MacRumors

The long-awaited return of the iPhone SE is finally here! It's not as small as the original version, but it packs modern internals into an iPhone 8 design and comes at a very competitive starting price of $399.

That certainly wasn't the only news from this week, as Apple also began taking orders for the new iPad Pro Magic Keyboard several weeks ahead of its previously announced May launch date, and we saw a number of rumors about Apple's upcoming product pipeline. Apple also began testing a new battery health management feature for its recent notebook models, which will ship as part of macOS 10.15.5.

Read on for those stories and more from a very busy week in Apple news and rumors!

Apple Launches New iPhone SE With a 4.7-Inch Display, A13 Chip, and Touch ID, Starts at $399

Following nearly a year of rumors, Apple this week finally introduced its second-generation iPhone SE this week with pre-orders available now ahead of an April 24 launch. The device looks similar to the iPhone 8, with a 4.7-inch display and a Touch ID home button, but it has the latest A13 Bionic chip like iPhone 11 models.

Other key features include a 12MP Wide rear camera, up to 256GB of storage, wireless charging, and Wi-Fi 6. Pricing starts at $399 in the United States, with black, white, and (RED) color options, but some carriers and retailers are offering discounts and bonuses.

Following the introduction of the new iPhone SE, Apple has stopped selling the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

New Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro Now Available to Order, Deliveries Begin Next Week

Surprise! Apple's new Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro is now available to order on Apple.com and begins arriving to customers next week.

Apple previously said the keyboard would launch in May, so this early availability was unexpected.

The Magic Keyboard attaches magnetically to iPad Pro with a floating cantilevered design. Like on the 16-inch MacBook Pro, the full-size keyboard has backlit scissor-switch keys with 1mm of key travel. There's also a built-in trackpad to take advantage of trackpad support in iPadOS 13.4.

5G iPhones With Flat Edges and Slimmer Notch, Smaller HomePod, AirTags, and High-End Apple Headphones Also Expected This Year

Rumors continue to suggest that at least two high-end iPhone 12 models will have flat stainless steel edges instead of the current curved design, as well as more sharply rounded corners like those on 2018 iPad Pro models. This could result in iPhone 12 models looking similar to the iPhone 5.

iPhone 12 models are still expected to feature a notch for the front camera and Face ID sensors, but it will likely be reduced in size. Apple's end goal is to remove the notch entirely.

Apple traditionally launches its flagship iPhone lineup in September each year, but there is some uncertainty given the current economic situation, and some analysts have been predicting a staggered launch that could see some models not launch until as late as January 2021.

Apple is also expected to release a smaller HomePod, AirTags item trackers, and high-end, over-ear headphones later this year.

macOS Catalina 10.15.5 Beta Includes Battery Health Management Feature for Macs

Apple has seeded the second beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 to developers for testing. The update introduces a new "Battery Health Management" feature for all Mac notebooks with Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Battery Health Management is designed to extend the overall lifespan of a Mac notebook by reducing chemical aging. The feature will analyze the health of a Mac's battery and, in some cases, will preserve battery health by not charging a MacBook to full capacity.

When a Mac is used plugged in and the battery is kept full for the most part, the Battery Health Management feature will kick in and it will stop short of a full charge, although battery life may still be listed as 100%.

Leaked iPhone 12 Pro Max Schematics Show Thinner Design, Smaller Bezels, LiDAR Camera, and More

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro and Max Weinbach have shared what they're claiming is a sneak peek of Apple's hitherto unreleased "iPhone 12 Pro Max," based on alleged leaked CAD designs.

The key thing about the CADs is they line up with rumors suggesting that Apple's new iPhone will take many design cues from the iPad Pro. The schematics show a square-edged stainless steel frame between two pieces of glass, replacing the rounded stainless steel frame of the iPhone 11 series.

12.9-Inch iPad Pro With Mini-LED Display Possibly 'Delayed' Until Early 2021

The launch of a new high-end 12.9-inch iPad Pro with a Mini-LED display may be "delayed" until early 2021 due to the device's "complex panel design," analyst Jeff Pu said in a research note this week.

Back in December, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was developing up to six Mini-LED products, including a 12.9-inch iPad Pro with an A14X chip for release in the third quarter of 2020. This was before the global health crisis began, however, so it would be understandable if the timeframe has been pushed back due to supply chain disruptions and Apple engineers working from home.

