Apple today filed an unreleased Mac with a model identifier of A2289 in the Eurasian Economic Commission database, as spotted by MacRumors. The computer is described as a portable Mac running macOS Catalina.
As pure speculation, it is certainly possible that this listing could correspond with the rumored 13-inch MacBook Pro with a scissor keyboard, following in the footsteps of the 16-inch MacBook Pro last October. There is some hope that the 13-inch model will become a 14-inch model, but that remains uncertain.
Apple also filed its rack-mounted Mac Pro, model A2304, which remains listed as "coming soon" on its website. There are also a few existing Apple TV models that were filed merely to reflect tvOS 13.
Eurasian Economic Commission filings like these have foreshadowed the release of new Apple products on numerous occasions, including multiple Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPad Pro, Apple Watch, and AirPods models. The filings are legally required for any encrypted devices sold in Russia and select other countries.
With goals of reducing waste and increasing convenience, European lawmakers today will debate whether all smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices should have a standardized charging port such as USB-C.
At least some members of the European Parliament want "binding measures" that ensure one type of charger is compatible with all portable devices, as the European Commission's previous approach of merely "encouraging" tech companies to develop a standardized solution has "fell short of the co-legislators' objectives," according to a briefing on the European Parliament website today.
The proposed charging ports for portable devices include Micro-USB, USB-C, and the Lightning connector.
Nearly a year ago, Apple said regulations that would force all smartphones to have the same charging port would "freeze innovation," be "bad for the environment," and be "unnecessarily disruptive for customers."
More than 1 billion Apple devices have shipped using a Lightning connector in addition to an entire ecosystem of accessory and device manufacturers who use Lightning to serve our collective customers. We want to ensure that any new legislation will not result in the shipment of any unnecessary cables or external adaptors with every device, or render obsolete the devices and accessories used by many millions of Europeans and hundreds of millions of Apple customers worldwide. This would result in an unprecedented volume of electronic waste and greatly inconvenience users. To be forced to disrupt this huge market of customers will have consequences far beyond the stated aims of the Commission.
Beginning in 2009, Apple led industry efforts to work together to promote a common charging solution. And with the emergence of USB Type-C, we have committed alongside six other companies that all new smartphone models will leverage this standard through a connector or a cable assembly. We believe this collective effort by many of the industry’s leading companies is better for innovation, better for consumers and better for the environment.
A vote on the matter will be held in a forthcoming parliament session. While some members want the policy to be regulated, forcing companies like Apple to comply, there is still a possibility that it will be implemented with a voluntary approach, which could simply be ignored, according to the European Commission.
European lawmakers have been considering similar regulations since at least 2009.
Apple has shared a heartwarming short film about three generations of Chinese women coming together for the Chinese New Year. The video, starring leading Chinese actress Zhou Xun, was shot on the iPhone 11 Pro.
Prominently featured on Apple's website in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, the short film was directed by Academy Award nominee Theodore Melfi, with cinematography by Golden Globe Award nominee Lawrence Sher.
Apple has also shared a Chinese New Year gift guide on its website in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Likewise, Apple Stores are celebrating the Chinese New Year with a series of special "Today at Apple" sessions called "Modern Traditions" through February 8 in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. "Breathe new life into local traditions through photography and more in fun hands-on sessions for the whole family."
This year, the Chinese New Year falls on January 25.
Amazon and Best Buy have introduced a bunch of new deals on Apple's iPad Pro, with discounts reaching as much as $199 off original prices. Both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro have received discounts, in Wi-Fi only and cellular configurations.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Additionally, you'll find notable sales on the new iPad Air, with one particularly good sale on the 256GB Cellular iPad Air, now priced at $599.00, down from $779.00. All prices listed below represent sales found on Amazon, unless otherwise noted as a Best Buy discount.
