MacRumors

Apple will reopen 21 of its 22 retail locations in Australia on Thursday, May 7, according to Apple's dedicated websites for each of the stores. All of the stores that are reopening will operate on limited hours for the time being.

Apple's sole Australian store that will remain closed is the Apple Sydney store. As noted by 9to5Mac, this store closed in January for major renovations, and it is possible that the global health crisis caused a construction delay.

All of Apple's retail stores in Australia and elsewhere in the world have been closed since March 14, with the exception of stores in Greater China and a single store in South Korea that reopened in April.

Apple CEO Tim Cook last week said that Apple was going to reopen stores in Austria and Australia this week, and Apple's sole Apple Store in Vienna will be reopening on Tuesday, May 5.

There is still no word on when stores in North America will reopen, but Cook also said that Apple is planning to reopen a few stores in the U.S. starting in May. Store openings will be staggered, with Apple evaluating data that includes local guidelines and recommendations before reopening.

Apple plans to reopen stores on a city by city, county by county basis, and will implement social distancing measures. In South Korea, where one store has been open since mid-April, Apple has been focusing on device repairs and order pickups rather than standard shopping and browsing, and the same protocols will be followed in Austria and Australia.

Apple plans to require temperature checks before customers are allowed in the store, and a limited number of people will be able to enter the store at one time, leading to potential delays for walk-in customers. In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said that it recommends customers buy online for delivery or use in-store pickup where possible.

Apple is set to reopen its only store in Vienna, Austria tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. local time, marking the second store that's reopened outside of Greater China.

Apple Kärntner Straße in Vienna will operate on limited hours, and like Apple's other reopened store in South Korea, the focus will likely be on repairs and purchase pickups rather than standard shopping and browsing.

All of Apple's stores outside of Greater China have been closed since March 14 due to the ongoing health crisis. Apple on April 16 reopened its sole store in South Korea, located in Seoul's Gangnam district.

During last Thursday's earnings call covering the second fiscal quarter of 2020, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple planned to reopen stores in Austria and Australia within one to two weeks, so we can expect to see Australian Apple Stores reopening next.

Cook also said that Apple is planning to reopen "just a few stores" in the United States starting in May. Apple plans to examine the data and make decisions on whether to reopen on a city by city, county by county basis, following local guidelines and recommendations.

After stores in Austria and Australia reopen, stores worldwide could follow. Apple retail chief Deirdre O'Brien last Monday told employees that she expects Apple will open "many more stores" in May.

DJI in late April debuted the Mavic Air 2, a foldable drone that includes upgraded flight modes, longer battery life, a larger camera sensor, 4K video recording and 8K Hyperlapse video capabilities.

As of today, Apple is selling the Mavic Air 2 in its online store, offering the drone on a standalone basis ($799.95) and in a combo package ($989.95) that also includes a carrying case, two extra batteries, a charging hub, and extra propellers.

The Mavic Air 2 is DJI's first Mavic drone able to capture 4K video at 60fps and 120Mb/s, supporting HDR video, 4x to 8x slow motion video, and 48-megapixel image capture.

It features a 3-axis gimbal, and its new motors, electronic speed controllers, refreshed aerodynamic design, and updated safety features make it easier to fly and increase flight time to up to 34 minutes. The drone can be used with either an iPhone or an Android smartphone, and it offers a long list of notable features, as outlined by DJI:

• HDR photos: Mavic Air 2 automatically captures seven varying exposures of the same photograph, merging them together to bring out a highly dynamic image.
• Hyperlight: Hyperlight is designed for low-light scenarios, taking multiple photographs and merging them to bring out a clear image with less of the noise which usually occurs in low-light scenes.
• Scene Recognition: Mavic Air 2 can recognize five categories of scenes including sunsets, blue skies, grass, snow, and trees, then optimize settings to make the photograph pop by bringing out the highest degree of color, detail, and tones.
• ActiveTrack 3.0: Select a subject for Mavic Air 2 to automatically follow. The third iteration of ActiveTrack uses state-of-the-art mapping technology and new flight path algorithms to offer improved subject tracking and obstacle avoidance, along with the ability to quickly re-engage the subject if it temporarily moves behind an object.
• Point of Interest 3.0: Set an automated flight path around a specific subject. The updated iteration improves surface recognition to better dynamically track subjects.
• Spotlight 2.0: Found in professional DJI drones, Spotlight locks a subject in the frame while the user has free operation of the drone's movement.