Apple just updated the iPad Pro last month with an A12Z Bionic chip, Ultra Wide camera, LiDAR Scanner, and improved microphones.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom today unveiled a new business recovery task force intended to guide the state as it gets its economy back up and running as coronavirus shutdowns begin to ease in the coming weeks and months, reports CNBC.

The task force will be co-chaired by philanthropist Tom Steyer and Newsom's chief of staff Ann O'Leary, and it will be composed of more than 70 members including Apple CEO Tim Cook and Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger.

The task force will reportedly meet twice a month through the end of the year.

Cook's participation on the task force comes just after a virtual company-wide meeting for Apple employees where Cook outlined some details on the current situation and how things will likely evolve going forward. Cook reiterated that Apple is in a strong financial position and that it will keep investing in its research and development efforts "in a really significant way" as it seeks to maintain as much momentum as possible coming out of the crisis.

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.

Beats president Luke Wood is stepping down at the end of this month, and Apple Music chief Oliver Schusser will be adding oversight of Beats hardware to his responsibilities, according to CNET.

Apple has not publicly announced the upcoming change, but Apple's services chief Eddy Cue recently sent an email to Apple employees confirming it. Cue noted in his email that the transition has been in the works for a while and that Apple remains "committed to the Beats brand."

The move has been in the works for a while, Cue said in his note to employees: "In the last year, Luke Wood told me about his desire to do something new. I appreciated the heads up so that it allowed us to plan for this transition." [...]

Cue wrote that he was sensitive to making a management change in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, remarking that "the timing of the announcement isn't ideal." However, the best thing for Beats is "to keep the business moving forward," he said, affirming that Apple remains "committed to the Beats brand and the importance of maintaining its role firmly in the music portfolio."

Wood officially joined Beats as president and chief operating officer in 2011, and has continued to oversee the Beats hardware business since Apple's acquisition of Beats in 2014.

While Beats Music quickly transitioned to become ‌Apple Music‌, Apple has kept the valuable Beats hardware brand separate so far, releasing several new and updated headphone models including Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro, and Solo Pro in recent months.

Apple itself has, however, increasingly ventured into the headphone market with AirPods, AirPods Pro, and rumors of additional upcoming products including over-ear headphones that would directly compete with some of Beats' higher-end flagship products.

Apple, Rogers, and the Canadian province of Ontario have partnered to help meet the educational needs of students and families during the global health crisis.

This week, school boards across Ontario began purchasing and distributing iPads pre-equipped with free Rogers LTE wireless data to students who do not have either the technology or the internet they need to access at-home learning. To date, over 21,000 iPads are being sent to the homes of families in need, according to the Ontario government.

Apple is providing ongoing support and resources in English and French to teachers, parents, and students to support at-home learning, including videos, apps, and e-books to help teachers with lesson planning, creative activities that kids and families can do on the iPad, and free one-to-one virtual coaching by Apple Professional Learning Specialists.

The free Rogers wireless data will be available until the end of June.

(Thanks, Jacob!)

Leaked images obtained by TechCrunch show that Google is developing its own debit card offering in partnership with banks in the United States.

The debit card would be available in both virtual and physical formats for making purchases. The leaked screenshots reveal that users would be able to add or remove funds from the card after connecting a bank account, with a fingerprint and PIN for account security. Users would also have a virtual card number and CVC code for online or in-app payments.

As a debit card, the so-called Google Card would not be a full-fledged Apple Card competitor, but it would have many similarities. Google's card would be more similar to the Apple Cash card, which is effectively a bank account-linked debit card in the Wallet app that allows users to send and receive money with Apple Pay.

The physical Google Card could look quite similar to the ‌Apple Card‌ based on the image above, although it might not be representative of the final design.

It is unclear when Google plans to launch its card.

Apple began accepting pre-orders for the new iPhone SE on Friday morning, and hours later, delivery estimates for the device have slipped to the first week of May in the United States for any color, storage, and carrier combination.

The new iPhone SE remains available for Friday, April 24 launch day delivery in some other countries, including Australia and the United Kingdom.

While the extended shipping estimates could be interpreted as a sign of strong demand, there is simply no way of knowing how many iPhone SE units that Apple stockpiled before announcing the device, especially since the global health crisis significantly disrupted the company's supply chain in February and part of March.

The new iPhone SE can be pre-ordered on Apple.com in the United States and more than 40 other countries and regions. Pricing starts at $399 for 64GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB options available for $449 and $549 respectively.