Amazon is discounting Apple's AirPods with Charging Case from 2019 to $129.00, down from $159.00 ($30 off). This is the lowest price currently available for the AirPods among the major Apple resellers, and a return to the lowest price seen on this model on Amazon since last November.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
If you're shopping for the AirPods with Wireless Charging Case, Amazon is still continuing to discount that model as well: it's on sale for $169.00, down from $199.00 ($30 off). The standalone Wireless Charging Case for AirPods is priced at $64.99, down from $79.00 on Amazon ($14 off).
We track all of the changing AirPods deals in our Best Deal on AirPods guide. You can also head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.
Billy Crudup has won a 2020 Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Cory Ellison in the Apple TV+ series "The Morning Show." The full list of winners is available here.
This represents the first major award won by Apple TV+. "The Morning Show" was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Drama Series last month, while stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon were nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series, but competitors won in both categories.
"The Morning Show" was widely panned by critics upon the launch of Apple TV+, but they were only provided with the first three episodes to watch. The series has a strong audience score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and as more episodes came out in the series, some critics began to view the show more favorably too.
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.
Kuo has now doubled down on his prediction. In a follow-up research note today, viewed by MacRumors, he said Apple is 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.
Last week, analyst Mehdi Hosseini had disagreed with Kuo's timeframe, claiming that sub-6GHz models would launch in September 2020 and mmWave models would follow in December 2020 or January 2021.
Kuo says development of 5G iPhones with both sub-6GHz and mmWave support is progressing as scheduled, however, and he has the more reputable track record as it relates to forecasting Apple's roadmap. So, as of now, it looks like the entire 5G iPhone lineup will be announced in September as usual.
Early January always sees a flurry of news coming out of CES, but that wasn't all that was on the docket this week. Additional topics of interest in this week included new emoji personalization options for AirPods charging cases, "iPhone 9" rumors, and an upcoming change to Apple's serial number format.
CES 2020: New HomeKit Accessories, Wireless Chargers, and Other Cool Tech From the Show
Body composition and hydration is not something the Apple Watch can track on its own, though testing will need to be done to see how accurate the Aura strap is in practice.
Apple Launches Replacement Program for Smart Battery Cases Designed for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR
Numerous customers have run into issues with Apple's Smart Battery Cases for the company's 2018 iPhone lineup, experiencing issues with the cases failing to charge or the cases failing to charge the iPhones.
Addressing the situation, Apple this week launched a replacement program that allows iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR users who have run into these problems to receive a free replacement case. Customers will need to visit an Apple retail store or authorized service provider to have their cases inspected and ensure they qualify for the program.
Apple TV App Coming to Select LG, Sony, and Vizio Smart TVs Later This Year
When available, the Apple TV app will allow owners of newer LG, Sony, and Vizio smart TVs to stream Apple TV+ shows and movies, use the à-la-carte Apple TV Channels feature, access their iTunes libraries of movies and TV shows, and buy or rent more than 100,000 shows and movies from the iTunes Store.
In line with earlier predictions from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, OnLeaks expects the iPhone 9 to resemble the iPhone 8, including a 4.7-inch LCD display with thick bezels, Touch ID home button, and single-lens rear camera, but with a faster A13 chip, 3GB of RAM, and no hardware-based 3D Touch.
OnLeaks also expects the iPhone 9 to be 7.8mm thick, which would be 0.5mm thicker than the iPhone 8. The device will launch by the end of March, starting at around $399, according to Ming-Chi Kuo.
Apple Plans to Switch to Randomized Serial Numbers for Future Products Starting in Late 2020
Apple says all serial numbers that exist before the change is made will remain the same.
Apple already uses alphanumeric serial numbers, but it has long been possible to determine the date and location that a product was manufactured based on the current format. Readers would often use serial numbers to glean more information about their devices, like the iPhone or MacBook Pro.
MacRumors Newsletter
Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah today said that she will no longer be an executive producer on the project and it will not be offered on Apple TV+. Oprah believes there's more work to be done on the film and that it's not ready to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival that the filmmakers want to debut it at. From a statement Oprah gave to The Hollywood Reporter:
I have decided that I will no longer be executive producer on The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering Documentary and it will not air on Apple TV+.