The Mavic Air 2 can be purchased from Apple as of today and will arrive on May 12th at the earliest. DJI is also accepting orders on its own site for the same bundles.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with DJI. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Expercom today has introduced the first set of discounts on Apple's just-announced 13-inch MacBook Pro. These sales include Apple's base models and custom configurations, and there are a few discounts on AppleCare+ as well.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Expercom. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The new MacBook Pro models have an updated Magic Keyboard, up to 80 percent faster graphics performance, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 4TB of storage, and faster 10th generation Intel processor options. Below you'll find the three base configurations of the notebook at Expercom.

• 1.4GHz i5 (8th gen), 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,234.00, down from $1,299.00
• 1.4GHz i5 (8th gen), 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $1,423.80, down from $1,499.00
• 2.0GHz i5 (10th gen), 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $1,709.00, down from $1,799.00

There are also numerous custom configurations on sale at Expercom, with up to $131 off these devices. For example, you can get the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a 10th generation processor, 32GB RAM, and 1TB SSD for $2,278.39, down from $2,399.00. Visit Expercom's 13-inch MacBook Pro page to browse the full extent of the discounts.

Expercom expects to ship the new MacBook Pro models within one to two weeks. You can also choose to add AppleCare+ onto your purchase at $199.

Keep up with all of this week's best discounts on Apple products and related accessories in our dedicated Apple Deals roundup.

Apple and Google today are providing public health authorities around the world with new resources to help them make COVID-19 exposure notification apps, including sample user interfaces and sample code for iOS and Android.

iOS 13.5 will include a new menu in Settings > Health > COVID-19 Exposure Logging that indicates which public health authority app a user is using, in addition to showing the number of times that a user's exposure log has been checked in the past 14 days.

If a user is potentially exposed to COVID-19, they would receive a push notification from the public health authority's app.

Here's what the app could display when a user goes to report a positive COVID-19 diagnosis:

Apple and Google today also shared a list of requirements that all developers of apps that use their Exposure Notifications API must adhere to:

• Apps must be created by or for a government public health authority and they can only be used for COVID-19 response efforts.
• Apps must require users to consent before the app can use the API.
• Apps must require users to consent before sharing a positive test result with the public health authority.
• Apps should only collect the minimum amount of data necessary and can only use that data for COVID-19 response efforts. All other uses of user data, including targeting advertising, is not permitted.
• Apps are prohibited from seeking permission to access Location Services.
• Use of the API will be restricted to one app per country to promote high user adoption and avoid fragmentation. If a country has opted for a regional or state approach, Apple and Google are prepared to support those authorities.

Last week, Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 13.5 with the code needed to run apps built using the Exposure Notifications API, and it continues to target mid-May for a public release of the software update. Apple also released the first beta of Xcode 11.5 with a new version of the iOS SDK incorporating the API.

Apple and Google said their API is just one component of the broader efforts that public health authorities are undertaking worldwide to help curb the pandemic, including testing, traditional contact tracing, and containment.

For more details on the API, read our previous coverage and Apple's FAQ.

Amid rumors that Apple is working on a "CarKey" feature for iPhone, the Car Connectivity Consortium today announced that its NFC-based Digital Key Release 2.0 specification has been finalized and made available to its members, which includes Apple.

The specification enables mobile devices to store, authenticate, and share digital keys for vehicles with end-to-end security and privacy. The specification includes support for a low-power mode, meaning that a vehicle can still be unlocked with a smartphone that recently ran out of battery, similar to Power Reserve mode for Apple Pay transit cards.

