Top Stories: iOS 15.6 Released, M2 MacBook Air Teardown, M2 Extreme Mac Pro?

This week saw Apple news on both the software and hardware fronts, as the company released iOS 15.6, macOS 12.5, and related operating system updates while we also got our first good looks inside the brand-new M2 MacBook Air.

top stories 23jul2022
Other Apple news this week included the first major batch of Apple Arcade games leaving the service in the near future, while Jonathan Morrison joined us on this week's episode of "The MacRumors Show" podcast, so read on below for details on these stories and more!

Apple Releases iOS 15.6 With New Live Sports Features and More

Apple this week released iOS 15.6 with a handful of new features and bug fixes for the iPhone. In the TV app, for example, it is now possible to restart a live sports game that is already in progress.

iOS 15
We've put together a list of everything new in iOS 15.6, so be sure to check that out after updating your iPhone.

Apple has also released iPadOS 15.6 with a fix for an iPad mini 6 charging issue, macOS 12.5 with the same live sports enhancements, watchOS 8.7, tvOS 15.6, and HomePod software version 15.6 with support for Siri in two additional languages and more.

M2 MacBook Air Teardown Reveals Accelerometer, Battery Pull Tabs, and More

Following the launch of the new MacBook Air, both iFixit and YouTube channel Max Tech have completed a teardown of the notebook.

M2 MacBook Air Internals
iFixit discovered that the new MacBook Air is equipped with an accelerometer for reasons unclear, along with battery pull tabs and more.

Max Tech provided a look at the M2 chip, single NAND storage chip for the 256GB model, and some other logic board components.

'The MacRumors Show' Podcast: Jonathan Morrison Talks Spatial Audio

YouTube creator Jonathan Morrison joined us on the latest episode of "The MacRumors Show" podcast to take a deep dive into Apple's audio technologies, including Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos.

tmrs ft
Listen to "The MacRumors Show" via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Castro, or wherever you get your podcasts from. You can also watch a video version of the podcast on our YouTube channel.

M2 'Extreme' Chip Headed to New Mac Pro for Blazing Fast Performance

Apple is working on a new Mac Pro with an M2 "Extreme" chip, according to a recent report from well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman.

mac pro mini feature
Gurman said the new Mac Pro will include ‌"M2‌ Ultra" and ‌"M2‌ Extreme" chip options. At present, the M1 Ultra in the Mac Studio is Apple's most powerful chip available, featuring a 20-core CPU and up to a 64-core GPU, along with a 32-core Neural Engine for machine learning.

iPhone X vs. iPhone 14 Pro: New Features to Expect if You've Waited to Upgrade

Launched in 2017, the iPhone X was a major evolution of the iPhone, with new features like Face ID, an OLED display, wireless charging, and more.

iPhone X vs iPhone 14 Pro Feature
If you've been holding on to your iPhone X and are considering upgrading to the iPhone 14 Pro later this year, check out our iPhone X vs. iPhone 14 Pro comparison for new features to expect.

Other comparisons: iPhone XS vs. 14 Pro, 11 Pro vs. 14 Pro, and 12 Pro vs. 14 Pro.

15 Games Leaving Apple Arcade Soon — Here's Why

Apple recently shared a list of 15 games that will be removed from Apple Arcade soon due to the upcoming expiry of some three-year deals that Apple signed with some game developers.

apple arcade orange feature
In a new support document, Apple clarified what happens when games are removed from Apple Arcade, including how long the games will remain playable, how a user's saved game progress will be affected, and more.

