Top Stories: Apple Watch Sales Resume, iOS Features Coming in 2024, and More

2023 is quickly drawing to close, so it's a traditional time for us to look back at everything that happened in the Apple world over the past year and look forward to what we're expecting to see in 2024.

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While the news and rumor cycle largely slows down at this time of year, the past couple of weeks have been dominated by developments in a patent dispute that saw Apple forced to briefly halt U.S. sales of the latest Apple Watch models before a court paused the ban. Make sure to read on below for the latest developments in this case and more!

Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 Once Again Available to Purchase From Apple's Online Store

Last week, Apple paused sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 in the U.S. due to a patent dispute with medical tech company Masimo related to blood oxygen sensing.

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In January, the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple had infringed on a Masimo patent related to blood oxygen sensing, and it ordered an import and sales ban for Apple Watch models offering the feature. However, Apple appealed the decision in court and was granted a temporary stay, so the ban is lifted and sales have resumed for now.

What to Expect From Apple in 2024: Vision Pro, iPhone 16 Models, Revamped iPad Pro and More

Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset is expected to be the company's most important product of 2024, but there are many other products to look forward to next year, including the first iPad Pro models with OLED displays, a redesigned Apple Watch, and more.

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Check out our complete guide to what we're expecting in 2024 to learn more about some of the most interesting devices and updates expected to launch next year.

Apple in 2023: The Biggest Stories and Surprises of the Year

2023 was a relatively iterative year for Apple product releases, but there were still several notable announcements and surprises throughout the year. Apple previewed its upcoming Vision Pro headset, the full-sized HomePod made a comeback, the iPhone finally switched to USB-C, and much more.

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This week, we recapped the 10 biggest Apple news stories and surprises of the year.

The MacRumors Show: 2023 Year in Review

On the final episode of the year for The MacRumors Show podcast, hosts Dan Barbera and Hartley Charlton took a look back at Apple's year, which included a number of product launches and software updates.

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Last week's episode saw Dan and Hartley answer listener questions about Apple heading into 2024. Topics discussed include the Vision Pro, upcoming iPad models, app sideloading in the EU, and more.

The MacRumors Show now has its own YouTube channel, and you can also listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcast platform.

New iOS Features Coming in 2024 for Messages, Apple Music, and More

2024 is just a few days away, and there are many iOS 17 and iOS 18 features that are expected to launch throughout the year.

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In a recent article, we listed eight new iOS features that are expected to launch on iPhones next year, including Stolen Device Protection, collaborative Apple Music playlists, RCS support in the Messages app, generative AI functionality for Siri, and more.

Kuo: Vision Pro Likely to Launch by Early February

Apple will likely begin selling the Vision Pro in the U.S. in late January or early February, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

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Apple first announced the Vision Pro at WWDC in June, and said it would launch in the U.S. in early 2024, followed by more countries later in the year. Kuo estimates that Vision Pro shipments in 2024 will reach approximately 500,000 units, which would make it a low-volume product.

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!

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Top Rated Comments

MiaBchDave Avatar
16 months ago
As someone that upgraded from the iPhone 11 Pro to the 15 Pro, I hope they figure out the behind screen faceID/Selfie Camera where the pixels can be turned off when the sensors are in use.

I'm not sure who thought the "dynamic island" was a good design decision. "Hey, let's take the notch and move it into the screen more so we need to make the phone taller to have the same screen size." The dynamic island doesn't even add anything, since it's glitchy half the time in iOS 17 by cutting off information. Without supervision, I'm sure these "designers" would move the island right into the center of the screen to complete the massacre.

It's crap design decisions like that that make me miss Steve Jobs, since I'm sure he would have ripped someone a new orifice if they came up with this.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarAnalogy Avatar
16 months ago

As someone that upgraded from the iPhone 11 Pro to the 15 Pro, I hope they figure out the behind screen faceID/Selfie Camera where the pixels can be turned off when the sensors are in use.

I'm not sure who thought the "dynamic island" was a good design decision. "Hey, let's take the notch and move it into the screen more so we need to make the phone taller to have the same screen size." The dynamic island doesn't even add anything, since it's glitchy half the time in iOS 17 by cutting off information. Without supervision, I'm sure these "designers" would move the island right into the center of the screen to complete the massacre.

It's crap design decisions like that that make me miss Steve Jobs, since I'm sure he would have ripped someone a new orifice if they came up with this.
Love is not a strong enough reaction. This, almost verbatim, is what I have been saying. It is super distracting and I do not like it. The same animations can be done with phones with the notch. The animations don’t even use the part the notch takes up.

And their promotional videos show people watching movies with this big block in the way like it’s a feature I’m supposed to want. It’s like the “floating” Dock in macOS now. WTF am I supposed to do with this tiny strip of pixels? I’d rather have it go to the edge and have more screen space in the center where it belongs.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)