MacRumors

The Thunderbolt 3 standard has been available for roughly four years now, but cable lengths have so far generally been limited to a couple of meters due to signal degradation over long distances of copper wiring. While the use of copper Thunderbolt 3 cables limits their length, it does allow for additional features like the ability to carry power and fallback use of USB modes at slower speeds.

There is an alternative to copper cables that allows for longer cable lengths, and that's optical fiber cables, which use light to transmit signals over long distances with high fidelity. While there have been optical versions of Thunderbolt 1 and 2 cables, the Thunderbolt 3 standard has been very slow in seeing optical cables come to market.

The market for optical Thunderbolt cables is relatively small given their expense and the fact that the vast majority of users have no need to run cables longer than a couple of meters, but for those who do need long cables, the wait for Thunderbolt 3 cables has been a long one.

That wait finally appears to be coming to an end, however, as we're starting to see signs of the cables coming to market. Taiwanese company Areca has recently launched optical Thunderbolt 3 cables, available in 10-, 20- and 30-meter lengths. The cables are available through B&H, but with pricing coming in at $559, $699, and $799 respectively, these are obviously only for pro-level users who absolutely need the highest performance over long distances. And remember that these cables can only carry Thunderbolt 3 data and don't fall back to USB or provide power to or from connected devices.

B&H currently lists expected availability of 7-10 business days on all three cable lengths, and Areca told me a few weeks ago that supplies were somewhat constrained as its factories were still trying to ramp production back up. Areca tells me that beyond the cables that have shown up at B&H, the company is also planning a special-order 50-meter cable and has also been considering a shorter 5.5- or 6-meter cable, although the minimal price difference between that and the 10-meter version may not make it worthwhile.

One of the major optical cable manufacturers users have been looking to for Thunderbolt 3 cables is Corning, and it appears its cables may be close to coming to market as well. One MacRumors reader let us know that Corning's cables have started appearing on websites of some European resellers like MacConsult in lengths ranging from 5.5 meters to 50 meters. Based on these listings, Corning's pricing looks like it will be starting at around the equivalent of $400 in the U.S., a bit less than Areca but still out of the range of the average consumer.

Corning tells me that while samples of its optical Thunderbolt 3 cables have been shown at trade shows over the past couple of years, it's not quite ready to officially launch them and shared the following statement:

Corning’s Thunderbolt 3 cables have not yet been launched publicly, although we have shown preliminary samples at industry events. We look forward to their launch, although a date has not been scheduled.

It seems likely that Corning is still awaiting final certification from Intel and that a distributor may have gotten a bit ahead of itself in pushing out preliminary listings to some resellers, but hopefully we can expect Corning's cables to hit the market fairly soon.

The annual NAB show in April would have been a good opportunity for Corning to launch its cables if final certification from Intel was imminent, but as with nearly every other trade show, NAB 2020 has been canceled, so we'll have to wait and see what Corning's plans are.

Optical Thunderbolt 3 cables are hitting the market just as Intel has started teasing Thunderbolt 4, although it's unclear what the differences between the two versions will be, as they appear to offer the same maximum transfer speeds. USB4 is also coming to market in the relatively near future and will essentially unify Thunderbolt 3 and USB with Thunderbolt 3's theoretical maximum 40 Gb/s speeds.

Apple today is rolling out a new feature to Apple Music users, prominently displaying new albums, EPs, and videos from their favorite artists at the top of the Library tab in iOS.

The new feature first appears as a splash page in ‌Apple Music‌ on iOS, telling users that they can "see new music from artists you like." This will let you get updates about new releases from artists you listen to, with notifications appearing above your library of albums and playlists.

In settings for the feature, it appears that you can't specify exactly which artists you want notifications from. You can only choose to turn these notifications on or off, and whether you want to see these notifications in your Library tab or not.

The updated notifications feature is not available on a wide scale as of writing, but a select group of users do appear to have the update so far. To check, you can visit ‌Apple Music‌ on iPhone or iPad; the splash screen will appear for those people who can use the new feature.

‌Apple Music‌ has offered push notifications about new albums and music from artists you stream in the past, but these are fairly unreliable. Now that Apple is placing notifications directly within the ‌Apple Music‌ app, the company appears to be trying to offer more dependable information about new album launches.

(Thanks, Joshua!)

A vulnerability affecting iOS 13.3.1 and later prevents virtual private networks (VPNs) from encrypting all traffic, allowing some internet connections to bypass encryption, potentially exposing users' data and IP addresses.