Moving forward, the consortium is developing a Digital Key 3.0 specification based on both Bluetooth LE and Ultra Wideband to enable passive, location-aware keyless access. This would allow you to leave your iPhone in your pocket or backpack when accessing or starting your vehicle. iPhone 11 models are equipped with an Apple-designed U1 chip with Ultra Wideband support, so Apple could choose to offer this functionality.

MacRumors recently discovered that Apple is developing a new "CarKey" feature that will allow an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock, lock, and start an NFC-compatible vehicle. Just like credit cards and boarding passes, users will be able to add a digital car key to the Wallet app, eliminating the need to use a physical car key or key fob.

CarKey will allow users to approach their vehicle, hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near an NFC reader in the vehicle, authenticate with Face ID, and have the vehicle unlock automatically. Similar to Apple Pay at transit turnstiles, Express Mode would be an option, eliminating the need to authenticate with Face ID or a passcode.

Last month, screenshots of what appears to be the CarKey interface surfaced on Twitter, providing us with our first look at the upcoming feature.

As expected, a digital car key appears as a card in the Wallet app. Tapping on the card reveals info such as the car model, issuing automaker, a toggle switch for Express Mode, and an option to share a car key with other users. When sharing a car key, the primary user can provide others with three levels of access, including the ability to unlock the trunk only, unlock the vehicle, or unlock the vehicle and drive it.

Based on leaked iOS 14 code, it appears that BMW may be among the first automakers to support the CarKey feature. It is unclear when Apple plans to announce the feature, but it is expected to preview iOS 14 next month.

Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro models with four Thunderbolt 3 ports are compatible with its Pro Display XDR at full 6K resolution, according to updated tech specs for the display. The base model with two Thunderbolt 3 ports remains incapable of this.

Apple's Pro Display XDR is a 32-inch 6K monitor with a P3 wide color gamut and true 10-bit color support, 1,600 nits of peak brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and a super-wide, off-axis viewing angle. It is also compatible with the 2018 and later 15-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro, 2019 Mac Pro, 2019 iMac, and 2020 MacBook Air.

Apple updated the 13-inch MacBook Pro earlier today with a more reliable Magic Keyboard, up to 10th-generation Intel Core processor options, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 4TB of SSD storage, and more. Read our announcement coverage for more details.

After years of complaints over sticky or unresponsive keys, Apple has finally finished transitioning its notebook lineup away from its issue-prone butterfly keyboard.

With the new 13-inch MacBook Pro featuring the same scissor switch Magic Keyboard as the 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple no longer sells any new MacBook Pro or MacBook Air models with a butterfly keyboard. If you are browsing Apple's refurbished store, however, be aware that many of those models are still equipped with the butterfly keyboard.

First introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro last year, the Magic Keyboard features a redesigned scissor mechanism with 1mm of key travel, an inverted-"T" arrangement for the arrow keys, and a physical Escape key next to the Touch Bar.

Models with more reliable Magic Keyboard:

• 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro
• 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro
• 2020 MacBook Air

Apple's butterfly keyboard suffered from issues with sticky, repeating, or nonfunctional keys. The company continues to offer free repairs to affected customers as part of its worldwide service program, and it even apologized over the matter last year, although it downplayed the issue and said that only a "small number" of customers were impacted.

Apple today announced a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a more reliable Magic Keyboard, faster 10th-generation Intel processor options, up to 80 percent faster graphics performance, up to 32GB of RAM, up to 4TB of SSD storage, and more.

First introduced on the 16-inch MacBook Pro last year, the Magic Keyboard features a redesigned scissor mechanism with 1mm of key travel, an inverted-"T" arrangement for the arrow keys, and a physical Escape key. After five years, Apple has finally transitioned its entire notebook lineup away from its issue-prone butterfly keyboard.

10th-generation Intel Core processor options are now available, but only on higher-end configurations starting at $1,799. Lower-end configurations still use Intel's older 8th-generation processors like the previous 13-inch MacBook Pro.

