said to be in the wings, including a "HomePod mini," Apple could well be setting up its store to accept pre-orders. On the other hand, it may simply be adding promotional pages in advance of later product pre-order dates.
Either way, we'll know for sure soon. Apple's media event kicks off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, and you can tune in on Apple's event page, on Apple's YouTube channel, or through the TV app on Apple's various platforms. Stay up to date on all the latest news and developments right here on MacRumors!
Apple's global iPad shipments are likely to enjoy a 20% year-on-year growth in 2020, according to supply chain estimates.
According to DigiTimes, the impressive growth rate is much higher than a previous estimate of an 8% hike to 45.1 million units, and that is largely due to the impact of the global health crisis and the rate of people switching to remote working.
Supply chain makers have begun ramping up related shipments since September with the momentum likely to peak in November, said the sources, adding that combined monthly shipments of the new 10.9-inch iPad Air and 10.2-inch iPad devices during the September-November period will reach over six million units.
In response to the projected growth, Taiwan-based General Interface Solution (GIS), which is a major supplier of iPad touch panels, is expanding capacity at its Chinese plant, with an additional capacity of 500,000 units a month to become available in early 2021, according to DigiTimes' sources.
GIS has reported revenues of $420.11 million, up 13% sequentially, and 0.32% year-on-year. For January-September, revenues totaled $3.11 billion, up 4% year-on-year.
Apple announced the new iPad Air 4 at its September digital event and said the device would become available "in October," so there's a good chance that the company could announce pre-order and launch dates for the iPad Air at Tuesday's Apple event, in which the iPhone 12 lineup is expected to be unveiled. Well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurmansaid that Apple marketing materials for the new iPad Air started landing at retail stores at the beginning of October, suggesting a launch sooner rather than later.
Apple's new iPad Air shares the same A14 processor as the iPhone 12. Apple had never debuted a new AXX-series chip in an iPad before, so it's possible that Apple didn't want the new tablet getting into the hands of the public before its latest flagship smartphone.
Apple reported during the announcement of the fourth-generation iPad Air that the A14 offers 40 percent faster performance and up to 30 percent faster graphics than the previous iPad Air with the A12 Bionic, while benchmarks supposedly for the iPad Air 4 reveal that the A14 offers significant performance improvements over the iPhone 11's A13 Bionic CPU.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
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