Details on the vulnerability were shared today by Bleeping Computer after it was discovered by ProtonVPN. The vulnerability is caused because iOS isn't terminating all existing connections when a user connects to a VPN, allowing them to reconnect to destination servers once the VPN tunnel has been established.

Connections made after connecting to a VPN on an iOS are not affected by this bug, but all previously established connections are not secure. This could potentially lead to a user who believes they are protected accidentally exposing IP an address and therefore, an approximate location.

Apple's Push Notifications are cited as an example of a process using connections on Apple's servers that aren't closed automatically when connecting to a VPN, but it can affect any app or service running on a user's device.

VPNs cannot work around the issue because iOS does not allow VPN apps to kill existing network connections, so this is a fix that will need to be implemented by Apple. Apple is aware of the vulnerability and is looking into options to mitigate it.

Until fixed, VPN users can connect to a VPN server, turn on Airplane Mode and then turn off Airplane Mode to kill all existing connections. The mitigation isn't entirely reliable, however, so iPhone and iPad owners who rely on VPNs should be careful until Apple puts out a fix.

Apple today updated its Apple Developer app to add new features related to video watching and sharing. The Apple Developer app was formerly known as the WWDC app, and it is where content from this year's digital WWDC event will be accessible to developers.

Today's update introduces multiple playback speeds for watching videos, an option to interact with full video transcripts, and a feature for sharing stories from the Discover tab and viewing them on the web.

Thank you for your feedback. This release allows you to:
- Watch videos at multiple playback speeds.
- Interact with the full video transcripts.
- Share stories from the Discover tab and view them on the web.
You'll also see accessibility improvements, and other enhancements and bug fixes

Apple hasn't yet provided details on when its digital-only WWDC event will be held, but it will take place sometime in June with an online keynote event to unveil new versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

The Apple Developer app can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Subscription-based iOS gaming service GameClub today announced new changes aimed at families who are stuck at home, expanding the number of family members that can use a single subscription.

Up to 12 players can use GameClub's family sharing feature to play GameClub games with a single $4.99 per month subscription. For those who aren't familiar with GameClub, it revives older, long forgotten iOS titles so you can replay your favorite classics.

GameClub has more than 100 titles available, none of which have ads or in-app purchases. There are a number of new titles available this spring:

• Aralon: Sword and Shadow - An epic Skyrim-esque RPG featuring multiple playable races and classes, an extensive crafting system, and tons of quests.
• Neon Shadow - An action-packed first-person shooter in the spirit of the PC classics, reimagined for a new generation of mobile gamers.
• Stellar Wars - The final entry in the Wars trilogy takes place in a distant sci-fi future, delivering its classic take on supremely strategic gameplay with even more possibilities.
• Bardbarian - Recruit companions and fight hordes of enemies in this fun blend of shooter, castle defense, and role-playing game with a great sense of humor.
• The Big Journey - This family-friendly platformer features a cast of adorable kittens and loads of unique worlds while offering challenges for any level of gamer.
• Bridgy Jones - This fantastic physics-based bridge construction puzzler with visual flair lets you build rickety structures that will (hopefully!) survive a train crossing.
• Circa Infinity - Work through intensely difficult levels to see how deep into the circle you can descend in this highly stylized 2D game with the feel of Super Mario Galaxy.
• Swap This! - A hit on Nintendo Switch, this twist on matching games lets you swap cubes to create monumental chain reactions.
• Toki Tori - One of the all-time best puzzle platformers, this highly requested fan favorite is reborn for mobile with the Nintendo Switch version's high-resolution graphics.

There are tons more games available from GameClub, ranging from puzzles to strategy games to RPGs and more, with more information available on the GameClub website. New games are added to GameClub on a weekly basis.

To share a GameClub subscription with family members, GameClub users will need to log in with an email address on the new device, enter a 4-digit confirmation code sent to that email address, and then enter the code on the device to confirm. It's a simple process that works outside of Apple's normal Family Sharing feature.

GameClub offers a free one-month gameplay trial, and after that, the service is priced at $4.99 per month.

Apple this week acknowledged that MacBook Air models with Retina displays can exhibit anti-reflective coating issues, as indicated in a memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers and obtained by MacRumors.

"Retina displays on some MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers can exhibit anti-reflective (AR) coating issues," the memo states.