The second-generation iPhone SE has a similar design as the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display and a Touch ID home button, but it has a faster A13 Bionic chip. Other features of the device include a single-lens 12-megapixel Wide rear camera with Portrait mode support, wireless charging, IP67-rated water resistance, and Wi-Fi 6.

Blackmagic today informed MacRumors that it is no longer manufacturing its Blackmagic eGPU Pro due to AMD discontinuing its Radeon RX Vega 56 graphics chip.

Apple removed the Blackmagic eGPU Pro from its online store earlier this week, just days after marking the product as temporarily out of stock. The standard Blackmagic eGPU with AMD Radeon Pro 580 graphics remains available to purchase for the time being, but with a lengthy shipping estimate of 10-12 weeks.

Priced at $1,199, the Blackmagic eGPU Pro first came out in October 2018 alongside refreshed Mac mini and MacBook Air models.

It is unclear if the Blackmagic eGPU Pro will return with a newer graphics chip at a later date.

Apple is expected to unveil its first 5G-enabled iPhones in September, but some analysts believe that models with support for ultra-fast mmWave technology will likely launch after sub-6GHz models due to production challenges and the global health crisis.

Apple is believed to be designing its own antenna-in-package or "AiP" module for mmWave iPhones, potentially contributing to the staggered rollout.

"Apart from the epidemic, the power consumption of the AiP module may also affect the launch schedule of the mmWave version," analyst Jeff Pu wrote in a research note with Chinese investor firm GF Securities this week, suggesting that Apple's custom antenna-in-package may be more of a drain on battery life than desired.

Likewise, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Thomas O'Malley today said "recent data points" suggest that Apple may not be able to ship mmWave iPhones this year. This lines up with information shared by Susquehanna analyst Mehdi Hosseini, who previously said that mmWave iPhones could launch as late as January 2021.

Prior to the global health crisis, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was still on track to release both sub-6GHz and sub-6GHz-plus-mmWave iPhone models simultaneously in the second half of 2020, with shipments beginning in the late third quarter or early fourth quarter. Kuo has not indicated whether those plans have since changed.

Kuo said iPhone models with mmWave would be available in five markets, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom, adding that Apple may disable 5G functionality in countries that do not offer 5G service or have a shallow 5G penetration rate to reduce production costs.

As a refresher, mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, making it best suited for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas.

Apple Arcade has received two new games today on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, including deep sea adventure "Beyond Blue" by E-Line Media and the emotional puzzle game "A Fold Apart" by Lightning Rod Games.

Beyond Blue, which is also available on the Mac:

Beyond Blue takes you into the near future, where you'll have the opportunity to explore the mysteries of our ocean through the eyes of Mirai, a deep sea explorer and scientist. You and your newly-formed research team will use groundbreaking technologies to see, hear, and interact with the ocean in a more meaningful way than has ever been attempted. The game features an evocative narrative, exploration of an untouched world, and adventure that challenges the player to make high-stakes decisions during the crew's expedition.

A Fold Apart:

After career choices force them along separate paths, a Teacher and Architect vow to make their long-distance relationship work at any cost. Experience both sides of their story as the couple navigates the complexities of (mis)communication and the emotional ups and downs that separation brings. By flipping, folding, and unfolding the paper puzzles in their handcrafted worlds, you can help the couple overcome the emotional barriers of their relationship — but will love endure...?

Both games are available on the App Store with an Apple Arcade subscription. The service provides iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac users with access to over 100 games with no in-app purchases or ads for $4.99 per month.

Apple on Wednesday announced the new second-generation iPhone SE, which includes a 4.7-inch display, A13 Bionic chip, Touch ID home button, and up to 256GB of storage. This new device adopts the name of the previous 2016 iPhone SE, but updates it with a design similar to the iPhone 8 and improved internals.

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Pre-orders for the smartphone went up this morning across numerous retailers online. In terms of pricing, the 64GB iPhone SE costs $399, the 128GB model costs $449, and the 256GB model costs $549. The newest iPhone also comes in three colors: White, Black, and (Product) Red.

Now that the iPhone SE is up for pre-order, some cellular carriers are offering bargains and discounts related to upgrading to the new iPhone, switching carriers, and more. In this post, we've accumulated all of the best deals you'll find online for pre-ordering a new iPhone SE, also including retailers like Walmart and Best Buy.