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.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
apple card feature2

Apple Card 3% Daily Cash Back Now Available From Two More Apple Partners

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:36 am PST by
Apple has partnered with select merchants to offer Apple Card users three percent Daily Cash back on their purchases, and two new companies were added to the partner list today. When purchasing goods and services from Booking.com and ChargePoint, Apple Card users will now get more cash back. Booking.com is a site for reserving flights, cars, cruises, and hotels, while ChargePoint sells...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
15 inch m3 macbook air

Amazon Takes Up to $300 Off M3 MacBook Air With New All-Time Low Prices

Wednesday November 20, 2024 7:05 am PST by
Amazon today has knocked the price off of multiple M3 MacBook Air models, with as much as $300 off select computers. Prices start at $849.00 for the 13-inch M3 MacBook Air (16GB RAM/256GB), and also include multiple 15-inch models as well. 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 ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker Kicks Off Massive Black Friday Sale With Up to 50% Off Sitewide, Free Gifts With Purchase, Mystery Boxes, and More

Thursday November 21, 2024 7:53 am PST by
Anker today kicked off its big Black Friday sale, which is set to run through December 9. This sale includes notable discounts on portable chargers, USB-C hubs, cables, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. There are a few bonus offers during this event as ...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
31 months ago

Apple has also released iPadOS 15.6 with a fix for an iPad mini 6 charging issue ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/20/ipados-15-6-fixes-ipad-mini-6-charging-issue/'), macOS 12.5 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/20/apple-releases-macos-12-5/') with the same live sports enhancements, watchOS 8.7 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/20/apple-releases-watchos-8-7/'), tvOS 15.6 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/20/apple-releases-tvos-15-6/'), and HomePod software version 15.6 ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/20/apple-releases-homepod-15-6-software-with-siri-voice-recognition-in-additional-languages/') with support for Siri in two additional languages ('https://www.macrumors.com/2022/07/21/homepod-swedish-norwegian-support/') and more.
For a lot of people these latest OS releases represent what will be best versions of what the last year provided.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
31 months ago

I was actually just thinking this yesterday. I notice that dumb banner at the top of the screen when the phone is unlocking the watch has gone away again. Lots of little things seem to have been ironed out.

Kind of makes me want to skip 16 until about this time next year. Probably will at least wait until .1
Maybe .3 as that is how long it took Universal Control to be implemented. :D

Here's a listing of what got added since the WWDC 2021 OS's were released last Sept and later on. You can readily discern how much has been added/redesigned/changed. :)

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212585

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212788

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212789

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211815

https://support.apple.com/guide/tv/whats-new-in-tvos-15-atvb457e13ae/tvos
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
31 months ago

Maybe .3 as that is how long it took Universal Control to be implemented. :D

Here's a listing of what got added since the WWDC 2021 OS's were released last Sept and later on. You can readily discern how much has been added/redesigned/changed. :)

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212585

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212788

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212789

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211815

https://support.apple.com/guide/tv/whats-new-in-tvos-15-atvb457e13ae/tvos
For some reason the bottom of the iOS 15 updates page is in French. Despite the URL clearly saying en-us. It even links to fr and fr-ca pages. I had to switch to en-gb to get it in English. Weird.

And back on topic there were some major, major bugs not fixed until 15.1.1. Actually each release except for 15.5 had an immediate .1 release to fix a major bug.

Waiting for about 16.5 does actually seem to be a good idea. But who am I kidding, I'll be downloading the second it's available.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
31 months ago

British gutter press ran a very unusual and out of place article the other day informing people that they need to upgrade to 15.6 “NOW” because 15.5 is basically hacked and has 39 critical vulnerabilities or some other such bluster. Highly suspicious story.
Leave it to the news to create clickbait, but its hasn't been hacked, only some real vulnerabilities addressed.
Apple’s release notes ('https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT213346') for iOS 15.6 lists 37 security fixes, some of which are pretty serious.
Examples

* CVE-2022-32788 - Impact: A remote user may be able to cause kernel code execution. Description: A buffer overflow was addressed with improved bounds checking.
* CVE-2022-32832 - Impact: An app with root privileges may be able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Description: The issue was addressed with improved memory handling.
* CVE-2022-32847 - Impact: A remote user may be able to cause unexpected system termination or corrupt kernel memory. Description: This issue was addressed with improved checks.
* CVE-2022-32849 - Impact: An app may be able to access sensitive user information. Description: An information disclosure issue was addressed by removing the vulnerable code.
* CVE-2022-32857 - Impact: A user in a privileged network position can track a user’s activities. Description: This issue was addressed by using HTTPS when sending information over the network.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)