Apple's internal service documentation for this issue previously only mentioned MacBook Pro and discontinued 12-inch MacBook models with Retina displays, but the MacBook Air is now mentioned in at least two places. Apple added a Retina display to the MacBook Air in October 2018 and all models of the notebook have featured one since.

Apple has a free repair program for the anti-reflective coating issue in place internally, but it has yet to add any MacBook Air models to its list of eligible models, despite mentioning it elsewhere in the documentation. However, with Apple at least acknowledging that the MacBook Air can exhibit the issue, customers may have a valid argument for at least a free in-warranty repair.

The eligibility list remains the same as in December 2019 for now:

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2015)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2015)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
• MacBook (12-inch, Early 2015)
• MacBook (12-inch, Early 2016)
• MacBook (12-inch, Early 2017)

Apple began the repair program in October 2015 after some MacBook and MacBook Pro users experienced an issue with the anti-reflective coating wearing off or delaminating on Retina displays. Apple has never posted the repair program to its website, opting instead to handle the matter more quietly. For that reason, your mileage may vary.

Over the years, the issue led to an online petition with nearly 5,000 signatures, a Facebook group with over 17,000 members, and complaints across the Apple Support Communities, Reddit, and our own MacRumors forums. A so-called "Staingate" website was set up to share photos of affected Mac notebooks.

Apple Stores outside of China and many Apple Authorized Service Providers are closed right now, but customers can visit support.apple.com for service and support.

Update: Apple has informed us that the MacBook Air, Retina or otherwise, is not part of this program and does not exhibit this issue, adding that this was a mistake on an internal document that has since been fixed.

Update 2: A technician at an Apple Authorized Service Provider disagrees with Apple, informing us that they have serviced several 2018 MacBook Air units that exhibited anti-reflective coating issues.

Apple has expressed a profound interest in augmented reality in recent years, making a major push into the space with frameworks like ARKit and RealityKit, creative tools like Reality Composer and Reality Converter, and hardware like the LiDAR Scanner on the new iPad Pro and likely some iPhone 12 models.

Multiple reports have indicated that Apple also plans to release a combination AR/VR headset by 2021 or 2022, and MacRumors has uncovered significant evidence of this project in a leaked build of iOS 14 that has been circulating.

MacRumors has obtained a photo from iOS 14 of what appears to be a generic looking controller for an AR/VR headset, with a very similar design as the controller for the HTC Vive Focus headset, released in 2018. Back in 2017, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple engineers were using HTC Vive hardware for internal testing purposes.

Given the basic design of the controller, we suspect that it is for internal testing purposes only. Apple's consumer-facing controller would likely be much more polished.

Earlier this month, it was reported that iOS 14 contains a new augmented reality app codenamed "Gobi," and we believe that Apple is using this app along with QR codes to test augmented reality experiences on its AR/VR headset. There are QR codes that trigger experiences related to the Apple Watch, Mac Pro, Apple Store, Starbucks, and a movie poster.

One particularly interesting augmented reality experience that Apple is testing is a "crosswalk bowling game," which we believe may allow Apple engineers to roll a virtual bowling ball across the crosswalk to knock down virtual bowling pins on the other side of the street while waiting for the pedestrian light to change from stop to go.

This crosswalk bowling game can only be triggered at an intersection near an Apple office known as "Mathilda 3" at 555 N Mathilda Ave in Sunnyvale, California, which may be one of the locations that Apple is developing its AR/VR headset. This office is located roughly five miles from the company's Apple Park headquarters in nearby Cupertino.

All of this suggests that Apple remains deeply invested in its AR/VR headset project, although development may have slowed as of late due to the ongoing pandemic that has forced many Apple engineers to work from home for now.

Apple last week announced new 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, and as of today, the new iPads are arriving to customers. We picked up one of the new 12.9-inch models and checked it out to see just what's new and whether it's worth buying.

When it comes to design, the new ‌iPad Pro‌ models are identical to the 2018 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, but with one important distinction -- a new square-shaped camera bump that accommodates a new camera setup.

There's a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 10-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera, which, notably, is not the same as the 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera that's in the iPhone 11 Pro, though it's very similar when it comes to image quality.

Along with the two cameras, there's a new LiDAR Scanner, which is meant to add some pretty nifty new AR capabilities. The LiDAR Scanner uses reflected light to measure the distance from the sensor to surrounding objects up to five meters away, indoors and outdoors. It can basically create a more complete and detailed understanding of a scene and what's around you, which is useful for AR.