The high-end configuration can be customized with a 2.3GHz quad-core 10th-generation Core i7 chip with Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro is available with up to 32GB of RAM for the first time, compared to a max of 16GB previously, while 16GB of RAM is now offered standard on select configurations. For the 16GB and 32GB RAM options, Apple is using faster 3733MHz LPDDR4X memory, but the base model continues to have 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory.

Apple has doubled the storage across all standard configurations, with the base model now coming with a 256GB SSD, up from 128GB. At the high end, users can upgrade to a new 4TB SSD option for an extra $1,000.

The latest Intel Iris Plus integrated graphics offer up to 80 percent faster graphics performance than the previous generation.

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro models are available to order on Apple.com starting today, with pricing starting at $1,299 in the United States. It will begin arriving to customers and will be in select Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers later this week.

Apple today will announce a refresh of the 13-inch MacBook Pro, according to Jon Prosser of the YouTube channel Front Page Tech. Rumors have suggested that the new model could be a 14-inch MacBook Pro with slightly slimmer bezels around the display, in line with the 16-inch MacBook Pro replacing the 15-inch model last year.

The new 13-inch or 14-inch MacBook Pro is also expected to feature faster 9th-generation or 10th-generation Intel Core processor options, increased RAM and storage options, and a more reliable Magic Keyboard with scissor switch keys.

Prosser accurately leaked the April 15 launch date of the new iPhone SE.

The single-lead ECG function on Apple Watch isn't meant to be as informative or as sensitive as the multi-lead ECGs you might get in a doctor's office or hospital, which use several points of contact. However, a new article in The European Heart Journal tells the story of an 80-year-old woman whose Apple Watch detected evidence of a heart condition that was missed by a hospital ECG (via 9to5Mac).

According to the article, the woman presented at University Medical Center Mainz, Germany, complaining of chest pain, irregular heart rhythm, and lightheadedness. When doctors at the hospital performed a 12-channel ECG, it revealed "no evidence for ischemia," which occurs when blood flow to the heart is reduced, preventing the heart muscle from receiving enough oxygen.

However the woman then showed doctors her Apple Watch ECG results, which included "tracings with marked ST-segment depression." After studying the Apple Watch results, doctors did indeed see evidence of myocardial ischemia, and the woman was transferred to the catheterization lab for a "left main stem stenosis and a left anterior descending/diagonal bifurcation lesion," and treatment with coronary artery stenting.

Essentially, the Apple Watch ECG recordings showed evidence of a heart condition that the hospital's specialized equipment failed to pick up, and that convinced the doctors to treat the patient, who left the hospital the next day.

The report concludes that the Apple watch may be used to reliably detect myocardial ischaemia.

The development of smart technologies paves the way for new diagnostic possibilities. In the case of the Apple Watch, after the mobile application is installed, the records an ECG when a finger is placed on the watch’s digital crown. A 30-s tracing is stored in a PDF file that can be retrieved from the application.

Thus, the Apple Watch may be used not only to detect atrial fibrillation or atrioventricular-conduction disturbances but also to detect myocardial ischemia. An apple a day may keep myocardial infarction away.

You can read the full report here. Rumors regarding the Apple Watch Series 6, expected to launch later this year, suggest additional health-related features mental, including blood oxygen detection, sleep tracking, and stress detection.

Apple CEO Tim Cook today delivered the virtual commencement address at The Ohio State University's virtual commencement event.

‌Tim Cook‌ to Ohio State University graduates:

Graduates, I’m sorry that we’re not celebrating together today. Your class is a special one marked by history like few others in OSU’s 150 years. And while we aren’t shoulder to shoulder in the Horseshoe, filling it to the rafters, I know your parents, your loved ones, your friends and teachers are no less overwhelmed with the pride in you and in what you have achieved.

It can be difficult to see the whole picture when you’re still inside the frame, but I hope you wear these uncommon circumstances as a badge of honor. Those who meet times of historical challenge with their eyes and hearts open, forever restless and forever striving, are also those who leave the greatest impact on the lives of others. In every age, life has a frustrating way of reminding us that we are not the sole authors of our story. We must share credit, whether we’d like to or not, with a difficult and selfish collaborator called our circumstances.