First and foremost, I want it to be known that I unequivocally believe and support the women. Their stories deserve to be told and heard. In my opinion, there is more work to be done on the film to illuminate the full scope of what the victims endured, and it has become clear that the filmmakers and I are not aligned in that creative vision.
Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering are talented filmmakers. I have great respect for their mission but given the filmmakers' desire to premiere the film at the Sundance Film Festival before I believe it is complete, I feel it's best to step aside. I will be working with Time's Up to support the victims and those impacted by abuse and sexual harassment.
News of Oprah and Apple's interest in the documentary came in early December after Oprah signed on to executive produce the film. The documentary explores alleged sexual misconduct in the music industry, following a former music executive who struggles with whether or not to go public with her story of assault and abuse by well-known music industry titan Russell Simmons.
The documentary was created by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, who have previously worked on several other documentaries, including "The Hunting Ground," exposing sexual assault on college campuses and "The Bleeding Edge," an exposé on the medical device industry.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple today launched a battery case replacement program for Smart Battery Cases designed for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR.
According to Apple, some Smart Battery Cases can experience charging issues, including cases that will not charge or charge intermittently when plugged into power, or cases that will not charge an iPhone or charge it intermittently.
Affected Smart Battery Cases were manufactured between January 2019 and October 2019. Apple says that this is not a safety issue and Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will replace eligible cases for free.
All Smart Battery Cases designed for iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR manufactured between the above dates are eligible for replacement. Apple says that no other iPhone Smart Battery Cases are a part of the program, which means no iPhone 11, 11 Pro, or 11 Pro Max battery cases will be replaced.
Apple says that customers with an impacted Smart Battery Case can find an Apple Authorized Service Provider or make an appointment at an Apple retail location to have their case replaced. Smart Battery Cases will be examined prior to service to verify that they are eligible for the program.
Affected cases will be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way and the program covers Smart Battery Cases for two years after the first retail sale of the unit.
Since the Smart Battery Cases launched in early 2019, there have been complaints over various failures and issues with charging. At one point in mid-2019, the Smart Battery Cases were unavailable for purchase and backordered for over a month, a stock issue that could have been related to ongoing charging problems.
The United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, this week urged customers who are using the Firefox browser to upgrade to version 72.0.1, as there is a major vulnerability in older versions of the Firefox browser.
Mozilla released Firefox 72.0.1 on Wednesday to address a security issue that allows malicious entities to run unauthorized code on a target computer through a webpage, letting them take control of an affected system. From Mozilla:
Incorrect alias information in IonMonkey JIT compiler for setting array elements could lead to a type confusion. We are aware of targeted attacks in the wild abusing this flaw.
As the above quote states, there are known targeted attacks exploiting this flaw, which means it's important for all Firefox users to upgrade, including enterprise users.
The vulnerability was first discovered by Chinese company Qihoo 360 two days after the release of Firefox 72, but there is no word on how long the bug has been exploited nor who used the vulnerability or who might have been targeted. This is the third zero-day vulnerability that Mozilla has addressed within the last year, with the company patching two other major vulnerabilities in June 2019.
MacRumors readers who use Firefox for Mac but have not installed the latest version should make sure to do so. The latest version of Firefox can be downloaded from the Mozilla website or through the update function within Firefox itself.
MacRumors published thousands of stories in 2019, as part of our continued coverage of the latest Apple news and rumors. Below, we look back at the top 10 most discussed stories of the year in our forums, with topics ranging from the AirPower mat being canceled to the launch of the Apple Card.
Apple Officially Cancels AirPower (1,948 comments): At its iPhone X event in 2017, Apple previewed a new wireless charging mat called AirPower that would have been able to charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods simultaneously, regardless of each device's position on the mat. Apple failed to release the mat in 2018 as promised, however, leading to relentless rumors and speculation. In March 2019, Apple's hardware engineering chief Dan Riccio finally came out and said the AirPower was canceled due to the product's inability to meet its high standards.