There are some improvements you'll see immediately in AR apps like people occlusion and better motion capture, but right now, there aren't a lot of AR apps that can take full advantage of the LiDAR Scanner. We'll have to wait to get a more complete picture of what it does, and we can also expect this same technology in next-generation iPhones.

The cameras look great, and are basically equivalent to what you're going to get with the ‌iPhone‌, but improved camera capabilities may not be what most people are looking for in an iPad as it's not the easiest device to capture images and video with.

Though there are two cameras, there's still no rear portrait mode, which is something to be aware of. The front-facing TrueDepth camera system hasn't changed and it's still 7-megapixels.

Along with the new square-shaped camera bump, the ‌iPad Pro‌ comes with an upgraded A12Z Bionic chip. It's an improvement over the A12X in the previous-generation ‌iPad Pro‌, but only when it comes to GPU performance. CPU performance is just about the same based on Geekbench tests, though there's an 8-core GPU instead of a 7-core GPU, so there are some modest performance gains.

The processor in the 2018 ‌iPad Pro‌ was powerful enough for gaming, 3D rendering, video editing, and other intensive tasks, and the 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ is just as capable, though not really more capable. Base RAM in the new ‌iPad Pro‌ has been bumped up, though, and all models now ship with 6GB RAM. In 2018, only the ‌iPad Pro‌ models with 1TB of storage had 6GB RAM, while others had 4GB.

Apple's 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ models also have more LTE bands, which is great if you're traveling, and they're WiFi 6 compatible, ideal for future proofing. WiFi 6 isn't widely used yet, but it may be much more widespread in a few years.

There are also now five studio quality microphones, and audio recorded with the new ‌iPad Pro‌ sounds great.

In May, Apple will release the new Magic Keyboard that's compatible with 2018 and 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, bringing trackpad functionality. Trackpad and mouse support on the ‌iPad Pro‌ is great so far in our testing, but it's not an ‌iPad Pro‌ specific feature and so isn't a key reason to purchase one of the upgraded tablets.

Given the minor upgrades in the 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, it's not worth picking up one tablets if you've already got a 2018 ‌iPad Pro‌. Sure, there's a better AR experience, but as of right now, with no AR apps taking advantage of it, it's not a major selling point.

If you have an older ‌iPad‌ model and are thinking of upgrading to an ‌iPad Pro‌, the 11 and 12.9-inch 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ models are an excellent choice and are more than powerful enough to replace a computer. And with the upcoming Magic Keyboard and the built-in trackpad support, they're also much more capable of serving as a Mac replacement.

What do you think of the new 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌? Let us know in the comments.

T-Mobile has added Apple Pay support to its website and the T-Mobile app, allowing customers to pay their monthly cellular bills using Apple's payments service.

MacRumors readers and users on Reddit started noticing the change today, which provides ‌Apple Pay‌ as an alternative method to saving a credit card or bank account information.

‌Apple Pay‌ can be set up for auto payments, and when used with Apple Card, the ‌Apple Card‌ provides three percent cash back.

‌Apple Pay‌ is not available when making purchases of devices or accessories from the T-Mobile website, and it appears to be limited to bill payments.

Apple is preparing to delay the launch of the 2020 iPhones expected to be equipped with 5G technology, according to sources with knowledge of Apple's plans that spoke to Japanese news site Nikkei.

Apple has reportedly held internal discussions about the possibility of delaying the launch "by months" over fears of how well iPhones would sell in the current situation, and supply chain sources also believe that "practical hurdles" could push back the launch date, which was scheduled for September.

"Supply chain constraint aside, Apple is concerned that the current situation would significantly lower consumer appetite to upgrade their phones, which could lead to a tame reception of the first 5G iPhone," said a source with direct knowledge of the discussion. "They need the first 5G iPhone to be a hit."

Apple is monitoring the outbreaks in the United States and Europe and assessing whether a delay might be necessary. A final decision could be made around May at the latest, with Apple perhaps waiting to finalize the timetable for the launch until the work from home order for its employees is lifted.

Apple this week told employees that it planned to extend the worldwide work from home order until April 8, with stores to begin opening once again in mid-April on a staggered basis. MacRumors heard from a source this morning that stores in the United States will not be among the first opened.