The event featured Cook's commencement speech, musical performances, and university officials in traditional commencement regalia at the Ohio Stadium, which was empty of students.

The full Ohio State University Commencement livestream can be viewed here.

In this week's App Recap, we've highlighted two new apps that are worth checking out. We've also compiled a list of apps that received major updates this week.

New Apps

• Views 4 ($4.99) - Views 4 is a news and podcasts app that presents content tailored to the interests of the user. Upon downloading the app, users are presented with a series of screens that allow for the selection of popular interests, fonts for an optimal reading experience, and six color themes that can be used around the app. The app's easy to navigate interface is complemented with the integration of Haptic Touch when tabs and in article arrows are tapped. Aside from the ability to read articles from a personalized feed, Views also allows users to search, favorite, and download podcasts directly. The podcast interface is simple and even allows users to set a sleep timer. Views 4 is one of the latest apps to take advantage of Apple's universal purchases feature, so buying the app once will allow you to have access to it across all of your devices.
• CleanMyMac X (Free) - Popular desktop cleaner app CleanMyMac X this week made its debut on the Mac App Store. Previously, the only way to use the software was to download it directly from its website. It is worth pointing out that the Mac App Store version of CleanMyMac X does not have all of the features available from the version available directly on its website. The Photo Junk, Shredder, Updater, and Maintenance features are only available from the website version of the app. Although the app is free to download, a yearly subscription fee of $34.99 is required to get access to all of the app's features.

App Updates

• Apple Support - The Apple Support app was revamped this week with a new customized user interface with support for Dark Mode, guided step-by-step troubleshooting, new and improved chat and call experiences, and more.
• Mactracker - Mactracker is an app that provides detailed information on every Mac, iPod, iPad, and iPhone ever made. The app also details specific information about each product such as processor speed, memory, graphic cards, price, and more. There's also a tab that allows users to obtain information about every software version issued by Apple for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and more. Mactracker received an update this week with the addition of Apple's new Magic Keyboard, an updated support status for Apple's vintage and obsolete products, new GeekBench 5 performance scores, and general bug fixes.
• Pandora - Pandora this week updated its Apple Watch app with Siri support. Siri can now be used to play stations, songs, albums, and podcasts. The app also now allows asking Siri to dislike or like a song to help in tailoring songs to the likes of the user. Pandora has also updated its iOS app with a new Shuffle Stations feature, a more personalized discovery for better music recommendations, and more.
• Ulysses - Popular writing app Ulysses was updated this week to add native support for Apple's iPad trackpad and mouse support which was first introduced in iOS 13.4. Along with the ability to embed external folders from the Files app and edit the contained files with Ulysses 19, the app has introduced several other new features that are worth checking out.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week published a new Apple patent application that details features for editing sent messages, an improved application launcher and many other possible features. (via AppleInsider)

The patent application specifically describes features of "a messaging user interface of a message application" that are not currently in iOS. These include ways to easily acknowledge messages, display private messages, synchronize viewing of content between users, translate foreign language text, and combine messages into a group. The document suggests improvements to some familiar Messages features such as bubble and full-screen effects, as well as sending and receiving money with Apple Pay.

Among the most striking new features presented is full text-editing capability for sent messages. A simple means of selecting a message with a predefined touch input could lead to a menu with an option for editing, resulting in "a message editing interface" and display of "a revised version of the message" for all recipients. The included drawing shows a "Show Edits" button that could show a history of changes.

iMessage apps were introduced in iOS 10 with some limitations, and many messages apps are reliant on existing third-party apps on a user's device. The patent, however, details fuller apps within Messages and new "Application Management Interfaces". The enclosed illustrations appear to show a dynamic application dock that would work alongside "input affordances" to guide the user to find the correct app. There is also the suggestion that applications in Messages could be more well-integrated and interactive.

Improving applications in Messages and text-editing features would allow Apple to better compete with other more fully-featured popular messaging apps such as WeChat. When these features will be included in iOS remains to be seen.