MacRumors

Apple's rumored augmented reality glasses are under development and could launch by 2022, according to industry sources cited by DigiTimes. The full report has yet to be released, but a paywalled preview reads as follows:

Apple AR glasses under development
Taiwan-based optical component suppliers are engaged in the development of Apple's augmented reality smart glasses, which may be commercialized by 2022, according to industry sources.

This follows a report from The Information in November that claimed Apple is developing two head-worn products, including a combination AR/VR headset for release in 2022 and "full-fledged" AR glasses for release by 2023. Those plans were corroborated by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who said the headset could be released as early as 2021.

The Information claimed that Apple's initial headset will resemble Facebook's Oculus Quest, but with a "sleeker design" that makes "heavy use of fabrics and lightweight materials to ensure the device is comfortable to wear for extended periods of time." The headset is expected to have a "high-resolution display" that will "allow users to read small type and see other people standing in front of and behind virtual objects."

The report claimed that Apple is planning to reach out to third-party developers as early as 2021 to encourage them to build apps for the hardware.

The headset would be followed up by Apple's rumored AR glasses that would be designed to "be worn all day." The Information previously reported that some prototypes "looked like high-priced sunglasses with thick frames that house the battery and chips," but the final design could change. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the glasses will be "lightweight."

Early reports had pegged a 2020 release for Apple's headset, but the company reportedly pushed back the project. Given the current pandemic, the timeframe may continue to shift, but Apple's interest in augmented reality hardware is clear.

The first reviews of the new iPad Pro have hit the web and we've rounded them up below.

Given that trackpad support is coming to all modern iPad models with iPadOS 13.4, set to be released later today, the actual hardware changes to the 2020 iPad Pro are rather minor. Reviews confirm that the device's new A12Z Bionic chip has very similar CPU performance as the previous A12X chip, and beyond that, the only additions are an Ultra Wide camera, LiDAR scanner, and better sounding microphones.

Moreover, the LiDAR scanner is more about the future than today. The Verge's Dieter Bohn noted that the sensor "improves some current apps for free, but there aren't any third-party apps that take full advantage of it yet."

"As I used the iPad Pro this week, I kept coming back to that LIDAR sensor," said Bohn. "It's a powerful and interesting sensor and Apple's total control over software and hardware means that it 'just works' to improve existing apps. But as powerful as it is, I'm not super sure a lot of users will be able to take advantage of it — it's an extra thing they may not even use."

There are some benefits to the LiDAR scanner today. For example, all existing ARKit apps will now have instant AR placement, improved motion capture, and people occlusion, while the Measure app can more quickly calculate someone's height.

Apple has been heavily invested in augmented reality for years, and with rumors suggesting that the company is working on an augmented reality headset, the LiDAR scanner will likely have much more significance in the years to come.

As for the A12Z Bionic chip, Apple told WIRED's Lauren Goode that it has enhanced thermal architecture, meaning that it should heat up less when pushed to the limit. And while the A12Z does not move the needle with CPU performance, it does have an eight-core GPU — up from seven in the 2018 iPad Pro — for a modest boost in graphics performance.

The new Ultra Wide camera is mostly what you would expect based on the iPhone 11 Pro, enabling 0.5x zoom for those who take photos with an iPad.

2020 iPad Pro Reviews

We've also rounded up 2020 iPad Pro unboxing videos here.

• The Verge
• TechCrunch
• WIRED
• CNET
• Six Colors
• The Independent
• CNN
• CNBC
• iMore
• Tom's Guide
• Pocket-lint
• MobileSyrup

Apple last week launched the new iPad Pro and MacBook Air, and shortly after Expercom provided the first discount on these devices. Today, Amazon has introduced the second set of markdowns on a few of these new 2020 Apple products.

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.

For the iPad Pro, you'll find prices starting at $749.99 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model of the 11-inch iPad Pro, while the same version of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is at $949.99, both representing $49 discounts. As of writing, the only 2020 MacBook Air on sale on Amazon is the 256GB model at $949.99, another $49 discount from Apple's price.

These products are available for pre-order on Amazon, and the company states that the iPad Pros will begin shipping tomorrow, March 25.

11-inch iPad Pro

• 128GB, Wi-Fi - $749.99, down from $799.00 ($49 off)
• 256GB, Wi-Fi - $849.99, down from $899.00 ($49 off)

12.9-inch iPad Pro

• 128GB, Wi-Fi - $949.99, down from $999.00 ($49 off)

MacBook Air

• 256GB - $949.99, down from $999.00 ($49 off)

You can find even more discounts on other MacBooks by visiting our Best Deals guide for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. In this guide we track the steepest discounts for the newest MacBook models every week, so be sure to bookmark it and check back often if you're shopping for a new Apple notebook.

Apple last week introduced new iPad Pro models with an similar performing A12Z Bionic chip, an Ultra Wide camera for 0.5x zoom, and a LiDAR Scanner for enhanced augmented reality. The new iPad Pro models will begin arriving to customers and go on sale at select stores starting tomorrow, and ahead of time, the first unboxing videos have surfaced.

The new iPad Pro models will be compatible with Apple's new Magic Keyboard with a built-in trackpad, set to be released in May. Apple did not provide reviewers with a Magic Keyboard at this time, but with trackpad support arriving in iPadOS 13.4, which will be released later today, mostly any Bluetooth trackpad or mouse can be used with the new iPad Pro.

For detailed reviews of the new iPad Pro, read our review roundup.