AT&T

AT&T is offering the 64GB iPhone SE for $5/month when signing up for a new line on a qualifying installment plan with a 30-month agreement. You can also opt for the 128GB model for $10/month, or the 256GB model for $15/month. There's a $30 activation fee for this offer as well.

Verizon

Verizon doesn't offer direct monthly discounts on the price of the iPhone SE, but it will waive your activation fee of the device if you order in its My Verizon app or online.

T-Mobile

In one of the best bargains, T-Mobile is offering the iPhone SE for free with an eligible trade-in and new line activation. Specifically, you'll need to activate a new qualifying voice line, buy the 64GB iPhone SE on a monthly payment plan, and trade in an eligible device in good condition.

Eligible devices include the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, 7, and 7 Plus; these will provide enough trade-in value to get you the new iPhone SE at no extra cost. You can also trade in the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus to get $300 off the iPhone SE.

After this, T-Mobile will apply the balance of the promotion by crediting your bill every month over 24 months. As with promotions at other carriers, this offer can be used for all three colors of the iPhone SE, including White, Black, and (Product) Red.

Sprint

Sprint is giving customers who switch from another carrier and purchase the iPhone SE a $100 prepaid Mastercard card. You'll need to lease the iPhone SE and port your number to Sprint from another carrier.

The company is also offering the iPhone SE for $5/month after $11.67/month is applied as credit over 18 months. This sale requires a new line of service.

Xfinity Mobile

Xfinity Mobile provides a $200 discount on a new and eligible iPhone, including the iPhone SE. To get this, you'll need to port in your number from another carrier within 30 days of purchasing the iPhone SE and sign up for a 24 month Xfinity Mobile device payment plan agreement.

As with all other cellular carrier discounts, this $200 offer will be applied to your account on a monthly basis over 24 months.

Walmart

Walmart is providing shoppers a $200 discount on the iPhone SE when purchased on an installment plan.

Best Buy

At Best Buy, you can get a $50 gift card when you purchase and activate the new iPhone SE on a qualified cellular plan. While this isn't a straight cash discount on the price of the monthly cost of the smartphone, any Best Buy shoppers should see a benefit to the gift card promotion.

Shoppers should note that this promo is only compatible with qualified cellular carrier plans, and will not work on unlocked devices. Monthly prices vary depending on storage capacity and carrier, but you can expect prices to start around $13.34/month for 30 months for 64GB and increase from there.

Additionally, Best Buy offers a specific discount if you choose to go with Sprint activation. You can get the 64GB iPhone SE for $299.99, down from $399.99 when purchasing and activating on a new line, or for $369.99 if you're upgrading on an existing account. If you're upgrading, you can also save $50 on monthly installments from Sprint through Best Buy.

Of course, with all of these options, you'll get Best Buy's $50 gift card as well.

Sam's Club

Sam's Club is offering a $100 gift card when you purchase the new 64GB iPhone SE online and activate it through AT&T. This deal is only available for people who are upgrading to an iPhone SE on AT&T, and they'll receive both $100 off the installment price in addition to the $100 Sam's Club gift card.

Visible

The Verizon-owned brand Visible is offering customers up to a $200 prepaid Mastercard Virtual Account when you buy an iPhone SE and pay for two months of service. This also includes other smartphones, and any over $400 will net you a $200 Mastercard card via email.

If you purchase a device under $400 (and more than $50) you can get a $100 Mastercard card. For more details on the promotion, visit Visible's website.

More Deals

Head to our full Deals Roundup to get caught up with all of the latest deals and discounts that we've been tracking over the past week.

The new iPhone SE is now available to pre-order from Apple in the United States and more than 40 other countries and regions. Pricing starts at $399 for 64GB of storage, with 128GB and 256GB options available for $449 and $549 respectively. The first deliveries to customers and in-store availability at select resellers will begin Friday, April 24.

The second-generation iPhone SE has a similar design as the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display and a Touch ID home button, but it has a faster A13 Bionic chip. Other features of the device include a single-lens 12-megapixel Wide rear camera with Portrait mode support, wireless charging, IP67-rated water resistance, and Wi-Fi 6.

Given its lower price point, the new iPhone SE lacks some premium features of iPhone 11 Pro models, including an OLED display, stainless steel frame, Face ID, and a triple-lens rear camera. The device also lacks a headphone jack.