Apple Card Rolling Out Today to Limited Number of Customers (1,920 comments): After being previewed at its March 2019 event, Apple rolled out its all-new credit card to select users in the United States in the first week of August 2019, followed by a wider launch later in the month. Built into the Wallet app on an iPhone, the Apple Card features Apple Pay support, up to 3% daily cashback, color-coded spending summaries, zero fees beyond interest, and much more.
Live 2019 iPhone Event Coverage: 'By Innovation Only' (1,855 comments): Live coverage of Apple's September 2019 event at Steve Jobs Theater, where the company unveiled the iPhone 11 lineup, Apple Watch Series 5 models, and 10.2-inch iPad.
Live Apple Event Coverage: 'It's Show Time' (1,537 comments): Live coverage of Apple's March 2019 event at Steve Jobs Theater, where the company unveiled four new services: Apple News+, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple Card.
Live From WWDC 2019: Coverage of Apple's Keynote with iOS 13, macOS 10.15, and More (1,494 comments): Live coverage of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference from the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. Apple announced iOS 13, iPadOS, macOS Catalina, tvOS 13, and watchOS 6, in addition to previewing its new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR.
AirPods Pro Launching on October 30 for $249 (1,173 comments): With a press release, Apple introduced higher-ends AirPods Pro with several improvements over regular AirPods, including active noise cancellation, improved sound quality, and water resistance.
Spotify on Apple's Response to App Store Dispute: 'Every Monopolist Will Suggest They Have Done Nothing Wrong' (1,094 comments): Last year, Spotify filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in Europe over unfair App Store practices. Apple labeled the complaint as "misleading rhetoric" and argued that "Spotify wants all the benefits of a free app without being free." Spotify fired back, claiming that "every monopolist will suggest they have done nothing wrong."
Apple to Release Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR on December 10 (1,037 comments): Over two years after confirming that it was working on a new Mac Pro, Apple finally announced that the new Mac Pro and companion Pro Display XDR would be available to order starting December 10, 2019. Watch our hands-on video!
MacRumors will celebrate its 20th anniversary next month, having been founded on February 24, 2000. We look forward to another year of sharing the latest Apple news and rumors and we thank all of our readers for their support.
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Mous to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win an iPhone case for iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, or an earlier iPhone.
Mous offers cases for everything from Apple's newest iPhones to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and there are several case designs to choose from.
The Limitless 3.0, designed for Apple's newest iPhones, is perhaps Mous' most popular case offering. Priced at $35 to $70, the Limitless 3.0 case is offered in several attractive materials, including Aramid Fibre, Bamboo, Black Leather, and Walnut.
Each case is designed to offer protection without adding a significant amount of bulk to the slim form factor of the iPhone. Mous' AiroShock technology keeps the iPhone safe from drops, and raised top and bottom edges protect the display when it's face down without impeding swiping.
The cases are made from a polycarbonate and TPU material, which is used in riot shields, and which has been tested extensively for its durability and protection by Mous.
The Limitless 3.0 cases are equipped with an AutoAlignPlus magnetic system that allow them to work with a range of accessories, such as a car vent mount, a card wallet, and a suction mount. Though there is a magnet for accessories, the Limitless cases work with Qi-based wireless chargers.
Mous also makes other case options for the iPhone, such as the Clarity, which offers impact absorption with a clear, minimalist design that doesn't obscure the look of the iPhone. The Clarity case uses the same AiroShock protection and has the same screen protection as the Limitless 3.0.
There's also the Contour, a simple dual-color case that comes in leather, and is available in multiple colors. The Contour offers drop protection, a microfiber lining, display protection, and the same AiroShock technology as Mous' other cases.
We have 15 cases to give away to MacRumors readers, and each winner will be able to choose a case to fit their device and pick a color. To enter to win our giveaway, use the Gleam.io widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, following us on Instagram, or visiting the MacRumorsFacebook page.
Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.
The contest will run from today (January 10) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on January 17. The winners will be chosen randomly on January 17 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.
Apple's online store and select Apple retail stores are now selling Scosche's BaseLynx Modular Charging System, which features different device charging components that can be paired together to form a charging base.
The BaseLynx Modular Charging System can be purchased in a kit or piece by piece, and there are four different options available:
MFi-certified Apple Watch charger, which works in Nightstand mode).