Nikkei says that the engineering development of the 2020 iPhone lineup has been affected by travel restrictions to the United States, China, and elsewhere. Apple was meant to work with suppliers to develop a "more concrete prototype" for the new iPhones in early March, but had to delay the collaboration until the end of the month before postponing it again. Suppliers believe that given where Apple is in the engineering process, the possibility of a delay "is looming."

Some suppliers have, however, been told to defer their mass production schedules for about two to three months.

"We have been notified to start shipping in big volumes to meet Apple's new product launch by the end of August, instead of like in previous years, when it would be sometime in June," said a supplier of components related to printed circuit boards. "The change was made very recently, and that could imply that the mass production of the phone could also be delayed for months."

At this time, suppliers have not been notified of a possible change in the production timeline and Apple is urging many of them to make up for time lost due to recent disruptions. "We are not giving up yet," said one of the sources that spoke to Nikkei. "We are doing whatever we can to sort the issue out."

Apple's discussions are said to be in the early stage, and the fall launch is not "completely off the table" yet. In a worse case scenario, though, the 5G iPhone could be postponed until 2021.

A recent report from Bloomberg suggested that the ‌iPhone‌ 12 models are still on course for a fall launch despite disruptions to Apple's supply chain, and Foxconn this week said that it now has enough workers to meet "seasonal demand."

Rumors have indicated that Apple is working on four new ‌iPhone‌ models for 2020, which will be available at various price points. All models are expected to have 5G capabilities and A14 chips, and higher-end models are expected to be equipped with new 3D camera systems like the LiDAR Scanner in new iPad Pro models.

iFixit today shared the results of one of its traditional teardowns of the new MacBook Air, which Apple unveiled last week.

The major notable new feature in the MacBook Air is the scissor switch keyboard, an upgrade over the much-maligned butterfly keyboard that was prone to failure and spurred Apple to implement a wide-ranging repair program.

The scissor switch keyboard was first introduced in the 16-inch MacBook Pro, but Apple is planning to expand it across the MacBook lineup, starting with the MacBook Air. The updated keyboard adds a mere half a millimeter of additional thickness to the body of the machine, with the MacBook Air now measuring in at 0.63 inches at its thickest point, up from 0.61 inches in the prior version.

The new Magic Keyboard is about 0.5mm thicker than the Butterfly keyboard of the prior-generation model, which accounts for the minor increase in thickness. The new MacBook Air is also just a bit heavier at 2.80 pounds instead of 2.75 pounds.

Along with the new keyboard, iFixit found a larger heatsink over the processor, and a new cable configuration between the logic board and the trackpad that makes it easier to do trackpad and battery repairs.

That new trackpad cable configuration pays dividends! Where last year the trackpad cables were trapped under the logic board, they are now free to be disconnected anytime--meaning trackpad removal can happen as soon as the back cover comes off. And since the battery rests under these same cables, this new configuration also greatly speeds up battery removal by leaving the logic board in place. That's two very tasty birds, one stone, for those of you counting. This is one of those happy (but all too rare) occasions where we can identify a hardware change from Apple that's squarely aimed at improving serviceability in the existing design. Sometimes they do listen!

The battery model number and specs are unchanged compared to last year, and Apple uses both pull-tab adhesive and screws to hold the speakers in place in the new model. The SSD and the RAM continue to be soldered in place and cannot be upgraded.

All in all, the MacBook Air earned a repairability score of four out of 10 for the quicker access to trackpad and battery replacements, and the modular and easy to access fans, speakers, and ports. Though the keyboard is now more reliable, it's still integrated into the top case, requiring a complete teardown for service purposes.

Apple's new MacBook Air can be purchased from the online Apple Store and it is priced starting at $999.

Apple over the weekend announced plans to donate millions of N95 masks to hospitals in the United States and Europe, and according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple has been able to source more than 10 million N95 masks in the U.S. and millions more in Europe.

Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌ said on Saturday that Apple was aiming to donate supplies to healthcare providers fighting COVID-19, and clarified today that Apple's ops teams are working to find and purchase masks from Apple's supply chain in coordination with governments worldwide.

The ongoing outbreak in the United States and other countries has led to a shortage of N95 masks, and there have been reports of healthcare workers doing their jobs without adequate protection due to the supply issues, which is why Apple made an effort to source mask supplies and provide them to hospitals.

Update: A previous version of this article stated that Apple had stockpiled nine million masks, and it has been updated with more accurate information.