The new iPhone SE is available to pre-order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in black, white, or (PRODUCT)RED. Customers can get 3% Daily Cash when they buy the device from Apple using the Apple Card.

Update: Apple has released a longer version of the ad on its YouTube channel in the United Kingdom. Original story follows.

Peeling the protective film off a new iPhone has always been an oddly satisfying part of the unboxing process, to the point that it has become somewhat of a meme, and now Apple is getting in on the amusement.

Apple has shared a short ad for its new iPhone SE that revolves around a person slowly peeling the protective film off the device:

The second-generation iPhone SE has a similar design as the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch display and a Touch ID home button, but it has a faster A13 Bionic chip. Other features of the device include a single-lens 12-megapixel Wide rear camera with Portrait mode support, wireless charging, IP67-rated water resistance, and Wi-Fi 6.

The new iPhone SE became available to pre-order today in Black, White, or (RED), with pricing starting at $399 for 64GB of storage.

Apple has taken down its online store in preparation for iPhone SE pre-orders, due to start today at 5:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

The original ‌iPhone‌ SE was a budget 4-inch ‌iPhone‌ before being discontinued in 2018, but Apple has revived the name in with a new 4.7-inch model announced earlier this week that looks like an ‌iPhone‌ 8 with internals similar to those of the ‌iPhone‌ 11.

There's a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera in the ‌iPhone‌ SE with an f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, and support for Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting. Night Mode is not supported, but there is Smart HDR, Wide color support, and more, plus an LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync capabilities.

Because the ‌iPhone‌ SE is physically identical to an ‌iPhone‌ 8, it continues to feature thick top and bottom bezels. The top bezel houses the 7-megapixel front-facing camera and microphone while the bottom bezel includes a Touch ID Home button for fingerprint-based biometric authentication.

Like the ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max, the ‌iPhone‌ SE features support for Haptic Touch instead of 3D Touch. That means ‌‌3D Touch‌‌ has officially been eliminated from Apple's ‌‌iPhone‌‌ lineup as the now-discontinued ‌‌iPhone‌‌ 8 was the last ‌‌iPhone‌‌ Apple sold that supported ‌‌3D Touch‌‌.

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro and Max Weinbach have shared what they're claiming is a sneak peek of Apple's hitherto unreleased "iPhone 12 Pro Max," based on alleged leaked CAD designs.

In order to house the bigger 6.7-inch OLED screen, the device will be slightly wider and taller, and the bezels have been shaved to an impressive 1.55mm, compared to 2.52mm on the 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max.

They also mirror rumors that the new ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ will have a thickness of 7.4mm, which would be quite a bit thinner than the 8.1mm thick ‌iPhone 11 Pro Max‌. However, the camera bump is said to be slightly thicker, 1.26mm rather than 1.21mm, although the cameras themselves don't protrude as much.

One oddity in the designs is that the size of the notch is the same as the one found on Apple's current ‌iPhone‌ lineup. Previous rumors suggest Apple has designed a smaller notch, although Weinbach claims that these details weren't finalized when the CAD was made, which is a genuine possibility.

Other key takeaways from the video:

• Fourth camera sensor for the LiDAR Scanner.
• Slightly increased diameter of camera lenses.
• Thicker antenna lines on sides of handset for 5G.
• SIM card tray relocated to other side of device.
• Smart Connector-esque input where SIM card try used to be.
• One less speaker hole on right side speaker grille.
• 10 to 15 percent louder speakers.
• Power button sits slightly lower on device.
• New colors could include light blue, violet, and light orange.

Weinbach has accurately revealed a new ‌iPhone‌ color in the past, and has previously claimed that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 in Navy Blue could replace the Midnight Green finish available for ‌iPhone‌ 11 Pro models.

Weinbach also accurately predicted that the volume HUD would become less obtrusive in iOS 13, but he has also shared several Apple-related rumors that did not pan out, including the iPad getting a native Calculator app in iOS 13 and the HomePod launching in Austria and Italy within 2019. Weinbach has a more established track record with Android-related rumors, but this could be set to change.

Apple is expected to offer four iPhones in three different sizes this year: A 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌, a 6.7-inch ‌iPhone‌, and two 6.1-inch iPhones. One 6.1-inch model and the 6.7-inch model will be higher-end iPhones, while the other 6.1-inch ‌iPhone‌ and the 5.4-inch ‌iPhone‌ will be lower-end models and successors to the ‌iPhone‌ 11.