Qi wireless charging pad for iPhones and AirPods.
Vert charging station that charges three devices at once with one 18W USB-C port and two 12W USB-A ports.
Charging EndCap, which fits on the end and includes an 18W USB-C port and a 12W USB-A port. The EndCap is the one component that doesn't work alone.
The standard kit includes the Apple Watch module, Qi module, and the vertical charging stand, while the Pro version includes those three modules along with the EndCap charger.
Each portion of the BaseLynx can also be purchased separately at prices ranging from $39.95 to $69.95, so customers can build a setup piece by piece.
There are only four charging modules at this time, but Scosche plans to build additional modules in the future that will integrate with the existing modules.
Apple today updated its Apple Arcade gaming service with a new title, adding No Way Home, a space survival and crafting game where players need to fight to survive on an alien planet.
In No Way Home, there are more than 50 weapons to find, craft, and upgrade, aliens to befriend, over 60 monsters to defeat, and boss battles to engage in.
No Way Home uses a procedural universe so each game played is unique, and the game promises a rich story mode that takes place in a huge universe. Players can take multiple paths as they struggle to survive, and there's cargo to find and loot.
Both touch screen support and controller support are available, and the game is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Like all Apple Arcade games, No Way Home can be downloaded and played with an Apple Arcade subscription. Apple Arcade is priced at $4.99 per month and lets up to six members of a family play games for the one monthly fee.
The major cellular carriers in the United States have all kicked off new offers for customers in the New Year, with the chance to save on your monthly cellular bill and hardware device payments for iPhone, Apple Watch, and more. We've rounded up these various offers below from Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Sprint
Starting today, you can get the Apple Watch Series 4 at up to $275 off, seen in the form of a $11.46/month credit on your bill. This will make the 40mm Apple Watch $7.29/month and the 44mm model $8.54/month. A 24-month installment billing agreement is required, or you'll have to buy a new watch line of service on a qualifying plan with one active handset on the account.
If you're shopping for iPhone, you can get the 64GB iPhone 11 for $15/month with qualifying trade-in and Sprint Flex lease. You'll need a new line of service and an 18-month lease, and afterwards you'll see $14.17/month in credit applied to your bill.
You can also lease a 64GB iPhone XS at $37.50/month, and then get another 64GB iPhone XS for no extra cost thanks to a $37.50/month credit applied to your account within two bills. You'll have to add two new lines or get one new line and one new upgrade, along with a pair of 18-month leases.
There are also a few options for anyone considering switching to Sprint. You can get the iPhone XR for $15/month, or the same smartphone in pre-owned condition for $8/month, if you switch to Sprint from another carrier.
AT&T
AT&T is offering its customers a chance to get up to $500 off eligible iPhones with a new line of service, while customers switching to AT&T can get up to $700 off when they port in their number from another service. The usual caveats apply: you'll need a qualifying installment agreement, eligible smartphone trade-in, and pay a $30 activation fee.
iPhones that you can purchase under this offer include: iPhone: 8 (128GB/256GB), 8 Plus, XR (128GB/256GB), X (64GB/256GB), XS (256GB/512GB), XS Max, 11 ,11 Pro, 11 Pro Max (priced up to $1,450). AT&T noted that the 64GB iPhone 8, 64GB iPhone XR, and 64GB iPhone XS are not eligible.
iPhones that you can trade in under this offer include: iPhone 7, 7 Plus, 8, 8 Plus, X, XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. You can also trade in various smartphones from Samsung, Google, LG, Motorola, Razer, OnePlus, and more.
After all of this, customers switching to AT&T will get up to $700 in bill credits, while existing AT&T customers adding a new line will get up to $500 in bill credits. These credits start within three bills, and they will be applied in equal amounts over 30 monthly installments.
If you're shopping around for Internet and TV packages, AT&T has a few bundle options of AT&T Internet and U-Verse TV, allowing you to save up to $240/year as well as $300 in AT&T reward cards. The carrier even has a few deals on accessories, like 20 percent off AT&T branded chargers.