Disney+ today officially launched in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria.

The premium streaming service is accessible via web browser, on Amazon Fire devices, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV (4K or HD), iOS devices, Android, Google Chromecast, Xbox One, PS4, and smart TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung, and Vizio. You can download the iPhone and iPad apps here.

The subscription price in the U.K. and across Europe is £5.99/€6.99 per month, or £59.99/€69.99 for an annual subscription.

Over 500 feature films and over 7,500 shows are available on the service including new original content like the critically acclaimed "The Mandalorian" and "The World According To Jeff Goldblum," along with timeless classics like "Lady and the Tramp," "Star Wars," and the entire Pixar library.

Disney+ has been available in the U.S. for a while now, but subscribers should note that there will be some content differences in the European offering because of licensing issues.

Due to the anticipated high load on the continent's broadband infrastructure because of a surge in remote working, Disney+ is following other digital video services by streaming at an intentionally lowered bitrate, so picture quality won't be as good as some viewers will be expecting.

It's unclear how long Disney intends to limit video quality, but Netflix said last Thursday that it plans to implement similar measures for 30 days, following a request from the European Union.

The launch of Disney+ has been delayed in France by two weeks on request of the French government – Disney+ will now launch in the country the week of April 7.

Disney says the service will launch later this summer in additional Western Europe markets, including Belgium, the Nordics, and Portugal. Disney+ has been available in the Netherlands since September, when it launched there as a pilot trial.

One of the new 2020 iPad Pro models equipped with an A12Z chip arrived early to a Reddit user, who did some benchmarking tests to see how it performs.

In a Geekbench 5 test, the 11-inch 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ earned a single-core score of 1114 and a multi-core score of 4654, which is close to the Geekbench scores of the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ from 2018.

The 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ has an aggregate single-core Geekbench 5 score of 1113 and a multi-core score of 4608. Like the A12X, the A12Z is an 8-core chip running at 2.48GHz.

The new 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ pulled ahead a little in Metal scores, earning a 9894 Metal score, up from the 9020 score in the 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ from 2018. That's no surprise, though, because the A12Z features an 8-core GPU instead of the 7-core GPU that was in the A12X.

Antutu tests were also conducted, showing lower scores than prior models in the memory category, though the test may not be optimized for the new models and the iOS 13.4 update. CPU was 187648, GPU was 348519, and Memory was 71476 vs. CPU 184553, GPU 357335, and Memory 90598 for the 11-inch 2018 model.

More testing will need to be done to confirm whether there are notable differences in CPU speed between the 2018 and 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, but for now, it looks like any gains are modest.

The new ‌iPad Pro‌ models ship with iOS 13.4, which is set to be released by Apple tomorrow, so new ‌iPad Pro‌ owners will not need to upgrade. Most people who ordered a new ‌iPad Pro‌ on the day they were introduced will receive their shipments on Wednesday, March 25.

An original Apple Computer Inc. sign created around 1978 with Apple's well-known rainbow logo is set to be auctioned off later this week.

Measuring in at four feet by five feet, the sign is said to be one of the earliest Apple retail signs and was displayed by an Apple authorized reseller who first learned about Apple after attending a 1976 computer conference.

The sign is yellowed and the description says there are "a few surface marks," but overall, the rainbow colors are said to be bright and in good condition. The sign will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on March 26, and the starting price is $20,000.

macOS versions of apps can now be included as part of a universal purchase, which allows customers to purchase a single app (or in-app purchase) that works across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS.

Apple says that developers can get ready to use the feature by assigning a single bundle ID for apps in Xcode and setting up their app record for universal purchase using App Store Connect.

A single purchase option for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS apps was added in the Xcode 11.4 beta, which was first released in February. After developers have implemented single purchase options, customers will be able to buy one app that works across all of their Apple devices.

With the option to make a purchase of an app that works on all devices, Apple is unifying the categories in the iOS ‌App Store‌ and macOS App Stores, so there will be minor changes coming to the categories available in Apple's App Stores.

With most of Apple's corporate employees working from home at the current time, the Apple Park campus in Cupertino is nearly abandoned.

Drone footage shot recently by drone pilot Duncan Sinfield looks similar to drone videos shot before ‌Apple Park‌ opened, with no visible people on the campus and parking lots abandoned.

Apple employees worldwide have been working at home since March 8, though there are likely still employees on the ‌Apple Park‌ campus who have essential roles at the company.

Apple employees with non-essential roles are required to stay at home under Santa Clara County's shelter-in-place order.

Verizon today announced that it is adding an additional 15GB of LTE data to all consumer and small business plans automatically to support its customers who are currently working from home.

The 15GB of data will be available from March 25 to April 30, with Verizon adding 15GB of data to postpaid metered customers, prepaid customers, and Jetpack owners automatically. For those with an unlimited data plan, the extra data can be used as hotspot data.

Verizon is offering the extra data to all consumer wireless plans available since 2015, and for small business customers with 50 lines or less.

Verizon is also waiving overage charges and has pledged not to terminate service for customers who are unable to pay at this time.

"We understand the hardships that many of our customers are facing, and we're doing our part to ensure they have broadband internet connectivity during this unprecedented time," said Ronan Dunne, CEO Verizon Consumer Group. "With so many Americans working and learning remotely from home, having access to reliable and affordable internet is more important than ever before."

For new low-income who subscribe to Verizon's Lifeline discount program, Verizon is waiving fees for the next two months.