Verizon
Verizon has a BOGO offer, allowing you to buy one iPhone and get $700 off a second one. Eligible devices include: iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
If you add two of these to your cart with any Verizon Unlimited plan, you can get $700 credited to your account over 24 months.
The carrier also has a few deals on older iPhones, like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7. You can get the iPhone 8 for $10/month when you buy a new smartphone line, or the same offer stands for the iPhone 7 at $5/month.
Other deals include Apple Watch offers, where you can buy one Apple Watch and get another for up to 50 percent off. To do this, add one Apple Watch to your cart on Verizon's website and then shop for another to see the discount applied.
A new watch line of service is required and up to $150 off the retail price of the lower device will be applied.
T-Mobile
If you and someone else are switching to T-Mobile, you can get two lines and two new 64GB iPhone 11 smartphones at $90/month, via 24 monthly bill credits and qualifying trade-ins.
You can also save up to $700 on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max when switching and trading in a qualifying device. This deal is for the 64GB iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max, and a monthly payment plan must be selected.
For both offers, you can get up to $700 off if you trade in: iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus. You can also get up to $500 off if you trade in: iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus.
Additionally, T-Mobile has an Apple Watch offer where you can buy the Apple Watch Series 3 and get $100 off when you add a paired DIGITS line. Once you buy the Series 3 on a monthly payment plan and activate at least one new line of Apple DIGITS service, T-Mobile will apply a monthly bill credit of $4.16 to your account for 24 months.
Be sure to visit our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more Apple-related products and accessories.
Following in the footsteps of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro, the first Android smartphones with Ultra Wideband technology will be released starting later in 2020, according to Barclays analysts.
In a research note obtained by MacRumors, the analysts said Android smartphones will be equipped with an all-in-one Ultra Wideband, NFC, and Secure Element chip introduced by Dutch chipmaker NXP Semiconductors last year. It is unclear which Android smartphones will adopt Ultra Wideband first, but Samsung did join a consortium with NXP last year to help develop the technology.
iPhone 11 lineup features Ultra Wideband technology
In a press release last year, NXP said Ultra Wideband will give mobile devices several new and interesting capabilities, such as being able to unlock a car's doors when the device comes in close proximity of the vehicle, potentially foreshadowing a feature that could come to the iPhone down the road.
"With the SR100T, mobile devices will be able to communicate with connected doors, points of entry, and cars to open them once approaching," said NXP in a press release. "Lights, audio speakers, and any other connected device with UWB sensing capability will be able to follow users from one room to another, and smart connected technology will intuitively be embedded in people's lives."
iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max models are equipped with an Apple-designed U1 chip with Ultra Wideband, allowing the devices to understand their precise location relative to other nearby U1‑equipped Apple devices. On iOS 13, for example, there is a directional AirDrop feature where you can point an iPhone 11 at another iPhone user to instantly share files with them.
On its iPhone 11 Pro page, Apple teases that the directional AirDrop feature is "just the beginning" of what is possible with Ultra Wideband, adding that "amazing new capabilities" are coming later.
Last year, MacRumors uncovered evidence of Apple working on Tile-like item trackers in iOS 13 code. The so-called AirTags will also support Ultra Wideband, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, suggesting that iPhone 11 models will be able to locate the tags with precise accuracy in both indoor and outdoor areas.
MacRumors exclusive: Find My app with hidden "Items" tab for AirTags
The distance between two Ultra Wideband devices can be measured precisely by calculating the time that it takes for a radio wave to pass between the two devices, with much more accuracy than Bluetooth LE and Wi-Fi.
It is unclear when Apple plans to announce its item tracking tags, or if development of the product has been abandoned.
In any case, it appears that Ultra Wideband really is just getting started.
Best Buy today began a new 3-Day Sale, kicking off discounts on Philips Hue accessories, Beats headphones, MacBook Pro USB-C hubs, 4K TVs, and more. Best Buy's new sale will last through Sunday, January 12 at 11:59 p.m. CT, and select products have limited quantities.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
